Kaieteur News

Purchase of SUVs by ExxonMobil will not impact Local Content - President Ali

As the news of E x x o n M o b i l purchasing their own vehicles to transport employees continue to drive fear amidst local service providers, President Irfaan Ali has assured that provisions in the Local ContentAct will ensure these workersarenotaffected.

D u r i n g a p r e s s conference at the Leonora Track and Field Centre, West Coast Demerara on Friday,

theHeadofStatewasaskedif he believes the company can exploit the opportunity to own their own fleet of vehicles and thereby drown o u t t h e G u y a n e s e transportation service providers.

To this end the President said, “I don't think so at all. We have protection in (the) Local Content (Legislation) for certain businesses. We have a lot of local persons who have invested in transportation services that a r e f u l l y u t i l i z e d (currently).”

The Local Content Law was passed in December 2 0 2 1 b y t h e P P P administration The First Schedule of the Act ringfences 40 categories of work for Guyanese participation via the supply of goods and the provision of services which include: food supply, rental of office space, accommodation, insurance, accountingandlegalservices amongothers.

The foregoing categories carry minimum local content levels for which local participation had to be achieved by Contractors,

and visitors. “We now in the government, we had to relook at because we have a lotofforeigndelegationsthat are coming, leaders, visitors, and we were placed in an embarrassingsituationwhere we did not get the type of vehicles to rent because we used to rent vehicles because most of them were occupied intheoilandgassectorbutas Isaid,wearegoingtopushto ensure that every service we can provide as a people will be provided,” the President explained.

He went on to point out that the government is now developing a new strategy to ensure the needs of the sector arefullysatisfiedbylocals.

“I am now working on a plan to go much larger, much further than SUVs. One in which all the private sector, every single cent we can mobilized as a country to invest in a business opportunity in the oil and gas sector to create an infrastructure that all those investors can invest and one in which even ordinary Guyanesewillbeableto

(Continued on page 3)

President Irfaan Ali

No evidence Govt. advertised contracts for review of amendments to Liza field development plan - Yet, ExxonMobil's client

As with many aspects of the p r o b l e m a t i c Gas-to-Energy project, the review of legal and regulatory documents appears to be shrouded in secrecy A f o r eig n f ir m, Bayphase, indicated recently that it conducted in-depth reviews for the government related to the Liza field and the Gas-to-Energy project. However, there is no information on the regular government channels to indicate that it sought bids, through advertisements, for the contract(s) it awarded to Bayphase.

InJanuary2023,Minister of Finance Ashni Singh stated during his reading of the 2023 budget that the Liza Field Development Plan (FDP) is being reviewed to ensure that the Gas-toEnergy project is supported by all necessary legal and regulatorydocuments.

The construction of the project is expected to begin this year, with a cost estimated at around US$2 billion.

The development of the Gas-to-Energy is a project of unrivaled importance Therefore,itspermitshaveto be conducted in accordance with no legal and regulatory hiccups.

H o w e v e r, r e c e n t information suggests that the government may not have followed proper procedures in awarding contracts for the amendment of the Liza field

was selected for the job

development plan. The Gasto-Energy project is supposed to utilise gas from theLizafield.

The Ministry of Natural Resources usually advertises requests for bids to review field development plans However, there is no evidence that such requests were advertised on the websites of the Ministry of Natural Resources and the Petroleum Management Programme.

While contract awards for the review of other projects have been reported, such as the Yellowtail and Uaru projects, there is no public record of contracts beingawardedforthereview of the Liza FDP and Environmental and Social Impact Assessment (ESIA) amendments.

T h e p r o p o s e d amendments were submitted to the government by ExxonMobil subsidiary, Esso Exploration and Production Guyana Limited (EEPGL).

Furthermore, there is no public information available to indicate how much was paid to Bayphase for its services The National Procurement and Tender

Administration Board (NPTAB) is supposed to have this information about contracts awarded on its website.

The lack of transparency in the awarding of contracts for this review raises concerns about the fairness andimpartialityofthereview

process That the review process should be conducted in a transparent and unbiased manner,isano-brainer

This also goes for the procurement of the consultant that assisted with the review The government has said it will be transparent about the Gas-to-Energy project.

The Government of Guyana hired CH4Lindsayca to handle the natural gas-fired power plant and natural gas liquids plant. EEPGLis responsible for the pipeline, which will cost morethanUS$1billion.

The company is waiting on the reviews to be completed before moving fullspeedahead.

While the government did not make information about the contracts public, Bayphase has confirmed on its website that it recently assisted the government of Guyana with the 'Liza Field Integration of Gas-to-Energy (GTE) Project field development plan (FDP) Amendment Review, Guyana'.

According to Bayphase, it conducted an in-depth r e v i e w o f t h e F D P Amendment and supporting documents submitted by the operator to gain government a p p r o v a l f o r t h i s development.

Bayphase prepared a report summarizing the opinions formed in the evaluation of the FDP, h i g h l i g h t i n g a n y deficiencies, unresolved

Purchase of SUVs by...

From page 2 invest so that they too can be part of the growth and development not of this sector butofalltheopportunitiesaroundthesector Iwilllaunchthatverysoon,”Alinoted.

Last Monday, Kaieteur News reported thatExxonMobilthroughitssubsidiaryEsso ExplorationandProductionGuyanaLimited (EEPGL) is looking to acquire its own fleet of vehicles to be used to transport its staff compliment.

Kaieteur News understands that the company is interested in purchasing brand newSportUtilityVehicles(SUVs)thatwere manufactured between 2022 and 2023. The expense to purchase these vehicles will be borne by Guyana, as the 2016 Production Sharing Agreement (PSA) allows for such costs to support the local petroleum productionactivitiestoberecovered.

In a Request For Information (RFI) issued by EEPGL on March 14, 2023

ExxonMobil explained that it is seeking detailed technical information from suppliersformeetingEEPGL'sbidselection

requirements for “provision of Light Motor VehiclesinGeorgetown,Guyana.”

The RFI will be used to shortlist candidates that will be invited to submit proposals to the company. It was explained, “Esso Exploration and Production Guyana Limited (EEPGL) plans to put in place a material / equipment acquisition agreement for provision of light motor vehicles within the Georgetown area.” It said it therefore wishes to identify manufacturer authorized suppliers.

The suitable client “should be a manufacturer authorized dealer and provide manufacturers regular guarantees (to deliver) brand new vehicles model 2022 / 2023 that meet international code and equippedwithadvancedsafetyfeatures.”

Italsonotedthatthevehiclesshouldhave an engine capacity range between 1500 to 3000cc.InadditiontomediumtolargeSUVs that can seat between five and seven individuals,Exxonisalsolookingtoacquire small or large busses that can seat 14 to 32 people.

issues, or areas of additional technical analysis that government should request from the Contractor before making a determination on theFDP

It also vetted all costs presentedintheplan.

Bayphase also assisted the government with the 'Liza Field Integration of GTE - Environmental and Social Impact Assessment (EISA) Review, Guyana'

According to Bayphase, it conducted an in-depth review of the ESIA and supporting documents submitted by the Contractor to gain government approval forthisdevelopment.

They prepared a report summarizing the opinions formed in the evaluation of the ESIA, highlighting any

deficiencies, unresolved issues, or areas of additional technical analysis that government should request from the Contractor before making a determination on theESIA.

In conclusion, the lack of transparency in the awarding of contracts for the review of the Liza amendment is a cause for concern, as it

relates to a project that is expected to help end blackouts and make Guyana's energy secure. The government not making information about contracts awardedpublic,aswellasthe amountpaidtocontractors,is also not consistent with its promise to keep the Gas-toEnergy project accountable tothepublic.

Publisher:GLENNLALL-TEL:624-6456

Editor:NIGELWILLIAMS

Tel:225-8465,225-8491. Fax:225-8473,226-8210

Media intimidation

Itisastonishingwhatcomesfromourgovernmentand leadersinthiscountry HisExcellency,PresidentAlilikes tospeakbrightlyabouthowmuchheandhisgovernment are for transparency and accountability However, when questionedaboutdevelopmentsinthemostvitaleconomic sector in Guyana, the President engages in ploys that reflectpoorlyonhisleadership.

His Excellency should appreciate that we live and operateinadifferenttime,andwithstandardsexpectedto match. ThisisnotthetimeofForbesBurnhamwhenthe media could be squeezed and strangled out of existence. The elections in which his party emerged victorious occurredbecausetheindependentmediawaseverywhere, and calling matters with accuracy, professionalism, and journalistic integrity As PresidentAli knows fully well, thispublicationplayeditspartinthattimeofnationaltrial, whichledtowhereheisasGuyana’shead-of-state.

PresidentAli should know also that our job does not end when elections are over. Instead, it has just begun, especially now that Guyana is at a place never known before. Guyanaisnowtheownerofbillionsofbarrelsof proven oil reserves, which means that the prosperity of everycitizenis,forgoodorbad,inseparablytiedtoouroil discoveries. Guyaneseneedtoknowasmuchastheycan, andsoonest. Notwhenthegovernmentdecidesthatthey should know, and then only sharing the kind of sketchy detailthatprotectsthegovernment’sinterests.

The independent media, therefore, has a duty to keep pushingandprobingforanswers. Iftheendresultofthat are discomfort and intolerance by government and its leaders,thenitisaburdentobeborne. Also,thePresident needsnoremindingthatLeonoraishishometown,andthat almostallinthatareadependonhisfavours Nooneisgoing tobesofoolishastodisagreepubliclywithhisanswersto questions It is more than the expected partisanship prevailing,sincemorevillagersandotherattendeesatthe President’soutreachknowthatjumpingonthePresident’s bandwagon is sure to be rewarding to them. The government cannot be this insecure that hecklers and intimidators from any quarter for any occasion suit its purposes.

The heckling and attempts at intimidation of journalistsbyhisownsupportersatLeonorashouldhave beenstoppedwithanegativewaveofthePresident’shand. Itwouldsendamessagethatthemediahasitsplace,and thatitisonetoberespected Forhimtositthereuntroubled, as if the audible media intimidation was the most normal thingintheworlddoesnotaccruetohiscredit Thereisa time for politics, and a time for governing, the same clean governancewhichthePresidentinsiststhatheisabout.

Cleangovernmentsandupstandingleadersdonotfear any question from any source on any issue. When the issue is one of national significance, and also the most talkedabout,thentoughquestionshavetheirplace. After all,thisisthepatrimonyofthepeople,andmuchofwhat they have been told either does not add up, or, has huge holes begging to be filled. The gas-to-energy project is one such issue prominent in the considerations of Guyanese. We cannot speak enough about it, given its priceandlaterimplications. Tobecleverwithinformation providedontheproject,orwithholdwhatthepeopleought toknow,sothattheycanmaketheirowndecisionastoits benefit for them, is neither government nor leadership transparency Worse still, for supporters to object to straightforwardquestionsonthesameprojectandtointerfere withtheoperationsoftheindependentmediaisunacceptable inademocraticsociety,anythataspirestosuch Recently,we haveobservedPresidentAliandhissupportersbehavinginthe manner of the old PNC in their attitudes and actions to the media. This is not healthy for our democracy, and it is unhelpful to our efforts to get the best from our national patrimony PresidentAlishouldreininthosewhohaveno interestincleanandopengovernance. Hemustsetaclear example,whatthestandardisgoingtobe.

Lefts, Rights, Uppercuts – Sparring in Schools

DEAREDITOR

So stressed out, that she herself was emoting the violence of depression –reacting to the school environment, from which medicallycertifiedleavehad become necessary – a situationthatsomehowmade this Headmistress much too empathetic to a distant colleague’s embroilment in the well publicised Houston School incident – exhibiting acutlass.

Over the years of our growing acquaintance with the declared frustrations of working conditions created by an insensitive Teaching Service Commission; not to mention an authoritarian Ministry on the one hand, and an unhelpful Union on the other, the aggressive relationships experienced with: 1) students; 11) parents;111) combination of both, accumulating into the depletion of physical, psychological and spiritual

health; albeit on top of the lowest salary structure

amongst government professionalsanywhere.

