Vol. 55, No.

Organ of the PNCR

November 2012

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Clement Rohee must GO

Minister Clement Rohee's appearance and performance before the Linden Commission of Inquiry was a political catastrophe for the People's Progressive Party/Civic Administration. His responses to intense interrogation by attorneys for A Partnership for National Unity confirmed the public's worst fears that the management of public security in this country is in the wrong hands. Mr. Rohee has served in the Cabinet continuously for over twenty years. He was appointed, first, as Minister of State for Foreign Affairs and later as, Minister of Foreign Affairs from 1992 to 2001; second, as Minister of Foreign Trade and International Cooperation from 2001 to 2006; and, third, as Minister of Home Affairs from 2006 to the present. He is the longestserving Minister of the Government next to the Prime Minister. He ought to be one of the most experienced. Mr. Rohee, after 20 years in Government, should have comprehended the concept of ministerial responsibility. This means that he must accept responsibility for the performance of his ministry. This means, also, that he has an obligation to the National Assembly, if not to the entire nation, to account and to be held accountable for the actions and behaviour of his ministry. Administration to revoke his appointment. The National Assembly did consider the abundant evidence of mismanagement, maladministration and dereliction of duty. It was convinced that such incompetence could have been avoided by a prudent Administration and these were the grounds for questioning the Minister's ability to discharge his ministerial responsibility. Mr. Rohee, to avoid dismissal from office, the disdain of the National Assembly or further damage to public security should resign as Minister on his own accord. The President must now act swiftly to avoid an impasse in the National Assembly. Donald Ramotar has the right to issue and revoke ministerial appointments; however in this instance, the people through their elected representatives have spoken. The PPP is a Minority Government; the combined opposition enjoys the support of the Majority of Guyanese, and speaks for 51% of the electorate. It is not for us to tell this Administration what to do with Clement Rohee, but a democratically elected majority voted against him retaining his present portfolio. His continued presence in the National Assembly as Minister of Home Affairs continues to be an affront to democracy and the will of the people.

Leader of the Opposition, Hon. Brigadier David Granger addressing reporters after the adjournment of the National Assembly on Thursday 8th November 2012.

If Mr. Rohee as a Minister of a service such as the Guyana Police Force that is within his ministry, performs in such an incompetent manner that the Administration is likely to be brought into ridicule or contempt, he should accept responsibility and resign. The doctrine of ministerial responsibility, therefore, obliges the Administration to accept responsibility for the Minister's performance. The Minister must resign if his performance undermines public confi-

dence in his ability to manage public security. To hang on to office is a sign not of getting ready to "rumble" but merely allowing the security of the nation to tumble deeper into lawlessness. The National Assembly, therefore, on receiving and reviewing evidence of ministerial incompetence, exercised its power to pass a resolution of "no confidence" in Mr. Rohee's ability to function as Minister of Home Affairs and called on the

A Nation Remembers
On Sunday 11 November 2012, Guyana along with several nations of the Commonwealth, celebrated Remembrance Day, also known as Veterans Day or Poppy Day. In a solemn and simple ceremony held at the Cenotaph in Georgetown, the country paid tribute to those who sacrificed their lives in World Wars I and II and remembered the men and women who served in the nation's armed services. Leader of the PNCR and Leader of the Opposition, Brigadier David Granger, an army veteran and former Commander of the Guyana Defence Force, laid a wreath on behalf of the parliamentary majority. Several dignitaries including the President, Prime Minister, Mayor of the City of Georgetown, Military and Para Military leaders, along with Members of the Diplomatic Corps also took part in the ceremonies and laid floral tributes. Remembrance Day is a memorial day observed on the 11th November to recall the end of hostilities of World War I. On that date in 1918, hostilities formally ended at the "11th hour, of the 11th day of the 11th month" in accordance with an armistice signed between all parties. World War I ended with the signing of the treaty of Versailles on 28th June 1919.

Leader of the PNCR, Brigadier David Granger, on behalf of the Parliamentary Majority, paying tribute to veterans of World War I and II on Remembrance Day.

