Accumulated water in Region Six rapidly receding
- Regional Chairman
Georgetown, GINA, February 09, 2008.
Effectiveness of the drainage and irrigation system and additional interventions by Government to bring faster relief to low-lying areas that were inundated in Region Six are proving successful, as Regional Chairman Zulficar Mustapha today reported that the accumulated water is rapidly receding in all affected communities.
Minister Persaud discusses with residents further drainage interventions in Port Mourant
Intense rainfall over the past several days resulted in water accumulation in several low areas particularly in Regions Five and Six, which have been placed under ‘high alert.’
Engineers from the National Drainage and Irrigation Authority (NDIA) including Chief Executive Officer (ag) Lionel Wordsworth were immediately deployed to the affected communities to assess the situation and implement additional drainage mechanisms. In addition, Minister of Agriculture Robert Persaud visited Region Six yesterday to further assess the situation and meet residents to discuss further interventions.
A resident of Adelphi housing scheme makes a point with Minister Persaud
According to the Regional Chairman, the situation has significantly improved since yesterday particularly in Port Mourant and Black Bush Polder while additional efforts are being made to aid drainage in other critical areas such as Canje.
He indicated that re-activation of the ‘Pepper sluice,’ which residents of Canefield had requested during their meeting with Minister Persaud, has been undertaken and will help to speed-up water discharge in the Canje area. In addition, a pump provided by NIDIA has been installed in the community to complement drainage.
Minister Persaud interacts with farmers at Mibicuri, Black Bush Polder
Another pump was also installed at Port Mourant by the Regional Administration to support the existing pump in the area being operated by the Guyana Sugar Corporation (GuySuCo). The Corporation is currently involved in the provision of potable water to residents of this community based on their request.
Although, the water is rapidly receding in Black Bush Polder, more activities are being pursued including excavation of the Joppa outfall channel. A contractor has been awarded the works and is currently mobilising with the intention of starting works immediately.
Pumps that have been previously installed at other vulnerable areas such as Number 43 Village, Eversham, Liverpool and Seawell are operable.
Teams of medical personnel and extension officers have been mobilized and deployed to the affected areas to provide necessary assistance while monitoring activities are continuing.
Minister Persaud is expected to visit Region Five tomorrow to undertake similar inspections and assessments.
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Teacher training in Region Eight to be improved – Minister Rodrigues
Georgetown, GINA, February 9, 2008
Education is crucial to the development of poor rural communities in Guyana and it is an area which Government through the Ministry of Amerindian Affairs will be prioritising in Region Eight. One major link to achieving this goal is by upgrading teacher training.
This disclosure was made by Minister of Amerindian Affairs Carolyn Rodrigues during a six-day visit to 11 Amerindian communities in the North Pakaraimas in Region Eight, (Potaro/ Siparuni).
The Minister was accompanied by Chairman of Region Eight Senor Bell, Executive Officer Ishwar Das, Principal Regional Development Officer Ovid Williams, other officials from the region and Coordinator of the Guyana Marine Turtle Conservation Society Annette Arjiune.
The team met with community leaders and residents to assess and discuss their pace of development and problems affecting their livelihood.
Minister Rodrigues is greeted by Region Eight child
The need for adequately trained teachers to meet the growing student population was among the many overwhelming concerns raised by residents of almost all the communities visited.
Kopinang, the first community visited by the Minister has a primary school with a student population of 302 and 8 teachers, many of whom highlighted the challenges faced in teaching the large classrooms.
The community has however, been fortunate to have one of its teachers undergo training at the Cyril Potter College of Education (CPCE). That person will be returning to better serve the community.
Minister Rodrigues told the residents that boosting the capacity of teachers in Region Eight through upgraded training will be an ongoing feature.
She added that the Guyana Basic Education Teachers Training (GBET) Project which has been assisting in upgrading the performance of teachers in hinterland and remote areas for entry to CPCE will be revived.
Residents at a meeting with Minister Rodrigues
The GBET programme which has supported government’s plan to provide resources to reach all the teachers in the rural and hinterland communities was halted in 2003.
The Minister urged the communities to support their children through the education system so that they strive for excellence and later achieve secondary and tertiary education.
