Politics, Parliament, Finance

From President Bharrat Jagdeo being conferred the Champion of the Earth award to PNCR finance guru Winston Murray breathing his last, the year 2010 was an eventful one on the political scene. As it closes, the most talked about issue is the selection of presidential candidates for the various parties as the country heads into an election year. While the minority Alliance For Change party has settled on its candidate, the two major political parties have a line-up of hopefuls all campaigning vigorously to get the nod.      

New Year 

Despite the shocks of the global financial crisis, Guyana’s economy performed well. President Jagdeo disclosed at the start of 2010 that initial indicators showed that the economy had grown by approximately two per cent in 2009. He pledged to pursue greater long-term incentives for preserving the country’s forests. 

In his New Year’s address to the nation, Jagdeo announced new projects in the areas of infrastructural development, health and education, including an $800-million countrywide school feeding programme and the computerisation of all secondary schools. 

On February 8, Finance Minister Dr Ashni Singh unveiled a $142.8 billion budget in the National Assembly under the theme: “Consolidate, transform, sustain.” It represented a 10.8 per cent increase over last year’s announced expenditure. Although there was no announcement of increases in the income tax threshold, there were significant increases of allocations to the social sectors and other initiatives implemented by the government over the year, including the Women of Worth initiative.  $21.4 billion was allocated for education, $13.3 billion for the health sector, and $14.9 billion to consolidate security sector reform, among the many other allocations. 

Parliament 

In Parliament, there was a total of thirty-one sittings of the National Assembly this year, with 29 bills being passed, all of which were assented to by President Bharrat Jagdeo. One such bill is the Sexual Offences Bill. 

A total of 25 bills were introduced in the National Assembly during the year under review. Seventeen reports, including periodic reports, were submitted to the house by parliamentary committees; while 40 motions, comprising 14 government motions, 3 opposition motions and 19 committee motions, were approved. Four motions were not proceeded with and remain outstanding on the order paper. For 2010, one motion: Criminal Responsibilities of HIV/AIDS-infected Individuals, was referred to a special select committee. There was a total of 115 committee meetings held during this period, despite several committees, such as the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Constitutional Reform, and the Standing Orders Committee, not meeting for the year. And as the work of the Committee on Appointments continued, three commissions, namely the Rights Of the Child Commission, the Women and Gender Equality Commission, and the Indigenous People’s Commission, were established. 

Between August and December 2010, the National Assembly passed five financial papers, totalling $12.3 billion, to cater for additional spending in various sectors across the country. 

Mid-Year Report 

The Guyanese economy remains unwavering despite external shocks, recording a 2.8 per cent growth in the first half of 2010, as outlined in the Mid-Year Report which was presented in the National Assembly on October 14. According to the report, the non-sugar gross domestic product (GDP) also expanded by 3.1 per cent. 

“As a result, overall growth for the year is now predicted at 2.9 per cent and non-sugar growth at 2.4 per cent” the report highlighted.  The inflation rate at the end of the first half of 2010 was two per cent, driven primarily by movement in the food category and based on developments during this period, the inflation target has been revised to 4.5 per cent from the four per cent predicted at the time of the National Budget. 

Traditional sectors, such as rice, forestry and gold, continue to be important drivers of this growth, with favourable performances in other sectors, such as construction, information and communication, health and social services. 

Jagdeo wins Champion of the Earth Award

In April, President Bharrat Jagdeo was among six individuals from government, science, business and entertainment to be awarded the 2010 United Nations Champions of the Earth prize in Seoul, South Korea for their leadership in environmental conservation.  The winners were announced by Achim Steiner, Under-Secretary-General and UN Environment Programme (UNEP) Executive Director. President Jagdeo was described as a passionate forestry and ecosystem infrastructure proponent.  Jagdeo dedicated the award to the people of Guyana, saying in an acceptance speech that the prize was an endorsement of the citizens’ longstanding efforts to help change the way the world values scarce natural resources.   

He said that, for years, the people of this country have demonstrated real commitment to the preservation of nature and biodiversity, most notably as it relates to our still largely intact tropical rainforest. But they have also struggled against the global economic reality that long-term national development and protecting nature are frequently competing, not complementary, objectives. 

