Elections
General elections to be held in November 2025 – Jagdeo: Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo last week disclosed that the next general elections will likely be held in November 2025, while Budget 2024 is expected to be presented to the National Assembly by the end of this month. Questioned about what will be the main priorities targeted for the oil and gas industry, given that elections will be held next year, Jagdeo said, “Clearly… in the oil and gas, we have done what we promised we will do so far. We made it clear. We’ve given explanations on some of the things that we will do but not now, we’ve phased them. The petroleum commission, we said we’re building capacity in the ministry. Now in this period of the creation of the framework for managing, framework for accountability in the sector that you need more, you need swifter, more political action to pass like the NRF, the Petroleum Activities Bill, to get the new PSA, all… things had to be driven politically to achieve them.” According to Jagdeo, “a technical body” would not have had the same sense of urgency to get those done. “We promised that [at] election, that’s why we did those.” He noted that people assessing the sector in Guyana from 2020 to the present would be able to see the massive changes “in the tools available to the country” to manage the sector. “Environmental, technical, almost everything,” while emphasising that there was an evolution in the framework with only the “jaundiced” not being able to see that. He then declared the ultimate goal to be a petroleum commission. When asked about the Skeldon sugar factory, Jagdeo responded that the government has a strategy to deal with that estate, more of which will be revealed during Budget 2024.
Accountability
PPC rejects complaint by Akamai over contract award: The Public Procurement Commission (PPC) on December 29th rejected a complaint by Akamai Inc over a contract award, leaving the company dissatisfied and Member of Parliament David Patterson charging that there had been a whitewashing of the matter. Yesterday, Chair of the PPC, Pauline Chase wrote Akamai Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Brian Hackett in response to his August 16th letter of complaint and essentially upheld the decision of the Evaluation Committee of the National Procurement and Tender Administration Board (NPTAB) that the company’s bid was non-responsive. Hackett had sought a resolution to unanswered attempts to obtain from the procuring entity, the Hinterland Electrification Company Inc, (HECI) the reason for the rejection of the bid. Subsequently, the PPC received from Hackett an Application for an Administrative Review dated September 6, 2023. In the letter to Hackett, Chase said that the application appeared, prima facie, not to have complied with the procedure set out in the Procurement Act, Cap. 73:05. This entailed the lodging of a Bid Protest. Chase pointed out that the letter of July 17, 2023 to the procuring entity requested the reasons for the rejection of the bid as distinct from protesting its rejection in conformity with the Act. Notwithstanding this, Chase said that the commission in exercise of its discretion under its constitutional mandate reviewed the subject tender proceedings. She said that the Report of the NPTAB Evaluation Committee disclosed that Akamai’s bid was deemed non-responsive.
Infrastructure
Contracts to be signed soon for Wismar Bridge, NA hospital -President: Government will be moving this week to initiate a number of projects with the signing of the contract for the Wismar Bridge, turning of the sod for the New Amsterdam Hospital, and advertising Requests for Proposals (RFP) for national gas projects, among them. President Irfaan Ali last week made the announcements in his first public address to citizens for 2024. “During the course of this week, already in the first week of the year, you will see some major projects being commissioned or signed into operation…,” he said in the televised address. Ali said that before the end of the week, the contract for the construction of the new Wismar Bridge will be signed. “This is a tremendously important investment, a major public infrastructure investment for our country for Region 10. So during the course of this week, you will see us signing the contract for the new Wismar Bridge. Of course this will create tremendous op-portunities in the mining town.” Recently Minister of Public Works, Juan Edghill, had announced that developmental works for the four-lane bridge across the Demerara River are slated to begin this year. “Monies have been provided, and the contractor was identified, so we are ready to go,” he had said. Stabroek News understands that the company contracted for the project is China Railway Construction Corporation, according to a project engineer at the Ministry of Public Works. In 2020, an elevated precast concrete girder bridge equipped with two traffic lanes and a footpath was proposed to replace the existing Wismar Bridge, which has deteriorated since its completion in 1967. However, the design was amended to accommodate four lanes of traffic. Meanwhile, the President informed that the process for collecting comments relating to the proposed National Gas Strategy has been completed and government will be “integrating those comments with the initial document.” In another week, he said, they are expected to “go to Requests for proposal or RFP, to move towards implementing or move towards looking at models.” “Requesting models through which we can move as quickly as possible to monetizing the total gas assets that we have in our country,” he added.
