Intended to allow their placement at secondary level schools, pupils of the Region One Primary School where irregularities were uncovered during the sitting of the National Grade Six Assessment (NGSA) in April, were permitted to re-sit the assessment.

The supplemental assessment was administered over the period July 2 and July 3.
According to a statement issued by the Ministry, yesterday, all of the candidates were present to take the assessment, except one who transferred out prior to the supplemental assessment. Based on reports out of the Ministry the candidates’ scripts are currently being marked and the results are slated to be ready by July 23.
Meanwhile, the Ministry has disclosed that an ongoing investigation into the irregularities at the school is in its final stage. Steps have been taken to maintain the integrity of the examination and to ensure that this incident does not re-occur.
In recent years, the Ministry said that it has established a number of quality assurance mechanisms to ensure that examinations and their subsequent results are of the highest integrity.
These measures allowed the Ministry to identify irregularities in the affected area and school.

The Ministry had opened-up about the fraudulent development in May, revealing that the investigation had commenced.
The investigation, according to Education Minister, Priya Manickchand, was implemented as a means of ensuring that “we minimize the likelihood of this happening again as well as determining what really happened.”
Although Ministry officials have refused to name the school under the microscope so as to protect the affected pupils from being stigmatized, Manickchand did assure at a press conference that “we will keep you updated as we get information.”

According to the Minister, too, “The irregularities we found would have, in our professional opinion, affected the integrity of the results of those pupils.”
It was in the best interest of the pupils, she said, that moves were made to ensure that another exam was prepared.
The Ministry had earlier expressed concern over the situation but asserted that the development was not one that would have impacted the general integrity or the timely release of the national results, since there were no other detected instances of irregularities at the other schools.

Source: https://www.kaieteurnewsonline.com/2014/07/05/ngsa-irregularities-at-region-one-schoolministry-says-supplemental-ngsa-results-by-july-23-2/

EDUCATION Minister, Priya Manickchand was warmly and enthusiastically received by residents of Golden Grove, East Coast Demerara when she visited the Golden Grove Primary School on July 3, last to engage parents on the Uniform Assistance Programme and to consult with them on the new Cash Grant Initiative which Government introduced this year.

The Golden Grove Primary School has a pupil population of 749 students, and the Cash Grant Initiative, which will see every child in the public education system receiving an allocation of $10,000, is expected to benefit 188,406 families of students in the nursery, primary, and secondary schools, and will cost a total of $2B.

Minister Manickchand spent hours interacting with residents of the Golden Grove community on a range of issues pertaining to education and education delivery, the availability of text and exercise books, and parental involvement in the lives of their children.

She highlighted the importance of parents’ roles in the education of their children, and appealed to parents to play more active roles in that enterprise, even as she disclosed that Government would continue to support the education of children through various means, such as the uniform assistance programme.

She consulted with parents on what they thought would be the best way to deliver the $10,000 that each child would receive through the Cash Grant Initiative.

Every child attending a Government school is entitled to uniform assistance under the National Uniform Programme. On the coastland, that assistance is administered by the Ministry of Education and given by way of vouchers that are used to make purchases at accredited stores.

In the hinterland, the Ministry of Amerindian Affairs administers the programme, and the assistance takes the form of actually providing fabric, which is then sewn by various women’s groups in the villages.

A complete list of vendors where vouchers are redeemable would be posted at the Regional Education Offices and at every school.
Vendors who have indicated an interest in redeeming vouchers are advised to be ready to so do, and are encouraged to make their prices competitive.
Some 165,000 vouchers will be distributed at public schools in Regions: 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 10, and in Georgetown. Parents, guardians, and secondary school students with National Identification Cards have started uplifting vouchers from July 1.

The Ministry of Education wishes to encourage parents and guardians of children in public schools to take advantage of this opportunity, as it would like every child to be sufficiently outfitted for the new school term, which commences on September 1, 2014. Vouchers must be uplifted before the close of school on July 11, 2014.

Source: (Rebecca Ganesh-Ally and Ravin Singh) https://guyanachronicle.com/2014/07/05/ed-minister-manickchand-discusses-a-range-of-topics-with-parents-of-golden-grove-primary-pupils-ecd

DEAR EDITOR,
There has been a lot of press coverage of the speech that was read by the Hon. Priya Manickchand, at the residence of outgoing US Ambassador, Dr. Brent Hardt.

