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Sunday April 24, 2022

Govt.’s timeline for review of Exxon’s oil projects makes it impossible for proper reviews to be done - Experts

By Kiana Wilburg I s t h e P P P / C Government hell-bent on dancing to the tune of ExxonMobil no matter the cost to the nation?

That’s the question several industry experts have been asking themselves after observing that the government had explicitly asked hired contractors to review the Payara and Ye l l o w t a i l F i e l d Development Plans in 42 and 52 days respectively.

For both projects, the administration utilised two contractors—Bayphase Consultancy from the UK and the Alison Redford Group out of Canada.

With respect to the Payara FDP review, Redford was directly contracted and paid via a grant from the Canadian High Commission to conduct the review in six weeks. She was hired for the job even though she has no known track record in doing

same for years in the interest of States with similar production fields. Kaieteur News had also reported that the terms of reference for the Payara review were also a secret. All that remains known is that she was hired to review the Payara FDP, a job that was initially started

by Bayphase under the Granger administration.

Despite promises to be transparent, Vice President, D r. B h a r r a t J a g d e o ; President, Irfaan Ali; and Natural Resources Minister, Vickram Bharrat have failed thus far to make Redford’s report on Payara, available for public scrutiny.

As for the Yellowtail Project, the nation was only told Redford was part of the process until the production licence was awarded. Prior to that, the government had pursued an open bidding process and ExxonMobil’s client, Bayphase, was selected for the review process. Industry experts

were alarmed when they subsequently learned that Redford was involved all along.

Significantly, analysts have said that the short timeframe which the government imposes on contractors makes it impossible for any proper review to be done. “It is as though the intention was for there to be no proper due diligence; just give the appearance that something is being done and hurry it through,” commented one analyst.

Kaieteur News previously reported that a Field Development Plan is one of the most critical documents governments assess before granting companies permission to move ahead with oil projects.

Given the importance of this document, numerous industry experts have said the government must ensure proper due diligence is done

by way of experienced professionals. It is on this very principle that they have expressed grave concern about Guyana’s use of Alison Merrilla Redford, a Canadian lawyer and former politician.

More than a dozen industry experts who have experience reviewing FDPs said emphatically no proper review can be done in 42 or 52 days.

S p e c i f i c a l l y, o n e industry expert said, “For most FPDs, you have over 100 items to check. That is why a proper review takes a year and change, sometimes longer depending on project size. In the first instance, the government must have its own FDP guidelines on minimum requirements they expect from the company.

That should be public. This is needed because citizens would better understand the standards the administration is setting for companies to abide by. The North Sea

Alison Merrilla Redford, a Canadian lawyer and former politician Tr a n s i t i o n A u t h o r i t y (NTSA) does this. That authority regulates and influences the oil, gas and carbon storage industries of the UK Continental Shelf.”

The NSTA clearly states via its guidelines on its website that all FDPs must provide a clear explanation why the development

concept being presented is considered optimum from a technical, environmental and economic perspective.

The authority also requires that companies set out the commitments they will follow to ensure enhanced oil recovery and sound development. The expert Continued on page 3

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

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

EDITORIAL

Updated oil laws helpful but what of people, financing, tools We support any continuing updating of oil laws already on the books, but on the condition that such modernising represents actual progress, is the full package. The interests of all citizens, those owning this wealth, must always be of the highest priority. From the record, Guyanese political leaders have grown very skilled at projecting that they are all for those local interests. Yet, the reality is that Guyanese have still haemorrhaged through the nose, eyes, ears, and mouth, after all these updating of laws have been finalised and made official. Somehow, we end up in a worse state, instead of the imagined better that didnt come to pass.

When there is updating of laws locally, leading political figures proudly take centre stage and make speeches intended to inspire confidence, build trust, and pretend to get the best out of whatever is the primary issue under consideration for Guyanese. We will say this in the frankest terms: they lie. Our political leaders have lied and misled and abused the faith placed in them. They do so below the surface, which they get away with for a time, until some Guyanese get wiser as to what is really going on with the updated laws below the surface. This usually occurs when some scrutineers dig deep enough and lay bare the loopholes deliberately left for the resourceful to exploit and bypass the seemingly strict requirements (on paper) of the law. We say on paper because updated laws, be such of oil or forestry or the environment, are there for sure, sometimes in reasonably acceptable forms. But it is what follows afterwards that confirms the effectiveness and usefulness of the laws. When there are just there for display on a shelf in some state agencys library then they have no meaning, might as well have been spared the effort and expense to bring them into existence. This is what has happened to a significant degree in Guyana, which facilitates influential insiders gaming the system by getting around them, as if they dont exist. Moreover, when the rules and regulations, with which organisational policies and procedures go hand in hand, are also largely left to gather dust in desk drawers, or to line walls, through lack of implementation and enforcement, then the original objectives of either protecting or benefiting the people who they were made for fall by the wayside. The original meanings, intents, and purposes of the updated laws, supposedly capturing the will of the people, are all defeated. There is still another note, another aspect of updated laws that should be given the fullest critical consideration. This time the focus is on the available hands and minds who will make the new laws work, the boots on the ground so to speak. The bodies must not just be there to take up space and satisfy bureaucratic numbers.

Rather, there must be the proven skills, credible credentials, supporting body of related work, and what is of priceless significance, the complementing courage and ethics to obtain the quantity and quality of results desired. Certainly, we have laws, and sometime soon may even have the kind of oil laws of which we could be justifiably proud. But this is where reality douses us with an icy bath. Where are the people to provide proper oversight, and to the most robust degree? Where are the state officers who are able and willing to enforce these laws on behalf of Guyanese with the fullness envisioned? Where are the types of people not beholden to political masters and who will draw the line?

Where is the appropriate financing to enable crucial institutions to deliver? What systems and technologies have we given them to do the sensitive work involved, perform at consistently high levels?

We can choke ourselves with more necessary laws, but it is time that we stop making total fools of ourselves. We cannot be about updating laws on a half-cocked, half-baked, and half-assed manner, like we do. We have to go the whole nine yards, with the corresponding cohort of skilled, dependable, and trustworthy officers to make those laws sing. When they do so for Guyanese, other people have to dance to our tune. Stop the games.

Sunday April 24, 2022

Send your letters to Kaieteur News, 24 Saffon Street, Charlestown, Georgetown or email us kaieteurnews@yahoo.com

The Payara and Yellowtail projects rapid approvals were huge mistakes DEAR EDITOR, Numerous pieces of anecdotal evidence indicate the Stabroek Blocks operation is a phenomenal cash generating machine. Public information allowed going beyond the anecdotal evidence and conservative computations were completed of the blocks cash generation.

The exceptional cash generation pays off the Liza1 and Liza 2 capital expenditures (CAPEX) by 2024. This rapid CAPEX payoff is advantageous to the Guyana Govern-

ment (GG). However, the government leaders give away the advantage with the rapid approval of production projects every 2-3 years. Upcoming paragraphs discuss discount cash computations further; the computations are used typically to evaluate project viability in the oil industry.

Recall, the Stabroek Blocks production sharing contract (PSC) dedicated to cost recovery 75 percent of oil production (likely adjusted for royalties), referred to as

Cost Oil. Part of Cost Oil paid the Stabroek Blocks operating expenses (OPEX) and the remaining Cost Oil repaid JV partnersexploration and development capital expenditures (CAPEX). When CAPEX is paid off, any remaining balance of Cost Oil left over after paying OPEX becomes part of Profit Oil to be shared equally between the GG and the JV partners.

The GG oil take is 14.25 percent when Cost Oil is used completely to pay OPEX and CAPEX. Computations de-

termined the GG oil take from the combined Liza 1 and Liza 2 production would be 42 percent in 2025 after CAPEX was paid off in 2024. A 42 percent take for the GG will never be realized in 2025 as US$19 billion of new CAPEX must be repaid starting in 2024 for the approved Payara and Yellowtail projects.

Note, the computed 42 percent take is not a static number but will decrease with decreasing oil production from the existing (Continued on page 5))

Sunday April 24, 2022

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Teach and empower our people DEAR EDITOR, Our country would benefit more from the implementation of the philosophy taught by the old Navajo proverb “Give a man a fish, and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime.”

This philosophy strengthens our people while ensuring that future generations have the knowledge to improve the financial independence of their families.

Less reliance on the government for handouts that may or may not be there in the future will help our villages become stronger through the

increase of self-reliance stemming from skill development that will generate economic activity at the local level.

Whatever comes from the government in addition to strong infrastructure, access to finances, good health care and access to export market contracts is icing on the cake.

All economic activity is sustained best via entrepreneurial activity that is nurtured and enabled by the Government. This will also increase employment, ensure increased use of local resources, increase innovation, and increase value creation via a strong multiplier in

wealth generation. The local content approach being taken provides an opportunity to strengthen skill development.

Some have argued that the government should not hand out funds to the population.

If economic theory holds true, then the multiplier effect from providing access to finances will increase economic activity and strengthen the local economy.

The reduction in imports will have to play a role in ensuring the local economy benefits from the increased spending, otherwise the economic multiplier will have a stronger impact overseas.

The Payara and Yellowtail projects...

From page 4 production platforms. Computations demonstrated the GG would have received in 2025, millions more barrels of oil from 42 percent of the combined Liza 1 and Liza 2 production compared with 14.25 percent of the combined Liza 1, Liza 2, Payara and Yellowtail production. Therefore, the Payara and Yellowtail projects rapid approvals were huge mistakes. Approval of production projects have to be strategic. A fifth platform should not be approved until Payara and Yellowtail CAPEX, along with any outstanding exploration expenditure has been repaid. After CAPEX repayment, the GG oil take would go up dramatically. The approval strategy for new production projects has to weigh the countrys oil take from the new production facility with the oil take from declining production from the existing production facilities.

Getting the oil out the ground fast before it is stuck is nonsensical and not a data driven strategy. Note with cash coming from Liza 1, Liza 2, Payara and Yellowtail, payoff of the

Payara and Yellowtail CAPEX will be very rapid.

US$60 per barrel price was used in the computations. Discounted cash was computed annually beginning in 2020 with key inputs of 1) annual production of the Liza platforms 2) OPEX for both Liza platforms and 3) discount rate. Information gleamed from the 2022 GG budget presentations allowed determination of the 2020 and 2021 annual oil production, as well as the 2022 budgeted production. Annual oil production for 2023 forward was determined by employing production decline curves. Liza 1 and Liza 2 total production was bounded by 500 million and 600 million oil barrels respectively, also publicly reported.

Break Even Point (BEP) was reported in the media as US$35 and US$25 per barrel for Liza 1 and Liza 2, respectively. With BEP known, Liza 1 and Liza 2 OPEXs can be determined using production depletion curves and a discount rate.

Actual production decline curves are unknown for Liza 1 and Liza 2 production wells.

Production decline curves were intentionally selected to underestimate annual oil production from 2023 forward and maximize the Liza 1 and Liza 2 OPEXs determinations.

Expectations would be the discount rate to be used in both the discount cash and OPEX computations would be the Gulf of Mexico (GOM) discount rate. OPEX and discount cash computations were completed for1) GOM discount rate 2) 125% GOM rate and 3) 150% GOM discount rate which would be a ridiculous number. The higher discount rates moved the payoff of Liza 1 and Liza2 CAPEX out by months rather than years.

Computations of discount cash from the Stabroek block were based on conservative inputs. The more likely reality is CAPEX will be paid off more rapidly than predicted by the current computations.

Why the GG leaders do not use this advantage of rapid CAPEX payoff to the countrys benefit remains a head scratcher.

Regards, D. C. Daly

As the government develops local infrastructure, the simultaneous capturing of export contracts in areas such as furniture, agriculture produce, fishing, food products and clothing becomes more important. These are just a few examples, but as local skill development increases with enabling infrastructure the value-added products ready for local and export consumption will also increase. As these value-added products increase, the government’s priorities must shift to ensuring international standards are met via the implementation of a certification process

that ensures those international standards are met. As more suppliers become certified, access to confirmed supplier contracts will be essential to ensure demand is generated and accessible.

Government’s role in guaranteeing this occurs via trade agreements has to be a top priority going forward for demand generation to precede investment and supply generation. We must shift the mindset from build it and they will come to tell me what your future needs are and we will supply you with a guaranteed long-term contract.

As this path of economic

development advances, it must be accompanied by a non-corrupt, transparent bidding and supplier selection process. The government must play a stronger role in this process by using the economic philosophy that best suits our culture and stage of development. Assigning a minimum number of suppliers for each contract will also ensure supply risk is reduced and that local economic activity is not restricted.

Best regards, Mr. Jamil Changlee Chairman The Cooperative Republicans of Guyana

Govt. must intervene in continued lawlessness DEAR EDITOR, The government has expressed alarm over the lawless occupation of government reserves, roadside parapets and sidewalks. The Georgetown City Council has also come in for condemnation for what is perceived to be either its encouragement of these actions or its failure to take action, or both.

The Council is complicit in

the disappearance of one of the few green spaces in the city. Permanent structures have been allowed to be erected along the Merrimans Mall between Light and Cummings Streets.

Amazingly, none of the residents of that area have approached the courts to halt the construction of these permanent structures. If such actions had been attempted

in more high-end wards, such as Subryanville, the courts would have already been approached.

It is also being rumoured that attempts are being made to have stalls erected on the parapets along Bourda Street, despite an injunction being in place. The government must intervene to stop this continued lawlessness.

Concerned citizen

Dreams of many Guyanese poised for realisation by 2025 DEAR EDITOR, About a few days ago, I noticed about six persons protesting in front of the Ministry of Housing and Water on Brickdam while on my way to work which is also located on Brickdam. I found it hilarious since the rain was about to burst and well I never noticed a protest in front of this Ministry when the opposition had power. While it is anyone’s right to protest, I feel we must understand if we

are going to protest that it’s of a worthy cause. Since the PPP/C has taken office, many persons received their house lots apart from this many new initiatives were developed and are becoming realities before our eyes. There is so much road networking as well as land development and housing opportunities under this Government, one simply cannot help but praise the stewardship of this Ali led administration and more in

particular, this Ministry led by a powerful duo - Minister Croal and Rodrigues. These ministers are always engaging the public and are delivering on promises! Kudos to these ministers and all of their initiatives. I, for one, will continue to embrace and appreciate all that comes from this Ministry, I can definitely see them realising the dreams of many Guyanese by 2025.

Sincerely, Tanya Mohabir

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Sunday April 24, 2022

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PPP must make development of No. 63 Beach a national priority ahead of any new stadium and pet projects DEAR EDITOR, There is one recent sad video showing a tractor stuck and spinning its wheels while trying to pull out stuck cars and trucks on Easter Monday, as vehicles tried to exit the beach. In all my travels, I have not seen vehicles allowed on beaches as at No. 63 Beach. There was another previous recent video showing the ocean waters coming in and getting close to a line of vehicles trying to exit, as vehicles ahead were stuck and the traffic could not move. That was scary.

The No. 63 Beach, located in the heartland of PPP supporters in Region 6, is a major

beach in Guyana but has been neglected and undeveloped for over six decades by both the PNC and PPP. Last time I visited, there was trash everywhere. Shame on the PPP, the Region 6 authorities, the NDC folks, all the Chambers of Commerce in Berbice, and the people themselves for being so docile in not fighting aggressively for developing the beach while Exxon and friends ship away Guyanas oil wealth. No. 63 Beach can be an ongoing national tourist attraction and entertainment hub providing much recreational opportunities for all Guyanese. Should this project not be the Num-

ber 1 priority that will have daily/weekly use compared to the recent announcement of a new stadium and mall for Palmyra? Nation and Region 6, what do you think? A hotel in this area would be an excellent idea too.

There is so much recreational as well as business potential at No. 63 Beach!

Where is the entrepreneurial and political leadership? Part of the problem of such long neglect is the recurring political syndrome of thinking that “Georgetown is Guyana,” and “New Amsterdam is Berbice.” The PPP usually takes its supporters for granted knowing that they

will turn out like sheep and vote for them, no matter how much they neglect them while they are in power. That explains why they did not pay much attention to developing the No. 63 Beach as a recreational hub. Whatever happened to that road contractor who removed sand from the beach? Was he penalised appropriately or did his political friends save him?

As we think about developing the beach, vehicles should not be allowed to drive on the beach as they do now.

Provisions must be made for parking, accommodation, water sports, proper lighting, trash collection and disposal,

security, and a permanent governance authority, etc. I dont understand how people can sit amidst trash all around them enjoying themselves and not be bothered, or make efforts to secure their personal trash. Its disgusting how there is such peaceful coexistence with trash at the beach. Dear PPP, you know Region 6 had some swing voters and you lost the majority in 2011 and 2015. Please dont take us for granted.

Stop announcing big, national infrastructural projects that excite you, and start repaving the streets in our villages where we live every day.

Concrete the drains. We dont

want to keep smelling stink mud all the time. Please start at Whim where we are your diehard supporters. Our patience is wearing thin.

In the matter of the development of No. 63 Beach, hopefully the President would drive the process for a quick completion, as he did with the Georgetown sidewalk project as a matter of urgency.

Please also do some work on the Number 6 and Number 2 beaches on the West Berbice side. The peoples immediate needs come first, not imposed projects politicians are excited about for their own reasons.

Sincerely, Dr. Jerry Jailall

President and Opposition Leader must find common ground for meeting agenda DEAR EDITOR, On Wednesday, the media reported that His Excellency, President Irfaan Ali had reached out to the Leader of the Opposition, Mr. Aubrey Norton, with an invitation for consultations on appointments. Some of these appointments, long pending, are for offices of the highest importance.

I unreservedly commend the President for stepping forward with this timely, necessary invitation. My expectation was that the Opposition Leader would respond positively and early. He did, but attached his own issues, as vital parts of the meetings agenda, which should have the urgency of local leadership summit.

I hope that the Opposition Leaders response, and

the agenda items that seem nonnegotiable, are not showstoppers. That is, they derail what is crucial for this society. I scan the list of items that Mr. Norton announced, and agree that most have a place in any PresidentOpposition Leader conversation of substance. It should not be limited to consultation on appointments, since there is so much more going on in Guyana, mostly on the malfeasance side, and all of which cry out for discussion and solutions.

Nevertheless, I cannot see how the Governments side, meaning the President, would allow most of the matters tabled by Mr. Nortons to be folded into the meeting/ consultation on appointments to service commissions. As carried by Demerara

Waves on April 21 under the caption “Opposition Leader wants governance, other issues to be added to the agenda with President”, quite a few of those areas pinpointed by Mr. Norton represent Achilles heels for the PPP Government; its clever people are not going to want to touch those with a 10-foot pole.

I think that, given the likely disagreements embedded in those issues, and the accompanying fallouts, the President would either resist or drag his feet about including them in any present agenda. Still, I respectfully recommend that both leaders refrain from drawing any red lines, regarding what must be on the table of discussion and what can t be.

I urge both men to take the mature approach, and

work around the original limited agenda issued by the President, and the more expansive one coming from the Opposition Leader, to find common ground for compromise. I know compromise is a dirty word locally, but it is the first meaningful test about how sincere both leaders are.

No leader, and no side, should want to get everything; or prepare for such a meeting, with the usual all or nothing mentality.

That will move us to nowhere, gets us nothing, other than what we live with today rather uneasily.

For his part, Mr. Norton managed to sound flexible as well as steely simultaneously.

When asked what his response would be should the President balk, he parried with his use of the word “reason-

able” to describe the kind of man he assumes the President is, maybe he hopes him to be. In the next breath, he also answered that he was ready with his own thinking (possibly fallback options) if the President were to prove to be unreasonable.

From my vantage point, reasonable and unreasonable are heavy-duty words, when the contexts of Guyana are considered. They possess attitudes, likely qualities, of a hand outstretched in expectation, while managing to convey an element of cautioning that any road that could be construed to be “unreasonable” should be shelved, since what follows thereafter could be problematic, even undesirable.

Given the swift and spirited, if not targeted, response

of the Opposition Leader to the Presidents invitation, the ball is now in the latters court, and he must run forward with it quickly. He must not call timeout, or put the ball out of play.

I think that that would be a blatant foul. I believe the President has a duty to see this through unflinchingly, without sweating. He must not shrink from discussing the nationally serious issues that his opposition counterpart put before him.

This is what wise and profound leaders do. I think that President Ali, if he works hard at it, may surprise himself by finding that he has a little of both wisdom and profoundness inside of him, which I generously grant the young leader.

Separately, I note that while the Opposition Leader did identify the Natural Resource Fund and patrimony, he was silent, on overall oil management. Perhaps, his “good governance” issue is a big enough umbrella under which to cover oil-related matters. Nonetheless, I would suggest that the Opposition Leader makes that same oil and its stewardship a lynchpin of any conversation that he engages in, since it represents so much for Guyanese today and beyond.

I would go so far as to say that national destiny and national peace could very well hinge on this oil.

Now both leaders have spoken and/or written. Now both men should continue to probe for ways to go forward for a different Guyana. I will give both of them, the benefit of positive visions for all of this society. They have much work to do, hard work, to get from where we are to a place that is higher and better.

Sincerely, GHK Lall

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Kaieteur News

These are desperate times and people are eagerly awaiting a solution for a better future.

Sadly, a logical solution to our problems is staring us right in the face but for some god-forsaken reason our leaders, those holding the country's purse strings, are holding out on us.

People are not in need of a little hand out hand here and there to struggle through these hard times when they are the owners of enormous wealth.

That's right! The nation's wealth is not the property of the leaders; it belongs to the people who entrusted them to govern with wisdom, not greed.

It's about time that resident Guyanese are saved from an eternity of dearth while leaders build bigger and bigger barns to store their ill-gotten wealth.

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Sunday April 24, 2022

GNBS issues warning to Eureka lab over inconsistent lab tests E

ureka Medical Laboratory (EML) will have to implement corrective measures following reports of inconsistent drug testing results. The company and its overseas partner, Quest Diagnostics, which provides drug testing kits to the local business, will also conduct investigations to determine the cause of the results following a complaint to the Guyana National Bureau of Standards (GNBS).

A complaint was lodged with the GNBS of inconsistent marijuana tests results from a man, who was seeking employment relating to the oil and gas sector. As such, the GNBS conducted an investigation where it found that EML failed to conform to certain

laboratory requirements and was thus ordered to correct the inconsistencies.

The man, 57-year-old Brian Massay, told the Kaieteur News that in early March he went to EML to have a number of tests done, including one for drug consumption. The tests were required by NABI/KCL Construction Company since he had applied to be a crane operator for the construction of the office complex that will be built at Ogle.

However, after having the tests done on March 4, last, all results returned negative except for the drug test which showed a nonnegative (THC) marijuana result. Massay related that this result left him in shocked since, according to him, he

had never utilised marijuana in his life and generally did not smoke.

Fearful that the results would prevent him from getting the job, Massay said he undertook the same drug tests at two different certified private and well known medical facilities.

The results from both of those institutions returned negative for THC. Since the results of the drug tests from EML were supposed to go directly to Massay's potential employer, as the designated lab to conduct tests on behalf of the company, the man said he took the other tests results to the employer to prove that he is not a marijuana user.

As a result of the differences, NABI/KCL asked EML to verify the non-

negative tests results.

When contacted, EML's Chief Executive Officer, Andrew Boyle told this newspaper that when verifying tests results, the sample is sent to Quest Diagnostics, the company providing the testing kit. He explained that when Massay's test sample was sent, it was “out of time” and could not be used since it had surpassed the seven day timeline.

A s e co n d te s t w as performed on Massay on April 12, last, and again, the results returned nonnegative. EML again sent the test samples to Quest and that sample, according to the GNBS report, turned up negative.

During this time, Massay said he remained

Eureka Medical Laboratory under standards body spotlight after inconsistent lab results. unemployed because of the inconsistent results. He complained to both EML, which conducted its own internal investigation, and the GNBS which caused that agency to investigate the matter as well.

In a letter addressed to Massay on Friday last, GNBS said that it conducted a surveillance audit of the EML's laboratory on April 20 and documented the company's error as “a major non-conformity against the appropriate Clause in the GYS 170:2009, General requirements for the operation of a laboratory.”

The GNBS said it found to that EML's Human Resource Department had received Massay's complaint, but it was not recorded in the prescribed manner.

The regulating agency stated, however, that it would be conducting a follow up assessment “to ensure that EML implements the corrective action for this

non-conformity.”