Maritime
Guyana, Trinidad, Barbados form ferry company – President: President Irfaan Ali last week announced that the Governments of Guyana, Barbados and the twin-island republic of Trinidad and Tobago on Thursday formed a new company that will introduce a passenger and cargo ferry system. He made this revelation while addressing a gathering at the contract signing for the US$35 million Mackenzie/ Wismar Bridge in Region 10 (Upper Demerara- Berbice). The Head of State said that through this company, the ferry system is expected to transport passengers and cargo to Guyana, Trinidad and Tobago and Barbados. “That will open up massive opportunities,” he said to those gathered at the contract signing event He added “We have to get this going and then we have to work on expanding”. Back in May, 2022 Stabroek News reported that Guyana and Trinidad and Tobago were on the brink of experiment with the setting up of a ferry service between the two countries to transport people and cargo. The announcement was also made by President Irfaan Ali during a press conference hosted at State House with Trinidad’s Prime Minister Keith Rowley on a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) that was signed for co-operation in a number of areas. “As we speak to you now, we are already exploring the possibility of having a cargo plus ferry facility as an experiment between Guyana and Trinidad moving people and goods and services… We cannot address any issues unless we create a platform, the vehicle that will allow us to do that and this MoU does that,” President Ali said during opening remarks on the memorandum between the two countries. Ali stated that the experiment by both governments signals the seriousness and commitment to move in the direction of achieving the goals on the CARICOM agenda including slashing the food import bill of the region by 25% by 2025.
Development
Sod turned for nine-hole golf course, country club at Timehri: The sod was turned last week for the construction of the Timehri Sands Golf Course and Country Club on some 71.5 acres of land at Hyde Park, Timehri. The project, which is being undertaken by a Canada-based Guyanese family, is to be completed in approximately two years and will cost around US$3 million. The golf course, when completed, is expected to facilitate both local and international tournaments. It will consist of nine holes and imported grass maintained by a sprinkler system. Speaking at the sod-turning ceremony yesterday, Minister of Culture, Youth and Sports Charles Ramson Jr said that the project was in alignment with the government’s overall vision for the country as “… a premier destination for world-class events. We have started to do that with CPL and this year we are hosting World Cup cricket…” He added that a good tourism destination includes a good golf course. Kurt DaSilva, the son of the investor said that when he first talked with his dad about the golf course, they were very passionate about it, despite the high cost attached and their minds are set on having a successful one in Guyana. “… What is important about that is not only do you need successful execution, good management, and good skill. I think the key part to any successful project is passion…,” DaSilva said. He added that in the future, when business takes off, they are hoping to expand to 18 holes and use it as a hub to improve sports in Guyana.
Temporary structure for new Demerara River bridge 100% complete: The temporary structure which will aid in the construction of the New Demerara Harbour Bridge is 100% completed, Minister of Public Works Juan Edghill disclosed last week. The minister made this announcement during an inspection of the western section of the temporary structure. It will pave the way for ongoing construction of the new four-lane, high-span bridge that will connect the west and east banks of the Demerara River, which is 33% completed. “I was invited here today by the contractor to bring me up to date as the subject minister on the milestones that we would have achieved in terms of completing the structure for this bridge. Importantly, it is time-bound, which means that we have to meet a significant deadline and that works are progressing smoothly,” he informed. “Based on my inspection and the reports I have received today from the contractor, 100% of the temporary structure is completed, which I am happy for. And they are now putting in the platforms, which are required…” The Public Works Minister detailed that the main tower, which reporters were standing on yesterday, will link the 300-metre span from the western side to the eastern side of the bridge. He said that each of the towers will be supported by 38 steel piles. Further, each of the steel piles will accumulate approximately 500 cubic metres of concrete. “From the technical explanation in layman’s terms, this is about 58 trucks of concrete the contractors will be using. Note these are ready-mix trucks, and from what the contractor is telling me, one of those piles and the concrete that is used is sufficient to build a three-storey house in Guyana…,” he elaborated.
