Dear Editor,

The recent actions by the Government of Guyana in and out of Parliament definitely endorse my long-stated contention that essentially we, the Guyanese people, are in a clutches of a communist regime. In Parliament we see clear indications of communist manipulation when such bills as the casino issue, the medical/health issue and the budget itself are shoved down the people's throat and that includes the VAT and it's aftermath. Outside of Parliament, the true nature of this Government can be seen in their treatment of Stabroek News (by stopping all ads) and just as importantly, the decision to openly attack business enterprises in Berbice and then undermine their businesses by openly selling food items from Government trucks; not to mention the confusion inherent in the implementation of VAT.

With the implementation of VAT without tax reform, the Guyanese consumer is already faced with higher prices and this budget will result in further devaluation of our dollar which will lead ultimately to even higher prices to the consumer. Tax reform was essential to a successful VAT but after 15 years, the communists in Freedom House lead by the Gang of 8, are no reformers as we all can see if we look at any other aspect of life in Guyana. Where is the reform in education? Where is the reform in health? Where is the reform in labor relations or in the constitution or the legal system? The answer is that reform is not on Freedom House's agenda since President Cheddi died almost 10 years ago and I can give you one small example of what I'm talking about. When President Cheddi was alive tax amnesties were allowed in 1993 by his Finance Minister, Mr. Asgar Alli and results were superb as figures proved when collections at Customs went from $9 billion(GYD) to $30 something billion(GYD) and this tax amnesty was the beginning of a tax reform system President Cheddi would have cultivated.

Is there any indication in our new budget for tax amnesty and hence tax reform, in order to widen the tax net and bring many people in who are presently not paying any taxes? No! All this government is concerned about is "casting stones" and we all know what the Holy Books have to say about that. Isn't tax reform predicated by lowering the high 33% on the working poor; by lowering the extremely high corporate (35-45%) taxes so as to free up the businesspersons’ money for further investment by expanding to create more jobs? Yes…like in Trinidad where corporate taxes are a lot less. Isn't tax reform predicated by attracting new big investments into our country and bringing new capital (money) into play to stimulate the local economy instead of setting up a draconian VAT and a hazy budget which will lead to A FLIGHT OF CAPITAL and more suffering by the regular person? Yes…check Singapore and see that because of serious foreign investments and a pro -business attitude by their government the country is continually prospering.

Isn't tax reform predicated on a VAT which is reasonable and sound and which coincides with the Government lowering the CET (Common External Tariff) on many items which they refuse to but which would actually lower prices on many items? Yes…Trinidad and Barbados lowered the CET on many items when they brought the VAT which relieved the pressures on the consumer. Isn't tax reform predicated on the freedom of an individual who works hard and develops a business and is dedicated to seeing Guyana progress while PLAYING A PART and ENJOYING the fruits of his labor while SEEING his tax money well spent instead of the communist way of tax, tax, tax and spend, spend, spend? Yes! We, the citizens of Guyana demand an accounting - explain to me how we can spend US$30million on a stadium and we have crummy water and crummy electricity and then the government tells us they are promoting Guyana tourism abroad and only spending $300,000-$500,000 (US) to advertise Guyana - what is really going on?

That is why I have proposed over and over that what we need is not a VAT tax but a Flat tax which Ireland, Estonia, Suriname and other countries have moved to and which have galvanized their economies to create more jobs, stamp out corruption and attract capital to generate a private sector dominance in the economy. The beauty of a flat tax is its simplicity and it's an exciting alternative to the vileness of a progressive tax which penalizes consumption in the marketplace. Guyana, with its small population, relative open and non-secure borders, corrupt institutions and a dumping ground for manufacturers abroad needs a flat tax to create a marketplace where the consumer becomes number one. The VAT and the budget and the high CET and the huge bureaucracy (25 ministers) and the endemic corruption and the largely undemocratic constitution are all elements in the big equation which results in a Guyana run by lackeys of a decadent socialism/communism dedicated to stymie the growth of the private sector while delivering unto us, the Guyanese people, the same old government domination of our economy and resources and thus our very future well being.

