GGMC to repair Region Eight roads damaged by miners

GGMC to repair Region Eight roads damaged by miners
Stabroek News, Saturday, September 1st 2007
http://www.stabroeknews.com/index.pl/article?id=56527973

The Guyana Geology and Mines Commission (GGMC) will, in a few weeks,
undertake the repairs to the road ripped apart by miners in Mahdia,
Region Eight acting Commissioner William Woolford told the media
yesterday.

Woolford said a team comprising representatives from the Commission and
the Guyana Water Incorporated (GWI) visited the location on Wednesday
and the GWI team is expected to provide an estimate for the repairs to
be effected to the pipelines damaged by the dredging equipment.

Meanwhile, Woolford said the GGMC has since been given custody of the
equipment it found in the dredged out areas, while it continues to file
charges against those miners. He said to date the Commission had
compiled a list of 12 miners who may have been involved in the unlawful
activity but was still dealing with inadequate information and so was
still depending on Mahdia residents to assist in this regard.

"From what we heard and what our information shows, some of the miners
are from that very community and all of them are locals," Woolford
said, in response to queries about whether some of the miners that
would face charges included Brazilian nationals. Woolford said the lack
of information has stymied the Commission's efforts to take action
against the culpable miners.

The commissioner said too that several charges are still pending in the
Magistrates' Court for miners whom it charged for damage to the same
stretch of road last year. Gold and diamond miners dredged several
stretches of the road between Mahdia and North Fork and damaged
pipelines which supplied potable water to surrounding communities,
causing serious suffering to about 1,200 families.

Over a long period they had caused severe damage to the road which was
motivated by the high yield of mineral resources in the area. The
mining operations responsible for the damage in the Region Eight
community could also face legal action regarding the legitimacy of
their operations there. Woolford had told Stabroek Business that the
Commission had reason to believe that at least some of the mining
operations may not be licensed to operate in the area. He said that
this was another serious infraction which the GGMC will be pursuing in
the courts.

Cabinet agrees to allocate $800M for hinterland roads

Cabinet agrees to allocate $800M for hinterland roads
Stabroek News
Saturday, September 1st 2007


Cabinet at its Tuesday meeting agreed to the allocation of $800M for
the rehabilitation of roads in hinterland communities and gave its
no-objections to seven contracts in the housing sector.

The Government Information Agency said Head of the Presidential
Secretariat and Cabinet Secretary, Dr Roger Luncheon, made this
announcement at a post Cabinet press briefing held on Wednesday, at the
Office of the President. Luncheon said a significant portion of the
money would be used to procure equipment for the road works. He said
the "bullish" market for natural resources in the sector have seen
great investments and as a result, there have been issues concerning
access to concession areas.

In the light of this, government is committed to resorting to the
protocol among stakeholders to govern access and usage of the interior
roads. Luncheon said protocol is being finalised in discussion with the
Guyana Lands and Surveys Commission, the Guyana Geology and Mines
Commission, the Guyana Forestry Commission, the Gold and Diamond Miners
Association and the ministries of public works and local government and
regional development. It is intended to address issues of access for
multi-purpose use including exploiting surface and sub-surface rights
and the costs of maintenance of the road network.

Luncheon also said apart from government inputs, the resort to user
fees/tools have surfaced. He said concerns have also been raised about
crime in the hinterland and as a result more surveillance and policing
infrastructure is being considered. There was no information on which
hinterland roads would be covered in this programme.

Meanwhile, contracts estimated at $245M for the execution of works in
the housing sector are to be awarded. These include a $15.3M contract
for the construction of roads, drains and structures at the West Indian
Housing Association, Secondary School Road and Four Miles, Bartica,
Region Seven; a $31M contract for the installation of pure water
distribution networks at blocks Three and Six, Hope, and a $56.5M
contract for the upgrading of roads at Block Eight, Mon Repos, East
Coast Demerara (ECD) Region Four. A $36.6M contract for the upgrading
of roads at Parfaite/Harmonie, West Bank Demerara, Region Three; a
$19.5M contract for the construction of roads, drains and structures at
Marshon Sandreef, Annandale, ECD, a $52.2M contract for similar
structures at Block Y, Grove Middle Income (West), East Bank Demerara
and a $34.9M contract for the same structures at West Coast Demerara,
Region Three are also to be awarded.

