UG launches Masters of Education Programme
- Minister Baksh urges students to stay the course
Georgetown, GINA, January 7, 2008
The University of Guyana (UG) in partnership with Nova Southeastern University is offering a one-off Masters of Education Programme which will be effected through interactive classes at UG and online courses. The programme was launched earlier today at the Education Lecture Theatre, University of Guyana, Turkeyen Campus.
Minister of Education Shaik Baksh during his remarks pointed out that the programme is being offered since Government recognises the need to build capacity and for training to be offered at a higher level to enable the education sector to move forward.
The Minister stated that Government remains strongly committed to the development of the education sector and is ensuring that more funds are made available to develop the human resources.
The programme will cost Government $1.5M per student and the Minister pointed out that Government expects value for money. He urged that the students stay the course and ensure that they complete the programme since they were chosen based on their performance at the first Degree level. He also expressed the hope that students would not ‘drop out’.
The Minister said that he is aware that more resources need to be provided to the University for it to move forward, but without partnerships, the institution cannot on its own offer post-graduate studies since academic supervision is important at that level.
With this programme it is expected that the graduates will provide support at critical levels in management within the sector. The programme will run for 18 months after which, based on the outcome, the Ministry will decide whether it can be continued. Part of the coursework, the Minister said involved education policy development and analysis which is relevant and explained that he would like to see this area developed.
Deputy Vice-Chancellor of the University of Guyana Dr. Tota Mangar in his remarks pointed out that the students will be majoring in education management, supervision and planning. The programme has become a reality after two years of discussions and negotiations and is designed to meet the specific needs of Guyana. It is an initiative of the Ministry of Education and its Basic Education Access and Management Support (BEAMS) Programme.
He pointed out that it was realised that Guyana does not have enough expertise to effect the programme and tenders were invited. Proposals were received from Nova Southeastern University and the University of the West Indies, Mona Campus. Dr. Mangar noted that Nova Southeastern University was chosen since it already had experience with the programme and it also offered more options.
Chief Education Officer (ag) Genivieve Whyte-Nedd stated that persons often do not associate BEAMS with the Ministry but through this programme several areas within the education system will receive assistance. BEAMS focuses on three major areas including improving school performance, organizational and human resource capacity development and civil works. The programme caters for several areas including literacy and numeracy enhancement, Interactive Radio Instruction (IRI) programme, teacher preparation and in-service training among others.
Representing the Nova Southeastern University, Dr. Jorge Fernandez explained that the thesis will allow the students to identify problems in the education system in Guyana and use scientific research to examine and understand the problem and find solutions. The solution would then in turn be applied to the situation to solve the problem.
This he said will enable students to solve at least 35 problems at the end of the course. However he noted that if the solutions applied do not work it does not mean that the student has failed. This means that the solution was not the right one and that maybe some other student will come along who will build on that work and find the appropriate solution. He expressed the commitment that he will do everything he can to ensure that the programme is a success.
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Hydromet officers for advanced training in Barbados
Georgetown, GINA, January 07, 2007.
Government remains committed to enhancing the country’s weather and climate monitoring capabilities and is investing more than $7M to facilitate training of several personnel of the Hydrometeorological Service at the Caribbean Institute of Meteorology and Hydrology (CIMH) in Barbados.
The four meteorological technicians who will depart Guyana shortly to participate in the Senior Level Technician – Weather Forecasting training programme, met Minister of Agriculture Robert Persaud today at the Ministry, Vlissengen Road and Regent Street, Georgetown. Acting Chief Hydrometeorological Officer Bhaleka Suelall was present at the meeting.
Reference was made to the need to ensure constant training of the hydrometeorological staff especially in light of the climate change phenomenon which is affecting not only Guyana but the world.
Local personnel have been sent to other countries such as Germany to undergo training while focus is being placed on further capacity-building and persons with passes in physics and mathematics are being encouraged to express interest.
It was also pointed out that weather and climate monitoring are constantly being highlighted in the agricultural sector and discussions have been held to establish an Agricultural Meteorological Service within the Hydromet Department.
The 18-month training programme scheduled to commence on January 11, 2008, is part of the administration’s ongoing efforts to boost the country’s weather monitoring capacity, particularly with emphasis on its human resources.
The course provides students with the basic theoretical background in dynamic, physical and synoptic meteorology while emphasizing the practical applications of the theory to weather analysis and forecasting, particularly in the tropics.
Suelall explained that the training is recognised by the World Meteorological Organisation (WMO) which designated the CIMH as a Regional Meteorological Training Centre in 1978. This was done in recognition of the high standard of training programmes offered at the institute.
