Kaieteur News

‘Prosperity’ arrives in Guyana ‘Prosperit

...Exxon’sthirdFPSO ...Exxon’

Amid widespread concerns over the lopsided ExxonMobil contractwithGuyana,thecompany on Tuesday announced the arrival of its third Floating Production Storage and Offloading vessel (FPSO)-‘Prosperity’.

‘Prosperity’will operate in the PayarafieldintheStabroekBlock, offshore Guyana. It will produce around 220,000 barrels of oil per dayduringitsinitialphaseandwas constructed to store a total of two million barrels of oil Esso Exploration and Production

Guyana Limited- ExxonMobil Guyana-inabriefmediastatement said Payara is expected to startup laterthisyear

The vessel was constructed by Dutchshipbuilder,SBMOffshore. Onitsarrival,ExxonMobilGuyana Production Manager Mike Ryan said, “The arrival of the ‘Prosperity’FPSOisatestamentto the strong partnership between ExxonMobil Guyana, the government of Guyana, our coventurers and the many suppliers thatsupportouroperations.Weare

excited to contribute to Guyana’s energy future and create lasting opportunities for the nation’s growthandprosperity.”

Presently, two FPSOs are operating in the Stabroek Block, includingtheLizaDestinyandLiza Unity.InDecember2019,theLiza Destinyproducedfirstoil.Thiswas followedbythestartupofLizaTwo inFebruary2022bytheLizaUnity Currently, more than 380,000 barrels per day is being produced.

Exxon said production from the Prosperity vessel is expected to

push daily production to some 600,000barrelsadayin2024.

“Installation campaigns are ongoing and development drilling isunderwaytosupportProsperity’s start-up later this year,” the companystated.

It must be noted that even as Guyana prepares for greater productionactivitiesintheStabroek Block, the country is yet to secure full liability coverage to cover expensesassociatedwithanoilspill

Presently, the developer has assured that US$600 million is in

place per event, while the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is said to be in discussion withtheparentcompanyofEEPGL toprovideaUS$2billionguarantee tocovercostsabovetheinsurance.

Experts have however warned that this figure would not be sufficienttocleanupamassivespill in the Stabroek Block, as past experiencesamountedtobillionsof US-dollars. Moreover, these costs continue to climb as citizens who lost their livelihoods continue to mountlegalchallenges.

The ‘Prosperity’FPSO

Dispute settlement over oil expenses can take up to one year

...Guyanatofootlegalfeesforbothparties-Contractsays

The findings and recommendations of an audit may not be enough to ensureGuyanaisnotcheated by the Stabroek Block partners-ExxonMobil,Hess and CNOOC- during productionactivities.

This is so as the 2016 Production Sharing Agreement(PSA)statesthat while the Contractor will be allowed to recover costs in dispute, the matter will only be resolved through arbitration, if the two sides fail to reach an agreement within 60 days after the disagreementisflagged.

This process can go on for over one year, after the tribunalisfullyconstituted.

According to the oil contractatArticle26.1:“The Parties shall make reasonable efforts to resolve amicably all Disputes by negotiation. A notice of the existence of a Dispute shall begivenbyanotherPartyin accordance with Article 34. In the event that no agreement is reached within sixty(60)daysafterthedate onwhichaPartynotifiesthe otherthataDisputeexists,or such longer period as specifically agreed by the Parties in writing, any Party shall have the right to have such Dispute determined by arbitrationasprovidedforin t h i s A r t i c l e 2 6

Notwithstanding the above, suchperiodofnegotiationis not required where the running of this time period

may bar access to arbitration.”

Thiswouldallowforany claim, demand, cause of action, dispute or controversyarisingoutof,or in connection with the agreementtobesettled.

Notably, Guyana has agreed to submit its dispute to the International Centre for the Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID) for arbitration before three arbitratorspursuant to the Convention on the Settlement of Investment Disputes between States and Nationals of Other States. Research by this newspaper foundthattheinstitutionwas establishedin1966forlegal dispute resolution and conciliation between international investors and States. It is parented by the WorldBankGroup.

The 2016 PSA states at Article 26.3 that: “...The Government hereby irrevocably waives any claimtoimmunityforitself, its agencies, its enterprises, and any of its assets with regard to any arbitration pursuant to this Article 26 and to any proceedings to recognize or to enforce this Article26oranyproceeding to recognize or enforce an arbitralawardrenderedinan arbitration thereunder

Without prejudice to the generality of the foregoing, thewaiverofimmunityshall include immunity from

service of process and immunity from jurisdiction of any competent court or any arbitration tribunal, and immunity of any of the Government’s,itsagencies’, or its enterprises’ property from execution of any arbitration award or judgmententeredthereon.”

The contract goes on to note that if the General Secretary of ICSID refuses to register a request for arbitration or if a tribunal or arbitrators constituted is outside of ICSID’s jurisdiction,anypartytothe contract may submit the disputeforarbitrationbefore three arbitrators pursuant to the Arbitration Rules of the UnitedNationsCommission on International Trade Law (UNCITRAL).

According to the PSAat Article 26 4, “ The American Arbitration Associationshalladminister the arbitration under the UNICITRAL Arbitration Rules and shall act as the appointing authority when theUNICITRALArbitration Rules call for an appointing authority.”

The agreement further pointsoutthattheseatofthe arbitration shall be Washington DC, United States, but hearings may be heldinotherplacesagreedto bytheParties.

As it relates to payment for the arbitral services, Article 26.8 of the contract explains that the arbitrators

shallassesstheexpensesand anyothercostsrelatedtothe arbitration and shall decide bywhomsuchcostsshallbe paidintheiraward.

It must be noted that the same PSA makes all legal expensesfortheoilcompany recoverable- this therefore means that the costs for the process will ultimately be bornebyGuyana.

The decision of a majority of the arbitrators shallbefinalandbindingon all parties according to the contract It also states “...judgment on the award maybeenteredbyanycourt ofcompetentjurisdiction.”

On Tuesday, Kaieteur News reported that the country will be left to foot costs associated with the activities in the Stabroek Block, even though these m a y b e d e e m e d inappropriatebytheminister responsibleforthesector

Thisisclearlyoutlinedin the 2016 agreement the country signed with ExxonMobil and its partners,HessandCNOOC. Annex ‘C’ of the PSA at Section 1.5 (b) outlines the procedures of an audit and rights of the government; it is explained: “ In the event that an audit claim by the Minister is not settled to the Minister’s satisfaction by the Contractor’s reply as provided for above, the Contractor shall be entitled to recover any

disputed amounts pending final resolution of the claim…”

The same Section goes on to note that upon resolution of the claim, the Ministershallberepaidwith interest.

Based on the agreement, Guyanacanconductanaudit within two years from the endofeachcalendaryear.At the conclusion of the process,theContractormust be furnished with the report and its findings within 60 days to provide a response. The response from Exxon will detail its objection or acceptance of the audit claim, along with explanationsthereof.

The contract also allows the subject Minister to c o n d u c t f u r t h e r investigations within 60 days of receiving the Contractor’sresponse.

It must be noted that the PSAmakesitclearatSection

1.5 (b) that: “…If within sixty (60) days of the Minister ’s further investigation,thePartiesare unable to agree to the dispositionoftheMinister’s audit claim, the claim shall be submitted to the sole expert in accordance with Article 26 of the Agreement.”

Article26ofthecontract sets out the conditions as it relatestoarbitration.

A leaked preliminary report from the first audit conducted of ExxonMobil’s expenses found that the Government of Guyana (GoG) has reasonable grounds to dispute US$214.4 million in costs being claimed. The review was conducted by a British firm, IHS Markit The company was tasked with reviewing some US$1 6 billion in expenses that accrued between 1999 and 2017.

Publisher: DR. GLENN LALL - TEL: 624-6456

Editor-In-Chief: NIGEL WILLIAMS

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

EDITORIAL

TWO WEEKS, TAKE IT OR LEAVE IT

Twoweeksareallthatwillbegiven,andthatisthe end of that, according to Vice President Bharat Jagdeo, Guyana’s Chief Oil Minister, and Oil Czar Itisallof14daystoreviewthenewdraftProduction SharingAgreement(PSA)andcitizenscantakeit,orleave it;learntolikeitanddealwithit. BecausethisisGuyana, andifJagdeosayso,itisso.

The Coalition APNU+AFC Government in place in 2016 had a draft of some kind before it, and look at the horrorstorythatGuyanaendedupwith. Itwasallbecauseit didnottakethetimetostudycloselyandconsultwidely.

NowtheVicePresidentconcludedthatGuyanesehave hadfiveyearsexposuretotheissuepresentlybeforethem. His exact words are: “I find it strange that this matter has beeninthepublicdomainforthelastfiveyearsaboutwhat’s wrongwiththecurrentPSAandsopeoplehavebeensaying thattwoweeksisnotenough.”

Jagdeo is clever enough, possesses enough smarts, to know that identifying and being familiar with all that is wrong with the 2016 PSAdoes not automatically give the fullest comprehension of what could be missing in the presentdraftPSA.

IthelpsthatGuyaneseknowthedeficitsintheexisting PSA,butthatisstillnotenoughtoassertthatinaddressing andresolvingthose,thatisallthatisrequired,andthematter endsthere.

Instead, given the mistakes made and the lessons learned,Guyaneseneedasmuchtimeastheycangettogo through the draft PSA (primarily Dr Jagdeo’s bright handiwork) with a fine-toothed comb, a hairnet, and a microscope to determine for themselves what new snares are embedded in it. This is to avoid them, and not create new loopholes and new burdens for the citizens of this country

Because the new draft PSA is most likely Jagdeo’s brainchild,withahelpinghandfrompeoplewhooperateon the same level as him, Guyanese need to be alert for what could be hidden, where possible contract dangers lurk. Havingbeenbittensodeeplyandsooftenbytheproductsof the Vice President’s fevered (and fertile) mind, Guyanese reserve the right to be cautious, if not skeptical, with anythingthatcomesoutofhismouth,andfromhishead.

Beingsureisthekey,andthismeansgoingslow Itis why, therefore, that we have a problem with the 14 day reviewlimitthatisnowsetinstone,astheOilCzarhimself proclaimed.

It is too short, and there is the risk that in the hurry to coverallthecomponents,afewelementsofsubstancecould be missed, or not given the weight that is due, because of howinnocuoustheymayhavebeenmadetobe.

The Vice President’s own Attorney General could enlightenhimonthedisagreementsanddisputesthatcould arise from a misplaced comma, or a phrase that could be opentoanykindofinterpretation.

ThisiswhatmakesitsoimperativethatGuyanesehave theextensionoftimeneeded,sothattheydonotreviewthe new draft document, while forced to keep one eye on the clock.