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NEW NATION NOVEMBER 2012

LOCAL NEWS The People's Progressive Party and Police killings

The People's Progressive Party/Civic administration has stood witness to the killing of over 300 Guyanese citizens - mostly young males - by members of the Guyana Police over its 20 years in office from 1992 to 2012. There have been scores of other extra-judicial killings carried out by persons said to be members of "death squads" and "phantom gangs". This number of deaths means that the Police have been killing young men at a rate of about 15 per year throughout the PPP/C's term in office. Police killings over the past 20 years have been seared into the psyche of the nation. The high rate of killings is unforgettable. Residents of the Buxton-Friendship community on the East Coast Demerara recently erected a towering monument to the memory of persons who were killed during the 'Troubles' in the past decade. The Guyana Police Force also acknowledged the enormity of the atrocity. It chose, however, to erect a monument in Eve Leary to the memory of its own police victims of that period and other times. The Guyana Human Rights Association published a book Ambivalent about Violence: A Report on Fatal Shootings by the Police, 1980-2001 - which gave an account of police killings up to the outbreak of the Troubles. This was followed by another book -When the Young Die - Extra-judicial Killings in Guyana, 1993-2002 -published by the People's National Congress Reform. The United States Department of State continues to publish, every year, its Country Report on Human Rights Practices, which features a section on the 'Arbitrary or Unlawful Deprivation of Life.' The Report usually iterates its warning that, in Guyana, "The most significant ernmental, human rights activists acknowledge - that the PPP/C Administration has consistently taken a lax attitude towards the investigation of police abuses during its 20-year tenure of office. Policemen have not usually been punished for extra-judicial killings. Inquests by Coroners and District Magistrates or independent judicial inquiries have rarely been convened into fatal shootings by Police. Documents required to prosecute the Police have occasionally disappeared from the responsible magistrate's office. The PNCR maintains that members of the PPP/C Administration still seem to refuse to recognise the 300 police killings in 20 years as a serious public problem. The PPP/C also refuses to conduct investigations into Police killings. The PNCR repeats its call for the President of Guyana to dismiss the current Minister of Home Affairs so that Police reform can begin and the killings can be brought to an end. Minister Clement Rohee has to know that his mismanagement of public security over the past six years has contributed measurably to the extraordinary pattern of Police killings and the present mood of insecurity and tension in the country. Rohee has shown little zeal in pursuing and punishing the culprits, including those who still wear police uniforms. Mr. Rohee has failed to use his ministerial authority to investigate allegations of unlawful killings in the Guyana Police Force which is directly his responsibility. Mr. Rohee's tenure of office, like that of Ronald Gajraj, will be remembered for the perpetuation of police killings of young men and for the destruction of public trust in the Police Force. It is time for Clement Rohee to go.

Members of the Guyana Police Force Tactical Service Unit (TSU) squad

reported abuses included potentially unlawful killings by police" The Report provides an annual tally of police killings, among other things. The Joint Opposition Political Parties (JOPP) - at that time comprising the Alliance for Change; Guyana Action Party; National Front Alliance; People's National Congress Reform and Working People's Alliance - published the landmark Dossier in Support of an Independent Legal Interrogation of Grave Human Rights Abuses in Guyana, in November 2009. Bharrat Jagdeo himself, for the first time in the history 0f this country, was obliged to establish a Presidential Commission of Inquiry to investigate one of his own Ministers. That inquiry was given the mandate to determine "whether and to what extent the Minister of Home Affairs, Ronald Gajraj, has been involved in promoting, directing or otherwise engaging in activities which have involved the extrajudicial killing of persons." These commissions, dossiers, monuments and reports all indicate a deep public concern with the extraordinary number of killings which

occurred largely during Bharrat Jagdeo's 12-year presidency. They point, to the fact, also, that neither the Minister of Home Affairs nor the PPP/C Administration has accepted responsibility for the deaths of over 300 persons in past 20 years. Neither minister nor president has seen the need to implement a policy to bring the killings to a halt. Leader of the People's National Congress Reform, Brigadier David Granger, has urged civil society to speak out against Police killings. He has encouraged citizens, individually and collectively, to exert pressure on the Government to bring Police killings to a halt. He called on persons of goodwill, in light of the parlous public security situation in the country, to demand that the PPP/C Administration implement measures to protect citizens from Police violence, to reform the Police Force itself and to remove the incumbent Minister of Home Affairs. The PNCR has always rejected the usual excuses uttered by the Police that they "shot the victims while attempting to arrest them" or while a crime was being committed. Many citizens realise - and most non-gov-

