Kaieteur News

K

AIETEUR NEWS

Guyana’s largest selling daily & New York’s most popular weekly

$15M automated Friday Edition tolling system goes into operation April 01, 2022 - Vol. 24 No. 13

Online: www.kaieteurnews.com Online Price $80 readership yesterday, 72,796

...DHB banks on it to reduce traffic congestion

Guyana must adopt int'l standards, best practices to guard against oil spill risks ...each company in the USA has very strict rules to follow about what insurance they carry - US Ambassador says

Exxon contractors linked to biggest corruption scandals in oil industry

st r e t ro s fo p The tinue to the . conange racts ch cont

...Guyana urged to watch out for abuses - NRGI

ECD pensioner dies in house fire Opposition to mount legal challenge to NRF, Hicken appointment in two weeks

ExxonMobil's spending on oil projects should be made public ...Citizens must be empowered with all info to hold Govt. accountable – Experts say Barbados spending US$100M for 178MW of electricity; Brassington telling us the on Chinese Company spending US$700M to give Guyana 165MW of electricity @11:00hrs 99.1/99.5FM

Kaieteur News

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Friday April 01, 2022

ExxonMobil's spending on oil projects should be made public ...Citizens must be empowered with all info to hold Govt. accountable - Experts say

W

h e n a commercial discovery is made, one of the next crucial steps for an oil company seeking to produce and sell the resource involves defining a Field Development Plan (FDP).

This document provides key information about the geology of the field, the commerciality of the oil find, steps to be taken to prevent a blow out or similar mishap, along with all the associated costs to extract and produce that oil.

Various arms of the government such as the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) examine this document and ensure that the requisite protective measures are in place, that the data

provided is accurate and the costs for production as outlined are not inflated.

Often times, the government hires an expert to provide assistance in this regard.

This was done in the case of the projects pursued by ExxonMobil and its partners Hess Corporation and CNOOC Petroleum Guyana Limited, in the Stabroek Block. Currently, the oil companies are well on their way to producing oil from the Payara field.

This is in addition to the operations ongoing at the Liza Phase One and Liza Phase Two Projects which are producing in total, 340,000 barrels of oil per day.

The company is also in talks with the government for its blessings on the Yellowtail

Project, the fourth to be developed in the Stabroek Block.

FDPs were provided by Exxon to the government for each of these projects. But despite the plethora of information they contain which would assist citizens in being better informed about the project, none have been released for scrutiny.

Local Content Expert, Anthony Paul has told Kaieteur News on more than one occasion that in the interest of transparency and accountability, these field development plans should be made public, while noting that Norway, in particular, the Norwegian Petroleum Directorate, publishes this type of information. Paul categorically stated that the

information contained in these documents allow citizens to be more informed about their resources and empowers them with the data they need to hold the authorities of the day accountable.

Former University of Houston Instructor, Tom Mitro was also in agreement as he noted, that citizens ought to know what the associated costs for the project are and be able to question whether they are economical.

He said, “…But unfortunately in most cases, they aren't. Companies tend to argue that they contain geological or engineering data and analysis that is proprietary and could benefit competitors.

But since the planned development can have such a large and wide impact, public interest should override the

T&T Energy Expert , Anthony Paul

company concerns.”

Mitro who has over 30 years' experience in the industry added, “They could always separate any competitively sensitive information if needed.”

Also in agreement with Mitro was Chartered Accountant, Christopher Ram. He opined in a previous interview with this newspaper that if the FDPs have proprietary information then indeed, he can see how

this would be an issue for the companies as well as the government.

Ram noted nonetheless, “But I don't see how it can (have proprietary information).

I do believe that these plans should be made public.

The government should be insisting on it and the people should be demanding it, because it has environmental implications while giving you an idea of the costs.”

Kaieteur News

Friday April 01, 2022

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Guyana must adopt int'l standards, best practices to guard against oil spill risks

By Kiana Wilburg

G

i v e n t h e government's intention to develop the Stabroek Block's significant oil resources, US Ambassador to Guyana, Sarah-Ann Lynch advised that the authorities adopt international standards and best practices to guard against the risks associated with unmitigated oil spills.

Her sage remarks were delivered on Thursday afternoon at the Ramada Princess Hotel which facilitated the Annual Meeting for the Guyana Manufacturing and Services Association (GMSA).

Following her featured address at the event, Kaieteur News asked the US Envoy for her advice on how Guyana can mitigate some of the risks associated with oil spills in the oil sector, taking into account the experience of her homeland in this regard.

Ambassador Lynch said appropriate mitigation measures would entail

...each company in the USA has very strict rules to follow about what insurance they carry - US Ambassador says looking at international standards and best practices and trying to adopt them. She said, “Guyana is not only on the regional stage but also on the global stage and I think the country that I know wants to set itself up for success, how you do that is looking at these best practices and getting educated on them, and it is going to take some time and hard work.”

With respect to this publication's question on how Guyana can go about demanding insurance for oil spills, drawing on the lessons of the USA, the envoy said every company has its own rules and regulations, as such; it is hard to give a generalization there. Be that as it may, she did note that

each company in the USA has very strict rules to follow about what insurance they carry so should something happen in their industry they are covered. “But in terms of the level of insurance and how they get that I would have to defer to the different companies,” expressed Ambassador Lynch.

In the meantime, she did note that the USA is doing its part by helping Guyana get the training it needs to properly respond to oil spills.

In this regard, the Ambassador said, “Yes we definitely think this is important and we know there are others working on this including within the industry and our goal, what we are providing is some assistance

to the Coast Guard and helping them become better prepared to identify and respond to the potential for any one spill.”

The official added, “It is certainly is prudent I think for Guyana, the government and whoever else is involved such as the private sector to improve the ability to respond, their skills, get the right tools (for response)…”

GUARANTEE FROM EXXON While the US Embassy has been integral to providing key training sessions for Guyana in oil spill response, civil society groups have called on former and current administrations over the years to give equal attention to securing full coverage

US Ambassador to Guyana, Sarah-Ann Lynch insurance for the Stabroek Block.

In this regard, citizens have said that ExxonMobil, the parent company of Esso Exploration and Production Guyana Limited (EEPGL) which operates the block, should be made to cover any oil spill costs that cannot be

handled by EEPGL. Since 2015, ExxonMobil Corporation has steered clear of being tied to such an arrangement. Instead, it has placed only its subsidiary (EEPGL) on the hook if such an eventuality occurs offshore. This is the state of (Continued on page 14)

Exxon contractors linked to biggest corruption scandals in oil industry ...Guyana urged to watch out for abuses - NRGI

C

orruption is endemic in the petroleum sector, not just among licence/rights holders but among their partnering sub-contractors and suppliers.

That's why the Natural Resource Governance Institute (NRGI) is encouraging Guyana and other oil producing States to have rigid oversight over these companies. This caution was noted in its report titled 'Beneath the Surface: The Case for Oversight of Extractive Industry Suppliers'.

NRGI articulated that large oil, gas and mining projects are usually associated with a few big names such as Shell, ExxonMobil, Rio Tinto, Gazprom and Codelco. It said these are rights holders—

companies that receive licences from host governments to extract resources.

Typically, however, lower-profile companies do much of the work to take natural resources out of the ground.

T h e s e a r e suppliers—companies that provide the goods and services that make extraction happen. They range in size from multi-billion-dollar international conglomerates like Halliburton, Schlumberger and Caterpillar, to specialised or local firms that may only have a handful of employees.

Expounding on this matter, NRGI stated that between 2008 and 2017, oil, gas and mining companies spent an average of just under a trillion dollars a year. Set to

remain one of the major financial flows from extractive industry projects, NRGI pointed to corruption risks in the operations of suppliers, including bribery, favouritism and state capture.

In its analysis, NRGI was keen to note, that it found that suppliers played significant roles extractive industry corruption scandals and foreign bribery cases in at least 29 countries across five continents.

NRGI said that suppliers would sometimes bribe or offer illicit financial rewards to gain an advantage; use an intermediary or supplier to pay the bribe, among other illicit methods.

The non-governmental organisation listed some key examples of corruption cases, involving suppliers.

Some of these suppliers are

even in receipt of contracts for works to be done in Guyana. They are ExxonMobil sub-contractors like Saipem, Halliburton and SBM Offshore.

ExxonMobil has been using Saipem as its prime contractor for the installation of subsea facilities for its developments in the Stabroek Block. But the same Italian company was hauled before the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) where it settled with a fine of US$24.5M over an allegation that its employees paid approximately €198M to an intermediary that would assist it in obtaining contracts from the national oil company of Algeria, totaling well over US$10B. The fine was handled by ENI, which had a large controlling interest in

Saipem at the time. The intermediary is alleged to have, in turn, channeled money to Algerian officials.

Saipem, nor the parent company, confirmed or denied the allegation. Earlier last year, an Italian appeal court overturned a previous corruption conviction laid before Saipem for the same matter.

A s f o r S B M , ExxonMobil's prime shipbuilder, there is a history of alleged bribery of officials to gain advantages. US court statements state that the SBM made “commission” payments to sales agents between 1996 and 2012, in order to deliberately and systematically bribe officials in Brazil, Angola, Equatorial Guinea, Kazakhstan, Iraq and elsewhere. SBM executives bribed officials

with over US$180M. These bribes resulted in approximately US$2.8B in profits.

Subsequent lawsuit actions led by the Public Prosecutor of its home country, the Netherlands; the US Department of Justice; and the Brazilian Federal Prosecutor resulted in millions of dollars in fines being paid.

Halliburton, another prime Exxon contractor, was forced in 2017 to pay US$29M to the SEC to settle a bribery probe.

By paying the fine, the company got off without admitting or denying wrongdoing. In this case, the SEC alleged that Halliburton paid millions to an Angola state-run company to secure a lucrative oil deal.

It was the second time in eight years that Halliburton got into trouble with the SEC and was fined for corrupt practices.

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Friday April 01, 2022

Kaieteur News

Kaieteur News Printed and Published by National Media & Publishing Company Ltd. 24 Saffon Street, Charlestown, Georgetown, Guyana.

Publisher: GLENN LALL-TEL: 624-6456 Editor: Sharmain Grainger Tel: 225-8465, 225-8491. Fax: 225-8473, 226-8210

EDITORIAL

A spiritual man of substance We had to go outside of Guyana to find a spiritual man of substance, since it is so difficult to find one here.

A man who could be bold enough and principled enough to be concerned about the greater welfare, and say so publicly in the position(s) that he takes.

We found him in Barbados, and we now elaborate on this man of God, who caught the attention, and stirred with his wisdom and strength. The caption is from our regional news page, and it should convey the extent of the story. “Atherley wants Symmonds to fill Opposition void in Parliament” (KN January 22). As originally carried in Barbados Today, Bishop Joseph Atherley is urging Mr. Kerrie Symmonds to cross the floor and take up the role of Leader of the Opposition in Barbados. Mr. Symmonds crossed the floor before in 2018, despite the barrage of criticism that came his way for doing so, believed hidden motives that prompted his startling move in 2018, when his Barbados Labour Party won the general elections.

What Bishop Atherley is calling on Mr. Symmonds to do today takes a lot of guts, requires much heart, on the part of both men to think of, and then to do. The Bishop has made up his mind as to where he stands, and he has made no bones about placing his sure to be controversial position in the public domain. It is a peculiar one, but one that makes for much sense, that which benefits not an overwhelmingly victorious political group, but the bigger, wider national constituency of every citizen. If only we could see and hear some of that from our own spiritual leaders in this country, we may be able to make a start at being a better society.

According to the thinking of Bishop Atherley, it would be dangerous for the Mia Mottley-led administration to operate unchallenged. We have high regard for Ms. Mottley, who we think is a leader in a class by herself, and of which calibre we dont have in Guyana. But we agree with the Bishops thinking and his frank and fearless public posture, for which he says he expects to be denounced.

Regardless, Guyanese citizens who follow politics locally and in the larger international environment are well aware that even in the presence of the best of governments and the best of leaders, there is weakness, the tendency to human haughtiness and human error. We have not had the best of governments here, nowhere near such, and we have paid terrible prices here for continuing leadership failures and excesses.

As Bishop Atherley said, such a move by Mr. Symmonds would be in the best interests of Barbados.

And further, “The interests of the country always come first, and whatever flack I take for the pursuit of those interests then let the flack come.” Spoken like a true and courageous man and servant of God, a man concerned about the wellbeing of the people, all of them. He has challenged those on the winning side: “I would really like to make a call on somebody…to be man enough or woman enough to cross the floor and constitute a proper opposition to the Government of Barbados.” Try that in this country and it is not interpreted as principled and patriotic thinking, but that which qualifies for the damnation of sedition and subservice activity.

We at this paper applaud Bishop Joseph Atherley, and as we do so, the wish was that we had some spiritual shepherds who were cut from the same cloth. It doesnt matter which denomination they are a part of in our land of many religious persuasions and followings. What does matter above all else is that they have the courage and character to take a stand at what could be better for this country, given all our wealth. Our own religious leaders across the board are too silent. They are too involved in the partisan political and racial sweetness that plagues us. They are too distant from making what could be a needed and effective contribution.

The only way they can do so is by being honest and thoughtful, by being about country, what benefits all.

Reparations for forced labour must include all races DEAR EDITOR, Reparation for slavery is in the news again in several territories of the region brought to the fore by the visit of a Prince of England to Jamaica and other Caribbean islands. Africanists and Caribbean political leaders are demanding reparations for slavery which was only one form of forced labour. Prime Minister Rowley brought it up in Trinidad a few days ago as did PMs of other territories. Indentureship of Indians, Portuguese, Chinese, and Blacks was also a form of forced labour. The native Caribs and Amerindians were also forced into labour for the European colonialists, enriching their empires. Yet, reparations for indentureds and natives have not been part of the advocacy or vocabulary of leaders in the Caribbean.