Ambassador Hardt’s recent comments, where he lashed out at President Donald Ramotar, accusing him of being an inconsistent defender of the Constitution, provoked the following response from Minister Manickchand: “He has, in our judgment, gone beyond the boundaries of professionalism and diplomacy. For a professional Foreign Service Office, with the appointment of an ambassador, to make such declarations, allegations and accusations and innuendos about the Executive President of Guyana, or of any country for that matter, is, to our minds, totally unacceptable; this situation is intolerable. The ambassador has been associated with a dedicated attack on the President and on the Government…. The Ambassador has been supported in this ill-conceived venture by the Opposition section of the media and his colleagues in the diplomatic corps”.

For this, she was criticised by known critics of the ruling party and government.

I have no problem with the content of this speech, for the US has not always respected the Constitution of the Republic of Guyana. There is documented evidence of efforts by the United States and Great Britain to destabilize our country after Independence, denying our people the right to a government of their choice for many, many years, quite possibly resulting in the hardships our people have endured during that period.

It was high time that Guyana finally found the courage to tell the Ambassador that we will not tolerate outside interference in our domestic policies. Being the Ambassador of the United States does not give Brent Hardt the right to disrespect our President and our country. Had a Guyanese diplomat stationed in the US been justly accused of meddling in the domestic affairs of the United States, the Government of Guyana would have been asked to recall that diplomat. What is good for the goose is also good for the gander.

My problem, though, lies with the unpatriotic behaviour of prominent members of the opposition, who, by their silence, seemed to approve Ambassador Hardt’s public criticism of our Head of State. Where was the outcry? A politician may have serious differences with the Administration, but it is downright unpatriotic for any member of the opposition, especially those aspiring leaders, to boo Minister Manickchand during the reading of her speech, for defending Guyana’s sovereignty and her Constitution.

At this level, protocol dictates that a copy of the US Ambassador’s speech would have been sent to Foreign Affairs days before, and an appropriate response would have been drafted by that Ministry, after going through several layers of speech-writers. The drafters would have been guided by both the Ambassador’s speech, and his relationship with the Guyana Government.

As such, the speech delivered by Acting Foreign Minister Manickchand would have been a direct response from the Government of Guyana to the US Ambassador, Dr. Brent Hardt. It is possible that the final copy was further amended before it reached Minister Manickchand who was charged with the responsibility to deliver same at the Ambassador’s function.

In fairness to the Minister Manickchand, that very speech would have been delivered by the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Carolyn Rodrigues-Birkett had she been in Guyana, and should have been delivered by Prime Minister Samuel Hinds had he not been meeting with Hinterland scholars during their graduation exercise at the Amerindian Village at Sophia, a function that falls directly under the portfolio of the Minister of Education, the Hon. Priya Manickchand.

Those who know Minister Priya Manickchand would willingly testify that she does not deliver speeches from prepared text. She speaks from the heart with conviction. This was echoed by APNU Parliamentarian, Attorney James Bond who told a media entity, “I don’t think she wrote that speech by the way, that’s not her tone, that’s not Ms. Manickchand.”

It would also be nice to hear Attorney Bond’s thoughts on any foreign diplomat who frequently uses disparaging remarks about our country, while enjoying the hospitality of our Native Land!

Dan Rahim

And now the expected responses from the political opposition and the well- known government critics in the aftermath of the acting Minister of Foreign Affairs, Priya Manickchand address at the recent United States Independence anniversary observance, on Wednesday evening. Again, Observer notes the stand taken by both the A Partnership for National Unity(APNU) and the Alliance For Change(AFC), as they both have concluded that the Honourable Minister was incorrect in her forthright statements in which she took the US envoy to task for meddling in Guyana’s internal affairs. APNU has even called on President Donald Ramotar “to disassociate his administration from these worthless remarks and issue an unconditional apology to Ambassador Brent Hardt and the people of the United States of America.”

That this Opposition demand is absurd as well as ridiculous, reflects a culture of thinking that once again displays the tactic of sacrificing principle upon the altar of naked political opportunism.
OBSERVER must ask of this senior Opposition party why it has not seen fit to demand an apology from Hardt, not only for intrusion into Guyana’s internal affairs, but also for his attacks on the country’s President. Such should also be demanded of the AFC, that claimed that “the Republic was embarrassed by the tone and sentiments expressed by the Minister but also the occasion and circumstances in which they were delivered were unforgivable.”

