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AIETEUR Exxon contractor NEWS

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denies sidelining Guyanese suppliers

Friday Edition April 09, 2021 - Vol. 23 No. 15 Online: www.kaieteurnews.com Online Price $80 readership yesterday 97,229

...says the majority of pre-approved companies are locals

Exxon again at full

speed with replaced gas compressor Man, waitress Woman who knifed Missing youth arrested after ex-boyfriend to death found floating bar robbery gets murder charge in creek Jail time, heavy Guyana flagged for untimely follow-ups fines a must for Local Content defaulters on Auditor General …legislation must apply across findings - IDB Report extractive industries sector - Tucker Successful vaccine Sophia man arrested for Traffic cops rollout in Region 10 Pouderoyen restaurant take busload to dampened by rising cases, complacent heist, remanded for station because of another robbery mask-less driver public attitude

Guyana surpasses 50,000 COVID-19 vaccinations - but records highest number of infections in 24 hours

We will support a comprehensive, positive gas-to-shore study We are pleased that other members of the media and private individuals are adding their voices to our call for studies to be conducted to determine the feasibility of the proposed gas-to-shore project. We insist that independent and in-depth studies by trusted sources must be done to ensure that this costly investment is viable, will result in benefits for our people, and will not plunge us into further debt.

It is not good enough for government leaders to dictate that the project is acceptable because they think so. This project must move forward on the basis of sound financial, technical and environmental assessments.

It must not move forward simply because Mr. David Patterson or Mr. Bharrat Jagdeo believes that the project is viable in the absence of the necessary studies being done – not with a mega project costing billions.

We urge President Ali to commission a comprehensive feasibility study to be undertaken by widely recognised and respected experts. There can hardly be any credible objection to such an undertaking. Once an independent, credible and comprehensive study of the project is undertaken, Kaieteur News is prepared to assess the findings of that study and, once we find these satisfactory and agreeable, we are prepared to be the project’s cheerleader.

Listen how David Patterson from the Coalition Govt. and Jagdeo from the PPP/C taking us to a mass grave. Tune in to Kaieteur Radio [99.1/99.5FM] for a rebroadcast of the Glenn Lall Show @11:00hrs!

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Friday April 09, 2021

Kaieteur News

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

Publisher: GLENN LALL Tel:624-6456 Editor: SHARMAIN GRAINGER Tel: 225-8465, 225-8491. Fax: 225-8473, 226-8210

EDITORIAL

COVID currently Yesterday, Guyana reached 50,000 citizens vaccinated for the novel coronavirus, COVID-19. This is about ten percent of our total eligible population or seven to eight percent of our total resident population, a significant milestone in our country’s effort to battle the unprecedented global pandemic that has not just upended public health systems across the world but which has also had fundamentally disruptive economic and technological impacts.

Yesterday was also a benchmark day for recorded daily infections, 135, although this might be attributable not so much to a spike in new infections but the increased testing undertaken by the Ministry of Health countrywide. Still, the monthly death rate shows a worrisome trend. With March of this year being, with 30 deaths, the third deadliest month since the pandemic began last March, this month, April, with just over a week in, promises to be the cruelest COVID month of all with 19 deaths already, an average now of little over two deaths per day. At the present rate, this month could easily surpass 60 deaths, significantly beating the previous monthly record of 44 deaths set by October of last year.

That said, the reality is that Guyana currently is not doing so badly when it comes to containing COVID-19 so far. Our per capita fatality rate (deaths/100k population) might not be anywhere close to virtual miracle countries like Tanzania which recorded 509 deaths out of a population of 58 million people, resulting in a 0.04 per capita fatality rate but our 252 deaths out of roughly 780,000 people puts us – with 32.5 deaths per 100,000 – at the lower end of the global scale. Consider, for example, that the global per capita fatality list is headed by the Czech Republic with 257.2 deaths per 100,000. Still, we lead the CARICOM Caribbean for similarly sized territories, not a statistic of prominence that we should be proud of.

The challenges in fighting the pandemic are complex and many. Access to vaccines, for example, comes with its own hurdles of finding enough vaccines to get at a time when rich, powerful countries are virtually hoarding the lion’s share, when the costs of vaccines when they are available threaten to put a dent in national coffers, when conspiracy-fueled misinformation abounds about unwarranted fears of the effects and even intent of the vaccine, and when there exists legitimate fears concerning actual documented effects of some vaccines, including blood clots.

All that said however, the key impediment to the people of Guyana combatting COVID-19 are the people themselves.

As the government vaccination programme progresses, the country is seeing a correlative regression in citizen behavior, particularly when it comes to following basic COVID protocols. The use of the Guyana Defence Force in joint operations with the Guyana Police Force in what has been a soft enforcement approach for the gazetted pandemic restrictions has been met with mockery for no clear reason, this at a time when we’ve had the deadliest invading force ever to enter Guyana taking the lives of citizens of this country. Security forces seeking to break up parties have been attacked in various ways, whether by persons letting the air out vehicle tires or physically. We have a difficult challenge ahead of us, one that we can collectively overcome – we just have to decide to stop being our own worst enemy.

Satyadeo Sawh was, indeed, a good man and a great patriot DEAR EDITOR, For me, your Geoffrey Da Silva’s letter of April 7, “PPP/ C members, supporters and all Guyanese must demand justice for Sash Sawh and his family,” has hit home hard.

The recapitulation on former Minister, Satyadeo Sawh’s life, is pretty accurate, and it has gripped my inner being as I recollect those facts and anecdotes. “Sat” (the name he was known among family) was my Mamoo’s (mother’s brother) son with

whom I grew up.

I had the privilege of living with my beloved cousin and his family for approximately two years in the mid-60s. We slept, ate, played, went to school, and went to the Arya Samaj Mandir together. And we continued the close familial relationship to the last.

I was in India in April 2007 when I received a phone call from my brother in Toronto that Sat was assassinated along with siblings, Julie and

Raj, and security guard, Curtis Robertson. I became speechless and petrified as he broke the news to me.

Fortunately, I had a close friend beside me (Manpal is his name) as I shed more than a tear. Manpal was a timely source of comfort as he listened to me and prayed for me. I shall never forget that moment.

Satyadeo Sawh was, indeed, a good man and a great patriot. He was loved by many despite race, religion, or

political conviction. God knows all that transpired.

Yes, everyone would love to see the truth about everything and have some answers to this abstruseness.

While my mind, ears and eyes can apprehend only so much, I give thanks to the (only!) One who claims to be the Truth, Life and Way. Amid such sadness and agony, I carry on in hope, joy and love because God is!

Yours truly Dr. Devanand Bhagwan

ChildLinK to launch campaign to focus on caring for boys DEAR EDITOR, Despite worldwide estimations that one in six boys are affected by sexual violence before they are 18, very little evidence is available. As collaborating agencies working in childcare and protection, ChildLinK and Blossom Inc. have over the past five years, noticed an increase in reports from boys, who have been sexually abused.

This observation is also supported by the Child Care Protection Agency reports.

The increase in reported cases is a positive as underreporting has long been an issue of concern. However, the increase in reporting also expounds on the fact that there is an urgent need for evidence-based campaigns that focuses on the care of boys.

Sexual violence is a wide

reaching social issue that affects persons from all genders, sexualities, races and classes.

While data on the violence experienced by women and girls has been steadily built upon over the years, when it comes to men and boys, data is often lacking. As a result, ChildLinK is currently in the process of developing a twoyear evidence based public education campaign.

This campaign will focus on caring for boys and encouraging adults to play a greater role in protecting boys from harm and supporting their wellbeing.

On 16th April, ChildLinK will be launching its Blue Umbrella Day (BUD) in collaboration with four other countries. BUD forms part of ChildLinK wider programme activities and falls directly under the One Thousand

Boys Initiative. Highlighting the harmful social norms that drive abuse against boys, this initiative builds on the work of both government and civil society agencies for protecting children from all forms of abuse, particularly child sexual abuse.

The gender norms that surround the way boys are raised have a large role to play in the violence that continues to be meted out against them.

From young, boys are taught that they must be providers who must not only be strong, but also protectors for those who are deemed weaker than they are. They themselves are not allowed to enable or exhibit weakness.

These patriarchal customs keep young boys and men trapped within a narrow idea of what it means to be and act like a man.

These customs

unfortunately have many toxic elements that contribute towards the violence that is both experienced and perpetuated by men and boys.

These customs have led to the solidifying of the perception that sexual assault only happens to young girls and women. Evidence of this can be seen from the policies that are implemented, the support services that are provided and the cultural attitudes that continue to frame young boys as not requiring care and protection.

While there is an intent focus on policing the lives of young girls, boys are often provided free reign and very little supervision.

Both these lax and hyper vigilant responses are steeped in harmful cultural beliefs; they do however (Continued on page 6)

PPP government playing with a patient alligator DEAR EDITOR, I continue to call from the wilderness.

To PPP government and all citizens: we are going about this the wrong way, with great national peril promised. I urge wiser heads to prevail, even as I acknowledge the futility of my efforts.

PPP leaders play with fire, when they continually push the edges. This cannot hold, and will eventually bring many troubles. There is no great profoundness in such positions. Because what Guyana has currently cannot be contained democratically forever; in most gravely unsettled contexts worldwide, democracy is a non-existent check, an ignored, overrun abstraction.

Most optimistically, our circumstances are that the best that the losing half of the electorate can expect are equivalents of oil, age old age pension handouts, which is unacceptable. At worst, it

means that our racial and political demographic cultures condemn one group to the margins forever. No leadership oaths, no matter how sincere, can diminish that reality. Or the associated reflexive passions (and prejudices) that simmer, threaten to heave.

Editor, I submit that we have seen such harmful spillages before. Single words suffice: Lusignan, Bartica, Buxton, Agricola; more distantly: Wismar, Georgetown, and East Coast corridor. We have watched anxiously when small groups (Blackie, Fineman), even a single individual (Chamar) wreaked ruinous havoc; and, of course, there was that Mashramani jailbreak and the emergence of phantom forces.

All were supposedly freedom fighting and crime fighting: the crimes of the state, the crimes of others.

