Black Immigrant Daily News

After almost two years of waiting, the first batch of allottees in Phase One, Edinburgh, West Coast Demerara (WCD), this morning participated in a lot of identification exercise.

Some 65 persons were invited by the staff of the Survey Department of the Central Housing and Planning Authority (CH&PA) to identify their lot and boundary lines.

These persons were allocated lands in December 2020 at the first ever ‘Dream Realised’ event in Region Three (Essequibo Islands-West Demerara).

A total of 410 lots have been allocated. However, during an inspection of works earlier this month, Housing Minister Collin Croal was informed of some challenges facing the contractors. As a result of these challenges, there has been some delay in the pace at which infrastructure works are carried out.

Even as works are ongoing to make the remainder of the scheme available, the CH&PA has committed to start identifying lots with persons in phases.

The Ministry of Housing noted that by the end of September, allottees in Phase Two and Three will be able to access their land.

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The Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) at its statutory meeting held on Tuesday, appointed Beverley Critchlow as Assistant Chief Election Officer (ACEO).

In a statement, GECOM said Critchlow’s appointment emanated from a transparent process that involved all of the Members of the Commission, i.e. one in which all Commissioners were availed of the opportunity to interview all of the shortlisted candidates and, thereafter, indicate their respective choice to fill the position.

In this regard, having heard the submissions of all of the six the Commissioners relative to the candidate of their respective choice for the position of ACEO, Justice of Appeal (Ret’d) Claudette Singh, Chairperson of the Commission concluded that Critchlow’s qualification and experience, as well as her institutional knowledge, placed her at an advantage above the other candidates.

The newly appointed ACEO was employed with GECOM for 20 years and acted in the position as ACEO on multiple occasions, the most recent being 2017-2019.

The experience she garnered in the field of registration and electoral processes; having worked in different areas including but not limited to the registration of eligible non-resident persons, non-resident balloting, overseeing the operations of 29 Registration Offices and Sub Offices, preparation of Official Lists of Electors (OLE), extracting names of members of the disciplined forces from the OLE, make her eminently qualified for the post.

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Hurricane Fiona strengthened into a Category 4 storm Wednesday after devastating Puerto Rico, then lashing the Dominican Republic and the Turks and Caicos Islands. It was forecast to squeeze past Bermuda later this week.

The storm has been blamed for directly causing at least four deaths in its march through the Caribbean, where winds and torrential rain in Puerto Rico left a majority of people on the US territory without power or running water. Hundreds of thousands of people scraped mud out of their homes following what authorities described as “historic” flooding.

Power company officials initially said it would take a few days for electricity to be fully restored, but then appeared to backtrack late Tuesday night. Only 26 per cent had power as of Wednesday morning, three days after it hit the island.

“Hurricane Fiona has severely impacted electrical infrastructure and generation facilities throughout the island. We want to make it very clear that efforts to restore and reenergise continue and are being affected by severe flooding, impassable roads, downed trees, deteriorating equipment, and downed lines,” said Luma, the company that operates power transmission and distribution.

The hum of generators could be heard across the territory as people became increasingly exasperated. Some were still trying to recover from Hurricane Maria, which made landfall as a Category 4 storm five years ago, causing the deaths of an estimated 2,975 people.

Luis Noguera, who was helping clear a landslide in the central mountain town of Cayey, said Maria left him without power for a year. Officials themselves didn’t declare full resumption of service until 11 months after Maria hit.

“We paid an electrician out of our own pocket to connect us,” he recalled, adding that he doesn’t think the government will be of much help again after Fiona.

Long lines were reported at several gas stations across Puerto Rico, and some pulled off a main highway to collect water from a stream.

“We thought we had a bad experience with Maria, but this was worse,” said Gerardo Rodr?guez, who lives in the southern coastal town of Salinas.

Parts of the island had received more than 25 inches (64 centimetres) of rain and more had fallen on Tuesday.

By late Tuesday, authorities said they had restored power to nearly 380,000 of the island’s 1.47 million customers. Piped water service was initially knocked out for most of the Island’s users due to lack of power and turbid water at filtration plants, but 55 per cent had service Wednesday morning.

On Wednesday, the National Weather Service in San Juan issued a heat advisory for several cities because a majority of people on the island of 3.2 million remain without power.

The head of the Federal Emergency Management Agency traveled to Puerto Rico on Tuesday as the agency announced it was sending hundreds of additional personnel to boost local response efforts.

Meanwhile, the US Department of Health and Human Services declared a public health emergency on the island and deployed a couple of teams to the island.

In the Turks and Caicos Islands, officials reported minimal damage and no deaths despite the storm’s eye passing close to Grand Turk, the small British territory’s capital island, on Tuesday morning.

The government had imposed a curfew and urged people to flee flood-prone areas.

“Turks and Caicos had a phenomenal experience over the past 24 hours,” said Deputy Governor Anya Williams. “It certainly came with its share of challenges.”

