Kaieteur News

stabbed 22 times by reputed husband

‘Shockingly, brazen acts by GECOM

trio

obstruct elections

...Lowenfield, Myers, Mingo accused of subverting ascertainment of Reg. 4 votes

High Court urges speedy appointment of substantive Chancellor, Chief Justice

...saysPres.Alinotinbreachoftheconstitution PS Thomas's visa revocation, 'roughing-up' was a “normal routine”- Pres. Ali

‘Weed out politicos at GECOM; enact campaign financing laws’

...electionsCOIReportrecommends

in first quarter of

...announces another discovery with millions in profits for shareholders

PS Thomas's visa revocation, 'roughing-up' was a “normal routine” …Pres. Ali

President Mohamed IrfaanAli onWednesdaytoldreportersonthe sidelines of an event at his office that Permanent Secretary (PS), Mae Toussaint Thomas was travelling to China on “party” (PPP/C-PeoplesProgressiveParty Civic) business when United States officials detained her for questioningattheMiamiAirport.

“ShewastravellingtoChinaon a training programme…there was a delegation going to China from theparty(PPP/C)andshewaspart of that delegation”, Ali said. Kaieteur News has been able to confirm with other sources that indeed Thomas was travelling along with two men who are members of the PPP/C This newspaperunderstandsthatoneof the men is the son of Guyana's Ambassador to Suriname and the other is the son of a former PPP governmentofficial.Asitrelatesto Thomas' detention at the Miami Airport and the revocation of her USvisa,PresidentAliassuredthat there was no “real motive' behind themovebytheUSofficials.“The minister would have advised me thattheauthorities(US)saidthatit was a normal routine, part of how theyexecutetheirjob,personsare asked to go to secondary which I am aware of and there was no

motive it was normal routine procedure when you go to secondary”, Ali explained He noted, however, that Thomas has givenastatementtotheMinisterof ForeignAffairs, HughTodd about what had transpired and it will be handled via a “procedure”. “The procedure is one in which the Ministry of Foreign Affairs will examinethereportandthenpursue that report with the relevant agency…”Aliadded.

Meanwhile, in a statement to the media Thomas said:”I wish to refer to speculation, both in the print and social media, about my interface recently with US Immigration officials at Miami International Airport on April 8, 2023. Most of what has been reported is erroneous. I wish to clarify that I was referred for a “routine secondary check”. There was a misunderstanding over my official cell phone without me beingabletoadvisemyofficials.I advisedthatthecellphonewillbe sent to the Minister of Home Affairs, Honourable Robeson BenninGuyana.Thereafter,Iwas allowed the choice of entering the United States of America or continuing on my journey- which lastIoptedtosodo.Subsequently, during my return journey, I was

advised that my US visa was revoked on the 10th April, 2023 and that I would have to make alternative arrangements to return to Guyana. I remain open to engaging with US authorities on any possible travel arrangements totheUSAinthefuture,”Thomas' statementread.

The media here had reported that Thomas had her cell phone confiscated by the United States (US) Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Officers at the Miami International Airport. The media also reported that her US visa was also revoked by the US agency and she had to return to Guyana via another transit route. Reports also suggest that she was handcuffed and physically harassed during a three-hour-long detention.

SendThomasonleave

Meanwhile, in a statement Shadow Home Affairs Minister and Member of Parliament, Geeta Chandan-Edmond said she has noted, with deep concern, the incident involving the Thomas, which occurred at the Miami International Airport. ChandanEdmond said the most recent update by Stabroek News on this matter,totheeffectthattheofficial had been on a US watch list, has

caused even greater concern

“Thusfarwhatthepublicknowsis

that the PS's phone was confiscated, she was interrogated forhoursbyUSborderagentsand her US visa was revoked.All this was not by chance or random suspicionasshewasapparentlyon alistofpersonsofinterest.

Thepublicdoesnotknowwhy she was placed on the watch list, how this will affect her duties or whatisthegovernment'sstanceon thematter,”theMPsaid.Shesaidit is well known that “this governmentisofthebeliefthatifa matter is ignored long enough, it will eventually go away. But Thomas'positionistooimportant. SheisthePermanentSecretaryofa vital Ministry The Ministry of HomeAffairsistheepicentreofall international security cooperation arrangements with Guyana and of course the Ministry has control over agencies responsible for law and order locally,” ChandanEdmondstated.Shesaidtheevents that recently unfolded would obviously undermine public confidence in the PS and by extension,theministry “Thechief accounting officer of the security ministry and the point person for several key security programmes cannot also be a person who is

smeared internationally There simplycannotbebusinessasusual attheHomeAffairsMinistrywhile its PS is under international investigation. Until the public is fully appraised of the facts of the matter, until confidence can be restored,untilthegovernmentcan have an official position on the matter, PS Toussaint Jr Thomas oughttoproceedonadministrative leave, ” Chandan-Edmond asserted.

Home Affairs PS, Mae Thomas

EPA to beef up monitoring of oil sector with more offshore visits

Amid concerns that the offshore operations of oil companies are not being m o n i t o r e d , t h e Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has assured that mechanisms are in place to ensure there is adequate oversightofthesector Executive Director the regulatory body, Kemraj Parsraminarecentinterview with Kaieteur News explainedthattheagencyhas been utilising the latest technology to conduct remote monitoring of ExxonMobil's oil and gas activities “We have our remote, real time monitoring capabilitieswhichwecansee real-time live what's happening in terms of any discharges or what's not. We get real time notifications of any unwanted discharges or pollution events,” Parsram

toldtheKaieteurNews

Inaddition,theEPAhead pointed out that the officers attached to the body also conducts intermittent inspections for audits, which is acceptable internationally. While there has been a call for Guyanese to have a presence on the Floating Production Storage and Offloading (FPSO) vessels currently operating in the Liza One and Liza Two Fields, Parsram said he is unawareofsuchasystem.“I am not aware of any regulatory body having 24 hours presence on board on FPSOs,”henoted.Infact,the EPA head said BSEE, , a United States regulatory body would do inspections periodically

A third mechanism currently employed by the regulator is the requirement fordailyreportingbyExxon.

Parsram said that the Permit Holder is mandated to issue daily, monthly, quarterlyand annual reports on the operations. Inthemeantime, the Executive Director said the body is in the process of beefing up its monitoring capabilities with more visits totheFPSOs.Hesaiditisyet to be determined how frequent these visits will be conductedinthefuture.

Concerns have been raised in the past about the E PA ' s m o n i t o r i n g capabilities of the offshore oil and gas activities. In February,theGovernmentof Guyana through the EPA entered a US$550,000 ($116M)three-yeardealwith MAXAR Technologies to boost its capabilities in monitoring oil operations offshore and even onshore activities in the country's forest.

MaxarTechnologiesisan AmericanCompanybasedin Westminster, Colorado, United States of America (USA) that specializes in m a n u f a c t u r i n g communication, earth observation, radar, and onorbit servicing satellites, satellite products and related services.

At a simple launching ceremony at the agency's Sophia, Georgetown office, Parsramsaid,“Thisapproach now strengthens and supports our capacity building and bolstering our man power to conduct physical in person inspections and monitoring (of oil operations offshore). Yes, we do physical inspections. I don't believe it's necessary to have 24/7 presence but rather intermittent and regular inspections.”

The deal allows EPA to receive daily satellite imagery intakes across the country through the SecureWatch platform, vessel alerts through the Crow's Nest Maritime solution, SAR oil spill detection services, and

change monitoring over specifiedareasofinterest. This simply means that the EPA can now detect oil spills remotely, flaring and eventrackvesselmovements offshore through high resolution satellite imagery andanalytics.

Guyana helps Hess bank US$346M in first quarter of 2023

American oil explorer Hess

Corporation disclosed yesterday that it registered net income totaling US$346 million, or US$1.13pershare,inthefirst quarterof2023.

Thoughthisrepresenteda positive outcome, it was still lower than the net income of US$417 million, or US$1.34 per share, in the first quarter of 2022 Hess said the decrease in after-tax results comparedwiththeprior-year quarter reflects lower realised selling prices partially offset by the net impact of higher production volumes from Guyana in the firstquarterof2023.

Thecompanywaskeento note that Guyana's assets particularly at the Stabroek Block where it has a 30 percent interest, was a major contributor to its quarterly earnings Hess said net production from the Liza Destiny and the Liza Unity floating, production, storage and offloading vessel totaled 112,000barrelsofoilperday (bopd) in the first quarter of 2023 compared with 30,000 bopd in the prior-year quarter

Hess said the Liza Unity FPSO, which commenced productioninFebruary2022, reached its production

capacity of approximately 220,000 gross bopd in July 2022. In the first quarter of 2023, the company said it sold nine cargos of crude oil fromGuyanacomparedwith two cargos in the prior year quarter It further noted that the third development, Payara,whichwillutilisethe Prosperity FPSO with a production capacity of approximately220,000gross bopd, is targeted for startup early in the fourth quarter TheProsperityFPSOarrived at the Stabroek Block on April 11th and hook-up and commissioning activities havecommenced.

Withrespecttothefourth development, Yellowtail, Hesssaiditwassanctionedin April 2022 and will utilize the ONE GUYANA FPSO

...announces another discovery with millions in profits for shareholders

withaproductioncapacityof approximately250,000gross bopd, with first production expectedin2025. Hessalso told its shareholders that Government and regulatory approvals are expected very soonforafifthdevelopment, Uaru, with a production capacity of approximately 250,000grossbopd.

Newdiscovery

Importantly, the Corporation also announced an oil discovery at the Lancetfish-1 well on the Stabroek Block, offshore

Guyana. The Lancetfish-1 w e l l e n c o u n t e r e d approximately92feetofoilbearing sandstone reservoir Thewellwasdrilledin5,843 feet of water by the Noble Don Taylor and is located approximately 4 miles southeast of the Fangtooth discovery Hess said the Kokwari-1 exploration well wasdrilledduringthequarter and did not encounter commercial quantities of hydrocarbons.