Forced labour violated the human rights and dignity of all groups and they are all entitled to some form of compensation. Governments must champion reparations (compensation) for all groups and not just one group.

Slavery and indentureship were among the most heinous and inhumane crimes committed against African and Indian peoples in the diaspora. The Portuguese and Chinese did not labour as long as or thought to suffer the same degree of humiliations and rights violations as Indian indentureds who were flogged and often starved not much different from slaves.

Indian Indentureship included several features of slavery. In “A New System of Slavery: The Export of Indian Labor Overseas (1830-1920)”.

A seminal and comprehensive boo on the subject, Professor Hugh Tinker gave de-

tails of the many similarities that the two socio-economic systems shared in common.

Dr. Tayyab Mahmud, a professor of law and director of the Center for Global Justice at Seattle University. Argued that indentured labour was cheaper than a slave in a paper titled Cheaper than a slave: Indentured labour, colonialism and capitalism”.

As an epigraph, Mahmud quoted a passage from Amitav Ghoshs Sea of Poppies (2008): “Do you mean slaves, sir? Mr. Burnham winced. Why no, Reid. Not slaves coolies. Have you not heard it said that when God closes one door he opens another? When the doors of freedom were closed to the African, the Lord opened them to a tribe that was yet more needful of it the Asiatick.”

Prof. Mahmud adds: “The main successor to modern slavery was the institution of indentured labour, which is often portrayed as a bridge between slavery and modern forms of contract labour. This switch in the form of labour also involved a switch in the source of the labour supply from Africa to Asia.”

African historians have been given recognition and support by CARICOM governments to champion reparations for slavery. But there is no similar advocacy for forced labour endured by the ancestors of present day Indians or other groups. In 2013, CARICOM established a reparations commission (CRC) to pursue the path to reconciliation, truth and justice for the victims of slavery and their descendants.

CARICOM funds this body which has a chairman and several members all of whom are compensated and are re-

ceiving stipends for their work and travel. No funding is available to any Indian or Portuguese or Chinese or Amerindian group to champion reparations for them.

This is unjust and a violation of equal treatment to all.

Indian community leaders and scholars I interact with feel that there should also be reparatory justice for the descendants of the victims of indentureship as well as the genocide of the indigenous peoples of the New World.

They believe that Indians, Chinese, Madeirans and Portuguese, and indigenous people should also be part of the CARICOM Reparations Commission. CARICOM governments cannot agitate for compensation for only one race of people.

Paradoxically, CARICOM is violating the very concept of fairness, equity and justice by excluding non-Africans in the CRC. There is not a single Indian or Chinese or Madeiran or Portuguese or indigenous person in the CRC. The Chairman is Prof. Sir Hilary Beckles from UWI, Mona Campus. I penned a letter appealing to CRC to include members of other races in the commission. Prof.

Kumar Mahabir’s who attempted to become a member of the commission has been rejected.

There is a compelling argument for reparations for indentureship in the book entitled “Sat Maharaj: Hindu Civil Rights Leader of Trinidad and Tobago” by biographer Dr. Kumar Mahabir. On page 147, Mahabir wrote: “During the hundred-year period of 1845 to 1945, all marriages not performed by the Christian church or at a wardens office were not legally recognized

by the State. Thus, widows and children of Hindu and Muslim land owners were unable to claim their relatives estates after they had died.

Children of Hindu and Muslim marriages were considered to be illegitimate and thus the land that they should have inherited was given over, once again, to the State. Indian Guyanese suffered similar experience. To champion their advocacy for reparations, I would like to suggest the appointment of an indentureship and indigenous people reparation commission along the line of CARICOM Reparations Commission unless the regional organisation includes the neglected groups in its CRC. Funding for the indentureship CRC should come from Caricom. It is noted that in addition to getting funding from Caricom, the CRC also gets funds from individual governments. The Guyana government has been providing funds for Guyana representative of the CRC in addition to the body itself.

The government should provide an equal amount of fund for a proposed Indenturship/Indigenous People CRC. There should be compensation to the descendants of Indian indentured for crimes committed against their forebears who were duped into leaving India, underpaid and cheated for their labour, jailed and beaten wrongfully, and robbed of the wealth and land that they were promised.

The advocacy for reparations for forced labour should include all groups everyone must be treated fairly and equitably regardless of race.

Yours truly, Vishnu Bisram

The British Guiana Labour Union DEAR EDITOR, Hopefully all its comrades will remember that July 11, 2022 will represent the 100th anniversary of the recognition of the British Guiana Labour Union by the British Government as the first in the British Empire. The Union was actually established in the country on January 11, 1919 by Hubert Nathaniel Critchlow whose statue, designed by the artist E.R. Burrowes, can be seen erected in the compound of Parliament Building.

Interestingly Critchlow was reported to have given Ayube Edun some help in the founding of Manpower Citizens Association (MPCA) in November 1937, to represent

workers in the sugar industry.

The MPCA however, was not given recognition by the British Guiana Sugar Producers Association until 1939; but it took the Union some 20 years to obtain the latters agreement to the deduction of union dues from workers wages called the check-off system.

By 1976 the MPCA then led by Richard Ishmael, Principal of Indian Education Trust College lost in a poll, conducted by the Ministry of Labour, to the PPP backed Guyana Industrial Workers Union (GIWU), soon after renamed Guyana Agricultural Workers Union (GAWU).

Other Unions of the day in-

cluded: - Sugar Estates Clerk Association (SECA) - Guiana Headmens Union which represented the first level of supervision in the field. The position was properly re-titled Field Foreman, and the membership extended to lower level Charge hands.

- The Sugar Estates Supervisors Association (SESA) represented Field and Factory Supervisors.

- Alongside was another group that represented itself not only in Guiana, but throughout the West Indies where their members worked, with great credit to the local sugar industry. Members of the Guiana and West Indies Sugar Boilers Union

(G&WISBU) were particularly popular in Barbados, Antigua and St. Kitts.

Their prowess was further acknowledged by their selection by Bookers to work in new factories in Nigeria, Kenya and Tanzania and to prepare the local staff to succeed them.

- The Sick nurses and Dispensers Association was also a recognised Union, with their membership including Certified Nurses, Nurse/Midwives, Midwives and of course Dispensers By 1977, except for the GAWU worker categories all the above mentioned unions had coalesced into a new multi-disciplinary (Continued on page 5)

Friday April 01, 2022

Harsh measures need to be instituted DEAR EDITOR, Another serious accident, on the heels of the previous smash-up, on the same west side, again resulting in injuries, one seriously, and damage to property due to a reckless decision by the driver who allegedly caused the accident and was over the legal limit (News Room Mar 31).

It is time for harsh measures to be taken against this type of imprudent deed if the allegations as reported are found to have merit.

It is posited the driver, in this particular case if guilty, should be banned from driving if not for life, for a very long time.

Shamshun Mohamed

Seeking Guyanese to interview on Wismar (1964) DEAR EDITOR, I am conducting research on Guyanas politics during the 1960s. Part of this research includes an examination of the contributing factors to what Cheddi Jagan in his book referred to as the “Wismar massacre” of 1964.

The “Report of the Wismar, Christianburg, Mackenzie Commission” commonly referred to as the “Wismar Report”, was prepared by a Commission of Inquiry, which was appointed in September 1964 by then Governor Richard Luyt. The purview of the commission (which included Sohan Roopan Singh (Chairman), Dr. Harold Drayton, Rev. Alexander Sutherland MacDonald and Dr. Subhan

Ali Ramjohn) was to investigate “the causes of the racial violence on 25 May, 1964” in the population residing in Wismar, Christianburg and Mackenzie.

I am particularly seeking to interview Guyanese any Guyanese who were living in the area, who later permanently migrated from the area, who still lives in the area, and who may have had contact with anyone from Wismar at the time. It goes without saying that anonymity will be guaranteed and protected. If you have information that you are willing to share, please contact me at: BRamharack@aol.com.

Thank you very much.

Sincerely, Baytoram Ramharack

The British Guiana...

From page 4 bargaining entity called the National Association of Agricultural, Commercial and Industrial Employees (NAACIE). It wa s t h i s Union which confronted the GSPA and won the reduction of a 48-hour to a 40-hour work week for its membership. Unfortunately at this time of reporting, NAACIE is not as dynamic a representative entity as it used to be in the sugar industry. Meanwhile, to its credit, even before its formal recognition, GAWUs activism resulted in the Zaman Ali Advisory Committee being assigned in 1970 to investigate conditions of work in the sugar industry.

The Committee highlighted and consequently had the industry redress the following deficits, amongst others: 1. Water Supply; 2. Labour Transportation

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Kaieteur News

3. Loading ramps; 4. First Aid facilities including emergency transport for injured workers 5. Provision of safety equipment The Board of

Bookers Sugar Estates responded by having developed and implemented, a most comprehensive Occupational Health and Safety Programme that is operative to this day in the sugar industry. Hopefully there will be an appropriate anniversary celebration by a unified Trades Union community of Critchlows initial vision.

E. B. John, Retired Human Resources Director BSE/GuySuCo

NY based Guyanese helps create Mental Health wisdom bot DEAR EDITOR, I am a Guyanese living in NY and I wanted to share with you about the technology my partner, a former monk and I, along with our team have built to help people with its mental and emotional wellbeing.

Ahhaa.com - is a help engine where people express how they feel and help comes to them in a simple organised manner from the worldwide web to feel better the help engine is like Google for wellbeing. Since its launch a few months ago, ahhaa.com is now used by people in 43 countries creating a positive impact in people’s lives 24/7.

Even the Mayor of Niagara Falls launched the platform in his city to create a positive

impact.

On April 5th as a next step to ahhaa’s growth we are launching Dia, the first of its kind wisdom bot, it’s like Alexa for well-being. https:// ahhaa.com/dia Dia, is a wisdom bot that will be a personal wellbeing companion to guide people when they want to talk to someone.

Our Mission is to help people feel better and from April 5th we are on a campaign to spread awareness, I would love for ahhaa to be a place where my fellow Guyanese can go to feel better.

With Gratitude, Diane Bacchus Co-Founder

Is this the way we treat our women?

DEAR EDITOR, On Wednesday Stabroek News editorial, dealing with the dismissal, re-employment and transfer of Dr. Thomas from her post, where professional knowledge was used, to the Enterprise Health Centre is ridiculous. The Stabroek News editorial eloquently and properly dealt with the absurdity and dictatorial attitude of the Ministry of Health and Government.

It reminds me of the dismissal of Dr. Jennifer BasdeoGreen, MRCOG, the PPP Government after the Elections of 1992.

I worked with this family and overheard stories that the PPP Minister of Health said he was not comfortable with

the Doctor, working in the Ministry of Health Headquarters, because she was the wife of the former Government Prime Minister. I dont know what happened after but Dr. Basdeo-Green was never reemployed and got no benefits for her several years of service to the people of Guyana.

Three cheers for democracy.

Dr. Thomas, welcome to the group of professionals, whose only interest is to serve Guyanese. We look forward anxiously to some response from the Hon. Minister of Health and the top brass of the PPP Government. Is this the way we treat our women?

Respectfully, Eric Moseley, MS

Disgust and frustration at the way things are going in this country DEAR EDITOR, I am compelled to use this medium to express disgust and frustration at the way things are going in this emerging develop country.

It would appear that operators within state agencies are not in keeping with the Presidents objectives with regards to efficiency. I, like most Guyanese, would like to know why the tardiness in dealing with important matters at state agencies.

Most of these bureaucrats treat the ordinary citizens with no respect and lack of compassion.

In my opinion if you are not willing to offer rewards or you are not well connected to the powers that be, you get nowhere but undue delays and the royal run around.

I hope this letter is seen by the authorities and appropriate actions are taken.

Yours truly, S. Alli

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Friday April 01, 2022

Kaieteur News

Why is the PPP Government so scared of Civil Society groups?

DEAR EDITOR, They say “when you in a hole, stop digging.” This is good advice for our VP. The recent visit by the Deputy Assistant Secretary of State got an earful from the PNC and Article 13 about recent Government harassment of Civil Society groups that have been calling for transparency, accountability, consultation, and full disclosures before major decisions are made about expensive Government projects that seem improperly planned and rushed.

The Governments PR assault and well-choreographed attacks on Civil Society, supported by opportunistic newspaper columnists doing the Governments bidding against the people, has invited blowback.

Now the Government has earned itself entries in the ABC/EU Human Rights Reports and communiques on Guyana. For a Government that came into power through the advocacy and support of Civil Society, the attacks seem ill-advised.

They say “be nice to the people you see on your way up; they are the same people who you will see on your way down.” Somebody needs to tell the PPP, that when they hang by a one-seat majority, they cannot afford to alienate good people.

The PPP Manifesto states it will engage Civil Society but apparently, it means those groups who are lined up to sing its praises.

On page 3 it says, “to prevent oil money being squandered, civil society will be involved in a central role to monitor compliance and accountability.”

Has the PPP backslidden from that election promise?

It has been reported that our VP said Government is open to civil society scrutiny but will not sit idly by and allow lies to be spread by organisations that claim to be apolitical but are partisan.

The VP has said, “If they come and lie about the governed or take partisan points as they have done, we will not take it because we are not eunuchs.

We are not going to sit and take everything just because we want to have a good name that we will not criticise civil society,” he added.

The news report said, Jagdeo hit back saying that government wants to work with civil society but believes that most here tell untruths and are political. Some bodies, he said, only consist of one member and government will support “support civil society when it expands.”

“Some of these civil society organisations are corrupt.

They operate just to collect money from the international community. Some are undemocratic; it is a one-person organisation.

