Guyana Update -- April 1996.

A publication of the Embassy of Guyana, Washington D.C.

At a press conference, the Minister stated, "Enquiries reveal that sometime ago in 1995 a small quantity of jewellery was sent as gifts on two occasions by a Mother (Shirley Edwards) who is a member of Parliament in Guyana to her daughter presently employed as an Executive Officer II at the Consulate in New York." He explained that "on one occasion two bangles were sent and another occasion a gift jewellery was sent for the four-year-old son of the Executive Officer II." Rohee said it was common for persons in the foreign service to send gifts "either in cash or kind"

through the diplomatic bag to their relatives, "provided that this facility is used in a discretionary manner." Minister Rohee reiterated that he was not responsible for the packaging and despatching of diplomatic bags.

Commenting on why his Ministry has been a constant target for unjustified attacks by the Minority leader, Rohee said that , "Under the PNC the Ministry of Foreign Affairs was the blue-eyed Ministry. While other Ministries in the social sector and productive sectors were wrecked and neglected, the PNC invested heavily in the Foreign Affairs Ministry in terms of human and financial resources." He also pointed out that the fundamental objective of the PNC was to "use the Foreign Ministry to white-wash its image overseas while internally, it perpetuated heinous, social, political and economic crimes against the Guyanese people.''

In an address in which the President declared war against lawlessness, crime and corruption in Guyana, he said, "There are the selfish few who are giving our nation a bad name. They are involved in grave crimes against citizens and the country. They take advantage of the fact that we have to give priority to the process of development with little resources left for law-enforcement." Dr Jagan assured the nation that "this state of affairs will not last forever." He also said "We are moving nearer and nearer to the point where corruption and breaches of the law will be wiped out." He added that "the force of the State will be used in the national interest."

The Guyanese Leader also pointed out that electricity supplies and distribution "have not achieved our goals in spite of injection of new plants."

"Much more is needed and soon we will be moving in the direction of having investments in this area." GEC was called upon to "recognize the need to manage what they have in a more efficient way."

A number of other groups are also organizing activities for the celebrations. I have already been informed by some Guyanese groups in various parts of the United States that they would be holding cultural evenings and dances, beginning from late April, and have received invitations to attend some of them. In the Washington area two organizations will jointly hold a dinner and dance to mark the occasion.

These activities - cultural evenings, dances, dinners - organized by all of these groups are not sponsored by the Embassy in any way, but the Embassy has extended its support to them for making these special efforts to bring Guyanese together. I must emphasize that some of these functions may also couple as fund-raising ventures for these organizations, but I want to make it very clear that the Embassy has not requested any of these funds nor does it expect any to be donated to it.

I urge Guyanese nationals, wherever they live in this vast country, to organize activities to celebrate our country's independence or to participate in the festivities organized by other established groups in their localities.

A Cabinet Monitoring Unit manned by an initial 11 seconded Army, Police and other select personnel, has been set up by Government to review and report on the performance of key public funded agencies.

Seven officers, including five from the Military and two in the Office of the President are on the job. Monitoring has already started at the Ministry of Works where a mysterious night-fire on February 8 last destroyed the Works Ministry's Kingston records office.

The Unit is mandated to follow up decisions and report back to the Secretariat by using management indicators. Another task of the Unit is to ensure financial accountability in the spending of government funds.

The Auditor General was winding-up his probe into alleged irregularities in the purchasing of medical drugs amounting to tens of millions of dollars. The police on a number of occasions had to be invited to probe suspected cases of embezzlement at the Ministry of Health also.

Meanwhile, the over-expenditure probe of the Guyana Defence Force by the Auditor General is said to be proceeding with full cooperation from the army's leadership. It is suspected that over $200M was overspent by the Army causing the Defence Board to call the probe.

These developments come at a time when the PPP/Civic government is intensifying its war against corruption and mis-use of state funds. The recently-established Cabinet Monitoring Unit is also expected to give impetus to this drive.

Crime Chief Floyd McDonald has confirmed that the police has launched a probe into the suspected racket and a Customs employee was being held for questioning in connection with the alleged probe.