Housing
Croal: 9612 house lots shared last year: Minister of Housing and Water, Collin Croal, last week disclosed that 9,612 house lots were allocated by the government in 2023, including 8,578 residential lots, 181 residential-commercial lots, and 860 lots, through the ministry’s regularization programme. He made this disclosure at a press briefing at the Arthur Chung Conference Centre, in Liliendaal, Greater Georgetown. According to the breakdown of the number of allottees by region, for Region Four, 7,118 house lots were allocated, followed by 1,079 in Region Three, 125 in Region Five, and 192 in Region Six. According to the minister, this house-lot allocation equated to over 30,466 over the last three years since the People’s Pro-gressive Party/Civic took office in 2020. Under the “Dream Rea-lized” initiative, 28,368 residential house lots were allocated according to Croal, followed by 659 commercial and industrial lots, along with 1,445 regularization lots. Meanwhile, Minister in the Ministry, Susan Rodrigues, highlighted that over the last three years, there has been a consistent 40% increase in the allocation of house lots exclusively to women, who accounted for 90% of the total allocation. When the allocations were broken down by by income (low, moderate, and middle-income earners), 43.3% of allottees are low-income earners, while 29.2% and 19.5% of allottees are moderate- and middle-income earners, respectively. “That is in keeping with the objective of the housing programme… to ensure that affordable housing is provided to all Guyanese,” the minister told reporters. Last year 15,119 youths, aged 35 and below, were significant beneficiaries of house lots, representing 53.3 percent of all allottees. Moreover, Croal noted that the Ministry continues to develop additional lands to meet the needs of potential homeowners in other areas. In Region One, 17 acres of land were identified for development in Mabaru-ma, while a survey is underway in an identified housing area at Oronoque, Port Kaituma. He did acknowledge, however, that there were approximately 10,000 allottees awaiting access to their allocated lands.
Health
Health Ministry to introduce telepathology this year – Anthony: The Ministry of Health is working assiduously to improve the time taken to diagnose cancer and a major move this year will be that of telepathology which will allow remote visualizing of images on a video monitor rather than viewing a specimen through a microscope. Minister of Health, Dr Frank Anthony at the ministry’s year-end press conference relayed that they had been able to upgrade the country’s cancer registry where “we now have more accurate data and we have been tracking and trying to get and improve the data collection.” He said that in 2023 they were able to achieve a turnaround time as it relates to diagnostics. “In the past it used to be that in some cases when we take a biopsy it probably takes about three months sometimes longer for people to get back the results” leaving patients feeling anxious as they await the results. While at the Georgetown Public Hospital they have been able to reduce the timeframe to within a week, in order to improve the time, they are working to introduce telepathology in the first quarter of this year. He explained that they have been working with Mount Sinai Health System of New York on this project, adding that they have already procured the needed equipment to do telepathology and have started renovation on the Georgetown Public Hospital to accommodate the new lab “and once that is completed we will install the equipment.” Anthony said, “We’ve already trained a staff at the hospital to be able to do telepathology and they would be directly linked to the Mount Sinai lab.” According to him, this will allow high-resolution images to be taken of the samples and sent to a pathologist for a diagnosis. “So this a service that we will introduce starting from early (this) year because we have all the elements in place it’s just starting the service so that would also improve the turnaround time in terms of diagnosing cancer patients.” Touching on statistics, Anthony said that breast cancer remains the number one diagnosed cancer in Guyana with 161 women being diagnosed in 2023 which is 17% of the total types of cancer diagnosed for the year. “So this is something we have to work more on in terms of reducing this burden and one way of doing that we have to encourage people to get screened and get screened early.
