As the pedophile crew attempt to spread their lies, here's the real story behind Green's disenchantment with Sooba.

WPO supports Sooba’s stand to weed out corruption, incompetence at City Hall

May 18, 2013 By admin

The Women’s Pro-gressive Organisation (WPO) has slammed the barrage of attacks against acting Town Clerk Carol Sooba, led by Georgetown Mayor Hamilton Green and his band of councillors.

City Hall

These attacks, which included Green mobilising a group of vendors to protest against the continued presence of Sooba at City Hall is revealing as it comes almost immediately after the acting town clerk announced a campaign to root out corruption at the Mayor and City Council (M&CC), the WPO said in a release.

The WPO said the public admission by Sooba that some councillors have pressured her to engage in actions which are below board and are against the laws governing the municipality and her outright refusal must be commended.

“The revelations that Sooba was also being pressured by no less than Mayor Green to write-off millions of dollars in taxes from a business operated by his wife to the municipality, even more so when City Hall is operating under serious cash flow constraints is most revealing.

“Disclosures of the misuse of international donor funds by the mayor and his associates add to the dilemma.”

The WPO said it is strange that in rallying roadside vendors to protest against Sooba, no less a person than Green is quoted by the media as stating that “there was no plan to address vending in the city”.

“We find this statement most damning as Mr Green has been functioning as mayor of Georgetown since 1993, two decades after the High Court would have ruled this practice illegal.

“Unfortunately, the mayor is turning a blind eye to the continuous construction of illegal vending structures all over the city, especially on parapets and reserves in the city.

“Contrast the eagerness of the mayor and his councillors to remove Sooba, who during her nine months at City Hall has reportedly managed to save over $80 million for the cash-strapped M&CC to their refusal to support the dismissal of the previous acting Town Clerk Ms Yonette Pluck and support staff; despite the fact that an independent investigation found major financial irregularities during their tenure.”

The WPO said based on recent revelations and accusations levelled at the M&CC that persons of East Indian descent are routinely targeted, the WPO as a multi-ethnic organisation which has fought for close to 60 years against such practices finds the unjust attacks against Sooba because of her ethnicity most reprehensible.

The women’s arm of the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) stands firm in supporting Sooba and her efforts to weed out the incompetence and corruption at City Hall, which have had a devastating effect on Georgetown and the image of Guyana.

Women’s group denounces racist attacks against acting town clerk by Hamilton Green and clique

TUESDAY, 21 MAY 2013 14:04 ADMINISTRATOR

Acting Town Clerk Carol Sooba

THE Women’s Progressive Organization (WPO) said in a press statement last Friday that it has taken note of the barrage of attacks levelled against acting Town Clerk Ms. Carol Sooba by Georgetown Mayor Hamilton Green and his band of councillors, and that the attack included Mayor Green mobilizing a group of vendors to protest against the continued presence of Ms. Sooba at City Hall. Those attacks, the WPO said, are revealing, as they come almost immediately after the acting Town Clerk had announced a campaign to root out corruption at the M&CC.

Alluding to Ms. Sooba’s public statement that some councillors had pressured her to engage in actions which are below board and are against the laws governing the municipality, the WPO said that Sooba’s outright refusal must be commended.

The revelation that Ms. Sooba was also being pressured by no less a person than Mayor Green to write off millions of dollars in taxes payable to the municipality by a business operated by his wife, even more so when City Hall is operating under serious cash flow constraints, is most revealing, the WPO statement continued.

“Disclosures of the misuse of international donor funds by the Mayor and his associates add to the dilemma,” the WPO statement declared, saying the WPO finds it strange that in rallying roadside vendors to protest against Ms. Sooba, no less a person than Mr. Green is quoted by the media as stating that: “There was no plan to address vending in the City”.

“We find this statement most damning, as Mr. Green has been functioned as Mayor of Georgetown since 1994, and it has been several years since the High Court would have ruled this practice illegal,” the statement continued.

Unfortunately, the Mayor is turning a blind eye to the continuous construction of illegal vending structures all over the city, especially on parapets and reserves in the city, the statement said.