She fumed: “Nobody enquires about how we

cope with our own children,” as though they arenotincensedby‘Rights of the Child’ of their counterparts, as advocated across-the-board in social media who, in their presentations, applaud bad habits, if only for adults to transmit to their children, and instinctively to their neighbours and their children.

Despairingly, if not quite irrelevantly, she reflected on her and their parents’ generations being disciplined at school, and becoming none the worse forit

This perhaps is now seen as the ‘left’ side of a r e l a t i o n s h i p t h a t emphasises ‘Rights of the Child’ in schools, and at

P a r e n t s Te a c h e r s Associationmeetings ‘Rights’ cannot be corrected, having simply supplanted the concept of ‘ b e h a v i o u r ’ a n d ‘misbehaviour’, albeit in an environment that now reeks of political values and persuasions, if not pervasiveness.

The distressed, indeed d i s a g r e e a b l e professionally stomped on her ‘left’ side – about the ‘talking down’, never ‘talking with’, and ‘listened to’ in an overriding vertical relationship.

S o t h a t a f t e r examination results the discussion and cheers go ‘rightfully’tothesuccesses (students) while the contributors to success are ‘left’ aside, without ‘rights’ to any reward – no pay increases!

Butallthisisalsobeing experienced in the larger s o c i a l a n d w o r k

environments, in which the leaderships are hardly the ‘right’ exemplars of disciplined behaviour, as in our defective Parliament; inactive Public Accounts Committee, deformed Judiciary; the suspect Oil and Energy dialogue; insistence on the singular ‘Right’ to manage a One (sided)Guyana.

T h e f o r e g o i n g complainant could not have been the product of teachers whose ‘rights’ to an equal p l a y i n g f i e l d a r e acknowledged, and to being allowed to land an ‘uppercut’.

J u s t h a v e m o r e interactivesportsinschools, including ‘Boxing’. Some teachers and students may well be in the same weight category Do the ‘Rights of the Child’includeaspiringtobe ateacher?

Regards

E.B.John

AnotherJoke:“Guyanesecansoonreport crimesonpublictransportwithnewapp”

DEAREDITOR, Ihadtoreadit‘overand over’ again. It is the news fromHomeAffairsMinister, Robeson Benn, who informed the public that “A newapp,currentlyinitsfinal stagesofdevelopment,isset tochangethewaycrimesare (being) reported on public transportinGuyana.”

FatuousQuipster!Thisis ludicrous.Imeandowehave aproblemreportinganykind of crime in Guyana? This is the age of ‘immediacy of communication’ and with accompanying evidence as well, to substantiate just about any issue. Minister Benn, almost in prankster style,revealedthat“Theapp will allow passengers to record misdemeanours and incidents on public transportation, giving the PoliceForcetheopportunity foranimmediateresponseto dealwiththeseissues.”

I s t h i s s o m e revolutionary unfolding in themaking?Guyana’straffic woes, like so many other infractions, are well known, quite public and can almost always elicit nothing from thoseinauthorities.

Forexample,thegarbage and noise phenomena continuously remain unaddressed by the

authorities; those who seek to comply with the corresponding and existing laws seem like deviants Simply put, to exercise caution and compliance regarding garbage disposal and noise pollution makes one stand out as an aberration.

Let me make my few comments and then a pronouncement.

Editor, the problem of ‘police response’ is a nonissue. The cops know the offenders. The cops observe the offenders. One wonders if the cops have a pact with offenders. The cops choose when and how they will respond to complaints I have observed that police vehiclesaremorenoticeable running personal errands, making social visits or buying food. What adds to these ‘running sores’ is the use of the siren to facilitate these state vehicles as the cops indulge in their jocund pastimes. This is shameless and smacks of mischievous juvenility

Idare,MinisterRobeson Benn,AGAnilNandlalland President Irfaan Ali to use “Action Line” and make a f e w r a n d o m anonymous/disguised calls to some police stations, and

let the public listen in. Of course, it has to be in the form of sting operations. I have listened to quite a few of the generic responses from police stations, where the ‘formatted response’ is ‘We will send the patrol as soonasitcomesin.’

By way of illustration, I revisit the perennial ‘Sita Bar’ saga. It came up in a letteryetagain.In“Sita’sbar refusing to abide with the EPA rules” (Stabroek News March 30, 2023), the distraught residents in the affectedareanotedthat“Sita continuestohostherpopular DJandnoisyactivities,(and) does not even realise what a hazard she creates and what hatred she has induced within the minds of the senior citizens and the peopleofStationStreet.”

The letter explained that “Her stubbornness and unwillingness to have her placeenclosedhaveher‘not abiding with the EPArules.’

It also followed two complaintsinthepressinthe month of December 2022, namely, “Dreadful noise nuisance on a nightly basis from Sita’s Bar & Liquid Love” and “The noise nuisance emanating from Sita’s Bar forces us the residentstocloseupandstay

indoors.”

I mean who owns this bar? That will answer why the ‘Licence to be R e c a l c i t r a n t ’ i s accompanying the ‘Licence to Operate’ anytime and anyhow

Maybetheministerisina sheltered vacuum, or his sensibilities have long become sclerotic. The point is that like noise offenders, thetrafficoffendersarewellknown and are easily traceable. Noise, like traffic misdemeanours cannot be perpetratedsecretly

Theyarebothpalpableto the ear, sight and recording systems.

So, the risibility and otiosity of the HomeAffairs Minister, Robeson Benn, continues His farce is c o u c h e d i n t h e announcement made at the recent Guyana National Road Safety Stakeholders F o r u m , w h e r e h e emphasised “ the importance of the app in improving public safety and reducing crime on public transport.” He wasted time, effort, money and words in saying that “We have to get people to say if you are speeding, please put me off ormakeareport…thiswill

(Continuedonpage06)

DEAREDITOR

I refer to a letter published in the Stabroek News of 30 March 2023 by Mr GHK Lall, bearing the caption “Only Mr Nandlall, not the AG and legal practitioner, knows the answerstothesequestions”.

Clarifying the misconceptions Ram’s discreet activism is beyond reproach

In this letter, Mr. GHK Lall offered comparative legal luminance on two cases, in which I was involved.One,whileIwasin Opposition in which I appearedforCarvilDuncan, then Chairman of the Public ServiceCommissionagainst the Attorney General, and the other, Paul Slowe, Chairman of the Police Service Commission et al against the Attorney General,whereIappearedin person as the Attorney General. Inboththesecases, different Executive Presidents purported to suspend these two constitutional officeholders fromtheirofficialfunctions. Itiscommongroundthatby virtue of the nature and p u r p o r t o f t h e i r constitutional functions and status, these officeholders enjoy security of tenure and can only be removed or suspended in accordance witharegimeoutlinedinthe Constitution.

Mr GHK Lall drew heavily on the obvious similaritiesofthefactualand legal circumstances from whichthesetwocasesarose, critically accentuating the contradictory legal postures which he perceived that I adopted in each of them. I conceive his quintessential objectivewastounderscore, what he perceived as, duplicitous conduct on my part.Theirrefragabletruthis that in the legal profession,

many times, lawyers are indeed obliged to take positions in cases that are in fact,andinlaw,inconsistent withpositionstheymayhave adoptedinothercases.This, I daresay, is a vocational freedom and an ethical latitude which inhere in the legalprofession.ButIhasten tosaythatIneednotinvoke this facility in this engagement,fortheposition that I took in the two cases are neither different nor contradictory Indeed, they were consistent: advocating for constitutional compliance.

Indeed, I will concede that the obvious similarities between the two cases can leadtothemirageofwhichI think Mr Lall is a victim. However,whensubjectedto a juridical forensic examination,thelegalissues are clinically disparate and different I will now endeavour to illuminate the relevant jurisprudential differencesinthetwocases.

The procedural regime for the suspension/ removal oftheChairmanofthePolice ServiceCommissionandthe Public Service Commission is identical and expressed in Article 225 of the Constitution I outline hereunderthestepssetoutin Article 225, which are to be followed when a member of a C o n s t i t u t i o n a l Commission is to be suspended and/or removed from office: (i) The Prime Minister is authorised to ‘raise the question of removal of any member of the Commission on certain grounds including misbehaviour [Article 225 (2)]; (ii) It is the Prime Minister who must advise the President that the

questionofremovaloughtto be investigated, whereupon the President must act in accordance with that advice and appoint a Tribunal. In appointing that Tribunal, the President acts in accordance with the advice of the Judicial Service Commission (JSC) [225 (4)];

(iii) That Tribunal shall enquire into the matter and recommend to the President whether the officer ought to beremoved.

(iv)Removal is not suspension Suspension vests exclusively in the President acting on the adviceofthePrimeMinister Article 225 (6) is excruciatingly clear on this crucialissue:“Ifthequestion ofremovingtheofficerfrom office has been referred to a tribunal under this article, the President, acting in accordance with the advice of the prescribed authority, may suspend the officer from performing the functions of his or her office…”.

(v) Therefore, it is the Prime Minister who must make that exclusive and substantive determination whether to advise the President to suspend a Commission member The powerofthePrimeMinister to render this advice is not dependent upon the establishment of a Tribunal established by Article 225 (4).TheTribunal’sdutyis (Continuedonpage06)

DEAREDITOR

I am referencing a letter inStabroekNews,March28, 2023 by Joel Bhagwandin, Financial, Economic and PublicPolicyAnalyst.

The first sentence: “Christopher Ram, in his quest for relevance from timetotime”evokedmyire.

To me this language smacks of disrespect and post adolescence pubertal propensity

In serious discourse s u c h a d h o m i n e m outbursts diminishes o b j e c t i v i t y a n d professionalism especially from one who is anAnalyst. It certainly does not encouragerationaldebate.It isratherinsulting!

Christopher Ram is a well-recognized public figure.

He is an experienced AccountantandAttorney

He has written extensivelyonOil–sincethe ignominious sell-out Contract was signed under theAPNU/AFC.

To my knowledge, ChristopherRamhaswritten morethananyoneelseonthe subject.

His discreet activism is beyondreproach.Ialsoshare the thoughts and sentiments of Rishi Pooran regarding Joel Bhagwandin’s letter (SeeKaieteurNews,Mar31, 2023)

Asregardthesubstantive matters raised regarding foreigncurrencyandforeign exchange, I leave this to the experts…

The “once bankrupt economy” in his last paragraph is not the fallout from “those socialist days”; rather it was due to bad corrupt and undemocratic governance.

He should take some timetoacquainthimselfwith the dialectics of scientific socialism.

Of course, like most people,heisstrangledbythe system that constantly reminds all of us that “The mouth is muzzled by the fooditeatstolive.”

The piper calls the tune and we dance to the tune whether we like it or not, or else….

It’sthesystem,stupid!

Joel Bhagwandin is thus constrained.

He must do the bidding of the hierarchy in the government, or else…. But there is an option Remembertheadage:cogito ergosum.

Usethecabeza.Thinkfor yourself. Think out of the box.

Yoursfaithfully, GaryGirdhari

Two press conferences

A hurriedly convened press conference with little notice to media houses (KNApril 2) can be perceived and derived that the independentmediaisnotheldinhighesteem anditsviewsofnoconsequence. Giventhe short notice to the media (was this deliberate?);apressreleaseontheoutreach’s objectives and outcomes could have been issuedinstead.

Equally, saying on one side that

criticism is not opposed, but again summoning the press to deal particularly with an editorial perceived unfavorable, sends conflicting messages and exposes a penchant not to be able to rise above and discern the trifling and piddling that comeswithpublicoffice.

Two press conferences with little substance.

Regards ShamshunMohamed

DEAREDITOR

Frompage4 allow persons to record a matter that ongoing and sendittoacentreforactions

to be taken either immediatelyorlateron.”

Let me close by making it like ABC for him: All Guyana know. All Guyana areseeing

And all Guyana have learned ‘how to get by until theygetout ’ I emphasize that nothing will enable the Police to respond quickly and effectively to any issues that arise, ensuring the safety and security of all passengers They know the game of ‘who’ and‘when ’

The pervasivenessof so many evils, as traffic and noise are just a few, is what attracts personnel to the force, keeps them there, and

Frequentfataltrafficaccidents

DEAREDITOR

allows for a comfortable living.

