Former Region Five Vice Chairman reassigned
Georgetown, GINA, March 07, 2011
Jalallodeen Baksh has been reassigned to the post of Vice Chairman of Region Five, confident that his past experiences in the local government system will guide his tenure successfully.
Baksh was today sworn in by President Bharrat Jagdeo at the Office of the President before Minister of Local Government and Regional Development, Kellawan Lall and Chairman of Region Five, Harrinarine Baldeo.
President Bharrat swears-in new vice Chairman of Region Five Jalallodeen Baksh
Baksh was elected to the position of Vice Chairman for the first time after the elections of 1996 and demitted office after serving for a period of 10 years but, following the resignation of his successor, Baksh was again called to serve.
President Bharrat Jagdeo congratulates new Vice Chairman of Region Five Jalallodeen Baksh
"I am coming into the job with some experience and I hope to do my best," Baksh told reporters noting that he is quite au fait with the operations of the Regional Democratic Council.
"We are an agency of the government, we have a budget and a works programme and we have to ensure that those are executed," Baksh said.
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Prime Minister receives courtesy call from Guyana Islamic Trust
-updated on activities for Islamic Awareness Week
Georgetown, GINA, March 7, 2011
Prime Minister Samuel Hinds today received a courtesy call from members of the Guyana Islamic Trust (GIT) at his Wight’s Lane office, Kingston.
GIT is the organizer for ‘Islamic Awareness Week 2011,’ and as such has planned a series of activities to commemorate the event. This includes public lectures, television and radio programmes, symposia, and visits to hospitals, among others, with the aim of promoting peace, love and harmony, as well as an understanding of the religion.
Prime Minister Samuel Hinds receives religious books from member of the Guyana Islamic Trust, Mohammed Awal.
The members were greeted by Prime Minister Hinds and subsequently had an informative discussion on the religion and the events planned.
Prior to the discussion, the Prime Minister was presented with a set of religious books from GIT member, Mohammed Awal.
Director of GIT, Mohammed Yusuf stated that the event is an annual one which is observed with the objective of propagating the values, and precepts of Islam, so that Guyanese can develop among themselves harmony, love, understanding and respect.
“There are lots of misconceptions about the religion and a lot of them are perpetuated by the media. I think it’s important that people understand that there is a difference between what Muslims do and what Islam represents,” he added.
Prime Minister Samuel Hinds meets members of the Guyana Islamic Trust at his Wight’s Lane office, Kingston.
Member of GIT, Ziad Khan, who is Canadian based, noted that the activities planned by the organisation are aimed at bringing persons together through Islam and bridging the gaps among the various religious beliefs, through knowledge and understanding.
He expressed hope that this will reduce the number of conflicts imposed on the different religious backgrounds.
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Guyana’s growing tourism popularity boosted with ‘Icon Film’ two-hour documentary
... crew currently filming in Guyana
Georgetown, GINA, March 7, 2011
As Guyana becomes more popular as an ecotourism destination another team, this time from Icon Films is currently in Guyana filming for a two-hour documentary which focuses on animals.
The team which is contracted by ‘Animal Planet’ follows closely behind a British Broadcasting Corporation team (BBC) which was in Guyana recently filming for a 10 part series entitled ‘Retracing the Steps of Sir Walter Raleigh’.
Minister of Tourism Industry and Commerce Manniram Prashad today met with the Icon Film team at the Ministry where he alluded to Guyana’s growing popularity as a tourist destination.
“More people are becoming interested in our wildlife and our ecotourism in Guyana as a destination of choice and that is why we have all these film crews, all these important international organizations sending people down to Guyana to explore and discover Guyana,” he said.
Minister of Tourism Industry and Commerce Manniram Prashad pose for a photograph with members of the Icon Films team, Jeremy Wade (left) and Daniel Heurtas (right).
The two-hour documentary will be aired across North America to about 94 million households.
Minister Prashad said that the documentary provides huge exposure for Guyana since an advertisement of this nature would have cost close to US$1M to promote Guyana.
He added that it also provides a huge boost to the tourism sector in Guyana as it serves to attract people especially foreign tourists to these shores.
After spending almost five weeks in Guyana, the team has almost completed its filming expedition which took them to several parts of Guyana.
Television presenter Jeremy Wade said he wanted to visit Guyana for over five years and he is now pleased that he was able to do so. Unlike Wade who is visiting for the first time, Assistant Producer Daniel Heurtas is on his second visit here after visiting with the BBC to film ‘Lost land of the Jaguar.’
The team visited the Essequibo River, Rewa, Kaieteur Falls and the Dadanawa Ranch in Region 9.