My point is that all those

times, participants, and events confirm something: an organised and concerted resistance will subject this society to the greatest risk that democracy restraints cannot neutralise, nor sympathetic Americans help overcome. Collaborate and assist, yes; challenge and diminish, I think not.

As I see it, there is an insulted and humiliated opposition. It is not of less than two score elected representatives, but of more than 200,000 voters and their extended relations. They are outsiders, been made to feel that way, are treated in that manner.

It could be ungrounded perception, but that is what counts, and nothing else.

From an opposition perspective, at the moment of the biggest richest prizes in Guyana’s existence, its people do not have even a lotto ticket, or entrance stub; but there is expected to be

contentment with listening to government declarations of how good it is (and going to be), while they languish in agony.

To speak of togetherness against this backdrop, this overheated cauldron, is heresy. A damned and dead messenger results.

Still, I persevere: no more words, only hand in hand actions. If it isn’t so, then we will find ourselves in the worst of places. For this fact cannot be denied: the opposition possesses the means, knowhow and kinds of assets required for challenge: it has the dogs of war, boots and commitments, the resourcefulness and resilience. Nobody can remain a patient spectator while oil riches elude, and oil developments exclude. I am not concerned about the PPP’s prospects; only the health of this society.

Sincerely, GHK Lall

Friday April 09, 2021

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Kaieteur News

Dysfunctional service by the Environmental Protection Agency DEAR EDITOR, Virtually one year ago (July 2020) upon visiting a Senior Citizen at an East Coast (Demerara) Community, I was disturbed at the view and odour of smoke emission from burnt litter. The emissions came from about 100 feet North East from where the household had to suffer the nuisance; meanwhile the culprits went absolutely unaffected by the hazardous smoke.

A complaint was made to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA); with a subsequent response alerting me that, “as a result of the lethal Coronavirus Pandemic all field work had ceased until further notice.” Now strikingly to my view, a “Pandemic” with a 99 percent survival rate that can be eluded with detergent and water and/or alcohol based hand sterilizer, prohibited the EPA from discharging its official duties to manage, conserve, protect; and take the necessary action to prevent and control pollution; as a result of a false expectation appearing real.

The EPA then appeared on (January 2021) with a “fearless verve” to investigate the aforesaid complaint; although provided with the necessary directions for their “hot pursuit” the incident was certainly not investigated, and the case closed/terminated for reason that the location was not found. This was brought to my attention only when another complaint was conveyed before the EPA on (February 2021) of a recurrence, with reference to the previous complaint.

Further I was informed that a new case was required to be opened without any assurance that an immediate investigation and/or any action taken.

The reasoning behind this was that the EPA possesses numerous backlog cases and is incapable to function accordingly, as a consequence of inadequate apparatuses and manpower. I requested therefore that this recurrence require the deserved attention; whereby a senior citizen has to endure the distress from the random smoke nuisance, without any recourse or corrective action by the EPA. The EPA field officer then assured me that a team would visit the following week to investigate the matter; however two weeks passed before I received several telephone calls to re-provide directions. I yet again provided simple clear (street by street) cardinal directions, then I was amazed that one field officer was inept to delineate the eastern direction; hitherto they found themselves at the incorrect location.

This was upon the “discovery of charred remains of litter” for which I applauded their discovery, to add to their investigation of the wider community, but the field officers found that amusing.

In recognition of the field officers ineptitude to carry out an elementary field visit investigation for a pollution case/complaint, in my view replicates the EPA deprived capacity to manage, conserve, protect and improve the environment at all.

The inadequate response and inaction to prevent and control pollution, by their failure to enforce the enacted environmental regulations was clearly evident; that the EPA failed to deliver its mandate that is to investigate and to apply the basic action to prevent and control litter burning by reckless delinquents; meanwhile the environment suffers from pollution nuisance.

The core of the matter moreover, is that the EPA field officers NEVER visited the location and/or pursued any investigation of the case/ complaints presented to them.

In fact it was recently witnessed on (Saturday 27th March 2021) another episode of burning of litter (emission of black noxious smoke) from some of the usual perpetrators within the street.

For those entities that have a conscience will realise the undiminished litter that linger as an encumbrance on parapets, in and around water channels, and arbitrarily burnt by oblivious and imprudent (residents and businesses) that stand undetected by the EPA. This dysfunctional service demonstrated by the EPA is

alarming, for they lack the adequate competency, desire and apparatuses for delivering indispensable service to manage, conserve, protect and improve the environment.

This articulates that the EPA require swift reform, to function relentlessly, to promote edification activities, to remain proactive, synchronised and counteractive toward delinquents that breach the environmental (air and litter pollution and also noise nuisance) regulations. The supreme principal of the EPA

must essentially provide the appropriate subsidy to equip the EPA with restructured skills training and knowledge, combined with the apparatuses and staff essential to favourably respond and combat (conserve, manage, prevent and control) environmental pollution complaints (air quality, litter disposal and noise nuisance). Similarly to

take the suitable course of action to resolve the backlog of cases and conquer future pollution (air, litter and noise) distress; and to ensure the use of sustainable natural resources that influence economic development, if Guyana ought to be a forthcoming investment and tourism destination.

Sincerely, Alaric Weithers

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Friday April 09, 2021

Kaieteur News

GPSU threatens legal action if Trevor Benn not removed as Credit Union Head - Labour Minister Hamilton says Ministry has no such power The Guyana Public Service Union (GPSU) has threatened to take legal action if Trevor Benn is not removed as Chairman of the Credit Union’s Interim Management Committee (IMC).

In a detailed statement, the GPSU noted that Benn has until April 11, 2021 – the date slated for the Credit Union’s Annual General Meeting (AGM) – to vacate the seat.

According to the release, the GPSU said that the Guyana Public Service Cooperative Credit Union (GPSCCU) management has been calling for Benn’s removal as IMC Chairman at the much anticipated AGM, since he is facing criminal charges for misconduct in public office in connection with the illegal leasing of State lands.

Additionally, President of

the GPSU Patrick Yarde said that Benn, the former Commissioner and Chief Executive Officer of the Guyana Lands and Surveys Commission (GL&SC) must be removed since the cooperative laws state that someone who is convicted by the court should not be on the Committee of Management of the Credit Union.

Benn is indeed facing charges for the sale of six acres of land belonging to the State but has

not been convicted.

Nevertheless, the GPSU release noted that the Union’s 1st Vice President wrote to the Chief Cooperative Development Officer (CCDO) Suresh Jaigobin on April 6, 2021 seeking Benn’s immediate removal as Chairman of the IMC. “The Union is calling for immediate action to be taken failing which it would commence legal action on this matter…,” the GPSU said in its statement.

Prior to that, the GPSU

claimed that the Credit Union was controlled by a democratically elected Management Committee but that committee was subjected to an abuse of executive authority displayed by former Minister of Labour, Keith Scott.

According to the GPSU, in 2016, the Management Committee was forced to a pay over $2M to the Labour Ministry but refused to pay over approximately $50M requested by the Ministry.

The former Labour Minister has since denied those claims, calling them baseless and unfounded.

The release claimed that on 25th May 2018, the then CCDO, Perlina Gifth reportedly terminated the “democratically elected Management Committee, took control of the Credit Union and replaced it with an IMC.” The GPSU emphasised that, “It is now almost three years that the IMC is in office and there is no report on the reason for its creation…From observations, since its creation, a series of violations of the rules of the Credit Union and the laws of Guyana occurred; for example, the incurring of expenditures beyond the IMC’s limits and the payment of dividend without the approval of an Annual General Meeting.”

Further, the Union noted that the IMC has now scheduled an Annual General Meeting forApril 11, 2021 and has issued instructions for membership participation in “gross violation of rules of the Credit Union and customs and practice.” The GPSU says that the members of the ousted Committee have since been appealing for the general membership of GPSCCU to be meaningfully involved, so as to ensure that control of the credit union is taken back.

“In the first place, there was no reason to remove the democratically elected Committee of Management of the GPSCCU Ltd. It was an abuse of executive authority, propelled by political short sightedness and greed,” the statement noted.

The GPSU said on September 11, 2020 that it wrote the Minister of Labour Joseph Hamilton bringing to his attention the existing conflicts on matters of the GPSCCU Ltd. “Even though there has been a change in government from APNU/AFC to the PPP/C, it continues to the detriment of the GPSCCU membership,” the GPSU added in the statement.

Contacted for comment last evening, Minister of Labour Joseph Hamilton explained that the Annual General Meeting (AGM) slated for April 11, coming Sunday, will make way for the membership of the GPSCCU to elect a new management committee. He said that as Minister, he has approved the move for the AGM to take place after the books of the Credit Union were audited and brought up to date.

Hamilton stated that, under his watch, the Interim Management Committee (IMC) has been able to straighten the affairs of the credit union, paving the way for its over 22,000 members to elect a board of directors.

“So as far as I am aware, there is no conflict, we will not be reinstalling an IMC, rather the new management committee will be elected for the Credit Union to run its operation… And at present, the Ministry has no power to remove Mr. Benn from his current position because he is charged but not convicted of any crime,” he said.

...ChildLinK to launch From page 4 expose the way in which the different genders are treated when it comes to their protection.

Given the stigma and discrimination that are often meted out against sexual assault survivors, males who experience sexual assault are often reluctant to come forward with their experiences of abuse due to the fear of not being believed and being ridiculed. The hypersexualisation of young boys often see’s female abusers not being recognised as such.

Their family and peers often celebrate young boys who are preyed upon by older women rather than getting them the support and justice that is necessary. If their abusers were male, there is a clearer line of it being abuse but there are added barriers to coming forward with their experiences given the fear that they will be discriminated against and labelled as a homosexual.

Cultural and traditional factors continue to largely impact the

responses towards child sexual violence.

The lack of institutional support and services available for young boys and men continues to contribute towards underreporting and stigmatisation of male sexual violence. Addressing the violence that young boys face, means also addressing the religious and traditional norms that continue to harm them and keep cases of abuse wrapped under cloaks of shame and fear.