Dr Jagdeoshouldnowknow,givenhisrecentembrace ofcontractsanctity,howinviolableitstermsandconditions canbe. Inviewofthis,Guyanesedonotwant,shouldnotbe saddled, with a new PSA that yokes them to a legal document, which binds them hands and feet to whatever trickyclausesaresmoothlyincorporated.

Toomanybittermemories,frustratedenergies,wouldbe revived over what ExxonMobil did to this in-a-rush and unwisecountrybackin2016.

Jagdeo is not a tenderfoot newly emerging out of the wilderness. Heisaseasonedandwilyleaderwhenmatters liketheseareontheradar

An extension of time is not going to hurt anyone, or delayanystraining-at-the-bitoilblockinvestor Moreover, acoupleofweeksmoreissurenottotamperorthwartany greatgovernmentplans.

So, why this unholy haste on the part of Jagdeo? That aloneisenoughtocausepausing.

Minister of Culture,Youth and Sport should order an inquiry into the accidents from last Sunday’s horserace at the Port Mourant Turf Club

DEAREDITOR,

The Easter horse race meeting hosted at the Port Mourant Turf Club last Sundaywasmarredbythree horses falling in the fourth race. I am told that two of those animals suffered such severe injuries that they had tobeeuthanized.Inanearlier race, a horse also fell and I amtolditalsohadtobeputdown.

The horrific three-horse collision in the fourth race was so gruesome and tragic thatitshouldhaveledtothe aborting of the day’s proceedings. But strangely enough the race meet continued.

Through the public address system, the jockeys were summoned to a meeting The spectators were later advised that the jockeys had said that the condition of the track was not responsible for the accidentinthefourthrace.

Insteadofspeakingtothe jockeys, those responsible should have had systems in place to undertake a professional assessment of the ‘going’and to determine whethertheturfwassuitable for the continuation of the racemeet.Butevenmoreso, a decision should have been taken to abort the day’s proceedings in solidarity with the horses that were injured during the fourth race.

For too long in Guyana, the connections have becomemoreimportantthan the horses. Yet, without the horsesandthejockeys,there can be no horse racing Withoutthehorsestherewill be no glory for the jockeys, ownersortrainers.

I am urging the Minister of Culture, Youth and Sport to immediately order an independent inquiry into the accidents which took place last Sunday at the Port

Mourant Turf Club. That inquiry should examine the measures which were put in place to ensure that the groundwasinaconditionfit for racing and to determine what actions were taken following the accidents to ensure the safety of the horsesandjockeys.

The tragic incident in Race 4 has further served to highlight the need for local horse racing to be properly regulated.

For too long, there have been serious allegations and accusations swirling around thehostingofracemeetings. A wider inquiry is needed into these allegations and accusations, including chargesthatcertainracesare arranged in terms of class, distanceandentrants,soasto allow for certain owners to cart off with most of the winnings; that the horse racing fraternity is dominated by a small cabal;

thatcertainhorseownersare discouraged and even debarred from entering their horses; that classification of horses is controversial; and thatdrugabuseisrampantin thelocalsport.

Idonotnormallysupport governmental intervention in any sport. But given that local horse racing has failed to reach the standards in terms of facilities and organization that prevails in other Caribbean territories, and considering the allegations and accusations whichbesiegethesport,Iam calling on the Minister of Sport to immediately accelerate the inquiries averred to above and to establish an independent horseracing authority to oversee the sport and the hosting of all horse race meetingsinGuyana.

Yourssincerely, H o r s e R a c i n g Enthusiast

DEAREDITOR,

Emerson’s words is a beacon light for Guyana today He said ‘truth is too simpleforus;wedonotlike those who unmask our illusion.”

Why we are being suffocated by senseless behaviour by the current administration is beyond belief.

Inacountryblessedwith tremendous natural resources and a relatively smallpopulationthetimehas comeforthePresidenttobea statesmanandharmonizethe talent and patriotic verve of every citizen. He and his ruling elite must make manifest the philosophical underpinnings of our national motto accepted when we became a nation state.

Todothishe,hisadvisors and the state controlled media must arrest the extant hostility to the likes of the publisher of Kaieteur News, the editorial and writings of Stabroek News, Village Voice News, the few independent television stations and the many talk show hosts at home and abroad.

Our struggle for independence suggests vindication for the suffering of our ancestors who were herethousandsofyearsago, those whocameinshipsand

wereenslaved.Otherstoiled to make viable the plantations of our erstwhile masters.

Decades ago because of certain surveys our leaders including Forbes Burnham somehow believed that we had this valuable commodity-oil,onshoreand offshore. In 1983 Forbes Burnham sent two of his trusted ministers to Libya to learn firsthand under the leadership of Muammar Gadaffi how they were managing the oil sector For thebenefitofeverycitizen,I make the following extrapolation: Libya has a populationofover6million, Guyana’s population is less than a million Libya produces 18 barrels per thousandpopulation perday while Guyana produces 54 barrels per 1000 population perday.

In LIbya education was completely free and all health and allied medical servicescompletelyfreeand wherethehospitalscouldnot dealwithacomplexmedical issue you were sent abroad andthegovernmentdefrayed thecost.

Electricity to all households was free. Every married couple was given Fifty Thousand Dinars to help them begin their new life. Gas at the pump was pegged at 14 cents per litre.

The above shows that Guyana in so far as the proceeds from oil is concerned is in a far better position than Libya was In addition Libya assisted religious and other organizations outside of Libya to advance the cause of religious and cultural development in their countries.

But here is the bombshell: Kuwait and Guyana have the same production per capita 54 barrels per thousand population per day with the greatest oil production per unit of population in the world.

This is what Kuwait has donewiththeiroilresources.

1Scholarshipsareofferedto attend approved universities in North America to pursue bachelor’s degrees and even Master’sdegrees,tuitionand allowancespaid.

2. On marriage each Kuwaiti receives 6000 Dinarshalfofwhichisasoft loan and the other half is a gift.

3. Each citizen gets 50 kilos of rice ,50 kilos of sugar,oil,milk,andchicken monthly

4. Health care is free andifcareisrequiredabroad the government pays for the same.

5.Asum of 50 Dinars is given per child along with

babymilk

Mindyoutheproduction figuresforGuyanaarethose purportedly given by the oil companiesandmadepublic. This means that our oil production per capita could be the highest in the world and that the eradication of p o v e r t y a n d w a n t everywhere in Guyana is extremelyeasy

The above factors and possibilities cannot be disputed. The million dollar questioniswhy?

The answer is the urgent needforachangeofattitude and an understanding that Guyanese citizens are important and deserving of beingatthecentreofpolicies to enrich their lives and that of their families If our politicians could only stop being petty and politically pernicious Guyana and Guyanese can be the happiestpeopleonearth.

In addition to the above indisputable facts, Guyana has grown in abundance timber,includingtheworld’s best known hardwood greenheart. Westillhavethe attraction of unspoiled areas inmanypartsofourcountry Wehavenonaturaldisasters, such as earthquakes, hurricanes, monsoons, tornadoesorfloods.

Mr Editor and readers, withtheaboveblessings

(Continuedonpage5)

History has shown that if our young people do not demand a change of attitude, things will stagnate

Police Public Service Commission acting unlawfully

DEAREDITOR,

The not lawfully and duly constituted Police Service Commission led by itsChairman,BishopPatrick Findlay and Secretary Jaigobin Jaisingh is apparently flagrantly violating the ruling of the ChiefJustice.

On August 23, 2022 the ChiefJusticeruledinAubrey NortonvAttorneyGeneralet al2022-HG-DEM-CIVFDA-902that,“Inorderfor the Police Service Commission to exercise any of its powers, functions and or duties conferred on it by the Constitution of Guyana, itisamandatoryrequirement that upon the constitution of the Public Service Commissionsubsequentlyto theexpirationofthelifeand ortermoftheappointmentof the previous Police Service

Commission that a Chairman of the Public Service Commission be appointed a member of the Police Service Commission inpursuant ofarticle210(1) (b) of the Constitution of Guyana ” No stay of Judgement was sought or granted.

There is no Public Service Commission Hence, no Chairman to be appointedasamemberofthe PoliceServiceCommission.

Therefore, the not lawfully and duly constituted Police Service Commission has no authority to act in respect of

History has shown that if our young...

Frompage4 bounty and beauty of the Creator, guess what is our disaster?

It is people in high places.

Historyhasshownthatif our young people do not demandachangeofattitude, things will stagnate and the wealth will not be evenly distributed.

Our people, particularly the young, must agitate for the somersault for our debilitatingtitfortatpolitics andtheregurgitationofhalftruths about our history, and itisagoodtimeforustoplug for authentic Press freedom, whichmeansendingthestate control of sections of the media, which I bet dare not publishthisletter

These blessings can be a curse.

Yourssincerely, HamiltonGreen Elder

promotions, discipline or anyotherdutiesconferredon it by the Constitution of Guyana It cannot be business as usual for the Commission.

However, recently a deputy superintendent of police received a letter from the not lawfully and duly constituted Police Service Commission.Manylettersof a similar nature may have been recently issued by the Commission. The letter in question has the letter head of the Police Service Commission. It was dated 23 03 17 and purportedly signed by Mr Jaigobin Jaisingh, Secretary of the Police Service Commission. There was also the Public/ Police Service Commission Secretariat stamp on the letter

The correspondence informedtheofficerthatasa result of a recommendation received from the CommissionerofPoliceand the advice from the Commission’sLegalOfficer, the Police Service Commissiontookadecision to proceed with a disciplinary hearing against him in relation to alleged breaches of discipline committed by him, that is to say he disobeyed a lawful order given to him by a superior in rank and neglected his duty contrary tothePolice(Discipline)Act Chapter 17:01. Article 212

(1) of the Constitution of Guyana gives the Police Service Commission the powertomakeappointments to any office in the Police Forceoforabovetherankof Inspector, the power to exercise disciplinary control over persons holding or acting in such offices and power to remove such persons from office. It is pellucid that such power is vested in no other entity, or even the Commissioner of Police.

The Commission also unconstitutionally delegated the following officers to conduct the disciplinary hearing: Assistant

Commissioner of Police, Khali Paresram, Chairman;

Superintendent Khalid Mandall, Member; and Superintendent Krishandat Ramana,PresentingOfficer

It is apposite to note that all these officers who were recently controversially promoted by the Police

01, 2022 the Chairman PatrickFindlaystatedthathe w a s a w a i t i n g t h e recommendations from the Commissioner of Police in order to make promotions.

