AGRONOMIST Anthony Vieira has been appointed Director of Field Operations at the struggling Guyana Sugar Corporation (GuySuCo), sources close to the industry have confirmed.Vieira, a director of the Guyana National Broadcasting Authority (GNBA) and a former broadcaster and television owner, will turn out for duties today.

He has reportedly resigned his position as a director on the GuySuCo Board, and it is unclear whether he will be asked to relinquish his post on the GNBA.

Vieira is the son of Joe Vieira, whose business acumen and expertise have been of great importance to the development of Guyana in the agricultural sector.

The former Administrative Manager of GuySuCo Estate was appointed Field Superintendent for technical matters in 1965 after obtaining a Diploma in Plant Anatomy and Physiology at the Tropical School of Agriculture in Trinidad and at the University of Guyana. He was promoted to Assistant Field Manager in 1969, and Field Manager in 1973; and finally Administrative Manager in 1976 at the Versailles Sugar Estate.

In 1983, Vieira pioneered the first television broadcast station in Guyana, for which he was awarded the Medal of Service.

PRESIDENT David Granger says his administration is committed to establishment of a Commission of Inquiry (CoI) to investigate the deaths of hundreds of Guyanese during the 2008 crime spree.Speaking on his weekly programme, ‘The Public Interest’, which was aired on Wednesday, May 11, the President said the commitment he made to the relatives of those who died during that criminal upsurge will be fulfilled.

President David Granger

He disclosed that a “blood relative” of former Minister of Agriculture Satyadeow Sawh has approached him and he has “committed to having that crime investigated.”

President Granger said the former Agriculture Minister’s family are “baffled that the Government to which he use to belong did not even hold an inquiry” into his death.

The Head-of-State said he was also approached by other relatives of the deceased during that time and they too are eager to have investigations begin so that they can have some sort of closure.

But while the President has committed to having a CoI conducted into the execution-style killings of those who died, he made the point that many of the witnesses to the killings are either dead or are reluctant to speak for fear of being killed.

Some of the witnesses the President spoke of are the prison escapees: Rondel `Fineman’ Rawlins, Jermaine `Skinny’ Charles, Troy Dick and David `Biscuit’ Leander.

“We have not actually conducted any formal CoI, we have had only short term CoI, for example, the prison or CANU, but in due course we will initiate investigations. Since so many people have been killed my first commitment is to assure the relatives that the death of their loved ones would not go uninvestigated,” said the President.

While serving as Opposition Leader, President Granger had called for a CoI into the criminal activities that surfaced in the country, resulting in the loss of lives. In 2013, Granger took a motion before the National Assembly and called on the former People’s Progressive Party Civic (PPP/C) to appoint a CoI to probe criminal violence from 2004 to 2010. He made specific mention to the former Agriculture Minister Sawh’s death, as well as the Lusignan, Lindo Creek and Bartica massacres.

The motion put by President Granger at the time was deferred on a number of occasions, due to concerns raised by the PPP/C and the Alliance For Change, (now a party to the coalition government) about the content of the motion.

Granger believes that it is important to have the CoI into the deaths, but his administration has thus far failed to establish any such CoI.

On April 22, 2006, seven masked gunmen invaded the home of the Sawh and fatally shot him, his two siblings, Phulmattie Persaud and Rajpat Sawh and his guard Curtis Robertson at their La Bonne Intention, East Coast Demerara home. At the time of his death, Sawh was a serving minister of the PPP/C Government. That party failed to investigate the killing of Sawh and his family.

AT 22, Arjune Latchman will by all means be considered young, but his youth does not dampen his fiery ambition to grow his thriving distribution shop into a major distribution outlet and supermarket on the Essequibo Coast.Latchman told the Guyana Chronicle that upon completion of secondary school, he knew exactly want he wanted to become from his experiences growing up on the coast, and his desire was to excel at what he does. Having furthered his education at the University of Guyana (UG), from whence he graduated in 2015 with a degree in Business Management, he today operates his own business at Lima, Essequibo Coast, distributing from potatoes to juices to soft drinks to hardware items; and he targets every shop in the region.

“A job is hard to get, so I wanted to do my own job. I look at the market and I distribute items that people need against what they want, so that the business survives and be in a position to grow. My intention is to grow it into a supermarket and a franchise distributor for energy drinks, confectionery, and some clothing line,” he disclosed to this publication.

Although not the only distributor on the Essequibo Coast, Latchman believes he is savvy enough to be ahead of his competitors, who are medium-scale distributors.

“I target what people need. My business, for now, is a family business; it is run by me, my father, my mother and my sister. Since it started last November, things have been going well, even though all is not well with business on the Essequibo Coast. This is a very encouraging sign, and it bodes well for my future plans,” he disclosed.

Latchman is always busy receiving orders from customers, or on the road making a distribution run, or checking with shops what items they need to restock. “It is a busy job, but I like it and try to stay ahead of the game,” the young businessman told the Guyana Chronicle.

IT IS just over a year since it was built in support of value-added in the rice industry, but the $100 million rice cereal factory at Anna Regina on the Essequibo Coast is sitting idle while the rice industry declines.Although completed, it is not clear if the building housing the factory is equipped to carry out the work it was intended to do.
On a recent visit to the facility, the Guyana Chronicle observed that the building was tightly closed, and even though there was a guard hut, no one was inside.

Close to the factory, inside the compound, a family with several children squats. They laundry their clothes and hang them out to dry on the front fence of the factory. This newspaper was told that the family was there since the former administration was in power, and the Ministry of Communities was written to regarding their relocation, but a response has not yet been received.

The Guyana Chronicle was unable to verify whether indeed a letter was sent to the Communities Ministry regarding this matter, but some rice farmers who spoke with the Guyana Chronicle on condition of anonymity believe that the rice cereal factory is turning out to be a white elephant.

Former President Donald Ramotar had launched the factory with great fanfare on March 21, 2015, but senior Region Two officials seem to know little about the facility. Region Two Executive Officer Rupert Hopkinson told the Guyana Chronicle he knows that the factory exists but knows little else; while Regional Chairman Devanand Ramdatt said that when he took over the chairmanship of the region, he neither received nor saw any project document on the factory. He also never requested a briefing from former Chairman Parmanand Persaud.

