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The sanctions relate to assets held in the US and to transactions within or by US citizens or companies Jun 24, 2024 Features / Columnists, Peeping Tom Peeping tom… Kaieteur News – The United States Department of Treasury recently imposed sanctions on Nazar Mohammed and his son. Those sanctions are extra-territorial in reach in that they target persons outside of the United States. They also target the assets, of the targeted persons, that are within the United States. What the sanctions means is that any assets or interests of the Mohammeds and their companies held in the United States are blocked. The Mohammeds or anyone else cannot have access to those assets. The sanctions also mean that U.S. citizens and businesses cannot engage in transactions with the Mohammeds, their companies nor their assets. This includes providing or receiving any funds, goods, or services from or on behalf of them. United States financial institutions, including banks, cannot provide services to the Mohammeds. In effect, the Mohammed’s assets are blocked in the US, they cannot do business with US firms and they cannot utilize the US financial system. However, these sanctions do not force other countries to take action against sanctioned individuals. The sanctions imposed under U.S. laws, such as the Magnitsky Act, only apply to U.S. persons and entities, and to activities within or transiting through the United States. The Government of Guyana, however, obviously facing embarrassment, by the actions of the US Department of Treasury, took extreme action. It immediately revoked the cambio licence of the Mohammeds. While it is clear that local banks cannot transact any financial transaction with the sanctioned individuals once those transactions have to utilize the US financial system, there is nothing in the announcement by the Department of the Treasury that indicates that any local bank or person who does business with the Mohammeds will be liable to sanctions. The Guyana government is obviously concerned about the implications of the sanctions on the country’s financial system but, so far, this only relates to the use of US intermediary banks. It can hardly mean that the sanctioned individuals cannot walk into a local bank and open up a savings of chequing account or have access to any assets they can have within the local banking system. There is no treaty enacted into our local laws that would allow the Bank of Guyana, as the regulator of the country’s financial system to instruct or advise local financial banks not to do business with the Mohammeds based on some edict of the United States. The United States has no power to block assets held in Guyana. The Bank of Guyana must therefore explain the basis on which it opted to revoke the cambio licence of the Mohammed. It must also indicate whether in revoking the licence it provided the Mohammeds with the right to a hearing as provided for in the law. As far as I understand it, we do not have laws in Guyana which allow the government to arbitrarily freeze the local assets of anyone. As far as I believe, this can to be an issue for which the Courts have to so direct. The Mohammeds used to operate a cambio. Why should they have been prevented from buying and selling foreign currency in accordance with the licence granted to them? How does this place the local financial sector at risk when the sanctions relate to foreign-held assets and dealings by US citizens and companies with the sanctioned persons? This issue has arisen because there is talk around the town that no local person or company can do any business at all with the Mohammeds. So does this mean that the supermarkets cannot sell any food to the family? Or that the more than 200 workers which the Mohammeds employ cannot be paid through the banking system? Does this mean that the schools which the children and grandchildren of the family attend can no longer teach them? Does this mean that the fruit vendor that sells on the pavement outside the mosque cannot sell the sanctioned persons a slice of watermelon? These are issues which the President should have addressed during his weekly press conference. There is no need to write the US Department of Treasury to ascertain the scope and reach of the sanctions. The US embassy could have advised on this or the Guyana Embassy in Washington could have interfaced with the US Department of Treasury. Vice President Jagdeo has indicated that the government has sought an opinion on the implications of the sanctions imposed on the Mohammeds. At the least one would have expected that the government would have awaited the report before taking any precipitate action. It should be noted also that the sanctioned individuals have a right to contest the designation by the Department of Treasury so as to have their names removed. The very law under which the sanctions were made allows for this to be done. But the Guyana government is jumpy. It is not waiting on the outcome of due process. As a result, it may be overreaching in its reaction. (The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of this newspaper.) Related Similar Articles