Shockingly,onJuly02,2022 the Commission announced the promotion of over 250 policeofficers.Therewasno due diligence. The list was rubber stamped. The three officers mentioned above to conduct the hearing are of the same race and of a differentracethanthatofthe alleged defaulter You may recall that the Head of AdministrationoftheGPFin an interview stated that the police looked at race and gender when dealing with recommendationsforthelast promotions. It is clear that the Commission did not delegate the authority in accordance with article 212 (2) of the Constitution of Guyana for a member of the Force(investigatingofficer) to investigate the alleged breaches of discipline in question. The Commission missed this mandatory constitutionalstep.

Even if it did the deputy superintendent was not informed. The Commission rushed with break neck speed and ordered a trial instead of commencing an investigation The Commission put the cart before the horse The investigating officer is required to comply with Section 5 (1) and (3) of the Police (Discipline) Act

Chapter17:01. Section5(1) states, “ Every commission of an offence against discipline under this Act shallbeinvestigatedassoon as practicable by a member of the Force not below the rank of sergeant and of a higherrankthanthemember oftheForcewhoisallegedto havecommittedtheoffence.

“Section5(3) posits,“The investigatingofficershall,as soon as practicable, inform the member of the Force allegedtohavecommittedan offence against discipline in writing in a language he understands of the offence which he is alleged to have committed and the particulars of the facts constitutingtheoffence,and ofhisrightstorefusetomake anywrittenororalstatement to the investigating officer unlessheotherwisedesires.”

On April 03, 2023

rs, inspectors and officers of RegionalPoliceDivisionNo

6 through their commander were detailed and attended meetings at two locationsNew Amsterdam and the Felix Austin Police College B Division, which were conducted by the installed Chairman of the Police Service Commission, Patrick Findlay and Secretary Jaigobin Jaisingh.

Several topics were discussed including a power point presentation on T r a n s f o r m a t i o n a l leadership Certainly, the Chairman and Secretary did not travel all the way to Berbice to conduct the meetings in their private capacities.Itisclearthatthey went to Region 6 and carry out the duties of the Police

Service Commission contrary to the ruling of the ChiefJustice.Thereisalsoa reportthatayoungconstable was seen in uniform masquerading as a cadet officer.

It is suspected that the Commission may have recently illegally appointed himacadetofficerorthathe isfollowingtheconductofat least five assistant commissioners who are pretending to be deputy commissionersand/oracting deputy commissioners, but wearingthebadgeofrankof assistantcommissioner Also theyareallowingthepressto refer to them as Deputy Commissioners and/or a c t i n g D e p u t y Commissioners without takingcorrectiveaction.

It is obvious that the not lawfully and duly constituted Police Service Commission is performing several constitutional functions ultra virus the orderoftheChiefJustice.

There are too many instances whereby persons have displayed blatant contemptfortherulingofthe Courts in Guyana and nothing is done to correct this sad state of affairs. The not lawfully and duly constituted Police Service Commissionappearstobean unadulterateddefaulter

It is time for the Judges and other stakeholders to abbreviate the lawlessness thatistakingplace.Therule oflawanddueprocessmust be perpetual. May God help Guyana and moreso the GuyanaPoliceForce.

Yourssincerely, Clinton

Conway Assistant Commissioner ofPolice (Retired)

DEAREDITOR,

To invite the press less than two hours before his Leonora outreach last weekend which obviously was planned for several weeks is clumsy, offensive, and insulting to all Guyanese, especially the members of the media, knownasthefourthestate.

In a country where no one, not even the President and members of his cabinet had performed efficiently and with alacrity, presents a hugely difficult task for journalists to keep any schedule That journalists were intimated by the hundredsofpartysupporters at the venue, where the President opted to host his press conference reeks of very poor planning. Many persons could have been needlessly hurt as Stalin once indicated: never underestimate the power of stupid people in large groups.

The crowd, with few exceptions, that heckled the reporters as they attempted to question the Guyanese Head of State on matters relating to the petroleum sector is like the mobs that had existed more than 30 years ago which, suggests that there is a large crosssection of the populace who remainuncivilised,uncouth, and vulgar. This has and continuestobethecharacter ofbothpresentandprevious regimeswhichexhibitadeep fear of the fourth estate in Guyana as their members zoomed in on asking meticulous questions on expenditures, favouritism, nepotism, corruption, SU Gate, victimization and the bias juxtaposed by the Ali administration in awarding mostcontractstosupporters, friends, and family of the rulingoligarchs.

Therefore, for Kwame McCoy (Minister within the OfficeofthePrimeMinister) to defend the President and his claque is outrageous, reprehensible,laughableand

a complete disgrace. But he does not know any better Here is a man (supposedly), who was accused of the throwing of faeces on the faceofaformercolumnistof KaieteurNews,isnowbeing accused of using a similar tactic on Kaieteur News journalists and other media personnel and then gave a ludicrous and silly excuse. Such behavior is irrational absurd.

Leonoravillageiswhere thePresidentisfromanditis also my birthplace, but it is still steeped in cash-crop farmers, cane cutters and street limers most of whom are predominantly IndoGuyanese and PPPdevotees whowouldratherstarveand punish than to oppose any wrongdoingsbythecorrupt regime The dilapidated marketinthevillageisonthe verge of collapsing but instead of asking their leaderstorepairorreplaceit they would prefer to fill the rum-shops.

There is evidence to suggest that the President and his cabinet have developedaprofoundhatred forthepublisherofKaieteur News, Mr Glenn Lall and hisjournalists.Theirstrategy is to humiliate, demean and confront Kaieteur News and other independent journalists rather than answer the much-dreaded Oil and Gas questions. If PresidentIrfaanAliandVice President Jagdeo and other self-anointedoilgurusinthe cabinet do not wish to answer questions on the Oil & Gas project, then they should be transparent and present all relevant information to the public promptly

This is known as accountabilitywhichisakey pillar of good governance that the PPP acolytes’ campaign on, but now in power, they have deviated from and reneged on their campaignpromise.

Regards,

LeylandRoopnarine

The authorities are profoundly afraid of the fourth estate

Occupational Safety and Health at Work and the Working Environment

DEAREDITOR, Member states of the U n i t e d N a t i o n s ’ International Labour Organization(ILO)annually observe World Day for SafetyandHealthatWork on April 28 This year, the theme for the reflection and advocacy is “A safe and h e a l t h y w o r k i n g e n v i r o n m e n t i s a fundamental principle and right at work.”On 28 April 2023, the ILO will convene an international conference of expert and the tripartite representatives of Governments, Employers, andTrade Unions to discuss the implications the theme hasfortheworldofwork,as well as how to practically implement this right in the world of work. It will also serve to present the findings of research on the implementation status of various provisions of the fundamental Conventions No. 155 on Occupational Safety and Health, and No. 187 on Promotional F r a m e w o r k f o r Occupational Safety and Health.

Each Member State of

the ILO are required to ensure a safe and healthy working environment by formulatingnationalpolicies to promote and advance, at all levels, the right of workerstoasafeandhealthy workingenvironmentandto promote continuous i m p r o v e m e n t o f Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) to prevent occupational injuries, diseases and deaths, by the d e v e l o p m e n t , i n consultation with the most representative organizations of employers and workers a national policy and national systeminOSH.

All Member states, even if they have not ratified the Conventions in question, have an obligation, arising from the very fact of membership in the Organization, to respect, to promote and to realize, in goodfaithandinaccordance with the Constitution, the principles concerning the fundamental rights which are the subject of Conventions155and187.

In keeping with its commitments, Guyana as a member of the ILO since

1966,enacted

theOccupationalSafety and Health (OSH) Act No 32 of 1997, which provides for the registration and regulation of industrial establishments and came intoforceon15thSeptember 1999 by statutory order No. 15of1999oftheMinister

TheAct applies to every industrial establishment (Section 3) and selfemployed persons and persons engaged in homework(Section5).

RegistrationofIndustrial Establishments The Act requires:

-

§every industrial establishment and person engaged in homework to be registeredwiththeAuthority whichshallkeeparegisterof industrial establishments (Section6);

§every industrial establishment to be registered with the specified particularswithinthirtydays by application to the Authority in the prescribed form renewable annually (Section7).

§all changes in particulars must also be registered within thirty days (Section8);and

§theAuthoritytocorrect oramendandkeepuptodate theregister(Section9).

Advisory Council on OSH.

The Act establishes the

Advisory Council on Occupational Safety and Health (Advisory Council), consisting of not fewer than 12ormorethan24members appointedbytheMinisterfor such term as the Minister determines –

§members of the Advisory Council represent management, labour, technical or professional bodies or persons with knowledge of occupational safety,welfare,andhealth.

§theMinisterdesignates the chairman and vicechairman from among the appointed members of the Advisory Council and fills vacanciesthatoccur

The Advisory Council makes its own rules subject to the approval of the Minister The functions of theAdvisoryCouncilare:toadvisetheMinister on matters relating to OSH or arising out of the operationsoftheAct.

toadvisetheMinister on the formulation of a nationalpolicyonOSH.

t o m a k e recommendations to the Minister relating to the programme of work of the Authority in OSH including enforcement and the implementationofanational policyonOSH.

· to promote public awarenessofOSH;and

· to present an annual

report of its work to the Ministerbythe1st.Juneeach year

TheAdvisorycommittee mayestablishcommitteesto assistitinitsfunctionsunder the chair of one of the members of the Advisory Council (Sections 10 and 11).

OSHAuthority

v theAct establishes the OSH Authority comprising of such officers as may be designated by the Minister by notice published in the Gazette;

v where no such authority is established, the Chief OSH Officer shall be theAuthority;

v all industrial establishments and all machineryshallbeinspected by the Authority, or by an inspectoronthedirectionsof theAuthority;

v the Minister may make regulations for the inspections of industrial establishments and machinery;

v t h e M i n i s t e r designates the inspectors (Section12);and

v every inspector shall be furnished with a prescribed certificate of appointment(Section14).

PoweroftheAuthority andofanInspector

TheAuthority and every inspector have powers

including:

v t o e n t e r , inspect and examine industrial establishments or places believed to be industrial establishments at anyhourbydayornight; v t o e n t e r , inspect and examine any place that is believed to be storage of explosives or highlyflammablematerials; v to enter ships or vessels in any dock or harbour, any wharf, quay or stelling and make such inspection and examination ashe/shemaydeemfit; v to require the production, of registers, certificates, and to inspect, examine and copy any of them, or remove them to makecopiesorextracts; v to make such examination, inquiry, or test necessary on any aspect of the establishment, equipment,machine,device, article, material, chemical, physical agent or biological agent,andrequireanytestto be conducted or taken by qualified persons at the expenseoftheemployer; v to be assisted by persons with special expertise or professional knowledge; v to require information, and to interview relevant persons alone or in the presenceofothersandto

(Continuedonpage22)

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BHARRAT JAGDEO: THE REVERSE MIDAS

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Everything he touches turn into a gutter or sewer.

