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With PNCR MPs absent…
National Assembly passes witness protection legislation
By Chamanlall Naipaul
THE National Assembly passed the Justice Protection Bill (JPB) without controversy at the final sitting of the Eighth Parliament of Guyana, on Tuesday, in the absence of members of the main opposition People’s National Congress Reform (PNCR).
The absent parliamentarians said they had been dissociating themselves from the earlier passage of the controversial Constitutional (Amendment) Bill.
Attorney General and Minister of Legal Affairs, Mr Doodnauth Singh, who moved the second reading of the JPB, said the legislation will establish a programme for the protection of certain witnesses and other persons and is in accordance with readiness for the Caribbean Single Market and Economy (CSME).
He explained that Part One of the law deals with the definitions of key terms in it and Part Two provides for the establishment of a Justice Protection Programme (JPP) and three agencies - an administrative centre, an investigative agency and a protective agency - to administer the process.
It also spells out the functions of the three and their interdependence on each other for effective and proper administration, Singh said, adding that it requires the disclosure of certain information to the administrative centre by a prospective participant, including his/her application in a prescribed form, indicating that the person understands the implications of being included and will sign a memorandum of understanding (MOU).
Singh said, in relation to criminal matters, the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP), if satisfied that the circumstances so warrant, shall prepare and submit the application in the prescribed form.
Part Three of the bill identifies the agency that will prepare the MOU, the persons who will be eligible to sign (the prospective participant or where the circumstances so require, the person referred to in Clause 8 (c) and countersign (the person authorised by the President for the purpose and how the MOU may be varied.
Part Four provides for a register of participants which shall contain detailed information on each and makes it mandatory for all ancillary documents - the original of each MOU, new identities issued under the programme, the original of each approval granted by the centre, identity documents returned to the centre and the register - to be kept by the centre.
In a further explanation, Singh said, in addition, that part gives access to the documents and the register only to the centre. However, in the interest of the due administration of justice, another approved authority defined in Clause 3 could access the documentation.
He said, where such access is allowed another approved authority, the centre shall notify the other authorities.
Part Five offers protection to the participant and, in instances where the person has been provided with a new identity, the individual must obtain written approval from the administrative centre before disclosing it, Singh told the House.
He said protection and assistance under the JPP may be terminated by the participant or the centre and, where the latter considers appropriate, it may restore the former identity.
It is also provided that a participant has 28 days after notification from the centre, with regard to either the termination of protection or assistance or both or where there is a decision to restore the original identity, to apply to the President for a review of the decision and the Head of State shall allow the applicant reasonable opportunity to be heard.
Part Six makes it an offence for a person who has been a participant or has undergone assessment for inclusion in the programme to disclose any information about it without lawful authority.
Two more offences are created if a person offers a bribe to another employed in the administration of the Act and when the offer is accepted.
People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) Parliamentarian, Mr Ramesh Rajkumar, in support, said the bill is a most important piece of legislation in the context of organised crime being on the increase.
He said it is the duty of the state, therefore, to protect witnesses and observed that similar legislation was instituted in the United States since the 1960s in the face of escalating organised crime.
Speaker remarks on significant improvements in Parliament
SPEAKER of the National Assembly, Mr Ralph Ramkarran has remarked that the term of Parliament ended yesterday was rewarding.
He observed that there has been a “major overhaul” in the administration and functioning of the legislative body.
Ramkarran made the observations in the House on Tuesday at the conclusion of the final sitting of the Eighth Parliament.
He recalled that, in the preceding 40 years, there were minor amendments and changes to the Standing Orders and other aspects of the process but, more recently, there have been significant improvements.
Ramkarran said of special significance is how the Parliamentary Sectoral Committees function, which would not have been possible without the sterling support of the donor community, including the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), United States Agency for International Development (USAID), the World Bank, the Commonwealth, as well as the government and President Bharrat Jagdeo.
The Speaker, disclosing that a manual for members of Parliament (MPs) is being crafted, pointed out that the one currently in use is mainly for parliamentary staff.
He lauded the work of the Deputy Speaker, Clerk and Deputy Clerk, the entire parliamentary staff as well as MPs, for their hard work and cooperation which made a tangible contribution to the successes achieved during the just concluded term of the National Assembly.