Persaud was described by a few regional and People’s Progressive Party (PPP) officials as having been a very lax chairman, and it cost him his post after the 2015 General and Regional Elections.
Several calls to Persaud for a comment went unanswered.

WE NEED IT
Region Two Chairman Devanand Ramdatt said the region needs the factory now more than at any previous time, given that the rice industry is in decline, with falling prices being offered for rice and paddy.

“It (Region Two) needs to embrace agro-processing, and the factory will do just that,” he said.

The Chairman said he had, one month ago, written Agriculture Minister Noel Holder — on the instruction of councillors following a meeting — requesting a status update on the multi-million-dollar facility, but has received no response from him.

Several calls were placed to Minister Noel Holder, but his cellphone rang out.

Should the factory become operational, it would reportedly create more than 100 jobs through both direct and indirect employment.

Ramdatt said unemployment is a major issue in the region, and making the factory operational would help to ease the problem. It was explained that when the sod was turned for the facility, the factory was touted to produce food at the very basic level, and most of the intended markets were to be local, in the Caribbean, and further afield.

The Government Information Agency (GINA) had reported that, when completed, the facility would have had the initial capacity to process 2,000 tonnes of rice per year. It was being built in such a way that if its target market grows, it could easily be expanded to utilise 30,000 tonnes of rice annually.

Some observers had hailed the factory as a great foresight of the PPP, contending that they (PPP) saw the lucrative rice deal with neighbouring Venezuela was on a slippery slope and its continuation was not guaranteed.
Because of this, a means had to be found to diversify, and encourage more value-added activities in the rice sector.

On the other hand, some were not at all enamored about the factory, holding the view that it was a PPP gimmick to appease rice farmers, since it was constructed close to the elections and the PPP knew that rice cereal was tried before and had failed.

Whatever the truth of the matter, the factory was supposed to produce rice cereal branded “Morning Glory”, but its operation is yet to see the light of day.

THE lovely Mary Helena Benn is a Senior Mistress and current acting Head of Department for English Language at the Charity Secondary School on the Essequibo Coast.This attractive damsel hails from Charity River Dam, is a graduate of the Cyril Potter College of Education, and has been a teacher for the past eight years.

She told the Guyana Chronicle that as a child growing up, she always loved children, and was inspired to become a teacher by one of her teachers.

In her spare time, this 29-year-old enjoys reading, listening to music, and dancing.

She advises: “Young people can achieve anything through discipline, hard work, dedication and determination.”

THE Essequibo Chamber of Commerce is calling for establishment of a University of Guyana (UG) Campus on the Essequibo Coast to serve Region Two and contiguous hinterland regions.

Essequibo Chamber of Commerce President Deleep Singh

UG has at Charity a Distance Education Centre which offers certificate courses, but members of the business community believe that that centre needs to expand in both scope and output.

Chamber President Deleep Singh, pointing out that UG campuses already exist in Berbice and Demerara, thinks the time is ripe for one to be established in the resource-rich Essequibo region.

“Hundreds of young people from the Essequibo Coast are studying at the University of Guyana, and they spend hundreds of thousands of dollars in rent. It is very costly on them, especially those from poor families,” he reasoned.

Singh contended that the coconut industry is gaining ground in the region, and will, in the next few years, rapidly expand, giving rise to a thriving value-added industry.

“We will need the expertise in the region to sustainably manage the industry,” he said, as he pointed out that heavy focus has to be placed on the sciences, information technology, engineering, and business education. These he identified as key areas to take the region forward.

President David Granger has been calling for greater attention to be placed on agro-processing, and Singh stressed that Essequibo, being an agriculture-based region, will need the expertise to develop in this regard.

“Here is where a branch of the university will be more than useful,” he told the Guyana Chronicle.

Primarily agriculture-based, Region Two is heavily dependent on rice, which remains a mainstay of its economy. Rice has, however, been on a downward spiral, and has experienced a significant drop in prices over the past few years.

RESEARCH
The local industry is at the mercy of the vagaries of international trade, but the Essequibo Chamber is confident that a university focused on research rather than rote delivery can place the region on more secure grounds.

“We need research on agriculture; degree programmes on marketing, mining, livestock, aquaculture and tourism and hospitality. These are the areas the region needs to place attention to if it is going to move forward and move away from the heavy dependence on rice. It should not be when rice is not doing well you throw your hands in the air and ask what to do. You will have well developed alternatives to keep business going,” Singh told this publication.

His contention is that the proposed UG campus can be a private/public sector partnership so as to satisfy the needs of the private sector and the demands for a well-trained Public Service.

Aside from the need for a university campus in the region, the businessman said, stronger attention needs to be paid to the education system, which in its current state is weak and not too responsive to the needs of the region.

“At the primary level, significant attention should be placed on stimulating the creative imagination of pupils, and it should systematically continue in primary schools. What we currently do is that we burden the children with too much books and study, yet the vast majority of them leave primary school unable to master basic concepts in literacy and numeracy. These are issues that should be fixed at the primary level, and should be given prime attention. And you cannot bombard the children with study, study, study and (a demand that) they should always top their class; the children need to be able to understand and apply what they are taught; and importantly, they are children and should enjoy recreation, and should not be consumed by only school work,” Singh contended.

The one-time president of the Parent/Teacher Association of the Charity Secondary School said it is also disturbing that a high number of students in secondary schools cannot read and write.
Naturally, this problem is due primarily to the fact that, every year, thousands of pupils who fail to grasp elementary concepts in English and Mathematics are flushed into the secondary school system with no robust programme of reform.

“This has to be fixed, but some students are not academically inclined, and we should not fail them. From early, we should introduce them to technical and vocational education, so that they can be equipped with a skill that will make them employable or enable them to do their own work. It will ease the frustration of the hundreds of students who drop out of school every year because they believe that the education system does not cater for them,” Singh contended.

Contending that the challenges facing the education system are many, Regional Chairman Devanand Ramdatt stressed that a collaborative effort is required to effectively address those challenges.

LONG OVERDUE
Ramdatt, 37, has reiterated that a university campus in the region is long overdue, and he said he would be happy if such an undertaking could be accomplished under his chairmanship.

“Since I assumed this post, less than a year ago, I have been meeting people from a diverse cross-section on the Essequibo Coast. With the information I have received, I am working to formulate a strategic plan for the region, and a university campus is among the list.