Failure to correct the non-conformity, GNBS said, could result in the suspension of the company's certificate, and that information would be communicated to the public.

The results of the surveillance report, GNBS s a i d , w o u l d b e communicated to the EML Inc. Massay was also encouraged to take GNBS' report to his potential employer as proof of his nonsmoking status and suggested that he ask the construction company to contact the agency to verify the information.

Kaieteur News has also received complaints of alleged faulty tests results from the laboratory.

These, however, were related to COVID-19 tests that were required for travel.

This publication was informed that this state of affairs has severely affected the individuals' travel plans.

Kaieteur News

Sunday April 24, 2022

Dem Boys Seh…

We rich but we still poor!

Dem economist does gat yuh head swinging with all kind ah abbreviation and numbers. Dem does tell yuh how de country gat de fastest growth.

But when you look at yuh pay packet dat nah growing as fast as de economy. And things tight in de country right now. So tight dat people feeling de squeeze.

Dem economist does tell yuh bout GDP and how it increasing. De Vee Pee talk how we per capita GDP is now US$9,000.

Dis means if you add up de value of everything, wah produce in de country, by de number ah people yuh gan get dat sum.

Since Guyana start producing oil, we per capita GDP gone sky high. But we standard of living falling.

Deh gat nuff people in Guyana nah even seeing G$9,000 much less US$9,000.

By de way, de same country wah de Vee Pee seh falling apart still gat a higher GDP per capita dan Guyana.

Dem own nearing US$15,000.

Before we find oil, we per capita GDP was around US$6,000.

So dem boys asking now dat it increase by 50 percent in couple years, wat happen to de increase. In who pocket de US$3,000 gone?

Dem boys pocket lighter dese days because of de cost of living. And prices so high dat dem boys could do with dat US$3,000.

It just show yuh how meaningless numbers can be. De Vee Pee boasting bout de increase in de GDP but people suffering from de high cost of living.

Wah de Vee Pee nah telling people is where all dis wealth going. It certainly not going to de people as much as it going to dem oil companies.

Dem creaming off we wealth and we suh proud dat we boasting bout growth and GDP income.

Talk half. Leff half.

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Bandits arrested after brazen robbery at Crane, WCD bar

A

taxi driver is a among two suspects who were arrested by police for a brazen robbery they committed on Friday at the Riddim Flow Chill Spot, located at Crane Housing Scheme, West Coast of Demerara (WCD), Region Three.

The two were allegedly part of a gang of three men armed with guns who stormed the bar around 20:30hrs while the owner, a 30-year-old businessman, was playing pools with his friends.

According to police, they reportedly walked straight

up to the owner and pointed a gun to him before ripping 12 gold chains from his neck.

The total value of the stolen jewellery is said to be around $1.5 million.

The businessman told police that after stealing his chains, the bandits fired two shots in the air before escaping in a waiting white Toyota Fielder motorcar, PZZ 3371.

Ranks began their investigation and managed to locate the car, which was abandoned at Barber Shop Street, Crane, WCD. It did not take them long to track down two of the suspects after finding the car.

They were identified as a 22year-old taxi driver of West Ruimveldt, Georgetown and a 37-year-old resident of D'Urban Street also in the city.

Commander of the Region T h r e e P o l i c e D i v i s i o n , M a h e ndra Siwnarine, said that the two men in custody will be placed before the court next week because there is enough evidence to charge them with armed robbery.

In the meantime, the hun t f o r t h e t h i r d s u s p e c t , w h o has been described as an Amerindian man, continues.

Kaieteur News

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Sunday April 24, 2022

BLUNTNESS ON INDECENCY! In case you haven’t heard, please be informed that as part of our continued effort to channel positive changes in our country, our publisher, Mr. Glenn Lall, has dedicated our Page Seven to be “BLUNT” about on-going indecency in our land that should matter, not only to us at this publication, but the entire nation.

SUNDAY Our leaders continue to have their priorities mixed up, especially as it relates to the welfare of most vulnerable among us.

While having good infrastructure is a positive aspect in the development of the nation, nothing beats ensuring that those who can barely make ends meet are well cared for.

Even as citizens grapple with the devastating effects of the rising cost of living, the Government has announced an ambitious plan to invest in building more infrastructure; hotels, a new stadium, a new airport and more.

But who really will reap the most benefits from these projects? Certainly not the ordinary man in the street!

Many have been struggling to make ends meet.

For once leaders, put the most vulnerable first; act on their behalves in ways that you can truly impact their lives for the better.

MONDAY More promises On Good Friday of all the days - the holiest of the Christian calendar, President Irfaan Ali fresh out of church rolled into Uitvlugt to meet with sugar workers who have not worked for over one month due to the collapse of the estate's mill.

With no answers for the teary-eyed workers, Ali went into his back pocket - the old PPP way and pulled out another promise. This time,

he told the workers that plans are being formulated to register them to be part of a livelihood improvement programme to supplement their estate jobs. One of the options he said is the establishment of chicken facilities where workers will be able to take part in poultry farming with approximately 150-200 birds.

I think the poor sugar workers by now are fed-up with the promises. They first promised them that once they returned to office, they will reopen all the estates closed by the Coalition. They are back in government and now telling them to plant hemp and rear tilapia.

After weeks of no work and along with that, no income, President Ali promises more and more.

When will his government deliver?

TUESDAY President Irfaan Ali loves to boast of his government's transparency.

But it would appear that his understanding of transparency is to merely publish an invitation for bids f o r s o m e m a j o r infrastructural projects to alert the public that development is soon to come.

However, when some of these 'big' contracts are signed, it is done behind closed doors with citizens being privy to precious little information.

Especially worrying, too, is the fact that government

h as locked out the Opposition from the Natural Resource Fund Board, which will manage the country's oil money.

This begs the question: Does the Government really care about transparency?

WEDNESDAY An appropriate Bible verse found in the book of Proverbs, chapter 12, verse 15 says, “The way of a fool is right in his own eyes but a wise man is he who listens to counsel.”

Guyana is a blessed c o u n t r y, b l e s s e d w i t h bountiful natural resources; it is the land of many waters, and so many other invaluable treasures.

But our country can only reach its full potential if our leaders pay heed to the counsel it has been offered.

It's no secret that the country's oil and gas sector, in particular, is one, which is still fairly new. While we struggle to develop our human resources, we must be open to advice from the experts in the field and be willing to implement measures suggested to benefit the people.

Many have warned of the dangers Guyana can be exposed to, if it fails to develop its resources in a safe manner and stand up to the 'bullies' in the oil sector.

Are our leaders wise or foolish? Indeed, time will expose who they truly are.

THURSDAY Confirm the chancellor and the Chief Justice Guyanese do not agree on many things, but it seems they are at one when it comes to the appointment of a substantive Chancellor of the Judiciary and a Chief Justice.

They are also at one that the two incumbents who have been acting for years; Justice Yonette CummingsEdwards and Roxane George-Wiltshire respectively must be confirmed.

As the calls continue, it is now time for the President, Irfaan Ali and Opposition Leader, Aubrey Norton to act. And while they are at it, it would only be fair that a decision is taken towards not just changing the legal formula used to appoint such persons but to remove the appointments entirely from the realm of politicians and place it in the hand of a competent judiciary committee.

Come on

lawmakers let's make our judiciary truly autonomous and free from political influence.

FRIDAY Abusers must be jailed!

Domestic violence is a serious scourge in our society. Ever so often, there are situations, where the women suffer at the hands of their abusive partners and if they muster the courage to take them before the Court, it's the victims who end up begging for the perpetrators to be given another chance.

But like clockwork; when the chance is given, it is only for the abuser to continue the abuse.

As such, it would only be f a i r i f t h e j u d i c i a r y, particularly the magistracy, be granted powers to hand down more severe penalties to these perpetrators of abuse.

Let us advocate for serious jail time to be mandatory for these “beasts”

who feel they can beat their wives mercilessly and get off scotch free.

SATURDAY RELEASE THE ALISON REDFORD REPORT !!!

President Irfaan Ali, Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo, and Natural Resources Minister Vickram Bharrat had promised to release the reports done by Canadian lawyer and former politician, Alison Redford on ExxonMobil's Payara Project Plan. It is a year and seven months since they have failed to keep their word.

How long will they deny citizens the transparency they deserve?

How long will we be p r e v e n t e d f r o m understanding whose interest did this former Canadian lawyer work in?

Guyanese demand to have access to the Payara!

This level of gross disrespect must come to an

Sunday April 24, 2022

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Sunday April 24, 2022

1 of 8 arrested for robbing vendor twice in one day Police have managed to arrest one of eight men who are accused of robbing a vendor twice in one day at B Field, Sophia, Georgetown.

The gang reportedly first robbed the vendor, 27-year-old Glenroy Griffith, of his gold chain and then returned later to steal his motorcycle.

The B-Field, Sophia, Georgetown resident told police

that the men led by someone he is acquainted with, first attacked him around 16:30hrs on Friday while he was liming with some friends at a bridge. He identified the acquaintance as 'Peter'. He claimed that when Peter and one of the men approached him, he had thought that it was just a casual meeting. He was, however, left in shock when Peter slapped him and pointed a hand gun to him, which he took

from his waist, while the other man snatched his 16-pennyweigt gold chain from around his neck before they ran away with the rest of the gang.

Griffith had reported the matter to the Turkeyen Police Station and then went home. But later that evening, around 20:30hrs, Griffith said that he was relaxing on his veranda when the men showed up again.

He told police that he saw Peter leading the gang of eight towards his bridge. This time, he was able to identify one of the gang members as Peter's brother.

Griffith claimed that as the men got closer, one of them pulled out a handgun and began shooting at him. He recalled running to seek cover by scaling a neighbour's fence and hiding there.

From his hiding place, he saw

Peter's brother stealing his motorcycle, CL 5439, that was parked in front of his house. Again, Griffith made a report to police and this time, they were able to locate one of the suspects, identified as Peter's brother, at a house located at A Field Sophia. He was arrested and taken to the Turkeyen Police Station.

The hunt continues for the rest of the gang members.

Sunday April 24, 2022

Kaieteur News

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Kaieteur News

PAGE 14 A CANU officer locating the suspected narcotic inside the laptop bag.

Sunday April 24, 2022

Woman busted at CJIA with suspected cocaine O

n Friday, a 25-yearold Lamaha Gardens, Georgetown woman missed her New York flight after ranks busted her at the Cheddi Jagan International Airport (CJIA) with a substance suspected to be cocaine concealed in her laptop bag.

The bust, around 21:05hrs by a Customs Anti-Narcotics Unit (CANU) officer, occurred while the woman was checking in for

her JetBlue flight to New York.

She w a s r e p o r t e d l y carrying the laptop bag in her hand and the officer decided to search it. Concealed in the walls of the bag, t h e o f f i c e r d i s c o vered the white powdery substance suspected to be cocaine.

She was detained and is presently in custody at the CANU headquarters.

Sunday April 24, 2022

Kaieteur News

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1 patient still in COVID-19 ICU, 6 new cases

O

n Saturday, the Ministry of Health via its daily dashboard reported that there is still one patient in the COVID19 Intensive Care Unit (ICU) receiving treatment.

The Ministry's dashboard states that within the last

assessed 24-hour period, six new infections were recorded.

The new infections have brought the total number of confirmed cases in Guyana to 63,413.

They were detected in Region Four – three cases, Region Six – two cases and

Region Nine which recorded one.

It was revealed also that four persons are in institutional isolation, 88 are in home isolation and 32 are quarantined institutionally.

To date, a total of 62,092 persons have recovered.

Kaieteur News

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Sunday April 24, 2022

77% of GTT customers' bills delivered digitally - company on track to increasing e-billing opt-ins I

n its bid to provide 21-st Century innovative solutions to all customers, GTT embarked on a digital billing initiative in 2021, which aimed to revolutionise the way customers receive and pay bills in Guyana.

This initiative, the company said in a release, has resulted in 77 percent of all GTT bills being delivered digitally over the last three months.

The first of its kind in Guyana, GTT said, “our e-billing service allows us to reach our customers where they are. Customers can opt in to receive bills and reminders via WhatsApp, Email, and the MyGTT App with little to no effort on their part.”

This revelation comes in time

for Earth Day 2022, a day that challenges action to lead more sustainable operations, themed “Invest in Our Planet.”

GTT said it is leading the way on this charge, dramatically reducing the amount of paper usage and transportation needed for the delivery of physical bills.

To accompany this effort is MMG+, which gives customers the ability to pay bills from wherever they are.

“As we continue to pivot GTT to becoming a 21-st century organisation, these digital bills ensure customers' bills are never lost, misplaced, or opened by any unauthorised persons.”

Malini Gouridat, Director of Customer and IT Experience at

GTT, explained that customers that receive digital bills can see additional details, outstanding balances, and gain access to useful pages on our website to help them register for services like MMG+ or read more information about our ongoing promotions.

“Within the past year, we have led the charge to revolutionise how we deliver bills by investing in the platforms that our customers are familiar with and habitually use, such as WhatsApp. We have taken great steps also to engage and remind customers when their bills are due to avoid service disruption,” she revealed.

Meanwhile, the Director also called for customers to update their current contact information (phone

numbers and/or email addresses) to ensure they receive their bills every month. Subscribers can do this at any of GTT's retail stores, or by contacting a customer support agent, or visiting https://www.gtt.co.gy/webform/u pdate-customer-information.

“We recognised that our customers were happy with the accessibility we provided, so we invested in the expansion of our ebilling service to provide more detailed, relevant billing information on WhatsApp that is way more convenient for customers now,” Gouridat added.

A move that was initially shunned, as the country was at the time heavily reliant on paper bills, (Continued on page 17)

GTT Director of Customer and IT Experience, Malini Gouridat

Sunday April 24, 2022

77% of GTT customers'...

From page 16 has exploded into the 'go-to' option for residential customers, with over 77 percent of subscribers already opting in for the service.

GTT is also delivering detailed PDF bills through all these mediums.

According to the phone company, three months ago, only 48 percent of customers were reading their billing information.

Today, this figure stands at over 72 percent, a development it said is “a testimony to the investment GTT has made to improve the relevance and simplicity of the e-billing process. We have also more than halved the number of bills we print within the past six months, because customers have chosen to receive their bills digitally instead.

As efforts continue to transform the billing landscape, customers who were receiving both physical and digital billing were notified that GTTwould be switching their billing from postal to digital on April 1, 2022 – a step towards innovation and positive environmental impact.

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Kaieteur News

Sunday April 24, 2022

Kaieteur News

Cilandell ‘Cindy’ Glen

Sunday April 24, 2022

Meet the vivacious Cilandell ‘Cindy’ Glen. This Guyanese beauty is a 2018 Chevening Scholar who holds a Master’s in Child and Adolescent Mental Health from the University of Northampton in the United Kingdom. Cindy is an outgoing and outspoken youth advocate who is big on volunteering. Her advice to anyone, who would listen, is: “Find your purpose; find what you love and just do it. Do it regardless of what people say!”

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Sunday April 24, 2022

Versatile community leader

Amjad Ali Shaw IS A ‘SPECIAL PERSON’ Mr. Amjad Ali Shaw

By Rehanna Ramsay

W

hile some people spend a good fraction of their lives trying to figure out their purpose or exactly what they are supposed to be doing on the earth, others are born into lineages that offer them clues about the direction their life should take.

This may very well be the case for Amjad

seek those services elsewhere.

“In the past, Leguan had a population of about 8,000 people. Today, we have about 3,000 residents because of migration; people leaving the island for greener pastures. But at any given time, we basically made our services available for thousands of residents, who would otherwise have to leave the island, and possibly travel to Georgetown to get dental work done,” he said.

Along with providing this essential service to his community, Mr. Shaw functions in several other roles. He is a Legal Marriage Officer, Justice of the Peace (JP) and Commissioner of Oaths as well as the Assistant Imam (Muslim Priest) of the Enterprise Masjid in Leguan.

Prior to this, he functioned as Community

Performing his role at a religious function.

Ali Shaw, a community leader and the sole dental technician resident in Leguan, Essequibo Islands.

Born on April 7, 1962, to Leguan’s resident dental technician, Ali Mohamed Shaw and his wife Shira who was a part-time seamstress, Mr. Shaw was fortunate enough to hone the skills of his father and build on a legacy that the men in his family started generations before.

This week’s ‘Special Person’ told Kaieteur News that his ‘chosen’ career path had somehow been carved out by his father and great uncle years before he was born.

He explained, “My family had always been involved in dental work for years, my father learned the work from his uncle and I learned from my father… and now my second daughter, Safia, who is in Canada, is taking it a step further and becoming qualified to do more extensive dental work.”

Mr. Shaw explained that he feels quite privileged to be able to pass on such a legacy to his children, more particularly his daughter.

He revealed too that he is eternally pleased that his household has for generations, been able to provide a muchneeded service to the people of Leguan and other Essequibo islands at a much more convenient cost and pace than if they were to

Our ‘Special Person’ recently celebrated his 60th birthday.

Development Officer (CDO), served on the Teaching Service Commission and worked with the Leguan Regional Office in various capacities. Outside of his role in the community, Mr. Shaw is what Guyanese would refer to as a staunch “family man.”

He is a devoted husband to his wife Shoba, who also hails from the island, and a loving father to their three children, Shabanna, Safia and Ahmad.

FAMILY VALUES It is no coincidence that Mr. Shaw’s household remains close-knit. He explained that he grew up in such an environment. He noted his childhood memories included watching his father and brother carry on the dental trade of their uncle. He too had joined the dental work as soon as he was of age. He said that his family members were well known on the island.

Shaw recalled his parents were known to many people on the island as ‘Uncle Kazier’ and ‘Auntie Carol’.

The young Shaw would watch as his father took children in the community for rides on his motorcycle and as his mother who worked part-time as the neighbourhood seamstress who filled out dressmaking orders.

“Back in the day, owning a motorcycle was seen as a big deal because only rich people had that kind of transportation but my

father would use it to take children for rides,” he said.

He told this newspaper that even as his parents showed commitment to their respective areas of employment, they ensured that he and his siblings were given the opportunity to acquire sound education.

As such, the young Shaw attended the Eastern Leguan Primary School until he was about 11 years old, then he took the college of preceptors examinations (which is the equivalent to the common entrance) which qualified him to attend secondary school.

However, Shaw explained that there were no secondary schools on the Island back then. “…The closest secondary schools were located in Wakenaam and in the West Demerara. Attending them, meant I had to travel to and from Leguan every day,” he added.

Since attending these schools was not feasible, Shaw’s parents thought it was best that he left his home in Region Three and move to be with his sister in Linden, Region 10, where he could easily acquire higher education.

Shaw spent five years in Linden acquiring training and certification in mechanical engineering from the Guymine Technical Institute renamed (Linden Technical Continued on page 54

Mr. Amjad Shaw pictured with his wife Shoba and their three children - Shabanna (at right) Safia and Ahmad (at left).

Kaieteur News

Sunday April 24, 2022

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The PNC belongs in the bosom of the PPP

P

ower-sharing is not part of the c o u n t r y ’s political agenda. But a few years ago, power-sharing trumped all talk about ideological unity.

Power-sharing has been discredited. The post-Jagan PPP was never interested in s h a r i n g p o w e r. T h e APNU+AFC breached its promise that if it won the elections, it would include the PPP/C in the government.

Power-sharing is now becoming a euphemism for power-grabbing rather than a concerted attempt at forging a unity of the working class which was behind most of the other proposals made from the sixties right through to 1992.

Once the PPP won the elections in 1992, it saw itself as constituting the basis for uniting the Guyanese people. Since then, working class unity no longer informed the discourse on power-sharing.

In fact, the whole concept of working class unity seems to have vanished from the agenda of the two main

political parties, the PNC/R and the PPP/C. These parties are now committed to a mixed e c o n o m y, o n e t h a t recognises the importance of the capitalist class and which sees this class as the engine of growth.

In 1966, when the Forbes Burnham administration took over in an ill-fated alliance with the United Force, the capitalist class also felt that it was their moment and that it had emerged as the vehicle for the development of Guyana.

Within four years, they were fleeing with their money as the then PNC unleashed a campaign of nationalisation, foreign exchange and import restrictions and high taxation that crippled their abilities and had them worried scurrying to shift their assets to safe havens.

Despite sending much of the capitalist class into exile, the PNC did not pursue any seriousness or sincere attempt at working class unity. Whatever efforts were made at unity between the PNC and the PPP were

more aimed at staving off imperialist pressures rather than building a nationalist working class movement such as what existed in the 1950’s under the original PPP with Cheddi Jagan as leader and Forbes Burnham as Chairperson.

Burnham, however, had personal ambitions. He was more interested in becoming Premier than in securing working class unity. He was quite prepared to split the working class in order to achieve his personal ambition of becoming Premier not just of Guyana but also of the proposed West Indian Federation.

He thus split the PPP into two factions, the Burnhamite PPP and the J a g a n i t e P P P. T h e Burnhamite PPP eventually became the PNC. Burnham lost two consecutive elections, under the constituency system, to the PPP headed by Jagan.

In 1964, the PPP beat the PNC again under a new system of proportional representation but Burnham refused to join forces with Jagan to form a working

class government that would have taken a united Guyana into independence and instead hooked up with the capitalist class to form a coalition government and oust the PPP from office.

Both leaders, however, never forgot that they were part of the same party and Jagan always harboured hopes that one day Burnham and his PNC would return home to the PPP. He very much wanted that because he felt this was the only way that genuine working class unity could be achieved.

It never did, even though there are some who contend that the two parties were near to an agreement just about the time when Burnham died. The truth, however, is that nothing was ever concretised and, therefore, there was nothing to take the process forward after Burnham died.

Since then, working class unity has been placed on the backburner. Worse yet, the working class suffered under Burnham’s successor, Desmond Hoyte.

After Jagan died in 1997, the PPP abandoned

any pretence at working c l a s s u n i t y. T h i s h a s continued onto this day.

While both the PPP and the PNC have working class origins, there is little to suggest that they are keen on forging a genuine working class movement across party lines.

Jagan always wanted Burnham back within the PPP. All of his proposals about power-sharing were about forging working class unity so as to build socialism.

Once socialism was off the cards, he had little need for working class unity.

Socialism is now permanently off the cards, for both the PPP and the PNC/R and, therefore, the prospects of any powersharing based on working class unity is off the table.

The PNC is not interested in uniting the working class, and the PPP is now deeply intertwined with the capitalist class in Guyana. The prize today is no longer working class unity. It is all about who sits in the seat of power.

So how about a new proposal aimed at securing

working class gains. How about talks about establishing a formula and time-frame for paying a living wage? How about discussions aimed at agreeing on measures to reduce the prohibitive cost of living, apart from cash grants?

How about tax reform aimed at linking tax breaks to the rich to re-investment of profits? How about allowing the small man who has his two cents in the bank being allowed to invest in the gas-to-shore and hydroelectric projects?

How about, in other words, both the PNC/R and the PPP making proposals for working class benefits and through this, forge a unity of the working class?

Any takers? I guess not.

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

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Sunday April 24, 2022

The rejection of military aggression

– A CARICOM ACHIEVEMENT

By Sir Ronald Sanders CARICOM states led the way in the Organization of American States (OAS) on 21 April, 2022 in a historic vote to suspend the status of the Russian Federation as a Permanent Observer to the Organization.

Eleven other CARICOM countries supported Antigua and Barbuda and Guatemala to help achieve an affirmative vote from 25 states of the 34 member states. No country voted against the resolution.

There were no winners or losers among the members and permanent observers of the OAS. The winners are respect for the international legal order, the authority of international law and the fundamental principles of both the UN and the OAS. The Organization demonstrated that it cherishes international law, peace and freedom, and completely rejects aggression and war as legitimate means of settling disputes.

By the vote, suspending Russia as a Permanent Observer, the OAS member states recorded, beyond doubt, that they will not tolerate the violation of the sovereignty and territorial integrity of states, and that no state, however, powerful should believe that it should attempt such adventurism and expect not to be roundly condemned.

There is an important lesson to be learned from the votes the 12

small CARICOM states and five of their counterparts from Central America. They showed that small states, too, have a legitimate and strong voice in the hemisphere, and the world, to speak out for right and for justice.

They did so in their own voice, speaking as an echo to no one. They led; they did not follow.