Withrespecttoitscapital a n d e x p l o r a t o r y

expenditures,Hesssaidthese were US$765 million in the first quarter of 2023 compared with $580 million in the prior-year quarter, primarily due to higher drilling in the Bakken and development activities in Guyana It said too that midstream capital expenditures were US$57 million in the first quarter of 2023 and $37 million in the prior-year quarter “We continue to successfully execute our strategy, which offers a unique value

proposition to investors,”

Chief Executive Officer (CEO),JohnHesssaid. With multiple phases of low-cost oil developments coming online in Guyana and its robust inventory of high return drilling locations in the Bakken, Hess boasted that his company is positioned to deliver durable cash flow growth that enables it to continue to invest in some of the highest returnprojectsintheindustry and to grow cash returns to shareholders.

Executive Director the EPA, Kemraj Parsram

Chief Executive Officer, John Hess

Printed

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

Editor-In-Chief: NIGEL WILLIAMS

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

EDITORIAL

POLITICIANS: EXPERTS AT HYPOCRISY

Webster’s New World Dictionary, Second College Edition, has this among its meanings for hypocrisy: ‘a pretensetovirtue’and‘apretendingtobewhatoneisnot…’ Either serves well in identifying the essences of one crop after another of Guyanese politicians. The current head of the Guyana chapter of a reputable watchdog group with international footprints took it up several notches in the article titled “Politicians are experts at hypocrisyTransparency Guyana President” (KN April 9). Now, we takeitstillhigher:manyGuyanesepoliticiansareworldclass hypocrites,inaclassoftheirown,andthehighertheygoup thepoliticalpowerladder,themoreblatanttheirhypocrisies.

We have heard about clean governance uttered in sparklingphrasesandpostures. Thelongstandingrealityis thatGuyanesehavebeenlivingfordecadeswithdirtydeeds anddirtydealsofdirtyGuyanesepoliticians. Itisnowmore obviousdailythattherearenonebetterathypocrisythanthe present cabal of PPP/C Government politicians. Theysing onesonganddancetoanother Askasimplequestionandthe floodgatesofabusecrashopen. Onlymenandwomenwho have things to hide conduct themselves in such suspicious ways.

The record is revealing of how good (‘experts at hypocrisy’) Guyanese politicians become at the hypocrisy game,agoverningculturenowadays. Thereisnothingmore important than this nation’s oil patrimony, and its proper management. The government and its self-serving leaders cantalkalltheywantaboutdiversification,butallroadslead right back to the same oil sector that they shun like some dreadfulskindisease. Thereissomuchthatrestson,hopedfor, powered by, and could be possible from Guyana’s oil wealth. But of this vital economic sphere, government political operators are only comfortable answering the questionsthatdonotprobetoodeeplybelowthesurface.

The PPP/C Government wants to answer only those meaningless,softballquestionsfromhelpfulandshameless media sycophants that do not giveaway their weaknesses, theirfarces,andtheirfailures. Thepreferenceisfortheseto beleftaloneandcoveredup. Oneofthemostconspicuous recent examples of these evasive and self-protective practices by the PPP/C Government has to do with how its biggest and boldest voices were all for renegotiation of the destructive2016oilcontract,howterribleitwasforGuyana, andhowmuchtheyweregoingtodotochangetheequation tofavorGuyanamore.

That renegotiation was what was promised by the PPP when it was in Opposition. Now, that it has the levers of power in its hands, the PPP/C Government’s people are talkingfromtheothersideoftheirmouths. Nowthereareno Guyanese who are more for not doing anything about renegotiating the same oil contract than the politicians who committed to doing so. Clearly, the politicians who promised to renegotiate the contract were engaged in outright pretenses. Just as obviously, their commitment to go to the mat for better for this country could best be describedasasleazyconcoction,ifnotacrimebyitself.

Today, politicians in Guyana do not limit their hypocriticalanticstosplittinghairs,theyaresmartenoughto choose which hairs to split. Beforehand, their subtle deceptionswentovertheheadofordinaryGuyanese,butthat is no longer the case today, as Transparency Guyana’s Presidentemphasized. Onlywillingfoolsfallforthetricks and nuanced misrepresentations of local politicians. No amountofleadershipnoise,orputdown,orhostilityisgoing to deter Guyanese, or succeed in obscuring their visions, their oil beliefs and hopes. Having been accustomed to hearing one hypocrisy after another from both of the major political parties, Guyanese are now quick to detect doubletalk and double-dealing The more Guyanese politicians, either in government or opposition, open their mouthstoattackordefend,themoretheyexposethemselves for the hypocrites they are the bone, and much worse. Hypocrisyisabouttheslippery,andthatisourpoliticianstoa tee. Hypocrisy has no choice but to foster and energize a governmentandanenvironmentcharacterizedbysecrecy It is the Guyana environment of today with oil, thanks to governmentandleadershiphypocrisies.

National Intelligence and SecurityAgency: handle this weighty responsibility right

DEAREDITOR,

I fully agree with Prof. DanielK.Gibransentiments regarding the establishment of a National Intelligence andSecurityAgency(NISA) in Guyana. As you rightly pointed out, the creation of NISA is a significant step forwardforthecountryanda critical aspect of safeguarding its national securityinterests.

You have effectively highlighted the importance of intelligence gathering in modern statecraft, and the

critical role it plays in ensuring that countries are adequately prepared to respond to threats The absence of a dedicated Intelligence capability, as you pointed out, leaves Guyana at a disadvantage, with other countries potentially having access to critical information that could compromise national security Furthermore, the concernsexpressedaboutthe potential for abuse of political power are unwarranted, as there are

adequatesafeguardsthatcan beputinplacetoensurethat NISA operates within the l a w a n d d o e s n o t compromise the rights of Guyanesecitizens.

The importance of a national intelligence agency w i t h a r o b u s t counterintelligence capability cannot be overstated, particularly in today’s world, where countriesarefacingmultiple and diverse threats to their security In conclusion, I share your view that the

establishment of NISA is a critical and essential step in safeguarding Guyana’s nationalsecurityinterests.

As you stated, it must be done right and with a keen s e n s e o f w e i g h t y responsibility Ihopethatthe necessarysafeguardswillbe put in place to ensure that NISA operates within the law and that Guyana can benefit from the intelligence andanalysiscapabilitiesthat itprovides.

Sincerely,

WayneLyttle

Looking for a better Georgetown, freedom of choice in upcoming LGE

DEAREDITOR,

I am a young Guyanese who takes an interest in politics.Assuch,Ifollowthe news and the utterances of various political parties, etc. Itistonotemanystatements are disbelieving and leave meconfused.

Ihavenevervotedbefore and hold no affiliation However, I cannot possibly think of reasons to support the main political opposition As an AfroGuyanese, it is disbelieving and disappointing to know that should I support the governmentIwillbelabeled,

in the most disrespectful manner I’m disappointed that the opposition claims to represent the interest of Afro-Guyanese but engages in this sort of behaviour Local Government elections are here, and the campaigns have begun but what I’m seeing so far from the oppositionisworrisome.

Editor, I would like to believe elected officials can actsensiblyandresponsibly

To me, the statements and utterances of the opposition have been uninspiring, and offensive and as such, I cannotseemyselfsupporting

theircandidateformyareain Georgetown. The attacks on Afro-Guyanese and some of their own former members do not inspire confidence in them. I also saw reports of persons being threatened to withdraw their support for the PPP and the allegations of fraud and I ask myself; howcanoneclaimtorespect people’sconstitutionalrights to support a party of their liking but bash those same persons when they do exactly that? The independent candidates contesting bring more decency to the local

government landscape than the opposition. When the timecomes,asaGuyanese,I would like the freedom to exercise my right without fearofintimidation. Iwould like to experience the electoral process. More so, I would really like to see changesinGeorgetown.The cityisafearsomeplace,with manyproblemsthataffectus all that live and work here. I amhopingtousemyvoteto instituteachangeinkeeping withhowIwouldliketosee mycapitalmanaged.

Sincerely,

RebecaConstance

Solar power is the way to go, but get products from the USA

DEAREDITOR,

It was pretty interesting to reading Alfred Bhulai’s letter regarding solar in Guyana in the newspapers. Whilst his calculations are somewhat accurate, I have a fewpointstomake.

The price quote is from China and as he said, shippingbycontainerisvery cheap, but an average house doesn’t require an entire containerofsolarequipment to power the house. People don’t need to use LiFePO4 (Lithium) batteries for their systems. Lithium batteries could be drained out completely while the acid batteries lose their lifespan, if they continuously go beyondthehalfway Because they are cheaper, you could buy more and add to the batterybanktoavoidthat.

Editor, I’ve mentioned before that people contacted me to install a solar system, and based on their budget, I make recommendations on whichtheyshouldpurchase. I’ve set up numerous systems in the Pomeroon

River area, West Coast Demerara, and Georgetown, and all are working troublefree, some for over five years. I’ve discontinued using Gel batteries because it’s a failed technology and would never advise anyone topurchase/useit.

The Rolls acid batteries are extremely cheap, and with proper maintenance, could last 10-15 years or more A 6volts-200amps LiFePO4costsaroundseven hundred and forty-two thousand dollars, whilst a Rolls 6volts - 235amps battery costs around fortyfour thousand dollars in Guyana.

ThepricequotebyAlfred for a panel is almost three times the cost here in Guyana,andsadly,youhave t o c h e c k t h e quality/makers/suppliers because you could end up buying a waste, which is bountiful here. I say that, from experience, because I goaroundquotingpricesand checkingqualitywheneverI get a chance. I recommend

vital equipment be purchasedfromtheUSAand shipped here because I believe solar equipment is duty-free, way cheaper and theyareofbetterqualitythan thegarbagebeingdumpedin Guyana because there is no proper quality testing being conducted on them here.