We all as parents, caretakers, community leaders and advocates must ensure that boys have access to the care and support necessary for them to grow up in safe and caring environments. Care that centers on the humanity of young boys that breaks down the expectations to be hypersexual and aggressive will result in healthy, welladjusted men and strengthened communities.

Akola Thompson ChildLinK Inc.

Friday April 09, 2021

Kaieteur News

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Kaieteur News

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Friday April 09, 2021

UNODC recommends open contracting, e-procurement for transparent emergency procurements

T

o promote transparent and accountable public medical emergency procurement, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), is encouraging open contracting and eprocurement. The organisation sought to outline several possible corruption risks associated mainly with COVID-19 vaccine procurement and distribution, and general medical procurement in a report titled: “COVID-19 VA C C I N E S A N D CORRUPTION RISKS: P R E V E N T I N G CORRUPTION IN THE MANUFACTURE, A L L O C AT I O N A N D DISTRIBUTION OF

VACCINES”.

It affirmed that while corruption scandals in procurement are widespread, in the h e a l t h c a r e s e c t o r, t h e procurement of pharmaceuticals and medical devices are particularly prone to corruption and the corruption can most likely occur in the pre-bidding, bidding and post-bidding phases.

The UNODC in its report posited that open contracting may be effective at reducing said corruption, since it equips the public with vital information such as, what is being bought, at what price and quantity, as well as who is the selected supplier.

It added that with e-

procurement, efforts to tackle corruption can be more efficient since it allows for “public dissemination of relevant data, such as the bidding and awarding of contracts through a dedicated website, thereby ensuring the element of transparency”.

According to the UN organisation, “Public procurement frameworks can also help advance transparency and reduce the risk of purchases from illegitimate suppliers during times of crisis.”

Moreover, it was said that in a public health crisis, corruption risks in procurement are magnified by the urgency of a country’s needs, required flexibility and requested speed for the

delivery of the said product, which creates the opportunity for individual discretion that can further increase the risk of corruption.

The report disclosed that during the pre-bidding phase, corruption risks include estimates for the demand of a particular product being done inaccurately, bypassing of public tendering procedures and officials tailoring tender documents to favour a particular bidder.

The report further highlighted that during the bidding phase, there is a great risk of government officials receiving bribes or recompenses from suppliers.

Given all that is mentioned, the UNODC made sure to state that the European Union has issued a guidance document, with various options and flexibilities according to its public procurement framework, for the purchase of supplies, services, and works related to responding to the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Finally, governments can also turn to COVAX, the vaccine pillar of the Access to COVID-19 Tools (ACT) Accelerator, which is co-led

by WHO, the Coalition of Epidemic Preparedness Innovations, and Gavi.

COVAX aims to accelerate the research and development and equitable

distribution of diagnostics, drugs and vaccines against COVID-19,” the report stated. It added that using C O VA X c a n a s s i s t governments in purchasing safe and effective vaccines, for example, through its pooled procurement mechanism for participating countries.

Notably, Guyana is a part of the COVAX mechanism and so far has received 24,000 doses; however, that quota has been free of cost.

The Government of Guyana has been exploring multiple options to obtain more vaccines including bilateral and multilateral discussions and direct engagements with vaccine suppliers.

Successful vaccine rollout in Reg. 10 dampened by rising cases, complacent public attitude Though the COVID-19 vaccination roll-out in Region 10 has been deemed successful by regional health officials, there continues to be a growing concern about the rise in cases and the complacent attitude, which the residents are displaying.

Presently, the region has 52 active cases including Regional Chairman Deron Adams. Regional Health Officer Dr. Gregory Harris said that there has been a rapid increase over the last week as well as an increase in deaths.

Despite proactive measures are being taken to control the spread of the virus in Region 10 by the Regional COVID-19 Task Force, residents continue to breach the guidelines, particularly by assembling in large gatherings. There have been reports of several parties, particularly on the Wismar shore. Two weeks ago, two Guyana Defence Force ranks were attacked and beaten at a party in Block 22. Persons continue to be

charged weekly for breaching the COVID-19 protocols. On Tuesday, eight persons were charged for breaching the protocols over the Easter Weekend. These are Jermaine Peters, Shane Bizzeth, Nicoli George, Jacob Williams, Leandre Richards, Dexter Armstrong, Kester Greene and Raylon Adolph. They appeared at the Linden Magistrate Court before Magistrate Wanda Fortune and were fined to 20 hours of community service or one-month imprisonment.

O n T h u r s d a y, t h e Regional Democratic Council announced, that the Regional Chairman Adams tested positive for COVID19. As a result, the April statutory meeting was cancelled. Regional Health Officer Dr. Gregory Harris advised that measures be taken by persons who would have been in contact with the Chairman, including selfquarantining and obtaining tests, if those persons become symptomatic.

Adams himself is said to be

asymptomatic.

Dr. Harris said that the regional response for the COVID-19 vaccine has been positive. Over 1200 residents have been vaccinated thus far. The Regional Health Department in collaboration with the Linden Hospital Complex has been proactive in the vaccination roll-out programme. On Thursday, another outreach was held at the Linden Enterprise Network, to target persons on the Mackenzie shore who desired to be vaccinated. So far, over 1200 residents of Region 10 have been vaccinated. Vaccination sites in Region 10 are located at the Amelia’s Ward, One Mile, Christianburg, the Vivian Parris and Wisroc Health Centres. The Linden Hospital Complex also remains a main site to be vaccinated. The Task Force continues to meet weekly and today will be discussing additional measures that should be taken, in collaboration with the Region 10 Police Division.

Missing pensioner who went on boat trip found dead A pensioner, 66, who reportedly went missing after leaving home to go on a boat trip, was found dead yesterday floating in Dredge Creek, Pomeroon River.

Police identified him as Cecil George, of Sommerset and Berk, Pomeroon, Supernaam, Region Two. Cecil had reportedly left his home around 22:00 hrs. on Tuesday April 6, in his boat heading to a location which he did not reveal to his

relatives. Rachel recalled that he was imbibing alcohol at the time of his departure.

M r. G e o r g e n e v e r returned from that trip, and Rachel had decided to start looking for him that same night.

The following day, April 7, she filed a missing person’s report at the Charity Police Station and continued her search.

At around 05:30 hrs. yesterday, Rachel found her

dad’s body facing upwards, floating in the Dredge Creek Area. His remains were retrieved and transported to Charity, where crime experts conducted a detailed examination of the corpse.

They observed that parts of the face were eaten by fish.

Apart from that, they are no signs of foul play.

Cecil’s body was then taken to the Suddie Hospital Mortuary, where it awaits an autopsy.

Kaieteur News

Friday April 09, 2021

PAGE 09

Businesses may be ignorant of the specific changes to the VAT law

T

he Senior Minister within the Office of the President, Dr. Ashni Singh, has called on the Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA) to take action against those unscrupulous persons who are still charging valueadded tax (VAT) on zerorated items. He has also expressed concern over the increases in the prices of items for which the VAT was removed.

However, the manner in which the government zerorated the VAT on certain household necessities leaves much to be desired. In his Budget speech, Dr. Ashni Singh announced that the government was restoring VAT on basic household necessities that were previously zero-rated at the time the PPP/C demitted office in 2015. He said that these items included basic wheaten flour, basic breads, oats, unflavoured crackers, biscuits, cooking oil, locally produced bed sheets and pillowcases, toothbrushes, etc.

It is the etcetera which provides a grey area. The APNU+AFC had

Dem

boys seh...

D

e weather forecast is like some of dem politician. When dem tell yuh walk, yuh does gat fuh run. Is de same with de local weather forecast. When it tell yuh it gan be a good day, walk with yuh raincoat.

Last week de weather people seh: “The 700 to 250 hPa indicated ridging being dominant with a continual drying of these layers and a very active SAL which all contributed to inhibit deep c o n v e c t i o n . H o w e v e r, perturbations in the lower atmosphere continue to propagate across the forecast area producing some weak instabilities. Numerical models are projecting similar conditions for the next 24 – 48 hours with an increase in moisture and instabilities by this Saturday.”

Dem boys didn't understand what all of dat

misguidedly imposed VAT on a range of household necessities, and now that the PPP/C is determined to remove the VAT on these items, the public needs to know specifically the items for which VAT is now zerorated.

On its website, the GRA has a list of the zero-rated items. But how many businesses would go to that website to study Section 17 of the Value Added Tax Act and then to examine what items have now become zerorated? Some businesses may not be aware of the wide range of household necessities which are now zero-rated or were previously zero-rated.

Consumers also may be aware that white and whole wheat bread attracts zero VAT but may not know that French bread, Swiss bread and sweet breads attract VAT. They may know that baby formula, diapers, sanitary napkins and panty liners are zero-rated but do they know that cheddar cheese is also free of VAT? Locally produced garments, bed sheets and pillow cases are zero-rated for VAT. But

how many people know that shelf covers and blankets are also zero-rated? Many know that fresh fruits are zerorated but how many know that this excludes apples, grapes, dates, prunes, plums and berries?

Many retail businesses which are not importers may not know these things and may inadvertently apply the VAT. Not all businesses are therefore unscrupulous.

A special public education programme should be undertaken, targeting businesses and consumers. This should be done by the Ministry of Tourism, Industry and Commerce in conjunction with the Ministry of Finance and the Guyana Revenue Authority. This is all the more necessary considering that the PPP/C is reversing all those taxes which the APNU+AFC placed on consumers.

One of the problems which businesses face is if they do not apply the VAT, only to discover later that GRA finds that they should have. These businesses will then have to pay the very VAT which they never collected from the

Keep yuh raincoat and long boots on standby mean. So dem boys ask a friend and he she, it mean heavy rain and flood. Dem boys rush fuh buy long boots. Dem did had rain but de only flooding come from a broken koker. Not de rain.

Now dis week, dem boys reading about rain alert for de weekend. Dem boys nah know whether fuh laugh or cry or do both.

Dem seh how we gan get between 60 mm to 100 mm of rainfall. Dat is between 2.3 to four inches per rainfall. And de Vee Pee did seh in 2005 how de coast can only drain 1.5 inches per day.

