Health Ministry encourages East Bank residents to adopt healthy eating habits
To encourage more persons to improve their lifestyle activities, a health fair was held on Thursday at the Diamond Community Centre Ground. The initiative is in keeping with Nutrition Awareness Week which is being held under the theme “Healthy eating and active living.”
Minister of Health Dr. Leslie Ramsammy in addressing the gathering, said that in order for one to be healthy so as to live longer, the right approach must be taken in food choices, noting that poor food choices and persons being less active has contributed to the increased rate in diabetes, hypertension, obesity and other chronic diseases.
In line with this, the ministry will also be promote the importance of breastfeeding during this Nutrition Awareness Week, as Minister Ramsammy stated that, breast milk contains all the nutrients a baby needs until ready for complementary feeding.
He also urged Guyanese to follow the seven food based guidelines so that their life expectancy can increase including eating foods that are low in fat, using less salt, make physical activity and exercising daily.
The focus of Nutrition Awareness Week this Year is to encourage Guyanese to make wise food choices and to be physically active through a variety of leisure- time, occupational and household activities.
Friday, July 22, 2011
National Registration (Amendment) Bill passed in National Assembly
-paves way for unregistered Guyanese to be in possession of source documents
As Guyana prepares to host the upcoming 2011 national elections, the National Assembly last evening, passed into Law the National Registration (Amendment), Bill No. 14 of 2011 after a rigorous debate of the Bill clause by clause.
The Bill which was presented to the House to be read for the first time for subsequent passage by Minister of Home Affairs Clement Rohee, makes provision for eligible Guyanese who were unable to register owing to circumstances beyond their control, to be added to the list of registrants.
Members of the Opposition, however, had other views and the Amendment was then subjected to a lengthy discussion after which proposed amendments were added to the Bill, before it was read for a second time and debated.
Minister Rohee in defending the Bill, said that the amendments put in place mechanisms which both sides of the House would like to see implemented, and which would address the issue of disenfranchisement of eligible Guyanese.
“Madam Speaker, we would all agree that it is in the interest of all of the political parties, to have as many persons as possible registered as voters, something which Guyanese as a whole fought for in the past decades, to exercise their franchise,” he said.
While noting that the intention of the Bill, is not to favour one political party but for the benefit of all Guyanese, Minister Rohee said that the decision by GECOM to reopen the claims and objections exercise also coincides with the interest of the political parties to have their constituents registered.
Over the past weeks, similar calls were made by several parties for GECOM to formulate options which would result in the said persons becoming eligible to apply for registration, hence the formulation of the amendment to the Bill.
Approximately, 7000 persons are without their source documents, and as such, efforts are being put in place to ensure that the situation is rectified and according to Minister Rohee, it will in the end see a ‘win-win’ situation being developed.
“So let us bury the hatchet and smoke the peace pipe on this matter, and let us move forward as one trying over the next 13 days to encourage those who we know, to get registered, so that we will have a process that is so transparent so that in the end everyone is satisfied fully,” he said.
Leader of the People’s National Congress Reform, Robert Corbin stated that although the Bill is necessary, the manner in which the Government approached the Bill clearly shows lack of consultation.
He added that the amendments to clause 14A(II) which seek to have the commissioner to make available the names of eligible electors to registered political parties, would safeguard the interest of the Opposition.
Alliance for Change Member of Parliament Khemraj Ramjattan while supporting claims made by the PNCR Leader, accused the Government of having a motive behind backing the decision, to have the exercise re-opened.
Minister of Culture, Youth and Sport Dr. Frank Anthony in support of the Bill,said that it will allow for the thousands of persons who are not on the list of electors to be registered, alluding to the fact that after the recent claims and objections period, 16,900 persons were registered in just one month.
“The decision of GECOM Commissioners to re-open the process is for people to have an opportunity to be registered. It is one which will in the end benefit all Guyanese and as such, the PPP and Opposition scrutineers should oversee the process,” he said.
Meanwhile, PPP’s Presidential Candidate Donald Ramotar while noting the Government has no intention of extending its period of mandate, beyond the time, said that the party can boast of fighting for free and fair elections, over the years.
“The same people who have been asking for an extension on the very eve of the claims and objections period, when they now are granted position, we hear that they are now objecting to it,” he said.
GECOM on Monday announced that it would re-open the claims and objections period beginning July 25 and lasting for 13 days, to give persons who are now in possession of source document the opportunity to register.
-paves way for unregistered Guyanese to be in possession of source documents
As Guyana prepares to host the upcoming 2011 national elections, the National Assembly last evening, passed into Law the National Registration (Amendment), Bill No. 14 of 2011 after a rigorous debate of the Bill clause by clause.