The inverters/charge

controllers could be programmed to shut down when the battery level reaches around 60%, and what I’ve noticed is that people tend to be more cautious in terms of energy consumption There’s no fluctuationofvoltageunless an errant person interferes, so electrical appliances tend tolastlonger FinallyEditor, thegovernmentischosenby the people to govern a country and make life easier/simplerforthepeople, but it’s my humble opinion, the Government of Guyana is not doing enough, and becausetheyhavethepower, they can intimidate and shut down feasible ideas from their agenda. Because they

are the decision-makers, they know firsthand every development plan and could manipulate the system in suchawayastocausedelays whilst their friends and families could set a foundation to reap easily, whenthetimeisright.

At present, an individual with close ties to this government is doing a huge investment as a venture into solarsystemsandGuyanato garner the majority of government contracts Whilst another has already imported a huge amount of solar equipment to convert his entire empire into solar, which is estimated it would run to around one hundred million. They already know that Guyana would not benefit from cheap electricity anytime soon and the system is already manipulated to their favor! Why must we wait some 30 years to enjoy cheap electricity in an oil-rich country?

Yoursfaithfully, SahadeoBates

The proper recognition of Indians is long overdue, disrespectful

DEAREDITOR,

Another May 5th is approaching,anditisalways a time for retrospection and Shraddhanjali.

Coming from a faith where the latter is a way of life, May 5th is thus very important.

Growing up in the Dharmic Sabha, (the organisation that was originated by my father Mohanlal Sahadeo,) observing May 5th is an annualritual.

Year after year, the clarion call and promise by the then President Reepu Daman to the Hindu populacewasthatassoonas thePPPwinselectionsandis in Government; he (Reepu) will make May 5th, Indian Immigration Day and a NationalHoliday

ThePPPdidwinin1992 and he did not keep his promise even to the end of hislife.

His daughter is now PresidentofthesameHindu organisationandshehasnot fulfilled the promise her fathermade.

Eithershedoesnotknow hedidsoinalltheyearsprior to 1992 as she was not around in those profound daysofstruggle,orshechose to ignore this promise as he did.

Arrival Day on May 5th is NOT Indian Immigration Daythoughitisaholiday.

The Hindus of Guyana havebeentheonegroupthat has, without fail, observed May5th,yearafteryear

That the Government will not be enjoying their seat in power if Hindus did not vote for them, choose to disrespect a day that is very deartoourhearts,justshows the utter disdain that this present regime has for the HindusofGuyana.

(I refer to Hindus because it was this group of people who is the bulk of supportforthePPP).

While the Dharmic Sabha, (when my father came up with the idea to form a separate group from the Burnham controlled Hindu group; to address the issues affecting Hindus), was not intended to be political; it did morph into the means of keeping the HinduvoteswithaPartythat did not attest to the concept of Bhagwan Impersonally, this is akin to blasphemy Hindus nonetheless, support thePPP

(Therearestillanumber of the older Hindu generation in the U.S. who still suck their teeth at the mention of the Jagan name andparty.)

It is time for IndianArrival Day in Guyana, go the whole nine yards

DEAREDITOR,

As I read the requests to the “supposed” Government of the Indians in Guyana, to renameArrival Day on May 5th as a day in tribute to theirs and our Indian ancestors,itisakintoachild begging his father who brought him into this World to accept that he has responsibilitiestowards said child.

I remember my friend RadheoftheIACwhohadto literally picket his own Government to make May 5thaholiday Andwhenthey finally acquiesced (even as Reepu Daman was still part of the Government), it refused to acknowledge the very people who arrived to these shores on that day I will write another missive about how disrespectful this very Government is; not only towards the Indians whocameonMay5thbutto all other peoples who came totheseshores.

As I end now, I wonder, what hope is there that the President who preaches for ONE Guyana, will finally right the wrong done to his ancestorsbyOdovisavisthe National Cultural Center? Doesonedissolveone’sown identity and roots in the missionforONENESS?

Sincerely,

N.Sahadeo

PNC resorting to intimidation

DEAREDITOR,

I have observed that the main political opposition continues to exhibit its ferocious racial and divisive tendencies.

Thispoliticalfactionhas nostrategyfortheupcoming local government elections. We do not hear of any plans butonlysomeofthesaddest stories. The leadership is uninspiringandtribalist.

In my opinion, the People’s Progressive Party Civic is the only logical choice for the upcoming localgovernmentelections.

The city of Georgetown and many of the opposition controlledNDCsaregrossly mismanagedandinneedofa

change of representatives. The PNC-led APNU is cognizant that they will perform poorly in Local Government Elections in June2023.

This is because the people of Guyana have already rejected them at the pollintheElectionsof2020. In the local government elections of 2018, the PPPC beat the combined coalition APNU/AFC whilst they wereingovernment.

In those elections, the People’s Progressive Party Civic got a whopping 61% ofthevotescast.

The members of the opposition have urged the Guyanese people not to

believe the numbers. Editor, numbersdon’tlie.

All across the country, the numbers are showing poorlyfortheopposition.

Tomakeupforthis,they have resorted to threats and intimidation as a means of getting backers of lists and candidates for the PPP/C to withdraw This is unfortunate and ought to be addressed by the relevant authorities.

Sincerely,

RyanNewton

D r B a y t o r a m

Ramharack made a convincing argument to append ‘Indian’ in front of ArrivalDay(May5national holiday) in recognition of and in tribute to the enormous contributions made by the indentured (girmityas)Indiansandtheir descendants in Guyana (in KNletterdatedApr23).

For decades Indians constituted a majority of the population; it remains the largest ethnic group in the country Indian cultural influence permeates virtuallyallaspectsofsocioeconomicandpoliticallifein thenation.

The Indian Arrival Day (IAD)holidayinGuyana,as it is in several other countries,istorecognizethe Indian presence and their remarkable contributions to societyaswellastomakethe community feel they belong inthenation.Aswecelebrate IAD, we should salute those who actively championed the movement (struggle) for this long overdue recognition that was opposed by succeeding governmentstill2004.

Tillthisday,‘Indian’has been missing in front of Arrival Day although the date is identified with the first arrival of Indians on Guyana’s shores Indian Arrival Day has been observed in Guyana at various locations for a century, since the abolishment of the oppressive indentureship system in 2020. Lack of recognition from the colonial authority and succeedinggovernmentsdid not deter celebrations or observances to mark or commemorateIndianarrival and the contributions to the territory Indian politicians going back to the 1930s partook in observances and cultural events to commemoratethedaybutno

politician advocated for or championedaholidayforthe arrival of Indians or the abolitionofindentureshipof Indians Indentureship of Chinese and Portuguese and Africans ended decades earlier Scholars described Indian indentureship as another form of slavery

African politicians justifiably advocated and championedforaholidayfor the abolition of (African) slavery–EmancipationDay (August 1) for Africans in recognition of their significant contributions (provided for free) to the land which a holiday was granted No similar recognition was granted for a n e n d t o I n d i a n indentureship in spite of repeated requests and petitions by various prominent individuals and cultural organizations The mantlefortherecognitionof the Indian presence in Guyanaandtheirsurvivalof the travails of indentureship with a national holiday was led by non-politicians

Apart from Ravi Dev of ROAR, virtually no politician advocated for a holiday. This quite unlike in other countries (Trinidad, Grenada, St. Vincent, Jamaica, Suriname, among others) where politicians played a leading role to recognizeorquicklygranted approvalforIndianHeritage DayorIndianArrivalDayin tribute to the pioneering indentured Indian ancestors for their contributions to theirnations.

In Fiji, for the first time, Indian Arrival has been approved as a national holiday,withMay14known as Girmityas Day The Prime Minister Rabuka promised during the campaign that if elected, he wouldgrantaholidayforthe Indianarrivalintheterritory

He has kept his word when petitioned by civic groupsandIndianpoliticians

affiliated with his party.The holiday, and the recognition in Fiji, is clearly stated and associated with the Indian presence,asitisalsoinother territories that have given suchrecognition.

Only in Guyana, the recognition of the Indian presence and the triumph over the oppressive Indian indentureship system is ambivalentlystatedalthough thedayisassociatedwiththe historic presence of the Indiancommunity

It has been a long struggle for the recognition ofthepresenceoftheIndian community and the contributions made by their pioneering ancestors I would like to recognize and salutethoseadvocates,albeit a small number, who championed the holiday Countless letters were penned since the 1990s by Rhyaan Shah, Ravi Dev, Baytoram Ramharack, SwamiAksharanand,myself and others to politicians and in the press to pressure succeeding governments to grant a holiday — Indian ArrivalDay(IAD)onMay5. We await that name acceptanceandrecognition!

The present Guyana parliament should honour the work of those who advocate for IAD and make haste to correct an error in 2003 when the holiday was approved to commence in 2004.

The parliamentary committee approved IAD in its report to parliament in 2003. It is inexplicable why Indian was removed from IADatthefullparliamentary vote. It should be restored now!

Yourssincerely, Dr

VishnuBisram

ExxonMobil strikes new ‘Lancetfish-1’ discovery in Stabroek Block

ExxonMobil Guyana on Wednesday announced its second discovery for this year, the Lancetfish-1 well in the Stabroek Block, offshore Guyana This adds to the 39 discoveriesalreadyrecordedbythe oil giant so far in the country’s ExclusiveEconomicZone(EEZ).

Thefirstdiscoveryforthisyear wasrecordedonJanuary25,atthe FangtoothSE-1well.

ExxonMobil Guyana in a statement revealed that the Lancetfish-1 well encountered approximately 92 feet (28 meters) of oil-bearing sandstone. The well was drilled in 5,843 feet (1,780 meters) of water and is located southeast of the Fangtooth-1 discovery

President of ExxonMobil Guyana, Alistair Routledge noted, “InitialresultsfromtheLancetfish1 well are encouraging and demonstrate the Stabroek block’s continuedexplorationpotential.”