“Government has been doing quite a lot in terms of teacher training. Many teachers each year are being trained at CPCE. In some regions we have established teacher training centres. I recently held some discussions with the Minister of Education and the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) to continue a teacher training programme in this region because we still have a lot of difficulties here with trained teachers,” Minister Rodrigues said.
Most hinterland students now access education since Government has built schools closer to their homes. Minister Rodrigues mentioned Regions Three, Seven and Nine where there is much evidence of improved education infrastructure. 
Region Eight children
She added that only recently Paramakatoi students in Region Eight began benefiting from secondary education which fits into government’s plan for Universal Secondary Education in the race towards achieving the targets in the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).
Government has been subsidising the education of hinterland teachers who are the only group to be paid while undergoing training at CPCE.
The establishment of teachers’ quarters, school feeding and uniform programmes have also been ongoing features of government’s hinterland education system.
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Government’s security plan making headway
A GINA feature by Melissa Edwards
Government’s anti-crime strategy is fitted into its comprehensive security plan that will serve to enhance the work of the Guyana Police Force (GPF) through government’s financial support, the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) funded Citizens’ Security Programme and the Government of Guyana/United Kingdom Security Reform Action Plan.
These programmes have their origin in reports and studies that were done previously of the law enforcement agencies and which included work by the Scottish Police.
Security Sector Reform Action Plan (SSRAP)
Several aspects of this plan will kick in shortly. Among these are the establishment of a new and expanded criminal intelligence unit that will be fully furnished and equipped with a communication system and commencement of training of local police officers. A British expert is expected in the country by month - end to begin the training aspect.
The Governments of Guyana and the United Kingdom on August 10, 2007 sealed the four-year bilateral agreement to fund activities to the tune of ₤3M sterling that would fight and control crime and build the police force’s capacity.
Following the signing, the National Assembly with support from the Parliamentary Opposition parties approved a Motion that allowed for the establishment of a Special Select Committee (SSC) whose purpose would be to constantly review the project’s implementation. The SSC will receive and examine official annual reports from the Administration on the status of the implementation of the activities in 11 priority areas.
The five main elements of the Plan are:
- Building the operational capacity of the Guyana Police Force, from the provision of a uniformed response to serious crime, forensics, crime intelligence and traffic policing.
- Strengthening policy-making across the security sector for more transparency, effectiveness, and better coordination
- Mainstreaming financial management in the security sector into public sector financial management reform.
- Creation of substantial parliamentary and other oversight of the security sector.
- Building greater public participation and inclusiveness in security sector issues.
The Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) Team which persons have been calling for and the anti crime unit are part of the four- year plan. These will be done by a foreign government.
Citizens’ Security Programme (CSP)
The IDB funded US$22M Citizens’ Security Programme (CSP) will create greater police/community relationships to fight crime.
The restructuring will employ a multi-dimensional approach aimed at preventing; reducing and fighting crime and will target disadvantaged neighbourhoods of Regions Four and Six. Four communities have been selected for pilot surveys: Rose Hall, Tain/Port Mourant, Buxton/Annandale and Sophia. In addition, it will also cater for capacity-building of the Police Force and the Home Affairs Ministry and the Force’s modernization process.
Government will be responsible for the establishment of a training centre for the Police Force, building a forensic laboratory, establishing and refurbishing approximately 72 police stations and emphasising community action which will entail working with stakeholders of the respective communities.
In January, the way was cleared for the IDB to release the funds for the implementation of some aspects of the programme.
The necessary provisions are being put in place to allow work to begin including identifying a number of police stations for refurbishing and re-modelling. The Police will also be provided some equipment, particularly vehicles, to improve the services they provide
Government’s support
The National Budget which is imminent will reflect provisions for other areas which the UK and IDB programmes would not cover.
This will be done through the force’s capital projects budget and some of the provisions are expected to take care of the marine wing of the force to tackle piracy. More high powered weapons will also be purchased.
The administration has been very supportive of crime fighting and bolstering the relevant agencies as they seek to tackle the changing nature of criminal activities.