The elderly Jun 24, 2024 Editorial Editorial… Kaieteur News – The older section of the society is increasingly being placed at a great disadvantage. These are the people most likely to rely on the medical services and on the various medical benefits toward which they would have subscribed during their active years. Indeed, during the younger years, there was often no consideration on the part of the people who are now the senior citizens, of sickness and ill health. In fact, younger people do not consider such thing because their minds do not focus on those things. They do not even contemplate retirement and the accompanying benefits. The Scheme does not pay the medical expenses for people over 60 who may not have made a medical claim in the past. People become ill as they grow older; not to pay because the person never made a medical claim prior to 60 akin to encouraging fraud. One may now find that people who are approaching the pensionable age may very well go to a doctor and inveigle him or her to forge some illnesses. The NIS attracts other complaints. People issued with certificates that have faults by the NIS are made to feel that they are responsible for the faults. Some have been pushed around to the point that they have been reduced to tears. Many depend on this money because their earning capacities have been drastically reduced. Indeed, the Scheme has systems that make collection of whatever pension there is, easier, but once there is a mistake the Scheme places the onus on the pensioner who must sometimes travel miles to correct the problem. But the NIS is not the only entity that deals with pensioners. There are the Government Ministries and Departments. These days the pensioner hears that records cannot be found and that aspects are missing. Sometimes it takes months and even years for some pensioners to receive what they earned during their active years. This is often not so bad of interest is attached to compensate for inflation but this is never the case. The result is that the pensioner loses money even before he collects it. But his plight is never considered. It is as if having completed his usefulness to the state he is discarded. For more than a decade, some economists have been calling on the government to review the manner in which pensions and gratuity are computed. This should have been done ever since the authorities recognized that the days when pensions were sums on which a worker could have lived and when gratuities were monies that afforded the public servant a chance to own either a house or a car on retirement. Teachers, now among the lowest on the public servant ladder, are forced to continue seeking employment after they have retired. The gratuity cannot sustain them for a year and the pension cannot feed them for a month. A nation that ignores those who contribute to its development is bound to suffer. Perhaps, this is the reason why the rate of migration is so high. A Guyanese who works in one of the countries of the metropolis for a number of years gets a substantial sum as social security. The sum can afford this individual to return home and given the exchange rate the person is better off than living and working in Guyana all his life. Older citizens are also provided with special services out of due consideration for the elderly. Transportation is free, they are given preferential treatment, and their slightest concerns are immediately addressed. Guyana now flush with oil money could do a lot more for the elderly. Related Similar Articles

Ali the magnificent Jun 24, 2024 News, The GHK Lall Column Kaieteur News – I am doing my civic duty in the public arena, and so should those who are close to Excellency Ali.  Somebody must summon the strength and spark to whisper into President Ali’s ear.  ‘Big boss, don’t go down that dark road, don’t bash little people trying to do their job as media professionals.’ To the President, I offer this humble counsel: why return the respectful with the distasteful?  Excellency Ali, it is unbecoming for a head of state, to engage in the equivalent of verbal fist fights to the point where he is the only one dishing out the blows. When a president appears to relish being a roughneck, then what his country has is a bruiser and not a leader. I urge my president to listen and adjust accordingly. I come across an occasional snippet of Dr. Mohamed Irfaan Ali, President of the Republic of Guyana, and I hang my head in shame. I suggest (respectfully, of course) to Excellency Ali that he reviews those delicious moments in his press conferences, when he transforms into an out-of-control fire extinguisher, and foams over with uncontrolled abandon. Since I am forced to hang my head in shame at the national spectacle and national leadership disgrace, the president may wish to bury his head.  Indeed, this is how much leadership has declined in this country.  Attacking junior reporters is not part of the list of duties of a president, the last time I looked, Mr. President.  Not those working at an honest living and seeking to share some truth and light to citizens, both of which [to be frank] are black market items in the PPP government.  Likewise overflowing with the venomous is not in the job description of a national leader.  Distance from the odious and ignominious, skipper; be about the harmonious.  I share something that must have some meaning for the dear president of this dear land of ours: arrogance is not a mask that works well for ignorance.  The ignorance shines through, no matter if it is a president or a peasant.  