I remind ‘those running the show’ that adherence to road rules now entails automated traffic enforcement, involving evident police presence on the roadways and the use of technology, to locate and apprehend traffic offenders, toensuretrafficcompliance. The technology is in everyman’s possession, and of course, vehicles can be monitoreddigitally

This is nothing monumentalright?

I say to the Minister, to AG Nandlall and President Ali: “Get real,” unless you do not care about the depletingpopulationandthe burning fever to leave the country

Yourstruly,

GaylordRiley

Attention must be drawn to the frequent and fatal accidents on our roadwaysoverthelastyear Itisevident thatmanyroadusersfailtoexercisethe five basic principles when using the roads.

As a learner driver, you are taught whendrivingthefollowingfiveCsmust be exercised: caution, consideration, care,commonsense,andcourtesy

These accidents are gruesome and painful for families to cope with, but unfortunately there are no systems in place to help relatives with the trauma as they live through death anniversary after death anniversary or years of caring for seriously injured victims. In many instances too, there is no justice whichfurtheraddstothetrauma.

Editor, I publicly applaud the work being done by Ms Romona Doorgen, and her team at Guyana RoadSafetyCouncil,wheretraining is done to sensitize and or educate motorists, cyclists, and pedestrians, on defensive driving and how to use theroadways

Indeed,accidentscanbeavoidedif road users were to exercise the 5 Cs, drivewithinthespeedlimitandbeheld

accountable by the traffic department. Asadriver,Ihavewitnessedthecallous and reckless behaviour of a few road users.

Additionally, the trucking business hasgrownsignificantlyinrecentyears.

Truckdriversarenowinvolvedinmost oftherecentaccidents.

Some drivers appear to be inexperienced and I have wondered how many qualify to be truck drivers and or passed their truck driving tests.

Daily,theoperatorsofthesehugetrucks can be seen utilizing the roadways indiscriminately

Is there a daily quota of trips required of these drivers? Why the hurry?

I rather suspect Editor, that many of these trucks transport materials way over the regulated weight and are compromising the integrity of the roads, many of which were not built to accommodate them. We need to urgently revisit the traffic laws with the view to amending them appropriately with punitive fines and penalties.

The Coalition had commenced work on a network of roads and highways to link and reduce the

traffic build up along the East Coast/EastBankCorridor

ThePPP/Cwoulddowelltorollout those well thought out plans instead of thearbitraryworkbeingdone. There are a number of areas downtown which also need to be revisited to ease the traffic congestion duringbusinesshours.

The traffic department and other relevant authorities need to be mindful thattheareaboundbyVlissengenRoad, Brickdam, Water Street and Lamaha Street is occupied by schools, banks, public entities, markets, hospitals, restaurants, shopping areas and other commercialentitieswhichattractheavy trafficdaily

The traffic flow and parking in this area,ifproperlyredesigned,canreduce congestion and unnecessary timeconsumingbottlenecks.

Wecannotcontinuebuildingmultistoreybuildingswithouttakingthisinto consideration.

Editor, I conclude by calling on the PPP/CregimetoACTNOW!!!Alllives matter!!!

Sincerely,

AnnetteFerguson MemberofParliament

Clarifyingthemisconceptions...

Frompage5 separate from the Prime Minister’s.Itsdutyconcerns removalfromoffice.

(vi) Additionally, when the Prime Minister advises the President on the suspensionofamemberofa Commission, the President “may suspend”. Here the President, himself, is vested withadiscretionarypowerto make a determination whether or not to suspend a member Hence the use of the word “may” as opposed to“shall”[seeArticle225(6) above] Apart from this advice, there is no requirement that the President should consult withoractupontheadviceof any other entity Certainly, the President’s decision to suspend is not at all influenced in any manner whatsoever by the Tribunal to be established in accordance withArticle 225 (4).Inshort,forthepurpose of suspension, the establishment of this Tribunal is simply a procedural step in the chronology of the process. Its functional responsibility relates exclusively to the issue of “removal from office”, not suspension. To conclude, the President’s substantive power to suspendisunaffectedbythe presence or absence of the T r i b u n a l w h o s e establishmentisbutpartofa procedural chronology vis-

à - v i s s u s p e n s i o n

Significantly,becauseofthe securityoftenurewithwhich these officers are endowed, the law imposes procedural fairnessandnaturaljusticeto be observed when the provisionsofArticle225are activated. Specifically, the PrimeMinisterisenjoinedto accord a person the right to be heard, as a condition precedent, before advising the President that the question of his removal ought to be investigated.

This procedural step is now concretized into a substantive right to natural justice and procedural fairness. This fundamental issue was conclusively settled by the Guyana Court ofAppealin Barnwell v AG of Guyana (1993) 49 WIR and bythePrivyCouncilinRees v Crane [1994] 1 AC 173.

Bothofthesecasesinvolved the removal of High Court judges from office The security of tenure which judges enjoy is similar to those enjoyed by members of the constitutional

commissions The

constitutional regime for removal and suspension from office is likewise similar In Barnwell’s case, theJudgewasnotaffordeda hearing before the advice wastenderedtothePresident that the question of his removal ought to be investigated In fact, the

Constitution is silent on this specific facility In expatiatingonthisissue,the CourtofAppealadumbrated that a decision maker is “required to apply the rules of natural justice and procedural fairness to its deliberations;ithadactedin breachofitsdutytoactfairly and inbreachoftherulesof natural justice when it made its representations to the P r e s i d e n t ; a n d a contraventionoftherulesof natural justice rendered the decisionvoidevenifitcould be shown that without such contravention there would havebeenanadverseresult.”

In Paul Slowe’s case, there was undisputed compliance with this specific fundamental requirement of procedural fairness and natural justice. Prime Minister Mark Phillips wrote, offering the impugned persons, an opportunity to show cause. They responded in writing. The Prime Minister was unpersuaded He then advisedthePresidentthatthe question of their removal oughttobeinvestigated.

In contradistinction, in Duncan’s case, the complaint was that this very substantive right to natural justice was not extended to Duncan by Prime Minster

Although a letter from the Prime Minister offering Duncan was ex post facto,

produced, there was no evidence that it was communicated to, or receivedbyDuncan.Duncan robustly contended that he neverreceivedsuchletter In accordance with the principles enunciated in the cases of Barnwell and Rees above, in Duncan’s case, I contended that the advice of the Prime Minister to the President and indeed, every stepwhichensuedthereafter, wasinbreachoftherulesof natural justice and procedural fairness renderingthemallnull,void andofnoeffect.Ihaveevery confidencethatIwouldhave succeeded had the then Attorney General not threatened the Hearing JudgeinopenCourtcausing himtoabortthetrial. InPaul Slowe’s case, the crucial issue was that there was no Tribunal appointed under Article 225 (4) As I articulated earlier, the sole functionofthisTribunalisto addresstheissueofremoval fromoffice.

Neither Paul Slowe nor hiscolleagueswereremoved fromofficebythePresident. In fact, the question of removal did not arise in the case. Thereasonforthenonappointment of the Tribunal was because there was no

Commission for the President to consult in order for such a Tribunal to be appointed. But again, this

Tribunalbearsnofunctional responsibilities relating to suspension.Suspensionisan exclusivePresidentialpower exercisable upon the advice of the Prime Minister and withanelementofdeliberate judgment on the part of the President The President received the appropriate advice from the Prime Minister and in exercising his deliberate judgment made a decision to suspend in the interest of the rule of law,nationalsecurityandfor the public good I see nothing wrong with this decision.

I am compelled to point outthatSlowe’scasewasnot a case where there was a J u d i c i a l S e r v i c e Commission in place which the President ignored in breach of Article 225 (4). There was no JSC in place. Therefore, it was not a case of constitutional noncomplianceonthepartofthe President but a case of impossibilitytocomply

The Honourable Chief Justice Roxane George confronted this conundrum in the recent decision of Jones v AG & Clifton Hicken FDA 705 of 2022, in which the President was constitutionally required to consult with the Leader of theOppositiontoappointan acting Commissioner of Police in compliance with Article 211 of the Constitution.Atthematerial

time,therewasnoLeaderof theOppositionwithwhomto consult.

The President made the appointment. It was alleged that the President breached Article 211. On this issue, theChiefJusticeruled:

“There could be no disregard of, and thereby a breach of the requirement for meaningful consultation when itwasimpossibletosoengage The applicant therefore is relying on an impossibility to ground a claim of unconstitutionality On this basis alone, theapplicationis vexatious and an abuse of the processofthecourt”

Alltheseargumentswere adeptly proffered to the learned Hearing Judge. His Honour’s attention was drawn to the Judgment of Chief Justice George in the JonesvAGetal.HisHonour waspassionatelyimploredto travel the juridical path traversed by the learned ChiefJustice.

These pleas fell on deaf ears. Hence the intent to appeal. I hope I have been able to clarify the misconceptions which have jaundiced the mind of Mr Lall on this matter I thank him for offering me the opportunity to elucidate this matterforthewiderpublic.

Yoursfaithfully,

Hon. Mohabir Anil NandlallSC,MP Attorney General and MinisterofLegalAffairs

AnotherJoke:“Guyanese cansoonreportcrimes onpublictransport...”

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- Part 1

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The audit report will be out in the proper time.

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We will tell Guyanese what that means!

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In proper time means when the PPP Government is ready.

In due time means when the PPP Government feels like.

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At the appropriate time means when the PPP Government gets around to it!

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God bless Guyana!

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ExxonMobil's US$7.3 billion audit report

Is the PPP/C a one man show?

General Secretary (GS) of the P e o p l e ’ s Progressive Party/Civic, Bharrat Jagdeo continues to belabor the point that the Guyana Human Rights Association is a one-man show Butinhismostrecent pressconferences,heldinhis capacityasGSofthePPP/C, he alone has appeared at the headtable.

It would not be remiss thereforeforpersonstoform the perception that the PPP/C is also a one-man show and is dominated by Jagdeo.Hedidnotevenseeit fit to include any other Executive Committee or Central Committee member at his most recent press conferences.

This would also have given credence to the fact that the views he expressed were not his own but represented those of his party’s executive. It would have also helped allay the suspicionthatthePPP/Chas become so dominated by Jagdeothatitiseffectivelya one-manshow

Theperceptionisalready embedded in the public psyche that Jagdeo is the power behind the throne w i t h i n t h e P P P / C government. The least he couldhavedonewastohave some token presence of another PPP/C leader at his press conference, which would have given him greater moral authority to speakabouttheGHRAbeing aone-manshow

The PPP/C has become an undemocratic party.

CheddiJaganalwayslikedto boast about his party having internal democracy It was known that he and his wife often had heated exchanges within the Executive Committee Such heated

exchangesarenowconfined to instances of rebuking and insulting persons who are opposed to policies of the government and who are forced to walk-out of meetings because of the insults and hostility that are leveledagainstthem.

The PPP/C has been seized by the bourgeois class, so much so that it failed to hold its scheduled Congressin2019.

The party has no excuse for not doing so. The pandemic, which it is using as an excuse, did not start until2020.

This means that the PPP/C went into the 2020 elections without a mandate from its highest decisionmaking organ and without affording its delegates the opportunity to have a say in terms of the party’s slate for thoseelections.

The old guard of the party has been put out to pasture. Some of them have been neutralised by being given positions to stand guard over the party’s interest.Buteffectivelythey have no influence over the party or over government’s policies.

The forthcoming Congress of the party will determine the extent to whichthepartydriftsintoan authoritarian leadership or one-mandictatorship.

At a previous Congress of the party, there was a deliberate attempt to manipulate the outcome of the discussions by party delegates. Persons from the leadership of the party were placed to guide the discussions in the groups. This served only to muzzle free expression and to controlthenarrative.

The delegates to the forthcoming Congress will

Dem boys seh...

have to guard against this happening again. But will they?Orwillthemajorityof delegatesfawnatandrubber stamp the existing leadership?

Not much fight can be expectedfromtheoldguard. They have been effectively marginalised within the party and do not even have the gall to publicly express concern over the fact that press conferences of the party are being hosted with one person at the head table and one person going on a lengthyrant.

The PPP/C cannot claim to be the party of Cheddi Jagan or even a workingclass party once it is in this mode.Inthepast,thePPP/C had a commercial arm, known as GIMPEX. That hasbeenabandoned.

