The Bottom Line
By opposing the LEAD project the Ramotar administration has made itself enemy number one of democracy.

The US Govt is very soft with these PPP/C scumbags, I would say recind their friggin Visas, and let them go to Cuba and Russia to spend their Holidays.

Controversial democracy project…

Govt. revokes work permit of US

contractor

Glenn Bradbury

The Government of Guyana has revoked the work permit and extension of stay of the Head of the United States of America’s democratization project Glenn Bradbury, which is being implemented in Guyana to the dismay of the Administration.

This was disclosed by Dr. Roger Luncheon, Cabinet Secretary during his weekly post-Cabinet meeting at the Office of the President, yesterday.

Bradbury is the Principal Official of the International Republican Institute which is contracted by USAID to implement the Leadership and Democracy (LEAD) Project.

While not indicating whether this is an act by Government to stall the execution of the LEAD Project, Dr. Luncheon said the revocation of Bradbury, a Canadian citizen’s, permit, was based on the conclusion that Guyana’s immigration laws were offended by Bradbury.

In early January, Dr. Luncheon said the decision by the US Government to proceed with a project that the Guyana Government has already rejected is disrespectful.

He said that the four components of the project were analyzed by Cabinet and one contained major activities that captured a relationship between USAID and individual political parties in Guyana. Guyana does not have a public policy by government for the support for political parties, he added.

The LEAD project seeks to enhance the technical capacity and functionality of the legislature through the regular use of consultative practices and mechanisms for legislative drafting, analysis, review, and passage.

The programme is expected to further reinforce democratic governance in Guyana by broadening political participation through more representative and competitive multi-party engagements.

This programme will include a particular focus on women and youth.

Dr. Luncheon reflected that last week US Ambassador, Brendt Hardt met with President Donald Ramotar and senior Government Officials, including himself. That engagement allowed the reiteration of Cabinet’s position on the matter.

He said Government is prepared to re-engage but it will not do so while activities under the project are being implemented.

Dr. Luncheon said on March 27, Hardt made it clear to Government that the project was being implemented even though Government had objected.

“I had also advised Cabinet that it was an amazing assertion by the Ambassador that the Government knew and the Government had been informed and that indeed the public was equally made aware of the implementation of this project,” he said.

“Cabinet’s directive that was faithfully discharged by Cabinet Secretary, yours truly, was to provide the US Government through the Ambassador an opportunity- forget all that has happened…We want today to put to the American side the question, are you in the spirit, in the commitment to engagement going to put on hold the implementation of the project or not?”

According to Dr. Luncheon, since Cabinet’s request on the matter was going to be transmitted officially to the American Government, a formal response in a timely manner has been requested.

He assured that the US Ambassador has undertaken to honour both requests.

Let the US Visa Revocatiions begins, starting with the Lunchman.

“Jook fuh Jook” – Granger says to Guyana

revoking Work Permit US Employee

May 2, 2014 1:59 pmCategory: PoliticsA+ / A-

 

By Fareeza Haniff

Leader of the APNU, David Granger. [iNews' Photo]

[www.inewsguyana.com] – Leader of the main Opposition – A Partnership for National Unity – David Granger is of the view that the Donald Ramotar administration will have to pay a price for revoking the work permit of a United States government employee.

 

The Guyana government revoked the work permit it had issued to Glenn Bradbury, who was tasked with implementing the contentious USAID funded Leadership and Democracy (LEAD) Project by the United States government.

The government is not in favour with this project. At a press conference on Friday, May 02, Granger said that he regrets the action taken against a “friendly country.”

“We feel that the Lead Programme was working to the benefit of young people in Guyana because it started to provide information, particularly on the upcoming Local Government Elections.”

Granger added, “We did not have any other involvement in LEAD other than education and we felt that the limited engagements we had were beneficial to young people and the withdrawal of the programme will hurt the ability of the young people to comprehend a very complex electoral system and to participate fully.”

When asked about the implications as a result of the government’s action, Opposition Leader said, “My own feeling is that the government will have to pay a price for terminating the work permit of Bradbury. In diplomacy is jook fuh jook.”

Government spokesperson, Dr Roger Luncheon told reporters during a press briefing earlier in the week that the revocation of the work permit was based on the “immigration laws of Guyana being offended by Mr Bradbury and his actions in Guyana.”