So dem boys keeping dem fingers cross.

Long ago, dem had a radio announcer. People used to believe whatever he say. One day a caller called in and asked he if we gan get nuff rain on de weekend. He bluff and tell all he listeners, that it will rain heavy and dem muss buy long boots

and raincoat.

When he finish he programme, he call de hydromet office. Dem tell he it gan rain heavy. Not a drop ah rain fall.

De next week, he call back de hydromet office again. He ask dem if it gan rain on de weekend. Dem tell he yes. He go on air and tell he listeners to buy long boots and raincoat because it gan rain heavy fuh sure. Again not a drop ah rain fall dat weekend.

De third week, he call back de hydromet office. He ask dem if it gan rain on de coming weekend. Dem tell he yes. He ask dem if dem sure. Dem seh yes again. He ask dem how dem suh sure.

De hydromet people tell he, “We sure; yuh nah see how much people buying long boots and raincoat.”

Talk half and remember it better to be prepared dan sorry!

consumer.

But Dr. Singh also has his problems. The Ministry of Tourism, Industry and Commerce should advise him that some of the measures which he announced in the 2021 Budget are in violation of the World Trade Organisation's General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) and the Caribbean Single Market and Economy (CSME).

The GATT provides: “The products of the territory of any contracting party imported into the territory of any other contracting party shall not be subject, directly or indirectly, to internal taxes or any internal charges of any kind, in excess of those applied directly or indirectly like domestic products.”

The same agreement states: The products of the territory of any contracting party imported into the territory of any other contracting party shall be accorded treatment no less favourable than that

accorded to like products of national origin in respect of all laws, regulations and requirements affecting their internal sale, offering for sale, purchase, transportation, distribution of use.”

These provisions of the GATT are known as national treatment and MFN treatment. They prohibit preferences being accorded to local goods like imported items. The Revised Treaty of Chaguaramas, in turn, requires the elimination of measures intended to protect domestic production or which involve discrimination on the grounds of territorial origin.

In the 2021 Budget, the Minister announced certain measures which appear to be in violation of national treatment under GATT and the aforesaid principles of the Revised Treaty of Chaguaramas. These measures include the zerorating of construction stone imported from CARICOM, locally produced pre-stressed concrete piles, locally fabricated mild steel beams

for construction, locally manufactured roof and PVC products for construction.

These measures are likely to be successfully challenged in our courts and at the Caribbean Court of Justice as being discriminatory against like imported products.

No one will want to say that the person who piloted these measures did so with bad intentions. And similarly, it should not be assumed that businesses which are found to be charging VAT on zero-rated items are unscrupulous.

Some of them may not know of the specific changes to the country's tax laws consequential to the Budget measures. Just as how the government may not have known that it is not allowed to zero-rate the VAT only for some forms of domestic production!

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

Kaieteur News

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Friday April 09, 2021

THE FREDDIE KISSOON COLUMN

The Oxymoronic manslaughter sentence: Comical yet evil

E

very country has stupid people.

But some nations produce stupid people at a faster rate than others.

Heading the list has to be Guyana. I read a letter in the newspapers where people are complaining about a oneyear sentence for two Haitians that entered Guyana illegally.

The people who wrote that letter have to be silly souls that you must laugh at.

Why would a magistrate sentence two CARICOM nationals to one year in jail?

The answer is obvious if you have been living in Guyana for the past 30 years and you are not a foolish person.

There can be no logical reason for such a sentence.

The answer is the nature of the magistrates that work in Guyana. If you research the nature of the magistracy here, you will find far weirder sentences over a 20year period that make the one-year imposition on the two Haitians look like extreme generosity.

This is Guyana, a dystopian, irrational, psychotic land that appears to normal people in the world to be the world’s most curious aberration. No one in authority in Guyana is interested in looking at the disturbing conduct of magistrates. In countries w i t h l a rg e a n d s m a l l populations, the type of magistrates we have will never, and I emphasize never

be tolerated.

In which country you will find the following examples. Kwame McCoy, Jason Abdulla and Shawn Hinds were charged with assaulting me. At the trial, Magistrate Judy Latchman referred to a column of mine in which I produced the lyrics of one of my favourite songs, “Hotel California.”

Then Ms. Latchman recited the lyrics in open court. To this day, I cannot understand the relevance of her recitation to the trial.

Magistrate Ann McLennan, a few years back, fined a woman for trafficking in persons when the law imposes mandatory imprisonment. But guess what? The government

which has the legal authority to investigate the magistrate issued a press statement denouncing the fine. That was the end of that. If I were to go to my file and produce columns I did on the weird sentencing of Guyana’s magistrates and judges, it will take up the remaining space. I have done about a dozen articles analyzing the incredibly frightening incongruities in court sentencing. The portrait is still alive as readers can see from the case of the two Haitians.

Here is immense stupidity on display at the moment. At the time of writing, a convict, Rondell Bacchus, is being held for questioning in the murder of Roger Khan’s associate, Ricardo Fagundes. He was charged for murder in 2008 for robbing and killing a businessman. He was sentenced in May 2019 but was released in October of the same year.

There are mounting queries and anger as to how he could be released so early.

You have to be an ignorant person whose emptyheadedness disqualifies you from being part of modern society in asking that question.

He robbed and murdered a businessman in 2008. He

Frederick Kissoon plead ed guilty to murder which automatically becomes manslaughter.

In Guyana, it is very rare to get more than 10 years for any kind of heinous homicide once a guilty plea is entered into. Those who want to know how Bacchus was released need to understand the inexplicable manslaughter sentence in this land. It is one of the most horrible anomalies when compared to the judicial system in other countries.

People can torture their victims to death using extreme violence, can literally dismember their victim in the most bestial ways and at the trial plead guilty to murder and get 10 years.

What is demented about this sentencing structure is that 10 years is not 10 years

because in Guyana under the penal code, a year is nine months.

Make no mistake; Bacchus’ sentence was not irregular in the pattern of manslaughter trials. Why then such an idiotic question about his early release? Do you know in February 2019, a man killed another human and was sentenced to three years after he told the judge he became annoyed when he was taunted?

Now a week before he received his three-year sentence, Magistrate Leron Daly sentenced a School of the Nation student to three years for possession of five grams of ecstasy pills.

Daly is still on the bench dishing out daily recipes but not the recipe for McArthur’s Park which is a cake that forms the title of a great love song. For more of G u y a n a ’s p s y c h o t i c sentencing structure, see my c o l u m n o f Tu e s d a y, February 26, 2019, “These magistrates’ decisions must be condemned.” In the eyes of the judiciary, a mango thief is more dangerous than a vicious killer.

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

Friday April 09, 2021

Kaieteur News

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Kaieteur News

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Friday April 09, 2021

President Ali pledges aid as volcano eruption threatens St. Vincent In response to the looming volcano crisis affecting the Caribbean island nation of St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Guyana says it is ready to facilitate assistance and support needed.

In a brief statement issued by the Office of the President yesterday evening, President, Irfaan Ali, said that he has already made contact with Prime Minister, Ralph Gonsalves, and assured him of “Guyana’s full support in dealing with this looming crisis.”

According to Ali, Prime Minster, Gonsalves, has indicated to him that apart from the need to evacuate citizens, there are other emergency materials needed. Taking the forgoing into account, the President stated that upon receiving the full list of their needs, immediately, a national response would be put together to supply the items and arrange for them to be shipped to the island.

This publication learnt that the La Soufriere volcano, which is currently

threatening the island, has been erupting effusively since December, and can erupt explosively in hours or days. This is according to the lead scientist, who is monitoring the volcano, Professor, Richard Robertson.

Speaking at an emergency press conference last Thursday with the Prime Minister, the Professor said that there are now “banned tremors,” which are usually associated with magma moving to the surface. He said that the magma is at or

The Prime Minister of St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Ralph Gonsalves.

close to the surface and the possibility of the volcano moving to explosive has increase significantly, based on the activity being seen.

However, given the data, the

monitoring team is still unable to say when an explosive eruption might happen, the Professor said.

Royal Caribbean Cruises yesterday offered several of

President, Irfaan Ali.

its cruise ships in what is expected to be a massive evacuation exercise. The La Soufriere volcano last erupted explosively on April 13, 1979.

Youth remanded for killing Swan man A 23-year-old man who was arrested for the murder of a labourer who was found dead in his Swan, Kuru Kururu, Soesdyke/Linden Highway home, was yesterday remanded to prison.The defendant, Ewert Calistro of Swan Village, made his first court appearance in the D i a m o n d / G r o v e Magistrate’s Court before Principal Magistrate, Judy Latchman where the capital charge of murder was read to him.Calistro was not required to plead to the charge which alleged that between Sunday 4 and Monday 5 at Swan Village, he murdered 23-year-old, Roy Ross.

Magistrate Latchman remanded the young man to prison and the matter was adjourned to May 11, 2021.

It was reported that on Monday morning, at around 06:00hrs, a motionless Ross was found lying in his living room. His body, which bore multiple stab wounds was discovered by his neighbour.

This media house had reported that the father of two was last seen alive sometime around midnight on Sunday by his girlfriend, with whom he lived. The two have a child together. The woman was reportedly staying with her mother but had gone to check on Ross in the company of her brother. The two had seen Ross walking in his yard shining his torchlight around the area.

Kaieteur News was informed that prior to this, the father of two was seen consuming alcohol with a group of men at a shop located near the Swan ballfield.

The following morning after the man was found dead in his home, a few persons were taken into custody who police believed might have

Dead: Roy Ross. been involved. Calistro, who was detained, reportedly confessed to investigators that he was guilty of being involved in the killing. He admitted his involvement and implicated another individual who he claimed fatally stabbed the victim.

This publication was told that the Calistro in the company of another individual went to the dead man’s house with the intention to “commit an unlawful sexual act on one of the occupants of the house”, with the expectation that he (Ross) was not at home.

Calistro, reportedly during his confession, said that upon their arrival at the house, they were confronted by Ross and eventually a fight allegedly broke out. The fight then led to the now dead man being stabbed about four times about his body. It was reported that Ross received stab wounds to his chest, shoulder, abdomen and elbow.