The party is now totally dependent on the bourgeois class for financing This gives that class tremendous leverage over the affairs of theparty

Yet, Jagdeo has the temeritytocallonhisparty’s faithful to come to the defence of the party by taking to social media to p u s h t h e p a r t y ’s a c h i e v e m e n t s a n d narratives. Why did he not ask the bourgeois class whichcontrolshispartyand which reap the bulk of the benefits of the government todoso?

Thebourgeoisclasslikes tostaybehindthescenesand get others to do its bidding. Butit’stimethatsomeoneis bold enough to stand up to the party’s leadership and condemnitfornotholdinga Congress in 2019 and for delaying the forthcoming Congress on specious grounds.

It is time for someone to question the present

De life of a journalist is not easy

Dem waterfall reporter get a hard time during the i m p r o m p t u p r e s s conference hosted by de Prezzie in Region 3. Dem get heckle and taunt and someofdemcomplainhow isintimidation.

One person from de press association even had to complain about what happen, saying it could place journalists at risks. Is truebecauseonlytwoyears ago,demjournalistsdidget abuse outside of GECOM anddepolicewentrightdeh andnahtekaction.

It mek dem boys rememberdetimeduringde 1997 elections impasse

when de government reporter camera get tek away in Congress Place. And de party supporters was so hostile dat nuff of dem reporters frighten fuh askcriticalquestions.

One man from NCN sit downquietduringoneofde press conferences. De man at de head table see and decidefuhaskhe,“Howare my supporters treating you?”

De reporter replied,” I can’tcomplain.”

Demboysdidknowdat

ForbesBurnhamusedtorig elections. One day one of dem brave reporters decide dem gan ask he a trick

situation within the party That person must be prepared to get the booth because as sure as night follows day, the PPP/C will not condone serious internal criticisms especially of the

leadership. But that is what it will take for things to changewithintheparty And that is what it will takeforthepartytodisabuse thepublicperceptionthatthe PPP/Cisaone-manshow

question. So during one of his press conferences, de reporter ask he, “ Mr Burnham, do you feel dat oneday,Guyanawillhavea female President?’

Burnhamreplied,“No!”

De reporter was stunned by de short reply Burnham gave to him. He know Burnham was a man ofwordsandliketotalkso he decided on a follow up. He asked Burnham, “Why doyousaydatawomanwill never become President of Guyana?”

Mr Burnhamlookedat hesaid,“BecauseIamnota woman” Talkhalf.Leffhalf.

H@RD TRUTHS

GHK LALL

All Guyanese must keep their 'head on'

The PPP Government madeitsfirstconcretemoves with Tacuma Ogunseye: wanted poster, arrest, detention. I never thought thattherewouldbedifficulty finding him; or his surrendering into custody This has happened. Where dothingsgofromhere?

Political prisoner signals hunger strikes. This likely attracts global attention to the plight of left out Guyanese, impoverished

citizens in an oil rich nation, roils the environment, rattles investors, and agitates observers. In all this, there is the stuff of unease and upheaval.

Topping the list of considerations, the people most on the radar, are Black Guyanese. They have the most to gain, the most to lose, and their actions are sure to reveal much about their wisdom in their contributions to the stability

and tranquility of capital city, outlying communities, and country Considering this, I would hope that their leadership is well aware that one misread, one misstep, would be the equivalent of playing right into the hands of wily PPP Government leaders, who could be using the Buxton blowup to bait them into a trap. It is a trap with great returns for the PPP,andgreatthreatstoboth the standing of oppressed

Guyanese, and their presence as a political group of reckoning, one that is of responsiblecitizenship.

So far, the sidelines are empty: fear, disagreement, apathy? Numerous Guyanese shrank from what the now held dissident put face up on the table. We cannotgodownthatroad,no matter how it may be appealing to some. It is a river of no return, one that can only suck us all into an

uncontrollable vortex. It is the wrong time, the

temperature is

u n s t e a d y , t h e

environment not supportive. In fact, it has been less than lukewarmtothispoint.

Allegations of possible sedition and racial incitement are the names given to the barrel of snakes Tacuma embraced, then let loose Alarmed Guyanese are watching with bated breath, especially the ones hurting.

How does this unfold?

Who could get bitten? To where does it lead ultimately? What good is there in all of this for them? Has this Guyanese brother, a longstanding warrior for his own people, unwittingly set themupandsendthemdown a road that holds much dangerforthem?

He is in custody currently Some Guyanese are sure to be angry, may even overreact. But this is when they must be most sensible, most disciplined, most careful; for there is nothing that would suit the interests of the PPP Government big-shots for concerned Guyanese to overreact. Indeed, there is a tremendous amount of pentup anger, sharp resentments, and hard animosities within upsetGuyanese.

T h e y h a r b o u r p e r c e p t i o n s , r e a l experiencesofmistreatment, contempt, and the hated statusofpeoplebeinglooked down upon. In the best of times in Guyana, they have no role, but that of impotent bystanders, observers of their slow-motion freefall to thebottomofthelocalabyss.

It is why the WPA executive's call resonates with some; somebody is speaking for them. Perhaps, there will be a start towards some leveling of the scales, no matter how limited. He did say 'no guns', which would be the worst development for this country Still, some foresee, at some time or the other, pressure on the street, outpourings of righteous anger, and expressions of passions everywhere. It is my belief that any such pressure, outpouring, or expression plays right into PPPcalculations. Guyanese would self-destruct if they were so unwise as to let their political adversaries dictate their field of operation, and

theircomportmentinit. They should all think along these lines. Tacuma is out of commission. The PPP's leadership expectation and calculation (bait e x t e n d e d ) a r e t h a t simmering rage in many Guyaneseerupt.

This is what I think is beinggambledon,hopedfor, and waited upon patiently That thinking must be neutralized; has proven a dudsofar:fewrespondingto his surrendering Still, I b e l i e v e t h a t a n y manifestation of such rage c o u l d b e c l e v e r l y manipulated, easily orchestrated, into tampering with the public peace, t h r o u g h p r o p e r t y destruction, and citizens targeted.

It does not necessarily have to be at the hands of Black Guyanese. It is tailormade for PPP intellectual authors to arrange their own Black mercenaries to wreak havoc, and lay it at against the names of all dissident Guyanese.

In brief, any unmanaged reaction by genuinely angeredcitizensrunsrisksof feeding into the ready, convenient stereotyping of some as violent, dangerous citizens, and contributing to their being made into fall guys. Theirchallengeisnotto give such a golden o p p o r t u n i t y t o t h e government to be misused for unscrupulous purposes. All that is needed is for the old histories to be dug up, dusted off, and dangled before their anxious supporters. The fodder for rum shops, bottom houses, and social media would all bethere.

Better sense must prevail. There is a long, uphill road of struggle in store, but it must be on the right legs, with the right wisdoms, energies. Success comes with pressure, peaceful presence, and p e r s i s t e n c e a l o n g democracy'spathways.

(The views expressed in this article are those of the a u t h o r a n d d o n o t necessarily reflect the opinions and beliefs of this newspaper and its affiliates.)

Business community bemoans slow pace of airstrip rehabilitation at Eteringbang

- Public Works Ministry promises it will be completed by July

By Shervin Belgrave

Businessmen and w o m e n o f Eteringbang, Cuyuni River, Region

Seven, are concerned that rehabilitative works on the community's airstrip by the Guyana Defence Force (GDF) is moving at a sloth's pace.

GDF and the Public Works Ministry are collaborating to upgrade the airstrip from laterite to a rigid concrete pavement for atotalcostof$214.5M.

To facilitate works, the airstrip was closed to commercial flights late last year, but seven months have already passed and according to a few members of the Eteringbang business community, it is nowhere nearcompletion.

They visited Kaieteur News onSaturdayandoneof them (name provided) said, “Buddae at the rate they going at it look like the airstripwilltaketwoyearsto finish.”

“Nothing ain't going on there, them say them concreting the airstrip and they only got one ransom working there… some days they work and other days they don't”, continued the businessman.

Since the closure of the airstrip, the business community has had to make use of the river to maintain the supply of basic goods to the area, but according to them,it'sverydangerousand risky

A p a r t f r o m t h e d a n g e r o u s r a p i d s , Venezuelan gangs have set upillegalcheck-pointsalong theriver,stealingtheirgoods andfleecingthemofcash.

“When the goods leave bottom side to come up, you ain't even know if all gon reach up cause sometimes the Sindicatos take away some”, a businesswoman (nameprovided)alleged.

If they refuse to stop at thecheck-points,theywould be shot at and it is for this reason that some have decidedtoclose-upshopand wait for the airstrip to be reopened. But they fear losing theirlivelihoodatthealleged slow pace of works by the GDF Residents too have reportedlybeencomplaining about the shortage of basic goods since the airstrip was closed.

The Ministry of Public Works has noted the concerns raised and is doing its best to have the airstrip completed as soon as possible,ifthereareno-more setbacks. According to the Ministry, “ Works are scheduled to be completed byJuly2023”.

“Works on the airstrip”, stated the ministry, “commencedlateSeptember 2022”

“ T h e s e i n c l u d e d stockpiling of materials for concrete Works (river sand & gravel) and construction of an access road to the lateritedeposit”,theministry furtheradded.

The project, however, faced major setbacks due to inclement weather and severe flooding in the area causingdelayinworks.

“Due to inclement weather and the flooding situation within the region, the acquisition of materials from the river (river sand & gravel) and the construction of the access road were delayed considerably”, explainedtheministry.

Challenges were also faced in mobilizing equipmenttothesiteearlyin the project's life, but these issues, the ministry related, havesincebeenresolved.

With regard to the equipmentbeingusedforthe project, the Ministry said, “Due to the remoteness of the location and availability of equipment, only the miniversions of equipment could have been deployed to the site. As a result, the rate of productionislow.”

Theset-backshadcaused works on the airstrip to be suspended but they reportedly recommenced early December, 2022 and since then “preliminary w o r k s i n c l u d i n g preconstruction surveys and

clearingofvegetationwithin the runway strip have been completed.”

Those works, according to the ministry, were completed mid-February 2023andwithsome18ranks currently working on the

ground, the airstrip is on track to be completed by July

Eteringbang is a remote community located in the Cuyuni district and businesses there largely depend on commercial

flightsforsupplyofgoodsto the area The airstrip's condition, however, had deteriorated over the years, causing pilots to express safetyconcerns.

In fact, a few planes in recent times have even overshot the runway Luckily, there were no severeinjuries.

Minister of Public Works, Juan Edghill had visited the area and residents had requested a more permanent structure because the laterite one would become water logged when itrains.

A decision was made by the government to have the airstrip upgraded through

collaboration between the GDF and the Ministry of PublicWorks.

Some $214M was budgeted in 2022 to have a 150mmthickrigidpavement replace the old laterite airstrip.

The new concrete runway will be some 15.24 metres wide by 610 metres l o n g w i t h s t e e l reinforcement at contraction joints. The GDF is tasked with implementing the project through its Engineering Corps led by Brigadier Gary Beaton, while contracts were awarded for the supply and delivery of construction materialstoEteringbang.

Alexander issues open call for President to meet with African-aligned organization

Chairman of the International Decade for People of African Descent A s s e m b l y - G u y a n a (IDPADA-G), Vincent Alexander has issued a public call to President Irfaan Ali to honour his commitment to meet with the group to discuss “urgent and pressing” matters related to providing support to Guyanese of African descent.

The government had cut the $8 million a month subvention from the organization since last year The organization has since challenged the decision of the State in court. The two parties have been in the process of discussing a settlement. However, in the meantime, IDPADA-G has been pursuing talks with the

Head-of-State as it relates to thecase.

In an open letter, Alexander said that the efforts to meet with the President have been hinderedbyAli'sownfailure to honour his oral commitment to meet with them. He said that it was self-evident that good relations between the governmentandIDPADA-G “arecentraltoimprovingthe overall relationship with the A f r i c a n G u y a n e s e community”.

Given the clear need for an engagement as a consequence of the e m e rg e n t s i t u a t i o n

IDPADA-G once again requests a meeting with the president to discuss matters pertaining to the decade as well as current and looming

Vincent Alexander

problems manifesting themselves

Alexander said the meeting is intended to be a platform to forge efforts to deescalate the current tensions and pursue the goals of IDPADA-G which

is to assist and empower Afro-Guyanese.

