| Vol. 3 No. 5 JANUARY 1996 |
GUYANA UPDATE |
| A Monthly Publication of the Embassy of Guyana, Washington DC, USA |
LET UNITY BE THE NATION'S
STRENGTH
A nation that is united in a common endeavor will never be destroyed. Let us join hands on this first day of a new year and pledge ourselves to try for new beginnings -- to try with all our hearts, our minds, our souls, to restore within ourselves that sense of dignity that graced the lives of our foreparents, who struggled in common unity to better their lives.
No matter how different their cultures, they looked after each other's children, they celebrated happy occasions together, they came together to help each other to build a fence, to weed a yard, to clean a canal -- and they forged a Guyanese nation out of their common need to make themselves a people of pride and dignity. We need to restore that dignity so that our children can experience the pride.
We have experienced many difficulties in the past. We will experience many more in the future. But, we, as a nation working together, can overcome these difficulties.
In olden times, there was a small village where raging flood waters were sweeping people away so that many drowned. The others linked hands, so that when one weaker person fell to his knees, the hands holding him on both sides helped him to get back on his feet. In this way all of them survived.
We, the people of this land, need to link our hands tightly together so that the flood of adversity, that has ravaged this country, cannot drown us. In this way, we will survive as a nation.
The members of the Cabinet and I have been given the mandate by you, the Guyanese nation, to lead the linked chain of the Guyanese community to safer shores. But we, too, need those hands. If your hands let go of ours, we will fall and drown. We are human beings, and we cannot stand alone and command the stream to stop. Within our given areas of authority, we need your help.
We have to be the nation's police. We have to guard against those who have no pride in themselves nor in their country, who seek to destroy its wealth and its beauty. One act, which may seem simple to you, could save the nation much loss in revenue, and give the national economy a much-needed boost. But more important is that you have recognized yourself as part of this nation and be responsible enough to say: "This is wrong."
For example, there are many of our outlying villages that are still waiting for funds to be realized for them to get potable water. Yet, in the city many yards have taps running night and day, pouring millions of dollars worth of alum and other purifying chemicals in the drains. This is criminal negligence and everyone who is guilty of water wastage must be told so in no uncertain terms, for they are robbing the wealth of the nation.
There are employees who steal from state corporations, consumers devise systems to rob the state revenues, and there are even instances of sabotage of the nation's properties.
For those who steal time from work that they are being paid to do, for those who lend themselves to systems that divert revenues from state coffers, for those in authority who take bribes to turn a blind eye to unlawful acts that harm the society, be warned that when you are caught the penalty will be severe -- for your actions are counter-productive to the best interests of the nation as a whole and can be rightly termed unpatriotic. When you see people living in squalor, destitute children who are not in school, and those who are robbed of medical attention, you must know that people like those who smuggle gold out of the country are to be blamed. We must name them and tell them that they are wrong. We must tell people who manipulate the market to increase the cost of living that we the people want to build this country and they will not be allowed to stand in the way. Under our new democracy you have a say and you must make your voices heard.
We cannot survive the lawlessness based on individual selfishness and greed. A few days ago, I visited the home of the grieving parents of a young lady who was mangled to death on the East Coast road. As she alighted from a mini-bus on her way from work, she was hit by a motor-cyclist. Soon after, two speeding vehicles ran over her. Daily, people's lives are put at risk while on the road. Every day there are big accidents, many of them resulting in deaths. How long must we tolerate this behavior?
And there are those who harm our children when they sell drugs to them and enlist them in the underground Mafia to do their dirty work.
For too many years, women and children have suffered in our society. Our future is crucified by hurting our children. And when a society cannot honor its women who gave it birth and nurtured it, then that society is doomed. Women are the backbone and the children are the future of nations.
I want to appeal to my fellow men not to turn your backs when you see a woman or a child of the community being victimized. Alert the relevant authorities immediately. My government is committed to the protection and care of our women, children and our senior citizens.
And be your brother's keeper. Let unity be the strength of this nation. If we work hard enough, and we work together, our nation will prevail against our accumulated and inherited problems, and we will again prosper and grow so that Guyana will one day stride tall in the global community.
This is Visit Guyana Year. We are inviting visitors to our land. The warmth of the Guyanese hospitality is legendary, as are tales of El Dorado.
Welcome our visitors. Let them see and experience the greatness of heart of the Guyanese nation. This is a wonderful opportunity for everyone -- at the individual and community level -- to make their contribution in quite literally putting our house in order. You really don't have to wait for hand-outs from Government -- the debt burden doesn't give us much room to manoeuvre - but there are agencies with funding that you can approach with well though out projects. An enhancement program has been started along the East Bank Highway, and I hope that this self-help spirit can be contagious and be carried on throughout Guyana.
