Depressed villages committee to begin visits on Saturday

By Patrick Denny
Stabroek News
May 17, 2001

The committee set up to look at the needs of depressed communities will make its first visits to the East Coast Demerara villages identified for priority rehabilitation work at the weekend.

Philip Allsopp, who with Philomena Sahoye-Shury chairs this group, told Stabroek News yesterday that the committee will be visiting Buxton on Saturday and Enterprise on Sunday. Buxton and Non Pariel/Enterprise are two of the four communities identified by President Bharrat Jagdeo and PNC REFORM (PNC/R) leader, Desmond Hoyte, for priority action. The others are De Kinderen, West Coast Demerara and Meten-Meer-Zorg, West Coast Demerara.

Stabroek News understands that the committee members will begin meeting residents at the Buxton Community High School at 10:00 am on Saturday.

On Sunday their visit to Enterprise will begin at 2:00 pm at the Enterprise Primary School.

Other communities which met yesterday were the committees on Local Government Reform; Bauxite Resuscitation; Border and National Security Issues including Recapitalisation of the GDF; and Radio Monopoly and Non Partisan Boards.

The committee on National Policy on Land and House Lot Distribution is scheduled to meet today at the Ministry of Housing. Stabroek News understands that the documents requested by members should be delivered to them during the day. Housing Minister Shaik Baksh and PNC/R parliamentarian, Stanley Ming, are chairing this committee.

The committee on Border and National Security issues also met yesterday under the chairmanship of Ralph Ramkarran SC, facilitator of the UN Good Officer Process for the Guyana/Venezuela border controversy and former national security adviser, David Granger.

This meeting, while dealing with essentially housekeeping matters, Stabroek News understands agreed to meet a minimum of three times a week and to deal with one of the issues in its terms of reference each week.

The committee is mandated to:

* prepare and present proposals for a bipartisan approach to border and national security issues;

* review the status of Guyana's border and maritime problems and to advise on appropriate approaches to their solution including short- and long-term measures;

* make recommendations on the preparation of a National Defence Strategy including a review of the draft National Security Strategy Document;

* examine the present capital needs of the Guyana Defence Force and present proposals to the Defence Board for consideration.

The committee on Local Government Reform also met yesterday at the Local Government Ministry under the co-chairmanship of Minister Clinton Collymore and PNC/R vice-chairman, Vincent Alexander.

At yesterday's meeting, the committee decided that it would meet on Tuesdays, identify the legislation related to local government reform in the constitutional amendments and establish a work programme for each month.

The committee on Radio Monopoly and Non Partisan Boards convened yesterday at the Ministry of Information under the chairmanship of Culture, Youth and Sport Minister, Gail Teixeira and PNC/R parliamentarian, Deryck Bernard.

Stabroek News understands that yesterday's meeting dealt with merely housekeeping matters but decided to meet three times a week in order to adhere to the six-week deadline for a report.

The committee on the Resuscitation of the Bauxite Industry also gathered yesterday under the co-chairmanship of Guyana Geology and Mines Commission Chairman, Robeson Benn and University of Guyana economics professor, Dr Clive Thomas. The meeting took place at the BIDCO headquarters in Queenstown and Stabroek News understands that like the others dealt mainly with how it would proceed with its work.

Also due to meet yesterday were former Public Service Commission chairman, Harold Sahadeo and former permanent secretary in the Public Service Ministry Joyce Sinclair, who have been tasked by President Jagdeo and Hoyte to look at the appointment of a formal head of the public service distinct from the political post of Head of the Presidential Secretariat.

Their remit also includes defining the purely public service functions that would be assigned to the head of the public service.

Since the creation of the post in 1980, the head of the Presidential Secretariat has been the acknowledged head of the public service and until 1992, when Dr Roger Luncheon was appointed, was held by persons who took no overt part in campaigning for the ruling party. This changed with Dr Luncheon, a leading member of the PPP who resigned in 1997 and 2001 to campaign for the government's re-election.

His re-appointment as head of the Presidential Secretariat sparked PNC/R protests which at times degenerated into violence.

In their dialogue, President Jagdeo and Hoyte agreed to the political neutrality of the public service and agreed to review Dr Luncheon's appointment as head of the Presidential Secretariat in this context.