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File photo: Karen Nunez-Tesheira. –

FORMER PNM government minister Karen Nunez-Tesheira has expressed concerns about the voting process for the party’s internal elections on December 4.

Nunez-Tesheira is challenging the Prime Minister for the post of PNM political leader in those elections. Dr Rowley has been PNM political leader since 2010.

In a letter to PNM internal election committee chairman Anthony Roberts, Nunez-Tesheira said, “It is a matter of grave concern, as it is my understanding, that the voting by qualified registrants, is to be conducted over two days – November 26 and 27 2022 and again on December 4, almost a week later and on the same date of the national executive elections.”

She claimed this ” amounts to nine days as the counting of the votes cast will not occur until the final day set aside for voting.”

While there is no express by-law or rule that the voting process should be completed in one day, Nunez-Tesheira said, “It has been the practice and custom from the very inception of the party that the voting would be so completed and votes immediately counted in the presence of appointed representatives.”

She said, this process “becomes even more baffling” in light of the fact that in general elections in TT and elsewhere, hundreds of thousands of people vote in one day.

But Nunez-Tesheira added, “I expect that there is sound rationale for adopting a one-day voting process on which the Elections and Boundaries Commission (EBC) can shed light.”

She asked about the arrangements to secure the storage of the ballot boxes during the one-week interval to December 4 “so at ensure that there is no opportunity for tampering with the boxes.”

Nunez-Tesheira was also concerned about what she said is a requirement regarding new registrants who want to vote.

“I was told it was three months, but I sought confirmation from one of the senior officers at Balisier House responsible for the voting process.”

She claimed to have been told new applications are sent to Balisier House, where a decision is made as to who qualifies or not as a registrant for the purpose of being added to the final list of voters.

Nunez-Tesheira said she was not privy to the guidelines for this.

“The process seems intrinsically flawed and lacking in the basic tenets of transparency and objectivity.”

She claimed this could facilitate ” a form of cherry-picking of potential registrants which can only lead to speculations as to the very integrity of this important aspect of the process.”

Nunez-Tesheira was particularly concerned about an alleged “lack of communication and/or timely communication as to the electoral requirements.”

She said this included “the availability and locations of the requisite forms and the publication of clear and settled guidelines for new registrants.”.

On the basis of her concerns, Nunez-Tesheira called on the PNM ‘s executive keep to “to its time-honoured electoral process of one day of voting and (ensure) that the relevant voting information be communicated and published in a timely and easily accessible manner.”

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Black Immigrant Daily News

Provisions will soon be made in Guyana’s legislation to allow for the development of Multi-Hazard Early Warning Systems (MHEWS) in Guyana.

MHEWS can address several hazards and/or impacts of a similar or different type in situations where hazardous events may occur alone, simultaneously, cascading or cumulatively over time, taking into account the potential interrelated effects.

These developments will be made possible through targeted investments by the government, which will be allocated to improving Early Warning Systems in Guyana.

Speaking Thursday at the opening of the Improving Multi-Hazard Early Warning Systems’ Governance Consultation with National Disaster Risk Management Offices in the Caribbean workshop, Prime Minister, Brigadier (ret’d) Mark Phillips, said the consultation is an important one for the country.

“The importance of Multi-Hazard Early Warning Systems for national and local government cannot be underscored. It is important that we have this consultation on a regular basis so that a country like Guyana can update and improve on what we are doing in the areas of Early Warning, because as you heard before, early warning saves lives, and if we can forecast and we can warn people at an early time of any upcoming disaster, it can also minimise the damage that people suffer during times of disaster,” he said at the event held at the Herdmanston Lodge.

The prime minister noted that Guyana’s vulnerability to multi-hazards, specifically floods and droughts, has been further exacerbated by climate change.

As such, the development of early warning systems that are end-to-end and people-centred is critical at this time.

“The government is committed to ensuring these provisions in our legislation to support the Early Warning Systems. Guyana’s efforts at improving Information and Communication Technology (ICT) will allow us to transition to a better system of what is termed impact-based forecasting. Our plans to ensure that Multi-Hazard Early Warning Systems, however, will be based on sound scientific and technical approaches that are centred around those in our society who are most at risk or most vulnerable,” the prime minister relayed.

