Region 6 councillors participate in sexual violence consultation
Georgetown, GINA, November 12, 2007
Minister of Human Services and Social Security, Priya Manickchand yesterday met Community Development Councillors (CDCs) at the Region Six Regional Community Development Councils Conference to raise the level of awareness on sexual and domestic violence in the country.
The Minister informed Councillors of the various legislations the Government has passed to minimize violence in the society. She said that leaders of the community must be aware of the laws enacted to protect victims, especially women and children who suffer most at the hands of offenders, since they (leaders) are duty bound to help the people around them.
The Domestic Violence Act of 1996 is a comprehensive legislation that protects victims who have been battered in the home by their spouse, children, parents or an associate and also provide maintenance for that person if necessary. She noted that violence is prevalent in society and the legislation would have no value if people do not recognize it and use it for their benefit.
At present, meetings on the Government’s Consultation Paper on sexual violence “Stamp it out” are being conducted across the country to garner residents’ suggestions. The Paper contains proposals to strengthen protection against sexual violence and reform laws on sexual offences.
Councillors and residents benefited from an informative and interactive session on the sexual violence paper presented by Minister Manickchand which she noted is an issue that deserves urgent attention.
Many residents recommended that ‘sex education’ be taught in schools since it will help to educate students on HIV/AIDS and reduce the level of illiteracy with regards to sex. Persons were also concerned about children being abused by their parents and the number of street children in the community.
Minister Manickchand said that street children is a matter that has been constantly raised by residents in the various Regions she visited. She noted that this problem is before several authorities, especially welfare officers who are in charge of the respective Regions and drastic action will be taken in this regard.
The Human Services Minister appealed to the CDCs to forward their proposals on protecting persons against sexual violence.
On November 12 and 13, Minister Manickchand will visit Region Three to continue seeking inputs on the Consultation Paper and to educate people on sexual violence.
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Police to approach Chief Justice for establishing night court
-to address mounting traffic cases
Georgetown, GINA, November 12, 2007
The Guyana Police Force (GPF) plans to approach the Chief Justice and acting Chancellor of the Judiciary Carl Singh for the implementation of a Night Court to address traffic offences.
Commissioner of Police (ag) Henry Greene who made the announcement at a recent press conference said this is to facilitate the increasingly high number of traffic cases in wake of the new traffic campaign “Operation Safeway” which is ongoing.
“”We need a night court for traffic because at this point in time we are looking at 80 plus cases a day in Georgetown only. The Magistrate’s court will also have to deal with ongoing cases. The fact that we are sustaining this campaign, you could imagine what would happen in the courts,” Commissioner Greene said.
During Guyana’s hosting of Cricket World Cup (CWC) 2007 there was a night court in operation which dealt with all categories of cases. It was deemed a success and there were several recommendations for it to be sustained.
The traffic campaign which started about two weeks ago has resulted in over 2,000 charges being made against defaulting drivers.
The police are focusing on speeding, heavily tinted vehicles, breaches of traffic light signals, unlighted motor vehicles, overloading, and stopping on no parking signs.
The department has also been publishing photographs and video clips of errant drivers and is in the process of re-examining the issue of defective tyres. In addition, all mini-bus and hire car drivers will be re-examined through licensing and certifying officers.
Commissioner Greene said the Police are in the process of implementing a data-base system to track certain vehicles through the Licensing Revenue Office.
“We are about to receive a data base from the Licence Revenue Office which will give us access to information there in relation to drivers and vehicles. We are working on that at this time, so when we click your (vehicle) number we would not have to wait so long like what is happening now. We are now about to buy the equipment. So it would not be simple to evade us,” Commissioner Greene warned.
The Police started the campaign to address lawlessness on the roadways which has resulted in increasing road accidents and fatalities.
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Stabroek News editorial on Money Laundering unmerited- Dr. Luncheon -Gov’t efforts in fight evident
Georgetown, GINA, November 12, 2007
The administration has responded to today’s Stabroek News editorial, which according to government, has failed to address the issue of Money Laundering in a balanced manner.