“There are many students who travel every year to study at the Turkeyen Campus. Their rent is costly, they have to get money for their upkeep, and they are away from their families. Altogether, individually, they spend about $60,000 every month in rent and other expenses.

“Multiply that number by 12 and then multiply the result by four and add all the students from the Essequibo Coast studying at the Turkeyen Campus. That is the amount of money that can be invested on the Essequibo Coast to help create jobs, improve services and bolster the economy of the region.

“So we are optimistic about the future of the region, and are hoping that when our plan is completed, it will be given due attention by the Government,” Ramdatt disclosed.

The Chairman was also quick to point out that the campus can begin by offering two-year diploma programmes and some degree programmes, and expand as demand increases.
Programmes offered, he said, can be in the areas of engineer, banking and finance, social work, agriculture, mining, business and public management, with strong focus on research.

By Mohamed Khan

AT 104 years old, the Jacklow Masjid, originally built in 1912 by Mohamed Sarafraz, stands out as a beacon in the Pomeroon community.Sarafraz and his wife, Gafooran, had come to Guyana from India as indentured labourers. Sarafraz was from the province of Punjab while Gafooran was from Uttar Pradesh.
They arrived in the county of Berbice in 1885 and were bound to the Hampton Court Sugar Plantation. After serving six years on the plantation under almost slave-like conditions, they were released, and found temporary shelter at an abandoned estate at Plantation Better Success in 1892.
The road link from Dartmouth to Charity in 1908 allowed easy access to the Pomeroon River.

Sarafraz and 15 “Jahajees” (shipmates) occupied several 10-acre plots of land between Martindale and Siriki in the Pomeroon River in 1911. Sarafraz Estate was known as “Rabeah”.

Hamid, Refeedeen, Kallod and two others supported the first troolie-roof masjid built by Sarafraz in January 1912. The mosque was 12 feet by 15 feet, with manicole walls. It was rebuilt in 1924, and later in 1957. The masjid served an area of 30 miles, where several Muslim families resided. All the Muslim calendar dates were observed, including Ramzan Shareef, the two Eids and the Prophet’s birth date.

Muslim brothers travelled by boat to attend mosque. Keeping the Muslim Fard alive was a collective responsibility. In the early years, the Imams for Friday prayers were brought from the Essequibo to Jacklow by paddle boat, a return distance of 11 miles from Charity. They were Ali Namaz, Ishmeal Khan, Azee Mullah, Karmaso and Mohamed Shaffee. By 1935, the Imams were Abdul Hamid Ustadin and Sekandar.

With English translation of Urdu and Arabic by 1945, the existing Madarsa (school) built in 1946 promoted a number of persons who could have led all the prayers.
Sarafraz’s son, Mohamed Basir, was the official Imam and financial custodian of the masjid until his death in 1983. A man with a vision, he had trained a number of Muslim brothers to lead prayers.

From 1955, the new Imams were Abdul Ghanie; Mohamed Yussuf; Mohamed Noor; and Basir’s second son, Magbool Amad Basir. Imam Magbool Basir is also architect of a new mosque at Charity, a small but thriving community with some 6000 inhabitants.

The Jacklow Mosque traditionally was a tourist attraction for visiting Muslims, some of whom spent an entire week enjoying the cool river breeze and the many fruits of the Pomeroon.

Some of the visitors came from India, Pakistan, Syria, Suriname, England and the USA. Some of the local visitors, Imams Kairate, Raheem, A. Jabbar and Abdool Rahman, were allowed to perform the Friday Jumma Prayers.

As time passed, some of the elderly passed on and new brothers replaced their absence in faith, material and community support.
One such family was Rahim Bacchus and his son Ayube Rahim, aka “Patsy”. They donated paint and a water tank, as well as a yearly financial support to the masjid since 1945.

Mohabally Barakat, who was a close school days friend of Mohamed Basir, was also a regular contributor in many ways. The materials use to rebuild the Masjid in 1957 were donated by Barakat Sawmill.

One small child, Subratee, who came with his parents from India in 1902, was a regular member of the masjid. He lived to be 103 years old.

On the gender side, Bacridan, Mariam Baksh, Jaitoon Rahim, Kuslim Barakat, Naselran, Jainab, Fineey Tulla and Saheedan, among others all contributed to the sustenance of the Jacklow Masjid.
The regular adzaan were given by Ramjohn, Abbdul Ghanie, M. Sankar and Husman Ally.

History cannot be complete without mentioning the relentless support for Islam and the Jacklow Mosque’s upkeep provided by Bacredan Basir, Imam Magbool Basir, and his sister Bibi Neshaw Insanally.

A THRIVING commercial centre is located in the Cinderella County of Essequibo. Surrounded by, and including communities with peaceful and happy people, it is the first town in Region Two, and it got its name through an unfortunate circumstance.

An impressive mall close to the Anna Regina main access road

Anna Regina was originally a Dutch plantation that was bought over by the British planters soon after Britain took over Essequibo in the early 1800s. Guyana Chronicle was unable to identify the Dutch name for the plantation, but was able to determine that the plantation was a privileged zone, and was owned by an Englishman who had two beautiful daughters: Anna and Regina.

From reports, Anna and Regina were fond of swimming, and would, very early in the morning, regularly indulge themselves in their favourite pastime in a canal located in their clean, scenic plantation. The girls were said to be aged eight and 13, but this newspaper was unable to find out which of the girls was 8 and which was 13. However, from accounts, in brilliant sunshine at about 08:30 hrs one day, Anna and Regina set out to swim unsupervised, and all was going well until one of the girls began to sink below the surface, even as she struggled violently to remain buoyant.

It is not clear whether Anna or Regina was the one going down, but on seeing the ghastly sight, the sister who was in the safe rushed to help the one in distress. However, being unaware of how to help a drowning person, her valiant effort proved to be not only an act in vain, but one that engineered a double-tragedy.

