Govt wants to stop Kaieteur News Haiti fund

Feb 09, 2010 News

— claims no permission was sought

Kaieteur News (KN) should be charged under the relevant law for failing to request permission 30 days prior to commencing a fundraiser intended to help victims of the massive Haiti earthquake, according to the Ministry of Home Affairs.
But yesterday, Publisher Glenn Lall said that someone is asleep. He said that it has not yet been 30 days since the earthquake in Haiti and questioned whether the authorities wanted the people of Haiti to suffer while bureaucracy takes its time.
He also questioned whether the other agencies collection on behalf of Haiti, including the Guyana Red Cross, the Guyana National Committee for Haiti Relief, the state-owned National Communications Network (NCN) and the Guyana Chronicle observed the 30-day stipulated being invoked by the Home Affairs Ministry.
This notion was emphasised in a correspondence purportedly inked by Minister of Home Affairs, Clement Rohee, instructing Commissioner of Police, Mr Henry Greene, to engage an investigation into the matter.
It must be noted that KN has on several previous occasions raised funds via this newspaper for various other charitable causes without any intervention on the part of the police force or the Home Affairs Minister.
Several millions of dollars were collected through a fundraising initiative in 2004 after an earthquake in the sea created a tsunami which killed thousands in several countries in South East Asia.
This newspaper did not fail to respond again in 2005, soliciting millions of dollars again, after a massive famine overtook Niger, resulting in the suffering and death of several people as food shortage took its toll.
In that same year too, this newspaper had hosted a fundraiser for the victims of an earthquake in Pakistan.
Accordingly, efforts were not spared in 2006 to solicit funds to help the families of the murdered KN pressmen. Support was very much forthcoming amounting to several millions again.
The following year the gruesome Lusignan massacre also attracted a similar action by Kaieteur News. This saw persons again supporting a fund-raising venture unreservedly.
It was just last year that another fundraiser was engaged for the four sons of Mary Sandy who succumbed after being hit by a car at Providence, East Bank Demerara.
On each occasion this newspaper ensured that the processes were done in a most transparent and public manner.
Mr Lall said that it seems as if the administration has a gripe against Kaieteur News. Meanwhile, the fund continues.
This newspaper commenced the fund raising activity for Haiti a few days after the earthquake and has since been able to collect in excess of G$4 million from public-spirited citizens.
Publisher of this newspaper, Mr Glen Lall, first gained knowledge of this development some time after 17:00 hours yesterday when one Inspector Gerald Nieuenkirk, armed with the correspondence and his identification card, revealed that he was investigating the matter and would have to produce a report in this regard to his superiors.
According to the correspondence, dated January 28, 2010, Section 4 (1) of the House to House and Public Collections (Control) Act Chapter 23:02 of the laws of Guyana state: Any person who desires to make any collection for a charitable purpose shall make application in writing to the Commissioner not later than 30 days before the date upon which he desires to make such collection for a permit to do so.
The Minister in the correspondence highlighted that he had become aware that KN had not sought the relevant permission to start the collection of funds. “I am advised by the Permanent Secretary that you are not in receipt of any application from Kaieteur News to raise funds. In absence of such, Kaieteur News should be charged under the relevant law for this contravention,” the Minister asserted.
Mr Lall drew the attention of the Home Affairs Minister to the fact that Kaieteur News is not a person.
Following his deliberations with Mr Lall and two other members of staff, Inspector Nieuenkirk took his leave and indicated that he would return later this week to complete his investigation.

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Govt wants to stop Kaieteur News Haiti fund

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