Ramkarran also thanked the media for their role in publicising the work of the National Assembly and ensuring that the public is updated on the happenings within the House.
Minister of Parliamentary Affairs, Mr Reepu Daman Persaud commended Ramkarran for the competent and efficient manner in which he discharged his duties as Speaker.
Persaud said, over the last 14 years, the legacy of democracy has been enriched in the Parliament and he joined in expressing appreciation and gratitude to the parliamentary staff and MPs for their unstinting contribution to its effectiveness.
Project Manager reports…
Skeldon sugar factory progress on schedule
WORK on the foundation for the boilers of the new Skeldon sugar factory, at Corentyne, Berbice, is nearing completion and the first consignment of equipment has arrived, the Government Information Agency (GINA) reported yesterday.
GINA said the update was given by Skeldon Sugar Modernisation Project (SSMP) Manager, Mr Paul Hough, who indicated that current progress is in line with the schedule for completion by the end of next year.
He said 1,500 foundation piles have already been driven down and that coincides with the arrival of the superstructure for the boilers.
Hough said manufacturing of more machinery is ongoing in China, Europe and South Africa and generators are expected to be shipped from Finland and Sweden, over the next few months.
Other necessities for land preparation and planting have been received and commissioned into use for the second sugar crop.
Hough said development of new plots for cane farmers is progressing slowly but should accelerate when the link canal from Moleson Creek to the estate is dug.
The Chinese construction team, China National Technology Import and Export Corporation (CNTIC), on site since September 2005, has established a sizeable self-contained community to cater for a group that will eventually number more than 250 workers who will work along with in excess of 100 Guyanese, he said.
Hough explained that the SSMP has a cogeneration facility with a capacity of 10 megawatts that will also aid the production of at least 500,000 tonnes of sugar annually.
The contract for the construction of the factory and cogeneration plant was signed by Guyana Sugar Corporation (GUYSUCO) and CNTIC in June 2004, GINA recalled, adding that the SSMP is part of the government’s efforts at reform to mitigate the effects of sugar prices reduction within the European Union (EU) and ensure sustainability of the industry.
GINA said the ultimate aim is to completely restructure the sector at a cost of US$600M over six years, including its modernisation and diversification into new product lines such as ethanol and outside of it through cattle farming and cash crop cultivation.
Another aspect of the goal is to increase sugar production to 450,000 tonnes within the next four years for the supply to identified markets, GINA said.
The agency said the US$110M SSMP is being undertaken to boost sugar production for sale locally and internationally.
U.S. bird flu plan aims to slow pandemic
By Maggie Fox, Health and Science Correspondent
WASHINGTON, (Reuters) - Americans should prepare for travel restrictions and school closures if an influenza pandemic hits, but such measures can only temporarily slow the inevitable spread of disease, the government's new flu plan says.
The White House influenza plan released yesterday builds on an earlier plan to combat a potential pandemic of H5N1 avian influenza, including preparations to build a stockpile of vaccines and drugs, already under way, and work to develop newer and better vaccines.
"In terms of its scope, the impact of a severe pandemic may be more comparable to that of a war or a widespread economic crisis than a hurricane, earthquake or act of terrorism," the report reads.
The advice ranges from general recommendations to prepare and consult, to detailed information -- for instance, that keeping people three feet (one metre) apart should reduce transmission of the virus and that it can survive on dry surfaces for days.
At the height of a pandemic, people should prepare to hunker down for a while, Frances Fragos Townsend, assistant to the president for Homeland Security and Counterterrorism, told a news conference.
"Imagine your average summer vacation. It would be limiting nonessential travel that you don't have to take inside the United States," she said.
"I wouldn't be going to the mall if I didn't need to be there."
WORKING ON A VACCINE
The plan does not give specifics on who would get vaccinated first or who would be the first to get scarce antiviral drugs. Administration officials said research on vaccines is moving too fast to make it possible to plan yet.
There is currently no licensed vaccine against H5N1 avian influenza but experimental forms are being tested.
Some Democrats immediately attacked this omission.
"A flu plan that doesn't say how to distribute vaccine is about as useful as a hurricane plan that doesn't say how to rescue people from a flood," Massachusetts Sen. Ted Kennedy said.
