THERE IS NO WAY THAT THE PPP/C
WILL WIN
IF ELECTIONS WERE HELD
TODAY:
Great and eloquent words indeed. But my family will never give up our wealth to communists. We will fight to the last drop of our blood. We shall support an political movement to get rid of the sweet talking communists. We work hard for what we have. We never stole from anyone. We never robbed our workers who we treat with utmost respect. Stalinism and communism we abhor! Long live freedom!c Long live free enterprise. Long live the East Indian businness class! Short live the communists!
We must never fall for the sweet talk of Che Gouvera and Fidel Castro. The only revolution is the of the people to own private property. Us East Indians want to own private property.
We must never fall for the sweet talk of Che Gouvera and Fidel Castro. The only revolution is the of the people to own private property. Us East Indians want to own private property.
JB, to each his/her own, will be nice to talk about the isms some day, but right now, we are showcasing the bribery and corruptions of the cancerous and inept PPP/C who we think that if elections were held today they would be kicked out of office.
We must never fall for the sweet talk of Che Gouvera and Fidel Castro. The only revolution is the of the people to own private property. Us East Indians want to own private property.
JB, to each his/her own, will be nice to talk about the isms some day, but right now, we are showcasing the bribery and corruptions of the cancerous and inept PPP/C who we think that if elections were held today they would be kicked out of office.
Asj ....JB has a right
to be in love with the
Burnham Faction of the PPP.
Call it by any name you want
the PNC is the Burnham faction of the PPP,
Some will cuss Burnham at times....
while others will cuss Jagan the other times....
but history will show
the two factions were cut
from the same cloth.....
and each faction of the PPP
supported the other..... when they had to.....
and Each faction of the PPP
fight each other ....the rest of the time.
This topic is not about
the Jagan Faction of The PPP,
or Odo Faction of the PPP,
JB this topic .....
It is not about...I would call...
The Great things Jagan Did
like Developing Sugar, Rice, Agriculture,
Building Industrial sites
or creating lots of opportunities for the poor
while Jagan was in power
JB this topic ....
It is not about what you would call
The Great things Burnham Did
like Building things in guyana
the Linden Highway, Demerara Harbor Bridge,
National Service, House Of Isreal,
A Good Election Rigging Team
punishing or killing members of the opposition,
or creating opportunities for a few in a certain class
while the rest of the country suffer
while Fat-boy was in power
This Topic is about what
the PPP has turned into today,
With Jagdeo and Ramotar doing worst
that what many accuse Burnham and his Faction of Doing....
and with Jagdeo & Ramotar
Ignoring all the promises Jagan,
the Original leader of the PPP
made to all his supporters.
Friday, 01 November 2013
Guyana stands to lose at least US$20 million from the forest conservation fund because the South American country has lost more of its Amazon forest mainly to gold mining, Natural Resources Minister Robert Persaud said Friday.
He, however, emphasized that the 3rd National Report on Deforestation from January 2012 to October 2013 has to be verified first before confirmation on how much money Guyana will lose. âIf we say that what we have is accurate and what is right, it would be in the range of US$20 million,â he said.
He said new satellite imagery technology that uses a higher resolution of five meters shows that Guyana has lost much more forest cover over the reporting period. Previously, the resolution was 30 meters. Actual figures show that the area that has been deforested has increased from 9,891 to 14,655 hectares- 94 percent attributed to mining. Agriculture alone accounts for an increase from 52 to 440 hectares. Other drivers are forestry, mining and the construction of a road to the Amaila Falls hydropower project.
In percentage terms, Guyana has breached the agreement with Norway because it has increased from 0.054 percent in the Year Two assessment to 0.079 in Year Three which is above the agreed threshold of 0.070.
âIt is below what has been set as the maximum with the Kingdom of Norway. Itâs just that there are some graduated levels that if you hit that threshold you see a reduction in what your payment can be,â Persaud told reporters.
Persaud also announced that stemming from the report government would be soon using real-time satellite imagery to assist the Guyana Geology and Mines Commission (GGMC) and other enforcement agencies in swooping down on illegal mining and other activities that result in the destruction of forests.
The Minister ruled out a scaling back in gold and diamond mining but an emphasis on greater monitoring, enforcement and reforestation of mined out areas.
Government is moving to build permanent GGMC sub-stations, ensure there is information-sharing and enforcement by officers on the ground. Recent efforts to recruit and train a new batch of mines officers have not been entirely successful because, according to the minister, a number of them have been sent home.
Norway in 2009 agreed to pay Guyana US$250 million to help protect Guyana's forests to avoid deforestation that fuels climate change.
ASJ, what made you so anti-PPP so suddenly? I remember you were very pro in last elections. Are you sure you don't suffer from bi-polar disorder?
The man reponsible for all the mayhem that befalls us.
Dear Editor,
Ever since 1999 this country has been plagued with bribery and corruption. It was not surprising, therefore, that provisions have been made in the Constitution for an Integrity Commission in clear recognition and acknowledgement of the fact that Guyanese are no longer living in the age when men were born gentlemen, but rather in the age when efforts are being made to make gentlemen by laws and regulations. Yet the regime has not been forthright with the nation in allowing the Integrity Commission to function independently of PPP control.
The dictum that a manâs word is his bond has clearly lost all its intrinsic value and significance under this regime, hence the promulgation of the Integrity Commission. This law was passed, no doubt with the expectation of halting the escalation of corruption and dishonesty on the part of those in public life and those exercising public functions, but it has, it would seem, proven to be neither a palliative nor a panacea to reducing or eradicating corruption, except perhaps, to adorn our statute books with yet another law.
It is significant to note, however, that while the law is one which primarily constitutes an invasion of oneâs right to privacy, the enactment of the law has been justified on the ground of public interest, as opposed to the right of the individual. This is the message we want the PPP cabal to hear.
The word integrity clearly connotes persons of unblemished character and strong moral principles and persons who are held in high esteem as exemplars and worthy of becoming persons in public life, such as Members of Parliament and those holding public office.
However, empirical evidence has established that persons of such calibre are clearly scarce commodities in our society, especially in the PPP, and this conclusion may receive some support in a statement made some time ago by President Hoyte when he said that âselection of members of the Commission is not a matter to be rushed as these persons must be of the highest calibre and integrity.â
Integrity is therefore not a commodity that can be taken off a shelf as this regime has done. The value and concept of the importance of integrity has to be nurtured and developed during a personâs formative years, failing which, the word becomes meaningless to those who are strangers to it.
As human beings we are basically and fundamentally the product of our environment, so that a person born, nurtured and developed in an environment destitute of those intrinsic values would clearly be devoid of them.
While we address our ministers in the PPP as âHonourableâ (righteous and incorruptible), the personal honour to which the word owes its genesis or origin would seem to have lost much, if not all of its value and significance, since it has become imperative to enact laws and regulations, the purport and intent of which are to subject such persons to the submission of their incomes, assets and liabilities to the Integrity Commission on an annual basis for scrutiny, and for the purposes of declaring them to be persons of integrity.
This constitutional mechanism has been predicated on the fact that Ministers and parliamentarians in the PPP regime have so misused and abused their powers and authority for personal gain and aggrandizement, that they should be found guilty of criminal offences.
As a consequence, the question that has arisen from time to time is whether these PPP ministers and Parliamentarians should continue to be addressed as âhonourableâ or whether they should be addressed simply as Mr. or Ms. or just by their first names. Most Guyanese seem to have lost confidence and respect for the PPP cabal.
One of the mind-boggling questions is therefore, whether legislation per se will stem the tide of the growing escalation of bribery and corruption on the part of those in public life or whether there should be put in place a comprehensive and intensive educational programme, designed to create an environment in which our children, who would be the adults of tomorrow, could be nurtured, developed and sensitized of the intrinsic value and significance of the principles of honesty and integrity.
Since bribery and corruption would appear to be irrefutably endemic and pervasive in the regime and in the society, non-governmental organizations such as the Transparency Institute of Guyana, the Private Sector Commission, the Georgetown Chamber of Commerce and Industry and the trade unions, among others, ought to collectively consider speaking out against and condemning the PPP regime for its failure to stop the growing escalation of corruption and bribery at all levels of government. And there is no better place to begin than with the contracts in which major kickbacks are offered in return for them.
Dr. Asquith Rose and Harish S. Singh
Ed Ahmad probe leads FBI to former NY senator â NY Post
January 4, 2013 ·
The New York Post today said that
the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is probing former
New York State Senate Majority Leader, John Sampson
following its investigation of convicted Guyanese
mortgage fraudster Ed Ahmad.
Sampson is of Guyanese parentage
and has visited Guyana on several occasions.
He is the latest high-profile official to come under scrutiny
in a web that also ensnared Queens democratic congressman Ed Meeks
and convicted Ponzi artist Allen Stanford.
John Sampson & Ed Ahmad
The Post today said that
the FBI has launched a criminal probe
of Senator Sampson of Brooklyn.
The report said that the inquiry focusing on
Sampsonâs campaign fund-raising
arises from a broader federal probe into Meeks.
According to the report,
Ahmad is the common link
drawing the FBI from Meeks to Sampson.
Ahmad had been embroiled in a congressional ethics probe
for giving Meeks a secret US$40,000 loan
believed to have been a gift.
Ahmad pleaded guilty in October
in a separate, US$14 million mortgage-fraud scheme.
His sentencing date has not been scheduled
and the report said that
Ahmad is now cooperating with the feds.
Ahmad faces more than 10 years in jail
for submitting bogus information
on mortgage applications to lenders
and using straw buyers to hide his role in the scam.
He also faces more than
US$15 million in fines and restitution, the report said.
It added that like Meeks,
Sampson has strong ties to Ahmad.
Sampson was Ahmadâs lawyer in real-estate dealings
and had gotten into trouble over this representation.
The report added that the New York Department of State,
which licenses real-estate brokers and other corporations,
had admonished Sampson
for ânotarizing a statement by one of Ahmadâs workers
without a valid notary license, which had lapsed.â
Details were sketchy about what the federal investigators
are looking for in Sampsonâs campaign records, the report added.
Ahmad was a Sampson donor,
contributing at least US$2,000
to the senatorâs campaign, records show.
FBI spokesman Martin Feely
said he could neither confirm nor deny
the existence of an investigation into Sampson or Meeks.
The report said that Sampson
was questioned by two FBI agents
who stopped him on a Brooklyn street
outside his gym late last summer.
The Post said that Sampson has repeatedly
declined its requests for comment.
Through a spokesman,
he declined to comment yesterday
when asked again about the probe.
Queens Borough President Helen B. Marshall is flanked by (l - r)
NY State Senator John Sampson,
NYC Council Member Leroy Comrie,
Jagdeo business Partner Ed Ahmad
and Guyana's Consul General to New York The Hon. Brentnold Evans.
The FBI is continuing to probe Meeks
even though the House Ethics Committee
cleared him for failing for two years
to report a US$40,000 loan from Ahmad
that appeared to have been an interest-free gift.
The report said that the panel last month
concluded that Meeksâ inaction was âinadvertentâ and
declined to rule on whether the loan was in fact a gift.
The revelation of the federal probe into Sampson
comes two weeks after he was
dropped as the Senateâs Democratic leader in a 19-6 vote.
He was replaced by Sen. Andrea Stewart-Cousins of Westchester.
The Post report noted that in 2010,
the state inspector general criticised Sampson
for tainting the bidding process
in the award of a contract
to run the Aqueduct casino in Queens.
Sampson, then the majority leader,
was cited for leaking a confidential bidding document
to the lobbyist for the politically connected firm AEG,
which subsequently won the contract.
The state pulled the billion-dollar contract from AEG
when the Inspector Generalâs Office launched its probe.
In 2011, the New York Post had reported
that Meeks was trying to get a cricket invitation for
Ahmad to the VIP Box
of now disgraced Antigua-based banker Stanford
while he had been at the height
of his T20 cricket extravaganza in the Caribean.
Ahmadâs plight has also raised uncomfortable questions former President Bharrat Jagdeo and the ruling PPP as he was the supplier of goods to the President at State House and also occupies the former headquarters of the PPP-aligned paper, The Mirror.
These are the Exact words from the article......
In 2011, the New York Post had reported that Meeks was trying to get a cricket invitation for Ahmad to the VIP Box of now disgraced Antigua-based banker Stanford while he had been at the height of his T20 cricket extravaganza in the Caribean.
http://www.newyorkcricket.com/...ting_environment.htm
Ahmadâs plight has also
raised uncomfortable questions
former President Bharrat Jagdeo
and the ruling PPP
as he was the supplier of goods
to the President at State House and
also occupies the former headquarters
of the PPP-aligned paper, The Mirror.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Also when dem check de dictionary
and find out more about
Poom Poom Cheese......
let us see if them gon wan
show demself here on GNI again.
De Poom Poom Cheese cant hide.....
you can spot them easily...
De got one thing in common....
them trying to Cover up
Jagabattie Thiefing,
Crime, Narco Runnings,
Corruption & Mismanagement
#2 Link to Stabroek....
January 4, 2013 ·
http://www.stabroeknews.com/20...-ny-senator-ny-post/
âĶâWe need to know what is happening with the tax dollars of the hardworking Guyaneseâ
Opposition Leader, David Granger has registered his firm belief that a basic change to a government that believes in accountability will make a difference for the betterment of Guyana.
Granger made that statement as he sought to hit home the dilemma of the Opposition in having to hound the government for information that should be readily available.
The politician said that Guyanese stand to benefit collectively from a type of scrutiny that will allow a government to be on its toes. âSo the struggle needs to be pursued and all must join.â
He said that the People Progressive Party (PPP) administration needs to realize that accountability will make a people more confident in their government.
Granger noted that accountability is what makes the system work. He added, âThatâs the need for the opposition, and an accountable government will become a good government.â
According to A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) leader, his party has been engaged in a 21-month struggle to ascertain the source of funding for many projects and entities. His immediate reference however, was to the Government Information Agency (GINA).
Granger said that it hard to figure how GINA still exists with the funding given to the entity by the National Assembly. He added, âThere must be another source of funding and we need to find that out.â
He told Kaieteur News that there is too much going on that the Opposition doesnât know about. He sought to make it clear that it is not a case where the Opposition is not trying to find out; he said that the Oppositionâs inquires are just falling on deaf ears.
Granger had also told Kaieteur News, âIt is a worry how the government can carry out these projects, like the Marriott, knowing that they are not best in the interest of the average Guyanese people.â
He said that the opposition, especially the APNU, will make it âourâ interest to ensure that the tax dollar of the hard working Guyanese citizen is put to good use; âthat is what we were put here for.â
nb when there is corruptions and thieving there can be no accountability
The PPP is evil.
We must never fall for the sweet talk of Che Gouvera and Fidel Castro. The only revolution is the of the people to own private property. Us East Indians want to own private property.
JB, to each his/her own, will be nice to talk about the isms some day, but right now, we are showcasing the bribery and corruptions of the cancerous and inept PPP/C who we think that if elections were held today they would be kicked out of office.
Asj ....JB has a right
to be in love with the
Burnham Faction of the PPP.
Call it by any name you want
the PNC is the Burnham faction of the PPP,
Some will cuss Burnham at times....
while others will cuss Jagan the other times....
but history will show
the two factions were cut
from the same cloth.....
and each faction of the PPP
supported the other..... when they had to.....
and Each faction of the PPP
fight each other ....the rest of the time.
This topic is not about
the Jagan Faction of The PPP,
or Odo Faction of the PPP,
JB this topic .....
It is not about...I would call...
The Great things Jagan Did
like Developing Sugar, Rice, Agriculture,
Building Industrial sites
or creating lots of opportunities for the poor
while Jagan was in power
JB this topic ....
It is not about what you would call
The Great things Burnham Did
like Building things in guyana
the Linden Highway, Demerara Harbor Bridge,
National Service, House Of Isreal,
A Good Election Rigging Team
punishing or killing members of the opposition,
or creating opportunities for a few in a certain class
while the rest of the country suffer
while Fat-boy was in power
This Topic is about what
the PPP has turned into today,
With Jagdeo and Ramotar doing worst
that what many accuse Burnham and his Faction of Doing....
and with Jagdeo & Ramotar
Ignoring all the promises Jagan,
the Original leader of the PPP
made to all his supporters.
Sir, this is one of the better posts that you have made. It goes straight to the point and it does not have any references to vulgarity. I commend you and will try to respond when you ask what the PPP has turned out to be today.
1. As I see it you, ASJ, and some of the others are not anti-PPP. I am guessing that you have an admiration for what the PPP used to be but you are unhappy with the way and manner in which things are done.In other words, is the PPP still the Party of Cheddi Jagan or has it been hijacked by some and taken in another direction?
2. The answer to this question has to do with whom you speak to in Guyana. The people higher up in the PPP ie the President and his cabinet and Mr. Jagdeo will say that the PPP is Jagan's Party and that it has not deviated one bit from dream of the founder Cheddi.
