Sugar
Sugar workers in countrywide strike for pay hikes: Over 3,000 sugar workers across the country began a strike last week for increased wages, which they have not been granted over the past five years as a result of what they believe is clear discrimination. The withdrawal of labour by workers from the Albion, Blairmont and Uitvlugt estates is another blow to the efforts of the Guyana Sugar Corporation (GuySuCo) to achieve its production target. Some workers were also joined by officials from the Guyana Agricultural and General Workers Union (GAWU) and the National Association of Agricultural, Commercial and Industrial Employees (NAACIE) in a protest in front of the Ministry of the Presidency on Vlissengen Road, in Georgetown. In a statement, GAWU said the protest action was aimed at persuading government, which is a major stakeholder in the corporation, “to bring an end to the wage freeze and approve a pay rise” for workers.
Granger, Jagdeo differ on way ahead for sugar: Speaking at concurrent media engagements President David Granger and Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo last Thursday told the public that Guyana’s sugar industry is viable but presented very different strategies for the continued operation of GuySuCo. Speaking with radio host Stan Gouveia, Granger declared that the actions taken by his government were intended to reform the sugar industry and maintained that because of this the industry will in the medium term, be the most sustainable sugar industry in the English speaking Caribbean region. “All we have done is to ensure that three mega estates are protected. The idea is not to shut down the industry it is to reform the industry; bring production to about 147,000 tonnes, maintain a labour force that is as large as necessary and keep the sugar industry alive,” the President explained, adding that while it was unfortunate that persons had to be laid off he is encouraged by what he is seeing at those estates which are currently operational, especially Albion. Meanwhile, Jagdeo during his weekly press conference reiterated that if a PPP/C government were to be elected at the March 2nd, 2020 polls, it will reopen three of the four shuttered sugar estates, rehire laid off sugar workers and bring the factories into profitability. He stressed that while financially the sector might be operating at a loss, it is still economically viable because of the linkages to other sectors of Guyana’s economy.
Elections
GECOM agrees to indefinite extension for picking up of uncollected IDs: The Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) has decided to extend indefinitely the time within which around 18,000 persons can collect their national identification (ID) cards since a mere 805 have showed up during the 21 days previously announced. Beginning on November 9th, GECOM published in the four daily newspapers and on the commission’s website the names of 18,512 persons who have not collected their cards, some from since 2008. An Order signed by Chief Election Officer (CEO) Keith Lowenfield directs that all persons whose names are listed must personally appear at their closest registration office with a Guyana issued birth certificate or certificate of registration of a foreign birth or a valid Guyana passport as well as any other supporting documents which may be requested by the registration officer before whom they appear.
Health
Filaria campaign hit hurdle in Region 10 after Guyana Times reports – PAHO: The campaign to eliminate filaria started off successfully but it was affected in Region 10 following reports in the Guyana Times (GT) that two women died after taking the pills. Speaking to Stabroek News, a team from the Pan-American Health Organization (PAHO) said it was disappointed with the damaging report and the fact that the media house did not act responsibly. As a result, there has been a very high refusal rate in Region 10. Luckily, the other regions – one to seven, had already been completed. The GT reported that the two women, Chanmoonie ‘Vida’ Rampaul, 55, of Vergenoegen, East Bank Essequibo and Domattie Mannie, 57, of Essequibo, died after taking the pills. PAHO has declared that there is nothing showing empirically that their deaths have a linkage to the pills in terms of cause and effect. Rampaul’s son Kishan told this newspaper that she took the pills on Saturday November 16 and died on Thursday November 21. He said that her blood pressure was probably high but admitted that she had not been taking any medication at the time.
Foreign Affairs
New admin head of foreign ministry named: Following an organisational restructuring, career diplomat Charlene Phoenix has been named the new administrative head of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, while five overseas mission heads are to be replaced. Phoenix, 49, holds the position of Permanent Secretary which will replace the designation of Director General, the ministry announced last Monday. Having joined the ministry in 1996, Phoenix has served as the Director of the Department of the Americas since 2016 and as Guyana’s Ambassador to the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) since November of 2017. In a press release, the Ministry said that Audrey Jardine-Waddell, who served as Director General from June 2015, has proceeded on a period of annual leave pending reassignment. Meanwhile, the release also indicated that a decision has been taken to bring an end to the services of a number of Heads of Missions, especially those who might have enjoyed an extended tenure of duty beyond the official limit.