Government’s investments to boost weather monitoring capabilities have resulted in the establishment of increased rainfall monitoring stations, recruitment of necessary skilled personnel and procurement of additional and more modern equipment.
Additionally, construction of the Doppler radar at Timehri had re-commenced and is progressing well. This project, when completed will significantly enhance the country’s weather monitoring capabilities by providing coverage of up to 400 kilometres.
The radar will enable forecasters to increase their accuracy to define the areas where adverse weather conditions are likely to be experienced. It will also help to identify characteristics of patterns indicating a high probability of severe thunderstorms and to improve accuracy in forecasting the time, intensity and location of heavy precipitation.
At present, Guyana’s weather forecast information is obtained from satellite pictures and transmission from weather satellites, which are not as accurate as radar instruments. The radar will enable a new forecast within six hours.
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Greater attention being given to milk production
- farmers urged to take advantage of current opportunities
Georgetown, GINA, January 07, 2007.
Cattle farmers have been urged to take advantage of the opportunities existing for increased milk production in light of the current market situation with regard to powdered milk.
This issue was discussed today at a meeting with Minister of Agriculture Robert Persaud, senior officials of the Ministry’s livestock division, cattle farmers from various areas and representatives from several processing companies such as Banks DIH Limited and Sterling Products. The meeting took place at the Ministry, Vlissengen Road and Regent Street, Georgetown.
In 1983, milk production in Guyana was about 2.8 million gallons which represented about 25 percent of the national requirement. By 1993, this amount increased to 8.5 million gallons and later stabilized at 6.6 million gallons by the end of the 1990s. Favourable prices for paddy after 1993 resulted in many cattle farmers shifting their attention toward rice production and there was a downward trend in milk production.
Minister Persaud noted that at present, the demand for powered milk has increased significantly on the world market and Guyanese consumers are not pursuing the use of local products. Thus, the supply of milk to satisfy the national requirement is now under consideration.
He highlighted other challenges facing milk production such as the response to the need of the processing industry for milk and attaining and maintaining high quality and standard. Stakeholders were urged to discuss these and other issues and ways of overcoming them to boost milk production and to take advantage of the opportunities that currently exist as a result of increased demand.
Farmers pointed out that guaranteed markets, availability of land and a clear definition of the strategy of the National Dairy Development Programme (NDDP) are needed to address some of the issues affecting milk production.
Programme Director of the NDDP, Dr. Dwight Waldron, former Director Dr. Steve Surajbally, Director of the National Agricultural Research Institute Dr. Oudho Homenauth and Technical Officer Michael Welch were among those at the meeting.
Increased milk production is part of Government’s wider vision for agricultural diversification that focuses on the development of new industries and revitalization of those that have great potential.
The cattle industry has been identified as one of the potential areas and constant efforts are being made to support its advancement. Significant attention has been given to improvement of the country’s breeding stock through which new breeds have been imported and are being developed. Additionally, focus has been placed on the development and upgrading of pastures and necessary guidelines to lead the industry’s growth.
Guyana is believed to have between 235, 000 and 250, 000 heads of beef and dairy cattle, bred mainly in Regions Two, Three, Four, Five, Six, Nine and Ten. The principal dairy producing Regions are Two, Three, Four, Five and Six while those involved in mainly beef production are Three, Five, Six, Nine and Ten.
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29 Legislation given National Assembly’s blessing in 2007
Mission of Parliament: While a number of reforms have already taken place, Parliament acts as a facilitator for further reform in Governance which is continuously taking place.
In 2007 there were 32 Sittings during which 29 pertinent Bills were passed to govern the country with security accounting for a large number. The People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) government has indicated that it achieved its Parliamentary goals projected for the Ninth Parliament.
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Bills passed in 2007
Gambling Prevention (Amendment) Bill 2006- The Bill seeks to allow only new hotels and resorts to establish casinos on their premises. The primary purpose for the introduction of the legislation is to attract and develop the tourism sector by providing one of many forms of entertainment which will be at the disposal of visitors. It will also generate jobs for many Guyanese.
Section 30 of the Bill states that, no person other than workers and guests of the hotels or resorts shall be admitted to the casinos. Under Section 29 (1) of the Bill, the Gaming Authority could issue a casino premises licence authorising any place to be operated as a casino, and further, the body could issue a casino operator’s licence authorising the person to operate a casino.
Rice Factories (Amendment) Bill 2006- This was effected to ensure farmers receive payments promptly since those who have taken loans are unable to repay on time.