One of several sprawling supermarkets in the township of Anna Regina

When a person is drowning, several techniques can be employed to facilitate safe rescue. One: the drowning person can be provided access to a lifeline to enable a pull to safety. Two: the drowning person can be knocked unconscious so that he/she can be transported to safety without any great danger to the rescuer. Three: the drowning person can be provided with a floating device. It is not advisable that a rescuer should take on this mission believing that he/she can take a struggling person to safety, because ‘the grip of death’ from a drowning person can be overwhelming.
This is most likely what happened when one of the sisters tried to rescue the other and ended up being swallowed up by the plantation canal.

DARK HISTORY

The Anna Regina High Bridge, built in 1816

But the tragedy also told of the dark side of the trenchant racism of the day. Black plantation workers were not allowed to have lands in white areas. Thus the plantation was a privileged zone, and probably the nearest neighbours were Africans. No doubt, Anna and Regina would have screamed for help, but their screams were not loud enough to alert their parents or their closest neighbours.

The tragedy reportedly occurred sometime between 1810 and 1815, and the sisters were interred at a location close to where the Anna Regina Primary School now stands.
In death, their memory lived on. In fact, it gave birth to the renaming of the plantation in which they drowned to Anna Regina.

From a plantation, Anna Regina was, like the mythical Cinderella, transformed into a town in 1990 by then President Desmond Hoyte.

The office of the National Insurance Scheme at Anna Regina

Eighteen (18) villages were merged, and the population of the township has since grown from some 7,000 to about 16,000 today.

From the Dutch to the British to Independent Guyana, Anna Regina has grown with confidence with each passing year.

The British took over Essequibo with 34 sugar mills, but today all have disappeared. Rice factories have been built over most of them, as is evident with the rice factory at Hampton Court and the ones at Anna Regina, Land of Plenty, Aurora, Johanna Cecelia, and Golden Fleece, all located in the township of Anna Regina.

The Anna Regina Town Council

DEVELOPMENT CENTRE
Prior to 1980, Anna Regina was the gateway to the Pomeroon River, and was a major centre of development on the Essequibo Coast. There was no road from Bounty Hall to Charity, and the Pomeroon River had to be accessed through Lake Tapakuma. The Pomeroon was then home to the Court Hall and a police station.

Anna Regina was supervised by Suddie, then the main administrative centre on the Essequibo Coast; but with the promulgation of the 1980 Constitution, which provides for a regional system of government, that situation changed.

The town is also home to a number of historical sites, notably the 1972 Monument at Devonshire Castle which commemorates the first East Indian sugar workers who were killed while protesting for better working conditions; the 1834 Monument (Damon Statue) to the slave leader who was caught and hanged in Georgetown; and the Anna Regina High Bridge, built in 1816 to allow punts from the then sugar factory at Anna Regina to transport sugar, molasses and rum to Port Georgetown for export to Europe.

The Anna Regina Police Station is more than 100 years old, while the Anglican Church in the town is 150 years old.

The town is also gateway to three Amerindian settlements, namely St Deny’s, Lake Mainstay/Whyaka, and Capoey.

A land development scheme opened in 1957 took firm root in 1960. Soon after, secondary schools, a market and agricultural institutions were built; and later banks, sprawling supermarkets and fuel stations followed.

Anna Regina, like the region in which it is located (Region Two), is traditionally a People’s Progressive Party stronghold. At the last Local Government Elections, which were held for the first time in 22 years, the PPP regained administrative control of the township of Anna Regina and the region with relative ease.

Police are investigating the circumstances surrounding the shooting of a 31 – year – old salesman of Port Mourant, Corentyne.

According to a police report, at about 20:00hrs on Sunday, May 15, Safraz Bacchus was in his home which is under repairs, when shots were discharged at him.

Bacchus was hit to his right foot and has been hospitalised. Investigations are in progress.

Ten year old Devon Sealey was pronounced dead on arrival at the West Demerara Regional Hospital Sunday night after he was struck down by a vehicle which was being driven by a Police Constable.

According to a police report, the accident occurred at about 21:15 hrs on the Sisters Public Road, West Bank Demerara. The Guyana Chronicle understands that Sealey was riding a bicycle along the roadway when he was struck down by the Police Constable, who was later found to be over the limit in terms of the consumption of alcohol.

The motor vehicle then collided with a parked vehicle and turned turtle. The driver received injuries and has been admitted to hospital.

— criticises President’s speech in Parliament

THE People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) has signalled that it is on the move to regain governmental power come 2020, when Guyanese head to the polls for General and Regional Elections.

Party General Secretary Clement Rohee said during a press conference on Monday that members are on the ground mobilising party supporters, and have accordingly been missing key State activities such as GuyExpo.

Apart from their activities, Rohee said, the party was uncomfortable with a few pronouncements made by President David Granger during his State of the Republic Address on Thursday, May 12.

“Heavy emphasis was placed on high-sounding and lofty ideals such as social cohesion and national unity… the President spoke about using this special year to usher in an era of social peace, political collaboration and economic prosperity for generations,” said the PPP General Secretary.

However, he said the PPP is asking for an explanation as to how the “bridges” of which the President spoke will be built, and how trust will be restored in this “hostile, anti-democratic and anti-people environment (that is) characterised by fear and intimidation engineered by his own administration, which he spoke so glowingly and glibly about”.

According to Rohee, the “absence of national unity has led to political and economic fatigue”, and is a reflection of a yawning gap between political rhetoric and the socio-economic realities obtaining in Guyana today.

Rohee also criticised the APNU+AFC’s advertisement, “Guyana Unleashed”, placed in the daily newspapers to mark one year in Government. He contended that things such as increased salaries for public servants, press freedom restored, Local Government Elections held after 22 years, political victimisation abolished, 3 new townships, restored billions from phantom accounts to treasury, over $40 billion for Public Security, lower crime rates, and aggressive crime-solving are issues that have been dealt with marginally.

Since taking office, the APNU+AFC administration has increased public servants’ salaries, held free and fair Local Government Elections, launched operation dragnet and solved several high profile cases.

LAST year, in 2015, we celebrated ITU’s 150th anniversary, reaffirming its reputation worldwide as one of the most resilient and relevant organizations devoted to connecting the world with the most innovative means of communication.
As we celebrate World Telecommunication and Information Society Day 2016, marking the establishment of ITU on 17 May 1865, we continue to look to future advances in communications. We focus our attention this year on “ICT entrepreneurship for social impact”.

