…as Salvation Army hosts reunionAdministrators of the Drug Rehabilitation Programme of the Salvation Army, Captain Matignol and Mireille Saint LoThe Men’s Social Centre of the Salvation Army yesterday held an ex-clients’ reunion and fellowship, with the new members of its Drug Rehabilitation programme, their family members and friends affording some of the ex-clients an opportunity to express their gratitude for the assistance the Salvation Army had provided.The counsellors of the programme noted that the Salvation Army had been helping recovering drug addicts since 1996.Administrator of the programme,Cheap Adidas NHL Jerseys, Captain Matignol Saint Lot, welcomed everyone to the reunion and noted that the significance of the reunion was in fact that the ex-clients of the programme had been able to live fruitful lives without turning back to drugs.He said that the Salvation Army wanted to celebrate with them (ex-clients) and to show some appreciation that they had stayed clean, while encouraging them to keep up the good work. Saint Lot’s wife,China NFL Jerseys, Mireille Saint Lot, reminisced that when many of the ex-clients of the drug rehabilitation programme, who were at the reunion, had first entered the programme, they had left their families.“They left their parents behind,” said Mireille,Cheap Jerseys From China, “and after some time, they started to call me mom, and they started to call Captain (Matignol) dad. They became our children. So today I can say that I am very proud of all my children.”Chairman of the Advisory Board to the Salvation Army, Edward Boyer speaking at the reunion.Some of the ex-clients of the programme shared their stories, and noted that their fight against their drug use had not been easy. They encouraged the present clients of the programme to keep fighting, and said that if they did, they would reap the benefits.One of the recovered drug addicts,NFL Jerseys Outlet, who was only identified as Geoffrey R, said that his first encounter with drugs started when he was 37. He said that he was married, had children and had a good job, but fell into an extra marital relationship, and the woman he had the relationship with introduced him to drugs.“I think the first time I tried drugs, I was hooked,” said Geoffrey, as he explained that after some months of drug use he was beaten and broken. “I remember when I came into the rehab centre, I was wearing a green slipper on my left foot, and a left-side blue slipper on my right foot,” he said.He said that he only had the clothes on his back, and had nowhere else to turn. He said that he remembered the constant struggle everyday brought. But after expending much effort to break his habit, Geoffrey said, “Today I am three years, six months and 28 days drug free.”Chairman of the Advisory Board to the Salvation Army, Edward Boyer, paid special respect and tribute to the families of the ex-clients and the clients of the programme. He said that recovering addicts need all the support they can get, especially from their family members.Despite this, he told the persons currently in the programme that whether or not they win their fight against drugs was entirely their decision,Cheap NFL Jerseys Authentic, since everyone in the Salvation Army was trying, and they (recovering addicts) were the only ones who could decide whether or not they broke their dependencies.“You need to make the effort to save yourself,” said Boyer. At the same time, Captain Sinous Theodore, explained that the Salvation Army is involved in many areas of social transformation, including education and rehabilitation. He, however, noted that the Salvation Army in Guyana, due to financial constraints, could not provide all of the programmes which the Salvation Army provided all over the world.He made clear that even though the Salvation Army was a Christian organization, it does not discriminate in favour of religion. “Our main concern is that we love our fellow man,” said Theodore.In addition, he reminded persons that since it was the time of Christmas, it also helped persons to reflect and think of what Christ came for, and the revelation he brought.Theodore highlighted that oftentimes, serving with the Salvation Army was not easy, but he cited the Saint Lots as an example, and said that they were serving with the Salvation Army and despite the difficulty,Wholesale Jerseys From China, they were happy.Coincidentally, yesterday was the ninth wedding anniversary of the Saint Lots.

