“President Jagdeo defends carbon credit strategy against criticism”

Guyana Chronicle, news items (2), Thursday 18 June 2009 – “President Jagdeo defends carbon credit strategy against criticism”

http://www.guyanachronicle.com/news.html

At Enmore Martyrs commemoration… President Jagdeo defends carbon credit strategy against criticism
By Priya Nauth
PRESIDENT Bharrat Jagdeo reiterated Tuesday that the carbon credit initiative does not mean giving up sovereignty over Guyana’s rainforest.

He defended the policy at the traditional wreath laying ceremony to commemorate the 61st anniversary of the Enmore Martyrs at the Enmore Monument site, East Coast Demerara.

The Head of State referred to criticism of the strategy in a section of the print media that said, if this country goes to trade carbon services from its forests, it is giving up sovereignty over forestry resources.

“Clearly, they have not read what we are proposing. One, we said our forests can be deployed in the fight against climate change, providing we do not trade sovereignty over it, or it does not affect the development aspirations of our people.

“But forests carbon is just like sugar or rice or any other service that we have the assets here. The trees are going to belong to us and what we are trading is, we are saying we will keep these trees in tact in exchange for resources,” he explained.

President Jagdeo added: “So, it is like trading any other good. But the narrow mindedness that prevails in many sections of our society and, particularly the political directorate - it is not ordinary people, it is often the political directorate, that sees many of these things as giving advantage to one government versus another.

“They think large sums of money would come before 2012 and we will build the hydro and fix the roads and, maybe, more people will support the People’s Progressive Party (PPP).”

He maintained that the thrust is for the future, saying; “The real resources will start flowing, first of all, if there is a market and, secondly, only after the Kyoto Protocol expires in 2012.”

“All of us here need to ensure that, because of political narrow mindedness, of partisan behaviour, that we do not lose sight and lose the chance to take the opportunities that pop up from time to time for a radical transformation in our economy.

“So that we can do all the things that our workers want, so that we can satisfy all the needs of our people, if ever we are able to do that. But, at least, we can satisfy more of their needs.

“This is why I am excited about the future. I think we have enough people across the board, whether they are PPP, PNC or any other group, that they see the big picture. They see the big vision,” President Jagdeo said.

REMISS
President of Guyana Agricultural and General Workers Union (GAWU), Mr. Komal Chand, who also spoke at the commemoration, said it would be remiss of him if he failed to make some comments on a phenomenon which has affected “all of us, no matter who we are or where we live.”

He agreed there is need for meaningful and tangible action to combat climate change.

“We hope, in December this year, when parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCC) meet in Copenhagen to agree on a new agreement to replace the Kyoto Protocol, the United States, under President Obama and other historic polluters, would make meaningful commitments to reduce their countries emissions,” Chand said.

He also hoped the new pact would reward countries like Guyana for their stewardship in preserving the rainforests “under the reduced emissions from deforestation and degradation initiative.”

Chand commended the Guyana Government and, especially President Jagdeo, for addressing the effects of climate change.

“The President, who was named one of Time Magazine’s heroes of the environment in 2008, has championed the need for us to preserve our forests, if we are to stem rising global temperatures and avert large scale human catastrophe,” he remarked.

UNFCC is trying to forge a successor deal to the current Kyoto Protocol that is to be endorsed in Copenhagen, Denmark, in December and President Jagdeo has been leading the Guyana lobby for forest preservation to be a central plank of that new convention.

The occasion at which he, Chand and others spoke Tuesday, reminded of June 16, 1948, when Colonial Police shot and killed five sugar workers - Lallabajee, Pooran, Harry, Surujballi and Rambarran and wounded 14 more.

The five brave sugar workers who made the supreme sacrifice to secure better conditions of work from their employers – the sugar barons and colonial masters at the time - were part of a mass struggle to end the cut-and-load system on sugar estates, for improved wages and living conditions and recognition of Guyana Industrial Workers Union (GIWU), the forerunner of GAWU.

ENDS

Motion on low carbon development strategy for Parliament
HEAD of the Presidential Secretariat (HPS), Dr Roger Luncheon, yesterday announced that a motion on the low carbon development strategy will be tabled at the June 25 sitting of the National Assembly.

Speaking at his weekly post-Cabinet briefing, in Office of the President, Shiv Chanderpaul Drive, Georgetown, he said the Child Care and Development Services Bill and the Custody, Contact, Guardianship and Maintenance Bill will soon follow.

However, Luncheon said Government will request that both those pieces of legislation be sent to a special select committee after their tabling.

According to him, Cabinet has examined several bills on its priority list and anticipates the completion of the established procedures which would allow them to be presented to the House.

Those include the Legal Practitioners Bill, the Juvenile Offences Bill, the Sexual Offences Bill, the Electronics Transactions Bill, the New Building Society (Amendment) Bill and the Freedom of Information Bill.

Luncheon said the developments result from a Cabinet review of its parliamentary legislative programme for the Ninth Parliament.

On another subject, he also disclosed that Cabinet has approved the appointment of Mr. Francois Montour to replace Mr. Charles Court, whose tenure is soon to end, as Canadian High Commissioner to Guyana.

Similarly, Mr. Aart Gacobi has been accepted as non-resident Ambassador to Guyana of the Kingdom of The Netherlands.