TheLancetfish-1wasdrilledby the Noble Don Taylor, one of six drillships supporting ExxonMobil Guyana’sexplorationandappraisal activitiesoffthecountry’scoasts.

In addition to the discovery news, the oil company also shared that progress is being made on the infrastructure to support future fielddevelopment.

To this end, it pointed out that the third Floating, Production,

Storage and Offloading (FPSO) vessel- Prosperity- arrived in GuyanesewatersonApril11andis targeted for production start-up later this year Prosperity will join the Liza Destiny and Liza Unity FPSOs, which together produced

375,000 barrels a day during the first quarter of 2023. In a separate missive, the Ministry of Natural Resources said, “The Government ofGuyanawelcomesthecontinued success of exploration and discovery work conducted by the

PNC resorting to the brutish in LGE

DEAREDITOR,

We must protect our democracy from PNC intimidation,bullyismandthreats. Our democracy is once again under threat of being trampled upon by a despairing PNC cabal, whichisusingbrutishmethodsof intimidation and bullyism against persons participating in the democratic process for the upcoming Local Government Elections(LGE).

The PNC is cognizant that their campaign of racial

…says success shows continued exploration potential

incitementforclosetothreeyears hasbeenroundlyrejected,further isolating the party from voters, including its own supporters, many of whom are gravitating to the PPP/C in droves, choosing to embraceamulti-ethnicpartywith a platform of inclusion for all Guyanese.

ItisforthisreasonthatthePPP willfacenocontestfromthePNCledAPNUinabout283ofthe610 constituencies across the country Faced with the grim reality of a heavy defeat, the PNC has

deployed henchmen across towns andvillagestointimidatepersons whohaveconsentedtobebackers forPPP/CcandidatesatLGE.

Several reports have been made by persons who have been harassed by the PNC thuggish surrogateswhoseonlyagendaisto derail the holding of the 2023 LGE.

The PNC intimidatory tactics include false accusations of fraud against persons freely participating in the election process by defaming them.These individuals are made to feel unsafe. We must stand firm by protecting the right of citizens to vote free from fear and intimidation.

While we’re working hard to safeguardourdemocracyfromthe PNC, which has a history of rigged elections and voter suppression, we encourage voters to maintain confidence in our elections process by resisting the fear to openly support the candidateoftheirchoice.

Yourstruly, KwameMcCoy Minister within the Office of the Prime Minister with responsibilityforPublicAffairs

Stabroek Block consortium – Esso Exploration and Production Guyana Limited (EEPGL), Hess Corporation and China National Offshore Oil Corporation (CNOOC).”

Noting that this new discovery adds to Guyana’s growing legacy as an oil-producing and exporting nation, Minister of Natural Resources, Vickram Bharrat, reaffirmed the government’s commitment to ensuring that the hydrocarbons sector is sustainably andjudiciouslymanaged.

The revenue earned from this sector, he reminded, will be prudentlyinvestedtotransformthe nation’s social and economic landscape.TheMinistersaid,“The Guyana government is devoted to ensuring that the benefits of Guyana’s petroleum resources benefit all Guyanese, paving the wayforathrivingfuture.

With the nation’s third and largest floating, production, storage and offloading (FPSO) vessel – Prosperity – joining the current fleet, our pledge to guarantee that this sector is managed against industry standardsremainsunmoved.”

The Stabroek Block is 6.6 million acres (26,800 square kilometers). ExxonMobil affiliate Esso Exploration and Production Guyana Limited is operator and holds 45% interest. Hess Guyana ExplorationLtd.holds30%interest and CNOOC Petroleum Guyana Limitedholds25%interest.

It is the largest oil block in the country and some argue, even the World.

The unusual size of the StabroekBlockishowevernomore

unusual than the agreement which governstheacreage.

The Production Sharing Agreement (PSA) which was signedbytheformergovernmentin 2016 extends favourable terms to theoilcompanies,whileGuyanais leftwiththeshorterendofthestick.

The agreement allows for abrasive tax waivers and shortchanges Guyana in several of the clauses therein. For instance, Exxon is allowed to recover costs flagged by an audit, while Guyana can only reclaim these after an arbitrationprocess.Presently,there isnoring-fencingprovision,which means the Contractor can use the resourcesintheproducingfieldsto developanother Exxon also enjoys holding the country’s decommissioning or clean-up fees, amounting to hundredsofmillionsofUS-dollars. Additionally, up to 75 percent of the earnings are also deducted towards cost recovery or repaying the investments made to develop thenaturalresource.

The remaining profits are shared 50-50 between the parties, with an additional two percent royaltyforGuyana.

Importantly, Guyana is yet to secure full liability coverage from Exxonfortheseactivities,meaning if there is a large spill, the country willhavetostandthesecoststoo.

ThecountryonlyhasaUS$600 million policy in place per oil spill event.

Despite calls from several sections of society and even foreigners advising the leaders on thegravenecessityofrenegotiating the contract, both sides of the politicaldivideareunwilling.

Map showing the size of the Stabroek Block and its first 15 discoveries

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AGREEING AND DISAGREEING

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Agreeing and disagreeing go hand in hand.

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Disagreeing constructively represents standards.

Disagreeing thoughtfully is about being respectful.

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Respectfully disagreeing is best for the governing and the governed.

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Political leaders and their agents have lacked standards and respect.

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We must aim higher …all should.

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'Weed out politicos at GECOM; enact campaign financing laws' ...electionsCOIReportrecommends

The Commission of Inquiry into the March 2020 General elections has recommended major restructuring of the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM)andtheenactment of campaign financing legislation here to govern futureelections.

The report was handed overtoPresidentIrfaanAliat theOfficeofthePresidenton Wednesday Chaired by retired Turks and Caicos

Justice of Appeal Stanley John and including former Chancellor of the Guyana Judiciary Carl Singh and Justice of Appeal Godfrey Smith, the COI insisted on the weeding out of the politicos at GECOM and increasing the role of independent members of civilsocietyandprofessional experts. The Commission's recommendation for the restructuring of GECOM mirrors that of a host of

elections observer groups over the years. The current structure of GECOM caters for three commissioners appointed by the President and another three from the Opposition. The chairperson is chosen by the President from a list of candidates submitted by the Leader of the Opposition. As a result, over the years GECOM has been the scene of perpetual gridlock, which has been compounded in recent times

withthecurrentChairperson, Retired Justice, Claudette Singh being accused of sidingwiththerulingpartyin most decisions that come downtoavote.

In making the case for restructuringofGECOMthe COI said, “as it stands, the structure of GECOM is, at its core, politicised,making it difficult for it to operate with any efficiency or effectiveness.” The COI r e c o m m e n d e d :

“consideration should be given to amending this to allow for more balanced participation from other o r g a n i z a t i o n s o r professionals with technical expertise thereby reducingthepoliticisationof the electoral process.” In its reporttheCOInotedthatthe Carter Center noted in its report on the 2001 elections, “Aspart of electoral reform efforts, Guyana should give careful consideration to alternative models, possibly reducing or eliminating political party representation and increasing the role of independent members of civil society and professionalexperts.”

Additionally, the COI recommendedchangestothe legislative framework that governselections,notingthat the legal framework for the conduct of elections in Guyana is anchored primarilyintheConstitution, the Representation of the People Act and the National Registration Act.

“Weareoftheopinion that the legislative framework provides adequate grounds

for the conduct of competitive elections

However, there do exist several ambiguities which have left room for political manipulation through litigation and the tarnishing of the electoral process Happily,themajoranomalies have been addressed in the r e c e n t l y e n a c t e d RepresentationofthePeople (Amendment) Act 2022.All persons who are eligible to vote must be allowed to exercise their franchise. To this end we recommend that legislation be enacted to facilitatethefollowing:

I. Persons with limited mobility not having to climb stairstovote.

ii. i i Vi s u a l l y impaired persons to vote using ballots prepared in Braille.

iii. i i i H e a r i n g impaired persons to be given the required assistancebyaqualifiedSign Languagetranslator

iv Persons who are challenged in a manner not mentionedin1,2and3supra. Additionally, the COI reportmentionedthatthe (Continuedonpage9)

Close to 4,000 domestic violence calls received on 914 hotline for 2023

The 914 toll-free domestic violence (DV) hotline has received some 3,889 calls so far for 2023, and the Ministry of Human ServicesandSocialSecurity isworkingwiththerequisite agencies to resolve every issue.

Minister, Dr Vindhya Persaudprovidedthisupdate during a recent interview with the Department of PublicInformation. Shesaid thehotlinehasbeenworking well, as the ministry aims to reduce the number of DV casescountrywide.“Ofthose [cases], 200 would've been specifictosexualoffencesor sexual abuse and we would'venoticedthat500of thosecallscameinrelationto school issues,” Dr Persaud related.

The 914 hotline is available to all persons, including migrants, and was created for victims of domestic and sexual violence, as well as other individuals to call for assistance or report incidencesofabuse.

The ministry trained and employed survivor advocatestoprovidevictims with the support needed to overcome the trauma from their experiences Temporary housing is also available for victims until they are able to provide housing and basic essentials forthemselves.

Meanwhile, vouchers and legal pro-bono services areavailabletothevictimsof violence.

“For the legal pro-bono serviceswhichwouldbefree legalservicestopersonswho would've experienced violence, 60 persons would've already benefitted from the beginning of the year,” Minister Persaud noted Similarly, the ministry's spotlight programme is leading the charge in fighting domestic violence through the C O P S Q U A D 2 0 0 0 initiative, equipping police officers with the tools necessary to respond to reports in a professional manner (DPI)

SOME COINCIDENCES REQUIRE EXPLANATION

Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo recently confirmed that his government hired a United States based firm to provide services for it. The company is known for providing public relations, lobbying and advisory services.

The Vice President’s confirmation was made at a press conference which he hosted.Interestinglynoneof the journalists present asked just what services were being provided by the company and why Guyana would have needed such services.