One man couldnt get a job in government and he went off and… he formed an organisation that is one of the most vocal groups,” the Vice President said.

The VP must know that democracy means “one man, one vote, one voice.”

There is nothing wrong with any citizen as an individual or as part of a group making opinions and views that might be perceived as “political” in nature. Everyone has civil as well as political rights.

In 2015, the PPP lost Region 8 by one vote.

In 2011 and 2015, it lost the majority in parliament by one seat. Mr. VP, dont knock what you call “one member” groups.

You cannot set up tests to decide whom you will recognise or not recognise.

You do not have that power!

The VP accuses Civil Societies as partisan, political and corrupt.

Lets ask the VP some questions. Did the Presidential candidate say he will “review and renegotiate the oil contracts?” In Dubai, last week he said, he would not.

What do you call that? The President made a special ad-

dress to the nation and said he would establish an “Order of Democracy.” He has not done that. What do you call that? The VP said some organisations are “one man” organisations. Mr. VP, is there one man in the PPP that controls everyone and everybody, and no deals can go through without him? Who might that person be?

Mr. VP, you talk about corruption. The Vice News reporter did not ask any Civil Society member if he or she is taking bribes and was corrupt.

Since you know, please name the persons and groups that are corrupt.

The people who really care for Guyana will be the ones standing up for transparency, accountability, con-

sultation, and full disclosures before major decisions are made about expensive Government projects that seem improperly planned and rushed. Mr. VP, please stop your harangues against Civil Society groups. Stop digging! These groups are not going anywhere!

Sincerely, Name supplied

I support your Columnists views on Trinidad DEAR EDITOR, I am in agreement with the columnist who wrote: Trinidad has been an integration movement scoundrel for decades, in his daily column.

I had my problems in Trinidad when I was traveling with my wife and two infants from Guyana to Canada in1980.

We were in transit at Trinidad and were to continue on another flight to Canada.

As we were at the ticket counter to check in, the attendant said that we were on standby. This happened to several persons like myself who were travelling from Guyana to Canada. This was news to us and our refusal to accept what we were told went through deaf ears.

We were told that we will have to wait until the next day for a flight to Canada. This

was bad news because all our baggage were already checked in and we had no personal belongings. Instead of putting us up at a hotel we were all taken to an old building called Pan American Guest House. My family had a room with one bed.

The place was smelling mouldy and large dead cockroaches were on the floor behind the bed. This was worse than a prison because we were not allowed to use the telephone to inform relatives about the flight situation.

The next day when checking in to leave for Canada they wanted me to pay airport exit tax. I started to create a stink and refused to pay because I was never an in transit passenger. This was creating a hold-up in the line and a woman behind me offered

to pay for me also persons ahead of me willingly paid for something which was no fault of ours. The columnist mentioned that Trinidad does not buy any of our products.

I saw one of our products in the duty free shop and that is the Eldorado Twelve Year Old Rum because they cannot produce a product similar to that Editor. I know of returning passengers to Canada who had their duty free expensive liquor seized

by Trinidad security when checking in on their connecting flights although they cleared in Guyana.

They told me the reason was because the carrying bag was open. Shame on these people! I am sure they kept the items for themselves.

Regards, Kenneth Singh

T N U L B . . .

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L B T LUNT.. UNT...B BL B Friday April 01, 2022

Kaieteur News

Addiction, we all can agree, is a major problem that our society, like many others, faces.

While there are many in our society who struggle with substance abuse, there are those who are addicted to greed. This is especially worrying when the greed is directed to our God-given wealth.

In the same way those with substance abuse problems need help, we at this publication believe that those who thrive on greed are also in dire need of help.

Indeed, Kaieteur News has already taken up the mantle to help those suffering. By exposing instances of greed, we believe that the culprits will eventually be rehabilitated to the point of doing right to this nation. Our only motivation is to set the pace for a progressive and prosperous Guyana for generations to come.

PAGE 07

Kaieteur News

PAGE 08

Friday April 01, 2022

'Removal of unfair terms in oil deals an industry norm' ...Chatham House says countries have right to renegotiation

A

ccording to UK b a s e d transparency watchdog, Chatham House, it is quite reasonable and even considered normal practice in the petroleum industry, for countries to engage oil companies in the review and removal of terms contained in deals which may leave the country in a disadvantageous position.

In fact, the not-for-profit organisation said the refusal to do so can have a destabilising effect on countries.

Chatham House is a nongovernmental organisation whose mission is to analyse and promote the understanding of major international issues and current affairs.

The organisation which has worked with local authorities on oil related matters since 2015, said that

new data about a country's reserves may prompt its government to seek to revise the terms of investment to its advantage. This is quite normal it said. Similarly, Chatham House said that companies sometimes approach governments to ask for a revision of terms to reduce the taxation or operational obligations they face during periods of economic difficulty.

Chatham House said, too, that over the course of 25–30 years, circumstances may change beyond the scope of pre-existing contracts and broader legislation, and governments may want to amend the investment terms, just as companies do.

It said, “Against this backdrop…, our group debated the legitimacy of renegotiating an existing agreement. A near consensus

emerged that renegotiation of terms was sometimes necessary in order to maintain a long-term partnership between oil companies and governments because the refusal to review terms could be destabilizing and unfair to some countries.”

Chatham House continued, “It is also in the long-term interest of companies engaged in the country to ensure that the deal is viable.

Discussions focused on one avenue for renegotiation, which is to include periodic r e v i e w, r e n e g o t i a t i o n ,

economic balancing and adaptation clauses in contracts from the outset, allowing renegotiation when specific triggers are activated. Such clauses can add significantly to perception of investment risk for companies and require careful design.”

The transparency institute added, “But they have proven to be more efficient and fair mechanisms in comparison with classic freezing or stabilization clauses.

In case an oil company has not met its obligations under the applicable deal (or the laws/regulations) then the country may be within its rights to terminate the contract.” Going forward, C h a t h a m H o s e recommended that governments should design progressive fiscal terms at the outset, in order to capture maximum windfalls as the geological and price contexts evolve.

It said too that governments should request external support where necessary to achieve this effectively.

Further to this, Chatham House advised that governments should seek to

design contracts with a renegotiation or periodic review clause – which would allow renegotiation when specific triggers are activated. In this regard, the U K B o d y s a i d , “Governments should ensure that the clause is phrased in very clear language; that it specifies which terms are subject to renegotiation (local content, fiscal, environmental, financial terms); that it specifies what triggers would lead to renegotiation (political, cost, commodity price, and legal or tax changes); that it specifies clearly what is the baseline of the renegotiation/rebalance ex ante; and that it specifies the p r o c e s s o f t h e renegotiation/rebalance ex ante.”

Chatham House also noted that there are several groups which can support governments in contract renegotiations.

It said that these include the World Bank; the African Development Bank's African Legal Support Facility; the International Senior Lawyers Project; and the Commonwealth Secretariat's Ocean Governance and Natural Resources Management Section.

LOPSIDED PROVISIONS Kaieteur News would have exposed via an extensive study published in 2019 that Guyana's PSA for the Stabroek Block has some of

the world's worst provisions when compared to 130 other deals.

For example, the PSA says sees the government paying the contractor's income tax out of the country's share of the profits. However, none of the 130 PSAs examined shows this arrangement.

Further, Guyana's PSA is the only one out of 130, which has very moderate work obligations for contractors who are vested with offshore licenses.

Additionally, the GuyanaExxonMobil PSA is the only one out of 130 contracts, which has no ring-fencing provisions to prevent costs of unsuccessful wells being carried over to that of successful wells.

There is also no sliding scale for royalty to increase as production improves. And that is not all. Guyana's PSA is the only one out of 130 that allows insurance premiums to be fully recovered as well as interest on loans and financing costs that are incurred by the contractors.

The 130 PSAs examined are part of a register on www.resourcecontracts.org. (https://resourcecontracts.or g/search?q=Production+Sha ring+Agreement+) That website offers over 620 PSAs from around the world for perusal.

The Stabroek Block PSA was signed on June 27, 2016 with ExxonMobil and its partners, Hess Corporation and CNOOC/NEXEN.

Friday April 01, 2022

PAGE 9

Kaieteur News

The PNC/R is a rigging machine The PNC now PNC/R has been attempting to remake its political image for decades.

But the conduct of the party during the 2020 elections impasse – a controversy of its own making – demonstrates that the PNC/R never ditched its undemocratic character and is prepared to win power by hook or crook.

No amount of remaking its image or attempts at democratic window dressing will obscure the party undemocratic credentials which date back to its rigging of the 1968, 1973, 1980 and 1985 elections, and the referendum of 1978.

The PNC/R by its conduct in the post-March 2020 elections has revealed that the party remains a habitual rigging machine.

After Forbes Burnham died, the economic hit a stone wall. There was no way out of the crisis.

Burnham’s successor, Desmond Hoyte, a notorious election rigger, was forced to make economic reforms since the economy was crumbling further under his rule.

Following the end of the Cold War, he aligned the economy on the path of western liberalisation but his politics remained authoritarian and undemocratic.

He attempted to remake his image as one of change – trying to put some distance between himself and Burnham, even to the point of exiling some of the government’s foremost left wing ideologues.

He presented himself in the 1992 elections as a reformer.

But the people of Guyana had seen through his public relations smokescreen.

The PNC was booted out of power in 1992.

In 1997, having lost fairly and squarely to the PPP/C, the PNC tried to seize power

through street protests. It failed to do so but in the process exposed its insatiable lust for power.

By 2001, the party had rebranded itself as the PNC/ R, attaching a Reform component to the original title of the party in an attempt to change its image of the party and to append a civic component to the party.

It wanted to appeal more to the business class and to voters who were discontent with ethnic polarisation. The PNC/R however, was the same old PNC and it lost those elections also.

In 2006, the party entered the elections as the PNC/R-One Guyana (PNCR-1G). But most people did not take that coalition seriously, knowing that the other partners in the grouping were marginal and that the real power remained with the PNC/R. Having lost those elections massively, the PNC/R saw the writing on the wall.

It, therefore, set about again to remake its political image.

It initiated something called caucuses to elect its Presidential candidate and present itself as enjoying internal democracy.

But there were concerns expressed about just how democratic was that process seeing that one of the candidates was virtually hand-picked and enjoyed the support, tacit and otherwise, of a powerful section of the party’s leadership.

The party’s attempt at Big Tent politics was generally rebuffed but it persisted with rebranding itself as a supporter of coalition politics.

Along with some marginal parties it formed a grouping, with some marginal parties, known as A Partnership for

National Unity (APNU).

It did not win the 2011 elections but along with the AFC managed to secure a majority in the National Assembly.

The party showed its character in the National Assembly through its high-handed tactics such as when it tried to prevent an elected member from speaking in the National Assembly and changing the Standing Orders to ensure that the combined Opposition, rather than the government side of the House, held the majority in a number of committees.

In the 2015 elections, the PNC/R joined with the AFC to establish the APNU+AFC government.

Pervasive corruption and the luxurious lifestyles which some PPP/C leaders flaunted created an opening which the Coalition exploited, and it won a narrow one-seat majority, thus forming the government.

But the PNC/R could not resist the temptation to dominate its main Coalition partner, the AFC. And it did so to its own detriment, comprehensively losing the 2016 and 2018 local government elections and then losing the 2020 General and Regional Elections.

The APNU+AFC’s defiance of the no-confidence motion and its attempt to benefit from the rigging of the 2020 general and regional elections showed that the PNC/R as a political leopard had not lost its stripes. It is a party with dictatorial tendencies.

Guyanese must not be fooled by political window dressing. Nothing has changed within the PNC/R. Nothing will change.

By still sticking to the

Dem boys seh...

De day de Titanic went down!

Dem boys grandfather bin actually see de Titanic.

And he bin telling de people dat de ship was going to sink.

But nobody listen to he; dem bin ignore he. But he bin telling dem ova and ova “dis ship gan sink.”

Eventually, one man tell he “shut-up!” Dis did deter meh grandfather. He bin shouting, “Don’t go onboard.

De Titanic gan sink!

Don’t go onboard. De Titanic will sink”.

He keep on warning dem… until he get kick out de cinema.

It mek dem boys remember when dem bin small and

use to go movies.

At times dem use to have some people wah see de movie before and dem does always want show off how dem see de movie.

So while de movie showing, dem talking wat gan happen next. It use to tek de fun, excitement and thrill out of watching de movie.

But wat dem boys use to like was de Intermission.

Yuh use to go to de cafeteria and buy some nice food and snacks. Some people use to walk with dem own drinks and food.

Yuh did believe dat some ah dem bin going pun a picnic.

One time, dem boys carry

a girl to de movies.

And when de Intermission start dem boys ask she wah she want fuh eat. She tell dem two dhal puri, four cassava balls, two eggs balls and two peanut punch.

It was de fuss and last time dem boys ever invite she out.

Nowadays when yuh go to de movies, de snacks costing more dan de ticket.

Yuh does gat to buy drinks and popcorn before de movie start.

Lucky thing dem nah gat Intermission! Or else some awe pocket would ah be like de Titanic!

Talk half. Leff half.

shameless and utterly discredited narrative, about the PPP/C stealing the elections and being installed with the support of the United States, the PNC/R remains non-trustworthy.

No amount of changes to

its leadership or claims to greater internal democracy will alter that fact.

(The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of this newspaper.)

Kaieteur News

PAGE 10

Friday April 01, 2022

THE FREDDIE KISSOON COLUMN

Here is the most destructive role of moral corruptibility I am too old and experienced and also learned in the ways of the world to be bothered with the basic fools that the world has produced and the fundamental flaws that characterise Homo sapiens and what they say about me.

In a forthcoming column, I will pen some notes on why Naomi Osaka should have confronted her heckler instead of crying.