Minister Prashad said he is happy to welcome Icon Films to Guyana and the documentary would serve to promote the country’s image abroad as an eco destination.
Guyana is now ranked alongside Peru as one of the top birding destinations in the world and is one of the places that tourists consider when they want to visit an eco-friendly country to do birding, sport fishing or to look at some of the giant animals that live here.
Icon Films is an independent production company based in the United Kingdom which produces programs for the BBC, National Geographic, Animal Planet, Discovery Channel and other leading broadcasters.
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President meets bakers on flour price hike– urges that consumers not be affected
Georgetown, GINA, March 07 2011
President Bharrat Jagdeo today urged local bakers to try as best as possible to avoid the trickle down effect which the Guyanese consumer could face as a result of rising flour prices on the regional and international market.
His appeal came after meeting bakers today, a few weeks after engaging in discussions with local millers who were seeking to negotiate an increase in flour prices.
The National Milling Company of Guyana (NAMILCO) had proposed a 15 percent increase on the price for flour but President Jagdeo wanted no more than a 10 percent increase and made his preferences known to them.
President Bharrat Jagdeo speaking to bakers in the presence of Minister of Tourism Industry and Commerce Manniram Prashad
Minister of Tourism Industry and Commerce Manniram Prashad who was also part of today’s meeting said NAMILCO’s Managing Director Bert Sukhai heeded the President’s preference and is reconsidering the price increase.
According to the Minister, bread prices should increase by a mere $5 or $10 for bakers who purchase from NAMILCO while at other bakeries, prices will remain the same.
Government has lifted all restrictions, for the importation of flour but will carefully monitor the importation at the level of the food and drugs department and the Bureau of Standards.
Faced with a similar situation of flour price increase in 2008 a government subsidy came into effect and was removed when flour prices returned to normal.
Representatives of the various bakeries in Guyana at the Office of the President in discussion with President Bharrat Jagdeo
The drought in China, coupled with the turmoil in the Middle East and oil prices have all been fingered as factors influencing the increase in flour prices.
Bakery giant Bakewell imports flour from Trinidad and Tobago and some other bakeries from Jamaica, hence there will be no increase by these companies, Minister Prashad said.
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Every road fatality is a loss to Guyana- Minister Rohee
-Founder of Mothers in Black honoured
Georgetown, GINA, March 7, 2011
The Home Affairs Ministry today hosted a ceremony to recognise the sterling contributions of Denise Dias, Founder of the Alicea Foundation and the Mothers in Black, in ensuring safer roadways in Guyana.
The Alicea Foundation is a non profit organization founded in Guyana in 1997 in memory of Alicea Gouveia who was a victim of a fatal road accident. Unknown to her parents, Alicea had opened a life insurance policy, money which her parents, Denise and Dennis Dias, used to start the Alicea Foundation, which subsequently led to the formation of Mothers in Black.
Minister of Home Affairs, Clement Rohee presenting a plaque to Founder of the Alicea Foundation and the Mothers in Black, Denise Dias at the Ministry of Home Affairs, Brickdam
Home Affairs Minister, Clement Rohee in his remarks said that the inter-connection between the Mothers in Black and road safety is an unquestionable one that is beyond reproach.
He said that too often, people would form organisations but would lack direction and a sense of purpose, the Mothers in Black on the other hand, has always maintained a constant focus, which is the creation of safer roadways.
“Our roads are becoming busier than before; the road network has not expanded correspondingly with the number of vehicles that we have now and therefore road safety is extremely important,” Minister Rohee said.
He added that the Mothers in Black under the stewardship of Dias has managed to raise its profile to a national level so much so that it has become a household name for many in Guyana.
Minister Rohee disclosed that the Ministry is working closely with the GPF and the NRSC is making good headway, examining initiatives that were suggested by President Bharrat Jagdeo. One such initiative is the implementation of the stray catchers’ unit, which was recently launched in an effort to reduce the prevalence of animals on the roads.
The demerit system is another idea that is being explored, whereby persons who have been charged more than three times for traffic-related offences, could have their licences revoked.
“Every life lost on the road is a loss to our country, is a loss to our national assets in so far as human resource is concerned,” he maintained.
Minister Rohee expressed the hope that Dias’ staunch advocacy on road safety will be emulated by all road users.
Deputy Commissioner, Operation, Lekraj Persaud said that all ranks of the Guyana Police Force (GPF) are constantly exhorted to get more involved in road safety awareness and, its strategies are continuously being reviewed in an effort to ensure safer use of the roads.