Or one of the many political panjandrums that President Ali loves to have around him. I am searching to discern what psychic value Guyana’s president could be finding by being priggish and mulish, and in this unending drive of his to be a sensationalist.  The role of president is not that of a performer, or a motion picture producer, Excellency.  I quietly implore President Ali to stop comporting himself as though he is some low gravy zookeeper. His close people from the cabinet have attacked female journalists before.  The belief was that such developments would (or should) have met with the sternest disapproval expressed by President Ali to his raucous and malicious comrades.  It seems that I am too generous to Guyana’s leader, because there was the big man himself throwing around his weight and dragging down even more deeply both the once noble political profession and two professionals in the local media world.  How does this build anybody up?  How does hostility and insulting language contribute to a better society in a very polarized land?  Where are the positives from such bawdy instances that add to the aura of the presidency, or the quality of PPP Government leadership? President Dr. Mohamed Irfaan Ali may harbour secret hopes of earning the accolade of Ali the Magnificent.  But first he must submit to a 15-year sabbatical and purge himself of all those elements that make him deficient.  Then, he may stand a chance to be Mohamed Ali the Magnificent and not Irfaan Ali, the Irrelevant.  There is the sense that Guyana’s young president is trying too hard to demonstrate how big and bad and boisterous he can be.  Yet I am enraged that the man in Caracas could dismiss him as insolent, and the same political master blaster in the local environment suddenly loses his voice, his swagger, and his buildup of testosterone.  I recommend that President Mohamed Ali pick on someone his own size, one befitting his national stature.  There is the fella Nicholas Maduro on the other side of the fence.  There is a problem of two-parts where the first is when Maduro engages in his war of words on the PPP Government and President Ali. The second part is when President Ali then takes out his resentments and animosities against media people from local media houses that he finds disagreeable. Regrettably, it is my heavy duty to inform my fellow Guyanese that what President Ali is dealing in is not leadership, it is gamesmanship and salesmanship.  Remember I said earlier that his role should not be that of a vaudeville performer.  Unfortunately, that is an inseparable aspect of the game that the president has become a champion at, as well as part of the macho leadership style that he is selling.  I hope that the president comes to his senses and finds some peace of mind by being a new and improved Mohamed Irfaan Ali.  Who knows, he may still come near to his dream of being Ali the Magnificent.  There is only one issue left: magnificent at what?  That is the puzzle and predicament for Guyanese with their president. (The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of this newspaper.) Related Similar Articles

Guyana to tap FOA US$70M global initiative to upscale soil management  Jun 24, 2024 News Kaieteur News – The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) last week announced that it helped 28 countries to unlock US$70 million in financing from the Global Environment Facility (GEF) to address urban sustainability, groundwater management, biodiversity loss, climate change and land degradation. In a press release, the FAO said that 14 Caribbean states – Antigua and Barbuda, Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Dominica, Grenada, Guyana, Haiti, Jamaica, St. Kitts and Nevis, St. Lucia, St. Vincent and Grenadines, Suriname, Trinidad and Tobago will upscale sustainable soil management in the second phase of the SOILCARE initiative. By supporting countries to achieve land degradation neutrality targets, the project will help the Small Island Developing States (SIDS) manage land resources for more productive and climate-resilient agrifood systems and livelihoods. The project aims to restore 28,000 hectares of agricultural lands, improve management of nearly 70,000 hectares of land, and directly benefit at least 6,900 farmers. “These initiatives will help to increase the resilience of those on the front lines of climate change, biodiversity loss, and land degradation,” said FAO Deputy Director-General Maria Helena Semedo after the projects were greenlighted by the Councils for the GEF Trust Fund and the Least Developed Countries Fund in Washington D.C. “These integrated agrifood system solutions will help countries and communities address complex environmental challenges and make a real difference to lives, livelihoods and our planet.” The projects will contribute to the implementation of key FAO strategies in areas including climate change, biodiversity and integrated land and water resources management, Semedo noted. Sustainable Cities Additionally, the FAO said three projects in Algeria, Chile, and Zimbabwe are advancing FAO’s work on urban agrifood systems, including the FAO Green Cities Initiative, by joining GEF’s Sustainable Cities Integrated Program. The program unites 20 countries and nine agencies, including FAO, to catalyze transformation towards nature-positive, climate-resilient, and