Speeches in the National Assembly

Mdm. Deputy Speaker [Mrs. Backer]: Thank you Sir, and to educate my colleague Dr. Ramsaran I can indicate that my full name is Deborah Jan Osman Backer or Deborah Jan Backer nee Osman.
Sir, I rise, like my colleagues on this side of the House, to make my contribution to the budget debate of 2013. I would immediately move to my remit which is that of foreign affairs.
A Partner for National Unity, (APNU)'s position on Guyana's sovereignty and territorial integrity remains constant. In other words, APNU continues to stand shoulder to shoulder with the Government, with the Alliance For Change (AFC), with civil society and, I suspect, with all Guyanese in defence of all eighty-three thousand square miles of this country that is ours and we love dearly. While we know, Sir, that the claims of both Venezuela and Suriname are unfounded we must redouble our diplomatic efforts to resolve them. They must continuously be with us, those efforts, as I said, to resolve them.
During the Budget 2012 debate we called on the Government of Guyana to move with dispatch to bring an end to the illegal Corentyne crossing. We posited then and we do so, again, that it is dangerous to life; it compromises our territorial integrity; it facilitates the movement of both people and goods, most recently some allegation of gold bars, perhaps, crossing our eastern border. In responding to that call, the Hon. Minister of Foreign Affairs did say that, as recent as a few days ago, a meeting was planned for the end of June 2012 to further discuss the systems. I understand that the Hon. Minister has the privilege of speaking immediately after me and she will, I am sure, give us an update on that issue.
We are aware that at the 201st observance of Venezuela's independence on the 5th July, of last year, both Guyana and Venezuela recommitted to the good offices process of the United Nations Secretary General to address the border controversy. APNU, Sir, like all of Guyana, is also aware that the late President Hugo Chavez was very instrumental in keeping the Guyana/Venezuela border issue on the back-burner. With his untimely death on the 5'h March, 2013, and the rumblings in the recent past from the opposition in Venezuela about the need to determine this long outstanding issue, we urge this Government to continue to ensure that Caribbean Community (CARICOM) countries are fully mobilised and stand behind us. We know that at every Heads of Government meeting, the most recent being the 33rd last year in St. Lucia, support was given and stated, but, Sir, APNU says this particularly in the context of the evolving world, and  even, as we speak today, several of our CARICOM members belong to other regional bodies. For example, Bolivarian Alliance for the Peoples of Our America (ALBA) in which Venezuela is a major player and, of course, many of our CARICOM sisters, like Guyana, have PretoCaribe agreements with Venezuela. We need, as we continue to mobilise CARICOM, to be cognizant of that change in landscape and ensure that CARICOM re-commits, irrespective of its involvement with other bodies, on Guyana/Venezuela controversy and stands 100% alongside of Guyana.
It is worthwhile to note – I go now to our relations with Venezuela and Brazil - that the decision of the then Government of Guyana to establish an embassy in Brazil in 1969 drew the ire of the PPP. Indeed, in a press release in August, 1969, the PPP proclaimed, and I quote, "The latest waste of public funds is the setting up of an Embassy in Brazil." The PPP on that occasion also called for the condemnation of the Government of Guyana for aligning Guyana with reactionary foes.
We on this side of the House, and I suspect quietly even the PPP Government, now salute, even quietly and in dark places, our visionary leader, LFS Burnham, for having such outstanding foresight. In the field of foreign diplomacy, he stands, today, in Guyana, and I dare say in the Caribbean, unmatched. It is, perhaps, no wonder that he was voted Caribbean's Man of the 20th century.
Today, Sir, our relationship with Brazil is strong and we are happy that it continues that way. We note in that context, the recent meeting in February, 2013, of the joint working group on infrastructure between Guyana and Brazil, where such projects as the upgrade of the Guyana/Lethem road and the deep water port, which we see is now being moved to the Berbice River, and other projects were discussed. We want to also note that Mr. Winston Brassington of National Industrial and Commercial Investment Limited (NICIL) and Marriott fame is the chairperson of this working group.