He lauded Dias’ resilience in looking past her own tragedy and moving in the direction to create the much needed awareness with regards to the importance of road safety in Guyana.
He disclosed that the Force is looking at implementing new strategies on road safety.
Dias’ selfless, voluntary contributions to ensuring safety on the country’s highways were also lauded by the National Road Safety Council (NRSC), with which the Mothers in Black work very closely. The organisation is now inserted as a permanent feature in the NRSC.
Dias in her words of appreciation said that, “Road safety is everybody’s business; we all have a duty to care and keep our children and young people safe.”
Last year she was invited to the Bill Clinton’s Global Initiative Conference in New York to tell her story. During that meeting, it was decided that on May 11, 2011 a global road safety decade of action will be launched.
As such, the Mothers in Black with support from Government, the NRSC, GPF and the both private and public sectors will be launching an education road safety campaign, which will be Guyana’s contribution to the United Nations’ (UN) Global Decade of Action.
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Home Affairs Minister meets Assessment team from CICAD
Minister of Home Affairs, Clement meeting with an Assesment Team from the Inter-American Drug Abuse Control Commission (CICAD), led by Organisation of American States (OAS), Ambassador James Mack at the Home Affairs Ministry, Brickdam
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President willing to fund income-earning projects for differently-abled
- as Disabilities Act sensitisation campaign launched
Georgetown, GINA, March 7, 2011
President Bharrat Jagdeo today proposed some unprecedented ideas that will enable persons with disabilities to gain a foothold in mainstream activities in society by signalling his commitment to fund income earning projects for these groups.
President Bharrat Jagdeo speaking to Chairman of the Guyana Council of Organisations for persons with Disabilities at the launch of the sensitisation campaign on the Persons with Disabilities Act 2010
The President was at the time delivering remarks at the launch of a sensitisation campaign for the Persons with Disabilities Act 2010 at the Regency Suites, Hadfield St.
Speaking to a large gathering of mostly differently-abled persons, President Jagdeo pledged a “significant increase” in funds to the National Commission on Disability (NCD) and the Guyana Council of Organisations for persons with Disabilities.
“I want to meet with them directly… to talk about how we can use this money in the sensitisation process and, secondly, how we can start moving to more project related activities that will deal with specific instances of creating more opportunities for people with disabilities,” President Jagdeo said.
The persons with Disability Act was assented by President Jagdeo in November 2, 2010. the act seeks to provide certain rights to persons with disabilities including the promotion, protection and equal enjoyment of their rights, the elimination of discrimination on the basis of disability, welfare and rehabilitation of persons with disability.
President Bharrat Jagdeo speaking to different abled persons at the launch of the sensitisation campaign on the Persons with Disabilities Act 2010
President Jagdeo shared one of his visions of inclusiveness for persons with disability which includes call centres staffed solely by persons with disabilities.
“Can we turn our attention to this sort of thing which may just require a bit of seed money from the government but then becomes commercially self sustaining?… we don’t want to treat you differently than anyone else,” President Jagdeo said.
The Guyanese Head of State believes that while the legislation concretized the law regarding the rights of persons with disabilities it will be nullified without the heart and the commitment of society.
“If that is absent, all of the deadlines outlined in the law could be missed because there is no penalty for missing a deadline… it is only if the Government makes it a priority and it is only if it’s driven by the commitment to do something that makes a difference that this will happen,” President Jagdeo said.
The Head of State opined that there is much more to be done to support persons with disabilities and acknowledged that the improvement in the economy will facilitate the support needed.
Work on drafting the legislation for people with disabilities began gaining momentum in 1994 under the then Minister of Health Gail Teixeira.
Prominent radio personality Julie Lewis speaking at the launch of the sensitisation campaign on the Persons with Disabilities Act 2010
Subventions are provided by the Ministry of Health to the NCD, Cheshire Home, and the Ptolemy Reid Rehabilitation Centre. Through the collaborative effort of the Ministries of Health and Education, the first ever manual for sign language will be produced. With this manual teachers will be trained in the use of sign language.
The Ministry of Education which is a key stakeholder in the promotion of rights for persons with disabiliies, has appointed a special education needs coordinator and has on record four schools that started sign language as part of the curriculum.
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Ministry of Human Services and Social Security’s celebration of International Women’s Day 2011
Artistes performing at the Ministry of Human Services and Social Security’s celebration of International Women’s Day 2011 entitled Phenomenal Woman
An inter-generational discussion: Presidential Advisor Gail Teixeira, Patrice La Fleur of the UNDP and Head of the Commission on the Rights of the Child, Aleema Nasir engage in a discussion with two Attorneys-at- law about the realities of womanhood.
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