carbon-neutral urban developments. FAO will help Algeria integrate ecosystem-based solutions, such as green spaces and circular waste management approaches, into its New Cities Presidential Initiative. The project aims to restore 17,500 hectares of green spaces and urban and peri-urban forests, improve practices on over 21,000 hectares of landscapes, mitigate more than 715,000 metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions, and directly benefit 1,090,000 people. Chile will receive FAO support to enhance ecosystem-based solutions and green infrastructure networks for biodiversity and climate change mitigation and adaptation in four cities. The project aims to improve practices on over 1,325,000 hectares of landscapes, mitigate over 14,900 metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions, and directly benefit nearly 732,000 people. The Organization will help Zimbabwe address ecosystem degradation and pollution in its two most populous cities through enhanced data analysis, urban agroforestry and greening, ecosystem restoration, and public-private partnerships. The project aims to restore 300 hectares of forests and wetlands, improve practices on 136 hectares of landscapes, mitigate over 24,000 metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions, and directly benefit 6,000 people. Improving our lands and seas Seven countries in Central America – Belize, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua and Panama – will collaborate to scale up a source-to-sea management approach to holistically manage inland resources and coastal ecosystems. The project will enhance the biodiversity, water security, and Blue Economy of 12 large watersheds and the Caribbean and Pacific large marine ecosystems that flank the countries. The project aims to improve the management of over 1.8 million hectares of protected areas on land and sea, restore 300 hectares of wetlands, improve practices on over 353,000 hectares of landscapes, and directly benefit 350,000 people. In Mauritania, the approved project will restore, promote inclusive use, and improve the integrated management of landscapes for agriculture, livestock and forestry to combat desertification, improve climate change mitigation and adaptation, and enhance biodiversity in the Gum Arabic belt. The project aims to restore 80,000 hectares of forest land, including 40,000 hectares of pasture and 300 km of livestock corridors, and mitigate 313,000 metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions. The project also targets 60,000 direct beneficiaries. In Bosnia and Herzegovina, FAO and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) will implement a project to advance land degradation neutrality and improve the conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity by enhancing the management of important spaces for biodiversity and developing integrated spatial land use plans. The project aims to improve management over 193,000 hectares of biodiversity conservation spaces, including protected areas, key biodiversity areas, and high conservation value forests. The project will also restore 1,500 ha of degraded agricultural lands, mitigate over 2 million metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions, and directly benefit 100,000 people. Climate change adaptation Through the GEF’s Least Developed Countries Fund, FAO will support Angola and Tanzania to adapt to climate change through community-based approaches. In Angola, the project will enhance the resilience of livelihoods, food security and nutrition to climate change through sustainable land and forest management, strengthened agrifood value chains, and land tenure for smallholder farmers. The project aims to improve the management of 250,000 hectares of land for climate resilience, directly benefit 180,000 people and train 100,000 people. In Tanzania, the project will address the country’s rapidly expanding livestock sector and increased land degradation and water stress in drylands through sustainable land management and strengthened climate data systems. The project aims to improve the management of 20,000 hectares of land for climate resilience, directly benefit approximately 1.5 million people and train or raise the awareness of 175,000 people on climate change adaptation. As a partner agency for the GEF, FAO supports countries worldwide in addressing the complex challenges at the nexus between the agrifood systems and the environment. FAO’s active global GEF portfolio currently exceeds USD 1.4 billion, assisting more than 120 countries in projects that respond to local priorities, deliver global environmental benefits, and advance the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Related Agrifood, Antigua and Barbuda, Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Director-General Maria Helena Semedo, Dominica, Grenada, Guyana, Haiti, Jamaica, Organization of the United Nations, St Lucia, St Vincent, St. Kitts and Nevis Similar Articles