The ICT sector is amongst the most profitable and successful, and has revolutionized the way the world communicates. Through a combination of forward-looking government policies and regulatory reforms, international standards, industry innovation and investment in infrastructure, and new services, billions of people have been brought into the information society in a remarkably short period of time. This is a shared achievement for which we can all be proud.
Building on this foundation, we are now in an increasingly smart, networked environment encompassing cloud computing, big data, and new applications in diverse areas from health to finance, while moving towards a future of smart transport systems and cities. As we advance the roll-out of infrastructure and connectivity, the role of services and applications will grow, along with the potential for many innovative smaller players to enter the market with solutions to address local needs. ICT entrepreneurship is set to bring about a paradigm shift in making significant social impact. We need their expertise, innovation and investment to achieve our common goals of sustainable economic and social development.

Small to medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), start-ups and technology hubs are the drivers of innovative and practical solutions for catalysing progress, especially in developing countries. SMEs make up more than 90 per cent of all businesses worldwide, and represent a ‘path out of poverty’ for many developing countries.

The fundamental role of ICT innovators and SMEs is also reflected in the outcomes of the World Summit in the Information Society (WSIS). World leaders recognized the economic potential of ICTs for SMEs as well as their specific needs, such as increasing their competitiveness by adding value to their products and services, streamlining administrative procedures, facilitating their access to capital, and enhancing their capacity to participate in ICT-related projects.

WSIS also encouraged a series of related measures, including incubator schemes, venture capital investments, government investment funds, investment promotion strategies, support for research and development networks, and software export activities, as well as for software parks.

As the specialised agency of the United Nations, dealing with state-of-the-art telecommunications and information and communication technologies, I call upon our partners – governments, industry, academia and technical experts – to promote the role of small, young, and innovative firms in the ICT sector; encourage the spread of digital social innovation; prioritize economic policies which promote innovation; ensure the availability of necessary human capacity; support the establishment of comprehensive entrepreneurial ecosystems, as well as assist entrepreneurs in moving from idea and innovation to sales and revenue.

Let us put our resources together to harness the catalytic role of ICTs in achieving sustainable development and delivering on economic growth, social inclusion and environmental balance.

ICT entrepreneurship for social impact

By Valmikki Singh
Managing Director, National Frequency Management Unit

TODAY is World Telecommunication and Information Society Day 2016. It marks the establishment of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) on May 17, 1865.

Following up from last year’s theme, ‘Telecommunications and ICTs: Drivers of innovation’, this year’s theme is ‘ICT entrepreneurship for social impact’. Notwithstanding the risks and challenges, entrepreneurship is an endeavour that grows economies, both in the developed and developing world. With globalization and the setback in the traditional productive sectors of our economy, more and more Guyanese entrepreneurs are emerging.

The Information and Communication Technology (ICT) sector, as pointed out by the ITU Secretary General, is amongst the most profitable and successful in the world. It is therefore very appropriate that ICTs should be harnessed through entrepreneurship for social development.

This cuts across many of the 17 sustainable development goals of the United Nations, established in 2015 (to be achieved within the next 15 years).

Of course, for maximum impact, the environment needs to be conducive for investment and entrepreneurship. In this respect, the Government of Guyana will be taking the Telecommunications Bill to the National Assembly soon, with the intention of opening the telecommunication/ICT sector to full competition, and setting clear rules and guidelines for the regulation of the sector.

This should not only encourage further investments by the existing operators, but pave the way for other and smaller players to get involved in our telecom/ICT sector. Better prices and quality of services, resulting from liberalization, would also be good for entrepreneurs.

Because developing countries like Guyana have been more consumer centric than anything else, we as a nation need to push more to innovate and create. This, we believe, will have the greatest positive economic and social impact on Guyanese.

It is for this reason that the NFMU has begun looking at ways to foster innovation in the ICT sector. This is in line with Government’s policy of boosting the creative and innovative abilities of our students.

One of the most popular inventions in the ICT sector is the mobile phone. It has evolved to a smart phone and is ubiquitous in many countries. With the recent commercial launch (by our two mobile operators) of mobile broadband services to most of our population, smart phones are expected to be more and better utilized. This means that in addition to more mobile applications (apps) being utilized, the demand for more apps will also rise. Herein lies a great opportunity for our Guyanese creators and innovators.

Guyanese can also potentially market their mobile apps to the estimated 3 billion mobile broadband users worldwide. We do have what it takes to develop mobile apps. One classic example is the Directory.GY mobile app (named the official app of our Jubilee celebrations), launched last week by Intellect Storm, a group of young and talented Guyanese innovators and entrepreneurs.

Generally, apps can range from simple social interactions and location services to providing counselling to persons in need, or match demand with supply of goods/services etc. The possibilities of ICT entrepreneurship and the social impact that they can have are limitless; we only have to believe. Once we believe, we can achieve.

A Blessed and happy 50th Independence Anniversary to all Guyana.
Happy World Telecommunication and Information Society Day 2016 to you all.

SIXTY students from five schools across Regions Five (Mahaica-Berbice) and Six (East Berbice-Corentyne) have benefited from the receipt of bicycles under President David Granger’s ‘Boats, Buses, Bicycles plus Breakfast and Books’, or “Five Bs” programme.Minister of Social Cohesion, Amna Ally, under whose Ministry the programme is managed; and First Lady Sandra Granger, who has thrown her support behind the initiative, on Monday personally presented the bicycles to the students who were identified by regional educational officials.

First Lady Mrs Sandra Granger presents one of the 60 bicycles to this student from Region Six 

Starting off in at the Department of Education building in New Amsterdam, (Region Six) Minister Ally and the First Lady handed over 30 of the 60 bicycles to students from the Canje Secondary School, and from Angoy’s Avenue and Sandvoort.

Addressing the students and teachers, Minister Ally said Government believes that an educated nation would help to foster a good life for all.

“This project is the vision of President Granger, because he wants every child in school to have the opportunity to have a good education, and it is not by accident or for show that he has introduced the “Bs” project.

“This project has benefited a number of students, and I hope that all the students of this region will make full use of this opportunity to ensure that they get to school on time, and not tired,” Minister Ally said. “This Government is very serious about this project. We want to give you the opportunity to have a better life in Guyana.”

The minister noted that while the Government has been in office for only a little over a year, it has impacted the education sector in almost all of the regions across the country.