The Amendment to the Rice Factories Act makes it mandatory that millers pay a minimum of 95 percent of outstanding purchases to farmers at the end of the year before their mill/export licences are renewed.
Income Tax (Amendment) Act- This act paved the way for the income tax threshold to be increased from $25,000 to $28,000 monthly and removed approximately 16,000 persons more from the income tax net.
Value Added Tax (Amendment) Bill 2007- The Bill amended the Value Added Tax Act 2005 to provide for the Minister to amend Schedules 1 and 2 by an Order, subject to resolution of the National Assembly.
The Bill gave the Minister the power to make Amendments to those schedules in a timelier manner but still allowing transparency through resolution of the National Assembly.
Pesticides and Toxic Chemicals Control (Amendment) Bill 2007 -This amended the Pesticides and Toxic Chemicals Control Act 2000. The amendments to the Bill are to provide regulations to regulate the exportation of controlled products by extending the functions of the Chemicals Board.
Security Assistance (CARICOM Member States) Bill 2007 -This provided for the implementation of the Treaty on Security Assistance among CARICOM Member States and other related matters.
Visiting Forces Bill 2007-This Bill made provision for the Armed Forces of other countries visiting Guyana during Cricket World Cup 2007 (CWC) and it gave the local Defence Board the authority to order the arrest of a member of the visiting Force or a dependant at the request of the Officer-in-Command of the visiting Force. This was passed with a Sunset (amendment) which means that it was only valid until June 30, 2007
Status of Visiting Police Officers Bill 2007-This provided for the presence, activities, privileges and immunities of members of foreign Police forces and civilian personnel during the period of CWC 2007.
Four other CWC related legislations were passed:
- The Caribbean Community Special Visa Agreement Bill, Pre-Clearance (ICC/CWC 2007) Bill, Immigration (Amendment) Bill and Customs (Amendment) Bill. These collectively provided legislative support for enhanced security and hassle-free travel for Inter-Regional movement within the newly established Single Domestic Space.
Firearms (Amendment) Bill- This Bill provides for stiffer penalties for persons convicted of gun-related offences.
The amended Firearms Act now stipulates that any person who purchases, acquires or has any firearm or ammunition without holding a firearm licence in force at the time, will be fined no less than $50,000 nor more than $100,000 together with imprisonment for not less than two years nor more than five years. A fine of not less than $150,000 nor more than $500, 000 together with imprisonment for 10 years will be imposed on a guilty party.
Juvenile Offenders (Amendment) Bill -This will allow for the establishment of Holding Centres for youths and for maintaining them for the reception, care and custody under the orders of the court or for any other appropriate reasons as the Minister may determine.
Summary Jurisdiction (Offences) (Amendment) Bill -This Bill allows for penalties for those who are engaged in harbouring criminals and for the offenders on conviction to be liable to a fine ranging from $50,000 to $80,000 together with imprisonment for a period not exceeding three years.
Guyana Forestry Commission Bill 2007 -The Bill repealed the Guyana Forestry Commission (GFC) Act 1979 for the re-establishment of the Guyana Forestry Commission. The Commission will be the same body corporate as the former Commission and its purpose will be to encourage the development and growth of forestry in Guyana on a sustainable basis.
High Court (Amendment) Bill 2007 -The Bill amended the High Court Act (Cap 3.02) so as to empower the Chancellor to give directions of a general or special nature in respect of the distribution of the business before the High Court.
Constitution (Amendment) Bill 2007-The Amended Bill will enable representatives of Parliamentary Parties, to ask the Speaker of the National Assembly to declare a seat vacant on the basis that a representative has lost confidence in a party member that occupies that seat.
Supplementary Appropriation Bill 2007-The National Assembly in November approved over $8B for a supplementary budget which was initially given the green light by Cabinet.
Health Facilities Licensing Bill 2007 -The Bill was passed with the amendments proposed by the Special Select Committee (SSC) and will provide for regulation and licensing of public and private health facilities to improve operational standards.
When it is enacted, health care facilities will be regulated through a licensing protocol that will contribute to improved standards and quality of services that will create an environment for the delivery of effective, quality health-care services.
Immigration (Amendment) Bill 2007- It will allow for skilled CARICOM workers to be granted a permit to enter and remain in Guyana for a period of up to six-months. Like other Caribbean countries Guyana is seeking to implement the new system which was agreed to by CARICOM Heads of Government for nationals’ Passports to be stamped for six-months.
The Local Authorities Elections (Amendment) Bill 2007 -The Bill allows for the Local Authorities Elections Act to be amended to provide for the postponement of elections of Councillors of Local Democratic Organs.
