Tuesday, July 31, 2007

US foreign investment given the boot

http://www.stabroeknews.com/index.pl/article?id=56525517

US foreign investment given the boot
Stabroek News. Business Supplement.
Friday, July 27th 2007

This column explores initiatives to improve the business climate of our
nation and make Guyana Open for Business a reality. Peter R Ramsaroop,
MBA Chairman, RoopGroup

Stabroek News editorial on July 24 made a profound statement in
reference to whether Guyana is open for business or not, "one thing
most businessmen will not tolerate is being pushed from pillar to post,
being given cryptic answers which leave them in doubt" This last week,
another major foreign US investor was given the boot by the Minister of
Agriculture who he said did not even understand the concept of
opportunity cost. This investment firm wanted to build the first modern
milling plant for finished wood. They were approved initially for a
forest concession and now after years of waiting, were told that it had
been referred to a subcommittee. They got their Brazilian Visas while
in Guyana and left for Brazil to discuss moving their investment there.
They are hoping that the government will return their concession fee.

The mill investor told me as he left for Brazil that the Minister of
Agriculture clearly did not understand the long term impact of their
investment and turning raw materials such as lumber into finished
products. The need for finished wood is in demand globally, yet we do
not have such a plant in our nation. The US Ambassador needs to re-look
at his policies for Guyana and must advise future US investors of our
climate so as not to have them waste resources.

Previously in this space, we've examined many ideas around the concept
of building Guyana into the next "Tiger Economy" patterned after fast
growing and modernizing economies in Ireland and East Asia. One of the
leading indicators for building such an economy is the trend in foreign
direct investment (FDI). Where then does Guyana place in the hunt for
global capital and the jobs that may follow and how can we become
competitive in an increasingly fierce battle for foreign investment?
Sadly, instead of building a "tiger" economy it seems that all too
often we are trying to keep an economy more akin to a mouse on IMF
life-support. We are addicted to aid and debt relief. We are proud to
be a poor country and our President emphasises that in every speech he
makes externally as he begs for more favours from developed nations, as
if it is our right to get help. With all of our resources how can this
be? How is it possible to sustain poverty in the face of so much
"potential"? I try to give voice in this column to some of the key
points both public and private that can help arrest our economic decay
and put us on the road to prosperity.

Economists and policymakers around the world generally agree that an
overall policy framework built on economic and political stability,
with clear rules regarding the entry and operations of international
businesses and a clear privatization policy are the main components of
the public sector's responsibility for creating a positive climate for
FDI. Other concrete steps that have proven to attract investors are
simplified administrative features, investment facilitation services
such as those that are supposed to be supplied by Go-Invest, and
incentives such as tax reduction/abatement or subsidies. This recent
investor did not receive any of these services. I can attest to the
same treatment by Go-Invest. Foreign direct investors, typically, have
a longer-term perspective when engaging in a host country.

Until next week, "Roop".

Moving on

http://www.stabroeknews.com/index.pl/article?id=56525723

Moving on
Stabroek News. Editorial.
Monday, July 30th 2007

Responding on Thursday in parliament to a question from PNCR-1G MP
Aubrey Norton on when radio licences would be issued, Prime Minister
Sam Hinds once again invoked the memory of the failed Jagdeo-Hoyte
talks by referring to what had been envisaged i.e. the enactment of a
broadcast law followed by the establishment of a broadcast authority
which would then preside over the approval of applications.

He said that the government still anticipated moving along this path
but that licences were unlikely to be granted before the middle of next
year. Considering that the opening up of the radio sector had been
promised since 1992 - 15 years ago, the PM's words aren't very
reassuring. However, the embarrassment at the paralysis both here and
abroad may yet force the government's hands.

But it is the reference to the Jagdeo-Hoyte talks that should puzzle
and worry the citizenry. After the acrimony of the 1997 elections the
dialogue between the two leaders was an ignominious failure and created
minefields riddled with flashpoints as time went by. The broadcast
committee of Teixeira/ Bernard failed to successfully steer the
proposed legislation through Parliament and the effort died away.
However, many years later senior government officials would harp on the
most ridiculous argument that the broadcast law had been held up
because consensus was being sought with the PNCR.

It was the most inane and duplicitous excuse possible as this
government has never been shy of steamrollering through Parliament what
its heart desires - PNCR agreement or not. The latest example of this
was the Guyana Forestry Commission bill on the very Thursday which in
addition to the continuing troubling tendency to entrust lavish power
to ministers, was not available for adequate study by MPs and members
of civil society. If the government had indeed been interested in
forwarding broadcast legislation it would most certainly have done so.
Politically, the government may very well feel that it is unwise to
open up the sector as it is a medium that can reach far and wide and
communicates well with the grass roots.

If the Prime Minister and his government are now serious about the
broadcast law then it will be shown in their deeds. If it is the plan
that radio applications will be granted after the law has been passed
and the authority has been set up then it is clear what the government
has to do. The significant amount of work that had been done by the
previous committee should be immediately sent back to the parliamentary
draftsmen for any changes that may be deemed necessary and a new bill
tabled in Parliament.

In anticipation of the stumbling blocks, the bill could then be
immediately consigned to a select committee. By all accounts select
committees have functioned in a rarified atmosphere and produced
significant compromises away from the bellowing and jockeying in the
House. The process could also be opened up to stakeholders like the
television stations, the press association and advertising agencies.
The fruit of this labour should then have little difficulty being
passed and assented to by the President.

A larger point can be made about the political dialogue and the array
of important issues they held up even while advancing some. After the
experiences of the Jagdeo-Hoyte and Jagdeo-Corbin engagements one can
safely say that they were unhelpful because trust was lacking, the
capacity to execute agreements was not present and too much
one-upmanship skewered the atmosphere. The ongoing dispute over the top
judicial appointments is a salutary example of these problems. Another
withering failure is the ad hoc dialogue among parliamentary parties
convened by President Jagdeo last year at the Office of the President
following his election win. The most sensible place for dialogue to be
ensconced, managed and nurtured is in Parliament.

Considering the import and possibilities of Article 13, it is clear
that the constitution reformers had catered for Parliament being
accountable to and accommodating of the views of the widest spectrum
possible. It is time to move on and hopefully the President and Mr
Corbin - with a new mandate but albeit a shaky one - can now rapidly
advance their varied issues via comprehensive dialogue in the
parliamentary setting starting with the broadcast law.

An ominous new clause to control information

http://www.stabroeknews.com/index.pl/article?id=56525669

An ominous new clause to control information
Stabroek News
Sunday, July 29th 2007

Dear Editor,

I was sorry to see that the Government has reverted to control of
information in order to conceal the illegalities in the forest sector;
"Forestry commission bill passed - concern voiced at ministerial power"
(SN 07.07.27). I note the quotation from PPP backbencher Odinga Lumumba
"that Government's aim is to change the public's perception about the
GFC". Not to fix the problems prevalent because of the lax monitoring
by the GFC in the forest sector, but to ensure through severe penalties
of a fine of G$ 1 million and a year in prison that the illegalities do
not become public, and the analyses of the kinds published over the
last year and a half in SN are made more difficult.

Watch out for the slack wording in the revised Forests Act due for
National Assembly discussion next week, allowing for private trading of
national forest assets which since 1993 have been allocated by public
tendering, so legalising the current sub-contracting of forest
concessions.

Don't rely on the GFC for information; for years it has failed in its
legal duty to lay annual reports before the National Assembly, or to
present audited accounts, both required under the previous GFC Act of
1979, and it is aiding illegal loggers by the removal months ago from
its website of the code of practice on timber harvesting.