“We have touched education to provide transport for our children; we have touched schools to provide footwear. So we have touched many lives in this one year, particularly in the educational aspect,” she said.

Minister of Social Cohesion, Amna Ally, addressing the students and teachers at the Department of Education in New Amsterdam

The minister said that while everything cannot be done at once, “as soon as is practicable, all the other regions will get more buses, boats and bicycles”. She thanked the corporate citizens who have been supporting the programme, stating that it is necessary to note that the Government was putting “no pressure on anyone to give what they are giving; but they understand the President’s vision and what he wants for Guyana and they, too, understand that if they invest in education, we will have a better nation”.

The First Lady, in her brief comments, said that the contributors must be appreciated, and the administration must be lauded for its efforts to realise the project. She charged the students to take care of the bicycles, noting that the machines must serve to strengthen students’ resolve and drive to pursue their education.

“It is important that we have educated people who will take decisions which can grow and develop our country,” Mrs Granger said.

OPPORTUNITY FOR EDUCATION
Region Six Educational Officer Ms Volika Jaikishun remarked that the presentation of the bicycles was a testimony to the fact that the President and the Government of Guyana were committed to providing the good life to all Guyanese.

“We are very thankful for the buses. The three buses are facilitating more than 1,000 students per day. I know that our children will make full use of the bicycles, and we know that this initiative will continue because the President has promised a good life to all Guyanese,” Ms Jaikishun said.

Region Six Executive Officer Dr Veerasammy Ramayya echoed these sentiments, noting that the bicycles provide the opportunity for students to acquire an education.

In addition, Headmistress of the Canje Secondary School, Ms Vanessa Jacobs, whose school had seven students benefiting from the donation, said she is pleased with the effort that the Government has made to ensure that the most vulnerable students are given the opportunity to get to school.

First Lady Mrs Sandra Granger addresses students and teachers of Mahaicony Secondary School at the presentation ceremony earlier today

“These bicycles will be very beneficial. Some of the students who benefited from the bicycles are coming from homes which have more than one student, so you will find two persons using one bicycle, for those who received. The catchment area for Canje Secondary School is very wide, and so they are coming from very, very far areas, so the cost for the parents is quite high; so that will be a great relief for the parents, and it will help with the punctuality of the students,” Ms. Jacobs said.

Over in Region Five, Minister Ally and the First Lady handed over another 30 bicycles to beneficiaries, including those from the Mahaicony Secondary and Novar Secondary Schools.

“Children, I hope that you will not only take care of these bicycles, but that you will be safe in riding these to your schools,” the Minister said.

Deputy Regional Education Officer Annesta Douglas said education is valued in the region, and it is good to see that the students are being given the opportunity to stay in school through the bicycles.

“These bicycles are providing the opportunity to reduce absenteeism and unpunctuality. (They are) going to make sure that our students are always on time and regular… On behalf of the Department of Education, we want to say thank you, and we will encourage them to care the bicycles,” she said.

In an invited comment, Headmistress of the Mahaicony Secondary School, Ms Francine McKenzie, said she expects the donation to impact school attendance and punctuality.

“The students who have benefited today are students who are often absent [and] late…. So this will get them to school. Most of them are high achievers, [but] because of the absenteeism factor they are unable to cope with the work; so I am happy to see that they are benefiting from this programme.”

Sharon Heeralall, Headmistress of Novar Secondary School, shared similar sentiments, noting that she expects that the beneficiaries will now be more motivated to attend school.

“Our absenteeism rate is very high, and we are hoping that these students will be in school regularly and punctually from now. From what I can see, they are now upbeat, and I hope that this will transcend to their attendance in school,” she said.

The Five Bs’ programme aims to ensure that all of Guyana’s children are able to get to school. The ‘Boats, Buses and Bicycles’ initiative started back in July 2015, when President Granger celebrated his 70th birthday and made a call for support for this initiative that will ensure transportation is provided so that children can get to school safely and comfortably. There has since been a tremendous national response, with private citizens and businesses donating boats and engines, buses, bicycles and shoes to the programme.

The President recently added breakfast and books to the programme to ensure that all the bases are covered for children to be in school. (Ministry of the Presidency)

THE Guyana Reparations Committee will, this Friday, hold the main event of its month-long activities for the CARICOM International and Regional Youth Reparations Relay and Rally at the Parade Ground.This CARICOM initiative began in Barbados on April 16 when Prime Minister Freundel Stuart, Chairman of the CARICOM Heads of State Sub-committee on Reparations, launched the event. President David Granger is a sitting member of that Sub-committee. A Reparations Baton, created in Barbados and made of Mahogany wood, was at the event passed on to Guyana by Chairman of the Barbados Task Force on Reparations, Professor Dr. Pedro Welch. It was passed to Acting Consul General of Guyana to Barbados, Monique Jackman. It arrived in Guyana on April 19, 2016.

In a release, the local committee said the CARICOM Relay and Rally is part of a wider effort to spread the reparations message around the Caribbean through public education and other initiatives focused on Youth. Friday’s event sits in the middle of a large number of activities all across Guyana. On Friday, May 6, and Saturday, May 7, the Reparations Baton was sent to Essequibo, where it was first taken by boat to Hackney, Liberty, Marlboro and Lillidale in the Pomeroon before being taken to Charity. From Charity, runners relayed the Baton to Dartmouth, where a ceremony was held. Runners then took the Baton to Anna Regina, where a ceremony was held at Damon Square.

Runners continued to Queenstown, where a ceremony was held, and finally the Baton was driven from Hopetown back to the Stelling. At each ceremony, the Moringa Tree (‘The Tree of Life’) was planted.

According to the committee, Essequibo activities were followed by Berbice activities. On Friday, May 13, the baton was taken to Berbice, beginning its journey at Calcutta (Mahaicony), then going to Belladrum, Litchfield, Hopetown, Lovely Lass/Golden Grove and Ithaca. At each stop there was a ceremony and a planting of a Moringa Tree. Drummers, outriders, runners and speeches were all part of the process for this 7-hour journey of the Baton through Region # 5, West Berbice.