In opening the debate and vote on the resolution, on behalf of Antigua and Barbuda, I made it clear that we were proposing the suspension of the status of the Russian Federation as a permanent observer to our Organization of the American States, “with a heavy heart”. I explained that we would have preferred to maintain our relationship with the Russian Federation in the same way that we welcome the preservation of our relationship with other nations that we have permitted the status of permanent observer at the OAS. However, as events have evolved by the Russian Federation’s aggression in Ukraine and the subsequent atrocities committed against civilians, including women and children, any choice we might have had in the matter had been removed.

The Charter of the OAS specifically requires strict adherence to four fundamental Principles which are: international law is the standard of conduct of States in their reciprocal relations; international order consists essentially of respect for the

personality, sovereignty, and independence of States, and the faithful fulfillment of obligations derived from treaties and other sources of international law; recognition that every State has the right to choose, without external interference, its political, economic, and social system and to organize itself in the way best suited to it, and has the duty to abstain from intervening in the affairs of another State; and condemnation of wars of aggression. Adherence to these principles is required not only by the OAS member states, but also by the States that have been granted the status of permanent observer.

The Russian Federation, like every other permanent observer, was granted that status in accordance with procedures which were set out by the Permanent Council on 27th June, 1984. That Resolution specifically says at paragraph 6: “That the Permanent Council may review the permanent observer status granted to a State when it considers that the circumstances that determined the acceptance of its request have significantly changed or no longer obtain”.

It is manifestly evident by its aggression against Ukraine, and the events that followed, that the Russian Federation has violated the terms under which its status as a Permanent Observer had been granted.

The integrity of the OAS – and

its authority – particularly regarding its adherence to its own rules, required the member states to send a clear message not only to Russia but to any other powerful state that their contract cannot be broken with impunity.

Beyond these considerations, the aggression of the Russian Federation against Ukraine, and the violations of international law, required the OAS, as one of the w o r l d ’s o l d e s t m u l t i l a t e r a l institutions, to demonstrate its disapproval, particularly as silence would serve to embolden other governments that might harbour ambitions of territorial acquisition and military aggression against neighbouring states.

Twice since the Russian invasion of Ukraine started, the OAS formally exhorted Russia to cease hostilities in Ukraine and, instead, to engage in dialogue and diplomacy.

Instead, Russia intensified military action, resulting in huge loss of life, massive destruction, and the dislocation and displacement of millions of people.

There is no doubt that small states deeply sympathize with the people of Ukraine whose country is being torn apart, its people either killed or displaced, its future bleak and unpredictable. Small states also greatly admire the people of Ukraine for their courage, even as they weep over the destruction of their country. For there, but for fortune, go small nations.

Sir Ronald Sanders That is why small nations of CARICOM and Central America could not remain silent or ignore the Russian aggression, and it is why they must raise their voices, now and in the future, against such aggression from wherever it comes.

A difference happened at the OAS on 21 April, 2022. Small states led; raised their voices; and let it be known that they will use their collective soft power to defend and uphold the values and principles that contribute to the security and well-being of their own people. CARICOM solidarity was the core of that achievement, showing how much more its member states could attain by collective action.

(The writer is Antigua and Barbuda’s Ambassador to the United States of America and the Organisation of American States.

He is also a Senior Fellow at the Institute of Commonwealth Studies, University of London and Massey College in the University of Toronto) Res pons es and previous c o m m e n t a r i e s : www.sirronalsanders.com

Kaieteur News

Sunday April 24, 2022

PAGE 25

THE FREDDIE KISSOON COLUMN

PPP, PNC, MACRON, LE PEN: CRUCIAL SHADES OF DIFFERENCES

T

onight, the eyes of the world will be on France which will be explained below.

There is a traditional suspicion among American nonWhite voters that the battle between the two big parties will never concern them because they are establishment machines that are power-driven, prisoners of moneyed people and emotionally are not ecstatic about America’s immigrant communities.

The election of Obama did not change that pattern. Once Obama was out, African-Americans saw the contest between Hilary Clinton and Donald Trump as none of their business. Mrs. Clinton lost because she did not pick up States where Blacks have large numbers. Black Americans did not root for Mrs. Clinton.

It was a tragic mistake. Even though, she is far less acceptable than Bernie Sanders, there are crucial differences between Clinton and Trump. Those dissimilarities are important based on your station in life and the colour of your skin. Mrs. Clinton’s organisation, the Democratic Party is a more morally superior and ideologically better entity than the

Republican Party. Its policies will favour the poor and the non-White than if the Republicans were in power.

Certain groups and individuals among the Guyanese nationality with a sad agenda because of their sad psychology say all kinds of nonsense in this country about its democratic status. But the world’s major democracies have legal and constitutional structures that may not be in sync with what is the ideal type of democracy.

In France, political parties cannot participate in a general election as in Guyana. Only two parties can do so. In Guyana, 20 parties can contest. In France, all parties have to enter a first round and only two with the highest votes are allowed to fight for office. So if three parties compete; one gets 24 percent, another 22 and another 21, the party that got 21 percent becomes dead as a door nail. That is not democracy.

People around the world who are liberal, left-wing, socialist and working class oriented see little difference between President Macron and his only rival in today’s contest, Marie Le Pen. But in politics, there are shades of

differences between political parties and their leaders that are extremely important to the particular country and the world.

I would not vote for Macron in most circumstances. He is a rightwing, pro-business, anti-working class president but contextually, I would vote for him.

The context is who his opponent is. You will see shades of differences today in France. Le Pen is an extremist, right-wing populist who is anti-Muslim, anti-Africa, anti-Third World. Le Pen wins and non-White people will be mashed up in France. Today, the French people hardly have a choice. But there are crucial shades of differences between him and Le Pen and they should vote for Macron.

In Guyana, it is fashionable among the usual suspects, the mullato ethnic community, westernised non-Muslim, nonHindu Guyanese Indians and the academics that belong to those strata to perpetuate the paradigm that there are no dissimilarities between the PNC and PPP. They have argued since Independence that both parties are power-driven and serve ethnic interests.

This paradigm gained immense coverage in Guyana when the intellectuals in the Creole middle class at the beginning of the 1970s formed a UG based group name Ratoon and a pressure group named the Movement Against Oppression (MAO).

The theory that there were no dissimilarities between the PPP and the PNC took up permanent residence in Georgetown (not the countryside) when Ratoon, MAO, and other groupings including A SCRIA under Eusi Kwayana formed the Working People’s Alliance (WPA) in 1974. Even Walter Rodney maintained his distance from the PPP in those days.

The WPA’s stuck record was that the two big parties are the same; there is need for a third force.

The WPA died in the early nineties and the Alliance For Change (AFC) was born. The AFC was successful in persuading large sections that there must be a third force because the PPP and PNC are identical.

Even though the third force prove to be degenerate in power between 2015 and 2020, the old paradigm of the two being identical

Frederick Kissoon persists, the latest being an article by two pro-third force academics – Drs. Alissa Trotz and Arif Bulkan.

They see the two parties as versions of each other. Moray House endorsed the theory of Trotz and Bulkan.

There are crucial philosophical, ontological and existentialist and ideological differences between the PNC and PPP and their leaders. The PPP is by far a more grounded political reality where the willingness to use violence as a way of life as adumbrated by Machiavelli is far less pronounced than in the PNC. The PNC does not believe in the alternative possession or rotation of power and has an inherent tendency to see violence as the final solution.

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

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PAGE 27

Facts you need to know about fainting Today we will discuss fainting, as it is a common occurrence that can sometimes be serious.

The correct medical term for fainting is “Syncope,” but we will refer to fainting today in the article, as it is the more commonly known name of the two.

After fainting, a person quickly recovers and is often okay again. Fainting is very common. About 1 out of every 3 people experiences it at some point in life. In many cases, fainting is nothing to worry about.

WHAT CAUSES FAINTING? Fainting happens when the brain temporarily doesn’t get enough blood. One of the most common reasons this happens is called “vasovagal syncope.”

If you have vasovagal syncope, your body has a reaction in which your heart beats too slowly or your blood vessels expand (or both). This can happen for lots of different kinds of reasons.

People can have vasovagal syncope if they: • Have stress from fear or pain (for example, because they are injured or have blood taken for tests) • Stand for too long or are over-tired or overheated • Have an unusual reaction to urinating, coughing, or other body functions Sometimes vasovagal syncope happens with no clear cause.

People can also have fainting that is not vasovagal. This can happen due to the following problems: • The heart beats too quickly or too slowly because of problems with the heart’s electrical system or because of side effects from some medicines.

• Something blocks the flow of blood in the heart.

This can happen in people who have conditions called “aortic stenosis” (a valve disease) or “hypertrophic cardiomyopathy” (a heart muscle disease).

• Your blood pressure drops when you stand or sit up.

That can happen if you:

• Are having a heart attack • Do not drink enough water • Take certain medicines that cause your blood pressure to drop • Drink alcohol • Lose a lot of blood (for example, if you get hurt) • Have a medical condition that affects your blood pressure I S FA I N T I N G DANGEROUS? In many cases it is not dangerous. But it can be dangerous if you fall and hurt yourself when you faint.

It can also be dangerous if you faint while driving. To be safe, check with your doctor before you start driving again after you faint.

Anyone who faints should see a doctor. Most cases of syncope are not serious. But people can get hurt when they faint. Plus, in some cases syncope is caused by a serious medical condition that should be treated.

Knowing what caused you to faint can help you prevent it from happening again.

WILL I NEED TESTS? Yes. Your doctor will do a test called an electrocardiogram (also called an “ECG” or “EKG”).

For this test, the doctor will put sticky pads on your chest, belly, arms, and legs.

Long, thin wires connect the pads to a machine. The device records the electrical activity in your heart. This can show if the pattern of your heartbeats is abnormal.

You might get other tests, too; it depends on your doctor’s findings when he/she talks to you and examines you.

CAN FAINTING BE PREVENTED? You might be able to reduce your chances of fainting again if you: • Learn what causes your fainting: • If an activity or condition causes your fainting, you can try to avoid it.

• If a medicine causes your fainting, your doctor can help you find an alternative.

• If a heart condition is causing your syncope, your doctor can suggest a

treatment.

• Lay down with your feet up when you feel like you might faint.

HOW IS FAINTING TREATED? That depends on what is causing your fainting. In many cases, the main treatment is to avoid the situations that cause fainting.

In less common cases, other treatment might be needed. For example, you might need a pacemaker if your heart beats too slowly and this causes fainting. A pacemaker is a device that is put under your skin. Thin

wires attach them to your heart. They help the heart beat at a normal speed or in a regular pattern.

WHAT IF MY CHILD FAINTS? If your child faints, you should take him or her to see a doctor. Most cases of fainting in children are not serious. Often they are caused by vasovagal syncope. Fainting can also happen in children if: • They hold their breath for too long • Their blood pressure drops when they stand or sit up • They swallow

medicines, drugs, or alcohol • They have c a r b o n monoxide poisoning I n l e s s common cases, fainting in children can be caused by a lifeBy Dr. Zulfikar Bux threatening Emergency condition, such as Medicine Specialist a serious heart condition, overheating, or a severe c hecked out.

While fainting is not allergic reaction (called often dangerous, the times anaphylaxis).

If you or someone you when it is dangerous, can be know faints, go and get life-threatening.

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SUNDAY AFTERAPPROVING EXXONMOBIL’S YELLOWTAILLICENCE...

GOVT. REVEALS CONTROVERSIAL CANADIAN POLITICIAN WAS PART OF REVIEW PROCESS - INDUSTRY EXPERTS In January 2022, the Government of Guyana had issued a call for interested firms to submit their bids to review ExxonMobil’s US$10B Yellowtail Field Development Plan (FDP).

By mid-month, 10 companies submitted their bids. The firms and their bids were as follows: Infinity Services in collaboration with XWells Mexico – US$617,500, Orwell Offshore-US$617,650, MSI InternationalUS$817,761, Endeavour Management –US$598,934; Future Energy Partners Limited US$901,482; IHS Global Inc. –US$1,493,502, Bayphase-US$423,360, RPS Energy Consultants Ltd. – US$494,000, Sunstone Energy Advisory Service – US$785,040, Sproule – US$661,440, and StratOil Energy Services – US$324,080.

By the first week in February, the government announced that Bayphase, one of ExxonMobil’s longstanding clients, had won the tender.

Given the sequence of events, it has left many industry experts confused at a revelation on April 1, 2022, that another company, the Redford Group headed by former Canadian Premier, Alison Redford was also part of the review process. What worries industry experts, even more, is that April 1, 2022, was the same day the administration announced that the Environmental Authorisation Permit and Production Licence for the Yellowtail Project was approved with input from the controversial Canadian politician.

Kaieteur News had previously reported that Redford, is a former politician, for one, with a career plagued by scandal. As Premier of the Canadian province of Alberta, she drew widespread public controversy in Canada when it was discovered that during her attendance of the funeral of Nelson Mandela the State footed the CAD$45,000 cost of her trip, including about CAD$10,000 for a privately chartered return flight from South Africa. Redford reportedly refused several calls to repay the money spent for the South Africa trip, but eventually bowed to pressure in 2014 and delivered the

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Kaieteur News

funds back to the public purse, with an apology.

Kaieteur News had also reported that Redford announced her resignation in March 2014 as Alberta Premier, and as a Member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) in August of that year, a day before an Attorney General (AG) report on her spending practices was scheduled for release. The AG report found that she and her office had “used public resources inappropriately”; “used public assets (aircraft) for personal and partisan purposes” and that Redford “was involved in a plan to convert public space in a public building into personal living space.” ( h t t p s : / / www.kaieteurnewsonline.com/ 2022/04/17/govt-revealscontroversial-canadianpolitician-was-part-ofreview-process-industryexperts/) EPAYELLOWTAIL PERMIT SHOULD BE DEEMED NULLAND VOID – ENVIRONMENTALIST Citing “blatant irregularities” in the conduct of an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) process for oil giant, ExxonMobil’s fourth project, the Yellowtail d e v e l o p m e n t , Environmentalist, Simone Mangal-Joly has written to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) insisting that the permit recently granted for the company’s operations be cancelled.

In a letter to the EPA head, Mr. Kemraj Parsram, dated April 16, 2022, Mangal-Joly contended that the regulator deeply erred when it granted the oil company the go-ahead for its project, even though the principles of the EIA process were not adhered to.

According to the specialist, “The EPA has systematically and knowingly violated the Environmental Protection Act in its handling of ExxonMobil’s local subsidiary EEPGL’s (Esso Exploration and Production Guyana Limited) Yellowtail Project environmental assessment and permit.”

She went on to explain that there were four violations of the process, which renders the Yellowtail Permit invalid. ( h t t p s : / / www.kaieteurnewsonline.com/ 2022/04/17/epa-yellowtailpermit-should-be-deemedn u l l - a n d - v o i d environmentalist/) MONDAY Exxon to draw down almost US$500M in management fees for EEPGL by 2024 - Expert Back in 2016, Guyana had a signed Production Sharing

www.kaieteurnewsonline.com/ 2022/04/18/airportstadium-in-berbice-will-bewhite-elephants/) TUESDAY EXXON TO DEDUCT OVER US$220M BY 2024 FOR WORKS TO BE DONE 20 YEARS IN THEFUTURE - FINANCIALANALYST

Agreement (PSA) with Esso Exploration and Production Guyana Limited (EEPGL) which holds a 45 percent stake in Stabroek Block, along with its partners Hess Corporation Guyana and China National Offshore Oil Company (CNOOC).

EEPGL, is incorporated in a known tax haven — the Bahamas — with a registered office in Guyana and is the company commonly referred to as ExxonMobil Guyana — the operator for the Stabroek Block.

To date, the expenditure for which the company deducts through the sale, of as much as 75 percent of the crude produced in the Stabroek Block, has in large part remained in the domain of the partners and has never been shared publicly.

A study on Guyana’s Oil and Gas industry and the economics involved by Tom Sanzillo, Director of financial analysis for the Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis (IEEFA), has uncovered that EEPGL in fact pays its parent company ExxonMobil Corp.— based on Texas USA — a hefty Parent Company Overhead (PCO) fee.

A PCO fee is described in business circles as a fee charged by an operator to its co-venture partners in respect of costs of support services from its parent organisation such as Human Resources security and procurement services, and is most commonly charged on the basis of a percentage of all other sums charged to the joint account.

According to Sanzillo in his analysis, EEPGL prior to

2020 paid over US$73M in PCO fees to its parent company.

Sanzillo in his July 2021 report said, that EEPGL paid ExxonMobil Corp. US$35M in 2020 and in 2021, it will fork out US$39M in PCO fees.

This year, Sanzillo predicts the fee being paid to the US based parent company will increase to US$53M and then US$64M the following year. ( h t t p s : / / www.kaieteurnewsonline.com/ 2022/04/18/exxon-to-drawdown-almost-us500m-inmanagement-fees-for-eepglby-2024-expert/) AIRPORT, STADIUM IN BERBICE WILL BE ‘WHITE ELEPHANTS’ ENGINEER CHARLES SOHAN INSISTS ECONOMY,AIR TRAFFIC CANNOT JUSTIFY SUCH PROJECTS Prominent Engineer Charles Sohan has flayed government’s promises to build an airport at Rose Hall, and a stadium and hotel at Palmyra saying that the economy and the anticipated air traffic in the Region cannot justify such these projects.

“The people in this region are struggling to find jobs as well as putting food on their tables for their families particularly so since the closing of the sugar estateswhere would these Guyanese find the resources and time to attend functions at a sports stadium and pay for lodging in an expensive hotel when their priorities have to be directed elsewhere?’ Sohan asked in a letter to this newspaper. During a Cabinet outreach last week, both

President Irfaan Ali and Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo made the announcement of the mega projects- aimed at appeasing its base that is still reeling from the government’s failure to reopen the closed sugar estates promised during the elections campaign in 2022.

While addressing members of the Region Six business community at the Classic International Hotel and Resort in Skeldon last week Sunday, Jagdeo said that the government has taken all the lands from GuySuCo around the village of Palmyra, behind the Indian Arrival Monument for the stadium. Construction works are expected to commence b e f o r e y e a r e n d . “ We believe that just like how that stadium serves Regions Three and Four across the bridge, so too this stadium can serve Regions Six and Five and can become a growth pole,” he said. He also noted that the government has received several proposals for hotel development in Region Six and pointed out that these investments will support the government’s efforts to drive growth and generate jobs in Region Six. Only last week Economist, Ramon Gaskin told the Kaieteur News that there are several areas, some dealing with life and death situations that the government should address before spending on major investments that do not directly and immediately improve the quality of citizens’ lives. ( h t t p s : / /

By the end of 2024 —two years from now—ExxonMobil Guyana would have already recovered some US$227M for works to be executed 20 years into the future. These monies, which would be deducted in portions annually, are associated with the abandonment or decommissioning of its wells for the Liza Phase One Project. Such costs are allowed to be recovered by the Operator, Esso Exploration and Production Guyana Limited (EEPGL), as per arrangements in the 2016 Stabroek Block Production Sharing Agreement (PSA).

This notable payment schedule is documented in a report authored and produced by Director of Financial Analysis for the Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis (IEEFA), Tom Sanzillo.

According to his analysis, even before 2020, EEPGL had already deducted US$1M, and that was raised to US$16M by the end of that year. For 2021 EEPGL, according to Sanzillo, deducted some US$18M as part of its annual recoverable expenses for abandonment costs.

By the end of 2022, the company will de d u c t a n additional US$32M which then doubles in the following year –2023—to US$64M. In 2024 EEPGL will deduct from oil sold from the Stabroek Block up to US$95M for a total of US$227M to be deducted as Amortised Abandonment Costs— works to be undertaken some 20 years in the future at the projected end of the lifespan of the Liza 1 oilfield.

Decommissioning is the process of ending offshore oil and gas operations at an offshore platform and returning the ocean and seafloor to its pre-lease condition.

This would involve the removal of all of the subsea installations such as manifolds, pipes and valves in addition to the resealing of the exhausted well. There will be some 17 wells to be decommissioned (Continued on page 29)

Sunday April 24, 2022

From page 28 at the end of the anticipated 20-year life span. ( h t t p s : / / www.kaieteurnewsonline.com/ 2022/04/19/exxon-to-deduct-overus220m-by-2024-for-works-to-bedone-20-years-in-the-futurefinancial-analyst/) HUMAN RIGHTS MUST NOT STAND IN THE WAY OF AMERICAN INTERESTS FORMER US SECRETARY OF STATE/EX-EXXON BOSS On May 3, 2017, just three months into his tenure as US Secretary of State, Rex Tillerson, had cited that Americans should be vigilant not to let values like human rights create “obstacles” to the pursuit of its interests.

Tillerson served as the 69th U.S. Secretary of State from February 1, 2017 to March 31, 2018 under President Donald Trump – and is also the former Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of American oil giant, ExxonMobil Corporation.

Following Tillerson’s remarks, the Brookings (an American research group) had reported that while speaking about values as an enduring guide to U.S. foreign policy, Tillerson made it crystal clear that when it comes to actual policies; national security and economic interests come first.

In fact, he said, “Well-meaning principles like freedom and human rights sit on our shoulder like some guardian angel whispering in one ear to do the right thing…but only if it’s convenient to more important security and economic interests.”

Tillerson had instructed his team of diplomats that “we really have to understand, in each country or each region of the world that we’re dealing with, what are our national security interests, what are our economic

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prosperity interests, and then as we can advocate and advance our values, we should…”

He asserted that too often promoting ones value is “an obstacle” to the advancement of other interests. Tillerson went on a tour d’horizon of all the compelling issues on the U.S. foreign policy agenda and did not once mention the words values, democracy, or human rights.

In one speech, Tillerson tossed out over four decades of bipartisan consensus that human rights and democracy are: 1) essential components of U.S. national security and economic prosperity, and 2) not just American values but universal values that the United States, through its long and troubled history, has adopted as the north star of national prestige and international legitimacy. ( h t t p s : / / www.kaieteurnewsonline.com/ 2022/04/19/human-rights-mustnot-stand-in-the-way-of-americaninterests-former-us-secretary-ofstate-ex-exxon-boss/) WEDNESDAY GUYANAWILLNEED MORE THAN UPDATED LAWS, PROPER OVERSIGHT FOR OIL TO BE SPRINGBOARD FOR DEVELOPMENT – EXPERT While it is commendable that Guyanese authorities are making strides in updating their laws, improving planning systems and strengthening oversight, these mechanisms are not enough to make oil an automatic springboard for development.

This is according to Dr. Zainab Usman, a Senior Fellow and Director of the Africa Programme at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace in Washington,

D.C. In her recent analysis that examines principles for an oil-led development strategy in the 21st century, the expert warned that there are numerous variables Guyana must juggle to be successful with its hydrocarbon bounty.

Dr. Usman was keen to note that Guyana must, among other things, put systems in place to maximise earnings, manage revenues transparently and create buffers against the volatility of global oil prices. She said this will entail legislation, policies and regulations being implemented across the oil and gas value chain.

Dr. Usman said too that it is critical for Guyana to accelerate efforts on capacity building to monitor oil and gas operations, hire the requisite technical personnel, promote governance and transparency, and undertake financial and economic planning.

The Senior Fellow noted, however, that these commendable strides are “insufficient to position the O/G (oil and gas) sector as a springboard for national development; to achieving economic diversification, structural transformation and high-levels of human development in the long term.”

The industry expert said that Guyana needs to pay attention to the lessons several countries offer on the pitfalls of oil. She said, too, that Guyana needs to guard against certain misconceptions about the petroleum industry.

Expounding on this front, Dr. Usman said, “Oil wealth does not guarantee high incomes. Angola, Indonesia and Nigeria are all among the world’s top 20 oil producers but they remain lower-middle-income due in large part to their low-rents per capita. Secondly, attaining highincome status from natural resources wealth does not always translate into improved human development outcomes.” ( h t t p s : / / www.kaieteurnewsonline.com/ 2022/04/20/guyana-will-needmore-than-updated-laws-properoversight-for-oil-to-bespringboard-for-developmentexpert/) ALMOST 2 YEARS LATER… JAGDEO YET TO HONOUR PROMISE TO RELEASE PAYARA REPORT BY CONTROVERSIAL CANADIAN POLITICIAN It has been one year and seven months since the Irfaan Ali-led government has failed to honour its solemn promise to release a critical report conducted by controversial Canadian consultant, Alison Redford on the US$9B Payara project.