It is amazing that they were interested in what services were provided yet aretrippingoverthemselves toascertainwhythephoneof a Permanent Secretary was allegedly confiscated by the USauthoritiesrecently

It is hoped that someone will insist that the Vice President to provide details of why these services were necessaryandwhatwerethe fees paid to the company. It has been suggested that the firm was paid a whopping US$35,000 per month or about$G7M.

Most interesting also were the reasons given by theVicePresidentastowhy it terminated the contract with the firm. The Vice President said that the government found out that the firm was working for a local business and as such optedtoallowthecontractto

Frompage8

commission received valuable contributions from the Private Sector Commission (PSC) through Captain Gerald Gouveia who chaired the PSC in 2020 “The PSC d o c u m e n t e d 1 6 recommendations for improving elections in Guyana some of which have been enacted in the Representation of the People (Amendment) Act, 2 0 2 2 F o r t h e i r contribution, we are most grateful,”thereportstated.

Campaignfinancing

Meanwhile, on the issue of campaign financing, the

runtotheendofitsterms.

But why would the government have to terminate the contract simplybecausethefirmwas doing work for a Guyanese business? Once there is no conflict of interest, there is no reason why the firm should not be able to serve two separate Guyanese clients.

There is no conflict of interest? Or is there? This makes it all the more necessary for the government to explain just what services the firm was providingtoit.

Anti-government forces in the diaspora are accusing thegovernmentofpractising racial discrimination But these very forces lack credibility and will hardly likely be taken seriously by US legislators and policymakers.

Obviously, there will be some politicians to who are seekingtoattractthevotesof Guyanese living in the US. Some of these politicians may feign support for those claiming that the PPP/C government is practising discrimination.

But the whole world knows what took place in Guyana after the March 2020generalelections.They know about the discredited narratives that were peddled and they know who are the persons peddling these narratives.Nooneisgoingto take seriously these

COI report observed that save for the provisions set out in Part XII ofROPA, there is no legislation applicable to campaign financing in Guyana.

“Accordingly,thereisalack of transparency and accountability regarding political parties and campaign financing Political parties have historically raised funds without any limitations regarding the source or amount of donation, and with very little obligation to disclose election expenses.

There is a strong need for such legislation as there is a perception that persons

narratives and those who peddlethem.

But if the government is worriedaboutthesecharges, it should explain why it did notpursuealobbysoonafter itgotbackintooffice.Atthat time, the United States had imposed travel restrictions on persons who it felt were involved in seeking to undermine the elections. It said that the restrictions could be extended to family members of the unnamed persons Canada and the United Kingdom threatened similarrestrictions.

It would appear that these restrictions were lifted after the PPP/C assumed office. The PPP/C has made it clear that what happened between 2nd March 2020 and the 2nd August 2020 mustneveragainreoccur

But if the PPP/C was really interested in ensuring thattherewillneveragainbe another attempt to rig elections in Guyana, it should have initiated a strong lobby in the United States for the travel restrictions to be made permanent.

It could have pointed to the dangers that rigging elections would have set for democracyinLatinAmerica and the Caribbean where thereisanowsupposedtobe a rising tide of left-wing governments.

The PPP/C government has let the ball drop. Instead of hiring an American firm

and/or corporations who give largedonationsstandto gain political favours,” the reportstressed.

The report also flagged theroleoftheGuyanaPolice Force in elections here, noting that the role of the police is to preserve law and order and detectcrime.

“There should be some prohibition against police officers openly showing partisanship inelectionsand more importantly so, they should play no part in the election process on polling day save for such functions that are delegated to them by the CommissionerofPolice.”

for reasons yet unknown to the public, it should have hired the firm to lobby to make permanent the travel restrictions on those who were sanctioned for their alleged role in seeking to distort the results of the elections.

The United States has a numberoflobbyingfirms.In the early 1990’s, the PPP/C had hired anAmerican legal firm to help smooth over relations with the United States as the country prepared for the 1992 elections. So there is no

shortage of firms which the PPP/C government could have used to provide lobbying and advisory services.

During the election campaign, the PPP/C hired Mercury, a foreign public relationsfirm,todoworkfor it This decision proved important because this firm proved instrumental in helping to mobilize opposition to the attempt to rigtheMarch2020elections.

But is it not truly amazing that a local firm shouldchoosethesamefirm

as the government did? Some coincidences require explanation.

(The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions and beliefs of this n e w s p a p e r a n d i t s affiliates.)

'Weed out politicos at GECOM; enact...’

H@RD TRUTHS

GHK LALL

THE ISLAND IN THE SUN IS A LITTLE BLUER

It takes a special individual to stand against theodds,tobattlewithtime, t o r a g e a g a i n s t circumstances, in a laborious quest for justice. For his people. In his own time. Against his own personal progress and possible prosperity. Harry Belafonte was such a man. He fought the good fight, and he never letup in his heart,nevergaveupplaceas part of what was an endless struggle for equity, for dignity The struggle is as newbornasthefirstday,and itcontinuestothisday,with aneed,ademand,acall,for all the energies, all the convictions that can be foundandmarshalledsothat otherscanbebetter

“I see a woman on bendedknee

Cutting cane for her

family

I see men at the waterside

Casting nets at the surgingtide…”

It was real then, and so stillveryrealtoday whenno suchthingshouldbe. Thank you,Harry.HarryBelafonte

was a prince among colouredmen;menthatlook like me. Aheroic figure of rareandrawstature.Likethe impossible dreamer that he was all his life, and not just in song, he ran where the brave would shrink from going. Yes,hemarchedinto the gates of hell for the righteous cause of his people. Black Americans. Black West Indians. The Black people by its widest definition, the broadest coloration that could be attached. I look closely at myself, and I don’t need a

microscope. Thoughpaler,I amlikehe,atleastincolour Lord, give me the heart to write what this giant of a man sang in such rhythmic, pulsating, enchanting lines about a place long trampled uponbythefeetofinvaders and conquerors for gold, thentobacco,thenthesweet richness of sugar. Today, it is not out of the land but fromunderthesea. Today,it is for the solid, but the liquid. Gold in any form will bring them, and then people like Harry Belafonte take to song first, then their feet,andlasttothestreet.

Itwas,andwillcontinue tobe,thefateofthemanand woman of a less pale pigmentofskin. Itwillbeas he sang: “Where my people toiled since time begun.” Others took the easier, safer road. Not Harry He was

one of the last of those politically incorrect, unseemly,untimely,uncivil, u n w e l c o m e d , a n d unstoppable voices and hearts,whodaredtosay:this is wrong, and let it be damned. It would be a source of great personal joy to encounter a few with the same indomitable spirit and willalongthewayoverhere; on this mainland that is so insular and singular in its individual docility, its nationalfragility

WhereaHarryBelafonte would have reared to his fullest height and screamed to the ramparts of heaven, herewehavethoseonlytoo willing, and pleased with themselves, to grovel, and gorethenextfellow,togetat the grounds disdainfully cast their way What happened to that kind of Guyanese man of fire and iron? Howandwhydidhe fold into such an ignominiousheaplackingin self-respect, some sliver of

sturdy, fearless, honest character?

Thefearlessnessand honestytospeaktothe plight of his peers, the sum of his suffering people and their wrenching pathos; yeah,whathappenedtothat kindofCuffyandCritchlow andCheddi?

Thetirelesstoilingatthe thankless was the life Harry Belafonte embraced for himself. It was cherished, one he would not exchange for all the ballrooms and cocktails and civilized conversations.

The man was a true warrior, and to the marrow

Insongandthestrongnessof his ever-brimming passions and convictions, he was torch singer to the bitter experiences of the underdogs, those dealt with as dogs; and a torch bearer for the poor, the voiceless, the downtrodden, the lost, the lonely of hope, and the onesemptyofsinew,faith.

It would be remarkable,

a real gamechanger, if we could we have a small handful of Guyanese here whowouldbeproudtobear that load. Only those few wouldmakeadifference,of that, I am sure. Most grievously, even those few, that small, cupped hand, Guyana cannot find among its sons and daughters. For them the fake light of paternalistic approval, for them the artificial smile of welcome. When our loud and our proud, Guyana’s dilutedcreamofdiminished upstanding,thrilltobeinthe company of exploiters and enrichers, then there will alwaysbethecallandcryfor a Harry Belafonte. He usually comes from beyond the horizon Regrettably Harry,thedayhascome,but there will still be singing of those calypso songs so loved. They have them in the singer’s and fighter’s arcadiawhereheaded.

This is less of a Jamaica farewell, and more of a Guyaneseone. Solong,and thanksforthesongs,andthe life of courage lived in exemplary fashion. Today, theIslandintheSunisalittle bluer, a shade dimmer, slightlycooler

(The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions and beliefs of this n e w s p a p e r a n d i t s affiliates.)

HARDTRUTHS BYGHKLALL

High Court urges speedy appointment of substantive Chancellor,

Chief justice

...says Pres. Ali not in breach of the constitution

Justice Damone Younge of the Georgetown High Court Wednesday urged speedy appointment of a substantive Chancellor and ChiefJustice(CJ).

Justice Younge handed down her ruling in case brought against the State by Vice Chairman of the People's National Congress Reform (PNCR), Vinceroy Jordanforthecourttodirect President IrfaanAli through the Attorney General to m a k e s u b s t a n t i v e appointments to the offices of the Chancellor and Chief Justice (CJ) through a declarative orders In determining the case, however Justice Younge heldthatPresidentIrfaanAli did not violate Guyana's Constitution because there wasnoconsultationwiththe then Opposition Leader on the appointment of a substantive Chancellor and Chief Justice, but frowned on the overall decades-long

delay in the nonappointment of permanent office holders to those two topjudicialposts.