By Kiana Wilburg ?? ?Prime Minister, Moses Nagamootoo, had hoped that this time around during the budget debates,Authentic MLB Jerseys Online, hePrime Minister,Moses Nagamootoowould have been able to extend an olive branch to the political opposition to work in the interest of national unity. He was disappointed.Yesterday, Opposition Leader,Cheap NHL Jerseys, Bharrat Jagdeo, led another walkout after he had made his presentation during the budget 2016 debates.Jagdeo, who spoke ahead of Nagamootoo, said that he and his members would not stick around to hear the end of the debate as long as the Prime Minister was the penultimate speaker.House Speaker,Jerseys NFL Cheap, Dr. Barton Scotland attempted to ask the members to reconsider their decision. He even asked the Opposition Leader to explain to the nation why he would want to make such a decision. The Opposition said that the reason was already given and still insisted on walking out.Before rebutting the arguments made by various members of the opposition during the last five days of debate, Nagamootoo noted that Jagdeo’s actions show total disregard for House Speaker,Cheap NHL Jerseys Online, Dr. Barton Scotland and for the National Assembly by extension.He earned a resounding applause by his colleagues who were in agreement with the statement made.The First Vice President said, “I did not expect that this House would have been treated with such disrespect from a recalcitrant Opposition. I cannot believe that the Opposition believes that it can show disregard for the chair presiding over a democratic Assembly in which there are certain procedures.”The Prime Minister said that Jagdeo’s behaviour is nothing but cowardice and that it will not be tolerated.The matter of the penultimate speaker was one that dates back to the first budget debate of the Eleventh Parliament.As was traditionally done in the National Assembly, the Finance Minister was the last speaker with the Opposition Leader being the penultimate presenter. Preceding him would be the Prime Minister. But the Government apparently did not agree with this and sought for the first time last year to have Nagamootoo be the penultimate speaker.Opposition seats were empty after Jagdeo’s presentation.The change angered the political opposition and caused the Opposition’s Chief Whip, Gail Teixeira, to approach House Speaker, Dr. Barton Scotland to rectify the matter. But this was to no avail.It has forced members of the Opposition to deduce that the government simply has an “Anti-Jagdeo” agenda which it has “brought to the honourable House.”Opposition Chief Whip,Wholesale NFL Jerseys, Gail Teixeira,NFL Jerseys Cheap, had said that even though discussions were held on this matter, the parliamentary convention was still flouted.She emphasized that since 1992, the PPP has never shown disrespect to those who served as opposition leaders, whether it was the late former President Desmond Hoyte, Robert Corbin or current President David Granger. She said, too, that there were instances when Hoyte and Corbin spoke for two hours and Granger spoke for 45 minutes.Teixeira said that those persons were never constrained by a time limit.? “This is a slap in the face and an attempt to muzzle the opposition and show disrespect to Jagdeo.”Former Attorney General, Anil Nandlall, said that the matter represents the rapid dismantling of laws and traditions.PPP General Secretary, Clement Rohee also added his voice to the issue stating that it is clear that an “anti-Jagdeo agenda has been taken to Parliament.”He added, “There is certainly an anti-Jagdeo agenda that is playing out in Parliament. I don’t think we are strangers to this agenda, and it is rather unfortunate that it is taken to a place like the Parliament …This anti-Jagdeo agenda is playing out in the court, in the Parliament, the public domain and even in the media. When will this end?”Rohee said that he hopes that the Transparency Institute Guyana Inc. is paying attention to this matter.

– threatens to withdraw support for amendments to financial crimes BillKhemraj RamjattanA political battlefield is being set up for the days ahead with the seven-seat Parliamentary party, Alliance for Change (AFC), threatening to withdraw support for the amendments to the law on financial crimes unless its demands are met.The AFC has two demands. It wants President Donald Ramotar to re-consider withholding his assent to two Bills piloted by the opposition-controlled house. The party also wants the government to set a deadline for the establishment of the Public Procurement Commission (PPC) which will help halt corruption in the award of contracts funded by the public purse.The legislation under consideration is the Anti-Money Laundering and Countering of Financing Terrorism Act (AMLCFTA).Non-passage of the legislation could shame the government for failing to act and could put the country on an international blacklist for not doing enough to combat money laundering and stopping financing for terrorism.? A Special Parliamentary Committee was set up to examine and tidy up the amendments proposed by the government. The AFC is participating in the work of the Commission, but when the amendments come up for a vote on May 22, the AFC could withhold its support.The AFC holds the balance of power in the National Assembly. Any intentions of the majority parties in the House – APNU and the ruling PPP – can be paralysed without the AFC’s backing.The President has refused to give his assent to the Fiscal Management and Accountability (Amendment) Bill and the Former Presidents (Facilities and Other Benefits) Bill,Wholesale Authentic Jerseys, saying that the Bills are in conflict with the constitution.? Khemraj Ramjattan, leader of the AFC, said that the position of the President is outrageous and that the argument about the constitutionality of the Bills is “wholly unmeritorious” and “totally ridiculous.”