Specifically, Natural Resources Minister, Vickram Bharrat had said on September 15, 2020 that the Redford report on the review of the Payara Field Development Plan (FDP) would be made public in that very month. In December 2020, Vice President, Dr. Bharrat Jagdeo had also given a public commitment to have the said document made public.

President Irfaan Ali had made similar utterances too.

The PPP Government subsequently granted its approval for the Payara project on September 30, 2020. But the Redford report and the terms of reference of her work remain hidden from public scrutiny.

The Redford report is of particular importance to transparency advocates and civil society groups since it would provide a deeper understanding of the extent to which Guyana’s interest was protected. Her report is not only a review of the Payara FDP but also contains an assessment of the work that was started on the Exxon document by UK-based, Bayphase Oil & Gas Consultants. Bayphase— a known client of Exxon—had started its review under the David Granger Administration but the 2020 elections disrupted the process.

The COVID-19 pandemic also had its impact.

It should be noted that Bayphase has performed the review of both the Liza Phase 2 Environmental Impact Assessment and the Field Development Plan as well as the Field Development Plan review for the US$10B Yellowtail.

These projects, along with Payara, are worth approximately US$30B. But the work of the Bayphase group has never made it into the public domain despite calls for this to be done in the interest of transparency and accountability. ( h t t p s : / / www.kaieteurnewsonline.com/ 2022/04/20/almost-two-yearslatervp-jagdeo-yet-to-honourpromise-to-release-payara-reportby-controversial-canadianpolitician/) THURSDAY EXXON’S PART OF GAS-TO-ENERGY PROJECT TO COST US$1.3B - HIGHER ESTIMATE TO FOLLOW WRAPUP OF MAJOR CONTRACTS ExxonMobil’s subsidiary- Esso Exploration and Production Guyana Limited (EEPGL), has revealed that the country’s imminent gas-toenergy (GTE) project, to be based at Wales in Region Three, will cost way

more than the initial US$900M. In fact, the aspect of the project for which the oil company is responsible, that is to say the installation of the offshore and onshore pipelines, is set to cost a whopping US$1.3B. This was noted in the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) that was prepared for the project. In the EIA, EEPGL said it has not yet made a Final Investment Decision (FID) on the project, and is continuing to evaluate cost considerations during the project development process.

But for the time being, it said the current project cost estimate is approximately $260 billion GYD ($1.3 billion USD). It warned, “A higher certainty cost estimate will be developed after receiving and negotiating all major contracts.”

Additionally, the project summary notes that Esso Exploration and Production Guyana Limited (EEPGL), on behalf of itself and its co-venturers (Hess Guyana Exploration Limited and CNOOC Petroleum Guyana Limited), is awaiting an environmental authorization from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for the GTE. It was explained that the project will use natural gas produced from the Liza One and Two projects in the Stabroek Block, and transport that resource via offshore and onshore pipeline networks to a natural gas power plant. EEPGL was keen to note that the Government of Guyana will be handling the construction of the power plant. It is therefore subjected to a separate Environmental Authorization process. The plant thus, is not included in the EIA (with the exception that it is considered as part of the cumulative impact assessment).

Expounding further, EEPGL said the project will involve capturing associated gas produced from crude oil production operations on the Liza Phase 1 (Destiny) and Liza Phase 2 (Unity) Floating, Production, Storage, and Offloading (FPSO) vessels, transporting approximately 50 million standard cubic feet per day of rich gas via a subsea pipeline and then to an onshore pipeline to a natural gas liquids (NGL) processing (Continued on page 30)

PAGE 30

From page 29 plant (NGL Plant), treating the gas to remove NGLs (i.e., propane, butane, and pentanes+) for sale to third parties, and ultimately delivering dry gas meeting government specifications for use at the power plant.

Construction is expected to begin as soon as possible after the oil company receives all necessary authorizations with a target date of August 2022 for start of NGL Plant site preparation, and will take approximately three years. The combined offshore and onshore pipeline system is targeted to be ready to deliver rich gas by end of 2024, and the NGL Plant is targeted to be operational by mid-2025. ( h t t p s : / / www.kaieteurnewsonline.com/ 2022/04/21/exxons-part-of-gas-toenergy-project-to-cost-us1-3b/) 98% OF POPULATION IN THE DARK ON OIL SECTOR- IRI POLL The majority of persons who took part in the International Republican Institute (IRI) national public opinion poll last January, are unaware as to where they could access information relating to how government will be spending profits gained from the country’s oil reserves.

A sizeable portion of the 1500 persons who took part in the survey also related a lack of interest in political news and information.

These and other factors, some members of society believe, are contributing to the grim reality, that despite the presence of oil and its massive potential to lift Guyana out of poverty, a large section of society seems uninterested in knowing

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about this new industry.

This newspaper’s publisher, Glen Lall had dedicated three days per week on his radio programme ‘The Glenn Lall Show’ to educate citizens on the sector. Lall has also committed his newspaper to being a leading voice in information sharing on the oil and gas sector. However, Lall himself has expressed disappointment that more citizens have not come to grips with the trillion-dollar sector. He often blames the leaders of this country for “keeping the people in the dark.” In addition to his advocacy for better oil deals and level-playing field in the sector, Lall back in January, through his attorney, Mohamed R. Ali, filed an action in the High Court which outlined that the tax reliefs listed under Article 15.1 of the Petroleum Agreement, dated June 27, 2016, between the Guyana Government and the oil companies, violate the Petroleum Exploration and Production Act, the Financial Administration (and Audit) Act, the Prevention of Discrimination Act, and the Constitution. In that court case, Lall is seeking declarations to have the provisions nullified and reversed.

Meanwhile, the IRI poll found that of the 1500 persons questioned from around the country, only two percent of that number felt that the oil extraction industry is an important problem facing the country. Veteran journalist, Adam Harris, submitted that the vast majority of citizens while not having access to information, do not understand what is happening in the oil industry and are too preoccupied with daily bread and butter issues to express interest in the massive sector. ( h t t p s : / /

www.kaieteurnewsonline.com/ 2022/04/21/98-of-population-inthe-dark-on-oil-sector-iri-poll/) FRIDAY Experts mock Guyana’s wild approval rate of Exxon projects A Field Development Plan (FDP) is one of the most critical documents governments assess before granting companies permission to move ahead with oil projects.

In developing the FDP, an oil company such as ExxonMobil will be selective in what international principles it follows. It will also take note of the factors used to tally how much it will charge the country for the project. At the end of the day, the oil company presents the government with a FDP that secures the interest of its shareholders.

Given the importance of this document, numerous industry experts have said the government must ensure proper due diligence is done by way of experienced professionals. It is on this very principle that they have expressed grave concern about Guyana’s use of Alison Merrilla Redford, a Canadian lawyer and former politician. She was used not once, but twice for the review of ExxonMobil’s Payara and Yellowtail FDPs. They were keen to note that both projects will cost Guyana a whopping US$19B. Given the fact that Redford has no well known track record of being a fierce defender of States on field development plans, industry experts cannot comprehend why she was selected for such an important job. What has surprised them as well is “Guyana’s wild rate of approval for Exxon’s projects” following Redford’s input.

They noted that Redford reviewed both Payara and Yellowtail within 42 and 52 days respectively.

More than a dozen industry experts who have experience reviewing FDPs said emphatically, “No proper review is done with such break-neck speed.” Specifically, one industry expert said, “…Other teams having performed reviews of field development plan in other major offshore producing areas, find it difficult to envision that a rigorous analysis of the Yellowtail FDP and the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) was possible within 52 days. Even with two mega groups of specialists and engineers assigned, it is not possible. The question therefore arises as to whether the Bayphase/Redford partnership skimmed the documents Exxon submitted to the government rather than probing it and requesting additional data for a proactive assessment.”

Another expert agreed with the foregoing perspective while adding, “For most FPDs you have over 100 items to check that is why proper review takes a year and change, sometimes longer depending on project size. In the first instance, the government must have its own FDP guidelines on minimum requirements they expect from the company. That should be public. This is needed because citizens would better understand the standards the administration is setting for companies to abide by. The North

Sea Transition Authority (NTSA) does this. That authority regulates and influences the oil, gas and carbon storage industries of the UK Continental Shelf.”

The NSTA clearly states via its guidelines on its website that all FDPs must provide a clear explanation why the development concept being presented is considered optimum from a technical, environmental and economic perspective. The authority also requires that companies set out the commitments they will follow to ensure enhanced oil recovery and sound development. The expert noted that Guyana is yet to prove if the Redford/Bayphase group achieved this since their findings remain a State secret.

Experts also told Kaieteur News that FDPs must also provide a production strategy that aligns with the country’s interest. Such a strategy includes: Short-term and long-term plans on production acceleration and recoverable reserves, the number of production and injection wells and the cost to the nation, and an explanation of hydrocarbon bearing sands penetrated not included under the current development plan but which could be profitable if assumption changes such as extent of reservoir or oil price.

FDPs also include detailed information, which the government needs experienced persons to review regarding production technology and well engineering. In this area, government specialists must diligently assess proposed well design concepts including trajectory and location, in flow performance prediction, sand control and sand management, explanation of concept selection and how value for money would be achieved on each component of the project. ”In light of the foregoing, how can Guyana feel assured that the reviews by Bayphase and Redford have been performed with their best interest in mind? It is Exxon’s job to advance their best interest: It is the government’s job to safeguard the best interest of its people. It is not clear that this is taking place,” expressed one of the specialists with over 40 years experience.

Another industry expert also raised alarm about the oversight

provided by Bayphase and the input of the Alison Redford Group which was paid for by the Canadian government. She said, “Guyanese should be concerned that it was not revealed by Natural Resources Minister, Vickram Bharrat that the Redford group was involved in reviewing the US$10B Yellowtail Project until after the work was completed and the production licence awarded. Why? Redford’s group was not listed by the National Tender and Procurement Board as one of the companies submitting a proposal for the Yellowtail or Payara reviews. Why was she given a direct contract on both? Why were Guyanese kept in the dark? Why are her reports not public? Why are the reports by Bayphase not public?”

In the interest of transparency, the industry experts agreed that the PPP/C Government should disclose a summary of the work performed

by Bayphase and the Redford group to date, along with a summary of the type of data used and the methods by which it was assessed. ( h t t p s : / / www.kaieteurnewsonline.com/ 2022/04/22/experts-mockguyanas-wild-approval-rate-ofexxon-projects/) SATURDAY EPA GIVES ‘NO-OBJECTION’ FOR EXXONMOBIL TO START PREPARATORY WORKS FOR GAS-TO-ENERGY PROJECT Ahead of approving its US1.3 billion Gas-to-Energy pipeline project, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has given Esso Exploration and Production Guyana Limited (EEPGL), the subsidiary of ExxonMobil, its blessings to commence preparatory works for the project that remains under scrutiny.

On Wednesday, the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) for Exxon’s part of the project was submitted to the EPA. The document explains that separate from the project’s Environmental Authorization, the agency has issued a no-objection letter, authorizing “selected early works activities that will support the proposed construction activities for the Project.”

The approved early works, (Continued on page 31)

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From page 30 according to the EIA, relate primarily to the upgrading, rehabilitation, and repair of approximately six bridges, and some 11 kilometers of roads along the West Bank of Demerara (WBD) Public Road from the village of Patentia south toward the Natural Gas Liquid (NGL) Plant site. These works will allow for improved access to the site, the EEPGL’s Consultant, the Environmental Resources Management (ERM) outlined.

In addition, “the early works activities will also include the establishment of an approximately 5-hectare laydown area to stockpile aggregate, which is needed for the early works road improvements”.

ERM was keen to note that all the road and bridge improvements are expected to remain within the existing road’s right of way (RoW) and that the preparatory works will include maintenance of existing facilities.

The oil company boasted that in addition to supporting its project-related activities, the improvements to the infrastructure is expected to benefit residents with improved vehicular access and enhanced safety in the area, who currently only have dry-season vehicular access in some areas because of poor existing road conditions.

Exxon’s environmental impact study has pegged the Wales, West Bank Demerara project in excess of US$1.3 billion. The company will be funding the installation of the offshore and onshore pipelines, while the government would be responsible for the NGL plant.

EEPGL said the project will involve capturing associated gas produced from crude oil production operations on the Liza Phase 1 (Destiny) and Liza Phase 2 (Unity) Floating, Production, Storage, and Offloading (FPSO) vessels, transporting approximately 50 million standard cubic feet per day of rich gas via a subsea pipeline and then to an onshore pipeline to a natural gas liquids (NGL) processing plant (NGL Plant), treating the gas to remove NGLs (i.e., propane, butane, and pentanes+) for sale to third parties, and ultimately delivering dry gas meeting government specifications for use at the power plant.

Construction is expected to begin as soon as possible after the oil company receives all necessary authorizations with a target date of August 2022 for start of NGL Plant site preparation, and will take approximately three years.

The combined offshore and onshore pipeline system is

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targeted to be ready to deliver rich gas by end of 2024, and the NGL Plant is targeted to be operational by mid-2025.

Kaieteur News understands that the EIA was prepared by ERM, in association with the Guyanese consultancies E&A Consultants, Inc. (E&A), Caribbean Engineering & Management Consultants Inc. (CEMCO), the University of Guyana Centre for the Study of Biological Diversity (CSBD), and Leon Moore Nature Experience (LMNE); Trinidadian consultant Caribbean Transportation Consultancy Services Company Limited (CARITRANS); and U.S.based consultant SLR International Corporation (SLR). ( h t t p s : / / www.kaieteurnewsonline.com/ 2022/04/23/epa-gives-noobjection-for-exxonmobil-tostart-preparatory-works-forgas-to-energy-project/) COURT RULING ON GLENN LALL’S LEGAL CHALLENGE OVER ABUSIVE TAX WAIVERS TO OIL COMPANIES SET FOR SEPTEMBER The High Court has set a timeline within which it will

hear the oil tax case filed by Kaieteur News’ Publisher Glenn Lall. Lall had filed the case against the Government of Guyana over the extensive tax waivers granted to Exxon Mobil and other oil operators.

The matter which Exxon Mobil subsidiary, Esso Exploration and Production Guyana Limited (EEPGL) joined as a respondent is set for continuation before Justice Nareshwar Harnanan at the High Court in Georgetown on August 12, 2022.

As such, Lall’s Attorney Mohamed Ali is expected to file submissions in response to the defence brought by the Government and EEPGL on or before June 3 while the respondents, Government of Guyana and EEPGL are expected to file their answers

by July 1.

All final written arguments are scheduled to be filed by July 29 and August 12, 2022 is set for oral arguments.

On August 12, attorneys from all sides will be given at least 20 minutes to present their case before the court, after which the Court is expected to rule on September 9, 2022.

Back in January, KN’s publisher filed the case which seeks to overturn the

expansive tax provisions granted to the oil companies as part of the Production Sharing Agreement (PSA) for oil drilling exploration in the Stabroek Block.

Among the grounds, Lall lists his main contention as the provisions of the agreement violate the Petroleum Act, by purporting to extend production sharing concessions to persons other than those licenced.

Against this background, he argues that any exemptions referred to in Article 15 Petroleum Exploration and Production Act, purporting to extend concessions to persons other than the licensees are not consistent with the provisions of Act. He contends that “licensee” as defined by the Petroleum Act refers only to Esso Exploration and Production Guyana Limited (EEPGL), CNOOC NEXEN Petroleum Guyana Limited and Hess Guyana Exploration Limited and not to any other person.

The applicant has asked the Court to make a declaration that bringing the agreement into force that the tax waiver must apply only to licensees. On the issue of discrimination, Lall argues that the Agreement “is discriminatory to Guyanese employees by exempting from personal income tax income earned only by expatriate employees of the contractor, affiliated companies or nonresident sub-contractors who are physically present in Guyana for 183 days or less on a cumulative basis in the tax year of assessment.”

Meanwhile, on the issue of taxes, Lall notes that while Section 51 of the Petroleum Act authorises the Minister Responsible for Finance to direct that any or all of the tax laws specified therein shall

not apply to or in relation to a licensee who has entered into a production sharing agreement with the Government of Guyana, it however, does not empower the Minister to pay the taxes on behalf of any licensee.

Against this background, he argues Articles 15.4 and 15.5 of the petroleum agreement requiring the Minister responsible for Petroleum to pay taxes for and on behalf of the licensees, and the Commissioner General to issue certificates to that effect is therefore a violation of the Petroleum Act. Regarding the Order by which the agreement came into force, Lall has advanced through his attorney Mohamed Ali, that the order is not a tax act or other subsidiary legislation made under such act and is therefore null, void and of no legal effect. It is for those outlined reasons that the Applicant is hoping the court will grant him the reliefs being sought. He also wants the court to declare void, Section 49 of the Act which purports to authorize the Minister to remit any royalty payable by a licensee or to defer the payment of such royalty, as being in violation of subsections 1A and 1B of Section 6 of the Financial Administration Act. Further, Lall is asking the court to declare Article 15.12 of the agreement as being in violation of Article 149 of the Constitution which provides for protection from discrimination—and for also being in violation of Section 5 of the Prevention of Discrimination Act. So far, the Government and EEPGL have responded denying the claims made by Lall. ( h t t p s : / / www.kaieteurnewsonline.com/ 2022/04/23/court-ruling-

on-glenn-lalls-legalchallenge-over-abusive-taxwaivers-to-oil-companiesset-for-september/) LOCAL GROUP IN VREED-EN-HOOP SHORE BASE INKS US$300M AGREEMENT WITH EXXON TO SUPPORT YELLOWTAILPROJECT Guyanese businessmen involved in the ambitious Vreed-en-Hoop Shorebase Inc. (VEHSI) project have inked a US$300M agreement with oil major ExxonMobil Guyana to provide shore base services to its upcoming US$10B Yellowtail development offshore Guyana.

The local investors are confident that this transformational venture will among other things; significantly reduce the cost of shipping, while creating a springboard facility that will aid in the development of other local service provision companies here.

NRG Holdings Inc. Nicolas Degoo Boyer, one of the main partners in the business consortium told a gathering of government representatives, Exxon officials and other oil and gas stakeholders that the group expects its operation to kick off by the fourth quarter of 2023, recognizing the immediate need for the facility to support Guyana’s new energy industry.

Boyer explained that it was only in 2020 that his company, Andron Alphonso of ZRN Investments Inc. and Nazar ‘Shell’ Mohammed of Hadi’s World Inc. got together in a bid to provide the project under NRG Holdings Inc. Shortly after, a competitive tender process was initiated

by Stabroek Block operator Exxon Mobil, seeking the

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From page 31 provision of support infrastructure for its offshore Yellowtail development.

After millions of dollars being spent, much geotechnical and engineering work, and the lingering questions as to whether the local companies could band together and successfully execute the massive project, Boyer said that yesterday’s signing agreement with Exxon was the first step toward its returns. Those said returns may not immediately come in terms of repayment as Boyer informed that project data identifies monetary returns well into the future.

Instead, the businessman said, what must be shown to separate the shore base project from all other projects in the country, is that this investment is a catalyst for growing country and people.

“What drove us through this process was a responsibility, a privilege that we had to do this for the country because the country needs the development that will increase local content, reduce commercial shipping cost, provide land for service companies and provide land in a place that is not impacting on existing operations…” It

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is for that reason, Boyer said, that the company went through and is still conducting a complete environmental impact assessment which has so far provided data on the specific maritime space that had never existed.

Responding to criticisms of government investment, Boyer said that the shore base project is totally financed by private investors who are

taking all the risk. “This is entirely a private initiative and that means that the risk capital is being borne by the developers, the entrepreneurs, and our partners.” Government he said has played its role in providing the environment for the project’s development.

ExxonMobil’s President Alistair Routledge said that the incoming shore base

development falls in line with the development position of the Stabroek Block operators, the government and the Public Sector Commission. He told the gathering that it is unprecedented the pace of oil development in a country that has very limited industrial and major infrastructure. The shore base project is one that addresses this shortfall while adding significant value.

He told the gathering that unlike the two and a half acre Guyana Shore base Inc. at Houston, East Bank Demerara, the new facility will be much larger. “This project will be 10 times that area,” he stated, “and there will be much more capacity to do more construction and assembly in country that will truly be a spring board for the yellowtail and future developments to increase

local content for what we do in the oil and gas industry.”

The shore base project is also a means to increasing local content and to spread the benefits of investment decisions. In Region Three where the project is located, Routledge opined that huge opportunities along with the upcoming gas to energy project, also slated for that region. Natural Resources Minister, Vickram Bharrat, was keen to note that he saw the upcoming project as being among those that will spread development across the country. He touted that Region Three is the fastest growing part of the country and would experience even more opportunities with the upcoming gas-to-energy project.

“Because of oil and gas many opportunities are

coming to Guyana,” the minister mentioned. He said that the government has been pushing local content while adding that there are over 100 areas where Guyanese can partner with foreigners or seek to invest alone. “There are so many services that Guyanese can offer in the oil and gas sector that we are now learning of it.”

The NRG Holdings is a family-owned business. It involves Alfro Alphonso, Nazar ‘Shell’ Mohammed and of course, Eddie Boyer. Their sons, Andron Alphonso, Nazar ‘Shell’ Mohammed and Nicholas Boyer respectively, lead in the project. (https:// www.kaieteurnewsonline.com/ 2022/04/23/local-group-invreed-en-hoop-shore-baseinks-us300m-agreementwith-exxon-to-supportyellowtail-project/)

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Sunday April 24, 2022

>>> ENCOURAGING EVENTS, DISTURBING DEVELOPMENTS <<<

Oil fund board, population living in darkness, domestic violence and vaccines for schoolers I am encouraged that an oil fund board is in place; beyond that, things crumble. If I were to say anything other than it is a political board, it would be both inaccurate and dishonest.

Because we have had so much dishonesty with oil, it is best that I spare citizens more of the same. I study the names and what I said before has come to past.

To refresh the jaded memories of peers, I give a hand. Just say what would please, sir (comrade) and how far to go (jumping high).

One had literally stood on a table a while back and made a stirring speech for political purposes, while another went around the table to see what arrangements could be made for self. Some would say, it reeked a bit of under the table, but I am not the kind of guy to go there. Not in a month of Sundays.

Regarding the foreigner, I am struggling to determine what he brings to the table, where his first loyalties lie, and who will be the biggest beneficiaries. They are not lowly Guyanese. This goes for the barrel of them on

that board, I am sorry to say.

I similarly regret having to think this way, but I must call things as seen, and not worry about the sensitivities of others, including one believed to embody the presidency. It is the cynical conditioning that comes from a curly and twirly environment.

It is one with the most disturbing of realities: a population that lives in darkness.

About its oil. Well, I’ll be…I now have a better appreciation (also disturbing) as to why the GPL, and the governments that uphold it, has succeeded for so long in keeping the nation shrouded in pitch darkness.

Okay, I got carried away, but that comes from groping around blindly in near-perpetual velvet dimness. My position is sure to raise Cain – if we like darkness where our oil is concerned, then the GPL should save us the money, and maintain its eternal standards, and let Guyanese continue to languish in their selfinflicted feebleness and self-destructive sightlessness.

It took a foreign group to shed that light, and relay the truth about our darkness, which does not surprise. For it is another foreign group (not to be named today) that fetches away our oil, while it has our leaders dancing on their heads in daylight, and practising verbal cartwheels under the veil of darkness.

While all this is going on, Guyanese are happy to fly kites, drink rum, blare music, and do their own jigs in the streets. Somebody forgot to tell me the good news: all Guyanese have been converted into preferred shareholders of the American oil colossus.

Now that is encouraging, and nothing that may be personally disturbing could overwhelm that thought, this tide.

On the domestic front, the tide of violence that seeps from savaged homes into savage society is a most serious matter. It is disturbing that the more we try, the more we falter, fall short, sometimes fall flat on our faces. Some women experienced all those recently, with a tide that never really turns.

Recede for a moment, yes; but vanish enduringly, definitely not. What’s going on?

How come we can’t get a grip, put a sock in this thing? How many women have to be so brutalised! How many children traumatised!

How many of our men criminalised! I am

By GHK Lall disturbed that I have no answers, that I have to consider the question. I would rather other questions on other issues.

Yes, I know that school is scheduled for reopening. But of vaccines for all schoolers in the cards, I react with: what’s up, doc? Is it half the adult dose, as made the rounds (which is unacceptable)?

