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| Time for government and parliamentary opposition to get back to work |
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-President Jagdeo tells 9th Parliament
President Bharrat Jagdeo said now that the political campaigns are over, it is time for the Government as well as the parliamentary opposition to get back to the task of building the country.
The Head-of State was at the time addressing parliamentarians at the opening of the Ninth Parliament last Thursday.
Present at the occasion were parliamentary representatives of the government, opposition and members of the Diplomatic Corps.
He told the Assembly that since the return to democracy, Guyana has been transformed from an underdeveloped state to one which is on the road to realising its true potential.
President Jagdeo noted that “our people have seen their living standards improved dramatically, thanks to unprecedented advances that have been made in areas including education, health, potable water supply housing and public infrastructure.”
He added that while the foregoing are important strides in the right direction, continuing to move the nation forward would require more than a set of sound intentions and policies.
“It will require a climate of institutional and political trust as well as a strong capacity for hard work and excellence”, the President said.
He added that his government is committed to strengthening the integrity of public institutions, which includes continuing the relentless fight against corruption and unequivocal subscription to transparency and accountability in the affairs of government.
The President said that as a government “we will take all necessary measures to create a society where there are equal opportunities for all. A more inclusive system where there is equal treatment before the law and by all agencies whether public or private.”
He said that in the next five years his government would work towards the political, economic and social transformation of the country in which all of the people could have equal access to economic resources and benefit from improved social conditions.
Guyana, the Head-of-State added, must be propelled to a new threshold that would see it emerge as a modern democratic and united country, geared to transform its natural and human resources into the creation of wealth.
The core elements of the task towards political transformation he said, include constitutional and legislative reform that would involve all political parties represented in Parliament and the wider civil society.
The underlying pillars of the new political framework will include meaningful engagement with all political parties, reform of the legislative and judicial branches of government and continuous engagement with all stakeholders.
In the economic sphere the President pointed out, “it is my government's commitment to restructure and reorient the economy to achieve greater qualitative output.”
To this end he assured, “my government will continue strengthening the traditional sectors while nurturing new sectors such as information technology, aquaculture and ecotourism.”
He noted that his Administration is working towards the creation of a business friendly environment which will make Guyana a business friendly investment destination.
The Head-of-State cautioned parliamentarians to remain focused on their mandate and conduct themselves in an exemplary manner, worthy of holding the highest decision-making capacity in the land.
“Not only does your office carry great prestige but great responsibility,” he charged the new members of the National Assembly, noting that they are “constantly under scrutiny and are accountable to the electorate.”
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| President's action constitutional |
| - Chief Justice
Chief Justice Carl Singh on Thursday ruled that the actions of President Bharrat Jagdeo appointing Ministers of Government on September 8, and issuing a proclamation on September 12, for the reconvening of the Ninth Parliament, are constitutional.
In his ruling at the High Court, the Chief Justice said, “The Appointment of Ministers of Government by His Excellency, President Bharrat Jagdeo on the 8th September 2006, was constitutional, proper and valid.”
He further stated that the President's Proclamation of the reconvening of Parliament on September 28, outside of the four-month period since the last dissolution of Parliament, is within the President's constitutional capacity, and as such, is proper and valid.
This follows legal proceedings undertaken by the Peoples National Congress Reform (PNC/R) and the Alliance for Change (AFC), challenging the Head of State's authority to appoint a date for the commencement of Parliament, four months from its last dissolution. Additionally, they challenged whether the President lawfully appointed Ministers of Government, before their names were extracted from the List of Candidates by the Representative, and before the convening of Parliament by way of proclamation.
The Chief Justice indicated that Mr. Fraser, on behalf of the applicants, in his submissions argued that the President's appointment of Ministers was done in breach of the provisions of Section 98 of the Representation of the People's Act. This deals with membership of the National Assembly, which occurs when seats have been allocated to any list of candidates under section 97 of the Representation of the Peoples’ Act.
An elected member of the National Assembly 'means any person elected as a member of the National Assembly pursuant to the provisions of Paragraph (2) of Article 60 or Article 160 (2)'.
In this regard, the Chief Justice said, “It is important to note and I wish to emphasise, that the definition of an 'elected member of the National Assembly' set out in Article 232 of the Constitution, makes absolutely no reference to Section 98 of the Representation of the People Act, Chapter 1:03 of the Laws of Guyana.
The only reference, he said, is to Article 60(2) and 160(2). Article 60(2) provides that the election of members of the National Assembly shall be in accordance with the system of Proportional Representation. Article 160(2) allows for Parliament to make the provision for the division of the country into geographical constituencies, and sets out the circumstances whereby a candidate may stand for election in any geographical constituency, among other stipulations.
Article 232, the Chief Justice said, explains who is an elected member of the National Assembly and Section 98 of the Representation of the People’ Act, deals with seat allocation.