The occasion was indeed unique, though not surprising, since all of the notable critics, high profiled, were gathered at the diplomat’s residence, and shamelessly gave views that amounted to a sell-out of their country. They conveniently forget the principle of non-intervention, as they shamelessly lined up to show how much they loved America! What a bunch!

What was even more hypocritical was the publicly aired views of a former high potentate of the former PNC administration. Surely, for him to claim amnesia with respect to the tensions and strained relations in the late 1970s between the then government and the United States regarding interference would be akin to saying that the then government did not exist. In fact, so deteriorated had relations become, that government officials at that time were warned not to attend any diplomatic reception hosted by the United States embassy!

OBSERVER stands to be corrected by saying that a Fire Chief resigned his office as a result of infringing such an order!

For all the talk about democracy, and the right of expression, it would have been principled, and definitely courteous, on the part of the host to have asked the gathering, insisting especially that the hecklers allow the Minister to speak. For after all, she was the High Plenipotentiary of the Government of Guyana, mandated to deliver its message. Even such a basic courtesy was denied the Minister, as she sought to uphold Guyana’s sovereignty.
For all the accusations of “discourteous and undiplomatic” conduct levelled against the Minister and government, Guyanese will in time understand the stand that had been taken in defence of their sovereign right as a nation to determine their own affairs.

Sometimes you must say it as it is. The acting Foreign Minister of Guyana, Ms. Priya Manickchand, said it as it was.
She did not engage in meaningless diplomatic platitudes. She did not feign pretence that everything was hunky-dory between the government and the US Ambassador. She was candid and unpretentious.  She called a spade a spade.
She put the Ambassador in his place. In fact, given his inconsiderate and disrespectful remarks, he more than deserved the mouthful that he got. Perhaps a little more sophistication could have been employed. But he had to be told how the government felt about the role he has played and his continued undiplomatic remarks about affairs in Guyana.

I have said before that the US Ambassador was very fortunate to still have been in Guyana. In most other countries in Latin America, any US leader having the temerity to indicate that his government will go ahead with a project despite the objections of the sovereign government of the day would have long been kicked out.
There is no reason why any self-respecting government should have allowed a US Ambassador to have been a guest of its country after the brazen announcement that a project, not sanctioned by the government, would have gone ahead.

It is not clear if his tenure had naturally come to an end, or if it was the controversy over the project that led to his recall after the Guyana government would have lodged a Letter of Protest.  The US administration does not usually publicly chastise their representatives, but surely the US State Department must have examined the Guyana Government’s complaint and acted both publicly and privately on the matter.
But I do recall a senior US official in the 1970’s indicating to Forbes Burnham that it was Burnham’s diatribes against the United States, following the downing of the Cubana airliner that had earned the official’s recall to Washington.
In spite of the two sides mending fences on the matter of the democracy project, the US Ambassador continued with his undiplomatic ranting.

He ought to have known that it was beyond the norm for him to have publicly criticized a sitting Head of State in the manner that he did. He could have made the same point that he was attempting to make, by simply indicating that the Constitution of Guyana requires the holding of local government elections and the US government supports such democratic practices.

To have injected the President’s name into the discourse and to have accused him of being inconsistent was a clear case of him being misadvised and also acting undiplomatically. In so doing he crossed the proverbial line between acting in his country’s interest and meddling in the internal affairs of the country.

I observe that some persons in our society are rushing to the Ambassador’s defence after the dressing down that he justly received from the acting Foreign Minister. But let us be fair, I did not hear these same individuals indicate that he was out of place and undiplomatic when he made those remarks about our President. So why then should they be criticizing the acting Foreign Minister for being undiplomatic?

Even if they agreed with the criticisms of the Ambassador, they should acknowledge that it was not his role to be saying those things that he said and they should have reprimanded him for so doing.
I am also disgusted by some of the reports about the booing and heckling of the Minister. That these things happened must be reported, but many of the reporters were gleeful in reporting that the minister was at the receiving end of heckling and hisses at a reception to mark American Independence.

There have been suggestions that if the acting Minister had something to say, she should have picked a better occasion. Well, she must have felt strongly about what was said by the Ambassador and felt the need to respond immediately. Any self-respecting government would have done the same. These things had to be said. The Minister chose to say them at the reception. There will remain those who will feel that another occasion may have been more suitable, but I would not deny that a response such as what the Minister made had to have been made by a self –respecting government.

