BEAR WITH US
By now it is widely known that the Embassy building is undergoing
major repairs. Carpenters, painters, electricians, heating
technicians, and other workmen are currently involved in an
exercise which has been long over due. The Embassy infrastructure
last received some attention in 1982 when some repairs were done
to the roof and new carpeting laid down. Since then, no major
works have been done ... until now.
The repairs have caused major disruptions. The Embassy was
forced to close on a few occasions because the noise, dust, and
rubble ripped off from the walls, were unhealthy to the staff. In
addition, working space has been taken up by building equipment
and materials. On occasions, too, the telephone system ceased to
function, and many persons failed to reach the Embassy when they
telephoned. Many aspects of our work could not be fully carried
out; for instance, it is still proving difficult to even print
the Guyana Update, on time, in the large numbers required for
circulation. These problems will continue for at least the next
two months.
But all of this inconvenience is the price we must pay for
improvements. When the work is all finished, we will have a fresh
looking building with more working space, and also more space to
accommodate our nationals and other visitors. In addition, we are
planning to put in place a state-of-the-art telephone system
which will make communication to and from us much easier.
Please bear with us.
Ambassador Odeen Ishmael
PRIMARY SCHOOLS PROJECT TO BEGIN
The Ministry of Education says its plans are on schedule for a
huge school building project to commence in September. The
project entails the construction of 43 primary schools and the
rehabilitation of 36 others over the next three years - all at a
cost of approximately $US51.6 million (at 1995 prices). The
Government will provide $US5.2 million of the funds while the
Inter-American Development Bank(IDB) will finance $US46.6
million, with the remainder coming through an externally-financed
Technical Cooperation Programme. The IDB's share of the cost is
already accessible, and the Central Tender Board has completed
evaluating applications by contractors for the job.
Since it assumed office in October 1992, the PPP/Civic
Government has been fulfilling its election promise to improve
the quality of Guyanese education by expanding classroom
accommodation, enhancing teacher professionalism and providing
equality of opportunity for all, at every level of the nation's
education system.
The project which will benefit over 50,000 students in all
parts of the country is expected to be completed in 1997.
OAS CONVENTIONS RATIFIED
History was made in the Guyana National Assembly when it
ratified two important documents of the Organization of American
States.
One was the Inter-American Convention on the Prevention,
Punishment and Eradication of Violence Against Women which Guyana
signed on January 9, 1995. This is the only treaty to recognize
violence against women as a violation of human rights. Guyana is
the 11th country in the hemisphere to ratify this convention.
The Assembly also ratified the Protocols of Amendments to
the Charter of the OAS, known as the Protocols of Washington and
Managua.
Guyana is expected to present the instruments of
ratification of these documents to the OAS shortly.
CRISIS AT UG
The Guyana Government has called upon Dennis Craig, the Vice-Chancellor, and Harold Davis, the Pro-Chancellor, of the University of Guyana to resign their positions at the institution. This follows an escalation of the on-going administration crisis at the University. The Vice-Chancellor Dennis Craig is currently having an on-going verbal battle with the Finance Minister Bharat Jagdeo over funds allocated to the University by the Government. While Craig is insisting that the Government is with-holding funds owing to the University, the Minister is saying that the institution has already been given the money, but that it was misspent by the UG administration. Jagdeo in a statement revealed that the UG has been allocated funds for the 1994-95 academic year, but the administration used it up by paying large salary increases to senior staff. At the same time, non-academic staff are having problems in obtaining salary increases which has resulted in a number of work stoppages. At the beginning of August, the Finance Ministry released $G26 million to pay salaries to the non-academic staff for the months of July and August after the UG administration announced that it had no money to pay them. The Staff Association has called for a commission to investigate the administration of the university. The Guyana Government has called upon the UG administration to furnish it with information on the salaries of senior administrative staff. However, the Vice-Chancellor has refused to comply with this request and has been supported by the UG Council which has a minority of Government appointees. Meanwhile, both Craig and Davis have refused to resign, so the Government is expected to move to Parliament to amend the university ordinance to allow for their removal.
GUYANA GETS PL480 AID
The United States Government has announced the granting of $US3 million in aid to Guyana under the PL480 aid program. Earlier this year the US announced that the PL480 aid program would be discontinued and that countries benefitting from it would lose that assistance. However, heavy lobbying by Guyana in Washington was successful in urging the Clinton administration to continue this assistance to Guyana. Last year Guyana received 6 million dollars under the PL480 program.