In 2007, the Force’s forensic laboratory benefited from $32.3M worth of equipment that included replacements and the acquisition of new gear while in September an additional $24 million was approved for the procurement of arms and ammunition and £567,995 was allocated for the procurement of uniforms and kit.
Last month, Cabinet approved additional funds of $54.6M for the procurement of vehicles, $15.4M for communication equipment and $243.3M for the purchase of material for uniforms.
Minister of Home Affairs Clement Rohee who has been in the forefront of pushing the plans believes that false claims by the political opposition for government to present a security plan is unfortunate and are mainly out to gain political mileage.
He said it is clear that the administration is no longer at the stage of looking for plans rather it’s time for action.
“We have already gone past the question of plan. We have a strategy; the question now is to implement these plans and to ensure that the action that these plans would generate must be of a type which the Government would like to see of the law enforcement agencies, and which the people would like to see in terms of level of protection and level of security as a whole,” the Home Affairs Minister said.
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Government Ministers lambaste Opposition Leader on ‘blackmail’ statement
Georgetown, GINA, February 09, 2008
Speaking on various aspects of the Joint Services’ approach to crime recently, their initiative ‘Operation Restore Order’, recent comments in the media and the Lusignan killings, Ministers of Health and Culture, Youth and Sport, Drs. Leslie Ramsammy and Frank Anthony today said that the statement in the media today by Opposition Leader Robert Corbin that he is being blackmailed by Government to make an acknowledgment is an erosion of his credibility.
President Jagdeo, on the day of the funeral for the 11 persons who were slain on January 26 in Lusignan, East Coast Demerara during a brutal attack by gunmen, had said that he will not be engaging in talks with the Leader of the Opposition until he acknowledges that the village of Buxton is a safe haven for criminals.
“Let’s look at the facts. Lusignan was a terrorist attack. Women, men, children, innocent poor people were slaughtered. I do not think that admitting that that was a terrorist attack, that that slaughter was unacceptable and does not belong to a civilised society is blackmailing anyone. Saying that criminals who committed this act find a hiding place in Buxton is something that the vast majority of us accept,” Minister Ramsammy said.
The Ministers were at the time expressing their views on the televised programme “Operation Restore Order” Part 2, aired on the National Communications Network (NCN) and moderated by Head of the Press and Publicity Unit at the Office of the President, Dr. Prem Misir.
“Saying that it is not his duty…that it is the duty of security forces….well, guess who decided to follow the criminals and search for the criminals? You think honestly, they are taking instructions from politicians and non-security people? They are doing their jobs, they (the security forces) have decided that the criminals are in Buxton and so I can’t see who is blackmailing Corbin in acknowledging a genuine truth,” the Health Minister further said.
He emphasised that the fact is that the alleged criminal (Rondell Rawlins) who is currently Guyana’s most wanted, has heeded that the brutal act was not committed due to any kind of grievance against the Government but that it was done because someone ‘took’ his girlfriend or ‘child mother’.
“Those are the truths, we need to acknowledge them….all of us, every genuine, every decent minded Guyanese has accepted that the Lusignan massacre was wrong. We must bring our forces together in solidarity, in unity to go after the criminals. That’s all we’re asking Mr. Corbin to acknowledge. We’re not holding him hostage. This is not blackmailing him,” Minister Ramsammy reiterated.
The Health Minister said President Jagdeo and other Government officials have made it clear that Buxtonians are not the criminals and that there are many decent Buxtonians who have contributed to the development of Guyana and who have the same concern today like all other Guyanese.
“What we do know is that criminals have seized and placed Buxton under siege. It is time that all Guyanese acknowledge that and it is time that Mr. Corbin acknowledges that and that is no blackmail and I say that when a leader-Government or Opposition, refuses to acknowledge the fact in a community that supports them and that they consider their constituency, that cannot acknowledge the fact that criminals, brutal people have placed that community under siege, then the Leader has lost all credibility and has no moral standing,” the Minister contended.
Meanwhile, Minister Frank Anthony said that he believes that the statement by the Opposition Leader is very unfortunate.
“On one hand you can’t say that you are interested in fighting crime and then turn around and try to undermine the fight against crime,” Minister Anthony stated.