He assured that plans for improving and digitising risk data across all sectors, while simultaneously considering the changing reality and potential for the development of new multi-hazard risks will be addressed.

“We are committed to ensuring that all our efforts are aligned with Guyana’s country work programme, our Low Carbon Development Strategy 2030, CDEMA’s Comprehensive Disaster Management Strategy, and the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction.”

PM Phillips said lessons learnt from previous disasters in Guyana and around the region will be incorporated into the government’s approach to mitigating the negative effects caused by a disaster.

Guyana’s goal is to have a robust and comprehensive system of hazard monitoring that will enable individuals, communities, the government, and the business sector in Guyana to take timely action to reduce disaster risk.

As such, the Prime Minister reiterated, the consultation is considered a crucial initiative, and the outcome of the workshops will be incorporated into the framework to improve governance as it pertains to disaster risk reduction in Guyana.

The two-day workshop aims to revise existing governance mechanisms in the Caribbean region to identify good practices and recommendations to monitor and manage multi-hazard early warning systems.

Representatives from the World Bank, the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR), the Guyana Civil Defence Commission (CDC), Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency (CDEMA) and the World Meteorological Organisation (WMO) are participating.

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The Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA) has won a court battle against SOL Guyana Inc., and the fuel importer will now have to pay to the GRA a whopping $2.7 billion in taxes owed for fuel importation.

In a statement issued on Thursday, GRA said the judgment was obtained against the company for corporation tax owed to the tune of $2,713,212,251, together with penalties and interest applicable until the debt has been completely paid.

It has been revealed that in another matter involving GRA and SOL, a High Court Judge had last Friday refused an application made by the fuel importer for an Order seeking an extension of time to file a corporate tax appeal against the Revenue Authority in relation to taxes calculated in several Years of Assessment that were raised and maintained pursuant to the provisions of the Income and Corporation Tax Acts.

The Court ruled that SOL Guyana Inc. failed to satisfy the precondition for a tax appeal, as set out by Section 98 of the Income Tax Act. The Revenue Authority had argued, among other things, that the company has no right of appeal under Section 86 of the said Act, and that no extension of time beyond the lapse of the statutory period could be considered where there is no right of appeal.

Further, the Court has ruled that “the full payment of disputed taxes or the lodging of a bond or a guarantee to the satisfaction of the Commissioner-General is a precondition before the right of appeal against an assessment under the Income Tax Act can be exercised.”

Moreover, it was found by the Court that Sol’s failure to secure and place a bond before the Commissioner-General for him to determine whether or not it is to his satisfaction, pursuant to Section 98, at the time they requested one to be lodged, has frustrated the Company’s right of appeal in the circumstances.

Back in March of this year, it was revealed that GRA was investigating SOL for importing and clearing millions of litres of fuel at duty-free rates for ExxonMobil’s local affiliate, Esso Exploration and Production Guyana Limited (EEPGL), but was failing to deliver the fuel to the oil company. EEPGL is entitled to tax exemption on fuel imported for its operations.At the time, GRA had claimed that SOL owed $2.6 billion in taxes by abusing EEPGL’s exemption letters.

“SOL Guyana Inc. utilised EEPGL’s tax exemption letters to import and enter quantities of Gasoil…at a lower rate of Excise Tax, and failed to deliver the full amounts to [EEPGL] as required…This act in itself is a flagrant disregard of the laws administered, and the Revenue Authority will not condone and allow the Government revenues to be used as ‘turnovers’ or in any such manner,” Stabroek News had quoted from a letter, dated March 9, sent to SOL from GRA.

Further reports at the time had revealed that SOL had allegedly committed similar acts; that is, by failing to deliver the full quantities of fuel it imported for other major companies operating in Guyana.

SOL had denied the accusations made by GRA, saying in a subsequent statement that “…SOL categorically denies these false, highly misleading, and damaging allegations.”Moreover, the fuel importer had noted that it has worked collaboratively with GRA and has systems in place to ensure its compliance at all times.

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