…not reflective of the collective desire of  majority of Guyanese
THE Low Carbon Development Strategy Multi-Stakeholder Steering Committee(MSSC) has observed, with dismay, the reduction by the combined Opposition of the 2012 budget for green projects under Guyana’s Low Carbon Development Strategy, from approximately $18B  to $1. A statement from the MSSC yesterday said:
From the inception of the LCDS, several years ago, we, the members of the MSSC, have been integrally involved in the entire process. It is especially shocking that these cuts were made to LCDS projects, which were subject to a nationwide consultation process and for which the people of Guyana expressed their support.
“Much hard work and dedication have been invested to bring us to this stage where we are implementing the LCDS. It is disheartening that these cuts have halted our work, and put at risk LCDS projects that would benefit all Guyanese. Moreover, it could jeopardise our mutual agreement with the Government of Norway, from which Guyana is expected to receive up to US$250M by 2015. It could also result in the turning away of hundreds of millions of US dollars in foreign direct investment for our country.”
The projects that will be affected are:

# The Amaila Falls Hydro Project which will see the removal of Guyana’s energy-related emissions and bring on-line a cheaper and more reliable source of energy that will thereby reduce end-user tariffs in Guyana;

#The Amerindian Development Fund, intended to channel funds directly to Amerindian communities to support economic development through community-identified priority projects that are identified in Community Development Plans, which were put together by dozens of communities over recent years;

# Amerindian Land Titling, intended to fast track the titling and demarcation process for all eligible villages and communities, and ultimately strengthen land-tenure rights and improve long-term community development;

# Micro and Small Enterprise Development programme, which seeks to address the major bottlenecks in the development of a robust entrepreneurial and small business sector in Guyana; #The Cunha Canal rehabilitation, which is the first adaptation project under the LCDS to enable a significant increase in the canal’s discharge capacity, and contribute to reducing the risks of the embankment overtopping and the flooding of areas along the East Bank of the Demerara River, and thereby protect the livelihoods of thousands of farmers, as well as reducing the threat to hundreds of thousands of people;

# The Centre for Biodiversity Studies, to be based at the University of Guyana, which would allow for investment in infrastructure, personnel, facilities and equipment to develop a self-sustaining world-class scientific research centre;

# The Institutional Strengthening programme, that will enhance national institutional capacity for Guyana to address climate change and implement the LCDS;

# The Hinterland Electrification project, which will see the installation of 11,000 solar home systems in 150 communities;

# The One Laptop Per Family project, which seeks to engender the building of a knowledge-based society through the free distribution of 90,000 laptop computers to low income earners, as Guyana charts an ambitious new development frontier path with Information Communication Technologies (ICT); and

# E-Governance Fiber Optic Cable project, which will serve as the backbone of a larger ICT strategy as the government seeks to improve and lower the cost of access to information and essential government services.

“We believe that these actions by the combined opposition in the National Assembly are not in the national interest, are not reflective of the collective views and desires of the majority of the people of Guyana, and do not augur well for the developmental aspirations of our country.
“We therefore urge the combined opposition to rethink its strategy so as to allow continuity of the LCDS initiative”, the statement concludes.