President inspects D&I structures, other constructions in Essequibo
-displeased with delay in Suddie diagnostic centre completion
Georgetown, GINA, April 29, 2008
Following a meeting with farmers at Aurora, Essequibo in Region Two (Pomeroon/Supenaam) on Sunday where the Jagdeo Initiative on Agriculture was discussed and farmers commenced grouping to start the agriculture expansion process in that Region, President Bharrat Jagdeo inspected several drainage and irrigation structures and other Government constructions in the Region.
At Sunday’s forum with the farmers, it was decided that Government would assist those interested in taking the expansion process forward with drainage and irrigation of the selected planting and production areas, access roads and empoldering of the areas.
On this note, the Head of State later proceeded to inspect structures including the Westbury sluice. He also checked on the Fisher New Primary School which is almost complete on the Coast and the Suddie Diagnostic Centre which is not furnished yet and observed being operated on a generator.
The Head of State met with several officials at the Centre including Cuban doctors and expressed displeasure that the facility was being electrified with the use of a generator and was not receiving regular power supply. He was also not pleased that the centre was still not completed way past its deadline.
President Jagdeo told the officials that the delay in completion and other problems had also been encountered at several of the other diagnostic centres.
The diagnostic centre is one of four health institutions constructed under a Guyana-Cuba project. The others are situated at Leonora, West Coast Demerara, Diamond on the East Bank of Demerara and Mahaicony.
The Diamond and Leonora Centres are in operation and serving large numbers of persons.
Completing the tour of the Suddie Centre, the President expressed the hope that it would be opened shortly so that residents in that area could have access to the health facility.
Meanwhile, President Jagdeo was also the guest during a live interview at RCA TV where he outlined the agriculture initiative to Essequibians and spoke of the need for more persons to join in the agriculture expansion process, following which he met with members of the Evergreen/Paradise Neighbourhood Democratic Council (NDC) at Dartmouth to discuss the initiative.
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We must always seriously guard our culture-President tells Mela participants
-congratulates IAC
Georgetown, GINA, April 29, 2008
Addressing a large gathering at the Indian Arrival Committee’s (IAC’s) first in a series of melas this year at the Anna Regina Community Centre ground on Sunday evening President Bharrat Jagdeo said that Guyanese need to continue to practice their cultures and to inculcate it in the younger generation so that they would be able to learn about their ancestors and appreciate their hard work.
He reminded that in May a number of races which comprise Guyana’s ethnic make-up came to the country’s shores bringing with them their various cultures and recalled how several of them worked hard under colonial powers to make ends meet.
He said that Indian Guyanese must remember also the struggles of the other ethnic groups too who also worked hard on the sugar plantations in the past and who integrated their cultures to form what Guyana has today.
The Head of State noted that one distinct characteristic that Guyanese ancestors had was perseverance, which needs to be instilled in the younger generation. He also reminded the gathering that at that time, colonial powers were not interested in workers gaining an education.
He emphasised that their perseverance could be noted since many could have given up while undergoing the harsh struggles at that time.
“So, we come from an enduring stock and we have to remember this…we should not only practice this in song and dance but also teach it to our children. I hope that in the time that you have that our children are taught where they came from and about their ancestors and what they went through,” the Head of State reiterated.
He pointed out that success only comes from hard work and urged the gathering to always seriously guard against their freedom as in the past this was curtailed.
President Jagdeo congratulated the Indian Arrival Committee for the entity’s work at keeping the Indian culture alive and for ensuring that the event comes off each year so that Guyanese Indians can gather and reminisce and practice in song and dance their culture.
With this in mind, he noted that at this time, with the global food crisis looming, Guyanese need to persevere and to work hard to ensure that they have a better life for themselves and children. He urged them to ensure that they make use of the opportunity to gain more income by joining in Government’s agriculture initiative.
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President to join World Leaders in IFIs discussion shortly
Georgetown, GINA, April 29, 2008
Head of State Bharrat Jagdeo will, in another few months, join Heads of State including United Kingdom’s Prime Minister, Gordon Brown to discuss what roles they can take on in attempts to evolve international financial institutions(IFIs) taking into account the current trends in the world and their decision-making.
The President disclosed this during his address to bank officials at the sod turning ceremony for the construction of the new Guyana Bank for Trade and Industry’s (GBTI’s) Headquarters at Kingston yesterday.
According to the Head of State, his major concern is that developing countries in the world, especially small developing countries, like Guyana should have a place and a voice in evolving new global architecture and not only structural, but also governance architecture.
“We need to be aware of what’s happening in the financial sector because as we become more integrated, as you start developing new instruments, you would have to interface with that market, you will import the volatility of that market, similarly like how we talk about globalisation in Guyana…but it has sometimes been an abstract terminology for us,” the Head of State contended.
He said what is needed is a rule-based system that takes into account who generate some of the problems in global stability and who become the primary beneficiaries of the negativities.
In this context, he alluded to the current food crisis and the effects of climate change.
“This issue of global food prices started because of oil prices, because of growing demand elsewhere and because of the US Government’s policy on ethanol. People are facing the consequences in the third world because people don’t have social safety nets in these countries.”
On this note he alluded to countries like Haiti where he said one day people may be able to afford to eat and the next day not as against countries where people who don’t have jobs can go on ‘the dole’.
“The same thing with climate change-the crux of the problem is in another part of the world but look at its impact on low lying states and look at its impact here in Guyana too,” President Jagdeo emphasised.
He reminded that due to climate change the weather here has become so unpredictable that it poses a huge challenge to farming activities and communities and it would take billions of US dollars to mitigate the impact through the restructuring of sea defences, to construct new canals and to raise embankments.
He pointed out that the current problems will continue to grow and will grow tenfold unless there is a fair system put in place for cutting global carbon emissions.
The upcoming meeting of the Heads of State to which the President was invited will also include the Heads of State of India, Malaysia and New Zealand.
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