The Bill which was presented to the House to be read for the first time for subsequent passage by Minister of Home Affairs Clement Rohee, makes provision for eligible Guyanese who were unable to register owing to circumstances beyond their control, to be added to the list of registrants.
Members of the Opposition, however, had other views and the Amendment was then subjected to a lengthy discussion after which proposed amendments were added to the Bill, before it was read for a second time and debated.
Minister Rohee in defending the Bill, said that the amendments put in place mechanisms which both sides of the House would like to see implemented, and which would address the issue of disenfranchisement of eligible Guyanese.
“Madam Speaker, we would all agree that it is in the interest of all of the political parties, to have as many persons as possible registered as voters, something which Guyanese as a whole fought for in the past decades, to exercise their franchise,” he said.
While noting that the intention of the Bill, is not to favour one political party but for the benefit of all Guyanese, Minister Rohee said that the decision by GECOM to reopen the claims and objections exercise also coincides with the interest of the political parties to have their constituents registered.
Over the past weeks, similar calls were made by several parties for GECOM to formulate options which would result in the said persons becoming eligible to apply for registration, hence the formulation of the amendment to the Bill.
Approximately, 7000 persons are without their source documents, and as such, efforts are being put in place to ensure that the situation is rectified and according to Minister Rohee, it will in the end see a ‘win-win’ situation being developed.
“So let us bury the hatchet and smoke the peace pipe on this matter, and let us move forward as one trying over the next 13 days to encourage those who we know, to get registered, so that we will have a process that is so transparent so that in the end everyone is satisfied fully,” he said.
Leader of the People’s National Congress Reform, Robert Corbin stated that although the Bill is necessary, the manner in which the Government approached the Bill clearly shows lack of consultation.
He added that the amendments to clause 14A(II) which seek to have the commissioner to make available the names of eligible electors to registered political parties, would safeguard the interest of the Opposition.
Alliance for Change Member of Parliament Khemraj Ramjattan while supporting claims made by the PNCR Leader, accused the Government of having a motive behind backing the decision, to have the exercise re-opened.
Minister of Culture, Youth and Sport Dr. Frank Anthony in support of the Bill,said that it will allow for the thousands of persons who are not on the list of electors to be registered, alluding to the fact that after the recent claims and objections period, 16,900 persons were registered in just one month.
“The decision of GECOM Commissioners to re-open the process is for people to have an opportunity to be registered. It is one which will in the end benefit all Guyanese and as such, the PPP and Opposition scrutineers should oversee the process,” he said.
Meanwhile, PPP’s Presidential Candidate Donald Ramotar while noting the Government has no intention of extending its period of mandate, beyond the time, said that the party can boast of fighting for free and fair elections, over the years.
“The same people who have been asking for an extension on the very eve of the claims and objections period, when they now are granted position, we hear that they are now objecting to it,” he said.
GECOM on Monday announced that it would re-open the claims and objections period beginning July 25 and lasting for 13 days, to give persons who are now in possession of source document the opportunity to register.
Wednesday, June 29, 2011
Economic Partnership agreement (EPA) and Services
By Clinton Urling
NOTE: This article, a first in a series presented by the Georgetown Chamber of Commerce and Industry (GCCI), will examine some aspects of the Economic Partnership Agreements (EPA) between the European Union (EU) and the CARIFORUM (CARICOM plus the Dominican Republic) nations.
Negotiated during an intensely dynamic period for the global economy, the EPAs that member nations of CARIFORUM signed in 2008 with the European Union (EU) were heralded in some quarters as a major breakthrough in trade relations. The agreements were constructed to facilitate open and reciprocal trade relations, in goods and services as well as development coordination, so that key leverage gained in one area or sector could be employed in others. While the EPAs replaced various aspects of the older Cotonoupreferential trade arrangement that existed among member nations of the African, Caribbean, and Pacific (ACP) group, the new agreements also sought to enhance many of the privileges that were part of the Cotonou protocol, particularly with regard to having a strong development objective.
The EPAs indicate that CARIFORUM nations have up to 25 years to implement arrangements that reduce tariffs and allow up to 86.9 percent of EU goods to enter the respective markets without added trade barriers – otherwise known as trade liberalization. Likewise, the EU is obligated to allow all products and services from CARIFORUM nations to enter its markets as agreement provisions are enacted fully.
The EPA is comprehensive for including not only trade-specific issues but also “all areas relevant to trade.” In order to gather a clear understanding of the issues surrounding trade liberalization and the implications involved with the EPA, each article in this series will focus on a single dimension. This week, EPA issues relating to the services sector comprise the focus.