The administration of President George W. Bush, whose approval ratings have been sagging, was broadly criticised for responding slowly to Hurricane Katrina last year.
The widely leaked plan has changed considerably from earlier versions, according to sources who saw drafts. It makes clear that closing borders would not be a major part of the U.S. defence.
"Measures at our borders may provide an opportunity to slow the spread of a pandemic to and within the United States, but are unlikely to prevent it," the report reads.
"When you look at border restrictions, there's a period of time very early on in a potential pandemic where they may be effective not in stopping the arrival of the virus but in buying us time and slowing the spread of the pandemic to allow communities, frankly, and individuals to get better prepared, if they haven't already," Townsend said.
"And so we look at things like departure screening, on-plane screening and arrival screening."
"INCREDIBLE PROGRESS"
"We have made incredible progress," said Mike Osterholm, an infectious disease expert at the University of Minnesota who has been warning of the risks of a pandemic for years.
"The one area that I continue to worry about in a very real way is the lack of resources. Planning for pandemic influenza at the local, state and federal level is not cheap," Osterholm added.
Townsend said local governments and businesses will have to provide much of the funding themselves.
"We believe that this should be a priority for resource allocation and for planning -- for policy implementation and planning," she said.
The plan also lays out specific responsibilities for each government department, but makes clear the Department of Homeland Security will be in overall charge should a pandemic hit.
Democrats attacked this, also.
"Given the Department of Homeland Security's track record, I don't think I'm alone in raising concerns about whether they're prepared to execute and manage a crisis of this magnitude," said Illinois Rep. Rahm Emanuel.
Police still probing GDF Officer Cadet’s murder
THE Police are yet to complete the investigation into the death of Guyana Defence Force (GDF) Officer Cadet Amar Rajcumar who was murdered during training last month.
Police Public Relations Officer Ivelaw Whittaker yesterday said the investigation is still ongoing.
Rajcumar died on April 11 at the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation where he was taken after he reportedly collapsed during a Standard Officers training session at the GDF Camp Stephenson base, Timehri.
GDF Chief-of-Staff Brigadier Edward Collins told this newspaper that the post mortem results showed the cadet was murdered. Rajcumar died from a severe blow to the back of the head, the post mortem showed.
The GDF said an inquiry into the death has been completed and the matter handed over to the Police.
Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces President Bharrat Jagdeo has assured the young man’s family that everything will be done to bring his killer or killers to justice.
New tourism vision on private sector summit
“CREATING the brain gain,” developing fast track sectors, scoring big for Cricket World Cup and a new tourism vision for Guyana are among key topics slated for discussion when President Bharrat Jagdeo hosts the Presidential Summit on Private Sector development Monday.
The summit reflects the ongoing commitment of the government to private sector development, Head of the Presidential Secretariat Dr. Roger Luncheon said yesterday.
“This specific summit is timely, as our private sector must utilise all the opportunities made available in Guyana in expanding to meet the challenges facing Guyana,” he told reporters at his weekly post-Cabinet news briefing.
The summit, he said, has a major interactive segment in which invited participants would assemble in seven groups, jointly moderated by a government and private sector representative.
The summit would be held at the Guyana International Conference Centre, Turkeyen.
GECOM opposition members back
OPPOSITION-nominated commissioners on the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) who had withdrawn from the commission over grievances with Chairman Dr. Steve Surujbally are back in, a source indicated last evening.
Commissioners Mr. Robert Williams, Mr. Haslyn Parris and Mr. Lloyd Joseph met Surujbally and the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) yesterday and after a “favourable meeting” they agreed to rejoin the commission, the source said.
This would be borne out when GECOM meets for its statutory meeting today.
The opposition-nominated commissioners had requested the meeting with Surujbally to address their concerns.
They have met President Bharrat Jagdeo and Opposition Leader Mr. Robert Corbin on their concerns.
The commissioners withdrew from the commission on April 15 saying they were fed up with Surujbally’s leadership style.
Lumber truck driver robbed
POLICE on Tuesday reported two more armed robberies that occurred Monday and yesterday.
In the Monday attack, Brian Hutson, 32, of Aroaima, Berbice River, was robbed of $15,000 by three gunmen while on the way to the city in a truck laden with lumber.
