This thing aint ova yet?

No Confidence

Jagdeo tightens the noose!!

Emerging new rules now require candidates to come from the Central Committee.

We are topical in international circles given our potential oil benefaction. Imagine someone coming here to find out who we are and the board is full of homophobic themes, and with a prodigious out pouring of " stick in the butt" kind of phrases form our apparently mean spirited cadre of village louts as the face of our nation. It takes but a little policing. Raymond was supposed to do that. He is too busy chasing the green. He needs help.  Please nominate someone to raise the class profile of our people on the world stage. We have been in the gutter for too long and cannot get out if these fellows who should know better continues to generate these vile memes that distort who we are. 

David Pollard to be new High Commissioner to India

STABROEK NEWS, JUN 15 --- Guyana has identified its new High Commissioner to India in the person of Dr David Pollard.

This was disclosed by Minister of Foreign Affairs Carl Greenidge in a letter on page 7 of today’s edition.

Pollard who studied Applied Maths at Cambridge University and has a PhD in Theoretical Physics from Imperial College, London is Director of Pollards Et Filles Limited, an equity and bond fund.

The fund’s website describes it as an emerging markets hedge fund, which has achieved outstanding returns through investing in local markets in the Caribbean and Latin America. Guyana is one of these markets with the fund operating here since 2011.

Pollard will replace Ronald Gajraj, the former embattled Minister of Home Affairs who served as Guyana’s High Commissioner to India from 2005 to 2015.

With the completion of the vote count from the March 2 polls prompting claims of fraud, an independent high-level Caribbean Community (CARICOM) team is due to arrive to supervise a full recount of the ballots cast in all ten regions at Guyana’s elections based on an agreement by President David Granger and Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo.

Although the intervention was welcomed yesterday by Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) Chairperson Justice (ret’d) Claudette Singh, who said the commission would cooperate fully with the process.

The announcement resulted in the adjournment of a court action initiated by the PPP/C to secure an injunction to prevent GECOM from declaring results until a recount of the votes in Region Four was undertaken. The court action was initiated after the Returning Officer (RO) for Region Four Clairmont Mingo declared results on Friday night at the conclusion of a controversial tabulation process which has been discredited by independent observers and nearly all of the contesting parties, except for the incumbent APNU+AFC coalition. Eight of the nine parties which contested in the region had requested a recount but Mingo has since denied all requests claiming that none of the parties adhered to the statutory timeline to apply for the appointment of counting agents.

https://www.stabroeknews.com/2...l-elections-recount/

July 24, 2017 32 mins ago Source

The prisons crisis besetting the government worsened today with news that prisoners have fled from the Lusignan compound where they were being held.

Prisons Director Gladwin Samuels confirmed the escape.

The government’s Department of Public Information (DPI) issued a statement this morning confirming that 13 prisoners had fled the Lusignan facility where they were being held following the July 9th uprising and fire that destroyed the Camp Street jail.

DPI said that investigations into how they broke out have commenced. The public is being advised to take all necessary precautions and report all suspicious activities to the nearest police station or outpost.

DPI also said that the public is being asked to avoid the lower East Coast Demerara backlands until further notice. A media briefing will be held later this morning.

Part of the pasture area at Lusignan where the prisoners were being held last week.

The prisoners who escaped were among 90 who were separated from just over 400 others who were moved to a nearby area which was made more inhabitable to accommodate them.

Samuels had told reporters last week that the 90 will remain in the swampy conditions and that work will start to sand-fill the area to improve the environment.

“Efforts are being made in order to enhance that area in terms of sand filling so that the situation that was previously aired via social media would not be the condition that they are kept under for whatever duration they will be there”, he told reporters during a press conference hosted by the Minister of Public Security Khemraj Ramjattan. The situation being referred to was the posting of videos showing inmates chasing animals and slaughtering a cow.

Ramjattan stated too that the 90 were isolated because authorities did not want them to “contaminate the 400…There are the really bad ones that have done a number of acts which make us believe that if they were to go into that new area we might have further troubles”.