Unquestionably the largest generator for revenue and employment, the services industry sector has emerged as principally essential to the economies of the CARIFORUM members. Guyana is no exception and the services sector represents the highest potential growth area for the immediate future. In 2010, according to governmental budget figures, the services sector recorded impressive annual growth across many industry sectors of the economy. The construction sector grew by 10.8 percent, followed closely by the financial and insurance services sector that registered a 9.3 percent expansion. Service-related economic activity expanded in the information and communication sector by 7 percent, transportation and storage sector by 6.4 percent, and the other services sector, which includes tourism, by 6 percent.
As the Caribbean also is the only ACP region that is a net exporter of services, agreements for that sector carry extra significance to member nations such as Guyana. The nation’s private sector, led by the sister organisation of the Guyana Manufacturing and Services Association (GMSA), has stepped up its efforts vigorously to enhance the profile and mandate of the Guyana Coalition of Services Providers (GCSP) to ensure that the sector is positioned at the forefront of economic development initiatives.
Likewise, the CARIFORUM-EU agreement contains carries far-reaching elements for the services sector. The EU has granted market access and temporary entry in 29 sectors (for example, allowing stays of up to six months per calendar year) for employees in firms categorised as Contractual Service Suppliers. These sector industries include accounting and bookkeeping; architectural; medical, dental and veterinary; computer and related services; advertising; fashion, and entertainment.
Additionally, the EU has opened up 11 sectors for temporary entry by Independent Professionals (IPs) or self-employed individuals. Service sector job functions would include translation and interpretation services; market research and opinion polling; engineering services, and computer and related services.
There are no limits on the numbers of service providers that can benefit from this arrangement. However, there are some qualifying conditions. Service suppliers and professionals applying to travel to the EU must satisfy requirements regarding their nationality and residency in the CARIFORUM area. Furthermore, qualified applicants will need to meet requirements for professional certification as well as an Economic Needs Test.
For Contractual Service Suppliers (CSS) to move forward a contract must have been signed within the past 12 months and the individual(s) identified by the local CSS must be employed for at least one year before the application is made. Qualified service vendors also must possess at least three years of professional experience. The prerequisites for IPs are similar to those of CSS participants except that the self-employed applicant must have at least six years of professional experience at the time of application.
While representatives of Guyana’s private sector are enthusiastic about EPA opportunities for the services industry sectors, many are still uncertain when EPA provisions will come into force and what will be the eventual procedural requirements. The process of establishing the institutional infrastructure for EPA provisions is ongoing. However, it would be in the best mutual interests for all parties if local and regional authorities, working in collaboration with the EU, would do more to publicise the progress of the work being carried out by the joint CARIFORUM-EC EPA Council.
Nonetheless, the provisions outlined in the EPA will be realised in the near future. Therefore, local private industry organisations representing the services sector should not delay in engaging the government to establish the necessary regulatory frameworks that will ensure Guyana’s firms and career professionals can take full advantage of the EPA opportunities.
By Clinton Urling
NOTE: This article, a first in a series presented by the Georgetown Chamber of Commerce and Industry (GCCI), will examine some aspects of the Economic Partnership Agreements (EPA) between the European Union (EU) and the CARIFORUM (CARICOM plus the Dominican Republic) nations.
Negotiated during an intensely dynamic period for the global economy, the EPAs that member nations of CARIFORUM signed in 2008 with the European Union (EU) were heralded in some quarters as a major breakthrough in trade relations. The agreements were constructed to facilitate open and reciprocal trade relations, in goods and services as well as development coordination, so that key leverage gained in one area or sector could be employed in others. While the EPAs replaced various aspects of the older Cotonoupreferential trade arrangement that existed among member nations of the African, Caribbean, and Pacific (ACP) group, the new agreements also sought to enhance many of the privileges that were part of the Cotonou protocol, particularly with regard to having a strong development objective.
The EPAs indicate that CARIFORUM nations have up to 25 years to implement arrangements that reduce tariffs and allow up to 86.9 percent of EU goods to enter the respective markets without added trade barriers – otherwise known as trade liberalization. Likewise, the EU is obligated to allow all products and services from CARIFORUM nations to enter its markets as agreement provisions are enacted fully.
The EPA is comprehensive for including not only trade-specific issues but also “all areas relevant to trade.” In order to gather a clear understanding of the issues surrounding trade liberalization and the implications involved with the EPA, each article in this series will focus on a single dimension. This week, EPA issues relating to the services sector comprise the focus.