“Contrast the eagerness of the Mayor and his councillors to remove Ms. Sooba who, during her nine months at City Hall has reportedly managed to save over $80 million for the cash strapped M&CC, to their refusal to support the dismissal of the previous Town Clerk (ag.) Ms. Yonette Pluck and support staff, despite the fact that an independent investigation found major financial irregularities during their tenure,” the WPO affirmed.
The release stated that, based on recent revelations and accusations levelled at the M&CC, persons of East Indian descent are routinely targeted. Therefore, the WPO, as a multi-ethnic organization which has fought for close to 60 years against such practices, finds the unjust attacks against Ms. Carol Sooba because of her ethnicity most reprehensible.

“The Women’s Progressive Organization stands firm in supporting Ms. Carol Sooba and her efforts to weed out the incompetence and corruption at City Hall, which have had a devastating effect on our capital city and the image of Guyana,” the release concluded(Guyana Chronicle).

Green in trouble over use of $15.5M Japanese grant

May 15, 2013 By admin

A Japanese grant of US$75,828 and taxes owed by wife of Mayor Hamilton Green were among two contentious items to be discussed at Monday’s statutory meeting, when the chief citizen broke it up, saying he would not sit at any meeting being presided over by acting Town Clerk, Carol Sooba.
Sooba on Tuesday showed this newspaper a copy of the order of Monday’s statutory meeting with the two items listed for discussion. Green and Sooba have been at each other’s throats for a protracted period, something which has dogged the council over the years. Almost all of the previous town clerks have had confrontations with the longstanding mayor, who continue to shun calls for his resignation.

Georgetown Mayor Hamilton Green

In an interview with Guyana Times, Sooba disclosed that the controversial Jelante Pharmacy and the US$75,828 Japanese grant were top on the agenda for Monday’s statutory meeting. She said Green had been trying to avoid the issue.
Documents produced by Sooba indicated that the Finance Committee headed by Chairman Junior Garrett on May 2 discussed the backlog of taxes owed to the municipality by the mayor’s wife Jennifer Basdeo-Green for the Jelante Pharmacy.  It was indicated that Green is behind on rates and taxes by more than $9 million for the period 2009-2013.
“Dr Jennifer Basdeo-Green is therefore requesting that the interest be waived and she is willing to pay within 48 hours all rates due,” the mayor and councillors of the city of Georgetown statutory meeting on the May 13 order paper stated.
However, the Finance Committee made it clear that no waivers should be granted by the council and that the request be forwarded to the Local Government Ministry.
The acting town clerk said Green knew that the matter was slated to be discussed on Monday, resulting in his move to disrupt the planned meeting. She said although Green and his wife are claiming that they would have written the council on numerous occasions to bring clarity on the issue, he has thus far failed to produce such letters to substantiate his claims.
Sooba also pointed to item seven on the order paper for Monday’s statutory meeting. Under item seven, the council was slated to approve or reject recommendations made by the Finance Committee for the sourcing of a bank statement on withdrawals and signatures to withdrawal from a US$75,828 Japanese grant.
According to the document, the grant was awarded to the City Council by the Japanese government from the Assistance for Grassroots Human Security Project for the Lodge Housing Scheme/Century Palm Gardens Environmental Programme. The money was reportedly used to purchase a garbage truck and  garbage bins, and to hold educational programmes.

Acting Town Clerk
Carol Sooba

The order paper stated that the mayor and Solid Waste Director Hubert Urlin had opened a Republic Bank account. It was also pointed out that on April 17; the council received a request from the Japanese embassy for a refund of $753,264. Additionally, the embassy is requesting an auditor’s report. Failure to meet the demands of the embassy can result in future implications.
According to Sooba, the project commenced in 2009, but was only completed in 2011. She further alleged that Green had committed an unlawful act when he opted to open an account, noting too that the money spent by Green was not in accordance with the project plan.  She said Green’s action contradicted the Municipal and District Council’s Act, Chapter 2801 which stipulates that an account of the council should be opened by the town clerk and treasurer.

Here's the story behind why no local elections as PNC bais use stalling tactics to keep their man Green bleeding the city with his corrupt practices.