Pounds and Certain Other Enactments (Amendment) Bill of 2007 -The Legislation seeks to regulate the issue of stray animals and under the amended Bill, the fines will range from $1,000 to $5,000. Under the previous Act the fines were $100 and $150.
National Registration (Amendment) Bill 2007 -This legislation allowed for the reintroduction of national house-to-house registration into the existing legislation and paved the way for the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) to begin house-to-house registration on January 7.
Motions passed for 2007
Climate Change -The Motion sought to have the National Assembly acknowledge that climate change will have significant impact on Guyana and for the establishment and functioning of broad-based national climate committee.
Corporal Punishment -This Motion which was tabled by the Alliance for Change for corporal punishment to be abolished in schools was passed with several amendments.
As a result, the Ministry of Education’s Task Force set-up to carry out countrywide consultations on corporal punishment in schools, will be submitting a Report on its findings to Parliament for a Special Select Committee to review.
Disciplined Forces Commission -This Motion was passed allowing for a Special Select Committee (SSC) to conclude the examination of the 2004 Disciplined Forces Commission Report and recommendations of the Disciplined Forces Commission to be established.
African Slave Trade Motion -The National Assembly passed and approved amendments to the People’s National Congress/Reform (PNC/R) African Slave Trade and Slavery Motion that was proposed in August.
The Motion seeks to have the National Assembly unequivocally acknowledge the immense debt that all Guyanese owe to the African ancestors and recognise the outstanding contributions they have made to the development of Guyana
The Motion sought to urge the British government to enact measures to effect reparation.
Security Sector Reform Action Plan 2007-2011- The motion allowed for the establishment of a Special Select Committee (SSC) to constantly review the implementation process of the Plan.
Cheddi Jagan - The PPP/C administration honoured its former leader and President of Guyana Dr. Cheddi Jagan by moving a motion in the National Assembly for him to be credited as the longest serving Parliamentarian.
The motion served as a tribute to mark the 60th anniversary of the inauguration of Dr. Jagan as a member of the Fourth Legislative Council of the then British Guiana while a special Hansard edition of Dr. Jagan’s speeches spanning his tenure in the National Assembly will be placed in the library of Parliament.
Bills at Special Select Committee Stage:
Anti-Money Laundering, Countering the Financing of Terrorism Bill 2007 -The Bill was sent to a Special Select Parliamentary Committee in June to make recommendations for necessary adjustments.
The new legislation proposes to help with tracking money transfers, activities of commercial banks and other financial institutions, illicit trafficking of firearms, extortion, corruption, bribery, fraud, counterfeiting, and forgery.
Under the proposed legislation, the Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU) will have the power to freeze, seize and eventually forfeit all proceeds of all serious offences identified and traced and for comprehensive powers for the prosecution of money laundering and terrorist financing and other financial crimes.
Forest Bill 2007 -The Bill was referred to a Special Select Committee (SSC) for further discussion and consideration on November 8.
The bill seeks to ensure that the forest sector continues to contribute to the sustainable development of Guyana and for the country to meet international obligations under the many conventions and treaties to which it is a signatory.
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GGMC to step up campaign against illegal mining
Georgetown, GINA, January 7, 2008
More stringent actions against miners who are guilty of environmental breaches in mining operations will be undertaken by the Guyana Geology and Mines Commission (GGMC).
Minister of Transport and Hydraulics Robeson Benn noted that it follows recent investigations of continuous pollution of the Essequibo River by some operators who discharge tailing waste into the waterway.
“The GGMC, both the mines officers and environmental officers and technicians have to go out into the districts, that is the watercourses of the Essequibo, Cuyuni, Mazaruni, the Portaro, Mora and the Siparuni and take action to prevent siltation of the creeks and rivers,” Minister Benn said.
Operators who continue with grievous infringement will also face the brunt of the law according to Minister Benn who is at present holding the office of Public Works and Communications while Prime Minister Samuel Hinds is out of the country.
The campaign against illegal mining will also take into consideration the removal of shops which have moved from the location allotted to them and which investigations have found, are a haven for miners who operate unlawfully.
The GGMC only recently seized equipment from three unauthorised operations in Mahdia, Region Eight.
Illegal operations were discovered on the road, south of Mahdia along the Minnehaha River. Law enforcement agencies apprehended miners who were found encroaching on OMAI’s property.
It was also discovered that the law-breakers were those who have been granted plots of land at Quartzhill but who are dissatisfied with the rewards from their operations.