Further troubles have now erupted and will raised questions about how the Guyana Prison Service, the Ministry of Public Security and the government have handled this matter.

The People’s Progressive Party on Wednesday sought to sully the one-man Commission of Inquiry into the Lindo Creek massacre 10 years ago, but President David Granger said that incident and two other massacres, among other killings, occurred during then President Jagdeo’s 1999 to 2011 tenure but he had failed to conduct a thorough probe.
The PPP said its members might be unwilling to testify before such a Commission of Inquiry because of apparent inherent bias and conflict of interest involving the Inquiry Commissioner, Retired Justice Donald Trotman.
“The Party wishes to register its concerns about the obvious conflict of interest in
naming a Commissioner, who is the father of a sitting Cabinet Minister and Leader of the Alliance For Change (AFC), one of the partners of the Coalition Government. This move speaks
volumes about the nepotistic tendencies of the current Administration. The Party is also concerned that only one Commissioner has been named on such a sensitive Commission,” that party said.
Also of concern to the PPP is what it said is government’s decision to break from the convention of involving the opposition.
Justice Trotman will receive memoranda and oral testimony concerning the killing of Dax Arokium, Cedric Arokium, Compton Speirs, Horace Drakes, Clifton Wong, Lancelot Lee, Bonny Harry and Nigel Torres – whose burnt remains were discovered on June 21,
2008, at the Lindo Creek mining camp, Upper Berbice River.
“It appears that this Commission was established with a political objective. Due
to the partisan approach in establishing the Commission, which does not inspire trust and confidence, persons with vital information may be reluctant to come forward,” that party said.
The PPP objected to government’s
decision to start an inquiry with the incidents at Lindo Creek, as opposed to a more comprehensive review of the crime wave.
However, President David Granger defended his decision to begin with the Lindo Creek massacre, saying that would lead to the unravelling of the criminal network and exposure of operatives, who were responsible for the reign of terror, during the most deadly decade in Guyana’s history, while also ensuring that justice is served for the affected families.
Speaking to media operatives at State House, at the conclusion of the Accreditation ceremony for the new Cuban Ambassador to Guyana and minutes before retired Justice Trotman was sworn in as the Commissioner for the COI at the Ministry of the Presidency, the Head of State said that the Government is committed to finding the perpetrators and intellectual authors of the killings and ensuring that justice is served.
“This is really a massacre of the innocents and we feel that the way in which the investigation was handled indicated that there was a high level of collusion by the Government of the day. We feel that this will be a pivotal investigation, which will unravel the criminal network, which was behind the killings in what is now called the ‘Jagdeo era’, during the ‘troubles.’ When we see the report of this Commission of Inquiry, it will lead to other Commissions. You know [there was the death of a former Minister]; it is really beyond belief that a President of a country could have one of his Cabinet Ministers assassinated and not even hold an inquest or an inquiry,” the President said.
Responding to public comments made by Jagdeo, who was President, during the period of the ‘troubles’ and has said that he dares the Government to go ahead with the Inquiry and will cooperate, President Granger said that the former President has a duty to come forward and be truthful with the Guyanese people. In a recent statement, Mr. Jagdeo is also quoted as saying that the Commission of Inquiry set up by the Government will polarise the nation.
“If he… has all this information, then why not investigate the death of a Cabinet colleague? Starting with Lindo Creek, I think it will help us to unravel the whole tapestry of criminality that engulfed this country between 2000 and 2008. A Commissioner has been appointed and the recommendations he will make I am sure will be based on evidence he will receive. I was very heartened by the fact that the Opposition leader claims to know something of this period. I hope that he will come forward to give evidence and let the people of Guyana know what he knows… What has polarised the nation is the killings, the ‘troubles’, the death squads, Ministers using state letter heads to sign for people to get permission for equipment. That is what polarised this nation. The role of the Government under President Jagdeo polarised this nation more than anything else in our history,” the President said.
During most of the decade referred to by the Head of State, Guyana witnessed its most intense sustained wave of criminal violence since Independence. According to the President, there were 1,431 murders during that period.
In accordance with Section Two of the Commission of Inquiry Act, Chapter 19:03, Justice Trotman was sworn in as the lone Commissioner at the Ministry of the Presidency before Chief Magistrate Ann McLennan and Minister of State, Mr. Joseph Harmon.
In brief remarks to members of the press, Minister Harmon said the Commission of Inquiry has been appointed under the direction of the President. Referencing the Terms of Reference (ToRs), the State Minister said that the Commissioner has been directed to investigate all matters in relation to the death of the eight miners. He said that it is the Government’s responsibility to provide answers to grieving families, whose quest for justice has not been realised despite the number of years, which have passed.
“The Commission of Inquiry will make recommendations on actions to be taken against all persons and or organisations that are deemed responsible for the death of those persons. We, as a Government, feel that such an inquiry is necessary to determine precisely what happened to our citizens at Lindo Creek. Justice Trotman is a distinguished retired judge. I am confident that the Inquiry would be conducted at the highest professional level. I urge all persons who may have information to cooperate with the Commission. The Government will provide the resources and will do everything possible to support the work of the Commission,” he said.
Minister Harmon added that the Commission has been given wide scope to conduct their work and it is expected to carry out its functions in an independent, fair and impartial manner.
Justice Trotman, in a brief address to the media, said that he remains committed to completing the task in a highly professional manner.
“To find the truth is sometimes difficult. Knowing the truth in circumstances such as this is of the greatest importance. In a wider sense, we cannot be really free both the families and as a nation unless we know the truth, we want to do what is right and we do it to the best of our ability and according to the morals of our conscience. The main objective of this inquiry is to find the truth, to bring healing and closure to the families, relatives and all those who require justice to be done in this particular instance and to bring healing and closure to the nation as a whole,” he said.
The Commission will commence work on February 1, 2018 and has three months to complete its work. However, if a request is made to the Head of State for an extension to the timeline, this could be granted depending on the reason (s) given.
Last Thursday, in his address to the members of the Guyana Defence Force (GDF) at the opening ceremony of the Annual Officers’ Conference at Base Camp Ayanganna, President Granger indicated that his administration remained committed to ensuring that the killings during that period were properly investigated saying that “society has been scarred by violence, which left a lingering legacy of distrust with the potential of fresh disorder. Monuments at Bartica, Buxton and Eve Leary have been erected to the victims of violence during the ‘Troubles’ between 2002 and 2009. We still have an obligation to investigate those troubles and ensure that the culprits are brought to justice.”