Customs insiders reported that the officer in question had a copy of the computer software at his home and was illegally processing customs entries for certain business houses. Officials say they have amassed evidence on the racket which is suspected to have been going on for years, defrauding the state of tens of millions of dollars. According to recent reports, the officer in question was named as Malcolm Sonaram, who was released on $600,000 bail.

The department was reportedly accumulating more evidence for previous wrongdoings involving leading auto dealers.

An investigation has been launched by various related agencies surrounding the issuing of "prescriptive rights" to plots of land in a manner which Housing Minister Dr Henry Jeffrey described as "extremely questionable."

The Supreme Court Deeds Registry has also been implicated in the probe. Dr Jeffrey confirmed that he has been receiving numerous reports of questionable dealings surrounding the issuing of prescriptive rights and has pointed to two recent instances, Success and Area P, Chateau Margot, East Coast Demerara. These plots belong to GUYSUCO and the State, respectively. The persons occupying the large plots have indicated that they received "prescriptive right" to the plots from GUYSUCO and subsequently, transports. A number of smaller related cases are being investigated with a dossier being put together by the Supreme Court Registry.

Cabinet continues to view with serious concern the state of the Guyana Electricity Corporation and has diverted another US$2M for the purchase of an 11-megawatt power station.

Secretary to the Cabinet, Dr Roger Luncheon, says one of the approaches the government has considered for the turning around of the present state of GEC is increased generation.

Moves are also afoot to get a foreign partner in the ownership of the Corporation so that some US$50M needed in capital can be generated to tackle the improvement of the state-owned electricity sector in Guyana.

Meanwhile, the generation problems of the Guyana Electricity Corporation were being tackled through the renting of another six megawatts of power from the US-based Caterpillar Diesel Company. The government recently approved the sums to rent generating sets. The contract was signed by GEC officials and Caterpillar. Six megawatts are already being rented from Caterpillar, which proved to be a significant boost to the power supply during the Christmas season. The sets are housed at GEC's Sophia converter station. The Corporation is hoping to tap another three megawatts from Linmine to augment its supply.

The Guyana Government is seeking foreign investment in the country's troubled power company. The government has advertised in the British financial magazine, The Economist, and the Financial Times of London in an effort to attract investors for the Guyana Electricity Corporation (GEC).

In the advertisement, the government signaled it was "ready to consider the introduction of a strategic core investor" who will bring capital and management expertise to GEC. It asked investors to submit by April 15 proposals to acquire shares in the company.

The Government said it was looking at Guyana's untapped hydropower potential as well as the waste from sugarcane bagasse, for power generation.

President Cheddi Jagan on Thursday February 29 opened the seventh intercessional meeting of the CARICOM Heads of Government at the Pegasus Hotel in Georgetown. The leaders also held discussions with President of the World Bank, James Wolfensohn. Current CARICOM Chairman, Dr Cheddi Jagan, dealt with the issues of debt relief, bananas, sustainable development and the resources to be made available for the development process in the Caribbean Region. The meeting dealt with, among other issues, the status of implementation of several decisions taken by the heads including the free movement of skills and Multilateral Air Services Agreement.

Guyana is among several Caribbean countries slated to benefit this year from the World Bank's active participation in the social sectors of the region.

The Bank has 16 social projects under preparation worth some US$230M through which eight Caribbean countries will get assistance. Among the eight are Guyana, Jamaica, Barbados and the Bahamas.

First Lady Janet Jagan declared open a $5M surgical teaching unit of the University of Guyana located in a refurbished section of the Lady Thompson ward at the Georgetown Hospital. The project was undertaken by the group "Surgical Friends of the University of Guyana" under the chairmanship of Chancellor Aubrey Bishop and was funded by Futures Fund.

Five development projects at a cost of some G$77M, and implemented by SIMAP, were officially handed over to residents of Region Three in the first two months of this year. Hog Island Primary school, Patentia/Georgia road project and Windsor Forest Health Centre are three of the capital projects completed this year. Other projects undertaken by SIMAP are the Wakenaam Residential Drainage program and Hog Island Drainage and irrigation scheme.

The Guyana subsidiary of British corporate giant, Courts, has won the Tate and Lyle award for sustainable development, for its efforts to develop the local furniture industry.

Courts, the furniture and appliance retail company with branches throughout the Caribbean, has been providing expertise, training and financial assistance through its Furniture Investment for National Development Program (FIND).

