the guyanese newspaper 17th edition - may 22, 2015

Issue No: 17

FOR FREE DISTRIBUTION

May 22, 2015

INSIDE

Page 3

1

Page 10

Page 20

Granger elected Guyana’s 8th Executive

President

“I will be a good President’ - President Granger at swearing in ceremony

Guyana’s 2015 General and Regional Elections were conducted to a high standard - International observers

Congratulatory messages pour in for President Granger

Final results of 2015 elections

Newly elected President of Guyana David Granger taking the oath of office

2 The Guyanese - “Keeping the Diaspora informed”

(Dear) Guyanese,It is written: “This is the day

which the Lord hath made; we will rejoice and be glad in it.” We have come together at the National Assembly of the Co-operative Republic of Guyana as a mark of respect for the Par-liament, for our Constitution and for the People of this great country, Guyana.

We have good reasons to rejoice. We rejoice not only in the favourable results, but also in the enjoyment of our democ-racy. We went into the General and Regional elections on 11th May 2015 as a grand Coalition, comprising six parties: the Al-liance for Change; Guyana Ac-tion Party; Justice for All Party; National Front Alliance; Peo-ple’s National Congress Reform and Working People’s Alliance, and (we) won the support of the majority of people.

We therefore record our gratitude, first, to the more than 408,000 citizens who participat-ed in this important democratic process last Monday. We thank also the thousands of observers, officers, officials, agents and

other workers, from overseas and from Guyana, and repre-sentatives of foreign missions who (all) worked to ensure that the elections were conducted in a manner that satisfied interna-tional standards for efficiency and credibility.

We congratulate the suc-cessful candidates of all parties who will soon be selected to be-come members of the 11th Par-liament and encourage them to be faithful to their Oath of Of-fice and to their constituents.

Guyanese, the elections are over. The Guyanese people have chosen their representa-tives. The Constitution has been respected. Our democracy has been fortified. Let us now put past rivalries behind us and work in unity to banish poverty, ignorance, fear and hatred. We assemble here today to witness the swearing in, not of a party leader, but of the president of all the people. I shall be a good president for all the people.

We, the Guyanese people, have chosen to inaugurate a ‘government of national unity’ and to promote our multi-party,

inclusionary partnership. We are convinced that this is the best way to overcome our historic divisions.

We have witnessed the dam-age done to our beautiful country over the past twenty-three years. We have been mocked by the destruction of local democracy and the denial of local govern-ment elections. We have been treated with contempt by the dictatorial prorogation and dis-solution of parliament. We have had to bear the brunt of the high rate of crime, including armed robberies, arson, inter-personal violence, murder, piracy, rapes, road fatalities, and Trafficking in Persons. We have had to bear the cost of the squandering of state resources on exorbitant but misconceived mega-projects. We have suffered most from the high cost of living and the high level of unemployment.

We have not been filled with hatred by these conditions. We are, indeed, more determined than ever, to refashion society into one in which our women-folk can look forward to work-ing for ‘living wages’ to cope

with the cost of living; one in which old folk can enjoy ad-equate pensions and social pro-tection. Our young people will be able to attain higher educa-tional standards and look for-ward to finding satisfactory jobs when they leave school. Our women and girl children can look forward to living in safety and to being protected from abuse and violent crime.

We the Guyanese people have seized the opportunity to vote for human safety, na-tional unity and inclusionary democracy.

We now look to the future. We invite you to attend the formal, official “Inauguration Ceremony” to be held at the National Stadium on 26th May; Independence Day.

We also wish to inform you that the outgoing and incom-ing administrations, respec-tively, have agreed to establish a ‘Transition Team’ to facilitate the transfer of assets and the transmission of information needed to ensure the continuity of government and to guarantee the stability and security of the

state. Lt. Col Joseph Harmon has been appointed the leader of the new administration’s team, to manage this process. We an-nounce also, that Mr. Moses Nagamootoo will be appointed the next prime minister as soon as he is sworn in as a Member of Parliament in accordance with the Constitution.

Guyanese, we declared on 1st January this year, that 2015 would be the “Year of Demo-cratic Renewal.” We were right. Let us therefore rejoice in the people’s choice. Let us embrace each other, regardless of reli-gion, race, class, occupation, as fellow Guyanese. Let us work together, to realise our inspiring national motto: “One People, One Nation, One Destiny.” Let us be reminded of the famous national song:

Let us co-operate for Guy-ana, Let us co-operate for our land,

Let us resolve to fight to-gether, See we do it right together

Can we do it? Yes we can. May God bless Guyana!

Acceptance Speech by H.E. David Granger at Parliament Building

3The Guyanese - “Keeping the Diaspora informed”

Mr David Ar-thur Granger was sworn in as

Guyana’s eighth Execu-tive President at approxi-mately 2:19 on May 16 on

the balcony of Parliament building, in front of a large, jubilant crowd. The retired Brigadier of the Guyana Defence Force (GDF) was sworn in by Acting Chan-cellor of the Judiciary, Carl Singh, after the proclama-tion was read by Chairman of the Guyana Elections Commission, Dr Steve Surujbally.

President Granger in his inauguration speech quoted Biblical scriptures saying that, “This is the day that the lord has made, we will rejoice and be glad in it”.

In his speech he re-ferred to the symbolism be-hind holding the swearing in ceremony at Parliament. All were gathered, he said, not only for the favourable results but also in the “en-joyment of our democra-cy”. The six-party coalition

rallied across the country, he explained as he thanked all of the candidates who will become members of the 11th Parliament. All were encouraged to be

faithful to their oath of of-fice and their constituents.

He called for the end-ing and past rivalries and the working together to banish the many ills of so-ciety such as, “poverty, ig-norance, fear and hatred”.

The Head of State said that with the election of a new leader, Guyanese have “fortified” their right to de-mocracy and stated clearly that “I shall be a good Pres-ident for all the people of Guyana”.

President Granger said they are more determined

than ever to “Re-fashion society, one in which our women folk look forward to working for living wag-es to cope with high cost of living. One in which old folk can enjoy adequate pensions and social pro-tection, one in which our young can attain higher educational standards and look forward to attain jobs when they leave school, one in which our women and girl children can look forward to living in safety,

and look forward to being protected from abuse and violent crime.”

All of those in attend-ance were urged to attend the formal inauguration on May 26, Independence Day, at the Guyana Nation-al Stadium.

The new and previous governments have agreed to set up a transition team for the transfer of assets and information to ensure smooth continuity of the country’s administration and its stability. The new President also extended a hand of friendship to the

outgoing Former President Donald Ramotar and his administration of the Peo-ple’s Progressive Party/Civic for inclusionary de-mocracy. “Inclusionary de-mocracy is the best way to overcome our divisions,” said the new president.

As his first actions as President, he has appoint-ed Joseph Harmon to act in the capacity of Head of

the Presidential Secretariat – a post held by Dr. Roger Luncheon, to manage this transition process. His prime minister designate, Moses Nagamootoo will be sworn in as soon as he is sworn in as a member of parliament, President Granger added.

Granger attended Queen’s College, where he was a member of the Queen’s College Cadet Corps. He then joined the GDF as an officer cadet in 1965 and was com-missioned as a Second Lieutenant in 1966. He received his professional military training at the Army Command and Staff College in Nigeria; the Jungle Warfare Instruc-tion Centre in Brazil; and the School of Infantry and the Mons Officer Cadet School, respectively, in the United Kingdom.

Granger – a Univer-sity of Guyana Valedicto-rian – founded the Guyana Review news magazine in 1992, and served as its Managing Editor. He has researched and published on military, historical and media themes, and is also the author of Guyana’s state media: the quest for control, and A Prelimi-nary Study of Women Sol-diers in the Anglophone Caribbean.

Sixty-nine-year-old Granger was the Presi-

dential Candidate of the APNU+AFC – a coalition of six of Guyana’s politi-cal players – the People’s National Congress Reform (PNCR), the Working Peo-ple’s Alliance (WPA), Na-tional Front Alliance, the Guyana Action Party, Jus-tice For All Party (JFAP) and the Alliance For Change (AFC).

“I will be a good President” - President Granger at swearing in ceremony

Let us embrace each other, regardless of religion, race, class, occupation, as fellow

Guyanese.

“This is the day, which the lord hath made; we will

rejoice and be glad in it”.

President David A Granger assisted by his wife Sandra Granger as he takes the oath of office before Acting Chancellor of the Judiciary, Carl Singh

President David A Granger greeting people gathered at Parliament Building compound


Thousands witness swearing-in of President Granger

Guyanese turned up in large numbers to witness the swearing-in of Mr. David Arthur Granger, the eighth Executive President of Guyana. Guyanese of all races gathered to watch as the APNU+AFC presidential candidate took the oath of office as President. It was a scene of jubilation,and smiles and tears, as history was made.