Ross leaves to mourn his two sons, and other relatives.

Meanwhile, the other suspect, who is involved in the killing and is said to be a relative of Calistro, has not been captured as yet. The investigation into Ross’s death continues.

Friday April 09, 2021

Kaieteur News

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Kaieteur News

Friday April 09, 2021

Guyana chairs CARICOM meeting in order to discuss food production and food security Guyana has taken the lead in agriculture in CARICOM and as of such, a special Ministerial Task Force on food production and food security has been established to advance CARICOM’s agrifood systems agenda.

President Dr. Irfaan Ali

had put forward the food production and food security agenda during the 32nd CARICOM Heads of Government Meeting last F e b r u a r y. C A R I C O M subsequently endorsed the agenda and agreed to the establishment of the task force to implement the strategy.

Agriculture Minister Zulfikar Mustapha, who is also the chairman of the special Ministerial Task Force, hosted the inaugural meeting with Ministers of Agriculture from the ten participating CARICOM member states.

The Agricultural Minister stated that the objective of the task force is to guide the regional position towards the transformation of the agrifood system allowing for a significantly more resilient, wealth-generating and food secure Region. “ F o o d s y s t e m transformation is at the core of our aspirations and mandate. Therefore, our activities over the next years would be geared towards this g o a l . S p e c i f i c a l l y, t h e CARICOM agri-Food System Strategy seeks to a d d r e s s f r o n t a l l y, t h e complete removal of all technical barriers to trade, development of a CARICOM Cross Border agri-Food Investment Strategy to support production corridors, accelerating the pace of finalizing and adopting of the CARICOM Investment Code, completion of the reform of the CET suspension and rule of origin regimes to afford protection to regional enterprises and to support the competitiveness of regional forms; implementation of EAgriculture Strategy; development of measures to promote de-risking of the sector; improvement of transport and logistics; and investment in production, research and development,” said Minister Mustapha.

Minister Mustapha also mentioned that in order to achieve such feats, an

implementation of 36 broad policy areas has been articulated and priority sectors such as poultry, corn/soya bean, rice, beef, pork, mutton, coconut, niche vegetables, fruits, and fruit juices, ginger and turmeric have been identified for the a d v a n c e m e n t o f commercialization agenda of the regional food system.

The Ministerial Task Force comprises Agriculture Ministers and other officials from Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados, Belize, Bahamas, Dominica, Jamaica, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Suriname, and Trinidad and Tobago.

The Task Force also reviewed, amended, and accepted the Terms of Reference (TOR), which were developed by a team of technical officers from the C A R I C O M S ecr e ta r i at , which outlines the objectives, purpose, membership, and governance of the Task Force.

S h a u n B a u g h , CARICOM’S programme manager of agricultural and agro-industrial development discussed the implementation plan for the strategy. He stated that the objective of the plan was the commercialisation of the regional agri-food i n d u s t r y, w i t h a c t u a l commencement of private sector production activities in priority sectors identified, within a three-year window.

According to the Press Release, he also discussed several broad policy measures and reforms required to support the commercialisation of the region’s agri-food system. In the short term and medium term, trade barriers were identified as a major constraint that will be addressed.

The need for the development of an eagriculture strategy as well as investments in production, research and development was classified as long-term areas that need to be addressed. The Task Force (Continued on page 17)

Minister Mustapha addressing the meeting along with some of the CARICOM representatives.

Kaieteur News

Friday April 09, 2021

PAGE 15

Woman who knifed ex-boyfriend Missing youth to death gets murder charge found floating

T

he woman who allegedly knifed her ex-boyfriend to death last Thursday (April 1) was yesterday remanded to the New Amsterdam Prison until May 18, 2021.

The defendant, Eva Pearson, 27, appeared at the Sparendaam Magistrates’ Court and was charged with murder by Magistrate, Alisha George.

It is alleged that that on April 1, 2021, she stabbed her ex-boyfriend, Darren Harris, 46, to death at School Street, Cummings Park, ‘E’ Field, Sophia. Pearson was not required to plea to the indictable charge.

As she was escorted by police into a bus, her sister, who was present, broke down in tears. Onlookers, who were there at the time, advised both Pearson and her relatives to be strong.

According to reports, Pearson stabbed Harris around 21:30 hrs. during a scuffle. The woman has since admitted killing her ex-boyfriend to police, claiming that she stabbed him in self-defence.

Harris had reportedly approached the woman while she was heading home from work and the two had begun arguing on the road.

The argument intensified and they ended-up in a scuffle. Pearson stated that it

in creek

Knifed to death during an alleged confrontation with Pearson, Darren Harris.

Remanded for the alleged murder of her ex-boyfriend. was during the scuffle that Harris allegedly chopped her to her hands with a knife.

Pearson claimed that she somehow managed to take away the weapon from Harris and stabbed him with it. She then threw knife away and ran. One eyewitness reported to the cops that she overheard the argument and peeped outside just in time to see Harris falling to the ground and Pearson running away.

Pearson was reportedly chased to her home by a “bunch of people” who presumably wanted to apprehend her for the stabbing. Her father, Ivan Nedd, had recalled her

jumping over the fence and running inside her home. He reportedly secured his premises, as the angry mob pelted bottles into his yard and vandalised his canter truck. The police arrived shortly after and arrested Pearson, who was bleeding from a chop wound to her right hand. They took her to the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC), where she was treated and then taken to the East La Penitence Police Lock-ups, where she remained in custody until yesterday.

Pearson has also filed an official complaint against a policeman, who she said had

wanted to touch her breasts instead of taking a domestic violence report just five days prior to the stabbing. She alleged that on Saturday March 27, Harris had broken a bottle and threatened to stab both her and Nedd (her father) for putting him out.

She later headed down to the Turkeyen Police Station that same day to lodge a report.

Instead of taking her report, a policeman there had asked to touch her breasts to see if they were real. Pearson had reportedly become annoyed and left without making that report.

That complaint is currently being investigated by the relevant authorities.

Traffic cops take busload to station because of mask-less driver

T

w o c o p s , yesterday, took a busload of passengers to the Eve Leary Tr a ff i c H e a d q u a r t e r s because of a mask-less d r i v e r. O n e o f t h e passengers, a Kaieteur News (KN) reporter, recalled that the Route 44 bus was taken to the headquarters sometime around 14:40hrs.

The driver had stopped to pick up another passenger in front of Queen’s College on Camp Street when two traffic ranks in a patrol-car pulled up beside him. One of the ranks stepped out, approached the driver and cautioned him before ordering him to “drive to the station”.

The driver begged the officers to drop off his passengers first and then return but the cop refused and said, “Come, back-up back-up this bus and drive in deh”.

The driver did as he was told and the rank re-entered the patrol car and drove

behind the bus. At that time, the KN reporter did not notice that the driver did not have on a mask.

When the bus arrived at the Traffic Headquarters, the reporter asked one of the officers, “what is the offence committed”. The officer sucked his teeth and asked, “Who is you?”

The reporter then identified himself to the rank and he said, “Oh go in the station and the inspector gon tell yuh”.

By this time, the driver had put on his mask and the other passengers were furious because they had to walk from the headquarters back to Camp Street to join another bus.

The reporter, however, stayed behind and accompanied the driver and the other ranks into the station to find out what his offence was.

As they entered the station, one of the ranks told the inspector, a female, “Look tek he licence, he

Days after a 20-year-old pork knocker went missing, his body was yesterday morning found floating in a creek. Dead is Avinash Fernandes called ‘Avi,’ of Mabaruma Compound, North West District (NWD), Region One. The Guyana Police Force (GPF) yesterday around 07:00 hrs. reported the youth missing, and that he was last seen on April 5, 2021, around 21:00 hrs. at a camp site situated at 13 Miles Trail, Line Backdam, Arakaka, NWD. However, hours after the GPF reported Fernandes missing, his sister in a Facebook post stated that she was praying for her brother to return home safe and alive.

The post further stated that she received a phone call from her mother later in the morning, who told her the tragic news that her brother was found dead.

Contact was then made with the police, who yesterday afternoon confirmed in a subsequent report that Fernandes’ body was found floating in the Arakaka River, in the NWD. In that report, the police

didn’t have on a mask and is the second time I talking to this boy, yuh know.”

The reporter then asked the inspector, “Is because he didn’t have on a mask mek y’all pull he in?”

She replied, “Yes, and who is you?”

Once again, the reporter identified himself and the female inspector said, “Oh y’all ain’t know we pulling over people for mask now?”

According to the Covid-

19 measures and guidelines, wearing a facemask in public is mandatory; citizens failing to wear a facemask can be fined or even placed in the lock-ups.

Health Minister Dr. Frank Anthony, during an interview with the Department of Public Information (DPI) in August 2020, had stressed that imprisonments and fines can be avoided if persons adhere to wearing a facemask.

stated that Fernandes’ body was found between 07:00 hrs. and 11:45 hrs., yesterday by a party of policemen, along with Keith Alphonso, the man Fernandes had worked for.

The report further stated that Fernandes’ remains were in a state of decomposition when it was discovered. The body was then taken to the Port Kaituma Public Hospital, for observation and no marks of violence were seen on Fernandes’ body.

Man, waitress arrested after bar robbery

A

The bus parked inside the compound at the Eve Leary Traffic Headquarters.

Dead, Avinash Fernandes called ‘Avi.’

man and a waitress are now in custody after they are suspected to be part of a bar robbery. According to a police report, the robbery occurred last We d n e s d a y a r o u n d 20:25hrs, at Sita’s Bar, Block ‘CC’ Mon Repos, East Coast Demerara.

The report further stated that an eyewitness and other persons were in the bar when he observed the waitress talking to a man.

The eyewitness told the police that about five minutes later, he noticed the man going b ack to th e w aitr es s , collecting her cell phone and continued talking to her.

According to what the witness told the police, a man with a black hoodie, fully masked and armed with a firearm, ran into the bar. It is reported that two others also clad in hoodies and fully masked, entered the bar shortly after, armed with cutlasses.