Three months after its establishment in Guyana in late 1993, Courts launched the FIND program to improve the quality of locally manufactured furniture, create employment and "give value for money spent by customers and earn foreign exchange for Guyana through exports".

Carivest, a US-based group soliciting investment support for Guyana, launched its Guyana Liberalization Fund at the Ocean View Hotel. Carivest officials, said the fund is part and parcel of their efforts to attract investment capital to the country.

Winston Saunders leading Carivest spokesman said, "we are pressing ahead with our commitment to do what we can to bring to Guyana one company at a time in order that we may help build the country one community at a time." He said the liberalization fund has already been launched in the USA, where similar launchings have taken place in New York, Atlanta, Miami and Washington. It has also been launched in Toronto, Canada and another launching was to take place in London on March 22.

The recent rise in the sugar production figure has seen Guyana appearing in the list of the world's top ten sugar exporting countries. GUYSUCO's Marketing Director, Ian McDonald, said that the 253,927 metric tonnes of raw sugar exported in 1994 saw Guyana climbing up to the category of the world's top ten raw sugar exporting countries. Guyana joins Australia, Brazil, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Mauritius and Thailand among others.

Parliament has approved the Caribbean Community (Free Entry of Skilled Nationals) Bill, 1995 , thereby fulfilling a decision of Heads of Government of the Caribbean Community. The new immigration law promotes the free entry of skilled nationals of qualifying Caribbean Community States into Guyana. Any Caribbean-born person, once he/she has the qualifications requirements and is certified as such, is allowed to enter and remain in Guyana indefinitely with the right to work, acquire property and with no restrictions on freedom of movement, including the right to leave and re-enter Guyana.

The Government of China has agreed to provide a grant of approximately US$240,000 to the Government of Guyana to pay for goods and services to be provided by China in accordance with the needs of Guyana. The agreement for the grant was signed by the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Clement Rohee and Mr Sun Zhenyu, Vice Minister of Foreign Trade and Economic Cooperation of China.

Mini-bus operators, through their various representative organizations, withdrew recent fare increases following meetings with Trade Minister Michael Shree Chan. The mini-bus fare issue was discussed by Cabinet which urged the Minister to explore all avenues to bring down the fares.

Ten registrars have been appointed for the house-to-house national registration exercise which will begin on May 27. In a related development, the Inter-Party Committee on Electoral Reform consisting of representatives of parties in Parliament met to review its work program for last year and its program for the coming months. The Committee will meet soon with Elections Commission Chairman Doodnauth Singh.

Over the past month equipment and men mobilized for tackling the break in the Mon Repos sea defense area on the East Coast Demerara were feverishly at work. Some G$3 million was spent. Currently, temporary works are being carried out until permanent sea defense structures are built in the same area. Residents have been congratulated for their cooperative efforts in expediting work on the sea defense.

The Cabinet-appointed broad-based committee into the billion dollar gold smuggling scam is presently consulting with its legal advisors on how to proceed with its case against the culprits.

Following a briefing with US Customs and Commerce Department agents, the Committee said that it has since been accumulating more "key" evidence which continue to implicate leading businessmen and city jewelers.

A source close to the committee said that the aim of the briefing sessions with its legal advisors was to ensure that steps taken would not be void of legal considerations, and how it could proceed to bring charges against those culpable.

Given the magnitude and the international nature of the crime, the incident was referred to Cabinet which appointed a committee comprising of representatives of the police force, Customs Department and the Inland

Revenue Department.

NEWS BRIEFS

Minister-Counsellor of the Embassy of Guyana in Washington, June Persaud, has been transferred to the Guyana Embassy in Beijing where she will assume the position as Charge d'Affaires with effect from the beginning of April. She served in Washington from October 1992 after being transferred from the Guyana Mission to the United Nations.

One of Guyana's leading secondary schools, Queen's College, has again emerged with the cream of the 1995 Guyana Scholarships announced by the Ministry of Education. According to the a release from the Ministry, 11 of the 13 scholars who gained scholarships for 1995 came from Queen's College.