There is already a steady trade between Region 9 and north eastern-Brazil. With Lethem being our "frontier town" it must be properly and systematically developed to enhance trade and tourism between our countries. The upgrade of electricity to a 24 by seven by 365 is therefore an absolute prerequisite. Presently Lethem is divided into three areas. Two of them get eight hours of electricity per day and one has 20 hours of electricity per day. We say upgrade Lethem, as soon as possible, to 24 by seven by 365.
April 14th, of this year, is important to Guyana for two reasons, and I turn now to Venezuela. First, on that day Venezuela will hold its national elections. This is important because should the Opposition be victorious at the polls our PetroCaribe agreement may well be re-evaluated and the Venezuela/Guyana border controversy may be moved to the front burner. We do not know.
The second reason why the 14th April is important to Guyana is because on that day I will be 54 years of age. I could not find my birth certificate, but I am sure I will be able to lay it over as an exhibit.
It is difficult for APNU to overstate the value of the PetroCaribe agreement to Guyana. Under this agreement Guyana receives approximately 50 % of its oil and pays partly by rice and by paddy. That is well documented on page 13 of the Budget 2013 presentation. I do not think anyone would want to dispute that. In that context, it is also worth noting that Venezuela is now Guyana's biggest creditor. Should the incumbent President Maduro win on 14th April – I said that it is an important day – our relationship with Venezuela vis-à-vis border and PetroCaribe may also change. We do not know. What we are saying is that we expect, and we hope, that, as a responsible Ministry, our Ministry and expert staff are, even as we meet here today, discussing contingency plans.
The survival and, indeed, re-engineering of CARICOM remain an absolute prerequisite to all of us. We are all aware that foreign policy coordination is one of the guiding principles of CARICOM. We note that foreign policy coordination was an important agenda item on the 33rd Conference of Heads of Government held in St. Lucia in July, last year.  The Council for Foreign and Community Relations (COFCOR) is one of the organs of CARICOM. According to the revised Treaty of Chaguaramas, COFCOR is among other things responsible for coordinating the community's foreign policy “in order to arrive at common positions in relation to third states, groups of states and relevant inter-governmental organisations.”
As the former Minister of Foreign Affairs Dr. Rudy Insanally stated in his book, Multilateral Diplomacy for Small State:
“By combining their individual strengths and unifying their representation developing countries can and, indeed, have been able to maximise their gains.”
The truth is that in recent years a coordinated foreign policy has not been, we respectfully submit, one of the success stories of CARICOM. There was  the recent Falkland Islands issue where CARICOM has flip-flopped in the face of pressure, first from Argentina and ALBA and then from the United Kingdom (UK).
On this area of a non-unifying position on the 3rd August, 2012, the United Nations (UN)  voted on a resolution condemning Syria for its indiscriminate use of heavy weapons in civilian areas:133 members voted yes, 12 against and 31 abstained. Guyana was among a few CARICOM countries which abstained while Barbados, Belize, Grenada and a few others voted yes. This vote is particularly glaring when one positions it in the context that it took place at about one month after the 33rd Heads of Government Meeting in St. Lucia. This is what heads in St. Lucia said: “Emphasising that foreign policy coordination was not only a guiding principle for CARICOM but a necessary tool to achieve effectiveness in foreign policy matters. The heads said that in July, and in August some will go so and some would have gone so. I do not know where the winners were. I believe none of us were winners.
Similarly, in November, 2012 on the issue of the upgrade of the Palestinian state to that of a non-member observer, 12 CARICOM countries, including Guyana, rightly, we say in this case, voted for and three abstained.
Let me say, unequivocally, that APNU is in no way seeking to either dictate or, in fact, to even interfere with the sovereignty of our sister CARICOM states. What we are simply saying is that CARICOM would be more effective on the world stage of foreign diplomacy as a single bloc. That is the point we want to make. CARICOM will observe its 40th anniversary this year. Some may say it is on 4'h July when Treaty of Chaguaramas was signed or some will say it is on 1st August, when it came into force. It may be a good time for all members, including Guyana, to pause and reflect on the goal, when forming CARICOM, which was “Unite their economies and give them a joint presence in the international scene.”