NEW DEVELOPMENT PROJECTS
New development projects have come on stream in Guyana. Last week two new access roads were declared open by Prime Minister Sam Hinds. The roads are at Buxton and Mon Repos on the East Coast Demerara. The Ogle Airstrip access road, which has also been re-done, is expected to be commissioned soon. Meanwhile the Government has canceled the contract of the Brazilian company involved in the building of the Essequibo road. The Ministry of Works expressed dissatisfaction over the pace of the work and the quality of materials used by the company. A new road building firm is expected to be contracted to complete the work.
GNEC PRIVATIZED
Cabinet in mid-July approved the leasing of the state-owned Guyana National Engineering Corporation (GNEC), the Lombard Street complex, to a consortium comprising the Laparkan Group of Companies, GNEC employees and a strategic investor. The new leaseholders' proposal includes a 40% participation by workers. The Laparkan Group will also have a 40% interest in the consortium. The 20% holding strategic investor has not yet been identified.
NEW FEES FOR STATE LANDS
The Ministry of Agriculture has announced new increased fees
for the leasing of state lands for agriculture purposes. The
measure is aimed at preventing sub-letting of state lands by a
number of persons. Some persons living abroad and holding leases
to state lands, it has been explained, sub-let the land to
others and collect hefty rents from the sub-letters. In Guyana,
sub-letting is illegal, and Parliament will soon enact
legislation to allow the enforcement of action against those who
sub-let State lands.
At present, the leaseholders pay the state a mere $15 per
acre per year, while the farmers who are renting the lands from
them have to pay $3000 per acre per crop. In some areas, many
hard-pressed farmers are forced to pay to the leaseholders sums
equivalent to three bags of padi ($6000) per acre per crop as
rent.
Rice farmers in Guyana are demanding an end to sub-letting
and are calling on the Government to cancel all leases to those
involved in this activity and distribute the land to genuine
farmers. Currently, there is a very big demand for rice lands.
Rice production has dramatically risen over the past two years,
and this year a record 300,000 tonnes of rice is expected to be
produced.
Meanwhile, the Ministry of Agriculture has taken steps to
repossess the misused state lands being held for speculative
purposes. The authorities will soon be moving to enforce the
terms of leases that state lands be used for productive purposes.
HEAVY FLOODS HIT INTERIOR
Due to heavy rains, sections of the upper Mazaruni and the Rupununi have been flooded, and the Ministry of Regional Development and Amerindian Affairs has airlifted large quantities of food supplies to the affected region. The Ministry has also called on the private sector to assist, and a number of firms have readily responded by donating funds to ship more food supplies to the affected regions. The Government has intimated that it may seek international assistance to get food supplies and medicine to the flooded areas.
CELEBRATING EMANCIPATION DAY
Throughout Guyana, events were held during the first week of
August to commemorate Emancipation Day. In a message to mark the
occasion, President Cheddi Jagan urged every Guyanese to join in
the celebrations. He said that the struggles of our African
ancestors to destroy the inhuman system of slavery have always
been an inspiration to the nation.
"As we celebrate Emancipation Day in Guyana this year, it is
with pride that we look back at the courage, sacrifices, strength
and legacy of those African ancestors," his message read. He
noted that Afro-Guyanese can also reflect on the long road they
traveled and the great contributions they made to the evolution
of the Guyanese spirit.
"They not only endured the most brutal and inhuman treatment
for nearly 150 years before emancipation finally came, but more
inspiringly, kept alive the hope of freedom under the most
terrible circumstances," the President stated. He contended that
they were not afraid to rebel and face the consequences of such
rebellions, because they refused to think of themselves as
someone else's property.
"Those ancestors and others that followed showed up the
value and importance of freedom. We must never take it for
granted or be slow in defending it against those bent on robbing
us of this hard-won status.
Democracy is merely freedom by another name, and we must
steadfastly ensure that it is never again compromised or denied
any segment of our population," President Jagan said.
ECONOMIC EXPANSION CONTINUES
Acting Senior Finance Minister Bharat Jagdeo says economic
growth continued in the first six months of this year, with all
sections looking up, in keeping with earlier projections.
Addressing a press conference, the Minister indicated that "real
growth expanded by 7 percent during the first half of this year,
with annualized growth projections for the rest of the year at
6.7 percent in excess of budgetary projections."
He accredited this performance to the traditional sectors,
revealing that "rice output increased by 47 percent, forestry by
20 percent, and sugar production exceeding target by 110,000
tonnes." In addition, he said, "engineering and construction
expanded by 11 percent, manufacturing by 11 percent and financial
services by 12 percent.
On the foreign exchange side, Minister Jagdeo indicated that
"export earnings were $US180 million for the first half of this
year, while the trade deficit was $US7 million lower than the
same period last year." In addition, he revealed that "the supply
of foreign exchange to the cambio market in 1995 was almost 30
percent higher than the same period last year"; that "private
capital flows have also been increasing"; and that "Government
has been transferring more foreign exchange to the cambio system
through higher retentions from GUYSUCO and from gold miners
exporting through the Guyana Gold Board."