Yours faithfully,

Mahadeo Kowlessar

Amerindian village council elections are handled by the regional administration

http://www.stabroeknews.com/index.pl/article?id=56525673

Amerindian village council elections are handled by the regional
administration
Stabroek News,
Sunday, July 29th 2007

Dear Editor,
I refer to a letter written by Penny Atkinson captioned "Does GECOM
supervise elections of Amerindian village councils?" As you rightly pointed
out, GECOM is not responsible for such elections. However, I want to expand
a bit by indicating that Amerindian village councils elections are not done
by the Ministry of Amerindian Affairs but by the regional administration.
This system, which worked very well, was in place for many years even
without being enshrined in law. During the consultations on the Amerindian
Act, the majority of recommendations supported the status quo and this was
accepted by the Government. As such, the Amerindian Act of 2006 provides for
a very detailed process for the elections which was tested at the last
council elections.
I should also note that Amerindian village councils do not come under the
Local Democratic Organs Act of 1980, as this was also a recommendation from
the communities. Indeed, there was an amendment to the LDO Act to remove
Amerindian village councils.
Finally, not because one is unsuccessful at an election does it mean that
the election is fraudulent or the agency conducting the election does not
have the capability. It may just mean that the electorate did not consider
you good enough.
Yours faithfully,
Carolyn Rodrigues
Minister of Amerindian Affairs

Guyana in lower rung of Worldwide Governance Indicators

http://www.stabroeknews.com/index.pl/article?id=56525623

Guyana in lower rung of Worldwide Governance Indicators
Stabroek News,
Sunday, July 29th 2007

The rule of law, political stability, control of corruption and
regulatory quality in Guyana continue to be areas of concern to
international study groups and think tanks and the release of the World
Governance Indicators is indicative of this.
Guyana scored reasonably in only two of those indicators: Voice and
Accountability where it achieved a mark of 50.5 per cent and Government
Effectiveness where the country scored 51.7 per cent.
But in the other indicators, Guyana scored poorly, achieving a mark of 26.9
per cent in Political Stability and Absence of Violence, 27.6 per cent in
Rule of Law, 32.0 per cent in Control of Corruption and 32.2 per cent in
Regulatory Quality.
The Worldwide Gover-nance Indicators (WGI) measured improvement in
governance and fighting corruption over the last decade.
The ten-year study by the World Bank Institute (WBI) and the World Bank
Deve-lopment Economics Vice-presidency involved over 200 countries and was
published on July 10.
Jamaica's lowest score was 33.3 per cent for Rule of Law. That country also
achieved a score of 36.1 per cent for Political Stability and Absence of
Violence; 44.2 per cent for Control of Corrup-tion; 58.5 per cent in
Regulatory Quality; 59.7 per cent for Government Effec-tiveness; and 63.9
per cent in Voice and Accountability.
Barbados scored above 83 per cent in all indicators except Regulatory
Quality where it scored 76.6 per cent. Trinidad had average scores though
they were better that those of Guyana. For Voice and Accountability, it
scored 62 per cent; Political Stability and Absence of Violence, 41.3 per
cent; Government Effec-tiveness, 63.5 per cent; Regulatory Quality, 71.2 per
cent; Rule of Law, 48.1 per cent and Control of Corrup-tion, 54.9 per cent.
Luxembourg, Norway, Sweden and Switzerland had the highest scores with
numbers within the 90th to 100th percentile.
The indicators measure voice and accountability, political stability and
absence of major violence and terror, government effectiveness, regulatory
quality, rule of law, and control of corruption. The study emphasises that
the indicators do not constitute a precise international ranking of
countries.
The release said the WBI research had shown the importance of good
governance for aid effectiveness in general, and for the success or failure
of World Bank projects in particular. "The full WGI volume, called
'Governance Matters VI,' shows how the six aggregate indicators are
constructed."
It said they are based on 33 individual data sources and hundreds of
variables, capturing the views on governance of tens of thousands of
household and firm survey respondents, as well as hundreds of non-government
organisations and public sector experts, and commercial business information
providers worldwide.
The WGI do not have an official World Bank ranking and do not necessarily
reflect the official views of the bank; they are also not used to allocate
Bank resourc-es across countries. "This is the job of the Country Policy and
Institutional Assessments for IDA [International Develop-ment Association, a
part of the World Bank] countries, as long mandated by the IDA deputies,"
Co-author of the study Aart Kraay, said. The third co-author of the study is
Massimo Mastruzzi.
The WGI have provoked debate and discussions about their strengths as well
as limitations for monitoring country governance, and for informing specific
country reform strategies.
The authors emphasise that the aggregate WGI data are just the starting
point for identifying the country's governance strengths, vulnerabilities
and broad trends, and for thinking about governance in specific country
contexts.

AFC election Trotman leader, Ramjattan chairman -Sheila Holder is vice chairman

http://www.stabroeknews.com/index.pl/article?id=56525639

AFC election
Trotman leader, Ramjattan chairman -Sheila Holder is vice chairman
By Miranda La Rose
Stabroek News,
Sunday, July 29th 2007

Youth must be the key: Two young Alliance For Change members reading the
party's publication The Key before the start of its first ever congress
yesterday morning at the St Stanislaus College Auditorium. (Photo by Aubrey
Crawford)

AFC former chairman Raphael Trotman was elected to the post of party Leader
after the other nominee Khemraj Ramjattan declined nomination at the party's
First National Conference held at St Stanislaus College yesterday.
Ramjattan himself was elected to the post of Chair-man, while Sheila Holder
was returned as Vice Chairman.
At press time, the count was still on to establish who had been elected
Chief Executive Officer, a post for which there was two nominees, as well as
the twelve persons who would serve as committee members.
In delivering the charge, Trotman vowed to uphold the principles of the
movement, and to advance the cause of change and transformation. He also
called on the executive for renewed commitment and energy to restore the
pride of place of the AFC in the eyes of supporters and the electorate.
Yesterday's elections were the first the AFC has held since it came into
being. It was initially led by a steering committee.
In his address as Chairman at the opening of the congress yesterday morning,
Trotman listed a number of issues to which the party will give priority.
Among these are organisation and discipline, raising finances to carry out
its work programme, and enhancing and solidifying relations with the
diaspora. He also listed political issues and ways of agitating for change,
preparations for local government elections and building alliances with
like-minded citizens.
He said these were the themes identified to guide the party's discussions,
as its relevance in the Guyanese societal context remained the same as
before the last general and regional elections when it came into being
during "great distress and despair."
Meanwhile in his address as Leader, Ramjattan said the current challenges
include strategising how to win the argument, articulate the better and
fairer policy, transform the mindset of an electorate historically
entrenched in a racial divide and inculcate a new reason-based political
culture.
The one-day conference, which attracted some 400 local and overseas-based
delegates and observers, and special invitees, was held under the theme
'United for Change.'
Trotman noted that since the last elections the AFC has seen "the
introduction of VAT, rising unemployment, greater levels of migration,
changing crime as the grip of the drug lords slackens and another type is
burgeoning."
He said it was obvious that racial tensions were at an all-time high when
rows of newspaper columns could be dedicated to which racial group brought
the head kerchief to Guyana. And that this could happen while women and
children continued to endure the most heinous crimes showed that something
was wrong with Guyana.
He said there was a place for the AFC when the government ignored the
suffering of thousands, who are forced, out of necessity, to steal
electricity from the national grid and sought instead to persecute them even
as little children were dying because of exposure to live wires.
Many ills, he said, were being glossed over by the government including the
non-appointment of important constitutional commissions such as the Office
of the Ombudsman, procurement, human rights, indigenous peoples, rights of
the child, integrity, and others, and the public appellate tribunal.
He also noted the non-consultation with stakeholders for casino gambling,
the withdrawal of advertisements from the Stabroek News as a political
weapon, the abandonment of the national development strategy process and the
continued incarceration without trial of Mark Benschop, now considered as
cruel and inhumane punishment. He also spoke of the withholding of the Lotto
Funds from the Consolidated Fund and the failure to announce or bestow
national awards for the past five years.
He said there had also been the irregular and extraordinary functioning of
senior legal and constitutional officers such as Chancellor/Chief Justice,
Chief Magistrate, Director of Public Prosecu-tions, Police Commissioner and
judges of the High Court. He cited the mishandling and manhandling of the
Region Ten seat issue in favour of the PPP/C, the suspension of the process
of inter-party dialogue under an enhanced framework for cooperation and the
non-assent of 12 bills passed by the Eighth Parliament.
He said that the barbarity of offences committed in Agricola and elsewhere,
the murder of journalist Ronald Waddell and government minister Satyadeow
Sawh and the relative youthfulness of the perpetrators were most disturbing.

