Greetings friends. I had just decided to be escapist and light-hearted today when I recalled that last Friday I promised to touch on the now-sensitive issue of land management including allocations (transports, leases). So here we go – very briefly.
Lo and behold, even as I indicated herein last Friday, in Saturday’s Stabroek (June 8) former PPP top-man, former Minister Clement Rohee had a letter published exploring related land issues, even expanded to water/hydrographic surveying to be done by the vital entity, the Lands and Surveys Commission (GLSC). The PPP man seemed to be concerned about the Lands Commission venturing into water/marine surveys, its capacity to do it even though that activity is included in the Commission’s mandate. Rohee is suspicious about all of the Lands Commission’s recent reforms and programmes.
Now all these issues about land policy and management being published are not ones which capture the public attention easily. They read as dry and always a bit too technical. Unless you are a stakeholder/citizen with very relevant interest in maintaining or acquiring large tracts of state land(s) for some purpose. The GSLC will now remind you that state-controlled lands also constituted our “National Patrimony”. But I return to land a few paragraphs below.
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The Coalition’s homes, little spaces
Last Friday too I quoted the Sunday Chronicle’s page 3 (SC June 2, 19) which reported that the Coalition’s Leader, His Excellency had promised to abolish homelessness in the land before he demits office. Some might think that he made some idle “quip” when he elaborated: “Cause I en leffing fuh juss now”. I know that means “re-election by any means necessary!” but why did His Excellency journey to the East Bank Demerara Housing Projects two weekends ago?
Simple! It’s part of the Coalition’s election campaigning. His Excellency knows that housing is a vital social/personal issue for all citizens who would be 18-plus voters whenever the elections are held. His Central Housing CEO, himself a former GDF Officer, must have laid out the housing plans and challenges. His Excellency’s PNC Communities Minister Bulkan must have also laid bare what needs to be done now before continuing all that’s planned for 2020 and beyond.
No matter what the PPP’s Irfaan claims thousands were left yearning for a piece of land on which to build a little house to be converted into a home after 2015. Please them now and many votes are assured. Hence His Excellency’s campaign-like promise about no more homelessness under his watch. Ho-ho
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What’s “geo-spatial”? Land for whom?
Now the Lands and Surveys Commission’s Chief Mr Trevor Benn has been reporting on his entity’s National Geospatial Policy, Geospatial Action Plan, National Spatial Data Infrastructure; a Sustainable Land Development and Management Project which precipitated all the former mentioned earlier in this paragraph. But whew! What’s all that?
Put simply “geo-spatial” has to do with “geographic spaces” – the geography of our lands, locations, types, uses. Mr Benn’s GSLC is charged with managing these vast “spaces”: agricultural lands, mining areas, reclamation of degraded lands, even smaller parcels which came into possession of big landlords, legally or illegally.
Mr Rohee’s concerns are based on suspicions that Benn’s mandate is to manipulate his land management, planning, mapping and eventual allocations for the political objectives of the Coalition. Frankly speaking whilst politician Rohee has his democratic right to be “suspicious”, I feel that the Lands and Surveys Commission – which has now accessed funding from various international sources – must be lauded for reviewing, reforming and regularising land use for the state.
But whilst Mr Benn tells Rohee that he (Benn) will use his new historian to research available maps, plans, files, surveys to compile a realistic updated national scenario of the types of lands owned by the state; and that those efforts must result in a land policy which ensures that the state and all its people benefit from “the national patrimony”, others will welcome the scrutiny of transparency. Why?
Because as His Excellency promotes “village economies” and acquisitions by “land co-ops” and also the determination of when and how Crown Lands became State Land as well as just who really are entitled to “Ancestral” lands every Guyanese must now become interested in Mr Benn’s work. His Lands Commission is tasked with defining and locating accurately that patrimony. I’ll keep at this as it has powerful vital bearing on who owns and controls this “land”. This land is my/whose land?
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On funding parties’ campaigns
Whatever the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) decides next Tuesday, there is no mystery about the fact that Guyana’s General Elections are a mere few months away.
In more “civilized” developed political cultures there are stringent verifiable laws about election funding. There are reasons for those regulations. But here in good old Guyana? Ho-ho!
So consider as I leave today: incumbent government parties would always utilize tax-payer opportunities – as ministers, PS’s, CEO’s – to campaign at election-time, overtly or not. Businesses and other “donors” know why they will finance ruling party efforts. Smart donors give to more than one contestant. Why? Campaign donations are not always cash. Plane flights, reduced rentals, use of local facilities, bank accounts ho-ho. Who will fund ANUG, FED-UP and JLP? Why?
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For you to ponder…
Again, can you name just seven departments of the powerful presidency ministry?
Sunday salute for all real fathers who remain around to help parent children they spawned.
I’ve long learnt to appreciate sexual/gender preferences of the GLBTQ community. But assist me here: a current US presidential mayor Pete Buttigieg is gay with a regular male companion. Should he win the White House what should we expect? The President and his First…?
Last Monday, the US Women’s football team opened their FIFA campaign whipping Thailand 13 – nil!!! Our male Jaguars team faces the US male football team in the CONCACAF Gold Cup next week. Let us pray.
’Til next week!