Burnham Education Scholarship Trust distributes Awards

Leader of the People's National Congress, Brigadier David Granger on Wednesday 31st October 2012 distributed ten (10) Bursary Awards to students who excelled at the 2012 National Grade Six Assessment. The Bursary Awards were distributed under the Burnham Education Scholarship Trust (B.E.S.T.). This initiative marked the end of the PNCR's month-long celebration of the Party's 55th anniversary. The B.E.S.T. and its Bursary Awards scheme are examples of the Party's commitment to Education. B.E.S.T.'s mission is to encourage excellence in education and to assist young people to serve and develop Guyana. PNCR Leader, Brigadier David Granger told the awardees that B.E.S.T. is not a 'one shot initiative' but a relationship. The committee will monitor awardees' progress throughout their secondary education. He said the aim of B.E.S.T. is to guide and monitor the students until they graduate from university. Brigadier Granger reminded the students that Forbes Burnham was the first Minister of Education. The PNC post-Independence administration constructed the University of Guyana and the Cyril Potter College Education campuses at Turkeyen; multi-lateral schools in five regions; hinterland secondary schools and introduced free education from nursery to university. Brigadier Granger also pointed out that the present-day PNCR has adopted Forbes Burnham's approach to education. The Party's mission is to once again make Guyana an 'education nation.' Recipients of the B.E.S.T. Bursary Awards 2012 are: Creig Henry (Region 1), Nicholas Headley (Region 2), Mario George (Region 3), Ashandai Liverpool (Region 4), Jerielle Thom (Region 5), Camisa Chisholm (Region 6), Keifer Allen (Region 7), Michael Kemfume (Region 8), Jeanelle Fredricks (Region 9) and Ashwar Angel (Region 10). B.E.S.T. is administered by a Committee of Management chaired by PNCR Central Executive Committee member, Mr. Alan Munroe. The awards were presented by former Government Minister and member of the PNC Central Executive Committee, Mrs. Yvonne HarewoodBenn and Brigadier David Granger.

Group photo of all the students with the Ms. Yvonne HarewoodBenn and Mr. Alan Munroe of the B.E.S.T. and Leader of the PNCR, Hon David Arthur Granger.

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NOVEMBER 2012

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LOCAL NEWS
Celebrating Senior Citizens Month

REGIONAL ROUNDUP
Scholarship Awardee

October was Senior Citizen's month and PNCR Central Executive member, Mr. Joseph Harmon MP, travelled to East Berbice-Corentyne, Region No. 6 to visit and celebrate with a group of senior citizens living in Angoy's Avenue, Greater New Amsterdam. The seniors were treated to a catered luncheon and a short question and answer period with the Member of Parliament. Mr. Harmon

along with other PNCR and community leaders served the seniors present, and then visited the homes of the shut-ins, to deliver meals and good cheer. While in the Ancient County, Mr. Harmon and his team visited and inspected several public works projects. Mr. Joseph Harmon is APNU's Shadow Minister of Public Works.

Granger calls on Ann's Grove- Two Friends villagers to mobilize

Leader of the PNCR, Brigadier David Granger met scores of villagers to listen to the problems affecting their communities during a "walk-about" in Ann's Grove, Two Friends and Dochfour villages on the East Coast Demerara. Villagers expressed their concern about rising unemployment and the dysfunctional public education system which is producing an unmanageable number of dropouts. Brigadier Granger was told that many villagers were small miners who worked in the Cuyuni-Mazaruni Region. Several of them complained about having been systematically 'shaken down' by rogue policemen and harassed by armed retainers of rich miners. Many have been driven away from their claims and are now unemployed. Three villagers were killed in a mining accident at Aranka earlier this month. Villagers also raised a wide range of local concerns - including poor drainage, bad roads, lack of adequate street lighting and lack of proper sporting and leisure facilities for young people - in their historic community. Brigadier Granger was able to see the results of poor Government infrastructure works such as badly constructed roads, inadequate street lights and unfinished bridges that impede the flow of traffic- all of which have had an adverse effect on the daily lives of residents. The PNCR Leader remarked that the Central Government and Regional Administration had roles to play in alleviating the villagers' distress. He appealed to residents, however, to organize themselves to save the environment by preventing the dumping of bottles, plastics and Styrofoam into canals and the dumping of garbage along the roadways. Brigadier Granger challenged the youth of Ann's Grove and Two Friends to mobilise, organise and collectively develop proper playing fields in the community. The PNCR Leader was accompanied on his village walk-about by the Regional Chairman of the Demerara-Mahaica Region, Mr. Clement Corlette; Chairman of the Guyana Youth and Student Movement, Mr. Christopher Jones; and Regional Councillors.

The East Berbice-Corentyne Region of the PNCR last month recognized and rewarded its first annual scholarship awardee. Shaqwane Crawford who gained 510 marks at the National Grade Six Assessment examinations was selected from a list of 14 finalists. The 12 year old who hails from Smythfield, New Amsterdam and attended the All Saints Primary School is now headed to the Presidents College. Mr. Jevaughn Stephens, PNCR Central Executive Member and member of the Scholarship selection panel, said that; "this year's scholarship programme was the beginning of something that Region 6 intends to continue, with annual awards, and is also intended to assist and inspire young boys and girls in the region to pursue academic excellence". The first Region No. 6 scholar received a scholarship that covers; books, uniforms, a stipend and transportation allowance. Party groups throughout the region submitted candidates to a selection panel from which the best student was chosen.

Car wash venture

The East Berbice-Corentyne; Region No. 6, now owns and operates a car wash. With support from the South Florida PNCR Chapter, equipment was secured and the area behind the Party Office in New Amsterdam was prepared to accommodate the new business. The car wash is the first in a series of joint economic ventures between the South Florida PNCR Chapter and Region No. 6. The business currently employs three persons who wash and detail an average of sixty cars a week.