Frightening indicators which should be addressed not simply by more guns or
boots marching through the streets, but through better research,
intelligence gathering and analysis at institutions of higher learning, he
said were "the seeming indifference as reflected in the eyes and attitudes
of those committing the crimes to the concept of right or wrong."
Outlining the journey the AFC has travelled since it came into being in
October 2005, Ramjattan said no other genuine third party in the Caribbean
or in Guyana ever succeeded in gaining five seats at national elections in a
matter of ten months.
"We did so well, we had to lend a seat to the PPP/C so that it could provide
one for its Prime Minister in the National Assembly," he said, tongue in
cheek, adding that through litigation the AFC has "started the process of a
recall on that loan."
Describing the political and economic situations at the national level as
sad, Ramjattan said bad governance and corruption permeated almost every
quarter and institution, and it came from the PPP/C administration, "which
believes that democracy begins and ends at winning elections."
Denouncing the denial of government advertisements to break the financial
viability of Stabroek News and the assertion that it was still necessary to
maintain the state monopoly of radio, he said, "These archdukes of
unprincipledom care not what Guyanese or the outside world think of them
when they exhibit such crass inconsistency of position."
He said the President and the government "sign onto treaties of all kinds at
the international level to show off their supposed democratic credentials,
only to have these treaties not implemented into our domestic order."
He quoted from a World Bank survey titled 'Guyana Investment Climate at a
Glance' which said that 15% of firms did not trust the judicial system; 20%
of firms did not trust the government; 15.3% of contract value was for
bribes; 3.5% of annual sales was payment "to get things done"; 20 days to
clear customs for imports and 14 days to clear customs for exports. "Is it
any wonder why doing business in Guyana or wanting to invest here requires a
Herculean effort?" he asked.
He said that in terms of the brain drain Guyana was ranked at 117 out of 117
countries; money laundering through banks 117 out of 117; reliability of
police services, 116 out of 117; centralization of economic policy making,
115 out of 117; growth competitiveness index, 115 out of 117; irregular
payments in public contracts, 114 out of 117; and macro economic environment
index, 113 out of 117.
"So if is not last space we running, it is second, third or fourth to last!"
he said, adding that those were the reasons why Transparency Interna-tional
in its Corruption Perception Index has ranked Guyana at 121 out of 159
countries.
"These statistics, vital in any honest attempt to put our economy in its
true and proper perspective, are never disseminated to the public by NCN and
GINA. Do you see now why they want to hang onto almost an absolute form of
control of information; why no freedom of information act, why no private
radio station?"

Sawmill employees now face murder charge

http://www.kaieteurnewsgy.com/news.htm

Sawmill employees now face murder charge
Kaieteur News, 27 July 2007

ROSIGNOL, WEST BANK, BERBICE – The security guard attached to the M.
Osman Sawmills, Burnham Avenue, Rosignol, who was reportedly beaten by
two employees on July 20, died on Tuesday, as a result of a fractured
skull.

Nazaamudeen Khan, 56, of 202 Welcome Street , Rosignol, was on duty at
the time. The alleged assailants, Andy Adams, 19, of Rosignol Village ;
and Bastian Clato, 21, of Bent Street , Georgetown , were arrested that
morning, moments after the incident.

They appeared at the Blairmont Magistrate's Court on Monday to answer a
charge of attempted murder. Magistrate Geeta Chandan remanded the men
to prison and ordered them to return to court on August 6.

An autopsy performed on Khan, yesterday, attributed the death to the
beating.

According to a source close to the investigation, Adams and Clato will
now be charged with murder come the next court date. The source
revealed that the murder charge could not have been laid until a post
mortem examination was performed.

On the day in question, another man was celebrating his birth
anniversary with the two accused.

“The birthday man got drunk so the two of them took him to the sawmill
where he lived. This guy (Nazaamudeen Khan) was the security guard on
duty. They asked him to open the gate and he refused. The two friends
picked up two pieces of wood and started beating him,” according to an
eyewitness.

The victim fell to the ground and lost consciousness. “He was taken to
Fort Wellington Hospital where he was admitted. He was subsequently
transferred to the Georgetown Public Hospital on July 23.

(Melissa Johnson)

Talk is cheap

http://www.stabroeknews.com/index.pl/article?id=56525526

Talk is cheap
Stabroek News, Editorial.
Friday, July 27th 2007

When Head of the Presidential Secretariat Dr Roger Luncheon announced
in the year 2005 that Guyana would welcome the establishment of the
United States Justice Department's Drugs Enforcement Administra-tion
(DEA) office in Guyana, he did admit that "certain details" would have
to be discussed before that became a reality. But now it seems that the
devil was in the details.

Dr Luncheon did acknowledge that Guyana, like other developing
countries in the region, was not fully equipped to counter
international narco-trafficking and the raft of criminal activities
associated with it. He conceded that the United States' role, as what
he called "hemispheric policeman," was crucial to Guyana's efforts.

The DEA has already assisted local law enforcement officers with
training, equipment and occasional investigations into
narco-trafficking. The establishment of a local DEA office, therefore,
was expected to provide officials with the additional expertise,
resources and support which were essential to waging the war on
narco-trafficking. Discussions started and the administration was asked
to provide an appropriate building, but why has the project stalled?

Even in March last year, then Minister of Home Affairs Ms Gail Teixeira
indicated that "talks are ongoing" with USA officials for the
establishment of the DEA office. Unbelievably, the Guyana Government
has been unable to find a suitable site for the DEA office, all
suggested sites having been rejected by the USA side which demanded
better security for its officials. Up to last month, the present
Minister of Home Affairs Mr Clement Rohee confessed that he "could not
pronounce definitively" on the matter. Is the Guyana Government trying
hard enough?

While Guyana's ministers talk, ministers of other countries have been
pressing ahead with their war on narco-trafficking with help from the
DEA. Only a year ago, Suriname's Justice Minister Chandrikapersad
Santokhi and US Ambassador Marsha Barnes signed an agreement to provide
for the permanent establishment of a DEA office and to intensify
collaboration between Suriname and the USA on drug enforcement. At
present, DEA field offices are functioning in Bridgetown, Paramaribo
and Port of Spain but not in Georgetown. Has the administration
deliberately stonewalled DEA efforts to set up an office in Georgetown?

The USA seems to be unfazed by Guyana's lack of enthusiasm. Even
without the administration's cooperation, but with a little help from
friendly governments of Suriname and Trinidad and Tobago, the DEA was
able to arrest wanted Guyanese men Shaheed 'Roger' Khan and Peter
Morgan. Given the local law enforcement agencies' legendary lack of
luck in these matters, the DEA's off-shore exploits might be the only
licit means to remove major narco-traffickers from this jurisdiction.

But the talk continues. Responding to questions about the
non-implementation of the National Drug Strategy Master Plan which was
promulgated over two years ago, Mr Rohee baldly told the National
Assembly that the administration was "aggressively working" to ensure
that several aspects of the plan were implemented. He cited the
establishment of the toothless Inter-Agency Task Force on Narcotics and
Illicit Weapons but did not explain why the key components which were
specifically prescribed in the plan were still not in place and how,
after 40 per cent of its lifespan had elapsed, the plan could still be
expected to achieve its objectives by 2009.

While the minister dithers on the full implementation of the drug
strategy master plan and the establishment of a DEA office in
Georgetown, narco-trafficking flourishes. Nowhere is the failure of the
administration's drug strategy so evident as in its ambivalent approach
to the allegations surrounding the implication of a senior police
officer in a new narcotics scandal.

Admitting that the transcript of a telephone conversation between a
senior police officer and a narco-trafficker made "interesting
reading," the Minister of Home Affairs declared that there were only
"anecdotal pieces of information on this issue and there is no concrete
evidence and it is only circumstantial stuff because, in some cases,
some say what they think and what they hear."

With off-the-cuff verdicts like this, is it any wonder that the
National Drug Strategy Master Plan is gathering dust and that the
United States Drug Enforcement Administration is no closer to
establishing a field office in Georgetown?

Does GECOM supervise elections of Amerindian village councils?

Does GECOM supervise elections of Amerindian village councils?
Stabroek News,
Friday, July 27th 2007

Dear Editor,

Over the last few days persons have been asking me questions about
local government elections, which they said were announced recently.
Further that there will be house to house registration some time in the
near future.

Some questions asked were (i) Will Amerindian village council elections
be categorised under (a) GECOM or (b) the Ministry of Amerindian
Affairs? (2) Will LGE be conducted before the end of the year?

I believe GECOM should conduct Amerindian village elections. I see
GECOM as the only incorruptible body right now with the capability of
conducting elections. I believe such events should be conducted only by
organizations with the ability to exercise mature behaviour and
discipline. The present arrangements in village elections are
unsatisfactory.