EDITORIAL

Editor-In-Chief: Shanta GobardhanEditor: Henry Singh

Editorial: 592 227 0773Web: www.gina.gov.gy

Facebook: GINAEmail: [email protected]

Area ‘B’ Homestretch Avenue, Durban Backlands, Georgetown,Guyana

Letter to the Editor

Email letters to: [email protected]

One of our greatest heroes

There is a Guyana for all of us

Well done Guyana!National elections

for constitu-tional office are

always in the main very competitive, for they, in every facet of action, dis-play the well known tra-dition of adversarial poli-tics. And this should be well understood, since it is a process that involves the pursuit of executive power by contending par-ties. However, at the cen-tre of this most important national event is always the body politic, as it is the core of this constitu-tional process.

The Guyana Elec-tions Commission (GECOM) has declared the official results of the May 11, 2015 poll, and in the process, the winner of the Presidency of the Re-public of Guyana.

For many countries, it is always a challenge to conduct national elec-tions, because of what may have been contro-versial incidents in their past political histories. It explains why the advent of international observer teams has now become the norm, if only to en-sure electoral polls, their planning and execution, are above board, and that by such, the will of the people has been demo-cratically expressed.

Thus, the recently held National and Re-gional Elections and their conduct, especially the disciplined approach of our citizens, who were the main participants in this constitutional exer-cise, must be commend-

ed. Despite a most com-petitive campaign that witnessed what bordered on North-American style rallies, and attended by thousands of whatever party supporters, there were no reported retali-atory acts of violence. In fact, it was heart-warming that the contest-ing parties were able to campaign in each other’s perceived “strongholds” without any real inci-dents. Such is the essence of electoral democracy.

Of course, given our historical peculiari-ties, tensions were high, which solicited caution from many civil society organisations and politi-cal party leaders. How-ever, there was no esca-lation into any form of violence that threatened to dampen the hectic hustings of the national and regional elections. Such incidents are all too common in the polling exercises of many other states.

Even on Elec-tion Day, apart from two isolated incidents, Guyanese continued to display a maturity that overrode any tension that may have existing. Not even the known chronic, lengthy delays in pronouncing on the poll results by GECOM, despite the further high tension that such caused, provoked any extreme re-sponse from our people. This is more noteworthy, given the fact that young people constituted a very significant percentage

of the electors, particu-larly as first time voters. No doubt, that such a posture, solicited praise from the general view of the teams of internation-al observers, who also commended the national polling authority for a job well done.

It is well documented what very challenging past post-poll reactions there have been, particu-larly those between 1997 and 2001, but it is quite evident that Guyanese have learned their bitter lessons, especially the fact that such disorders, do entail serious conse-quences for the national economy, as well as harm ethnic relations.

Certainly, Guyana is a democracy, in which all citizens have the inalien-able right of supporting the party of their choice. This should be respected and therein must be no reason for animosity, one to the other, because of this democratic principle. It is also constitutionally enshrined, of the right to exercise their consti-tutional right of electing a government of their choice; and, there is no existing barrier to this coveted constitutional principle.

Indisputably, these were the main guiding principles that influenced and guided Guyanese electors at the recently concluded National and Regional Elections, and even those held within the last nine years.

Well done Guyana!

Dear Editor,As a sports enthusi-

ast, in which, among the many disciplines, I am an avid boxing fan, I am saddened by the sudden and tragic death of An-drew “Six Head Lewis. His untimely passing was certainly a thunder blow, since he was not known to be ill.

Certainly, he made his Guyana proud, making all of us Guyanese rise to ten feet tall, when on that historical evening, when he became the first Guya-nese boxer to triumph in a world boxing title fight, by stopping the American James Page.

It was a night I shall never forget; for, it was as if a billion crescen-dos had risen to the heav-ens, amidst the tooting of horns, whether bicycles, motor cycles, motor vehi-cles; and even loud voic-es, all inter-blending for a single triumphal chorus,

to hail the new champ! Call it Guyana’s fin-

est evening, its most aus-picious sporting hour as far as the specific sport of boxing is concerned, since all those who had attempted to ascend to that level of boxing’s summit, had fallen short: Lennox Blackmoore, Terrence Ali, Reginald Forde, just to name three of our former great box-ers whose bids at world boxing titles were un-successful. It was obvi-ous that Guyana’s time had not yet arrived. Not that those pugilists men-tioned, did not deserve, or bereft of the skills of the sweet science.

Remembering “Six Heads”, from the start of his boxing career, par-ticularly when he defeat-ed that talented former Guyanese world-rater and title challenger, Ali, it was quite obvious to everyone that he was destined for

greater things. With each succeeding fight, he reg-istered his intense hunger as he dispatched his op-ponents with destructive ease. Thus, it was only a matter of time before his ultimate success came, with a destructive dis-play of power shots as he knocked out the Ameri-can title holder, Page.

So many of our very young Guyanese, particu-larly from “Six Heads”, hometown, Albouystown, became inspired by what he achieved, not only for himself, but also for Guy-ana. Just look at what oc-curred after his celebrat-ed win: other Guyanese became world boxing champions! I have no doubt that their inspira-tion would have come from this Guyanese hero.

He should be remem-bered as our greatest box-ing hero, who made us all proud.

Matthew Henson

Dear Editor,The many thousands

who witnessed the swear-ing- in of David Granger, as Guyana’s eighth Pres-ident will agree that it was truly a historic mo-ment, since the achieve-ment of Independence, May 1966.

It marked the first time that a Head-of-State/Government, of Guyana had publicly taken the Oath of Office, before thousands of their countrymen/women. I stand corrected, by say-ing that this was a classic display of bringing gov-ernment to the people, and it much appreciated by the multitude who had begun to gather under a sweltering temperature, since early morning.

Indeed, the new-

ly elected President’s speech was one that en-closed a call to all Guy-anese, inclusive of the former President Donald Ramotar, to join with the new administration, in building the unity plat-form for the advance-ment of Guyana and its people. Call it a truly ur-gent plea for the immedi-ate march of our country to such a coveted goal.

For the many thou-sands who were there for the auspicious occasion, their presence, consisting of so many segments of our people, was indeed encouraging. Even the numerous media pictori-als, that have been repre-sentative of scenes since

GECOM’S last Thurs-day’s declaration of the Preliminary results, that announced the Coalition as the winner of the May 11 polls, tell of not only a joy, but an enthusiasm for a better Guyana.

Of course, nation building is a process that involves the key input of peoples’ participation. Thus, in asking for all those gathered around the historic public build-ing, to join hands with their fellow Guyanese nearby, and render the patriotic song “Let us cooperate for Guyana”, the message is clear – there is a Guyana that belongs to all of us.

Billy Jones


Meet President David Arthur Granger

Born in George-town, David Granger attended

Queen’s College Guy-ana's elite and prestig-ious school like the for-mer Presidents, Forbes Burnham, Cheddi Jagan, Samuel Hinds, Hamilton Green and scholars like Walter Rodney and Ru-pert Roopnaraine. After leaving Queen’s College, where he was a member of the Queen’s College Ca-det Corps, Granger joined the GDF as an officer ca-det in 1965, and was com-missioned as a Second Lieutenant in 1966. He received his professional military training at the

Army Command and Staff College in Nigeria; the Jungle Warfare Instruc-tion Centre in Brazil; and

the School of Infantry and the Mons Officer Cadet School, respectively, in the United Kingdom. He trained in Britain, then Brazil, then Nigeria, and eventually became com-mander of the Guyana Defence Force in 1979; he was promoted to the rank of brigadier. Granger was appointed as National Security Advisor to the President in 1990[1] and retired from the military service in 1992. Granger founded the Guyana Re-view news magazine in 1992, and served as its Managing Editor. He has researched and published on military, historical and media themes, and is also the author of Guyana's state media: the quest for control, and A Prelimi-nary Study of Women Sol-diers in the Anglophone Caribbean.In 2010, he made a successful bid to be elected as the presiden-tial candidate of the Peo-ple’s National Congress Reform for the Novem-ber 2011 general election. Standing as the opposi-

tion coalition's presiden-tial candidate, Granger was defeated by People’s Progressive Party’s Don-ald Ramotar. He was unanimously elected as Leader of the Opposition in the National Assem-bly on January 16, 2012. Granger stood again as the presidential candidate of the opposition coalition, APNU – AFC, in the May 11, 2015 general and re-gional election. The coali-tion secured the majority of votes, and Granger was sworn in as President of Guyana on May 16, 2015.

