Components within the News with Attorney Total & Minister of Smartly sufficient Affairs, Anil Nandlall. Apri 12th, 2023

Evening and welcome to another program of issues in the news where we discuss the important events that would have taken place in Guyana over the past week or so and as is the norm we have a pack Ed agenda of issues to discuss this evening of course I was awake on government business so we missed a.

Few programs but I am back with as I said an interesting agenda of items I want to begin by greeting our viewers on television who are joining us from west coast burbese region number five good evening and welcome to another program of issues in the news to our viewers who are joining us on television.

In region number six New Amsterdam is Bank burbies kanji quarantine Coast all the way to Molson Creek and even up the quarantine River welcome to another program of issues in the news to our viewers and listeners who are joining us from Freedom radio Robb Street Georgetown welcome to another program of issues in.

The news and last but not least to the tens of thousands of you who are joining us on Facebook live across Guyana the Caribbean North America Europe Asia and as far as Australia welcome to another program of issues in the news I was pleasantly surprised while I was in Holland how many persons in the.

Netherlands are following this program very carefully and the express their gratitude to me on Facebook inboxing me about this program telling me how edifying and how uh you know how how much the how much information they get from just looking at this program so I want you to sheer.

Day program to your friends press that share button on your phone or on your computer or on your iPad so that not only you will view the program but your friends and followers will view it as well for we want the widest possible audience and viewership so please remember to share the program.

David Simon so many of you are on already please extend the platform wide and far by sharing the program so that your followers and your friends can join us in tonight's discussion and I have a whole host of other persons whose name I can't see anymore because.

It's scrolling up the screen good evening to all of you joining me from across the globe and again I appeal to you to press that share button on the phone on your iPad on your computer so so that as many persons as possible can join us in tonight's discussion tap on the agenda of tonight's program is of course the important ruling handed.

Down by the international court of justice last Thursday at The Hague the international court of justice for the second time disposed of Venezuela's preliminary objections and that ruling which was incidentally 14 to 1.

Has now paved the way for the case to be heard on its merits it would be recalled and this is a long-standing issue between the two territories Guyana has led the way in seeking every Avenue possible to have this matter resolved but without a will.

Eventually we adhered to directions from the United Nations to refer the matter to the international court of justice and that is where it is we are hoping that the matter will be concluded and we are hoping that.

That ruling from the icg would put the matter conclusively to rest I don't wish to see more because this is a very sensitive issue and it is occupying the jurisdiction of the international court of justice so I just thought that I'll bring us up to.

Speed issues that I'm speaking about are well known are well public and well-publicized so that's what I want to do mention to say that we have won both rungs of the preliminary litigation thus far and we are anxious to prosecute the merits of our claim before the international court of.

Justice I want to take this opportunity also to extend on behalf of this program on behalf of the legal profession on behalf of the Attorney General Chambers and on behalf of the government of Guyana my deepest condolences and sympathies to the wife and children and relatives.

Of the late Justice Stanley Moore whose funeral was today and who was buried Justice Moore has had a long and distinguished legal career and there is a video on my Facebook page in which I was invited to pay tribute to Justice Moore on Saturday evening at an event held by the family at Duke Lodge.

Kingston and the video of what I said is on my Facebook page for those who wish to view it it outlines in my respectful View the life of Justice Stanley Moore again to his family I extend my deepest and most sincere condolences.

I pause again to remind viewers to share this program to your friends and your followers press that share button on your computer on your iPad or on your phone so that we can engage the widest possible viewership and audience we have made a decision in the government to respond.

To criticisms made against the government and I intend to continue to do so I have said very clearly that we welcome criticisms as a government we encourage freedom of thought and freedom of.

Expression we encourage constructive and outspoken criticisms however we reserve the right to respond to those criticisms as a government and as a political party we have suffered in the past by not responding properly.

Comprehensively and in a timely manner the criticisms made of us and against us in the past we don't intend to repeat those errors we intend to respond to the criticisms as they are unfolding and hopefully we do so by providing sufficient details to.

Members of the public and we answer the criticisms in a constructive and conclusive manner one of the criticisms to which I make reference is the criticism of Mr Anand Gul Saran a former auditor general of Guyana who wrote this weekend calling for a cancellation.