MACORP celebrates 100th Cat 320 GX excavator milestone Jun 24, 2024 News Kaieteur News – MACORP, the authorised dealer of Caterpillar machinery in Guyana last week celebrated a significant milestone: the sale of its 100th 320GX Excavator. To commemorate the achievement, the company hosted a customer appreciation event to thank its customers and recognise the company, Chung’s Global Inc. that purchased the 100th equipment. The event, held at MACORP’s headquarters, was attended by customers, employees, Caterpillar representatives and industry leaders, MACORP said in a press release. The festivities included an exhibition, product demonstrations, and presentations by Caterpillar Factory and Sales experts. MACORP’s President and General Manager, German Consuegra told the gathering that reaching the 100th milestone is a testament of how the company help its customers to create value through the quality of its equipment and the best product support capabilities in the market, highlighting some of the main features of the 320GX. “We are thrilled to celebrate this milestone with our valued customers who have deposited trust and confidence in us, and look forward to many more achievements together,” he said. Ezekiel Jardine of Chung’s Global Inc spoke highly of MACORP’s support in helping to build the company. “We have been in existence for about 25 years and have now solidified ourselves as one of the top-tier contractors in the country with the help of MACORP through our fleet of Caterpillar machines, ranging from the 303 all the way to the 320GX. They are the number one brand in heavy machinery across the world. We look forward to a long-standing relationship with you,” he said. Customers were exposed to Caterpillar’s latest products and technologies, showcasing their commitment to meeting evolving customer needs. They also interacted with Caterpillar experts to gain valuable insights and best practices related to the equipment. As part of the celebrations to mark the milestone event, MACORP is currently hosting a 100th 320GX Milestone sale with15% off its 320GX and 320 Next Gen Excavators. These excavators come with 24 months warranty and are part of the Caterpillar Fuel Guarantee Program. Sales & Marketing Manager, Jordi Pinol presents the key to Chung’s Global Inc., the customer who bought the 100th 320GX excavator from MACORP. Related Similar Articles

GTA showcases destination at Caribbean Media Marketplace in New York Jun 24, 2024 News Kaieteur News – The Guyana Tourism Authority (GTA) recently participated in the Media Marketplace during Caribbean Week in New York, demonstrating its commitment to promoting Guyana as a premier travel destination. Representing Guyana at the event was Christina Koontz from CornerSun Destination Marketing, one of Destination Guyana’s North American Marketing Representatives.  The Media Marketplace, a highlight of the week-long celebration of Caribbean tourism, took place on June 17, 2024, at the InterContinental New York Times Square. The Media Marketplace event serves as a vital platform for networking with leading voices, experts, and stakeholders from across the Caribbean tourism industry. This year’s event brought together media professionals, travel writers, influencers, and tourism officials, providing an opportunity to showcase Guyana’s unique offerings. In a press release, the GTA said that Ms. Koontz highlighted the significance of participating in such a prestigious forum. She expressed that “The Media Marketplace provided an exceptional platform for us to share Guyana’s rich culture, vibrant heritage, and unparalleled natural beauty with influential media and travel professionals. We are excited about the prospects this exposure brings for our destination.” Kamrul Baksh, Director of the Guyana Tourism Authority, emphasised the importance of these engagements in promoting Guyana on the international stage. “Our participation in the Media Marketplace at Caribbean Week in New York is a testament to our ongoing efforts to position Guyana as a top travel destination. By engaging with key media outlets and industry professionals, we are ensuring that Guyana’s tourism potential is recognised and appreciated globally,” Baksh stated. The event featured prominent media publications, including Condé Nast Traveler, Travel + Leisure, and Essence Magazine. As a Gold level exhibitor, the GTA had the opportunity to conduct multiple meetings with these influential outlets, fostering valuable connections and enhancing Guyana’s visibility in the competitive tourism landscape. The Caribbean Tourism Organization (CTO), organiser of Caribbean Week in New York and its signature Media Marketplace event, is dedicated to positioning the Caribbean as the most desirable, year-round, warm-weather destination. The CTO’s mission aligns with the GTA’s efforts to promote sustainable tourism and showcase Guyana’s unique attractions to a global audience. The Guyana Tourism Authority (GTA) is the official tourism agency responsible for promoting Guyana as a premier travel destination. With a focus on sustainable tourism development, the GTA works to showcase the country’s rich cultural heritage, diverse ecosystems, and unique attractions to travellers worldwide. Related Similar Articles