MILITARY TRAINING• Mons Officer Cadet School and the School of Infantry, United Kingdom.Jungle Warfare Instruction Centre in Brazil• Army Command and Staff College in Nigeria• The Defence Planning and Resource Management course at the National

Defence University, Washington, D.C.• Joint Special Operations University, MacDill Air Force Base, Florida, USA.• Urban Policy Development Workshop at the University of California, Los

Angeles

MILITARY AWARDS:• Efficiency Medal (1976)• Military Service Medal (1981)• Military Service Star (1985) for distinguished military service

NATIONAL SECURITY & ANTI-NARCOTIC ENFORCEMENT EXPERIENCE

He was a member of several defense and security agencies holding the chair-manship of the Central Intelligence Committee, co-chairmanship of the Bor-der and National Security Committee and membership of the Guyana Defense Board, National Drug Law Enforcement Committee and the Disciplined Forces Commission

ACADEMIC TRAINING• University of Guyana -Bachelor of Arts, Master of Arts• University of the West Indies- Post-Graduate Diploma in International

Relations• University of Maryland -Hubert H. Humphrey Fellow

PUBLIC ORGANIZATION AFFILIATIONS & SERVICE• President, History Society• President, Guyana Heritage Society• President, University of Guyana Guild of Graduates• President, Guyana Chess Federation• University of Guyana Council• Association of Caribbean Historians• Caribbean Studies Association• Guyana Press Association• Guyana Book Foundation• Guyana Legion• Board of Trustee Guyana Veterans Association

BOOKS & WRITTEN WORKS• National Defense: A Brief History of the Guyana Defense Force, 1965- 2005• A Preliminary Study of Women Soldiers in the Anglophone Caribbean• Public Security: Criminal Violence and Policing in Guyana• Five Thousand Day War: The Struggle for Haiti’s independence, 1789-1804• The British Guiana Volunteer Force, 1948-1966• The Guyana National Service, 1974-2000• The Guyana People’s Militia, 1976-1997• The Queen’s College Cadet Corps, 1889-1975• Guyana’s Coinage, 1808-2008• The Era of Enslavement, 1638-1838• The Village Movement, 1839-1889• Themes in African-Guyanese -Co-editor, with Winston McGowan and

James Rose• Guyana Review and Emancipation magazines (former publisher)

ACADEMIC AWARDS• President’s Medal – Best graduating student• Dennis Irvine Prize – Student who has made the greatest contribution to

all cultural life of the University• Council of the University Prize• Elsa Goveia Medal of Excellence• Guy de Weever History Prize• Earl Attlee History Prize• Mary Noel Menezes Award for History• Department of History Prize and others, from the University of Guyana

PERSONAL & FAMILYDavid Granger was born on July 15, 1945 in Georgetown, Guyana and is

married to Sandra (née Chan-A-Sue). He is the father of two daughters.

President David A. Granger as a young army brigadier

In earlier times…a young David and Sandra Granger

The First Couple David A. Granger and Sandra Sandra shares a moment


Scenes of swearing-in of President Granger


Final results of 2015 elections

The Guyana Election Com-mission on May 17 of-ficially declared that the

APNU+AFC (A Partnership for National Unity and the Alliance For Change) coalition won the May 11, 2015 General and Re-gional Elections.

Figures provided by Chief Elections Officer (CEO) Keith Lowenfield, during a live press

conference, hosted at GECOM command centre, show that A Partnership for National Unity/Alliance for Change (APNU/AFC) party has won the 2015 General and Regional Elec-tions. The results were pre-sented after the approval of the Commissioners.

Chairman of GECOM Dr. Ste-ve Surujbally then declared that

in keeping with the Constitution of Guyana, David Arthur Granger has been elected President. He also related that the commission has made a genuine effort “to do right and not to look right.”

The Chairman noted that “I have spoken at length [about] the reason for these delays, all the legal items and elements we had to address.” The declaration was

delayed by several requests for a recount by the People’s Progres-sive Party/Civic (PPP/C) who was unwilling to concede victory to the APNU+AFC.

The results were taken after GECOM processed the 2,299 Statements of Poll (SoPs) which were presented to them by the re-turning officers who worked on May 11, during the 2015 general

and regional elections. A total of 412, 012 valid ballots were cast by the electorate.

The Guyana Elections Commission has declared APNU+AFC the winner of the 2015 general elections and it will have 33 seats in Parliament while the PPP/C will have 32. Thirty-three (33) seats are required for a majority.

The final general results provided by GECOM

Total Votes by Region (General)

Total Votes by Region (Regional)


Congratulatory messages pour in for President Granger

Guyana’s new President David Arthur Granger has received congratulatory messages from several organisations following the official declaration by the Guyana Elections Commission of the APNU-AFC victory, and his subsequent swearing-in at Parliament Building.

Private Sector Commission

Embassy of the United States of America

Sir Ron Sanders - Senior Research Fellow at the Institute of Commonwealth studies,

University of London in the UK

Prem Misir - Pro-Chancellor of the University of Guyana

Former U.S. President Jimmy Carter

Georgetown Chamber of Commerce and Industry The Private Sector Commission,

on this historic occasion, extends warm congratulations to the new

President of the Cooperative Republic of Guyana, His Excellency David Arthur Granger, and his new government. The Commission lauds the new President for a well fought campaign which focused on uniting the people of Guyana and for

the promise of an inclusionary govern-ment which ensures that the needs of all the people are met.

We look forward to a new govern-ment which will encourage private in-vestment and support the private sector as it continues to strive for the creation of jobs and the overall development of our country.

“I would like to congratulate Presi-dent David Granger and the APNU/AFC coalition on their

success in the 2015 election. I have great expectations that the new government will reach out and promote healing and recon-ciliation in Guyana. It is now time for all Guyanese to unite and work together to re-alise the great potential of their country,” he said in a statement.

Though former President Carter has departed Guyana, members of the Carter Centre remained to monitor the elections. The Carter Centre deployed more than 50 observers throughout all 10 regions of

Guyana for the 2015 General and Regional Elections. Its observers have remained in Guyana to monitor the process of tabulat-ing and declaring results.

The Carter Centre has commended the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) for a job well done in managing the elec-tions, and has declared that the process was free, fair, and transparent.

The PPP/C has, however, contended that the elections were not without irregu-larities; but the British, Canadian, U.S., Caricom and Commonwealth observer missions have maintained that the process was fair and free of any irregularities.

“It is our hope that President Granger will work to repair the divisions in Guyanese

society that have emerged during the election period and will work to pro-mote inclusive governance and nation-al development in the best interests of all of the people of Guyana,” the Em-bassy said in a statement.

It said the United States of America pledges its willingness to work col-laboratively with the new government in this regard.

At the same time, the Embassy said it wishes to extend its appreciation to outgoing President Donald Ramotar and the members of his government for their service to the people of Guyana. The Embassy congratulates President Ramotar for the numerous achieve-ments that his government made in the socio-economic development of the country and in strengthening the

relationship between Guyana and the United States of America.

“We look forward to continuing to work closely with President Ramotar’s Peoples Progressive Party/Civic in its new role as loyal Opposition,” the Em-bassy stated.

The Embassy also congratulated the people of Guyana on “a democrat-ic and peaceful election and transfer of power and the leadership and staff of the Guyana Elections Commission on a free, fair, and credible electoral process”.

Now that the election campaign has concluded and all ballots cast, count-ed, and verified, the Embassy said it is time for Guyana to move forward.

The Embassy is also calling on all political leaders to work together in a spirit of reconciliation and to focus their efforts on collaboratively build-ing the nation’s future.

The record will show that in the year before we celebrate our 50th An-niversary as a nation, the people of

Guyana peacefully selected a new govern-ment to become the steward of our national affairs.

There were of course some delays and hiccups which caused some tense, if not frightening moments. Through it all, how-ever, we as a people and a nation showed the level of patience that prevented us from going down that path of senseless violence and destruction from which it would have been difficult to recover.

As the coalition celebrates its electoral success in the coming days, it is critical that it realises the magnitude of the work ahead. A win by less than 10,000 votes is a clear indication that there is a significant constituency that needs to be convinced of the new government’s good intentions.

Both sides of the divide during the election season show clearly that there is a lot of work to be done. We must caution,

however, that the solution is not to focus only on allaying the fears of one section of the population but the establishment of a comprehensive social compact that ensures that all groups are comfortable living and prospering in Guyana as is their right as citizens.

The coalition has already indicated that it is willing to work with the Opposition but it is also for the Opposition to play the responsible role in Parliament expected in a functioning democracy.

It is said that third time is the charm. Once again, we have been given another opportunity to govern ourselves in a man-ner that will realize the potential that for the past 50 years has been nothing more than a broken promise. It is important we do not squander the opportunity. We may not get it again.

We at the Chamber therefore wish the new Government all success and look for-ward to the forging of the partnerships so critical to the nation’s economic future.

Your Excellency President David Granger; Hon Prime Minister Moses Nagamootoo

Congratulations on the success of the coalition of the APNU and the AFC at the May 11 General Elections.

Your government, consisting of six political parties, is a strong foundation for national cohesion to which I know you are both deeply committed.

I wish you good fortune in the task of building Guyana in the context of its na-tional motto, “One People, One Nation, One Destiny”.

The future of Guyana holds much promise for all its people. I know your government will work energetically to ensure the full realization of that promise.