He said that with the “thorny” relationship betweenthegovernmentand people ofAfrican descent in mind,the“constructive (Continued on page 16)

The current state of the Eteringbang airstrip.

Dr. Vincent Adams says as EPA exempts hazardous gas plant from impact study

Former Head of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Dr Vincent Adams during an Alliance For Change (AFC) press conference on Friday told reporters that the regulator has 'uncaringly' betrayed the people whose lives it should beprotecting,asithasmoved to exempt a hazardous gas plant to generate electricity fromadetailedimpactstudy

Dr Adams, a Petroleum Engineer with over 40 years of experience in the sector was at the time offering comments on the statements made by the Executive Director of the EPA, Kemraj Parsram that the regulator's role is not merely to decide whether impact studies are required, but to implement provisions into permits to form part of regulating the project.

Parsram while defending the EPA's decision to waive the study during a Public Hearing hosted by the Environmental Assessment Board (EAB) on March 22,

2023 explained, “The role of the EPA is not just to say no EIA is required or EIA is required.

It is after the fact, it is the permitting, it's the regulating of that project that is important;otherwisetheEPA should require an EIA or every single aircraft that comes into Guyana or every car that we drive because they all emit air pollutants. Sowehavetobesensibleand that is what the EPAis doing, (acting) sensible based on scientific information and practical.”

Dr Adams on the other hand said he has never heard a s t a t e m e n t m o r e

He argued that an EIA must be conducted for the possible hazards to be identified, which can then be regulated by the Agency through an Environmental Permit. The former head of the EPAtold reporters, “Now how in heaven's name could you even come up with the provisions without an EIA?

Again, I've said it over and over and many have said it, the EIA is the bible of these typesofmajorprojects.

It identifies hazards by applying scientific data and information and studies to identifyhazards.”

As such, he argued that without an EIA, the EPA has failedtohighlightthehazards “so for him to come and say well our role is not to only determine whether you need an EIA or not but implement

provisions, you cannot have provisions in these major projectswithoutanEIA.”

According to Dr Adams, the statements from the EPA boss were “disrespectful, dismissive,arrogant,flippant and it's an uncaring betrayal in the interests of the people who the EPA is supposed to beprotecting.”

The Specialist said this reasoningfromtheExecutive Director exposes the “incompetence to which the

people of Guyana are subjected.”

Two appeals were made to the EAB regarding the decision to exempt the gasfired power plant from an EIA.Thecitizensalreadyhad an opportunity to cite their concerns to the Board which is expected to hand down its decision shortly- to uphold the Agency's decision or to orderthestudy

The plant is a component of the Wales Gas-to-Energy project that is presently pegged at US$2.1 billion. The other aspects include the pipeline to transport the resource and a Natural Gas Liquids (NGL) facility that will treat and separate the elements. The Government of Guyana has said the project will cut the cost of electricity by 50 percent but in the absence of updated feasibility studies, activists fear that the project may end upawhiteelephant.

Importantly, given the dangers associated with gas, citizens have publicly stated

their disapproval of the project being exempted from adetailedEIA.

Two citizens, Attorneyat-Law Elizabeth DeaneHughes and environmental activist, Vanda Radzik in their letter of appeal to the EAB,datedFebruary5,2023 said the project can cause serious impacts to lives and livelihoods, insisted that a sound EIA must inform the decisionoftheEPAtogranta Permit for the power plant.

Fourteen other Guyanese also attached their signatures to the objection letter addressedtotheEAB.

“Gas fired plants and NGL facilities and the pipelines that feed them are notoriously dangerous People's lives, livelihoods andlandsareatrisk.

Toxic gases, chemicals and hazardous wastes are generated along with substantial emissions, flarings etc. that pollute the environment and affect the health of humans,” the citizenspointedout.

Petroleum Engineer, Dr. Vincent Adams Engineer

NIS staff joins other stakeholders in Ministry of stak Labour's OSH fitness walk

Staff of the National Insurance Scheme yesterday participated in the Ministry of Labour's Annual Occupational Safety and Health Walk, under the theme, “A safe and healthy working environment is a fundamental principle and right at work”. This fitness walkwasdoneinobservance of Occupational Health and Safety Month, in an effort to raise awareness about the importance of health and safety in the work e n v i r o n m e n t Notwithstanding the nature of a job, be it administrative work or physical labour, there is always the possibility of encountering

hazards in the workplace; therefore, Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) is everyone's business Not knowing how to safely contend with these potential hazards in the workplace may result in injuries or accidents that can affect one's ability to be productive.

Preventing workplace injuries, illnesses, and deaths, as well as the suffering and financial hardship these events can cause for workers, their families, and employers allows for a safe and healthy workplace. Establishing and maintaining a proactive approach towards managing

Motorcyclist injured after struck down by police vehicle

Kaieteur News has confirmed that a motorcyclist is hospitalizedafterhewasstruckbyapolicepatrolvehicleon Saturday along the De William Public Road, West Coast Demerara.

The accident reportedly took place a short while after 21:00hrs.

Footage of the accident showed that the motorcyclist was heading west along the southern side of the road at a normal rate of speed when a speeding police pick-up with flashinglightsslammedintohimfrombehind.

The impact flung the victim off his bike, while the vehicle dragged it a short distance along the road before comingtoahalt.

Aninvestigationhasbeenlaunchedintotheincident.

workplace safety and health is the responsibility of all concernedstakeholders.

A d d r e s s i n g t h e participants of the fitness walk was Minister of Labour, Mr Joseph Hamilton who amplified the importance of OSH and the need for ongoing efforts to promote conducive working environments.

“Allweareattemptingto do is ensure that when someone leaves to go to work, they return to their familiesthewaytheyleftand that is what this is all about,” theministersaid.

The minister expressed his desire to have the conversation on OSH

continue well beyond this month and become a permanent fixture in the publicconsciousness.

The walk commenced at

6:00 am at the ministry's Brickdam headquarters concluded at the Square of the Revolution and saw the participation of several

stakeholders at the conclusion of which Minister Hamilton thanked t h e m a l l f o r t h e i r participation.

Georgetown team cops first prize for national Scratch coding challenge

With over 80 teams participating in the second Scratch coding competition, t h e G e o r g e t o w n International Academy's t e a m h a s e m e r g e d champions.

The event was organised by STEMGuyana. In a press release, it was stated that eight regions participated in the challenge, which required students in the first to 10th grade to create a scratch animation project reflecting their research about the effects of climate change on their community orcountry

The Scratch coding competition provides an opportunity for students to strengthen their soft skills l i k e c o l l a b o r a t i o n , communication, conflict resolution, innovative thinking and leadership skills. Students also get to hone their skills in coding and design, while also raising awareness about important issues such as climate change The competition also helps to foster a love of STEM subjects and encourages students to pursue careers in thesefields.

Queen's College, 'Gotta Scratch that Itch' and Aurora's 'Team Sunflower', as well as Queen's College 'The last minute gang', shared second place. Lima Sands 'School Coders' and L i m a S a n d s Te a m Inspiration claimed third place, with Central Mahaicony's '4TGirls' in fourth place and Bartica Mayor 'Team Creative Hands' and Kaneville's 'Ebank Golden Achievers'

tyingforfifthplace.

Also, the Lake Mainstay club received special honours by winning the coveted “Director's Trophy” for professionalism, outstanding citizenship, four or more teams entered into the competition and outstandingresearch.

It was disclosed that all students will receive certificates, while the top three overall teams and coaches will also receive cash prizes. In addition, the top teams from each region will also receive certificates andmedals.

The competition was sponsored with support from t h e I n t e r- A m e r i c a n Development Bank (IDB), Tullow Oil, GT&T, and others.

STEMGuyana credited theMinistryofEducationfor

programmes to exist and flourish in several school facilities.

“We are thrilled with the level of creativity and dedication shown by all the participating students,” said STEMGuyana Operations Manager, Alisha Koulen, spokesperson for the competition, adding “They worked tirelessly to research the topic, develop animation concepts, and bring their ideas to life using coding logic and engineering design principles.”

When asked what the greatest challenge in hosting such a large and innovative n a t i o n a l e v e n t ,

STEMGuyana Director Karen Abrams stated that, “the ability to scale and manage such a large number of teams was the biggest challenge However, the automated platform which

we created will allow us to scale the event to hundreds, even thousands of teams. The entries were graded through the platform by college students in the US, but our organization is currently working on an artificial intelligence component which will allow for complete automation of the scoring of thousands, even millions of entries which will be useful as we expand the competition throughout the Caribbean andLatinAmerica.”

According to Abrams, the competition will help i d e n t i f y a r e a s f o r improvement, but overall, the event's operations were relatively smooth once the participants got used to the software.

The next Scratch coding event is scheduled for July 2023.

Staff from NIS poses for a photo with Labour Minister Mr. Joseph Hamilton at the OSH Fitness Walk

From page 12 engagement between the Government and IDPADA-G is evidently and urgently needed at this time.

WANTED VACANCY

Skilled Carpenters, Masons and Labourers needed. Call: 602-9469, 660-6385 or 6257642.

Urgently needed dried carilla bush and soursop leaves (any quantity). Call: 6098281/ 693-3003.

Elderly bus Driver wanted for route 32 and 31. Call: 6781610.

One Female able-bodied Clerk required. Call: 2252313, 226-1497/ 658-8559.

One Truck Driver needed to work Mon-Fri. Call: 223-9677.

Canter and Truck Drivers needed, must have atleast 3 yrs experience. Call: 6447088/ 624-7248.

Excavator Operators required, must have atleast 3 yrs experience. Call: 6447088/ 624-7248.

Office Clerk wanted, must have experience in Microsoft Excel and Words. Call: 6447088/ 624-7248.

Male factory workers needed to work in Georgetown, $3500 per day. 7am - 4pm, Mon-Fri, transportation provided. Call: 611-7839.

Urgent Truck Drivers needed at Platinum Investments. Call: 624-2234.

One Domestic Worker needed to work 2 times per week. Address: 192 Duncan Street Newtown kitty. Call: 649-3783.

Mechanist needed, must know to work on engine head. Call: 223-5273/ 223-5274.

1 Junior Accounts Clerk with NIS paye payroll knowledge, Night Guard and livein Handyman needed in Hill Foot, Soesdyke. $100,000 monthly. Call: 227-5222/ 6750587/ 219-2170.

One male with a small family to live-in and supervise small workforce on a Poultry Farm, salary $130,000 monthly. Call: 227-5222/ 675-0587/ 2192170.

Delivery Driver needed. Must have experience and good communication skills. Attractive package offered. Email: ighanny@ wheyupnutrition.com

In house Sales Person and Office Assistant needed at East bank. Must be 21 years & older. Email: ighanny@ wheyupnutrition.com

WANTED

3 Receptionist, ages 25-35 yrs & Security Guards 40 yrs & older. Experience working in the Interior will be an asset. Call: 688-9506.

Wanted: Experienced Cashier, Cooks, Counter Person, Supervisor and Labourer. Apply @ Shanta's, 225 Camp and New Market Sts. or WhatsApp: +592-6541361.

Experienced Accounts Clerk needed @ Survival Shopping Complex, 173 Sheriff Street. Call: 609-2995, Email: survivalhumanresources2 @gmail.com

Supermarket AM & PM Cashiers required @ Survival Shopping Complex, 173 Sheriff ST. Call: 609-2995, Email: survivalhumanresources2 @gmail.com

Supermarket Packers/ Porters AM & PM needed @ Survival Shopping Complex, 173 Sheriff St. Tel: 609-2995, survivalhumanresources2 @gmail.com

SERVICES

Visa Application: Canada and U.S.A. Graphics design & advertisements. Wedding decorations & elderly grooming: hair, nail etc. Call: 626-7040.

Elevate your brand with our professional Graphic design services. Call: 619-0007, 629-5526.

For low cost repairs for AC units, refridgerators, freezers, gas stoves, washing machine, dryers, etc. Call: 629-4946, 225-4822.