Yours faithfully,

Penny Atkinson

Editor's note

Countrywide house to house registration will be held this year. No date
has been fixed for local government elections. Elections of Amerindian
village councils do not fall under the ambit of the Guyana Elections
Commission.

Forestry commission bill passed -concern voiced at ministerial power

http://www.stabroeknews.com/index.pl/article?id=56525460

Forestry commission bill passed -concern voiced at ministerial power
Stabroek News, Friday, July 27th 2007

The government yesterday used its majority in the National Assembly to
have the Guyana Forestry Commission Bill passed with just two minor
amendments, even though the opposition benches voiced their concerns on
many issues, especially the wide powers given to the Minister of
Agriculture and the stiff penalties for sharing confidential
information.

At the end of the debate, the National Assembly considered the
legislation clause by clause and at that time, PNCR member Winston
Murray objected to Clause 16 (3). This clause, pertaining to the
reserve fund that the Commission will have set up, stated: "If the
reserve Fund is insufficient to cover any net loss of the Commission
recorded in its profit and loss account for any financial year, the
amount of the deficiency shall be charged on the Consolidated Fund."

Murray proposed that such monies come from appropriations approved by
the National Assembly and this amendment was carried.

The GFC Bill makes reference to a Forestry Bill, which is yet to see
the light of day, but is supposed to be tabled before Parliament goes
into recess in two weeks time.

Murray is of the view that unless it is known what is contained in the
forest act there is no way of knowing the impact of the proposals in
the GFC Bill.

He said that his party thought it apposite to seek a deferral of the
GFC bill for a week until its members had access to the Forestry Bill.

He called it "most unfortunate" that the government took such a stance
when the PNCR-1G was trying to function in the National Assembly on the
basis of cooperation. "We looked at this bill to try to assess the
framework…we have to strike a balance between the need for
independence in the sector and for political involvement," he said,
making reference to the concern that the Minister of Agriculture has a
major role within the new GFC.

He voiced concern that the Minister is allowed to choose the members of
the Commission and referred to this as "carte blanche."

Murray is of the view that by keeping policies separate from execution,
monitoring is better done.

He said that investors coming to Guyana shouldn't have to feel that
everything has a political hand in it.

Murray pointed out that as stated in Clause 24, the Minister should not
be keeping accounts to the satisfaction of the Minister but to the
satisfaction of international accounting standards and practices.

Also speaking in opposition to the Bill, Alliance for Change
front-bencher Khemraj Ramjattan yesterday called the bill a deception.
He said that the Bill was a departure from what he and others were
involved in during the consultation stages.

Clause 13 of the Bill makes it an offence to disclose information
garnered while as an employee, member, consultant or adviser to the
Commission and the penalties for this are harsh, ranging from six
months imprisonment to $1M fines.

Ramjattan said that this 'gag order' that the bill institutes will
cause persons with genuine complaints against corrupt goings-on to be
reluctant to even confer with their lawyers. But he did say that
confidential matters should not be revealed by such persons.

And Ramjattan also expressed concern that the Minister may be able to
improperly use the fund that the GFC has in place. "The Alliance for
Change for these reasons and some others will not support this bill,"
he said.

PPP/C back-bencher Odinga Lumumba, in supporting the Bill said that
Government's aim is to change the public's perception about the GFC.
"We need to ensure that there is confidentiality in the GFC," he said,
referring to the contentious Clause 13 of the Bill.

To the Bill's critics, Lumumba said that the Minister represents the
policy of the Government, and that he wouldn't manage the day to day
affairs of the GFC. He called the amendments to the 1979 version of the
legislation an attempt to rid the system of political influence.

PNCR member E. Lance Carberry called the Bill premature, since it
predates the passage of the Forestry Bill, on which the GFC Bill is
founded.

"This bill is premature. The bill that defines its core function has
not been presented to this House," he said, adding that this is nothing
short of contempt for the National Assembly.

He said that the drafters of the bill were unclear about what it means
to sustainably manage the national patrimony. He added that the forest
of Guyana "provides us with the opportunity to capitalize on the
benefits of the agreements that Guyana signed at the Rio Summit in
1992. He added that the country now lacks the capacity to maximize the
benefits of these forestry resources.

Carberry said that if the commission is to serve its purpose it must be
endowed with the capacity to manage the natural patrimony in a manner
that maximizes the benefits to this country. "But this bill is not
about that."

PNCR-1G member Aubrey Norton said: "The Minister is omnipotent,
omnipresent and I dare say, omniscient," he said referring to the
sweeping and far-reaching powers of the Minister. "This is a sinister
piece of legislation that should be withdrawn."

He suggested that the determination of payment of the members and staff
of the Commission should be done by the Commission and not the
Minister, as the Bill states. There should be a standard set of
criteria for determining payment for those members and staff of the
Commission.

Norton said that there should be objective criteria for determining if
someone is incompetent and he said that the bill doesn't bear this out.

In dealing with some of the charges before the passage of the Bill,
Persaud said that the size of the Commission's Board of Directors has
been expanded and that there is now widespread representation on the
Board.

On oversight, he said that the GFC falls within the purview of the
Natural Resources Committee and the Public Accounts Committee of the
National Assembly and the Auditor General's Office.

Guyana Forestry Commission Bill passed

http://www.guyanachronicle.com/topstory.html#Anchor-Present%20a-45001

Guyana Forestry Commission Bill passed
By Chamanlall Naipaul
Guyana Chronicle, 27 July 2007

The Guyana Forestry Commission (GFC) Bill was passed in the National
Assembly yesterday, after going through its second and third readings.
But it came under heavy fire from the opposition who charged that its
provisions entrust too much control in the hands of the minister.

There were also two amendments with respect to Article 16 of the bill.

Agriculture Minister Robert Persaud, who piloted the bill, said it
seeks to revise the GFC Act of 1979 to create a dynamic, appropriate
and modern act that will enable the GFC to better execute its mandate
of promoting sustainable forestry management for social, environmental,
and economic benefits to all stakeholders.

“The new bill will provide an enabling environment for the GFC to
better perform its functions. The GFC will be given an enhanced ability
to monitor, develop and regulate forestry activities in keeping with
new environmental best practices established for forestry management.
The new legislation also allows for compliance with international
policies which have been driven by the European Union (EU) and the
World Wildlife Fund (WWF), specifically the voluntary partnership
agreement through the Forest Law Enforcement Governance and Trade
Regime (FLEGT) and the Global Forestry Trade Network (GFTN),” Persaud
informed the House.

According to the minister, the bill also recognises and acknowledges
the valuable role being played by Amerindian communities with respect
to forestry development and the forestry sector as a whole.

The new law is seen as important because it allows for the realistic
evaluation of forests and forestry products which are regarded as great
assets to the state, and in accordance with this, the GFC bill seeks to
capture the value of the forest reflecting the true value of the
resource, the minister explained, adding that the bill sets the
framework for the GFC to undertake the required assessments that would
allow for this.

Among the features contained in the legislation are an entire new
section on rules for financial operations to improve financial
accountability and management, a section on human resources policy for
the GFC, and stiff penalties for violating the confidentiality of
business related information.

The new Act, when it comes into effect, will also allow for greater use
of entities such as the Forestry Training Centre and the Forest
Products Marketing Council (FMPC).

“Basically, the revised GFC Act sets the enabling mechanism for the
sector to achieve greater economic, social and environmental
development,’ Persaud reiterated.

Persaud was supported by colleagues Pauline Sukhai and Odinga Lumumba,
the former contending that unlike the GFC Act of 1979, which came into
being during a period when the heavy hand of the state was being felt,
the revised Act gives greater independence to the GFC.

Giving an example to support her contention, Ms. Sukhai noted that the
new legislation spells out clear guidelines for the employment of
persons by the GFC which were absent in the 1979 Act.

The bill also clearly defines lines of authority and chains of command,
distinguishing the roles of the Commission and the Commissioner of
Forests, thereby preventing the “blame game scenario.”

Lumumba argued that the bill seeks to remove political influence of the
GFC.

However, Winston Murray of the People’s National Congress Reform-One
Guyana (PNCR-1G) and his colleagues Lance Carberry and Aubrey Norton
and Co-leader of the Alliance For Change (AFC), Khemraj Ramjattan
launched scathing attacks on the bill, charging that it provides for
too much power being in the hands of the minister, and that the bill
was not availed to the opposition early enough to give them adequate
time to study it.

