project soon to end
By William Doyle-Marshall
The Caribbean Local Economic Development Project (CARILED) is coming up to the end because money is running out says Toronto City Councillor Michael Thompson. It has been in effect for about five and a half years and it is ending this year – about eight months earlier. According to Councillor Thompson, it has been extremely useful in the region, working in seven countries – three in the Organization of Eastern Caribbean (OECS) states (Saint Lucia, Grenada and Dominica); Trinidad and Tobago and Jamaica as the big island countries; Belize and Guyana, two mainland entities.
It is being funded by the Canadian Government’s Department of Foreign Affairs Trade and Development. “We are looking to see whether the federal government will fund another phase of those programmes because the programme comes to an end and we believe the programme should still continue,” Thompson told Indo Caribbean World in a recent interview. Municipal politicians are hoping the federal government will continue by funding something similar because it’s needed.
In announcing the project a few years ago Beverley J. Oda, then Minister of International Cooperation, saw CARILED as an example of Canada’s support for local economic development in the Caribbean. Through a Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) funded project to the tune of $23.2 million dollars, the Federation of Canadian Municipalities was supposed to assist Caribbean municipalities build and strengthen their economies.
The objective of the CARILED project is to help people to help themselves. Thompson has been the federal government’s representative since it started and that required him to travel to a lot of different places. “So not only I’m the city councillor in Toronto but I am doing all sorts of other interesting things to actually make peoples’ lives better,” he reflected.
As part of the CARILED team Canadian experts in management, experts in organizational structure and so on, have been able to work with local people in the area – businesses, women, young people and farm cooperatives. Thompson reports that they have been able to buy some farm equipment for farmers to be able to use tractors to irrigate, to plough their fields in a much more streamlined way, in a much more effective, faster way and they’ve been able to work together.
“We’ve been able to bring logistics in terms of how to get products to market. We’ve been able to teach them ways and means to help themselves and we’ve been able to get the experiences of many Canadians, many municipalities across the country who have had their representatives go to the varying places where these programmes are being offered and they bring their expertise to help the individuals in terms of either products or designs,” Thompson informed.
Referring specifically to Belize as an example, Councillor Thompson said CARILED members worked with them on designing a whole park, BTL Park, setting it up, bringing running water to it, designing stalls and lights; people can use it to congregate, to enjoy national holidays.
“More importantly though, people have used those stalls to offer food, arts and crafts items so people coming off the ships are able to buy. It’s an opportunity for people to generate economic income, generate monies and so on to help them to improve their lives,” the Councilor emphasized.
“FCM (Federation of Canadian Municipalities) – the division called FCMI – FCM International has been very helpful in terms of creating hope, in creating opportunity. The other interesting thing is that the people that we’ve trained as part of CARILED are going to be employed by the governments in the varying countries. So those people are going to be there to help others ongoing. So basically it’s lending a helping hand to make peoples’ lives better and to ensure prosperity,” Thompson said.
Former Programme Director Alix Yuille said the CARILED operation does not only promote economic development but contributes to social and environmental initiatives.
Through the medium of the Special Organised Crime Unit (SOCU), four former top government officials including Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo and Head of the Presidential Secretariat Dr Roger Luncheon were on Tuesday of last week arrested and questioned in connection with their acquisition of the seaside housing lands. They were released without bail.
That housing project was set up under the PPP/C administration, with Jagdeo at the helm but when questioned by SOCU ranks, the former President invoked the protection of Presidential Immunity and declined.
Also interrogated in connection with the allocation of lands at Pradoville 2, either as decision-makers or as beneficiaries, included former Housing Minister Irfaan Ali, former Education Minister Priya Manickchand, former Minister of Natural Resources Robert Persaud. Others alloted Pradoville 2 houselots who were also questioned by SOCU included Lisaveta Ramotar, (daughter of former President Donald Ramotar), Clement Rohee (former Minister of Home Affairs), former Head of the Office of Climate Change, Andrew Bishop, Director of Public Prosecutions, Shalimar Hack and her husband, Moeenul Hack, former Company Secretary of the state holding
The former President, ex-ministers and former top government officials are accused of paying below market value in a conspiracy to commit fraud.