Of the citizen card or ID card contract now the contract has been signed and therefore it cannot be unilaterally canceled that would amount to the government breaching the contract so these public commentators when they choose to speak on these matters.

Have to be informed about the concepts and precepts that they utilize in their public statements and one cannot simply cancel a contract that has been executed signed.

By two parties who have the capacity to contract and is Contracting about something that is lawful any attempt by one side to cancel such an instrument would amount to a breach of that contract and that will attract liabilities and will put the government in a.

Terrible position legally as well as internationally persons who chose who choose to criticize publicly must understand that they have a role a play in terms of being well they have they have to be responsible in their criticisms and they have to be.

Accurate and they have to take into account the principles governing the issue about which they wish to criticize and if it is that they wish to criticize legal issues then they must be equipped to properly address the legal issues and therefore the unilateral call or they call for a unilateral.

Cancellation of a contract is calling for the government to commit an unlawful Act it is a call for the government to breach its contractual obligations not only putting the government in legal troubles but also having an impact on the international standing or the standing of the government.

Internationally a government that has a track record of breaching contracts that it enters into with international trading partners or even local trading partners is a government whose reputation will suffer.

Internationally but I suppose when these calls are made they are not thoroughly thought out and what comes out from the pen of these persons are knee-jerk statements and statements that are fanciful and criticisms that are without basis so as a first point I wish to make.

The second point I wish to make is to deal with Mr Gul saran's rejection of my argument that the contract was properly procured I indicated that under the procurement Act there is a provision which allows for.

Single sourcing of goods and services provided that the conditionalities laid out in the legislation are met and it is my respectful View and it is the view of the government that those conditionalities were met in this instance.

Significantly the procurement act permits single sourcing whenever the goods or the services that is being procured involves matters of National Security it is the government's View that this card.

That will store important personal data of the citizenry of this country will contain information of national importance peculiar to each citizen is.

Or are matters of sufficient importance to be considered matters of National Security in fact when one examines the very criticisms of persons such as Mr Gul Saran and the other public commentator on this method Human Rights.

Association they both highlight the the danger of persons personal data being unlawfully appropriated and stolen they highlight that as part of their criticisms.

They are seeing that this thing is in that this thing is a serious matter that person's personal information can be unlawfully accessed and used and important National information that would be on this card.

Can be extracted once the security mechanism in the card is penetrated they are raising those arguments and those are the very arguments and those are the very factors that qualify the issue to be one of national importance and that is why not any run-of-the-mill.

Company ought to be awarded or considered for a contract of this type I have said before the publication of important National documents such as birth certificates national ID cards passports the printing of money or money natural.

National currencies are all matters of national importance that are the subject of single sourcing across the globe this card is no different and I reiterate that when one examines the very arguments that these critics are advancing those arguments qualify this instrument.

To be won that is so important that it falls into the category of National Security and the appropriate mechanism in the legislation was used in respect of this transaction and I don't think that I need to belabor that point what constitutes a matter of national.

Importance is an issue for the executive to determine because it is in the bosom of the executive that lies the responsibility to protect national interests National Security and the defense of Guyana and its citizens.

And the executive has made a determination that this is a matter that qualifies to be accorded that cover and that's how I wish to articulate the position the second issue that I see we are criticized for in.

Relation to this matter is that we don't have data legislation or data protection legislation now that is so but if one reads the contract and I don't know what if one reads the contract they would see that the contract is spread out over a.

Period of time from designing to the issuance of the card now in that period we have to build an administrative machinery in relation to how the card is going to be issued and managed.

The administrative infrastructure has to be created and secondly legislation have to be implemented not only to protect the data on the card but also to regulate how the card will be issued by whom what will qualify a person to be issued.

With the card the use to which the card will be made how the card how agencies within Guyana are to be bounded by that card and all matters in relation to the card will be the subject of legislation and that those legislation are being worked upon.

I hear the issue of consultation the consultation will come when the legislation are completed and reaches the parliament or reach the parliament or there may be consultation prior to taking them to the parliament that's a matter for the government but those are matters that are being addressed.

These guys don't ask any questions but they jump to conclusions so both the g h r e the guy in the human rights associate Association and Mr Anand wolsaran have leveled the allegation that there is no legislation in place that allegation and criticism is premature legislation is not in place neither is.