I also have a huge record, so deep and wide that those who criticise me I simply view them with immense contempt and disdain. I see

on television and Zoom programmes and in the newspapers, people praising others for their struggle during the past 20, 30 years and I laugh. The reason I laugh is because I know it is fools praising fools.

The record of those people who supposed to have fought for democracy would reveal they never got a scratch.

They never receive even a shout from a policeman. I am just amused when I see and read these things because I know fools are on stage. I read a letter in the papers in which I was referred as a coward. Really! Should I reply to that? Really! Do the Guyanese people believe that? The answer is 99.99 percent of Guyanese in and out of this country would not believe that. And guess why. I have a public past that could be read.

I never saw any fashion in being anti-government and pro-government. My life has always been centred on

condemning the abuse of power from all dimensions of society. I have confronted every government since Independence because of wrong things done. I gave President Cheddi Jagan my support and then I became critical. In the early stage of the Jagdeo presidency, I gave my support then I spoke out.

I campaigned for the ANPU+AFC and my activism helped put them into power.

Then I turned against them for betraying the Guyanese people. I see no fashion in being antigovernment. I make no apology and I use my name here in saying unless President Ali goes in a bad direction, he has my support.

I did not hide my name in making that statement above.

Unlike other people who say I am a supporter of the government and criticise me and castigate the government and are too immoral to use their name, I have used my name here in my attitude to

the president. Let us get one thing straight – I have absolutely no relation with the Government of Guyana.

From August 2020 to Friday, April 1, 2022, I never requested employment from the government or ask for anything financial or material things. I write on society in general. I write on Guyana in general. I am not into the fashion of making a name for myself by being anti-government. Others want publicity for being so.

Not me.

I will not be deterred by what people say about me. It never happened and it will never happen. I can hold my head high, so high, as when the stallion meets the sun. No one has anything on me unlike those who criticise me and “pampasett” themselves as independent minds and are too cowardly to use their names.

Vice-President Bharrat Jagdeo at a press conference told the media that one person asked for a job, didn't

get it and then f o r m e d a n organisation and became a government Frederick Kissoon critic. Mr. Jagdeo said he will expose that d angerous, moral depravity person in time to come. in this country is that those This is what I mean by who take the high ground and holding my head high. That lecture Guyanese on the person could never be me. problem are part of the That is not who I am and problem themselves. never will be. But such a Don't take my word for it, person exists. read the criticisms of these This columnist knows people then check on who who Mr. Jagdeo is talking they are. They are no about. This columnist knows different from those who they of the other person who made say created the problem. a similar request.

They are even worse than the Unfortunately, the laws of people who they say keep the libel prevent me from going problem alive. I will leave further. The government you with two pieces of leaders can go further. Maybe advice. In this country be they have the proof, maybe aware of narrow minds they could afford high-priced masquerading as democratic. lawyers. I cannot, so the Secondly only pay attention matter is dead for me but I and listen to humans who can tell select people have credibility and morality. privately.

(The views expressed in The headline of this this article are those of the column has not been author and do not explained as yet in this necessarily reflect the article. Here now is the opinions of this newspaper.) meaning. The most

Friday April 01, 2022

Kaieteur News

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Kaieteur News

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Friday April 01, 2022

Guyana holds talks with World Bank on low carbon development Finance Minister Dr. Ashni Singh and officials from the Ministry of Finance on Wednesday, met with a high-level World Bank team led by Country Director for the Caribbean, Lilia Burunciuc, and new Resident Representative of the Bank, Dilletta Doretti.

The meeting served as an opportunity for dialogue on the Government's economic objectives and priorities and potential opportunities for World Bank support through its assistance and lending programmes, the ministry said in a press release.

Key priorities discussed included Guyana's Low Carbon Development agenda, human capital development and opportunities for partnership between the Government and the financial institution in other areas in line with its expanding and evolving capacity.

Elaborating on the various ongoing developmental projects and

Finance Minister, Dr. Ashni Singh and other officials of the World Bank and his Ministry on Government's policies, Dr. Singh placed emphasis on diversified economic growth, highlighting the desire for an increase in the private sector footprint of the IFC (International Finance Corporation). He alluded to a number of developmental projects in the agriculture sector which hold potential such as the corn and soya bean agriculture initiative.

The Senior Finance Minister further welcomed the Bank's

continued investment in human capital development, as well as Guyana's Low Carbon Development agenda.

For her part, World Bank Country Director for the Caribbean Lilia Burunciuc re-affirmed the Bank's commitment to working closely with Guyana in promoting economic and social development while the new Resident Representative Diletta Doretti noted that

Government has a clear strategy, and expressed enthusiasm at being able to support the administration's development priorities on behalf of the World Bank.

In August 2021, the Vice President responsible for the Latin American and Caribbean Region of the World Bank, Carlos Felipe Jaramillo and team made a

two-day visit to the country where they met with Government and visited a number of project sites.

During that visit, the Bank reaffirmed its commitment to Guyana and assessed areas for further opportunities for expanded partnership in pursuit of the country's national development goals.

The Bank has been

supporting several projects over the years through a number of loans and grants including a US$20M loan for the Guyana Petroleum Governance and Management Project to support the enhancement of legal and institutional frameworks and the strengthening of the capacity (Continued on page 22)

Schoolgirl hospitalised after hit by car A 15-year-old high school student is hospitalised in a serious condition after a drunk driver on Wednesday evening made a U-turn along the Vreed-en-Hoop Public Road, West Coast Demerara (WCD) causing a multivehicular accident.

The injured school girl has been identified as Vidya Ishmail of 27 Pouderoyen, We s t B a n k D e m e r a r a .

According to police the accident took place around 22:00hrs and involved four cars- one of them driven by a drunk driver identified as Kemraj Narine.

Traffic investigators reported that Narine's car was reportedly parked facing a westerly direction beside the road but suddenly made a U-turn into oncoming traffic.

As a result, a hire car collided with Narine's car.

The driver of the hire car then lost control and crashed into two other cars. Ishmail was an occupant in one of the cars and sustained severe injuries. Other occupants and the drivers were also injured too.

Public-spirited citizens responded and summoned an ambulance to transport the injured to the West Demerara

The scene of the accident.

Regional Hospital. Ishmail was admitted in a serious condition while the others were treated and sent away. Police have c o n d u c t e d a breathalyzer test on all

of the drivers involved and it turned out that Narine, the one who made the UTurn was drunk.

According to police 174% of alcohol content was found in his body.

Kaieteur News

Friday April 01, 2022

PAGE 13

Opposition to mount legal challenge to NRF, Hicken appointment in two weeks

Opposition Leader, Aubrey Norton Leader of the People's National Congress Reform (PNCR) Aubrey Norton says that his party should be ready in two weeks to mount legal challenges to the controversial Natural Resource Fund (NRF) Act and the appointment of Clifton Hicken to the post of Acting Commissioner of Police.

The PNCR leader was at the time answering questions on the Buxtonian Morning Time show when he informed that actions to address the two contentious issues would be made soon. “In terms of the Natural Resource Fund, I think by next week, according to the information I got from the lawyers, there should be a challenge in court against it as well as some other challenges that have emerged.”

The NRF Bill which was passed last December attracted a lot of attention owing to government's dominance on the board as well as other key committees.

Civil society groups had expressed concern over the rushing of the NRF Bill which they claimed appeared to have given more control to the government and less oversight. The Coalition had also tried to prevent the passage of the bill by removing the Mace which signifies the proper seating of Parliament. The opposition

had contended that the removal of the Mace disqualified any passing of the NRF Bill and that activation of the Bill is illegal.

When the bill was passed the parliamentary opposition had vowed to take legal action, accusing the government of forcefully rushing the bill through Parliament without proper consultation. Back then, S h a d o w L e g a l A ff a i r s Minister, Roysdale Forde, SC had promised to move to the Court to challenge the government's rushed passage of the law. Added to this, a number of civil society organisations, including Article 13, had expressed disappointment at the undue haste with which the government rushed the NRF Act through Parliament, which they believe opens the door for misuse, and without regard for the Santiago Principles, which set out the basic tenets of transparency and accountability in expenditure of oil funds.

Meanwhile, regarding the new acting Top Cop, Norton said that the opposition will be challenging Hicken's appointment on several grounds; one being that he is not qualified for the post.

Norton said that when considering qualifications for the Top Cop, one assumes that these positions have a minimum required qualification. He said it becomes an issue when people senior to Hicken with the requisite qualifications are sidelined.

“If we are going to govern a society properly then one has to ensure that the people that are appointed are well qualified to do so. No society develops with poor human resource at its disposal, and this clearly is a case of promoting someone who is not qualified.” Norton also pointed out that the public service rules speaks to the most senior person becoming the next top Cop when choosing an acting

Civil society must...

From page 3 available but participants of the projects do not want their information to be made public. The government MP went on to say that where projects are concerned, persons bidding would have

access to information.

However, when asked about Guyana's history with white elephants such as the Skeldon Sugar Factory where large amounts of money was spent and no value returned, Datadin said time will tell.

commissioner whom he said at this time, is Deputy Commissioner, Paul Williams.

Norton said that the government nonetheless seems hell bent on excluding Williams despite their claims

of inclusion.

He charged that the government is only interested in having people who they can control in certain positions.

He also reminded that it was Hicken who was the

Commander at the time during the Linden protest over electricity rates which saw the death of three protestors. Norton accused Hicken of working with direct orders on how to handle the Linden protest and

therefore submitted that Hicken's post to Police Commissioner acting, is some kind of pay back.

Norton further accused the government of placing Hicken in the senior position (Continued on page 14)

PAGE 14

Kaieteur News

Guyana must adopt int'l...

From page 3 affairs with its Liza Phase One, Liza Phase Two and Payara Projects. Following in its footsteps are Hess Corporation and CNOOC Limited, the other two joint venture companies in the Stabroek Block.

The government has since disclosed that

it is conducting talks with ExxonMobil to provide a parent guarantee for the Stabroek Block. The value of this however, has not been revealed but Vice President, Dr. Bharrat Jagdeo had said more information would be released on the conclusion of those d i s c u s s i o n s .

Friday April 01, 2022

Four Covid-19 patients in ICU, seven new infections With no new COVID-19 related deaths recorded over a two week period, the Ministry of Health on Thursday reported that four persons are now admitted into the COVID-19 Intensive Care Unit receiving treatment.

The ministry via its latest dashboard revealed that within the last 24hours, it has

recorded seven new infections acro s s t h e country, bringing the total number of confirmed cases to 63,253. The new infections were detected in Region Four which recorded four cases and Region Six which recorded three.

A breakdown of the total number of confirmed cases

shows that 34,126 persons are females and 29,127 are males.

The dashboard data also shows that eight persons are in institutional isolation, 66 are in home isolation and 15 are quarantined institutionally.

To date, a total of 61,949 persons have recovered after being infected with the virus.

Opposition to mount legal...

From page 13 because he felt that the now Top Cop would act at the behest of the government.

He charged in this regard that it would appear that the People's Progressive Party is going to use the force apparatus against the people of Guyana and that no questions would be asked when orders are given from above. “My party has serious problems with Hicken being placed as acting commissioner arbitrarily.”

Norton said that Hicken's position should not have superseded Paul Williams. “I have already spoken with our lawyers who should take this matter to court in at least a week or two.”

The opposition leader added that ground work is being done to ensure that citizens understand the upcoming actions.

He said supporters should follow the information and understand it so they are aware as to why

the opposition is taking certain action. “We are acting because government has been given the opportunity to rectify the ills against Guyanese people and they haven't. “In fact, they are intensifying it,” the PNCR leader said.

“They cannot accuse us of not seeking to ensure we educate and relate to people before we take whatever action we should take. So, when we act we will act on high moral grounds.”

Friday April 01, 2022

Kaieteur News

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PAGE 19

The Caribbean climate change centre launches Airborne Light Detection and Ranging Survey T

he Caribbean Community Climate Change Centre (CCCCC) on Thursday announced the commencement of its Airborne Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) surveys in ten Borrowing Member States (BMCs) of the Caribbean Development Bank (CDB).

Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados, Belize, Guyana, Suriname, Saint Lucia, St. Kitts and Nevis, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Trinidad and Tobago and Turks and Caicos are the countries selected. These LiDAR surveys are the culmination of years of foresight, effort, and dedication to provide affordable geo-spatial, high resolution topographic and bathymetric data that allow decision-makers to plan their climate resilient development programmes and projects using an evidence-based approach, the centre said in a press release.

This leg of the LiDAR programme commenced in Barbados on Thursday. The acquisition of the first Caribbeancentric state-of-the-art LiDAR system, capable of acquiring both bathymetric and topographic surveys, was made possible

through financing from the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) under the recently concluded Climate Change Adaptation Program (CCAP). The Caribbean Development Bank (CDB), provided critical financial support to the CCCCC to undertake pilot bathymetric and topographic LiDAR surveys in its BMC in an effort to demonstrate the utility of Lidar data in climate resilient development while the Government of Italy, through the Ministry of Ecological Transition (MiTE), formerly the Italian Ministry for the Environment, Land and Sea (IMELS), provided grant support to the CCCCC to undertake necessary base lining to inform LiDAR survey planning.

The Caribbean LiDAR programme aims to, inter alia: establish a critical high-quality geo-spatial dataset for enabling sustainable development resilient to climate change and sea-level rise, support the conduct of demonstration type bathymetric and topographic surveys in Borrowing Member Countries (BMCs), train BMC data endusers, and strengthen the capacity within the Centre to provide data

management services.

Airborne data acquisition has been made possible through a public-private partnership via an agreement with Maya Island Airlines (MIA) out of Belize initially, and subsequently, through a Framework Agreement with Leading Edge Geomatics (LEG) out of Canada.