Brother and Sister Guyanese, I propose a toast. Let us forget past hatreds, let us reach out to build strong bonds of friendships, and let us pledge to link our hands across every chasm in our nation so that we can build a strong homeland so that future generations of Guyanese can say with pride -- I am a Guyanese.
Happy New Year to you all!
Ambassador Ishmael's New Year Message . . .
On behalf of my family and the staff of the Embassy of Guyana, I extend best wishes for a happy and prosperous New Year to all Guyanese nationals living in the United States of America.
Over the past year we have witnessed a consolidation of social and economic development projects in Guyana. It is true that problems still persist in some areas, but despite the limitations of financial resources, it cannot be denied that conscientious efforts are being made at both the central and local governmental levels to alleviate them.
Guyanese in the United States have been playing a significant role in our development and growth. More and more of them are investing in Guyana, and a larger flow of our nationals returning home for vacations and extended stays is placing a positive mark on our small but growing tourism sector.
The continued freeing up of the Guyanese society has seen an expansion of free expression and an unrestricted outflow of criticism, both constructive and otherwise. This is all part of the democratic freedoms which are now being enjoyed by all Guyanese.
Here in the United States, the Embassy of Guyana has benefitted from constructive advice from our nationals who have positively aided in the expansion of our information network and in community outreach programs in various parts of this huge country. I look forward to the continued cooperation of our compatriots in the coming year.
Happy New Year to all Guyanese!
The Inter-American Development Bank on December, 21 announced the approval of US38.1 million dollars in concessional financing for Guyana to assist the modernization of agriculture and to strengthen environmental protection.
The resources will enable the Ministry of Agriculture and the Ministry of Finance to undertake legal and regulatory reforms to improve drainage and irrigation, land management and price competitiveness for rice exports, the Bank said in a statement.
"A more active and realistic land market will be encouraged through a reform of the regulatory framework, and private land rights will be consolidated," the Bank explained.
"In addition Guyana will establish an Environmental Protection Agency, as well as place in operation the Toxic Chemicals Control Board."
The total cost of the programme is $49,339,000. IDB will financing consists of two loans from the Fund for Special Operations, one for $34 million and the other for $4.1 million. Both are for a 40-year term, with a 10-year grace period, with annual interest at 1 per cent during the grace period and 2 per cent thereafter. Local counterpart funds total 739,000 dollars.
Ends Public Sittings
A five-man commission set up to investigate the spill of cyanide-contaminated waste from Omai Gold Mines Limited was preparing to visit the Canadian-owned mine, 150 miles southwest of the capital, Georgetown on December 20. The commissioners are in the final stages of the inquiry into the August 19 disaster. Chairman of the inquiry, Justice Kenneth George, said there would be no further public sittings as the commission tries to beat a January 7 deadline to compile its report.
The hearings into the spill at the 58-kilometer Omai Gold Mines Limited were launched on October 24. They had to be extended because of a late rush by people to give evidence.
George said the commission is awaiting the report of two of three smaller specialized committees which form part of the commission to assess the impact of the mine's closure on the general economy and on the livelihood of thousands of persons who use the Essequibo river.
The environmental audit and socio-economic committee and the dam committee are yet to submit its final report to the commission.
During the December 1995, the four 1.5 megawatt Caterpillar generators were to be installed at the Sophia converter station to augment the country's present power supply for the Christmas season. The generators were off-loaded on December 8 and arrangements were put in place to have the units transported to the GEC Sophia Station.
The Caterpillar generators are being rented from Machine Corporation of Guyana Limited, as part of the Government's short- term program to immediately improve the electricity situation. Just months after the PPP/Civic came into office, two new generating stations were installed.
GEC still continues to be plagued by its poor transmission and distribution systems. Very shortly a major program is to commence in this regard through funding from the Inter-American Development Bank.
The police are currently probing the pilfering of scores of tons of sugar while being transported from the various factories to the Guyana Sugar Corporation's Demerara Sugar Terminal, Ruimveldt. The police were called in after the company thwarted an attempt by one of its contracted vessels to sneak away 13 tons of undeclared sugar stored in its bilge. Since the discovery at the Rose Hall estate, the boat subcontracted by the Guyana National Shipping Corporation has been pulled out of service and its crew and master have all been dismissed. GUYSUCO contracts the GNSC to transport its sugar which further subcontracts small vessels to transport sugar from the various estate to the bulk terminal.