“In my view, Section 98 of the Representation of the People's Act, has no bearing or impact whatever upon the President's appointment of his Ministers. It is beyond doubt that there is nothing in Article 103 of the constitution which stipulates that persons appointed as Ministers of the Government should be those persons whose names had been extracted from the PPP/C list of candidates as being persons identified to hold seats in the National Assembly,” the Chief Justice said.
Regarding the President's proclamation of the reconvening of Parliament, Article 69(1) reads, “each session of Parliament shall be held at such time (not being later than six months from the end of the preceding session if Parliament has been prorogued, or four months from the end of that session if Parliament has been dissolved) as the President shall appoint by Proclamation.”
The PNC/R and the AFC contended that under Article 69 of the Constitution, the Ninth Parliament should have commenced sitting no later than September 2, 2006, which is four months from the end of the Eighth Parliament which was dissolved on May 2, 2006.
“Apart from contending that the President's Proclamation was unconstitutional and unlawful, the PNC/R offered no assistance to the Court on the way forward. Mr. Fraser, on behalf of the AFC, while recognising that it is important that the National Assembly meet, urged that I declare the President to have been without Constitutional authority to issue the Proclamation but to legitimise it by applying the doctrine of necessity,” the Chief Justice noted.
He quoted several international cases, and concluded, “In the present circumstances, the Court is without the power to compel the President to issue a Proclamation nor can the Court itself issue any order, that Parliament be convened. The President has a mandatory duty under the provisions of Article 69 of the Constitution to proclaim when the sitting of the Ninth Parliament should commence.”
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Encumbrances on government reserves must be removed |
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- Minister Benn
Residents impeding the construction of a tarmac at Mon Repos, East Coast Demerara have been urged by Minister of Public Works & Communications, Robeson Benn, to remove their structures to enable the works to move forward.
The project is being undertaken at a cost of $65M to create convenient and comfortable facilities for vendors, who were previously selling on the roadways.
During his visit to the site on September 26, the Minister had discussions with two owners of properties impeding the work. He told them that occupancy of government's reserve is illegal and there is no alternative to removal.
“We are very concerned that people are still on the reserve and impeding the progress of works. We need to get those who are on the reserve off so that the works could be completed,” the Minister said.
He noted that issues like these often cause delays but when executing a development for the good of the people, it must be ensured that the project is delivered on time and according to the design.
The Minister will be meeting the two property owners shortly to settle the matter. He said it is expected that the tarmac will be completed by October 16 with very minor delays, if any at all.
Minister Benn said there is need for focus to be placed on the removal of encumbrances on government's reserve. Such encumbrances scrap metal and old vehicles which result in obstruction of further infrastructural development.
Over the past weeks, the Minister has visited a number of agencies and facilities in the Ministry to assess the present status and by looking at the resources available, will work towards improvement in areas deemed necessary.
He noted that there is need to improve the efficiency and output of the Ministry without compromising safety while more focus must be given to client services. Officials of the various agencies in the Ministry have been asked to submit a list of areas that need improvement.
The Demerara Harbour Bridge (DHB), several Transport & Harbours Department (T&HD) stellings, the Cheddi Jagan International Airport (CJIA), sea defences at Belladrum, the Parika road and stelling were some of the facilities inspected by the Minister.
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| IMF has key role in promoting equity for developing countries |
| -President Jagdeo
President Bharrat Jagdeo on Tuesday said the role of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) is critical to the success of CARICOM states, in light of the enormous challenges faced in their struggle to remain stable democracies.
He was at the time addressing members of the media at a press-brief at the Office of the President.
The Guyanese Head-of-State noted the numerous challenges faced by under-developed states in the region and worldwide, noting that the policies of the IMF and World Bank are related to the alleviation of these problems.
President Jagdeo posited that, “the IMF and the World Bank must continue to support the efforts of low-income countries to reduce poverty,” noting that this is among the most important areas of the two institutions work.”
He added that despite the social and economic inhibitions “our macro-economic fundamentals continue to be sound and we are actively responding to economic challenges through efforts to improve the international competitiveness of our economies and to deepen the integration process through the CARICOM Single Market and Economy (CSME).”
He noted that while some nations are well positioned to meet the poverty reduction objective of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), others still have a long way to go.
This he noted would hinder the aggregate growth of the world economy.
Development in these areas he said, require increased efforts by both donors and aid recipients.
“The necessary ingredients for success include good policies, increased resources, and improved aid effectiveness which in turn, entail better governance, developing infrastructure, expanding trade and promoting economic integration.”
Mr. Jagdeo noted, “a critical element of the IMF's medium-term strategy is ensuring that the representation of members in the Fund is fair and that all members have an adequate voice in the institution.”