FOR RENT

2 & 4 bedrooms Apartments and 2 empty corner lot for rent at Bladen Hall, E.C.D. Call/ WhatsApp: 700-0030/ 684-1787.

2, 3 & 4 bedrooms furnished and unfurnished Apt in Bladen Hall, E.C.D, $100,000 & $200,000 GYD. WhataApp: 700-0030.

Newly built 1, 2 & 3 bedrooms Apt in E.C.D Highway, $2000 & 1000 USD. Call/ WhatsApp: 700-0030, 1-347841-5872/ +1868-747-4343.

Commercial property for rent at Regent & Wellington Streets. Call: 653-1501.

In February, IDPADA-G formally wrote to the Government to hold talks on the issue of their subvention which has been withheld. In the meantime, Alexander said that IDPADAG has been fulfilling its obligations based on the UN mandate.

IDPADA-G said it has assisted hundreds of Guyanese in the process of developing businesses through training in the writing of business proposals and financials.

VACANCY

Vacancy exists for two experienced Dispatchers at Confidential Cabs. Call: 6951961 /231-5784.

Able-bodied live-in female Housekeeper to work in Virgina, U.S.A. Between the ages of 30-50 yrs. Call: 845325-8241/ 592-615-5476.

Maid needed to cook and clean in East Bank area. Call: 615-9132.

1 general Domestic needed to cook & clean, Mon- Fri and preferably living within East Bank Area. Apply at Keyfood, Mc Doom Village next to the post office.

Delivery Clerk, Cleaners and Porters needed. Apply @ Lens Hardware, Call: 2271511/ 645-1613.

Inventory/ Data Entry

Clerks required @ Survival Shopping Complex, 173 Sheriff St. Call: 609-2995, survivalhumanresources2 @gmail.com

Bond Attendants/ Porters needed @ Survival Shopping Complex, 173 Sheriff ST. Tel: 609-2995, Email: survivalhumanresources2 @gmail.com

Supermarket AM & PM Sales Representative required @ Survival Shopping Complex, 173 Sheriff ST. Tel: 609-2995, Email: survivalhumanresources2 @gmail.com

One Plumer needed. Call: 615-9132.

Driver needed. Must be able to assist in workshop at Eccles, ages 23-50 yrs, Car/ Van licence. Call 6458443 or 642-9823.

Heavy equipment Servicemen needed to work in Georgetown. Applicants must be experienced. Call: 231-2250/ 615-0545.

Experienced Pump Attendants needed at Sunrise Marina Gas Station, preferably from Parika area. Send CV to sunrisemarinainc@yahoo.com or Call: 262-0404.

Vacancy exist for Carpenter/ Joiner. Apply at Regency Suites/ Hotel, 98 Hadfield Street, Werk-en-Rust G/ Town. Call: 226-0550/ 6093332.

Experienced Waiter/ Waitress, Counter Server & roti/ puri Cook. Apply @ Hack's Restaurant 5 Commerce St.

Accounts Clerk required @ Survival Shopping Complex, 173 Sheriff St. Call: 609-2995, survival.humanresources @gmail.com

Factory Worker needed. Must have a sound secondary education. For more information Call: 227-8041/2.

Accounts Clerk needed. Must have a sound secondary education and 1-2 years Accounting experience. For more information Call: 2278041/2.

Operator for excavator/ bobcat, semi-skilled Workers, Office Assistant and time keeping/ tool issuing Clerk . Call: 621-6969/ 615-7784.

Pump Attendant needed at Shell Station, Providence, E.B.D. Working shift (6am2pm and 2pm-10pm). Email: Shellramsburg@gmail.com

Experienced Hair Colorist, Hairstylist, Receptionist/ Massuese and Nail Tech needed. Call/ WhatsApp: 649-5005/ 226-6705.

FOR SALE

One double Lot 80x160 on the east side of Friendship, Public Road, $12M GYD neg. Call: 626-4234/ 628-6212.

Prime business spot, 45x500 located at Parika, 4 house lot together at Blankenburg. Call: 652-0251/ 650-0402.

Pure honey, wholesale and retail quantity. Call: 6214273.

3 pure breed black and tan German Shepard pups, fully vaccinated, 8 weeks old. Call: 626-0953/ 650-9998.

1 land 67x90 in Elaineville Housing Scheme, Providence, $ 35 Mil negotiable. Call: 701-4553.

One small Toyota Dyna Lorry, ideal for food truck. Diesel engine, needs body work and price negotiable. Call: 667-7602.

3 bedrooms furnished & unfurnished, 2 & 1 bedroom house and Apt in New Road, Vreed-en-Hoop, Diamond & Providence. Call: 659-0277, 682-6238, 216-2299/ 604-6664.

One bedroom house for rent at 18th Av Diamond, E.B.D, $ 45,000. Call: 657-2951, 6129697.

Wash bay for rent at Mandela Avenue. Call: 675-3093.

Prime business property next to Vreed-en-hoop police station. Call 626-0718.

2 bedrooms in Campbellville, Albertown and Houston E.B.D. 8000 sq ft office space in Brickdam. Call Ray's Realty: 627-9685.

FOR SALE/ RENT

Three mining blocks in Kurupukari, Rupununi mining district to sell or rent. Call: 649-7371.

LAND FOR SALE

Carmichael Street, Better Hope, Friendship, Garden of Eden & Lethem Commercial area. Call Ray's Realty: 6279685.

PROPERTY FOR SALE

The Government nonetheless has been withholding IDPADA-G’s monthly subvention of $8M over claims of mismanagement – an allegation the organization has rubbished. The AfroGuyanese organization has since taken the Government to Court over the subvention. Despite the withholding of the subsidy, Alexander said IDPADA-G is not completely crippled but “handicapped.”

It was noted that from September 2022 to February 2023, the government owes the organization an estimated GY$49 million.

The organization has been relying on local and Diaspora donations to carry out some of its work especially to help residents of Mocha, East Bank Demerara where their houses were demolished.

Outside of this, IDPADAG had consulted with and developed relationships with both the David Granger-led and Irfaan Ali-led Administrations with both sides making a commitment to fund the Organisation within the United Nations designated decade.

The Organisation received funds from the Government up to August 2022 when it was abruptly stopped.

The UN Decade for People of African Descent is themed “People of African descent: recognition, justice, and development.”

TO LET

Studio apartment, $10,000 per week with 1 month down payment. Call: 6386120.

Bar in Breda Street, $40,000 per month. Call: 638-6120.

DRESSMAKING

Learn to cut & sew at Enid's Dressmaking certificate classes located 66 Sixth St. Albertown. All sewing done here! Call: 643-7966/ 223-9106.

Prashad Nagar, Ogle, Subryanville, Better Hope, Good Hope and West Ruimveldt. Call Ray's Realty: 627-9685.

It calls on Governments around the world where people of African Descent reside to put mechanisms in place to help improve their state of existence.

VEHICLES FOR SALE

One CRV Honda, $3.3M negotiable and 1 Toyota Allion, $3.350 M, fully loaded immaculate condition, low mileage . Contact: 649-0956.

‘No financial record available for Marriott since 2015’ - NICIL

As the Government of Guyana (GoG) moves ahead with its decision to sell the Guyana Marriott Hotel, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the National Industrial and Commercial Investments Limited (NICIL), Radha Krishna Sharma has disclosed that the last public financial records for the hotel was filed for the year ended December2015.

BackinSeptember2009, NICIL incorporated Atlantic HotelInc.(AHI),asaspecial purpose company to construct and manage the Marriott Hotel and through NICIL; the Government of Guyana owns the hotel However, that will soon change as the Government is awaiting bids from prequalified firms for the purchase of the almost US$60Mhotel.

The hotel was opened back in 2015 and since then, according to NICIL's CEO, no financial returns has been filed for the company In a statement, NICIL said, “In March 2015, before the PPP Administration left office, the financial statements of AHI up to the year ended 31st December, 2014, were audited.”

It was further disclosed that when the People's

…says audits will be made available when 2021 is completed

Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) administration reassumed office in August 2020, the status of the audits for the hotel were only auditedupto2015.

As a result, NICILstated thatanewBoardofDirectors forAHIwasappointedandin December 2020, the Board engaged the Office of the Auditor General, who appointed Chartered Accountants Nizal Ali and Company to complete the outstanding audits ofAHI in March2021.

According to NICIL's CEO,“Todate,theauditsfor the years ended 31st December, 2016, 2017, 2018, and 2019, have been completed, together with the field audits for the years ended 31st December 2020, and 2021. AHI was advised by Nizam Ali and Company that the audit for the year ended December 2022, is ongoing.”

He added that AHI has successfully managed to commission and complete the audits of its accounts for five years in a span of less thantwoyears. Accordingto Sharma, the audited accounts will be published upon completion of the audit oftheyearended2021.

Last Wednesday, the CEO had confirmed that

eight firms have submitted their Expressions of Interest (EOIs). He explained that five of the eight applicants have paid for and uplifted information packages and noted that the deadline for submissions of bids is on April17,2023.

For his part, last Thursday during a press conference, Vice President (VP) Bharrat Jagdeo stated that while the Marriott Hotel is “a profitable venture” and is“makingaprofit”itisofno supreme benefit to the Government owning it anymore.

Notably, the hotel started u n d e r t h e J a g d e o administration when he was President using taxpayers' dollarsandwithasyndicated loan through Republic Bank LimitedofTrinidad. D

conference, the VP explained that despite the hotel was started at a time when others touted it as “a white elephant” the hotel is now a money-making machine. Jagdeo stated that asaresultoftheGovernment being generous to help trigger a new wave of hotel building, “ there is no particularsupreme benefit to Government owning (the hotel),it'sbettertomaximise the money and invest it in something else backing healthcare or maybe in anotherfacility…”

The VP justified the Government's reason for selling the hotel now by saying, “The Government didn't need to own a hotel at thattime,buttheerawasthat we were not getting new hotels built and we had to trigger the investment. So

now it would be best to sell the Marriott off, you would probably maximise the price that you will get when it's profitable and before the seven new hotels that are privately built, that are internationals brands come onthemarket.Itistheperiod you maximize, the period in whichyousell.”

The Government has been reported in the media encouraging investors to build hotels as part of their plan to advance the hospitality sector in Guyana. There are seven new hotels being constructed that are expected to meet a demand of around 2,000 rooms by 2025.

Kaieteur News had highlighted that under the syndicated loan agreement, the preferred rights go to those investors – meaning that in the event of the hotel being unable to service the loan – the unknown investors would have the first lien on the proceeds of anysale.

Back in 2017, AHI was unable to meet its due financial obligations to repaythesyndicatedloan.As such, AHI had requested the assistance of NICIL, the guarantor but the State agency was also unable to assist. In order to prevent the

hotelfrombeingacquiredby the bank, the former Government in April 2017 made the decision to transfer AHI's financial obligations to the Central Government. This decision has resulted in US$1 1 million ($226 million)oftaxpayers'dollars comingouteverysixmonths (since 2017) to service the US$27 million loan – for a 13-yearperiod.

However, during the press conference the Vice President stated that while in opposition the PPP/C were opposed to the loan obligation being transferred to central government Jagdeo claimed that the loan being burdened on taxpayers had nothing to do with the hotel being unable to service itsloan.

According to the Vice President, the proceeds from the sale of the hotel will be used, “to clear off the remaining loan and some of it will come back to the treasury to be used back for whatever purpose is determined ” Jagdeo continued by stating that, “this is probably the best timewhenyoucanmaximise the value before you get competition from the seven other hotels coming into the market within a year or two…”

Petroglyph complex at Aishalton reportedly set on fire

TheMaokataoPetroglyph

Complex in Aishalton, Southern Rupununi, Region Nine, was on Sunday allegedly set on fire This is according to a Public Facebook postmadetheToshaooftheRegion Ninevillage,MichaelThomas.

According to Thomas, his village “is still executing a project” under the Ministry of Amerindian Affairs and part of it was destroyed inthefire.

“We are still in the process of executing a project called” Protection and Preservation of Aishalton Petroglyph" under the Ministry of Amerindian Affairs. Partofthiswasburntthisafternoon by a rapid fire set by irresponsible people”,Thomasstated.