The card in place but by the time the card becomes ready for issue they will be the appropriate supporting legal framework and administrative framework to support the issuance of the card and the functionality of the card the third issue that I would like to deal with.

Is um let me see well what is the other one that they spoke about oh Mr Gul Saran accuses the government of violating the fiscal management and accountability Act by arguing that that act.

Provides for or mandates that they must be budgetary allocations before expenditure of funds and he is alleging that there was no budgetary allocation for this project that is to see this card.

Now I don't know how he has arrived at that conclusion or on what basis he has made that assumption because monies were budgeted in the 2023 budget for this card for this project and the monies have been already.

Disbursed to the office of the Prime Minister who is the minister with portfolio responsibility for the ID sector under which this card Falls and monies have been disbursed and paid under the contract as an advance payment as provided for by the contract the point I am making.

Is that these commentators they purport to speak from a position of knowledge and they are speaking vacuously and they are speaking without the relevant information here it is a former auditor general of the country constructs an entire argument.

On the assumption that we the government did not budget for this card when the Minister of Finance in his budgetary speech or in his budget speech spoke extensively on digital Solutions in the government and the movement from manual processes.

To e-transactions and the use of technological tools to conduct business and to make business easier in Guyana so I wish to reject Mr gulzaran's argument that this much this this project was not.

Budgeted for and the I have his article before me as he's asking for wide consultations to be held to discuss among other things issues of personal privacy the apparent overlap of responsibilities amongst it agencies which agency has the legal Authority for issuing such guards and the status of.

The existing national ID card now all these matters are going to be discussed when the legislation is being craft or completed all these matters are going to be the subject of legislation which will be debated in the National Assembly and which will be made.

Public long before it reaches the National Assembly so these criticisms that are being made are premature absolutely premature in terms of public information the president has spoken as far as I can recall innumerable times on this issue the vice president has.

Spoken about this concept about this project Dr Singh the Minister of Finance spoke about this project I spoke about this project this thing is nothing new we were working on this for the past two years and information has been disseminated in the public domain you just need to go on Google and you.

Will see the amount of information out there in relation to this this card but maybe it is because of a lack of experience I don't know some of the ghra is arguing that a project we take into Parliament why is the project going to be taken to Parliament.

The legislation governing the project will be taken to Parliament these agencies and persons who are purporting to speak on behalf of these agencies have to be careful that they make sense when they speak so I hope that I have addressed.

Some of the issues raised by Mr Gul Saran and to assure him that the issues that he has raised are important but he is premature in accusing the government of not addressing its Minds its mind to these.

Issues these are all issues that is going to are going to be addressed in due course but there is a structure in relation to the national ID card the existing national ID card we said very clearly that that national ID card will remain and will be unaffected by this card that is your national ID.

Card and that is governed by the national registration Act that act and that card will remain this one will be in addition to that card and this one will be a card though may be used for National identification purposes will be used for many other purposes as well and nothing is wrong with that.

Nothing is wrong with that many countries in the world have moved in this direction and many more are moving in this direction and we believe that Diana should move in this direction and that is the prerogative of a government elected by the people and we are doing so in compliance with the law and in a democratically.

Consultative process and we're the process requires consultation there will be consultation as we move along one of the pieces of legislation is already completed and before a cabinet subcommittee dealing with the same matter data protection.

So I I let's move on I think I've spent enough time on that I spoke on the last program that we had on this electric motorcycle and I informed that the government is moving to implement legislation in relation to this electric motorcycle.

Now again a misguided few are critical of the government for moving in this direction a large number of I believe a majority of the population have called for legislation.

A misguided few criticizes the government and what is the criticism somehow they believe that the government will Implement legislation to prohibit the use of electrical motorcycle that is not what the government plans to do.

And again rather than ask people are jumping to conclusion I made it very clear that the legislation will be to regulate the use of these Cycles just like how other vehicles and Cycles are regulated by law when they're using the road.

The public roadways the same way these Cycles will now be regulated and persons have called for this regulatory framework because these electric motorcycles they are causing a lot of accidents fatal accidents as well so the legislation is not intended to prohibit.

These motorcycles or electric Cycles from being used it is simply to regulate them so they must be bound by rules and regulations and laws when they choose to use the public roadways of this country when you are walking on the public roadways of Guyana you are bound by laws and regulations and by laws you.