This was followed on Saturday, May 14, by Region # 6, East Berbice activities. Beginning with the historical heritage village of Sandvoort, the Baton was relayed through Winkle (an historical village of free African technologists) to the Esplanade in New Amsterdam, where representatives from Skeldon, Kildonan, Manchester, Lancaster and other African villages were waiting for a grand ceremony which was significantly facilitated by the Mayor of New Amsterdam and several other individuals. Libations, drumming, singing, speeches and tree planting, as well as a Message from the Guyana Reparations Committee, constituted the programme.

According to the committee, the next major activity is set for Friday at Parade Ground, beginning at 4 pm, with young runners leaving with the Baton from Stabroek, where slaves were undocked, to travel through several historical stops (Parliament Building, Cuffy Square, the Sea Walls) to the Parade Ground for the 6pm programme.

Sir Hilary Beckles, Danny Glover and Don Rojas of the African American Reparations Committee have been invited to the Parade Ground Event. Following the Parade Ground event, both East Coast and West Coast Demerara villages will stage their own activities. The Calendar is as follows:
20 May Plaisance (am)
21 May Mocha (pm)
22 May Buxton (am)
Victoria (pm)
28 May Linden (also 27th)
29 May Farm and other cluster villages (am)
29 May Den Amstel and other cluster villages (pm)

The Baton will then be sent to the next CARICOM country after Guyana’s activities are over in May, and will tour all 15 CARICOM reparations countries this year. Guyana has produced 3 replicas of the Baton in beautiful Mahogany, one for each of the three original counties of Essequibo, Berbice and Demerara.

By Telesha Ramnarine

DOCTOR-in-charge of the Public Health Skin Clinic, based in the Palms Geriatric Home on Brickdam, Heather Morris-Wilson, is currently visiting primary and secondary schools, in an effort to create awareness of Hansen’s disease in Guyana.The disease, also known as leprosy, is a chronic infection caused by the bacterium Mycobacterium leprae and Mycobacterium lepromatosis. It takes its name from the Latin word Lepra, which means “scaly”, while the term “Hansen’s Disease” is named after the physician Gerhard Armauer Hansen.

Although Guyana sees a small number of cases each year, Dr Wilson believes that if care is not exercised, staff expertise can become low and thus diagnosing will become very hard.

In targeting the young population, Dr Wilson said she and Dr Nikita Mc Kenzie, also from the Skin Clinic, have decided to visit the schools to talk about the disease and what to look for in determining if an individual has it.

The intention of the doctors is not only to raise awareness, but to stimulate the students to do their own research on the disease. They are targeting five primary schools, Grades 5 and 6, and five primary schools, Grades 8 and 9.

The primary school students are being asked to use their artistic skills in creating a poster after their interaction with the doctors.

They will be judged by May month-end and the winners (1st, 2nd and 3rd) will be given prizes, compliments of Austin’s Book Store.

After seeking permission from the Ministry of Education, the two doctors have so far visited the Paradise Primary, Cummings Lodge Secondary and Annandale Secondary Schools.

They also visited President’s College, Plaisance Primary, Hope Secondary, Vryheid’s Lust Primary, and Gibson Primary. On May 19, the doctors will head to Lusignan Primary and Mon Repos Primary.

Meanwhile, Dr Wilson, in an interview, had explained to this newspaper that Hansen’s disease is one of poverty. Hence, persons exposed to poor housing, bed bugs, overcrowding, poor sanitation and water are more susceptible to the disease.

“It tends to spread in these conditions. So you find a lot of persons in the slums would get it.”

IMPORTED CASES
Importantly, she noted that Guyana sees ‘imported’ cases from time to time because neighbouring Brazil has the largest amount of cases per year.

According to her, one of the first clinical signs that indicate leprosy is a noticeable rash on the skin, where there is loss of feeling or sensation. The rash can develop on any part of the body, depending on the type of leprosy.

In addition to skin rashes, there can also be a tingling sensation in the hands and/ or feet, and a burning sensation of the skin – because the disease affects the nerves.

Furthermore, there is loss of feeling, no sweating and no hair growth in the affected area. “We call it a numb spot disease,” Dr Wilson said.

A cotton wool test for sensation would then be in order. It is referred to as the ‘pinch and touch’ test. On most occasions, when it is indeed leprosy that the person has, he will not be able to differentiate a pinch from a touch.

Some persons who suffer with the disease also have to endure weakness, paralysis in the hands and feet, and affected muscles of the eyes.

“Leprosy treated late can cause severe eye complications and lead to blindness because of weakness of the eyelids and the muscles of the eye. So we would need to do a skin smear test where we just use a lymph fluid. We don’t need blood,” Dr Wilson explained.

Dr Wilson has had patients who confessed to her that they opted to consult a witch doctor for help because they believe leprosy is a curse from God.

However, Dr Wilson said: “Everyone is susceptible to leprosy. You develop leprosy depending on your body’s immunity. So you have to try to build your immune system; exercise, eat your proper meals. Just be healthy. There is no way to really prevent it. You can obtain it in indirect ways.”

Transmission can occur by someone who has a lot of leprosy in their body and if treatment is not started, this individual can cause the bacteria to spread.

“If it is discovered late, it can cause deformity because of the nerve damage.”

It has been found that leprosy patients are often shunned, even by family members, because the disease comes with visible deformities. And hence, such individuals feel discriminated against.

IN recognition of the outstanding contributions made by Joseph H. Pollydore as a trade unionist, the Guyana Trades Union Congress (GTUC), the Federation of Independent Trade Unions of Guyana (FITUG), and the Public Service Union (PSU) have moved a motion for a statue to be built in his honour.Pollydore is often touted as one of the outstanding trade unionists of this country and a negotiator and tactician who fought tirelessly to prevent the breakdown of the labour movement.

Commenting on the motion, GTUC General Secretary Lincoln Lewis told Guyana Chronicle that Pollydore is well deserving of a monument, considering his contributions pre- and post-independence. According to Lewis, Pollydore not only made remarkable contributions in the area of labour, but contributed significantly to the overall development of the country.

Questioned about a possible erection site, Lewis opined that the statue could be built at the head of the Joseph Pollydore Street in Lodge.

Pollydore, who was born and bred in the village of Catherine, Mahaicony, East Coast Demerara, some 65km from Georgetown, got his first job at the age of 17, and became involved in the trade union movement in the 1930s while working at the Transport and Habours Department (T&HD).
In March 1938, he became a founding member of the Transport Workers Union (TWU) of British Guiana, and while serving as the union’s General Secretary, Pollydore clashed with the management of T&HD.