In addition, they argued that the closely related Forest Bill 2007
should have been tabled simultaneously because of the interdependency
of the two pieces of the legislation.

Murray who led the attack on the bill, described the approach by the
government as contemptuous, claiming that the opposition was in receipt
of it a mere 24 hours before it was scheduled to be debated, disputing
Persaud’s claim that it was submitted to the National Assembly.

He expressed disappointment that in an era which he thought was one of
building cooperation, the government has acted with such contempt.

At this stage, Speaker of the National Assembly Ralph Ramkarran
intervened and informed the House that the records of the Parliamentary
Office will be checked to clarify the matter.

Murray said that while his party agrees that the minister should be a
representative of government’s policy, there should be a balance
between independence of the GFC and political involvement, avoiding at
all cost the “oppressive hand of politics.”

He also conceded that there has been improvement in the forestry
sector, though much more needs to be done.

However, he criticised the provision for the minister to appoint
members of the GFC and setting remuneration for them.

Persaud countered that this provision was in the 1979 Act, but the bill
adds a provision for clear criteria and guidelines governing
appointments, which was absent in the preceding Act which left
appointments solely on the opinion of the minister.

Persaud further pointed out that these guidelines specify that persons
appointed must have the relevant knowledge, experience and other
relevant requirements.

Murray expressed dissatisfaction with the provision whereby accounts
must be kept to the satisfaction of the minister.

On this issue, Persaud retorted that the bill clearly states that they
must be kept to the satisfaction of the minister and the Auditor
General.

With respect to Clause 13 of the bill, which deals with the matter of
privileged information, Murray expressed misgivings that it could be
used to gag members of the GFC and also expressed concern that penalty
for person who did not appear to answer charges of wrong doing was
extremely harsh.

According to him the penalty of a fine of $500,000 and imprisonment for
six months do not compare to any similar penalty in the judicature.

He also advocated that while it is important to protect the leaking of
business information, the legislation should have provided for a
declassification of information after a specified period, as is the
case in the U.S.

The minister assured that the provision is aimed exclusively at leaking
of business information because it will be highly unfair for such
information to be leaked to the competitor of one investor.

Murray expressed concerns too about the proposal contained in the bill
to have financial commitments which cannot be met by the GFC to be
charged on the Consolidation Fund, arguing that this violates financial
regulations. However, this matter was resolved amicably after an
interval during the consideration of the clauses in committee after a
short interval to facilitate back room discussions.

On resumption of the National Assembly, Persaud moved that the
objectionable words be removed and replaced with money appropriated by
Parliament which was accepted by both sides. Another minor amendment
predicated on the previous amendment was also made and carried.

Norton charged that the bill should be withdrawn as it has a sinister
and authoritarian motive, and declared that it makes the minister
“omniscient, omnipotent and omnipresent.”

Thursday, July 26, 2007

The investment generated from 1985 to 1992 has not continued

http://www.stabroeknews.com/index.pl/article?id=56525422

The investment generated from 1985 to 1992 has not continued
Stabroek News
Thursday, July 26th 2007

Dear Editor,

It is interesting to note your recent editorial highlighting the
bureaucratic nightmares that now characterise the investment climate or
lack thereof prevailing in Guyana at present. In fact, when the late
President Hugh Desmond Hoyte inherited the Guyanese presidency in
August, 1985 following the death of the dictator Forbes Burnham, we all
know only too well that he had to perform a tightrope act. This act of
stealth, statesmanship and above all a clear and most committed
willingness to embrace both democratic and economic reforms were
executed within the confines of a highly hostile party setting. There
were many and probably are still many that rejected his reforms and
meaningful changes that in essence were Guyana's own 'glasnost,
perestroika and demokratzatsiya'.

Those reforms resulted in the lifting of restrictions on the press and
thereof the birth of the illustrious Stabroek News. Sadly and
ironically the very party that benefitted from so great a platform
afforded it by the very Stabroek News has today gone sour on Messrs. De
Caires and team by choosing to withhold advertising revenue under the
guise of so called market realities. The Treaty of Chapultepec to which
Guyana is signatory has been ignored and despite global public
condemnation for such vicious action against SN by the state - the
Jagdeo regime continues to run amok like the proverbial 'bull in a
china shop'.

Let's not forget the removal of restrictions on basic food imports
such as wheaten flour coupled with embarking on an open, free-market
system which also resulted in the complete abolition of foreign
currency controls and the once cumbersome import licensing regime, all
compliments of the Hoyte era. All of the above, plus the granting of
generous tax concessions and other fiscal incentives designed to spur
both overseas and domestic private investments led to the 'period of
economic renaissance', where one and all, irrespective of race, colour,
creed or class benefitted immensely from Hoyte's far reaching economic
reforms. In fact, the period 1985-1992, can be duly characterized as
the only period in living memory that the long suffering people of
Guyana saw a chance for a bright and stable future. The period
1990-1992, alone witnessed the inflow of more than US$ 500 million. We
all know about the once active Omai, Barama and the now extinct Aroaima
investments and despite that only one of these entities is still around
- their prior existence in the now barren legitimate Guyanese economic
landscape were owed in great measure to the sterling vision,
dedication, deep rooted commitment and unparalleled leadership provided
by the late President Hoyte.

The privatisation of the former state owned telecoms utility GTC, now
GT&T could have been surely accomplished in a better and much more
structured manner as opposed to the current situation prevailing
therein. Nevertheless, the complete privatisation of the once decrepit
telecoms utility has certainly aided in the immense improvement of
basic telephony across the entire country compared to the period of
state ownership.

I grew up in a home without a phone so I was part and parcel of the
'analog divide'. Many people across Guyana are today victims of the
'digital divide' but this can be fixed in short measure because the
fundamental network infrastructure developed by GT&T and compliments of
the Hoyte reforms are there in place.

The country has failed to garner any significant major foreign
investment beyond that of the recent Digicel/U-Mobile presence therein.
It is interesting to note that Shock International wants to invest in a
US$ 26 million sawmilling venture and have been in discussions with the
powers that be since 2004 and now almost 3 years on, investor
confidence and patience from their financial backers are starting to
wear thin.

The economy of Guyana has been purposely managed on the premise of
'debt reduction' and time and again it has been proven that this is not
the way forward in terms of jobs creation and wealth creation for this
is and will prove to be only a 'band aid solution'.

There are a few important points that must be considered as to the
current state and the future of the country's economy:

(a) Guyana's economy is not multi-tiered or diversified for it is still
primarily a resource based one with little or no value added products
being generated. Its continued successful exploitation and production
of gold, bauxite etc., are all still subjected to global commodity
supply and demand cycles. Given the ongoing rise in demand and hence
favourable prices for same as a result of demands from China and India
then the country should be cashing in. However, there do not exist
either infrastructural or production capabilities to take advantage of
same so instead neighbouring Suriname stands to gain massively from
both Indian and Chinese investments in its oil, gas, bauxite and iron
ore sectors as do the rest of Latin America. Besides, there is no
demonstrable political will to make the country investor friendly
despite casual rhetoric from Messrs Jagdeo and cohorts.

(b) Guyana continues to produce both rice and sugar way above the
average costs of production elsewhere. On account of this, it is unable
to effectively compete for global markets against the likes of
Thailand, Vietnam, Indonesia and the Philippines. In addition, the
European Union is already producing adequate amounts of beet sugar to
meet domestic demand with the pressure growing under the WTO demanding
the ending of preferential treatment for Guyana's exports currently
enjoyed under the Lome and Cotonou Agreements. This is no longer an
afterthought. There is no real future in the sugar cane sector unless
of course Guyana moves aggressively and rapidly towards the production
of organic sugar, high end spirits and liquors and that of ethanol
manufacturing, none of which seem to be the case.

(c) Guyana's underdeveloped social infrastructure and the lack of
adequate domestic investment capital to fuel the local business sector
has led to the absence of a viable value added manufacturing sector
that could improve foreign exchange earnings through viable exports and
outsourcing arrangements in the garment manufacturing or ICT driven
sector.

(d) Given the global trend towards information technology, knowledge
transfer and the era of the intellect worker , all of which seem to be
alien concepts locally, Guyana's chances for greater capital inflows
and technology transfer are severely restricted. Besides we are
experiencing a brain drain versus a brain gain as in the case of India.