But economic matters are secondary to prevalent political concerns and in a country such as ours, the essential betterment of our society demands urgent political reform and that is why Mr. Jagdeo should make space for Mr.Corbin and the PNC in his government in order to promote national unity and a sense of togetherness. This would create the correct political directive to ALL economic activity, from the smallest local investor to the foreign companies. Unfortunately, the communists who inhabit Freedom House today have forgotten the years of good governance under President Cheddi who was always a reformer, from the start of his political career to the last day he lived; he often told me of his dreams of a coalition to unite the country and pursue a local and global agenda where Guyana and all Guyanese could attain a good standard of life. For example, he always believed that we should go back to the constituency system for electing representatives to Parliament and he would have brought reform to change the corrupting "party list" system. Since his death, there has been no reform in that direction and that is why Mr. Sam Hinds sits in Parliament because in a constituency system Mr. Hinds could never win a seat out of where he's from(Linden). Where is reform in the health and education sectors, not to mention the economic viability, when we train teachers and nurses here and then they leave for better "pastures" because we have no reforming process in place to keep them? Where is reform when tolerance, an important aspect of the reforming process is abrogated as is the case of the cancellation of government ads to Stabroek News just because government officials can't handle journalistic independence?

Yes sir! We need reform in all aspects of our society to make us truly one nation-always under God.

Joey Jagan

In March, the African Guyanese Renaissance magazine will be launched. It will be the voice of the African quest for social renewal, political self determination, economic equity, and wealth creation in our communities. This launch will be one of several manifestations of The African Renaissance this year.

Also in March, 50 young people will be awarded leadership scholarships from the African Renaissance and ACDA. Application forms can be uplifted from ACDA in Thomas Lands from 15 February 2007. Those selected will be notified by March 15, and classes will start in April.

In April, there will be an African Youth Leadership Conference.

Culturally, every week, beginning from Monday (12-02-07), The African Renaissance and ACDA will be making available to the public lessons on African culture and history. The first lesson will be about IMHOTEP, the world's first multi-genius.

IMHOTEP (his name means "the One who comes in Peace") was the world's first named architect. He designed and built the Step Pyramid, which was Egypt 's first pyramid. He also designed and built the Saqqara Complex. The Step Pyramid remains one of the most brilliant architectural wonders of the ancient world, and is recognised as the first monumental stone structure. This pyramid also set a precedent by including a collection of temples, pavilions, corridors, chapels, and halls within the enclosure walls.

IMHOTEP is also recognised as the world's first doctor. He diagnosed and treated over 200 diseases. As a physician, IMHOTEP is believed to have been the author of the Edwin Smith Papyrus in which more than 90 anatomical terms and 48 injuries are described. IMHOTEP treated tuberculosis, gallstones, appendicitis, gout and arthritis. He also performed surgery and practiced some dentistry. IMHOTEP extracted medicine from plants. He also knew the position and function of the vital organs, and circulation of the blood system. This is well over 2,200 years before the Western Father of Medicine, Hippocrates, was born. IMHOTEP was also a philosopher, poet, priest, sage, Chief Minister and Visier.

The saying "eat, drink and be merry, for tomorrow we shall die" was written by IMHOTEP. Today, we Africans seem to be doing this through distractions such as Mash, a sacred day for freedom in Guyana now being turned into a "dutty wine" extravaganza, while press freedoms and African marginalisation is in full swing.

Anyone interested in a copy of this lesson can contact ACDA at 225-8420

To signify the importance of economic self determination, self reliance and self employment, the African Business Forum will also be launched in March. It will include one of the Caribbean 's most elite economists as well as individuals from the Diaspora. This Forum will also have, as its institutional infrastructure, a Youth Business Council, a Women's Business Council, Sectoral Councils, and a Secretariat for providing business services to the African community. We are working on establishing an African Development Fund before the year is over.

In August, when we will celebrate Emancipation Day, we will have an African Community Leadership Awards Event to honour those among us and in the African Guyanese Diaspora who quietly provide leadership in our communities. They give selflessly without notice. It is time we honour our own heroes.

In August, we will also have an African Business Conference and a Black Expo as part of a full fledged Emancipation Month programme, which will also include an Emancipation Youth Festival.

Key to The African Renaissance is a relentless focus on our Youth, the recapturing of the importance of a sound education, and the re-dignifying of the teaching profession.

We plan to nurture and create youth leaders who are committed to self determination, self employment, respect for all cultures, justice, equity, and the rule of law. We are also committed to fighting the scourge of HIV/AIDS in our communities.