We support CARICOM. We have said that ad nauseam and we continue to do so, but we must be aware of its shortcomings and we must be… I cannot say be man enough. We must be woman enough and man enough…   [Mr. Ali: We must be people enough.]   We must be people enough - thank  you very much - to stand shoulder to shoulder and accept that all are not perfect, but also  to accept that we cannot do without CARICOM. 
We always hear chants from the PPP/C and last night the latest chanter was the Hon. Member Bishop Edghill. The chant usually goes around this point that they are a moral beacon and the 33 miscreants are trying to… He did not use that particular word but, Sir, I want to draw to the House’s attention how the Government has, on three recent occasions, misused international organisations for its own narrow political gains.
One is economic and the second two are political. The photocopying scam, that is what I call it. [Mr. Neendkumar: What happened to the Globe Trust scam?]   Sir, I understand that my colleague wants to make a statement on Globe Trust, would we allow him now, Sir?
Mr. Speaker: Go ahead Mrs. Backer. He did not seem to take up the offer.
Mrs. Backer: Because, Sir, I wanted him to include family. Guyana is a member of the World Intellectual Property Organisation and is a signatory to the Berne Convention and the Universal Copyright Convention. It also, domestically, has an existing Act of 1956 which altogether makes photocopying illegal - unlawful.
Mr. Speaker: One second. I may have the Clerk cover that photocopying machine that is outside.
Mrs. Backer: It is save and except when it happens in the National Assembly. Despite this, the Government of Guyana, through the Ministry of Education, invited firms to bid and supply "pirated" text books. In justification of this abomination, Dr. Luncheon said this, Stabroek News, 13th September:
"We go to tender and the two things that we are obsessed about in terms of policy is about the quality and the second one, we are satisfied, is price.
We do not supply these things to ourselves.”
If it was not so amazingly unlawful it might even be ridiculous. Dr. Luncheon said:
“You could be a publisher with a copyright and you could offer to sell me this book for one dollar. My friend is a good photocopy artist and he could sell me the book for ten cents. All of you are going to bid, but who do you think is going to get it?”
That was why he kept on stressing on the words quality and price. Basically, the honourable doctor was saying, “So what? Put the law wherever you want to.”
This is the vintage PPP/C. Instead of running up and down the court steps, like Wee Willy Winkle, only to be rejected again and again, the Hon. Attorney General should have advised the Government on the law.   [Mr. Greenidge: How could you call the man Wee Willie Winkle?]    I said it is like… where one wonders was our dear subject Minister, Minister Manickchand, who is also a lawyer, when Cabinet made this ghastly decision.
Mr. Greenidge in a letter to Stabroek News of 28th October…  [Mr. Ali: The Hon.]   It is the Hon. the most honourable … reminded us that what this Government should be doing is to encourage, as far as possible, locally written texts and he referred to both the late Professor Leslie Cummings and, our own, the late Deryck Bernard who both wrote geography texts for our schools. In Trinidad and Jamaica there is a vibrant local text books unit where their own people write books. They do not have to photocopy and break the laws in their country, but Guyana is a strange place.
In December, 2005, the Hon. Minister, whose name I will not call, when he was shadowing the Minister of Foreign Affairs, said that there would have soon been the tabling of a modern Copyright Bill. But, Sir, you know our position. We do not really want to hear from him but that is another story.
To sum up this sordid matter, I can do no better than to quote the last paragraph of the Stabroek News editorial of 16th September, 2012, entitled, “Rabbit Hole”, which states:
“If Dr. Luncheon and the entire Cabinet have not fallen down the rabbit    hole into a through the Looking-Glass world then the rest of us are all mad hatters.”
In which it would include you, Sir.
We go now to the second infraction, the second misuse - this one is our international regional body - the Organisation of American States (OAS). On the 3rd August, 2012 the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, an autonomous body of the OAS, issued a stinging criticism of the state and police of Guyana over the killing of three protestors in Linden on 18th July, 2012. That would have got some people, including their adviser on governance, mad. To try to save face, the Government hastily dispatched Ambassador Bayney Karran to Washington, in the second half of August, 2012, to brief the OAS Permanent Council on the Linden crisis and the shape of things since general elections.