The VPgave Guyanese the Marriott and billions in debt on their heads.

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Now it is Marriott Chapter two, he is selling the golden goose.

Like the later Midas, Jagdeo takes what has life and makes it lifeless.

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The Marriott is now on the chopping block.

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Under Jagdeo another rich piece of Guyana going down the drain.

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Who knows, Jagdeo may already have Marriott Chapter three up his sleeve.

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Exxon wiped electronic accounting system of all data on Guyana expenses between 1999 and 2004 ...only limited hard copies provided to auditors – Report

ExxonMobil’s subsidiary, Esso ExplorationandProductionGuyana Limited (EEPGL) has informed a team of auditors representing the interestoftheStatethatitwouldnot beabletopresentallofitsfinancial data/statements covering the period 1999to2004 Theaffiliateexplained thatthemainreasonforthisdilemma is that its accounting system was purgedduringthattime,inaneffort to accommodate a switch to its parent company’s accounting system

Theforegoingwasoutlinedina March, 2021 report that was produced by British firm, IHS Markit.

Accordingtothereportseenby Kaieteur News, IHS said the accounting / finance systems

deployed by EEPGLhave evolved overtheyearsasthecomplexityof the operations has grown. It said, between 1999 and 2016 EEPGL utilized a standalone version of P2 Energy Solution’s IDEAS Oil and Gas accounting software – a common tool used for new exploration areas, thereby offering rapiddeployment.

As of 2017, the auditor said EEPGL migrated over to the ExxonMobil worldwide corporate which runs on IPES an SAPbased accounting and financial management platform IHS explainedthatthisplatformisused worldwide for all ExxonMobil operated assets and offers additional sophistication as required for development and

productionassets.

The auditor’s report said, “Therefore,duringtheperiodbeing audited,thecostshavebeenspread across two different systems EEPGL confirmed that data prior to 2004 is not available in IDEAS as it has been purged in accordancetotheirinternaldata retention policies, and data they heldmanuallywasrequestedand limiteddatareceived).”

During the audit review, IHS said 142 active accounts were identifiedintheIDEASsystemand 140 accounts within the IPES system.Asofthesecondquarterof 2017, the auditor said approximately90%ofthetotalcost being claimed for recovery are recorded within the 30 largest

accounts.

“Therefore,inordertovalidate costshavebeenkeptinaccordance with the terms of the 2016 PSA –the audit team focused on reviewing the details of individual transactions and mapping each active account within the IDEAS andIPESsystemtotheappropriate provision within the PSA’s accounting procedure,” the report stated.

If after review of the account description and specific transactions, uncertainty remains regardingthenatureoftransactions being claimed for recovery and their PSA classification, IHS said justifications were sought from EEPGL Where satisfactory evidencewasorcannotbeprovided

to support the recovery of the transactions and accounts in question, IHS said such amounts have been flagged are considered non-recoverable until satisfactory evidenceisfurnished.

The foregoing audit entails the scrutiny of US$1.6B in expenses rackedupduringtheperiod1999to 2017byExxon’ssubsidiaryandits joint venture partners, Hess Corporation and CNOOC Petroleum Guyana Limited. The reportsuggeststhattherearesome US$214M in questionable costs that could be reasonably contested by the Guyana Government Authorities are now at the stage of awaiting feedback from ExxonMobil regarding the contestedclaims.

H@RD TRUTHS

‘Father of the nation’

I note with interest, alarm, and some humour the latest battleground of Guyanese over who should be ‘Father of the Nation’.Tosober-upallGuyanese, Ihavetwoquestions.

Who would want children like these? Which father in his right senses,withsomeresidualdignity, wouldownuptobetheancestorof Guyanese, both of yesterday and especially today? I proceed. I like the idea of Jagan and Burnham as candidates for ‘Father of the Nation’.Bothofthem. Now,ifthat converts me into an incarnation of evil,thereisnoworry,considering the likely dark, twisted sources of such epithets. Now, despite my regardforbothpoliticalOlympian ironmen, I lean more towards that other fellow: the labour man, Hubert Nathaniel Critchlow My word!Withanamelikethatalone, that departed forefather is unanimous choice. Save for the tribalists.Hehasmyvote,butfora little problem: I am done with voting.Onanything. Foranybody

Now I take the issue into new territory Whynota‘Motherofthe Nation’ in honour of fairness? Naturally, that opens a bag of

scorpionsaboutearthmother,birth mother, stepmother, blue-eyed mother Remember somebody beloved mother is another’s hated mother-in-law We would then have oil, mother, and God in that order Next, instead of this clawing,jostling,andfightingover whoisthebestcharactertohonour as ‘Father of the Nation’, why not put heads together and come up withawarriorforGuyana? Imake myselfclearincasetheslowwitted failedtograspmydrift(itisdrift). What this country needs more than anything else right now is a ‘Guyana Oil Warrior’. Get that, folks?ANationalOilWarrior,andI wouldbuildastatueforhim,once found:Howaboutan‘OilFatherof Guyana?’ Also, just to be safe, secure,andpoliticallycorrect,this includesanyGuyanesesister,who might be a warrior like Queen Boadicea, or Abolitionist Sarah Parker Redmond, or PM Indira Gandhi, even one, such as Golda Meir Any nominations from the domestichearthforlocalelevation and this extraordinary encomium? I have one or two, but I am not saying out of fear of those excluded. Incidentally, I have a

wordofcautiontooffermyfellow Guyanese as they push and rush pell-mell into this newest hysteria about picking a ‘Father of the Nation’, a creature of rarified stature,andcorrespondingdignity The omnipotent Americans tramping about in Guyana are not going to take kindly to this latest local fascination and vulgarity about a ‘father for the Guyanese nation’. They will be furious, considering that almighty America,God’scountry,thoughtit wise to on pedestals, not one, but nine Founding Fathers of the Nation. IfAmerica required nine (plus others of lesser pedigree), there is no way on earth that Guyanacouldonlyhaveone. The math is wrong; the logic is upside down; and the reality is topsyturvy With all our problems, all our troubles, and all our catastrophicfailuresthatdeepento this day, there is no way that this green land of Guyana could have one‘FatheroftheNation’. Ifthat is what matters distil to, then it is sure to be some kind of an Indian Nation, or an African Nation. Alone. And, if that is found unpalatabletoonesideortheother,

I have the perfect solution: why notanAryanNation,considering all the American and European swashbucklers striding like so manyColossiovereveryaspectof this prostrated nation’s existence? There is the most impeccable Fatherfiguretobefoundanywhere in the annals of Guyana’s torrid history My fellow Guyanese, for ‘Father of the Nation’, I give Mr Alistair Routledge. He has been benevolent, and he has been magnanimous,inthemostfragrant (some say flagrant) essences of paternalism So that Guyana’s former colonial masters, the British, do not feel slighted, I also nominate Sir Benjamin D’Urban of discovery fame, and Lord Duncan Sandys who orchestrated this country’s Independence. The PPP would be happy (foreigners embraced); Guyanese delighted (freevisas).

The only unhappy puppy would be me. As for me, “Our Fatherinheaven….”

Why not a foreign one as NationalFather? Iinsist,sincewe are so enamored with things and people foreign. There is the AmericanAmbassador,howabout

Her Excellency? After all, she gave birth to the democracy, and the Guyanese version of a Bill of Rights,thatwelivewithnowunder the PPP yoke, and the PNC shackles. The former could only move as ordered (check out oil), andthelattercan’tmoveatall.

SinceIhavegoneinternational, Iwouldbemostcomfortablewitha Guyanese of Chinese extraction, givenhowmuchthathardylothas laboured here and the great contributionsmade.

I do have a condition, though: none from the mainland, the old RedChinawouldbefitandproper I will accept, however, someone for prestigious ‘Father of the Nation’accolade a ‘local’Chinese one of ‘Hong Kong Chinee’roots asGuyaneseusedtocallthem.

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

OilauditorsblockGRA’sattemptsto verifyUS$28MclaimsbyExxonpartners

The Guyana Revenue Authority(GRA)hasbeenfighting tooth and nail to understand how two Stabroek Block partners charged Guyana some US$28.8M in expenses they incurred before signing onto a Production Sharing Agreement with ExxonMobil’s affiliate, Esso Exploration and Production Guyana Limited (EEPGL).

In a report seen by this newspaper, GRA said on two occasions, it pushed British Auditor,IHSMarkittoexaminethe Joint Operating Agreements between ExxonMobil and its partners, Hess Corporation and CNOOC Petroleum Guyana Limited.

Guyana’s auditing team which includes GRA, had urged for the

Joint Operating Agreement (JOA) among the partners to be scrutinized since the US$28.8M could not be traced to EEPGL’s GeneralLedger

The first request for this to be done was communicated to IHS in May 2020. The British company rejected the request as well as the argumentsprofferedbytherevenue authority on this matter The companyessentiallytoldGRAthat the documents are simply not relevant.

GRA insisted however that reviewingtheagreementswouldbe acriticalcomponenttotheanalysis ofhowcertaincostsendedupinthe costbank.

In another IHS Report dated November 2020, IHS maintained its position, stating that “Cost

RecoveryAuditsdonot require a review of the JOA as this is c o n s i d e r e d a confidentialagreement between parties with n o m a t e r i a l implications on cost recovery.”

In its third report dated March 11, 2021, the British firm maintained its unchanged positiononaccesstotheJOA.GRA initsreportstressedthatthisought to be done. It is not clear if they wereabletoreachanagreement.

Itisnowmorethanthreeyears since the audit of US$1.6B in expenses for the oil-rich Stabroek Blockanditisyettobecompleted. Confirming the status of the audit

was Commissioner GeneraloftheGuyana Revenue Authority, Godfrey Steven Statia.

H i s clarification

c a

could be contested by State authorities GRA’s boss did not denounce these figures as inaccurate

He did note however that IHS’ report,asisbeingquoted,isnotthe final document, adding that government is now at the stage of awaiting feedback from Exxon’s subsidiary

me on the heels of two articles published by the Stabroek News on IHS Markit’s report that it provided to the PPPC regime Stabroek News comprehensively, and clearly, outlined that there weresomeUS$214Mincoststhat

He also did not provide a timeline on when this process would be completed. Statia also noted that the government will make the report public at the appropriatetime.

A second audit is currently underway for costs totalling US$7 3B which were incurred from 2018 to 2020. That contract was awarded last year May That tooisstillongoing.

Five held for murder of Anna Catherina fisherman

Police in Region Three are currently investigating the death of a 26-year-old fishermanofAnnaCatherina,WestCoast Demerara,whowasstabbedtodeath,after anargumentensuedbetweenhimandfive othermenonTuesdaymorning.