The Quartzhill area is a 50-acre plot of land which was an abandoned property formerly owned by OMAI and which was auctioned to small and medium-scale miners by the GGMC.
The watchdog agency for the mining industry, the GGMC has issued a strong warning to miners about unlawful operations such as emission of fluids with high turbidity into the waterways or any other part of the environment.
The promotion of sustainable mining has been a rigorous campaign which both the GGMC and the Office of the Prime Minister have been undertaking.
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Enabling a secure environment during 2007
It was a year of significant strides for the Ministry of Home Affairs as the government’s commitment to security enhancement was demonstrated through the allocation of $9.3B to the security sector with much emphasis placed on improving the Guyana Police Force, the Guyana Defence Force, Immigration Department, Prison and Fire Services
Guyana Police Force (GPF) and Guyana Defence Force (GDF)
Guyana has over the years been investing significantly in the Armed Forces which have shown tremendous improvement to ensure law and order is maintained.
During 2007 the GPF and GDF held several successful Joint Services operations. “Operation Ferret” which is focused mainly on the Lower East Coast and East Bank Demerara had many successes including the seizure of several unlicensed firearms.
A United States (US) Department of State, International Narcotics Control Strategy Report, released on March 1, indicated that significant strides were made by local law enforcement agencies to tackle drug trafficking. “In 2006, the GPF Narcotics Branch and CANU (Customs Anti Narcotics Unit) arrested dozens of drug couriers at Guyana's international airport en route to the Caribbean, North America, and Europe,” the report stated.
The Government of Guyana and the local law enforcement agencies were praised by US Ambassador to Guyana, David Robinson for the efforts being made to tackle drug trafficking.
The Police Force reported that there was a 24 percent decrease in serious crimes and this, according to the top brass of the Force, has been due to the tremendous support from government through several initiatives in the areas of training, building modern Police stations, improving the Force’s forensic capability and intelligence gathering unit.
Police statistics show that 1,971 crimes were committed compared to a total of 2,368 in 2006, a reduction of 17 percent. There were 99 murders compared to 135 in 2006 and 1,094 reported robberies compared to 1,454 the previous year. In relation to illegal firearms, there were 126 seized for the year compared to 119 in 2006.
The $30.5 M Grove/Diamond Police Station, East Bank Demerara was opened, equipped with several sections including barrack room, radio room, traffic, C.I.D, interview rooms, lock-ups and identification section
Ranks of the Police and Defence Forces were commended for providing adequate security during Guyana’s leg of Cricket World Cup (CWC).
The National Commission on Law and Order held countrywide public consultations on the purpose and work of the commission. Several security issues were raised including piracy, noise nuisance and drug trafficking.
In June, Cabinet approved $32.3M to enhance the Force’s forensic laboratory and an additional $15M was approved to procure vehicles while $24M was approved for acquiring arms and ammunition. The Force was also able to purchase uniforms and kits with an allocation of £567,995.
Efforts were also placed on ensuring that the capabilities of the Force were enhanced through training. Over 350 ranks were trained in different crime fighting tactics facilitated by the British Government. Further in September, under the UK/Guyana security programme, UK police officers conducted training for local officers in the areas of anti-crime and intelligence gathering.
In November the Police presented a strategic plan to ensure that peace and tranquility prevailed during the Christmas season with the objective of controlling and reducing crime, building public confidence and reducing road accidents.
Government has expressed optimism that there will be positive results in relation to crime over the next five-years with the input of Community Policing Groups (CPGs) and during the year it made several interventions to improve the work of these groups including support in the form of vehicles and boats.
Reform programmes
An integrated intervention to complement existing programmes and measures in the ongoing Police reform that would fight and control crime and build capacity of the law enforcement agency was sealed on August 10 between the Governments of Guyana and the United Kingdom.
The far-reaching ₤3M sterling plan will cater for building operational capacity of the Guyana Police Force (GPF) in terms of a uniformed response to serious crime, forensics, crime intelligence and traffic policing.
Traffic
During the year the Police Traffic Department placed major emphasis on reducing accidents which surpassed the 2006 figure of 140. In 2007 there were 167.
The department’s campaign ‘Operation Safeway’ to address the lawlessness on the country’s roadways resulted in over 4,000 traffic tickets being issued, with 14,000 cases made against defaulting drivers. Of the lot 8,000 cases were successfully prosecuted and over 6,000 cases are still pending in the Courts.
Guyana Fire Service
In 2007, the administration continued to demonstrate its commitment to enhancing the operations of the GFS through several interventions including in the areas of training, building more modern fire stations and providing the necessary resources.