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NEW NATION NOVEMBER 2012

NEWS

We want better hinterland infrastructure

Obituaries
Elbert JamesBorn 20th October 1930, Died 27th September 2012: Served as a Village Chairman, District Chairman and Regional Vice Chairman in the Mahaica-Berbice Region 5 Community. Stalwart and father figure, a pioneer in community development in the Mahaicony area. He was also General Treasurer of the Perth Burial Society. Myrtle FraserBorn 5th May 1930, Died 23rd October 2012: Served both in the nursing and teaching professions. An exemplary Party worker for several decades. She will be particularly remembered for the leadership skills she demonstrated at Party Group, Neighbourhood and District levels. Hyacinth Peters-HolderBorn 21st February 1940, Died 29th October 2012: Founder member of the Party and outstanding community worker whose name is synonymous with development in Virginia Village, Cane Grove, ECD. An activist in the Party womens movement for more than two generations. Rudolph Orlando MichaelBorn 28th November 1927, Died 20th October 2012: Former member of the PNCR; outstanding activist in the pre and post-independence era. Served as Chairman and General Council representative of East Bank Demerara Region of the Party as it then was. As a postal worker, he rose to the level of Supervisor and also served in the leadership of the Postal and Telecommunications Workers Union. An avid sportsman, he excelled in the game of Scrabble and was a recognized leader until the day he died. Gloria Perry aka Gloria Kaikan - Born 1st June 1951, Died 30th October 2012: A devoted stalwart from Lethem, Region 9, who spent all her life as an active member of the Party. She was always visible at Party activities; only last July she was at the Partys 17th Biennial Congress. Eileen Robinson - Born 30th Ocyober 1934, Died 11th September 2012: Mrs. Eileen Robinson, an alumna of the Bishops High School, was a stalwart of the Anglican Diocese, worshipping and serving as Parish Secretary at St. Sidwell's Church. She was also a member of Church Women United and the Mothers' Union. Mrs. Robinson was very active in the Police Wives' Association and the Inner Wheel Club of Georgetown Central and was the founder of the Guyana Police Force's 'Juliet Griffith Day-Care Centre', named after her mother. Her father was the first African-Guyanese gazetted officer in the Force. She was the widow of the late Donald Robinson, CCH, SC, a former Judge Advocate of the Guyana Defence Force. The PNCR recognises and places on record Mrs. Robinson lifelong service to the Anglican Diocese and to her country. The Party extends its sincere sympathy to her children - Dr. Rhonda Archer, Kirke and Gareth - and her relatives on their bereavement. May their souls rest in peace and rise in eternal glory!

Picketing exercise by the Georgetown/Madhia minibus drivers.

Last month several minibus drivers who ply the Georgetown Mahdia route held a picketing exercise at the Bus Park on Hadfield Street. The drivers complained that Minister Robeson Benn and the Government had taken a lax approach to hinterland development. Several commuters also were part of the picketing exercise and lent their voice to the

growing discontent over the state of the roads and the lack of orderly development in the interior of the country. The residents complained that they were not benefitting from the mineral wealth that was being extracted from the Region every day. The Minibus drivers said that the poor roads were wreaking havoc on their vehicles and that the poorly constructed

and infrequently maintained road was the cause of many accidents and costing drivers/owners, hundreds of thousands of dollars in vehicle repairs. The miners and drivers said that they will keep calling on the Government to fulfill its obligations to them as taxpayers and citizens, and will not let up until conditions improve.

Unemployment rocks Ithaca

The village of Ithaca is located on the West Bank of the Berbice River and falls within the Mahaica-Berbice Region, Region No. 5. Recently, the Leader of the People's National Congress Reform, Brigadier David Granger visited the village to meet with residents and listen to their problems and concerns. Once a successful farming community, Ithaca today has few farmers and no sources of employment for the many young and not so young residents that call the village home. A poorly maintained water management system that allows salt water into the local drainage network during the long dry months, prevents potential farmers from taking advantage of agriculture for employment. Lack of other employment sources force many young people to places like New Amsterdam to seek employment; the others migrate to the city or stay at home and lime. Brigadier Granger urged the young people of the village to get themselves properly qualified and encouraged them to start looking at opportunities for self employment. The PNCR leader told residents that they have to find ways to jump -start the village economy, and promised that the PNCR, along with APNU regional councilors would work along with them to explore all possibilities. Brigadier Granger was accompanied on his visit to Ithaca, by several APNU councilors and APNU Member of Parliament, Ms. Jennifer Wade.

PNCR Leader, Brigadier David Granger with some of the children of Ithaca.

Peoples National Congress Reform, Congress Place, Sophia, Georgetown. Tel: (592) 225-7852-5