Police said the vehicle was at 19 Miles on the Ituni Road when three gunmen appeared in front of it and forced its driver to stop about 18:00 h.
The robbers held Hutson and Tameshwar Narine, 43, of Mon Repos, East Coast Demerara, at gunpoint, robbed them and escaped.
In the other incident, Beepat and Sons storage bond, at Blue Mountain Road, Festival City, Georgetown, was broken into about 03:00 h by six gunmen yesterday.
Police said the two unarmed security guards on duty were bound hands and feet and the padlocks on a door to the place were cut to facilitate the burglary but, up to press time, it had not been ascertained what was stolen.
The two guards, who are from a private firm, were freed when a supervisor visited their location, Police said.
In Region Two…
$11.5M project for Unu Creek Fishermen’s Co-op
THE Government of Guyana, through the Poor Rural Communities Support Services Programme (PRCSSP) is to erect an $11.5M storage and drying facility for Unu Creek Fishermen’s Development Co-operative Society on Essequibo Coast.
Chairman of Region Two (Pomeroon/Supenaam), Mr Alli Baksh, who made the announcement, said the project includes a four feet by four feet ice box for preserving fish and shrimp.
The structure with a walkway would be in a fenced compound and have an efficient drainage system.
The contract has been awarded to Mr Sattaur.
New $6M roadway to Golden Fleece estate
THE 300 adults and some 600 schoolchildren who live at Golden Fleece estate on Essequibo Coast will be the beneficiaries of a new $6M paved roadway.
According to Region Two (Pomeroon/Supenaam) Chairman, Mr. Alli Baksh, it will be built with sand, loam, crusher run and chip seal.
He said the project would make access to schools and the main public road easier and heavy vehicular traffic would be better able to traverse the estate.
Baksh said farmers would also greatly benefit from improved, cheaper transport for their produce.
Another poison suicide on Essequibo Coast
THE victim of the latest reported suicide on Essequibo Coast is Bibi Sunita Imram, 20, of Charity Housing Scheme.
She died at Charity Hospital on Monday after ingesting a poisonous substance a week before.
Reports said Imram drank the fatal potion at home because of a broken relationship with a young man and doctors had tried desperately to save her life while she was hospitalised.
Over recent weeks, several suicides have occurred in the ‘Cinderella County’.
Before Imram, a 14-year-old boy, of Walton Hall, also succumbed to self inflicted poisoning and he was preceded by a 14-year-old girl, of Golden Fleece, who suffered similarly.
One week after those two, a 21-year-old man, of Somerset and Berks, also chose the poison route to die and, exactly one week since then, a 21-year-old woman (no address given) ended her life the same way.
The deaths have prompted calls for the sale of poisons to be more strictly regulated and for farmers to take greater care in monitoring the storage and use of such substances.
Writ filed against GECOM, Attorney General
CITY Councillor Llewellyn John has asked the High Court to restrain the Guyana Elections Commission and the Attorney General from acting under the recently propounded regulations pertaining to the 2006 general elections which were published in the Sunday Stabroek and the Sunday Chronicle.
John is claiming that he is against the regulations because they have a retroactive effect and were introduced to correct a major deficiency.
According to the writ which was issued by Attorney-at-Law Frank James, the commission caused publications to be made in the newspapers with reference to registration of voters for the next general and regional elections.
The regulations, he said, purported to have retroactive effect and to be enacted with reference to registration of voters which had already teminated, all contrary to law and to the Constitution.
The statement of claim said John and other councillors of the municipalities and local authorities have an interest in seeing that free, fair and transparent elections are carried out by GECOM for the benefit of the municipalities and local authorities, and for the citizens of Guyana.
No provision was made during the registration period, purportedly just concluded, to cater for the registration of the old, infirm, and disabled, and persons who, by virtue of lack of means, were unable to go to the registration centres, it said.
The plaintiff’s statement of claim said he was therefore seeking a declaration of irregularity, nullity and voidance of regulations cited as the National Registration (Residents) (Amendment) Regulation 2006.