“Despite many delays and challenges caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, the CCCCC is proud and excited to be able to commence this historic Caribbean LiDAR program across the Region that will contribute highquality geo-spatial data to Member States to inform their climate resilient development plans and disaster risk reduction strategies, says Dr. Colin Young, Executive Director of the CCCCC. “The fact that the CCCCC now possesses LiDAR capacity is a testament to the vision of Dr. Kenrick Leslie, former Executive Director of CCCCC, the Centre's resolve and the strategic partnerships with donors such as the USAID, Government of Italy, the CDB, and the participation of

ECD pensioner dies in house fire The aftermath of the fire.

A 76-year-old man perished on Thursday after a fire destroyed his one flat wooden and concrete home located at Lot 292, Bachelor's Adventure, on the East Coast of Demerara (ECD).

The pensioner was identified as Charles Brown. Brown lived in the home with two other persons identified as Onika Lawrence Charles and Andrew Reid, 35. According to a press release by the Guyana Fire Service (GFS), the house caught afire around

08:20hrs, trapping Brown inside.

Fire trucks from the Melanie and Mahaica Fire Stations along with ambulance responded to the blaze. Fire fighters managed extinguish the flames but could not save the building from being destroyed or Browns life.

GFS stated that it is believed that the fire started from an unattended Kerosene Stove.

The stove had reportedly flared up and ignited combustible materials nearby.

the private sector. With this capacity, resident in the Region, we look forward to working with CARICOM Member States and the private sector to deliver highquality LiDAR surveys and products at reasonable and affordable costs for the benefit of the region and our Caribbean people,” concluded Dr. Young.

This programme contributes

directly to a core mandate of the Centre – that of collecting and using climate data and information to inform evidence-based decisionmaking across the Region. The Board, management, and staff of the CCCCC are most grateful for the support of our donors, the commitment of our partners, and the resolve of our team in making this programme a reality.

Kaieteur News

PAGE 20

Friday April 01, 2022

$15M automated tolling system goes into operation ...DHB banks on it to reduce traffic congestion An automated tolling system that the government paid some $15M dollar to set up at the Demerara Harbour Bridge (DHB) will assist in reducing the traffic congestion around that area.

At least this is the view of the General Manager of the Demerara Harbour Bridge Corporation's, (DHBC) Wayne Watson. He was speaking at the time to newly appointed acting

Commissioner of Police, Clifton Hicken on Thursday.

Hicken along with Traffic Chief, Ramesh Ashram, the Traffic Officer in Charge of the Region Three district, Inspector Eon Isaacs and Senior Superintendent of Police, Kevin Das, met with the Manager yesterday to explore ways to reduce the traffic chaos that takes place every day on the bridge.

Watson, according to a

release sent out by the force, told Hicken and his team that starting from today, a new $15M automated tolling system installed at the bridge will be opened to the public and will assist in reducing the traffic congestion there. This investment means that commuters will no longer have to stop and wait to pay their tolls at the bridge.

Watson reportedly noted that the new system successfully

Newly Appointed Commissioner of Police, Clifton Hicken and his team meeting with the General Manager of the Demerara Harbour Bridge yesterday. passed its pilot testing phase, which began in February, with a few selected vehicles.

Explaining how the system works, Watson said that commuters will pay their toll via a Radio-Frequency Identification (RIFD) tag, but first they will be registered to a database linked to mobile money account. An RIFD tag will be placed on their vehicles and while approaching the toll stations on the eastern side of the bridge, RIFD scanners will scan the tag and the toll fee will be deducted automatically from their mobile money account.

He added that different RIFD tags will be made for different classes of vehicles such as cars, trucks, or vans.

In strengthening its

partnership force, DHBC has donated a motorcycle for traffic ranks to execute their duties in and around the bridge area.

Hicken also inspected a newly built police outpost on the western end of the bridge.

DHBC had handed it over to GPF this year not only for monitoring traffic, but also for the detection and prevention of crime in the area.

As GPF continues its efforts to alleviate the traffic woes that affect motorists almost every day, Hicken noted that the force will continue to work with the double lane system that was introduced in 2020 because it seems to be doing well.

The double lane system would normally be used

during the peak traffic hours.

However, in an attempt to boost the double lane system, Traffic Chief, Ramesh Ashram related during the meeting with DHBC, that more traffic ranks will be placed at specific points along the East Bank corridor to assess the traffic situation, and if there is a build-up, a decision will be taken to open an extra lane (double lane system).

Additionally, the traffic chief is instructing owners of derelict vehicles to remove them beside the public road and is working along with the local Neighbourhood Democratic Councils (NDCs) and Regional Democratic Councils (RDCs) to have these persons comply.

Kaieteur News

Friday April 01, 2022

PAGE 21

Civil society must play bigger role in scrutinising Govt. projects A

s a measure of g o o d governance and transparency, Attorney at law Christopher Ram is adamant that the state must involve members of civil society into the decision making process.

The attorney insists that with the number of major projects on stream in Guyana, it would be instructive that a government committed to transparency would have no issue in allowing its peers within society to access and offer pertinent information regarding various developments.

Ram, was at the time addressing local transparency issues on the online talk show Globespan 24x7 when he suggested that it is not society's job to be chasing after information from the government that would inform and enable citizens to add toward project discussions taking p l a c e i n t h e c o u n t r y.

Moreover, the attorney insisted, it is not the job of local professionals to be chasing after the government for information when it is clear that their input could be useful in ensuring better project outcomes.

“If something is positive, as professional's we must be able to say that it's positive.”

Ram questioned reasons behind government

Attorney-at-law Christopher Ram withholding particular information on projects before explaining that civil society has genuine questions that contribute to not only transparency but the wellbeing of projects.

For instance, he mentioned, there are people who raised legitimate questions about the Amaila Falls Hydropower project and its cost.

This project had raised many questions from civil society when the idea was proposed and being pursued by the then People's Progressive Party Government.

According to Ram, 10 years later, the project is a

few hundred million dollars less.

“In other words, people do have understanding, people do know.”

He mentioned too that in the case of the Berbice Bridge project, matters such a s c o s t r e c o v e r y, i s considered among the issues.

He indicated that if civil society had been involved in the project, professionals whose names he highlighted could have had something valuable to add, regarding the cost recovery structure.

The accountant added that basic documents such as production statement, value of production, receipts, budget statements, cost recovery statement, “none of these things has been made available as far as I know to the public at large.

Ram reiterated the importance of Article 13 of the Constitution which gives citizens the right to participate in the development of the country.

To do that, Ram maintained that civil society, especially professionals would need the information to be released by the government.

“Let's get serious we have major, major projects and I am not for or against these projects. I am waiting for a proper technical analysis and the disclosure,” Ram stated.

The accountant said that if the government or its

relevant agents could provide him with documents relating to the Amelia Falls project and the study gone into it, the gas to shore project, its analysis and study and the statements under the 2016 Petroleum agreement, he would very much welcome the information on which he would be able to have some input.

G o v e r n m e n t Parliamentarian and Attorney at law Sanjeev D a t a d i n h a s h o w e v e r, rebuffed statements that civil society has the right to access government project documents.

The Attorney who also appeared on the Globespan 24x7 talk show argued that some of the documents society is demanding are sensitive and valuable and as such, cannot be made public.

“These are the strange things we keep getting from persons who say they are civil society.”

“You want us to share

Government MP and Attorney-at-law SanjeevDatadin information about surveys that have been done, about studies that have been done to what end.” Datadin said that, “there is a misconception that the elected government must get the approval of everybody for every project.”

This he said is nonsensical and not practical, much like the Article 13 claim by people urging their right to be consulted to give their approval on projects.

He said that in relation to Article 13 general elections, local government elections, the courts, tribunals and the minister's officer are among outlets for civil society to address their concerns. “Not that you have a right to say on everything.

What it (Article 13) gives you the right to do, is function in a democratic system where the political system must allow for people and the government and civil society.”

Datadin added that in large projects reports and data have value.

If these are made public, the value of that information diminishes.

He said too, that summarized versions of projects are made (Continued on page 13)

PAGE 22

Friday April 01, 2022

Kaieteur News

Guyana holds talks with World Bank on low...

WANTED One apprentice electrician.

Call:682-2971.

VEHICLE FOR SALE One Honda CRV,fully loaded immaculate condition, low mileage 3.3M negotiable.

Contact:649-0956.

2017 Toyota Fortuner (bronze),Immaculate condition 2.7L petrol 26,000km 15.5M neg.Contact 6287954.

One office assistant. Call: 2332725.

From page 12 of key institutions to manage the Oil and Gas sector in Guyana.

Additionally, the Bank loaned US$6M to Guyana under the Guyana Payments System Project to improve Guyana's national payments system, while another US$13.3M was loaned for the

L.S Automotive & Spare Parts dealer.Need an expert who could recognise, diagnose & regenerate Japanese vehicles,five years experience required. Apply by calling 226-2033.

Minibus driver for 40 route.

Contact:683-0558.

One (1) welder to do grill work. Call 625-5763.

SERVICES Visa Application: U.S.A, Canada & UK; Graphics design,Advertisements, Wedding decorations & Elderly grooming: Hair,Nail etc.Tel:626-7040.

Specialized repairs/service refrigerator, washing machine, pressure pump, stove, treadmill,dryer, filteration system, deep fryer.Call:6949733.

1 child friendly female to assist with kids and household chores.Contact:653-7776 preferably from E.B.D. Supervisor/counter clerk, preferably live in(female 2540yrs) for bar & shop. Tel:6103974.

Dried carilla bush,soursop leaves,lemongrass,mango leaves (anyquantity). Call: 609-8281/693-3003.

VACANCY

FOR SALE 2-1 acres land@ blankenbu rg W.C.D. Contact:650-0402/ 652-0251.

1-40 acres land@Linden Highway.Contact:650-0402/ 652-0251.

White Toyota Verossa, price 1.8Mil. Call:608-6948.

FOR RENT One bottom flat apartment.

Contact:265-7435 or call whatsapp 647-1719.

Furnish & unfurnish one,two & three bedroom apartment in Providence & New Road Vreed-en-Hoop West Coast.

604-6604/682-6238.

One excavator operator and one grader operator to work in Diamond.Contact:6321118/647-4161.

Experienced roti/puri cook, kitchen assistant, cleaners.

Apply at Hack’s Halaal Restaurant,5 Commerce st.

Cashier,supermarket helper at Nirva Superstore.Send application at 49 Sheriff & Craig st tel:227-5771.

Male & Female workers to work at Magic Touch Car Wash & details centre. Call: 669-4676/669-8960.

Vacancy exists for Water Delivery Driver and Porter for E.C.D.Tel:676-1363/692-6768.

One male 25-50 Ayres to work shift @Del Ice Co:231-1408/ 642-9191.

One female cleaner.Apply in person at Alabama Trading,65 Robb St. Billing clerk & Porters, location Stabroek Market. Experiences is an asset. Contact: 661-1000,226-9800.

Maintenance man & room attendants,30-50 yrs old.233 South Road Lacytown or 2252304.

LAND FOR SALE 48 acres of transported rice land situated in Goodhope, East Bank Essequibo. Contact:1-917-807-6424/688-9077.

One salesman,able bodied porters.Experience in writing bills,stocktaking & cashing.

Keyfood Trading,Mc Doom village.

VACANCY Accounts Clerks.Quickbook knowledge & accounting experience.Survival Shopping Complex,173 Sheriff St,Camp belville Georgetown. Tel:6092995.

Inventory Clerk.Survival Shopping Complex tel: 6092995,email:surviv al. human re sources@ gmail.com.

Western Union CSRS. Experience will be a plus,tel:6092995,email:sur vival.human resources @ gmail.com.

Valid Drivers License(with motor lorry & van).Tel:6092995,email:surviv al. human res ources@ gmail.com.

One clerk for TSI Recycles office English & Math, grade 1 or 2.Call:615-9132 or e-mail application to teacher @yahoo.com.

Male cleaner:642-9823.

Pitmen,Serviceman,Hauler Operator for interior location.

Applicants must be experienced. Call:231-2250.

Maid to cook and clean for East Bank area. Call:615-9132 Vacancy at People’s Choice Kitchen for Counter Staff, Cooks & Kitchen assistant.

Tel:679-9449.

Guyana Education Sector Improvement Project to improve student learning outcomes through reform of curriculum and teaching practices, US37.

9M under the Flood Risk Management Project and US$12.5M towards the COVID-19 Emergency Response Project. Further, the Bank also provided a US$7M

Grant to this country towards the Guyana Education Sector Programme Project for the improvement and learning conditions at the nursery level in select areas, the increased use of technology-assisted learning at the primary level in select areas and to improve functionality of the education management information

system nationally. The visiting World Bank team also included Judith Green, Regional Manager, Caribbean region (IFC) and Javier Suarez, Program leader for the Caribbean.

The Minister also took the opportunity to welcome the new Resident Representative to Guyana and wished her a successful tenure.

Kaieteur News

Friday April 01, 2022

PAGE 23

GTT says complaints by customers ...boasts of improvements in significantly down response time to fixing faults During the COVID-19 Pandemic, and the months leading up to the reopening of the country, the Guyana Telephone and Telegraph (GTT) Company recorded around 3000 faults from customers experiencing various shortfalls, as a result of the services provided by the company.

But to date, GTT said it has managed to effectively reduce those complaints and more importantly, solve the burdens of its more than 160,000 residential customers. In an exclusive interview with Kaieteur News, GTT's Chief Operations Officer, Home Solutions and Fixed Networks, Mr. Eshwar Thakurdin explained that during mid-last year, some 3000 faults were reported to the company.