“This court finds that given the particular circumstances have tended tothiscasedelayininitiating the process for the substantive appointment of the Chancellor and Chief Justice by His Excellency

the President under Article 127(1) is not a breach of the Constitution,forthiscourtis unable to find that such a delay meets a threshold of gross dereliction of constitutional duty on the part of the President,” she said.

Inherdecision,thejudge said while the Court could not order timelines to the executivetotakeanyaction, she recommended that the PresidentandtheOpposition Leader must act swiftly and hold those constitutionally required consultations. She said: “The named parties haveamandatoryobligation to comply with the provisions of the Constitution to meet these appointments This necessarily requires active engagement, mutuality and sincere receptivity by the Constitutional actors,” she said.

Justice Younge said thereforethatthereshouldbe

Woman stabbed 22 times by reputed husband

DeadMother of two, Lisa George

A23-year-oldmanidentifiedasMeshack Benjamin has left the Sophia community in shock after he went beserk on Tuesday morningstabbinghisreputedwife22timesin thepresenceofhertwoyoungchildren.

Dead is 31-year-old Lisa George of Lot 604 'C' Field Sophia. George was reportedly attackedaround03:00hrsonherbed.Her12year-old son told investigators that his mother's screams awakened him He reportedlyrantoherroomonlytowitnessthe horror of his “stepfather” plunging a knife repeatedly into his mother's body as she lay pinned underneath him. The screams also awakened George's sister who lived nextdoorandsherushedoverwithherhusbandto see what was going on. She recalled that whentheyentered,herhusbandrantorescue hersisterbyrestrainingBenjaminandtaking away the two knives he used to stab her An ambulancewascalledbutbytimeitarrived, George had bled to death on her bed and the

emergencymedicalteamhadnootherchoice buttopronounceherdeadatthescene. Police arrived quickly as well and were abletoapprehendthesuspect,Benjaminand retrieved the murder weapons. Crime scene investigatorsnotedthatGeorge'sbodyborea totalof22stabwounds.Woundswereseenon the left arm and shoulders chest, abdomen, l e f t l e g , n e c k , a n d c h i n

Itisunclearwhatsparkedthedeadlyattackon George but according to the woman's sister, George wanted to end the seven-month old relation she had with Benjamin due to ongoing issues The suspect's relatives confirmed with Kaieteur News too, that the couple's relationship was on a rocky path lately As it relates to the brutality of the attack,hismotherclaimedthatitmighthave do with his mental state at the time. The woman alleged that her son is a psychiatric patient at a city hospital. Investigations are ongoing.

no further delay in appointing the two persons, while pointing out that the Courthasfoundnobreachor gross dereliction of duty on the part of President Ali to appoint the two office holders. She said such a prolonged delay in those appointments exposed the independence of the judiciary. “The absence of substantive appointments to theofficesofChancellorand Chief Justice, particularly for the protracted length of time that we have experiencedinGuyana,fails toinsulatethejudiciaryfrom attacks on its independence asprovidedforinArticle128

of the Constitution, which threatens the very fabric of ourthrivingdemocracy,'she said.

She emphasized: “therefore,byallcounts,the way is now clear for this engagement to commence and no further delay or excuses ought to be countenanced.ThePresident has repeatedly stated his intentionandcommitmentto comply with all his duties under the Constitution. In this Court's view, there would be no better way that the President can d e m o n s t r a t e t h i s unassailable devotion and commitment to his duties

other than by acting with alacrity to initiate the process for the eventual substantiveappointmentof

(Continuedonpage16)

Magistrate Throws out DUI against the driver involved Ian Mekdeci's fatal accident

The Driving under the Influence(DUI)caseagainst Roberto Narine was thrown out by Magistrate Clive Nurse. Narine who was a driver involved in the fatal accident that resulted in the st death of Ian Mekdeci on 1 May,2022,waschargedwith two offences: driving under the influence and causing deathbydangerousdriving.

Narine was charged for drivingwithabreathalcohol level exceeding the limit contrary to s.39A of the Motor Vehicles and Road TrafficAct, Cap. 51:02. The policeallegedthathisbreath alcohol content was excessively over the limit after he was breathalysed twice at the Police Traffic Headquarters,EveLeary Narine was represented by attorney-at-law Siand Dhurjon, while the police were represented by prosecutor attorney-at-law Latchmi Rahamat A submission of no case to answer (or no case submission) was made by th Dhurjon on 24 April, 2023 and was upheld by th Magistrate Nurse on 26 April,2023.

The police led evidence of video footage showing Roberto Narine being breathalysed and being shown the instrument's reading of being over the l i m i t : 1 6 2 3 5 microgrammes in every 100ml of breath is the legal limit. However, the Court agreed with Dhurjon's submissions that there was no evidence that the specific breathalyzer instrument was

approvedforsuchusebythe Minister as required by the Motor Vehicles and Road Traffic Act Furthermore, there was no certificate adducedbytheprosecutorto prove that Officer Haynes

who conducted the breathalyser analysis was authorised to do such breath tests.

Dhurjon's case was that an unauthorized officer

conducted a flawed breathalyzer procedure on Narine using a device unapproved for the said purpose. The magistrate

went on to rule on

Wednesday that the prosecution itself had introduced into evidence information to show that the breathalyzer device was not in proper working condition as the witnesses admitted when Mr Dhurjon cross-

examined them that the apparatus was incapable of printing the result receipts. Under cross-examination, Mr Haynes admitted that he was trained to print and use the receipts Mr Haynes further admitted that the courtwasdeprivedofcertain facts because the machine couldnotprintreceipts. Both witnesses accepted under cross-examination that, contrary to the requirements of the Act, no statement or certificate was delivered to Narine specifying the date and time of the breath test and his breath analysis results expressed in microgrammes ofalcoholpereach100mlof breath.The magistrate noted that there was an absence of anyevidenceofthemachine being recently calibrated, self-checked or purged MagistrateCliveNurseruled that all of the shortcomings of the evidence as led by the prosecution rendered the breathalyzer results insufficientlyreliable.

Magistrate Nurse remarked that the prosecution 'failed to prove the statutory requirements' and the elements of their case.Themagistratesaidthat Mr Roberto Narine did not have to answer to the charge filed by the police and he dismissed the charge under theMotorVehiclesandRoad TrafficAct.

The charge of causing deathbydangerousdrivingis currently ongoing before MagistrateLeronDalyatthe Georgetown Magistrate's Court.

Dead: Ian Mekdeci

Meshack Benjamin, the suspect in custody for stabbing her 22 times

Chief Justice (Ag)

Roxane George Wiltshire

Chancellor of the Judiciary (Ag) Justice Yonette Cummings- Edwards

'Shockingly, brazen acts by GECOM trio to obstruct elections process’

...Lowenfield, Myers, Mingo accused of subverting ascertainment of Region 4 votes

The Commission of Inquiry into the March 2020 General and Regional Electionshasfoundthatthere was a conscious and deliberate –even brazen effort to violate the provisions of section 84(1) of the Representation of the Peoples Act by senior officials of the Guyana Elections. And in its report the COI singled out former Chief Elections Officer, Keith Lowenfield, his then deputy, Roxanne Myers and Returning Office for Region Four, Clairmont Mingo accusing them of principally responsible for “clear and deliberate attempts to frustrate, obstruct and subvert the ascertainment of votes in [Region Four] notwithstanding that GECOM had specifically decided that the approved method for the ascertaining and tabulation.”

All three of the former GECOM officers are before the courts on a slew of elections-related fraud charges.Theyhaddeclinedto give evidence at the COI when called upon. The CoI was chaired by Justice of the Appeal(retired)ofTurksand Caicos Stanley John and included former Chancellor of the Judiciary of Guyana, Carl Singh and High Court Judge (Belize) and former Justice of Appeal (ag) in the Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court,GodfreyP Smith.

According to its finding, the COI said the identified G E C O M o f f i c i a l s “abandoned all need for neutrality and impartiality anddemonstratedabiasfora competing political party and, in the course of events over those days, showed an open connection with that party and, by their efforts, sought a desired resultforthatparty.”

The report states that despite GECOM had specifically decided that the approved method for the ascertaining and tabulation of votes cast for the respective competing political parties was to be by the comparative examination of SOPs, Lowenfield nevertheless approved the use of a spreadsheet which turned out to be a document, the information on which was substantially inconsistent

with that on the SOPs in the possessionofpartyagents.

“The CEO, by his overall conduct, opened himself to thecriticism that the spreadsheet was introduced for ulterior motives and not for efficiency Indeed,theuseof the spreadsheet created turmoil, caused major disruptions and slowed the tabulationprocess. TheCEO knew or ought to have known that the methodology approved by GECOM for the ascertainment and tabulation of votes was through the use of SOPs. He knew or ought to have known that section 84(1) of ROPAspecifically provided that the ascertainment of votes cast for each political party was to be “in accordance with the Statements of Poll” and that by promoting and insisting on the use of a spreadsheet, he was acting contrary to law,”thereporthighlighted.

It said the then DCEO th Roxanne Myers on the 4 March, 2020 took a decision to limit the number of political party agents and o b s e r v e r s f o r t h e ascertainment and tabulation process at the Ashmin's Building, which was a unilateral decision by the DCEO taken as an administrative measure, for no justifiable reason but intended to limit the number of witnesses to GECOM'sascertainmentand tabulation procedures. “In the absence ofRO Mingo, DCEO Myers arrogated

untoherself the authority to continue the ascertainment and tabulation exercise. The DCEO appears to have selected GECOM staff to conduct that process and, apparently, unilaterally decided to continue the process for sub-district East BankDemerara when at the close of tabulation rd on the 3 March,2020, the Georgetown district was being examined,” the report documented.

