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ONLINE DAILY NEWSPAPER

Wednesday March 9, 2022

GUYANA MAKES SUBMISSION TO ICJ ON TERRITORIAL ISSUE EXXONMOBIL GUYANA CELEBRATES INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S DAY

TWO DRUG SUSPECTS REMANDED BODY FOUND ON MARRIOTT FORESHORE IDENTIFIED AS INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY SPECIALIST AT ST JOSEPH MERCY

Wednesday March 9, 2022

GUYANA MAKES SUBMISSION TO ICJ ON TERRITORIAL ISSUE

Guyana today submitted to the International Court of Justice in The Hague, its Memorial on the Merits of its Case

against Venezuela – as required by the Court following its decision of 18 December 2020.

The ICJ had confirmed its jurisdiction to decide

the merits of Guyana’s claims.

The matter is before the Court pursuant to the decision of the SecretaryGeneral of the United

Nations under the 1966 Geneva Agreement, by which the parties conferred upon the Secretary-General the authority to determine

the means by which the controversy between Guyana and Venezuela shall be settled.

Guyana seeks from the Court a decision that the Arbitral Award of 1899 determining the boundary is valid and binding upon Guyana and Venezuela, and that the boundary established by that Award and the 1905 Agreement demarcating it, is the lawful boundary between Guyana and Venezuela.

The Court had agreed in its earlier decision that it has jurisdiction to do so. Guyana now looks to the Court’s judicial

process and its settlement of the matter under the rule of law.

This year sees the 56th anniversary of the 1966 Geneva Agreement.

Guyana considers that the true commemoration of that Agreement is in contributing in good faith to the fulfilment of its true meaning and intent by participating fully in the current juridical process deriving from it.

The submission today to the International Court of Justice of Guyana’s Memorial on the Merits as required by the Court is the result.

EXXONMOBIL GUYANA CELEBRATES INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S DAY ExxonMobil Guyana takes this opportunity on International Women’s Day 2022 to express its appreciation for the contributions women have made—and continue to make—to the company and the wider society.

This comment was contained in a statement from the oil exploration company.

The theme this year, #BreakTheBias, is a goal every member of the company is encouraged to work towards, the statement added.

ExxonMobil Guyana will continue to encourage its female employees in every aspect of their development and provide equal opportunities for them to succeed, it said.

“We are also committed to supporting women and girls in the wider

community as part of our focus on women’s empowerment through our contributions and sponsorships.”

Providing a comment at the ExxonMobil Guyanasponsored We Lift 2 Exhibition on Saturday, Community Relations

Manager Suzanne De Abreu lauded the growth of women in business locally despite the challenges of the last two years: “It just reinforces what we already know – that women are resilient and today, as ExxonMobil

Guyana partners with the Ministry of Human Services and Social Security to promote women businesses in Guyana, it’s clear to see that we are determined and driven to succeed.

ExxonMobil Guyana recognizes and applauds

the contributions of Women globally and, today especially, here in Guyana,” she said.

There are some 800 women supporting ExxonMobil Guyana’s activities.

ExxonMobil Guyana has been making community investments thatprovideempowerment opportunities to women through capacity-building initiatives that are intended to have real and positive impacts in their lives and within households.

One example of this is the WeLead 2019 programme, which was designed to tackle the lack of business development and training opportunities for women in Regions 2 and 3.

Not only do these programmes aim to provide knowledge and a

deeper understanding of best practice, but they also seek to enhance motivation and self-awareness of the participants’ capability to contribute and lead in the business world.

In 2020, ExxonMobil Guyana brought the Global Women in Management programme to Guyana which helped develop women’s leadership and managerial skills.

Other recent programmes supported by the ExxonMobil Foundation, including the Road to Growth and AccelerateHER, provided useful training and tools to enhance success and contribute to the promotion of sustainable socioeconomic business practices.

Two drug suspects remanded with cocaine were both remanded to prison, today.

The two appeared in separate courts. Sophia resident, 22-year-old Akata Garnett appeared before Chief Magistrate, Ann McLennan in the Georgetown Magistrates’ Court while 32-year-old Airport at Ogle by the Malika Scott of Grove, Two women who were Customs Anti-Narcotics East Bank Demerara nabbed following a drug Unit with mats laced appeared in Sparendaam bust at Eugene F. Correia info@guyanapostonline.com

Magistrate’s Court before Magistrate Rushelle Liverpool.

It is alleged that both of them on Saturday, March 5, 2022, at the Eugene F Correira International Airport, Ogle East Coast Demerara trafficked some 5.274 kilograms of Cocaine worth some $5.6m They both pleaded not

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guilty to the charge and were remanded to prison until March 30.

The women were taken into custody by the Customs Anti-Narcotics Unit after one of them was busted at the Eugene F. Correia Airport at Ogle with over 11 pounds of cocaine stashed in table mats and handbags.

Reports are that Garnett

was preparing to board a flight to Barbados when CANU agents carried out a search of her suitcases and found the mats laced with cocaine and she was later arrested.