3. In reality this is not the case. One of the things that Cheddi did was to fashion the PPP into an electoral machine, capable of winning elections. The PPP under Jagan did not lose any elections. The fact that we have a split Parliament means that the PPP lost control of the ball. They let things slip. How did they do that?
4. The PPP took their supporters for granted and thought that they would turn up to the polls anyway. But this is only part of the problem. The other part is style of leadership. Some people feel that Mr. Jagdeo did not actively court the supporters and in many cases he alienated them. This is not something that Jagan would have done.
5. Jagdeo has a lot of responsibility for the PPP being in this situation. He cannot walk away and say that voter apathy resulted in the split parliament. As President you hand over to your successor a party in good shape. This did not happen here.
6. Jagdeo also had a lot to do with Moses leaving the Party. This should not have happened. Moses was a lifelong supporter of the PPP and when he left the PPP felt that 'good riddance' was the best response. The people would come out anyway and vote PPP. This did not happen as we know. Moses has hurt the PPP and Ralph can do the same. You do not treat your stalwarts with this kind of disrespect.
7. Unfortunately, President Ramotar has not so far proven to be his own man. He is too tied to the Jagdeo era. He has to answer questions about corruption,and do something about it after admitting publicly that there is corruption. Why for example, is a man from New Jersey running Guysuco and paid a fantastic salary when perhaps the brightest canecutter can do a better job?
8. The PPP said when it failed to get a majority that it did not do enough grassroot work. It should have done so starting the day after the last election but if you speak to the people in the estates and in other places they feel forgotten and neglected.
9. The present situation is that the PPP is boxed in a corner and unable to flex its muscles. It's like what Cheddi said after the 1961 elections, he was office but not in power. The irony is that if the PPP wants to remodel itself then there is a lot it can learn from APNU. Who would have thought that? I will deal with this another time.
10. In summary the PPP is in poor shape if an election were to be called today. It will struggle to get a majority. The spirit and also the energy that Jagan put into the struggle have waned. There are those in the PPP that know what needs to be done. But who will bell the cats?
Another Good Sign for the PPP:
LIKE a solid wall stretching into the distance, spectators lined several city streets and roadways leading to the Georgetown Seawall, and the seawall running along the East Coast of Demerara, as they sought to get a glimpse of the attractive floats and the beautifully made up men, women and children from the Hindu community participating in the Dharmic Sabhaâs annual Diwali motorcade.
This Edward Beharry Float, designed by Andrew Art, was one of the largest floats among those on show last evening
Last evening, the floats assembled at the Shri Krishna Mandir in Campbell Avenue, Campbellville, Georgetown before making their way in a procession through several city streets and on to the Rupert Craig Highway, along which they travelled, wending their way to the La Bonne Intention (LBI) Community Centre Ground for the cultural programme put on by the Guyana Hindu Dharmic Sabha.
Hundreds of cameras, smart-phones and other gadgets were used to capture the spectacular displays of lights and devotees ensconced in low-bed trucks, canters, open back pickups and other vehicles from which blared the sweet religious melodies usually associated with Diwali celebrations.
There were individual floats, even as mandirs and other religious grouping were well in evidence in the parade.
Speaking with the Guyana Chronicle last evening, Culture Minister Dr. Frank Anthony said the event is now tradition in Guyana, and last eveningâs motorcade was the largest of its kind for this season.
This Diwali float parked on Campbell Avenue last evening did not cease to amaze the scores of spectators gathered at the Shri Krishna Mandir
Dr. Anthony said the Diwali motorcades are always events that persons would look forward to witnessing, and while there are many mythical meanings to the origin of Diwali, the salient message is that good triumphs over evil â a message all Guyanese can relate to in everyday life. He said that once a person does good, good will follow that person.
He said that keeping the focus and the meaning of Diwali alive will eventually see persons making themselves better individuals, and by extension their country a better place.
Speaking with the Guyana Chronicle before the procession departed from Campbell Avenue, President of the Guyana Hindu Dharmic Sabha, Dr Vindhya Vasini Persaud described the event as one of the biggest motorcades witnessed in recent times.
A float from the Success Mandir on the East Coast of Demerara which joined the convoy at Campbell Avenue
She commended the various mandirs and other persons and groupings who took time to be part of the historic moment, and said that one of the hallmarks of this yearâs celebration, like last yearâs, is the fact that young people and their youth groups have dominated the celebrations, and are working to take the activity to another level with their fresh and brilliant ideas.
Last eveningâs event saw more than twenty floats taking part in the motorcade, and according to Dr. Persaud, the event has now become somewhat of a source of national pride, since it is being emulated in the rest of the Caribbean and other countries further afield.
Last nightâs parade was described as spectacular, with floats coming from the East Bank of Demerara, West Coast of Demerara, East and West Banks of Berbice as well as from Georgetown.
Dr Vindhya Persaud said that while the motorcade is a competition, those taking part are always encouraged to work together, thus allowing the light of unity to glow unchallenged.
Today, Hindus around the world celebrate the Festival of Lights; and, over the past week, there have been several activities to mark the occasion.
The Guyana Chronicle will feature a more detailed and colourful story on last eveningâs celebration in tomorrowâs edition.
(By Leroy Smith)
We must never fall for the sweet talk of Che Gouvera and Fidel Castro. The only revolution is the of the people to own private property. Us East Indians want to own private property.
JB, to each his/her own, will be nice to talk about the isms some day, but right now, we are showcasing the bribery and corruptions of the cancerous and inept PPP/C who we think that if elections were held today they would be kicked out of office.
Asj ....JB has a right
to be in love with the
Burnham Faction of the PPP.
Call it by any name you want
the PNC is the Burnham faction of the PPP,
Some will cuss Burnham at times....
while others will cuss Jagan the other times....
but history will show
the two factions were cut
from the same cloth.....
and each faction of the PPP
supported the other..... when they had to.....
and Each faction of the PPP
fight each other ....the rest of the time.
This topic is not about
the Jagan Faction of The PPP,
or Odo Faction of the PPP,
JB this topic .....
It is not about...I would call...
The Great things Jagan Did
like Developing Sugar, Rice, Agriculture,
Building Industrial sites
or creating lots of opportunities for the poor
while Jagan was in power
JB this topic ....
It is not about what you would call
The Great things Burnham Did
like Building things in guyana
the Linden Highway, Demerara Harbor Bridge,
National Service, House Of Isreal,
A Good Election Rigging Team
punishing or killing members of the opposition,
or creating opportunities for a few in a certain class
while the rest of the country suffer
while Fat-boy was in power
This Topic is about what
the PPP has turned into today,
With Jagdeo and Ramotar doing worst
that what many accuse Burnham and his Faction of Doing....
and with Jagdeo & Ramotar
Ignoring all the promises Jagan,
the Original leader of the PPP
made to all his supporters.
Sir, this is one of the better posts that you have made. It goes straight to the point and it does not have any references to vulgarity. I commend you and will try to respond when you ask what the PPP has turned out to be today.
1. As I see it you, ASJ, and some of the others are not anti-PPP. I am guessing that you have an admiration for what the PPP used to be but you are unhappy with the way and manner in which things are done.In other words, is the PPP still the Party of Cheddi Jagan or has it been hijacked by some and taken in another direction?
2. The answer to this question has to do with whom you speak to in Guyana. The people higher up in the PPP ie the President and his cabinet and Mr. Jagdeo will say that the PPP is Jagan's Party and that it has not deviated one bit from dream of the founder Cheddi.
3. In reality this is not the case. One of the things that Cheddi did was to fashion the PPP into an electoral machine, capable of winning elections. The PPP under Jagan did not lose any elections. The fact that we have a split Parliament means that the PPP lost control of the ball. They let things slip. How did they do that?
4. The PPP took their supporters for granted and thought that they would turn up to the polls anyway. But this is only part of the problem. The other part is style of leadership. Some people feel that Mr. Jagdeo did not actively court the supporters and in many cases he alienated them. This is not something that Jagan would have done.
5. Jagdeo has a lot of responsibility for the PPP being in this situation. He cannot walk away and say that voter apathy resulted in the split parliament. As President you hand over to your successor a party in good shape. This did not happen here.
6. Jagdeo also had a lot to do with Moses leaving the Party. This should not have happened. Moses was a lifelong supporter of the PPP and when he left the PPP felt that 'good riddance' was the best response. The people would come out anyway and vote PPP. This did not happen as we know. Moses has hurt the PPP and Ralph can do the same. You do not treat your stalwarts with this kind of disrespect.
7. Unfortunately, President Ramotar has not so far proven to be his own man. He is too tied to the Jagdeo era. He has to answer questions about corruption,and do something about it after admitting publicly that there is corruption. Why for example, is a man from New Jersey running Guysuco and paid a fantastic salary when perhaps the brightest canecutter can do a better job?
8. The PPP said when it failed to get a majority that it did not do enough grassroot work. It should have done so starting the day after the last election but if you speak to the people in the estates and in other places they feel forgotten and neglected.
9. The present situation is that the PPP is boxed in a corner and unable to flex its muscles. It's like what Cheddi said after the 1961 elections, he was office but not in power. The irony is that if the PPP wants to remodel itself then there is a lot it can learn from APNU. Who would have thought that? I will deal with this another time.
10. In summary the PPP is in poor shape if an election were to be called today. It will struggle to get a majority. The spirit and also the energy that Jagan put into the struggle have waned. There are those in the PPP that know what needs to be done. But who will bell the cats?
Sugrim, what you have written here is Mother Lakshmi's Darshan to me.
Happy Diwali to you and your family.
Another Good Sign for the PPP:
LIKE a solid wall stretching into the distance, spectators lined several city streets and roadways leading to the Georgetown Seawall, and the seawall running along the East Coast of Demerara, as they sought to get a glimpse of the attractive floats and the beautifully made up men, women and children from the Hindu community participating in the Dharmic Sabhaâs annual Diwali motorcade.
This Edward Beharry Float, designed by Andrew Art, was one of the largest floats among those on show last evening
Last evening, the floats assembled at the Shri Krishna Mandir in Campbell Avenue, Campbellville, Georgetown before making their way in a procession through several city streets and on to the Rupert Craig Highway, along which they travelled, wending their way to the La Bonne Intention (LBI) Community Centre Ground for the cultural programme put on by the Guyana Hindu Dharmic Sabha.
Hundreds of cameras, smart-phones and other gadgets were used to capture the spectacular displays of lights and devotees ensconced in low-bed trucks, canters, open back pickups and other vehicles from which blared the sweet religious melodies usually associated with Diwali celebrations.
There were individual floats, even as mandirs and other religious grouping were well in evidence in the parade.
Speaking with the Guyana Chronicle last evening, Culture Minister Dr. Frank Anthony said the event is now tradition in Guyana, and last eveningâs motorcade was the largest of its kind for this season.
This Diwali float parked on Campbell Avenue last evening did not cease to amaze the scores of spectators gathered at the Shri Krishna Mandir
Dr. Anthony said the Diwali motorcades are always events that persons would look forward to witnessing, and while there are many mythical meanings to the origin of Diwali, the salient message is that good triumphs over evil â a message all Guyanese can relate to in everyday life. He said that once a person does good, good will follow that person.
He said that keeping the focus and the meaning of Diwali alive will eventually see persons making themselves better individuals, and by extension their country a better place.
Speaking with the Guyana Chronicle before the procession departed from Campbell Avenue, President of the Guyana Hindu Dharmic Sabha, Dr Vindhya Vasini Persaud described the event as one of the biggest motorcades witnessed in recent times.
A float from the Success Mandir on the East Coast of Demerara which joined the convoy at Campbell Avenue
She commended the various mandirs and other persons and groupings who took time to be part of the historic moment, and said that one of the hallmarks of this yearâs celebration, like last yearâs, is the fact that young people and their youth groups have dominated the celebrations, and are working to take the activity to another level with their fresh and brilliant ideas.
Last eveningâs event saw more than twenty floats taking part in the motorcade, and according to Dr. Persaud, the event has now become somewhat of a source of national pride, since it is being emulated in the rest of the Caribbean and other countries further afield.
Last nightâs parade was described as spectacular, with floats coming from the East Bank of Demerara, West Coast of Demerara, East and West Banks of Berbice as well as from Georgetown.
Dr Vindhya Persaud said that while the motorcade is a competition, those taking part are always encouraged to work together, thus allowing the light of unity to glow unchallenged.
Today, Hindus around the world celebrate the Festival of Lights; and, over the past week, there have been several activities to mark the occasion.
The Guyana Chronicle will feature a more detailed and colourful story on last eveningâs celebration in tomorrowâs edition.
(By Leroy Smith)
i wonder how much n-****** indians was in that parade diwali is not about the government or no policial party its about all hindu and the guyanese people
We must never fall for the sweet talk of Che Gouvera and Fidel Castro. The only revolution is the of the people to own private property. Us East Indians want to own private property.
JB, to each his/her own, will be nice to talk about the isms some day, but right now, we are showcasing the bribery and corruptions of the cancerous and inept PPP/C who we think that if elections were held today they would be kicked out of office.
Asj ....JB has a right
to be in love with the
Burnham Faction of the PPP.
Call it by any name you want
the PNC is the Burnham faction of the PPP,
Some will cuss Burnham at times....
while others will cuss Jagan the other times....
but history will show
the two factions were cut
from the same cloth.....
and each faction of the PPP
supported the other..... when they had to.....
and Each faction of the PPP
fight each other ....the rest of the time.
This topic is not about
the Jagan Faction of The PPP,
or Odo Faction of the PPP,
JB this topic .....
It is not about...I would call...
The Great things Jagan Did
like Developing Sugar, Rice, Agriculture,
Building Industrial sites
or creating lots of opportunities for the poor
while Jagan was in power
JB this topic ....
It is not about what you would call
The Great things Burnham Did
like Building things in guyana
the Linden Highway, Demerara Harbor Bridge,
National Service, House Of Isreal,
A Good Election Rigging Team
punishing or killing members of the opposition,
or creating opportunities for a few in a certain class
while the rest of the country suffer
while Fat-boy was in power
This Topic is about what
the PPP has turned into today,
With Jagdeo and Ramotar doing worst
that what many accuse Burnham and his Faction of Doing....
and with Jagdeo & Ramotar
Ignoring all the promises Jagan,
the Original leader of the PPP
made to all his supporters.
Sir, this is one of the better posts that you have made. It goes straight to the point and it does not have any references to vulgarity. I commend you and will try to respond when you ask what the PPP has turned out to be today.
1. As I see it you, ASJ, and some of the others are not anti-PPP. I am guessing that you have an admiration for what the PPP used to be but you are unhappy with the way and manner in which things are done.In other words, is the PPP still the Party of Cheddi Jagan or has it been hijacked by some and taken in another direction?
2. The answer to this question has to do with whom you speak to in Guyana. The people higher up in the PPP ie the President and his cabinet and Mr. Jagdeo will say that the PPP is Jagan's Party and that it has not deviated one bit from dream of the founder Cheddi.
3. In reality this is not the case. One of the things that Cheddi did was to fashion the PPP into an electoral machine, capable of winning elections. The PPP under Jagan did not lose any elections. The fact that we have a split Parliament means that the PPP lost control of the ball. They let things slip. How did they do that?
4. The PPP took their supporters for granted and thought that they would turn up to the polls anyway. But this is only part of the problem. The other part is style of leadership. Some people feel that Mr. Jagdeo did not actively court the supporters and in many cases he alienated them. This is not something that Jagan would have done.
5. Jagdeo has a lot of responsibility for the PPP being in this situation. He cannot walk away and say that voter apathy resulted in the split parliament. As President you hand over to your successor a party in good shape. This did not happen here.
6. Jagdeo also had a lot to do with Moses leaving the Party. This should not have happened. Moses was a lifelong supporter of the PPP and when he left the PPP felt that 'good riddance' was the best response. The people would come out anyway and vote PPP. This did not happen as we know. Moses has hurt the PPP and Ralph can do the same. You do not treat your stalwarts with this kind of disrespect.
7. Unfortunately, President Ramotar has not so far proven to be his own man. He is too tied to the Jagdeo era. He has to answer questions about corruption,and do something about it after admitting publicly that there is corruption. Why for example, is a man from New Jersey running Guysuco and paid a fantastic salary when perhaps the brightest canecutter can do a better job?
8. The PPP said when it failed to get a majority that it did not do enough grassroot work. It should have done so starting the day after the last election but if you speak to the people in the estates and in other places they feel forgotten and neglected.
9. The present situation is that the PPP is boxed in a corner and unable to flex its muscles. It's like what Cheddi said after the 1961 elections, he was office but not in power. The irony is that if the PPP wants to remodel itself then there is a lot it can learn from APNU. Who would have thought that? I will deal with this another time.
10. In summary the PPP is in poor shape if an election were to be called today. It will struggle to get a majority. The spirit and also the energy that Jagan put into the struggle have waned. There are those in the PPP that know what needs to be done. But who will bell the cats?
Sugrim, what you have written here is Mother Lakshmi's Darshan to me.
Happy Diwali to you and your family.