Unquestionably the largest generator for revenue and employment, the services industry sector has emerged as principally essential to the economies of the CARIFORUM members. Guyana is no exception and the services sector represents the highest potential growth area for the immediate future. In 2010, according to governmental budget figures, the services sector recorded impressive annual growth across many industry sectors of the economy. The construction sector grew by 10.8 percent, followed closely by the financial and insurance services sector that registered a 9.3 percent expansion. Service-related economic activity expanded in the information and communication sector by 7 percent, transportation and storage sector by 6.4 percent, and the other services sector, which includes tourism, by 6 percent.
As the Caribbean also is the only ACP region that is a net exporter of services, agreements for that sector carry extra significance to member nations such as Guyana. The nation’s private sector, led by the sister organisation of the Guyana Manufacturing and Services Association (GMSA), has stepped up its efforts vigorously to enhance the profile and mandate of the Guyana Coalition of Services Providers (GCSP) to ensure that the sector is positioned at the forefront of economic development initiatives.
Likewise, the CARIFORUM-EU agreement contains carries far-reaching elements for the services sector. The EU has granted market access and temporary entry in 29 sectors (for example, allowing stays of up to six months per calendar year) for employees in firms categorised as Contractual Service Suppliers. These sector industries include accounting and bookkeeping; architectural; medical, dental and veterinary; computer and related services; advertising; fashion, and entertainment.
Additionally, the EU has opened up 11 sectors for temporary entry by Independent Professionals (IPs) or self-employed individuals. Service sector job functions would include translation and interpretation services; market research and opinion polling; engineering services, and computer and related services.
There are no limits on the numbers of service providers that can benefit from this arrangement. However, there are some qualifying conditions. Service suppliers and professionals applying to travel to the EU must satisfy requirements regarding their nationality and residency in the CARIFORUM area. Furthermore, qualified applicants will need to meet requirements for professional certification as well as an Economic Needs Test.
For Contractual Service Suppliers (CSS) to move forward a contract must have been signed within the past 12 months and the individual(s) identified by the local CSS must be employed for at least one year before the application is made. Qualified service vendors also must possess at least three years of professional experience. The prerequisites for IPs are similar to those of CSS participants except that the self-employed applicant must have at least six years of professional experience at the time of application.
While representatives of Guyana’s private sector are enthusiastic about EPA opportunities for the services industry sectors, many are still uncertain when EPA provisions will come into force and what will be the eventual procedural requirements. The process of establishing the institutional infrastructure for EPA provisions is ongoing. However, it would be in the best mutual interests for all parties if local and regional authorities, working in collaboration with the EU, would do more to publicise the progress of the work being carried out by the joint CARIFORUM-EC EPA Council.
Nonetheless, the provisions outlined in the EPA will be realised in the near future. Therefore, local private industry organisations representing the services sector should not delay in engaging the government to establish the necessary regulatory frameworks that will ensure Guyana’s firms and career professionals can take full advantage of the EPA opportunities.
Saturday, May 14, 2011
Region Eight women latest WOW beneficiaries
Since its official launch in June 2010, the Women of Worth (WOW) micro-credit scheme has significantly changed the lives of countless single mothers in Guyana, providing them with the necessary wherewithal so that they could elevate their economic circumstances, and improve the lives of their children and by extension add to the advancement of Guyana.
This scheme, which is the result of an agreement made between the Government through the Finance Ministry and the Guyana Bank for Trade and Industry (GBTI), was today extended to Region Eight.
Addressing the women at launching ceremony at the Mahdia Community Center, Minister of Labour, Manzoor Nadir said that the introduction of a single parent assistance programme and the development of a micro-credit scheme was a promise by the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) in 2006.
The led to the development of single parent database of about 33,000 people, primarily women who registered in 2008.
These persons requested different forms of assistance; 1100 working single parents were beneficiaries of daycare vouchers, 1800 women requested to be trained in various disciplines of which 800 were recipients of such training by the end of 2010 and this micro-credit scheme which has seen the disbursement of 813 loans (a total value of $164M) thus far.
In 2010, Government passed the Fiscal Enactment (Amendment) Bill which amended the Income Tax Act and the Corporation Tax Act, to give effect to a waiver of tax on income of a designated small business lending company derived from loans provided to a small business in a manner specified by agreement.
It allows for the establishment for small business lending programmes with designated small business lending companies (licensed financial institutions) and permits the exemption of income tax or corporation tax from the income that is earned from the lending companies on the loans granted under the programme.
As a result, GBTI can now offer this loan plan at a low rate of interest of a mere six percent per annum and, for sums over $200,000 there is a six-month moratorium of repayments and sums under $200,000 a three-month moratorium on repayment will be granted.