As a citizen as a human being when animals use the public roadway or are carried along the public roadway or chase the lonely public rule we those animals are regulated also by laws by bylaws and by regulations well it's the same regulatory framework that will be.

Created to govern the use of these motorcycles along the public roadways of the country and to what end is that because anyone spiked these electric Cycles but it is because for the public good and the public safety.

Both for the users of the cycle as well as for other users of the road it is for the safety of the cyclists as well as the other users of the road what is wrong with that how is that a bad thing if we are regulating cycles and regulating users of the road.

I suppose we have a lot more exp explaining to do on these matters because persons are jumping to all sorts of wild and unfounded conclusions they hear something they don't listen carefully they don't read carefully and they criticize the government but I suppose that's the burden of being in.

Government to be constantly a cleaning and expiciating on these matters to bring Clarity and to remove doubts and misinformation from the minds of persons so let me see what I said that I would like to engage you and I pause here to look at some of the comments.

To see if it is that you wish me to address any matter someone spoke about animals being on the road and that is a problem in Guyana and we are working towards addressing that problem the same way that we are working to address this problem.

As I said I just was in the Netherlands last week and they are thousands of bicycles being used on the roadways every day thousands you think whether just riding just like that.

There are laws that govern the use of Cycles along the roadways in the Netherlands they are cycling parts Define along the roadway exclusively for Cycles to use we are creating our own regulatory framework as we are entitled to do to ensure.

That users of the road use the road safely that's all no ulterior motive on the part of the government but to ensure Public Safety and that is the duty of a government the other issue that I want to address though I have done it already is the kingly village west coast Barbies.

Matter now I see I have been criticized in certain sections of the social media by persons who continue to claim that their forbearance and their ancestors owned this Village called kingly on the west coast of Barbies.

Well as I have said before since own property in Guyana either by a transport or by a certificate of title so if it is that you your for parents own the village as you claim just produce a transport or produce a certificate of title and that is the end of the matter.

He who assert must prove I own the house that I'm living in I have a transport to show that I own the house you claim you own a village on the west coast of the amarara produce the title audit transport to show that you own the property and that would bring the discourse to an end.

That is not being done it's like the political party that claims that they won the elections but refusing to produce their statements of Paul is the same type of nonsensical argument claiming to win the elections but can produce your statements of Paul this gentleman claiming to own a village but.

Can produce this transport or the certificate of title as I said when I was the opposition when I was in the opposition I filed 25 applications for persons in that Village for prescriptive title 25. the law allows any person who claims to be the owner or claims to.

Have an interest in that land for which the application for prescriptive title is made to file a notice of opposition was aware of the 25 applications filed in the court he never find a single notice of opposition so that his.

Ownership his alleged ownership could have been interrogated by a court not one 25. but he wants to go there as though he is some overseer for the land and break down people's fences and block the roadways in the village that will not happen.

I keep saying you have the title to the land produce it you have a transport produce it in fact take the people to court and surely judge your transport go to the police if you say to the police hounding you down Just Produce your transport to the police produce your.

Certificate of title to the police and that will bring the matter to an end nobody can complain that you are trespassing under your land if you have a transport it means it's your land or your whoever name you transport is in once you ensure that you are related to that person then it's your family land.

It is as simple as that so those who are criticizing me just ask the gentleman to produce to you not to me the transport or the title those are the two recognizable legal instruments that establish ownership irrespective lands in Guyana publish it on Facebook.

Let the world see let the world see no they don't they're not doing that they're not doing that they believe that this country is governed by jungle law there's no jungle law here and the law will be enforced for the protection of the population of.

This country and that is a government's Duty to ensure that there is legal that there is obedience to the laws of Guyana that's a function of a police force to maintain Law and Order foreign I came across a very interesting article published in the.

Gleaner newspaper April 11th 2023 and this is specifically for Indonesians this article publishes that Guyana according to the latest World economic Outlook released by the international monetary.

Fund Guyana is expected to record the highest rate of growth in the Caribbean the highest rate of growth in the Caribbean close to 40 percent you hear what I'm saying close to 40 percent.

The country that comes second to send Vincent and the Grenadines with 5.5 no six percent I think six percent Antigua and Barbuda I believe is 5.5 and everyone else every other country is below five below four for that matter so Guyana is about 40 and the second.