Happy Diwali to you and your family as well and Peace for the coming year.
Quote "Most Guyanese seem to have lost confidence and respect for the PPP cabal. One of the mind-boggling questions is therefore, whether legislation per se will stem the tide of the growing escalation of bribery and corruption on the part of those in public life or whether there should be put in place a comprehensive and intensive educational programme." unquote
STOP THE BRIBERY AND CORRUPTIONS NOW:
Dear Editor, Ever since 1999 this country has been plagued with bribery and corruption. It was not surprising, therefore, that provisions have been made in the Constitution for an Integrity Commission in clear recognition and acknowledgement of the fact that Guyanese are no longer living in the age when men were born gentlemen, but rather in the age when efforts are being made to make gentlemen by laws and regulations. Yet the regime has not been forthright with the nation in allowing the Integrity Commission to function independently of PPP control. The dictum that a manâs word is his bond has clearly lost all its intrinsic value and significance under this regime, hence the promulgation of the Integrity Commission. This law was passed, no doubt with the expectation of halting the escalation of corruption and dishonesty on the part of those in public life and those exercising public functions, but it has, it would seem, proven to be neither a palliative nor a panacea to reducing or eradicating corruption, except perhaps, to adorn our statute books with yet another law. It is significant to note, however, that while the law is one which primarily constitutes an invasion of oneâs right to privacy, the enactment of the law has been justified on the ground of public interest, as opposed to the right of the individual. This is the message we want the PPP cabal to hear. The word integrity clearly connotes persons of unblemished character and strong moral principles and persons who are held in high esteem as exemplars and worthy of becoming persons in public life, such as Members of Parliament and those holding public office. However, empirical evidence has established that persons of such calibre are clearly scarce commodities in our society, especially in the PPP, and this conclusion may receive some support in a statement made some time ago by President Hoyte when he said that âselection of members of the Commission is not a matter to be rushed as these persons must be of the highest calibre and integrity.â Integrity is therefore not a commodity that can be taken off a shelf as this regime has done. The value and concept of the importance of integrity has to be nurtured and developed during a personâs formative years, failing which, the word becomes meaningless to those who are strangers to it. As human beings we are basically and fundamentally the product of our environment, so that a person born, nurtured and developed in an environment destitute of those intrinsic values would clearly be devoid of them. While we address our ministers in the PPP as âHonourableâ (righteous and incorruptible), the personal honour to which the word owes its genesis or origin would seem to have lost much, if not all of its value and significance, since it has become imperative to enact laws and regulations, the purport and intent of which are to subject such persons to the submission of their incomes, assets and liabilities to the Integrity Commission on an annual basis for scrutiny, and for the purposes of declaring them to be persons of integrity. This constitutional mechanism has been predicated on the fact that Ministers and parliamentarians in the PPP regime have so misused and abused their powers and authority for personal gain and aggrandizement, that they should be found guilty of criminal offences. As a consequence, the question that has arisen from time to time is whether these PPP ministers and Parliamentarians should continue to be addressed as âhonourableâ or whether they should be addressed simply as Mr. or Ms. or just by their first names. Most Guyanese seem to have lost confidence and respect for the PPP cabal. One of the mind-boggling questions is therefore, whether legislation per se will stem the tide of the growing escalation of bribery and corruption on the part of those in public life or whether there should be put in place a comprehensive and intensive educational programme, designed to create an environment in which our children, who would be the adults of tomorrow, could be nurtured, developed and sensitized of the intrinsic value and significance of the principles of honesty and integrity. Since bribery and corruption would appear to be irrefutably endemic and pervasive in the regime and in the society, non-governmental organizations such as the Transparency Institute of Guyana, the Private Sector Commission, the Georgetown Chamber of Commerce and Industry and the trade unions, among others, ought to collectively consider speaking out against and condemning the PPP regime for its failure to stop the growing escalation of corruption and bribery at all levels of government. And there is no better place to begin than with the contracts in which major kickbacks are offered in return for them. Dr. Asquith Rose and Harish S. Singh
By Stabroek staff | 2 Comments
Editorial | Thursday, January 27, 2011
On Monday last, the first day of the 2011 budget debates,
Alliance For Change Chairman, Mr Khemraj Ramjattan MP,
provoked a strident outburst in Parliament
when he referred to
a lack of transparency and accountability by the government
and drew a parallel between that
and Minister of Housing Mr Irfaan Ali
being hauled before the House Privileges Committee last year
over a $4 billion supplementary allocation
for work in the housing sector that was sought in 2010,
after it would have been already spent the previous year.
So raucous were the cries of the government MPs
in defence of their colleague that
Speaker of the House Mr Ralph Ramkarran
was forced to suspend the sitting for some 15 minutes.
What may have incensed
those occupying the government benches even more,
was the fact that Mr Ramjattan
took to the House and read from,
Improving Public Accountability: The Guyana Experience 1985 â 2007,
a book by former Auditor General Mr Anand Goolsarran,
whose rows with government officials
over their constant deviation from standard
and acceptable accounting practices were common knowledge.
Mr Goolsarranâs annual reports
on the audits of government accounts
complete with recommendations were refreshingly straightforward
and often highly anticipated by citizens
who opposed underhand business.
But it was his public, often scathing,
commentary of the way the countryâs accountability
was being handled that rankled, apparently.
It may be recalled that it was under Mr Goolsarranâs watch
that the misappropriation of some US$2.5 million
in the sale of Guyanaâs gold overseas
through the manipulation of the daily spot rate was unearthed.
And who can forget the $50 million Wildlife Department fraud or
the illegal sale of dolphins by a government functionary.
Mr Goolsarranâs methods were â
to put it mildly â unappreciated;
he found himself out in the cold,
so to speak,
and subsequently accepted employment
with the United Nations as executive secretary
to the UN Board of Auditors.
Today, five years after Mr Goolsarranâs departure
from the Guyana Public Service
government agencies still deviate
from the accounting norms built into the system
that would ensure accountability;
not much has changed.
What is a pity is that the government ministers
and their colleagues in Parliament
donât seem to take the same approach
to the workings of their respective ministries and agencies.
We donât hear them shouting and screaming
when frauds are unearthed or
when the Public Accounts Committee questions
an untendered contract that may be kosher
but could very well have not been.
Instead, they or their permanent secretaries or
other accounting officers go quietly
before the committee
and defend what is clearly inexcusable.
In October last year,
Transparency International (TI)
published its annual corruption index
which gave Guyana a rating of 2.7,
with 10 being very clean
and 0 being highly corrupt;
Guyana was also ranked at 116 out of 178 countries.
At the time the administration
had also slammed the TI report,
calling it suspect and trying to deride its sources
which included the Economist Intelligence Unit,
the World Bank and Freedom House â
an internationally renowned NGO based in WashingtonDC,
which is an advocate
for political freedom, democracy and human rights.
As TI had stated in its report,
which gleans data from over a dozen sources,
âwith governments committing huge sums
to tackle the worldâs most pressing problems,
from the instability of financial markets
to climate change and poverty,
corruption remains an obstacle
to achieving much needed progress.â
The PPP administration should know
that it ought to be doing much more
than stamping and screaming in Parliament
like a two-year-old throwing a tantrum
to reduce and remove not just corruption
but any perception that it exists,
to ensure that true progress and development
are underway in this country.
We must never fall for the sweet talk of Che Gouvera and Fidel Castro. The only revolution is the of the people to own private property. Us East Indians want to own private property.
JB, to each his/her own, will be nice to talk about the isms some day, but right now, we are showcasing the bribery and corruptions of the cancerous and inept PPP/C who we think that if elections were held today they would be kicked out of office.
Asj ....JB has a right
to be in love with the
Burnham Faction of the PPP.
Call it by any name you want
the PNC is the Burnham faction of the PPP,
Some will cuss Burnham at times....
while others will cuss Jagan the other times....
but history will show
the two factions were cut
from the same cloth.....
and each faction of the PPP
supported the other..... when they had to.....
and Each faction of the PPP
fight each other ....the rest of the time.
This topic is not about
the Jagan Faction of The PPP,
or Odo Faction of the PPP,
JB this topic .....
It is not about...I would call...
The Great things Jagan Did
like Developing Sugar, Rice, Agriculture,
Building Industrial sites
or creating lots of opportunities for the poor
while Jagan was in power
JB this topic ....
It is not about what you would call
The Great things Burnham Did
like Building things in guyana
the Linden Highway, Demerara Harbor Bridge,
National Service, House Of Isreal,
A Good Election Rigging Team
punishing or killing members of the opposition,
or creating opportunities for a few in a certain class
while the rest of the country suffer
while Fat-boy was in power
This Topic is about what
the PPP has turned into today,
With Jagdeo and Ramotar doing worst
that what many accuse Burnham and his Faction of Doing....
and with Jagdeo & Ramotar
Ignoring all the promises Jagan,
the Original leader of the PPP
made to all his supporters.
Sir, this is one of the better posts that you have made. It goes straight to the point and it does not have any references to vulgarity. I commend you and will try to respond when you ask what the PPP has turned out to be today.
1. As I see it you, ASJ, and some of the others are not anti-PPP. I am guessing that you have an admiration for what the PPP used to be but you are unhappy with the way and manner in which things are done.In other words, is the PPP still the Party of Cheddi Jagan or has it been hijacked by some and taken in another direction?
#2, #3, #4, #5, #6, #7, #8, #9, #10.
Sugrim, what you have written here is Mother Lakshmi's Darshan to me.
Happy Diwali to you and your family.
Happy Diwali to you and your family as well and Peace for the coming year.
De Fella posting as Sugrim,
you know I have nothing personal against you
or any Other GNI poster.....I speak the truth.
There are others like yuh good Friend Rev....
who will say they speak the truth...
and on a few occasions he will
Cuss up Jagdeo & Ramotar Lil bit...
but would still tell you to
support Jagdeo & Ramotar ....
and Burnham Bad because he thief,
PNC Bad because them rig election and
AFC Bad because them mek
Jagdeo & Ramotar a Minority in Parliament.
then yuh Friend
Stink Mouth Rev & Auntim@n Kwame...
will hook-up and
gon tell we Moses is not a Working Class Leader
because eeee tek Bribe
& eee driving a New Bentley in Guyana...
Rev will never admit
Kwame get caught begging a lil boy name Julius
fuh lil B@tty from Jagdeo office phone.
Kwame will never lell you
if eee knak Rev before Julius
Ewe-geee will never admit
Guyana had A B@tty Boy as President
and he was not Burnham,
Arthur Cheong, Hoyte,
Cheddi, Sam or Janet.
De_Ole guy will never tell yu
Jagan never like B@tty -Boy,
Thiefman or House-of-Israel Thugs.
Big_Seed will never tell yu
Guyana today has the Most Crime, Narco Trafficing & Corruption
in the history of this country.
Then you Sugrim.....Yes You...
will Join with these Funny Fellas
and try to tell us
the Guyanese People Stupid and Backward.
Sugrim ....yes you
will join with those Crab Louse
to condone Jagdeo & Ramotar
Mismanagement, thiefing & Corruption.
Pandit which Religious Book tell dem thing right?
All the House of Israel thugs are now incorportated in the PPP/C as can be seen in Bro Jalil Pictures
One question bro Jalil, did Janet J seeks the released of Rabbi Washington,
because they were all Jews?
And now, with all the Jewish thugs in the PPP/C, is it safe to say that the PPP/C is now taking money secretly from the Jews?
THE PPP/C JUST CANNOT STAY AWAY FROM THIEVING AND CORRUPTIONS
Friday, 01 November 2013
Several officers of the Customs Anti-Narcotics Unit (CANU) have been sent on leave in connection with a case about a shipment of cocaine in star apples, a senior official said Friday.
CANUâs Head, James Singh declined to name or provide the exact number of anti-drug agents who were sent on administrative leave two weeks ago. âI want to assure that the investigation is being done to ensure the transparency and integrity of CANUâs operations,â Singh told Demerara Waves Online News (www.demwaves.com).
He, however, confirmed that the decision to send the men on leave was linked to a cocaine trafficking charge against Charles Anderson.
Singh denied that two named officers were dismissed in connection with exchanging information with others as regards a drug bust at Soesdyke in which cocaine was found in several loges earlier this year.
When Anderson was arraigned on October 11, his defence lawyer Mark Waldron had told the court that two CANU officers were disciplined because they had allegedly communicated to the supplier of the cocaine that Anderson had been cooperating with the investigators.
He said that while Anderson was being interviewed in the presence of the Head of CANU, the accused manâs phone rang and the caller expressed concern that he had been providing information. Waldron said he believed that CANU has since made efforts to trace the number.
Anderson is accused of shipping 20.56 kilogrammes of cocaine mostly in star apples to Canada between January 24 and January 25, 2012. The drugs were not found here but were unearthed by Canadian authorities.
WHY IS IT THAT THE PPP/C BRAINCHILD IS ALWAYS IN TRUOBLE WITH THE LAW WHEN THEY ARE SUPPOSED TO BE REPRESENTING THE LAW: WELL WITH THE PPP/C ANYTHING IS EXPECTED
This is what happens when the PPP/C dishes out contracts to their cronies and friends like crazy:
Recently completed bridge constructions at Strathaven, Cane Grove, East Coast Demerara have begun to raise the eyebrows of villagers.
This comes even as one of the recently constructed bridges, leading out of the western side of the community, almost caved on Saturday, less than two weeks after its completion.
Residents explained that the community hosts three gateway bridges, two providing access to the western side and one leading into the eastern side.
They said that only recently, works were undertaken by authorities to rebuild some of the bridges, as they were visibly aged, after having served the community for approximately two decades. As it turned out, however, and much to the villagersâ dismay, the two bridges on the western side were the only ones to undergo reconstruction while the bridge leading into the eastern half remains untouched.
More than that, it was one of the gateway bridges on the western side of the community that sank under the weight of an excavator. Fortunately, villagers on that side have the option of using the second bridge as the other âcannot serve its purpose anymoreâ.
This has now become a cause for worry among the villagers as some expressed concern that âa bridge that cost millions of dollars did not even last two weeksâ.
One resident, stationed close to the site, noted that âsloppy workâ is to be blamed as reconstruction works were completed in âonly a day and a halfâ.
Moreso, the resident noted that while arguments of the excavator âbeing too heavy for the bridgeâ were used to defend the substandard construction, bridges in that area ought to be built to hold heavy vehicles.
He informed that the community houses primarily families engaged in agriculture and, as such, the use of heavy vehicles to traverse the roadway and bridges would be a norm.
In further discrediting the recent construction works, the resident noted that the previous bridges have served comfortably for more than two decades, with minimal maintenance. He said that had the previous bridges undergone regular maintenance, they would have âlasted longerâ.
âWhatâs the sense repairing two bridges on one side? Rebuilding a bridge on both sides would have been the common sensical approach to the situation,â one resident posited.
Residents noted that in order to upkeep the bridge on the eastern side of the community, residents had taken to conducting repairs through self help. It was noted that the Cane Grove Neighbourhood Democratic Council (NDC) had provided materials while the residents contributed labour to repair the bridge temporarily. Still, the âpatchesâ are not enough.
They are therefore calling on the authorities to adjust their plans to accommodate the rebuilding of the eastern bridge as well as conducting repairs to the new bridge that almost caved in. According to residents, the contractor responsible for the âsloppy workâ should âface the consequencesâ.
IF GUYANA WAS SOME OTHER COUNTRY, THESE CROOKS WITHIN THE PPP/C WOULD HAVE BEEN LINED UP IN FRONT OF A FIRING SQUAD AND GOTTEN RID OF BECAUSE OF THEIR RAMPANT CORRUPTIONS
By Leonard Gildarie
Western diplomats yesterday met with the main Parliamentary Opposition as worry continues over an ongoing stalemate regarding critical anti-money laundering legislation.
It is unlikely that a November deadline can be met, with the faction making it clear that it will not support the legislation when it comes before the National Assembly next week.
Failure to pass the legislation could see international bodies, tasked with guiding countries into introducing measures to reduce dirty monies being transferred through the financial system, recommending almost certain sanctions.
Already the private sector, banks and insurance companies have warned of severe implications for money transfers, payments for goods and delays in business if Guyana is blacklisted by trading partners for being non-compliant.
There have been reports from businesses that bank transfers have been held up by overseas banks as questions arose over the transactions.
The issue has sharply divided the Government and Opposition.
Government had tabled the legislative changes at the last Parliamentary session, but the Opposition, despite protests over the deadline by the Government, sent it to a special select committee to be fine-tuned. The problem was that the committeeâs work suffered a number of delays.
An exasperated Government, in the absence of the Opposition members, completed work of the special committee last week and announced that the legislation was going to be sent back to the National Assembly, in a race against time to meet the November deadline.
However, the Opposition, A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) and the Alliance For Change (AFC), which effectively control the House by a one-seat majority, have both signaled intentions not to lend outright support.
Yesterday, senior Parliamentarian for APNU, Joseph Harmon, who was among the delegation that met the diplomats, made it clear that nothing has changed.