John is also claiming an order of court restraining the defendants their servants, and or agents from acting under the regulations purportedly published as Regulations No. 4 of 2006 in the Sunday Stabroek of April 30, 2006 and as Regulations No. 3 of 2006 in the Sunday Chronicle of April 30, 2006.
The defendants have been given 10 days to file entry of appearance.
Overloaded truck causes scare at New Amsterdam stelling
COMMUTERS on the New Amsterdam to Rosignol ferry in Berbice had a scare early yesterday morning when an overlodaded truck carrying lumber nearly caused the m.b. ‘Baramani’ to capsize.
A passenger on the vessel, who requested anonymity, said it happened about 03:00 h when the driver of a lorry weighing more than 20 tonnes attempted to drive it on to the boat at the New Amsterdam stelling.
The gantry on which the vehicle had to proceed could only accommodate 16 tonnes and the extra weight shook the Baramani from side to side, to the point where it appeared to keel over, the eyewitness told the Guyana Chronicle.
Consequently, almost half the cargo was offloaded to allow the rest to continue the crossing, causing a one and a half hours delay of the schedule.
An official of Transport and Harbours Department (T&HD), at the affected terminal, declined to comment when contacted.
The Baramani was operating in tandem with m.v.`Torani’ yesterday.
Korean Ambassador hands over refurbished Takuba Lodge lift
AMBASSADOR of the Republic of Korea, Mr. Soong Chull Shin on Tuesday handed over a refurbished elevator to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Georgetown.
The Takuba Lodge elevator, out of service for a number of years, was refurbished by the government of the Republic of Korea.
At the handing over, Foreign Affairs Minister Dr. Rudy Insanally noted that the facility would serve two ministries.
The Ministry of Foreign Trade and International Cooperation is also housed at Takuba Lodge.
Minister Insanally pointed out that this kind gesture by the Korean Government is a demonstration of the cooperation which exists between Guyana and that Republic.
In response, Ambassador Shin said the elevator project represented his government’s warm affection for Guyana and its people.
According to the ambassador, during last year his government donated items of office equipment to the ministry and similar assistance will be forthcoming this year.
Although the cooperation is still modest in tangible terms, Shin, who is based in Caracas, believes that new opportunities will be opened to enhance relations between the Republic of Korea and Guyana.
European help for Caribbean learning network
By Shawnel Cudjoe
THE European Commission (EC) yesterday signed an agreement with the Caribbean members of the African, Caribbean and Pacific group, called CARIFORUM, to finance the Caribbean Knowledge and Learning Network (CKLN) to the tune of two million euros.
Secretary General of CARIFORUM Mr. Edwin Carrington, in remarks at the ceremony, said the EC’s support for CKLN helps to alleviate fears of its neglect of the region following its erosion of preferential treatment for Caribbean products.
“The challenges which we face in the erosion of preferences for our products are well known, and the diversification of our economy to provide meaningful employment and investment opportunities has almost become a mantra,” he said.
Carrington added: “Therefore projects such as this have the potential to allay some of the fears of the region that it is being abandoned by its historical friends.”
The CKLN, an ongoing project to support and facilitate the work of tertiary education systems in nine Caribbean countries, was described by Carrington as a major step in addressing and solving problems of connectivity in and outside of the region.
The nine countries are Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados, Belize, Dominica, Grenada, Guyana, St Lucia, St Kitts and Nevis and St Vincent and the Grenadines.
Carrington noted that staying connected is a critical building block for the growth of the CARICOM Single Market and Economy (CSME) attaining the United Nations Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and building and sustaining a Caribbean information society.
The objectives of the project include enhancing the competitiveness of the region’s labour force by developing the human capacity to access and utilise affordable information in the communication sector, and addressing the need to upgrade and diversify the skills and knowledge of the Caribbean people by improving the ability of institutions to deliver cost efficient and effective technology-based education training.
He described the agreement as another welcome link in the chain of relationship between the European Union and CARIFORUM.
European Union Ambassador to Guyana Per Eklund said this is one of the many projects aimed at regional integration through economic repositioning being carried out in the Caribbean that has the EU’s support.
“Over the last 30 years, the European Commission has been one of the largest, if not the largest grant donor to the African, Pacific and Caribbean, providing over 50 billion of the fund’s resources,” he said.
He added that they also support the banana, rice and rum industries.
