PM urges respect for human rights
Prime Minister Moses Nagamootoo and his wife, Sita Nagamootoo, at the 17th International Conference of the Chief Justices of the World.
Prime Minister Moses Nagamootoo and his wife, Sita Nagamootoo, at the 17th International Conference of the Chief Justices of the World.

…assails Venezuela’s aggression at World Chief Justices confab

ANY challenge to the 1899 Arbitral Award must be settled by juridical means and not by military intervention, threats and bullyism, Prime Minister Moses Nagamootoo said as he addressed the World Conference of Chief Justices and Judges in India.

Guyana, a country with an area of 83,000 square miles, faces many challenges, but the greatest of them is the security of its territory from Venezuela, Prime Nagamootoo told the world leaders. Venezuela is claiming five-eights of Guyana.

“We firmly believe that our borders have been defined and settled under Treaty that goes back to 1899, and any challenge to it must be settled by juridical means, not by military intervention, threats and bullyism,” the Prime Minister said.

He said that, for this reason, binding judicial decisions are needed in addition to strict enforcement of international law, to curb aggression.

The Prime Minister delivered his address in the presence of Founder and Convenor of International Conference of Chief Justices of the World, Dr. Jagdish Gandhi. Chancellor of the Judiciary of Guyana, Justice Carl Singh; Prime Minister of Mauritius, Sir Anerood Jugnauth and Lady Jugnauth; former Presidents of the Republics of South Africa, Mauritius, Croatia and Sudan were among the officials present.

In acknowledging Guyana’s 50th Independence Anniversary, Prime Minister Nagamootoo recalled that he was just 14 years old when he had joined the struggle for the country’s independence -– spending almost three decades fighting for “majority rule and restoration of democracy in Guyana through free and fair elections.”

“My fight was against many violations of law and justice; but here, in Lucknow (India), the fight is for some specific goals, primarily world peace,” he told his esteemed audience.

He said that while much has been said about the consequences of wars and violence, similar emphasis should be placed on the local or native sources of conflicts and violence, such as corruption by public officials, meagre allocations for social sectors, the plunder of natural and national resources, destruction of our environment, denial of human rights, subversion of the free press, and interference with the judiciary.

“It is my submission that many governments that could potentially become members of a ‘world parliament’ or ‘world government’ are guilty of crimes against their own peoples. Therefore I urge that the fight for peace should be taken to national governments: to get them to walk the talk about freedom and security for their peoples, including children, which is the essence of domestic peace,” Prime Minister Nagamootoo stated.

THE MEANING OF PEACE
He added: “At the world level, if peace means the preservation of our planet Earth, then it presupposes not only the absence of war, but the cessation of the destruction of our ecosystems; the unmitigated pollution of our atmosphere; the reversal of climate change; the combating of the narco-trade, trafficking in persons, and other serious problems that have been identified at this Conference.”

He said Guyana is fully committed to these goals, embedded in Article 36 of the Constitution of Guyana, which states that the wellbeing of the nation depends on “preserving clean air, fertile soils, pure water and the rich diversity of plants, animals and eco-systems.”

In Guyana, he said, significant steps have been taken in the protection of children and women. It was pointed out that Guyanese benefit from a free public education from nursery to university, where, at the level of the university, students are able to access loans with a payback period of 15 years.

It was noted, too, that children in early childhood and education access free meals, books, and uniforms. “Buses, boats and bicycles are being made available to transport school children. And in order to boost education, a television Learning Channel was set up and all teachers are provided free lap tops to held kick-start ICT education in our schools,” the Prime Minister added.

Gender equality, with equal pay for equal work, is another concept being fostered in Guyana, he said.

“One-third of Parliamentarians and Ministers are women; Most of our magistrates and judges are women. In fact, the positions of Chief Justice, Solicitor General and Director of Public Prosecutions are filled by women,” he further pointed out.

The country, he explained, is sparing no effort in its attempt to guard itself against acts of terrorism and corruption. He noted that legislative measures are being put in place, such as the enforcement of the Anti-Money Laundering and Countering the Financing of Terrorism (Amendment) Act of 2016.

“Only this year we passed legislation to establish a Public Procurement Commission that will review the procedures, processes and practices in the award of contracts for public works and services. We are ending the unacceptable practice where Government Ministers approved contracts, which had become a source of cronyism, corruption, and bribery,” Prime Minister Nagamootoo said as he referred to actions being taken to combat corruption in the country.

Environment and issues linked to Climate Change are also key on the country’s agenda he said, while noting that there is a current push to generate a green economy.

The Prime Minister also used the opportunity to applaud the Founder and Convener of the Conference, Dr. Gandhi, for his progressive and pioneering vision and work.

“…the world owes him gratitude for his consistent and unwavering advocacy of a new peaceful world order based on the Rule of Law,” he said.

Prime Minister Nagamootoo said Dr. Gandhi reminds him of another visionary – Cheddi Jagan, late President of Guyana, whose Resolution for a new human global order has been adopted by the United Nations.

He said Jagan’s global order was premised on cuts in military expenditures and redistribution of funds for the socio-economic and ecological advancement of developing countries.

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