Three matters that made the news in recent days deserve brief commentaries. The first was the statement by President Granger on the granting of radio and cable licences by former President Jagdeo within days of demitting office to a selected few with family and/or political connections, to the exclusion of established media entities that had applied for such licences. The President stated that “[W]e need to adopt a policy or principle. The principle is, if something is wrong, it is wrong and it has to be corrected.” He further stated that the wrongs committed in the radio and cable licences fiasco cannot be corrected by multiplying the cases and hoping that they will even out. This column endorses fully and wholeheartedly the President’s statement which needs to be translated into action as quickly as possible. This column also noted the statement by the Guyana National Broadcasting Authority (GNBA) that “licences appear to have been issued contrary to and in violation of good administrative practices, as the said licences appeared to have been arbitrarily issued to persons and entities with close ties to the decision maker and without regard to prior existing applications.” This column therefore welcomes the GNBA’s decision to review meritoriously all existing applications based on reapplication.
Our second comment is in relation to the leasing of the “Red House” property to a company controlled by the political Opposition for the Cheddi Jagan Research Centre. This property has been leased to the company for 99 years for a nominal amount of $12,000 per annum. The Attorney General has proposed that the Centre be converted to one in which the works of all past Presidents are on display, and not just those of the late Cheddi Jagan. This is not an unreasonable compromise to bring to an end the controversy. However, the entity should be reconfigured into a government company with appropriate representation on the board and funding from the Treasury.
Subject Ministers set policies of a general and strategic nature as they relate to statutory bodies, public corporations and government companies. Given the nature of their operations, such entities are given corporate status in order to provide them with greater autonomy and flexibility, free of direct ministerial control, to manage their affairs. This is in contrast to Ministries, Departments and Regions where there is direct ministerial involvement. It is the respective boards that oversee the implementation of policies.Ministers ought not to get involved in operational matters, and therefore it is inappropriate for the Prime Minister to hold weekly meetings with State media heads. Such a practice is seen as a usurpation of the role of the concerned boards and undermines their effective functioning. Indeed, boards do not meet that often in order to give management the much-needed flexibility to implement agreed policies. One hopes that the Prime Minister reflects on the above principle and makes the necessary adjustments. Unless this undesirable practice of the previous Administration (the former HPS was in the habit of holding Monday morning meetings with State media operatives) ceases, no amount of denial is likely to allay fears that there is political interference and direction in the work of State media entities. It is in this regard that we welcome the President’s statement that the Government is committed to the promotion of a high degree of media professionalism. He is reported to have stated that “[M]y administration will not undermine professionalism of state media workers by subjecting them to political direction or interference in their work”.
Last week, we discussed the procedures in place for protecting environment. We noted the establishment of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in 1996 and the way the Agency has been organized to discharge its mandate. There are four technical divisions, namely, Biodiversity Management; Environmental Management Permitting; Environmental Management Compliance; and Education, Information and Training. This is in addition to the operations of the Wildlife Unit. There is also an administrative division that provides support services to the technical divisions, mainly in relation to procurement, human resources management, and accounting and financial reporting.
Today, we complete our discussion by looking at the operations of the Wildlife Unit, and the Education and Training Division.
The Wildlife Unit
Prior to the passing of the Environmental Protection Act, the operations of the Wildlife Unit came under the Ministry of Agriculture. In May 1998, the Cabinet approved of its transfer to the Office of the President. In 2004, following allegations of the illegal export of dolphins, a protected species under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), the Audit Office carried out a special review of the operations of this Unit. A key recommendation emanating from the review was that the Office of the President relinquish control of the operations of the Unit and transfer it to the EPA, in keeping with the requirements of the Act and the Species Protection Regulations.