Labour
Labour Ministry says recovered $69m last year for workers: The Ministry of Labour yesterday said that it recovered $69m last year on behalf of workers. A release from the ministry said that this was a 42 per cent increase from 2022, when it recovered $40 million. It recovered $38.2 million in 2021 and $13.2 million in 2020. This $160,425,575 million was owed to employees for overdue wages, yearly leave, notice, overtime payments and severance benefits. During the ministry’s press conference last week, Minister of Labour, Joseph Hamilton said that the ministry’s efforts in recovering payments owing to employees demonstrates the government’s commitment to defending workers’ rights, as promised. According to the release, he said that for 2023, the ministry received 912 complaints from employees relating to termination benefits, annual leave, unlawful salary deductions and overtime payments, among other things. Eighty-five percent of the complaints were handled, with the remaining 15 percent expected to be resolved during the first quarter of 2024. Hamilton stated that while the ministry acknowledges a considerable number of complaints from private security staff, it has been able to reduce such complaints through seminars and other means.
Oil & Gas
Nandlall disputes claim that NRF overstated by billions: Amid a contention by analyst Christopher Ram that the Natural Resource Fund (NRF) is overstated by a whopping $274b because it includes oil company taxes that should be remitted to the GRA, Attorney General Anil Nandlall SC yesterday argued that Section 45 of the governing Act has a “supremacy provision” which overrides the taxing statute. In his December 29th oil and gas column in Stabroek News, Ram noted that in his previous column he had opined that the NRF was overstated by “tens of billions of Guyana dollars”. He added: “To my horror, my research discovered that the overstatement at 30 June 2023 after the payment of 2022 corporation taxes for the oil companies, was $274.8b. ($274,765m.), representing 76% of the Fund balance at that date. The magnitude and significance of the error is evident from the 2022 financial statements of the Fund, which received a clean, unqualified opinion by the Audit Office of Guyana, showing the value of the Fund at that date of G$298b. With taxes payable amounting to $49.7b for the years 2020 and 2021 to be financed out of Guyana’s share of profit oil, the correct value of the Fund at 31st. December 2022 should have been G$248.4b, the difference representing an overstatement of 20%. A similar overstatement for 2023 alone, amounted to a further G$225.1b., hence the cumulative overstatement of $274.8b”. Ram, a chartered accountant and attorney, has frequently raised concerns about how the taxes paid by the Guyana Government on behalf of Exxon’s subsidiary, Esso Exploration and Production Guyana Limited (EEPGL), Hess and CNOOC were being treated and his column on Friday consolidated the figures for the various years. “As astonishing as it sounds, if just one of several persons or agencies involved – the Office of the President, the Ministry of Finance, including the Budget Office, the Ministry of Natural Resources, the Bank of Guyana, the Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA), the NRF Board and, I must say, the National Assembly and the Attorney General’s Chambers – had been paying attention to and discharging their respective responsibilities, this fiasco would have not arisen in the first place. What is worse, this situation has existed since at least 2021”, Ram declared. In his statement last Saturday on his Facebook page titled `Traversing legal fallacies’, Nandlall did not name Ram neither did he refer to the column in Stabroek News. He however said: “The bold assertion making waves in the press that the Natural Resource Fund is overstated by several billions is one that is grounded in a shocking misunderstanding and misinterpretation of the intendment, policy and express provisions of the Natural Resource Fund Act 2021, as well as, a misconception of certain elementary principles of law. It would be a grave omission to leave such legal fallacies untraversed on the public record”. Nandlall said that it was significant that the author is not alleging any act of corruption or unlawful haemorrhaging of the petroleum revenues, although the “tone in which he wrote and the sensational prominence he is accorded, may have very well conveyed that erroneous impression to the unsuspecting reader”. He said that even if the contention possessed any merit, it would be of academic importance only, since whether the monies are paid to GRA as taxes or are paid into the Natural Resource Fund, they are in the State’s coffers and by the functioning of the NRF law will eventually be deposited into the Consolidated Fund. Nandlall said that it is clear that Section 15 (1) and (2) of the NRF Act authorises petroleum revenues to be paid directly into the Fund.