Finance Minister Bharrat Jagdeo approved the waiver of Import Duty on inputs and materials used for the 1996 Mashramani Floats and Band Parade. A waiver of the Entertainment Tax was also extended to foreign artistes and entertainment groups performing as part of the Mashramani celebrations.

Farmers and millers, who are owed over $50M by the Alesie Group of Companies have called for an immediate payment of all outstanding sums owed to them by the company. This plea was made following the departure of the company's four top local managers.

The GDF soldier in custody for the shooting of Corporal Linden Alleyne in Haiti has been charged with murder. According to a GDF release, the accused is Lance Corporal Samuel La Fleur. A military court martial is to be convened to preside over the case.

A $150M contract was signed for the design and supervision of the Eccles Industrial Estate. The contract was signed by Finance Minister Bharrat Jagdeo and Mr David Klautkey of Klautkey & Associates and Mr Frank Worrell. The entire project is expected to be completed in eight months.

Four persons were confirmed for the gallows in Guyana. One, Ayube Khan was hung in February for the murder of a school boy while the other three filed stays of execution which are before the courts.

Rehabilitation of another courtroom in the Victoria Law Courts building has been completed, in the continuing thrust to improve conditions for the administration of justice.

The 'MV Ukraina' moored in Georgetown during the month of February with some 293 Russians and Ukrainians, the first large batch of tourists for the Visit Guyana Program.

The Visit Guyana Year tourism promotion entered a new phase with the launching of the first permanent craft village set up outside the General Post Office building on North Road Georgetown. It was named the Hibiscus Craft Plaza.

About 800 people got the benefit of a surgical eye expedition staged at Mackenzie, Linden. Sixty of the most serious cases with cataract infection underwent surgery. The three day program was conducted by Guyanese Dr George Norton along with American specialists Dr. Cohan and Dr. Wallace as well as nurses.

Georgetown Hospital has commenced a $22M renovation program on its older buildings. The project includes resurfacing of roadways in the compound and reconstruction to Wards A,B,C and E as well as the surgical block.

Friendliness has received the highest rating in a Guyana visitor survey done by the Caribbean Tourism Development Program in the summer of 1993. The survey said while visitors assigned very moderate ratings to Guyana tourism 'products' the "sole exception was in the case of the people's friendliness."

The Bartica Secondary School has been renovated at a cost of some G$7.6M by Futures Fund. Rehabilitation work included the construction of a concrete pathway, repairs to the roof and ceiling and resurfacing of the concrete floor in the auditorium.

A group of merchants, using the label, European Economic Consortium, announced plans for Guyana in rice, forestry and mining. The year-old Florida corporation has acquired a wood-cutting lease for 28,500 acres at Sebai along the Port Kaituma River and proposes to put down a multi-purpose automated mill in Linden.

Futures Fund has handed over a water reservoir to the Carburi Line community and rehabilitated a Bartica school at a total cost of $16.3 million. The reservoir is capable of holding 17,000 gallons of potable water. Also an overhead tank with a storage capacity of 6,000 gallons was also built. At least 150 households will benefit from this project.

Three persons were killed and others injured during a stampede at a dance in New Amsterdam. The stampede started after someone sprayed a chemical in the air, the police said. Three persons were trampled to death and at least three others were in a serious condition in the New Amsterdam Hospital.

Siparuto, some 60 miles up the Corentyne River, recently benefited from a new school. The school, according to teachers, has improved the state of delivery of education in the predominantly Amerindian settlement.

Heavy rainfalls in Corentyne posed a threat not only to low-lying residential areas but to the present rice crop. Harvesting has commenced in certain rice growing areas but the rains have brought this to a standstill. Farmers and regional drainage officials were monitoring the situation.

The Leonora Magistrates Court has recently been renovated as part of the government's national program to enhance the justice system in Guyana. According to the Registrar of the Court, in the coming months the state of court facilities would be improved.

Rehabilitation of the Demerara Harbour Bridge was taken a step further with the installation of another new pontoon to keep the structure afloat. In all, some 103 pontoons are expected to be replaced under a European Union-funded project worth $967 million.

President Cheddi Jagan in February made a five-day visit to the North West District, meeting with residents there and listening to their various problems. People trekked for miles and paddled through creeks to meet with the President and his visiting party.

