PRESS BRIEFING

Friday, August 22, 2003

AGENDA

1. VACANCIES AT THE GUYANA REVENUE AUTHORITY

2. COMMINIQUIE: GOVERNMENT OF GUYANA REPORT AND FOLLOW-UP

3. FUEL SMUGGLING

VACANCIES AT GUYANA REVENUE AUTHORITY

The Office of the President has accepted the report of the Evaluation Committee appointed to evaluate the applicants for the vacant positions of:-
* Commission General, GRA
* Deputy Commissioner General, GRA
The Evaluation Committee has ranked the following as the top two (2) from among all the applicants:-

* Mr. Kushid Sattaur, the current Commissioner of Inland Revenue

* Mr. C. Sealey, a Senior Officer in the
Canadian Revenue Collection System.

-2-
Efforts would be made to conclude employment contracts with Mr. Sattaur as the new Commissioner General and Mr. Sealey as his Deputy.

COMMUNIQUÉ: FOLLOW-UP

The detailed report with some electing changes is intended for the Briefing Group but in the context of the most recent developments is being provided to the public.

Allow me to begin by generalising about the status of the constructive engagements between the two sides as defined by the implementation of the agreement in the Communiqué.

Sustained progress is being made and outstanding issues are being examined and re-examined.

First, I want to deal with two matters out of sequence.

The 1st concern the calls for the appointment of the Service Commission and the immediate appointment of Mr. Felix.

The media would recall the PNC’s reaction to the disclosure that the Administration was prepared to appoint the Service Commission in the face of the PNC intransigence.
“NO PARLIAMENT, NO LEADER OF
OPPOSITION”
Thankfully, those issues are no longer ………… but the Commission still can’t be appointed in accordance with the Constitutional process.
“WHY? WHY?

The Chairman of the Public Service Commission is a member of the Judicial Service Commission Board.

The Leader of the Opposition has properly drown the attention of the Office of the President to his highest reports of the Constitution provision in this case, on meaningful consultations.

To appoint the new Commissioner immediately, as he demands seems to suggest either double standards or poor advice.

The PPP cannot forget, nor should the public forget the lamentable situation that developed after the 1997 elections, during which, all Parliamentary Parties, PPP/C, PNCR, TUF/WPA agreed unanimously to the use of the Voters ID Cards.

Somehow a legal challenge ensued about the ………… and years of litigation ensued.

Should we wish that again, with the same two of actions. The Office of the President is disinclined.

The second issue is the Monitoring mechanism.
In discussion between the high responsibilities agreement was reached on a reporting mechanism formal to the Briefing Group.

That mechanism involved agreed upon on implementation of Communiqué agreements being prepared and submitted to the Briefing group.

The Briefing Group was so informed Lo and Behold, the PPP high representative was advised that separately produced reports would be provided to the Briefing Group.

For Office of the President, this was untenable situation.

The idea of having the Briefing Group sitting in judgement of the efforts of the two groups and making recommendations is too repulsive for the Office of the President to consider.

We are unprepared to ………….. the two main political parties in Guyana providing a spectacle to the donor community and other on a monthly basis and indefinitely.

FUEL SMUGGLING

The Government has taken another step in the fight against fuel smuggling.

Cabinet has agreed to the implementation of a Fuel Marking System to identify the origin of fuel being used in Guyana and to persecute those found in possession of fuel illegally imported.

The Fuel Marking system would be instituted in tandern with an imposing array of regulations to further support the criminalisation of the illegal importation and delaing in illegal fuel.

The Fuel Marking Initiative is another step being taken to eliminate the “$2 B GYD” illegal fuel business.

Spanning originally the border Regions 1 and 6, but now being claimed to have expanded in all the Regions and to have become the financial basis for entry into other aspects of the commercial sector in Guyana, the illegal fuel industry have invited consistent Government sanctions.