He said in Parliament that last week Wednesday "marks another dark and dismal day in the history of the PNC (Opposition People's National Congress) when its organised protesters attacked and stormed the Office of the President complex with the clear objective of making an attempt on the life of His Excellency, President Bharrat Jagdeo and overthrowing the democratically elected PPP/Civic Government".

Rohee noted that the 23rd CARICOM Heads of Government meeting hosted by Guyana opened that day and said the assault on the Office of the President and "the other acts of violence resulting in the burning down of business places, the torching of cars and assaults and robberies and other acts of violence committed on peaceful and law-abiding citizens, including law enforcement ranks, have been roundly condemned by most citizens and nearly all sectors of Civil Society."

"The citizens and Government of Guyana also welcomed the condemnations by CARICOM Heads and by the Governments of the United States of America, the United Kingdom and Canada.

"The statements of their commitment to the preservation and protection of democratic governments such as Guyana is most welcome and show that the era of violence, extra-parliamentary behaviour and unconstitutional acts will not be condoned by the international community", the minister said.

"On behalf of all law-biding Guyanese, I wish to state our thanks and appreciation to our security forces for thwarting an attempt to overthrow the democratically elected government. They continue to maintain their high standard of professionalism and the carrying out of their duties under the Constitution", he added.

The main Opposition PNC Reform (PNC/R) maintained their boycott of Parliament yesterday but several Opposition motions were dealt with at the sitting.

Rohee recalled that on May 24 last, there was an attempt to blockade Parliament and deny access to those Parliamentarians who wished to attend and perform the mandate for which they were elected.

"We have seen that some of the individuals from the PNC/R involved in that disgraceful act were also involved in the illegal marches and the subsequent storming of the Office of the President" last week Wednesday, he said.

"These actions clearly illustrate the illegal and unparliamentary and terroristic behaviour and intentions of certain elements in the PNC/R, which must be opposed, exposed and condemned by the entire country", he declared.

He suggested that if the PNC/R "is interested in contributing to the growth of our democracy and the progress and prosperity of all Guyanese then it must purge itself of such violence and disruptive tendencies."

He also urged the Opposition party to return to Parliament to fulfill the mandate of those who voted for it at the March 2001 general and regional elections.

"Again, I wish to applaud representatives of political groups, including several prominent PNC/R members, civil society, the international community and all law-abiding Guyanese for condemning and taking a firm stand against Wednesday July 3, 2002 acts of domestic terrorism", Rohee said.

Prime Minister Sam Hinds told the sitting that the recently announced tariff increase imposed by the Guyana Power and Light Company (GPL), has engaged the attention of the Government.

He made this position clear when he rose to clarify elements of a Motion read by Ms. Sheila Holder captioned, "Increase in Tariff Rates-Guyana Power and Light Company." Holder is from the Opposition Guyana Action Party/Working People's Alliance (GAP/WPA).

Responding specifically to a clause in the motion which stated, "And whereas the public utility, the Guyana Power and Light is a monopoly..." the Prime Minister told the Opposition Parliamentarian, "The utility is not free to do what it wants," since it operates within a contractual framework, to provide electricity at the "least possible sustainable cost" to consumers.

Further, Mr. Hinds observed that the power company, in which the Government holds a 50 per cent share, is fully aware of the impending competition that will be introduced in the sector through independent power suppliers, the Government Information Agency (GINA) reported.

This is expected to take effect from October 2004, since the GPL contract stipulates the invitation of others to provide other sources of electricity, Mr. Hinds noted, and he named two such sources as the Amaila Falls Hydropower group and the Guyana Sugar Corporation (Guysuco).

With regard to the method of tariff review and adjustments, the Prime Minister said the Public Utilities Commission will be involved in rate formulation for the IPP (Independent Power Producer), but power supply charges will have to be met by consumers.

This is in contrast to the scores of residents who are currently receiving electricity at a highly subsidised cost under the Unserved Areas Electrification Programme (UAEP), which has seen many in major hard to reach areas of the country receive power for the first time in late 2001, GINA said.

Under the UAEP, some $25M is expected to be expended, of which $20M is being provided by the Inter-American Development Bank as a soft loan.

Touching on the inability by the GPL to meet its efficiency level, the Prime Minister said the Government chose to have an annual review and quarterly adjustment mode applied to the utility so as to lend "certainty and predictability in their potential earnings."