The then General Manager of the T&HD, Colonel Robert Teare, had come face to face with the TWU when he attempted to put stringent measures in place to eradicate the numerous abuses, such as revenue leakages, malingering, excessive claims for overtime pay and sick leave.

Faced with major opposition by the union, Teare had taken a decision to transfer key members of the union, including Pollydore; and in response, a four-day strike was called to prevent the transfer.

In an article captioned “Joseph Pollydore: Eminence grise”, President David Granger recalled that the TWU strike had a galvanizing effect on other Government workers. “In April 1950, several unions, including the Transport Workers Union, Nurses’ Union, Government Employees Union, Post Office Workers Union and others, came together under the Federation of Unions of Government Employees (FUGE) to strengthen their ability to bargain with their common employer, the Government. Again, under the presidency of the flamboyant Andrew Jackson, Joseph Pollydore, as general secretary, built FUGE into a formidable front for advancing workers’ wages and rights,” the President noted.

NEAR-FATAL RIFTS
Pollydore was to see the Trades Union Congress suffer two near-fatal rifts during his six decades in the labour movement.

“The first rift, in 1953, came in the aftermath of the suspension of the constitution, when the six elected ministers of the original PPP were expelled from office in October. The next month, the ‘old’ British Guiana Trades Union Congress (BGTUC), which was aligned to the pro-USSR World Federation of Trade Unions (WFTU), was disbanded.

“Pollydore was part of the lurch towards the ICFTU, becoming a member of the executive council and later Vice-President of ORIT. It was on the bases of his positions and reputation in the TWU and FUGE and his affiliation to ORIT that Joseph Pollydore was able to win election to the post of General Secretary of the Guyana Trades Union Congress on a full-time basis.

“During his decades with the GTUC, Pollydore never held a position of leadership. He was concerned mainly with formulating representations to various agencies with which GTUC affiliates were involved in disputes, and submitting proposals to the Government for legislative action. He held the general secretary’s office for 25 years, and afterwards remained as adviser and consultant until 1999. But though instrumental in influencing the Government to take a number of minor policy decisions, he was publicly critical of the administration.

“…He was the eminence grise, moving behind the scenes, avoiding disputes, averting disaster, preventing ruptures, sealing breaches and bringing his considerable age and formidable experience to bear on the search for consensus among contentious unions. He was a conciliator rather than an agitator, and preferred to be seen as an ‘honest broker,’ regarded by all sides as an outspoken and principled man of moderation,” the President revealed.

Joseph Pollydore died in February 2003 at the age of 94.

A THREE-MONTH-OLD baby and seven others were injured in a collision between a minibus and a car on the Mahaica Public Road, East Coast Demerara early on Monday morning.The minibus was reportedly travelling towards Georgetown when a car travelling in the opposite direction allegedly lost control and collided with the minibus.
The victims of the accident were rushed to the Georgetown Public Hospital, where they received medical attention.

Three occupants in the car and six passengers in the minibus were reportedly taken to the Georgetown Public Hospital.
A hospital source said none of the injured is in critical condition.

THE Guyana Sugar Corporation (GuySuCo) has denied appointing Anthony Vieira as its Field Operations Director, contradicting a report carried in this newspaper on Monday.GuySuCo said the inaccuracy of the headline “Vieira takes charge” which accompanied the story “is a clear indication of the irresponsibility of your newspaper in not verifying the facts –particularly (regarding) an obviously important announcement which in any case would have been formally made by GuySuCo.”

According to GuySuCo, there is no descriptor in GuySuCo called ‘Field Operations’, nor is there such a position as ‘Director, Field Operations’.

“In the apparent absence of any understanding of the structure or operations of GuySuCo, logic suggests that it behooved a responsible journalist to verify the accuracy of any related information, rather than be embarrassed by a clear act of recklessness. We insist, therefore, on an appropriate retraction of this story as expeditiously as possible,” GuySuCo said.

Vieira is the son of Joe Vieira, whose business acumen and expertise have been of great importance to the development of Guyana in the agricultural sector. The former Administrative Manager of GuySuCo Estate was appointed Field Superintendent for technical matters in 1965 after obtaining a Diploma in Plant Anatomy and Physiology at the Tropical School of Agriculture in Trinidad and at the University of Guyana.

He was promoted to Assistant Field Manager in 1969, and Field Manager in 1973; and finally Administrative Manager in 1976 at the Versailles Sugar Estate. In 1983, Vieira pioneered the first television broadcast station in Guyana, for which he was awarded the Medal of Service.

Five teenagers appeared at the Georgetown Magistrate’s Court Tuesday morning, charged with the murder of former University of Guyana Professor Parietdeau Mars, called ‘Perry’, 75.

The two female teenagers at the Georgetown Magistrate’s Court.

The matter was held ‘in camera’, thus reporters were not allowed inside the courtroom. The Guyana Chronicle understands that the five teens – three boys and two girls – were not required to plead to the indictable offense and were remanded to prison.

Mars was killed on May 12 by a gang of teens who beat and bound him in his Prashad Nagar, Georgetown home. The teens are between the ages of 15 and 17 and reportedly confessed to the murder/robbery while in police custody.

On the day in question, at about 18:30hrs, the Professor was found in his home by his wife with his hands and feet duct-taped and with injuries to his head. The house was ransacked, and a number of articles and cash were missing. He was pronounced dead on arrival at a private hospital.

According to reports, the teens were known to Professor Mars. They were arrested after neighbours observed the group leaving the retired Professor’s residence with suitcases in a car, and subsequently his wife returned home and found his bloodied and lifeless body in the house.

Murdered: Retired Professor Parietdeau Mars

Less than 24-hours later, police arrested the suspects and recovered the sum of cash, laptop computer, iPod and PlayStation that were taken from Mars’ home.

Mars specialised in African Studies at Wayne State University in Detroit, Michigan, USA; having studied history at the University of Guyana and Carleton University in Ottawa, Canada.

He was also credited with developing an international academic exchange project between Africana Studies, the College of Urban Labor and Metropolitan Affairs (CULMA), and the University of Guyana.