Guyana security forces ‘fully prepared’ for any ‘coup mischief’

GEORGETOWN — The security forces of Guyana, army and police, are “fully prepared” to respond to any “coup mischief” as has been rumoured for today, Emancipation Day, according to the head of the Guyana Defence Force, Brigadier Michael Atherly.

The army chief, who heads the Joint Services Co-ordinating Committee that comprises the army and the Guyana Police Force, made his warning in the wake of rumours that have been circulating since last weekend of a likely coup attempt to overthrow the People’s Progressive Party/Civic government of President Bharrat Jagdeo.

Though no party or any particular group has been fingered, the general feeling has been to suspect the main opposition People’s National Congress (PNC) because it is on record as declaring that it would make the country “ungovernable” and due to its involvement in protest demonstrations from which flowed criminal activities and attacks on civilians and government property.

The PNC itself has not issued any media statement or reacted publicly to the rumours, even after Police Commissioner Floyd McDonald said that the police force was very much aware of claims of “a coup planned for August 1 (today)” and warned that “adequate arrangements” were being put in place to prevent such an eventuality.

As President Jagdeo was preparing to leave yesterday to visit Jamaica as a guest of the Government for Independence celebrations, Brigadier Atherly was telling the local media that the security forces had “no concrete evidence” of a coup plot but stressed that they were ready for action “should any of the rumours show signs of materialising”.

But the army chief said that the coup rumours had “created fear in the minds of the civil population and some Guyanese who were scheduled to return home to participate in Emancipation Day activities have cancelled their plans”.

Guyana today, will mark 168 years of emancipation from slavery, an event that is also being observed by a range of cultural and other activities across the Caribbean Community.

A spokesman for the President’s Office said that the president’s visit to Jamaica had nothing to do with the coup rumours and he is expected back home today to participate in a major Emancipation Day event at the National Park in Georgetown.

Panday to pay Gordon for libel expenses

PORT-OF-SPAIN — Basdeo Panday, leader of the United National Congress and former prime minister is to pay the big media entrepreneur of Trinidad and Tobago, Ken Gordon, TT$250,000 (approximately US$42,000) to cover legal costs incurred by the Caribbean Communications Network’s (CCN’s) chairman arising from libel suit filed against the controversial political leader.

On October 11, 2000, Justice Peter Jamadar had awarded Gordon TT$696,854 (TT$6=US$1) in damages after he found that Panday had slandered the CCN chairman when he labelled him a “pseudo racist”.

Panday appealed the award of damages and, as a condition, was ordered to deposit two-thirds of the award in damages into an interest-bearing fixed deposit account at First Citizens Bank as part of the agreement to get a stay of execution of the judgement.

The judge also ordered Panday to pay Gordon’s legal costs. But with the order issued by the assistant registrar of the Supreme Court, Robin Mohammed, for the UNC leader to now pay the legal costs incurred, Panday’s lawyer, Dennis Gurley of the law firm of JD Sellier and Company, said he was reviewing Mohammed’s order since certain amounts billed had earlier been disallowed.

Jobs loss fears in Barbados

BRIDGETOWN — Fears of further job losses in the public and private sectors in Barbados as a consequence of an economic decline have increased following the latest quarterly review of the state of the economy on Tuesday by governor of the Central Bank, Dr Marion Williams.

Governor Williams said that the economy declined by some 3.2 per cent during the first half of this year mainly as a consequence of the fall-off in the tourism, agricultural and construction sectors, although manufacturing expanded by just below one per cent.

She admitted that the “economy is in recession, but not in crisis” and the depressed economic conditions had resulted in the unemployment rate rising a full one percentage point to 10.3 per cent during the first quarter of 2002.

According to the Central Bank governor, there was a net contraction of 2,200 jobs; noting that employment losses in agriculture, manufacturing and construction exceeded growth in government and the financial and business services sector.

Governor Williams said that while there were reasons to expect the second half of this year to have a better performance, “the Barbadian economy is not expected to exhibit signs of recovery before the first quarter of 2003 with current projections suggesting a decrease in real economic activity of about three per cent of GDP for 2002…”.