With best wishes.Sir Ronald Sanders

“The Guyanese people through the sheer power of their vote have brought forth to this land a new

paradigm in Guyana’s politics; where no more would any one political party have an exclusive monopoly over the political destiny of any eth-nic group.

At the May 11, 2015 General and Regional Elections, the people spoke loudly and clearly about national unity as their critical priority, and they did this through fracturing the traditional support bases of the two major political parties.

And for those who are reluctant to accept and engage this new historical reality must be deemed to be in denial. But for now, all Guya-nese should congratulate APNU+AFC coali-tion on a well-deserved electoral win which places it in the driver’s seat to advance na-tion building, fully inclusive of the poor and vulnerable.

Let me also use this window of opportu-nity to wish the coalition well in the formidable tasks that lie ahead.”

Prem Misir


The Anna Catherina Islamic Complex

Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar of Trinidad and Tobago

British High Commission

The Guyana Islamic Trust

CARICOM

The Anna Catherina Islamic Com-plex (ACIC) & The Guyana United Sadr Islamic Anjuman

(GUSIA) on behalf of the wider Muslim community express our heartfelt congrat-ulations to Mr. David A. Granger, as the Eighth elected President of the Republic of Guyana.

In choosing you, the Guyanese peo-ple have chosen the path of change and optimism. At a time when the nation is so divided, the expression of faith in you and in the future is placed in the hands of yourself and your government. It is now up to you to bring about the unity that is so badly needed in our country.

At this time when we must face the enormous challenges in this beautiful country of ours, your election raises im-mense hope for the establishment of a united Guyana and to preserve peace and prosperity as well as the enviable diver-sity of the peoples of this great nation.

We call on you to be a President for

every Guyanese, those who voted for you and those who voted against you. Your extension of a hand to the opposition party will be most welcomed to take our nation forward. Your leadership remains vital to meeting the tremendous chal-lenges; peace and security and basically living the dream of a people who are unit-ed by race, by religion and by ethnicity. Guyanese are prepared to work together to build our country.

The Muslim community will work and support your government and pledge our contribution in nation building. As an Honorary Member of ACIC, we are dou-bly proud of your assumption to the high-est office of the land and we are commit-ted as a group to remain involved in the process of nation building by holding the government accountable for the decisions and the implementation of all the prom-ises made during the campaign period.

HAKEEM KHANPresident General – ACIC

Congratulatory messages...

Let me take this opportunity to con-gratulate the people of Guyana fol-lowing the formal declaration of

results of the 2015 General and Regional elections. This was a hard fought campaign and the high level of participation is to be commended.

Let me also take this opportunity to congratulate David Granger, on his swear-ing in as the new President of the Coopera-tive Republic of Guyana. I look forward to working with him and his team during the

coming years.It is also important to thank former

President Ramotar and those who served in his government for their service to Guyana.

As we move forward now is the time to look to inclusiveness and reconciliation. As President Granger said in his speech the new government must represent the will of all the people of Guyana. The UK stands ready to assist with this process.

High CommissionerGreg Quinn

The Caribbean Community (CARI-COM extends heartiest congratu-lations to you President Granger,

on your election to the Presidency of Guyana. The Community also extends congratulations to the coalition of A Part-nership for National Unity (APNU) + Al-liance for Change (AFC) on its victory at the polls.

CARICOM praises the people of Guyana for the free and fair elections and on their discipline and patience as they awaited the final result of the polls.

President Granger, the electorate has reposed their confidence in you and your coalition of parties, to carry them forward in their quest for sustainable de-velopment and continued improvement

in their standard of living. CARICOM stands ready to support you and your government in this regard.

As a founding member of CARI-COM and its headquarters country, Guy-ana plays a critical role in the integration movement. We look forward to the fresh ideas and perspectives which you, Mr. President and your Government, will bring to the strengthening and solidify-ing of our Community.

My colleague Heads of Government and I look forward to personally welcom-ing you, Mr. President, to the Conference of Heads of Government of CARICOM, at the soonest possible opportunity.

Caricom Chairman, Bahamian Prime Minister Perry Christie

The Guyana Islamic Trust congratu-lates His Excellency David Arthur Granger and the APNU+AFC on

their victory in the just concluded General and Regional Elections. We join with the entire Muslim community in urging the new government to approach this great re-sponsibility with the highest level of integ-rity, commitment and statesmanship, and we eagerly look forward to the fulfillment of the promises made for “the first hundred days” after assuming office for the benefit of all Guyanese.

Furthermore, we look forward to work-ing with the new government towards the upliftment of the moral standards in our country, as well as the promotion of love, unity, care and concern among all Guya-nese without discrimination of any kind, since Islam teaches equality of all peo-

ple. Our Holy Prophet Muhammad (upon whom be peace) has said: "All people are equal like the teeth of a comb. No superior-ity is given to an Arab over a non-Arab or a white person over a colored person except by the fear of God.”

We commend the Guyanese people on the maturity, patience and peacefulness they have demonstrated in the last few days since elections, and we urge all to continue in the same vein to ensure the continued security and stability of our nation.

We wish to also thank the previous ad-ministration for its support to the Muslim community while in Office. We look for-ward to a warm and cordial relationship with the new government in working to-wards a brighter future for all Guyanese.

Administrative Council Guyana Islamic Trust

Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bisses-sar SC, MP, has congratulated the new Guyana President, retired Briga-

dier General, David Granger, for winning the general elections contested in that coun-try on May 11.

In a congratulatory message, Prime Minister Persad-Bissessar said, "On behalf of the Government and people of the Re-public of Trinidad and Tobago, and on my own behalf, I wish to extend sincerest con-gratulations to the new President on the vic-tory of A Partnership for National Unity and the Alliance for Change (APNU and AFC) under his stewardship in the recently con-cluded and keenly contested General Elec-tions held in Guyana on Monday May 11th, 2015.

"The electoral success of the alliance

signifies the commitment of the people of Guyana to work together in the interest of the country and is a clear indication of the confidence that the people of Guyana have in the vision for the future which the APNU and AFC articulated.

"As Mr. Granger embarks on his tenure as President, I am confident that under his leadership, Guyana will continue as on its path to further development and prosper-ity, and I look forward to working with him towards the pursuit of our bilateral and re-gional interests.

"Permit me to reaffirm the commitment of the Government of the Republic of Trini-dad and Tobago to further strengthening the bonds of friendship which have traditionally existed between our two countries," Prime Minister Persad-Bissessar added.

The Guyana Manufacturing & Ser-vices Association (GMSA) Ltd extends congratulations to our President, Da-vid Granger MSc MSM MSS on being elected to the Executive Presidency of Guyana. We also take this opportunity to congratulate his party, the APNU+AFC Coalition, and the people of Guyana in general for the maturity displayed during and after the just concluded General and Regional Elections.

The nation’s manufacturers, service providers, commercial entrepreneurs, importers and exporters are indeed anx-ious at this time to get on with business, to continue the process of raising Guy-ana’s standing in the world of trade. The GMSA is particularly anxious to get on with our business of facilitating the creation of more value-added industries that will utilize Guyana’s many natural resources in secondary and tertiary pro-duction. Our country’s capacity in this regard is tremendous even with the tradi-tional products such as gold, rice, sugar, timber and agricultural crops.

Today, Guyana stands on a spring-board and we at the GMSA are ready to promote the evolution of downstream manufacturing and services enterprises

which are expected to spring up from the find of commercial quantities of hydro-carbons (oil and gas); from the anticipat-ed construction of a deep water harbour; from the rehabilitation of the Demerara Harbour and Navigational Channel; and from the resurgence of the gold and dia-mond industry. The agriculture and agro-processing sector is also ripe for imme-diate expansion which the GMSA plans to facilitate with technical and financial support through our trade development partnerships with agencies in the Carib-bean, North America and Europe.

The Association looks forward to close collaboration with the incoming Coalition government which has already laid out broad strategies to address these initiatives that will redound to the benefit of the business community and to Guya-nese in general. In addition, we antici-pate that more effective strategies will be implemented in the immediate future to re-train and re-equip our law enforce-ment bodies to ensure the personal and material safety of business owners and their communities.

The GMSA hopes that the calm which has accompanied these recent elections will stretch into the years ahead.

The Guyana Manufacturing & Services Association

from page 11


Guyanese react to news of APNU+AFC victory


Guyana’s 2015 General and Regional Elections were conducted to a high standard

The Commonwealth Ob-server Group The Com-monwealth Observer

Group is of the assessment that all aspects of the Guyana’s 2015 general and regional elections from the opening of polls to the voting and counting of results were conducted to a high stand-ard, and for this the polling staff and GECOM are to be commend-ed, the observer mission said.

“We wish to congratulate the people of Guyana, who turned out early on Election Day to ex-ercise their franchise in a peace-ful manner. We noted that the volume of voters at polling sta-tions began to decline as the day progressed,” the observer group said in a released statement.