Development
President promises cost of living ease:
Cost-of-living interventions will be made to cushion any spikes in prices, President Irfaan Ali said in his New Year’s address as he also promised a “robust” programme to end the carnage on the roads and free university education beginning in 2025. In the traditional midnight address, Ali adverted to the impending budget and said it covers key areas including enhanced defence spending. He said that this year will also see significant investment in education, including preparations for the roll-out of free university education in 2025. “The capacity and capabilities of our Defence Force will be strengthened to allow for improvements in the defence of our sovereignty and our territorial integrity”, he said. Last year saw the most concerted threat by Venezuela against Guyana for decades. The President said that the carnage on the roads will be greeted with a robust safety and traffic management plan. Dozens of pedestrians and others continue to perish in accidents. “I intend to have a national conversation on this issue within the coming days, out of that conversation, new laws, regulations and technology will be implemented to stop the carnage on our roads”, the President said. Cost-of-living interventions, he said, will be made to cushion any spikes in prices in the economy. “We want to put more money into the pockets of people. Our policy making matrix will address this ideal and the idea of putting more money in the pockets of our people. “Workers will continue to benefit from increases in their wages and salaries, augmenting the other measures, which we will take to enhance household disposable incomes”, the President said in his address. Work will also begin on the construction of a new international–branded hotel near the Georgetown Seawall. The President recently said that a company out of Qatar has expressed interest in building a boardwalk along the seawall area, north of Carifesta Avenue and is also to build a hotel in the vicinity sometime next year.
Accountability
NDIA co-operating in Tepui contract probe – Mustapha: Minister of Agriculture, Zulfikar Mustapha, yesterday said that the National Drainage and Irrigation Authority (NDIA) has provided the Public Procurement Commission (PPC) with the relevant documents and tender proceedings concerning the probe into the disputed Tepui contract award. The minister was affirmative in his response to a question posed by the Sunday Stabroek on the issue at a year-end press briefing held at the agriculture ministry’s offices in Regent Street, Georgetown. Although the PPC vowed a thorough probe into the controversial pump station contract that was awarded, the commission for more than two weeks now, has remained silent on the way forward and former Public Works Minister David Patterson is mulling legal action as the next step. Mustapha reminded this newspaper that the Ministry of Agriculture has no authority over how contracts are awarded as it is the National Procurement and Tender Board Administration’s (NPTAB) responsibility. He made it clear that since NDIA falls under his ministry, it was incumbent for the drainage and irrigation authority to provide the PPC with the necessary documents to complement its probe into the contentious issue at hand. “While I don’t want to pronounce too much on the matter, I can tell you that our task is ensuring that contractors do what is right as we must receive value for our money, but we can’t dictate or manage how contracts must be awarded; NPTAB has that responsibility.” Mustapha noted. “I ensured that those documents were sent to the Public Procurement Commission, so we did our part and Mr Lionel Wordsworth (of NDIA) was a witness to this,” the minister added. For months, Patterson has been pressing the Public Procurement Commission (PPC) due to its inaction on the controversial award of the $865 million Belle Vue pump station contract to the Tepui Group, which does not meet the standard evaluation criteria for bidders. The Member of Parliament told this publication recently that he is at his wit’s end, as the PPC has been evading the subject for weeks. He said he would consult with his attorney on taking legal action against the commission for dereliction of responsibilities and inaction concerning this matter of public interest.