Mr. Eklund said that since it is important for the Caribbean to be able to retain its human resources in order to compete effectively in the global market, the CKLN project is extremely important.
It offers further education opportunities to adults who work full-time and persons at home in charge of their families.
In addition, it ensures that low cost distance learning is extended to some 20 more tertiary education institutions across the Caribbean, bringing to 50 the total number of beneficiaries.
The ceremony took place at the CARICOM Secretariat building at Turkeyen, Greater Georgetown.
Convicted panman escapes
CONVICTED prisoner Ryan Ramfarose escaped from lawful custody while he was a member of the Republican Steel Band which was on engagement at Water Chris Restaurant and Hotel, Waterloo Street in Georgetown.
According to a release from the police, Ramfarose escaped about 16:00 h on Saturday last.
Reports say that while taking the steel pans from the venue at the end of the performance, Ramfarose caught a taxi and escaped.
The prisoner is about 5’7” tall, has an oval-shaped face and “bat-like” ears, the police said in a release.
On his admission, he gave his address as 2 Mon Repos, Railway Settlement, East Coast Demerara and his next of kin is Alicia Ramfarose of the same address.
Anyone knowing of his whereabouts is asked to contact the nearest police station or call 226-5855 or 226-5856.
GNBS gets new fuel testing system
THE Guyana National Bureau of Standards (GNBS) has acquired a 2000L Seraphin Mobile Prover System to, among other things, test the accuracy of bulk fuel storage tanks at petrol terminals.
At a press conference last Thursday, Director, Dr. Chatterpaul Ramcharran said the bureau acquired the system for the following reasons:
* The need to verify the accuracy of Bulk Metres and Tanker Wagon Compartments used at petrol terminals to deliver large quantities of petroleum products to service stations countrywide, in order to ensure transparency and equity in trade.
* Due to numerous complaints received from the Guyana Petroleum Station Dealers Association and petrol dealers themselves, regarding the delivery of inaccurate quantities of products by petroleum companies to their service stations.
* The absence of appropriate and verified equipment in Guyana to conduct verification of high flow metres and Tanker Wagon Compartments, in order to ensure the accuracy of the same is maintained.
Ramcharran said the Seraphin Mobile Prover System would be used by GNBS primarily to conduct the calibration of bulk metres and Tanker Wagon Compartments used at petrol terminals countrywide. He explained that this would be done twice yearly in order to ensure that accuracy is maintained and to facilitate equity in trade, as required by the 1981 Weights and Measures Act.
The 2000L system was included on a list of equipment to be purchased by GNBS for 2005 and based on funding acquired from the 2005 capital budget. He said it was bought from Western Scientific Company Ltd. of Trinidad at a cost of G$9,654,200.
The system is manufactured by Seraphin Test Measures Company of New Jersey, USA, he noted. It is made up of a precision volumetric stainless steel Prover connected to a pump-off system, which is mounted on a trailer.
Ramcharran said the Prover drain valve is plumbed to piping that can be routed via butterfly valves to gravity or to the pump and a manual hose reel, with hose and nozzle, is connected to the pump.
At the press conference, he also discussed general requirements on Occupational Health and Safety (OH&S).
He said there is a standard that specifies requirements for an OH&S management system, to enable organisations to formulate a policy and objectives, taking into account legislative requirements and information about significant hazards and risks which an organisation can control and over which it can be expected to have an influence, to protect its employees and others.
This standard is applicable to any organisation that wishes to:
* Implement, maintain and improve an Occupational Health and Safety management system;
* Assure itself of its conformance with its stated Occupational Health and Safety policy;
* Demonstrate such conformance to others;
* Seek certification/registration of its Occupational Health and Safety management system by an external organisation; and make a self–determination and self declaration of conformance with this standard.
Ramcharran also referred to general requirements for safety in laboratories and the Code of Practice on Occupational Safety and Health audit.
40th Independence Anniversary exhibition opens
AN EXHIBITION in celebration of Guyana’s 40th Anniversary was formally opened Tuesday at the National Museum in Georgetown, part of a month of activities planned to mark the country’s 40th Independence Anniversary.