âWe have said it before. We are unhappy with the legislation in its current format. We cannot support it.â
APNU will more likely recommend that the legislation be sent back to a special select committee to be fine-tuned.
The AFC, on the other hand, has tied any support of the legislation to the appointment of members of the long-awaited Public Procurement Commission. The Opposition has been clamouring for the commission to be operationalised soonest to address concerns of Government contracts. There have been accusations that contracts, to the tune of millions, are being manipulated, with the aggrieved parties not having timely recourse.
According to APNU,the meeting yesterday with its leadership involved ambassadors and high commissioners from the United States of America, Great Britain, Canada and the European Union. The meeting was held at the Office of the Leader of the Opposition, Hadfield Street.
âThe main concern of the diplomats was the status of the Anti-Money Laundering and Countering the Financing of Terrorism Bill. APNU used the opportunity to restate its concerns about the short comings of the current legislation and the fact that the work of the Select Committee was brought to an abrupt end without the benefit of significant input from the Partnership and other interested parties.â
APNU, a coalition of 10 parties that contested the 2011 General and Regional Elections, said in a statement that it assured the western diplomats that the partnership is desirous of legislation that is not flawed; that restructures and strengthens the capacity of the Financial Intelligence Unit and addresses all of the deficits of the current one.
Present at the meeting were US Ambassador D. Brent Hardt; British High Commissioner, Andrew Ayre; Canadian High Commissioner, Dr. Nicole Giles and European Union Representative, Derek Lambe. APNU was represented by Leader of the Opposition, Brigadier (Retâd) David Granger; Dr. Rupert Roopnaraine; Basil Williams; Carl Greenidge, Joseph Harmon, and Ronald Bulkan.
The current Parliament has been the administrationâs toughest in its 21-year hold on power.
Several Bills, including two critical ones for the Amaila Falls hydro project, have been rejected by the Opposition. There have also been two years of cuts to the National Budget.
Several projects including the airport expansion remain stalled.
comments:
It seems to me that the Diplomatic Corp. is always trying to advise the opposition to fall on their swords whenever there is a stalemate on a governmental decision, I have yet to see them confront the PPPC government when they screw up, like everytime and everyday.
Why haven't the Dipolmatic Corp. see fit to tell the PPPC government about the human rights violations that they commit daily, about the FILTH that surrounds them in Georgetown, the rampant "CRIME WAVE" that affects the daily lives of the guyanese people, simply because these things don't affect them.
They are only concerned with the amendment to the Anti Money Laundering bill simply because it will affect their respective countrymen's investments in Guyana, this meeting is not about the guyanese people this is about foreign investors and the shady deals that they have with the guyana government.
I commend the opposition on their stance against the Diplomatic Corp, we are tired of taking orders from the White People.
The only way to break the current political stalemate in Guyana is through Constitutional reform and new elections.
This is the view held by Former Speaker of the National Assembly, Ralph Ramkarran, who in his most recent writings for his blog conversationtree.gy, said that instead of seeking the kind of unity that would have ensured political stability and development after the 2011 elections, the PPP/C opted for a minority government.
According to Ramkarran, there is nothing wrong in principal with such a decision, once the Opposition permits such a situation on the basis of some form of agreement about major policy directions.
âThis did not happen and the Opposition is allowing the government to hold office on sufferance, not on the basis of agreed policiesâĶThe result is that there is political gridlock and a stalemate on legislation and developmental projects, with potential investors being warned.â
This situation, Ramkarran predicts, will continue until the next elections, due in 2016, and is unfair to the Guyanese people and is not what they voted for.
According to Ramkarran, during the past week there were two news items of political interest.
âOne is that, contrary to popular belief and an undertaking from the President, no budget discussions are taking placeâĶThe other is that the Opposition is unlikely to support the anti-money laundering legislation in its present form unless the Public Procurement Commission is established.â
Ramkarran said that he believes that, âthese developments are surely connected.â
According to Ramkarran, for compromise to be achieved on anything, discussions must take place.
He said that in its absence, âGuyana can expect no developments whatsoever in or out of Parliament, except in those areas of the economy which do not depend on agreement between these forcesâĶWe are seeing it in rice, mining and construction.â
According to Ramkarran, the failure of the Amaila Hydroelectric Project, the Oppositionâs warning to potential investors in the Marriott, the possibility of the Airport Expansion Project and the Specialty Hospital being derailed, âand now the anti-money laundering legislation being held up, which will negatively impact on Government, Opposition and the entire country, indicate that our political impasse is growing to intolerable proportions.â
This is what happens when you have incompetent cronies with no brains is such responsible positions.
â APNU MP
The government this past week admitted that it could lose an estimated US$20M from its forest-saving deal with Norway and according to A Partnership for National Unityâs Joseph Harmon, Minister of Natural Resources, Robert Persaud is to be blamed. The possible loss of the funds comes as a result of increased deforestation in Guyana.
In laying the blame at the feet of Minister Persaud, Harmon said that it is his Ministry that is responsible for the issuance of the various licences to log and mine in Guyanaâs vast forest. According to Harmon, it is Persaudâs responsibility to ensure that lawful mining and logging activities are kept within sustainable and agreed criteria. He said too that when it comes to illegal mining or logging, it is also Persaudâs responsibility to ensure that the laws are enforced and measures put in place in order to curb it, âso, yes, it is his fault.â Under the five-year forest-saving deal with Norway, Guyana needed to monitor the amount of the forest cut down, and to keep it at a level agreed to by the two countries. Once Guyana kept its end of the deal, it would bank US$250 million, but now a chunk of that could be lost. The reason is that under the agreement with Norway, the number of trees being chopped down, or what is called deforestation, was set at 0.07 per cent, but a monitoring and evaluation exercise found that last year, the level of deforestation was 0.079 per cent, more than allowed under the agreement between the two countries. When that percentage is converted into actual forest loss, it means that more than 36,000 acres of forests were cut down in 2012 and that was about 9,000 acres more than that cut down the year before. In announcing the possible loss of money from Norway, Persaud said, âIf what we have is accurateâĶsomewhere in the range of about US$20M or thereabouts could be lost.â The Minister said that a University contracted by the Guyana Forestry Commission, plus an independent team from Norway has to verify the report and the increased level of deforestation has to be confirmed before it could be said with certainty that the Norwegian funds could be lost. Jagdesh Singh, Deputy Commissioner of the Guyana Forestry Commission, said that those two verification processes could be completed by the end of this month. The new deforestation figures are contained in Guyanaâs third national report on deforestation rates under the Monitoring, Reporting and Verification (MRV) system â a mechanism under REDD+, the UN programme for saving the worldâs rainforest.
Failing to hold elections I would categorically rate the PPP/C as pu$$ies.
Even the supporters on GNI who supports the PPP/C, they are even ashamed to be associated with the PPP/C reason for them to stay far away form this thread, too much stinks on the face of the PPP/C
ANOTHER GIVE AWAY BY THE CORRUPTABLE PPP/C: I WONDER WHO TOOK THE BRIBE THIS TIME?
âĶreiterates calls for meeting with Agriculture Minister
The government is prepared to allow multiple deep sea fishing and trawler licences to Chinese state companies, but the initiative isnât sitting well with the local fishing industry; especially when they have been asked in recent months to reduce the number of their fishing vessels.
The excuse given is that the government is seeking to conserve depleting fishing grounds. The foreign nationals, according to the government, may be getting permission to fish species which locals are not catching.
It was announced recently that the government was considering at least 40 fishing licences for the Chinese nationals. In an attempt to secure their trade and territory, the Guyana Association of Trawler Owners and Seafood Processors (GATOSP) President, Leslie Ramalho, dispatched a letter for an audience with the Agriculture Minister.
Ramalho had related having knowledge of the potential licenses and thus requested from the Agriculture Ministry a full run down on the stipulations of the licenses and the areas that it covered. While the meeting with the fishing stakeholders was never held, Agriculture Minister Dr. Leslie Ramsammy denied the issuance of the license and contended that the cause of the âunnecessary panicâ was a âfalse alarmâ.
However, in light of recent developments which allege that a letter of intent has been signed off by the Agriculture Minister, the Fishing Association has reiterated calls for the Fisheries Minister to meet with members of the fishing fraternity.
Ramalho told Kaieteur News that, âthe Association would be disappointed if there has or will be any signing off of the letter of intent, especially when the fishing community has not been engaged.â He said they are also prepared to oppose the initiative.
Minister Ramsammy told media persons yesterday that the government plans to grant more than 40 fishing permits to Chinese companies, but the licenses will restrict Chinese boats to species not being fished by local operators. âNo announcement soon and no license given as yet. We are just studying species and will not give any license for species presently being fished,â Dr. Ramsammy said.
The Authorities had also denied plans to allow Chinese vessels to operate in waters either in the 12-mile Guyana territorial limit or in the 200-mile Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ). Dr. Ramsammy however confirmed that talks are ongoing about plans to allow the Chinese vessels to work in local waters despite demanding that the local fleet be maximized at about 100 vessels to avoid over fishing.
GATOSP when questioned said that they, too, âunderstand that they want to harvest red snapper, trout and other species that we fish for now.â The President is adamant that, âfishing for other species cannot be monitored and enforced out there in the sea.â
The rising contention comes at a time when tensions are rising over the granting of huge contracts to Chinese State-owned companies, which in some cases allow for only Chinese employment. These contracts include that construction of a 197-room Marriott Hotel which sees the employment of only Chinese nationals and the $150M airport runway expansion project at the countryâs international airport.
The fishing industry is however, concerned that their businesses could be significantly affected by the potential competition. Stakeholders pointed out with example, that the custom of Chinese vessels in foreign territories is to set up fully loaded operations which entails fishing, cleaning and processing right on the sea top, before export.
They are convinced that such mega set ups spell worries for local operators and especially the successful continuance of locals in the fishing industry.
Even the supporters on GNI who supports the PPP/C, they are even ashamed to be associated with the PPP/C reason for them to stay far away form this thread, too much stinks on the face of the PPP/C
ANOTHER GIVE AWAY BY THE CORRUPTABLE PPP/C: I WONDER WHO TOOK THE BRIBE THIS TIME?
October 31, 2013
COMMENTS:
That is pawning Guyana... there is zero economic benefit to this nation from this act by the PPP.
The price for fish will inevitably rise in the local market, sea-bob and prawns shortage will affect local exporters.
Sea Foods Inc. sold out their 100 trawlers because of the scarcity of produce (sea-bob and Prawns) on the sea-bed because of overfishing - So why give our national sea-bed to China? Has to be for personal gain nothing else!
When will Guyanese realize that the ppp Do Not Represent Guyanese only their own personal bank accounts, When?
When Guyanese wake up one day they will see " PAYE tax to be remitted to China."
So why give our national sea-bed to China? Has to be for personal gain nothing else!
EVERYONE KNOWS THAT SOME ONE WITHIN THE PPP/C IS TAKING KICKBACKS, COULD IT BE RAMOTAR/JAGDOE?
ANOTHER GIVE AWAY BY THE CORRUPTABLE PPP/C: I WONDER WHO TOOK THE BRIBE THIS TIME?
October 31, 2013
COMMENTS:2
Is this what the PPP/C supporters wanted when they voted en mass to have the PPP govern this country? You have all been stabbed in the back. The PPP is now selling out the entire country to the Chinese. You are nothing but FODDER to feed their insatiable greed. Leslie has done it again. How much has he and others collected to fill their pockets from this deal? The people who continuously vote for the PPP TRULY HATE THEIR COUNTRY AND THEIR FUTURE GENERATIONS. These people are the true enemies of Guyana.
THEY ARE WORSE THAN ENEMIES.......THEY ARE THE SCROUGE OF GUYANA
IF THE PPP/C GETS BACK INTO POWER, BRIBERY AND CORRUPTIONS WILL CONTINUES IN GUYANA:
Perhaps no other profession comes into full contact with the rate at which time flies than media commentators. If you are a columnist then the first thing you strike on the keyboard is the date on your piece. Once you press the November button, you are entering the Christmas hallway
Once Christmas comes around, you know another year has gone and there is the inescapable thought of what the new year will bring for you as a person and your country.
This month marks two years since we achieved the historic election results of a two-way sharing of power. The combined opposition won Parliament, the PPP secured the Executive.
The child of one of the most powerful leaders in the PPP said to a relative, âThat may not be a bad thing after all.â
For most Guyanese, not only was it not a bad thing after all, but it was a good thing that may have ended our sixty-year old misery and set us on a path not only the Caribbean but the world will recognize Guyana for.
There are four large names in the CARICOM family, three of which the entire world knows about in the following order â Jamaica, Barbados and Trinidad.
While the world has known about Jamaica and Barbados a long time now, Trinidadâs First World status has pushed it into eyes of the world the past ten years.
It was Trinidad that spent nearly US$250 to host the last Summit of the Americas where the worldâs gaze was on Trinidad because the world wanted to see how Hugo Chavez and Barack Obama would approach each other.
Of that Big Four, Guyana continues to be a very poor country by even Third World standards and to think of it Guyana is potentially richer and larger than the Big Three combined.
The wealth of this country is simply staggering in comparison with the islands of CARICOM. Yet we havenât moved and are not moving into a securable future.
And the reason for this is our politics. No other example stands out like a sore thumb than the anti-money laundering Bill. If not passed it lacerates the economy in ways that will impact all classes but outside of the opposition no honest stakeholder wants to even approach the government to do the right thing.
From all that I know through my contacts with both APNU and AFC, they are not going to vote for the Bill in its present form.
So unless the government compromises then there will be international sanctions. No citizen wants that but maybe it will be a blessing in disguise.
Maybe as a nation we have to endure social devastation before some of our stakeholders come to their senses.
Maybe a disastrous crisis arising out of the sanctions is what is needed before some stakeholders can recapture and restore their sense of integrity. We do not want a country reeling from instability but maybe it will be a blessing in disguise.
Hasnât that been our history since the PPP came to power in 1992? Each time the monster tears us apart, there is some attempt at political unity then time passes and it is back to power domination. We saw it when Desmond Hoyte was opposition leader.
The PPP came to the table and dialogue was born. Hoyte died and Corbin began a suspicious journey and it was back to square one.
We went through the Lusignan massacre and the government summoned a national stakeholdersâ meeting.
The aftermath of Lusignan died with the passage of time and power madness became more insane. Now we are at the financial precipice with the anti-laundering legislation.
There are times you wonder if the business community in this country would sell its own close, loved one for those Biblical pieces of silver.
Is there another group like these people in the world? You can show them where a policy is so retrograde and indecent and not in the spirit of justice, freedom and democracy and they will still support it. I have no expertise in financial science.
I took time and went through all the details of the Amaila Hydro Power investment and I know in my heart that electricity rates could not have gone down even in twenty years from the pay back terms that I had seen.
I read the anti-money laundering legislation. It puts too much power in the hands of a government I do not trust period! It must be amended to reduce such power.
Even the supporters on GNI who supports the PPP/C, they are even ashamed to be associated with the PPP/C reason for them to stay far away form this thread, too much stinks on the face of the PPP/C
How can one defend the indefensible? No one can defend the corruptions and bribery within the PPP/C
Let me ask you some questions. Why do you think Robeson Benn went to NCN to get the calypso removed from the airwaves even though he was not the subject Minister and he didnât go through the subject Minister? Why do you think at a press conference a Minister could say, âI thought it was me yâall talking âbout when yâall talk about a minister doing illegal things because I is a Minister who is do illegal things.â
Why do you think a PPP parliamentarians could say that the public swimming pools cannot be made open to the general public because people must realize that they have to bathe before they swim? Why do you think that âKillamanâ skips from one sordid scandal to the other? Why do you think that the de facto ruler of Guyana told a public meeting in Essequibo that the reason why a newspaper owner does not like him is because the publisher had a woman and he âtook awayâ the lady?
Do politicians engage in such scatology when speaking to their supporters? Should public politics involve such degrading grammar? How can a lawyer of all people, openly praise the police for killing three youths and say that it is a waste of money to do a post mortem? In front of the media, a Minister turns her backside in front of her Ministry to a group of protestors in a manner that is clearly vulgar.
I could go on and on. I could tax my memory and take you back to more incredibly shocking semantics from all PPP leaders, including numero uno. Of course by saying numero uno, you may not know who I mean, because lots of Guyanese are saying that Guyana has two presidents. Which one is numero uno?
What are your answers to all these questions? I will give you mine. They are in the philosophy of that great thinker, Sigmund Freud. Deep in the sub-conscious of all PPP leaders, without exception, is the acceptance that East Indians are to the PPP what water is to a flower. Out of that Freudian permanence comes an ironic contempt, in that PPP leaders see Indians as trapped souls. There is no sensitive awareness when dealing with Indians, because PPP autocrats know they can talk down to them and they have to accept.