Head of the Presidential Secretariat and Cabinet Secretary Dr. Roger Luncheon in a statement through Office of the President today said the editorial which is unjust has failed to mention efforts being made by government to address money laundering.
“Stabroek News derides those efforts but how can we assess Stabroek News and its columnists, Thomas and Granger and their postulates in that regard? They claim that money laundering of dizzy heights and described by them in extreme degrees exists. In the same breath, they and others have consistently failed to provide any rigorous justification of such claims.”
He said, “In the case of Guyana’s economy, scientific rigour demands that some acceptable justification be provided for making those projections. The presence of money laundering activities surely cannot be the issue. The onus is on those who quantify to establish the basis for such qualification. Stabroek News and their columnists continue to risk skepticism and irrelevance with their unsubstantiated claims,” Dr. Luncheon emphasised.
Since its ascension to office the PPP/C government has demonstrated zero-tolerance for money laundering through several interventions including legislation and signing on to several international conventions.
In June, government’s Anti-Money laundering and Countering the Financing of Terrorism Bill 2007 was sent to a Special Select Parliamentary Committee for recommendations for the necessary adjustments.
The new legislation proposes to help with tracking money transfers, activities of commercial banks and other financial institutions, illicit trafficking of firearms, extortion, corruption, bribery, fraud, counterfeiting, and forgery.
Under the proposed legislation, the Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU) will have the power to freeze, seize and eventually forfeit all proceeds of all serious offences identified and traced. The unit will also provide for comprehensive powers for the prosecution of money laundering and terrorist financing and other financial crimes.
The Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA), the Customs Anti-Narcotics Unit (CANU), the offices of the Attorney General and Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) will also be authorities responsible for investigating financial crime.
The new legislation is also expected to provide for the oversight of export industries, the insurance industry, real estate and alternative remittance systems.
The Money Laundering Prevention Act of 2000 criminalises money laundering related to narcotics trafficking, illicit trafficking of firearms, extortion, corruption, bribery, fraud, counterfeiting and forgery.
The FIU and other external agencies were tasked with producing draft legislation to replace the Money Laundering (Prevention) Act of 2000.
To improve Guyana’s anti-money laundering regime, the FIU has prepared a draft legislation criminalising the financing of terrorism and expanding the scope of the money laundering offence. The unit was established in 2003 within the Ministry of Finance.
“The President has never sought to dismiss the likelihood of money laundering in Guyana. There is no reason to believe that such well-entrenched transnational criminal activity is not present in Guyana. Anyway the PPP/C administration efforts to combat money laundering are in the public domain and they are many,” Dr. Luncheon said.
Guyana is party to the 1988 UN Drug Convention, the 1961 UN Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs...and the 1971 UN Convention on Psychotropic Substances and Guyana is also a member of the Organisation of American States’ Inter-American Drug Abuse Control Commission (OAS/CICAD).
In 2001 Guyana signed a bilateral agreement with the U.S. on maritime counter narcotics co-operation. In March 2006 Guyana signed the OAS Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty to which the US is a party, which can be a basis to seek assistance. Guyana also has bilateral agreements to co-operate on drug trafficking issues with its neighbours and with the United Kingdom
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Preparations for 2008 budget well underway
Georgetown, GINA, November 12, 2007
Preparations for the 2008 National Budget are well underway and the various Ministries have already made their submissions.
Minister of Finance Dr. Ashni Singh stated that the Ministry has commenced meeting with Ministries, Government Agencies and Regional authorities and that work is progressing smoothly.
Each fiscal year (January 1 to December 31), Government presents a National Budget that outlines spending on programmes for Ministries/Departments/Agencies.
Spending in the social sectors have increased in recent years with the largest portions of funding being expended in the areas of health, housing, water, education, and public infrastructure.
This year’s Budget recorded at $100B was 2.9 per cent lower than the 2006 budget. The $102.9B Budget presented in 2006 was the largest in Guyana’s history, representing a 19.1 percent increase over the 2005 Budget.