Guyana needs a watchdog to investigate misconduct by those holding political office

http://www.stabroeknews.com/index.pl/article?id=56528095

Guyana needs a watchdog to investigate misconduct by those holding
political office
Stabroek News
Sunday, September 2nd 2007

Dear Editor,

So far one has to be very impressed with Gordon Brown's premiership. I
am most impressed with his break with centuries of British tradition by
surrendering historic powers delegated to previous prime ministers by
the Queen.

Brown has in fact elected to give up some of the royal "prerogative
powers" enjoyed by his predecessors including important public
appointments, the right to recall parliament during holidays and
sending troops to war. It is unusual for a Prime Minister/President to
voluntarily relinquish any of his powers of office and Brown should be
congratulated for his recognition and acknowledgement that times have
changed and that a country's constitution is a living thing that needs
constantly to be made relevant and modernised in keeping with the will
of the people and democratic best practice.

There are important lessons we in Guyana can learn from Gordon Brown's
sense of reformation and renewal.

Prerogative powers have been handed down direct from monarchs to
ministers over many years, allowing governments to go to war, deploy
the armed forces on operations overseas, regulate the civil service,
and grant honours without need for parliamentary approval.

Most impressive of all of Brown's plans for modernization, and one that
Guyana badly needs to copy, is the introduction of an independent panel
to investigate allegations of ministerial misconduct. Britain already
has a sleaze watchdog and the abuse of power panel is needed to mount
vigorous investigations where instances of sleaze and serious
misconduct are suspected. Such a moral watchdog committee is critically
needed here and should be empowered to investigate, discipline and
prosecute ministers, MPs, political and corporate leaders. It is widely
known that some of Guyana's worst abusers of children, sexual predators
and serial rapists hide behind, and capitalize on, political office and
positions of power.

It is a supreme irony that the very people elected or appointed to
protect the weak, the wary and the most vulnerable members of society
often turn out to be their worst abusers - active in their devaluation
and unrelenting dehumanization. Sadly these deviants enjoy society's
protection and are immune even from open public censure or opprobrium.
This cannot be right. We need Gordon Brown in Guyana.

Yours faithfully,

F. Hamley Case

GGMC seeks possession of miners' equipment

GGMC seeks possession of miners' equipment
Kaieteur News, 1 September 2007

Four miners from the Mahdia area will be charged shortly by the Guyana
Geology and Mines Commisssion (GGMC) for violating the mining
regulations.

Yesterday, Commissioner of GGMC, William Woolford, confirmed that the
entity is in the process of filing the charges and the miners'
equipment are in their custody. He noted that the GGMC will be moving
to the courts to seek forfeiture of the seized equipment.

During an investigation carried out by GGMC earlier this year, a number
of illegalities were unearthed on the part of the miners working at
Salbora, Mahdia Road .

“There was also a list of about 12 persons, who we are advised are also
involved in the illegal activities, whom we did not necessarily have
additional information on when we conducted our exercise,” Woolford
said.

He added that the GGMC is still relying on the Mahdia community to
assist them in the process of the maintenance of law and order by
encouraging persons to be law abiding and considerate.

“We want to recognise that the community has a role to play and we
believe that there are people in the community with information on what
took place, and we are inviting them to come forward with further
evidence against some of the persons that were involved there,” the
GGMC head added.

As a result of the errant miners' activities, disruptions were caused
to the water supply of the residents in Mahdia.

According to Woolford, Guyana Water INC (GWI) went into the area, on
Wednesday last, to review the state of the pipeline and the road.

“We expect that we will be able to get started on that road in another
couple of weeks' time. We are recommending the use of a bypass road
with some higher grounds and so we may not go back to precisely the
route where the old road was, in some instances,” Woolford said.