Here is just one example of unbelievable disdain the PPP has for people they perceive as their property. At a Hindu wedding, a neighbour of mine went up to the de jure (legal) president and implored that the Government fix the road where she lives (it is in extremely terrible condition). Guess which Minister she was advised to see? The Minister of Housing and Trade. The Minister directly responsible for the road projects all over Guyana is the Minister of Works. When she told me this, I told her he was downright rude; he knew he misled you.
Indians have nowhere to go except the address of the PPP head office on Robb Street, ironically named Freedom House. Indians then have no alternative. When they look at Guyana, they see a coin. On one side is themselves, the other side are African Guyanese. Since Indians do not want African Guyanese to be in power, then Indians have to keep their PPP embrace, and that is a permanent fixture on the Indian mind. This understanding of course is a permanent fixture in the psyche of all PPP leaders, be they at the apex or on the lower rungs.
A senior journalist at Kaieteur News told me that he overheard two PPP kings talking during a large demonstration against the upsurge in crime, and one of them flippantly referred to the illusion of the AFC in thinking that Indians would ever stray from the PPP. Herein lies the answer to all those questions asked of you above. It will not stop with the Robeson Benn incident at Parika in which a member of the Peopleâs Parliament was detained at a police station. It will not stop at Kwame Mc Koyâs antics.
These horrible attitudinal displays have no limits, simply because the people whose mouths they come out of believe at a deep, Freudian level that they do not have to endure embarrassment and will not face castigation, because Indian Guyanese will not remonstrate with them. The analogy of a boss and the coffee lady is apt. The coffee lady is not going to mind if she is seen taking home the milk. The boss is sexing her up and she can get away with anything. This analogy is a brutal fact of life.
quote "The analogy of a boss and the coffee lady is apt. The coffee lady is not going to mind if she is seen taking home the milk. The boss is sexing her up and she can get away with anything. This analogy is a brutal fact of life." unquote
Freddie can be a joker sometime
Is the PPP planning a snap poll? Ask that question six months ago, and most people wouldâve said they doubt it. But the pressure by the international community for local government elections has created a huge quagmire for the PPP.
To call the local contest two years (it has to be held either in 2014 or 2015) before the next general elections is not a prospect the PPP is interested in. On the contrary, the party is afraid of it. It is not only the defeats that will occur in major towns, but there will be ignominy in many NDCs.
To enter into a general election after that, has to be a scary venture for the PPP. What it means then is that the PPP may want to call a snap election before the local government fiasco. Why would the PPP rush into another national poll?
Here are some reasons. First, it is becoming increasingly difficult to stop the crescendo of horribly bad publicity against the PPP that comes from every working session of Parliament. The PPP doesnât care how effective is the opposition in Parliament. It could not be bothered with its incessant dismissal of the decisions of the House.
The main consideration is that each time Parliament meets there is a torrent of exposure of bad governance that takes a heavy toll on the PPPâs declining credibility. We are nearing the end of 2013, and if Parliament continues for the next thirty months, it will not be in the PPPâs interest to endure such biting exposure
In other words the PPP is in a no-win situation. The longer Parliament goes on the worse it is for the PPPâs image and the 10th Parliament will come to an end just before the 2016 election season begins. One way out of this hell-hole is to call a quick election and hope for a majority. Can the PPP win a majority? My opinion is no. It doesnât have the demographic numbers.
The young population (over sixty percent is under 21, making Guyana one of the youngest countries on the globe) cannot be relied upon to demonstrate unyielding tribalist feelings. Thirdly, some terrible behavioural patterns by the ruling party will doom it. Fourthly, the strong support base in Berbice that it enjoyed for over sixty years has vanished.
Fifthly, the results of the last elections could have been better for both AFC and APNU. Their campaigns were not relentlessly energetic. They will not make that mistake this time around.
One of the first disappointments David Granger voiced after the election in 2011 was the colossal abstention (more than 100,000 eligible voters did not cast ballots). Granger knew that a sizeable chunk of that number would have gone to APNU.
The rational mind will think that the PPP cannot win. But the last thing dictatorships have is rationality. The PPP believes it can win. Two reasons drive it. It has a superabundance of resources, a tenth of which the opposition does not possess. Just one of the PPPâs ultra-wealthy backers could finance the PPPâs entire campaign. The party thinkers believe lack of resources will undo the opposition. It is really a silly analysis.
In 2011, for every dollar the opposition spent, the PPP spent a hundred, yet the PPP could not secure a majority. They are fooling themselves to think money can buy a victory.
The second motive has to do with psychology. Jagan is long gone but he left an imprint in the mind of every PPP leader, be that person old, young, male or female, in or out of Guyana â Indians are the exclusive ownership of the PPP.
Once Guyana has a PPP, no matter in what form or no matter how bad it behaves, Indians will embrace the party. For the PPP, the electoral behaviour of Berbicians (they switched to AFC and they also stayed home â 47 percent didnât vote) in 2011 was just one of those things that will not re-occur.
The PPP will go back with Ramotar and Hinds because they know that among Indians, it doesnât matter who you put, Indians are tied to the PPP. Throw in some nasty, racist propaganda and Indians will remain loyal. They have no choice, a PPP leader will tell himself or herself.
Readers looking at this column will know that it is a mirage. The young Indians are not so gullible. The young Indians will listen to Nagamootoo, Ramjattan, Ramkarran, Charrandas Persaud, Dr. Ramayya, Gerhard Ramsaroop and Rajendra Bisessar, among others.
Only the PPP cannot see this and they cannot see it because dictatorship and reality are antithetical. The opposition should not discount the possibility of a snap poll.
Not only asj would tell you that the Corrupt PPP/C is scared for any Elections
It is coming on to 21 years since the PPP is in power. If a citizen is twenty-one years old (Peter Ramsaroop told me two weeks ago about sixty percent of the nation is below 21) then that person has no firsthand knowledge of the government of President Forbes Burnham.
The PPP knows this and in every election, on every state occasion, the PPP milks its depraved historiography by telling us about the wrong things President Burnham did. Why say it when more than eighty percent of the country does not know about it because either they were born just as Burnham was moving off the scene or they emerged after Mr. Burnham was gone?
So why on every occasion, without exception, what Burnham did is brought up for the audience to digest? Because it is the only game a twenty-one-year-old regime knows. In those twenty-one years, the regime clings to Burnhamâs mistakes to keep the flames alive because the gasoline has created far more mistakes than Burnham.
The latest act in this game is President Ramotar telling the audience at UGâs 50th anniversary the bad things Burnham did and he cited the refusal by the PNC Government to employ Walter Rodney at UG.
On reading that, immediately I said to myself I cannot let Ramotar get away with that vulgarity. I will ask for readersâ indulgence while I pen a brief note on Ramotar and his party and his government on me at UG. After twenty-six years of service, my contract was terminated without any complaint from any section of the University and without a hearing. The termination was done by the PPP-dominated Council. That is all I want to say.
What needs to be said about UG under the PPP, the party of Mr. Ramotar, is that a lecturer accused of graphic sexual descriptions in his classroom of the different acts of sex was allowed a hearing and permitted to have legal representation.
Let us go off of UG, a topic most Guyanese are familiar with. Letâs look at what happened in the twenty-one years.
So Mr. Ramotar spoke of the bad guy, Burnham, who didnât give Walter Rodney a job. A foreign company came to this country and employed a learned young lawyer. Because the lawyer was once involved with a civil society group, Transparency Institute, the foreign company was told either you part company with this lawyer that the Guyana Government sees as an anti-government critic or we will not give you a licence.
For more details see my column of Friday, September 6, 2013 captioned, âA story in 2013 that Guyanese do not know about.â
Mr. Ramotar can tell a nation that has no firsthand knowledge of Mr. Burnhamâs government, but Mr. Ramotarâs regime did exactly to me what Burnham did to Rodney, The PPP did to this lawyer what Burnham did to Rodney. It is not only the weird and warped psychology of the PPP that was on display when Mr. Ramotar spoke, but the depraved approach to historiography by most if not all PPP leaders.
If there is any scholar I felt sorry for as Mr. Ramotar spoke, it was our brilliant historian, Catholic nun, Sister Mary Noel Menezes. She was invited to be part of the panel, but did not deserve to listen to that crude propaganda of Mr. Ramotar. Mr. Ramotar and all his acolytes and colleagues in the PPP will go on to propagate such crude propaganda. They have to. It is the only game they know. It is the only thing they have going for them â tell the Guyanese people how bad were the opposition when they were in power.
The naked attempt to rewrite history by the PPP will go on, as the PPPâs inglorious role gets more stained and sordid, and as history records it. And history is recording it. History knows that Forbes Burnham denied Walter Rodney employment at UG. But now many of our young folks know that. But much to the exasperation of Ramotar, these young people know about who is doing what to the Guyanese nation these past twenty-one years.
They know who donât care that Guyana has become the most fetid city in the entire world. And yes, I say without fear of reproach, the worst in the world. But wait a minute! Most Guyanese know who the PPP blames for the rotten environments of Georgetown. Why of course, you guessed it â President Forbes Burnham. Fact Number One â he died since 1985. Fact Number Two â Mr. Ramotarâs party is in power 21 years now.
ASJ, what made you so anti-PPP so suddenly? I remember you were very pro in last elections. Are you sure you don't suffer from bi-polar disorder?
Bai, yes I was very pro in the last Elections, I took so many heat of being with the PPP/C, I take so many persons to the polling station just to vote for the PPP/C.
But to make a long story short, My hatred eminated direct from the Office of the President, where there was a meeting. (There is pictures in my position)
Suffice to say that Donald Ramotar is not a man of his word. Promises were made, and was not honored.
âWe need to know what is happening with the tax dollars of the hardworking Guyaneseâ
The politician said that Guyanese stand to benefit collectively from a type of scrutiny that will allow a government to be on its toes. âSo the struggle needs to be pursued and all must join.â
He said that the People Progressive Party (PPP) administration needs to realize that accountability will make a people more confident in their government.
Granger noted that accountability is what makes the system work. He added, âThatâs the need for the opposition, and an accountable government will become a good government.â
Is this Donald Rumsfeld? The man asks a question and then answers his question.
Is this Donald Rumsfeld? The man asks a question and then answers his question.
People Progressive Party (PPP) administration needs to realize that accountability will make a people more confident in their government.
Granger noted that accountability is what makes the system work. He added, âThatâs the need for the opposition, and an accountable government will become a good government.â
The man is giving the Corrupt PPP/C some free advise.
November 3, 2013
âThe master plan is to take over the minds of Guyanese and to control the communications industry.â
This is the view held by Leader of the Alliance For Change (AFC), Khemraj Ramjattan, who was at the time speaking to the fact that many of the radio stations in operation now have been lambasting his party and A Partnership for National Unity (APNU).
This lambasting is more evident when it comes to matters such as the amendments to the Anti Money Laundering and Countering the Financing of Terrorism Laws.
âJust as they control the financial structure, they now want to control the minds of people,â said Ramjattan.
He said that the âtheyâ he was speaking of was largely Bharrat Jagdeo and his âcohortsâ.
Recently, operators of several television stations announced that they were moving to court to challenge a hefty hike in the broadcast fee. The amount is a minimum of $2.5M.
Operators, signaling intentions to file court action to challenge what they describe as a 1,000 percent increase, have been accusing the administration of wanting to close them down.
Commenting on the licence fees, Ramjattan said that this is but another aspect of the ploy by the administration to take over the industry and run certain operators out of business.
He said that even some of those that would have been issued with licences would soon find it hard pressed to
be able to stay in business and would have to end up selling their licences to the wealthy.
Dr. Ranjisinghi âBobbyâ Ramroop is a close friend of Jagdeo who was allocated five frequencies along with his permission to broadcast.
Ramjattan likened the monopoly in the airwaves by the administration as similar to the control of the financial structure of the country and the economy in which a few wealthy elites benefit. The Member of Parliament was also convinced that it was a deliberate ploy by Jagdeo to approve licences to a number of others knowing fully well that they will not be able to stay in business for a very long time and will have to end up transferring their businesses to the wealthy.
âThe master plan is to control the entire country and its landscape,â said Ramjattan.
Asked about supporting the proposed amendments to the Broadcast Act that has been suggested by APNUâs Joseph Harmon, Ramjattan answered in the affirmative.
âWe will definitely support it,â said Ramjattan.
Less than a week before he left office, Jagdeo greenlighted several new radio stations and two cable operations to his close friends.
The issuance of the licences and the manner in which they were done have since attracted court action by several private media operators as well as protest actions.
Legal challenges were filed by the National Media Publishing Company, publishers of Kaieteur News, and the Guyana Media Proprietors Association Limited (GMPA).
It named Attorney General, the Minister of Broadcasting, National Frequency Management Unit (NFMU), Guyana National Broadcasting Authority (GNBA) and the recipients of the licences.
Several prominent media houses were inexplicably overlooked for licences, including Capitol News, Stabroek News, CNS Channel 6 and Kaieteur News.
- Granger
A partnership of National Unity (APNU) has said that contrary to what Head of the Presidential Secretariat Dr. Roger Luncheon announced about APNUâs support of the Alliance for Changeâs (AFC) position that a Public Procurement Commission (PPC) must be established before the Anti Money Laundering and Countering of Financing of Terrorism (AML/CFT) bill is supported, is not the same position APNU shares.
Opposition leader David Granger at his press briefing on Friday, said that while the establishment of the PPC is important, it is not a concern that his party shares at this time, more so with respect to tying it with the passing of the AML legislation.
âThe concerns about the Public Procurement Act have nothing to do with APNU at this point in time or our attitude towards the AML/CFT Bill.
APNU does not see the need for the PPC to be established before the passing of the AML legislation, since the party believes that there is no connection between the two.
Granger said, âThey are two different matters, there is no nexus between the two, we want a good anti-money laundering Bill and whether or not the Public Procurement Commission comes along is a different matter and we will deal with that when the time comesâ Granger posited.
According to the Opposition Leader, âRight now our focus is on ensuring that the people of this country get AML legislation which will actually prevent the laundering of money and the enforcement to go with that.
âRight now we have no confidence that the bill as it stands should be approved and that is why we recommended that it go in a special committee in the first place.â
The Alliance for Change (AFC) position is that for them to assent or give support to the AML/CFT bill, a Public Procurement Commission must be established, since they both operate synonymously.
That partyâs position is that you canât have a money laundering legislation passed without having the PPC established, since most of the money is laundered through corrupt public contracts that Government has power and control over.
The PPC, an independent autonomous body which is constitutionally mandated, is needed to go along with the money laundering legislation, said the AFC.
AFC leader Khemraj Ramjattan said, âWhile anti-money laundering measures are needed, passing the Bill without having the Procurement Commission in place is akin to locking the barn door while the fattest pig is still out in the yard.â
Leader of the Alliance for Change Khemraj Ramjattan during his recent press briefing articulated that âin direct and indirect ways, the absence of the PPC has resulted in why so much substandard infrastructure work has been done regionally and nationally, why public servants and workers generally cannot have better wages and salaries, and why a sultanate of extremely rich persons has been created.â
According to Ramjattan, âPeople want us to pass the AML Bill without the Procurement Commission. He said two of them came to my chambers to offer monies to me personally to have it passed without the Procurement Commission pleading that I change my position.
âI literally had to chase them out my office. That is not how Ramjattan operates or how any leader operates in the Alliance for Change.â
The AFC leader made his position clear that his party will only support the AML/CFT Bill if the PPC is established as it was intended to be without the amendment that the government wants to make which would place power back into the hands of Cabinet to have control over large contracts.
âGuyanese are entitled to and must have both the Public Procurement Commission and Anti Money Laundering legislation. One is not enough,â he pronounced.
Guyana: "A National Cesspool of Greed, Duplicity & Corruption" (A Remigrantâs Story)
Quote "Mr Ramkarran further asserted that because of commingling of these corrupt groups with the PPP and their inter-dependence the government was not interested in building fundamental checks and balances institutions like the Public Procurement Commission which had been promised by the PPP over a decade ago." unquote
WHAT CAN BE MORE SHAMEFUL, THE PPP/C WAS NOT REALLY CONCERNED ABOUT CHECKS AND BALANCES, THEY WERE NOT EVEN CONCERNED ABOUT THE PUBLIC PROCUREMENT COMMISSION.....WHAT WERE THEY CONCERNED ABOUT? WELL THE ONLY GUESS THAT I CAN COME TO IS TO FILL THEIR POCKETS AND PIECE OUT THE GUYANA AND SHARE OUT TO FRIENDS AND CRONIES......HENCE THE CORRUPTIONS CONTINUES.
Dear Editor,
We continue to be extremely disappointed by the rabid and in some cases untrue statements coming from the Minister of Finance, Dr. Ashni Singh. In his latest release, he stated âIf we examine the facts, during the 1970s and most of the 1980s, the PNC destroyed and decimated Guyanaâs private sector.