The allocation of financial resources through the National Budget is a continuation of ongoing work in the various sectors aimed at improving living standards and further enhancing the physical and institutional infrastructure required to promote growth, create wealth and generate employment.
National budgets over the years have aimed to promote programmes geared towards improving the living standards and economic opportunities of vulnerable households and communities. The Poor Rural Communities Support Services Programme, Basic Needs Trust Fund, Linden Economic Advancement Programme, and the Social Impact Amelioration Programme are all tailored towards achieving this objective.
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T & T delegation in Guyana to explore food security proposal
Georgetown, GINA, November 12, 2007
A delegation from Trinidad and Tobago which is in Guyana to meet with local counterparts to examine ways to implement the Jagdeo Initiative to reduce food insecurity and poverty in the Region, today met with Minister of Foreign Trade and International Cooperation Dr. Henry Jeffrey.
The delegation headed by Mr. Kamal Mankee, Coordinator, Projects Unit in the Ministry of Finance, includes Mr. Patrick Cambridge, Chief Technical Officer, Ministry of Agriculture, and Dr Ranjit Singh, Senior Lecturer, Faculty of Agriculture University of the West Indies (UWI).
In an interview with the Government Information Agency today Mr. Mankee said “Our visit here is to better understand the concept of what is proposed and what Trinidad and Tobago can do to take it to the initialising phase.”
Mankee said “it can bring some degree of food security to the Region, and lead to the reduction in food prices.”
The team will be in Guyana for the remainder of the week during which they will be meeting with representatives of the Ministry of Agriculture, the New Guyana Marketing Corporation (NGMC), the National Agricultural Research Institute (NARI) and the Guyana Office for investment (GO-Invest). They will also be visiting selected areas identified for the project.
The project will see Guyana making available over 120,000 acres of land to develop large scale production of non traditional agricultural products and livestock. Crops targeted for production include corn, soybean, cashew, cassava and peanut. An agro-processing industry is also to be developed.
Areas identified for this project are the Intermediate and Rupununi Savannahs, the North West District and Hope Estate, East Coast Demerara. Local farmers whose farms have already been certified for export could also enter into joint venture arrangements to expand production.
The Jagdeo Initiative recognizes the difficulties traditional agricultural exports from the region face on the world market and the fact that increased food imports to the region have displaced many small farmers.
The initiative proposes to address these difficulties by facilitating financial, physical and institutional arrangements to stimulate business enterprises, and farmers’ activities, to improve and expand supply capacity and international competitiveness through the Caribbean Single Market and Economy (CSME).
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Main Big Lime preparations on stream
Government, GINA, November 12, 2007
The Ministry of Tourism, Industry and Commerce in collaboration with the private sector has started preparations for Main Big Lime 2007, the last major activity of the Ministry to be held before the end of the year.
The committee which was set up to coordinate the event has met and settled on several plans and will be moving to implement them, Minister of Tourism, Industry and Commerce, Manniram Prashad said.
This year the, Main Big Lime is expected to be bigger than pervious events. The Ministry has already been receiving numerous enquiries from foreign sources.
“This is the kind of response that we have been working towards. People should know that this is not a cultural show. It is a lime and the Christmas season is the ideal time for it to be hosted because it is when we experience the largest influx of visitors from all parts of the world,” Minister Prashad explained.
An evaluation is being done on the Main Street area which is used for the staging of the event to assess the amount of work that needs to be done, prior to the hosting of the event on Boxing Day, December 26.
“I am pleased to see how well the Georgetown Chamber of Commerce and businesses in that area have responded. They have agreed to assist with the street lighting which is very important because it brings a different feeling. Everyone will know it is Christmas in Guyana,” the Minister noted.
The Guyana Police and Defence Forces, the Guyana Fire Service and several private security forces have been engaged in discussions regarding the security aspect of the grand event.
“Crowd control is a major concern as the Main Big Lime continues to gather attention. We are looking for more participation but want this in an orderly manner. We have never had any major crime at any of the limes hosted before and we will therefore, continue with the type of policing and control mechanisms like all the other years,” the Tourism Minister stated.