It noted that polling stations opened on time, were appropri-ately laid out and were supplied with adequate materials. “The need to protect the secrecy of the ballot was clearly well thought-out, and the layout of most poll-ing stations more than adequately provided for it.”

Also noted was the fact that

polling staff appeared to be knowledgeable, methodical and diligent in following the laid out voting and vote counting proce-dure. “We saw a high number of all-female polling staff teams. Political party agents and do-mestic observers appeared to be satisfied with the transparency of the process at all of its stages,” the release said.

It also said that it was evident that polling officials were ready to assist elderly and disabled vot-ers, however the location and layout of polling stations were

in several cases not designed to facilitate those with limited or different physical or other needs.

Security presence at polling stations appeared to be adequate and non-intrusive, the mission observed, and commended, the preparedness of the police and defence forces to maintain peace throughout.

On the other hand the mission noted that, “Portraits of the Presi-dent, Prime Minister and Minis-ter of Education were in full and prominent view in a significant number of primary and nursery

schools that served as polling sta-tions and that in most instances polling staff were not aware of instructions from GECOM to cover or remove them."

“It was also reported to the Observer Group that isolated incidents of unrest took place across the country on Election Day, including an incident at the St. Sidwell School polling station, which was responsibly contained by the leadership of a contesting political alliance, the police and polling staff,” the re-lease stated.

Among other key findings noted by the Observer Group and highlighted in the release was their observation of the competi-tive and lively election campaign environment in the country and the concerns raised about the in-flammatory rhetoric and personal attacks by elements of political leadership during the campaign period.

“This was especially disap-pointing as it violated the volun-tary code of conduct agreed by political parties, which is aimed

at guarding against malicious and confrontational campaigning,” the release stated.

The release also noted the ob-servers concern with a number of allegations of direct vote buying and the misuse of state resources to induce voters.

“It was clear to us that Guy-ana has an active media sector, and this election period was ex-tensively reported in print and on TV, radio and online. The role of social media in this campaign, including social networking sites and blogs, appears to have in-creased in comparison to the last election,” the release said.

“The Media Monitoring Unit has highlighted incidents of bi-ased reporting. We note the dom-ination of state owned media. We are concerned about the lack of fair access to all parties. These issues are especially concerning considering the fact that all ma-jor media outlets are also signa-tories to a code of conduct which binds them to balanced, fair and accurate coverage in election pe-riods,” it added.

Commonwealth Observer Group lauds Guyanese

The U.S. Embassy has congratulates the Guyanese people on the democratic pro-cess that its batch of observers, observed

during elections. The Embassy in a press release said that

Chairman Dr. Steve Surujbally, Chief Elections Officer Keith Lowenfield, and the Commission-ers and staff of the Guyana Elections Commis-sion must be congratulated for their successful organization of the polls.

“It was heartening to witness the enthusiasm with which Guyanese voters participated in the electoral process which will ultimately choose their next government… the Guyana Elections Commission has once again done a credible job in ensuring that this critical election day phase of the process was free and fair,” a press release from the embassy said.

“It dealt effectively with the challenges posed by high voter turnout and community exuberance in a manner that has ensured the in-tegrity of the vote,” the Embassy said.

Free, Fair, and Credible

- US Embassy

Secrecy of the ballot was protected and respected - CARICOM Election Observer Addressing the media,

Head of Mission, Earl Simpson, Depu-

ty Director of Elections, Elec-toral Office, Jamaica, outlined the deployment of the Carib-bean Community Election Observer Mission team, visits to polling stations and overall impressions of the conduct of the polls stating that some 224 polling stations within 87 polling places were visited.

Accompanied by Jose-phine Tamai, Chief Elections Officer, Elections and Bound-aries Department, Simpson stated, “The secrecy of the ballot was protected and re-spected,” the CARICOM Observers said in an Interim Statement. “In our view, the conduct of the Poll should result in the expression of the will of the people of Guy-ana. It is our hope that the

results will be accepted and respected.”

Other members of the CARICOM mission included electoral officials from Belize, Antigua and Barbuda, Baha-mas, Barbados, Dominica, Saint Lucia, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, and Trini-dad and Tobago. According to the head of the mission, at the polling places and polling stations visited, electors were able to exercise their fran-

chise in a peaceful and orderly manner.

“The election staff per-formed their duties extremely well and commendations are in order. The police were able to regulate the flow into the polling stations and ensured that the lines remained or-derly. They were quite pro-fessional in their interaction with the polling station staff, electors and the various politi-cal stakeholders”.

Simpson extended the mission’s sincere apprecia-tion and heartfelt thanks to the Secretary-General of CARICOM and his staff for the invitation to participate in this Mission and for providing expertise and support to fulfill their mandate.

Asked about some of the challenges faced, Simpson said that he and other mem-bers stand ready to assist in the systematic improvements needed in the local electoral process. These would result in the more timely transmis-sion of results. This method-ology can only be changed or adapted once the legisla-tion is changed, he added and pointed out that the new gov-ernment’s leadership and the opposition leader must “be brave and bold” to facilitate this.

Addressing the media, Head of Mission, Earl Simpson

Stakeholders, the media and election observers at the GECOM's media centre

- International observers


The Electoral Observation Mission (EOM) of the Organization of Ameri-

can States (OAS), led by Sena-tor Lisa Shoman from Belize congratulated the citizens of the Cooperative Republic of Guy-ana for their participation in the electoral process reflected by the high percentage of voter turnout.

The OAS/EOM team of 22 observers from 13 countries was present from the opening of the polls up to the counting of the votes in all 10 regions of the country, visiting a total of 379 polling stations during Election Day.

In a press release the OAS stated, “The Mission recognizes the significant improvements made by the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) since 2011 to plan and prepare for the 2015 electoral process, specifi-cally in the areas of transparen-cy, logistics and inclusiveness of political parties in the process. The Observation Mission high-lights the extraordinary com-mitment of presiding officers, returning officers, poll clerks,

party agents and security of-ficials in the exercise of their duties and commends voters for their determination to fulfill their civic responsibility, despite in some cases waiting in long lines.”

The release also noted that the mission expresses its con-cern over the reported inci-dents of violence in some areas, which temporarily affected the planned progress of the tabula-tion exercise. With the purpose of strengthening the electoral system in Guyana, and based on the observations and informa-tion gathered by direct observa-tions of the OAS team, as well as in meetings with a wide range of stakeholders, the Electoral Observation Mission offered the following preliminary findings.

1. While the process of transmitting results in Guyana contains safeguards to reinforce the accuracy of the electoral outcome, the manual nature of the process is inherently time-consuming. Given the particular geographical and logistical chal-lenges of Guyanese elections, the

Mission encourages GECOM to consider implementing a system of issuing preliminary results for national elections. The use of technology might serve to dif-fuse tension and avoid incidents of violence on election night.

2. The Mission heard from a wide variety of stake-holders that access to State Me-dia was not provided to all po-litical parties on an equal basis. We recommend that considera-tion be given to regulation that promotes equitable access to all contenders of the electoral process. At the same time, the Mission wishes to recognize the work of the Media Monitoring Unit in highlighting the dispar-ity in coverage by media on the political campaign.

3. The OAS /EOM la-ments the tone of the political debate leading up to Election Day and urges all political par-ties to build a constructive dia-logue based on programmatic actions that benefit the Guya-nese people and avoid aggres-sive personal disqualifications.

4. Guyana benefits from

a house-to-house voter verifica-tion exercise conducted in the presence of party scrutinizers as well as from the pre-electoral claims and objections process. However, during both the pre-liminary mission and the days before the elections, the OAS/EOM heard from a wide range of stakeholders concerns related to a 20% increase in the number of voters. The Mission observed the lack of a timely procedure for cleansing and updating the voter registry.

5. With regard to political financing, the OAS/EOM ob-served that while a legal frame-work already exists, there is the clear need to revise and modern-ize aspects of the law which are obsolete and which allows vio-lations and non-compliance with few sanctions. Additionally, in order to promote equity in the electoral process, the Mission recommends the consideration of some form of state funding for political parties.

6. The Mission observed the significant presence of women throughout the electoral

process as poll workers, party agents and candidates. Guy-ana is the only country in the Anglophone Caribbean with a gender quota, which requires that candidate lists be composed of at least 33% of women, on both the national top-up and geographic levels. The Mission commends GECOM's effective enforcement of this quota during the pre-electoral period. As we await the final electoral results, the OAS/EOM calls on all po-litical parties to respect that per-centage established in the actual allocation of the seats.

7. In order to avoid long lines of electors waiting to cast their vote, the Mission recom-mends the introduction of a standardized process that will allow verification of electors to enable the verification of at least one or two additional vot-ers while one voter is casting his/her ballot. Additionally, the Mission recommends the con-sideration of special measures in order to facilitate the access of disabled and the elderly to poll-ing stations.

OAS Electoral Observation Mission commends Guyana on electoral turnout

UNASUR observers laud Guyana’s electoral process

The Union of South American Nations’ (UNASUR) observ-

er mission has lauded the Guyana Elections Com-mission (GECOM) for its coordination of polling day activities, ensuring that all polling stations have the necessary materials for citi-zens to exercise their right to vote.