In the court
Mentally ill labourer charged with murder of two vagrants: Despite a report by a psychiatrist that said that he was not mentally fit to face trial, Devon Johnson, a 24-year-old labourer, was yesterday remanded to prison after he was charged with the murders of two vagrants last month. Johnson of Cummings Street, Bourda, was not required to plead to the capital offences when he appeared before Chief Magistrate Ann McLennan in the Georgetown Magistrates’ Court One. The first charge stated that on November 11th, 2019, at Regent Street, Georgetown, Johnson murdered Andrew Benjamin. It is also alleged that on the same date and at the same location, Johnson murdered Raymond Samaroo.
Four rape accused freed as complainants cannot be located: Four men, including three accused of raping children, were last Monday freed of the sexual offence charges against them after the state disclosed that the respective complainants could not be located over a number of years. Ken Bess, Kenneth Skeete, Dhanraj Baldeo and Joel Damon, appeared and the state reported that the complainants in each of their matters had consistently failed to appear over the years up to the present time, despite attempts to contact them via the media, while even police failed to locate them during visits to last known addresses. In the previous week, Justice Simone Morris-Ramlall, who is presiding over the Sexual Offences Court at the High Court in Georgetown, had noted that after perusing the present list of cases for trials in the current session she observed that there were matters dating back as far as 1999. Consequently, she advised that matters with committal dates between 1999 and 2013 be presented for trial or disposal before revisiting the list. She pointed out that this was aimed at sanitising the list, which appears to include a number of dated matters. The state subsequently advised the judge that of the 145 listed matters, 23 fell within the stated period. A report was given on each. The Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP), it was revealed, had indicated that her office would not proceed with prosecution in nine of the matters.
Accused in Sophia businessman’s murder freed: Jamal Forde, the 26-year-old man who was accused of murdering a Sophia businessman in 2015, was on Tuesday freed after a no-case submission put forward by his attorneys was upheld. The charge against Forde alleged that on May 1st, 2015, at ‘D’ Field, Sophia, he murdered Shawn Anys during the course or furtherance of a robbery. Forde was on trial before Justice Sandil Kissoon and a 12-member jury at the High Court in Georgetown. Subsequent to the state’s representatives closing their case, Forde’s attorneys Ronald Burch-Smith and Keoma Griffith submitted that the state had no case against their client.
Vaux brothers released on parole after 26 years in prison over murder: After spending 26 years behind bars for the murder of a man whom they strangled and stabbed to the neck, brothers Daniel and Kornel Vaux have been released on parole after Minister of Public Security Khemraj Ramjattan signed licences for their release, which was recommended by the Parole Board. Also granted his freedom and leaving prison yesterday—after 27 years, was former school teacher Lallman Mulai who had chopped and beaten a man with whom he had an argument over cows grazing on his (Mulai’s) land. Daniel, now 60 and Kornel, 58, were jointly charged for the July 4th, 1993 murder of Balwant Jaikissoon. On December 19th, 1997 they were both convicted. The prosecution’s case was that Daniel in a confession statement admitted that he and his brother committed the murder over a debt owed to him by Jaikissoon.
Fugitive Guyanese forgery accused held at GRA during new bid for driver’s licence: Fugitive Guyanese national Benvolio Francois Caitanya Valenski, who is wanted in Canada for a series of charges, including attempted murder, was on Thursday arrested at the Guyana Revenue Authority’s Camp Street Office, where he attempted to secure a local driver’s licence, Commissioner-General Godfrey Statia has confirmed. This newspaper learned that the 27-year-old Valenski, who is also currently charged locally with conspiracy to forge documents and uttering forged documents, was up to press time last evening still in police custody. It is unclear how long he has been in Guyana but in September of this year an arrest warrant was issued for him in the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts after he had twice failed to show up to answer charges of conspiracy to forge documents and uttering forged documents, on which he had been granted bail. Valenski, also known as “Roy Anthony Sewnarine,” was charged alongside Ganesh Singh on September 5th.