They expropriated the private sectorâs assets, intimidated and effectively banished the entrepreneurial class, and completely destroyed the environment for doing business. Their attitude today reveals that, although they are attempting to hide behind the thin veil of a new name, their hostility towards the private sector is much the same, and they remain diametrically opposed to private sector led development.â
For the Minister to say that the PNC had decimated the private sector is stretching the truth and he ought to know better. We will not allow the minister or anyone else in the PPP to distort the record of the PNC in order to score cheap political points or to spread their barefaced propaganda to distract the nation from the massive corruption that is taking place daily in every government department and high crime that they are unable to solve.
We would like to inform the minister that the PNC did not embrace the blatant massive corruption that exists today in every level of the PPP government and no minister in the PNC government has built mansions like those in Pradoville one and two. The PNC under the late President Forbes Burnham did not approve a pension of $3 million per month and an unlimited number of security and other personnel for a President after he demits office. The PNC did not squander US$230 million of the taxpayersâ money on the white elephant sugar factory at Skeldon and billions more on the idle Enmore sugar packaging plant and on the unfinished Marriott Hotel and the dried up Amalia Falls. The PNC did not give contracts to friends and relatives to build or paved roads that washed away three weeks after construction or sold state lands and properties to friends for a far cheaper price than the market value. In building the Demerara Bridge, the PNC put the interest of the people first by charging them the cheapest toll possible whereas, the PPP built the Berbice Bridge and put their friends first by allowing them to reap hundreds of millions in financial profits and not the people who have to pay the highest toll in the world to cross the bridge. This is more than enough evidence that the PPP has abandoned the poor and the working class in Guyana for their wealthy friends.
Furthermore, it was the PNC Government and in particular Mr. Carl Greenidge and President Hoyte who saved this countryâs economy under the Economic Recovery Program (ERP). The foundation for the period of continued growth under Dr. Cheddi Jagan and Dr Asgar Ally was laid by Carl Greenidge in 1989 which saw growth in GDP under a PNC Government in 1991 and 1992 of 6 percent and 7.8 percent respectively. In terms of history, the Minister of Finance in his selective mind has ignored these solid achievements of the PNC by using the PPP play book to spread propaganda.
We want Dr. Singh to know that these high growth rates did not happen by accident or not by state intervention but by an active buy-in from the respectable private sector which invested billions into the Guyanese economy under the post pro-private sector Government ever in the history of Guyana â the Hoyte Government.
But Dr Singh quite skillfully chooses not to remember these facts in his rabid propaganda campaign. Dr. Singh also chooses not to remember that as a result of the solid economic work of Carl Greenidge, Dr. Jaganâs Government saw an average growth in the economy between 1993-1997 of 7.4 percent. Dr. Singh and the twisted minds in the PPP are selective in what they want the people to know about the PNC achievements, but facts are facts and the truth must be revealed to the public, hence the debunking of the PPP propaganda, distortions and untruths.
These are the hard facts, but as every day goes by, Dr. Singh and others in the corrupt PPP regime continue to ignore the truth as they clothe themselves in the illusionary world of political deception and subterfuge, just like how they believe there is no corruption and no conflict of interest between the Office of the Minister of Finance and the Audit Office, even though one is the spouse of the other.
It is quite sad that supposedly ministers who are sworn to uphold the constitution and tell the truth can reduce themselves to such fabrication and âmud marchingâ politics in the 21st century.
Dr. Asquith Rose and Chandra Deollal, Esq.
Dear Editor,
I am confident that Ms. Priya Manickchand will answer honestly and promptly the questions raised by Mr. K. Khan in his letter appearing in the Kaieteur News of October 30, 2013. I say so because the Minister is never shy in her engagement with the press; sweet to those who sing her praise and ready to confront those who try to tarnish her good image.
Because I am sure the Minister would want to avoid any undue aspersions about her good character, I am giving her the opportunity to provide additional information on the entire transaction for the house she sold in Sparendaam known as Pradoville 2. Can she state for the public:
a) the name of the contractor who built it and the contract sum.
b) whether the contractor is a recipient of government contracts.
c) thename of the attorney-at-law who acted for her in the transaction.
d) the price stated in the Agreement of Purchase and Sale and whether the stated price was the same as the actual price she received.
e) the capital gains tax she paid on the transaction.
f) whether she is aware that real estate transactions come within the scope of the Anti-Money Laundering Act and did she consult with the FIU to ensure that the transaction was not laundering.
f) whether she knows that the definition of corruption used by The World Bank is âthe abuse of public office for private gainâ.
I look forward to Ms. Manickchandâs response.
R. Rockliffe
- Foreign manager at helm of troubled Skeldon
With less than two months remaining for the year, the countryâs sugar industry is slowly grinding its way to its lowest production in two decades and there seems to be no clarity on the way forward.
As a matter of fact, it will negatively eclipse last yearâs dismal 218,069 tonnes.
The 2012 production has been described as the worst in the 20 year reign of the Peopleâs Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C).
Production targets have been revised downwards from the 260,000 tonnes set at the beginning of the year to 203,000 now.
The yearâs first crop fell short of the 70,000 tonnes by an alarming 22,000. Industry officials, over the weekend, admitted that the situation over production has plunged the Guyana Sugar Corporation (GuySuCo) into a point of uncertainty where unless all stops are pulled out, the slide will continue.
The administration has been saying that the industry is too big to fail but could find little answers.
At the flagship Skeldon factory, production for the year is slated at 34,000, far below the targeted 43,000 tonnes.
The strain from Skeldonâs poor showing has been taking a toll on the overall operations of GuySuCo.
Since being commissioned in August 2009 by former President Bharrat Jagdeo, the Chinese built US$200M project, which includes the factory and expanded cultivation, has been bleeding the Corporation.
Almost US$15M ($3B) has been sunk to repair several faults. South African-based Bosch Engineering was hired earlier this year to fix some of the problems. These include issues with the co-generation power plant.
However, still to be resolved are issues with the cane shredder and the punt dumper. The latter is critical to the efficient transfer of canes from punts in the waterway to the actual factory.
Bosch has been paid over US$4M for its work and after two weeks, left around mid-year.
There are no immediate indications when the shredder cane dumper will be fixed.
According to GuySuCo officials, the irony of the situation is that the weather has held up in recent weeks despite threats from sporadic showers. âSo what we have is lots of cane in the field at Skeldon but the factory is still unable to take it off the field,â an official confirmed yesterday.
While the factory has been built to process 250,000 tonnes per hour, its intake because of technical issues, have been limited to around 180,000, a hugely worrying factor.
New manager In an attempt to steady Skeldon, Government has reportedly hired Tate and Lyle, its European sugar buyer, to manage the factory. Richard Orr has been operating as the new estate manager since earlier this year. But while Government had signaled intentions to seek overseas help, there had been no official announcements that management has changed from local hands.
Part of the restructuring of GuySuCo has also been the reported hiring of Dr. Raj Singh, its current Chairman, to take over as the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) from Paul Bhim. Bhim, himself the former Chief Financial Officer, was reportedly set to become the Deputy CEO.
A few months ago, GuySuCo, in the beginning of what seemed to be a major shakeup in management, give notice to Rajaindra Singh, the Deputy CEO, of its intentions to cut his contract short. Singh left last month.
Current Chairman, Dr. Raj Singh, was reportedly set to take up the appointment as the new CEO last Friday, November 1st.
However, there have been no movements as yet, union officials confirmed yesterday.
Questions had surfaced about whether he was qualified for that position. GuySuCo is reportedly flying him in from his United States residence and paying for his accommodation here.
The industry, at one time the biggest earner for Government, has become a major headache for them. Saddled with a phased price cut by Europe, its biggest buyer, GuySuCo has been battling labour shortages as well as poor weather conditions.
A $2B investment, using Europeâs cash that was designed to help the sugar dependent countries recover the price cuts, into a packaging plant at Enmore, has failed to change the situation.
The reason was simple â there were just not enough canes to meet the 190,000 tonnes quota that Europe wants. That story has been repeating itself in recent years.
This year, as part of assistance to help the ailing industry, Government earmarked $1B for GuySuCo. This was $4B more than last year.
Writing about the industry earlier this year, former sugar official and Member of Parliament, Tony Vieira, said that indications were that the industry, in 2012, showed the factories stood idle, out of cane and not grinding, during the first and second crops a total of 10,527 hours.
âThe actual time the factories worked during the year was 21,623 hours this means that due to an acute shortage of labour to cut the cane the factories were standing idle 50% of the time during the crops waiting for the cane to be delivered, needless to say that during a substantial part of this time the factoryâs workers had to be paid for standing by doing nothing.â Government had said that the European price cuts had seen Guyana losing around $10B annually in revenue. However, the Opposition has accused the Government of contributing to the slide of the industry as the assistance coming from Europe was not used to help GuySuCo cope. Earlier this year, Guyana signed a 23M Euros ($6.4B) financing agreement as part of Europeâs continuing assistance programme for sugar. It would have meant that Guyana drew down 115M Euros since the programme started back in 2006. The measures were developed by the European Union to help Guyana and other sugar-producing nations deal with the fallout from the price cuts. The factory, said to be Guyanaâs most expensive project, was constructed with a combination of self-generated funds and loans from the Caribbean Development Bank, the Peopleâs Republic of China and the Government of Guyana.
Dear Editor,
The nature of the news making the headlines in Guyana in the past few days/weeks reveals many unhappy things about the state of the PPP regime. Addressing a small group of only PPP supporters in Richmond Hill, New York, President Ramotar said âThe attack on Winston Brassington is obscene. Anyone who works professionally for the government is coming under intense personal attacks.â
We strongly disagree.
What can the people discern from this callous statement? It is too much to individually explore, but what was most striking is the sense that the PPP regime is imploding in front of our eyes. It is crumbling inwards as its leaders fold over themselves as if the party is experiencing a massive earthquake shaking it to its core.
A close scrutiny would probably find the roots of the internal upheaval located in the power struggles between the Jagdeoites and the old PPP guard at Freedom House. In their quest for grandeur and the illusory trappings of power, the PPP cabal appears like cockroaches in a fowl party, which means that they are in serious political trouble.
We believe that it is ludicrous and insulting to Guyanese for President Ramotar to defend the head of NICIL who has been a complete failure in the management of taxpayersâ money. As the overseer of several major projects, he has failed miserably in this regard. In all of these contracts, it is the private companies that are the major beneficiaries.
Is the president not aware of these major financial blunders by NICILâs boss? Or is he in denial?
Further, the regime has not done anything to reduce corruption and crime despite Mr. Ramotarâs campaignâs promises. There is still no Procurement Commission, no Integrity Commission, no Ombudsman, no accountability and transparency and no policy to end corruption and the spate of crimes by the PPP regime.
We believe that President Ramotar has to be considered naÃŊve when he says that Mr. Brassington is extremely competent. It is Mr. Brassington who invested more than 51 percent of state funds to build the Berbice Bridge but settled for less that 20 percent of the shares. It is Mr. Brassington who negotiated the contract for the Marriott Hotel that allowed only foreign workers to work on the site. It is Mr. Brassington who approved Sithe Globalâs high rate of return of 19% on its investment when commercial lending interest rates are between 7 percent and 10 percent. Is this being competent, Mr. Ramotar?
People are fed up and frustrated with the corrupt PPP cabal and have lost faith in any project that the regime undertakes and Mr. Ramotarâs poor understanding of competency has added to their frustration. Instead of making sure that the taxpayers get value for their money; Guyanese are faced with a barrage of PPP propaganda, untruths and distortions designed to hide the corrupt practices that are taking place every day.
In truth, the society is so overrun by seedy fingers that theft has now become the normal state of affairs. Those who bear the marks of honesty, integrity and decency are deemed enemies of the state and are immediately ostracized, vilified and dismissed. Nowhere is there evidence that the PPP cabal has upheld the laws of the land and has prosecuted anyone for corruption. When pressed as to why they have not prosecuted anyone, they offer the sad refrain: The opposition talks about corruption but they have not proven that corruption is taking place.
There is no integrity and decency left in this regime. In several of the cagey deals made by Jagdeo and his cohorts, the PPP cabal has adopted a brilliant strategy to hide them from the public until it is expedient to release them. Everything the cabal touches turn into ka ka and everything they say publicly has to be taken with a grain of salt because even if it rings true, one has to wonder what else they are hiding.
The PPP leaders have not done the right thing and are not prepared to do the right thing because they believe that they are wiser than the people and are above the law. In other words, they have become the âuntouchablesâ and have been somehow ordained to be the everlasting rulers of Guyana.
Dr. Asquith Rose and Harish S. Singh
Ms. Jagan-Brancier has added her voice to this rampant irregularity. While the private media have reported her contention and the state media have remained silent, the authorities cannot escape the fact that there is rampant corruption in the highest circles. The public awaits action.
By Abena Rockcliffe
A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) is calling for a fully staffed office of the Ombudsman to be reintroduced as opposed to the previous set up that existed.
That call was made by APNUâs Dr. Rupert Roopnarine as he responded to a question about the Partyâs interest in seeing a functioning Office of the Ombudsman.
An Ombudsman is an official usually appointed by the government or by Parliament but with a significant degree of independence. One such official is charged with representing the interests of the public by investigating and addressing complaints of maladministration or violation of rights.
The typical duties of an Ombudsman are to investigate complaints and attempt to resolve them. Ombudsmen sometimes also aim to identify systemic issues leading to poor service or breaches of peopleâs rights.
While executives of some developed and developing countries across the world have designated several Ombudsmen, Guyana has remained without one for the last seven years.
Guyana has been without an Ombudsman since the retirement of Justice Sheik Mohamed in 2005.
This situation captured the attention of A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) Member of Parliament James Bond, who posed questions in relation to the non-appointment of an Ombudsman to the Minister of Legal Affairs, Anil Nandlall in the National Assembly earlier this year.
Last Friday, Dr. Roopnarine said that the Office of the Ombudsman is an extremely important Constitutional protection for citizens in Guyana. He highlighted that an Ombudsman is supposed to deal with faults in administration and stated âas we know those are not going away, they are increasing; so we definitely are in need of an Ombudsman.â
Further, Dr. Roopnarine asserted that it would be a waste of time to just appoint an Ombudsman and a secretary which was the case when Justice Mohamed was in that office.
âIt is not simply the appointment of an Ombudsman, but a real staffing to go with the office. He has to have more than a secretaryâĶwhich is all Justice Mohamed had. He has to have investigative capacity and so on. Without a fully staffed and empowered Office of the Ombudsman, merely appointing an Ombudsman will do very little.â
APNU Leader David Granger said that he has been advocating for the appointment of an Ombudsman as APNU sees the importance of it. Granger also pointed to the absence of a tribunal for workers. He said that APNU would like to see the activation of both.
He also made mention of the plight of the Police Complaints Authority. According to Granger, that entity appeared before the Disciplined Forces Commission to complain about the financial limits and the lack of investigative capability.
âSo we would like to see these so-called independent or autonomous commissions working, as we feel like that would strengthen democracy,â Granger stated.
Meanwhile, People Progressive Party (PPP) General Secretary, Clement Rohee told the media that the Party is interested in having an Ombudsman soon.
He said however, that even though it is in the interest of the PPP, it is âmore squarelyâ the responsibility of the government to appoint appropriate candidates âwe have influence on the government, but the final call is with the government.â
Asked if the PPP is going to push for the speedy appointment of an Ombudsman, Rohee responded âWe donât seek to push the government, which we are a part of, to do anythingâĶWe seek to influence the government.â
He said that the PPP will be influencing the government on that matter âamong other things.â
The Office of the Ombudsman is stated as a human rights institution in Guyana.
At the national level, most Ombudsmen have a wide mandate to deal with the entire Public Sector, and sometimes also elements of the Private Sector.
An Ombudsman has the power to sanction if a citizen feels he or she has been treated unjustly by a high profile member of society, even a Minister. If the courts have a hold-up in trying the case, the Ombudsman can sanction, after consideration, in accordance with the laws.
David Degroot -
Crab Louse/Ghost Writer
Gail Taxiera
Fat-Cat $967,985
Mahendra Roopnarine Freedom House Operative
$395,000 per month
Kwame McCoy
Presidential Information Liason Officer
$334,850 per month
Chitraykha Dass -
Freedom House Secretary
$250,000 per month
Shanta Goberdan
GINA Editor-in-Chief
$295,460 per month
Neaz Subhan
Gina Director
$295,530 per Month
Odinga Lamumba
Black House of Israel Thug
Dr Roger Luncheon
Head President Secretariat
$895,326 per month
Hydar Ally
Deputy Head President Secretariat
$550,064 per month
Office of the President
Charles Ramson Jr
Technical Legal Director
$430,196 per month
Joseph Singh
Special Assistant to the President
$667,440 per month
Eshwar Persaud
OP's Protocol Advisor
$268,000 per month
Kit Nascimento
Special Advisor
Leroy Cort
Cabinet Monitor Officer
$155,628 per month
Chitraykha Dass
Presidential Political Liason Officer
$255,000 per month
Kwame Gilbert
Social Policy Officer
$294,585 per Month
Hamilton
Black House Of Isreal Thug
Cheddi Jagan 11
(Joey Son)
$489,666 per month
Desmond Kissoon
President Political Liaison Officer Region 9
$280,000
Clive Lloyd
Presidential Advisor on Sports
$721,000 per month
Norman McClean
Advisor
Zulfikar Mustapha
Head, Community Relations Liaison Officer
$307,600 per Month
Philip Bynoe
Black House of Israel Thug
REV it looks like Ramotar & Jagdeo
will lose another 100,000 votes
because of wha dem do here...