He said that Government is trying to clean up the community so that the majority of law-abiding citizens in Buxton can benefit.
“Let’s have an unambiguous statement against crime,” the Culture, Youth and Sport Minister said, adding that if the Opposition Leader is serious about what he said at the funeral of the slain persons, he will come out and ensure that an unambiguous statement is made against crime and will support crime fighting measures.
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Freedom of the Press comes with responsibility-Government Ministers
-say private media distorting information
Georgetown, GINA, February 9, 2008
Ministers of Health and Culture, Youth and Sport, Drs. Leslie Ramsammy and Frank Anthony today said that with freedom of the press comes responsibility, which the private media have not been displaying judged by their reports on the events following the Lusignan Massacre.
The Ministers were at the time speaking on the television programme “Operation Restore Order” part 2, aired on the National Communications Network (NCN) today.
Minister Ramsammy said that media operatives have been ‘running around’ with the absurd allegation that there is no freedom of the press, yet recently they have been taking advantage of this and peddling distortions in their reports.
Moderating the programme, Head of the Press and Publicity Unit within the Office of the President, Dr. Prem Misir opined that the private media has been assisting in promoting the views of persons who wish to promote ethnic disharmony at this time.
“Guyana’s private media today has become gullible to domestic terrorism with latent overtures. The media has to be very responsible in the way they give particular kinds of coverage when it comes to terrorism. The Lusignan terrorism is another example of distortion and misinformation. Persons with their own agenda are hard at work with the media to present their ethnic position,” Dr. Misir stated.
He noted that there are important principles in journalism and that by presenting this deceptive approach, the magnitude of the Lusignan massacre is being downplayed. “These distortions too allow these private media or parts of the private media houses to advance their own political agenda, and so it is very important that we pay some attention to the type of coverage that is presented to us in our homes on a daily basis,” Misir added.
As it relates to Government’s security plan, the Ministers pointed out that the media are aware that Government has a security plan which was already unveiled and which was agreed to in Parliament by Opposition party members.
“How can they ask us for a security plan? Weren’t they there in Parliament?” Dr. Anthony queried.
Minister Ramsammy noted that parts of the plan are already being implemented.
“Maybe you can say our plan is not a good one or that you don’t like the plan, but don’t say that we don’t have one and then say at another forum ‘we want to dissect the plan’ ,” the Health Minister stated.
“You think the British Government will give us money if we didn’t have a plan?” Minister Ramsammy asked.
He reiterated that the private media has been too partisan in its approach, adding that when the Head of State met with religious Leaders from Buxton at the Office of the President and clarifications were made on an alleged statement he made, this was not highlighted in the media. He noted however, that on the other hand, the initial statement made by the President was distorted and the distorted version was published all over the media by several media entities.
Meanwhile, it was pointed out that criticisms have been made about the large sum of money ($50M) Government has found as a reward for the wanted criminal and Dr. Ramsammy described this as ridiculous when in all countries this is done.
“This country has need for a national response for a threat we are under. The Lusignan Massacre leaves no space for us to disagree. It needs solidarity and national unity in the response,” the Health Minister concluded.
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Cabinet approves $50M for “C” Division CPGs
Georgetown, GINA, February 9, 2008
Community/police relationship is critical in crime fighting and cognizant of this the administration has been providing unwavering support for Community Policing Groups (CPGs) which play a major role in this regard.
To this end, Cabinet has approved $50M for CPGs in “C” Division (East Coast of Demerara) to enhance their capacity in supporting the Guyana Police Force in the fight against crime.
The funds will be used to purchase protective gear, uniforms, vehicles and torch - lights among other pertinent items.
There are sworn rural constables in groups who are licensed firearm holders but some groups have been calling for more constables since this will enable them to have more armed personnel.
Minister of Home Affairs Clement Rohee said the matter is being addressed.
“Each group has identified a number of rural constables and these will be trained and would be accredited. They would be given their precepts because they are the ones to carry the arms and effect arrests,” Minister Rohee assured.
There are 192 CPGs with over 3,050 members across the country, formed on a voluntary basis and spanning the ten administrative regions.
Government has been supporting the groups with resources in the form of boats, vehicles and motor-cycles among other items.
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