The recent World Bank report highlighted the threats posed by
transnational criminal operators and drug lords to the Caribbean's
future. The region and moreso Guyana continue to lose its brightest and
best minds as brain drain becomes the order of the day and without the
remittances from abroad this country like most of the Caribbean will
become very depressed if not the perfect incubators for failed states.

However, instead of doing the proper thing by admitting to failures
and acknowledging the gaping shortcomings - the President of Guyana,
Bharat Jagdeo, chooses to lash out at Transparency International and
other perceived critics. When asked or quizzed about the various loans
to certain hotel operators - all that one gets is a huge load of
malarkey.

Yours faithfully,

Mike Singh

New project launched to help Bethany farmers succeed

http://www.stabroeknews.com/index.pl/article?id=56525397

New project launched to help Bethany farmers succeed
Stabroek News
Thursday, July 26th 2007

A project is underway in Bethany, Region Two, which will see some
residents, especially women, trained in other-crops farming from the
planting to the marketing stages with emphasis on gaining higher
yields.

Project Manager of the Poor Rural Communities Support Services Project,
Sasenarine Singh said on Tuesday at the commissioning of an
experimental plot of pepper and pumpkin at Bethany, that the initiative
was focused primarily on Amerindians and especially women.

Singh said that the project would empower farmers who would be able to
garner support from agencies such as the National Agricultural Research
Institute, the Pesticides Board, the New Guyana Marketing Corpora-tion
and the University of Guyana.

The Bethany farmers will work closely with these stakeholders, and will
be guided as to the proper preparation of the land, and effective
cultivation methods. Singh said the knowledge gained would be used to
create the "farmers book two". As the project progresses, farmers will
be enlightened as to the proper harvesting and packing of produce for
marketing.

Bethany is home to over 76 families, some 32 of which depend on farming
for their livelihood.

Singh told the farmers that this project would also provide them with
an alternative since Bethany was mainly a logging area. The project
manager informed all that the community was chosen because there was
unity among its people.

Meanwhile, the farmers lauded the stakeholders for the knowledge
imparted so far and noted that the decisions they made would either be
for success or failure, since they were benefiting from the "use of the
rod rather that being fed the fish".

The PRCSSP is being implemented by the government through the Ministry
of Agriculture to upgrade poor farming communities in Regions Two and
Three.

Forestry commission bill for debate today


The National Assembly will today debate the Guyana Forestry Commission
(GFC) Bill and consider motions for the continuation of the examination
of the Disciplined Forces Commission report and the setting up of a
Standing Committee on National Security.

The GFC bill seeks to repeal and replace the Guyana Forestry Commission
Act 1979 and to re-establish the Guyana Forestry Commission and provide
for incidental matters.

According to the bill, the commission will be the same body corporate
as the former commission and its purpose will be to encourage the
development and growth of forestry in Guyana on a sustainable basis.

A number of concerns about the new piece of legislation have been
pointed out. One stakeholder said that Article 13, which deals with
privileged information, effectively places a gag order which would
prevent or at least severely hamper analyses like the ones carried in
this newspaper. The source said that this is not in consonance with the
proposed Freedom of Information Act or Article 13 of the Constitution.

The source said that Article 27 of the new Bill, Offences and Penalties
is an entirely new section from the old Act and it places a gag order
on all employees and GFC Board members related to Article 13 of the
Bill, carrying with it significant penalties of imprisonment and fines.

The commission will be required to keep proper financial records and
submit to the minister audited accounts for each financial year,
together with an annual report on its activities.

The commission will be allowed to hire employees and engage consultants
and other advisers, but restrictions are placed on commercial
operations. The commission will be allowed at any time to appoint a
committee to examine and report on any matter connected with any of its
functions.

The commission may, with the consent of the minister, enter into
commercial operations with respect to intellectual property developed
in connection with or resulting from the exercise of any of its
functions or any land or building of the commission.

But the source is concerned over Article 16: Reserve Fund which states
that the GFC is not obligated to inform the Minister of Finance of the
amounts held in the reserve fund. The Minister of Finance has to find
out himself, if interested, the source pointed out.

The source is also concerned that though the new Bill mentions "Forests
Act 2007," there is no such Act. "How can one Act refer substantively
to another piece of legislation which has yet to be laid before the
National Assembly, and which we believe is in serious need of revision,
having been in draft for 11 years?" the source asked. The new act when
approved by the National Assembly shall come into operation on a date
appointed by order of the Minister of Agriculture.

Also, Prime Minister Sam Hinds will today move a motion to have the
conclusion of the 2004 report of the Disciplined Forces Commission
(DFC) considered by the National Assembly. The Prime Minister's motion
will seek to have the National Assembly give approval to the Special
Select Committee to be established to conclude the examination of the
report and recommendations of the DFC and report to the National
Assembly.

The motion will also seek to have the newly established Special Select
Committee of the Ninth Parliament take cognisance of the work of the
Special Select Committee of the Eighth Parliament that also considered
the report and its recommendations.

The final report of the DFC was delivered to the Speaker of the
National Assembly Ralph Ramkarran on May 6, 2004 and was presented to
the National Assembly on May 17, 2004 following which it was referred
to a Special Select Committee, which was established on November 4,
2004. This committee then commenced deliberations on the report by
inviting heads of the various disciplined forces to share their views
on the recommendations pertaining to their agencies.

The committee first examined the recommendations relating to the Guyana
Police Force and completed a draft preliminary report in April 2006,
but was unable, owing to the dissolution of Parliament on May 2, to
present that interim report.

The National Assembly will also today consider a motion that GAP/ROAR
member Everall Franklin. Franklin's National Security Committee Motion
wants the National Assembly to agree to the establishment of a Standing
Committee on National Security to review all aspects of national
security including but not limited to, the review of policies and
reforms, budgetary allocations and expenditures and the implementation
of a national security strategy and doctrine.

Wednesday, July 25, 2007

Bill to re-establish Guyana Forestry Commission for debate

http://www.guyanachronicle.com/news.html

Bill to re-establish Guyana Forestry Commission for debate
Guyana Chronicle, 24 July 2007
Members of the National Assembly will meet on Thursday of this week
when Minister of Agriculture Robert Persaud will, for the second time,
read the Guyana Forestry Commission Bill 2007. This will be followed by
a debate by Members of the House.

The Bill seeks to repeal and replace the Guyana Forestry Commission Act
1979, and to re-establish the Guyana Forestry Commission and provide
for incidental matters.

According to the Bill, the Commission will be the same body corporate
as the former Commission and its purpose will be to encourage the
development and growth of forestry in Guyana on a sustainable basis.

Under a new Act, the Commission will be required to keep proper
financial records and submit to the Minister audited accounts for each
financial year, together with an annual report on its activities.

The Commission is allowed to hire employees and engage consultants and
other advisers, but restrictions are placed on commercial operations.

The Commission will be allowed at any time to appoint a committee to
examine and report on any matter connected with any function of the
Commission.

Under the Act, the Commission may, with the consent of the Minister,
enter into commercial operations with respect to any intellectual
property developed in connection with or resulting from the exercise of
any of its functions or any land or building of the Commission.

The new Act, when approved by the National Assembly, shall come into
operation on a date appointed by order of the Minister of Agriculture.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Samuel Hinds will move a motion to have the
Conclusion of the 2004 Report of the Disciplined Forces Commission
considered by the National Assembly.

The Motion seeks to have the National Assembly give approval of a
Special Select Committee (SSC) to be established to conclude the
examination of the Report and recommendations of the Disciplined Forces
Commission and report to the National Assembly.

It also seeks to have the newly established SSC of the Ninth Parliament
take cognisance of the work done by the SSC of the Eight Parliament
that considered the Report and is recommendations.

The final report of the Commission was delivered to Speaker Ralph
Ramkarran on May 6, 2004, and was presented to the National Assembly on
May 17, 2004, following which it was referred to a Special Select
Committee.

The SSC was established on November 4, 2004 and commenced its
deliberations on the Report by inviting the Heads of the Disciplined
Forces to share their views on the recommendations pertaining to their
agency.

The SSC first examined the recommendations relating to the Guyana
Police Force and completed a draft preliminary Report in April 2006,
but was unable, owing to the dissolution of the Eighth Parliament on
the May 2, 2006 to present that interim report.

The National Assembly at its July 26 sitting will also be engaged in
security matters when Alliance for Change (AFC) MP Everall Franklin
moves the National Security Committee Motion.