Bro Jalil, you can be a rich man, for all these characters, imagine all these in one movie
Will APNU buckle under PPP/C Pressure, and surprise everyone by signing the Anti Money Laundering bill? I doubt whether that they will, come next year when the Country's Budget will be presented, APNU/AFC will again, cut money allocated for the differently Ministry.
There is a solution to this dilema, that is call a snap elections, but the problem is that the PPP/C is very much scared, as their supporters are fraustrated, and are likely to stay away in numbers for the next coming election.......so being scared and know what the out come will be, I would not be surprised if the PPP/C in any other elections garnered less votes than the last Elections.
APNU rightfully points out that
JUSTIFICATION
Leader of the Opposition, Brigadier (retâd) David Granger, told the Chronicle that the amendments on the table have to be justified. He said the Opposition is astonished that Government had proceeded on its own with the Bill.
âWe made it clear that our MPs could not meet, so (we) were quite astonished that the Government is proceeding with the Act on its ownâĶ.the Amendments have to be justifiedâĶ. This one is too porous, it is too weak, it is too flimsy,â he said.
Granger said the principal Act was passed more than four years ago, and while the CFATF had criticised the enforcement of the bill and the function of the Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU), which he termed critical to the Act, no case has been brought under the Act.
Granger said, âNo reports have been submitted to the National Assembly by the FIU, and no prosecutions have been brought under the Act, as far as I know.
So it was quite laughable that (for) four years we had this Act, and the business community knew it was not functioning and the Government knew it was not functioning, the international community knew it was not functioningâĶ. Only when threatened by sanctions the Government decided to bring the Act back.
âThe Oppositionâs position is that we want to give stakeholders (opportunity) to provide advice and opinions on the Act, and as far as I know, this is what we have been doing.â
Deborah Backer, also spoke to this newspaper about the issue.
She said, âI think it is as clear as day [that] the Government has put us in a position that the Opposition will not support the bill when it comes to the floor.
âWe cannot support this, it is impossibleâĶ,â Backer declared.
Backer acknowledged that, with the impending sanctions, it is a tough call, but she maintained that the bigger picture has to be considered. She said, âTo an extent, with the sanctions, it is a tough callâĶ.We are satisfied that, from our research, the small people, those receiving money from family through Western Union and so, will not be affected. It is the big people, who will have to do much more.â
The Deputy Speaker also noted that changes to Guyanaâs legislation cannot be made without proper consideration. âWe will also be writing to CFATF about (the) shortsightedness of such a moveâĶ. We cannot change the Act just to meet the requirements of CFATF,â Backer said.
If my family will not be affected by the small amount that I remit ever so often, then the PPP/C can go to hell till kingdom come, they can continue with their corruptions and lying, least I care.
Lawyers representing Government and a number of companies that were granted approval for radio and cable licences by outgoing President Bharrat Jagdeo back in 2011, has asked for more time to file its defence.
Chief Justice (ag), Ian Chang, who is hearing the matter, has now set the next court date for November 14, as the case continued yesterday in the High Court.
The legal challenge was filed by the National Media Publishing Company, publisher of Kaieteur News, and the Guyana Media Proprietors Association Limited (GMPA). It named Attorney General, the Minister of Broadcasting, National Frequency Management Unit (NFMU), Guyana National Broadcasting Authority (GNBA) and 12 recipients that were approved for licences by Jagdeo shortly before he ended his term in office in November 2011.
Attorney General Anil Nandlall was in court yesterday.
The applicants for the licences were Radio Guyana Inc- owner of Guyana Times and TVG 28; Telcor and Cultural Broadcasting Inc.; NTN Radio â owner of Channel 69; New Guyana Company Limited-owner of The Mirror newspaper; Rudolph Grant; Wireless Connection; Hits and Jams Entertainment; Alfro Alphonso and Sons; Haslyn Graham and Little Rock Television Station. E-Networks Inc and Quark Communications Inc, two companies approved for cable licences, were also named as the Respondents.
According to court documents signed by Publisher of Kaieteur News, Glenn Lall, and filed by his lawyer, Roysdale Forde, the licences were issued under the old Post and Telegraph Act and were done in bad faith, are discriminatory and not legal.
The media houses and Lall said that the licences breached their legitimate expectations and constitutional rights. It pointed to an agreement dated May 5, 2003 between Jagdeo and former Opposition Leader, Robert Corbin, where it was agreed there would be a freeze on all new commercial frequencies for radio and television until a new Broadcasting Act came into effect.
Jagdeoâs exercise of his discretion to approve new radio, TV and cable operations was abused and unreasonable also.
The media houses asked for court orders to quash the licences.
Regarding the cable TV licences to E-Network and Quark, reportedly owned by Vishok Persaud and Brian Yong respectively, friends of the former President, the media houses also want these to be quashed on the same grounds.
Valmiki Singh, head of the NFMU, is also being asked to produce a statement to the court of all available radio, television and cable frequencies in Guyana.
Lall and GMPA, in asking for the court to issue an order for TV and radio broadcast licences to be granted to them, also want a declaration that the frequency spectrum is a national resource.
They are also asking in excess of $1M for aggravated damages and an unspecified amount for exemplary damages.
In the affidavit supporting the constitutional challenge, Lall said that in December 2008 he applied to Prime Minister Sam Hinds to operate a cable TV network; a radio station and a TV station.
He sent copies to NFMU and on February 26, 2009, received an acknowledgment. The court documents also listed the case of C.N. Sharma who applied for a radio licence but was turned down.
Veteran journalist, Enrico Woolford, of Capitol News, has also filed similar court action back in April.
There has been widespread condemnation from Guyanese and both local and international media associations on circumstances surrounding the granting of the licences by Jagdeo. The timing and the fact that he did not wait on the Broadcast Authority to do its work were also heavily criticised.
Not only was Jagdeoâs best friend, Dr. Ranjisinghi âBobbyâ Ramroop, approved for five frequencies but Telcor is linked to sitting Minister of Natural Resources, Robert Persaud, who also was approved for a similar number. New Guyana Company also was approved a similar amount.
Asj .....Rev can keep make up numbers until
"Jagdeo, Ramotar & De Black House Of Isreal Thugs"
get kicked out of office as soon as they call elections.
These Funny Fellas like experiment
Turning things over,
Backside, Inside-out,
Upside-down,and any Funny Position....
But however dem turn
the facts do not change...
PPP lose Votes because of
Jagdeo & Ramotar Corruption
PPP lose Votes because of their links to
Bkack House Of Isreal Thugs
PPP lose Votes because the
Indians decided they will not
waste their vote on the PPP like before.
AFC gained Votes because of
Moses Nagamootoo...
AFC Gains became....
PPP Loss
WPA joined PNC to form APNU.
PNC lost a lot of Votes too
This caused no effect for APNU
Because Every Vote Lost by PNC
was picked up by WPA.
Afro Guyanese Saw Rodney Party
teaming up with the Head of the GDF
to bring changes......
Dr Walter Rodney show Afro Guyanese
how easy this is done before he was murdered...
Cliff Anderson Sports Hall also an abbatoir
The chevon after the goats were slaughtered
People like Rev..... take the position
that any member of the East Indian community
who joins or associates with the Opposition
loses their âIndiannessâ.
Show us the Law which say
You lose your Indianness
if you Vote for AFC
âAnd apparently you (the East Indian)
need their (the PPPâs) permission to do so
(ie, join the Opposition)
âa permission which they would not give,â
Show us the Law which say
Indians Need Permission
From Kwame, Rev or Jagdeo
to Vote for AFC
âWhat they donât understand
is that AFC Members fought for changes
in our Constitution and
has enshrined in it freedom of association,
which is a right inherited
by every single citizen in this country.
So members of any ethnic group
donât need the permission of any person
to associate with any group or individual.â
Show us the Law which say
Kwame, Dem_Guy & Jagdeo
must decide who we vote foe
Here are the Laws of Guyana
http://www.oas.org/juridico/ml...-int-text-cl_act.pdf
Please see for yourself,
we are not making this up...
LAWS OF GUYANA....(go to page 19/146)
Criminal Law(offences) Cap. 8:01 21
TITLE 25 Offence against Morality
Section
351 Selling, Publishing or Exhibiting Obscene Matter
352 Committing acts of gross indecency with male person
353 Attempt to commit unnatural offence
354 Buggery
355 Doing indecent act
....................................................
The Guyana law say Hang those
who Practice, Committ, or Encourage
Buggery & Buggering .......
This is the Law
Rev, Kwame, Ewe-Gee or Bharrat
Who Vex ....Vex
So...People like Rev, Kwame or Jagdeo
need to respect the constitution
and Quit being Racist
who talk about "Dirty Indians"
Show us the Law which say
Berbicians must Vote for Buggery
If they want to tell us about
the Constitution or the law...
Speak the Truth....
and Tell us @unty-men should be hanged.
Show us the Law which say
Indians must Vote for B@tty-Boy
Why Rev, Kwame or Jagdeo...
do not tell us the truth...
and what the Constitution say
we must do to Dem type of fellas????
Show us the Law which say
Clie must Vote for @unty-man
Rev , where are you?
quote "2 #2 George Anderson 2013-11-05 17:59
Burnham would have taken the Minister responsible for a helicopter ride over the Atlantic.
With the PPP/C......they have no shame and no care, they would sell their mothers for a few shilling
A US Congresswoman did tell dem boys that Guyana reach de lowest of de low. She said that under Jagdeo morals sunk to the lowest of the low. And this is true because lawlessness tek over. When Jagdeo was president, honest people get sackedâsent packing fuh no reason and some fuh de season.
Some people get de boot fuh talking de truth.
Well dem boys find out de hard way that some people still got moral and pride. Three reporters display moral and pride when dem tell Bobby, Nigel, Daniel and Jagdeo fuh carry dem lawless, dutty and stinking behaviour to dem friends family and dem children if dem got.
Dem boys use to think that nutten good coulda come out of anything that Bobby and Jagdeo got dem hand in. Dem was wrang. Dem reporters wha walk off de wuk is good people. Bobby and Jagdeo started a campaign against de owner of de Waterfalls paper because he x-pose de billions wha dem thief from de Waterfalls boss man and all de Guyanese people.
Dem ainât respond to anything wha de boss man x-pose. Instead dem resort to cuss down like dem shameless â. That is de same Jagdeo de nation seeing all over again. Dem see his reaction to corruption when he was president. Dem see how nobody get suspend or dismiss fuh corruption under he watch. Nowhere in de world this does happen. He was protecting scamps and fraudsters.
Now he canât protect nobody, not even heself. Dem boys seh suh. He got to go to jail and carry Bobby and Brazzy wid he. De creator seh suh.
All wha Jagdeo and Bobby been talking bout in dem newspaper and pun dem radio and TV de last few weeks, is now people see that was Jagdeo and Bobby was writing dem things and asking decent people fuh read de scurrilous comments.
Nigel got fuh stay because he seh that he gun do anything fuh money, even kiss Bobby and Jagdeo.
Talk half, lef half, wait fuh more exposure and then more gun walk off.
As posted by Bro Jalil: an examination of characters that can be Equated with the the payment of "Fat Cats"
David Degroot -
Crab Louse/Ghost Writer
As posted by Bro Jalil: an examination of characters that can be Equated with the the payment of "Fat Cats"
Gail Taxieria
Fat-Cat $967,985
IF THE PPP/C GETS BACK INTO POWER, BRIBERY AND CORRUPTIONS CONTINUES IN GUYANA: THE CURRENT PPP/C WOULD CONTINUE MAKE CHEDDI JAGAN DREAMS OF A LEAN AND MEAN GOVERNMENT AS NANCY STORY/JOKE
Next:
David Degroot -
Crab Louse/Ghost Writer
Gail Taxiera
Fat-Cat $967,985
Mahendra Roopnarine Freedom House Operative
$395,000 per month
Kwame McCoy
Presidential Information Liason Officer
$334,850 per month
Chitraykha Dass -
Freedom House Secretary
$250,000 per month
Shanta Goberdan
GINA Editor-in-Chief
$295,460 per month
Neaz Subhan
Gina Director
$295,530 per Month
Odinga Lamumba
Black House of Israel Thug
Dr Roger Luncheon
Head President Secretariat
$895,326 per month
Hydar Ally
Deputy Head President Secretariat
$550,064 per month
Office of the President
Charles Ramson Jr
Technical Legal Director
$430,196 per month
Joseph Singh
Special Assistant to the President
$667,440 per month
Eshwar Persaud
OP's Protocol Advisor
$268,000 per month
Kit Nascimento
Special Advisor
Leroy Cort
Cabinet Monitor Officer
$155,628 per month
Chitraykha Dass
Presidential Political Liason Officer
$255,000 per month
Kwame Gilbert
Social Policy Officer
$294,585 per Month
Hamilton
Black House Of Isreal Thug
Cheddi Jagan 11
(Joey Son)
$489,666 per month
Desmond Kissoon
President Political Liaison Officer Region 9
$280,000
Clive Lloyd
Presidential Advisor on Sports
$721,000 per month
Norman McClean
Advisor
Zulfikar Mustapha
Head, Community Relations Liaison Officer
$307,600 per Month
Philip Bynoe
Black House of Israel Thug
IF THE PPP/C GETS BACK INTO POWER, BRIBERY AND CORRUPTIONS CONTINUES IN GUYANA: THE CURRENT PPP/C WOULD CONTINUE MAKE CHEDDI JAGAN DREAMS OF A LEAN AND MEAN GOVERNMENT AS NANCY STORY/JOKE
ASJ:
Hate to say this. When Odeen Ishmael was in Minneapolis in the early 90's I spoke to him about drunk teachers and physical abuse of school children. His answer was "that's a culture we cultivate". Go ahead and criticise the PPP. I am sure if I told him about bribery, his answer would have been the same.
Signing of Bills does not mean anything........call the date for the damn Local Government Elections....dont wait till another 20 years.
One cannot believe the PPP/C with their corruptions and lies.
Signing of Bills does not mean anything........call the date for the damn Local Government Elections....dont wait till another 20 years.
One cannot believe the PPP/C with their corruptions and lies.
hold your horses "asj" signing of the bills are a step closer to local government elections as of today those bills are now law, and GECOM will have no choice than to carry out the process, local government elections are literally months away.
When I see that Local Government Elections are announced, then I will believe, right now the PPP/C are crooks and corrupted, they are liers even the President Donald Ramotar lies, I have had my experience.
I would not be surprised if they passed the bills that were tabled just for APNU/AFC to go with the anti money laundering bill.
President Donald Ramotar on Wednesday assented to three of the four Local Government Bills which were passed in the National Assembly three months after they were passed by the National Assembly, the Government Information Agency (GINA) reported.
Head of the Presidential Secretariat Dr. Roger Luncheon during his post-Cabinet media briefing said that the President assented to the Bills: the Fiscal Transfers Bill 2012, Municipal and District Councils (Amendment) Bill and the Local Government Commission Bill.
The Local Government (Amendment) Bill which engendered a lot of controversy during enactment, and which has not been resolved, was not assented to. The HPS expressed the hope that time would resolve the issue of this particular Bill.
Using its majority in the Select Committee, the opposition has stripped the Local Government minister of the right to hire and fire Neighbourhood Democractic Councillors and handed them to the Local Government Commission. Government's desire to give the minister the right to appoint Regional Executive Officers to the Neighbourhood Councils was also struck down by the opposition. Government has, however, argued that it should play a major role in local governnance since it is central government that spends the bulk of cash in locally governed areas. The opposition has countered by saying accusing government of attempting to dilute the local government system through ministerial diktat.
QUOTE "The Local Government (Amendment) Bill which engendered a lot of controversy during enactment, and which has not been resolved, was not assented to. The HPS expressed the hope that time would resolve the issue of this particular Bill. UNQUOTE
YEAH IN ANOTHER TWENTY YEARS IT WILL TAKE THE PPP/C TO GET THIS ONE SIGNED
IT IS ALL A PPP/C GAME, WHERE THEY WOULD SAY LOOK WE HAVE SIGNED THE BILLS SO NOW IT IS YOUR TURN TO VOTE FOR THE ANTI MONEY LAUNDERING BILL
GRANGER AND RAMJHATTAN WILL GIVE THE PPP/C LAAR INTEAD OF VOTING FOR THE THEIR BILL.
THE PARCELLING OUT OF GUYANA TO JAGDOE'S/RAMOTAR'S FRIEND:
SANATA TEXTILE COMPLEX
As tension surrounds the controversial Anti Money Laundering and Countering the Financing of Terrorism Bill (AML/CFT), Leader of the Alliance For Change (AFC), Khemraj Ramjattan, has said that his party is prepared to go head to head with the government today. He added that it will not be giving its support unless certain conditions are effected sooner rather than later.