He said that quick response by two of his councillors identified as Meshana Alfred and Danny resulted in them being able to keep the “blazing fire under control and preventitfromspreading.

Thepetroglyphsiteislocatedat the Makatao Mountain located some three kilometers outside of Aishalton village, one of Guyana's most well-known archaeological sites.

Some 686 petroglyphs commonly known as the “Aishalton Petroglyphs- mainly drawings carved into racks with representationsofhumans,animals and plants as well as geometric arrangementsarefoundthere.

The petroglyphs are said to be some3000-5000yearsold.

The Guyana Marriott Hotel

Sunday's scenes at the Aishalton Petroglyph complex

Guyana Under-15 team depart for CWI

Rising Stars Regional Under-15 Super-50

Open encounter against Trinidad and Tobago, to oppose Barbados in fifth-round

The Guyana National Under-15 team led by Dave Mohabir, departed Guyana from the Cheddi Jagan International Airport at Timehri yesterday, April 2, 2023.

The team will participate in the Cricket West Indies (CWI) Rising Stars Regional Under-15 Super-50 Championship, which was scheduled to be conducted from yesterday, April 2, 2023, to Thursday, April 13, 2023, in Antigua and Barbuda.

The management staff for the National Under-15 squad is Manager Elroy Stephney and Coach Latchman Yadram.

Prior to departure the team when through preparation activities that followed the GCB Under-15 Inter-County Tour-

Monday April 03, 2023

ARIES (Mar. 211pr. 19)

There's an extra spark in your eye that people won't be able to ignore. Today's a good day to get your point across, because you'll find people more open and receptive to new things than usual.

TAURUS(Apr.20–May20)

Take yourself on a mental adventure today in which you explore new aspects of your world. Discuss philosophy and religion. Get to the core of a matter that seriously interests you.

GEMINI (May 21–June 20)

Today is your day, Gemini, so live it up! If it seems like things have been rather intense lately, don't worry, they're apt to lighten up quite a bit today. Feel free to be your usual jolly self,

CANCER (June 21–July 22)

Be careful that you aren't acting in a way that you dislike in others, Cancer. You could find that you're slowly taking on the traits of the people you despise.

LEO (July 23–Aug. 22)

The day's general mood should fit quite well with your agenda, Leo. There's no need to fixate on the negative. Keep things light and upbeat and worry about the consequences later.

VIRGO (Aug. 23–Se pt. 22)

You may need a translator to get through to people today, Virgo. It could be hard to make decisions, but not impossible. Today's tip is to err on the side of adventure.

Briton John caps impressive...

From page 23 46 points, Team AVR won with 124 points followed by Fire Wheels with 53. Cayman Hat ended with 35, Ride Your Bike 30, 706 P 28, and Cornwall CC 6.

Another Guyanese, Lyn Murray who rides for Ride Your Bike Cycle Club of the USA finished behind Burrowes in yesterday’s Master’s third leg which was won by a cyclist from the Cayman Islands.

Briton John in brief com-

ments thanked Burrowes for affording him the opportunity to participate in the race stating that it was a very good experience for him as he is looking forward to more such opportunities to keep the Golden Arrowhead flying high.

He also expressed gratitude to the following for their assistance in making his trip, possible, Alamaba Trading, Bentley’s Bike Shop, Beacon Café, and Professional Key Shop.

Wins for East Bank Essequibo...

From page 21

LIBRA (Sept. 23–Oct. 22)

Use your power resources today, Libra, as you have a great deal of dynamic energy at your dispo sal. You have the ability to transform and conquer anything now.

SCORPIO (Oct. 23–Nov. 21)

You could be asked to make some spontaneous decisions today that you might not feel entirely comfortable making, Scorpio. You could feel you don't have enough facts.

SAGIT(Nov.22–Dec.21)

Emotionally, you may feel as if you're running up against a brick wall, Sagittarius. It could be that your first reaction is to drown your sorrows in drink. Escapism is only a temporary remedy.

CAPRI (Dec. 22–Jan. 19) The

Your emo tions could be extra powerful today, Capricorn, although something may not feel as if it's sitting right. It could be a feeling of manipulation.

AQUARIUS(Jan.20–Feb.18)

Take hold of this day as if it's your own and use it to grow your dreams, Aquarius. You'll find a great deal of power and dynamism in the air urging you to take the adventurous route.

PISCES (Feb. 19–Mar. 20)

There's a fiery tone to the day that can't be ignored, Pisces. You may find that adjustments need to be made in your own plan of attack in order to get on the same page with other people.

nament 2023.

The preparation exercises included two Practice matches which were played on Sunday, March 26, 2023, and Tuesday, March 28, 2023.

These preparation exercises undertaken by the players of the Guyana Under-15 team are expected to ensure, the physical, technical, and mental readiness of the players to conquer the varying game challenges that are anticipated to present during this Regional Tournament.

The Guyana Under-15 team will play their first-round match against Trinidad and Tobago at the Coolidge Cricket Ground on Tuesday, April 4, 2023, and their second match against Jamaica at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium, on Thursday, April 6, 2023. The Guyana Under-15 team will return to the Coolidge Cricket Ground on Saturday, April 8, 2023, to compete against the Windward Islands Under-15 Team.

On Monday April 10, 2023, Guyana will oppose the Leeward Islands at the Liberta Sports Club.

Guyana will play their fifth-round match against Barbados, at the Liberta Sports Club. The 14-man team is as follows: Dave Mohabir (Captain), Romario Ramdeholl (Vice Captain), Razam Koobir, Arun Gainda, Navin Boodwah, Shane Prince, Trilok Nanan, Emmanuel Lewis, Jonathan Mentore, Arif Khan, Sohil Mohamed, Adrian Hetmyer, Zandon Rose and Dhanesh Persaud. The Manager is Elroy Stephney and the Coach Latchman Yadram.

Hemraj (28), while Neeraj Singh and Yogeshwar Khemraj had 22 apiece. Scottsburg bowling was led by fast-bowler Joel Dhanraj (5-30) and spinner Dharmendra Persaud (3-35), who had great outings with the ball.

Scottsburg United in reply, were 132 all out in 30 overs

after 8 wickets between Trevon Doobay (5-26) and Niraj Singh (3-22), helped subdue their opponents, despite knocks from Dhanraj (29), Persaud (16) and Jerimiah Joseph (14).

Action was due for over the weekend, while matches in Demerara will begin on Tuesday, April 4, 2023.

Guyana Under-15 Team that departed Guyana for Antigua to engage in the CWI Rising Stars Regional Under-15 Tournament, 2023.

Group stage ends; Round-of-16 teams confirmed 2023MiloU18SchoolsFootballTournament…

Followingthelatest round of the Nestlé-sponsored 2023MiloUnder-18Schools Football Tournament, which wascontestedattheMinistry of Education (MoE) and National Insurance Scheme (NIS) Grounds over the weekend, 16 teams have moved on to the knockout stage while 16 teams were eliminated.

The teams moving on to thenextroundarethetoptwo finishersineachoftheeight

Groups, namely: Chase’s Academic Foundation (CAF), Carmel, East Ruimveldt, Bartica, Westminster, New Central H i g h , Christianburg/Wismar, 8th of May, Mackenzie High, Patentia, West Ruimveldt, Ann’s Grove, Charlestown, Cummings Lodge, Santa RoseandDolphin.

Unfortunately, the bottomtwoteamsfromeach Group had their ninthedition campaigns halted

They are Dora, Bygeval, Bush Lot, MarianAcademy, Charity, Annandale, Vryman’s Erven, West Demerara, President’s College, North Ruimveldt, Vergenoegen, Queen’s C o l l e g e , B e r b i c e Educational Institute, St Cuthbert’s Mission, St Stanislaus College and New Amsterdam.

Yesterday,thefinaleight matchesintheRound-Robin stage unfolded as Patenita needled President’s College

(1 – 0), Dora squeezed past Bygeval 4 – 3, Charity got the better ofAnnandale in a heated battle that also ended 4 – 3 while Dolphin destroyedNewAmsterdam9 – 0 In the other four matches, Cummings Lodge won against Berbice EducationalInstitute2–1,St Cuthbert Mission defeated Charlestown 4 – 3, Westminster triumphed over New Central High 1 – 0 while West Ruimveldt and Ann’s Grove capped off the round with a 5 – 2 result in favourofthelatter

On Saturday when the third round commenced, in

the seven matches that were played East Ruimveldt trouncedBushLot4–1,8th of May dismantled West Demerara 6 – 0 and Mackenzie High scored a comfortable 6 – 0 win over North Ruimveldt at the NIS Ground. Over at the MoE venue,Vergenoegengotpast Queen’s College 3 – 0, Bartica Secondary steamrolled Marian Academy 13 – 1, defending c h a m p i o n Christianburg/Wismar Secondary(CWS)rompedto a2–0victoryoverVryman’s Erven while Chase’s Academic Foundation and

Carmel wrapped up the day witha1–1stalemate. According to the organisingteam,thefixtures for the next round will be released shortly with the datesofthatroundscheduled for April 8 - 9 This tournament is sponsored by Nestlé through their Milo brand, sanctioned by the MoE and supported by MASSY Distribution, MVP Sports, Guyana Industrial Minerals Inc (GINMIN), General Equipment Guyana Ltd (GENEQUIP), Farm Supplies Ltd (FARMSUP), Yellow Steel Inc and WestzydeMarineInc.

DCB U-19 inter-association tourney sponsored by Ariel Enterprise, Trophy Stall, Ramchand’s Auto Spares And Cricket Equipment Inc. underway

In the Demerara Cricket Board (DCB) Under-19

I n t e r- A s s o c i a t i o n Tournament sponsored by Ariel Enterprise, Trophy Stall, Ramchand’s Auto Spares and Cricket E q u i p m e n t I n c , Georgetown defeated East Coast to secure their spot in the final and East Bank Demerara overcame West Demerara.

Over at the Enmore Community Center Ground, East Coast Demerara won the toss and elected to bat, scoring 94 all out in 25.4 overs from their allotted 50 overs Vickash Wilkinson was the lone batter to reach double figures scoring a brilliant half-century

Nehemiah Hohenkirk was themosteconomicalbowler grabbing 4 for 9, while Riyad Latif collected 3 for 19, Shaquan Walter took 2 for 23, and Rivaldo Phillips claimed1for35.

In reply, Georgetown racedtotheirtargetof96for 4 from 24.5 overs. Rivaldo Phillips top scored with 34, while support came from Jadon Campbell and Mavindra Dindyal, who contributed 27 and 13, respectively

Georgetown won by 6 wickets

Over at Farm, West Demerara won the toss and optedtobat,scoring153all out in 32 2 overs from their allotted 50 overs Vishal

Persaudtopscoredwith33, while Kevin Ramkissoon chippedinwith28 ZadidMohamedwasthe most destructive bowler grabbing 4 for 33, while Anthon Lim collected 3 for 23

In reply, East Bank Demerara blazed their way to their target, scoring 158 for 3 in 29.2 overs. Deonarine Dindial scored an unbeaten 56 while M a r l o n R a m s a r c e supported with 41 and Anthon Lim 13 Nityanand Mathru claimed 3 for 53 East Bank won by 7 wickets

The Final paring was to be determined over this past weekend.

Charity’s goal scorers were Enrique Edwards (left), Raphiel Samuels (centre) and Oundre Sobers.

Dolphin’s third round scorers (L-R): Gerry Burnette, Jude Charles, Jamal Williams, Nicholas Tappin, Caldwell Peters and Jequan Cole.

GCB/GOG/MCYSUNDER-19BOYSINTER-CLUBSUPER-50TOURNAMENT…

Wins for East Bank Essequibo, Wakenaam, Port Mourant, Pomeroon, Bush Lot, Rada Krishna

The Guyana Cricket Board (GCB) Government of Guyana (GOG) Ministry ofCulture,YouthandSports (MCYS), Under-19 Boys

Inter-Club Super-50 Tournament 2023, commenced Friday, March 31, 2023. The Tournament began with matches within the respective Area Locations/Associations/Co mmittee of the three Counties and will conclude with the respective County finals, prior to the commencement of the GCB/GOG/MCYS Under19 Inter-County Super-50 Tournament, which is scheduled to commence on Wednesday,April12,2023.