Faults, he noted, were anything that impacts the service provided to customers and can include billing issues, static in phone lines, issues with mobile services or wifi, among several others. To this end, Thakurdin said that, "We have heavy focus on getting faults fixed and getting installations done on time.

Heading into last year we did have a huge spike in faults and what sort of spurred it, like any other company, we had procurement challenges as well in getting critical equipment. We had to find creative ways to get those

information so that they can receive their bills through their devices. Today we have just over about 70 plus percent of our customers who updated to this service. That's considering we have about 160,000 residential

GTT's Chief Operations Officer, Home Solutions and Fixed Networks, Mr. Eshwar Thakurdin equipment and those materials in and we did...about mid last year we had about 3000 faults that were outstanding...we have reduced that in November last year to 700 faults."

According to him, the company has the capability to solve about 300 faults per day. When it comes to the installation of landline services, Thakurdin related that customers who still have an interest and are awaiting installation can expect the service before the end of April. The COO for Home Solutions and Fixed Network was at the time sharing some of the company's plans to better serve its customers.

In addition to reducing and fixing customers complaints in a timely manner, Thakurdin related that efforts have also been made by GTT to increase its reliability. In this regard he noted that the company's labour force has been ramped

up, coupled with ongoing training sessions to ensure proper relations with customers. Additionally four more call centers have been employed by the telephone company to respond to queries or calls by users of the service.

On the other hand, the company's Chief Executive O f f i c e r , M r. D a m i a n Blackburn was pleased to announce the introduction of electronic bills, an initiative which was birthed through the Pandemic as well.

To date, more than 70 percent of the company's bills are delivered via whatsapp or email, an option the company said has also helped to improve their service. "If you have to pay your bill on time, you have to get your bill on time," Thakurdin pointed out.

He added, "We embarked on this programme last year by calling up all of our customers to update their

customers."

The CEO of the company made it clear that the virtual billing programme is optional and during last year, a three months test run was conducted where both soft and hard copy of bills were

sent to customers. According to him, 99 percent of the customers opted for their bills to be sent virtually.

Thakurdin noted however that if a customer so desires, their monthly bills can be sent hard and soft copy.

PAGE 24

Volodímir Zelenski

Kaieteur News

Friday April 01, 2022

Friday April 01, 2022

PAGE 25

Kaieteur News

Mohamed Salah racially abused and pelted with bottles and rocks as Egypt lose to Senegal Sadio Mane secured Senegal’s place at the World Cup with a win over Egypt on penalties after Mohamed Salah was targeted by laser pointers Tuesday as he stepped up to take his team’s first kick in the shootout.

Mane kicked the winner from the spot for a 3-1 victory in the penalty shootout at Senegal’s new Abdoulaye Wade Stadium after their playoff ended 1-1 on aggregate.

Senegal’s victory was like a repeat of the African Cup of Nations final last month when Mane clinched a first major title for his country by also scoring the winning penalty in a shootout against the Egyptians.

Ghana, Morocco, Tunisia

and Cameroon also qualified for Qatar and will join Senegal to make up Africa’s five teams at the World Cup. While Mane has now celebrated an African championship and a World Cup place in quick succession, there was more pain for his Liverpool teammate Salah, the Egypt captain.

After Senegal captain Kalidou Koulibaly hit the crossbar with the first penalty of the shootout, Salah blasted his attempt over the crossbar while he had green-coloured laser pointers shone on his face and body, presumably by Senegalese fans trying to distract him.

The entire game was marked by those lasers being

constantly shone at Egypt players. Senegal players also had the same problem in the first leg in Cairo last week.

Salah didn’t get a chance to take a penalty in the African Cup final shootout as it was decided before it got to him. Going first went no better for him this time and Egypt missed three of their four penalties in Senegal.

Senegal also missed its first two but Ismaila Sarr and Bamba Dieng scored, giving Mane the chance to seal a place at the World Cup in Qatar with Senegal’s fifth penalty. He looked at the referee, gave him a thumbs-up and then smashed it down the middle in front of around 50,000 fans.

Friday April 01, 2022 ARIES (Mar. 21–Apr. 19) Freedom is a key aspect of life today, Aries. You might find that your brain wants to break free and pursue more independent ways of thinking. Don't worry if such ways of thinking lead you into unknown territory.

TAURUS(Apr.20–May20) People are apt to be as stubborn as you in their thinking today, Taurus. This could be a recipe for disaster if you aren't careful.

GEMINI (May 21–June 20) You could find yourself staring at a stranger for just one extra second as you pass on the street today, Gemini.

CANCER (June 21–July 22) As you work slowly and steadily toward your goals, realize that there are apt to be unexpected obstacles along the way, Cancer.

LEO (July 23–Aug. 22) It's generally quite clear that you aren't afraid to tell people what you think, Leo. Maybe it's time to be more expressive about how you feel.

VIRGO (Aug. 23–Sept. 22) Today could be filled with unexpected twists, turns, and bends in the road that you may not be prepared for, Virgo. Apparently someone forgot to install the sign that warns of sharp curves ahead.

LIBRA (Sept. 23–Oct. 22) You could be thinking some bizarre thoughts today, Libra. They might lead you in a direction that doesn't quite pertain to your current situation.

SCORPIO (Oct. 23–Nov. 21) Your thinking is solid and clear today, Scorpio, but other people could challenge your mental power. .

SAGIT(Nov.22–Dec.21) You could get the feeling that something is wrong today when it isn't, Sagittarius. It's probably just your perspective that needs some adjusting.

CAPRI (Dec. 22–Jan. 19) Your sensitive nature is likely to pick up a disturbance in your thinking today, Capricorn. Suddenly, a blast of unexpected information could come your way and throw a monkey wrench in your mental process.

AQUARIUS(Jan.20–Feb.18) You might experience some mental distractions that pull you in different directions today, Aquarius. There could be a stubborn internal/ external battle brewing.

PISCES (Feb. 19–Mar. 20) It could be difficult for you to think straight today, Pisces. Your brain is probably working in short, erratic bursts that keep you guessing about which way to proceed.

The second leg had finished 1-0 for Senegal after extra time thanks to an early goal from close range by Boulaye Dia. That left it 1-1 on aggregate after Egypt’s narrow first-leg victory, when Salah was key in giving his team the lead.

It’s just the third time Senegal has qualified for the World Cup and the first time it has reached back-to-back tournaments after also making it to Russia in 2018. Before that, Senegal’s only other appearance was in 2002, when it made a surprising run to the quarter-finals on debut.

Also on Tuesday, Cameroon pulled off a stunning 2-1 victory in Algeria after extra time to end 2-2 on aggregate and advance on the away goals rule.

Cameroon, trailing 1-0 from the home leg, scored early to level it. But Ahmed Touba’s header from a corner with two minutes to go in extra time appeared to have secured a dramatic qualification for Algeria. Cameroon launched a free kick at Algeria’s goal in the fourth minute of injury time at the end of extra time and Karl Toko Ekambi connected with a low volley to see Cameroon take the World Cup place.

Linden Town...

From page 30 playing dates are Sunday April 3 at the SSC, April 6 at Tropical Rhythms, April 13 at Pensioners and April 24 with the final at Speedy’s Outlet on the Amelia’s Ward/ Wisrock Park.

Persons are asked to contact Speedy on 687-5300 for more information.

FIFA sets...

From page 28 eight groups will each get two teams from the continent.

The other three groups each get one European team.

Qatar will kick off its home World Cup in the opening game of Group A on Nov. 21.

The final is scheduled for Dec. 18 — the host’s National Day.

Ruud topples...

From page 26 champion Herbert Hurkacz took on Daniil Medvedev in the quarter-finals with the Russian set to return to number one in the world if he wins. Spanish sensation Carlos Alcaraz, 18, was to f a c e S e r b i a ’s M i o m i r Kecmanovic in the remaining quarter-final.

Algeria coach Djamel Belmadi slumped to his knees and covered his face with his hands and stayed like that for minutes as officials tried to console him. It was another hard blow for Algeria after they were dumped out of the African Cup in the group stage two months ago to end the defence of its title.

Ghana earlier became the first team from Africa to qualify for this year’s World Cup with a 1-1 draw in Nigeria in the second leg to advance on away goals after the first leg in Ghana ended 0-0. Thomas Partey scored the decisive goal for Ghana in the 10th minute in Abuja.

William Troost-Ekong

equalised for Nigeria with a penalty in the 22nd but Nigeria couldn’t use their home advantage to get a winner.

Ghana will return to the World Cup after missing out on the 2018 tournament. Angry Nigerian fans threw plastic bottles and other objects at the end and then invaded the field, forcing Ghana’s players to scramble for safety down the tunnel while police let off tear gas in the stadium.

Morocco beat Congo 4-1 for a 5-2 aggregate victory.

Tunisia were happy to draw 0-0 at home against Mali to get to the World Cup with a 1-0 aggregate win. It denied Mali a debut at football’s marquee tournament. (AP)

PAGE 26

Ruud topples Zverev to reach Miami Open semi-finals AFP - Casper Ruud beat Alexander Zverev 6-3, 1-6, 63 to reach the Miami Open semi-finals on Wednesday and compound a difficult start to the year for the world number four.

The Norwegian will meet Argentine surprise package Francisco Cerundolo for a place in Sunday’s final after the 23-year-old, playing in his debut ATP Masters event and ranked 103rd in the world, made the last four when Italian Jannik Sinner was forced to retire because of a blister on his right foot at 4-1 down in the first set.

Cerundolo is lowest ranked Miami semi-finalist in tournament history, surpassing Sebastien Grosjean who was ranked 74th in 1999.

Ruud will compete in a hard court semi-final at this level for the first time after reaching the same stage on clay at the Masters 1000 events in Monte Carlo, Madrid and Rome in the last couple of years. For Germany’s Zverev, however, an early exit in Indian Wells was followed by more disappointment in Florida.

Ruud, the sixth seed from Norway came into the tournament having never won a match in Miami but found himself up against the inconsistent second seed, who recovered impressively from a

Friday April 01, 2022

Kaieteur News

Norway’s Casper Ruud on the way to a quarter-final victory over fourth-ranked Alexander Zverev of Germany at the Miami Open hardcourt tennis tournament. (AFP/Michael Reaves) shaky start only to run out of steam by the end of an entertaining tussle at Hard Rock Stadium. Ruud was serving superbly in the opener with Zverev really struggling to get a foothold and the 24-year-old German found himself in trouble at the start of the second set. He crucially, however, managed to stave off an early break after falling 15-40 down on his own serve and when Ruud netted soon after, the 2018 Miami finalist was able to finally get ahead at 3-1.

Zverev was suddenly on fire and another break helped

send the match into a deciding set.

Ruud received medical attention on his right foot before the start of the third but was showing no ill effects as he quickly broke for a 2-0 lead.

The match had turned once again and it was the Norwegian who produced some blistering winners to seal his place in today’s semis and leave Zverev, who is still waiting for his first title of 2022, crestfallen.

The other semi-final match up was to be decided yesterday, when defending (Continued on page 25)

Hemraj leads Maria’s Pleasure/Zeelandia to victory Kevin Hemraj turned in a brilliant allround performance to lead Maria’s Pleasure/Zeelandia to a 158-run victory over Good Success/Sans Souci when the Seeraj Bhimsain U19 40-over cricket competition continued last Sunday in Wakenaam.

Hemraj struck 98 and got support from Munesh Ramdeo 28 and Drayshaw Phillips 23 as Maria’s Pleasure/Zeelandia posted 226 all out in 37 overs, batting first at G Square Cavaliers ground in Belle Plaine.

Gladewin Henry claimed 2-30 and Azeer Ramrattan 2-33.

Good Success/Sans Souci were bowled out for 68 in 16.3 overs in reply.

Ramrattan made 19 and Mahase Ramnarine 18.

Hemraj bagged 5-13 and Ishawn Harakram 3-2. The competition continues this weekend.

Kevin Hemraj

GGMC teams sweep ARD Domino Competition Guyana Geology and Mines Commission (GGMC) won the It’s Pure Life/ARD Trophy last Friday, March 25, when the Inter Ministries/Government Agencies Knockout Domino Competition was staged at the Guyana Public Service Union (GPSU) Hall.

GGMC emerged victori-

ous with a total of 47 games to beat GGMC’s B-team who were second with 40 games, while Guyana Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC) team finished third with 39 games.

The GGMC A-team carted off with the $100,000 top prize and first place medals added to the ARD Trophy.

The event was organised

by the GOAPC and coordinated by James ‘Uprising’ Lewis who has noted that the next competition is billed for the Easter weekend.

Lewis wishes to express his profound gratitude to the sponsors who were instrumental in making the event possible.

Friday April 01, 2022

Lewis inspires Super Giants to maiden win as Bravo becomes leading IPL wicket-taker SportsMax - Evin Lewis smashed an unbeaten halfcentury topropel the Lucknow Super Giants to a six-wicket victory over Chennai Super Kings after Dwayne Bravo became the leading wicket-taker in Indian Premier League history.

Lucknow looked set for defeat when Quinton de Kock fell for 61 in their pursuit of 211 for a maiden IPL win, but Lewis stepped up with a blistering 23-ball 55 to stun CSK. Robin Uthappa breezed to a 25-ball half-century before he was pinned in front for 50

by Ravi Bishnoi (2-24).

Moeen Ali continued the flurry of runs with his 35 off 22 deliveries, while Shivam Dube’s clean striking in his 30ball 49 along with MS Dhoni’s brisk 16 propelled Chennai to an imposing total of 210-7.

De Kock and KL Rahul (40) shared an opening stand of 99 from 10.2 overs before the India batter was caught

by Ambati Rayudu off Dwaine Pretorius.

Manish Pandey (five) followed soon after to Tushar Deshpande (1-40), with Bravo taking the catch, and Lucknow’s chances seemingly diminished when De Kock skied a Pretorius slower ball to Dhoni.

