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The recall letter was delivered to the Speaker of the House Jul 18, 2024 Letters Dear Editor, Thank you for sharing my missives with the general public, about the Asha Kissoon squatting in parliament fiasco. Your public sharing has opened a veritable Pandora’s Box which seems intertwined with many Machiavellian twists. This has acutely piqued the interest of our tax paying public as the finger-pointing- “dem seh, he seh”- colloquialism is hurtling back and forth. On July 12, 2024, in a published letter, one of GECOM Commissioners, Mr. Vincent Alexander, detailed the internal GECOM conflict and the undignified way that this Asha Kissoon’s ignominy is playing out. Additionally, in the public space is a transmitted video, purportedly, of Mr. Vincent Alexander adding opprobrium to this ruination.  Mr. Vincent Alexander pellucidly elaborated on how the protocol is set and should be adhered to.  Again, on Tuesday, July 16, 2024, News Source published a story that on Monday, July 15, 2024, the Clerk of the Assembly, Mr. Sherlock Isaacs was contacted and Mr. Isaacs contended that if such a letter was sent to the Speaker of the National Assembly from the Representative of the TNM List, then that would be sufficient to recall Dr. Kissoon from Parliament. Mr. Isaac’s is correct. BUT he is assuming that no such letter was sent to the Speaker of the House, Mr. Manzoor Nadir or perhaps, he is unaware that the letter was indeed handed to Mr. Nadir. Editor, this letter exists in the public domain and was reported on in various media outlets. For unambiguity, the details are herein. On March 14,2024, the Asha Kissoon’s recall letter was penned and signed by Dr. Gerald Forde, TMN Leader of the list, and on March 15,2024, HAND DELIVERED to the Office of Speaker of the House, Mr. Manzoor Nadir. In the presence of the courier, Mr. Manzoor Nadir acknowledged receipt and instructed his Personal Secretary to sign for the received letter. Editor, suffice it to say, this interminable prolix is causing the Tax Payers Dollars, to again, be directly or indirectly, squandered recklessly by the negligence of certain factions in GECOM AND the dithering temporization of the Speaker of the House, Mr. Manzoor Nadir. Editor, as in Guyana’s Parliamentary Administrative Construction, the President handpicks the Speaker of the House with the expectation that the Speaker of the House will be impartial in the execution of his job portfolio. Since this current chaotic entropy is infecting the public, I am humbly requesting the intervention of President Ali and anticipate remediation of this grievous situation.  The espoused “One Guyana” initiative is under the microscope. All are watching. Thank you. Sincerely, Jonathan Subrian Esq. Related Similar Articles

Let us show respect to each other Jul 18, 2024 Letters Dear Editor, Enough of sad, sordid and sickening episodes. Recently, my husband and I (pensioners) sat on the seawall (obliquely opposite the band stand), chatting and enjoying the fresh air. A minibus drove up and parked near where we were sitting. A man, woman and three young children came out. The children ran around playing under the watchful eyes of the adults (no doubt, their parents). Not long after they began playing soft (Indian) music. My husband and I continued chatting, then the woman approached us and said something like this: “we hope the music isn’t disturbing you, because we see you are chatting, and we don’t want that…because you are elderly folks and we have to show respect to the elderly…” Wow!! I was floored! The music, playing softly, was in no way a bother to us! It was indeed touching to see in 2024, expressions of such neighbourliness, respect and thoughtfulness of others!! She continued…” we have to show respect because we want others to respect us…”This was so unlike some, who at the western end of the sea wall (near the Marriott hotel) see it fit, from time to time, to bombard the atmosphere with thunderous sounds emanating from the trunk of their vehicles as if they owned the entire area, unmindful of the fact that they are assaulting the ears of persons who go there to relax, and do not care for their choice of music! May we as families, communities, a Nation, make every effort to treat each other with consideration and respect, regardless of face, race, religious or political affiliation. Regards, Claudia Heywood Related Similar Articles