Summaryscores:

East Bank Essequibo beat Bartica by 157-runs at Tuschen Community Centre Ground

Afterlosingthetoss,East BankEssequibobattingfirst, posted 227 in 29.1 overs.

Thaddeus Lovell stroked 53 with support from Sarwan Bishram(47)12whomissed out on a half-century, while opener Shaahid Veira (32) and Mohesh Sookdeo (22), supportednicely Fast-bowler Delroy Brownclaimed3-40from10 overs while mystery spinner GeorgeChanderbhanstarred with excellent figures of 453. Bartica were then shot down for 70 all out after somespinmagicbyMyhiem Khan (4-10) and Aryan Persaud(4-15).

Wakenaam defeat Leguan by 8 wickets at the Wakenaam Community CentreGround Leguan were knocked over for a measly 56 with Johnathan Singh hitting 16 as the lone top-scorer, after ballcarnagefromthepairof Davendra Ansraj (4-20) and Shahid Mohamed (4-23), who devastated the oppositioninaclinicaleffort

byWakenaam.

Wakenaam made light workofthechase,endingon 58-2 thanks mainly to Gladwin Henry (15), Mohandas Surujpaul (14) andKumeshSudin.

Port Mourant defeat

RoseHallTownby104runs at Port Mourant Cricket Ground

The home team Port Mourant racked up 187 all out from their 50 overs, thanks to National youth

opener Rampertab Ramnauth who hit 43 and SalimKhan42,whoplayeda goodsupportingrole.

Bowling efforts came f r o m J o h n a t h a n Rampersaud,whograbbed3 wickets, while 2-33 from Nyron Hicks capped off the top ball performers However, the chase never got off to the desired start, after a devastating spell of off-spin from Navin Boodwah, who bamboozled t

StatementfromtheBartica Easter Regatta Committee

The Annual Easter Regatta Grass Track Meet Threatened

The Bartica Easter Regatta Committee has released a statement informing to threats to the Grass Track Motorcycle aspect of their programme by some persons in the community,whoiftheyget their way the grass track event would be off the programme. Here in the fulltextofthatstatement:

The Bartica Easter Regatta Committee notes, with grave concern, a developing situation were oneofitstraditionalactivity – the annual Grass Track Motorcycle Meet, which is usually held on the Mongrippa Playfield, is being protested against by certain factions in our community Information reaching the Bartica Easter Regatta Committee indicatesthatofficialsfrom one local sports committee, who claim to have certain rights over the venue, have petitioned the Regional Authorities to have the Grass Track Event cancelled, under the guise that the surface of the field will be destroyed by the racingmotorcycles.

While acknowledging the concerns of those persons, this Committee

wish, also, to state categorically that the playfield in question is one establishedbythepeopleof Bartica, more so, the residents of the Old Housing Scheme, as a COMMUNITYGROUND, and, therefore, should be made available on a shared basis to every sport discipline that may require the uses of it. The Bartica Easter Regatta Committee wishtomakeitpellucidthat that location has been the mainvenueforGrassTrack Racing at Bartica for many years…andtherehavebeen no damages beyond the superficialtothesurface.

Further, the committee along with the promoter of the franchise, Mr Shawn Jacobs and the sponsors, have gone to great lengths and expenses to make preparations for the event, which is scheduled to be held on a week’s time from now Itwould,therefore,be unthinkable for the committeetoevenconsider cancellingthisevent,which is one much anticipated by the fans, both local and visiting.Further,westate:

- The Bartica Easter RegattaCommitteeisinfull support of the Grass Track

RacingFraternity

- Grass Track Racing showcases our young talents and attracts fans from across the country It helps to boost the local smallbusinesses.

- The Committee is committed to restoring the ground in case of any damages.

- The Committee is committed to providing sponsorship for the majority of races in the Grass Track Event; and also provide the necessary security and medical arrangements on raceday

-TheCommitteehasmet on numerous occasions with some individuals who are attempting to disrupt the GrassTrackEvent andthey arerefusingtocompromise

- Let us not be divided byafewselfishindividuals. Bartica is known for love andunity

We will not let our community and fans down byallowingafewpersonsto disrupt the plans of the Bartica Easter Regatta Committee, especially the Annual Grass Track Race Meet.

Respectfully!

KennethWilliams, Chairman.

heoppositionwithfiguresof 7-17, essentially singlehandedly accounting for Rose Hall being skittled out for83runs.

North Essequibo lost by 40 runs to Pomeroon at ImamBacchusGround

Pomeroon barely mustered105alloutin26.2 oversbattingfirst,withjusta lower-order contribution from Andre Fraiser who hit 20 not out. Bowling for North Essequibo was led by Quency Sampson who returned 4-22 with Romal Hubbard bagging stingy figuresof3-8.

NorthEssequiboinreply

wererazedfor65runsinjust 18 1 overs, after Fraser snared 4-10 with support from Brian Narine along with Adrey Brown who chipped in with 2-13 and 210, respectively, as their teamrompedtovictory

Bush Lot United beat

Cotton Tree Die Hard by 7 wickets at Cotton Bush Lot

Ground Cotton Tree Die Hard after taking first strike managed just 118 all out in 43.5 overs with top-scorer RashadGaffurbeingrunout for his top score of 32. The trio of star bowlers in:

TulsiramRamcharan(2-24),

Lachman Dhanna (3-11), Budram Lakeram (2-8), was instrumental in Bush Lot’s success, setting up a simple chase for the home team to easily reach 119-3 in 31 overs Ramcharan then returned to show his class withthebat,leadinghisteam tovictorywith47notout,as opener Justin Doobay (21) provided solid support early on Radha Krishna beat ScottsburgUnitedby21runs atNO.3Ground

The home team posted a 1stinningstotalof153in29 overs, with some collective workbeingdonebyTumesh

(Continuedonpage19)

Port Mourant team led by Rampertab Ramnauth.

ByRawleToney

Guyana, for the first time, will send a women’s teamtotheJunior(U21)Pan Am Hockey Championship in Bridgetown, Barbados, April10–17.

The Guyana Hockey Board (GHB) selected 18 men and 16 women for the prestigious championships which also serves as a qualifier for the 2023 International Hockey Federation (FIH) Junior WorldCupinKualaLumpur, Malaysia.

While GHB president Phillip Fernandes raved about the men’s side, the long-serving hockey executive said the board’s expectations for the women’ssideare“modest.”

“It is the first time we’re sending a girls’team, so our expectations are modest

Both teams will come up against very formidable opposition position, but we anticipate the whole experience to be well worth thewhile,”Fernandessaid.

Phillip is also the head coach of the women’s side and will have Allan Fernandesashisassistant.

The women’s coach said the GHB is excited about sending a female side to Barbados, calling their participation “very important for the development of sustenance ofthegame.”

“When our junior athletes are robbed the opportunity of playing internationals, by the time they get to the senior level, they are so far behind in termsofexperiencewiththe other senior players with which they come up against

and that it is a disadvantage to us in a lot of ways,” Fernandessaid.

He added, “We (GHB) thought that it should be made a priority for us to try to expose our youth to international competition early so that they could also develop in the manner that theyshould.”

The Guyanese men will be grouped with Barbados, theUSAandCanadainPool B,whilethewomen’sunitis settofaceBarbados,Canada and Chile in Pool B of their competition.

Pool A for the men’s competition will come from Argentina, Chile and Brazil. In the women’s tournament, the USA, Argentina and UruguayareinPoolA.

WhiletheGuyanesemen will feature on the tournament’s opening day against the USA, the women’s side take the field on Day Two (April 11) againstCanada.

Also on April 11, Guyana’s men’s team will

play their game of the tournament, facing off with Barbados.

A clash with Canada on April 13 will wrap up the men’s team group play, where they will hope for a positive result that will see them being one of the two teamstoplayinthefinalson April17.

The women will play Barbados on April 12, followed by their final Pool B game on April 14 against Chile.

Men’s coach Robert Fernandes in a previous article published in the KaieteurNewssaidthelevel ofpreparationthatwentinto the men’s team should see them being considerably successfulinBarbados.

He highlighted that the teamhasbeeninpreparation mode for almost two years while pointing to their DecembertourofBarbados, where they played four games against the ‘Bajans’, drawing three and winning their final game. The GHB

president highlighted the distinct difference between countrieswithinthePanAm region, adding “the top-tier teams have players numbering in the thousands and they have budgets that number in the US millions, you know, excess of a milliondollarsatleastforan annual budget. And so it’s very, very difficult with the kind of facilities, with the kind of funds and resources pumped into their program

and a number of players it’s very difficult to realistically expect to topple those teams.”

“Thatdoesn’tsaythatwe can’t hope for some surprises. But I’ve been a player, I’ve been involved with teams in the past and I knowtheleveltheseguysare goingforthefirsttimeandso it’s good that they’re optimisticbutitwillbevery tough,” The GHB president said.

Modest expectations for women’s team at Jr Pan Am Hockey C/chip - GHB president praises players’ commitment One Guyana Futsal ‘Play-In’ tournament on tonight at National Gymnasium

The One Guyana F u t s a l championship will kick-off tonight at the National Gymnasium from 6:00 pm, with a 12-team Play-In tournament, where the top six teams will move into the event’s Main Draw thatrunsfromApril9–May 20. Organisers, the Kashif and Shanghai Organisation, stated that patrons are not requiredtopayanadmission feetoaccessthevenue.

Foot Steppers and Thomas Land are the first two sides set to compete tonight,playingforachance to join Group A alongside SpartaBoss,FutureStarsand NAUnited.

The winner between Jetty Ballers and New Market St joins Group B with Gold is Money, Beterverwagting (BV) and Melanie. Match three tonight sees Paradise Invaders facing Ramsay Clan for a place in Group C with Tiger Bay, McKenzie

All-Stars and Pouderoyen Brothers.

Kingston and Gold Shot arevyingforaspotinGroup G where they will face L e o p o l d S t r e e t , Showstoppers and North East.

Sophia faces Festival City from 9:00 pm, contending for a spot in Group H with Bent Street, Albouystown and Avocado Ballers Closing off the night is

d Timehri Ballers for a spot in Group F with S

, Wismar All-Stars and Bagotstown.

Back Circle, VenGuy, Alexander Village and Kitty are in Group D, while Group E brings together Road Warriors, Kitty Spanish, California SquareandBallersEmpire. The One Guyana Futsal tournament

Guyana’s women team line-up

InternationalJamaicaCyclingClassic2023... Briton John caps impressive debut with overall 3rd place finish; Burrowes takes 3rd in master’s final leg in final

Briton John (28 points) made Guyana proud with another solo display of grit and determination by riding another phenomenal leg to end third overall when the second edition of the Jamaican Cycling Classic Montego Bay Race, ended yesterday, in the Land of WoodandWater

The We Stand United Cycle Club duo of John and

Horace Burrowes excelled despitenothavingtheluxury of multiple team members, astheotherclubs.

Burroweswhosuffereda crash on stage one and encountered some other challenges on stage two, threw all of that behind him to claim the 2nd place on yesterday’s third and final stage. He said that the event wasgoodbuttoughgiventhe

fact that it was his first real competitiveraceinmonths.

He complimented the robustridingbyBritonJohn, noting that he has places to goalongwiththemanyother young and talented cyclists inGuyana,buttheremustbe the opportunities The overall winner in the Elite categorywasHasaniHennis (50 points) of Team AVR whohadvirtuallyplaceditin the bag by winning the first two stages in the points race format. Hennis’ clubmate, Akel Campbell (48 points) was the overall 2nd-place finisher

Team AVR took the 4th and 5th places, Jerome Forrest 21 and Andrew Ramsey19.Team706’Chad Conley and last year’s overall champion, Andy Sacrano placed 6th and 7th with 19 and 16 points, respectively.Closingoutthe top ten overall were Jyme Bridges (9 points) of Team AVR,KevinPrice(6points) of Cornwall, and Nathaniel Forbes (5 points) of Team AVR.

Team Guyana also placed third in the Team Classificationwithatotalof (Continuedonpage19)

Briton John and Horace Burrowes display their silverware, proudly.

WSUCC Horace Burrowes (left) placed 2nd in the Master’s 3rd stage.