Bravo (1-35) surpassed Lasith Malinga as he claimed his 171st wicket in the IPL by dismissing Deepak Hooda (13), but Lewis and Ayush

Evin Lewis and Ayush Badoni sealed the chase for Lucknow Super Giants © BCCI Badoni, who raced to 19 off 9, saw the Super Giants to an unlikely victory with three balls to spare.

Lewis cuts loose after De Dock fireworks De Kock laid the platform for Lewis’ late onslaught and the West Indies batter delivered in emphatic fashion.

The 30-year-old almost single-handedly turned the game on its head, launching three sixes and hitting six fours.

Bravo for Pretorius in losing cause Pretorius claimed the two

big wickets of openers Rahul and De Kock as he took 2-31, registering the lowest economy of any Super Kings bowler (7.75).

It was a memorable day for the 38-year-old Bravo, as the former West Indies captain returned 1-35 from his four overs, but he was unable to celebrate a victory.

Scores: Lucknow Super Giants 211 for 4 (de Kock 61, Lewis 55*, Rahul 40, Pretorius 2-31) beat Chennai Super Kings 210 for 7 (Uthappa 50, Dube 49, Bishnoi 2-24) by six wickets.

FIFA approves new loan regulations to come into force from July (Reuters) - The FIFA Council adopted new regulations aimed at limiting the number of loan signings a club can make, w o r l d s o c c e r ’s g o v e r n ing b o d y s a i d y e s t e r day after the Council met ahead of the 72nd Ordinary Congress in Doha, Qatar.

In a bid to foster p layer development and prevent the hoarding of players, clubs will be limited to eight international loan signings in and eight loaned out from next season.

The number will drop to seven the following year and then remain at six from 2024-25 onwards.

The new regulations

PAGE 27

Kaieteur News

come into force from July 1.

Homeg r o w n p l a y e r s and those under the age of 21, however, will remain exempt from the regulations.

T h e r e g u l a t ions also include the introduction of a minimum duration of a loan deal, which would be between two transfer windows, while the maximum duration will be one year.

FIFA added that a club may only have a maximum of three professionals loaned out to a single club and a maximum of three professionals loaned in from a single club. “Subloaning” players to a third club is also prohibited.

Kyrgios fined $35,000 for tirade at umpire in Miami loss AFP - Australian star Nick Kyrgios was fined $35,000 by the ATP on Thursday following his stormy row with umpire Carlos Bernardes in a Tuesday loss at the Miami Open.

Kyrgios was seething with the Brazilian during his last-16 defeat to Italy’s Jannik Sinner, calling the match official “horrendous” and “embarrassing” during multiple tirades during the match.

The ATP charged the fiery 26-year-old Aussie with two counts of unsportsmanlike conduct for a total of $10,000, a verbal abuse charge of $20,000 and an audible obscenity violation of $5,000.

Kyrgios, who was hit with a $25,000 penalty for racket abuse and audible obscenity at Indian Wells earlier this month in a match also officiated by Bernardes, stressed at the start of his Miami Open campaign that he was at “peace” with himself on and off the court.

He was, however, incensed with Bernardes’ performance and although the Australian was initially upset about the difference in conditions between the main court and Grandstand at the sprawling Hard Rock Sta-

Australia’s Nick Kyrgios slams his racket against the court during a Tuesday loss to Italy’s Jannik Sinner, part of a tirade that led the ATP Tour to fine Kyrgios $35,000 on Friday. (AFP/Michael Reaves) dium, he became enraged with the umpire when his walkie-talkie went off midpoint in the first set. The pair then became involved in a row which saw a furious Kyrgios docked a point during a tiebreaker and then a whole game at the start of the second set.

“The crowd actually hated him (Bernardes) that much they told him to be quiet,” Kyrgios said after his straight-sets defeat. Kyrgios

also complained that the ATP won’t do anything to Bernardes. “The ATP won’t do anything about him,” Kyrgios said. “He will just show up at the next event and everyone just forgets how bad that was. “Me, my girlfriend, my team all have to deal with the bad comments and the ATP don’t give a (damn).”

Krygios and Aussie partner Thanasi Kokkinakis were set to play in a Thursday doubles semi-final.

Savannah Star to host 7-a-side softball tomorrow Savannah Star will be hosting a 7-a-side softball cricket competition tomorrow at Canal Number Two Sports Club ground.

The winning team will take home a trophy and $80,000, runner up a trophy

and $20,000. There will also be prizes for the best batsman and best bowler and entrance fee is $15,000. Action gets underway at 18:00hrs under lights.

Teams can contact the organisers on 633-9790 or 665-

4394 for more information and registration. The competition is being sponsored by Trophy Stall and Krishna and Annie’s Grocery Store.

Bar-be-cue costs $1200 and music will be provided

by Blingerz Sound.

PAGE 28

Friday April 01, 2022

Kaieteur News

Guyana confirmed as host of CPL finals for three years - Seven group matches set for Providence; final on September 30

By Zaheer Mohamed Guyana will be the host of the Hero Caribbean Premier League (CPL) semi-finals and final for the next three years.

This was confirmed by President Dr. Irfaan Ali on Wednesday night during the official launch of the Cricket Carnival and Caribbean Premier League 2022 at the National Stadium, Providence. This is the first time the Hero CPL final will be held in Guyana, and following a hiatus of two years from Providence, Guyanese will be in for a treat in what is expected to be a carnival ambiance.

Apart from the final on September 30, Guyana will host seven group games and three knockout matches.

The Government of Guyana in collaboration with the local private sector will also stage two weeks of events which will form a Cricket Carnival that will showcase the country’s music, food and culture.

Speaking at the launching ceremony, President of the Co-operative Republic of Guyana, His Excellency Dr. Mohammad Irfaan Ali said there is no better way of unifying people than through sports. “As we continue this journey of building a strong country, a journey on which we are building not only sectors, but we are building communities, we are bringing people together and there is no better way than through sports and culture,” Dr. Ali added.

Dr. Ali stated that for the first time, the cricketing world will witness cricket carnival.

“We are bringing to the cricketing world a new product, a product that will start in 2022- cricket carnivaltwo of the most celebrated events in our region,” President Ali posited.

Cricket has united the people of the Caribbean who The fans were entertained by performing artiste.

have over the years witnessed their heroes thrilled the world over with their artistry and flair. The game has brought joy to the region and Dr. Ali said they are building a product that will further unite the Caribbean.

“The region is about good competition and great celebrations as one region, one people; we want the entire region to be prosperous. What you will see is a plan that will bring the best carnival bands in the region to the shores of Guyana in a clash of the carnival champions. We will have a Regional food festival, regional concert, international concert, Guyana night and great cricket excitement. The stands will be different this time, the stands will be colourful and energetic,” Dr. Ali posited.

The President pointed out that Cricket is much more than a game for Guyanese, “It is a passion, part of our culture and a unifying force. As we celebrate “One Guyana” the hosting of the CPL finals will be an energising force.

Cricket carnival is a fusion of entertainment and celebration that will be mind- blowing and incredibly different from any other global cricketing event.”

“We welcome all to the greatest celebration of music, spectacle and Caribbean vibes with a South American touch and of course Cricket played loudest.”

President Ali expressed gratitude to all partners including Exxon Mobil who is already on board.

The Guyana Amazon Warriors have reached the final on five occasions which is a remarkable achievement and Pete Russell, Hero CPL’s CEO, lauded the local fans for their support over the years.

“The impact made from CPL doesn’t just come from a team,

the fans turned up to watch every game in their thousands bringing with them a passion of cricket is truly unique atmosphere, their support for warriors is unwavering. We have missed you over the past two years and we can’t wait to have you back,” he stated.

CPL will be launching a unique music talent search in Guyana where a selected artiste from Guyana will perform during the games.

“CPL has helped to develop players in Guyana and we are blessed with amazing fans across the Caribbean, and this is very clear whenever we visit Guyana where the atmosphere at Providence is electric. The idea of having the Hero CPL final in front of this wonderful crowd of passionate and knowledgeable cricket fans is a mouthwatering prospect.

We are very grateful to have such a positive relationship with the government and cricket authorities in Guyana and we thank them for helping us come to this hugely exciting agreement.

We will be having the usual fan of the match and one handed catch and I must acknowledge DDL, Republic Bank, Hero and Digicel,” he said.

Minister of Culture, Youth and Sport, Hon. Charles Ramson jr stated that this event will forever be remembered and registered in Guyana’s history as a turning point for Guyana. “The creation of Guyana as a premier destination for world class events in the region is fantastic. It is important for who we are as a people and the direction we go as a nation,” he said.

Ministry of Tourism, Industries and Commerce Hon. Oneidge Walrond said Guyanese are looking forward to play their part as a host nation in the 10th edition of

Entertainers perform on the stadium.

the CPL. It promises to be an event which the Caribbean has never seen.”

“We seize the opportunity to showcase Guyana and took advantage of the strong brand of CPL which attracted close to

US$50m in2021. Sport is a major contributor to economic and social developments, Guyana has something truly exceptional to offer and the event will become a staple on the regional carnival calendar,” she lamented.

The Hero CPL finals will further showcase Guyana to a massive global audience – the total viewership for Hero CPL passed 500million in both 2020 and 2021- The second most watched T20 league in the world.

FIFA sets World Cup draw seedings with updated rankings

Flags of some of the qualified countries for the World Cup wave at the seafront in Doha, Qatar, Tuesday, March 29, 2022. The draw for the World Cup will be held in Doha on April 1. (AP Photo/Darko Bandic) DOHA, Qatar (AP) — The United States received a boost for the World Cup draw and Canada took a hit in yesterday’s updated FIFA rankings.

The Americans, who failed to qualify for the last World Cup, will be in Pot 2 after being ranked 15th in the world. Canada, which won the North American qualifying group and will play at the tournament for the first time in 36 years, missed a chance for a rankings boost by losing at Panama 1-0 in its final qualifier. Instead, Canada will be among the lowest seeded teams in Pot 4.

The eight groups for the tournament in Qatar will be

drawn Friday from four pots.

Qatar gets the top-seeded slot given to the World Cup host nation despite being ranked No. 51.

The other top-seeded teams are Brazil, Belgium, defending champion France, Argentina, England, Spain and Portugal. Brazil took over as the No. 1 team from Belgium, the first change as the top in three years. Sixthranked Italy is the only team from the top 10 that failed to qualify. Besides the United States, Pot 2 includes Mexico, Netherlands, Denmark, Germany, Uruguay, Switzerland and Croatia, while in Pot 3 it’s Senegal, Iran, Japan, Morocco, Serbia,

Poland, South Korea and Tunisia.

Three of the 32 entries are still unknown because qualifying hasn’t been completed.

Those three entries have all been placed in Pot 4 regardless of the rankings of the teams involved. No. 18 Wales is the highest-ranked of the eight teams left in the playoffs. The rest of Pot 4 includes Cameroon Ecuador, Saudi Arabia and Ghana along with Canada.

Teams from the same continent will be placed in different groups, except for some Europeans.

Europe has 13 teams in the tournament and five of the (Continued on page 25)

Friday April 01, 2022

PAGE 29

Kaieteur News

England beat South Africa to book final date with Australia BBC Sport - England will face Australia in the final of the Women’s World Cup after Danni Wyatt’s magnificent century propelled the defending champions to a 137-run defeat of South Africa.

Opener Wyatt took advantage of being dropped five times to crash 129 from 125 balls, the backbone of England’s 293-8 in Christchurch.

She added 116 for the fifth wicket with Sophia Dunkley, who made a measured 60, while Sophie Ecclestone rounded off the innings with 24 from only 11 balls.

South Africa’s chances of pulling off the largest chase in women’s one-day international history largely rested on the dangerous opening pair of Laura Wolvaardt and Lizelle Lee. But Anya Shrubsole, the hero when England beat the same opponents in the semifinals in 2017, removed both to leave the Proteas 8-2.

Spinner Ecclestone, the world’s best bowler, then tore through the lower order for her first international fivewicket haul, ending with 6-36 as South Africa were dismissed for 156.

It continued a remarkable

Danni Wyatt celebrates her second ODI hundred © ICC via Getty Images

turnaround from England, who were on the brink of elimination after losing their first three games but have now won five in a row to reach a second successive final.

Heather Knight’s side will meet the all-powerful Australians at the Hagley Oval on Sunday (02:00 BST) in what promises to be a grandstand

finale to a superb tournament.

England produce best when it matters It seemed scarcely believable that England could reach the final when they lost to South Africa, their third defeat of the group stage, on 14 March.

Even some of the players have admitted to believing they were out of the tourna-

ment.

Since then, they have steadily improved, eradicating errors with the ball and in the field, and finding contributions from most of their batters.

The resurgence built to this performance in Christchurch, a dismantling of a talented South Africa side that had previously only lost to Australia.

For the Proteas, this was a complete contrast from the previous victory over England. Whereas then it was Knight’s side who missed chances in the field, this time it was South Africa who looked affected by the pressure of the occasion.

It meant South Africa once again lost in a global semi-final - they have been beaten in all three of their 50over World Cup last-four ties to go along with two losses at the same stage in the T20 version.

Wonderful Wyatt’s finest hour Wyatt has had a nomadic 12-year international career.

Originally picked as an offspinner, she has been moved up and down the batting order and was dropped during the World Cups of 2013 and 2017.

However, after being promoted to open earlier in this tournament, she enjoyed her finest hour, making her high-

Sophie Ecclestone picked up her maiden five-wicket haul in ODIs. (Getty Images) est score in an ODI when England needed it most.