Failure of agriculture Jul 18, 2024 Letters Dear Editor, The failure of agriculture is evident everywhere around the country. Productivity has declined everywhere. Agriculture has been virtually destroyed over the last four years. People are not planting the way they once did. Much land is not planted, lying fallow. Most of the population are worse off today than four years ago. Shortages abound with high prices for local produce. There is a shortage of rice and sugar. In fact, sugar is imported and repackaged as Demerara sugar. Guyana sugar is sold for less abroad than in Guyana; local consumers are overcharged to help out GuySuCo which has been producing at worst levels, way below half the productivity than under the coalition regime. Price of rice has gone up like every other item; restaurants and consumers are complaining. In addition to shortages of rice and sugar, there is a shortage of fruits and vegetables. Fruits and vegetables are being imported and selling at lower prices than home grown Guyanese products. Chicken is also in shortage and being imported with poultry farmers complaining of huge losses from deaths of chicken. Restaurants have been complaining about scarcity of chicken and high costs. Farmers complain that they can’t afford the high cost of chicken feed to raise chicken; imported eggs for hatchery are of inferior quality. Mutton is also being imported. Ideally, the temporary flow of oil wealth should have been used to strengthen the agriculture sector because historically it has been the backbone of the economy. When oil is gone, the country will depend on agriculture for survival as it has for time immemorial. One does not know where and how the oil money has been spent in the Ministry of Agriculture.  Is the Ministry serving as a conduit to pass on wealth to certain individuals? What has been going on with the pump stations where billions of dollars have been spent? And how about the huge amount of money spent on kokers, sheet piling, and drainage and irrigation at NDIA? Poor infrastructure work led to destruction of rice, sugar cane and other food crops as well as the death of tens of thousands of cattle and pigs and countless poultry. Farmers lost huge amounts of money; they skipped one rice crop because of uncertain weather patterns and lack of financial support from the government. Contractors made out like bandits without shame. There was hardly any transparency and accountability. Expensive sports vehicles, including Bentley, Rolls Royce, Benz, Prados were purchased. Some individuals became owners of multiple mansions equipped with luxury interiors and equipment; the Pradoville II mansion (Goedverwagting) can hardly be compared with new mansions rising up including one at Bloomfield. What is the VP doing about limitless corruption? He talks a good talk but there has been no action to clamp down on the corrupt. Yours truly, Hemwatie Churaman Related Similar Articles

The Police Force has no deputy commissioner Jul 18, 2024 Letters Dear Editor, I feel compelled to write this letter for the edification of your readers. The Corporate Communications Unit of the Guyana Police Force and several media outlets, both social and mainstream, have been incorrectly referring to several senior officers in the Guyana Police Force as “Deputy Commissioner” or “Deputy Commissioner (ag)”. The Guyana Police Force currently has no Deputy Commissioner, either substantive or acting. The last Deputy Commissioner, Dr. Paul Williams, retired from the Force on May 1, 2024, having reached the mandatory retirement age of fifty-five. No one has been appointed to that rank since. Assistant Commissioners Calvin Brutus, and Ravindradat Budhram, who held the portfolios of “Administration” and “Operations”, respectively, were carrying out the functions of those offices, which are usually held by persons holding the rank of Deputy Commissioner. There is a significant difference between a person carrying out the functions of a Deputy Commissioner and one who is acting in that rank. Article 211 (1) of the Constitution of the Cooperative Republic of Guyana states “The Commissioner of Police and every Deputy Commissioner of Police shall be appointed by the President acting after meaningful consultation with the Leader of the Opposition and the Chairperson of the Police Service Commission after the Chairperson has consulted with the other members of the Commission”. It should be noted that the Constitution clearly states that the same procedure as outlined above applies to persons acting in those two offices. It therefore follows that unless the provisions of the relevant articles of the Constitution are followed there can be no Deputy Commissioner or acting Deputy Commissioner. The Assistant Commissioners, or any other rank holding those offices are merely carrying out the functions of the offices. I must be noted that Clifton Hicken was appointed, under controversial circumstances, to act as Commissioner of Police. As a result, he wears the badge of rank of Commissioner of Police, and correctly so. Brutus and Budhram have been wearing the badge of Assistant Commissioner because they were never appointed to act as Deputy Commissioner. It is important that members of the media report on issues as accurately as possible. They should not propagate false and misleading information, even when that information emanates from “official sources”. Sincerely, Paul Slowe CCH, Former Chairman of the Police Service Commission Related Similar Articles