The United States Government in response had stated that “LEAD is designed to benefit the Government and people of Guyana through the promotion of understanding and consensus-building within the National Assembly; greater citizen engagement with Parliament; civic education on local government and greater civic engagement among women and youth.

“The LEAD project implements the objectives described in the USAID Assistance Agreement for Governing Justly and Democratically, reached between the United States government and the Government of Guyana in 2009.”

Can someone clarify if this organization is tied to the Republican Party ?

Work permit revocation…US

“regrets”, Opposition Leader warns of

retaliation

Two days after the Government of Guyana announced that it revoked the work permit of the Head of the controversial Leadership and Democracy (LEAD) Project, Glenn Bradbury, the United States has made it clear that the decision is contrary to the commitment given by this country. “The decision to revoke Mr. Bradbury’s permit is contrary to our understanding of the Government of Guyana’s commitment to review together the LEAD programme and to the spirit of the discussions proposed by the Government of Guyana itself”, the US Embassy said yesterday in its first statement on the issue.

Dr. Roger Luncheon

The Embassy also said it “regrets” the decision to revoke the work permit which was issued to Bradbury on September 25th, last year. The revocation also sparked worry from Opposition Leader, David Granger, who believed that there is likelihood of retaliation. According to the official, his faction, A Partnership for National Unity (APNU), “regrets the action of Government with feelings that the program was working in the benefit of young people because it started to provide information particularly on the local government elections.” “We felt that the limited engagements we had were beneficial as well. I understand that the US Embassy and (President Donald) Ramotar were engaged in talks, but I did not get the impression that the talks had broken down and that such an action was necessary.” Granger believes that Government “will have to pay a price for that action. In this diplomacy it is going to be a juk for juk situation.” The US Embassy in its statement yesterday said it welcomes the willingness of the Government of Guyana to re-engage in discussions on democracy and governance, and specifically in relation to the USAID LEAD project. LEAD, the Embassy explained, is designed to benefit the Government and people of Guyana through the promotion of understanding and consensus-building within the National Assembly; greater citizen engagement with Parliament; civic education on local government and greater civic engagement among women and youth. “The LEAD project implements the objectives described in the USAID Assistance Agreement for Governing Justly and democratically, reached between the United States government and the Government of Guyana in 2009.”

President Donald Ramotar

On Wednesday, chief spokesperson of the Government and Cabinet Secretary, Dr. Roger Luncheon, said that Government revoked the work permit and extension of stay of the Head of the United States of America’s democratization project, Glenn Bradbury. The revocation would be significant as it is not often that Guyana would take such actions against the US. Bradbury is the Principal Official of the International Republican Institute which is contracted by USAID to implement the Leadership and Democracy (LEAD) Project. While not indicating whether this is an act by Government to stall the execution of the LEAD Project, Dr. Luncheon said the revocation of Bradbury, a Canadian citizen’s, permit, was based on the conclusion that Guyana’s immigration laws were “offended”. In early January, Dr. Luncheon said the decision by the US Government to proceed with a project that the Guyana Government has already rejected is disrespectful. He said that the four components of the project were analyzed by Cabinet and one contained major activities that captured a relationship between USAID and individual political parties in Guyana. Guyana does not have a public policy by government for the support for political parties, he added. The LEAD project seeks to enhance the technical capacity and functionality of the legislature through the regular use of consultative practices and mechanisms for legislative drafting, analysis, review, and passage. The programme is expected to further reinforce democratic governance in Guyana by broadening political participation through more representative and competitive multi-party engagements.

US Ambassador, D. Brent-Hardt

This programme will include a particular focus on women and youth. It was only last week that US Ambassador, D. Brent Hardt met with President Donald Ramotar and senior Government Officials, including Luncheon on the issue. That engagement allowed the reiteration of Cabinet’s position on the matter. The spokesman said that Government is prepared to re-engage but it will not do so while activities under the project are being implemented. The LEAD project was launched last year July.

The revocation would be significant as it is not often that Guyana would take such actions against the US. Bradbury is the Principal Official of the International Republican Institute which is contracted by USAID to implement the Leadership and Democracy (LEAD) Project.