Dead is Munaf Azeem of Sea View, Anna Catherina, who was attacked just before 08:00hrs that day at the seawall areaintheAnnaCatherinacommunity

Reports are that the five men, at around 07:55hrs on Tuesday approached AzeemattheSeaWallandaccusedhimof chopping up their seine. Kaieteur News understands that one of the men was armed with a cutlass, while another was armedwithaknife.

It was reported to the police that an argument had ensued amongst them and thesuspectwiththeknifedealtAzeemone stab to his lower right-side chest. After being attacked Azeem reportedly ran a short distance before collapsing on the ground. After committing the act, the suspects all fled the scene in different

directions.

Policesaid,oneofthemen, old fisherman (and owner fishing boats) of Sea Dam, towardshiscar(Registration which was parked on theAnna SeaViewdam.

It was revealed tha approachinghiscar,aPolice which was in the area, arrested which he pointed out the involvedintheattack.

RelativesofAzeempicked placedhiminthePolicevehicle was rushed to the Leo Hospital and was pronounced arrivalbyadoctor Policenoted examination of the body wound to the lower right smallcutstothelowerback

Thebodywasthentaken Funeral Parlour where a examination is expected

Wednesday

Kaieteur News understands that irate police custody where an investigation is ongoing.

Dead, Munaf Azeem

Former GCCI President disrespectful for describing citizens as ‘low life’ who are demanding a change in oil contract - Glenn Lall

Kaieteur News Publisher, GlennLallhasrespondedtoformer president of the Georgetown Chamber of Commerce and Industry (GCCI), Timothy Tucker, who said those who ask for a renegotiation of the lopsided contract which has been heavily criticised for benefitting ExxonMobil Guyana and its partners more than the country, is “bad for business and low-life mentality”.

Lall has been on the forefront highlighting the lopsided terms in the 2016 Production Sharing Agreement (PSA) Guyana signed onto with Exxon. During an interview with OilNow, Tucker said, “We cannot do business as two-bit hustlers. We have to do business as a business community. You haveto be ableto do business asacountrythatsaystoyou,‘Look, we are here to do business, we are legitimate’,” adding, “We must be able to say ‘Look, our word is our bond… What you see is what you get ’ Not when it becomes profitable,wesuddenlychange.”

OilNow reported Tucker as saying that if a business makes a deal to buy a farmer’s peppers at $300 per pound, it would be improperforthefarmertosuddenly expect more because the price of pepper has raised.” That is the contractual obligation between agro-processor and farmer. If we encourage our people not to obey and not to stand to things that they

signed on and committed to, then wearegonnabegoingtoaterrible place.Itisbetteryouleavetheoilin the ground and everything else,” Tuckersaid.

Lall rubbished Tucker’s comment adding, “Your eyes pass meandpasseverysingleGuyanese to call us low life, calling for a change in that ExxonMobil contract Glenn Lall and the Guyanese people were never and willneverbelowlives–putthatin your pipe and smoke it. The fight continues, whether you and the leaderslikeitornot.”

Lall added that knowing how wounded Guyana is with the contract, he never expected such a comment would come from someone who represented the business sector in Guyana. In response to Tucker’s analogy of a farmer accepting what was agreed uponinitiallyforthesaleofpeppers despite prices being raised, Lall said, “this man got to be out of his mind, to tell a farmer he must not ask for more on his pepper, when the price for fertilizer gone up,

workmanship gone up, fuel price gone up and that farmer must not askformoreonhispepper,hemust sellhispepperatthesamepriceand sufferaloss.”

He continued, “That is what Timothy Tucker representing the businesssectortellingusthereand anybody who asks for a change in price or renegotiation is a hustler according to Timothy. We agree

$300 a pound and we must supply himfor$300apoundalthoughthe pricegoneupallovertheworld,he alone must make money and the pepper must stick to the contract deal.” Lall stated that while he is aware that we live in a “hustling world” and dealing with hustlers, he posited: “always remember the purpose of life is to make others happytoo,andifyoucan’tdothat, don’t hurt them, don’t let them go hungrywithpainforyourpersonal gain.”

The2016dealgivesGuyanaan industry-low 2% royalty This publication has highlighted that presently, Guyana shares revenue with ExxonMobil after the company deducts 75 percent towards the cost incurred to develop the resources in the StabroekBlock.Thisarrangement, with the lack of ring-fencing, sees Guyanapayingforprojectsthatare yet to commence production activities. Each month bills from futureproducingdevelopmentsare addedtothelistofexpensestobe

Continued on page 17

Kaieteur News Publisher, Glenn Lall

Former President of the Georgetown Chambers of Commerce, Timothy Tucker

Govt. accuses GTT of failing to maintain ‘metal chamber’ on Sheriff Street

Popular Guru Pujya Rajan Jee of India visits Guyana

On Saturday April, 8, 2023

Pujya Rajan Jee of Kolkata India visited Guyana for the first time to interact with devotees of the Hindu Community

Pujya Rajan Ji Maharaj is a popular worldwide renowned spiritual Guru, scholar in RamcharitamanasandHinduorator whohasgainedimmensefameinthe last few years. Pujya Rajan Ji Maharaj bhajans and kathas are in both languages Hindi and Bhojpuri-alanguagethatGuyanese ofIndianoriginshavetheirroots.

PujyaRajanJiMaharajwasborn in a Brahmin family in Kolkata, West Bengal. During his one-day trip to Guyana, he visited the Kaieteur Falls and engaged devoteesinSankirtan(chanting).

Laterheengageddevoteesofthe

Parika Hydronie Dharmic Mandir and Kailash Yaatra Ashram for Satsangh (congregational worship).

In between the Sita-Ram Katha, he narrated several spiritual and motivationalstoriesthatinspiredthe devotees. RajanJilaudedtheHindu Guyanese community for preserving this holy text even after 185years.

He informed of his instant connection to the Guyanese communitygiventhathisfamilyare originallyfromBihar-astatewhere majority of many Indian in Guyana has their origin. He is particularly interested in building a good relationship with the Guyanese community

Bhajans (religious songs) of RajanJiarelistenedtoandadmired by millions of across India. During

hisvisithesanghishitbhajanslike ‘BarasRahiPrabhikiKripaApaar’, ‘Pakad lo BaanhRaghurai’, On Youtube channel, he has over 1.6 millionsubscribersandsomeofhis bhajans hitting 35 million viewers. Hismessageissimple:intheageof Kalyug,chantGod’sname.

Additionally, he paid a courtesy call to President of the Guyana Hindu Dharmic Sabha, Dr Vindhya Persaud and met with devotees of the Iskcon Study Centre. Rajan Ji visit was organized by Pandit Shekhar Persaud of NY Durga Devasthanaam Temple and Pandit DeodatPersaudofBerbice.Priorto coming to Guyana, Rajan Ji completed Satsanghs at California, New York and Dubai. Gratitude is extendedtothosewhorespondedto theinvitations.

One day after it was reported that a huge hole along the $6B Sherriff/Mandela road is damaging vehicles, the Ministry of Public Works came forward to clarify that GTT (Guyana TelephoneTelegraphCompany)is toblame.

Theministryinastatementon its Facebook page accused the company of failing to maintain a “metalchamber”onSheriffStreet that it uses to access its utility corridor (telecommunication cables).

“The alleged damage in the formofa“hugehole”isthecover of a metal chamber used by GTT, to access its utility corridor (telecommunication cables) underground along both Sheriff StreetandMandelaAvenue”

These facilities, related the ministry, are operated and maintainedbuyGTT

“TheMinistrywould also like tomakeitclearthatseveralreports on this matter have been made to GTTbyourstaff,fromthetimethe matter was observed”, the ministry related “Further, the MinistryisurgingGTTtoaddress this matter urgently and expeditiously,asthesafetyofroad

users is of paramount importance”, the ministry continued.

Public Works Minister, Juan Edghill has since instructed that the area be cordoned off with reflectiveconessothatdriverscan see the ‘metal chamber’ from a distance until GTT corrects the issue.

Multiple vehicles were reportedly damaged as a result of theissueontheroad.

On Sunday, motorists were forcedtoplaceatyreinfrontofthe holetowarndriversafterapitbull bus fell into the hole, during the earlymorninghours. Thebuswas reportedly badly damaged and could not continue its journey It hadtobepulledoutandpushedto the side of the road. In fact, the driver was forced to leave it there and call another vehicle to transporthispassengersandsome equipmenthehadonboard.

Residents living close by said that the pit bull bus is just one of many vehicles that frequently fall intotheholeonadailybasis.“The noise it makes when vehicles fall in,especiallyatnightswhenthere isnotmuchtraffic,jumpsyouout ofyoursleep”,onewomansaid.

Former GCCI President disrespectful for...

Frompage15

costrecoveredbyExxon Afterthe75 percentisdeductedtopaybacktheoil company,Guyanathenshares50/50 of the 25 percent remaining with Exxon as profits This amounts to 125 percent of profits from the operations

Also, under the signed deal, Guyana has agreed to, under the taxation provisions, to pay ExxonMobil’s share of Corporation and Income Tax As such it would mean, that Guyana foregoes each year,billionsofUSdollars Ontopof

this, documentation to this effect is then provided to the US based company allowing it to not have to payanytaxesinitshomecountryfor itsearningsoverseas Lallhasargued that instead of approving more US multi-billion projects for the oil giants, the Government of Guyana shouldmakeuseoftheclauseinthe contractwhichallowspolicymakers to bring ExxonMobil and its partners back to the table to work out better terms to benefit the Guyanesepeoplejustasmuchasthe oilcompanieshavebeenbenefiting.

Kaieteur News had highlighted that the provision obtains at Article 132 of the PSAbut comes with the caveat - the renegotiations and happens only with a signed written agreementbetweenalloftheparties involved Accordingtothatprovision inthePSA,commonlyreferredtoas the contract, “This Agreement shall not be amended or modified in respect except by written agreement entered into by all the parties which shall state the date upon which the amendment or modifications shall becomeeffective”

The reflective cones placed by the Ministry of Public Works

Guru Pujya Rajan Jee (5th from left) and a part of his delegation on a visit to the popular Kaieteur Falls

Brazil's Lula puts Ukraine peace on his agenda in China

(Reuters) - President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva departed Brazil on Tuesday foranofficialvisittoChina, where he aims to convince PresidentXiJinpingtoform agroupofnationstomediate an end to Russia's war with Ukraine.

Lula's visit, postponed from March for health reasons, aims to reset relationswithBrazil'slargest trade partner following a frosty four years under his far-right predecessor Jair Bolsonaro.

Lula is also seeking to put Brazil back on the international stage after a period of relative isolation by Bolsonaro, who spurned his country's traditional role in multilateral forums and drew criticism for not protecting the Amazon rainforest.