Bombscare

The report also highlighted the much talked about bomb scare that was reported during the tabulationexercisefollowing theMarch2020vote.“On a report of a bomb being placed in Ashmin's building, she (Myers) told party agents, observers and diplomats, “Y'all get out the room. There's a bomb in the building.” She herself never

leftthebuilding.Itisdifficult to accept that when DCEO Myers went into the tabulation room, minutes beforetheROgavenoticeof his intention to make a declaration of results, to herself announce that the tabulation process would soon resume, that she was unaware of the RO's intention,” the report states. Additionally, the report highlightedthatMyersknew or ought to have known that at thetime of the RO's declaration, the statutorily prescribed procedure and requirements of ascertainment and tabulation for electoral district No. 4 had not been completed and that therefore the RO's declaration was a clear violationofthelaw “Butthe DCEO merely looked on. She said nothing and did nothing. From the totality of

theevidencesurroundingthe RO's declaration, there appears to be such collusion andcollaboration between senior GECOM officials as to likelyamount toaconspiracytomakewhat wasundoubtedlyapremature and unlawful declaration of falsified results which showed the APNU/AFC party as the winner of electoraldistrict No.4. This was the ultimate goal of the CEO, the DCEO and the RO.”

DeclarationbyMingo

Thereportstatedtoothat Mingo knew or ought to have known that the ascertainment and tabulation of the votes for electoraldistrictNo.4hadnot beencompletedatthetimehe made his declaration. “The RO(Mingo)kneworoughtto haveknownthat,pursuantto the provisions of section 84(1) of the ROPA, he wasrequiredtoascertainand tabulate the total votes cast foreach competing political party in electoral district No.4. Further, he knew or ought to have known that the totalvotes cast in that district had not been ascertainedandtabulated by him and that he was therefore acting inviolation of the law by making a declaration at the time he did.”

T h e C O I r e p o r t documentedthatfollowing a decision of thechiefjustice which gaveclear directions that the ascertainment and tabulation of the votes for electoraldistrict No. 4 had to be done through the

comparative use of SOPs, Mingo “in complete violation of theorder of the chiefjustice, resorted to the use of a spreadsheet of numbers to which he said had been extracted from SOPs.17.The RO offered no comforttoparty agents and observers who sought to question him on the integrity of the information on his spreadsheet.” “Very significantly, he made no response to a request to inspect the SOPs he claimed were used in the compilation of his broadsheetdata. Indeed, the RO and his staff defiantly resisted all efforts by party agents and observers to scrutinize th GECOM's SOPs.18.On 13 March, 2020, the RO allowed himself to be influenced by APNU/AFC party representative, Ms. Carol Joseph who was conducting herself in a wholly inappropriate manner and, as a result, recanted on his earlier undertaking to party agents and observers torestart the ascertainment and tabulation process in the interest of transparency,” the COI report added According to the report, it took another intervention fromtheChiefJusticetoputa halt to the RO's use of the spreadsheet. “We construe his exhortation to his staff to “keepcallingthosenumbers” when he left to attend before theChiefJustice, as a manifestation of his intention and his desire to

(Continuedonpage16)

President Irfaan Ali and members of the COI

Chairman of the Commission of Inquiry (COI), Retired Justice of Appeal, Stanley John, handing the official report to President, Dr. Mohamed Irfaan Ali, at the Office of the President, Shiv Chanderpaul Drive, on Wednesday

Restorative Justice Centre officially launched

As government advances efforts to enhance Guyana's criminal justice system, the Restorative Justice Centre pilot programme was officially launched at the Police Training Centre, Camp and Young Streets, GeorgetownonWednesday

Restorative justice seeks to evaluate the damaging impact of a crime and then detect what may be done to repair that harm while holding the offender responsible for his or her actions.

During the ceremony, Attorney General and Minister of Legal Affairs, Mohabir Anil Nandlall, SC, said Guyana is one of the leading examples in embracing the restorative justiceconcept.

The concept will address offenders who committed minor and non-violent crimes. The programme is not extended to serious crimes such as murder, treason, and terrorism, among others. “Why I insist on this type of launch is not because we want it done publicly, but because the success of the concept depends largely on societal participation bringing

greater consciousness and public awareness to the concept across the country,” the Attorney General underscored.

He explained that the punitive and restitutive methods of punishment are not aiding in reducing the crimerate.

However, the initiative seeks to ultimately reduce overcrowding in prisons countrywide. It also focuses onrepairingtheharmcaused by criminal behaviour,

bringingthevictim,offender, and their communities together in a decisionmakingprocess,todetermine howthevictimcanbehealed andtoaddresstheunderlying cause of the offender's inappropriate, illegal, or antisocialbehaviour

Different institutions in society including family, education, religion, and the justice system are interconnected, thus persons from various institutions were trained to aid in the

success of the initiative

Teachers, religious entities, andtheGuyanaPoliceForce are among those who benefitted from such training.

The minister urged students of the University of Guyana, particularly from the social sciences faculty to conduct studies on restorative methods to deal with crime. He said they, “can use this concept of restorative Justice as part of their pursuits, and more importantly produce papers, do studies, examine empirical statistics that will enable us to strengthen this concept ” Meanwhile, Minister of Human Services

and Social Security, Dr VindhyaPersaud,underlined that rehabilitating persons who commit non-violent crimes can possibly prevent them from committing more severeoffences.

“Ithasanimpactbecause it focuses not only on the perpetrator of the crime, but the person who would have experienced that crime,” she noted.

Minister of Home Affairs,RobesonBennadded that the issue of restorative justice goes beyond i n c a r c e r a t i o n , t o understanding how to preventtheescalationofless violent offences at the communitylevel.(DPI)

Ministry seeking contractors to build & furnish five brand new schools

With $12 4 b i l l i o n dedicated towards the construction, rehabilitation, extension, and maintenance of educational facilities across the country, the Ministry of Education is seeking contractors to build five brand new secondary schoolsacrossthecountry.

This is according to a recent tender issued by the Ministry who is seeking contractors/ suppliers to build schools at Kwebana and Hosororo in Region One, Jawalla in Region Seven, Kopinang in Region EightandTuscheninRegion Three.

No estimated costs were provided for the five projects,butaccordingtothe invitationforbids(IFB),the Ministry is seeking contractors to execute site developmentworks,tocarry out the superstructure works for the school buildings, for

dormitories and teachers' quarter, to execute electrical works, sanitation and plumbingworks.

The school projects are expectedtoopenonMay17, 2023 at the National Procurement and Tender Administration Board (NPTAB)office.

Kaieteur News had reported that the schools are being built as the governmentseekstoachieve universal secondary educationinthecountry.

Minister of Education, Priya Manickchand when visitingKopinanglastmonth said that the land clearing activitiesattheidentifiedsite hascommenced.

It was reported that the school will accommodate some500studentsand400in itsdormitory

The teachers' quarters willalsobeconstructedsince no qualified secondary school teacher is residing there. “It's going to allow us

to close six primary tops in the catchment area right now the children from this catchment are going to Kato orattheprimarytop. At Kato, they are on rotation because it's just too manyofthem,”theMinister hadexplained.

This publication had reportedthattheschoolswill b e e q u i p p e d w i t h laboratories, an information technology (IT) lab, and a library among other importantamenities.

ApartfromtheKopinang Secondary School, several other learning institutions are slated for construction countrywide, including at Hosororo, Kwebana, and Waramuri in Region One. Additionally,theNorthWest Secondary School is also being rebuilt after being destroyedbyfire.

Meanwhile, in Region Two, construction of the Abram's Zuil Secondary (Continuedonpage16)

Minister of Education, Priya Manickchand visiting Jawalla Village last month, to determine a possible location for the new school that is slated to be built there.

A section of the gathering, during the launch of the Restorative Justice Centre

Govt. on warpath to combat human trafficking

...tables new Combatting of Trafficking in Persons bill

The fight against human trafficking in Guyana has taken a major step forward withtheintroductionofanew billintheNationalAssembly

On Monday, Minister of Human Services and Social Security, Dr Vindhya

Persaud, tabled the CombattingofTraffickingin Persons Bill 2023, which is designed to provide more comprehensive measures to combat trafficking in persons.

This new bill, once passed, will replace the CombattingofTraffickingin PersonsAct2005,andwillbe aligned with international best practices and changing socio-politicalneeds.

Human trafficking is a grave violation of human rights and the new bill seeks to protect the rights of individuals and prevent and combattraffickingofpersons both within and across the borders of Guyana. Part One of the bill defines key terms and outlines the main objectives of combatting human trafficking, including thetraffickingofchildren.

In Part Two, criminal offencesrelatedtotrafficking in persons are outlined with extraterritorialeffect.

Thosefoundguiltyofthis offence face imprisonment for five years on summary conviction or life imprisonment on conviction or indictment Property forfeiture and restitution to the victim may also be ordered.

Ancillary offences are alsoprovidedforinthispart.

Moreover, transporting a person or child across an international border for the purpose of prostitution is criminalised under this part. Afurther protection that this part offers the victim, is immunity from prosecution forimmigrationoffences.

ACounter-Traffickingin Persons Unit to protect, and assistvictimsoftraffickingis catered for in Part Three of thebill.

The unit will work closely with the Guyana Police Force, and engage with the Ministerial Task Force to carry out its duties effectively

The Child Care and Protection Agency will be responsible for, and collaborate with the Unit on matters related to child victims of trafficking Notably, this section mandatesthecourttoconduct casemanagementprocedures toensurethatcasesareheard expeditiously

In addition, this section dictates that all possible measures must be taken to identify individuals who have fallen victim to human trafficking, and the authorities are required to offer protection to both the victims and their families. Part Four sets out provisions relating to investigation and courtprocedure.

Importantly, Part Six of the bill addresses the prevention of human trafficking by mandating the President to set up a MinisterialTaskForce.

The Task Force will comprise members from various sectors, including immigration and law enforcement, legal affairs, foreignaffairs,publichealth, Amerindian Affairs, and human services and social security

The responsibilities and activitiesoftheTaskForcein preventing trafficking are also defined under this Part. A secretariat will also be established and will be responsible for carrying out the administrative functions oftheTaskForce.