Questioned about the removal of the mast and Sparendaam transmission station and development of the area for housing were former Prime Minister, Samuel Hinds; former NCN Board Chairman and Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Housing, Dr. Nankishore Gopaul; former director of Guyana’s state radio and television broadcaster, National Communications Network, Kwame Mc Coy; and former Housing Minister and Chief Executive Officer of Guyana Water Incorporated, Shaik Baksh.
The probe team is trying to ascertain whether NCN’s AM antenna mast and transmission station which were relocated to Parfaite Harmonie, West Bank Demerara was done mainly because the mast was in the flight path of aircraft leaving the Ogle Airport or principally to vacate the lands for housing development on behalf of the past government operatives being questioned.
Former Prime Minister, Samuel Hinds suggested that the State radio’s transmission mast was not removed from Sparendaam as part of a plan to vacate the land for distribution to several of his then Cabinet colleagues and other prominent persons. He said documentation dating back to 2004, “formal discussions began for the removal of the tower” to facilitate the upgrading of the Ogle Airport.
In a High Court case filed by former parliamentarian, Desmond Trotman and the Committee for the Defence of the Constitution Inc in September 2015, court documents state that Priya Manickchand and Robert Persaud made hefty profits from sale of their lands and houses. On February 21, 2013, Manickchand sold her land, building and erections for GUY$100 million to David Narine and on August 23, 2012 Persaud sold his land, building and erections to LSR Inc for GUY$90 million.
In September 2010, parcels each measuring 0.3030 of an acre were sold to Robert Persaud, Shaik Baksh, Clement Rohee, Lisaveta Ramotar, Dr. Compton Bourne and Priya Manickchand for GUY$1,515,000. In the case of Jagdeo, he purchased 0.4603 of an acre for GUY$2,301,500 and 1.5 acres for GUY$7.5 million. Jennifer Westford bought 0.3186 of an acre for GUY$1,593,000 and G. Singh and wife paid GUY$1,502,000 for 0.3005 of an acre.
The applicants in that case listed the following persons connected to the PPP and government employees who benefitted from “government’s largesse”: Andrew Ranji Bishop, Florrie Loretta Ramnauth (Dr. Luncheon’s former common-law wife), Rajendra Singh (former Chief Executive Officer of the Guyana Sugar Corporation ), Safraz Khan, and Ramesh Dookhoo who each purchased 0.3005 of an acre for GUY$1,502,000. Others are George Hallaq and Nada Hallaq who paid GUY$5 million for 0.8422 of an acre, and Future Developers International (Guyana) Inc whose sole director is Dr. Rajendra Singh purchased 0.5534 of an acre for GUY$3 million.
Moeenul Hack and the Director of Public Prosecutions, Shalimar Hack paid GUY$1,488,744 for 0.2767 of an acre, and then Chief of staff of the Guyana Defence Force, Retired Rear Admiral Gary Best purchased 0.3005 of an acre for GUY$1,502,500.
Attorney-at-Law, Anil Nandlall representing former President Jagdeo said that there are no grounds to successfully argue that the then government had illegally sold the house lots at below market prices because housing lands provided to ordinary citizens in other areas have also been provided at below market prices such as between GUD$58,000 and GYD$200,000.
But according to a report Robert Persaud has not ruled out paying the market price for the house lot he bought. The report states that Persaud made this public in a Facebook post where he said that his legal advisor indicated to him that should the state establish that the price paid for the house lot was below market value, discussions can be entered into for a mutually acceptable resolution of the matter.
In the meantime, SOCU is trying to locate Mohamed ‘Fuzzy’ Sattaur, former Chief Executive Officer of NCN and Taslim Baksh, former Chief Financial Officer Chief Financial Officer of the Central Housing and Planning Authority for questioning into the investigations.
SOCU has reportedly been trying to make contact with the two men for about three months now and although police know they have not left the jurisdiction, the two cannot be found at their normal addresses.
SOCU feels it is important that the two men are questioned to complete the investigations into the probe. Baksh is also wanted for questioning into the sale of scrap metal that was done when the PPP were in government.
The PPP has accused government of being on a witch-hunt to distract from Guyana’s poor economic performance and heavy taxation and in an ominous response to his arrest, the party's leader Bharrat Jagdeo said, “We will never forget this.”
