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A source or the Canadian Embassy?

Mar 01, 2009 Letters

Dear Editor,
I am responding to a “source” in the Canadian High Commission that says there will be no aid cuts to Guyana, carried in the February 27th edition of Kaieteur News. This is in response to my column of Thursday, February 26, 09.
As it stands the Canadian High Commissioner, the Canadian High Commission and CIDA’s office in Georgetown have not officially responded to three pieces of information that Canadian aid to Guyana will be withdrawn. One is my column. The other is an online news item by the SN that stated that Guyana has been removed from Canada’s radar screen. The third is another news item (almost a page) in the February 27, in the edition of SN.

We are still to hear from these three Canadian avenues. We have only a source. I find it strange that the source cannot say who she/he is and is supposed to be speaking on a matter of utmost importance to this country.
Let me outline the dimensions of the story. I got an e-mail from a friend about the reduction of aid carried in Toronto Sun, the largest daily circulation in Canada. It used the word “drop” in reference to Guyana. Then I did some more checking. Here is the outline. Guyana has been taken off the list of aid recipients that have the status of developing partners. A “source” in the Canadian High Commission denies this. I then went and dug further.

Guyana has been taken off the list. There is no question about it. The list now has the Caribbean instead of Guyana. We don’t know as yet if Guyana is included in the new category of Caribbean or has been left out. One can only resort to strong language to say that only a really stupid person would say that Guyana’s quota will not be diminished if Guyana now has to share that quota with 13 other Caribbean countries especially in the light of decreased aid by the Canadians.

Why the reduction to Guyana when this country is poorer that the rest of the Caribbean? It has to do with governance. The Canadians are irritated that the Jagdeo presidency is not moving in the direction of re-shaping governance. The last straw was the Local Government Task Force.
The USAID agreed to fund the entire process, but a certain person (you know who) objected to USAID on the basis that the assistance would have all kinds of conditions. CIDA stepped in and agreed to fill the void.
The Canadians were told that their generosity is not needed at this time because the British Government has already earmarked money for the reform of local government.

This was not so, and more than two years have passed and there is still no positive movement on the reorganisation of local government.
Can we kindly get a definitive statement from the Canadian High Commission or CIDA that the reduction of aid to Guyana from 2009 onwards is a fiction. That is all I need to know before I apologise.
Frederick Kissoon

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