President Ali, Let Sarah Johanna be the Last…We are Better Than This! Jul 18, 2024 Letters Dear Editor, Plato, an ancient Greek Philosopher stated that ‘One of the penalties for refusing to participate in politics is that you end up being governed by your inferiors.’ My interpretation of what Plato meant by this statement, is not necessarily that the people of themselves in politics were inferior but rather their ideas and policies are. Guyanese in 2024, have the benefit of comparison; of comparing the current and previous governments and to determine which ones had/has inferior ideas and policies. I read an article in the Stabroek News published on July, 12, 2024 and titled ‘Squatting is illegal and comes with known consequences – McCoy’. In the article minister McCoy stated “The decision to unlawfully occupy land comes with known consequences, including insufficient or non-existent basic infrastructure such as potable water and sanitation facilities, and the stark reality of structures being demolished by landowners.” I would like to indicate that what happened at Sarah Johanna, Mocha, Hill Foot, Linden, Parika and other areas with regard to the approach to removing squatters or residents, whether it be by the government or private citizens MUST not happen in this country again! The purpose of the government is to ensure that the rights of its citizens are upheld and to protect its citizens. So even if, assuming in the case of Sarah Johanna, the land is owned by a private citizen and the court granted an Order for them to be removed off of the land, no citizen has a right to create such disorder in a community and disrupt people’s lives in that way; no police force has a right to break the law to uphold the law and there were a number of breaches by the police in that process; a male policemen should not be touching and handling females in the way the male police were handling women during that process; and no Court Order can violate the rights of a citizen under the age of 18 years who are considered to be a child under the laws of Guyana and who are supposed to be under the protection of the State. The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child – Part 1, Article 2:2 indicates ‘States Parties shall take all appropriate measures to ensure that the child is protected against all forms of discrimination or punishment on the basis of the status, activities, expressed opinions, or beliefs of the child’s parents, legal guardians, or family members’. Article 3:1 indicates, ‘In all actions concerning children, whether undertaken by public or private social welfare institutions, courts of law, administrative authorities or legislative bodies, the best interests of the child shall be a primary consideration.’ Article 3:2 indicates that, ‘States Parties undertake to ensure the child such protection and care as is necessary for his or her well-being, taking into account the rights and duties of his or her parents, legal guardians, or other individuals legally responsible for him or her, and, to this end, shall take all appropriate legislative and administrative measures’. Therefore, as of now, since the government is not protecting the rights of the children in these instances, I would like to suggest to the judicial system – the Courts, the Judges that when then Court Order is being made, request information on whether children will be affected by the order and how many and in what ways, particularly in the case of settlements, and include in the order some form of protective care for the children. The article in Stabroek News article further stated that ‘He [Minister Mc Coy] made it clear that squatting was illegal and as such government cannot provide amenities noting that those who decide to squat on private or state lands must acknowledge the inherent limitations and challenges of such actions.’ Minister McCoy is wrong on many levels, this is not a case of one adult person being removed from State or private lands, all of these cases can be considered human settlements. In all of these cases, there were several children and even babies involved and who were made homeless by these actions, the level of disruption to their lives was substantial. In April 2011, the United Nations Human Rights Council adopted through Resolution 16/2, access to safe drinking water and sanitation a human right: a right to life and human dignity. The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), Goal 11, ‘Sustainable Cities and Communities – Make cities and human settlements, inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable’. We would like to see the government’s policy, strategy and plan for achieving Goal 11 of the SDGs, ‘Sustainable Cities and Communities – Make cities and human settlements, inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable’. This must include addressing the issue of squatting in Guyana in a way that respects for the rights of citizens, including children, and human dignity; and providing temporary water and sanitation facilities to citizens, even in squatting settlements, since water and sanitation is a human right. On another point, what we are seeing is a Guyana in transition. In transition from the second poorest country in the Western hemisphere to one of the richest countries in the world. However, in this transition process, we are experiencing what can perhaps be termed as the ‘economics of plenty’ and the paradox of poverty in the midst of plenty. Let us examine the case of Mocha. The government wanted to build a road through the community and the actions taken by the government to demolish the homes and businesses of residents of Mocha was in violation of the rights of those residents and the children who were affected. If the government was borrowing a loan from the Caribbean Development Bank (CDB), Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) or the World Bank or another regional, international or multinational financial institution to construct the road through the Mocha community, a requirement for consideration of the loan would have been for the government to do an Environmental and Social Impact Assessment and perhaps, an Environmental Management Plan or some substantial assessment. The purpose of these assessments is to determine the nature and level of impact on residents, businesses, livelihoods, environment, etc., and to make recommendations. What we now have in Guyana is a government and country that has a lot of its own money and therefore if the government decides to build a road through a community, as in the case of Mocha, the government is no longer constrained by the requirements from these international financial organisations. However, the people of Guyana must now demand that the Government establish a set of requirements and obligations which would guide its actions and ensure that human dignity of citizens are respected and their rights are upheld when the government is using their money to build roads, schools, bridges or other. This money belongs to the Guyanese people, and they must demand that the government respect their rights, humanity, and human dignity in the process of using their money. Finally, I say to President Ali, let Sarah Johanna be the last…we are better than this! We are more civilized than this, we are more sophisticated than this. Additionally, the government is in violation of the international conventions and development mechanisms, such as the Convention of the Rights of the Child. The Guyanese people can look forward to our government being rights-driven and our key focus will on humanity and human dignity. Yours faithfully, Citizen Audreyanna Thomas Related Similar Articles

Hot and Some Afternoon Showers By Adrian Fuentes HAVANA TIMES – The forecast for the coming days is for partly cloudy mornings in the western region...

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