Speaking on behalf of the Minister of Culture, Youth and Sport, Mr. Anthony Xavier, his Permanent Secretary Mr. Keith Booker apologised for the minister’s inability to appear at the event as was originally scheduled. Minister Xavier was at the time attending Parliament, Booker explained.
The Permanent Secretary told the media that despite the 40 years that Guyana has been independent, it is still very much a fledgling nation.
He said the exhibition serves to remind Guyanese of the legacy passed on to them by those who struggled for the country’s independence, and that those today still have to pass on the torch to future generations.
“We have a task before us which never ends since the building of a nation is a continuous activity,” stated Booker.
Acting Archivist with the National Archives, Ms. June Dubisette, said the exhibition is being held under the theme “Forty Years as a Sovereign Nation”. The exhibition is being held by the National Archives in conjunction with the National Museum and features two sections.
The first section, according to Dubisette, focuses on the immediate pre-Independence period, highlighting some of the persons involved in the struggle for independence from Great Britain in 1966.
The second section was designed to highlight some of the activities which took place over the 40 years. The exhibition is made up largely of pictures and old newspaper articles, while there is a small section of historical stamps.
“For some of us,” stated Dubisette, “it would be a refresher course while for others it would be educational.”
Essequibo Coast villagers warned over dumping
THE Public Health Officer in Region Two (Pomeroon/Supenaam), Ms Shalina Jaigobin has warned residents of Lima Sands Housing Scheme and Mc Nabb, as well as farmers in the backlands, not to dump animal carcasses in the main irrigation canal on Essequibo Coast.
She said a dead cow was recently seen floating in the waterway from which people living at D8 and Mc Nabb use to drink, cook and wash.
Jaigobin said, if the warning is not heeded, prosecutions will follow.
CARICOM states agree public services must be strengthened
-- to meet CSME demands
COMMONWEALTH Caribbean countries have agreed that their public services must be strengthened and improved if they are to meet increasing demands by businesses and communities now that the Caribbean Single Market Economy (CSME) has been established.
Cabinet secretaries and heads of public services from the region met at the Commonwealth Secretariat in London, UK, April 19-20 last and drafted a Plan of Action to implement best practices in public service delivery from the Caribbean and the Commonwealth.
They also agreed on the design of short-term training programmes and seminars on public service administration and administrative law for senior public service officials.
Joan Nwasike, Adviser, Caribbean and Mediterranean, at the Governance and Institutional Development Division of the Secretariat, said: "It was also agreed that leaders of the public sector should ensure that the public service has adequate information and be involved with the CSME, which was established in December 2005 to facilitate the free movement of people, goods, services and capital."
The participants also endorsed the strengthening of their capacity in legal drafting through the use of information and communication technology.
They supported the development of performance management systems for senior officials and the documentation of regional experiences in litigation for public administration. (COMMONWEALTH NEWS AND INFORMATION SERVICES)
EAB joins call for non-violent environment
THE Electoral Assistance Bureau (EAB) has joined in the call by stakeholders in the political process and civil society for a stable, non-violent environment in the pre- and post-elections period.
The EAB, in a press release, said it is also heartened by the recent public condemnation of the escalating level of violence in the country.
The group reported that it conducted training workshops for 11 Field Workers and Coordinators from six of the 10 administrative regions on April 21 and 26. This brings the total of persons trained for the verification of the Preliminary List of Electors (PLE) to 56, it said.
They were drawn from Regions One (Barima/Waini), Two (Pomeroon/Supenaam), Three (West Demerara/Essequibo Islands), Four (Demerara/Mahaica), Seven (Cuyuni/Mazaruni) and 10 (Upper Demerara/Berbice).
The EAB said it had also invited all non-parliamentary political parties to a meeting on April 24 to discuss their programmes.
The National Democratic Front, the National Front Alliance, the Alliance for Change, GAP-ROAR, and the People’s Democratic Movement were at the meeting, it said.
The EAB confirmed that it has received official accreditation from the Guyana Elections Commission as a domestic observer for the upcoming general and regional elections.
Food For The Poor helps those in need
- Executive Director
FOOD For The Poor Guyana Incorporated has defended its work in the country as it tries to secure a better way of life for Guyanese in need.