The Chairpersons of the ten administrative regions along with the Minister of Agriculture met to discuss next year's drainage and irrigation program. By the end of this year some $900M was spent on the D&I projects across the country. This represents the highest sum ever spent on this sector for the year.
Seven thousand acres of land will be allocated for agricultural activities on the Corentyne. The Follow-up Agricultural Scheme, Central Corentyne will be rejuvenated when allocations are made by the Regional Land Selection Committee. Like other areas, growth in the agriculture sector during the past two years has seen farmers returning to the land in hordes, resulting in the need for more lands for agricultural purposes.
Customs Delay
There have been continuing attempts by some Customs officers to frustrate the process of clearing goods from the wharf in their quest to attract illegal remuneration from frustrated citizens.
In the wake of cries from the public, President Cheddi Jagan descended upon Customs House on December 8, without notice and saw what he described as "anarchy" in the processing of documents of various importers.
President Jagan expressed his disapproval in the way the public was being treated and made suggestions to streamline the operations at Customs House. He summoned a meeting between Customs officers, brokers and members of the public on methods of dealing with the multi-faceted problems.
The Finance Minister also convened a meeting with top Customs officers after scores of members of the public reported their disgust at the "mysterious disappearance" and "reappearance" of their entry forms. The Ministry immediately seconded some of its officers to the department to curb this practice.
The United States government has increased its assistance to Guyana by US$3M over last year's sum. Last year the US government provided US$6M in PL 480 assistance for the purchase of wheat while receipts were used to fund major development projects across the country.
Asked why Guyanese received such enormous increase, US Embassy Deputy Chief of Mission, Christian Kennedy, said this was in recognition of the economic progress Guyana is making in its adherence to the democratic principles of governing.
Guyana's Senior Finance Minister Bharrat Jagdeo and Kennedy, at a ceremony in Georgetown, signed the PL 480 Title I agreement for the provision of US$9 million worth of wheat for Guyana for 1996. And in Washington DC, Ambassador Odeen Ishmael signed an agreement with US Department of Agriculture officials for the shipment of the wheat to Guyana. Shipment of the wheat will commence during the first quarter of 1996 and will continue throughout the rest of the year.
Central government has won Inter-American Development Bank approval to divert $280M from its Mahaica-Timehri Road Rehabilitation Program to fund repairs to key roads in Georgetown. The roads to be repaired will have to have a link to the major roadways which were originally part of the big road rehabilitation program which has commenced.
For years the communities in the hinterland region of Pakaraima had been making determined attempts to engage in rice cultivation, but this effort failed because of the absence of a rice mill. Alternatively, residents used the most archaic form to mill their paddy - mortars and pestles.
The request for a rice mill was recently fulfilled by the transporting of a portable rice mill to Kato for the use in the region. In addition to the mill, spraying cans, a quantity of insecticides and farming implements have been sent to the Pakaraima region. About 30 acres of paddy are presently under cultivation and the Guyana Rice Development Board will be examining the area's rice cultivation potential. In addition a huller has been donated by a private miller for the Lethem area.
One Mile Primary School and Amelia's Ward Primary School, Linden were recently reconstructed and reopened Extensive repairs to these two schools were funded by the Basic Needs Trust Fund, which falls under the Finance Ministry.
Meanwhile President Jagan commissioned the newly rehabilitated Bachelor's Adventure/Enterprise Public Road and the Enterprise Primary School, East Coast Demerara. Repairs to the one-mile long road were funded by central government to the tune of $6M. The school is now fully equipped with 18 classrooms, 21 washrooms, adequate sanitary and washing facilities. New furniture were also provided. Some $20M was spent on the school.
The Office of the President has recently transferred $4M from its Special Fund to renovate offices and install water and sanitation facilities at the Supreme Court in Georgetown.
Already works have commenced towards the construction of new water and toilet facilities. In addition, certain sections of the Office will also be renovated through this allocation from the Office of the President .
The Heritage Foundation, a think-tank based in Washington DC, has listed Guyana as one of 24 countries in the world showing the most year-to-year improvement in the Foundation's 1995 Index of Economic Freedom. The Index is a global report card that rates the world's economies on 10 specific criteria. These are: banking policy, monetary policy, wage and price policies, tax policy, trade policy, how hospitable the economies are to foreign investment, the size of the state sector, regulatory restrictions on entrepreneurs and businesses, the amount of protection afforded private-property rights, and the extent and nature of black markets (an important "negative indicator").