The US National Hurricane Center said Fiona had maximum sustained winds of 130 mph (215 kph) on Wednesday morning and it was centered about 700 miles (1,125 kilometres) southwest of Bermuda, heading north at 8 mph (13 kph).

It was likely to approach Bermuda late Thursday or Friday and then Canada’s Atlantic provinces on Saturday.

The storm killed a man in the French overseas department of Guadeloupe, another man in Puerto Rico who was swept away by a swollen river and two people in the Dominican Republic: one killed by a falling tree and the other by a falling electric post.

Two additional deaths were reported in Puerto Rico as a result of the blackout. A 70-year-old man burned to death after he tried to fill his generator with gasoline while it was running and a 78-year-old man police say inhaled toxic gases emitted from his generator.

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By D?NICA COTO

Alejandro Granadillo contributed to this report.

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PDP Politcal leader Watson S Duke and THA Chief Sec Farley Augustine at the PDP Trinidad launch, Hyatt Regency, Port of Spain on May 1,2022. – JEFF K MAYERS

Political analyst Dr Indira Rampersad believes the widening rift between Progressive Democratic Patriots (PDP) political leader Watson Duke and THA Chief Secretary Farley Augustine could benefit the People’s National Movement (PNM) in the long run.

The PNM led the THA for 21 unbroken years before its 14-1 defeat to the PDP in the December 6, 2021 THA elections.

On Monday, Secretary for Health, Wellness and Social Protection Dr Faith BYisrael was sworn in as the assembly’s new Deputy Chief Secretary at President’s House, St Ann’s, replacing Duke, who resigned abruptly from the position last week Thursday.

Her election came after a public feud between Duke and Augustine over what he claimed was the latter’s failure to respond adequately to the plight of members of the Roxborough Folk Performers who had gone to perform at several events in New York.

Duke claimed the assembly did not provide enough funding to the group to cover expenses other than airfare. As a result, he charged, the members were stranded, stressed and hungry.

Augustine had denied the claims, saying the THA provided part-sponsorship for the group of $400,417.50 for airfare and other expenses.

The Chief Secretary later said he was reviewing Duke’s role as Deputy Chief Secretary, as he was not carrying out several of his responsibilities.

Duke responded by firing Augustine, BYisrael and Alicia Roberts-Patterson as deputy political leaders.

Rampersad, a lecturer in the Department of Political Science, UWI, St Augustine, said Duke’s actions has placed the PDP in a precarious position, socially, politically and economically.

Saying he had virtually crossed the floor as an independent, Rampersad said she has seen polls which suggest there is support for both men.

She added if some PDP members decide to support Duke by sitting alongside him on the opposite side of the chamber, that could have serious implications for passing bills and the smooth operations of the THA and would affect the wider society.

“This is the social impact, because the party holds the THA together,” she said.

Rampersad also recalled that the PDP was hoping to capture the two Tobago parliamentary seats in the next general election

“That is now in jeopardy, because whenever there is a split, the PNM emerges the winner. So the PNM must be smelling like a rose, and ultimately they stand to benefit from all of this.”

Rampersad also noted that Duke made several damning corruption allegations against Augustine, to which he must respond.

Augustine told reporters on Monday he plans to sue Duke. He added he has already consulted with his attorneys, who include a King’s Counsel.

Observing that Duke and Augustine have different personalities and leadership styles, Rampersad said mediation is one option through which the two could come together for the benefit of the party and THA.

“Farley Augustine is a new kid on the block in many ways in the political arena, while Watson Duke has much more experience and is more strategic and astute politically, more of a hardline politician. Farley was groomed by Duke and is really his protege.

“The best thing for them, if they want to move forward politically and in the best interest of Tobago, if they want to be politically successful as what they had done before, is to mend their differences.”

She said many people had approached them to do so “because they recognise that ultimately it is going to be the people of Tobago that will suffer.”

Rampersad said while Augustine, the assemblyman for Parlatuvier/ L’Anse Fourmi/Speyside, has grown politically in terms of his leadership of the THA, it does not mean he would get overwhelming support in Tobago should a THA or general election be called.

“If he thinks that, he is misguided. The THA is important for the people of Tobago, the general election is important for Trinidad and Tobago. The people of Tobago will be concerned about both, because their fortunes rest on both.

“So if this thing does not mend and heal properly, the only solution is that there must be a mediator, formally or informally. They have to work together. Many politicians have put their differences aside in the interest of the party. And if you want to stay in power you have to do what you have to do. Power is the name of the game.”

Rampersad also believes Duke’s resignation as Deputy Chief Secretary was hasty: “Because it is always easier to fight from inside. I think he should have waited a while before resigning.”

She believes Duke’s decision to fire Augustine as a deputy leader was also premature.

“Those decisions were too hasty and too rash because of the mammoth implications.”

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