The maximum period for repayment is 24 months and no collateral is required for the access to WOW financing.
“This is how we thought we could make a greater contribution towards you realising your dreams and there is not a woman in Guyana who cannot achieve what she sets out to do,” Minister Nadir posited.
He stated that the Ministry has the capacity to assist the various women’s group in the region with regards to training in Information Technology, cosmetology, and catering among others. He explained the possibility of having trainers from the Guyana Women’s Leadership Institute (GWLI) visit the region to work with them.
GBTI Credit Manager, Sheliza Shaw said that the WOW loan provides a medium through which the bank is able to assist single parent mothers in overcoming the difficulties they face in their daily lives in raising their families and in elevating themselves out of poverty. GBTI is targeting over 5000 women under this programme.
“No equity is required on your part and the bank provides 100 percent of the amount you need to establish, upgrade or expand your small business,” Shaw said.
Business Development Manager, WOW Secretariat, Wemyss de Florimonte, explained that the scheme is extended to single women who have children (biological or otherwise) and are between the ages of 18 and 58 years.
Regional Chairman, Region Eight, Senor Bell urged the women to make full use of the opportunity and pledged the support of the regional administration to ensure that the programme is successfully implemented.
Since the bank does not have a branch in Region Eight, it will be partnering with the Post Office so as to facilitate the repayment process.
Additionally, GBTI will be working out ways and means through which women from remote areas in the region can benefit from the programme.
Since its official launch in June 2010, the Women of Worth (WOW) micro-credit scheme has significantly changed the lives of countless single mothers in Guyana, providing them with the necessary wherewithal so that they could elevate their economic circumstances, and improve the lives of their children and by extension add to the advancement of Guyana.
This scheme, which is the result of an agreement made between the Government through the Finance Ministry and the Guyana Bank for Trade and Industry (GBTI), was today extended to Region Eight.
Addressing the women at launching ceremony at the Mahdia Community Center, Minister of Labour, Manzoor Nadir said that the introduction of a single parent assistance programme and the development of a micro-credit scheme was a promise by the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) in 2006.
The led to the development of single parent database of about 33,000 people, primarily women who registered in 2008.
These persons requested different forms of assistance; 1100 working single parents were beneficiaries of daycare vouchers, 1800 women requested to be trained in various disciplines of which 800 were recipients of such training by the end of 2010 and this micro-credit scheme which has seen the disbursement of 813 loans (a total value of $164M) thus far.
In 2010, Government passed the Fiscal Enactment (Amendment) Bill which amended the Income Tax Act and the Corporation Tax Act, to give effect to a waiver of tax on income of a designated small business lending company derived from loans provided to a small business in a manner specified by agreement.
It allows for the establishment for small business lending programmes with designated small business lending companies (licensed financial institutions) and permits the exemption of income tax or corporation tax from the income that is earned from the lending companies on the loans granted under the programme.
As a result, GBTI can now offer this loan plan at a low rate of interest of a mere six percent per annum and, for sums over $200,000 there is a six-month moratorium of repayments and sums under $200,000 a three-month moratorium on repayment will be granted.
The maximum period for repayment is 24 months and no collateral is required for the access to WOW financing.
“This is how we thought we could make a greater contribution towards you realising your dreams and there is not a woman in Guyana who cannot achieve what she sets out to do,” Minister Nadir posited.
He stated that the Ministry has the capacity to assist the various women’s group in the region with regards to training in Information Technology, cosmetology, and catering among others. He explained the possibility of having trainers from the Guyana Women’s Leadership Institute (GWLI) visit the region to work with them.
GBTI Credit Manager, Sheliza Shaw said that the WOW loan provides a medium through which the bank is able to assist single parent mothers in overcoming the difficulties they face in their daily lives in raising their families and in elevating themselves out of poverty. GBTI is targeting over 5000 women under this programme.
“No equity is required on your part and the bank provides 100 percent of the amount you need to establish, upgrade or expand your small business,” Shaw said.
Business Development Manager, WOW Secretariat, Wemyss de Florimonte, explained that the scheme is extended to single women who have children (biological or otherwise) and are between the ages of 18 and 58 years.
Regional Chairman, Region Eight, Senor Bell urged the women to make full use of the opportunity and pledged the support of the regional administration to ensure that the programme is successfully implemented.
Since the bank does not have a branch in Region Eight, it will be partnering with the Post Office so as to facilitate the repayment process.
Additionally, GBTI will be working out ways and means through which women from remote areas in the region can benefit from the programme.
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