When he meets Xi on Friday,Lulahassaidhewill suggest a proposal to mediatepeacetalksbetween Russia and Ukraine, an initiative that among Western leaders has only been welcomed by French President Emmanuel Macron.

"I am convinced that bothUkraineandRussiaare waiting for someone else to say,'Let'ssitdownandtalk,'" Lula told journalists last week.

Lula has suggested a peace solution could be the return of newly invaded territory, though not Crimea - an option that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has rejected outright.

For his initiative to advance, Lula needs China tosendamessagetoRussia, said a European diplomat in Brasilia.

"Lula knows that China is the only country Russia will listen to," said the diplomat, speaking on condition of anonymity and adding: "People are waiting toseeifitgetssometraction from other countries, like FranceandGermany."

Lula's foreign policy adviser Celso Amorim flew toMoscowinMarchtopush for peace talks, and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov will visit Brasilia on April17.

Before arriving in Beijing, Lula will visit Shanghai to attend the inauguration of former Brazilian President Dilma RousseffasheadoftheNew DevelopmentBanksetupin

2014bytheBRICSgroupof major emerging economies: Brazil, Russia, India, China, andSouthAfrica.

Lula's trip to China was originally scheduled for the last week of March but postponed after he caught pneumonia.

"The fact that President Lula is to lead a large delegation to China for a

besignedincludecreationof a sixth satellite in a joint program started in 1988, which will be used for monitoring the Amazon, Brazil's foreign ministry said.Brazil is also expecting Chinatosetupafundtohelp with forest recovery and sustainable development in Brazil, including green hydrogen production, Silva

on high tension electricity transmission lines and oil production.

During the Bolsonaro presidency, many Chinese companies paused plans with the federal government

andinsteadpushedaheadon business with state governments, especially in the less affluent northeast where Lula's Workers Party isstrongest.

By 2021, investment by

ChinesecompaniesinBrazil recovered to the level of 2017, according to the China-Brazil Business Council, which forecasts steady growth in coming years.

state visit soon after his recovery fully reflects the great importance China and Brazilattachtothisvisitand to the development of bilateral relations," Chinese f o r e i g n m i n i s t r y spokesperson Wang Wenbin saidonTuesday

Lula will travel with a delegation of eight cabinet ministers, including Environment Minister Marina Silva, and five governors from Brazil's northeastern states, including Bahia, where a Chinese consortium is building a record-breaking bridge.

Some 20 agreements to

toldReuters.

Brazilian planemaker Embraer SA (EMBR3.SA) maysignadealforthesaleof 20 commercial jets to a Chinese airline, two people familiarwiththemattersaid, endingthecompany'sdearth of new business in China since the 2016 closure of a joint venture at a factory in Harbin.

China overtook the United States as Brazil's top tradingpartnerin2009andis amajormarketforBrazilian soybeans, iron ore and oil. Brazil is now the largest recipient of Chinese investment in Latin America,drivenbyspending

Brazil's President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva holds the hand of Vice President Geraldo Alckmin as he boards to China in Brasilia, Brazil April 11, 2023. Ricardo Stuckert/Handout via REUTERS

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VolcanoeruptsinRussianfareast, followedbyanearthquake

(Reuters)-OneofRussia’s mostactivevolcanoeserupted on the far eastern Kamchatka peninsula on Tuesday, shooting a vast cloud of ash farintotheskythatsmothered villages in drifts of grey volcanic dust and triggered an aviationwarning.

The Shiveluch volcano eruptedjustaftermidnightand reached a crescendo about six hourslater,spewingoutanash cloud over an area of 108,000 square kilometres (41,700 squaremiles),accordingtothe Kamchatka Branch of the RussianAcademyofSciences’ GeophysicalSurvey

Lava flows tumbled from thevolcano,meltingsnowand prompting a warning of mud flows along a nearby highway whilevillageswerecarpetedin drifts of grey ash as deep as

8.5 centimetres (3.5 inches), the deepest in 60 years.

Pictures showed the cloud billowing over the forests and rivers of the far east and of villages covered in ash.

“The ash reached 20 kilometreshigh,theashcloud moved westwards and there was a very strong fall of ash on nearby villages,” said Danila Chebrov, director of the Kamchatka branch of the GeophysicalSurvey

“The volcano was preparing for this for at least a year... and the process is continuing though it has calmedalittlenow,”Chebrov said. Around 24 hours after the volcano began erupting, a 5.8 magnitude earthquake struck off the coast of Kamchatka, the geological survey said. Russian scientists said the quake was anaftershockfromanApril3 earthquake.

saidthelavaflowsshouldnot reachlocalvillages.

Therewerenoimmediate reports of casualties, though scientists said the volcano was still erupting 15 hours after the start of the eruption.

DRIFTS OF ASH

seen here with my own eyes, it will be impossible for children to go to school, and in general, the presence of children here is questionable,” Bondarenko said.

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About300,000peoplelive on Russia’s vast Kamchatka peninsula,whichjutsintothe Pacific Ocean northeast of Japan.

The volcano, one of Kamchatka’s largest and most active, would probably calm now, Chebrov said, though he cautioned that furthermajorashcloudscould not be excluded. Chebrov

The Kamchatka Volcanic Eruption Response Team (KVERT) issued a red notice foraviation,saying“ongoing activity could affect international and low-flying aircraft”.

Some schools on the peninsula, about 6,800 km east of Moscow, were closed and residents ordered to stay indoors, head of the UstKamchatskymunicipalregion Oleg Bondarenko said in a Telegrampost.

“BecausewhatIhavejust

He said residents’ power had been restored and drinking water was being supplied.

Shiveluch has had an estimated 60 substantial eruptions in the past 10,000 years,thelastmajoronebeing in2007.Ithastwomainparts, the smaller of which -Young Shiveluch - scientists have reported as being extremely active in recent months, with apeakof2,800metres(9,186 feet)thatprotrudesoutofthe 3,283 metre-high Old Shiveluch.

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Medical Inspector – Appointment, Powers, and Duties

InkeepingwiththisAct:-

v theMinistermay,by notice published in the Gazette, designate a sufficient numberofregisteredmedical practitioners to be medical inspectors for any of the purposes of this Act;

v where there is no medicalinspectorforanestablishment, the Government medicalofficerfortherelevantdistrict shall be the medical inspector;

v the medical inspector has powers to inspect the generalregisterandtoinvestigate and report on any case of death, injury or any case of occupational disease.

v the medical inspector under this section has all the powers of an inspector; and

v the Minister may direct that regulations be made regarding the functions and duties of the medical inspector(Sections15and16).

Periodic Reports: Every medical inspector is required to make an annual report in the prescribed form to the Authority as to the examinationmadeorotherdutiesperformed under this Act (Section19).

TechnicalExaminers:The Ministermayappointsuitably qualifiedtechnicalpersonsto examine equipment, drawings, plans or specifications ofanyworkplace(Section20).

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Ex-policeman charged for obtaining money by false pretense

An ex-member of the Guyana Police Force (GPF) was on Tuesday charged for defrauding a womanofover$2M.

Thedefendantwasidentifiedas46-year-oldPaul Watson, who made his court appearance at the Leonora Magistrate's Court and was charged with fourcountsofintenttodefraud.

It is alleged that Watson between 2019 and 2020 claimedthathewasstillapolicemanandwasableto file a notice appeal on her behalf. The woman paid him a total of $2.7M to make the transaction but Watsonneverdidso.Thematterwasreportedandan investigationwaslaunched. Watsonhaspleadednot guilty to the charges and was granted a total bail of $1.3M.

The defendant is expected to return to court on May15,2023.

Charged with four counts of intent to defraud,Paul Watson

Chile lawmakers vote to reduce work week from 45 to 40 hours

( A P ) C h i l e ' s Congress on Tuesday overwhelmingly approved a bill to reduce the work week from45to40hoursoverfive years, a decision hailed by the left-wing government as a breakthrough for workers' rights.The measure passed the lower house 127-14, after being unanimously approvedbytheSenatethree weeks ago President Gabriel Boric, who took office in March 2022 after making the measure a campaign promise, was expected to sign it into law before May 1.“Yes, changes can be made to advance workers' rights,” Labor

Minister Jeannette Jara said after the vote, which came six years after the law was initially presented.It was the second time Chile has reduced its work week. The first was in 2005, when it wascutfrom48to45hours.

Ana Camayo, a 54-yearold manicurist who works in

a department store, said “the law is fantastic for women over 30 who have children,” referring to herself and her colleagues. She said the extra free time will be spent withherfamily

The reduced work week initially was proposed by communist lawmakers in

2017, but the proposal languished for years. New momentum came after about 200 roundtable sessions between workers and employers of large, medium andsmallcompaniesandthe government The law is

intended to allow Chilean workers to be “more rested and happy,” said opposition lawmakerEmiliaSchneider

Once signed by Boric, the law will be applied in three stages: the first year, the work week will be

reducedto44hours,thethird year to 42, and the fifth year to 40. Employers will have the option of reducing work hoursaheadofschedule.

Chile will join Ecuador, which already has a 40-hour workweek.

Jamaica sweep

as 50th CARIFTA Games end in Nassau

SportsMax - Jamaica swept all four 4x400m relaysonthefinaldayofthe th50 editionoftheCARIFTA Games at the Thomas A. Robinson Stadium in NassauonMonday

First, Jamaica's quartet Breana Brown, Jody-Ann Daley, Rosalee Gallimore and Rhianna Lewis comfortably won the Under-17 Girls section in 3:43 43 More than seven seconds behind in second were Barbados (3:50 94) while the Bahamas were thirdin3:51.60.

The team of Demarco B e n n e t t , N i c k e c o y Bramwell, Deandre Gayle, Kenrick Sharpe combined to run 3:19.04 to win the Under-17 Boys section

ahead of the Bahamas (3:20.47) and Trinidad & Tobago(3:23.74).

To

Kacian Powell, Abigail Campbell combined to

dominate the Under-20 Girls section in 3:33 35 Trinidad & Tobago f i n i s h e d a d i s t a n t second in 3:44.19 while the Bahamas were third in 3:47.68.

J a s a u n a D e n n i s , Roshawn Clarke, Delano Kennedy and Malique Smith-Band combined to run 3:07.68 for victory in the Under-20 Boys section aheadofTrinidad&Tobago (3:09 97) and Grenada (3:10.59).

Individually,Trinidad & Tobago's Tafari Waldron took gold in the Under-20 Boys 5000m in 15:33.38 ahead of Bermuda's Kahzi Sealey (15:37.56) and Jake Brislane(15.45.84).

In the field, Jamaican

Wednesday April 12, 2023

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World Under-20 record holder Jaydon Hibbert jumped 16.11m to retain his Under-20 triple jump title ahead of the Bahamas' Laquan Ellis (14.92m) and Guyana's Trevon Hamer (14.89m).