The motion seeks for the National Assembly to agree to the
establishment of a Standing Committee on National Security to review
all aspects of national security, including, but not limited to, the
review of policies and reforms, budgetary allocations and expenditures
and the implementation of a national security strategy and doctrine.
(GINA)

Mercury threat. Editorial.

http://www.stabroeknews.com/index.pl/article?id=56525224

Mercury threat. Editorial.
Stabroek News
Monday, July 23rd 2007

Mercury use in the mining industry is leading to elevated levels in the
blood of residents of three villages in the north west. This is the
stark proposition of the findings of a study presented at a workshop
hosted earlier this month by the Institute of Applied Science and
Technology (IAST) and the World Wildlife Fund (WWF).

The report said "significant levels of mercury contamination among the
population examined in the three communities show many individuals had
mercury levels within them that were above the guideline value for
mercury levels in humans". The study utilized the guideline value set
by the World Health Organization (WHO) for humans stated as 10 parts
per million (ppm).

It was conducted in three communities: Arakaka, Port Kaituma and
Matthew's Ridge in the North West District. Two expeditions during the
dry and rainy seasons were undertaken and water, fish and human hair
sampled for the metal.

Researcher Lana Lawrence of IAST stated that "mercury contamination is
prevalent in the physical and human environment of the locations
examined in the North West District. They also show that the level of
mercury contamination in the communities examined was significant both
in the wet and dry season". It was felt that the high levels of the
chemical could be attributed to the mining industry and more needs to
be done to eliminate or control the use of mercury.

Lawrence said that it was discovered that while there was some general
knowledge of the negative impact of mercury, few persons know about the
symptoms associated with mercury exposure.

In relation to fish, a food staple in the villages at risk, the results
from the first trip revealed that 29% tested over the United States
Environmental Protection Agency (US EPA) guideline value of 0.5ppm
while on the second expedition 37% had levels of mercury higher than
the guideline value. Twenty-one fish representing seven species were
tested on the first trip while 90 fish representing 23 species were
tested on the second expedition.

Seven out of 23 persons tested in the first trip had higher levels of
mercury than the WHO guideline value of 10ppm while for the second
expedition 18 out of 22 persons had levels higher than the guideline
value.

This was by no means a comprehensive study and the limitations of
sampling and other shortcomings were recognised. However, when
conjoined with two other issues the findings of the survey pose serious
questions. The WWF representative at the workshop suggested that the
widespread and careless application of mercury is the habit of
Brazilian miners who populate large sectors of the mining business and
feel little restraint. They are also being copied by local miners. The
depredations of Brazilian miners have long been complained of and there
seems to have been an unspoken offset against the technology and
investment that they have poured into the gold and diamond mining
industry in recent years. The social, economic, environmental and law
and order impacts of their presence here must bear closer scrutiny. But
for now mercury has to be addressed.

Second, it was also the view of some at the workshop that the current
management system of monitoring mercury use in gold mining and
enforcement of laws was weak and is in need of strengthening. This has
been a longstanding concern of environmentalists. It was also noted at
the workshop that despite some significant strides there still remained
organizational challenges and concerns including poor enforcement by
government agencies, low level of compliance among miners, low level of
awareness among miners on environmental issues, poor knowledge of the
level and distribution of pollution effects, dissatisfaction in local
communities over the level of consultation and lack of awareness of
safe mercury use practices among others.

In recent years environmentalists have expressed concerns that the
reckless use of mercury in the purification of gold was causing it to
leach into the ecosystem and accumulate in the food chain. There have
been sporadic studies over the years of this problem but as in many
areas the surveys and the promises of action have all collapsed into
nothingness. GENCAPD, a Canada-funded programme, addressed a host of
mining safety issues including the safe use of mercury but it is
unclear if this has had any long-lasting impact. Prior to the results
of the latest study there had been one on the Region Seven village of
Isseneru which highlighted elevated and dangerous mercury levels.
Whether there was any follow-up on this is unclear.

Mercury is a deadly poison which can cause horrible and excruciating
ends and is well remembered from the Minimata disaster in Japan. If as
suggested by the various studies that there is even a risk that
interior villagers with extensive contacts with mining communities are
being exposed to dangerous levels of mercury then the government must
act.

One would expect that the Guyana Geology and Mines Commission (GGMC)
and the minister responsible for mining, Prime Minister Hinds, would
take steps to have the studies peer reviewed and a broader survey
undertaken. Simultaneous with this, the regulatory bodies should move
immediately to lessen the risks to communities in these hotspots. GGMC
officers should require mining operations in these areas to demonstrate
safe mining techniques and the use of retorts to capture mercury vapour
should be thoroughly enforced. There should also be regular testing of
the inhabitants of these areas for mercury once a baseline is
established.

The mining industry has pleaded in the past that the raft of
environmental regulations which have been on the table for more than a
decade now would make their business unprofitable. However, there can
be no justification for putting any community at risk, particularly
those remote from the centre and with little ability to move along the
corridors of power. Tailings release from mining operations and the
safe use of mercury are two areas that the industry must begin
complying with rigorously and the regulatory bodies must play their
part.

Iwokrama preparing for carbon market - Bali meeting could open way for standing forests

http://www.stabroeknews.com/index.pl/article?id=56525181

Iwokrama preparing for carbon market
-Bali meeting could open way for standing forests
By Johann Earle
Stabroek News
Monday, July 23rd 2007

Dr David Singh

Director General of Iwokrama Dr David Singh says Iwok-rama is preparing
for carbon trading even though the Kyoto Protocol doesn't now assign
credits for the preservation of standing forests.

He said that for countries like Guyana, benefiting from carbon credits
under the Kyoto Protocol was fraught with many hurdles and it was
mostly the intermediary who gained.

The Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) of the Kyoto Protocol does not
speak to countries with standing forests for conservation, but for
countries which engage in reforestation.

But an important meeting on the Kyoto Protocol this December in Bali,
Indonesia, could decide if in future there could be recognition in the
protocol that standing forests should attract some form of funding for
avoided deforestation.

A recent BBC report said that Papua New Guinea - heavily forested like
Guyana - had proposed that rainforest protection be added to measures
to prevent global warming. PNG Ambassador Robert Aisi told a recent
climate meeting in Bonn, Germany, that even though a tonne of carbon
saved from the atmosphere came with a price tag, there was no way
developing countries could trade avoided rainforest destruction on the
international market.

The Iwokrama Director General said that its carbon trading would be
done under an arrangement whereby private individuals and companies
would be willing to pay for the maintenance of carbon sequestration.
This would be done outside the framework of the CDM and Iwokrama would
be paid for such activities.

Iwokrama said on its website that while the Kyoto Protocol had created
a carbon trading market, sustainable forest management and conservation
of standing forests remained excluded from carbon trading under the
current protocol. "Despite having a large amount of carbon stock, the
argument used is that intact forests have low rates of absorption of
carbon. There is therefore little economic incentive under the climate
change framework that promotes better land use and land use change
initiatives of intact tropical rain forests," Iwokrama said, adding
that this directly contradicted Article 6 of the Convention on
Biological Diversity.

Iwokrama said that as a flagship programme of the Government of Guyana
and the Commonwealth, it would play a crucial role in the re-valuing of
standing forests and sustainable forest management as effective climate
change adaptation and mitigation measures.

According to Dr Singh, such an arrangement would not only give Iwokrama
good standing with the international community, but it would also open
up a fantastic opportunity to promote Guyana as a model for such
arrangements.

He said that by virtue of Iwokrama going the way of carbon trading, the
organisation would be seen as achieving the triple bottom line: social,
economic and environmental targets.

At the moment negotiations are ongoing between Iwokrama and
International Forest Products Corporation, a UK company for the
commencement of the venture. The Iwokrama Board of Trustees at its
meeting in London about three weeks ago had approved the opening of
negotiations with IFP, a major US-owned trader of forest products. IFP
is keen on purchasing and marketing under the Iwokrama brand the
forest's annual sustainable timber harvest.

At the meeting, the trustees also agreed that there should be
discussions with an important UK company, Carbon Capital Limited, which
creates and manages investments in the carbon economy, about a possible
carbon facility for Iwokrama in accordance with Guyana's national
guidelines.

On its website, Iwokrama said that even if there were to be significant
reduction in greenhouse gas emissions, countries would still need to
cope with a changing climate for the next 40 plus years, because of
emissions already put into the atmosphere.

