Guyana Chronicle
May 13, 2001

PRESIDENT Bharrat Jagdeo has admitted that the government is going through a challenging period because apart from dealing with the immediate problem of returning normalcy in the country and stopping the "madness that is going on", there are several other issues to deal with.

In an interview with GTV Channel 11, he said these issues are very important for the country and the future wellbeing of Guyana.

These include the initiative for debt relief by the multilateral financial institutions which he has to move forward to garner much need resources for the development of the country, he said.

Mr Jagdeo noted that the government has secured an additional US$25M a year in debt savings "to spend on the people in this country".

He also pointed out that the government has to move forward with the restructuring of the sugar industry so that it can be more secure; try to bring some relief to rice farmers and push efforts at resuscitating the bauxite industry.

In addition, the 2001 national budget has to be prepared because the country must go on, he said.

The exchange rate will also have to be looked at in addition to a host of issues, the President explained.

President Jagdeo noted that he is still to put together his full Cabinet as he is yet to fill the four technocratic ministerial positions in the government, including those of the Foreign and Trade Ministers.

"I had to reconvene Parliament so that parliamentary work could go on; I had to swear in the Regional Chairmen so that the regions' works could continue...so it has been a very difficult period," he said in the GTV 11 interview, aired last week.

The most immediate problem, the President said, is to stop the violence that is going on in Guyana.

"After the elections, we have seen this manifestation and a number of things have been done," he said.

He recalled he has done a number of things both locally and internationally to curb the current problem.

On the international scene, President Jagdeo said that when he was in Quebec, Canada for the recent third Summit of the Americas, he took the opportunity there to brief U.S. President George Bush, Canadian Prime Minister Jean Chretien and other leaders of South America, Latin America and the Caribbean on the nature of the problem in Guyana.

He also met Secretary General Ceasar Gaviria of the Organisation of American State which is charged with the responsibility of supporting democracies in this hemisphere, he reported.

"So it was very important that he knew what was going on here," President Jagdeo said.

The OAS Permanent Council last week commended Guyana on its free and democratic March 19 elections.

On the local scene, the President has implemented a number of measures and noted that the Police and Army have been out trying to prevent cases of violence and intimidation.

Amid rising tensions and violence on the East Coast last week, the President announced that the Army and Police would be on fixed patrols and security measures had been tightened.

He said that simultaneously, the dialogue with Opposition leader Desmond Hoyte was taking place.

But according to him, "here in Guyana it is strange that dialogue is seen as an event; in many countries this is normal where the President meets with the Opposition Leader and they talk about various issues."

"I see this as a Government/Opposition working in the interest of the betterment of all Guyana," he pointed out.

The President and Hoyte met again Friday and agreed on several committees mandated to look at concerns including land distribution and house lots security matters.

President Jagdeo also pointed out that innocent people are being beaten, robbed, intimidated and terrorised and said racism is again raising its ugly head in Guyana.

He reiterated his condemnation of the gruesome murders on the East Coast last Sunday when two men and a 10-year-old boy were shot dead execution-style.

"We have to avoid ethnic clashes in this country because it didn't help us forty years ago and it will not help us now."

He also noted that a few criminal elements have a desire to create this atmosphere of tension and race hate in this country and pledged that, as President, he will do everything possible to ensure they do not succeed.

He said the Police and Army will remain deployed and they "will deal with the criminals and deal with them condignly..." (MARK RAMOTAR)