Dear Editor,
I refer to a report captioned ‘Tobacco standard stalled at Tourism Ministry’ that was published in the Kaieteur News, dated Saturday, December 12, 2009, which seems to misinform the general public about the status of the tobacco standard in Guyana. The said article was replete with fabrications and misrepresentations about the Ministry of Tourism, Industry and Commerce.
It must be noted, first of all, that the opinion of Project Officer of the Guyana Chest Society, Mr Eshwar Raghunath, who was reported as saying that the standard was sitting on the Minister’s desk, is more a speculation than a fact, since the document was still engaging the attention of the GNBS under its standards development process. The development and production of a standard must go through a series of steps and stages, following due process and transparency requirements, and there must be adequate public consultation countrywide. Such consultations target all sectors, both public and private.
Mr Raghunath seems to be unfamiliar with the standardization process. It is necessary to point out that although the Draft Tobacco Standard was finalized as a Voluntary National Standard in August, 2009, the standardization process requires that further steps be taken before the standard is submitted to the Minister, who also must ensure that all requirements are fulfilled before the standard is submitted to cabinet for approval. Mr Raghunath, like many others, needs to understand that the standardization procedure is unique, and as such, it is unethical for anyone to pronounce on a matter about which he/she is not knowledgeable.
It is important to point out that the Guyana Chest Society is not on the Board of the Guyana National Bureau of Standards, as incorrectly noted in the article.
From investigations carried out, there was no communication between the Guyana Chest Society or Mr Raghunath with the Ministry of Tourism, Industry and Commerce. Such communication should be effected with the GNBS, which institution coordinates the development of the standard, rather than the Ministry of Tourism, Industry and Commerce.
In addition, it is a blatant untruth that the private sector was given another chance to comment on the standard in keeping with the request from the Tourism Minister. The GNBS is not aware of any new amendments required of the standard.
The Ministry of Tourism, Industry and Commerce and the GNBS, are aware of the importance of making the said standard mandatory, and understand the urgent need for Guyana to satisfy the requirements of the Framework Convention for Tobacco Control (FCTC) to which Guyana is a signatory. Due process, however, must be followed to ensure full transparency.
Moreover, the GNBS is currently tracking the status of the proposed Draft Caricom Standard for Tobacco Products that is currently being developed by the Caricom Regional Organisation for Standards and Quality (CROSQ) which would replace the current national standard. The GNBS has to harmonize the national standard with this regional standard.
Yours faithfully,
Lloyd David
Public Relations Officer
For Executive Director
GNBS
