PRESS BRIEFING -
Tuesday, October 12, 2004

•  CONTRACTS
•  APPOINTMENTS
•  SECURITY - UPDATE
•  CABINET OUTREACH - ESSEQUIBO
•  FUEL PRICE INCREASES
•  UNSERVED ELECTRICITY AREAS

PRESS BRIEFING

CONTRACTS 

Cabinet at its meeting held on Tuesday, October 19, 2004, offered its no-objection to the award of the following contracts:-

President Bharrat Jagdeo has approved the appointment of Mr. Trevor Thomas as s substantive Deputy Permanent Secretary. Mr. Thomas' previous posting was Secretary, Teaching Service Commission and he is now assigned to the Ministry of Labour, Human Services and Social Security.

Mr. Thomas will be acting as the Permanent Secretary in that Ministry since the earlier appointed acting Permanent Secretary in that Ministry. Mr. Philip Hamilton demitted office on short notice.

CABINET OUTREACH

Cabinet has decided to focus its attention on Region 2 and particularly the Pomeroon Riverain communities in its next session of outreach.

In that regard, its next outreach is planned for the week of October 28 th - 30 th in those areas.

Cabinet Ministers will be executing a schedule of planned activities involving the communities, Local Government and Regional Authorities and community based organisations.

FUEL PRICE INCREASES

The negative impacts of rising fuel prices on the many sectors of the economy continue, as acquisition costs remain high.

The Administration, in concluding its wide ranging sectoral and target group engagements has narrowed its focus on responses to interventions that will cut across sections. Obviously, tax measures cannot be excluded and the circumstances and possibilities of specific sectors cannot be ignored in Cabinet's response.

PARLIAMENT

The first post recess sitting of Parliament would be on Thursday, 21 st October, 2004, at the Ocean View Centre.

The Order Paper includes important pieces of legislation being laid for their 1 st reading, motions and reports.

Cabinet Sub-committee on Parliamentary Affairs revisited the issue of the Parliamentary Sub-committee meetings not being held because of the deliberate failure of PNC Chairpersons to summons those meetings.

Sine the implementation of their selective participation in Parliament gambit,Sub-committee hearings have been affected.

There is a resolve among the PPP/C MPs to use every means possible to have these meetings held, even without PNCR MPs presence.

SECURITY UPDATE

The Law Enforcement agencies have been implementing a series of aggressive exercises directed against armed criminal groupings operating in Buxton/Friendship area.

These exercises have increasingly encountered criminals who willingly engage police patrols in exchanges of gunfire.

These exercises have also resulted in seizure of arms and ammunition of some sophistication.

These occurrences have given greater credence to the assessment that criminal gang reorganisation is ongoing and gathering momentum in the Buxton-Friendship area.

The Administration has noted these developments and has stepped up its acquisition and provision of crime fighting means for the Guyana Police Force particularly in the areas of transportation and communication.