It is alleged that the

bandit with the firearm pointed the gun to one of the patron’s head and relieved him of $260,000, one Microsoft Lumina cell phone valued $127,000 and one LG Aristo cell phone valued $47,000. Meanwhile, the other two bandits who were armed with cutlasses relieved other persons of their valuables before all three escaped in an unknown direction.

According to the police, during the ordeal, no shots were fired and no one was injured.

The matter was reported; subsequently, the waitress and the man who was talking to her were both contacted by the police and placed in c u s t o d y a t t h e Beterverwagting Police Station, East Coast Demerara. A search was conducted on both suspects’ homes but nothing of evidential value was found.

The investigation into the alleged robbery under arms is ongoing.

PAGE 16

Kaieteur News

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Friday April 09, 2021

Friday April 09, 2021

PAGE 17

Kaieteur News

Guyana surpasses 50,000 COVID-19 vaccinations - but records highest number of infections in 24 hours Former Minister of Health and current Advisor to the Ministry of Health, Dr. Leslie Ramsammy, yesterday announced that Guyana has surpassed 50,000 vaccinations in the Government’s on-going COVID-19 immunisation campaign.

In a Facebook post, Dr. Ramsammy noted that “It is still a far way to go, but it is an important milestone. Thirty-one countries around the world have not yet administered a single dose.” He added that Barbados is the only Caribbean country ahead of Guyana in its immunisation campaign with over 60,000 persons vaccinated to date. He predicted that by this time next week, Guyana will rank number one in the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) for COVID-19 vaccinations.

“This means that 10 out of every 100 adult Guyanese will have received a first dose. This puts Guyana ahead of most countries around the world. We want to ensure that we vaccinate another 100,000 by the end of April. Help us,” he also expressed.

While the effective roll-out of the COVID-19 vaccination campaign may be good news for many Guyanese, the number of new cases reported by the Ministry of Health (MOH) yesterday, via its daily dashboard update, remains concerning.

Yesterday’s dashboard revealed 135 new COVID-19 infections, which seemingly breaks the record of COVID-19 cases recorded in just 24 hours. The new infections were recorded from a total of 2,344 tests, pushing Guyana’s COVID-19 case toll to 10,853. The dashboard also shows that 13 patients are in the COVID-19 Intensive Care Unit, another 10 in institutional quarantine, 69 in institutional isolation and 1,015 in home isolation. Some 9,517 persons have recovered to date, with a mere 44 new recoveries recorded yesterday.

The MOH also announced two more COVID-19 fatalities yesterday, two males; a 73-yearold from Region Seven (CuyuniMazaruni) and a 59-year-old from Region Six (East BerbiceCorentyne), both succumbed while receiving care at medical facilities. Guyana now has 252 COVID-19 deaths.

This publication would have reported a recent surge in COVID-19 infections and deaths, which led to an average of two deaths and 75 new cases per day.

Just eight days into the new month, 19 deaths have already been recorded, as well as, 604 new infections.

Region Four (DemeraraMahaica) continues to lead in the number of infections, with 5,165 confirmed cases. As the pandemic continues to affect Guyanese, and the government

...ExxonMobil at full speed with From page 2 ExxonMobil had already been doing higher production capacity tests and that it had been producing as high as 130,000 barrels per day in January.

ExxonMobil officials said that the Liza Destiny is able to produce as many as 158,000 barrels of oil per day.

The company had last December reported that it had successfully commissioned the gas injection system, which was fixed months after malfunctioning.

That state of affairs had resulted in over one billion cubic feet of gas being flared along with the release of toxic chemicals.

Exxon was only meant to briefly flare gas at project start-up in late December 2019 to test and fully commission the gas compression and injection systems at the site.

However, the company

would end up flaring gas way longer than expected, for more than a year in fact.

According to an Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) brief, ExxonMobil had said that the third stage-flash gas compressor and suction silencer had been sent for repairs in Germany and were returned to the Liza Destiny FPSO in late October, 2020.

The EPA had said that same was being reinstalled and was expected to restart functioning in mid-November.

Exxon, according to the November update, had expected the equipment to take one to two weeks of testing to confirm that the repairs and modifications worked.

Notably, at the end of October, the company had flared more than 16 million cubic feet of natural gas, thereby making Guyana one of the top five countries in the world for volume flared per year, per capita.

...Guyana chairs CARICOM From page 14 will also be working to engage the regional private sector, foreign investors, international and regional institutional partners, and the diplomatic community with a view towards formulating effective partnerships to take the work forward.

At the meeting’s conclu-

sion, Minister Mustapha tasked the Heads of Government to discuss the TOR and implementation plan with their fellow Cabinet members ahead of the next Ministerial Task Force meeting, which is scheduled to take place once monthly ahead of the next CARICOM Heads of Government Conference.

endeavours to achieve herd immunity by year-end, persons are being encouraged to capitalise on the opportunity to receive their jab of the available COVID-19 vaccines, once eligible. As the vaccination program continues, more groups of persons are being opened to eligibility, with the most recent being persons 40 years and older.

Additionally, Guyana has seen aggressive enforcement of the gazetted COVID-19 measures by the National COVID-19 Task Force with assistance from the Joint Services, in light of the high infection and death rate. The enforcement exercises are being conducted in a bid to ensure maximum compliance and curb the further spread of the virus.

A health worker receiving her vaccine

PAGE 18

Friday April 09, 2021

Kaieteur News

Jail time, heavy fines a must for Local Content defaulters …legislation must apply across extractive industries sector - Tucker The Georgetown Chambers of Commerce and Industry’s (GCCI) recently minted President, Timothy Tucker, is calling on the ruling administration to put in place not just a Local Content Policy but firm legislation, to punish defaulting companies—legislation to be applied across the extractive industries.

This could be done in a phased approach, since priority should be given to the emerging Oil and Gas sector.

Tucker gave his views as the new GCCI President on Wednesday, during a

GlobeSpan 24X7 discussion, on ‘Local Content and Guyana’s Business Development’—moderated

by Richard Rambarran.

The newly elected GCCI president—elected on Saturday last—in the discussion with the moderator said there must have consequences for when players are not adhering to local content guidelines and used as example, “companies that are trying to hoodwink the nation by having rent a citizen” type scenario.

He noted too that there is

a need to have tough legislation in place for instances where companies outright refuse to adhere to a local policy, and said there must have repercussions in place for such scenarios.

Legislation, he reiterated can enshrine penalties, “jail time, heavy fines and things like that.”

According to Tucker, it cannot be a situation like in neighbouring Trinidad and Tobago (T&T), which only set about putting in local content provisions for its citizens in 2004.

That country, he

reminded, though more developed than many of its Caribbean counterparts, would have been producing oil for over a century, and as such would have waited for some time before looking to ensure its citizens secured maximum benefits from its industry.

The GCCI President was adamant, “local content is vital to the development of the country,” and posited, a country cannot be developed “without utilising the local businesses, the local skilled personnel, the local people, it is impossible.”

He suggested that without local content protections in place, it would simply be a case where as a country, “you would just be renting a piece of land” to remain in an underdeveloped state, when the oil and other extractive industries’ interests, pack up and leave.

He noted that the infrastructure put in place cannot simply be temporary and portable and as such, local content laws would ensure that whatever resources are available for the country to garner, be used to develop the country holistically.

According to Tucker, this includes, since local content does not relate to a single field but rather must impact on Guyanese’s lives, from the grocery store to the electricity being generated in-country.

“It is not just one thing, it is a series of events, not just developing your people but building a nation, building a country.”

The newly elected GCCI President reiterated that local content “is the backbone of developing this nation.”

Emphasising the private sector body’s call for legislation in place, Tucker said it cannot be a situation in Guyana where, like many other countries, the people suffer after the resource interests who are primarily extracting, then pack up and leave.

It cannot be a “straw in a glass story” where everything is being sucked out of the country and nothing being put back in, he opined.

Looking to underscore the need to ensure that citizens can secure optimum benefits from its oil and gas resources, the GCCI President reminded that Guyana has been reclassified as an upper middle income country.

This status, he reminded, means that a lot of the donor funding that the country had relied on in the past would not be available anymore.

As such, he noted that local content will have to take into account government’s spending of the oil revenues and that “Guyanese must benefit from all of the spending.”

Kaieteur News this past month reported that in Ghana, citizens are afforded a number of opportunities to reap the maximum benefits from their oil resources, thanks to a suite of robust guidelines, policies, and regulations that protect their

interest.

The legislative framework ensures, for example, that any foreigner who desires to set up shop and bid for contracts can only do so if they partner with locals.

Moreover, for those who even contemplate effecting schemes to cheat the system, Ghana had clear-cut fines and jail time stipulated for such actions.

The Local Content Regulations of that African nation state, for example, “A citizen who acts as a front or connives with a foreign citizen or company to deceive the Commission as representing an indigenous Ghanaian company to achieve the local content requirement under these Regulations, commits an offence and is liable on summary conviction to a fine of not less than one hundred thousand penalty units and not more than two hundred and fifty thousand penalty units or to a term of imprisonment of not less than one year and not more than two years or to both.”

It also notes, “A person who connives with a citizen or an indigenous Ghanaian company to deceive the Commission as representing an indigenous Ghanaian company to achieve the local content requirement under these Regulations, commits an offence and is liable on summary conviction to a fine of not less than one hundred thousand penalty units and not more than two hundred and fifty thousand penalty units or to a term of imprisonment of not less than one year and not more than two years or to both.”

It is instructive to note as well, that anyone who knowingly submits false documents and makes false statements to Ghana’s Commission along with fronting for a foreign individual or a company to give the impression that local content is being achieved, would also have to face the proverbial music.

Ghana’s regulations in this regard specifically states that, “A person who submits a plan, returns, report or other document and knowingly makes a false statement, commits an offence and is liable on summary conviction to a fine of not less than one h u n d r e d thousand penalty units and not more than two hundred and fifty thousand penalty units or to a term of imprisonment of not less than two years and not more than five years or to both.”