The President said that crisis prevention is an important part of the IMF's mandate and indeed is a key plank of its medium-term strategy.
“We need to ensure that if conditions change, we have the ability to support these countries, thus, revisiting the IMF's facilities for preventing and responding to crises in emerging market countries is important,” he told the group.
The Head-of-State added that effective cooperation in development efforts in middle-income countries, which are home to the majority of the world's poor, is essential to achieving the MDGs.
These countries he said, clearly value their relationship with these two institutions, but also look forward to improved engagement with them in terms of greater flexibility and reduced costs of doing business, as well as better customization of products and technical assistance to meet their needs.
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China’s success could be an inspiration for Guyanese |
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President Bharrat Jagdeo has extended congratulations to the Government and people of China on the occasion of the 57th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China.
At a reception held at the Chinese Embassy in Georgetown on last Thursday, the President said the anniversary of the founding of a nation provides the opportunity to reflect on the achievements made over the years. He added that the significant economic growth, technological and scientific advances achieved by China, could be credited to the sacrifices of the Chinese people. Further, he observed that China’s accomplishments could serve as an inspiration to Guyanese in their nation-building efforts.
He lauded China’s efforts in advancing the efforts of developing countries such as Guyana at various international fora. President Jagdeo pointed out that at the regional level, China has prioritized developing friendly relations and cooperation.
The President also reflected on the strong relationship between Guyana and China, emphasizing
the assistance given to the country in building a modern sugar factory at Skeldon and the International Conference Centre at Liliendaal.
Guyana and China established diplo could be credited to the sacrifices of the Chinese people matic relations 34 years ago and the relationship has yielded many benefits for Guyanese.
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Mahatma Gandhi’s birth anniversary to be observed |
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The High Commission of India will be organizing a one-hour function from 08:00 hrs in the Promenade Gardens on Monday, October 2 to commemorate the 137th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi.
President Bharrat Jagdeo is expected to be the guest-of-honour and other invitees include Prime Minister Samuel Hinds and Georgetown Mayor, Hamilton Greene.
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Procurement must deliver the right product, right price, at the right time |
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Minister within the Ministry of Finance, Jennifer Webster, has stated that procurement must be seen as a critical factor in project management and implementation and the guidelines governing these should be transparent and foolproof.
She was at the time addressing the opening of the Caribbean Development’s Bank’s (CDB) launch of its Revised Guidelines for Procurement for Guyana.
Among those present at the opening were Portfolio Manager, Anthony Dupigny, Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Finance, Nirmal Rekha, Operations Officer, CDB, William Ashby and several other officials representing various government agencies.
Webster, who was deputizing for senior Minister Dr Ashni Singh, noted that the two-day programme, while seeking to provide an update on regional procurement policies, will also facilitate training for functionaries in government.
“Our procurement system must be responsive to global changes and complexity. Such procurement (system) must also show our government to keep its promise to the Guyanese people in delivering the right product at the right price and at the right time,” the Minister added.
Areas to be addressed during the programme include Contract Values & Procurement Methods and International Competitive Bidding.
In 2005, a number of new procurement policies were drafted by the CDB which were subsequently adopted in January.
Training and implementation have commenced throughout the region during 2006.
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'Bed and Breakfast' a priority |
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The bed and breakfast concept introduced to boost accommodation for Cricket World Cup 2007 is now being promoted to increase the drive to provide adequate facilities.
“We now have a full secretariat of personnel and infrastructure that will facilitate the acceleration of the Bed and Breakfast process,” according to Karran Singh, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Local Organising Committee (LOC) at a press conference held at the LOC headquarters today.
The Bed and Breakfast (B&B) Secretariat is located at the bottom flat of the LOC building on Middle Street, Georgetown.
The target is to provide 2500 to 3000 rooms in addition to what the hotels will have available. Approximately 500 rooms have already been approved.
The LOC B&B secretariat has set October 2006 as its timeline for approving 1500 rooms.
GUYEXPO, scheduled for October 26-31 will serve as an avenue to promote both the selling of tickets and the B&B.
The B&B Secretariat will function as the base for persons who are interested in having their homes made available for accommodation. Application forms and general information can be obtained at this office. All areas of Guyana are being considered.
Applicants would be selected after their homes have been inspected and graded. The grading is based on the infrastructure of the specific home; such as air conditioning, king-size bed and independent bathroom facilities.
It was noted that the rates for the rooms would be set by the individual home owners with the LOC giving guidelines.
Singh noted that the main objective is to target low cost rooms, because a significant number of the visitors would be young people who have pooled their savings to visit the Caribbean and they would not stay at established hotels where rates are high.
The B&B secretariat is headed by Brian Wills and will train local homeowners about basic hospitality approaches.
ICC World Cup Cricket will be held in the Caribbean for the first time and Guyana is slated to host the Super Eight fixtures in March 2007.