Since late October 2006, the African Renaissance, in collaboration with the African Cultural and Development Association (Sister Violet Jean-Baptiste, Brother Egerton Cooke, Brother Tacuma Ogunseye and others), has been working in partnership with Toucan (Sister Yvette Herod, Brother Nkofi, Brother Deon Abrams) and spirited individuals from the Buxton/Friendship Community, at home and abroad, to create "a sustainable and transferable model of a hope" through poverty alleviation and community/leadership development. Over time, this will result in the reduction of poverty in our communities, and social inequality in Guyana .

The overarching goal of the relationship and partnership is to significantly improve the socio-economic conditions of vulnerable young people, aged 7 to 24, in the Buxton/ Friendship area through creation of a Community Centre, a Business Centre, and a host of activities to promote leadership development, self pride, self reliance and good citizenry.

It is within the general context of The African Renaissance focusing on our youth and our villages in the community of Buxton/Friendship — with its recently developed stigma as a nesting place for armed criminals and freedom fighters — that this project has been implemented.

Many problems have been targeted in this "model of hope" programme, and in bringing the African Renaissance to African communities. Key problems include (i) job creation to address poverty alleviation and social inequality; (ii) community education and activities to promote good citizenry; (iii) activities to occupy the tremendous amount of spare time on the hands of young people in the area covered; (iv) the involvement of young females in all activities to ensure gender parity; (v) activities to encourage discipline and pride; (vi) HIV/AIDS and teenage pregnancy, education, and counselling; (vii) volunteerism for ensuring a clean, healthy environment and (viii) youth advocacy in the community through leadership development.

The approach by The African Renaissance, ACDA and Toucan 11 Club is based on achieving Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). Seven of the eight MDGs are targeted in this partnership, and there are four major activities that comprise the project

1. The building of a permanent Community and Recreational Centre for the Toucan Club.

2. The establishment of a Business Centre to encourage entrepreneurship and job creation.

3. Presentation of courses in Leadership, Small Business Management, HIV/AIDS Counselling and Life Cycle Management., Life Skills and Volunteerism.

4. Sports and recreational activities, including dance and karate, along with many other sporting and cultural activities.

Three months into the partnership, the response by the community and the results have been simply amazing.

Support has also come from some of the most socially responsive entities in Guyana . Toucan has received cricket gear from The Bank of Nova Scotia, a Cricket World Cup sponsor; a computer, scanner, printer, industrial photocopier with UPS from the United Nations Development Programme; basketballs from The esseQuibo Group; T-shirts from Courts Guyana Limited; infrastructure support from Mings Products & Services; HIV/AIDS leadership, karate and dance classes, together with mentorship and counselling from Dance Alive Incorporated; the HIV/AIDS Youth Lifestyle NGO created by The esseQuibo Group and its founder, Eric Phillips .

Currently, there are 48 members of the community who are involved in a six-month HIV/AIDS course, 24 students in dance classes, 68 students (aged 7 to 21) in karate, 12 members in leadership class, and over 100 in the various other activities provided by the Club. We plan to open savings accounts for each of our young people, and to teach them thrift and entrepreneurship.

The biggest challenge facing the partnership is the raising of funds to build a community/recreational centre that will have the dual purpose of a disaster recovery centre in times of floods. An application was made to the European Union-sponsored Guyana Micro Projects Programme (GMMP) for a grant to build this centre. The concept document has been accepted, and the Buxton-Friendship community and the village Diaspora are all geared up to provide in-kind support and their own financial contributions to accomplish this task. This centre, which will be built to the standards of a disaster recovery site, will cost approximately G$12 million dollars, so that in times of flooding, it could safely accommodate large numbers of affected citizens.

Many thanks must be given to the Trustees of the Brethren Church for providing a very large plot of land that will be the site of the Community Centre/Disaster Recovery Building.

The African Renaissance will become involved with ACDA and other like-minded African organisations and friends from the diplomatic and international community in helping to improve African villages. First, we have to develop "success models" such as the one we are implementing in the Buxton/Friendship community. These village partnerships will be the basis of the Emancipation Day Youth Festival and Community Leadership Awards Programmes later this year.