Friday April 09, 2021

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Friday April 09, 2021

Friday April 09, 2021

Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli face off in superstar-laden IPL 2021 opener ESPNcricinfo - Big picture - It’s only been five months since the Mumbai Indians won their fifth title in Dubai, and the IPL is back already. It’s back, and it’s back home, but the eerie, notof-this-world feeling that accompanied the 2020 edition of the tournament will persist, simply because the world hasn’t changed all that much in the interim.

You might even ask if India, which has recorded over 100,000 new Covid-19 cases each day since April 4, should be hosting the IPL at all right now. Time, and the rigorous protocols that cricket has honed over these

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months of the pandemic, will answer that question. For now, turn your attention to Chennai’s MA Chidambaram Stadium, the first stop in a tournament that will be played entirely on neutral grounds.

If the pitch plays true to its recent nature, it will present Mumbai and Royal Challengers Bangalore a rigorous test of their adaptability. To different extents, both teams are built for their high-scoring home grounds. Chennai is different.

Chennai is all about spin.

Of the 11 Indian grounds that have hosted IPL matches since the start of 2018, spinners have both the best

average (19.52) and economy rate (6.16) at the MA Chidambaram Stadium.

Unless the pitch has drastically changed in character since India’s Test series against England, expect to see both teams pick a third spinner, and expect a somewhat attritional contest to kick the tournament off.

But it’s still only match day 1, so no prediction conditions, selections, form, match-ups - can be made with any confidence. Sit back instead, switch on your televisions, and forget - for a few hours - the world outside your windows.

In the news - If Quinton

Friday April 09, 2021 ARIES (Mar. 21–Apr. 19) Try not to lose sight of your own projects or desires, Aries. There's a great deal of power and manipulative energy in the air today that could throw you off course if you aren't careful.

LIBRA (Sept. 23–Oct. 22) Feel free to speak more loudly today, Libra. You'll find that things fall into place more easily if you speak your thoughts outwardly and directly in the presence of others.

TAURUS(Apr.20–May20) Recharge today by getting outside and stretching your arms to the sky, Taurus. Be proud and courageous. You have the power to turn an unhealthy situation into a positive one.

SCORPIO (Oct. 23–Nov. 21) You should bask in a glorious splendor today, Scorpio. There's a great deal of power at your disposal.

You'll find your ego is healthy, charged, and ready for the battlefield.

GEMINI (May 21–June 20) Difficult predicaments could arise today if you try to exert your will over others without having the most honorable intentions.

SAGIT(Nov.22–Dec.21) Add more sunshine to your day, Sagittarius. It may be time to stir up your inner passion and let it speak with greater confidence than you have been lately.

CANCER (June 21–July 22) The fire within you is raging today, Cancer, and you should be careful how you wield this power. Be proud and triumphant. Walk with your shoulders back and head high.

LEO (July 23–Aug. 22) There may be a great deal of fuss over something that seems quite insignificant to you. Try to see the beauty and importance of everything around you. At the same time, make sure you give yourself enough credit for being the person you are.

VIRGO (Aug. 23–Sept. 22) Things are coming to a critical point for you today, and you may find that other people openly object to your actions.

CAPRI (Dec. 22–Jan. 19) You'll find that your spark can easily turn potential energy into kinetic energy, Capricorn. Don't underestimate the power of your words. Realize the profound impact they have on others and take responsibility for their consequences.

AQUARIUS(Jan.20–Feb.18) Don't dwell on your fluctuating moods today, Aquarius. Look at the larger trends and how positive elements are coming together in your favor.

PISCES (Feb. 19–Mar. 20) This is your day to shine in all your glory. There's no need to hold anything back.

You'll find that you have a great deal of love to share.

de Kock and Adam Milne serve the seven-day quarantine in their hotel rooms, they won’t be available for the game on Friday (today). However, ESPNcricinfo understands that de Kock flew into India on a charter flight from South Africa, and with entry and exit points that are separate from the regular airport; he may not have to serve the quarantine and is likely to be available for the first match.

Devdutt Padikkal has rejoined the Royal Challengers squad after recovering from Covid-19.

The opener trained with his team-mates on Wednesday and should be fit to play. They will also be without Finn Allen and Adam Zampa, who are yet to complete their quarantine upon arriving in India.

Likely XIs - Mumbai Indians: 1 Rohit Sharma (capt), 2 Ishan Kishan (wk), 3 Suryakumar Yadav, 4 Hardik Pandya, 5 Kieron Pollard, 6 James Neesham, 7 Krunal Pandya, 8 Nathan CoulterNile/Jayant Yadav, 9 Rahul Chahar, 10 Trent Boult, 11 Jasprit Bumrah.

Royal Challengers Bangalore: 1 Virat Kohli (capt), 2 Devdutt Padikkal, 3 AB de Villiers, 4 Glenn Maxwell, 5 Mohammed Azharuddeen (wk), 6 Daniel Christian, 7 Washington Sundar, 8 Kyle Jamieson, 9 Navdeep Saini, 10 Mohammed Siraj, 11 Yuzvendra Chahal.

...Former sportsman, From page 20 that, “Today and in the years to come, thousands of children will benefit from his unselfish generosity. But, he gave not only material things but that which was more important– his time and knowledge– starting a Kids Camp at the Academy last year”.

He leaves to mourn his wife Paula Ann Ming, three children, Giselle Ann MingRamlogan, Saralise Ann Mariska Ming and Samuel Ian Colin Ming apart from many family, relatives and friends.

Outdoor training likely to resume when situation improves Senior National and Emerging cricketers are likely to resume outdoor training when the current situation regarding the pandemic improves. A reliable source informed that the Guyana Cricket Board (GCB) is currently seeking advice from medical officials and is monitoring the situation which will assist in determining when outdoor

training resumes. Kaieteur Sport understands that players who were training are currently under self isolation and even though outdoor training has been suspended, players will resort to other forms of training.

The GCB had taken a decision to halt training after a local cricketer apparently tested positive for Covid19.

...Bolisetty, Rai spearhead NY Tri State From page 23 carried the score to 50 in 14 overs before Compton King removed them both in space of six runs to leave the Americans on 56-3. The 13-year-old Bolisetty, who made an unbeaten 52 against a combined GCA unit at Everest, was joined by Virk (5) who fell to Mohammed Farhan at 69-4.

Utkarsh Srivastava (10) and Bolisetty took the score to 93 with both batsmen playing positive cricket before Farhan struck again when he trapped Srivastava LBW after he had struck a couple of fours.

When Aryan Singh (1) departed at 106-6 with 4.5 overs remaining, Bolisetty cut loose and along with Mudaliar, aided by plenty of wides, added 32 in their unfinished stand with Bolisetty clobbering six fours from 45 balls.

King had 2-16 while Farhan took

2-41 for MYO. When MYO began their chase Sajjad Nazeem had his stumps knocked out by Bolisetty before MYO had scored and Farhan (7) was LBW to Bolisetty only Sattour (14) offered token resistance before he was LBW to Rai and MYO never recovered.

They lost wickets in bunches as Rai, the leading wicket-taker for the tourists, ripped through the batting line-up like a sharp knife cutting butter. From 25-1 MYO lost their last nine wickets for 21 runs as Rai, with his long locks swaying in breeze, went to work. The GCA has cancelled all remaining local club games from tomorrow due to raising Covid-19 cases and deaths. The visitors will wrap the tour today at MYO against a GCA Executive U15 X1 before departing for the US on Monday.

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Friday April 09, 2021

Letter to the Sports Editor

‘Lady Jags’ writes First Lady, Arya Ali Dear Mrs. Arya Ali, As members of the Guyana Women’s National Football Team, first let us congratulate and commend you on the awesome work done since taking office. You have been an inspiration to young women in Guyana and in the Diaspora and we admire your drive to provide balance and equal opportunity for young girls

and women.

We are writing to express our frustrations around the unfair and inequitable distribution of resources and support provided to the female participants in comparison to our male counterparts. We feel the impact of years of systemic bias.

We have been relegated to second-class citizens

because of our gender even though our records and accomplishments are amongst the best across the Caribbean region. A few of these highlights include: 1) Guyana’s record setting quarter-final placement at U20 Concacaf in 2020 2) The highest ranking in the world, male or female, in the FIFA world ranking of #75 in 2018 3) Guyana’s first outing at a

Concacaf Olympic Qualifier in 2016 4) Guyana’s first outing at a major Concacaf Tournament, male or female, in 2010 when the Lady Jags qualified and competed at the Women’s Gold Cup. Despite these accomplishments, our Women’s Senior National Team has sat dormant for three years while the men’s team continues to play

multiple games each year.

Unlike the men’s program, our coaches and staff are volunteers and our players receive no funding to offset the costs of national team participation. Families and players must make financial contributions so that we can have an opportunity to play.

I m a g i n e h o w disheartening it is to hear the men get paid for matches in addition to not having to buy their own practice kits or pay for their own practice fields.

The financial support to the men’s program at the exclusion of the women’s program is wrong and must stop.

Every member of our team has sacrificed to help drive the goal of elevating the role of women in the sport of football across Guyana. We are happy to serve as role models, but the burden should not be ours alone to bear.

Many of the women who have signed this letter have been with the program since 2009. We are united in our call for equal and fair treatment. We want to thank you for taking the time to hear our concerns and would like to request a meeting with you.

In fact, this issue was first raised by Sports

Journalist Rawle Toney, who has been covering our progression around the world from the inception. He has been the singular voice in trying to bring some resolution and it was through his suggestion for us to bring this situation to your attention that we write.

He has spoken highly of you and your husband, Head-of-State Dr. Irfaan Ali’s impressive resume since taking office in helping to foster a better Guyana and more importantly, your Government’s push for sports Development for all Guyanese.

We look to developing equality within football which will foster and nurture the next generation of female leaders across Guyana and the Caribbean.

Ps. Please feel free to engage Mr. Toney for any clarification on our profound success and his candid and unbiased opinion of the treatment of women’s football will certainly help.

We believe that this issue is bigger than the Guyana Football Federation and we’re in urgent need of your intervention.