"The future climate is already set over this time period and the
consequences cannot be ignored. Businesses and the financial markets
need to grasp the reality we face - that we have to both reduce our
emissions and acclimatise to inevitable climate change. There is no
choice between mitigation and acclimatisation - we have to pursue
complementary actions on both - now," Iwokrama declared on its website.

The BBC report said that in the past the complexity of assessing the
amount of rainforest destruction and any change in the rate of
destruction had led to it being sidelined in the original Kyoto
Protocol which would not be reviewed until 2012.

Aisi said in the BBC report, "Kyoto does not allow developing nations
that reduce deforestation emissions to get credit. Kyoto unfairly
discriminates against rainforested developing nations who seek to
participate within the world carbon market."

It is thought that around a quarter of all greenhouse gases are
attributable to rainforest destruction.



singh




Amerindian Affairs Ministry to launch website

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Amerindian Affairs Ministry to launch website
Saturday, July 21st 2007

The Ministry of Amerindian Affairs will later this month launch a
website to ensure that information on issues pertaining to Amerindians and
their rights are more readily accessible, the Government Information Agency
(GINA) reported.
Minister Carolyn Rodrigues said this development follows government's
recognition of the growing need for information on existing services,
entitlements and opportunities available to Amerindians.
According to GINA, the minister said that persons utilising the site will
have access to information pertaining to land rights, the Amerindian Act,
the hinterland scholarship programme and a variety of other social services
provided by the ministry.
She explained that candidates for the scholarship programme would have
access to features such as online application forms, entry requirements and
the list of academic and technical-vocational programmes facilitated through
the ministry.
Extended infrastructural facilities such as electricity in some hinterland
areas have facilitated previously inaccessible services such as internet
access.
This has opened up avenues for information sharing, educational research and
existing opportunities on the coastland.
It is hoped also that the new initiative would encourage increased use of
the internet for data retrieval by Amerindians, GINA concluded.

Forestalling failure

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Forestalling failure
Friday, July 20th 2007

Compared to its acerbic criticism of the United States Department of
State's annual reports on International Narcotics Control Strategy; Human
Rights Practices, and Trafficking in Persons, and of Transparency
International's Corruption Perception Index, the administration's reaction
to the Failed States Index, recently published by the Fund for Peace and
Foreign Policy, has been uncharacteristically cool.
There can be no comfort, however, in being categorised as a weak state at
the 'warning stage' and placed on a 'watch list.' It should be a matter of
concern to citizens and the administration to be ranked 99th out of 177, way
behind Barbados ranked 130th (the lower the score, the weaker the state),
which became independent the same year as Guyana in 1966. Guyana's ranking
is an unhealthy sign and suggests that, in both absolute and relative terms,
the quality of life is uncomfortable and the standard of governance is
unsatisfactory.
The outstanding feature of failure in Guyana, as in any other faltering
state, is insecurity. The prime function of any state is to protect its
citizens. Security, especially human security, is most critical and a
state's ability to protect its people from crime that threatens residents of
town and country alike is the main indicator of its viability.
Apart from security, several other social, economic and political indicators
can be used to measure the success or weakness of states. In Guyana's case,
the brain drain, extensive corruption, economic stagnation, environmental
degradation, uneven economic development in depressed communities and the
existence of squalid squatter settlements - are also some of the most
visible signs of failure.
Other indicators of great danger are those that measure the threats to the
state's principal institutions. The strange handling of certain matters in
the high court and the president's withholding of his assent to certain
bills passed by the National Assembly, for example, inevitably create the
impression that citizens cannot rely on the court system for redress or
remedy, especially in matters involving the state, and that democratic
debate in a legislature that exists largely to ratify the decisions of a
strong executive is a waste of time.
Persistent problems with public utilities - the rickety ferry services
across the Berbice, Demerara and Essequibo rivers; erratic electricity
generation; unreliable pure water supply; near-impassable hinterland roads
and bridges and a sickly education system bleeding from the loss of teachers
and suffering from rising rates of illiteracy - all point to falling
standards which can lead to failure.
The administration's inept management of the recurrent environmental
disasters triggered by extreme weather - as in the January-February 2005 and
2006 floods - can rapidly reverse economic gains. Guyana's population,
sandwiched between shaky sea defences and wobbly water conservancies, lives
under constant threat. Most of all, as was seen at its worst during the East
Coast crime wave, the country still runs the risk of being a breeding ground
for narco-terrorism and the criminal violence that it invariably spawns.
The more anaemic the administration and anomic the population, the more
easily can criminal elements seize the opportunistic advantage of the
deteriorating internal security situation to launch their narco-trafficking
enterprises, launder dirty money, purchase weapons, recruit enforcers,
control territory and ready themselves for an assault on the state itself.
A weak state like Guyana opens opportunities for a corrupt minority but
makes life miserable for the majority. Guyana is not a failed state but it
needs to strengthen its institutions if it is to forestall failure and avoid
the fate of other frail states. The road to failure is paved with
uninvestigated disasters; unexplained executions; unregulated exploitation
of its resources; unheeded recommendations of advisory commissions;
unsuppressed narco-trafficking and unpunished bureaucratic corruption.
All these are signs of impending failure which only the blind cannot see and
only bad leadership will ignore.
On the other hand, good leadership can stop the rot and move the country
forward to success, stability and strength.

School of Anthropology launched at UG

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School of Anthropology launched at UG
Friday, July 20th 2007

The University of Guyana launched the Denis Williams School of Anthropology
on Monday, though collaborative efforts with two US universities, as a step
towards offering full-time studies in the discipline in coming years.
Cultural anthropology has been part of the local university's summer
programme for sometime now and this year archaeology has been added. The
Amerindian Research Unit of the School of Humanities previously worked along
with US-based Guyanese Dr George Mentore of the University of Virginia to
offer the course in cultural anthropology and more recently Dr Mark Plew of
Boise State University (BSU), Idaho, who has ties with UG spanning some 20
years, joined the team to carry the archaeology course.
The courses are open to anyone who is interested in anthropology, including
foreign students. In previous years, undergraduate students from the
University of Virginia took the course in cultural anthropology. Another
batch of foreign students is currently on the programme.
Negotiations are ongoing relating to certification for local students, and
UG is also looking at crediting students on campus who take the summer
courses.
Dr Mentore told Stabroek News in an interview that the school is a fitting
tribute to Williams, who was a pioneer in anthropology in Guyana. He said
the university had discussed the idea of setting up a school for years and
progressively worked towards it.
He said his course was the beginning but prior to that, the Amerindian
Research Unit at UG commenced the process.
He explained that his course is focused on cultures and entails the group
travelling to hinterland areas and taking up residence there for a few
weeks. Mentore said the training is based on having an experience of life in
the chosen area so persons on the course are required to live in the area
and interact with the villagers.
The cultural anthropology course is a seven-week course and according to
Mentore, most of the time is spent getting a practical feel of the society
chosen for study. He said the local students are exposed to the theory
aspect two weeks before the US undergraduates arrive. Another two weeks is
spent in the classroom before they leave for the hinterland. This year the
group is heading to Nappi in Region Nine.
Students who signed up for the archaeology course left for the hinterland on
Tuesday to begin an excavation exercise. Dr Plew explained that they will
focus on the shell heaps in the North West region since earlier studies in
the area have revealed that these hold a wealth of information. He said the
students will also be involved in mapping the area.
Plew said he has been coming to Guyana for over 20 years now and has done
work in many hinterland areas. He noted that Williams was the one who
started ground-breaking work in the hinterland that they are now following
up on, adding that the staff at the Amerindian Research Unit at UG and the
Walter Roth museum kept his memory and work alive.
He said there is much room for growth between UG and BSU and expressed the
hope that many local students will be able to benefit through the
collaboration.
Plew will be here every year to lecture in archaeology and is looking
forward to seeing many more persons. He added that UG has embarked on a
tremendous project since there is nothing similar in the Americas. According
to him, the aim is to build a solid programme at the new school so that
students from the Caribbean region interested in anthropology will
eventually study here.
Bianca Sirevo, a graduate of the University of Virginia told this newspaper
that she took Dr Mentore's course back in 2005 and loved it so much that she
asked to come back. She has returned as a teaching assistant and according
to her, the programme has a different feel every time. She majored in
anthropology and described her first visit to Guyana as an unforgettable
one, particularly her stay in the hinterland.