Is it American or Indian, and not Russian (as is to be expected)? And is it the real thing, as a genuine kiddies shot? Is there a doctor in the house, the one I am looking for, the minister? He can’t label me anti-vaxxer, even anti-government, since I did stand by him before on this, regardless of others.

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

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Op Ed:

By Kiana Wilburg Kaieteur News has an unwavering passion for oil a n d g a s . T h a t passionperhaps way deeper than I can explain drawing

Sunday April 24, 2022

The oil game is ours to lose on my mere 10 years of experience at this agencyis fuelled by the urge to see leaders avoid a phenomenon known as the “oil curse.”

Countries such as Venezuela, Angola, and Nigeria stand as

monumental examples of how significant discoveries without proper resource management, can leave a people worse off.

Since 2015, this newspaper has reported on

the mistakes countries have made with oil and we have endeavoured to show just how complicated is the task before us. There are institutional factors we can control to ensure proper

Senior Journalist, Kiana Wilburg

management and then there are other external variables that will affect our future earnings. I will avoid the technicalities as this is not my intention for this piece.

As we grow and continue to do our part to educate a nation desperate to fulfill its potential of being the Dubai of the region, it is critical that we understand our place in the world. It is crucial that we understand that this oil game is really ours to lose even as the world is facing an existential crisis given the damning effects of the c l i m a t e c h a n g e phenomenon.

It is well known that there has been an increase in the number of floods, tsunamis, forests fires, drought, and heat waves which are all unleashing damage and claiming lives like never before in different parts of the world.

Mankind’s insatiable desire for fossil fuels is to be blamed for this tragedy that worsens annually.

Some environmentalists here and abroad say Guyana has to do its part and cease oil production as advised by bodies like the United Nations. On the other side of the divide, there are stakeholders who say Guyana can in no way contribute to the global phenomenon given that it is a carbon sink. This simply means that the vast nature of our forests enables us to store any Carbon Dioxide that is released and the ability of the forests to do this is quite significant. During a recent interview on my show, Guyanas Oil and You, Senior Director for Climate and REDD+ at the Ministry of Natural Resources, Pradeepa Bholanath stated that even if Guyana has 10 oil ships operating offshore, as well as the US$900M gas-to-power project on stream, the carbon emissions of those projects

can in no way eclipse the immense carbon service provided by the nations forests. It therefore means Guyana can in no way be a contributor to the global problem and should, on those grounds, be allowed the opportunity to develop her resources in an environmentally sound manner.

Outside of this, there are several international reports which clearly state that it is the large carbon emitters such as the USA and China that must take the lead in lowering emissions as opposed to calling on countries like Guyana to quit while they are ahead. It is unfair and unreasonable to ask this of a newly minted oil State with exemplary green credentials.

For those who may not be aware, Guyana has started and ended the decade at a 0.05 percent Deforestation R a t e . T h e Av e r a g e deforestation rate globally in 2020 was 0.51 percent; our forest has been verified by the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) at 19.5GtCO2, one of the densest (high carbon forest), and one of the most diverse ecosystems in the world as part of the Guiana Shield Eco Region and the Amazon Basin; and we have maintained over 99 percent forest cover over the last four decades at a level of over 18 million hectares (or 44.5M Acres).

The government has also implemented a Cradle-toGrave Control of Radioactive Sources which aims to protect people and the environment from potential adverse effects of ionizing radiation while enabling and fostering the safe and secure use of radioactive sources to promote sustainable Continued on page 42

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The oil game is ours...

From page 38 s o c i o - e c o n o m i c development. It also utilises oil and gas proceeds to fund renewable proceeds, capacity building, and Information and Communication Technology (ICT) access for the hinterland, poor and remote communities.

Importantly, the country has maintained its status of a net carbon sink. In fact, Guyana emits approximately 14M tons of CO2 annually from land-use sectors (mining and forestry).

Because of our 18M hectares of largely intact forest, we can sequestrate approximately 154M tons of CO2 per year. At an output level of 750,000 bpd of the oil and gas sector by 2025, authorities expect greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from the sector to be around 7443 kiloton CO2e/year. This is well below what our forest is capable of sequestrating.

Guyana is also on track to preserve, improve and multiply the foregoing achievements as month-long consultations continue on the Low Carbon Development Strategy 2030 which will be finalised by the first half of the year.

Now, lets take a brief look at the energy demand outlook. The International Energy Agency said last year that oil would be needed for several years to come. The Paris-based body said it is e s t i m a t e d t h a t e n e rg y demand will grow between 3 percent and 44 percent from now until 2040, while the share of oil and gas in the energy mix varies between 53 percent today and between 50-58 percent in 2040.

Even if the world acts decisively to limit global warming to 2°C by 2050 (sustainable development scenario), it is projected that global energy demand will continue to increase and, by 2040, the oil and gas share of the global energy mix will still be 50 percent, representing the major enabler for universal energy access.

Wi t h t h e f o r e g o i n g outlook in mind, Guyana should not be prohibited from being a major player in this trillion dollar industry. It has

one of the best quality reserves discovered in the last decade with more potential to uncover.

To date, the country has made over 24 major discoveries, bringing reserves in the Stabroek Block to over 10 billion barrels of oil equivalent resources. Four projects have been sanctioned by government thus farLiza Phase One, Liza Phase Two, Payara and Yellowtail.

Another is in line for approval soon.

In the face of all this, proper resource management remains key to avoiding the oil curse phenomenon. To ensure the hydrocarbon windfall coming our way leads to long-term and sustainable human development, we will need to arm ourselves with the architecture that allows for rapid learning, legislative reform that ensures Guyana gets its fair share of returns, strengthening of our institutions to better address fiscal arrangements of future contracts, and staying focused on economic diversification. Importantly, we need to increase our capacity urgently to conduct critical audits of expenses by ExxonMobil Guyana, the operator of the Stabroek Block. These have to be done in a timely fashion.

We will have to resist the temptation to spend wildly and quickly.

We have to ensure the oil proceeds are used to stimulate value-added creation and boost the productivity of our traditional sectors to ensure regional and global competitiveness.

Investments in education, health, infrastructure, housing along with fiscal capacity development are also necessary ingredients.

Above all else, the objective for Guyana must be to create a resilient economy where the oil wealth serves as a stimulus and not the backbone.

Make no mistake; Guyana has all the tools at her disposal to be a success, a model State for the Region and perhaps the world. The oil game is, therefore, hers to lose.

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Lessons from a Lashpreneur !!!

Lash extensions full sets and refills.

By Latoya Zephyr Here at Lift and lashes , we are committed to ensuring you have the healthiest, most beautiful eyelash extensions available. In order to achieve this, your lash technician will make recommendations at each visit about the ongoing care and maintenance of your natural lashes and eyelash extensions. This includes identifying and suggesting when to have refills and when a full set is required. Here are some of the things we keep front-of-mind when making such recommendations: YOUR EYELASHES HAVE A NATURAL CYCLE OF GROWTH Your natural eyelashes, much like your hair, have a growth cycle of their own.

Generally, the cycle of growth, maturity and natural shedding takes 2-3 months. Because each lash is at a different stage in this cycle at any given time, you’ll constantly be losing your natural lashes. Each time a lash falls out, it takes the extension with it. This is completely normal and maintaining a regular and timely routine of alternating between full sets and refills will ensure that your lashes always look their best.

THE HEALTH OF YOUR NATURAL LASHES IS

IMPORTANT In order for your eyelash extensions to look their finest, it is important to keep your natural lashes in the best health possible as they are the foundation on which your extensions are built. As your extensions grow out, the point at which your extension is bonded to your natural lashes weakens. In order to prevent bending and breaking, once the extensions grow out too far, we recommend removing them and applying a new set to protect your natural eyelashes.

THE CONDITION AND FULLNESS OF YOUR EXTENSIONS NEEDS TO BE CONSIDERED Refills are designed to fill in any obvious gaps left as extensions naturally fall.

The point at which your real lashes join the eyelash extension weakens over time due to oil or other impurities.

After about three weeks, the join starts to become unstable and will be ready to come off. For this reason, we prefer not to do a refill after the 3 week mark as its very likely a large number of your extensions will fall out within the next week. This is why we recommend you attend a refill appointment within the first three weeks of having your

new set applied to get the most out of your extensions and the best value for money.

After 3 weeks, we suggest a new set to make sure your eyelash extensions last and always look their best.

WE WANT TO AVOID HAVING TOO MUCH ADHESIVE ON YOUR LASHES When we apply a new set

of eyelash extensions, we do so on clean, adhesive and residue-free lashes. This is the ideal scenario for the extensions to bond effectively.

When infills are applied, we are using adhesive on top of the adhesive that is already there. This means that the bond is not as strong and residue will be building up on the

hair follicle which is not ideal for your eyelash health. To maintain a full, soft and lush look, we recommend only 1 set of refills (or in rare cases an absolute maximum of two) in between each full set.

Think of it like this- if you applied hairspray to your hair too many times in between washes, your hair would be stiff and clumpy. No-one wants eyelashes that look like that! REFILLS ARE FOR MAINTENANCE ONLY Refills are designed to be a maintenance procedure, not a substitute for regular replacement of a full set. The number of refills applied in a procedure is fixed and will add 50% of the lash quantity of a full set- this is why it costs less for this service. Refills are there to fill any gaps caused by the natural shedding of lashes in between full sets. As long as you follow the timing guidelines between a full set and a refill appointment, your lashes should be at anywhere between 70100%+ in density compared to a full set after this appointment. For best results we recommend refills being applied within three weeks of the original full set. Outside of this three-week period, a full set will represent better value for money.

REFILLS ARE DONE WITH FOUR GOALS IN MIND: 1. Clean & tidy up eyelash extensions still on your eyes 2. Remove the lashes that are ready to fall out due to the natural growth cycle 3. Remove any weak bonding lashes 4. Fix any obvious cavities between lashes & lash extensions Ladies ask us almost every day, “why are my lashes falling off quickly this time?’ or, “I feel my lashes are not as thick as I’d like them…”. IF THIS IS YOU, CONSIDER THESE THREE THINGS: ·Is it my natural lash growth cycle? It’s possible that this has ended and your lashes are falling out to make way for new ones, taking your extensions with them. This is not something that can be controlled by you or us- this is simply how the human body works. ·How long have I had these extensions? If it’s been three or more weeks since the extensions were applied, the adhesive will have weakened so this is completely normal. ·Have you kept to the recommended refill/ full set cycle? We recommend you have refills applied within three weeks of your full set and only one refill between sets for best results.

E-Networks to broadcast Emilia Romagna Grand Prix today At 5pm today, Enetworks will be showcasing the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix, a Formula One motor racing event held at the Autodromo Internazionale Enzo e Dino Ferrari.

For those who may not be aware, the event takes the name “Emilia Romagna” from the Italian region where the circuit is located. The venue has previously hosted the Italian Grand Prix in 1980, and the San Marino Grand Prix from 1981 to 2006.

Be sure to tune in with your family and friends and enjoy.

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Magical Moonlight

By Deborah Dybowski The moon shone big and bright. Brighter than I had ever seen it before. It lit up the city making it look like late afternoon instead of eleven o'clock on an ordinary night.

Since it was too hot to sleep, I sat on the balcony looking up at the moon with delight and amazement when suddenly I saw a tall, thin, character wearing a red and white top hat, with white gloves on his hands and a red bow tie on his neck.

He was riding a twowheel bicycle along the telephone wires. The sight was both strange and silly. I laughed out loud wishing I could join him.

Echoing in the night air, I heard rhyming words, like

cat, hat, mat, fat.

I shouted, “Bat, pat, rat.”

All the words came back to me. I shouted all of them again and laughed as they all repeated in the night surrounding me with a magical whirlwind of colour.

The character on the bicycle was The Cat in the Hat. I knew. I so wanted to be a character in Dr Seuss' book. I would fit right in with my red and white striped pyjamas and my fluffy “cat in the hat” slippers. Perhaps I too could ride a two-wheel bicycle through the dark night on the telephone wires while juggling three red balls.

I went inside to the kitchen and found some flour. I mixed it in a small

FU

ETRY O P H T N WI

bowl with enough water so it made a thick paste and I painted my face white.

Then, I took a black marker and drew three, long, black lines on the sides of my mouth to make whiskers. I was a great looking Cat in the Hat. When I went back out onto the balcony, I shouted to The Cat in the Hat, “Cat, take me with you. Take me with you. I'll bake you a cake. We will eat it by the lake.”“Take, make, bake, cake, lake,” he shouted as he rode into the distance.

“Wait!” I screamed.

He turned and waved at me with his white-gloved hand shouting, “I can not mop. I can not hop. I can not STOP! I have no brake!

For goodness sake!”

And, I watched as he rode on into the night until he came to the house of Thing One and Thing Two. There, he crashed into a big, red box and the three of them laughed and played games until the sun rose in the east.

I wasn't disappointed I couldn't go with the Cat in the Hat. I knew it was late so I went to bed dreaming of the green eggs and ham Cat in the Hat would have ready for my breakfast in the morning.

It was so delicious!

Sunday April 17, 2022

Junior page les 4 white ti aint colors p 4 acrylic h u Paint br s pers Vinyl Bum ctive glaze te Clear pro s! d n a Little h This little project is perfect for any number of persons (if you have more than 4, you can double up the prints or make more coasters!). What's so great about using these tiles is if you make a mistake, you can easily wipe it off and do another!

And, because it's virtually impossible to get a toddler's handprint without it smearing in the first place, there was no way I could have gotten any pictures of it, too. I'm not that good!

To make these cute coasters, you just paint the kiddo's hand and press it on the tile. Easy peasy! Let the handprint dry for an hour or two. Then spray a few light coats of a clear protective glaze on top to make it waterproof. I like to use Rustoleum's Triple Thick Glaze. Let them dry completely overnight.

Flip the coasters upside down and add a vinyl bumper in each corner or those adhesives that keep furniture in place. They're perfect for making the coasters stay in place better on a table and not slip around too much!

Suguru The heavy lines indicate areas, called cages, from one to five squares in size. Fill each cage with unique digits, counting up from 1.

So for example a 2-square cage contains

the numbers 1 and 2; and a 5-square cage contains the numbers from 1 to 5. Adjacent (touching) squares, even ones that touch diagonally, may never contain the same number.

Stay Strong I know I am strong and healthy, And I would like to stay this way, So I must do the things to keep me so During each and every day.

First, I must regularly visit the toilet, To keep myself germ-free, Then I have to keep myself clean By brushing and washing my body.

Exercise would make my muscles strong, And able to keep me moving, To do the things I need to do, In working, studying and playing.

Then I need to eat healthy food, Like fruits and greens and milk, And stay away from too much sweet, As in candy, and soft drink.

by Uncle Roy

Have fun!

Kaieteur News

Sunday April 24, 2022

PAGE 47

TEEN TIME

Make full use of your talents and natural abilities to live your best life

I

n our past articles we had mentioned the importance of using the special talents with which you were born to help you to achieve the best in your endeavours. It will also help to fulfil the true purpose of your life, and give you a sense of achievement if you develop these to help others to do the same.

There is a story in the Bible which they call the Parable of the Talents.

In this parable, Jesus Christ told of a servant who was given a certain number of talents, which was the name of the money then used, to invest and get more money with which to live and develop himself.

But the servant, too lazy to work and afraid that he might lose the talents, just put them in a place which he thought was safe, but which also had no way of bringing any returns.

The master, when he found out the truth, condemned this servant and gave him no further opportunity to work for

anything.

Scientists have also informed us of the creatures which did not make full use of the faculties with which they were originally endowed, and which lost the use of these as a result.

These include the Kiwi, a bird of New Zealand which has lost the use of its wings from lack of use, and now cannot fly around to search for its food as it used to, and the Dodo, which lived in the Mediterranean and is now extinct.

It had also stopped flying and, not being able to escape from them, was soon exterminated by its predators.

It will be wise for each of us to think about this and about the talents that we were given when we were born or have acquired since then.

No matter how uneducated or incapable we may seem to be, each of us has been granted some talent or talents as well as the opportunity to use them.

If we do not put them to good use, we will lose them, just as we lose the use of our muscles through lack of exercise, or our brain from neglecting to do our mental work.

But if we make full use of them they will get stronger and be of greater use as we go along.

What are the talents with which you were born?

It may be a skill like art or music, or it may be a quality like courage or kindness. What are the talents you have acquired by learning and practising since birth - playing a game or working with computers?

Whatever it is, you have to make a serious attempt to identify it, and use every opportunity to develop it to the fullest.

This will not only help the world around you, but will serve to bring out your full potential in your career and give your life its true meaning and purpose.

Ripple effect The heavy lines indicate areas called cages.

Fill each cage with unique digits, counting up from 1. For example, a 1-cell cage must contain the number 1, a 2-cell cage contains 1 and 2, a 5-cell cage contains 1 through 5, and so on.

These numbers may appear in any order within the

cage. If two identical numbers appear in the same row or column, at least that many cells must separate them.

For example, if two 3s appear in the same column, they must be separated by at least three other cells that do not contain 3.

Identify and use the gifts and talents that you have, and you will achieve your best life. l Tel o it t Hello, readers, Uncle Roy is again asking all of you to try in some way to make a contribution to this page, and thus to the welfare of you and your fellow readers.

This contribution can take any form that you feel would be valuable – an account of what is going on in your community and country, any advice you would like to pass on to your fellow teen readers and, on a broader level, any comment or recommendation you would like to make to your fellow Guyanese.

Please remit same to my email – roypaul2002@yahoo.com, and be assured that your worthwhile contribution will have a prominent place on our page.

Solutions to last week’s

Galaxies

Easter word find The resurrection of Jesus

PAGE 48

How to get clear skin fast Many people find it difficult to get clear skin. The methods for getting clear skin will vary, depending on the person's skin type. In general, people struggling with acne or blemishes have skin that is dry, oily, or a combination of the two.

Avoid popping pimples A pimple indicates trapped oil, sebum, and bacteria. It is also a sign that the body's natural healing mechanism is working.

The exposed pimple may also lead to permanent scarring.

Whenever possible, avoid popping pimples. If they drain, keep the area clean.

Wash twice daily, and again after sweating The American Academy of Dermatology recommend that people wash twice daily and then again after sweating. Leaving sweat on the skin and allowing it to dry can make acne worse, so it is best to wash the skin as soon as possible after sweating.

Avoid touching the face Touching the face with the hands can deposit dirt, oils, and bacteria onto the skin and lead to breakouts.

Moisturize All skin types can benefit from moisturizing after a daily face wash. Keeping the face moisturized may help control sebum production and prevent damage from the outside elements.

The most effective moisturizer will vary in each case, depending on the person's skin type. Anyone uncertain of what moisturizers will work for them should contact a dermatologist.

Always wear sunscreen The sun's ultraviolet (UV) rays damage the skin. Wearing sunscreen whenever outdoors can help protect the skin from these harmful rays.

Focus on gentle products People who need extra care for their skin will generally find that they react better to gentle products, which are less likely to irritate the skin.

Avoid hot water Showering, bathing, or washing the hands and face with very hot water can dry out or damage the skin. People who notice dry skin after bathing can try using lukewarm water instead.

Use gentle cleansing devices Exfoliation is important to help wash away dead skin cells, but some devices can be too abrasive and may actually harm the skin. Tools such as washcloths, rough sponges, or loofahs may be too rough for the skin, causing damage and irritation.

Some delicate options exist, such as soft cleansing brushes.

Alternatively, using clean fingers to massage a cleanser into the face may help prevent extra irritation.

Stay hydrated All cells in the body need water. The skin cells are closest to the environment and, therefore, may be more at risk of losing their moisture to the elements. Drinking water throughout the day may help keep the skin cells healthy.

Eat a healthful diet Eating a healthful diet rich in nutrients is important for the body as a whole, and it may also benefit the skin. Eating a diet rich in various plant foods and lean protein sources may help provide the nutrients that the skin needs to stay healthy.

People looking to keep their skin clear may also want to cut out specific troublesome foods, such as dairy milk. A review in Clinical Nutrition found a positive relationship between milk and acne. Some believe that this link is due to the growth compounds and hormones that the milk contains.

Use natural makeup products Sometimes, makeup products can aggravate breakouts.

Switching to natural makeup products or those designed to let the pores breathe may help reduce breakouts from makeup.

It is also important to remove all makeup each night and clean any makeup brushes or tools regularly.

Lifestyle changes Although the evidence is largely anecdotal, some lifestyle changes may also help keep the skin balanced. Lifestyle changes to consider include: getting a full night's rest each night avoiding smoking reducing or eliminating excess sugar avoiding fried foods

Kaieteur News

Sunday April 24, 2022

Sunday April 24, 2022

Kaieteur News

PAGE 49

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Kaieteur News

Sunday April 24, 2022

Kaieteur News

Sunday April 24, 2022

g tin s... s re re te atu n I re C

Discus (FISH)

Symphysodon, colloquially known as discus, is a genus of cichlids native to the Amazon river basin in South America. Due to their distinctive shape, behaviour, and bright colours and patterns, discus are popular as freshwater aquarium fish, and their aquaculture in several countries in Asia is a major industry.

They are sometimes referred to as pompadour fish. The discus fish has attracted a cult following of collectors and has created a multimillion dollar international industry complete with shows, competitions, and reputed online breeders.

Description Like cichlids from the genus Pterophyllum (angelfish), all Symphysodon species have a laterally compressed body shape. In contrast to Pterophyllum, however, extended finnage is absent giving Symphysodon a more rounded shape. It is this body shape from which their common name, “discus”, is derived.

The sides of the fish are frequently patterned in shades of green, red, brown, and blue. Some of the more brightly marked variants are the result of selective breeding by aquarists and do not exist in the wild. Discus typically reach up to 12.3–15.2 cm (4.8–6.0 in) in length, but captives have been claimed to reach 23 cm (9 in). Adults generally weigh 150–250 g (5.3–8.8 oz).

No clear sexual dimorphism is seen for this fish, but males may reach a larger size than females. In breeding form varieties, solid red discus (red melon, red cover) females are generally redder than males.

Behavior Symphysodon spp. are highly social, typically occurring in groups that may number many dozens of individuals, which is unique among cichlids of the Americas. When breeding, the pair moves away from the group, possibly to reduce the risk of cannibalism of the young. As with mos t cichlids, brood care is highly developed with both the parents caring for the young.

A d d i t i o n a l l y, a d u l t discus produce a secretion through their skin, on which the larvae live during their first 4 weeks. During the first two weeks, the parents stay near their young allowing them to feed easily. In the last 2 weeks, they swim away, resulting in the young being gradually “weaned off” and starting to fend for themselves. Although rare in fish, more than 30 species of cichlids are known to feed their young with skin secretion to various extent, including Pseudetroplus and Uaru species. Sexual maturity is reached in a year.

Research has shown that, through this unique parental care behaviour (discus parents feeding their progeny with skin mucus), discus fish parents transmit key microorganisms to their fry (very young fish).

This parent-to-offspring transmission of important microorganisms might explain the high survival rate of discus fry raised with their parents, compared to the low survival rate of progeny raised artificially by fish breeders (e.g. on egg yolk, brine shrimp, or other replacement foods).

They primarily feed on

algae, other plant material, and detritus (periphyton), but also eat small invertebrates. Invertebrates can make up 38 percent of the stomach content in wild S. aequifasciatus during the high-water season, but this decreases during the lowwater season, and yearround it is generally lower in the other species.

Unlike more predatory cichlids, this fish species have relatively long intestines typical of herbivore or omnivore.

(Source: Wikipedia)

PAGE 51

Kaieteur News

PAGE 52

Sunday April 24, 2022

Former journalist pursues dream of using technology to make Guyana better

Former journalist, Leonard Gildharie takes a selfie as his crew sets up the traffic cams in the background.

A shot of one of the cameras set up at an overpass.

By Shervin Belgrave

T

he love and passion for technology has driven a former journalist, Leonard Gildharie, to find ways, not only to gain some cash, but also to lend a hand to the development of his country by installing some state of the art traffic cameras along Guyana’s busiest highway, the East Bank Demerara corridor.

As the Managing Director of a new company called Pixels-Guyana Inc., Gildharie recently installed two cameras at the overpasses located at Houston and Peters Hall in the vicinity of the Demerara Harbour Bridge to monitor traffic.