Crime
Parika woman beaten to death: Parbattie Amanda Persaud, a 25-year-old vendor was lats Saturday morning beaten to death, allegedly by her abusive husband, while she was heading to the Parika Market. Guradean Lallaram, the 39-year-old suspect was arrested and is in police custody assisting with the investigation. Enquiries disclosed that the now-deceased woman and the suspect shared a common law relationship for the past six years and they have a three-year-old daughter. During the relationship, the woman was allegedly constantly abused by the suspect but never reported the matter to the police. About three weeks ago, the couple had a misunderstanding and, as a result, they had an exchange of words and she was allegedly assaulted by the suspect. The suspect then moved out of the home. At about 5 am yesterday, Persaud was walking down the Parika access road heading towards the market when the suspect approached her on an electric scooter. A heated argument then ensued between them. The suspect came off of the scooter, picked up a piece of wood from the roadside and allegedly dealt the victim one lash to her head causing her to fall to the ground. He then stood over her and allegedly dealt her several lashes to her face with the wood, causing her to bleed profusely. The police say that the assault was recorded by a resident in the area. The suspect dropped the piece of wood and escaped on the scooter. He stopped a short distance away and hid in a clump of bushes. The police were immediately summoned by residents in the area, and two police patrols responded to the scene. The area where the suspect was hiding was identified and he was arrested by the ranks and escorted to the Parika Police Station, along with the suspected murder weapon. Ranks picked up the victim, who was in and out of consciousness at the time, with visible wounds to her face and carried her to the Leonora Cottage Hospital. On arrival, the victim was rushed to the Emergency room, where she succumbed to her injuries. Her body was escorted to the Ezekiel Funeral Home for a post-mortem examination.
Wismar man chopped to death: A 56-year-old man of Block 22 Squatting Area, Wismar, Linden was chopped to death last Saturday afternoon, reportedly by two of his wife’s brothers after he had wounded them with cutlasses. The two suspects are hospitalized at the Linden Hospital Complex. Police say they are investigating the murder of John Jones of Block 22 Squatting Area, Wismar at about 4pm at his home. The two suspects are a 43-year-old labourer and a 53-year-old driver, both of Prosville, Wismar, the brothers of Jones’ wife (Tracy). Enquiries disclosed that Jones and the suspects didn’t have any problems prior. On Saturday, the victim and his wife had a misunderstanding which resulted in an argument. As such, she called her brothers to take her and her three children away from the home. The two suspects arrived and entered the yard, where the police said that Jones was waiting with two cutlasses in his hands. He immediately attacked the two suspects. He dealt one of the suspects a chop to the back of his head and dealt the other a chop to the right side of his face. A scuffle then ensued between Jones and the suspects, one of whom relieved him of a cutlass and dealt him several chops about his body. Upon seeing what was taking place, the police said that the victim’s wife and their three children ran away. One of the suspects went to the Wismar Police Station where he reported the matter. He was subsequently escorted to the Linden Hospital Complex where he is currently receiving medical attention. The other suspect entered a taxi and went to the Linden Hospital Complex, where he was seen by a doctor and admitted as a patient, with his condition being listed as serious.
Tragedy
Corentyne teacher dies in Port Mourant fire: A Corentyne teacher died last Tuesday night at Port Mourant, Corentyne after a blaze of unknown origin destroyed his and his neighbour’s house. Dead is Tokant Deokharan, 44, who resided at Manager’s Quarters, Port Mourant, Corentyne alone in a one-storey wooden house. The fire reportedly started at Deokharan’s house and spread to his neighbour’s two-storey wooden and concrete house destroying both and killing Deokharan in the process. The Guyana Fire Service yesterday said that they are currently investigating the circumstances that led to the massive blaze in Port Mourant. According to them, at 10:17 p.m., the Fire Service was alerted to a fire at Manager’s Quarters, Port Mourant, Corentyne, Berbice. Water tenders #74, #78, and seven fire-fighters under the command of Section Leader Mainty from the Rose Hall Fire Station immediately responded. “Upon arrival fire-fighters observed two buildings fully engulfed in flames and smoke. The building of origin was a one-storey wooden and concrete house owned by 43-year-old Asti Deokharan of the United States and occupied by 43-year-old Tokant Deokharan.” As a result of the fire, Deokharan perished, and the building and its contents were destroyed. “Also affected by the blaze was a two-storey wooden and concrete house located in the same compound and in close proximity to the building of origin, which was owned and occupied by 75-year-old Ameena Bacchus. That building was also destroyed, leaving the woman homeless.”