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit Guyana in December, Minister of State Joseph Harmon confirmed Monday morning.

The exact date of the visit is not known at this time.

The commissioning of the Indian Indentureship Monument at Palmyra is expected to be a highlight of the visit.

Monday morning, Harmon announced a $38 million contract to build a visitors gallery and security hut at the area.

The 12’ by 12’ bronze monument was designed and constructed in India and cost US$150, 000.

The monument describes the lives of ordinary Indian people in their routine everyday life with each carrying something of importance – their jahaji bhandal (ship bundle) loaded with food, spices, herbs, clothing, jewellery, their gods, religious texts, drum, karaahi (cooking pan) tawa (flat circular metal for cooking roti), grass knives (scythe), cutlass and rice plants. The figures are presented in a straightforward realism with the human factor ever present.

Guyana had agreed to construct the base upon which it will rest but in an embarrassing turn, the structure, for which $97 million was allocated, collapsed and is now being rebuilt.

Under the new project, which is being managed by the Ministry of Public Infrastructure, the works entail construction of the monument base and podium, as well as peripheral components such as the walkway, landscaping details, internal drainage, roadway, lighting, visitor’s gallery, security hut, and fencing.

All of the works are expected to be complete in time for Modi’s visit.

This year marks 180 years since the arrival of the first Indian indentured workers to Guyana.