The Main Big Lime started in 1999 as a means of entertainment and over the years, thousands of persons have been attending, especially oversees guests.
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Four new schools for Region two this year
Georgetown, GINA, November 12, 2007
Government continues to increase educational opportunities for children by providing the necessary infrastructure to create a conducive environment for learning. This thrust has been extended to all the administrative regions.
At present there are 76 schools in Region Two (Pomeroon/Supenaam) 31 of them being nursery, 38 primary and 7 secondary schools. A total of 13,222 pupils are attending school in that Region.
By the end of the year there will be four new schools in Region Two. Two are already completed; the Lima Sands Primary, at a cost of $8.7M and the Onderneeming Nursery which is expected to be commissioned shortly.
Under construction at a cost of $9M is the Dredge Creek Primary school. The Fisher Primary School which was allocated an additional $9M a week ago by President Bharrat Jagdeo will be completed soon.
Over 72 percent of the country’s children are now attending school as compared to 35 percent prior to 1992.
The construction of schools and access to special programmes form the Government’s focus towards providing education and achieving 100 percent functional literacy in Guyana.
Today approximately 900 nursery, primary and secondary schools have been built, rebuilt or repaired throughout the country including hinterland communities.
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President Jagdeo receives letter on Guyana/Saharawi bilateral relations
Georgetown, GINA, November 12, 2007
Ambassador of the Saharawi Arab Democratic Republic (SADR) Mohamed Beissat toady paid a courtesy call on President Bharrat Jagdeo at the Office of the President.
Ambassador Beissat who was satisfied with the brief meeting said a letter was also presented to the Head of State in relation to joint relations on behalf of his President.
“It was my honour and pleasure to meet His Excellency President Jagdeo of the Republic of Guyana to whom I had the honour to present a letter from my President. The letter is in the framework of our long standing friendship and co-operation that has always existed between my country and the Republic of Guyana,” Ambassador Beissat posited.
The Saharawi is part of the Arab, African and Third World nation, with a policy of independence.
The Arab Republic has defined itself in terms of a State as a free, independent, sovereign State governed by a national democratic system, of a unionist orientation, progressive and of Islamic faith.
Meanwhile, Canadian High Commissioner to Guyana Charles Court also paid a courtesy call on President Jagdeo.
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LBI cricket club receives boost
Georgetown, GINA, November 12, 2007
Minister of Culture Youth and Sport, Dr. Frank Anthony has again demonstrated his commitment to the promotion and development of sports across the country with a donation of cricket gears to the LBI Sports Club.
Cricket balls, pads, gloves and pads were handed over by the Minister to Secretary/Treasurer of the club Kemraj Jaikaran in the presence of Ravi Persaud and Virjanand Singh.
The club according to Jaikaran consists of several young members who were successful in two matches in the President’s Cup competition although being unlucky in the semi-final round.
Despite these constraints the Secretary highlighted a few victories which the club has achieved over the years. These include several inter-village and 20/Twenty competitions.
He extended his appreciation to Minister Anthony for the donation noting that it will benefit mainly the younger players in the club who have limited access to cricket gears.
Since his ascension to office the Minister has donated a number of sports gears to various clubs to promote sports.
“We hope that they do utilise the gears in a manner that is befitting of sports. Very often, we hear complaints that some clubs which receive gears are not often utilised in a proper manner, and I hope this is not the case with this club,” Minister Anthony said.
He was happy to hear of the club’s dedication to the game and successful performances in a few competitions.
The Minister has expressed concern about the frequent dormant use of sports clubs across the country and was satisfied with the club members who practice daily at the La Bonne Intention (LBI) Sports Club ground.
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Brigadier Granger claims on narcotics, fuel smuggling situation deceptive -Dr Luncheon
Georgetown, GINA, November 12, 2007
Government through Head of the Presidential Secretariat and Cabinet Secretary Dr. Roger Luncheon has condemned the statements made by Guyana Defence Force Brigadier (ret) David Granger on the issues of narcotics and fuel smuggling in Guyana.
Dr. Luncheon said the statements which were made in an article in the Stabroek News today are deceitful.