The anti-money laundering Bill that has caused the government and the Parliamentary opposition to be gridlocked over its passage into Law will be up for debate today.
Ramjattan said, âWe will not support that Bill unless the Public Procurement Commission is established and we will not shift with regard to this position.â
The Attorney at Law has also indicated that his party will be calling for the Parliamentary Select Committee to be restarted for the purposes of getting a more perfect AML/CFT Bill. âWe also want the work to be resumed so that stakeholders such as the revered economist, Dr. Clive Thomas can make his submissions before the committee.â
Ramjattan says that he feels that the Procurement Commission is necessary as it will serve as an internal scrutinizer of matters relating to money laundering and other processes that can create wealth through corruption. This, he said, will serve to excellently complement the inspection done by outside powers.
âNo longer shall we allow our constitutional rights to be violated,â the AFC leader emphatically expressed.
More importantly, Ramjattan is saying that his party will not give its support to the Bill unless certain conditions are in place by next week.
He said, âBy next week we want the government to firstly, send the names of its nominees to the Public Accounts Committee, then for the names to be sent back to Parliament and be given two-third of the majority support, then have these five persons sworn in by the President and then we want a financial paper approving that the five commissioners get monies to do its work.â
Ramjattan said that the Attorney General, Anil Nandlall, and his team can go to the Caribbean Financial Action Task Force (CFATF) and âtell them to bear with us as we are establishing a much needed Procurement Commission as well as fine tuning the AML Bill.â
There is no way that the PPP/C will win if Elections were held today.
Thankfully, there aren't enough DIRTY PNC INDIANS to deny the PPP victory in the next election in Guyana.
Rev
Rev Roly Poly Aly, you seem to forget that your mother was a Dirty PNC INdian.
Bai we need not get to Rev Mama,
HIs mother and father supported Burnham.
This and other picture shows the power of cooperation. All those that are so concerned about a PPP/C victory ask yourselves how many Indians have unity and want to shoe up at the polls on the day. On the other hane one can't help but marvel at black unity in Guyana. They will scream and fight and cuss and kick but when it comes time for voting they forget their differences and turn out in large numbers.
Comrades how many of you Indians have switched parties and hang your mouths hoping for a morsel from the PNC? That is why you will be kicked because you lack unity. No wonder Granger is smiling because he has you K00lies in his pocket and he will twist you and turn you as he likes.
Bhai Sugrim
During the PNC dictatorship days, they (PNC supporters) would prefer to eat grass and drink salt water but they worshipped Dictator Burnham like a God. Take a close look at what some of our people (PNC Indians) are doing today.
Guyanaâs opposition-controlled National Assembly Thursday night voted down the Anti-Money Laundering and Countering of Financing Terrorism (AML/CFT) bill, placing the country on the path to international sanctions.
"Guyana is now in jeopardy of being labeled a high risk country for international financial transactions, the ramifications of which have already begun to see delays in banking and money transfer transactions. These financial delays will result in increased commodity pricing and higher transaction fees to all Guyanese," said Finance Minister Dr. Ashni Singh moments after the defeat.
The parliamentary coalition A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) and the Alliance For Change teamed up to vote solidly against the financial crimes bill 33- 28.
Among those on the government side not voting was Home Affairs Minister Clement Rohee who was hospitalized Thursday night for an undisclosed medical condition. He was an in-patient at the Woodlands Hospital where he was undergoing a series of tests.
Voting down of the AML/CFT was almost a foregone conclusion after the combined opposition voted to throw out a petition by the Private Sector Commission for the 65-seat House to approve the amendments as required by the Caribbean Financial Action Task Force (CFATF) and the global watchdog, the Financial Action Task Force (FATF).
Government and the Western diplomatic community have repeatedly warned that if the amendments are not approved by this month, Guyana ccan face serious sanctions by the Financial Action Task Force. They include severe restrictions and higher costs in conducting international cash transactions including remittances for ordinary people and the purchase of necessary commodities like fuel and pharmaceuticals.
The AFC has said that it would support passage of amendments to the Anti Money Launderiing and Countering of Financing Terrorism (Amendments) Bill if government first establishes the constitutionally required Public Procurement Commission aimed at ensuring transparency. APNU's support is hinged on ensuring that the law is properly amended and the Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU) is adequately staffed and equipped.
Following is a statement issued by Finance Minister, Dr. Ashni Singh moments after the bill was defeated:
It is highly disappointing that the National Assembly was unable to pass the Anti-Money Laundering/Countering the Financing of Terrorism Amendment Bill (AML/CFT). It is even more disappointing that the much needed amendment has been impressed upon the Joint Opposition by the People and Government of Guyana, the Business Community and the Diplomatic Community.
Government has made exhaustive efforts over 6 months through 17 meetings to involve, inform and accommodate the Opposition in the Special Select Committee (SSC) of the National Assembly, to discuss the amendment to the Bill. Due to numerous failed attempts by the Joint Opposition to meet, Government proceeded with the business of the SSC as the Amendments are critical to the economic and social wellbeing of Guyana and its people. At no point in time did the Opposition offer any recommendations or suggestions on how the committee can move its business forward. Therefore, the Government representatives proceeded to conclude the work of the Committee without any input from the APNU or AFC and tabling it in the National Assembly.
It is disappointing that they have made no effort to cooperate or involve themselves at this critical juncture, over such vital legislation. Yet this lack of involvement and cooperation by the AFC and the APNU further supports Governmentâs long held position, that the Joint Opposition has but one intention: to disrupt the economic, social, infrastructural and international credibility of Guyana through its one seat majority. This is evident in their constant attacks and inflexible opposition to any and all developmental projects proposed by Government. The more prominent projects that have been subjected to the AFC and APNUâs unwavering opposition are the Amaila Falls Hydro Power Project, the Marriott Hotel Project, the Specialty Hospital and now, the AML/CFT amendments.
The failure of the National Assembly to pass this legislation has far reaching consequences that have been shared with the Opposition and the public over recent months. Guyana is now in jeopardy of being labeled a high risk country for international financial transactions, the ramifications of which have already begun to see delays in banking and money transfer transactions. These financial delays will result in increased commodity pricing and higher transaction fees to all Guyanese.
Despite this delay, the public should be assured that Government has done all it can, within reasonable scope, to prevent these unfortunate consequence from ensuing. While this was not the anticipated outcome, Government remains committed to finding a solution to this impasse so that the common man and woman will not have to bear the consequence to this failed legislative action. Government will now return to the drawing board where it will collectively regroup and weigh its options to decide on the most feasible course of action that will benefit all of Guyana.
Dear Editor I have observed from time to time that there are lots of negative reports being peddled by certain officials about the Regional Chairman and Councillors of Region Eight. While it is not the policy of the RDC to be responding to every critic, it is important that we respond sometimes to set the record straight. First of all, the reasons we chose to be Councillors is because we want to assist in the development of our Region, and also to ensure that Region Eight plays an important role in Guyanaâs development. To this effect we are prepared to work with Government and all the other stakeholders to make this a reality. However, while we from the RDC are working assiduously in the Region to realize this dream, we are not getting support from the Regional Administration and I guess it is because of politics. Had the Regional Executive Officer been cooperating with us, many of the issues affecting the residents in the Region could have been dealt with at the regional level, since our policy is to deal with issues at the regional level first and see how best we can address them. It is only when we are not getting anywhere that we would take it to another level. Because of this non cooperation from the REO, our every effort to bring development to the people is being stymied. When the GWI contractors wanted the region excavator to assist in clearing the pipelines around Mahdia so that the residents can access potable water he refused to send the excavator. The operators claimed that the excavator keys were lost. After a little persuasion the keys were found and the excavator was sent. Lo and behold the excavator was re-directed a little after to load sand for a private person. When the Councillors wanted the region dump truck to do some self help road repairs to the inner Mahdia road we were told by the operator that all the truck need was a pair of u- clamp to start working. When we sourced the u-clamp from a private person and took it, we were told by the REO that the truck need additional parts. He then give us a list of parts that the truck needed; the only thing missing from that list that he give us to make a complete truck was a shell for a truck. When the garbage site in Mahdia was filled to the road and the council requested that he send the RDC excavator to clear it. He refused, claiming that it was too small when in fact that was the same excavator the former REO was using to clear the dump site. What is important to note is whenever the region vehicle is required to do any work that will benefits the residents there is always a problem with the vehicle, however, when private persons need them they are always in working order. Our Regional Chairman wrote him of his concerns about his behaviour but he still continued with his anti-development behaviour, the Regional Chairman even wrote the Minister of Local Government complaining about behaviour to no avail. After he was continuing with this non-cooperative behaviour the council was forced to move a motion of no-confidence against him. Anybody with a modicum of common sense would realize that these negative behaviour by the REO is a sinister plan by Central Government to make the region ungovernable because they lost the Region at the last elections. However, we will remain resolute in our obligations to the electorate of Region Eight as we are prepare to fight the struggle until good governance come to Guyana. We know that one day good will overcome evil. Naieem Gafoor Regional Democratic Councillor
Quite a slap in the face of the National Assembly, government went ahead and spent $3,384,528,708 to provide cash to several entities and projects that the Opposition didnât see as worthy of receiving state funds.
Just like last year, the allocations set aside in 2013 for the National Communications Network (NCN) -$81,337,000 and Government Information Agency (GINA) â $135,858,000, were reduced to $1 each. However, the capital funding remained as provided for by the government, with NCN having $65M and GINA $13M.
Allocations set aside for Guyana Power and Light Inc.(GPL) were cut almost directly in half, as the Minister of Finance had provided $10.2B which was reduced by $5.2B, leaving a subvention of $5B for the company.
Cuts were also made to the Ministry of Public Works and Health. The Ministry of Public Works suffered one of the largest cuts of $5.6B, while the Ministry of Health lost $1.25B that was provided for the Specialty Hospital.
But Minister of Finance Dr. Ashni Singh went ahead and spent, despite such actions by the Opposition.
According to a financial paper laid in parliament yesterday, the Office of the President through âSubsidies and contributions to Local Organizationsâ used $217,194,998; this was in addition to the money that was allocated to that line item. The document stated that that money was divided between NCN and GINA; GINA got $135,857,999 and NCN: $81,336,999.
It didnât stop there; the government, through the Office of the Prime Minister, also spent $1,777,000,000 for capital transfer to the Guyana Power and Light Inc (GPL).
Then, under the Ministry of Public Works, government used $21,065,925 to aid in the completion of Hinterland airstrips and $80,000,000 as a grant for the acquisition of Civil Aviation equipment.
Also, for the Cheddi Jagan International Airport (CJIA) Modernisation Project, government used $1,063,137,537 foreign cash and $65,432,848.
Further, under Ministry of Health â Regional and Clinical Services, saying its provisions for the Specialty Hospital Project, the government used $133,250,000 foreign cash and $34,456,400.
This yearâs National Budget was approved $31.35 billion less than what was originally presented to the House.
Finance Minister Dr. Ashni Singh had presented a $208.8 billion budget on March 25. After a series of amendments, the budget was reduced to $177.4 billion.
Nineteen billion dollars was cut from the allocation for the Low Carbon Development Strategy â this was the largest cut.
Asj .....Rev can keep make up numbers
until"Jagdeo, Ramotar & De Black House Of Isreal Thugs"
get kicked out of office.... as soon as they call elections.
These Funny Fellas like experiment,
Push front in back....
or the other way round
Turning things over,
Backside, Inside-out,
Upside-down,and any Funny Position....
But however dem turn
the facts do not change...
PPP lose Votes because of
Jagdeo & Ramotar Corruption
PPP lose Votes because of their links to
Black House Of Isreal Thugs
PPP lose Votes because the
Indians decided they will not
waste their vote on the PPP like before.
AFC gained Votes because of
Moses Nagamootoo...
AFC Gains became....
PPP Loss
WPA joined PNC to form APNU.
PNC lost a lot of Votes too
This loss was of no effect to APNU
Because Every Vote Lost by PNC
was picked up by WPA.
Afro Guyanese Saw Dr Walter Rodney Party
teaming up with the Head of the GDF
to bring changes......
Dr Walter Rodney show Afro Guyanese
how easy the WPA can get
all the PNC Votes & Supporters
Burnham was afraid of Walter Rodney WPA
that's why Rodney was Killed by PNC Agents...
Dear Editor, According to the saying, âThere is no good tax,â and as much as we hate paying taxes, we must face the fact that taxes are necessary to fund social, infrastructural and other developmental projects which benefit all of us. As such, all patriotic Guyanese have an obligation to contribute by paying our fair share of taxes. The problem is, most ordinary citizens are forced to bear the burden of taxes while the political fat cats and their wealthy friends are given a free pass. This is unfair and often illegal. The working class in Guyana is generally underpaid and struggling to make ends meet, yet they are faced with an overwhelming tax burden, making it impossible for many to escape the clutches of poverty. Meanwhile, politicians and their friends, who earn millions and receive millions more in contracts and kickbacks, simply do not pay their share. This cannot be allowed to continue: we must all be treated equally under the law. Politicians must not be allowed to get away with non-payment of taxes in addition to getting duty free concessions on their luxury vehicles while ordinary Guyanese are suffering to make ends meet. I intend to run for Mayor of Georgetown and I fully intend to do my part by paying taxes. Moreover, I refuse to be a part of the duty free concession racket once I assume office. I wish that other politicians would follow my lead and play their part in national development instead of riding the breaking backs of the working poor. Mark A. Benschop Independent Party
THERE IS A REPORT EMINATING FROM THE AUDITOR GENERAL WHICH POINT OUT TO BILLIONS OF DOLLAR IN CORRUPTIONS BETWEEN JAGDOE FRIEND AND OTHER DRUGS SUPPLIERS:
DRUGS THAT WERE OUTDATED AMOUNT TO HUNDREDS OF MILLIONS OF DOLLARS
DRUGS THAT WERE ORDERED STILL OUTSTANDING, BUT ALREADY PAID FOR
AND YET THE HEALTH MINISTER CANNOT SAY WHY THERE IS NO ASPIRIN OR PAIN KILLERS AT ALL THE HOSPITAL AND HEALTH CENTRES
Dem Crab Louse Kwame & Rev
been coming here trying to fool us
saying
that any member of the East Indian community
who joins or associates with the Opposition
loses their âIndiannessâ.
Show us which Law in Guyana...say
You lose your Indianness
if you Vote for AFC...
Rev must be reminded
both he and Kwame
don't mek del laws for us
âAnd apparently you (the East Indian)
need their (the PPPâs) permission to do so
(ie, join the Opposition)
âa permission which they would not give,â
Show us the Law which say
Indians Need Permission
From Kwame, Rev or Jagdeo
to Vote for AFC
âWhat they donât understand
is that AFC Members fought for changes
in our Constitution and
has enshrined in it freedom of association,
which is a right inherited
by every single citizen in Guyana.
So members of any ethnic group
donât need the permission of any person
to associate with any group or individual.â
Show us the Law which say
Kwame, Dem_Guy & Jagdeo
must decide who we vote for
Here are the Laws of Guyana
http://www.oas.org/juridico/ml...-int-text-cl_act.pdf
Please see for yourself,
we are not making this up...
LAWS OF GUYANA....(go to page 19/146)
Criminal Law(offences) Cap. 8:01 21
TITLE 25 Offence against Morality
Section
351 Selling, Publishing or Exhibiting Obscene Matter
352 Committing acts of gross indecency with male person
353 Attempt to commit unnatural offence
354 Buggery
355 Doing indecent act
....................................................
The Guyana law say Hang those
who Practice, Committ, or Encourage
Buggery & Buggering .......
This is the Law
Rev, Kwame, Ewe-Gee or Bharrat
Who Vex ....Vex
So...People like Rev, Kwame or Jagdeo
need to respect the constitution
and Quit being Racist....
Further ....let those @untymen
who talk about "Dirty Indians"
Show us the Law which say
Berbicians must Vote for
or support Buggery
If they want to tell us about
the Constitution or the law...
Speak the Truth....
and Tell us @unty-men should be hanged.
Show us the Law which say
Indians must Vote for B@tty-Boy
Why Rev, Kwame or Jagdeo...
do not tell us the truth...
Now de Crab Louse
will refuse to tell us.....
what the Constitution say
we must do to Dem type of fellas????
Show us the Law which say
Clie must Vote for @unty-man
Access to this requires a premium membership.
But the worst part though is that thesefools wont be arrested ,charged or fined because this was sanctioned by the authorities and it was done on government property. And secondly ,the M&CC is so paralysed and dysfunctional that it not only has no jurisdictions over that location but there is no operational legal system in guyana that is willing to hear a case brought by the M&CC against anyone.
This action was an complete insult to every member of the GUYANA sports fraternity. One can only imagine what will be going on at the athletic track at Leanora. GUYANA HAS BECOME SUCH A DISGRACE.