Equipment worth $24M was purchased and $556.5 M was provided for land and water equipment. The capital budget for the Fire Service was $114.4M, with the current budget being $343.1M. On September 26, Minister Rohee commissioned a $35.1M fire station in Linden Region Ten.
During the year, 1,075 reports of fire were made to the Service, of which 184 were false. Nine persons died as a result of the fires and 460 persons were made homeless. The Fire Service conducted 2,697 inspections in various parts of the country.
Guyana Prison Service
Approximately, $30M was spent to procure equipment, $11M for land and water transportation and $8.2M for agricultural equipment for the Prisons.
In October, Minister of Home Affairs Clement Rohee announced government had allocated over $40M towards building a new block at the country’s main penitentiary to address overcrowding.
During the year emphasis was placed on HIV/AIDS under the “HIV/AIDS Prevention and Control Project” where over $200,000 in equipment was handed over to the Prison Service. A high dependency care unit at the Lusignan Prison, East Coast Demerara came into being.
Guyana Immigration Authority
On July 13, government launched the Machine Readable Passport system and by the end of the year, the Immigration Department had issued 8,893. The Immigration Department began issuing the document from August 8.
Government implemented the system to strengthen strategic alliances against illegal immigration and smuggling, better management of the nation’s borders and ports of entry.
Security Legislations passed for 2007
The government’s commitment to security was reflected in the passage of 11 security Bills.
These included: the Firearm (Amendment) Bill which will allow for increases in fines and penalties for persons who are found in possession of unlicensed firearms, the Juvenile Offenders (Amendment) Bill that will allow for the establishment of Holding Centres for youths and the Summary Jurisdiction (Offences) (Amendment) Bill that will allow for penalties for those who are engaged in harbouring criminals.
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EPA, best we could have gotten from a bad situation
- President Jagdeo
Georgetown, GINA, January 7, 2008
President Bharrat Jagdeo in assessing the recently signed Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) between the European Union and CARIFORUM said that it was the best that could have been achieved from a bad situation.
“It was a situation we were forced into. It was a systematic and well though out ploy by Europe to dismantle the solidarity of the ACP by effectively dividing the ACP into six negotiating bases with six agreements; playing one off against the other. Europe acted in bad faith in this regard,” President Jagdeo said.
On the issue of accumulation, the President said, “if Europe supported Regional Integration through lip service and financial flows, and encourages small states to come together in economic partnership agreements so they can have economies of scale how is it that they don’t want our products to qualify under the rules of origin that they have established now through the EPA?” the President asked.
He was of the view that the ACP countries lost out in the negotiations with the European Commission not because of its inability to negotiate but because they (Europe) had a plan to dismantle the preferences.
The Economic Partnership agreement is based on reciprocity. It gives Europe duty free access to regional markets and ignored the age old practice of preferential markets.
In response to questions as to how the EPA will affect the economy, the President said that some countries depend on international taxation for the bulk of their revenue, so this is a large problem for them.
“Once we complete negotiations with one block then Canada and the United States will want the same thing so what will happen to the revenue base of these countries?” They will have significant shortfalls. They do not have many possibilities for cutting expenditure; most of them have bare bone expenditure already, they’ll need to increase expenditure.”
The Economic Partnership Agreement was signed on December 16, 2007 after over four year of negotiations between the European Commission and the Regional Negotiating Machinery.
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More enforcement operations for 2008-Traffic Chief
-major emphasis on training
Georgetown, GINA, January 7, 2008
The Traffic Department of the Guyana Police Force will be placing additional emphasis on enforcing more measures to curb road lawlessness which caused an increase in road fatalities in 2007.
Traffic Chief Neil Semple said despite being faced with the plague of non –adherence to traffic laws by drivers, he is optimistic that the enforcement capacity of the department will be increased through “Operation Safeway” which they intend to maintain.
“We hope to significantly reduce the alarming number of fatalities which we experienced last year. Since the year started we have only had one fatality while the same period last year we had three. So, this year we will be focusing on more enforcement because this issue has to be addressed, but since we have launched this operation I can safely say we have been able to pull back to some form of respectability,” Traffic Chief Semple said.
In 2006 there were 140 accidents compared to 167 in 2007 and 154 deaths in 2006 compared to 205 last year. Most of the accidents were caused by speeding.
The campaign “Operation Safeway” which is aimed at tackling lawlessness on the country’s roadways has resulted in over 4,000 traffic tickets being issued, with 14,000 cases made against defaulting drivers. Of the lot 8,000 cases have been successfully prosecuted and over 6,000 are still pending in the courts.