“The perspective is fraud that former Brigadier Granger is trying to peddle and by no means addresses the sincere and dedicated reach in which the administration is addressing issues of crime and violence and security in Guyana,” Dr. Luncheon said.
Brigadier Granger in the Stabroek News article claimed that Guyana could experience a better level of public safety and security, but this would remain elusive once there was no political will.
Dr. Luncheon said the administration has demonstrated its commitment through several interventions and will continue to remain dedicated.
“He also pronounces on the issue of professionalism and indeed the record shows clearly that the lack of professionalism has been focused on by the Police Force itself as well as the administration and over successive administration has demonstrated efforts to rout out those that perpetrate the unprofessional behavior and to institutionalize mechanism and practices to ensure that professionalism once more become a standard.”
He said, “In essence Granger’s comment reflects an overview that in the hands of some other journalist would be used to provide a different perspective; one that addresses our current efforts at reform in the security sector, one that addresses the policing crime fighting and crime prevention strategy in that component of reform that is currently public matter and is before Parliament and one that is being implemented with the support of our bilateral partners,” the Cabinet Secretary emphasized.
Dr. Luncheon also pointed to the period in the 1970s when crime was spiralling out of control and corrupt practices were dominant and noted that Guyanese have come a far way from those dark days.
Government has made several interventions to address the issues of narcotics and fuel smuggling, including signing on to several conventions, forming task forces and the implementation of several aspects of the National Drug Strategy Master Plan (NDSMP).
Members of the Fuel Smuggling and Contraband Task Force to combat fuel and illegal imports have been active.
The Guyana Defence Force (GDF) Coast Guard is working closely with the relevant agencies to fight fuel smuggling, drug trafficking and piracy.
In May, Executive Officer of the GEA Joseph O’ Lall, said fuel smuggling was down to 10 percent from 30 percent and the Coast Guard has co-operated with the Agency to arrest and prosecute smugglers
Guyana in 2001 signed a bilateral agreement with the US on maritime counter-narcotics co-operation and has bilateral agreements to co-operate in drug trafficking issues with its neighbours and with the United Kingdom.
A review will be conducted on November 26 on Government’s $650M drug master plan which was launched in 2005 to foster institutional, participatory and democratic approaches towards the achievement of a crime-free and healthy society, founded on the principles of social justice, rule of law and respect for authority.
Meanwhile, the administration has prioritized the development of the Guyana Police Force (GPF) through several initiatives including building modern police stations, training and providing more resources to enhance the capability of the Force.
The security sector has been receiving a steady increase in budgetary allocation with $9.3B allocated to the sector this year.
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Incentives for standing forest, part of Guyana’s position
-as preparations heighten for Bali climate change conference
Georgetown, GINA, November 12, 2007.
Incentives for the country’s standing forests will be among the major proposals to be put forward by Guyana at the 13th Conference of Parties (CoP 13th ) to be held as part of the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Bali, Indonesia, in December 2007.
The Bali Conference will be a culmination of a momentous 12-month climate debate and is expected to encourage a breakthrough in the form of a ‘roadmap’ for future climate change deals. The ‘Bali Roadmap’ is aimed at establishing a process to work on key building blocks of a future climate change regime, including adaptation, mitigation and technology cooperation and financing the response to climate change.
Minister of Agriculture Robert Persaud explained that the proposal seeking incentive takes into account conservation and preservation of the standing forests within the context of Guyana’s developmental needs.
This position, previously outlined by the President, indicates that countries such as Guyana which is among the world’s top six States with largest forest cover and in which there is still 36 percent unallocated forests, should be compensated for its contribution to stalling the effects of climate change.
Another proposal that will be presented by Guyana is the need for more support for adaptation measures. This will be made in the context of the country’s vulnerability, taking into consideration Guyana’s location below sea level and the high cost associated with implementing and adjusting various projects and plans to ensure adaptation.
It is expected that following the CoP 13,th there will be more support from the international community for adaptation to climate change measures in developing countries such as Guyana.