Speaking with Kaieteur News in a recent interview, the former journalist turned businessman said that the cameras are equipped with internet and will give live feed of the traffic situation along the highway.

The live feed will be fed to his c o m p a n y ’s F a c e b o o k p a g e allowing motorists to choose the

most suitable time for them to use the highway.

Being a driver himself, Gildharie related that he has suffered like many to endure the traffic woes along the East Bank.

An estimated 25,000 vehicles traverse the highway on weekdays and many complain of being stuck in traffic jams and slow moving traffic for hours.

Controlling the traffic on the East Bank has been a challenge for the government and it has been investing heavily to build new highways just to ease the congestion.

While the government is doing its part to remedy the situation, Gildharie believes that he too can play a part in making the lives of his fellow countrymen much easier with his traffic cam technology.

“This service is free of cost to the public,” said Gildharie as he urged drivers to make full use of it to plan ahead before becoming stuck in traffic and missing

appointments.

Asked what drove him to invest thousands of US dollars in such a project, Gildharie said it is because of his love and passion for technology.

“I’ve always been somewhat a kind of a technology freak; I always like to follow technology, whether it’s the Amazon Fire Stick and what are the capabilities that could happen, I like to diddle with cameras and drones and things like that.”

Gildharie worked as a journalist for some 20 years and, according him, he enjoyed breaking “big stories” and reporting on national issues for the betterment of his country.

Throughout his journey, h o w e v e r, h i s p a s s i o n f o r technology, especially playing around with drones and “fancy cameras”, grew stronger.

One of his colleagues, who worked with him while he was a journalist, recalled seeing him play around with some gadgets in the

office. He would often add something extra to his work.

He would say, “The best photos and angles shot tell a story and draw people’s attention. As technology evolves, we have to master it in order to be effective.”

The former colleagues

remembered Gildharie teaching himself to master drones so that he can obtain high quality videos and overhead shots for news stories.

After reporting the news for two decades, Gildharie decided to call it a day. But instead of relaxing Continued on page 56

Leonard Gildharie posing for a photo after an interview with reporters at the Houston overpass.

A screengrab taken from a video posted to Pixels Guyana Inc. Facebook page of the live feed from the traffic cams.

PAGE 54

Kaieteur News

Sunday April 24, 2022

...Amjad Ali Shaw

Involved in the work of the Masjid at Enterprise, Leguan where he functions as the Assistant Imam.

From page 22 Institute).

During his years of apprenticeship, Shaw majored as a draughtsman.

By 1983, he had completed his training and returned to Leguan where he started working with the Leguan Sub-Region as a Superintendent of Works. There, the young Shaw was in charge of overseeing major infrastructural work on the Island.

“I was attached to the Leguan District Office …I was doing a great deal of technical work with them until around 1993 when I resigned the position,” he said.

Right around the time he resigned from working with the Region, Shaw recalled that his father and then his brother passed away.

Their deaths left a vacuum on the island for dental technicians. Shaw knew he had to step up to the plate; besides he had always worked

part-time with his father and brother to help fill orders for the “family business.”

Back then, he noted, the island was quite populated and many people depended on the dental services for dental fixtures or even emergency works.

“We had all the equipment and we had become popular for making dentures and so on…for the people in Leguan and other parts of Essequibo and even overseas, because people living in the US and Canada would request our service because it is far less costly than if they were to pay for it overseas.”

In this regard, Mr. Shaw found himself working overtime to fill out the orders of clients. He continued the work full time until he started to take on other religious and community functions.

COMMUNITY ROLES Mr. Shaw has always had active roles in his Muslim faith. As a result, Shaw, who also functions as an assistant Imam, was recommended by the Central Islamic Organisation of Guyana (CIOG) in 1996 to become the Legal Marriage Officer.

In that capacity, he performed several marriage ceremonies within the Muslim community as well as served as a marriage officer for a few Christian and Hindus wedding ceremonies.

“I would be present for Nikahs which is the traditional Islamic marriage as well as the legal marriage ceremonies. I have been doing this for the past 20 years,” he said.

Mr. Shaw is also known for his elocution and as a result, he would often be called upon to make speeches at these events. This led to his selection as a Community Development Officer some six years ago; a role he filled for five years.

He was also appointed to sit on the Teaching Service Commission where he was responsible for dealing with all the employment issues related to teachers in Region Three.

As a Community Development Officer, Shaw was responsible for supervising all major community projects throughout the length and breadth of Leguan.

He said the work included overseeing major infrastructural works and road network projects alongside officials of the Ministry of Public Works. His role as a community officer ended about two years ago.

Nevertheless, Mr. Shaw who recently celebrated his 60th birth anniversary continues to serve the community in his capacity of Justice of the Peace and Commissioner of Oaths.

Shaw said, “Most of my work involves interacting with the people from the community… As a JP being able to act as a mediator to resolve some issues outside of the court system…I have also done a lot of voluntary work so I think being able to help out in any way I can is what I like most about what I do.”

“Most of my work involves interacting with the people from the community… As a JP being able to act as a mediator to resolve some issues outside of the court system…I have also done a lot of voluntary work so I think being able to help out in any way I can is what I like most about what I do.”

He noted that the fact that his part-time work in other areas, dentistry or otherwise, has not interfered with his work in the faith has been a plus.

He asserted, “My work in the church doesn’t interfere with what I do for the community; it actually enhances it, because as an assistant Imam, once I am called upon, I am able to carry out the service.”

Outside of this, Shaw is satisfied in his role as a husband and father. The doting father is extremely proud of all his children.

“I am most happy that all my children are in their chosen career paths and they were able to pursue higher learning whether at the local university or overseas,” he added.

Kaieteur News

Sunday April 24, 2022

PAGE 55

Understanding the creative sector and its value

By Zena Henry

T

hrilling movies, designer clothing and high-quality music are among the contributions appreciated when looking at the creative sector of developed countries. In the United States for instance, the fashion industry, movie industry, gaming industry, music, among many others, provide massive amounts of money to that country and of course displays the high level of talent held by persons in those industries.

These talents were recognised and nurtured in societies that understand the significance of maintaining the cultural and creative fabric of its people, not only as a form of identity, but as a marketable product also.

Sometimes, the most expensive products are the ones handcrafted and custom designed; for the simple fact that it is the idea and creativity put into its production that drives the value of the item.

B e i n g cognisant of this, heavy investment in the creative sector could easily be seen as a plus for human development, and as a tool to lift citizens out of poverty. Especially in developing countries, creative sectors are often viewed by outsiders as easy areas for increasing human development. However, not understanding the workings of the creative s e c t o r, d e v e l o p i n g countries have caused its people to miss the bus on g r e a t d e v e l o p m e n t a l opport unities. Far less funds are spent developing people's creative skill sets compared to economic investments and infrastructural development.

In terms of Guyana, where we are set to increase the country's income through oil, investments in the creative sector could be a positive move as a low cost, peoplebased investment that will develop skills, create jobs and income, and make room for innovation. To make better sense of the creative economy, the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) sought to help developing countries create policies for creativity and innovation. They described the creative sector as the 'orange economy' and highlighted various areas of everyday life where creativity provided the foundation for satisfying a particular need, whether it is good or service.

It was explained that the term orange economy is commonly used in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) to refer to what is also called the creative economy. First

introduced in Buitrago and Duque (2013) to represent the particular set of activities based on creativity, the orange economy is becoming even trendier than innovation in the r e g i o n . H o w e v e r, a l t h o u g h attractive, the concept is still fuzzy.

Is there any part of the economy that is not creative?

It could be that some products are routinely delivered without any major content of creativity at the production or distribution phases.

But supplying new goods and services and improving existing ones, which adds value for consumers, involves a large amount of creativity.

And this definition is not that far from what has been traditionally used to characterise innovation.

The difference lies in the focus of the changes. On one hand, creativity is generally related to aesthetics. That is, the appearance of goods and services and t h e

particular, consumers.

The orange or creative economy is considered a group of activities through which ideas are transformed into cultural and creative goods and services whose value is or could be protected by intellectual property rights (IPRs).

Specifically, these commonalities include: (i) the recognition of creativity, arts, and culture as productive endeavours; (ii) the relationship with generating and exploiting IPRs, in particular copyright; and (iii) the direct role of these activities in the value chain that transforms ideas into products.

Following this approach, the creative economy includes activities related to three main concepts: (i) traditional and artistic activities, (ii) the creative industry, and (iii) activities that provide creative support to tradition

d a

A robotic creation.

Fashion, a creative expression.

Guyanese creativity in product aesthetics.

c hanges in the emotions that these products generate in consumers.

On the other hand, traditionally, innovation has been related to scientific and technological progress, and associated with changes in product functionality that can be directly linked to generating economic value. But if a good or service is aesthetically or emotionally desirable, socially and/or privately, this does not mean that it has no economic value or that it does not follow economic rules.

On the contrary, its production process requires capital, labour, and knowledge that could have been used for other activities.

In other words, it is clearly part of the traditional economic problem. However, often the real contribution of creative activities to the aggregate economy is not recognised. Further, it is difficult to identify clearly what inputs are required and the impacts such activities generate. Characterising creative activity is not a trivial task, but this does not mean that it does not exist or that it is not generating value for producers and, in

al industries.

Tr a d i t i o n a l a n d a r t i s t i c activities consist of efforts related to preserving and transmitting the material and immaterial cultural heritage of a society. This component of the creative economy includes activities such as literature, visual arts (e.g., ceramics, painting, and sculpture) and performing arts (e.g., theatre,

nce, and opera).

Creative industry comprises business activities where the value of the final output is mainly due to its creative content, including

cu ltural industry (activities recognised to be strongly related to culture, such as publishing, audiovisual, and phonographic), and functional creations (output is creative but not necessarily related with culture, such as video games, advertising, or fashion).

We have called the sum of traditional and artistic activities and cultural industry the cultural economy. Further, it is possible to identify activities of creative support, which are part of the value chains of other industries. In this case, the output of the creative activity is used as an intermediate input in the production process of a good or service that is not necessarily in itself creative.

Typical examples are product design, packaging design, and marketing. Progressively, the creative economy has been recognised as an important driver of economic development (Potts and Morrison, 2009), directly contributing to the economy of a country in terms of value added, exports, employment, investment, (Continued on page 62)

Green energy creation - a whirlpool turbine creates fish-friendly hydropower.

Kaieteur News

PAGE 56

Sunday April 24, 2022

== GNBS IN FOCUS ==

GNBS – ENGAGING MEDICAL LABORATORY PROFESSIONALS FOR LABORATORY CERTIFICATION

I

n G u y a n a , laboratories are certified by the

Guyana National Bureau of Standards (GNBS) to the National Laboratory

Standard, GYS 170: 2009 “General requirements for the operation of a

laboratory”.

This standard allows the laboratory to develop a

comprehensive management system, which facilitates the delivery of accurate and reliable test results.

To attain and maintain certification to the National Standard, laboratory professionals are at the centre of it all. The GNBS constantly engages these Lab Managers, Supervisors, Technicians and support staff through training, internal audits and other certification related activities.

Oftentimes, these lab personnel function as an extension of the Bureau as it seeks to promote and implement standards, and therefore it is necessary for the GNBS to acknowledge their invaluable services during Medical Laboratory P r o f e s s i o n a l s We e k (MLPW).

MLPW originated in 1975 and occurs each year in the last full week of April.

Lab Week provides an opportunity to increase public awareness and understanding and appreciation for laboratory professionals.

April 24 - 30 this year is designated Medical Laboratory Professionals We e k , a n d i t w i l l b e commemorated under the theme “Back to the Lab – Celebrating our past as we look into the future”.

No doubt, with the prevalence of so many sicknesses and diseases affecting human today, we must appreciate the importance of the tests provided by these health professionals during the diagnosis and treatment of

illnesses.

Certification by the GNBS is crucial to the reliable delivery of testing services and results provided by operators of Medical Laboratories.

It provides formal recognition that a laboratory has implemented a management system, thus providing a ready means for customers to identify and select reliable testing services to meet their needs.

Credible results received from certified laboratories increase confidence and allow medical practitioners, health professionals and other stakeholders to provide a consistently high quality of service to their clients.

The GNBS salutes Laboratory professionals of the following certified medical laboratories: Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation Medical Laboratory, Woodlands P a t h o l o g y L a b o r a t o r y, Wo o d l a n d s H o s p i t a l Laboratory, Dr. Balwant Singh Hospital Laboratory, Eureka Medical Laboratories Inc., Medical Arts Centre Laboratory, St. Joseph Mercy Hospital Laboratory, Quest Medical Laboratory, Guyana Defence Force Medical Laboratory, Dr. Leslie Persaud Medical Diagnostic Centre, Max Hanoman Medical Laboratory, Davis Memorial Hospital L a b o r a t o r y, C a r i b b e a n Surgery Inc., Caresworth Medical Centre Laboratory, Anamayah Memorial Hospital Laboratory, Sheriff Medical Centre Laboratory (Continued on page 62)

Former journalist pursues...

From page 52 at home or enjoying vacations, he decided to start a business.

For Gildharie, the business he wants to build is not only to gain him some profits but to improve the lives of fellow Guyanese and assist in modernising his homeland.

Investing in PixelsGuyana Inc., according to Gildharie, was in fact an investment in his first 'dream project', which saw him setting up the traffic cameras at strategic points along the often congested East Bank Demerara highway.

With approval from the relevant authorities for the venture, he decided to make use of the overhead passes erected along the highway to set up his cameras.

For one year, Gildharie

said that he worked tirelessly to complete his first project and on February 17, 2022, he made an announcement on his Facebook page –”Dream Project almost there”.

In April, the first dream project was completed and his traffic cameras were launched. But Gildharie wants to do more.

In fact, he is planning now to install some big screens at the overpasses.

These screens, according to Gildharie, will “light up the East Bank.” He aims to use these screens not only for advertisement purposes but to display trending issues in the country, live news updates and positive messages reminding citizens to obey the law, stop domestic abuse and to unite for the greater good of Guyana.

Kaieteur News

Sunday April 24, 2022

PAGE 57

MoE launches new National Literacy Department on World Book Day The Ministry of Education launched its new National Literacy Department on Saturday at a Reading Affair and Literacy Clinic held at the New Central High School in observance of World Book Day. At the event, Minister of Education, Priya Manickchand said that literacy is not just a national issue but it is also a global matter that is being addressed. She said that low literacy rates have been exacerbated by the COVID19 pandemic which caused many pupils to experience learning loss due to the schools being closed for over two years.

However, to address this, she said that the Ministry thought it best to establish a National Literacy Department intended to develop national strategies which can be implemented in the education districts and communities to ensure children are learning to read and that their reading skills align with their age. She said that the work of the new department will include training and retraining of teachers, community volunteerism and parental and community involvement.

She said that the mission for the education sector as it relates to literacy is that each child must be able to read and comprehend by Grade two and in Grade four, those skills must be solidified. The Education Minister said that the personnel within the Ministry with responsibility for literacy as well as teachers in the classrooms across Guyana will be held accountable for the rollout of

the programme and the outcomes which follow. She said that lacklustre performance will not be accepted since that results in large numbers of children suffering in the end.

“So I want you to understand the position we are in. We're not throwing up our hands and blaming anybody. We are saying that we have established a whole new post called the Assistance Chief Education Officer for literacy. That is how important we think it is and that is the priority we're placing on this and we're establishing and funding a whole department,” Minister Manickchand noted.

Further, she said that parents will have to straighten their priorities since children who cannot read will not be able to achieve the better life that they wish.

Chief Education Officer, Dr. Marcel Hutson said that

the launch of the Department is key to the transformational process of the Ministry of Education. He said that if a child is not able to read at a certain grade, it becomes extremely difficult for that child to transition or to matriculate which is to move onto secondary school, do well, and ultimately move on to higher learning.

“Being literate is fundamental to one's own development, the development of your family and by extension the development of a nation,” the CEO noted. He told the parents in attendance that they have a fundamental role to play in the process. He said that collaboration is needed at various levels including within the classroom, at the level of the school's leadership, at the level of the Departments and at the level of the home and community.

The Assistant Chief Education Officer (literacy),

Minister of Education, Priya Manickchand interacting with a student at the Literacy Clinic.

Ms. Samantha Williams said that as the world observes World Book Day under the theme 'I am a reader', a 2019 UNESCO report had said that over 773 million children cannot read or identify basic (Continued on page 62)

Assistant Chief Education Officer, Ms. Samantha Williams.

Education Officers conducting literacy sessions with pupils at today's clinic.

Chief Education Officer, Dr. Marcel Hutson

Some of the various tools that were on display today at the Literacy Clinic.

PAGE 58

Kaieteur News

Sunday April 24, 2022

Govt. to spend more money on CJIA runway

With over US$160 million erosion protection and remealready spent on the Cheddi dial works for the CJIA runJagan International Airport way embankment, a project (CJIA) expansion project, the which is estimated to cost government is now looking to $11,864,800. spend more money to faciliThe project which tate remedial works for the air- opened on Friday at the ports runway embankment.

National Procurement and As reported, the Ministry Te n d e r A d m i n i s t r a t i o n of Public Works had put out Board (NPTAB) office saw a tender inviting a contractor all six contractors vying for to execute the construction of the job biddings higher Ministry of Public Works Construction of erosion protection and remedial works for the CJIA runway embankment.

than the engineers esti- bankment. The source said mate. Kaieteur News was that due to heavy rainfall reliably informed that this around that period, it had project basically deals with washed away some of the the remedial works to the sand at the embankment, perimeter fence that was also some erosion had occonstructed back in 2018. curred which would have Back then, because of d a m a g e d t h e p e r i m e t e r the incomplete runway, the fence. government had installed As such, this project is perimeter fence along the t o d o r e m e d i a l w o r k s runway to enclose the em- around the perimeter fence.

Supply and delivery of anti-retoviral.

T h e M i n i s t r y o f f i c i a l fence experienced some stated also that there are cracks over time, so that also plans to enforce the would be fixed. Earlier this fence by installing geo-fabric year, it was announced by material, which would help Senior Minister with responwith the erosion underneath sibility for Finance, Dr. Ashni the perimeter fence.

Singh that the sum of $927 This publication was in- million was allocated from this formed too that some reme- years budget for works at the dial works will be carried out CJIA. on the wall of the fence. This Below are the companies publication was told that the and their bids: Rehabilitation of Annai Secondary School Admin building, North Rupununi

Supply and delivery of DDA drugs.

Guyana Elections Commission Provision of services for the maintenance of Perkins and Whisperwatt generators.

Enhancement works between UG Road to Ogle, Lot1: construction of a parking lot at Ogle, Lot2: construction of a Promenade from UG Road intersection to Arch Area, Industry, Lot3: construction of a Promenade from Arch Area, Industry to Ogle.

Ministry of Local Government and Regional Development Construction of Infectious Disease Building, Central Rupununi

Procurement of desktop computers.

Construction of female dorms at Sand Creek, South, Central Rupununi

Construction of training centre (admin), Central Rupununi

Ministry of Health Supply and delivery of contraceptives supplies

Construction of building to accommodate CPCE trainees/ workshop, Central Lethem

Supreme Court of Judicature The completion of Bartica Magistrates Court, Region Seven, (phase 2).

(Continued on page 63)

Kaieteur News

Sunday April 24, 2022

PAGE 59

>>>Young Entrepreneur on the Move<<< FOR THAT SENTIMENTAL GIFT IDEA

“CreationsVeragy” IS THE PLACE TO GO

By AllyiahAllicock

“Young entrepreneurs are breaking the barriers, creating opportunities with new technologies and encouraging competitive economies. We do not only do this for capital gain but we share our affluence with others to understand the globalised societies.”

D

uring the early stages of the g l o b a l pandemic, COVID-19, many people like Meena Baljit, who was employed on the Carnival Cruise Line, were confined to their homes in order to protect themselves from contracting the deadly virus.

With the extra time on her hand, Baljit recently shared how this new adjustment led her to introduce her first business venture. “I felt the pandemic has given people the opportunity to find their inner skills, and that altogether prompted me to start something,” she said.

Her business, C r e a t i o n s v e r a g y, w a s launched on the April 28, last year. It was inspired by her daughter, Vera Projkoski, and is a personalised gift shop that creates that special gift idea with a sentimental touch.

The idea to venture into this type of business, Baljit said, came from watching videos on TikTok. “I saw something that caught my eyes, and that was a machine that creates crafts. More or less, it had 300 plus crafts you can do with that machine. I said to myself, ‘this isn’t difficult, and I can do what I love while making someone else happy in the process and also be able to spend time with my

Some of the gift items you can find at CreationsVeragy.

newborn’, as it was time to adjust to full time mommy life, and as such, I gave it a test run,” she explained in a recent interview with this publication.

Having acquired the machine, the mother of one disclosed that at the beginning, it was a bit rough but with the backing of some amazing family members and friends, her business started to grow. Apart from family and friends’ support,

she noted that social media platforms played a big part as well in terms of bringing in new clients. With her business page being shared, she disclosed, people quickly started to fall in love with what her business offers.

Although she has had her fair share of challenges, Baljit said that she has thus far managed to overcome most.

“Challenges I have faced included adapting to the programme and learning how to better my product quality. At first, it was difficult as I did not know much about materials and best quality, and I would

Owner of CreationsVeragy, Meena Baljit have wasted materials which in turn caused me losses as all material were imported. I have, however, managed to overcome these challenges by watching hours of Yo u T u b e v i d e o s a n d teaching myself the shortcuts,” the young woman explained.

But the pandemic, she said, more impacted her business positively. This is since she was able to use her time to better her craft. “I must say if not for the

pandemic, I won’t be where I am right now – a young upcoming business entrepreneur,” she quipped with pride.

In moving forward with her brand, Baljit highlighted two of her long-term goals.

Her first proposed goal is to have a remote location for her production or simply have an established crafting shop as an addition to her gift shop. Currently, she operates her business at her home Continued on page 60

PAGE 60

Kaieteur News

Sunday April 24, 2022

Friends found dead in car at hotel's....

From page 53 form of narcotics such as crack cocaine.

After removing their bodies from the scene, detectives sent the substance to the Guyana Forensic Laboratory for testing and while they awaited the results, some were speculating that they could have died from a drug overdose.

That theory, however, quickly faded after the test results of the substance returned negative for narcotics. The lab officials told police that it could be sodium cyanide, a substance that is lethal in small quantities but they cannot be sure because the forensic lab does not have the capabilities to test for such toxic chemicals.

Detectives have since sent samples of the substance overseas for further testing.

Sodium cyanide is a highly toxic chemical compound that is mainly used in gold mining as a cheaper alternative to extract gold. In its solid form, it is white and odourless but highly soluble and very reactive to metals.

While police are waiting for the overseas tests to be completed, detectives are reviewing CCTV footage from the hotel to trace the men's last movements for clues that might help them solve the case.

The two had been friends for years and are well known individuals who were very

active on the various social media platforms. Some persons believe that their final Facebook posts could be a vital clue in the case.

Both friends made posts just hours before their bodies were found. The first was made by Teixeira around 16:13hrs on Friday and in that post, he stated with a smiling emoji at the end, “Life is like a coin. You can spend it anyway you wish, but you can only spend it once.”

For many, this seemed like a normal post with a motivational quote but hours later and just around 45 minutes before they were both discovered motionless in Teixeira's car, Hansraj made a post that raised some eyebrows. At around 23:10hrs on Friday, Hansraj posted, “I hope the world find peace today. I love yall!”

If indeed the friends' lives were taken by suicide or murder/suicide, what drove them to do it may remain a mystery.

In the eyes of the public, they were great friends, living the best of their youthful lives.

Hansraj was a talented local singer who was very popular. He was reportedly planning to engage the love of his life on May 7, and had sent out invitations to all of his friends and had even told one of them to ensure that she was present for the celebrations.

Investigations are ongoing.

For that sentimental gift...

From page 59 which is offered to the public online with two days of delivery around Georgetown to facilitate her customers.

Her second goal is to share the knowledge of her craft to upcoming entrepreneurs who are desirous of being in this field.

“I would like to hold workshops free of charge to teach the programme and shortcuts to upcoming young entrepreneurs in this field. It will or will not be full time for someone but it sure will give that passive income to that someone who is interested in this field,” the 26-year-old entrepreneur elaborated.