Following the recommendation, the Wildlife Unit was relocated to the building housing the EPA but continued to operate independent of the Agency. The EPA carries out the accounting functions of the Unit, and financial reporting is integrated with that of the EPA. However, it may not be appropriate for the Unit to be part of the Agency since the latter has to play an oversight role over the former. In addition, CITES is insisting that the Wildlife Unit should be given corporate status, as evidenced by its decision at its 16th Conference of Parties’ meeting. That decision requires all parties to the Convention falling under Category 2 or 3 for more than five years as of March 2013 to have such legislation in place by January 2016 or face a possible suspension of commercial trade in specimens of CITES-listed species. Under the Convention, Guyana falls under Category 2.
Currently, the operations of the Wildlife Unit are regulated by the Species Protection Regulations of 1999 which is a subsidiary legislation under the Act. Draft legislation has been prepared in the form of the Wildlife Import and Export Bill 2014 to regulate international trade of Guyana’s wildlife and to enable Guyana to fulfill its obligations under CITES. The deadline has since passed, and therefore urgent steps need to be taken to have the legislation in place to avoid sanctions being imposed on Guyana.
The Wildlife Unit has the responsibility for coordinating, developing, and maintaining a programme of activities for the sustainable use and conservation of wildlife in Guyana. In January 2014, the Wildlife Management and Conservation Regulations (2013) were enacted. However, funding for the implementation of these Regulations is a limitation. Notwithstanding this, the EPA has been able to facilitate public awareness efforts through the on-going work of the Education, Information and Training Division. Additionally, since the enactment of these Regulations, stronger collaborations have been forged with various NGOs (both local and international), and other governmental agencies.
The main components of the Regulations are: (a) creating public awareness of the Regulations as they relate to protected species; (b) ensuring compliance and enforcement in collaboration with the EPA’s Environmental Management Compliance Division; and (c) promoting research into conservation efforts, with on-going financial support from the Smithsonian Institute and local ‘South Rupununi Conservation Society’ in conserving the Red Siskin populations.
Education and Training Division
Environmental education provides the thrust for societies to strive and thrive, while ensuring the wealth of environmental benefits and services is not hampered. It is an arduous but necessary task to ensure greater appreciation of the enormous benefits to be derived. A robust and sustained environmental education programme that is expansive, strategic and dynamic, is essential to improving understanding and consciousness of environmental sustainability concerns.
The Division is responsible for promoting public awareness of and participation in protecting, conserving, and ensuring the sustainable use of the environment through cross-cutting education and awareness, and capacity-building programmes. These programmes provide a clear understanding of the issues for informed decision-making at all levels of society and for ensuring positive environmental actions. In order to achieve this, critical alliances are formed with a number of stakeholders, including non-governmental organisations, community groups, religious organisations, and governmental and sectoral agencies.
The Division develops materials that are relevant and appropriate for various target audiences. These include a quarterly newsletter, posters, brochures, booklets, manuals, flyers, educational models and memorabilia. The materials are disseminated at various events and activities to groups and individuals in the country and via the Documentation Centre where resources are catalogued and available for use by the staff and public. The EPA web-page is another avenue through which materials are circulated to the public, and the Agency’s annual report provides pertinent information on work done during the year.
In collaboration with partner agencies, the EPA organises international environmental days to create awareness. These include World Wetlands Day; World Wildlife Day; World Water Day; Earth Day; International Day for Biodiversity; World Environment Day; International Ozone Day; and International Coastal Cleanup Day. Outreach activities play an integral role in promoting awareness on environmental issues and influences attitudinal change for a clean and healthy environment. Such activities include presentations, exhibitions, youth forums, video documentaries, seminars, symposiums, lectures and workshops.
Several training activities are implemented to build capacity of various sectors of the society, including children, youths, teachers, women, developers and communities. These activities highlight environmental issues, such as climate change, biodiversity management and conservation, environmental management, EPA guidelines and regulations, environmental education, and waste management. In terms of capacity-building, there is collaboration with the other Divisions to identify issues and to build capacity of its officers. Stronger alliances are also forged with donor agencies, tertiary institutions, government agencies, education institutions, media houses, community based organizations and groups, and the private sector to ensure a more inclusive environmental education and awareness programme.