The complaint was about the 18th July, 2012, but the Government went to talk about elections. Sir, I must let you know that both yourself and myself were featured in that address. We are stars. The Stabroek News of 27th August, 2012 stated   [Mr. Ali: Who said that?]    I am coming to the actual words.
“Whatever the reason for recourse to the OAS the informed and discerning Guyanese man/woman in the street will see it as a further recognition that the Government refuses to accept that it has lost control of the Parliament and its vast powers all in keeping with the provision of the Constitution. Why else would the Ambassador advise the Permanent Council about cuts to the budget by virtue of the one-seat majority? Why would he cite the election of the Speaker of Parliament and Deputy from the ranks of the Opposition? Why would he refer to the domination of the Parliamentary Committees by the Opposition and…?”
[An Hon. Member: Who said that?]    It was Mr.  Bayney Karran.
The source was when he attended the OAS in late August. That is how the Government is beginning to use the international bodies that we are parties to. There is a last one, so it was not a mistake. It is the United Nations Rights of the Child Committee.
January of this year the Guyana's delegation appeared before the United Nations Rights of the Child Committee, represented by none other than the Government's adviser on governance and the Hon. Minister of Human Services and Social Security, Minister Webster, whom I suggest was a silent partner in this fiasco. I want to quote from the Kaieteur News of Saturday, 16th February. The headline is “3,000 girls leave school annually because of pregnancy”, but somewhere in that leaving of school and pregnancy this is what I suspect the honourable adviser said:
“Meanwhile the Government told the UN Committee that the greatest threat to the protection and promotion of children rights and equal access to service is emerging from the threat of the Parliamentary Democracy threat posed by the Opposition dictatorship of one.”
The reason why there is the problem with the 3,000 girls leaving school because of pregnancy is because of the dictatorship of one in the Parliament. This is quotation. That is why my learned….
Ms. Teixeira: I do not have any problem with the Hon. Member quoting me and quoting any document that is publicly available, posted on the UN website, that has the exact record of what took place in Geneva. However, to quote Stabroek News as the paragon of virtue and truth in what I have said is not correct. The Hon. Member can go to the UN document, which is publicly posted, and quote from me or the Government of Guyana at any time.
Mr. Speaker: Hon. Members, from the time that I was a Member of Parliament we have been using newspapers, and even during this debate newspapers have been used. What the Member has been doing was quoting from what a newspaper is reporting. The Hon. Member was quoting from a newspaper and that is quite appropriate. I personally was sent a copy of the presentation from Geneva, but that could be made available. I see nothing wrong with quoting from one of the known established dailies in Guyana, whether it is right, it is just the opinion of the newspaper.
Mrs. Backer: No Sir. It is more than just the opinion because it is in parenthesis. I have also seen the UN report and I am satisfied that it is the true and correct reflection. I challenge my colleague to prove me wrong.
Ms. Teixeira: Mr. Speaker, the Mdm. Deputy Speaker is not just quoting from the newspaper, she is making a deduction. The issue, Sir, is that the link between teenage pregnancies and the quote on parliamentary democracy in the document are about 50 pages apart. Stabroek News has a right to make it looks as if it is linked, but in the official document the reference on teenage pregnancy is 50 pages away from the final paragraph where that part is quoted.
Mr. Speaker: Hon. Members, just a few evenings ago, when Mr. Trevor Williams was making his presentation, the Minister of Natural Resources and Environment did say that what was reflected in the Kaieteur News was not accurate and I allow the Minister to bring another document and to lay that. To say that we cannot read from what was reported already, I cannot uphold that but I will allow the official or complete record to be read into the transcript if that is desired.
Mrs. Backer: Thank you Sir. This is in uplifted commas; it is a direct quote and I will repeat it.
“The greatest threat to the protection and promotion of children right and equal access to services and the potential for the reversal of the democratic and socio-economic gains is emerging from the threat of the Parliamentary Democracy posed by the Opposition dictatorship of one in the Parliament.”