Under-20 400m hurdles winner, Jamaica's Roshawn Clarke, who became only thesecondmantorununder 50 seconds at CARIFTA, was named theAustin Sealy Award winner as the meet's mostoutstandingathlete.

From page 29

Transport CC for 185 runs in 39.5 overs. GCC won 58 runs to c l a i m t h e 2 0 2 3

GCB/GOG/MCYS U-19 BOYS Inter-ClubSuper-50title.

G C B h e l d a b r i e f presentation ceremony after the match which saw Mavindra Dindyal collecting the Man of the Match award for his 146 runs.ChampionshipTrophywas also presented to the GCC U19 team for winning the competition, while Transport U19 Boys settled for runners-up trophy

Djokovic recovers...

From page 28 win against Kazakhstan's AlexanderBublik.

Spain's Nadal, who triumphed a record 11 times at the Monte Carlo Country Club, is absent after failing to recover from a hip injury that has kept him away from the courts since the Australian Open His compatriot Carlos Alcaraz is also missing the tournament withhandandbackproblems. Later yesterday, second seed Stefanos Tstitsipas was set to take on Frenchman Benjamin Bonzi.

From page 30 success since taking over as captain."We've been very clear with the ground-staff around England about what type of wickets we want and they've been very responsive to us, which is good," Stokes said on Sky Sports on Tuesday“We want fast, flat wickets. We want togooutthereandscorequickly I'm smiling because I'm looking forward to it."There's no point changing just because we're coming into an Ashes series. EveryplayerknowstheAshesis where everything ramps up a bit -pressure,exposure,allkindsof stuff-butwe'lljustkeepsticking to what we do."Stokes has spoken frequently of his willingness to lose in pursuit of victory

He pushed that philosophy to the brink against New Zealand in February when Englandlosttheseriesdeciderin Wellington by one run having declared their first innings and enforcedthefollow-on.

A draw would have settled the series in England's favour but Stokes said he would not settle for stalemate, even with theAshesontheline.

"Hold me to it. Every game I play this summer will be to producearesult,"hesaid.

"I'm not going to change anything just because it's the Ashes. I'm not going to change for anything or any situation, because then I'm not being true to myself and what I've done overthelastyear."

Jamaica's victorious Under-20 Boys 4x400m team of (from left) Malique Smith-Band, Delano Kennedy, Jasauna Dennis and Roshawn Clarke.

4x400m relays, Hibbert defends triple jump title

England skipper...

Djokovic recovers from stuttering start to reach Monte Carlo round three

(Reuters) - Novak

Djokovic briefly ran into a spot of bother as he fought his way into the third round of the Monte Carlo Masters with a 7-6(5) 6-2 victory against Russian qualifier IvanGakhovyesterday

The world number one, who had not played since early March when he reached the final in Dubai after being forced to skip Indian Wells and Miami because of his COVID unvaccinated status,

struggledtofindhisrangeon the Monte Carlo clay before prevailing on a sunlit centre court.

Gakhov went for his shots and claimed the first service break to lead 4-3, only for the Serbian to break right back and take the opening set by winning the tiebreak7-5.

Djokovic was then business like in the second set, leaving no chance of a comeback for his opponent, who suddenly felt the court

wastoobigforhim.

The double French Open champion, who suffered an opening-round exit here last year, will next face Lorenzo Musetti or the 16th seed's Italian compatriot Luca Nardi.

German Alexander Zverev, who suffered a serious ankle injury in his French Open semi-final clash against Rafael Nadal, was back on the claycourts witha3-66-26-4first-round (Continued on page 27)

Serbia's Novak Djokovic in action during his second round match against Russia's Ivan Gakhov. (REUTERS/Eric Gaillard)

Dindyal's ton powers GCC to GCB's U19 Inter Club title

Th e G u y a n a Cricket Board ( G C B ) , Government of Guyana (GOG), Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sports (MCYS) Demerara leg of the 2023 Boys Under-19 Inter-Club Super-50 cricket tournament concluded yesterday at the Georgetown Cricket Club (GCC)ground,Bourda.

Thematchwasreducedto 40 overs per side due to overnight showers Play eventually got on the way about 11:00 hours, Transport U19 Boys won the toss and sentthehostintobat.

BattingfirstGCCnumber three batter Mavindra Dindyal top scored with a magnificent 145 runs (10x4 and 5x6), while Captain ZackeryJodahstrokedasolid 29 to help his side to 242-6 with Riyad Latiff and Shaquan Walters finishing with 2-41 and 2-24 respectively for Transport CC. Transport CC fell short in the run chase at 185-10 with Omari Lalbachan, Rivaldo Phillips and Krisan Singh taking 3 wickets apiece.

The GCC opening batters were greeted with some fiery length bowling from

Nehemiah Hohenkirk and ShaquanWalters at the top of the innings.At the end of the seventhovertheyalreadylost both their openers with the score21-2.

Walters got the upper hand of Sachin James in his first over; trapping him in front his stumps (LBW) for 2 runs.

The fall of that wicket broughtMavindraDindyalto thecreaseat6-1,Dindyalwas coming off of a magnificent double century against Agricola followed by a

brilliant half century against Peters Hall. The confident right-handed batter looked solidatthestartofhisinnings immediately getting off the mark with a single to the onside.

Marlon Ramsurace later departed; edging a delivery from Nehemiah Hohenkirk through to the wicketkeeper (Shiloh Adams) Rivaldo Phillips was the next wicket to fall; out caught by Jeremiah Hohenkirk at backward point position, GCCnow24-3.

But Dindyal and Zackary Jodah got going, putting together a solid partnership of 94 runs. Dindyal got to

overs remaining. He was eventually dismissed on 146 runs caught at cover in the 39th over as GCC posted 242-6 from their allotted 40 overs.

In reply to GCC 242, Transport U19 Boys got off to a bit of a shaky start losing two early wickets within the first five overs Shemar Apple and Alvin Mohabir met at the crease, together they pushed Transport CC to 51-2aftertheeleventhover

However, GCC managed to swing the game back in theirfavour;removingApple for 18 runs as Transport CC moved to 66-3 from 15th overs. Malicah Griffith had a

another half century with a lofted straight-drive for four runsinthe21stover GCC lost their fourth wicket; Jodah attempting to go for an expansive drive only to get a thick edge through to slip off the bowling of Riyad Latif. He added29runstoGCC'stotal, GCC now 118-4. Dindyal excellent shot selection got him to his second century in the competition in the 32nd over Helaternudgedintohis aggressive mood after reaching his century taking 18runsoffofthe36thoverto propel GCC to 229-5 with 2

decent eight over spell; 0-30 runs off his eight overs. Jeremiah Hohenkirk played goodforhis53runsbeforehe was caught on the long-on boundary by Zackery Jodah. Transport CC now required toget69runsfrom4.2overs. Mohabir came back to bat at the fall of Jeremiah Hohenkirk'swicketbutdidn't last too long before he was stumped for 58 runs, Transport CC now found themselves at 184-6. GCC bowlers got on top of the game;takingfourwicketsfor onlyoneruntodismiss

(Continued on page 27)

Mavindra Dindyal advances down the track during his knock of 146.

GCC U19 team pose with championship trophy at the conclusion of the GCB inter club Super50 competition.

Mavindra Dindyal collects his Man of the Match award.

Guyana 5 overall at CARIFTA Games - Team in care of Guyana Government

By Rawle Toney

Team Guyana finished fifth on the final medal standing at the justconcluded CARIFTA Games

in Nassau, Bahamas, after securing eight medals at the three-daychampionships.

Three gold, two silver andthreebronzesawGuyana finishing behind overall

winners Jamaica since the athletes from the Land of Wood and Water had 78 medals(40gold,22silver,16 bronze).

HostnationBahamaswas

second on the table with 46 medals(10gold,13silver,23 bronze), Trinidad and Tobago ended in the third positionwith31medals(nine gold, 10 silver, 12 bronze), whileStKittsandNeviswere fourth(11medals–fivegold, twosilver,fourbronze).

The US Virgin Islands (3), Barbados (10), Grenada (10), Guadeloupe (8) and Belize(2)roundedoffthetop 10 at the event that featured 22countries.

Anisha Gibbons earned the title of 'Javelin Queen' after the New Mexico Junior College athlete earned her third gold medal in consecutive CARIFTA Games.

Tianna Springer had one of the games' most memorable performances when she came from behind towinthegirl'sU17400m.

Guyana's third Gold Medal came from Javon Roberts, who ran a clinical and well-timed 800m to win theboysU17category Roberts had also won silver in the boy's U17 1500m, while the country's other silver medal at the games came from Attoya Harvey in the Girl's 3000m open.

Trevon Hamer (Boys U20 Triple Jump), Seon Booker(BoysU201500)and Ezekiel Saul (Boys U17 Triple Jump) are the bronze

England skipper Stokes wants fast pitches for Ashes showdown

AFP - England captain Ben Stokes has warned Australia that he has asked for "fast, flat wickets" to take the attack to the Ashes holders laterthisyear

StokesishopingtoleadEngland to their first Test series victory over Australiasince2015andhebelieves pitchconditionswillbecrucial.

The all-rounder wants groundsmen at Edgbaston, Lord's, Old Trafford, Headingley and The Oval -- the five venues staging AshesTests--toproducethekindof quick pitches that will allow Englandtousetheaggressivegameplanhehasdeployedwithgreat (Continued on page 27)

medallists.

Meanwhile, Kaieteur News understands that the athletes would've missed their connecting flight in Cubaafterarrivinglateonthe Spanish-speaking Island on a Government of Guyanaarranged charter flight from TheBahamas.

Information received states that the athletes and officials are in Cuba, accommodated at the expense of the Guyana Government.

Flights, Kaieteur Sports understands, are currently being arranged with Inter Caribbean and Caribbean Airlines to bring the contingentbacktoGuyana.

England captain Ben Stokes

GCB/GOG/MCYS Under-19 Inter-County begins today

The Guyana Cricket

B o a r d ( G C B ) , Government of Guyana (GOG) and Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sport (MCYS) sponsored Super-50 Under-19 Tournament is scheduled to commence today, Wednesday, April12,2023.

This Under-19 Inter-County

Tournament follows the

GCB/GOG/MCYS Nationwide Super-50Inter-ClubTournament.

Essequibo and Demerara have bothcompletedtheirmatchesatthe county stage level with Berbice currently at the play-off stage which would be completed immediately following the GCB Under-19 Inter-County Three-Day Tournament which would start on Tuesday,April18.

The GCB Under-19 InterCounty three-day tournament will be played immediately after the third round of the Inter-County Super-50tournament.