CANU later then took Garnett into their headquarters, where she was further questioned after which Ms. Scott was also arrested at her home.

Wednesday March 9, 2022

Body found on Marriott foreshore identified as Information technology specialist at St Joseph Mercy

Five days after a woman was found stuck in the sand at the Marriott Beach Dead, she has been identified as an Information Technology Specialist at St. Joseph Mercy Hospital.

The dead woman has been identified as

Jennifer Sweetnam, staff at the hospital for over 37 years.

Reports are that just around 7:30 AM on March 3, passersby saw the woman motionless, stuck in the sand, and quickly called the police.

The police arrived, the body was examined and no marks of violence were found.

Ms. Sweetnam was reportedly missing since Thursday after she did not turn up for work.

Sometime later, her family and the police went to her home and

elsewhere to search for her.

Those efforts were futile even as the search went on for days.

However, just yesterday, the family got the call that a body that matched the description of the missing woman was found.

This led to the family going to the hospital morgue today. It was then the family positivity identified her as Ms. Sweetnam.

It remains unclear how the woman died as investigations continue.

POLICE OFFICER IN MAHAICA FATAL CRASH ON $1.5M BAIL

Dear Editor, Now that the “inaugural” International Energy Conference and Expo are over, I thought a few words should be said about what some are calling a “brouhaha” that erupted relative to the exclusion of the official Opposition from formal participation in the activities.

The issue is way

more than superficial, however, and is therefore more than a brouhaha.

Firstly, I believe it should be recalled that in 2018, Guyana held the first Oil and Gas Expo under the banner of “GIPEX” and this was successfully repeated in 2019.

This year’s expo appeared to have been successful, and kudos are extended

to the organisers and participants. However, the exclusion of the opposition left an unnecessary and unwanted stain on an otherwise pristine event.

The record would show that in 2018, when we held our first Oil & Gas Expo, every effort was made to ensure that the world saw Guyana’s best face featured, despite

our age-old quarrels. To this end, we ensured that the opposition PPP/C was invited to participate – not just as guests but as panellists.

To this end, Charles Ramson, jr. was nominated by the PPP/C to participate, and did so, on a panel discussion on the theme: ‘Effective Management of Guyana’s Oil & Gas Resources’, and likewise, Robert M. Persaud, immediate past Minister of Natural Resources, presented under the theme: ‘Global Experiences in Developing An Oil & Gas Sector’. That is the stark difference between then and now.

Today, we are told that you have to be “qualified” to even be

invited to view the Expo.

So much for building a modern inclusive and cohesive “One” Guyana.

Back then, the coalition mandated Exxon to provide timely updates to the Leader of the Opposition and his team so that they were kept abreast of developments in the sector. Today, the opposition has to resort to submitting motions and questions in the National Assembly in the hope of getting some sense of what is happening.

D i s a p p o i n t i n g l y, the IOC’s and local embassies are complicit in the tearing of the social fabric even more – by giving their silent consent and encouragement to this insidious practice of exclusion. We are either going to work

towards achieving the ‘One Guyana’ we hear about daily, or we will not. Ultimately, it’s our choice to make.

Sincerely, Raphael Trotman

TEXTBOOKS TO BE GIVEN TO EVERY PUBLIC PRIMARY SCHOOL PUPIL

The Ministry of Education on Wednesday fulfilled another promise by the Government of Guyana with the commencement of the distribution of brand-new textbooks to all primary school children in the public system. info@guyanapostonline.com

The textbooks cover each core subject area, Mathematics, English Language, Science and Social Studies.

Minister of Education, Priya Manickchand, visited the No. 48 Primary School and the Corriverton

Primary Schools in the East Berbice Corentyne Region (Region Six) where she distributed the textbooks.

She underscored the importance of each child having access to their own textbook.

She said that it is the government’s aim to ensure that there is equitable access to educational resources to every pupil and gone

are the days when only a handful of pupils were privileged to own textbooks.

“We have gone out and we have looked at each book; we have looked at what causes or helps to bring about success and we have bought those for every single child.

“So it’s not the wealthy children alone who can do well; it’s not the children in private school alone

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who will get the resources; it’s not the parents who have fancy jobs. It is every single child.”

Minister Manickchand also spoke to parents about the importance of caring for the books so that other pupils can benefit from the investment over the years.

Parents are required to sign a contract promising to ensure that the books are well-kept and returned at the end of the school

year. Failure to return the books will result in children being unable to receive other books in other grades to take home and even unable to benefit from the “Because We Care” cash grant for the new school year.

Over the coming weeks, thousands of pupils from Grades One through Six in every region of Guyana will receive their textbooks.

Friday March 4, 2022

FREE DIGICEL CALLS AND TEXTS TO UKRAINE

In a show of solidarity for the people of Ukraine and their loved ones and supporters around the

world, Digicel is giving customers across the Caribbean and Central America the ability to

IDB Lab, the innovative laboratory of the InterAmerican Development Bank (IDB) is providing financial support to STEM Guyana Inc. to help 1000 children across 40 communities in all ten regions of Guyana.