Meanwhile, Semple said the department will also be placing emphasis on training and capacity building.
“We will be having several training courses throughout the year. On the job cause we expect new recruits coming from College which we hope will be posted directly to our department. Then we have the ongoing training that we normally have like the supervisory course, management and other traffic related issues,” Semple asserted.
There will be more vibrant educational programmes, continuation of intense police presence on the roadways and the issue of loud music in vehicles will be addressed.
The Traffic Chief said the department has been receiving considerable support from government and expressed optimism that it will continue during this year.
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Efforts continue to enhance water supply
Georgetown, GINA, January 07, 2008
Government’s commitment to fulfilling the Millennium Development Goal of reducing by half the population without access to potable water by 2015 is closer to becoming a reality as work continues in several areas to improve access and distribution.
Residents of Region Six are soon to benefit from improved water supply as the construction of the Corriverton Water Supply Project Phase1 is in progress.
Minister of Housing and Water Harry Narine Nawbatt said the No. 56 Village Water Treatment Plant is rapidly progressing with approximately 75 percent of the works completed on the slow sand filters, storage reservoir, pump house, generator, and chlorination room. The office and laboratory are complete.
Works started on the elevated storage tanks in October 2007 and is 50 percent complete with the structure already being assembled. The plant is to be commissioned by March 2008.
According to Minister Nawbatt, Managing Director of GWI Karran Singh and Engineer of GWI, Altaf Gafoor were in Japan for the opening of tenders, evaluation, negotiation and contract signing of Phase 2 of the programme. The total cost of the programme is approximately $ 2.4B and would also cater for the water treatment plant at Queenstown.
The Water Sector Consolidation Project (WASCP) which is funded by a grant from the World Bank of US $11.3M and counterpart funding from the Government of Guyana of US$1.1M caters for the construction of three treatment plants which are to be constructed in Lima, Essequibo, Vergenoegen, East Bank Essequibo and Cotton Tree, Berbice.
Minister Nawbatt said these contracts were signed at the ending of 2007 and construction is expected to start within the next two months.
With the completion of these three projects the water system in the three counties will improve tremendously.
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Gov’t to push for revival of agricultural activities at prisons
-MOU to be signed early this year
Georgetown, GINA, January 7, 2008
Government in its continued commitment to improve every aspect of the Guyana Prison Service (GPS) has placed major emphasis to revitalize the agricultural element of the Prisons.
Minister of Home Affairs Clement Rohee said a Memorandum of Understanding will be signed between the Ministry of Home Affairs and the Ministry of Agriculture early this year in relation to this project.
The GPS during last year had submitted an Agricultural Business Development plan to the Ministry of Agriculture for consideration since the Ministry will play a major role for the programme to be successfully implemented.
In September, Minister Rohee and Minister of Agriculture Robert Persaud, Director of Prisons Dale Erskine and Senior Officers of the Prison Service held the first round of discussions for the implementation of a plan which it is hoped would result in food self- sufficiency.
The Prison Service once had an active farm that provided some of its food requirements.
Minister Rohee during his budget presentation in February, 2007 promised that government will work towards utilizing the prisons’ estate to cultivate and rear livestock and produce more food.
The administration sees this as easing the budgetary allocation for dietary expenditure. The money will be used up in other areas. Every prisoner costs the State approximately $19,000 per month.
A large sum of the GPS budget is spent on dietary requirements to maintain the prison service.
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Amerindian communities experience significant improvement in health, education
Georgetown, GINA, January 7, 2008
Development in Amerindian communities has far advanced under this administration and much resources have been provided to ensure that all communities are benefiting from infrastructural development and improved social services.
Minister of Amerindian Affairs, Carolyn Rodrigues, said that there have been significant improvements in health and education in many communities.
“There is the construction of the Lethem and Mabaruma hospitals which are in progress and we had to put some additional monies towards those. Hopefully they would be completed in the not too distant future”, Minister Rodrigues said.
Recently, Cabinet approved $48M and $50M for the Mabaruma and Lethem hospitals respectively, to effect their completion by April 2008.
It was noted that during last year, several health facilities and schools were rehabilitated while many health posts were constructed.
Minister Rodrigues said that the health and education sectors in Amerindian communities have been facing challenges, too. She noted that there is continuing collaboration with the Ministries of Amerindian Affairs, Health and Education and the various Regions to share information that will ensure that the services offered are improved.
There has been the continuing training of medex and teachers to address staff shortages and these programmes will continue until the services are better improved in the Regions, Minister Rodrigues said.