Our featured young entrepreneur is of the firm b e l i e f t h a t “ Yo u n g entrepreneurs are breaking the barriers, creating opportunities with new technologies and encouraging competitive economies. We do not only do this for capital gain but we share our affluence with others to understand the

globalised societies.”

When asked what more can be done to boost small business locally, Baljit suggests that there be more community engagement in this regard. This way, she said, it gives one's business more exposure which in turn can improve sales. “We must engage with communities by having numerous pop-up shops, allowing our fellow locals to participate.

This will in turn allow exposure to that business, allowing magazines, newspapers, television, radio and social media platform as another form of exposure to highlight your business on a regular basis and finally partnering with other businesses to drive sales,” she noted.

Persons interested in placing an order can contact the young woman via WhatsApp on telephone number (592) 634-3309 or check her out on any of the social media platforms at Creationsveragy1.

Kaieteur News

Sunday April 24, 2022

THE

PAGE 61

Some domestic violence matters that made it to the courts

Court Journal

Davanand Singh

Divesh Ramjattan

By Renay Sambach

D

omestic violence is an age-old problem that continues to impact our society severely.

While many people are convinced that only women are the victims in such matter, there are several instances that men are at the receiving end of the assault.

Today, I will highlight some matters that were brought before the court this year in which men were charged for assaulting women.

However, next week, I will highlight matters where women were the ones charged for assaulting men.

The first matter being highlighted this week is one in which Rawl DaCosta, an Essequibo man, was caught on camera brutalising his wife.

For the offence, DaCosta was jailed last Thursday for 1 8 m o n t h s .

He appeared at the Suddie Magistrate's Court located on the Essequibo Coast, Region Tw o , b e f o r e P r i n c i p a l Magistrate, Esther Sam. He did not waste any of the court's time and pleaded guilty to the charge and was sentenced to 18 months behind bars by the magistrate.

DaCosta had brutalised the woman on April 11 at one of his relatives' home in Charity, which is located on the Essequibo Coast.

Based on information received by this media house, the couple lived in Pomeroon but had travelled to Charity that day with their two children.

Dacosta had reportedly started partying and began to

Kian Jabour, General Secretary of A New and United Guyana. dance with some women. It was alleged that his wife became annoyed and demanded to go home.

Dacosta reportedly reacted angrily and assaulted her in public.

She made a report to police and went to his relative's home.

Kaieteur News understands Dacosta was later arrested and released on $50,000 station bail.

According to reports, the man was only charged after a video of the severe beating went viral on the various social media platforms.

In the video, Dacosta was seen stripping off the woman's top (garment) leaving her half naked.

He was also seen dragging the woman by her

hair and even stomping her multiple times to the head.

The brutality did not end there.

He continued to drag her by the hair and pounded away on her face with combination punches. He was also seen banging her head against a post before the video ended.

On April 11 too, Senior Magistrate Leron Daly, granted a 'lifetime' restraining order against a Kitty businessman to ensure that he keeps 1,000 feet away from a woman who he allegedly assaulted.

The businessman, Davanand Singh, the owner of Brandz2Go stores, was charged on April 1, 2022 at the Georgetown Magistrates' Courts for the offences of Inflicting Grievous Bodily

Rawl Dacosta Harm and Threatening Language.

He denied both of the charges and was placed on $400,000 bail. Singh is being represented by attorney-at-law Bernard DaSilva and the next hearing of the matter is set for May 6, 2022.

The 25-year-old woman was not only successful in obtaining the restraining order against Singh but the court ordered that the woman be given her personal effects.

The woman and the businessman are known to each other.

In an earlier interview, the woman had expressed her dissatisfaction with how ranks at the police station had handled the matter.

Those ranks are currently

under investigation by the Force's Office of Professional Responsibility (OPR) for allegedly mishandling the case.

The investigation, this publication understands, will also entail how the ranks went about seizing the businessman's guns.

In March, Divesh Ramjattan, the son of Alliance For Change (AFC) member, Khemraj Ramjattan, appeared in court for allegedly assaulting a woman.

The matter was, however, dismissed after the virtual complainant withdrew the charge on the premise that she had been granted a restraining order against the defendant.

The defendant, Divesh

Ramjattan, appeared in the Georgetown Magistrates' Courts before Chief Magistrate Ann McLennan.

He was being represented by his father, who is also a lawyer.

The younger Ramjattan denied the charge which alleges that on February 27, 2022 at Delph Street, Campbellville, Georgetown, he unlawfully assaulted a woman.

In February, Kian Jabour, General Secretary of A New and United Guyana, appeared before senior Magistrate Leron Daly in the Georgetown Magistrates' Courts.

He too was charged for assaulting a woman but denied the charge and was released on $20,000 bail.

PAGE 62

Kaieteur News

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2001 RAV 4,in good condition not working.Price $800,000.Call:648-9248.

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Sheriff St,Enterprise C,East Coast,Zeelught,West Coast, Blairmont Berbice. Contact: Ray's Realty 627-9685.

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

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

Installation, Repairs and parts for AC,Fridge, Washing machine, Stove etc.Call Nick#656-0110/630-1600.

FOR SALE Over 30,000 BM used hard wood,various sizes & cheap price.Tel:227-1511,645-1613.

Cows for sale at Houston Estate.Tel:227-5468/6164387/624-2920.

Cases of Hand Sanitizer For Sale: 250ml at $250 While Supplies Last. Call 650-5626.

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Sunday April 24, 2022

Understanding the creative sector...

Pitmen,Serviceman,Hauler Operator for interior location. From page 55 Applicants must be experi- and productivity growth.

Recent estimates show enced. Call:231-2250. that creative and cultural inFemale to take care of an eld- dustries generate revenues of erly male between the ages US$2,250 billion and 29.5 milof 25 to 40. Accommoda- lion jobs worldwide, employtions provided.Call or Whats ing approximately one percent App 1-868-683-1528. of the world's active population (Ernst & Young, 2015) and presenting high innovation and productivity rates (Bakhshi and McVittie, 2009; Müller, Rammer, and Trüby, 2009).

The economic contribuVACANCY tion of creative activities is General Manager to work both direct and indirect, both with Prominent Gold Mining within and outside creative inCompany.Contact Seema on dustries. In fact, creative outputs are closely related to the 226-9416 or 625-1413. innovation dynamics of a soDriller & Drill Helpers at Land ciety as a whole and often Star Drilling Co..Call:231- their benefits spill over to 1408/642-9191. other sectors.

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Empirical evidence shows Accounts Clerk with knowl- that about half of the variaedge of Quickbooks & ac- tion in income levels and counting experience. Pass- growth rates among countries port size picture required 6092995,email:survival. human resources@gmail.com.

is due to differences in total factor productivity. In its essence, innovation is the transformation of new ideas into economic and social solutions (Navarro, Benavente, and Crespi, 2016; Crespi, Fernández-Arias, and Stein, 2014). Innovation can be a new way of doing things more efficiently (a more effective use of resources), a new or significantly improved product (good or service) or process, a new marketing practice, or a new organisational method in business practices, workplace organisation, or external relations (OECD, 2005).

Traditionally, this definition has been interpreted with a focus on changes in functionality and with an emphasis on technical improvements. However, there is increasing consensus that a broader scope needs to be considered in defining innovation that includes transformations that do not necessarily improve the objective

functionality of a good or service, but modify its aesthetic and appeal. In other words, the transformation changes how people perceive the product or service. This has been defined as soft innovation (Stoneman, 2010).

The link between the creative economy and innovation is complex and goes beyond soft innovation. The creative industry contributes to a society's innovation performance by increasing demand for state-of-the-art technology.

In particular, cutting edge, tailor-made information and communication technologies (ICTs) developed by creative firms could influence the overall market, promoting new technology diffusion in other sectors of the economy. Creative activities that produce intellectual property are also an important source of external knowledge and ideas that enable other innovation activities in traditional sectors.

MoE launches new National...

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From page 57 letters. She said that though this data was recorded preCOVID, one can only imagine what a post-pandemic analysis would reflect since most learners have been out of school for almost two years.

She said that reading is a basic skill everyone must acquire to have all opportunities available to them for success. She said, “Reading is to the mind, what exercise is to the body.”

Ms. Williams said that the Ministry of Education does not believe that learning and knowing to read should be treated as a privilege but rather it must be seen as a right of each person. She said that her Department which

was launched on Saturday is strategically positioned to improve the reading, creative thinking, writing, speaking and listening skills of all learners and citizens.

She said that though the Department was formally launched in 2008, it is significant since it now has a broader mandate and full autonomy to implement programmes that will not only transform Guyana but create a nation of readers.

She said that the Department remains resolute in supporting the Ministry to provide education service that will equip every citizen with functional literacy skills. The new department is located at 74 Princes and St. Stephen's

Streets at the building that was once known as the St. Stephen's Primary Annex.

GNBS – ENGAGING MEDICAL LABORATORY...

From page 56 and Doobay Medical and Research Centre Laboratory. The GNBS extends congratulations and best wishes to every Lab Professional for continuously maintaining the requirements of National and International Standards through his/her medical service.

For further information, please contact the GNBS on telephone numbers: 2190069, 219-0065, 2190062 or visit the GNBS Website: www. gnbsgy.org

Sunday April 24, 2022

PAGE 63

Kaieteur News

Brazil holds first carnival since pandemic (RTE) - Rio de Janeiro’s carnival, a glittering, sequinstudded festival of the flesh, exploded back to life yesterday with the first famed samba school parades since Covid19 started devastating Brazil.

After two long years, a flood of dancers and drummers reclaimed the iconic beach city’s “Sambadrome,” its dedicated carnival parade venue, which had been turned into a drive-through vaccination center at the height of the health crisis.

The all-night parades by the city’s top samba schools are the first since February 2020, marking a turning point for hard-hit Brazil, where Covid-19 has claimed more than 660,000 lives, second only to the United States.

“I’m just so happy. I think a lot of people are going to cry when the parades start, including me,” said Ana Vieira, a 48-year-old geography teacher, who was dressed in a giant, sparkling white costume awaiting her turn to parade for the

Imperatriz samba school.

“Carnival is life. You can see the happiness on people’s faces after two long years staying home and missing it,” Ms Vieira, who has been parading for 20 years, said.

There were fears the carnival party would be axed again this year, after Rio authorities cancelled it last year, then postponed it by two months this year from the traditional dates - just before Lent - over fears of the omicron variant.

But with more than 75% of the South American country’s 213 million people now fully vaccinated, the average weekly Covid-19 death toll has plunged from more than 3,000 a year ago to around 100 now - allowing the show to go on.

All participants and the 75,000 attendees expected each night are required to present proof of vaccination.

City officials have not authorised the massive carnival street parties known as “blocos,” but several smaller

ones are still being held.

The pandemic left Brazilians full of “saudades” - Portuguese for “longing” - for carnival.

“I couldn’t sleep last night, I was so excited,” said Rita Marcelino, who was dancing the samba as she prepared to parade in an elaborate African costume.

“I was waking up every two minutes,” said the 62year-old domestic worker, who lost her job and “many” friends and family members to the pandemic.

Each samba school in the

competition has 60 to 70 minutes to tell a story in music and dance, to be evaluated on nine criteria by the jury.

The reigning champions, Viradouro, chose as their theme Rio’s epic 1919 carnival - the first celebrated after the devastation of another pandemic, the Spanish flu.

“No sadness can withstand so much joy,” says their samba theme song.

Other schools picked themes charged with social messages, with Brazil facing divisive elections in October expected to pit far-right Presi-

dent Jair Bolsonaro against leftist ex-leader Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva.

Of the 12 schools, eight chose themes dealing with racism or Afro-Brazilian history, loaded issues in a country where the current president has faced frequent accusations of racism.

Their samba songs include treatments of the Black Lives Matter protests; tributes to two “orixas,” or deities, of Afro-Brazilian religion; and celebrations of black samba singers.

Carnival should also pro-

vide some needed relief for the pandemic-battered economy. Beyond the swirl of floats and feathers, carnival is big business, moving some four billion reais ($800 million) and creating at least 45,000 jobs, according to official figures. Participants were just happy the party was back. “We’ve had two years of so much darkness in the world,” said Latino Suarez, 45, who travelled from Sao Paulo to parade.

“Brazil without carnival isn’t Brazil. It’s part of who we are.”

Govt. to spend more money on CJIA runway...

From page 58 The completion of Mahdia Magistrates Court, Region Eight,

Guyana Office for Investment Procurement of dull size SUV 4X4 of equivalent.

Construction and furnishing of senior room at CPCE compound SEN Building.

(Phase two).

Ministry of Education Design and supervision service for the reconstruction of the North West Secondary School building.

Ministry of Tourism, Industry and Commerce Construction of concrete drains, phase one.

Construction of accredited welding facility at the Government Technical Institute

PAGE 64

Kaieteur News

Sunday April 24, 2022

GPL to establish control centre at Eccles

The Guyana Power and Light (GPL) Inc. is presently working to establish a national control centre in Eccles, East Bank Demerara, Region Four, where the present isolated systems located in Essequibo and Linden would be integrated into the new national grid.

This is according to the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the power company, Mr. Bharat Dindyal. He made the announcement last Thursday during an Energy Roundtable Discussion hosted by the American Chamber of Commerce and Industry (AmCham) Guyana, under the theme: "Advancing Opportunities in Renewable Energy".

In addition to the improved national grid, the CEO said that the substation will receive power from the Wales Gas-to-Energy project, as well as electricity from the

Amaila Falls Hydropower Plant.

He explained, “The power from the 300 MW (megawatts) will be transmitted from Wales to a new substation at Eccles via 230 kilovolts transmission lines…we hope eventually that the 230 KV (kilovolts) transmission would be extended from Eccles actually up to Williamsburg on the Corentyne.”

“The hydropower connection will be from Amaila Falls to the Eccles site Chief Executive Officer of so there is gonna be an GPL, Mr. Bharat Dindyal interconnection of 230 KV also in Berbice and on the West with the hydro, the gas to power, major substations in Coast of Demerara.

GPL is also aiming to have the Demerara, East Berbice and of course West Demerara,” Dindyal new “state of the art system” include all of its isolated systems in added.

The new system, according to Leguan, Wakenaam, Bartica and him, will not only see power being even Linden integrated into the dropped off in Georgetown, but national grid.

The CEO said, “Apart from this, we are currently working on the smart grid proposal and this is gonna see the automation of the entire system. We are gonna have transmission automation, distribution automation, generation automation, automatic generation control, metering would be fully automated and integrated with our master scanner. There is gonna be a new national control centre at Eccles that is gonna manage the entire system.”

He told the panel that the adjustments will improve the quality of power as specific investments will be made in this area to develop voltage regulation and monitoring of the entire system. “We are going to have the ability to simulate the system in different configurations and determine what is the best configuration to ensure security

and stability of the entire system,” the GPL Head noted.

He was keen to note, however, that the improvements will not happen in the next five years, but rather in about seven to eight years.

The CEO said, “There is a lot of investment that is needed in the sector, to fix generators, to fix transmission, to fix distribution and of course now we are talking about automation.

The build out of the system basically to make modern electricity standards require quite significant investment…and to fix the equipment and the tools and the training that is required to manage this modern system is an enormous investment and currently it stands at over US$3 billion. That requires inputs to the extent of about $1.5 billion in generation and the two projects that I mentioned would be the foundation of the system in the foreseeable future.”

Sunday April 24, 2022

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Kaieteur News

Djokovic reaches final of Serbia Open - his first final of 2022 (BBC Sport) - Novak Djokovic reached his first final of 2022 by beating Karen Khachanov in the semi-final of the Serbia Open.

In front of his home crowd in Belgrade, the world number one fought back to beat his Russian opponent 4-6 6-1 62.

The clay court event is Djokovic’s third this season after a disrupted start to the year beginning with his deportation from Australia in January.

Women’s world number one Iga Swiatek reached the Stuttgart Open final with a gruelling win over Liudmila Samsonova.

Poland’s Swiatek won a

Djokovic reached his first final since the Paris Masters in November

three-hour semi-final 6-7 (4-7) 6-4 7-5 to extend her winning

run to 22 matches and keep alive a hope of a fourth

Sunday April 24, 2022 ARIES (Mar. 21–Apr. 19) You would make an excellent judge, Aries. You're able to consider all aspects of a situation. This is a bit of a blessing and a curse, because it can make it difficult to come to a decision.

LIBRA (Sept. 23–Oct. 22) Things aren't always as they first appear. People you thought you knew well and circumstances that you thought you understood thoroughly now seem anything but straightforward.

TAURUS(Apr.20–May20) Just because one person is no longer a part of your life doesn't mean that all people are unreliable. People change, as do situations.

SCORPIO (Oct. 23–Nov. 21) Difficult as it may be for you to face all those projects you've left undone, Scorpio, know that you'll be free to move on once they're complete. People from your past figure prominently now.

GEMINI (May 21–June 20) It can be hard to release old habits and beliefs even as new, better ways of thinking struggle to gain a foothold. It's time for you to do this, Gemini.

CANCER (June 21–July 22) It can be hard to release old habits and beliefs even as new, better ways of thinking struggle to gain a foothold. It's time for you to do this, Gemini.

LEO (July 23–Aug. 22) Just how long has it been since you indulged in a big helping of your favorite guilty pleasure, Leo? It's time to let the youngster in you come out and play today. Eat that chocolate, read those mindless magazines, or skip down the sidewalk.

VIRGO (Aug. 23–Sept. 22) If you feel like you're trying to push a square peg into a round hole, you're probably right, Virgo. Whether you're having personal or professional difficulties, there are times when it just doesn't pay to try so hard.

SAGIT(Nov.22–Dec.21) You could have a “eureka!” moment today, as events from your past unexpectedly bubble to the surface of your mind and crystallize in a surprising new way.

CAPRI (Dec. 22–Jan. 19) It's easier to tend to life's mundane details rather than lift your eyes and see the big picture. For example, it's likely that you've grown complacent at work.

AQUARIUS(Jan.20–Feb.18) Change is in the air, Aquarius. Whether it's a dramatic change of faith or a major shift in your life's goals, prepare yourself for a profound transformation.

PISCES (Feb. 19–Mar. 20) It's time to refill the well of your soul, Pisces. You spend so much of your life in service to others that it's only natural that you feel drained sometimes. Rather than try to push past this feeling and go on as though nothing is the matter, consider it a sign that something is amiss.

consecutive title.

She will play world number four Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus in Sunday’s final.

Djokovic will play Russian second seed Andrey Rublev, who comfortably beat Italian Fabio Fognini 6-2 6-2, for the title, also on

OTSCL President...

From page 70 tournament held by the Florida Softball Cricket League and what I saw there was tremendous; these players showed great love for softball cricket especially playing in this kind of competition; we will continue to run the Canada Cup on a twoyear basis,” Khan commented.

He stated that OTSCL will work in collaboration with other functional softball cricket leagues across the Greater Toronto area to make the tournament a success because Khan feels the entire cricketing fraternity should be involved.

Meanwhile, in those tournaments which were played in 2015, 2017 and 2019, Guyanese businessman Ramesh Sunich of Trophy Stall sponsored a large number of trophies, and will also be providing the trophies for this year’s event.

Sunday.

Djokovic was unable to compete at the Australian Open after being deported because of his Covid-19 vaccination status.

He returned at the Dubai Tennis Championships in February but went out in the quarter-finals and then missed the US hard court swing, again because of his vaccination status.

On his return to the tour he suffered a shock defeat by Alejandro Davidovich Fokina in his opening match at the Monte Carlo Masters earlier this month.

Swiatek battles to keep run going When world number 31 Samsonova clinched the firstset tie-break, a run which had seen Swiatek win 28 sets in a

row came to an end.

During her winning streak 20-year-old Swiatek has collected titles in Doha, Indian Wells and Miami - and ascended to the top of the rankings after Ashleigh Barty’s retirement - but her 23year-old opponent came as close to inflicting defeat as any other opponent in recent months.

After the pair exchanged four breaks early in the deciding set, the 2 0 2 0 French Open champion crucially held serve under pressure at 5-4 down, broke again a game later and clinched her first match point in the following game.

She faces Sabalenka, who beat world number three Paula Badosa of Spain 7-6 (7-5) 6-4 in the first semi-final.

Kaieteur News

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Sunday April 24, 2022

Bayern Munich seal 10th consecutive Bundesliga title (BBC Sport) - Bayern Munich secured a 10th consecutive Bundesliga title by easing to victory over second-placed Borussia Dortmund in Der Klassiker.

Julian Nagelsmann’s side have once again dominated domestic rivals this season and this win opened a 12-point lead at the top with three games left.

Serge Gnabry’s sublime touch and volley opened the scoring before Robert Lewandowski coolly added a second.

Emre Can’s penalty cut the lead but Jamal Musiala added a third late on.

The 19-year-old slammed home from close range to send the Allianz Arena into celebration as Bayern delivered a 32nd league title.

It comes at a time where Nagelsmann has said he has been subjected to online death threats after his team’s surprise Champions League exit to Villarreal.

Whilst they have been unable to replicate the success they enjoyed in

winning Europe’s elite club competition in 2019-20, domestically Bayern remain untouchable.

Forward Thomas Muller, who became the first player to win 11 Bundesliga titles, said: “It was an opportunity to set the record straight.

There has been a lot of frustration recently and it was an opportunity to let off steam. Now everything is wonderful.

“We really wanted to win it here. There was a lot of frustration in the past days and we could play it off today. “This is not boring.

This is outstanding. The more you win the greedier you get every year.”

Bayern have lost just four times in the league this season and proved too strong for Dortmund with 14 shots to the visitors’ seven on the day. This victory took their unbeaten run to nine matches and with just four defeats in the league this season, noone has been able to keep pace.

Lewandowski has been instrumental in hitting 33

Bayern’s players soaked manager Julian Nagelsmann with beer as they celebrated their league success goals, having found the net 41 times last season - a Bundesliga record.

“It’s huge to be part of the team that wins a tenth title in a row,” said Lewandowski, 33. “The mood at home hasn’t been good for the past two weeks, so this title will

help us recover on track.”

Lewandowski’s future remains uncertain with his contract set to expire in 2023, and Dortmund could also be set for significant change in their forward line, with Erling Haaland closing in on a move to Manchester

City.

The 21-year-old has hit 18 league goals in 21 Bundesliga matches this season and his potential departure could prove key in D o r t m u n d ’s h o p e s o f reducing the gap to their rivals next season.

In all, Bayern have won their previous five Bundesliga titles by a combined 64 points and this latest success again underlines a gulf in class their challengers must somehow find a way to close.

NBA roundup: Trae Young, Fury bounces back to bow Hawks nip Heat in final seconds out in style with TKO win

(Reuters) - Trae Young made a go-ahead runner in the lane over Jimmy Butler with 4.4 seconds left as the host Atlanta Hawks defeated the Miami Heat 111-110 on Friday to cut their deficit in their first-round Eastern Conference playoff series to 2-1.

Atlanta overcame a 21-0, third-quarter run by Miami that gave the Heat a 16-point lead. The eighth-seeded Hawks, who are 21-3 at home since Jan. 17, will aim to level the series against the top-seeded Heat in Game 4 on Sunday in Atlanta.

Young finished with 24 points and eight assists. He made 6 of 14 shots, including 2 of 6 from 3-point range.

Butler, who scored 45 points in Game 2 on Tuesday, finished with 20 points, 10 rebounds and eight assists on Friday.

However, he missed two key

shots in the final 13 seconds.

The first one led to Young’s runner in transition, and the second miss was the game’s final shot.

Bucks 111, Bulls 81 Grayson Allen scored 22 points off the bench and Bobby Portis added 18 points and 16 rebounds as visiting Milwaukee rolled to a victory over Chicago to take a 2-1 lead in a firstround Eastern Conference playoff series.

Giannis Antetokounmpo amassed 18 points, nine assists and seven rebounds for Milwaukee. The Bucks won without Khris Middleton, who is expected to miss the rest of the series after he sprained a left knee ligament in Game 2.

Nikola Vucevic scored 19 points and Zach LaVine added 15 as the Bulls fell short in their first home playoff game since 2017.

DeMar DeRozan had just 11 points for Chicago after a 41point performance in Game 2.

Suns 114, Pelicans 111 Chris Paul scored 19 of his 28 points in the fourth quarter and also recorded 14 assists without committing a turnover to lead Phoenix to a victory over host New Orleans.