The Ambassador spoke his mind and the Minister spoke hers. That is democracy is it not? Or is it okay for a foreign power to say what they like in our backyard and we must stay quiet and not respond? I think not!

–as uniform assistance drive gets underway

WHILE the Ministry of Education continues to provide the necessary infrastructure and materials needed for the country’s children to receive the quality of education needed for their development, parents have a key role to play to ensure their children excel academically.

This was expressed by Minister of Education Priya Manickchand who visited and interacted with parents and teachers of the Diamond/Grove Primary School Wednesday, when she consulted with the parents on the procedure for the distribution of the $10,000 cash grant which is scheduled to be distributed in September.

The Education Minister highlighted the enormous investments in the education sector over the past two decades, which have resulted in Guyana being at the best place it has ever been in education, not only at Diamond/Grove, but across the country.“The one common factor running through the child who did well at NGSA and CXC is that fact they had supportive parents,” Minister Manickchand said, while urging the parents to collaborate with the teachers.

Nursery education is not compulsory in Guyana; however, 85% of the country’s nursery age children are attending school, which is the highest percentage in the Caribbean. Additionally, with the new readers published by the ministry which will be introduced in the school system by September, Grade 4 children will be more literate.

“We are putting out the readers and we have trained every teacher…what we don’t see is the involvement of parents and we want you to reinforce what we are teaching at home; you don’t have to know to read and write to be good parents, you just need to know how your children are doing in school,” she stated.
Guyana, 20 years from now, depends on how a parent supports his or her children’s education, she posited.
When asked about the distribution of the cash grant, the parents told the minister that they prefer the money to be disbursed through the bank. Minister Manickchand told the parents that the ministry is still to consult with the banks to see if an arrangement can be worked out.

This initiative was introduced this year by Government, which will see the sum of $10,000 being allocated to every child in the public system. The initiative is expected to benefit 188,406 families of the students of nursery, primary, and secondary schools, and will cost a total of $2 B.

During Wednesday’s event, the annual uniform voucher was also distributed to parents to be used to make purchases at accredited stores. Minister Manickchand also warned that the Ministry will not accept the hike in uniform prices. She said that the Ministry will not hesitate to withdraw its credit from any store which condones such action.

Minister Manickchand promised that a Welfare Officer will visit the area more often, and as it relates to the other issues, the ministry will make representation to the Local Government Ministry which is responsible for them.Parents also had the opportunity to raise concerns, among which were students loitering during school hours, plumbing issues at the school, weeding of the compound and the deteriorating road leading to the school.

One parent raised a concern about her child not being accepted in the Diamond Nursery school which was recently constructed with support from the

Caribbean Development Bank (CDB) under the Basic Needs Trust Fund (BNTF).
Minister Manickchand explained that one of the agreements with the bank is to not have more than 120 students attending the school, therefore students in a certain catchment area will be enrolled.

Source: http://guyanachronicle.com/2014/07/03/education-minister-urges-parents-to-invest-heavily-in-their-children

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Source: http://www.education.gov.gy/web/index.php/mediacenter/item/992-honourable-minister-priya-manickchand-distributes-uniform-vouchers-to-parents-of-the-new-diamond-grove-primary-school

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The occasion of the observance of another anniversary milestone of the Independence of the United States of America, held at  the residence of outgoing Ambassador to Guyana, Dr. Brent Hardt, is very revealing.

Immediately after the address by acting Foreign Affairs Minister, Ms. Priya Manickchand, she was booed by elements within the gathering that comprised diplomatic representatives, and those from other notable NGOs.

This particular action could be described as very interesting, since some of its purveyors were noted anti-government critics.

The occasion can be described as the ‘high noon’ in the forays of the ambassador’s many pronouncements on matters pertaining to Guyana’s internal affairs.

Since the nation has been au fait with Ambassador Hardt’s statements, details will not be repeated, except to say that they have clearly been undiplomatic, and uncharacteristic of the best norms of diplomatic protocol and practices.

Not even colleague Heads/States/Governments are known to do such an unethical thing. But this is the United States’ style and brand of international diplomacy, which is clearly the result of their perceived mission as the self-ascribed guardian of democracy, and has been known for its public judgment of matters pertaining to other sovereign States’ affairs. OBSERVER wonders where is  the legitimacy for such rights.