Best Wishes, Guyana Senior Women’s National Soccer Team

Former sportsman, administrator and enthusiast Samuel Ian Colin Ming, cremated Former sportsman, administrator and enthusiast Samuel Ian Colin Ming was cremated following a final viewing between 10:00 and 13:00hrs at the Chapel of Merriman Funeral Home, Lime and Bent Streets, Werk-En-Rust, Georgetown, yesterday.

T h e f o r m e r businessman, familiarly known as Ming, died on Friday last following a road accident with an ambulance, the day before. He was a former Golf champion and a lover of sports in general apart from serving as Vice President of the Athletics Association of Guyana (AAG).

He was also a former Secretary of the Guyana Squash Association (GSA) with many years of service.

The GSA had shared with the media, following his passing

that he was also President of the Caribbean Area Squash Association (CASA).

The GSA highlighted that Colin Ming was one of the key persons responsible for the re-drafting of the associations constitution as well as the rules for the Junior Caribbean Squash Championships, which Guyana has dominated for many years. In addition, Ming was also an excellent Squash Coach.

According to the NexGen Golf Academy (NGA), one of Colin’s overriding passions was the promotion of sports among youths, especially those in need and it was in that spirit he donated hundreds of Golf clubs to the NGA for the school programme.

In a correspondence to the media, NGA had noted (Continued on page 19)

Kaieteur News

Friday April 09, 2021

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2021 Concacaf Gold Cup Prelims to take place in Inter Miami CF Stadium from July 2-6 - Guyana to face Guatemala Miami, FL – Concacaf has announced that Inter Miami CF Stadium in South Florida, the home of MLS club Inter Miami, will host the 2021 Concacaf Gold Cup Preliminary Round (Prelims). This will serve as the official start to the Gold Cup and is a key part of what is sure to be a vibrant summer of football in the region, which will include the Concacaf Nations League Finals in June and the Concacaf Gold Cup in July and August.

For 2021, Concacaf’s flagship competition will for the first time include the Prelims prior to the 16 team Group Stage. The 12 nations participating in the Prelims qualified through their Concacaf Nations League performances and will compete for the final three spots in the Gold Cup Group Stage.

“We look forward with great anticipation to this summer’s Gold Cup, which will undoubtedly be enhanced by this new Preliminary Round,” said Concacaf President and FIFA Vice President Victor Montagliani. “The past year has been very challenging in our region and our thoughts are with all the communities that have suffered. We hope the opportunity to watch the best men’s national teams in Concacaf compete in our flagship tournament can provide fans with some hope and enjoyment.”

“All 12 of the competing nations in the Prelims will get a full Gold Cup experience at the excellent Inter Miami facilities and we look forward to a great set of games,” added Montagliani.

“We look forward to hosting the Gold Cup Prelims tournament in our stadium,” said Inter Miami CF Managing Owner Jorge Mas. “Our facilities in Fort Lauderdale were built with the intent of giving our fans opportunities to enjoy the world’s game knowing that

our vibrant culture and sports-centric region would be attractive for global teams and competitions. This is just the beginning of the great things that lie ahead.”

Twelve (12) nations will play from July 2-6, 2021, at Inter Miami CF Stadium, a brand-new football-specific stadium inaugurated just last year. The centralized venue, which includes an 18,000capacity stadium sitting adjacent to a 50,000-squarefoot training center with seven fields spanning across 34-acres, will allow for teams to play matches and train in one location.

For Round One of the Prelims, the teams were drawn into six matchups and will play as follows: Round One – July 2 and 3 Matchup #1: Haiti vs S t . Vi n c e n t a n d t h e Grenadines M a t c h u p # 2 : Guatemala vs Guyana Matchup #3: Tr i n i d a d and Tobago vs Monserrat Matchup #4: Cuba vs French Guiana M a t c h u p # 5 : Guadeloupe vs Bahamas Matchup #6: Bermuda vs Barbados The six Round One winners will qualify for the second round and will play as follows: Round Two – July 6 Matchup #7: W i n n e r Matchup #1 vs Winner Matchup #6 Matchup #8: Winner Matchup #2 vs Winner Matchup #5 Matchup #9: Winner Matchup #3 vs Winner Matchup #4 The winning nation in each of the three Round Two matchups will advance to the Group Stage of the 2021 Concacaf Gold Cup, where they were drawn into Group A, B and C as follows: Group A: Mexico, El Salvador, Curacao, and Winner Prelims 9 Group B: U S A , Canada, Martinique, and

Winner Prelims 7 Group C: C o s t a Rica, Jamaica, Suriname, and Winner Prelims 8 Group D: Honduras, Panama, Grenada, and Qatar.

Additional details regarding the Prelims, including ticket sales information, will be announced in the coming weeks. Concacaf will in due course provide information

regarding the local and federal protocols related to the Covid-19 pandemic which will need to be observed by attending fans.

This will include a requirement to adhere to state health guidelines and any Concacaf or venue protocols and regulations.

The 2021 Concacaf Gold Cup group stage will kick off on July 10 and run through

August 1, 2021 and will feature 16 national teams, of which Canada, Costa Rica, Curaçao, El Salvador, Grenada, Honduras, Jamaica, Martinique, eighttime and defending champion Mexico, Panama, Suriname, six-time champion United States, are already qualified to the group stage of the tournament. Additionally,

Qatar has been invited to the tournament as the current champion and representative of the Asian Football Confederation. The remaining three countries will qualify through the Gold Cup Prelims, in which 12 Member Associations will compete for the final three spots, to be played July 2-6at Inter Miami CF Stadium in South Florida.

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Friday April 09, 2021

Basil Butcher Memorial 2-Day Match

Bolisetty, Srivastava gives NY Tri State advantage

Srivastava took six wickets and made 23 for the NY Tri State Team

By Sean Devers The touring New York Tri State U-15 team will conclude their two-week trip to Guyana today, the final day of their two-day Basil Butcher Memorial game against a Georgetown Cricket Association (GCA) Executives X1 at the MYO ground.

At stumps on the opening day yesterday, in their first

Red ball match of the tour, the visitors were 78-3 after bowling out the GCA side for 102. Rayad Latif top scored with 27 (5x4) but no other player passed 12 as Utkarsh Srivastava captured 6-23 while Anirudh Bolisetty took 4-34.

When play started 90 minutes late due to overnight and early morning rain, the GCA side batted in overcast conditions and quickly lost Deo Dindyal for a duck when he was caught behind off Bolisetty with a single on the board before Bolisetty trapped Johnathan van Lang for 10 at 15-2 after he reached the boundary twice.

Kishan Silas (10) became Srivastava’s first victim at 42-3 before he bowled Latif at 63-4 but even though three other batsmen reached double figures, none went on to contribute a significant

score as Srivastava combined with Bolisetty to orchestrate the City Side’s demise as the last seven wickets tumbled for 24 runs.

When the Americans began their reply they lost Nikhil Mudaliar (6), Srivastava (23) and Bolisetty who hammered three fours and two sixes in 28 while Tanish Dongre was unbeaten on 13. Today is the final day before the visitors depart for the USA on Sunday.

Before the start of the game President of the GCA former Guyana player Neil Barry told the youngsters that there was nothing that could be done about the adverse weather or covid-19 and wished a good game.

Barry give the lads a brief history of the late Basil Butcher, a former Guyana and West Indies batsman from Port Mourant, Berbice

who averaged 43.11 from 44 Tests with seven centuries including a double against England. Three of his hundreds were scored against Australia while he made two each against India and England.

Barry added that Butcher, who was born on September 3, 1933 and died in Florida USA on December 16, 2019at the age of 86, became a Coach and Administrator when moved to Linden where he played Case Cup first division cricket for Mackenzie Sports Club.

Butcher scored 39 centuries from 169 FirstClass games in his average was 49.90. An occasional leg spinner, Butcher took five Test wickets with all of them coming when he captured 534 against England at Portof-Spain in 1967-68.

White House says U.S. not discussing boycott of Beijing Olympics Reuters - The U.S. is not discussing a boycott of the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing due to alleged human rights abuses, White House press secretary Jen Psaki said on Wednesday.

“Our position on the 2022 Olympics has not changed.

We have not discussed and are not discussing any joint boycott with allies and partners,” Psaki said Wednesday.

A State Department spokesman indicated on

Tuesday in an exchange with reporters that the U.S. was discussing whether to skip the Olympics in Beijing as part of a boycott with allies.

Some Republicans have

called on the Biden administration to boycott the Winter Olympics in B e i j i n g o v e r C h i n a ’s treatment of Uighurs and its crackdown on rights in Hong Kong.

Kaieteur News

Friday April 09, 2021

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Bolisetty, Rai spearhead NY Tri State U-15 to victory

By Sean Devers At the small MYO ground on Woolford Avenue, New York Tri State U-15s registered an emphatic 95run victory against MYO on Wednesday to claim their third win from six matches on their rain hit Guyana tour.

Fast bowling all-rounder Anirudh Bolisetty (40) and Nikhil Mudaliar (13) added 32 for the seventh wicket in an unbroken stand while extras, which included an astonishing 31 wides, top-

scored with 45 as the touring New York Tri State U-15 reached 141-6 in a match reduced to 32 overs due to early morning rain.

Man-of-the-match Ansh Rai then captured 7-22 with his left-arm spin to befuddle the MYO U-15 side, skittled out for a paltry 46 in just 13 overs as only Saheed Sattour with 14, reached double figures for the home team.

Bolisetty supported with 2-10 while fellow pacer Ali Virk claimed the other

wicket as the home crashed to defeat. Asked to bat in sunny conditions, the visitors, with Guyanese Romeo Deonarain playing as a guest player, replacing S k i p p e r N a y a n Elammurugah who returned home to attend the USA U19 trails, got a useful foundation from their openers.

Tanish Dongre (7) faced 28 balls and played the supporting role in his 31-run stand with Mukund Rao who

Left-arm spinner Ansh Rai destroyed MYO with 7-22.

Anirudh Bolisetty on drives during his unbeaten 40 against MYO. Sean Devers photo

reached the boundary twice in his 14 as they benefited from very wayward

bowling. The partnership was eventually broken when Romeo Hodge got rid of

Dongre in the 10th over.

Rao and Deonarain (6) (Continued on page 21)