Each country is given a score of 1 to 5 on each factor - 1 being the best and 5 being the worst. Very low tax rates, for example, earn a score of 1; very high tax rates earn a 5.
The following 24 countries, listed alphabetically, showed the most year to year improvement on the Heritage Foundation's global Index of Economic Freedom: Argentina, Bangladesh, Bolivia, Botswana, El Salvador, Fiji, Guatemala, Guyana, Indonesia, Israel, Madagascar, Mali, Malta, Modova, Morocco, Mozambique, Nicaragua, Panama, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Sri Lanka and Tunisia.
The Guyana Human Rights Association (GHRA) has declared that the number of complaints of police brutality showed a marked decline this in 1995 while procedures for investigating complaints against members of the force "notably improved".
In its annual report, the GHRA complained that budget limitations were putting the police force in a position where it has to accept donations from private companies and individuals. "If such donations took the form of sports equipment, games or other items which the police in turn could use to strengthen community policing, they would not be a matter of concern," the GHRA said.
The GHRA also commended the Government for taking "significant steps" to increase the multi-racial character of the police force, noting that a large number of Amerindians were in the force.
The Booker/Tate Management contract for the Guyana Sugar corporation (GUYSUCO) has been renewed for another year. Booker/Tate rescued the sugar industry from collapsing and through support from the entire work force the industry was turned around in recent years.
Three local captains are now in full command of the Boeing 757 jet operated by the Guyana Airways Corporation. Their taking over came after the firm acquired its Boeing 757 from America West Airlines.
The potable water supply in Central Georgetown continues to be affected by the low level of the Lamaha Canal but pressure will be boosted for short periods as from December 17.
Government is seeking a grant to construct another hospital in New Amsterdam. If all goes well the project should begin to take shape early 1997 and be finished in 1998.
Construction of Venezuelan housing units has started on the East Coast of Demerara. According to engineers , the program is progressing apace.
A 6,200 feet sea defense was recently constructed at Bush Lot Farm, Central Corentyne. Residents say this will end the flooding of their homes, as has been happening for years. The sea defense structures at Bush Lot Farm have been in a fragile state for years. Residents are even hoping they can carry out extensive farming and other activities to sustain their livelihood.
The PPP/Civic Government distributed over 10,000 house lots all over Guyana since 1993 to the present.
Some $100M will be utilized for the infrastructure rehabilitation in Region 10. At the handing over of three sanitary blocks at the Mackenzie Primary School, SIMAP project officer Krishna Singh said that several Primary and Secondary and Day Care Centers throughout the Region have been identified for major refurbishing in 1996. Funding to the tune of $6.5M for the three sanitary blocks was provided by the World Bank through a soft loan agreement with the Government of Guyana. SIMAP was the executing agency. Each block is furnished with 10 toilets and wash basins and a urinal.
The keys to a G$1.9M reconditioned Neal and Massey Ferguson tractor were handed over to Linden Mayor by the Finance Minister during his two-day visit to Linden. The tractor was bought with part of a G$10M subvention released to the Linden Town Council by central government. It will assist in garbage collection and road repair.
A new access bridge was commissioned on December 6 at Wakapao, in Region Two. The commissioning of the new 468 feet by 6 feet overpass costing some $614,000 was witnessed by hundreds of residents. The new structure will link Curimeru and Mora villages, two of several small islands in the Wakapao River. Funding for the project was provided by the Inter-American Development Bank, through a soft loan agreement with the Guyana Government. SIMAP was the executing agency.
Food For the Poor will distribute some 200 sewing machines to several organizations and school throughout the country. The machines are valued at $2.1 million and will be distributed to a host of church, community and women's group in the three counties of Demerara, Berbice and Essequibo.
In West Berbice, needy residents of five villages are to receive their house plots shortly. House lots are to be granted to the homeless persons living in Zorgenhoop, Bush Lot, Hope, Experiment and Waterloo.
Persons squatting on the railway embankment from Sheriff Street to Mahaica have all been granted legal rights to new houselots and are soon to move. This will enable the construction of a roadway from Sheriff Street to Mahaica market to be used as the by-way for major repairs to be effected to the East Coast roadway.
3909 53rd St., Bladensburg
Services Sunday 10.00 a.m.
James Beharilall 301-699-9573
Maryland Hindu Milan Mandir
808 Forest Glen Road,
Silver Spring, MD
Services - Sundays 9.30 a.m.
Pandit Sase N. Sharma 301-593-7638
Islamic Society of the Washington Area
Principles of Islam
3rd Saturday every month
Imam Faizul Khan 301-588-3650