As an aside, and also a stark contradiction of what this self-righteous nation has portrayed itself to be – it has refused to recognise the International Criminal Court (ICC) that brings to justice those who commit war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide,  as having  any jurisdiction as it relates to the conduct of Americans. Then there is the contrast of its controversial Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act (FACTA), a federal law that makes it incumbent for all foreign financial institutions to report on their (United States) clients to the Inland Revenue Services. Of course, there are severe penalties for those institutions that fail to comply.

The first instance of the ICC, with its refusal to accede to the Treaty, virtually bestows on American troops the right to behave with impunity in any theatre of conflict, without fear of being indicted before the Tribunal.

The FACTA stipulation is simply an arrangement that is imposed on states within the international system to reveal the accounts of US account holders. It is compulsory, lest those institutions are prepared to face punitive sanctions. One wonders whether China, for example, can enact such legislation, demanding similar reciprocity from the US, as far as Chinese account holders are concerned.

Ambassador Hardt’s conduct has been very unfortunate, and totally unexpected, given his background as a seasoned career diplomat.

He would have known that there are the proper diplomatic channels via which such issues about a host country are to be discussed. But to be lecturing a Head of State on his actions with regard a particular issue of a State that is sovereign, is clearly passing the red line, in addition to being intolerable.

In another jurisdiction, Hardt  would have been asked to leave! The fact is that Guyana has been very charitable in its patience and accommodating when it ought not to be.

As for the heckling, it revealed the shameful double standards of those who have sought to lecture the government on democracy. Is it not hypocritical for those persons present, some of the well-known ‘mouthers,’ to have descended to the shocking level of booing after the Minister spoke, when her only fault was to have represented the government and people of her country.

She should be commended for her forthright position. She is a patriot. Therefore, those misplaced Guyanese ought to be reminded of the immortal words of the French philosopher, Voltaire: “I do not agree with what you say, but I’ll defend to the death your right to say it.”
Had they been aware of this statement, a well-known Opposition politician would not have allegedly been caught trying to disrupt/prevent Minister Manickchand from  speaking, by attempting to unplug the transmission system’s wire.

How low can some of our so-called Guyanese be! They should be reminded that Massa Day done!

THE commemoration of the 238th Independence Anniversary of the United States of America (USA), held at the Cummings Lodge residence of outgoing US Ambassador, Dr Brent Hardt last evening, was the stage for a major showdown between himself and the Government of Guyana.
“The rule of law and democracy is not only about Local Government Elections, which I am confident the Guyanese people will resolve in the very near future, but must be practised by all who preach it at all times,” Manickchand said in an eight-and-a-half-minute speech in the wake of a blasting of the Government from Hardt on the delayed hosting of Local government elections.Acting Foreign Affairs Minister Priya Manickchand, despite being heckled at the instigation of local PR man, Alex Graham, and denied the use of a nearby speaker by Alliance For Change (AFC)’s Nigel Hughes, pressed on with her presentation, in which she took Hardt to task for “creating tensions” between Guyana and the US, and for the position he takes on many a local issue, positions she deemed hypocritical, considering the position taken by the US itself.

Manickchand said there exists a red line in diplomatic relations, and Hardt has crossed that red line.
She made no bones about the fact that diplomatic relations demand a commitment to accuracy, referring to misconceptions peddled on the hosting of local government elections.

‘The rule of law and democracy is not only about local government elections, which I am confident the Guyanese people will resolve in the very near future; but must be practised by all who preach it at all times’

US DOMINATION
The Acting Foreign Affairs Minister underscored what she termed the “US hegemony” and its consequences, which she said were lived by the Guyanese people.

She said, “Guyana has been at one stage where US hegemony (domination) has played out, and the 1950s and 1960s events live long in the memory of Guyanese.
“…less than three years ago, the Ambassador (Hardt) was made welcome in Guyana. In those three years, Ambassador Hardt has contributed to a tension-filled relationship with the Government of Guyana. These areas of tense relationship have attracted considerable effort on our part to address multiple times, without much success.”

Manickchand referred to comments made by Hardt at a recent event hosted by the local non-governmental organisation (NGO), Blue Caps, where he lashed out at the Head of State, President Donald Ramotar,
stating that President Ramotar said the reason for not assenting to one of the Local Government Bills was because it was unconstitutional, but at the same time the Guyanese leader was not upholding the constitution as far as those polls are concerned.

“He cannot be an inconsistent defender of the Constitution, ignoring the Constitution’s very clear requirement to hold Local Government elections and, for that matter, to return Bills to Parliament no more than 21 days after they are sent to him,” the US Ambassador had said at the time.