We condemn, in the strongest possible language, this misused of these organisations which are funded by taxpayers money. The flight of the Government, this is apparent flight from reality, were I in other place, I would refer to it in stronger language.
I want to turn to trade facilitation and investment. While continuing to seek trade and investment opportunities with our traditional trading partners Guyana, in APNU's opinion, quite correctly continues, to look both south and east for new trading partners. We are fortunate that in the case of China that economic giant has, if not come to us, met us halfway. We are aware that in recent years China has invested in several CARICOM states in the form of loans, grants and also in mega construction projects. While addressing the 33rd Heads of Government Meeting in July, last year, the honourable Prime Minister of St. Lucia said that China was on course to becoming the world's largest economy and a superpower in its own right within a few years. He said this: “The reality that beholds us is that global growth will be determined by decisions made largely in Beijing.”
A united CARICOM approach, in terms of trade and investment, would, we believe, have been ideal. The reality is that with CARICOM not having a unified one China policy, we must negotiate on a country to country basis with China. Sir, last year we stated, and it is found at page1564 of the Hansard the budget debates of 2012, this about China:
“We note the appointment of the High Commissioner, Professor David Dabydeen, in China and urge that in the implementation of our trade and investment agreements with China shared values, based on our laws, are central to all agreements with this great country.”
I restate that. I say that the agreement between the Government of Guyana, through the company that was set up, and the Shanghai Construction Group, reference to the construction of the Marriott Hotel, did not proceed on these two principles.  I know that, you, I respectfully submit, Sir, know that and in fact, I think, all of us here know that.
Sir, sometimes I worry - I wrote this out before the latest outburst - about my friend the most Hon. Member Ms. Gail Teixeira. Since 2011, she does not appear to be at her best and sometimes she not only misses the boat, she misses the entire river. Sometimes the boat is in the Berbice River and she is in the Essequibo River. I am glad that they are up. I want to say that we have no quarrel. The APNU has no quarrel with, and indeed welcomes, Chinese investors to our shores, and has done so since the PNC Government in 1972 established diplomatic ties with the People’s Republic of China. China is now our second biggest creditor behind Venezuela and we have the highest regard for that great country. Rather than shedding crocodile tears and speaking, I will go back to my favourite newspaper, my last quote, most Hon. Member Ms. Teixeira, the Stabroek News, Tuesday, 19th February, 2013, page 3. Adviser on governance said this:
“Everyone is up in arms but it smells stink because it smells of racism…”
These are her words. It is a nice picture, though, to kind of neutralise those very harsh words.
“…It smells of anti-nationality. We do not seem to have that problem with the companies that are coming in that are bringing non-Chinese.”
That is why, sometimes, I worry about her not only missing the boat, but the entire river. The fact is that we have been constant in our support for investment with the Chinese and we open that trade corridor just over 40 years ago. We want to say that if this Government is truly serious about foreign trade and large companies coming to Guyana then there is simply no way of avoiding the issue of industrial relations as a key facet of our investment promotion policy. We have to have a proper modern investment promotion policy that involves industrial relations. We cannot wish it away and go running here and there, helter-skelter, depending on who is bringing what to us.
The capacity of our Ministry of Foreign Affairs, I now turn briefly to. There are three programme heads: Development of Foreign Policy, Foreign Policy Promotion, Development of Foreign Trade Policy. Last year we asked about the Foreign Service Institute and the general training of staff and we were told that certain arrangements/agreements were hopefully going to be concluded with certain diplomatic academies. We hope that in her presentation, the Hon. Minister, whom I have the highest regard for and have never had the cause to say anything less than complimentary about her…  [Ms. Teixeira: She has not missed the boat.]   She grew up alongside, both sides, I suspect, and that is meant as a compliment. We are extremely happy that that Mr. Kellawan Lall has been replaced as Guyana's Ambassador to Brazil. We congratulate our new Ambassador Ms. Merlene Udho on her appointment. Last year we called, we begged, we did not cry, for the removal of both Ambassador Lall and High Commissioner Gagraj.