Upon visiting and ob-serving the organisation of the polling stations, Head of Mission Dr. Domingo Paredes said that other countries in the region can learn from Guyana in this regard, as it has developed a creative electoral sys-tem, even with very little resources.

The team observed the voting process at 12 polling stations at Parika, Region Three; 8 in Georgetown, Region Four; 8 in New Am-sterdam, Region Six, and 5

in Linden, Region Ten.While congratulating

voters who were punctual, Paredes noted that, “At 7 am we saw many voters waiting for the polling to begin, and in this sense, I say again congratula-tions…by 10 am we had al-ready seen that there was a 35 to 40 percent voter who had already voted,” Pare-des explained. He said that in others countries in the regions there are delays for as many as two hours.

He also pointed to the fact that there were in-formation points at every centre visited, and even security personnel, which are commendable. Paredes highlighted that the polling agents were well educated on the protocols of their activities.

He emphasised that the presence of representatives from the various political

parties, who also had the official list of electors, were also noticeable, and the number of females involved in the process. Again, this is not so in the rest of South America and

these are also features that other countries can adopt from Guyana.

However, the mission was concerned about the accessibility of facilities for the elderly and handi-

capped and recommended that Guyana implement an “accessibility plan” to accommodate them come next election. Another ob-servation was the over-crowding of some polling

stations and urged that there be more polling sta-tions in future.

The mission stated that they have not received any reports of disturbances that should warrant any alarm.

The UNASUR observer mission


Democracy at work… Thousands turn up at polling stations on Election DayThousands of Guyanese,

from very early in the morning, queued up at

their respective polling stations to exercise their constitutional right of casting their vote for the party of their choice, on May 11.

Voter turnout was very,

heavy increasing from 341092 in 2011 to 408274 out of a total of 570,787 registered voters, an increase of 19.62% or 67,182 voters.

Large gatherings of citizens formed long lines outside of the polling stations, across the coun-

try, long before the opening of the polls at 6:00am gathered and awaited their turn to cast their votes to elect the government of their choice.

The Government Information Agency (GINA), during a visit to some of these polling stations

(including Tucville, Sophia, Queenstown and Sheriff Street,) interacted with some of the elec-tors who shared their feelings and thoughts on the electoral process.

While some individuals em-phasised the fact that they had

been standing in queues for many hours, they conceded that they understood the importance of their votes to the electoral pro-cess, and did not mind.

First time voters, on the other hand expressed their excitement and some amount of nervousness.


Democracy …


President Granger meets OP staff – urges professionalismAddressing staffers

at the Presidential Complex, Presi-

dent David Granger, two days after taking office, re-minded employees that the entity is a very important branch of the public service and the hub of government hence, it is very important that it functions efficiently.

“You’re all profession-als, and I am not going to enquire into your politi-cal leads, I am not going to enquire into your busi-ness leads, I don’t know if you belong to the lodge, I don’t want to know if you put your head in a tur-ban, (or) burn candles at night. When you come in to work, I want you to un-derstand you’re serving the people of Guyana without

fear or favour, affection or ill will,” the Head of State said.

He reminded them of the oath he took on May 16 when he became Presi-dent saying, “I am not be-ing sworn in as leader of APNU/AFC, I am being sworn in as President of the Co-operative Repub-lic of Guyana. If I could have a public conscience, or public vision, or public sense of vision, I would ex-pect all of you to have that vision”.

He pointed to the fact that while everyone is bi-ased, the degree of their professionalism is deter-mined by their ability to suppress that bias.

In whatever field per-sons work, the first thing is

professionalism, President Granger reiterated, not-ing that their Office of the President jobs are deter-

mined by their expertise. He explained that profes-sionalism also is based on a sense of solidarity and,

“We’re all working here together, we’re not work-ing at daggers drawn… So in any group of profession-

als there has to be a sense of solidarity. If you don’t possess that solidarity, well then we will fail in our duty.”

Staffers were also re-minded that, “Parties come, (and) parties go,” and asked that all stake-holders put behind them all of the acrimony and antipa-thy of the past week or the past years. “I would like us to look forward to a Guy-ana which is respectful of all of the people”.

The meeting was one of several that President Granger had on his sched-ule as part of the transi-tioning phase of taking the reins of government, and ensuring the smooth conti-nuity of the administration of the nation.

President David Arthur Granger and Acting Head of the Presidential Sec-retariat Joseph Harmon meet with staff at the Office of the President soon

to be renamed Ministry of the Presidency

Harmon to be in charge of renamed Office of the President – President Granger

APNU+ AFC 100- day plan will be delivered – Harmon

President David Granger has pro-posed to designate the Office of the President as the Ministry of the

Presidency. This was told to staffers at the Presidential Complex, when the president met with them.

He stated that the new ministry will be headed by Lt. Col. Rt. Joseph Harmon, and explained that when Harmon enters the National Assembly, he will be designated the Minister of State, so he will be head, or the minister in charge of the Ministry of the Presidency.

The president said that from time to time, other ministers will be appointed in the Presidency, “but Mr. Harmon will be the person who will be exercising the ministerial function under my directions of this ministry… Some departments will continue, some will remain, but most im-portant thing is that we ensure there is no disruption, simple. Comrade Harmon will

be doing the job that Dr. Luncheon, did, with some exceptions, he won’t be doing NIS, but as far as OP is concerned, he is minister in charge.”

Lt. Col. Rt. Harmon expressed his grat-itude at the appointment saying that the A Partnership for National Unity /Alliance For Change (APNU+AFC) Administra-tion intends to be service oriented. “We are the servants of the people, and the people are excited and expectant, and if you un-derstand this, this is what they are looking for. I have met with some of the staff al-ready and indicated that there is no witch hunt. Government has to be continued, we expect that you will serve to deliver this. We will provide a quality of service that all ministries must emulate, that would be the envy of the Caribbean.”

The president will meet all Permanent Secretaries on May 20 at the Guyana Inter-national Conference Centre.

The Staff of the Office of the President present tokens of welcome and Acting Head of the Presidential Secretariat Joseph Harmon

Assigned Head of the Presidential Secretariat Joseph Harmon said that the APNU+AFC overall 100-

day plan has to do with commitment and confidence building.

“It has to do with the confidence we have in national institutions. It has to do with the mobilisation and the engagement of the people in the process of decision making,” Harmon told the National Com-munications Network (NCN) Inc. today.

He explained that the cane farmers and rice farmers’ conferences were “all about getting the issues that do affect the industry from the bottom up, getting the actual peo-ple who have to do the planting, who have to do the repairing and reaping, involved in the decision making of the industry.

Harmon noted that these persons’ views are often ignored or disregarded by the people at the top. “The people who actually toil in the sun and the rain on a daily basis, their views are not taken into consideration,” he explained. This is why the APNU+AFC has as part of its 100-day plan these conferences and, as well as such tasks as the de-politicising of the National Toshaos Conference. “We are going to re-move the political element out of it. What you will get is genuine decision-making for Amerindian communities, the rice farmers and cane farmers,” he explained.

Harmon said that these plans are not “pies in the sky” but are things that the party has genuinely considered and feel it can achieve.

The new APNU+AFC administration, as part of its immediate plans, will seek to reduce the Berbice Bridge toll, signifi-cantly increase salary for public servants, implement a phased reduction of VAT, re-move VAT from food and other essential items, set the date for the early holding of Local Government Elections, establish the Public Procurement Commission, call a National Cane Workers and Cane Farm-ers Conference, arrange a National Rice Farmers and Rice Millers Conference, set up an Investigative Commission on Cor-ruption, Task Forces on Crime & Secu-rity and on Road Safety, and a National Conference for Women, and a bi-partisan Women’s Working Group.

Acting Head of the Presidential Secretariat Joesph Harmon being interviewed by NCN’s Eddie Layne


I would like a government of all of the people- President David Granger

President David Granger sat down with ‘First Look’ in one of the first interviews

conducted since being sworn-in as Head of State.

The transcript of that inter-view is contained below.

Q- You are the 8th Execu-tive President. How does that feel? Is it different from when you were in the opposition?

A- It is different because I now have the support of the ma-jority of the population to do the things that they wanted done and that’s why I’m here, that’s why they elected me. It’s a feeling of great responsibility and I’m ex-pected to discharge that respon-sibility. I’ve had the opportunity over the last five years to meet with scores of communities in all 10 regions and I have a good idea what the people have been asking for. So it a sense of humility, but also a sense of responsibility that I take up this job at this point in time.

Q- When that announce-ment was made by GECOM where you were?

A- Well you know it was a long slow week and there was a series of announcements. I was at the campaign head office in Crow Street.

Q- What did your wife said to you?