Forest funds                 

The Guyana REDD+ Investment Fund (GRIF) was established in August, and the first payment from Norway to the Fund, approximately US$30 million, is now being processed. GRIF is the financial mechanism for the ongoing cooperation on climate change between Guyana and Norway; and according to the financial institution, the latter will pay for Guyana’s performance on limiting greenhouse gas emissions from deforestation and forest degradation, and for progress made against governance-related indicators. Guyana will invest the payments it receives, and any income earned on them, in its Low-Carbon Development Strategy (LCDS). The governments of Guyana and Norway have asked the World Bank to act as the Trustee of the GRIF. Norway’s payments to Guyana may amount to approximately US$250 million over the period to 2015, depending on Guyana’s performance according to a methodology set out by the two countries in November 2009, the release said. 

Politics  

Kadir gets life sentence

Former PNCR Member of Parliament Abdul Kadir was sentenced to life in prison for his role in a failed plot to blow up fuel lines and tanks at New York’s John F Kennedy International Airport. The sentence was handed down on on Wednesday, December 15, 2010 by District Judge Dora Irizarry in Brooklyn, New York. He plans to appeal the decision.  

Kadir and Russell Defreitas, a former Evergreen Airlines cargo worker at the airport, were convicted on August 2 by a federal jury there. Defreitas, a U.S. citizen and native of Guyana, is scheduled to be sentenced this month.  Kadir, 59, Defreitas, 67, and their accomplices circulated their plan to an international network of Muslim extremists, according to evidence at the trial. The attacks were designed to destroy “the whole of Kennedy,” Defreitas said in a taped conversation heard by the jury. The airport is the largest in the New York City area, and is located in the borough of Queens. 

AFC alliances 

The Alliance For Change says it plans to have talks with civil society groups despite their political persuasion in its bid to dethrone the People’s Progressive Party/Civic and end its 18-year governance of Guyana. Khemraj Ramjattan was later selected as the party’s presidential candidate for the 2011 elections, with Sheila Holder as its prime ministerial candidate. 

PNCR selection procedure 

The PNCR is to select its presidential candidate by February 19, 2011.  This announcement was made on November 19 as the party officially unveiled the procedure for the selection of the candidate.  The final recommendations for the system for the nomination of a presidential candidate were approved on Wednesday, November 10, 2010. The “town hall-style meetings that nominees are subjected to will take place between January 3 and 31, 2011. The names of these nominees were to be published by the end of December, 2010. So far, Basil Williams, Dr. Faith Harding, David Granger, Carl Greenidge and Hamilton Green have been nominated as presidential candidates. 

While the campaign among the PNCR’s candidates has been vigorous; across at Freedom House, there has been less drama. That party’s general secretary, Donald Ramotar, Home Affairs Minister Clement Rohee, Executive Member Moses Nagamootoo and Speaker of the National Assembly, Ralph Ramkarran, have all indicated their interest in being the party’s presidential candidate. So far, only Ramkarran has gone public with his campaign, already promoting himself through paid full page advertisements in the Stabroek News.   

Murray’s death

PNCR Parliamentarian Winston Murray died on November 22 at the age of 69, two weeks after he had collapsed in front of a lotto ticketing booth. Not even the region’s best neurosurgeon could save his life, since he had lost all function of the brain.  After lying in state at the National Assembly, Murray’s body moved to the historic St. George’s Cathedral for an emotional church service, held a week after his death.  At the service, top opposition and government officials united to pay tribute to this stalwart. He was laid to rest a day later, on November 30, in the St Peter’s Anglican Church Cemetery on his home island, Leguan. 

Local govt elections delayed 

In December, Local Government Minister Kellawan Lall said the administration remains committed to the timely holding of local government elections under the necessary electoral reform, as the National Assembly approved another year of delay on December 2. These elections were constitutionally due this year. The local Authorities Elections (Amendment) Bill which was first introduced on November 19th, amended the principal act by substituting “thirteen years” with “fourteen years”. This now makes it constitutional that elections are held on or before December 1, 2011. 

Electoral reforms

The political opposition has unanimously supported electoral reforms but without delaying the holding of National Elections on its constitutionally due date. At a forum to discuss the issue, organised by the Guyana Human Rights Association, the People’s National Congress Reform, the Alliance For Change and the Guyana Action Party all said that these reforms, which include making the Guyana Elections Commission independent, are necessary. But PPP/C General Secretary Donald Ramotar told Guyana Times later that “the composition of GECOM as it is has delivered free and fair elections. It has been so good that the opposition recommended that it be placed in the constitution in 2001.”