Support with the access to technology will also be part of Guyana’s position at the conference since it is recognised that the cost of technology and access to such facilities can be a deterring factor.
Minister Persaud expressed optimism that the response and outcome of the CoP 13th will be favourable for Guyana, taking into consideration the greater level of awareness and acceptance of the impact of climate change on the world. Reference was made to the UN’s Secretary General’s commitment to prioritise climate change as part of his mandate.
“Climate change is no longer an issue beyond our heads. It is a reality and we have seen the impact with sea level rise, erratic weather pattern which resulted in flooding in 2005 and 2006 and increase in temperature,” Minister Persaud said.
“The CoP 13th has to be seen in the wider context of developing a post-Kyoto Protocol framework and we must ensure that very early, Guyana’s positions and the views of our partners are reflected in that framework, which must address emergency awareness in which the whole world must tackle the effects of climate change,” he added.
Preparations for Guyana’s participation in the conference are intensifying as stakeholders’ contributions are being mobilized nationally, regionally and further at the multi-lateral level to gain support for the country’s position. This will be presented at several major upcoming events such as the Regional Meeting of Ministers, Commonwealth Heads of Governments Meeting in Zambia and the International Parliamentary Conference on Climate Change to be held shortly.
Over the past years, various activities were undertaken by Government to aid mitigation and adaptation to climate change in Guyana. These include reactivation of the National Climate Change Committee, establishment of the National Climate Unit and engagement with various multi-lateral and regional bodies to address issues at the planning and project levels.
Additionally, Government has been increasing the network of climate monitoring stations and has been designing and constructing new sea defences to accommodate varying sea levels. The rip-rap design allows the raising of defences to prevent overtopping.
Additionally, further studies on climate change impact and a climate change vulnerability country assessment in agriculture, will be conducted. The administration remains committed to strengthening the country’s options that will help Guyana adapt to changes in climate in both the short and longer term.
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Strong collaboration among stakeholders necessary to address piracy
-Minister Persaud emphasises
Georgetown, GINA, November 12, 2007.
Minister of Agriculture Robert Persaud has reiterated the need for greater collaboration among all stakeholders, from the law enforcement agencies to fishermen to ensure that the scourge of piracy is addressed.
The Minister noted that more investments are being made by Government to tackle incidents of piracy, although significant efforts have already been made in this regard.
Recently, the Guyana Defence Force (GDF) was allocated an additional $15M to establish and strengthen its communication capabilities while a fund has been set up at the Ministry of Agriculture for aid to piracy victims. The fund, which has been set up with an initial $5M investment from Government will require contributions from fishermen to maintain and sustain the initiative.
Resources from this fund are being used to provide necessary assistance to vulnerable families of several East Coast Demerara fishermen who are believed to have been victims of a brutal pirate attack.
Three bodies, which washed-up on the Corentyne shore earlier, were identified by relatives as members of the six-man fishing crew which left the Georgetown Fisheries wharf earlier last month.
Through the Ministry of Agriculture, meetings have been facilitated between the victims’ families and law enforcement agencies to determine the necessary assistance. An unsuccessful search was conducted by the GDF yesterday and earlier today to locate the vessel and other members of the fishing crew, Minister Persaud disclosed.
However, he noted that efforts are continuing through the various law enforcement agencies in collaboration with neighbouring States.
Additionally, other reports outside of the murderous attack, are being investigated and there are plans to have special operational measures taken shortly.
Previously, the Minister indicated that the communication system which has been designed by the GDF, includes a Global Positioning System (GPS) that will help the response unit to identify the location of a vessel that is indicating a distress signal.
Owners of fishing vessels, operators and fishermen will be required to ‘buy-into’ the system, which may require them to purchase necessary equipment to install in their vessels.
Also, a law is being established to make piracy a non-bailable offence and equal to murder. Government has received arguments that this action is too severe but, according to Minister Persaud, the current incident is evidence of the seriousness of piracy since murder is clear.
Another measure to tackle piracy is arming fishermen to ensure they have some form of defence while at sea. This arrangement is being offered to groups or the various fisheries cooperatives society.
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