The construction of Bath, West Coast Berbice's first market is about to be completed. The market is being built by the Bath/Woodley Park Neighborhood Democratic Council and will accommodate about 30 stalls. The Bath area is known for its cultivation of vegetables and cash-crop.

The Canadian High Commission has recently handed over equipment and books to the Half-Mile Nursery in Wismar. The project, was made possible through a Canadian Fund Grant to the tune of about G$800,000. The Guyana Book Foundation provided the books for the school's library.

The new Pediatric Unit and Seaman's Ward at Public Hospital Georgetown was formally dedicated on Friday, March 1 with a special ceremony. This was attended by leading government officials and representatives of health institutions as well as the social sectors.

Five rehabilitated streets, four new kokers and two access bridges have brought improved living conditions for residents of New Hope, East Coast Demerara. The community will see better drainage in their area, which has been susceptible to floods. Two vital bridges were built to link the community with the public road.

Negotiations have begun for a $9M grant to purchase two transformers to use in the Golden Grove and Victoria Pump stations, East Coast Demerara. The transformers were out of operations since 1993 and were sent to the Guyana Electricity Corporation for repairs.

Negotiations are taking place between management and pilots at the Guyana Airways Corporation (GAC) following a sick-out by the pilots which have adversely affected the airline's operations. A source close to the pilots revealed that the Boeing 757 pilots "are asking for between one million and one-and-a-half million dollars each", with co-pilots asking for "around one million dollars." According to management, "This is way beyond what airline like GAC in this part of the world have or can afford to pay their pilots."

Lillydale, located in the Lower Pomeroon region, recently got its first school building. Previously, the school was kept in a Church at Bethany causing inconvenience for the school children.

The Caribbean Furniture Exposition '96 was launched by Minister of Trade, Tourism & Industry, Michael Shree Chan at the Embassy Club in Kitty. The Exposition will be held at the Sophia Exhibition Site from June 13-15 and is a ground-breaking effort involving the furniture and appliance retailer Courts, the Barbados-based regional institution, the Caribbean Export Development Agency and the Guyana Export Promotion Council.

A Canadian Government-Guyana Economic Management program will provide Guyana with four million Canadian dollars. Part of the C$4M will be used to help Finance Minister Bharrat Jagdeo implement "program budgeting" which he highlighted in his 1996 Budget speech. The sum is also for generally strengthening financial planning and management in the public sector.

The USIA John F. Kennedy library in Guyana was closed on March 29 following the United States Information Agency's (USIA) decision to cut back its operations worldwide. This is a result of the budget restrictions imposed on various departments of the US Government.

Neville Swammy has been dismissed from his position as Region Three's Regional Executive Officer following findings of the Auditor General's Department into several allegations of unlawful practices by him. Several other top regional officers have been fingered in a ring of corrupt transactions and the Auditor General had been called in to investigate.

The Auditor General's Department has been raising questions about expenditure of public funds relating to the office of the Regional Chairman for Region 4. Local Government Minister Moses Nagamootoo has been paying much attention to reports of corruption and extravagance in the local government system.

Asphalting of sections of the Georgetown/Timehri road began on March 13. The asphalt plant was imported by N.H. International, the contracting company, and has been commissioned. Road engineers have certified that the company is producing the quality of asphalt needed for the road. The Georgetown/Timehri road rehabilitation program was delayed after a new asphalt plant had to be imported.

Prime Minister Sam Hinds recently visited the Melani Damishana area where middle-income housing units are being constructed by a Venezuelan company. The construction of the housing units is part of the government's national housing program.

Local Government Minister Moses Nagamootoo has praised the village of Ithaca for preserving its oral African traditions and culture while addressing the ceremony of the opening of a new community center.

Attorney General Bernard De Santos said the Integrity Commission Bill will serve more to prevent corrupt practices in public places. Mr De Santos made these remarks before referring the Bill to a Select Committee of the National Assembly during its second reading in Parliament. At the Select Committee level, all parties will make their various inputs before bringing the Bill back for Parliament's approval.

The European Investment Bank, through the Ministry of Finance, recently announced approval of a 7.8 million European Currency Units loan for the interconnecting water system in Rose Hall and neighboring communities. This program will give a boost to GUYWA's current water system rehabilitation program in the East Berbice area.

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