He noted that GWI will be giving GGMC an estimate of the ‘pipelines,
repairs and new proceeds of the pipeline that are necessary, and the
cost of putting everything together on that portion of the road.'

GGMC took possession of the area earlier this year after it was
discovered that miners were damaging the road and breaching several
mining regulations.

However, this was not before fights broke out in the area between
miners as a result of a large quantity of gold that was discovered.

One man had his hand chopped off during one such fight, forcing the
police to intervene.

It was after that incident that the area was closed off to all mining
and the GGMC took control of the activities being carried out there.

Meanwhile, the GGMC will commence exploration for potash, limestone and
salt in the Rupununi area.

This is in keeping with a continuing policy of the Commission in
promoting and encouraging exploration for the non-conventional minerals
which are also of comparable value to the better known gold, sliver and
diamonds.

This project will cost some $3M.

The Commission is also offering a scholarship programme, which was
initiated in 2005.

Any person who satisfies the required entrance qualification is free to
apply to the GGMC for sponsorship to pursue a Diploma or Degree in
Geological, Mining or Environmental Engineering.

These programmes have been specifically designed by a collaborative
effort of the GGMC and the University of Guyana to meet the needs of
the mining industry as a whole.

Each year, up to 20 persons are fully sponsored with the usual
requirements for scholarships being applicable.

Pineapple project in Mainstay doing well – Toshao

Pineapple project in Mainstay doing well – Toshao
Kaieteur News, 1 September 2007

Recognising the potential benefits that could be derived from organic
agriculture, Government continues to pursue initiatives that would
facilitate the expansion of this budding industry.

It was against this background that the pineapple processing facility
was established in Mainstay/Whayaka, a small Amerindian community in
Region Two (Pomeroon/Supenaam) in 2002. The village has been officially
certified for the cultivation, production and export of organic
pineapples.

The initiative was a collaborative effort of the community, the
National Agricultural Research Institute (NARI) and Amazon Caribbean
Ltd (AMCAR). The $3M factory uses clear glass containers to package
pineapple chunks which are sold on the local and international markets.

According to Village Captain Yvonne Pearson the initiative is a
significant boost for the community in improving the lives of the
residents since it is providing employment for over 30 residents and
she is optimistic that more opportunities will be available with future
expansion.

“With the processing facility established, we have been able to create
jobs for members of the community, and this has contributed
significantly in raising the standard of living of our 400 population,”
Pearson said.

Internationally the demand for organic produce is rapidly increasing,
as more consumers are becoming aware of healthy and safe eating habits.
This is creating the need for more focus on the production of improved
quality agricultural foods to satisfy the growing demand.

This is in keeping with the administration's agricultural
diversification thrust and the Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper. As a
result of the growing demand on the international market organic
production is playing a critical role in the development of rural
communities by creating employment and generating income.

“We are very proud of our pineapples because we are the only Amerindian
community in Guyana certified to produce organic pineapples.
Approximately, 80 percent of our farmers are involved in the production
of pineapples in this community and we also produce the sweetest
pineapples in the country and the Caribbean ,” the Village Captain
asserted.

To continually supply the processing facility, farmers have been
encouraged to increase the acreage of their farms to supply the demand.
This has resulted in farmers cultivating an additional 50 acres
annually.

According to Isabella Allen, a farmer, “we were not planting so many
acres as we are doing now and this is because of this factory… this is
very good for us in the community. We are happy because we do not have
to go to Anna Regina and stand long, long time with our pines.”

Under-fire forestry man denies any wrongdoing

Under-fire forestry man denies any wrongdoing
Kaieteur News, 1 September 2007

A top official of the Guyana Forestry Commission (GFC), one of two
employees disciplined on Tuesday for allegedly breaking regulations, is
protesting his innocence.

The other employee, a Forest Ranger, has been sent on one month no-pay
suspension, Kaieteur News learnt. A Georgetown exporter has also been
written to regarding the alleged deliberate breach.