This support includes technology tools and supplementary learning in Maths, English, and Science. IDB Lab is investing US$950,000 in the three-year programme, ‘Guyana’s Learning Pods – Supporting Success in Education for Vulnerable Children.’

The STEM Guyana pilot will expand the education model, which caters to children ages

seven to fifteen from lowincome and vulnerable communities. In the pilot, small groups of children in communities across Guyana access a connected learning platform at a local community centre to foster ‘STEM’ skills, with the support of an in-person facilitator and an online teacher.

The IDB Lab support will create more ‘Learning Pod’ centres for public spaces for students from grades one through ten, to access content and technology tools, as well as in-person and online live teaching sessions, three times per week. The program will use the core

KHEMRAJ RAMJATTAN’S SON CHARGED FOR ASSAULT, CASE DISMISSED

Commenting Oliver Coughlan, Digicel Group CEO, said; “We know how important it is to be able to stay connected with friends and loved ones – no more so than at a time like this.

We encourage everyone to reach out to their people in Ukraine to let them know they’re call and text from their not alone and that the Two-person charged home country to the world is with them.” with the brutal murder of Ukraine for free from cousins Isaiah and Joel today.

Henry was committed to stand a high court trial for the murder, on Tuesday.

Vinod Gopaul, called Country Representative ‘Magga’, 34, of Yakusari, Lorena Solorzano Salazar. Black Bush Polder, “There is a need for Corentyne, Berbice; and us to adapt and learn Anil Sancharra, called innovative technologies ‘Dan Pole’ and ‘Rasta’, and talents that can 33, of D’Edward Village, contribute to inclusive and WCB, appeared before sustainable development Magistrate Peter Hugh at and guarantee the future the Blairmont Magistrate’s wellbeing of our people, Court. our country, and the The magistrate found region.” that sufficient evidence The ‘Learning Pod’ was made out against the programme is expected two men by police Legal public school curriculum to contribute to better Advisor Mr. Mandel of all Moore. As a result, they for an expanded range of performance students and help reduce subjects. were committed to stand Karen Abrams of attrition from the school trial at the next convenient STEM Guyana says, system. sitting at the Berbice It targets 50 per cent Assizes.

“The Learning pods programme provides participation of girls.

Gopaul and Sancharra for small class in person STEM Guyana expects were jointly charged and and tech-driven learning a future expansion of the remanded to prison on support for students who program to benefit as Friday, January 15, 2021, have been disadvantaged many as 5,000 vulnerable for the murders of teen by the COVID pandemic students over the life cousins, Isaiah and Joel school closures, and also of the investment post Henry in the Cotton Tree ensures their safety as the COVID-19. ‘backdam’, West Coast STEM Guyana Berbice. program makes available cleaning supplies, masks, is a nonprofit tech The cousins, Isaiah and and temperature checks to organization that partners Joel Henry were found with public and private murdered one day after all enrolled students.”

“Opportunities are sector agencies and they went to pick coconuts increasing in Guyana and uses software tools to in the #3 Village backdam. the demand for skills is help solve national and A post-mortem found rapidly changing,” says regional problems. that the two teenage Guyana’s IDB Chief of cousins had died of Operations and acting haemorrhage and shock,

IDB Lab invests in STEM Guyana ‘Learning Pods’ to reach 1000 children

due to multiple incised wounds. They’d both sustained a severed spine, along with multiple chops about the body.

The killers went so far as to carve a huge ‘X’ on Isaiah’s head, and cut open Joel’s chest back in September 2020.

The two were freed following a no-case submission.

However, the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) Shalimar Ali-Hack, S.C., wrote to the magistrate requesting the documents from the PI to ascertain why the accused were discharged.

The DPP then concluded that there is sufficient evidence available to pursue the charges against the duo.

With the two being committed, Sancharra’s step-brother Akash Singh still remains in custody on the said murder charges.

GECOM Appoints Attorney-at-Law Kurt Da Silva as Legal Officer The Guyana Elections Commission at its Statutory meeting held on Tuesday, March 1, 2022 appointed Attorney-atLaw Mr. Kurt Anthony Da Silva as the Legal Officer.

Mr. Da Silva holds a Master of Laws Degree in Public Law from the University of the West

info@guyanapostonline.com

Indies.

Shortly after being called to the Bar in Guyana in 2017, he served the Chief Justice (ag) and other Judges of the High Court as a Judicial Research Assistant. He then moved onto the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) in 2019 where he currently serves as the

President and Judges as the CCJ as a Judicial Counsel.

Based on his experience in both the Caribbean Court of Justice and Guyana’s High Court for researching legal issues, analyzing submissions in cases from Attorneysat-Law, writing legal opinions for Judges, and

his knowledge of the new rules of procedure and the electoral laws, the Commission appointed Mr. Da Silva as the Legal Officer.

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