Deandre Ayton added 28 points on 13-of-20 shooting and collected 17 rebounds to help the Suns take a 2-1 lead in a best-of-seven Western Conference first-round playoff series. Phoenix prevailed despite Devin Booker being sidelined due to a right hamstring injury.

Brandon Ingram recorded 34 points and seven rebounds and CJ McCollum had 30 points and seven assists for the Pelicans.

Game 4 is Sunday night in New Orleans.

(Reuters) Tyson Fury emerged unscathed from a turbulent fight week to cement his place among the greats of heavyweight boxing with a stunning TKO win over Dillian Whyte in what “The Gypsy King” said would be his final bout.

Fury had to face a barrage of questions about his relationship with Daniel Kinahan, his former advisor and one of three men named as leaders of the Kinahan o rg a n i s e d c r i m e g a n g recently sanctioned by U.S. authorities.

The British boxer engaged in a number of combative interviews in the lead-up to his bout with Whyte, saying Kinahan’s situation was none of his business and that he had nothing to do with the Irishman.

All that was forgotten on Saturday as Fury entered the ring and unloaded a sixthround uppercut that left Whyte unable to continue in the opinion of the referee.

The vast majority of the Wembley Stadium crowd roared their approval as Fury

Tyson Fury celebrates with the belts after winning his fight against Dillian Whyte (Reuters) went from zero to hero again.

“I cannot believe that my 94,000 countrymen and women come here tonight to see me perform. I just want to say, from the bottom of my heart, thank you so much to every single person who bought a ticket here tonight, or stayed up late to watch on TV,” Fury said.

“Dillian Whyte is a warrior and I believe Dillian will be a world champion, but tonight he met a great in the sport and one of the greatest heavyweights of all

times, and unfortunately for Dillian Whyte, he had to face me tonight.”

Fury said that he would be sticking to his promise to his wife to retire, with promoter Frank Warren backing the 33-year-old’s decision to call it quits.

“If it was going to be the last fight, it’ll be the last fight. That’s his decision, he’s the guy getting in the ring. And if it is his last fight he has gone out on such a high,” Warren said.

Kaieteur News

Sunday April 24, 2022

PAGE 67

IPL 2022: Jansen, Natarajan lead SRH rout of RCB I

magine sitting down for an exam and scanning the question paper, and realising you had all the answers.

Royal Challengers Bangalore were coming into this game with four wins in five. One more and they could go joint-top of the table.

Now imagine seeing every one of those questions you were so sure you knew the answers to just magically change to utter gibberish.

Royal Challengers were bowled out for 68 and beaten by nine wickets in a match that only lasted 24.1 overs.

The curse of April 23 had struck again.

Jansen puts the rage in outrageous One over. Three runs.

Three wickets. If new-ball bowling is an art, Marco Jansen was, at least for tonight, Pi-flippin-casso.

His first wicket had the batter recoiling from the sound of his castle coming down, Faf du Plessis, turned into an S by the away

movement and bowled past the leading edge.

His second wicket was Virat Kohli. And this was a peach too. Full and angled across the right-hander.

Pitching before he could reach it with the extra cover drive and stealing the edge through to the slips.

You look at Jansen and his 6’7" frame, and you know he is going to get scary bounce. But if he is also capable of seaming the ball like this - and he got it to go both ways as well - he is going to be an invaluable asset to any number of teams.

Having been 5 for 2, 20 for 4 and 47 for 6, Royal Challengers crashed to the sixth-lowest total in IPL history, and then suffered the fourth-biggest loss in terms of balls remaining (72).

Demolition jobs like that require a little support from the other end too and T Natarajan provided it, his 3 for 10 in three overs taking him up to second spot on the wicket-takers list.

The misfiring marauder Glenn Maxwell has been very adamant about attacking the bowlers any time he has been at the crease this IPL. And he has done it so well that prior to this game, he had the second highest strike-rate (193.10) among all batters who had faced at least 50 deliveries this season.

But is he he really giving himself enough of a chance to influence games? He came in to bat in the first over against Sunrisers, and fell in the fifth.

Against Lucknow Super Giants, he was in in the first over, out in the seventh.

Delhi Capitals, in in the third, out in the 12th.

Chennai Super Kings, in in the sixth, out in the seventh.

Maxwell has the ability to score a 150 in a T20 match. He should really give himself more time in the middle.

The perfect game Kane Williamson has won seven tosses in eight games. That is the cricketing equivalent of pulling a rabbit

Marco Jansen picked up three wickets in his first over, including Virat Kohli for a golden duck (BCCI) out of a hat. But he wasn’t satisfied with that. He knew he could do more; that he could pull rhinos out of that hat.

The moment Williamson saw some early seam movement, he gave Jansen a couple of slips. BAM. Kohli caught at second slip.

Dinesh Karthik is a phenomenal sweeper of the ball. He went for one here, but only feathered it through to the keeper. The umpire didn’t give it out. So Williamson knew what he had to do. DRS. Bingo.

He also took two glorious catches, one diving

forward to collect a ball inches off the ground. BAM. Maxwell gone. The other running back, tracking a skier over his shoulder.

BAM. Game over.

The conundrum Out for a golden duck in back-to-back games, Kohli’s average for the season is a barely-believable 17. That, for context, is just one point better than Mohammed Siraj.

Kohli really could use a break. But this is a T20 World Cup year, and now that he is no longer captain, he becomes a resource that India have in abundance - a

pure batter.

And that too an accumulator. So what if he skips the IPL, somebody else does well, and the selectors prefer him at No. 3?

Just as a thought exercise, imagine Sanju Samson at No. 3 on those Australian pitches with true bounce.

Match details: Sunrisers Hyderabad 72 for 1 (Abhishek 47, Williamson 16*, Harshal 1-18) beat Royal Challengers B a n g a l o r e 6 8 (Prabhudessai 15, Jansen 3-25, Natarajan 3-10) by nine wickets

F1: Verstappen passes Leclerc to win sprint race (BBC Sport) ed Bull’s Max Verstappen caught and p a s s e d F e r r a r i ’s Charles Leclerc with two laps to go to win the sprint race at the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix.

The result gives the world champion pole position for the start of the main race on Sunday, and reduces his deficit in the

R

championship to 45 points.

Verstappen started the sprint from pole but lost the lead at the start.

But he bided his time before coming back at Leclerc and passing around the outside on the penultimate lap.

Red Bull’s Sergio Perez fought up from seventh on the grid at Imola to finish third, while Ferrari’s

Carlos Sainz moved up from 10th to take fourth.

With more points awarded for the sprint event this year, Sainz’s fourth place moves him ahead of Mercedes’ George Russell into second place in the championship, 40 points behind his team-mate.

Perez closed up quickly on Leclerc in the final laps to finish just 1.7 seconds behind the

Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc will be sandwiched between the two Red Bulls at the start of Sunday’s main grand prix

championship leader.

Leclerc blamed too much tyre consumption for his loss of pace in the final part of the race.

Behind the top four, McLaren’s Lando Norris and Daniel Ricciardo took fifth and sixth, ahead of Alfa Romeo’s Valtteri Bottas and the Haas of Kevin Magnussen, who dropped down from fourth on the grid to take the final point awarded

for eighth.

Russell and team-mate Lewis Hamilton had a day to forget, finishing 11th and 14th respectively and failing to make up any ground on their disappointing grid positions, the seven-time champion even dropping back one.

Verstappen said: “I don’t know what happened at the start, it was just really bad.

Initially it looked like Charles had a bit more pace but then he ran into trouble with the tyres.

“With other tyre compounds coming into place tomorrow, it might look a bit different.”

Leclerc said: “It is still a front-row start, we struggled with the tyres at the end, so we need to analyse that for tomorrow. But the pace was good until then. We started to have some graining at the end.”

He then switched to Italian to tell the tifosi who had cheered him throughout: “Tomorrow is another day.”

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Sunday April 24, 2022

Magnum Futsal Competition kicks off tonight The Magnum Tonic Wine Futsal Competition kicks off tonight at the National Park Tarmac with seven matches billed to unravel from 19:00 hrs.

On Saturday the tournament was officially launched at Fireside Grill and Chill, a sponsor of the event, with the organiser and b r a n d managers/representative of the other supporters during a simple ceremony.

H o w e v e r, t o n i g h t ’s action will see Showstoppers take on Belifield in the opening match of the tournament then Road Warriors will oppose the Beterverwagting Team (BV) in the match that follows.

East Front Road and Avocado Ballers meet in the third match while Mocha and Sophia contest the fourth

match of the evening.

In the final three matches, Back Circle goes head to head with Melaine, Sparta Boss locks horns with Alexander Village while Gold is Money and Albouystown contest the feature match of the evening.

At the launch, head of the organising team, Edison Jefford, stated that his team is quite ecstatic to have the tournament finally reach the commencement stage since it has been a torrid time to host events following the pandemic.

They have faced some challenges with this edition being the first to be held in an outdoor setting. For the past three years the competition was held indoors at the National Gymnasium but will now see a chilly air resonate during the event.

Organiser Edison Jefford (centre) makes a point during the launch of the event

Also at the tournament were Brand Managers of Magnum Tonic Wine and Lucozade, who both took the

time to resonate similar comments about honouring the call of social responsibility and also

giving back to youths in a positive manner.

The tournament is expected to be an intriguing

once since it will be the first of its format to make a return since the outbreak of COVID-19.

Shami-led Titans bowling attack thwarts Russell-powered Knight Riders

F

or 34 games, no captain dared.

But on Saturday afternoon, Hardik Pandya opted to bat first under sunny skies against Kolkata Knight Riders, and though it was rocky for large parts in a seesaw affair, Gujarat Titans got the two points they needed and got back their spot at the summit of the IPL 2022 points table.

After putting up 156, which seemed around 20 too few at the halfway stage, Titans needed early Knight Riders wickets.

Mohammed Shami, Yash Dayal and Lockie Ferguson picked off four in 6.1 overs, and that ensured Titans got home to an eight-run win despite a late 25-ball 48 from Andre Russell.

Russell’s six sixes had dragged Knight Riders to a scenario where they needed 18 off the final over with the allrounder on strike to Alzarri Joseph.

When he hit a six off the first ball, a Knight Riders win was a realistic possibility.

But a stunning Ferguson catch at the deep square-leg boundary off a Joseph bouncer Russell couldn’t connect well with sent him back and completely deflated the Knight Riders challenge.

Southee, Hardik

Mohammed Shami gave Titans a great start with the ball by removing the Knight Riders openers (BCCI) impress under the sun Among Knight Riders’ three changes for the game was Tim Southee in place of the expensive Pat Cummins.

He struck with his first ball when a loosener down the leg side was edged behind by Shubman Gill in the second over.

Wr i d d h i m a n S a h a struggled to find fluency, and Hardik walked in at No. 3, the highest position he has ever batted at for Titans.Hardik led the charge from one end in half-century stands with Saha and No. 4 David Miller, and reached his half-century in 36 balls completing a hat-trick of

fifties in the process - and looked set to change gears for a big flourish at the death.

But he fell in the 18th over.

It was Southee in his return spell who dismissed Hardik, bowling an offcutter that Hardik pulled to the boundary rider Rinku Singh.

Not long after, Rashid Khan was caught trying to pull Southee too, and the quick finished with 3 for 24.

Russell’s four-wicket over Even though Varun Chakravarthy returned better figures (none for 26 in three overs) than he had in previous games, Shreyas

Iyer did not go to him for his fourth over. Instead, with the 20th to be bowled and Titans at 151 for 5, Shreyas turned to Russell.

And Russell proceeded to take the wickets of Abhinav Manohar, Ferguson and Rahul Tewatia - all caught by Rinku on the longer square boundary to the right-handers’ leg side and ended the innings with a diving caught-and-bowled dismissal off Dayal to finish with a four-for in just six balls.

His over not only ensured a tame finish for Titans, but the momentum, too, was with Knight Riders.

Titans pacers in complete control It was the fourth opening pair for Knight Riders in IPL 2022, with Sam Billings who replaced Aaron Finch [out with a niggle] - opening with Sunil Narine. But both openers were dismissed by Shami in his new-ball burst.

Billings lasted just four balls, as Shami’s bouncer had him slicing a catch to Saha in the first over of the chase.

Narine was then discomfited by a barrage of short-pitched deliveries, and when Shami offered him a length ball, Narine could only whip the ball to the fielder at short fine-leg.

The score of 10 for 2 would soon become 16 for 3 when Ferguson’s aroundthe-wicket angle had Nitish Rana caught behind, and Knight Riders were looking at a massive defeat when Shreyas Iyer was the fourth man gone - caught behind again, this time off Dayal’s left-arm angle - with the scoreboard reading 34 four 4.

Rinku and Russell push back Venkatesh Iyer walked in at No. 6 and in Rinku’s company, they started to build a partnership. Rashid’s first spell was seen off carefully, and Rinku found the occasional boundary to move to 35 with four fours

and a six.

With eight overs to go, Knight Riders needed 77, but Dayal had Rinku caught behind in his return spell, quite against the run of play.

That brought Russell in at No. 7, and he started off by ending Dayal’s over with back-to-back sixes.

At the end of the over, the Knight Riders dugout was spotted instructing Venkatesh to hang around with Russell, but he failed to do the job, slogging out to deep midwicket trying to play Rashid against the turn.

Next over, Rashid picked off Shivam Mavi, and finished with 2 for 22.

With 45 needed off four overs, Titans had four seamers with one over each in hand. Hardik went for experience first, giving the 16th to Shami and the 17th to Ferguson, which went for a combined 16 runs.

The 19th from Dayal went for 11, and the first ball of the 20th from Joseph did go for a six, but Russell’s dismissal next ball ensured that Hardik’s decision at the toss gave them the result they wanted.

Match details: Gujarat Titans 156 for 9 (Hardik 67, Russell 4-5, Southee 324) beat Kolkata Knight Riders 148 for 8 (Russell 48, Rinku 35, Shami 2-20, Rashid 2-22, Dayal 2-42) by eight runs

Sunday April 24, 2022

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Space Gym 2.0 opens on May 3 The entrance method deals with a facial recognition system

- Caribbean’s most modern set up Equipped with the latest gym equipment from the internationally renowned brand, Life Fitness, Space Gym 2.0 will open its doors to the public on Tuesday, May 3rd, 2022.

A cocktail reception with the Minister of Sport, Honourable Charles Ramson Jr., and other dignitaries are expected to attend the official opening and cutting of the ribbon.

The biggest and most modern gym in the Caribbean will also be featuring an Outdoor Tennis Court and Exercise Track (phase two to commence one month after official opening).

The American fitness equipment company specialises in the production and distribution of top tier equipment.

Recently, a Life Fitness team was in Guyana to install the equipment and also engaged in training the Gym Instructors in its management and handling to ensure that customers get the best possible experience in their quest to live fit and healthy lives.

The Management of Space Gym 2.0 has also left no stone unturned and has been training the Gym Instructors continuously to ensure quality service and satisfaction for gym members.

The Gym is fully equipped with high-speed internet which would allow customers to be able to watch their favourite channels whilst working out on the bikes, treadmills or otherwise.

This spanking new facility also features a yoga and zumba room, which will cater to a wider variety of customers.

There is also a SpaceRide Room (first world style) fully equipped with ICG7 Model Bikes that are all electronically locked into the Instructor’s Bike. The Gym would be catering to all sports as it would offer the latest and best options for athletes and individuals to attain their respective fitness dreams.

Among the other amenities would be a healthy food and shakes bar that would be managed by Body Amped Nutrition Center. Adequate security and parking will also be available for customers’ comfort.

Space Gym 2.0’s Ride Room

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PAGE 70

Sunday April 24, 2022

Mayor’s Cup Inter Ward/Village Knockout Football Tournament…

Remaining quarterfinalists to be decided The Round-of-16 ends today in the annual Mayor’s Cup 9-a-side Inter Ward/Village Knockout Football tournament at the Den Amstel Ground when four teams battle for the two remaining quarterfinal spots.

With six quarterfinal spots being decided so far the matches left are Pouderoyen versus Stewartville, Sara Lodge against Back Street Kings, Den Amstel versus Uitvlugt and West Side Spartan versus Bagotsville.

The teams that have already secured quarterfinal spots are Haslington, Sparta Boss, Bourda All Stars, Tucville, Friendship Front and Diamond.

The organizer, Lennox Arthur, has set the kick off time for today’s matches at 14:00 hrs.

Bourda and Tucville will face the winners advancing from Sunday’s action in the

quarterfinals, while Friendship Front are down to challenge Sparta Boss and Diamond challenge Haslington all next Sunday (May 1) in the quarters set for the Buxton Ground.

Those matches will be followed by the semis and grand finale to close the curtains on this 2022 edition of the Mayor’s Cup in honour of current Mayor of Georgetown, Mayor Ubraj Narine.

Among the list of sponsors are: IPA, DDL, Digicel, Johil, John Fernandes, General Equipment, Busta, GTT, Namilco, Macorp, New Thriving, Sattar Gafoor, B. Megan, Pritipaul Singh, Ready Mix, Eddie Bobcat, S i l v i e ’s , C a r i b b e a n Containers, E Networks, Super Bet, Cummings Electrical, China Trading, Dave Lumber yard, Maggie’s, Schlumberger,

Sara Lodge’s Romel Medas Maggie’s, Pure Diamond, Gold Target Exports and CIDI. Arthur has expressed heartfelt gratitude to them for their assistance.

The teams are battling for attractive prize money and the respective trophies with a first prize of $600,000, second prize

How retired Windies skipper Pollard stacks up against the rest Kieron Pollard spins the toss with England’s Moeen Ali

(SportsMax) - Recently retired West Indies captain Kieron Pollard has faced his fair share of critics but ends his international career with one of the highest win percentages of any captain to lead the One Day International (ODI) team in the last 20 years.

The 34-year-old, who took charge of the ODI team in September 2019, called time on an international career that spanned some 16 years and a three-year spell in charge of two regional teams. In ODI’s, Pollard led the team for 24 games, winning 13, losing 11, and drawing none for a win percentage of 54.17.

$300,000, third $200,000 and fourth $100,000 on offer. Mid Atlantic Oil and Gas Company is the sponsor for the winning purse of $600,000.

The rules governing the tournament includes the no offside rule and teams are allowed five substitutions.

The games are of two 20minute halves for a 40minute duration. The tournament is a straight knockout one with no extra time being played. A tie at the end of regulation would result in the teams dueling in the dreaded sudden death penalty shootout.

All other FIFA rules apply and the Referee is the sole authority of these games. Teams showing up late beyond a reasonable time determined by the organisers will be disqualified and their game forfeited via the walkover route.

Telbert Baptiste will turn out for the Stewartville team

OTSCL President confident of hosting Canada Cup - Trophy Stall on board

Alone that would not seem so impressive, turns out that’s not so bad, as far as West Indies captains go. Pollard’s win percentage puts him ahead of Dwayne Bravo (44.44), Darren Sammy (36.00), and Jason Holder (27.91). The big-hitters win percentage also puts him above the like of legends Brian Lara, who won 47.20 percent of his games, and Chris Gayle who had a 32.08 win ratio.

His success rate for T20s has been much less than the ODI’s. Pollard’s 33.33-win ratio puts him well behind Sammy at 59.57, Bravo at 50 percent, Gayle at 41.18 percent, and Carlos Braithwaite at 36.67.

Ramesh Sunich poses with a set of trophies at the previous Toronto Cup President of the Ontario Twilight Softball Cricket League (OTSCL) Azeem Khan is very optimistic of a successful staging of the Canada Cup three-day softball extravaganza billed for September 2 - 4 of this year.

The Canada Cup has been rebranded after three previous tournaments were held under the Toronto Cup slogan hosted by the Ontario Masters Softball Cricket Clubs (OMSCC).

The Canadian-based

Guyanese who also served in the same capacity for the OMSCC, stated that he is expecting teams from Guyana, Florida, Orlando, New York and Canada to participate.

“I am confident of hosting a great tournament; it will be the Labour Day longWeekend in Canada and we want to make it an exciting event as well,” Khan related.

Khan mentioned that they will have the three categories including the Legends (Over-50), Masters

(Over-40) and the All-Stars.

Khan further declared that Canada Cup 1 has an organising committee set up to run the affairs of the tournament and three former OMSCC members have already made their commitment to serve. They are Feisal Bacchus, Dickey Singh and veteran Sports Journalist Frederick Halley.

“This will be a huge softball tournament; recently I was in Florida at the Florida Cup three-day softball (Continued on page 65)

Kaieteur News

Sunday April 24, 2022

PAGE 71

GCB Dave’s West Indian Imports U-15 Inter-County...

Larose’s 5-fer sends Essequibo crashing to 45 Mickel Sharma goes over mid-on during his 27 in E’bo on Friday (Sean Devers photo)

By Sean Devers in Essequibo

A

n incisive spell of pace bowling from Man-ofthe-Match Darwin Larose who captured 5-19, led Demerara to an emphatic 76run win via the Duckworth/Lewis/ Stain system in a rain affected game against Essequibo on Friday at the well maintained Imam Bacchus ground in Affiance on the Essequibo Coast.

Overnight and early morning rain affected the bowlers’ run-up and delayed the start of the first intercounty game in Guyana’s largest County, in over a decade as the GCB Dave’s West Indian Imports U-15 tournament bowled off with Demerara joining Berbice in winners’ row in round one.

The game, which commenced three hours late, was reduced from 50 to 30 overs and the home team invited Demerara to bat in overcast conditions on a track with a bit of moisture and a fast outfield. This was before another shower stopped play with the host on 42-8 from 18, further reducing the game to 22 overs.

Essequibo where eventually dismantled for 45 in 22 overs as the burly Zanden Rose top scored with six off Larose, which was his only scoring shot while extras contributed 20.

Once Shane Prince held a left-handed return catch in the first over to send back the 11-year-old American based Ethtan Silas, nephew of Boxer Elton Dharry, who fought for the WBC International title last night,

Earo Benjamen had 3-19 and was the most impressive E’bo bowler on show on Friday (Sean Devers photo) it was 1-1.

Larose struck in the second over when he trapped Omarion Smith, also for a duck at 2-2 and it was all downhill from there as Larose ripped through the innings like a knife cutting butter while Prince (2-8) and Dave Mohabir (2-0) supported well.

Earlier, the home team, urged on by a fair-sized vocal gathering, were off to a wonderful start as the visitors slipped 28-4 and then 53-5.

Christopher Williams bowled Josiah Lin for duck at 1-1 while the impressive and energetic Earo Benjamin removed two of Demerara’s two best batters Kishan Silas (4) and Mohabir (0) in consecutive balls to be on hat-trick.

Darwin Larose is presented with his MVP Trophy from Ex-Windies off-Spinner Clyde Butts (Sean Devers photo)

Benjamin trapped Emmanuel Lewis (13) LBW at 28-4 and when Arun Gainda was run out for four, Demerara were wobbling on the ropes with 53 on the board. But positive batting

by Dhanesh Persaud (29) and Mickel Sharma (27) revived the position with an important 49-run stand before they were both dismissed by Williams.

An unbeaten cameo of 14 from Prince rallied Demerara to 126-7 as Benjamin and Williams had three wickets each.

The tournament, which is

being streamed live on Yo u T u b e , c o n t i n u e s tomorrow with Berbice facing Demerara at Albion and the Rising Stars opposing Essequibo at Everest Ground. Both games are scheduled to commence at 09:30hrs.

Meanwhile, in the other first round match at Vikings Number 69 ground in Berbice, the host beat the Rising Stars select U-15 by 146 runs in a game reduced to 48 overs due to rain.

Berbice reached 196-9 in their allotted overs as Romario Ramdeholl (44) top

scored and received assistance from Adrian Hetmyer (31), Razam Koober (25) and Rovin Boodwah (22).

Nicholas Hall took 3-24 for the Rising Stars Select U1 5 Te a m w h o w e r e dismissed for 50 as extras top scored. Right-arm speedster Arif Khan grabbed 4-8 to lead the attack.

Some of the Space Gym 2.0 Instructors who’ll be attending to the needs of the clients

rts Sp o

Space Gym 2.0 opens on May 3 - Caribbean’s most modern set up

Magnum Futsal Competition kicks off tonight

The Magnum Tonic Wine Futsal Tournament had a brief, yet informative launching on Saturday at the Fireside Grill and Chill.

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