TIGI stresses bipartisan cooperation to tackle corruption Jun 24, 2024 News – says recent sanctions on Mohameds, Mae Thomas tip of the iceberg In the wake of the recent US Treasury Department sanctions on the Mohamed family and government official, Mae Thomas, Mike Singh, the President of the Transparency Institute of Guyana Incorporated has called on the government, opposition and other political actors to put their own egos and agendas aside and collaborate to rid the nation of the widespread corruption that plagues it. Kaieteur News – Allegedly, the Mohameds under declared their gold exports in order to avoid paying about USD $50M in taxes to Guyana, and, according to the US Department of the Treasury press release, “to conceal their illegal activity and operate with impunity, Azruddin and Mohamed’s Enterprise have engaged in extensive bribery schemes involving government officials in Guyana.” These recent developments have inspired questions and concerns about corruption in the government and its agencies, the relationship and level of trust between the United States’ and Guyana’s governments, and many others. Former Minister of Natural Resources, Raphael Trotman, recently said in a press release that the US agents that had informed him and his ministry of a gold smuggling racket in 2015, very early in the coalition government’s term, had only then been authorized to share the information “because in the past, there were serious concerns about confidences being kept and sensitive investigations being compromised by government of Guyana officials.” In a response to Trotman, the Ministry of Natural Resources criticized the APNU/AFC coalition government’s handling of the gold smuggling issue and questioned his claims that it launched its own anti-smuggling operation after being briefed by US law enforcement agents. “If, indeed, these former senior government officials were made aware of the severity of the issue, then they should be held accountable,” the ministry said in its statement.  Responding to Trotman’s accusation that the current administration shut down the abovementioned operation days after taking office, the ministry said, “For the public record, no such operations/investigation were discovered at the Office of the President in August 2020 and logically there was no “shut down” of any such operation within five days of the Government taking office three and a half years ago, or at all.” Asked to weigh in on the sanction against t6he Mohameds, the TIGI President said: “what has happened with the Mohameds maybe is the tip of the iceberg, and it’s not them alone, there are many bad actors. So it’s just that they [the Mohameds] are exposed, they’re being made the sacrificial lamb for one reason or the other, but it’s not them alone, it’s a whole society of rottenness, and to fix that problem, they [the political class] have to find the political will to do the right thing, not some of the time, but all of the time. Guyana is not the exclusive domain of the PNC or the PPP or the AFC, it’s for all Guyanese, and unless we can, as I have said before, leave the past behind, join ranks and work together… I’ll echo the sentiments of the late Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., who said, “We must all learn to live and work together, or suffer together and perish as fools.” Change in political culture Singh underscored the necessity of a change in Guyana’s political culture if the nation is to rid itself of the corruption that has plagued it for some decades. There must be drastic improvement in terms of accountability, the rule of law, transparency and good governance. “These are the basic parameters for disciplined approach to fiscal responsibility, national development, and development must be inclusive to all,” he said. It is worth noting that the US Treasury Department’s press release said “to conceal their illegal activity and operate with impunity, Azruddin and Mohamed’s Enterprise have engaged in extensive bribery schemes involving government officials in Guyana.”  The report proceeded to say that Thomas is “one such official,” which implies that the corruption runs deeper than just the former Permanent Secretary of the Home Affairs (during the investigation period) and Labour ministries. Mae is also a former member of the People’s Progressive Party/Civic Central Committee. Due to this, many Guyanese fear that more sanctions could be on the way. On this Singh said, “I will tell you; all things are possible. I don’t have any finite proof if they [the United States government] are going to implement sanctions against any other members of the regime but all things are possible, you have to follow the smoking gun, you have to connect the dots, and I think they’re able to connect the dots. I don’t think people act in isolation; they could act in isolation but I don’t know what political powers she [Mae Thomas] had; I don’t know what administrative powers she had to act… we have to stay tuned. I think that this is just the tip of the iceberg, in my humble opinion and there could be many more [sanctions] to come but who, when, where, why, what, I don’t know. I’m scanning the headlines like the average Guyanese.” There is widespread concern about the effects that the sanctions could have on Guyana’s economic interests, considering that the Mohameds are prominent figures in the Guyanese business arena, and that the nation’s development hinges somewhat on foreign investment. “It’s not a positive development for the country or its investment framework, you know if someone wants to invest and they do their due diligence in Guyana, they’ll say ‘what the hell is happening in here’,” said Singh. Nevertheless, Guyanese should certainly keep their eyes and ears focused on this matter, as it will undoubtedly have major ripple effects both in Guyana and internationally. Related Similar Articles