A-well she wasn’t with me at that time. The people who were with me were campaign support-ers and there was a loud “WOW” and of course she was happy. She has been with me on the cam-paign trail and our entire family is very happy, just as the coun-try is very happy that there has been a change from the former government.

Q-You drove yourself to church yesterday.

A- I normally drive myself to church, as the distance is very short; it’s about a kilometer away from where I live, so I don’t see the need for drivers and security.

Q-Is that going to continue?A- It depends on the situa-

tion, but normally I prefer to go to worship in a simple frame of mind, nothing too fussy.

Q- For the persons who don’t know you are a father of two girls.

A- Yes that’s correct. One is married, lives and works here and the other is in Canada and she should be coming back for the formal inauguration next Tues-day. They are both grown.

Q- Have you called the for-mer president?

A- No! Nor has he called me. The last I spoke to him was the night before the swearing in.

Q-Have you stretch forth that hand to the former admin-istration and have they accept it?

A- There is no indication of acceptance; in fact I saw an ar-ticle in the newspaper that they will be no acceptance of any invitation to join the adminis-tration. I am disappointed, not surprised. This is the moment that Guyana have been waiting for, one that we should regard as a start of a process for build-ing national unity as a process of creating inclusionary democracy and rejecting the “winners take all” mentality and I think it’s a opportunity missed, like a crick-eter dropping the ball, it may not come again. What happened in 2011 and 2015, is that the people changed, they stop thinking race and started to think about issues and this would be a good moment for the PPP and Former President Ramotar to send a message to his supporters that we want Guyana to move forward and we are pre-pared to join this movement for national unity, rather than stay on the sidelines and complain and carp and criticize.

Q-When your tenure will have come to an end…what is the legacy you are hoping to leave behind for the Guyanese people?

A-Three things. That there will be universal literacy, a com-pletely literate and well educated population, that poverty will be abolish, no extremely poor peo-ple and good employment for young people. I really want to see every single Guyanese child, no matter how poor his or her back-ground is, in school and if at the end of my tenure I can go through the streets and villages and see nobody liming, nobody skulking from school, o children selling papers during school hours, I’d be very happy.

Q- Would you be going

into those communities within Georgetown, outside of George-town and how soon?

A-I’ve been in the communi-ties for the last 5 years. I think I’ve campaign in the communi-ties more than any other single person over the last 6 months in particular, in the Rupununi alone I’ve been in over 20 villages and on the coast, between Augusts to December I did about 40 villages. I don’t always publicize my vis-its, but I’ve been engaging com-munities on the coastland and the hinterland and I will continue.

Q – People are asking al-ready, they are asking about taxes, housing initiatives and programmes. What is it that people need to understand in this point in time? The party did lay out 100 day plan.

A-People are right in expect-ing change that what they voted for. They don’t want a continu-ation of the PPP regime and we intend to fulfill the promises we made. I want to see a strong pub-lic service and strong security services. If they are not well paid then they wouldn’t perform well, so I will pay them better. I want to see a reduction in the high cost of living, in particularly for women who have households and I want to see a reduction in the cost of food particularly and we hope to change the tax threshold, so that maybe persons who are gaining very low income will not have pay income tax at all. We want to re-duce the Value Added Tax (VAT) that may have an impact, par-ticularly on food and reduce the toll on the Berbice River Bridge. There are specific things that we want to do but they mostly con-cern about giving people, giving households the opportunity to get into a more comfortable frame of life and improve their quality of life and once that is done, there will be children going to school, better education, and better em-ployment. I would call it a virtual cycle, remove poverty and we will get better education, better employment and so it goes. If we stay at the present state, with so many poor people, we will never progress. Too many people are just locked out of development; they just live hand to mouth. They get some 37,000 monthly and they just hustle to get some food, they can’t rent property quarters, they can’t bring up their children, they can’t educate their

children properly, can’t get trans-port to various destination. Pov-erty is a big strength on develop-ment and I would like to see the absolute abolition of poverty in this country.

Q- How great is the task you foresee ahead of you?

A- It is a great task because of the mess that was made by the PPP for the past 23 years and be-cause of the high rate of migra-tion, as you know the Guyanese population is dropping and it is lower in 2015 than it was in 1995 or 2005. A lot of the people who are educated are talented and ed-ucated people. A big task will be getting sufficient human resourc-es to help to turn the economy around. I would like to see more engineers and more scientists, but where would they come from? We have got to ask more Guya-nese in the Diaspora to lend us their human and financial capital to help us to turn things around, it wouldn’t be easy. The problem would be in the availability of hu-man capital, talented people who would bring their energies and enthusiasm and effort to turning Guyana around.

Q- Would your administra-tion be continuing projects such as the CJIA expansion projects and the four lane highway?

A- We have committed to ex-amine them. Our problem with the airport was one of priority. Some had to be canceled by the former president himself, like the Specialty Hospital. We can’t continue that because it’s dead, he killed it, we can’t continue the Amaila Hydropower road be-cause Ramotar killed it, we can’t continue the fiber optic cable as it is because it’s dead. We didn’t do these things; the former president is responsible for these spoiled, broken or flawed projects. So I can’t commitment myself to con-tinue something that is not worth continuing. I will have to look at them, and we have priorities of our own, want to see a reliable bridge over the Demerara River, as most of our working people coming to Georgetown over that bridge and if it collapses, George-town would grind to a halt. So we want to see better transport infra-structure and building a Marriott Hotel or Specialty hospital is not on our list.

We do believe that it will be difficult to fund in such a short

space of time. The former gov-ernment has been very cunning, by unlawfully removing funds which should be going into what should be the consolidated funds, into various accounts to be spent without the approval of the Na-tional Assemble. We will put a lot of emphasis on appointing a Minister of Finance soon so that we can get a budget out hopefully within another 60 days and we expect that by that time we will know where the money is. The whole idea is to bring the money back into the budget so that it could be properly accounted for.

Q- There are talks that a lot of documents have been moved from government offices.

If you take something that doesn’t belong to you is theft and theft is a crime. I am not witch hunting, but it is unlawful to remove state property without permission and if people remove cars or computers or anything else I’ll send the police t get it back, to ask them question and if they commit crimes they will be dealt with in accordance with the law. It’s not a witch hunt, but a crime is a crime.

Q- You have not named your cabinet?

A-We are in discussion now, as you know we are a six party member team and i have to con-sult with my colleagues, so I’m not going to make announce-ment about individual persons or names. I am going to meet with my shadow cabinet and the com-mittee that was set up for that purpose and make the decision. The earliest priority will be in the area of security and finance and the others will follow.

Q-What do you want to leave with the Guyanese people

A-I want to leave the promise that Guyana has turned the cor-ner, it will be better governed , it will be inclusionary, we are not in the business of ‘winners take all,’ we are not in the business of locking people out of govern-ment, even though the APNU-AFC won 51 percent, we cannot conceive locking out 40 percent. I would like a government of all of the people and that is why I would like him to reconsider his position and join us, this is not about a political party any longer, this is about Guyana, our chil-dren, that’s my message.


Former world champion ‘Six Head’ Lewis laid to restOne week after hav-

ing his life snatched from him, Guy-

ana’s first World Champion Andrew ‘Six Head’ Lewis was laid to rest on May 13. The 44-year-old Lewis on May 4, was killed in an

accident on the East Bank Highway, in the vicinity of Covent Garden.

Reports state that the former World Boxing As-sociation (WBA) Welter-weight Champion was rid-ing his bicycle, heading to a popular ‘coconut’ spot near his home, when he was struck from behind by a motor car.

His casket was placed in the centre of the Burn-ham Basketball Court at Independence Park (Parade Ground). It was draped in the Golden Arrowhead and on it the WBA welter-weight belt. Andrew ‘Six Head’ Lewis made his fi-nal ‘hooray’ as hundreds turned out to bid farewell to the man who many will remember for his famous 7th round TKO win over American James Page on February 17, 2001 at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.

A resident of Albouys-town, Lewis was remem-bered not only for his ex-ploits in the ring, but for his kindness. He was a man who would give his last to someone if he believed that the person needed it more than he did. “You’re always going to be our champion,” many chanted with tears rolling down their cheeks.

His children, nine of them to be exact, had to be consoled, as they too could not have held back the tears, after seeing their fa-

ther, lying in a casket. One of his daughters stated that “I never thought I would see my father like this, in this position.”

Lewis’s brother, Troy, said that he will miss his brother, stating that the

two were very close. The former world champion’s sisters all called him their ‘father’.

“I don’t know my fa-ther, but I know my brother used to take care of me, look out for me and protect me,” one of his sisters cried while pounding on the fall-en champion’s casket.

Rev. Michael Perreira presided at the funeral and during the eulogy which was read by daughter Omalesa, the former Guya-nese and WBA champion’s life was chronicled; it por-trayed the life of a man whose true love was boxing as well as his family.

‘Six Head’ Lewis at the time of his climb to the top

was the number one wel-terweight contender in the WBA rankings and was un-defeated in 20 professional fights, knocking out 18 of his opponents.