We hope to receive contact names from individuals in other villages who are willing to participate in these models. We hope to have these partnerships with six communities this year, and to rapidly expand next year. Planning and resource acquisition are essential to our success, and we have to "do it right."

Critical to this is the desire of communities to help themselves and of supportive groups who realise the future lies in the development of our young people as servant/leaders who are respectful of their heritage and the heritage of others, and who are disciplined, hardworking, courageous, and want to be self reliant.

We are thankful to those organisations which have stepped forward to provide support and contributions to this effort, and are especially grateful for the tireless souls, like Sister Yvette, who have made tremendous sacrifices for the development of their communities and for the young people in their midst.

Africans in Guyana and the Diaspora should be very proud of Toucan and the Elders who have guided this organisation over the last 10 years.

Later this month, The African Renaissance hopes to reach out to our churches. We firmly believe the Church has a most critical role to play in the re-generation of values in the African Community. We believe every church should have a library. Every church should be involved in literacy. Every church should have a counselling capacity. Every church should facilitate economic growth. Every church should nurture strong community leaders who are grounded in faith and in African culture. The two are not opposites. Culture is broader than religion, which like language, values music, art, literature combined to create shared values and beliefs.

Shared governance has always been an African value before slavery, as Africans lived the golden rule.

The African Renaissance looks forward to working for shared governance now that the Church is aware of the pernicious nature of the Westminster model through their casino gambling experience.

Our library drive has started, and we look forward to your "spirit" of renewal in the African community.

Remember, shared governance is a fundamental human right for Africans in Guyana , but only through economic initiatives and moral strength will we prosper. Cheddi Jagan had his Freedom marches and his "hurricane of protest".

Now state-owned Guysuco and GPL withdraw their ads from Guyana's most independent newspaper, supposedly (sic) without the knowledge of their Chairman! DeCiries plaintive account of this debacle is chilling in its account of brutish communist authoritarianism.

It seems that it is not now very popular to defend Stabroek News, but there's a greater principle involved here.

Democracy is being raped in Guyana, and Caricom, and the Commonwealth, remains strangely silent. This is unacceptable!

Truth, honor and decency dictate that every right-thinking Guyanese should send a strong signal to GINA and their helmsmen that everything that is happening to Stabroek News is opposed to the idea of Guyana as a parliamentary democracy.

In fact, the scenario is shockingly reminiscent of the absymal picture of orchestrated destruction of democratic institutions painted by Sir Michael Davies in his "Guyana Parliamentary Needs Assessment 2005."

I will simply stop buying the Chronicle or the Kaieteur News until the government sees the error of its ways, or else allows an independent audit by a mutually agreed-upon entity to ascertain circulation figures. I hope others follow my lead.

Yet some of us keep a decorous silence, and pretend that nothing is happening. In doing so we support injustice.

The Editor/owner of Kaieteur News pretends that the issue does not touch them, or somehow illustrates their "success". Nothing could be further from the truth. I say this deliberately: Kaiteur News is not, repeat not, Stabroek News!

In not rushing to condemn GINA's, Guysuco's and GPL's shocking action, Kaieteur News' silence makes it complicit with the government abuse of its powers (supposedly on the "people's behalf"), and this is a shocking act of cowardice by a sister "private" newspaper.

Kaieteur News should and must now refuse government advertising until an equitable system is returned to. They should run with Stabroek News on this issue, not against it. Anything else is lip service.

Gouveia and his Private Sector Commission should now respond with the alacrity and zeal with which he supported casino gambling, but we should no hold our breaths. Lip service seems to be adequate consideration for government largesse these days.

What Kean Gibson referred to as the "paternalistic monocracy" is now seen in all its shocking sickeningness. SN has apparently offended that paternalism, and apparently must now bear the pain.

Kaieteur News, it seems, has decided that it will live with its guilt ... or its shame.

The Chronicle has long since lost its soul!

However there is one ray of hope. With the pressure of CWC, and as visitors vote with their pockets for the best newspaper and reportage, more and more will see SN's current front-page banner headline ... and enquiring minds will ask questions of its owner.

I would predict that soon we will see a convenient reversal of the ad-withdrawal policy to accommodate the charade of "unity" for CWC.

Then a swift return to viciousness shortly after the visitors leave!

(Caribbean Net News)