Several prominent junior players will be on show, notably Rampertab Ramnauth, Mavendra Dindyal, Isai Thorne, Jonathan Rampersaud, Zeynul Ramsammy, Shamar Yearwood, Gulcharan ChulaiandAlvinMohabir Allhave had national experience and in the caseofRamnauth,Dindyal,Thorne and Chulai, were members of a Cricket West Indies (CWI) Under19 Emerging players camp held in Antigualastmonth.

Berbice team will be captained by Rampersaud, Dindyal will lead Demerara, Aaryan Persaud has been named captain of Essequibo, while Chandrapaul Ramraj has be given the responsibility of leading theGCBSelectXI.

Today Essequibo face Berbice

at GCC, while, the GCB Select XI will play Demerara at Everest. On Friday, April 14, 2023, Demerara play Berbice at GCC while GCB Select XI will face Essequibo at Everest.

Thethirdandfinalroundwillbe played on Sunday, April 16 with Demerara versus Essequibo at Everest and Berbice playing the GCB Select XI at Enmore Live streaming will be done at one venue for each round of the GCB/GOG/ M C Y S Under-19

Inter-County S u p e r - 5 0 tournament B e r b i c e s q u a d : J o n a t h a n R a m p e r s a u d ( C a p t a i n ) , Rampertab Ramnauth ( V i c e - C a p t a i n ) , Tomanni Caesar, Hemendra G u r d y a l , Z e y n u l

Ramsammy, Mahendra

Gopilall, Trevor Sukhu, Romesh

Bharrat, Jeremy Sandia, Isai

Thorne, Ayinde Rogers, Sanjay

Algoo,LeonCecil,SalimKhanand AvishkarBeharry

The Head Coach is Leslie SolomonandManagerisLawrence Mentis.

Demerara squad: Mavindra

Dindyal (Captain), Alvin Mohabir (Vice-Captain), Deonarine

Dindyal,LawrencePellew,Shamar Yearwood, Anthony Khan, Rezekeil Renee, Jadon Campbell, Anthony Lim, Rudranauth

Kissoon, Krisna Singh, Zachary Jodah, Rivaldo Phillips, Sasenarine

Harricharran and NehemiahHonenkirk.

The Head Coach is Richie Looknauth and Manager is Puneeth Jaigopaul.

Essequibo squad:

A a r y a n P e r s a u d (Captain), Shahid Viera, Harold Demattos, Rajendra Ramballi, Thaddeus Lovell, Shazzif Mohamed, Ronaldo Schouten, Quency Sampson, Andres Fraser, Gulcharran Chulai, Joash Charles, Bruce Vincent, Mahem Khan, Mohandass Surajpaul and Jermineo Rodrigues. The Head

Coach is Antony Adams and ManagerisYogeshwarLall.

GCB Select XI squad: Chanderpaul Ramraj (Captain), RashadGaffur,MarlonRamsurace, Sarwan Bisram, Sachin Balgobin, Kevin Kisten, Jahesh Dowlatram,

Matthew Pottoya, Ajay Gainda, Nityanand Mathura, Shiv Harripersaud, Dillon Ramsaroop, Natron Gill, Zahid Mohamed, EzekielWilson.TheHeadCoachis Winston Smith and Manager is KumarBishundial.

Mixed fortunes for Guyana at Jr Pan Am Hockey C/Chips

- Guyanese men grabs win against Barbados; women struggle in loss to Canada

Part of the action between Guyana and Canada in the women's Jr Pan Am Hockey C/Chip.

(Photo Credit: Pan Am Hockey)

DBy Rawle Toney

ay Two of the Junior Pan Am H o c k e y Championships in Barbados, saw the Guyanese male and female teams earning mixed results.

Though impressive on opening day, the men's team fell 0-3 to a sturdy USAlineup, but after heading back to the drawing board, Coach Robert F e r n a n d e s ' t r o o p s p r o d u c e d a m a t c hwinning performance, thanks to a lone goal from ShaquanFavorite,asGuyana walked away with a 1 – 0 victory over the home team (Barbados).

Favorite scored a field goal in the 13th minute, and while the team had several o t h e r g o a l - s c o r i n g opportunities, they settled for a single strike and three points.

Guyana's final Group B match is against Canada tomorrow

TheCanadiansareontop of the table with a superior goal difference than the Guyanese and the USA, having won their opening match 6 – 0 against Barbados.

The USA are second followingtheir3–0winover Guyana, while the men from the Land of ManyWaters are third on the table with a -2 goaldifference.

M e a n w h i l e , t h e G u y a n e s e w o m e n , competing at the tournament for the first time, went down 0-12toCanadayesterday

In an interview with Kaieteur News before their departure, Coach Phillip Fernandes said the Guyana HockeyBoard'sexpectations of the women are “modest” while calling their participation this year “very

i m p o r t a n t f o r t h e development of sustenance ofthegame.”

“When our junior athletes are robbed the opportunity of playing internationals, by the time they get to the senior level, they are so far behind in terms of experience with the other senior players with which they come up against and that it is a disadvantage to us in a lot of ways,” Fernandessaid.

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

The women will play Barbados today, followed by their final Pool B game on April14againstChile.

Rampertab Ramnauth

Isai Thorne

Shamar Yearwood

Mavendra Dindyal

Alvin Mohabir

Fraser-Pryce confirmed for 2023 Kip th Keino Classic in Nairobi on May 13

SportsMax - Five-time World 100m champion Shelly-Ann Fraser-Prycewillcontestthe100mattheKipKeinoClassicatthe th KasaraniStadiuminNairobi,KenyaonMay13

th On April 29 , Fraser-Pryce will open her season at the BotswanaGoldenGrandPrixbefore,twoweekslater,returningto the meet where, last year, she opened her season with a blistering 10.67.That race started a phenomenal season for the three-time Olympic champion which saw her produce a record seven times fasterthan10.70including10.67towinherfifthWorld100mtitle inEugeneinJuly

Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce (World Athletics)

Guyana's Archers to begin campaign at IX Copa Merengue in Santo Domingo

DCB's “Friends of Demerara Cricket Fund” gains momentum with support from

Sunita Travel Agency

The Board of Directors of Archery Guyana reported on very exciting news with two of their members, namely Wayne DeAbreuandDevinPersaudPermaul,who will be participating in the IX Copa Merengue, in Santo Domingo, Dominican RepubliconApril11-15,2023.

The Copa Merengue is a World Ranking Event and will be the Second Qualifier Tournament for the Pan Am Games. Thetournamentwillbeheldatthe

Archery Facility at the Parque del Este Sports ComplexinSantoDomingo.

Withtheirparticipation,thisalsoaddstotheir worldranking.

Secretary-General of Archery Guyana, Nicholas Hing, reported on the even further interesting news about this particular competition, which will see our two Archers battlingforthehigherscoresincethatpersonwill be granted the lone invitational spot at the upcomingCACGames.

Final round bowls off today CWI Rising Stars U15 Tournament…

The Cricket West Indies (CWI)RisingStarsUnder-15 Tournament enters its final round today as the six teams all contest their fifth match at threevenuesacrossAntigua.

Guyana are fixed to take onBarbadosatLibertaSports Club, Jamaica oppose Windward Islands at the Sir VivianRichardsStadiumand Trinidad and Tobago battle Leeward Islands at the

9:30 hrs.In the last round Guyana got past Leeward Islands, Barbados defeated Windward Islands and T&T trouncedJamaica.

At Liberta, Guyana routed Leeward Islands for 53 runs from 28.2 overs to completea101-runvictory

Razam Koobir (28) and Shane Prince (22) top scored for Guyana as the posted 154 all out in 36.5 overs. For

JaheemClarkesnagged3-21.

Leeward Islands never got going in reply as Arun Gainda led the bowling attack with 3-13 to propel Guyanatotheirsecondwinin fourmatches.

Trinidad and Tobago are on course to lift the title this season with an undefeated run of four wins, Guyana, Windward Islands and Leeward Islands all have two and

Sunita Travel Agency is on board with the Demerara Cricket Board's initiative “Friends of Demerara Cricket Fund”.Thisnewinitiativewaslaunched recently and the popular TravelAgency out of 131-20 Liberty Avenue, Richmond Hill, Queens, NY, USA(Tel: 7187381700orWhatsAppnumber347 804 9213) is the third business entity to provide support following Gafoors of Guyana and KW Logistics and Bus Services. The aim is to raise funds to cushion the cost of its junior Inter Association Cricket Tournaments in particular Funds will also be used to fulfilltheboardsmandatetodevelopthe gameanditsplayers.

The Demerara Cricket Board is aggressively embarking on playing cricket competitions at all levels, from under13 to Senior male and female. Training programmes for coaches and cricketers, seminars for managers, book, board and electronic scorers, match referees etc will be done. Academies for junior players will also be held across the fiveSubAssociations.

At a simple but significant ceremony held recently, Naresh Seegobin of Sunita Travel Agency presented the cheque to Bissoondyal Singh, President of Demerara Cricket Board. Seegobin said that he is delighted to be part of the development of young people, through cricket in particular. Singh, in response, expressed his gratitude and indicated that these funds will be used to conduct the boards 2023 youth programmes in particular. The President urged Guyanese inandoutofGuyanatosupporttheTravel Agency so that they can continue to contribute to the development of Demerara, Guyana and West Indies

cricket.

Sunita Travel Agency now joins hardware giantGafoorsofGuyanaandKWLogisticsand BusService.Totaldonatedtodate:$460,000.

The DCB, while in negotiations with several sponsors, some of which approvals already been secured, recognizes the limited sponsorship dollars available resulting in this new innovation. The Demerara Cricket Board encourages private individuals, private businesses and Corporate Guyana to support thisinitiativeandplaceDemeraraCrickettoits former dominance. We assure accountability for the funds and widespread coverage in the print and electronic media. Point to note sponsorship for sports and to charitable organizations can enjoy tax breaks as the Law allows.

Anyone who is willing to support this project can make contact with Bissoondyal Singh, President on 623 0055, Davteerth Anandjit, Secretary on 617 8502, Vicky Bharosay,Treasureron6520947,AnilBeharry, Marketing Manager on 623 6875 or any other Executive Member of the Demerara Cricket Board. The board looks forward for your support.

Wayne DeAbreu (left) and Devin Permaul will be representing Guyana at the tournament.

Sunita Seegobin, Owner and CEO, Sunita Travel Agency

Trinidad and Tobago are undefeated after four rounds.

Guyana's Daniel Woolford and Jobari Lovell chasing Barbados' Cekae Husbands-Forte during their Jr Pan Am Hockey C/Chip match.

Guyana's athletes, coaches and management team following the th conclusion of the 50 CARIFTA Games in the Bahamas. (Newsroom photo). management