Country the second the country with the second highest growth rate is six percent forty to six that's the margin and the PPP is not saying that.

The government of Guyana is not saying that Anil nandlal is not saying that the IMF you're seeing that the world economic Outlook you seeing that if and I'm not seeing this reported in the news in Guyana but if this report was negative if this report was negative.

Then you would have seen how many news agencies in Guyana would have accorded it the highest of priority and given it the greatest of prominence and that with that's the task that this government has to keep pushing every day.

We have to blow our own trumpet it's as simple as that nobody will do it for us in Guyana not the opposition certainly not Civil Society organizations and I suppose most of the press we are constantly on the critical scrutiny let me I'm putting out a challenge let.

Me see what coverage this report will get from the local press in Guyana and I am reading from a Jamaica Gleaner newspapers bearing to this deed I haven't seen this report yet circulating in Guyana but is already published.

By the Jamaica Gleaner I had a very very busy day so it may be in the social media but my attention was not drawn to it honestly but let's see let's see how the story will unfold somebody complaining.

About NIS on the in the comments NIS is indeed a sore issue for Guyanese and as a government we recognize that the minister responsibility the minister responsible for the National Insurance scheme.

Is The Honorable Dr Ashley Singh and you would have seen from 2020 to now that Dr Singh has led numerous outreaches crossed across the coast in all three counties.

LED outreaches to address the issue of NIS and NIS outstanding matters I have I know of many and I know of hundreds of persons who have benefited from those outreaches because Dr Singh takes with him.

The staff of NIS and so that the persons who have issues their issues are are addressed right there or their information is taken and their issues are processed and they are subsequent subsequently informed of.

The outcome but I agree there are many more NIS issues that are still lingering out there I am aware because I also do a lot of work on the ground and we will continue to intensify our efforts to ensure that these matters continue to be addressed.

We have done a lot of administrative Corrections and administrative changes at the NIS as a government to ensure that a larger number of persons benefit for example many times persons go.

To the NIS and their documents can't be found we have said that once the persons have worked in the public sector and that can be established then there is no need for documents and there are many little rules like that.

That have been implemented to ensure that persons are not unfairly denied or deprived of their entitlements under the National Insurance scheme it's a work in progress and soon more changes are going to be made to ensure that persons who.

Qualify for NIS receive the benefits to which they are entitled under the NIS act and ISS a law and once you comply with that law then as far as possible you ought to benefit in accordance with the law and whatever hurdles administrative and otherwise that are.

Preventing that objective from being realized we are uprooting them as we go along and making the process more accessible to a wider cross-section of Guyanese entitled under the scheme so that is a work in progress someone asked today for me to speak on the real estate legislation.

Well as you know we have had consultations with real estate agents in Guyana they have formed themselves into a body and they have met with me and more than one occasion real estate legislation is an important requirement under our anti-money laundering countering the.

Financing of terrorism um structure because that is one of the areas that are unregulated Diana as is known is scheduled to undergo a mutual assessment later this year and one of the deficiencies.

Identified in our AML CFT structure is the absence of legislation governing real estate transactions the real estate bill is now complete in draft and.

We will continue to consult with stakeholders on the current draft and then it will move the cabinet for onward transmission and then for onward transmission to Parliament so the real estate bill is completed and I will be.

Meeting I'll be circulating it to the stakeholders in a matter of these and we process the consultative process will continue as I said consultation is an important part of our governance and is an important part of our.

Legislative agenda so unlike what Dr gulzaran and the ghre are pontificating in the public domain we are a government that will continue to consult but we will do so in a structured way.

And when consultation becomes relevant unnecessary in a process so you don't consult simply for the purpose of consultation you consult so the engagement is a constructive and meaningful one consultation is not a sterile process it's a productive process so at the appropriate time we will consult.

This is where I have to see goodbye because by operator is signaling to me that we have run out of program time as usual we will have to extend this program at some point in time but for the time being now it's one hour and it was a pleasure to speak to you for the past hour I think that we have discussed a.

Number of issues I've tried to um deal with some of the issues that you have raised in your comments I hope that I did so adequately and please enjoy the rest of the evening and the rest of the week take care until we meet again next week hopefully.

And we will continue this this course thank you very much take care and enjoy the rest of the evening

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