PRESS BRIEFING
March 5, 2004

AGENDA

1. Contracts

2. Constructive Engagement

3. Parliament

4. PRSP: Progress Report Consultation

CONTRACTS

Cabinet has offered its “No-Objection to the following contracts being awarded:-

AGRICULTURE

Supply of two (2) mobile drainage pumps to the National Drainage and Irrigation Board for the depressed committee drainage project in Fryish and Lancaster, Corentyne, Berbice, Region No. 6
G$29,840,000.00

WORKS
Feasibility study for an alternative southern approach to Georgetown - Extension of the Mahaica - Rosignol Road Rehabilitation Project
US$119,800.00

WORKS
Hiring of a Routine Maintenance Consultant for the Routine Maintenance Management System (RMMS)
US$92,000.00

FINANCE

Supply of IT Hardware, Software and Services and Generator for the Public Sector Technical Assistance Credit Project (PSTAC)

US$296,356.00

EDUCATION
Emergency repairs to Covent Garden Secondary School: SSRP
G$52,466,363.00

PARLIAMENT
Parliament sittings would resume on March 15, 2004 and continue in March.
The main matters include the 1st reading of the Audit Bill, the Accreditation Bill, the Tec Voc Bill, the Public Procurement Tribunal Bill and the Rights Commission Tribunal Bill.
Importantly, March is the Constitutional deadline for the presentation of the Budget.
The March sitting would also see the following orders laid in Parliament:

(1) Committee/Constituency allowances for MPs, a financial boost for all MPs agreed to by President Jagdeo and Leader of the Opposition Mr. R. Corbin after being negotiated by the High Representatives.

(2) Emoluments and related allowances for the Chairpersons and members of the Constitutional Service Commissions.

CONSTRUCTIVE ENGAGEMENT
For the period under review, the Constructive Engagement process remained without significant progress.

(1) There was no meeting between the Leaders.

Mr. Corbin has so far failed to respond to invitations to consult with the President on the re-appointment of the Integrity Commission.

(2) There have been no meetings of the High Representatives.

(3) At the Bipartisan level, the Bipartisan Task Force on Local Government Reform has been involved in the discussions on programming for Local Government Elections in 2004.

A number of undertakings involving the PNCR have yet to be realized.
The Joint Bipartisan Report is still pending.
The select group, established, after the publication of the Draft Broadcast Legislation, to address differences about its content is yet to conclude its work.
At the Parliamentary level, the PNCR representatives on Parliamentary Sectoral Committees lead in terms of being active and continuing the discharge of their obligations to meet. The pattern is less comforting in terms of commitment to the other Sessional and Select Committees.
It would seem that the PNCR support is selective at best and convenient at the worst.

PRSP
The new Steering Committee of the PRSP had their inaugural meeting on Wednesday, March 3, 2004.
The Chairperson is Cabinet Secretary, Dr. Roger Luncheon and the Committee members selected at the October 2003 Workshop present drawn from the Religious Bodies, Private Sectors, Organised Labour, NGO, Community Organisations and Women Bodies.
Still to be appointed are Youth and Amerindian representatives.
The current activities surround the review of the Draft Progress Report on the implementation of the Poverty Reduction Strategy for 2002 - 2003 and the ongoing M & E exercises.
The Draft Report is about to be circulated and will be used as the basis for wide spread consultation involving the three (3) countries and target groups.
It is planned that once distributed, the Report would be studied and written comments invited and submitted to the Unit at the office of the President.
The Report will document progress in 2002 - 2003 with implementing the strategy.
Importantly for the review of the implementation of the Report with detail progress in meeting targets both general and sectoral.
The Report will also provide a future based look at the strategy.
The challenging M & E tasks will continue indefinitely spearheaded by the main players, the PC and PMU, the Steering Committee, the Regional Committees and Ministerial and other Public Sector Committees.