NB I would want to believe that Leadership and Democracy is a very important component in Guyana Political Arena, taking the Corrupt PPP/C type of Leadership and Democracy...it leaves much to be desired, the Population is simply fed up with their immorality and thiefing.......from the top to the bottom.....these scumbags lack the projection of decency in thier high position within the land that they governed.

asj:

Then Donald Duck:

Let the Corrupt PPP/C ketch some sense

Quote "If at all history has taught us anything, it is that the motives of a man must always be questioned. Why has the Ramotar administration refused the LEAD project? Why is the US Ambassador insisting that the project will continue with or without government participation?"unquote

It is not a matter of revocations of visa. It is a matter of lack of support at the IMF or WB or any of the UN donor/lending agencies for projects they so freely get presently. These old communists will learn what Burnham learnt. You get support based on reciprocal expectation of support.

This fellow is coming back. He will tell his senator and congressman on the foreign policy commission what he knows and it will not be good. It will resonate with the many voices in the Guyanese community who presently accost their representatives to look to the corrupt practices of the PPP administration. This is a convergence of history and PPP praxis and history will repeat itself.

These idiots will find themselves flat on their petards and they will blame all sorts of conspiracies against them and not their inherent corrupt methodology for governing.

The visa revocation: A mendicant, primitive country insults the USA

It has to be the most comical opera in international relations since Thucydides wrote his fantastic book two thousand years ago on relations among states and titled, “The Peloponnesian Wars.”
Any student of world politics would know that Guyana is one of the poorest countries in the world. Any student of politics would know in terms of quality of life, Guyana ranks very low among the sovereign states that sit in the United Nations. Any student of politics would know that in terms of modern infrastructure, Guyana is a very primitive land.
This is a country where in the 21st century, the capital city hasn’t got a proper functioning sewage system. This is a country that built a bridge four years ago that is the identical version to one that the Allies constructed in the Second World War as seen in the famous movie, “The Bridge on the River Kwai.”
This is a country where once you build a house you have to buy a large black tank imported from Trinidad to store water. Central supply of water does not reach any house throughout Guyana at a height of twenty feet above ground level. This is a country where the only university has virtually collapsed.
This is a country that only one month ago acquired a modern fingerprinting system for the police that the world has been using decades ago, and it was a donation from the American Government. This is a country where the police began using the speed gun only two years ago after the British Embassy donated six of them. This is a country where at the beginning of the year the entire police force had only three breathalyzer machines.
This is a country where magistrates and judges write down every single word that is said by the person in the witness box, an anachronistic practice the world left behind decades and decades ago.  This is a country of 800,000 persons where the population conducting business and trade and financial services in the society is one of the smallest in the world, but a cheque by any of the eminent business companies deposited in bank takes four days before the recipient can have the money.
This is a country where a sitting CARICOM Prime Minister, Bruce Golding, in 2010, said that Guyana is an embarrassment to the region because it is an international beggar. Here is where the nudity of Guyana is laid bare. This country never stops begging the Inter-American Development Bank and it starts from the President right down to all his Ministers.
Addressing the UN General Assembly last year, President Jagdeo was indignant that the UN raised the economic status of Guyana, thereby taking it off the list of countries whose poverty rating entitles them to greater UN financial assistance. Knowing that the elevated ranking will result in aid reduction, Mr. Ramotar, in fact, rejected such an improved status.  Mr. Ramotar just wants Guyana to keep receiving financial handouts.
The government of this kind of hellhole has become bold enough to revoke the visa of a consultant employed by the American Government who was the administrator of a democracy project. This project is needed in this country to teach its people about the lost value of democratic institutions. How institutions should be democratic, accountable and transparent is something we lost since Cheddi Jagan became Premier in 1957 right up to the present moment. This was the asset of the democracy programme.
The visa cancellation is the irony of all ironies. The US, which helped Ramotar and Luncheon and company to come to power in 1992, is now told it is interfering in Guyana’s internal affairs because the US is helping us to understand how public institutions should relate to the citizenry.
When we beg the US for money, when we send our wives to get babies in the US so they can become American citizens, it is alright. But not when the US wants to help to strengthen democracy?
The visa recall by a virtual nonentity in world politics is a nasty insult that the American people should not accept from Guyana. For far too long the US has turned a blind eye to atrocities committed by the PPP Government and a majority of the population cannot understand why, especially in the area of drug trafficking.
Captain David Clarke has named names for the US Government as to who in the corridors of power are involved in drug trafficking. But to date the US has not moved against these people. Will this visa insult be the straw that broke the camel’s back? Every Guyanese, in and out, is waiting to see how the US will retaliate against this nonentity.

The same County that puts these scumbags into power, today these dogs has shown their ingratitude.