Yesterday, the official, an Assistant Commissioner, said that after
receiving the disciplinary letter from GFC on Tuesday, he visited
Minister Robert Persaud, who is in charge of forestry, and appealed to
him for help.

According to the official, the Minister has promised to establish an
arbitration panel to review his case. This process should take about
three weeks, the man disclosed.

He said that he has not broken any laws; rather he pointed out to GFC's
management that he toed the line and even quoted from his job
description and the Guyana law in his defence.

GFC announced late last month that it was investigating a number of
employees for allegedly manipulating its systems and colluding with
exporters.

The Assistant Commissioner and another employee, a ranger, both
received letters on July 30, 2007 ordering them to proceed on special,
paid leave to allow for investigations to be conducted.

The letter also forbade the Assistant Commissioner to visit any GFC
premises and any stakeholder or exporter related to the forest
industry.

Almost one month later, the two officials were found culpable in the
internal investigations and issued with the disciplinary letters.

Meanwhile, the Assistant Commissioner also said that he has appealed to
the GFC to review the decision to discipline him. “I sent the appeal to
the Human Resources Department and I am awaiting the response.”

According to him, he spent more than a decade with GFC. He said that he
will await the outcome of the arbitration process and what GFC says to
his appeal before deciding his next step. A court challenge would not
be out of the question.

The actions against the two officials come in the wake of recent
announcements of management shake-ups within the army and prison
system, and are being viewed by many as Government's growing
intolerance of indiscipline and corruption within the public service
and governmental agencies.

A statement from GFC on Tuesday did not call any names or indicate
whether police have been called in. GFC said that “two officers of the
GFC have been disciplined in accordance with the GFC Human Resources
Policy Manual.”

Last week, a former manager of a top sawmill disclosed that wrongdoings
are widespread within the forestry sector. He leveled several charges
claiming that Guyana is losing a lion's share of the royalties due on
timber and accused Customs officials and GFC rangers of colluding with
exporters to defraud the government.

Against this background, Amerindian Affairs Minister, Carolyn
Rodrigues, also accused loggers of abusing Amerindians by short-paying
or in some instance not paying them.

Minister Persaud has since indicated that he is paying a close eye to
the industry.

Is Janet Bulkan misinforming the public?

Is Janet Bulkan misinforming the public?
Kaieteur News, 1 September 2007

Dear Editor,

I constantly read articles in the letters column, and in the past I
paid a lot of attention to the letters written by one Janet Bulkan, who
seemed to be exposing a lot of bad practices in the forestry sector and
pointing out the shortcomings of the Guyana Forestry Commission (GFC)
and Government.

I was therefore pleased again when I saw the article by Ms. Bulkan,
indicating that Demerara Timbers Limited was clandestinely acquired by
Bai Shan Lin, because I felt good that such wrongdoings were no longer
being swept under the carpet, but were being actively exposed by
champions such as Janet Bulkan.

To my surprise and amazement, I read, the very next day, the rebuttal
by the Chief Executive Officer of Demerara Timbers Limited that the
story reported by Ms. Bulkan is fictional rather than factual.

In the past, whenever the GFC made a rebuttal of Balkan's allegations,
I was unimpressed because I saw it just as a lame defence. I now,
however, will have to give credibility to the responses of the GFC,
since it is unacceptable that Ms. Bulkan can write such erroneous
statements.

The least she could have done was to contact the GFC for some
clarification, but instead, she chose to make the news, rather than
report it, she chose to sensationalise issues in her apparent goal of
mud-slinging at the GFC.

I also understand that Ms. Bulkan was once a very senior scientist
attached to the Iwokrama programme. Can she elaborate on the success
stories of herself and the other high priced “scientists”?

Can she tell us why the Guyana National Certification Standard is still
to be completed?

I seem to recall that she was once the chairperson of that initiative.
The responses to these questions may make for interesting reading,
which, hopefully, will be factual for once.

Chris Simpson