“This government (disrespects) the National Assembly and the people’s elected representatives,” Ramjattan declared yesterday.He said that the AFC is ready to get into “hard dealing” with the government because its demands are not unreasonable.In the case of the Former Presidents (Facilities and Other Benefits), Ramjattan said it is reasonable for the National Assembly to demand that the benefits of former Presidents be capped.The original law, signed by former President Bharrat Jagdeo,cheap jerseys, gives him unlimited access to vehicles, security guards, gardeners and cooks in addition to his cash pension which amounts to $1.2 million a month.Further,Cheap Authentic Jerseys, Ramjattan said that the Fiscal Management and Accountability (Amendment) Bill was intended to enhance good governance and streamline accountability.Regarding the demand for the Public Procurement Commission, Ramjattan said the ruling party has refused to identify its nominees.He said that wanting this Commission in place is not unreasonable, as it is a “right” for the Commission to be set up. He said that the absence of the Commission is why corruption continues.The government is due to defend its efforts to stem financial crimes when the Plenary Meeting of the Caribbean Financial Action Task Force (CFATF) meets in Managua, Nicaragua from May 27 to May 30. The government attempted to force passage of the amendments two Tuesdays ago but the opposition forced the setting up of the Special Committee to examine the government’s proposal, saying the legislation is too important to be rushed.Those on the Committee from the government side are Chief Whip Gail Teixeira (who chairs the Committee), Home Affairs Minister Clement Rohee, Finance Minister Dr. Ashni Singh and Attorney General and Legal Affairs Minister, Anil Nandlall. On the opposition side, Khemraj Ramjattan is representing the Alliance For Change, while A Partnership for National Unity named Deborah Backer, Joseph Harmon,Cheap NFL Jerseys Free Shipping, Basil Williams and Carl Greenidge. Further,Cheap NFL Jerseys China, the government was chided for bringing the amendments to the House at the last minute.The government was put on notice at least twice before by the CFATF to amend the legislation,NFL Cheap Jerseys, but only tabled it last month.The CFATF is the Caribbean branch of the Financial Action Task Force (FATF), the international body which examines a country’s efforts to stem money laundering and dictate what new measures need to be enforced.In the third round Mutual Evaluation Report, which was adopted by the CFATF Council of Ministers in May 2011 in Honduras, Guyana was placed on expedited follow-up and required to report at every Plenary.Guyana was rated partially comp

The Executive Board of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) has concluded its annual assessment of Guyana’s economic health and found the country “weathered the impact of the global crisis” well, by regional and global standards.However, the fund warned in its statement, continued modernization of the sugar sector and diversification of Guyana’s productive base are critical to sustaining growth.IMF Directors,Cheap Jerseys Paypal, in its Executive Board Assessment, stressed the importance for the public sugar company to implement its recovery measures and ensure that the new plant at Skeldon becomes fully operational in the near term.“Directors welcomed the authorities’ efforts to achieve sustainable long-term growth, including under the Low Carbon Development Strategy.”IMF also commended the authorities’ prudent monetary policy aimed at maintaining low inflation.The IMF consults annually with each member government. Through these contacts, known as “Article IV Consultations,” the IMF attempts to assess each country’s economic health and to forestall future financial problems.This year, the consultations ended March 17.3.3% Growth“Newly released GDP series (re-based to 2006 prices) suggest that economic activity expanded by 3.3 percent in 2009, compared to 2 percent in 2008, largely on the back of a recovery in agriculture in the second half of the year along with continued strong gold production and robust activity in the non-tradable sector.”This help mitigated the adverse impact of global and weather shocks on output in early 2009. End-year inflation fell to 3.6 percent from 6.4 percent as at the end of 2008, reflecting the softening in world commodity prices.In 2009, the external current account deficit narrowed, and the international reserve position strengthened significantly. The current account deficit declined by 5 percent of GDP (to 8.5?percent of GDP), largely led by a reduction in imports, particularly of fuel.This, together with strong official inflows (including concessional loans and grants, and the Fund’s Special Drawing Rights allocation) and steady short-term capital inflows by commercial banks — attracted to higher domestic interest rates — helped offset a decline in Foreign Direct Investment and raised Guyana’s gross international reserves to US$623 million by end-year (over 5 months of imports).According to IMF, the nominal exchange rate remained stable, and the real effective exchange rate is assessed to be broadly in equilibrium.“The impact of the crisis on the financial sector has been limited so far, although expansion in private sector credit has moderated to about 6 percent in 2009 (down from nearly 22 percent in 2008), reflecting both a deceleration in private sector credit demand, as well as tighter lending standards by the banking sector.”Macroeconomic policies have remained prudent. Monetary policy tightened somewhat in 2009, supporting the decline in inflation and external stability. The fiscal deficit for the non-financial public sector declined to 3.3 percent of GDP (equivalent to 5.3 percent of old GDP) from 4.7 percent of GDP in 2008, on the back of higher-than expected revenues that supported the full execution of priority spending,Wholesale Jerseys, including on infrastructure.Public DebtGuyana’s public debt has fallen from 93.1 percent of GDP as of end-2006 to 56.8 percent of GDP in 2009, assisted by debt relief operations and fiscal consolidation efforts.“Guyana’s outlook remains positive in the near and medium term, although some important challenges remain. Growth is expected to benefit from the global recovery,NFL Jerseys Outlet, the modernization of the sugar sector and the start up of investment projects, which could spur average growth to 4-5 percent in the medium term. The current account would widen somewhat in 2010 with the uptick in domestic demand and the increase in fuel prices, but would narrow gradually over time,” IMF said.Nonetheless, the IMF Directors cautioned, challenges remain, particularly if the upturn in world economic activity were slower than envisaged; or if oil prices were to rise more sharply than projected. Slower progress than expected with the modernization of the sugar sector could also complicate this outlook, particularly in light of the recent phasing out of the preferential sugar prices by the EU, which will increasingly expose Guyana to world-price volatility.OutlookUpside potential is related to the full implementation of the LCDS,Wholesale NFL Jerseys, the eventual exploitation of Guyana’s oil reserves and the sound completion of key large public-private investment projects over the next few years.The IMF Directors observed that the strong fiscal consolidation in 2009 provides space for a more gradual tightening over th