For Acting Foreign Affairs Minister Manickchand, he had gone too far this time. “He has, in our view,” she said, “gone beyond the boundaries of professionalism and diplomacy. For a professional service officer to make such declarations, allegations and accusations and innuendos about the Executive President of Guyana, or of any country for that matter, is, to our minds, totally unacceptable; this situation is intolerable.
“The ambassador has been associated with a dedicated attack on the President and on the Government…. The Ambassador has been supported in this ill-conceived venture by the Opposition section of the media and (by) his colleagues in the diplomatic corps.”

She also stated that Hardt seems plagued by a misunderstanding of the Bill, and noted that he ought to have consulted the experts in the area, rather than make blind statements.

“The Ambassador’s behaviour is totally unacceptable. It is this Government’s pledge that it will not accept this,” Manickchand said.

She maintained that while the Ambassador, at the same Blue Caps event, lauded the focus placed on principles of democracy by the US, Guyanese know better.

“All of us here are duly reminded of America’s move to democratize the world…. The people of Guyana lived those consequences until today. Those consequences question the ambassador’s moral correctness in lecturing Guyana,” the Acting Foreign Affairs Minister said.

Manickchand was unapologetic in stressing that the ambassador’s actions warrant “immediate repudiation”

[box type=”shadow” align=”alignleft” ]‘For a professional service officer to make such declarations, allegations and accusations and innuendos about the Executive President of Guyana, or of any country for that matter, is, to our minds, totally unacceptable’[/box]

HYPOCRITICAL POSITIONS
The Acting Foreign Affairs Minister also stated that, for all the positions advanced by Ambassador Hardt, the positions taken by the US indicate another story.
She said, “For a very long time we have lacked free and fair elections. Thanks to your (the US), good record keeping and the declassification of documents, we have confirmed that those elections were intentionally prevented by external forces, effectively retarding the development of Guyana’s democratic process for many decades.

“Unfortunately, we had few Brent Hardts back then, who would speak with the same passion against the governments who undermined the democratic process in Guyana.

“…we have a situation today where the international rule-making by powerful countries is anything but democratic. The Securities Council is an excellent example of the lack of democracy. There appears to be little appetite for democracy by those who control that Council for reform.”

Manickchand pointed out that the US indeed has established itself as a global superpower, and makes use of that advantage in its dealing with other nations – a practice that represents nothing democratic.

“Even though we (Guyana) are an independent nation, not a colony of any state, laws made in the United States of America apply in our country. We are advised that if we do not comply we will be sanctioned,” she said.

The Minster referred to the recent law passed by the US, the Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act (FATCA), which was passed by the US and requires compliance from countries like Guyana.
“There is no consultation with any of our countries before that law was passed, but we have to comply. Our banks in Guyana will soon have to provide information to the United States Government on bank accounts held by US citizens in this country. We do not have the strength or the power (to fight)…we have to comply,” she said.

Manickchand highlighted that threats of sanctions accompany non-compliance with this law, when the US itself refuses to abide with international rulings.

“She said, “The law-abiding Antigua and Barbuda has secured a ruling against the US by the WTO, the World Trade Organisation, but is still waiting for the United States of America to abide by that ruling. (It is) needless to say that the small Antigua and Barbuda cannot apply sanctions.”

The Acting Foreign Affairs Minster was unapologetic in reiterating that Hardt, with his many controversial comments, has advanced tension between the US and Guyana, and has peddled hypocritical positions from a platform no less than that of an Ambassadorial office.
At the end of her stinging assault, Hardt responded, “What a sendoff.” Soon after, Manickchand who was accompanied to the event by Presidential Advisor on Governance, Gail Teixeira, left. In attendance were other Members of Parliament (MPs), members of the diplomatic corps, members of the private sector and a cross section of representatives from local NGOs and civil society.

Source: Written By Vanessa Narine – https://guyanachronicle.com/2014/07/03/govt-cautions-diplomats-to-stay-within-boundaries-of-conventions-to-also-observe-diplomatic-norms-professional-behaviour

Jeers and boos drowned out the remarks of acting Minister of Foreign Affairs, Priya Manickchand when she last evening launched verbal salvoes at her host, outgoing US Ambassador Brendt Hardt, over his criticisms of government officials over long awaited local government elections.