One of the two is gone. We look forward to when the bigger one, the Hon. Ambassador Mr. Gagraj, will follow suit. In the last year the Government launched several diaspora projects, but my colleague will deal with them, Ms. Africo Selman.
I want to turn briefly to recommendations. Just over a decade ago, on July the 4th, 2001, the report of the Border National Security Committee was - I see, Sir, you are looking at me - submitted and that committee included Mr. Ralph Ramkarran, who was one of the co-chairmen, Brigadier (Ret’d) David Granger another co-chairman and, Sir, I see a Mr. Raphael Trotman, Attorney-at-law, I believe that is yourself. That committee made some very strong recommendations that I dare say, and we feel, are just as relevant or perhaps even more relevant now than they were. It spoke very briefly, I say, about a bipartisan approach on border issues which we are in complete agreement and we stand ready, as I have said.
They spoke about the engagement of Ministers and shadowed Ministers responsible for border and national security matters to be formally established. It spoke about a bipartisan process which could be supported by the technical-academic component in the form of an Institute of Border Studies, a strengthen frontier unit of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to review or consolidate existing institutions where they overlapped.  Those recommendations are even more relevant, or just as relevant as they were, and we commit them for approval.
We need to enhance the foreign language capacity of the Ministry’s staff. On a personal note - it is not an APNU belief; this is my personal belief - Guyana should be moving towards making Spanish its official second language by the year 2025. We need a long time, but we have to look at the future. As I said, this is my personal opinion, but I hope it will take fruit. We need to initiate a quicker negotiation with CARICOM countries on the possibility of sharing overseas mission, in terms of expenses. The Hon. Minister and His Excellency the President spoke about that when there were the Heads of Mission here last year. I think it was in July. We need to make Guyana…
Sir, had I not told the House my age, I would have called it youthful enthusiasm but at 54 years I cannot claim that.
Mr. Speaker: A senior moment, it is called.
Mrs. Backer: Sir, we need to make Guyana…Why cannot our Minister of Foreign Affairs be the change agent within the council for foreign affairs at CARICOM? We need, Minister, a synchronised foreign policy. Why Guyana cannot become - that is our challenge to the Minister - that change agent on behalf of all the people of Guyana?
We need to work inter-Ministry to make sure that the proposal of legislation, which we heard about in the budget, becomes a reality so that people wanting to do trade with Guyana will know where to go. We need to put, Sir, a rational rotation for our Heads of Mission. I am formally now, on behalf of APNU, asking the Hon. Minister to lay in this House a strategic plan for her Ministry. It will be a five-year strategic plan for this most critical and sensitive Ministry in this National Assembly. Lastly, we should seek to conclude arrangements with Suriname to bring an end to the illegal crossing between our countries.
I want to make one reference to something that was said yesterday by the Hon. Member Bishop Edghill, “Government developing code of conduct”, and he went through a whole thing. We, on APNU side, want to challenge him on one thing, on behalf of his Government, and it is to get the Ministers, individually, to submit to a polygraph test.
Mr. Speaker: Hon. Member, I do not know, maybe all of us…
Mrs. Backer: Sir, it is just a suggestion. The Guyana Energy Agency, Customs Anti-Narcotics Unit (CANU) officers… We are suggesting a polygraph test for all Ministers of Government. [Interruption]
Mr. Speaker: I believe all Members will have to subscribe to that.
Mrs. Backer: I just want to slip that in before I conclude, because I want to conclude on a very serious note. That is serious, but I want it to be on a non-confrontational note, I should say. We, APNU, have campaigned on a system of government called “shared governance”. I believe, now, that this Government is beginning slowly to recognise the advantages of such a system. Sir, you remarked yesterday that everybody forgot who he or she was as we rushed to help our falling brother. Luckily it was only temporarily a fallen. Why we cannot, in this House, if Mrs. Backer, who people wrongfully say, if I may say, is very confrontational, genuinely say let us work together?
Let us start with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and let us go to the other Ministries - we do not know which Minister we will find if the polygraph test goes through - let us work together, so that together we can move this country, which we love so much, forward.
Sir, I rest my case. Thank you. [Applause]