Collymore emphasized that the one-vote majority is the prison warder for the Select Committee, and “we are not the prison guards… so  when you hear people say they want local government elections, tell them to talk to Mr Granger and company and tell them speed up the process.”

No Local Government Elections can be held until certain bills are passed

--Clinton Collymore By Whitney Persaud THIS was expressed by Mr. Clinton Collymore, Ministerial Adviser to Minister of Local Government and Regional Development, whilst delivering the feature address at a training workshop for Neighbourhood Democratic Councillors in Region 4 at the Guyana International Convention Centre, Lilendaal yesterday.  Adviser to the Local Government Minister, Former Minister of Local Government, Clinton Collymore. The Fiscal Transfer Bill, the Local Government Commission Act, and the Electoral Act are on lockdown (held in abeyance) by the Opposition in the Select Committee; and unless they are released, there will be no local government elections. This situation was explained by Mr. Clinton Collymore, who said that the three constitutionally-mandated pieces of legislation are guided by strict legal rules and regulations. “Unless these things are in place, there’s going to be no local government elections; because, if we only go forward and certain things are lacking, somebody will file the matter in the High Court to say these things are unconstitutional because the constitutional powers or mandates have not been met.” Collymore explained. According to Collymore, the Neighbourhood, Municipal, and Regional councils are the three basic stages of local government functioning at present. He said that, very soon, when the Local Government Reform legislation is in place, there will be village councils and community councils added to arms of local government. However, the village councils and community councils will be realized immediately, although there are several steps that must be taken lawfully before this is done. “Let us assume that this year the government is allowed, and I use this word guardedly, to proceed with local government elections… You will not have village or community councils, these two areas were agreed to be deferred until after the first local government elections held under the constitutional mandate,” he highlighted. Collymore informed that the reform process has certain parameters, the first of which is establishing a commission. He reminded that this is as a result of the joint task force on Local Government Reform which was set up by former President Dr. Bharrat Jagdeo and the Opposition Leader Mr. Desmond Hoyte. “That task force went into operation (in) 2001 and delivered in 2009 after a long gestation period. They decided that certain things have to be done, and these things are mandated by the constitution.” He said that, in the year 2000, there was a constitution reform commission set up by the Opposition leader together with the then President, and they agreed on certain things to be done. Consequently, if those things aren’t done, there can be no local government elections. He notified that the first thing is establishing a commission which is to function just like the Public Service Commission, but will be dealing with local government matters. He said the constitution says the commission should have some general powers, but all administrative authority should remain with the minster. He quoted Article 78 A: “Parliament shall establish a Local Government Commission, the composition and rules of which (empower) the commission to deal with all matters relating to the regulation and staffing of the local government organs, and the dispute resolution within and between local government (bodies)”. This will see the Local Government Commission dealing with, and resolving, issues that the Regional Democratic Councils (RDCs), the National Democratic Councils (NDCs) and other local gov’t entities would normally address. He pointed out that the statutory responsibilities of the minister will remain, because “there are certain things which only the minster can do, and a commission can’t do”. The commission will resolve the feuds. “The ones which you go to the RDC with or the ministry with, you will go to the commission. Staffing: You heard the PS talking about that; that, too, will come under the commission.” However, he said the country’s constitution was in a sad state. He described it as “a big tug-o-war “over the commission, as it relates to leadership.” “In Guyana, you know what it is. There are no independent people, you either a PPP or a PNC, and now you are an APNU. From the time you come out of school, you are a politician. So there’s a big struggle over the constitution, and this is one of the reasons why the commission and two other legislation is on lock down,” he lamented. Collymore called the three pieces of legislation “prisoners of the Select Committee in the National Assembly, given that there is a “one vote less and one vote more” system in operation between the Opposition and the People’s Progressive Party /Civic government. He said it’s now a bone of contention between the parties in power, since it’s hard to decide who will be heading the commission. “Until the Opposition decides to remove them from the Select Committee, no local government elections… And you know what this is all about? The commissioners! We planned collectively to have six commissioners, and how the six are distributed, it’s a bone of contention between the parties…PNC doesn’t want the PPP to control the commission and vice versa; and so that is where we are.” Meanwhile, Collymore said that when the Peoples Progressive Party was ready to have Local Government Elections in 2010, the proximity of the general elections in 2011 overturned this move, since the Guyana Elections Commission was not in any position to run with two elections at the same time. “It’s traditional and customary for the minor elections to stand down (and let) the superior elections go forward, so this is the reason why we didn’t have the local government elections when we were expected to, in 2010,” he explained. He said that while people have been calling for local government elections, the government is not in any position to go ahead and run with it. “We want it too, but at the moment we don’t have any power to deal with that. They are locked away in the Select Committee,” Collymore said. Collymore emphasized that the one-vote majority is the prison warder for the Select Committee, and “we are not the prison guards… so  when you hear people say they want local government elections, tell them to talk to Mr Granger and company and tell them speed up the process.” “We are ready when they are ready,” he maintained. “We did the bill and we were in agreement 99% where the task force is concerned. Only the Commission Bill, which they had a problem with, and that has been passed.” He explained that the Select Committee is at a stage of the  parliamentary committee where a bill is sent to a set of officials to fine tune, iron out all the difficulties and disputes, and send it back to the Parliament to approve, after which it goes to the President to be signed.