The Albouystown resi-dent, at the time, was hunt-ing an achievement that was set to make him a leg-end if accomplished. It was realised and so Guyana’s first world boxing cham-pion proved to be “Six Head.” Others who failed in that bid were Terrence Ali, Patrick Ford and Len-nox Blackmore.

This boy from Albouys-town turned ‘Pro’ in 1993, first stepping into the ring against Fitzroy Davidson and eight years later he sat on top of the world, immor-talized by Guyanese, home and abroad.

Guyana’s last World champion Shondell Alfred was present at the funeral and spoke of how Lewis’s winning a World title in-spired her to step into the ring, and she later she emu-lated his achievement.

President of the Guyana Boxing Board of Control (GBBC) Peter Abdool be-lieves that Lewis’ legacy would be unmatched.

Abdool said that Guy-ana lost one of the Carib-bean’s and the world’s most technical fighter and that they may never see another ‘Six Head’ Lewis.

After the tributes and service were wrapped up

at the Burnham Basketball Court, the funeral proceed-ed to the Le Repentir Cem-etery where burial took place.

Andrew “Six Head” Lew-is-the WBA World Wel-terweight Champion Andrew Lewis was born on December 11, 1970 in Georgetown, Guyana and had numerous successes as an amateur boxer. He represented Guyana in both local and internation-al competitions. Lewis a southpaw was a destroyer inside the ring, dismantling opponents with power in both hands. He turned pro in 1993 and would go 8-0-1 in his first nine bouts, all by KOs. All of these bouts

were in Guyana and Lewis knew he had to step into the international arena in order to make a name for himself in the sport of boxing.

Lewis got his nickname “Six Head” in an amateur

tournament in George-town when he was 7. He recalled, ‘’I knocked the other boy down twice in the first round and two more times in the second round.’’ ‘’When he got up, the referee asked if he wanted to continue. He said: ‘I’m fighting no more. I see six heads in front of me.’ That’s how I got the name Six Head, and the name stuck.’’

Lewis relocated to

Brooklyn, NY in 1996 and continued his streak of knockouts, winning his next 12 bouts over the next four years; 11 were by KOs.

On a HBO Boxing Af-ter Dark doubleheader on February 17, 2001, Lewis met former welterweight champion James Page. Lewis won by TKO after Page was knocked down twice and the referee called a halt to the fight. Lewis be-came the WBA World Wel-terweight Champion

HBO then had Lewis on the air for the boxing series titled “KO Nation where he won a 12 round unanimous decision over Larry Marks.

Lewis then met rela-tively unknown Nicara-guan challenger Ricardo Mayorga on July 28, 2001 at the Staples Center in Los Angeles on a Pay-Per-View” card with Roy Jones against Julio Gonzalez. The referee stopped the fight

in the second round after Lewis sustained a bad cut over his eye from a clash of heads. This fight was ruled a no contest.

Lewis and Mayorga would meet again nine months later in Reading, PA. It was an exciting fight for the first four rounds dur-ing which Lewis opted to slug more with Mayorga, which was more of Mayor-ga’s fight. In the fifth round, Mayorga landed a hard left hook followed by another left and right that put “Six Head” down on his back. He was able to get up; how-ever he didn’t respond to referee Rudy Battle when he asked if he could con-tinue, and thus the fight was stopped.

He rebounded with a first round KO eight months later on November 22, 2002 against Oscar Del-gado of Mexico, which put him back in line for another title shot. However he was stopped by WBO Welter-weight champion Antonio Margarito in two rounds in February of 2003. Lewis would be out of the ring for 2 1/2 years and returned to his home country of Guy-ana and had a series of fights with fellow country-man Denny Dalton. Their first encounter in October 2005 ended in a technical draw.

In the rematch sixth months later, Lewis was leading on all cards up until the seventh round, when he began to complain of bowel issues in which he needed to go to the bathroom; this fight was stopped. He would avenge the loss a year later in a 12 round decision win. Lewis fought for the last time 2008, los-ing a 12 round split deci-sion to Howard Eastman.

Lewis’s record as a pro-fessional stands at 23-4-2 with 20 KO’s.

Andrew “Six Head” Lewis celebrates after win-ning the WBA World Welterweight Champion-

ship defeating James Page

Andrew “Six Head” Lewis (R) fighting Antonio Margarito in 2003

Andrew “Six Head” hits James Page with a vicious right hook

Saying goodbye to the Champ - GBBC officials L-R Andrew Thorne, Trevor Arno, Lt. Colonel Francis Abraham and the president, Peter Abdool.


President Granger inspects cleanup effort, restoration of Independence Arch

National Awards are to be given out this year

President David Ar-thur Granger began his week by leading

a team to inspect the work underway to desilt the main drainage areas in George-town. The project, which is being spearheaded by BK International, Stanley Ming and other contractors, was initiated by the new A

Partnership for National Unity / Alliance of Change (APNU+AFC) Govern-ment on May 17.

According to APNU+AFC Chief Com-munications Officer, Imran Khan the project will target the major waterways across the capital city initially, with work commencing at

the Square of the Revolu-tion, East of Brickdam and “proceeding into the heart of the city”. He added that the areas being targeted will include the Sussex Street canal which leads directly into the Demerara River, along with several other key drainage outfalls. The desilting is particu-larly important given that Guyana is in the May/June rainy season.

The National Inde-pendence Arch located on Brickdam, a gift to Guyana from the then Demerara Bauxite Mining Company

in honour of Guyana’s in-dependence, will also be

rehabilitated and its sur-roundings improved. Presi-dent Granger said while the monument signals the country’s history, and even its status as an independent nation, they have been ne-glected over the years. The president also noted that the national Independence Monument is one of the most important in Guyana. “It commemorates our In-dependence in 1966 and we felt that the maintenance has been allowed to lapse

and it has become some-thing of a disgrace. I don’t think in the Western Hemi-sphere anybody would’ve allowed their Independence Monument to look the way we had it looking.”

It was revealed that plans are in place to recon-struct the base of the monu-ment and bring it above road level. This phase of work is expected to be completed before Inde-pendence Day celebrations on May 26.

Flash Back: The commissioning ceremony of the Independence Arch in 1966

President David Granger looking on at the restoration work being conducted

An excavator cleaning a city canal

President David Granger has indi-cated that National

Awards will be returned to Guyana. Speaking to mem-bers of staff at the Office of the President, President Granger stated that every year, National Awards are to be presented without fear.

“Even if it’s one award, two awards, twenty, that is one of the institutions of our country,” he said dur-ing a meeting with the staff.

The President added that members of the Na-tional Assembly and the Judiciary must be treated with respect regardless of

party affiliation.The National Awards

of Guyana are the Order of Excellence, Order of Roraima, Cacique Crown of Honour, Golden Arrow of Achievement, Medal of Service, Cacique Crown of Valor, Golden Arrow of Courage, and President’s Commendation for Brave Conduct, Military Service Star and the Disciplined Services Star.

The last National Awards were given out in October 201. Over 100 per-sons then were conferred with awards in recognition of yeoman service to na-tional development.

Order of Excellence

President Granger seeking to further strengthen bilateral ties with immediate neighbours

High on the agenda of His Excellency David Granger

and his soon-to-be-sworn in administration will be to accelerate infrastructural and economic develop-ments with CARICOM and Guyana’s other immediate neighbours.

During his first official day in Office as Guyana’s 8th Executive President, Brigadier Rtd. Granger

held brief meetings with the CARICOM Secretary General, Irwin La Rocque.

According to President Granger, his meeting with Mr. La Rocque was a de-liberate decision he made, as he noted the importance of meeting with Guyana’s most important neighbors.

“It was a deliberate decision of mine that we should meet with our most important neighbours first and CARICOM is at the heart of the economic de-

velopment of Guyana and in terms of not only cour-tesy, but also in terms of policy (and) I felt it was my duty to meet with our Car-ibbean neighbour first.”

The Head-of-State, at the Office of the President, also met with the Brazil’s Ambassador to Guyana, His Excellency, Mr. Lineu Pupo de Paula and Ven-ezuela’s Ambassador to Guyana, Her Excellency Reina Margarita Arratia Diaz.

His Excellency David Granger during his meeting with CARICOM Secretary General, Irwin LaRocque, and Minister of Foreign

Affairs- Designate Carl Greenidge, during a meeting which was held at the Office of the President

Guyana’s 8th Executive President, His Excel-lency, David Granger and Brazil’s Ambassador

to Guyana, His Excellency, Lineu Pupo de Paula

Issue No: 17

FOR FREE DISTRIBUTION

May 22, 2015

Guyana PostcardThe newly sworn-in President David A. Granger and Prime Minister-elect Moses Nagamootoo acknowledge the thousands of Guyanese who came to witness the

swearing-in ceremony of Guyana’s 8th President at Parliament Building.

the guyanese newspaper 17th edition - may 22, 2015

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