The Minister noted that "inflation rates compared favorably
with the same period last year" and consumer prices increased by
4.5 percent, "but inflation is beginning to decline gradually and
is projected to be within single digits by year-end as forecast
in the budget."
Regarding the financial sector, he noted that "confidence in
the Guyana dollar has led to notable increases in banking system
deposits, attracted by the high interest rates required to
preserve financial stability." Nevertheless, he added, "these
rates have been declining gradually and supporting the business
community."
US EMBASSY ADVISES INVESTORS
The US Embassy in Guyana is advising investors to plan for unionization if they intend to do business in Guyana. In a fairly detailed Commercial Guide, the Embassy pointed to Guyana's booming economic growth, the government's expenditures on infrastructural development and poverty alleviation, and some of the incentives the government is offering, including equal access to privatization opportunities to facilitate investments by foreign entrepreneurs. Once they have decided to invest in the country, says the Commercial Guide, "the US Embassy strongly advises investors to plan for early and orderly unionization."
GUYAID HELPS GUYANA
Executive members of GUYAID (Guyanese Assisting in
Development), a charitable organization based in Washington DC in
July visited Guyana and met with President Cheddi Jagan at his
office and assured him of their continued interest in helping
Guyana to develop and prosper.
President Jagan highly commended the efforts of GUYAID over
the years and noted the excellent work the group has been doing
in education and health. He urged the group to continue being
good ambassadors for Guyana in the USA.
The GUYAID delegation, during the two-week visit,
distributed items to a number of needy organizations. They also
donated two barrels of books to the National Library, and
distributed prizes for an essay competition they sponsored in
coordination with the Ministry of Education.
ASSISTANCE FOR ELECTION WORK
The ambitious drive of the four political parties in
Parliament which constitute the Inter-party Committee for
Electoral Reform (ICFER) to begin work this year on the 1997
electoral list, has been given impetus by the arrival of a joint
International Foundation for Electoral System/Carter Center team
in Guyana.
The seven-member team, led by former Canadian High
Commissioner John Graham met with representatives of various
interest groups to explore areas in which support would be
required to get the process rolling, as early as possible. It
also met with the ICFER on the issue of expediting the process of
electoral reform.
"VISIT GUYANA YEAR"
Plans are progressing well for the launching this month of a
brochure organizers say will herald Visit Guyana Year 1996. So
said Donald Sinclair, the head of the national Visit Guyana Year
committee. The brochure will be launched simultaneously in
Georgetown, Miami, New York, London and Toronto with a speech by
President Cheddi Jagan on Friday September 1. A pre-recorded
speech by the President will be televised at home and abroad.
At least 15,000 Visit Guyana Year brochures are being
printed for the occasion, but many more will be printed in
anticipation of a surge in demand for information on what lies in
store for the visitor/tourist.
The idea of a Visit Guyana Year was nurtured by the Tourism
Department of the Ministry of Trade, Tourism and Industry, in a
bid to encourage overseas Guyanese to visit and consider
investing in their homeland.
The Ministry says it expects 250,000 persons to travel to
Guyana in 1996 under the programme and is working in
collaboration with a long list of suburban, rural and hinterland
organizations to provide the best kind of reception possible.
GOVT. CONTINUES TO PUMP MILLIONS INTO GEORGETOWN
For this year, the central government has directly pumped in
excess of $80 million into the City of Georgetown, with the
government itself undertaking major projects to bring about quick
relief to citizens. This was stated by Prime Minister Sam Hinds
when he responded to a Parliamentary question by the minority PNC
on the subvention or other transfers to the Good and Green
Georgetown (GGG) controlled City Council. He said that $54
million was transferred for rates and taxes for buildings in
Georgetown, $15 million for a shortfall in the 1995 budget, and
another $8 million for urgent repair works in the Georgetown
sewerage system.
The Prime Minister also said that government has funded the
Georgetown Sewerage and Water Commissioners electricity bill
amounting to about $200 million and purchased 12 new sewerage
pumps and repaired about 20 sewerage stations that have amounted
to over $50 million.
VICTORY FOR GUYANA YOUTH CRICKET TEAM
Guyana retained the 1995 Northern Telecom youth cricket championship which was contested in Grenada during July 14 to August 2. This is the fourth successive year that Guyana achieved this position. This year Guyana is sharing the title with Jamaica and Barbados. Meanwhile four Guyanese have been included in the West Indies youth cricket team to tour Pakistan in October. They include opening batsman Nicholas de Groot, all rounder and leading wicket-taker in the just concluded Northern Telecom Tournament, Mahendra Nagamootoo, wicket-keeper/batsman Vishal Nagamootoo, and fast bowler Reon King.
