Riehl speaks of better monitoring of border with Brazil
PEOPLE's National Congress (PNC) Parliamentarian, Mrs Clarissa Riehl has underscored the need for the country's natural resources to be protected, and for well-manned outposts be set up to monitor the country's border with Brazil. The Parliamentarian drew attention to the situation last week during her presentation on the debate of the National Budget in the National Assembly. Quoting from a recent article in the New York Times headlined `Guyana fears loss of identity to Brazil', Riehl said that a Brazilian miner was reported as complaining that too many of his countrymen are in Guyana. The Brazilian's claim, confirms earlier reports reaching the city that several Brazilians are illegally conducting mining operations in the country's hinterland. The miner, who estimated the number of Brazilians, on Guyana's soil to be about 10,000, added that the Brazilian men were also bringing their country women to Guyana. The PNC member's presentation also including a scathing attack on the Government's `voluntary separation' plan for public sector employees. Describing the voluntary separation process as "bribery with a lump sum", Riehl said it aims to get workers out of the way. Also, it is a violation of the terms of resumption in the Armstrong Award, which states that there should be no victimisation, termination or retrenchment, she added. Riehl also asked the Government benches, "Where are the jobs?" She pointed out that despite the budget's suggestion that there is a broad-based committee to address the issue, she was not aware that any such committee exists. According to her, although the Arbitration Award was since last year, there are still some 800 workers in Government agencies who are yet to receive increased earnings. Also, some workers are still receiving salaries of $11,445 per month, which is way below the stipulated minimum wage as set out by the Armstrong Award. Riehl criticised too, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for causing the Government embarrassment when Guyana was named as one of the errant developing countries for the payment of dues to the United Nations (UN). She debunked the reason given by Government, that they wanted to protest the UN peace-keeping activities, by arguing how could Guyana question the role of the United States in the light of the Venezuela's restated land claim. Other blunders of the administration listed by Mrs Riehl were: the non-support of the Auditor General Anand Goolsarran for a top United Nations post; the huge overdraft against the name of the Guyana High Commission to the United Kingdom; and the distribution of diaries to Parliamentarians showing the New River Triangle, as part of the territory of Suriname. The PNC member, on this note, asked whether Foreign Affairs Minister, Mr Clement Rohee, had sought to ascertain the origin of the map. And, alluding to the politically-appointed Guyanese Ambassadors assigned around the globe, Riehl suggested, that if a few of the old ones (Ambassadors) were retained, Guyana's economic standing would have been in a far better position. Of the debt by Guyana High Commission in Britain, Riehl said it amounted to some 200,000 pounds sterling along with about 1.3M pounds in interest, at Lloyds Bank. She said the situation was a result of the High Commission being "terribly mismanaged". "It is simply atrocious," Riehl stated. Minister of Youth, Sports and Culture, Ms Gail Teixeira speaking after the PNC member, expressed concern over the level of the debate, which level, according to her, was "disturbing". Members should instead discuss noble ideas, the Minister advised. Responding to Riehl's mention about money owed by the Guyana High Commission in London, Teixeira said the sum it was "piddling dollars" and blamed it on another big country. Turning her attention to the entire PNC opposition, the Minister said her opposition colleagues were suffering from "collective amnesia". Teixeira then reminded the `House' of the PNC's 28 years in Government, and recalled several blemishes of that administration, which included: malnourished children; use of party cards for promotion and food; crumbling schools; Guyana being labelled as a part of a Bolivian-Haiti sandwich for being one of the poorest countries in the hemisphere; the loss of services of Walter Rodney to the University of Guyana; and the hurried departure from this country of Aubrey Armstrong, who (last year) handed down the now historical Arbitration Award for public servants. Teixeira spoke too, of the cutting of jobs in the public service, and recalled that between 1985 and 1992, some 20,000 jobs were cut by the PNC Government. The Minister's presentation included achievements by her Ministry for 1999 and plans for this year. Her speech ended on the topic of Mashramani, which she described as a day "for all the people, it does not belong to the PNC". Teixeira boasted that the people spoke in 1998, in 1999, and as well in 2000 by their massive participation in the national festival. (WENDELLA DAVIDSON)
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