i guess de "block" nat wukkin today, eh drugabeer?

har de har har har har har har har har har har harrr . . .

       drugabeer

where did this come from . . . what does this mean??

the reckless PPP race arsonists don't even feel a need to find proper pretext before putting match to their taxpayer funded channa bombs

Understanding and assessing information can indeed be a challenge.

I agree. Especially to the "PPP Elite" who post here representing the PIG PEN PARTY

dude, we understand . . .

there is actually a clinical diagnosis for what ails u . . . tribalism with weakness for jagdeoite tiefmanisn, allied with creeping dementia

staaan easy deh

The cardinal point is what really does some individuals understand of the issues.

TELL US O WISE ONE

Debating in politics usually causes people to lose their mental wellness, such is the evidence seen here on this board.

its about time green take a rest i hope mark benchop or freddy run for mayor

Hammie just need to get up and go. I can suggest a direction, walk towards the seawall and never stop even on encountering the Atlantic...just go.

The PPP is not any better...

You can surely sort it out.

Time was when most things were banned in Guyana and people used to eat food from the cans that Burnham imported for cats and dogs. Our Hammie had his boys catching fish and selling it to people in govt. ministries and making a quick dollar. This man is a survivor but its time that he collects his old age pension and retires. The PPP should not keep him as Mayor for life.   

Dog food is not cheap, never was. Why would Burnham import canned pet food for example over span of potted meat if ever he was in the importation of "canned" stuff?He was not into importing anything. He was into banning stuff.Guyana was starved for foreign currency.

Further, Guyana is fairly rural so everyone could have raised a chicken or catch some fish if they cared to eat meat. I remember curass coming up the "salt trench" by the thousands, wild tilapia destroying cast nets  in the intertidal stamp because they were so plentiful and no one wanting to eat them.  Meat was not a problem for people in the country side and no one was eating peculiar canned stuff in the city either

I think you are making up stories with this dog food stuff. Not that I think you are. I know you are.

Banna I don't know where you lived but Guyana Stores in 1977 had imported dog food in cans while the rest of the country had to put up with banned sardines,potatoes, corned mutton etc. Let others who know about this give their input.  

 Let me get this. You are saying that we had dog food, imported ones for our dogs while our people starved? That does not make sense. Guyanese never fed their dogs canned dog food, at least not where I am from. We did have kibbles. However, Corentyne people especially are especially horrible with their dogs even now. They feed them rice that is why most are pot bellied and scrawny.

It was well he banned the canned meats. They were bad for health. Maybe he lacked the preparedness to teach the citizens how to produce similar products from locally available sources. I know we had chicken and fish and beef and mutton and pork. Beef was scarcer because LFSB banned the slaughter of heifers.  We even had goats but few people ate them then.

I am long past the embellishment of Burnham's cruelty. The fact is he had no option given he made the mistake to anger the west who shut down his begging bowl strategy which was renewed with the PPP. Yes he was evil and his evil was no less than what we now experience.

Yes we had imported dog and cat food while the people starved.