Minister Rodrigues noted that many trained teachers are working in Amerindian communities and for the first time some of them are receiving training in their home regions. Annually, there is a large intake of hinterland teachers at the Cyril Potter College of Education (CPCE) and to avoid them leaving their communities, there are also Distance Education Programmes through which teachers can be professionally trained. The Guyana Basic Education Training Programme is one of those programmes. The performance of hinterland students attending secondary schools in Georgetown has significantly increased over the past few years. Moreover, more students are being offered hinterland scholarships.
This year more outstanding students were added to the list of hinterland scholarship students currently studying in Georgetown and at the University of Guyana.
Several hinterland students were among the 100-odd who were given scholarships to Cuba to study Medicine, Civil Engineering and Agriculture among other professions.
The Ministry of Health through the Vector Control Unit, has been working with communities to control malaria. A new drug, Coartem, an effective anti-malaria drug was launched and has proven effective along with the Government’s bed net distribution programme.
In all the Amerindian communities, malaria has significantly reduced.
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Choreographed dancing, crowd management considered for Mash
Georgetown, GINA, January 7, 2008
Guyana is fast approaching another Republic Day celebration which is usually highlighted on February 23 with costumes and float parades taking to the streets in colourful splendour.
Mashramani, this year will be held under the theme ‘Let us unite and celebrate in 2008.’The event will again be a feature in all regions but will include new interesting displayed.
Minister of Culture Youth and Sport Dr. Frank Anthony recently announced that the Ministry intends to see more choreographed dancing among the revellers while en route to the National Park.
“We are exploring this new initiative but it really depends on how people would be responding. We would usually tell the participants about the different categories and wait to see if they will come forward,” Minister Anthony said.
A special prize will be earmarked for contingents who demonstrate admirable choreographed performances in an effort to effectively promote this aspect of Mashramani, Minister Anthony said.
Plans for this year’s event will include baton-twirlers, the presence of international revellers and a special public regional art competition.
The Ministry also intends to continue the special segment of the calypso competition on HIV/AIDS which was first introduced in 2007 through collaboration with the National AIDS Programme Secretariat (NAPS).
A review of the past Mashramani celebrations was conducted and recommendations were proposed which included rules for judging and training of judges. Minister Anthony said these have been taken into consideration and will be implemented this year.
Attention will also be paid to crowd control since it is often a major challenge at the celebration.
“Crowd control is a big issue and something we are looking at. We do not have a definitive solution to it since it requires collaboration with several agencies. The route itself is often disregarded by onlookers,” Minister Anthony noted.
The Mashramani planning committee, which includes different stakeholders for the various events, is moving apace with its preparations. An outline of activities in all regions has already been formulated.
Minister Anthony is optimistic that improved promotions and planning can lead to Mashramani developing into a multimillion dollar industry.
Mashramani was first celebrated as an independence carnival in Mackenzie Region Ten after Guyana won independence from British rule in 1966. The initial organizers, the Jaycees of Linden planned the event for the February 23 festival in 1970. It was a huge success as people from all regions converged in Linden and subsequently the event grew into an annual national feature after being taken to Georgetown.
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First House-to-House Registration commenced today
Georgetown, GINA, January 07, 2008
House-to-House Registration started today countrywide as Government pushes for the exercise to be conducted in a transparent manner for the Local Government Elections.
Chairman of the Guyana Elections Commissions (GECOM) Dr. Steve Surujbally said a total of 3000 GECOM staff would first be registered and the process would continue throughout the country over the next six months.
Dr. Surujbally said the GECOM workers were very professional and the process was very clear and precise when the exercise was conducted at his house.
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House-to-House Registration begins: First Registrant Nisa Surujbally (at right) being interviewed by GECOM workers while PPP/C and PNC/R Representives (standing) scrutineer the process.
He said although there will be some teething problems which are expected since not every person in every household would be very accommodating, he encouraged the workers to exhibit patience and get the work done expeditiously and professionally.
The GECOM workers who are assigned to conduct the registration process are accompanied by two scrutineers, one from the People’s National Congress/ Reform (PNC/R) and the other from the People’s Progressive Party/ Civic (PPP/C).
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Dr. Steve Surujbally, Chairman of GECOM during the finger printing process.
Dr. Surujbally said relative to the Local Government Elections there are still deliberations ongoing with the Joint Taskforce for Local Government Reform.
He said the most important objective at this time is getting the registration completed properly since this process will determine the claims and objections period which follows the establishment of the National Register and Database.
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