The five drops were of varying difficulty, but the chances missed by Marizanne Kapp at mid-wicket when Wyatt was on 36, then by Lara Goodall at deep midwicket on 77, were particularly poor. The other drops came when Wyatt had 22, 116 and 117.

In between, the righthander slashed through the off side and hustled between the wickets. When England

found themselves 126-4 in the 26th over, they were in a parlous position, only for Wyatt and Dunkley to combine in a brave counter-attack.

And, after South Africa finally held a Wyatt miscue to short third, Ecclestone’s cameo pushed England out of sight.

Scores: England Women 293 for 8 (Wyatt 129, Dunkley 60, Ismail 3-46) beat South Africa Women 156 all out (Du Preez 30, Ecclestone 6-36, Shrubsole 2-27) by 137 runs.

BCB/ TELENEC 50over first division tourney bowled off in Berbice last weekend The TELENEC 50overs First Division Cricket Tournament first round kicked off last weekend in Berbice with outstanding batting performances from West Indies Senior and Junior duo Kevin Sinclair and Kevlon Anderson, an outstanding bowling spell from Fast Bowler Shamar Joseph and all-round performance from Suresh derson and Kevin Sinclair scoring two brilliant centuries the duo scored 104 and 101 respectively, Keon Sinclair also chipped in with 30 not out.

Bowling for Blairmont Blazers; Seon Glasgow grabbed 3 for 48 off 9 overs and was supported by Chris Harry, Kemol Savory and Kevin Jawahir who grabbed one w i c k e t e a c h . I n r e p l y, Blairmont Blazers were bundled out for 89 in 26.2 overs with Nigel Deodat scoring 26 and Kevin Jawahir 15. Bowling for Rose Hall Town Namilco; Junior Sinclair grabbed 3 for 12 off 6.2 overs, Kevin Sinclair 2 for 16 off 6

Suresh Dhanai overs and Clinton Pestano 2 for 15 off 5 overs.

At Port Mourant, Young Wa r r i o r s d e f e a t e d P o r t Mourant by 1 wicket. Port Mourant batting first scored 190 all out in 37.1 overs after the game was reduced to 38 overs due to overnight showers; Joshua Ramsammy scoring 56, he w a s s u p p o r t e d b y We s t Indies U15 player Rampertab Ramnauth 40 and Madhan Budhan 35. Bowling for Young

Century makers Kevlon Anderson (left) and Kevin Sinclair.

Warriors; Suresh Dhanai and Trevon Stanislaus grabbed 3 wickets each for 43 and 27 runs respectively off 8 overs.

In a tight finish with 2 runs needed of 1 ball, Young Warriors reached 193-9 in 38 overs with No. 9 Batsman Kassim Khan playing a gem of an innings scoring 38 not out, he was supported by Suresh Dhanai 30 and Ricardo Ramdeholl 28. Bowling for Port Mourant; Vickey Samaroo

grabbed 2 for 23 off 6 overs and Yogendra Harrinarine 2 for 41 off 7 overs.

At Tucber, Tucber Park cruised pass West Berbice by 7 wickets. West Berbice batting first were bundled out for 37 in 14.3 over with an impressive spell from Shamar Joseph wh o claimed 6 for 12 from 4.3 overs, he was supported

by Kwesi Mickle 3 for 3 off 3 overs. In reply Tucber blazed to 42 for 3 in 5.2

Kwesi Mickle had 3 for 3 (left) and Shamar Jospeh 6 for 12. overs with Garfield Benjamin scoring 18 not out. At Canje, Rose Hall Canje won toss and elected to bowl first against Police. Police scored 162 all out in 25 overs with Troy Drakes scoring 37, Kedar Amsterdam 17 and Philbert Wilburgh 17. Bowling for Rose Hall Canje; Raymond Va n k i n e grabbed 4 for 21 off 8 overs, he was supported b y We s t I n d i e s U 1 9 b o w l e r Isia Thorne who

grabbed 2 for 21 off 5 overs.

In Reply, Rose Hall Canje scored 162-9 in 34.5 overs with R. Beharry scoring 58, Ameer Rahaman 23 and T. Peters 28. Bowling for Police; A. Doris grabbed 5 for 33 off 6 overs and was supported by Troy Drakes who grabbed 4 for 26 off 8 overs.

This match was no result and it is being protested. The Second Round of the tournament continues this weekend across Berbice.

PAGE 30

Friday April 01, 2022

Kaieteur News

Janet Jagan Memorial Windball Cricket continued with Berbice action

Action at welfare centre ground

P

lay in the Janet Jagan Memorial School Girls Windball Cricket tournament continued with action at the Welfare Centre Ground in Canje, Berbice with semi final matches.

Berbice High batted first and scored 67-0, with Descia Batson 48 (6sx3) and Devani Rickram 14.

Canje Secondary replied with 45-2 with Christine Will-

iams 19 to hand Berbice High victory.

Vryman’s Erven 53-3, Kaiana Leitch 23 to defeat Tutorial Academy Secondary who replied with 32-1, Jada Armstrong led with 15.

Back in the City at the National Gymnasium: Semi final play saw Buxton Secondary making 34-5 with Temera Harvey 16, while Joyleen Abrams 3-10 for winners President’s College who

Joyleen Abrams, Anesa Chetram romped to 37-0, Yukel Armstrong 16 and Khelse Austin 16 led the victory.

Bladen Hall Multi amassed 119-0, Anesa Chetram 83 and Areh Ali 28.

Annandale Secondary fell well short at 76-5 with Destain Robinson claiming 3-8 for the winners Bladen Hall.

Vreed-en-Hoop hit 92-2, Denicia Singh 34, Vasantie Kishore 22 and Tricia Singh 18. L’ Adventure Secondary

replied with 79-1 to lose.

Akeela Caesar 18 and Keira Jack 16 led their reply.

GTI 61-1 with Raynetta Duncan 44 were beaten by Charlestown who replied with 62-1, Shania Maglore 44 and Morissa Bowner 20 saw their team home. Zeeburg were held to 55-5 with Shontay Lyte 23. Leonora overhauled the required score with 60-1 with Roselin Samaroo 26 and Marisa Balkarran 16.

Caribbean School Boys and Junior Linden Town Week Dewars Dominoes tournament Boxing Tournament billed for August starts Sunday in Linden Ninvalle lauds boxers performances in Ecuador The 2022 Caribbean School Boys and Juniors Boxing Tournament will make a return to the fore in August after being continuously postponed due to the threat of COVID-19.

This information was related by the Guyana Amateur Boxing Association (GBA) President, Steve Ninvalle, who was quite elated to have the competition on the path to be successfully hosted.

The event which commenced in Guyana 2016 has seen the host nation win the Championship Country Trophy every year until 2020 when it was put on hold due to the pandemic.

Meanwhile, as a precursor, the GABA will be hosting under-16 competitions twice per month in order to select a very strong team or the best possible team for that International Nursery Tournament.

Ninvalle stated that the association has already received signals from several of its sister CARICOM states about sending teams to this tournament.

As it relates to Guyana’s performance in the AMBC Championships currently being staged in Ecuador, the President added: “I would like to take time out on behalf of my executive to applaud the effort of the entire team that went to the EMBC Elite Championship, but more so the member of the Guyana Defence Force (GDF), D esmond Amsterdam.

It’s the first medal that we will be having in those games.

It will not be our last, but it’s our first medal so I need to applaud his performance.” ”I think the entire team did well; when you look at the performances of the boxers coming off of almost more than two years of inactivity.

GABA President, Steve Ninvalle I think they performed well. Even Jamal Eastman who was disqualified. During the first round he gave a very good account of himself. So it tells us that we have some work to do and we are a bit excited knowing that we have athletes of quality.”

“We have athletes that can stand up with the best in Latin America and Latin America has some of the best in the world.

We will keep on having

them train at a high level.

There are certain things that we will be discussing as an executive as it relates to moving forward.

There is also the Commonwealth Games that is coming up in July and we will expect to have a high level encampment in Guyana.

We will be receiving several of our CARICOM sister countries in Trinidad, St. Lucia and Barbados and many others,” Ninvalle disclosed.

“So we are at the blackboard again as it relates to having a path towards better performances at the Commonwealth Games and we hope that with our team of coaches, and the team that will be selected for those Commonwealth Games that we will return to Guyana with not only one medal, but we will be having several medals,” he opined.

This year’s Linden Town Week dominoes tournament, which starts Sunday at the Senior Supervisors Club in Mackenzie, has been exclusively sponsored by Ansa McAl Trading using their new Dewars product and it will conclude on Sunday April 24 at Speedy’s Outlet in Central Mackenzie, Linden.

In the bauxite mining town on Wednesday the Dewars Brand Manager Mr. Kwesi Richmond visited and informed the captains and players at the launching for the Tournament that this new product which is an alcoholic beverage “is not a rum” as he advised users on how this new product can be consumed.

Oswald ‘Speedy’ Charles the orgsniser said the tournament is being played on a knock out basis and the entrance fee is $15,000 per team.

Teams identified so far to contest this championship

are Cats, GJETSCO, Linden Hospital Comex, Warriors, Police, Swag Boss, Linden Teachers, Pensioners, Yarrowkabra Five Three, Mackenzie Sports Club, LUSCSL, Hustlers of Yarrowkabra, Royal Champions of the Mines and Bidders.

Each team that enters will receive two branded packets Dewars dominoes and two bottles Dewars.

Richmond said they are reaching out to the people of Linden where they have products such as Tropical Rhythms and the Ariel brand soap powder in the various markets as he urged that there be a healthy rivalry.He said there is a winner ’s Trophy and $100,000 for the tournament Champions, while the second placed team also gets a trophy and $50,000 with third place finisher cops a trophy and $30,000.The (Continued on page 25)

Kaieteur News

Friday April 01, 2022

Space Gym 2.0 will be on the top floor of the new Orchid Garden Hotel and Shopping Mall.

PAGE 31

All the equipment for the gym is Life Fitness branded.

Space Gym 2.0's opening delayed by late arrival of equipment Set to raise the bar in the health and fitness industry in Guyana with the addition of the modern Space Gym 2.0, the management of this new facility has informed that the

opening which was set for early April 2022 has now b e e n d e l a y e d .

This is due to the delay in the shipping of the equipment for the gym which is still in

transit to Guyana.

Management has further indicated that the facilities are ready and once the ship arrives, the gym would be fully outfitted in the month of

April.

Additionally, training for the new staff that would maintain and up the game from a professional perspective is ongoing

Rajan Tiwari (right) hands over the sponsorship to Shemar Britton recently.

Shemar Britton to attend the Puerto Rico Butterfly Open April 8-10 National Table Tennis player, Shemar Britton, a former Caribbean Under-21 gold medalist, will attend the Puerto Rico Butterfly Open from April 8-10 after a swell of corporate support led by the Guyana Committee of Service (GCOS).

At a simple ceremony at the Georgetown Cricket Club (GCC), Bourda, on Wednesday, Public Relations Officer, Rajan Tiwari, explained that their support of the national athlete is part of their “firm mandate” to assist sportsmen and women in Guyana.

Tiwari revealed Connection Travel A g e n c y, B e a c o n C a f é , i - N e t

Communication Inc., Peter Clarke, Donna Ramkumar (Payless Variety Store), Lennox Cush, and Harry Parmesar Accounting Firm are the others who supported.

Britton was seeking US$2,500 for his team, which comprised of top regional counterparts, Barbadian Tyrese Knight and Trinidadian Aaron Wilson, to attend the event which will give them the opportunity to play over 20 matches per person over the threeday period.

The ultimate aim is to be prepared for the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham from July 28 to August 8.

Both Guyana's male and female teams

have qualified for the multi-sport event.

Britton would have recently returned from the Senior Caribbean Championships in Cuba where he was eliminated at the quarter-final stage, and explained tournaments like this are key for them to perform better at international events.

After that Caribbean Championship, he jumped 111 places to now be ranked 693 in the world, the highest by a Guyanese male player, and he is looking to keep on the ascendency.

Britton departs on April 7 for the event in Puerto Rico.

according to management which is leaving no stone unturned to ensure the best possible training regimen for the staff that would be interacting with gym

members on a daily basis.

The Management and Staff of Space Gym 2.0 anxiously wait to welcome new members to this state-of-theart facility, soonest.

Over 800,000 tickets sold for World Cup in Qatar in first phase, says FIFA (Reuters) - Fans have bought 804,186 tickets for matches at the World Cup in Qatar later this year in the first phase of sales, soccer's world governing body and tournament o r g a n i s e r s F I FA s a i d Wednesday.

FIFA said interest in tickets mainly came from Qatar, the United States, England, Mexico, the United Arab Emirates, Germany, India, Brazil, Argentina, and Saudi Arabia.

Tickets for the opening game on Nov. 21 -- which will feature hosts Qatar -- as well as the final on Dec. 18

were the most popular choices.

The majority of the 32 slots available for teams have been secured with a handful of World Cup qualifiers left to be completed.

The final draw for the World Cup where teams will be split into groups will be held on Friday.

FIFA added fans who did not succeed in the first sales phase will have another chance to apply during the next "random selection draw sales period" on their website on April 5.

Lewis inspires Super Giants to maiden win

Caribbean rts School Boys o p S and Junior Boxing Tournament billed for August

as Bravo becomes leading IPL wicket-taker

Guyana's Desmond Amsterdam (right) has been very effective with his punching at the AMBC Elite Championships.

Evin Lewis muscles one away © BCCI

...Ninvalle lauds boxers performances in Ecuador

Guyana confirmed as host of CPL finals for three years - Seven group matches set for Providence; final on September 30

President Dr. Irfaan Ali (2nd from left), Sports Minister Charles Ramson jr (left), Tourism Minister Oneidge Walrond and Hero CPL's CEO Pete Russell with the trophy at the launching ceremony.

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