The Week in Review – Sunday, July 14th to Saturday, July 20th
Politics Oil
GECOM begins house-to-house registration: The Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) began a contentious national house-to-house registration exercise on Saturday, July 20th. GECOM said on Friday that the planned 90-day exercise, which the APNU+AFC government has insisted is necessary in order to create a new voters’ list for elections, would be undertaken while concurrent operational activities for the preparation of general and regional elections are also underway.
Breaking its silence on its decision to proceed with the registration exercise, GECOM said that the countrywide house-to-house exercise is in keeping with a decision of the commission on February 19th, 2019 and in accordance with Order No. 25 of 2019, dated June 11th, 2019. It further explained that upon conclusion of the exercise, a new National Register of Registrants Database, which is reflective of the current Guyanese population, will be created, from which an Official List of Electors will be extracted for the purpose of conducting general and regional elections.
PPP protests for elections, threatens legal action against registration exercise: PPP leaders and their supporters protested on Friday near the Kingston headquarters of GECOM to press for the holding of general elections. They called the house-to-house registration exercise illegal and urged that GECOM prepare for general and regional elections instead, in keeping with the judgment of the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ). The CCJ recently ruled that the passage of a December 21st, 2018 no-confidence motion against the APNU+AFC government was valid, and that the clear provisions of Article 106 of the Constitution, which includes the holding of elections within three months unless Parliament agrees to an extension by a two-thirds majority, immediately became engaged.
PNCR, WPA welcome start of registration, ANUG of potential loss of confidence in GECOM: The PNCR and the WPA, two APNU constituents, on Friday welcomed the start of the national house-to-house registration exercise. In welcoming the move, the PNCR yesterday accused the opposition PPP of “being scared” of free and fair elections. New party ANUG, meanwhile, denounced the activity, saying that a scheme to deliberately violate the constitution, in the absence of any necessary or practical reasons for doing so, apart from an objective to enable the ruling party to hold on to power for as long as possible, is an abuse of the commission’s power and is illegal. “This has placed the leadership of the commission’s integrity under question, and in the absence of a Chairman, has stripped the nation of the confidence that the process is fair and in the interest of all parties. Where the commission is deemed to be compromised in the eyes of the public, where the commission does not enjoy public confidence, there are grave implications for national stability, it warned.
Granger says must have role in identifying nominees for GECOM Chair: President David Granger has announced that he will resist any attempt to deny him input in the list of six “not unacceptable” candidates for consideration for the post of GECOM chairperson. Speaking on interview programme The Public Interest, which was broadcast on Friday after a two year hiatus on Friday, Granger said Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo’s outright rejection of his suggestions is “a recipe for gridlock.”
On Wednesday, Jagdeo rejected Granger’s suggestion of retired judge Claudette La Bennett and GPHC Chairperson Kesaundra Alves for addition to the list of four persons already deemed “not unacceptable.” Jagdeo then submitted four additional names. “I’m not a passive participant; not an observer but an active participant… There must be a spirit of compromise. There must be acceptance of the role of the president in hammering out the list…there is no way the removal of the president’s role can result in an outcome that is consensual,” Granger emphasised.
ExxonMobil, contractors have spent $25B, created 1200 jobs in four years in Guyana: Four years after it made its first offshore oil discovery in Guyana, ExxonMobil said that it and its contractors have created almost 1,200 new jobs for locals, with over 200 of those being held by women, and spent some US$119.5 million (approximately $24.9 billion) on local procurement. “We are very proud at what we are doing. I think we are doing more in Guyana more than any place I have seen. I am really proud of our contractors. We have created almost 1,200 new jobs and over 200 of those are women in the oil industry,” ExxonMobil’s Country Manager Rod Henson told Stabroek News in an interview, which was published on Monday, July, 15th.
Eric Phillips resigns from SARA after conflict of interest found: Special Assistant at the State Assets Recovery Agency (SARA) Eric Phillips on Wednesday tendered his resignation after being officially informed that his private activities amounted to a “serious conflict of interest,” which, if ignored could have adverse effects on the organisation’s work. This disclosure was made to Stabroek News in an exclusive interview by SARA Director Professor Clive Thomas, who used the opportunity to repeatedly state that he was unaware that Phillips was part of a company which had applied for an offshore oil block in 2016. The application was not granted. Concerns about a conflict of interest were raised after it was made public that Phillips was part of the investigation into the questionable award of oil blocks licences by the former PPP/C administration shortly before the 2015 general elections. Georgetown, with intent to commit murder, she discharged a loaded firearm at Constable Kissoon.
Three youths sentenced for killing professor: On Tuesday, July 16th, three of the five youths who had pleaded guilty to killing retired professor Pairaudeau ‘Perry’ Mars were sentenced to a combined 34 years behind bars by Justice Navindra Singh at the Georgetown High Court. The judge described the case as a “very sad” one for the offenders and their families as well as the family of the deceased and said it was quite disturbing how Nikesha Dover, Orin McRae and Naomi Adams, whom he noted “are still kids,” got involved in such a crime. On that point, the judge said that they were children “who should have been protected.” The trio along with two other youngsters were all indicted with the capital offence for Mars’ death. Dover, McRae and Adams pleaded guilty to the lesser offence of manslaughter, while the capital charge is still pending against the other two accused.
Five charged with murders of Better Hope moneychanger, daughter: Five men were on Monday, July 15th, charged with the murders of Better Hope moneychanger Aaron Latchman and his daughter, Arian Latchman. Mark Rufino, 25, a labourer of Parika; Paul Chan, 37, a conductor of Sophia; Troy Abrams, a vendor of Agricola; Lloyd Sadloo, 37, of Mocha; and Sean Thomas, 41, an electrician of Kitty, were all arraigned at the Sparendaam Magistrates’ Courts.