“Like his President, Barack Obama, there exists a red line. This Ambassador has crossed that line. We have resolved and so informed our partners, with whom we share conventions and diplomatic relations that this is our red line… behaviours such as his would not be tolerated,” Manickchand said during a speech at a reception hosted at the Ambassador’s residence to mark the United States’ 238th independence anniversary.

The acting minister seemed unmoved by the strong reaction she set off, including shouts of “Oh please,” “Local government elections now!” and “Get on with it” that erupted just as she began her attack on the ambassador.

Diplomats and invited guests seemed shocked as she persisted. One Foreign Service Officer, looking perplexed, shrugged his shoulder and commented to a friend: “At a farewell party? Is this called for? Wow!”

Manickchand stated that Hardt’s country was one seen as taking advantage of smaller nations who have no say when sanctions are laid down lest they feel the wrath of “the big stick.”

“We have a situation today where international rule maintained today by democratic countries is anything but democratic… the (UN) Security Council, for example, is an excellent demonstration of a lack of democracy. There appears to be little appetite of those who control that council for any reform,” she added. The five permanent members of the security council are the US, Russia, China, the UK and France.

Justifying insurrection

“Even though we are an independent country… the law of the United States applies in our countries. We are advised if we do not comply we would be sanctioned. For example, the Foreign Accounts Tax Compliance Act… there was no consultation with any of our countries before that law was passed but we have to comply. Our banks in Guyana will soon have to provide info to the US government on bank accounts held by US citizens in this country,” she added.

She scoffed at Hardt’s recent calls for local government elections, saying that those elections alone do not determine democracy.

“We will agree that democracy and the rule of law is not only about local government elections, which I am confident the Guyanese people will resolve in the very near future. It must be practised by all who choose to preach it at all times,” she stated.

Further, Manickchand accused the ambassador of being ill informed of local issues and depending on media houses that she called opposition media. She said the government viewed his nuanced resort to “justifying insurrection” in his remarks at the closing ceremony for a Blue CAPS training programme on Monday, reported in yesterday’s edition of Stabroek News, to be “profoundly disturbing.” Speaking at the closing ceremony for Blue CAPS’ Building Communities through Leadership Training and Service programme on Monday, Hardt had restated the case for the holding of the polls, and flayed a plethora of excuses that have been offered by the President and the ruling party.

“A collection of young minds being invited to such a mindset of future engagement with an elected government warrants our immediate repudiation,” she said.

In his call for local government elections on Monday, Hardt had also invoked the name of PPP founder Dr Cheddi Jagan and this seemed to have incensed the government.“For a professional foreign (service) officer… to make such declarations, accusations, allegations and innuendos about the executive president of Guyana… is to our mind totally unacceptable,” she also said.

After she was done, a stoic Manickchand toasted to the birthday of the United States and the ambassador graciously accepted it. He then returned to the podium and exclaimed, “What a sendoff!”

Manickchand afterward left with Presidential Advisor on Governance Gail Teixeira in tow and the two exited the function to booing and jeering.

Hardt later told Stabroek News that it was the first time in his career that he had ever experienced such a sour farewell.

He said that he was disappointed at the actions of the minister but added that it does not stop his commitment to advancing the goals of his country for a Guyana that is prosperous in all areas.

“I am engaged on behalf of my government and the interest we are seeking to advance when I’m doing my job… speaking out on behalf of those values, those priorities, if people wanna criticise that, then that’s fine,” he told said.

“President Obama had made clear—he sends us out here to engage and promote the kinds of democratic values and human rights values and so forth that we believe as a country and lead by example. Inevitably that is going to lead to some push back from time to time but I have always been very clear with the leadership in Guyana as to what my priorities are here. I’ve said from the start, I am here on behalf of my government to help build a Guyana that sees itself as part of the US and build a Guyana that’s democratic, secure, safe, prosperous and healthy,” he said.

“I have said to anybody that wanted to cast accusations and what not, ‘Tell me at any time if I am doing anything that is not in the interest in the people of Guyana or the country’ and I have never heard anybody tell me that I’ve done anything that is contrary to those interests. So, I’ve always felt that I am on pretty solid ground. At the end of the day you have your conscience. You know that what you are doing is what you should be doing and I sleep well at night knowing that we are advancing interests, not only to our country, but [of] the people of this country as well,” he added.

Source: https://www.stabroeknews.com/2014/news/guyana/07/03/manickchand-booed-attack-us-ambassador/