The organisation’s work here is in keeping with its mission statement, Executive Director, Mr. Leon Davis, said last week as he defended it against criticism on a television programme that Food For the Poor was offering expired items to people.
He did not deny the charges made on the TV programme, admitting that some items might have been distributed in error.
But this, he said at a press conference, does not negate the good work being done by the organisation.
“The main reason for this press conference is to challenge journalists to tell us if we’re doing the right thing,” Davis explained.
“When we started to build the houses for poor people I received a number of telephone calls from persons trying to find out what we were achieving by building free houses for poor people,” he said.
“Of course it is for the betterment of poor people. And that is part of our mission statement. We do much more than offer food,” he said.
Davis reported that during last year Food For The Poor spent about $5M on food, clothing, and housing for poor people.
Food For The Poor is also involved in distributing agricultural implements, sports equipment, educational tools, hospital equipment, and paying fines for prisoners. He said it is also involved in school feeding programmes.
Over the past three years, the organisation has built 450 houses for the needy, and at the moment, it is engaged in building a housing scheme for Amerindians in Region One (Barima/Waini).
Davis said they are moving Amerindians from the Sumato swamp to Wauna Tobago, where the scheme is being constructed. Each of the houses will cost half a million dollars.
He also reported that the organisation has donated $71M in equipment, including maternity kits, to the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation.
Food For The Poor is particularly interested in improving the lot of children in orphanages and Davis said there is no discrimination as to whom assistance is offered.
“We help the needy, regardless of race, religion, or political affiliation. What is our main concern is that we help those who are poor,” he explained.
Miss Linden Town Week Queen won close contest
A RADIANT looking Miss Amelia’s Ward, 19-year-old Tamicka Pellew won the Miss Linden Town Week Queen title from seven other delegates at the pageant last Saturday night.
Sponsored by Charmaine Critchlow and Friends, of Edison, New Jersey, she starred at one of the many colourful events staged, at Mackenzie Sports Club ground, for the 36th anniversary of the town.
The charming winner got an appreciative applause after qualifying with three other contestants, Miss L & L Lounge, 18-year-old Sheba Herman; Miss Kwakwani, Alicia Hartman and Miss Central Mackenzie, 19-year-old Queenette Dundas, to move into the final round where questions and answers ultimately decided the contest.
In the crowd witnessing the show, too, were Prime Minister Samuel Hinds, Opposition Leader Robert Corbin, Region 10 Chairman Mortimer Mingo, Chairman of Linden Fund U.S.A., Dr. Vincent Adams, Justice Yonnette Cummings-Edwards and International Project Manager of Linden Economic Advancement Programme (LEAP), Ms. Kathleen Whalen.
Scores of overseas-based Guyanese, especially from the U.S., Canada and the United Kingdom, were in attendance, as well.
Pellew was chosen ahead of third runner-up Dundas, whose sponsors were Cheryl’s Delight and the David family, second runner-up Hartman and first runner-up, Ms Canvas City, Sheba Herman, whose sponsorship was by Linmine Friendship and Dominoes Club.
The other participants were Miss Wisrock, 17-year-old Jamacie Stephens, sponsored by Guyanese American Ambassadors; Miss Silvertown, Joycelyn Wilson, sponsored by Berkely and Cheryl Pollard of New Jersey; Miss West Watooka, 22-year-old old Tashana McLennan, sponsored by the Adams Family and Miss Silvercity/Victory Valley, Debra Orna, sponsored by Seaforth Family Dentistry.
Herman had been adjudged the ‘Most Intelligent Delegate’ since the intelligence segment ended last week Wednesday and the remaining results were not totally surprising although many felt she should have placed higher.
Aspects of the entire outcome were not popular because, while there was some measure of jubilation over Hartman’s placing as second runner-up, an air of non-acceptance was evident at the winning declaration.
However, the intelligence rivalry between her and the winner proved a close competition.
Pellew and Herman are to represent Linden at the Miss Jamzone 2006 in July at Splashmin’s Fun Park along Soesdyke/Linden Highway, it was announced after the former was sashed by last year’s Linden Town Day Queen, Ms Teneisha Elexey.
The Saturday night programme included appearances by the four contestants in the ‘Miss Big and Beautiful’ contest staged earlier last week. (JOE CHAPMAN)
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