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Extension services are essential |
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There is room for improvement of extension services, which are essential to the development of Guyana's agriculture and government remains committed to ensuring that this goal is achieved.
These remarks were made on Thursday by Minister of Agriculture, Robert Persaud during his address at the opening of a three-day review workshop to enhance extension and research services.
The activity is being conducted as part of a technical assistance component of the European Union (EU) Rice Competitiveness Project. This component is being undertaken by AGRIFOR Consulting, a Belgian firm.
“We are not going to improve agriculture, if we don't acknowledge the importance of extension services,” Minister Persaud said.
He pointed out that $35M is spent annually on the delivery of extension services to the other crops sectors and some $60M to the rice industry. However, it is not the amount of money that is invested but the optimum use made of those resources.
Speaking directly about the rice industry, the Minister said government recognises the challenges currently facing it and has developed programmes to confront these issues by looking at the various linkages which include extension services.
He said extension services could bring about change in the industry and it is the extension officers who must serve as facilitators of this change.
“Change will reduce production cost that we are working towards, increase productivity and enhance the living standards,” the Minister said
He also stressed the importance of the application of information technology in restructuring of extension services.
Institutional strengthening expert, Graham Garrod, said focus must be placed on developing new forms of extension services to develop the rice industry and to make it more competitive on the international markets.
“You are the ones who have the information, the experience and knowledge and we want to learn from you so that we can start developing new ideas,” Garrod told the participants.
Others who spoke at the event were General Secretary of the Rice Producers Association (RPA), Dhanramkumar Seeraj, General Manager of the Guyana Rice Development Board (GRDB), Jagnarine Singh and Head of the Guyana Rice Project Management Unit (GRPMU) , Nigel Dharamlall.
Under the EU project, Euros 11.7M is being spent to execute several activities to develop the local rice industry. Apart from the technical services component, a financial facility will be established to provide working capital and investment in the industry.
Another component will see the replacement of two pumps at Dawa and construction of new sluices at Westbury and Golden Fleece.
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Radio, telecommunications sector to be liberalized |
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- television to be regularized
President Bharrat Jagdeo has indicated his intention to advance the liberalization of the local radio sector and work towards instituting of broadcast legislation.
The disclosure was made while addressing members of the media during a press briefing on September 26, at the Office of the President.
The President noted that the developments are in keeping with Information Communication Technology (ICT) and broadcast reforms, which are to be addressed during the current term.
These reforms, President Jagdeo said, include not just opening up the radio sector but restoring a more organized format for the television sector.
“I intend to liberalize radio and bring some order to TV land,” the Head-of-State assured.
In an earlier statement issued by Prime Minister (designate) Samuel Hinds, he had revealed government's intention to further open the telecommunications sector.
He assured that in keeping with regional and international trends, Guyana will be moving to further liberalize the mobile sector.
“I hope that in the period we will have a law in place for a new and liberalized sector,” he said.
He assured that a lot of preparatory work has already been done and government is in consultation with experts to refine the existing drafts.
Several moves have been made over the last few years to make the sector more competitive and these have so far yielded positive results.
The Prime Minister noted that “even though the laws are not yet in place there has been a great improvement in the telecommunications sector especially.”
The initial mobile monopoly of the Guyana Telephone and Telegraph Company (GT&T) was broken in 2004 following the entry of Cel*Star to the market.
The sector is slated to derive further benefits following the imminent entry of telecoms giant Digicel to the local market.
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Minister Jeffrey meets NACEN Group |
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Minister of Foreign Trade & International Cooperation and acting Minister of Foreign Affairs, Dr Henry Jeffrey, has been holding a series of meetings with stakeholders. The first meeting with the National Advisory Committee (NACEN) was held on Wednesday, September 27, 2006.
The NACEN was established in 1997 as the domestic complement to CARICOM’s Regional Negotiating Machinery (RNM). Like its counterparts in other CARICOM member states, NACEN is intended to facilitate effective coordination of Guyana’s preparation for and participation in the various external trade negotiations, and to provide national feedback to the regional body. The Committee comprises of high-level representation from the public and private sectors, labour and academia.
The meeting discussed key issues relating to the various trade negotiations in which Guyana is actively engaged and the Minister underscored the importance of a coherent and strategic approach with respect to the multilateral, regional and bilateral negotiations. In this regard, Minister Jeffrey emphasized the critical need for the private sector’s sustained input and feedback.
The group welcomed the Minister’s approach and several points for immediate action were agreed to advance the inter-agency collaboration between the Ministry and the Committee. Such action includes the strengthening of the Technical Working Groups which were previously established under the NACEN.
During next week, the Minister will be meeting with the various stakeholder agencies of the NACEN, such as the private sector organizations, Guysuco and the Guyana Rice Development Board, on a one-on-one basis.
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