NEW MARKET OPENED AT GROVE
A new Grove, East Bank Demerara, market to house 29 vendors and which will serve 20,000 residents was opened by Finance Minister Bharat Jagdeo. The community has been without a proper market facility for over a decade. Vendors had to stand in the blistering sun and drenching rain to conduct their activities. The Minister in his address noted that the cost of the facility was $1.1 million, and urged the community to join in ensuring that the facility is properly maintained. The market is equipped with water, security, lighting and sanitary facilities, and is conducive to various types of vending activities.
NEWSBRIEFS
Banks are shifting credit financing from commerce to production, and according to the Finance Ministry, this is a "healthy sign"...
Banks Beer, manufactured by Banks DIH Limited, recently copped a bronze medal at the 34th World Beer Competition in Belgium...
The tax department is setting up is setting up an investigative and enforcement task force as it tightens the campaign against extensive tax evasion...
A team from the Wartsila power company of Poland began discussions in Guyana for the possible signing of a provisional contract to lease an 11-megawatt electricity generating station, worth $US11 million, to the Guyana Electricity Corporation...
Carib Express, the region's newest airline, opened its Guyana link on August 8 with Government officials hailing the service as another boost to the country's tourism sector...
A GDF Special Forces Platoon left for Martinique where they would undergo four weeks of amphibious commando training...
Guyana and St. Lucia are exploring the possibility of promoting the two countries as a twin-destination tourist package, with special focus on the smaller hotels...
The Government's decision to mount an independent probe of the state of affairs at the University of Guyana has been welcomed by many groups throughout the country...
The Governments of Guyana and Cuba on August 5 signed the agreed minutes of the 18th Joint Commission meeting, paving the way for cooperation in new areas...
The stage has been set for the implementation of the 500 kilowatts hydro-power project at Moco Moco in the Rupununi, with the signing of the contract by representatives of the Guyana and Chinese Governments at the Guyana Natural Resources Agency...
The Guyana Oil Company recorded a net profit of $US291.4 million during 1994, as against $US173.2 million the previous year...
A fully reconditioned dragline donated by Ramanand Singh and Sons of Crabwood Creek to the Crabwood Creek-Moleson Jackson local authority has commenced excavation work in the agricultural area...
Patriarch of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church Dr. Abune Paulos has thanked the Government and people of Guyana for laying out the red carpet to himself and his delegation during his four-day visit...
US Ambassador George Flemming Jones handed over a third
consignment of medical equipment valued at more than $US600,000
to Health Minister Gail Teixeira. The supplies were secured from
excess
equipment resulting from the closure of several US military bases
around the world. Ambassador Jones said that Guyana is among
countries chosen to receive such supplies...
Guyana is prepared to support the call for a lifting of the arms embargo against Bosnia to allow the hapless victims of aggression to defend themselves. So said a statement from the Foreign Ministry...
The Ministry of Health and the unions in Linden have agreed to appoint a transition committee for the absorption of the administration of the Linden Hospital Complex by the Ministry. The committee is to examine the modalities for the establishment of a non-profit board for the Complex...
Home Affairs Minister Feroze Mohamed led a Guyana delegation to attend the first ever Defence Ministerial of the Americas. The delegation included Attorney General Bernard Dos Santos, the Army Acting Chief of Staff Godwin McPherson and Deputy Commissioner of Police Floyd Mc Donald. The Ministerial was held in Williamsburg, Virginia in July...
Crime Chief Floyd Mc Donald says a team of police investigators is making headway in cracking a major case of fraud in the Guyana Electricity Corporation amounting to over $50 million, committed during the first six months of this year...
President Cheddi Jagan has sent a message to Burmese Opposition Leader, Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Aung San Suu Kyu, who was recently released from house arrest after six years. The Guyanese leader expressed admiration "for your courage and strength under extreme difficulties"...
The Police are investigating a case where a Ministry of Health assistant accountant allegedly ran off to the United States with $430,00 of the Ministry's funds...
A new $7 million nursery school at Byderabo in Bartica was recently handed over to the headmistress and staff by the Government. The school will accommodate 120 pupils...
And at Great Falls, in the Upper Demerara River, the primary school was recently renovated to the tune of $773,000 obtained from the Canadian International Investment Association (CIDA). Volunteers from Youth Challenge International and Great Falls residents provided self-help labor, and together completed the project in eight weeks...
The Berbice Anti-Smuggling Squad (BASS) intercepted two boats transporting smuggled TV sets on the Corentyne River...