Duringarecentinterview with the Department of Public Information (DPI) Minister of Human Services and Social Security, Dr Vindhya Persaud reported that the Counter-Trafficking in Persons Unit (C-TIP) has successfully trained 2,003 individuals to identify potential victims of human trafficking.

According to the minister, the C-TIP Unit has recorded three cases of Trafficking in Persons so far this year Of the three cases, two of the individuals have benefitted from restitution. “We're hoping more of these perpetrators will have to not only face the law but those persons will have to pay restitution to those who would have suffered at their hands,” Minister Persaud stated.

T h e s e m e a s u r e s demonstrate the PPP/C government'scommitmentto tackling human trafficking and its determination to protect vulnerable persons fromexploitation.

Lowconviction

In its 2022 Human Trafficking Report, United States had urged Guyana to increase its prosecution and convictions of human traffickers and pursue them under the Combating

TraffickinginPersonsActof 2005, including for cases involving child victims. It also wants Guyana to ensure

security for victims, especially those residing in government shelters, and theirrelatives.

“Proactively screen vulnerable populations, including Haitian migrants and Cuban medical workers, for trafficking indicators, refer them to services, and ensure potential victims are not deported without screening, ” the US Government said in the report released by the State Department.

Additionally, the US wants Guyana to formally approve and implement victim SOPs and fund specialised victim services, particularly for child, adult male, and Venezuelan victims in their native language, including for indigenous populations “Increase the number of Spanish speakers supporting anti-trafficking efforts; r e d u c e d e l a y s i n investigations, court proceedings, and pretrial detentionofsuspects;reduce the reliance on victims to serve as witnesses in prosecutions; ensure migrants wishing to change jobsareabletodosowithout relying on their previous employer,” were among s o m e o f t h e r e c o m m e n d a t i o n s WashingtonmadetoGuyana which remains on the Tier 1 oftheUSwatchlist.

Tier 1, means that the GovernmentofGuyanafully meets the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking and continues to demonstrate serious and sustained efforts during the reportingperiod.

According to the US, these efforts included identifyingmorevictimsand referring them to services, increasinginvestigationsand prosecutions, drafting and funding a National Action Plan (NAP) for 2021-2025 with input from survivors, training diplomats, and conducting a campaign to inform migrants of the Spanish-languagehotline.

According to the US Government, although the government meets the minimum standards, it did notconvictanytraffickersfor thefirsttimeinfouryears.It did not formally approve standard operating procedures (SOPs) to identify victims, provide sufficient security for trafficking victims at shelters, provide enough S p a n i s h - l a n g u a g e interpreters, identify any victims among the

vulnerable Haitian population, or adequately oversee recruitment agencies.

Additionally, the US wants Guyana to formally approve and fund the 20212025 National Action Plan; reduce police abuses during raids and hold officers accountable.

“Investigate trafficking casesinremoteregionsofthe countryandtraffickingusing online platforms. Hold convicted traffickers,

includingcomplicitofficials, accountable by pursuing significant sentences in court,” the report added Guyanaisalsobeingurgedto prohibit recruitment and placement fees charged to workers;increasethenumber oflabourinspectorsandfines forlabourviolations,enforce restitution judgments for trafficking victims and undertake systemic monitoring of antitrafficking efforts and publishtheresults.

Minister of Human Services and Social Security, Dr. Vindhya Persaud

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World Food Program adds hot meals to Venezuela operations

(AP) The food assistance agency of the United Nations announced Wednesday that it is expanding operations in Venezuela by providing hot meals to 16,000 children and adults in more than 100 schools.

The U.N. World Food Program, which began delivering food to needy Venezuelans in 2021, will offer the hot meals as a pilot program in public schools whose cafeterias have been

equipped and upgraded. The schools are in the northwestern state of Falcón, where economic activity is heavily dependent on government-owned oil refineries whose production has tanked since last decade. Remaining workers cannot afford food on their monthly $5 paycheck.

“School meals are more than a plate on the table,” Laura Melo, the agency’s director in Venezuela, said in

a statement. “A plate of fresh, tasty food is an important incentive for children to attend and stay in school, where they belong. Everything from there is a win: better learning, better health and nutrition, better opportunities for them and their families.”

The World Food Program began operations in Venezuela by delivering food baskets through schools.

In January, it reached

more than 450,000 people in 2,000 schools in eight states.

The agency plans to help one million Venezuelans by the end of the year. The agency estimated in 2020 that a third of Venezuelans were not getting enough to eat and needed help. Schools where it now operates have seen an up to 30% increase in enrollment.

‘Shockingly, brazen acts by GECOM trio...

From page 13 complete the process with the use of his spreadsheet and secure a declaration of a win for the APNU/AFC party in reliance on the falsified figures on his spreadsheet,” the COI report concluded.

Lowenfield scrutiny

Additionally, the report highlighted that Lowenfield had unilaterally engaged in an exercise of scrutinising the votes alleged to be invalid by the APNU/AFC and determined that of the 460, 362 votes cast for the PPP, 275,092 were not valid, thereby disenfranchising 275,092 electors. “The effect of the CEO’s unilateral nullification of votes was that the APNU/AFC ended up with 125,010 votes and the PPP, 56, 627 votes. Certainly after the CCJ judgment of 8th July, 2020 which made clear pronouncements on his actions and the validity of order 60, CEO Lowenfield willfully, and perversely persisted in basing his report to GECOM on the

ten declarations of the ROs from the ten electoral districts, notwithstanding those declarations had been plainly overtaken by the national recount, and notwithstanding that the declaration by Mr. Mingo that had been universally and resoundingly condemned by independent regional and international election observer missions and judicially rejected by the courts of Guyana.”

The COI report stated that the conduct and actions of Lowenfield, in relation to the discharge of his statutory duties prescribed by sections 96 and 97 of the ROPA, were a brazen attempt to prevent GECOM declaring the true results of the elections of 2nd March,2020.

“His conduct was –to borrow the words of former Jamaican Prime Minister Bruce Golding, Head of the OAS Observer Mission to Guyana –a transparent attempt to alter the results of an election. As the chief election officer of Guyana, his

conduct dealt a deep, pernicious body blow to the integrity of Guyana’s electoral system and cherished democratic values and must justly and forcefully be condemned as the ultimate betrayal of trust reposed in the highest election official in the land by the people of Guyana.”

Life blood

Meanwhile, during brief remarks at the handing over ceremony President Ali said: “free and fair elections, as the lifeblood of democracy must be zealously guarded and protected. As such, any circumstance or event which could have led, or led and affected the declaration of the results of the election, had implications for democracy, and for the welfare of the citizens.”

“It was thus imperative that there be [an] inquiry into the events that followed the holding of the elections on March 2, 2020,” Dr. Ali expressed. He reminded that the COI was also mandated to make recommendations fit and necessary

to permit the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) to discharge its statutory functions in an impartial, fair, and compliant manner with the constitution, as well as relevant legislation.

The president commended the commissioners for their hard work by efficiently accepting and executing their responsibilities.

“To all those who championed this cause in Guyana, throughout the region… to all the professionals who stood tall, remained impartial, and executed the responsibility that is expected of them in holding public office, I say to you, thank you for all the work you have done.

“To those who sidestep, sidetrack, in an open way, did not comply with what is expected of them in public office, you not only do yourself harm, and this is looking into the future also. This is something we must all learn from, but you do your country, and our region harm,” President Ali stressed.

Ministry seeking contractors to build & furnish five...

From page 14 School is finished and will be commissioned soon. Region Three is also benefitting from two new schools that are under construction.

In Region Four, the Yarrowkabra Secondary and the Good Hope Secondary

schools will be completed. The North Ruimveldt Secondary is being rebuilt in Georgetown with extensions being carried out at the St. Winefride’s and the East Ruimveldt Secondary schools.

A secondary school is

slated to be built in Orealla, Region Six, while in Region Seven a new secondary school will be built at Jawalla in the Upper Mazaruni. In Region Eight, the dormitories at Paramakatoi and Kato will be extended.

A secondary school is

also being constructed in Karasabai, Region Nine. The government remains committed to increasing access to education across all levels, with $94.4 billion allocated to the education sector in this year’s budget.

High Court urges speedy appointment of substantive...

From page 12 Chancellor and Chief Justice…” As a result of her determination, the judge made the following declarations:

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1. A declaration that Article 127(1) of the constitution creates a mandatory constitutional duty and obligation on the part of the President and the leader of the opposition to comply with its provisions.

2. A declaration that for as long as there are no substantive appointments to the offices of Chancellor and Chief Justice under Article 127(1) of the Constitution, the President and the Leader of the Opposition are under the continuous mandatory constitutional duty and obligation to engage in a process which results in compliance with Article 127(1)of the Constitution.

4. A declaration that any protracted or further delay in complying with Article 127(1) of the Constitution is and would be inimical to the independence of the judiciary as set out in Article 122(a) of the Constitution.

Pure breed Rottweiler puppies for sale. Call: 692-0126, 613-2809.

3. A declaration that notwithstanding that Article 127(1) of the Constitution does not set any timelines for compliance with its provisions, the duty imposed by the constitutional actors by Article 127(1) must be discharged with all convenient speed.

In an affidavit to support his application, Jordan had alluded to the list of excuses given by the President as the basis for not initiating the process to appoint the persons. Among them, he noted that President Ali had said that then Leader of the Opposition Joseph Harmon and the Opposition must recognise him and his Government as a legitimate Government before he consults with him on the appointment.

In addition, Jordan noted

the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ), through its presidents has repeatedly called for substantive appointments to be made. Justice Yonette Cummings Edwards and Justice Roxane George Wiltshire have been acting in posts of Chancellor and Chief Justice respectively.

Further, the Opposition MP pointed to correspondence between the President and the current Leader of the Opposition, Aubrey Norton.

He explained that based on the correspondence, Norton had expressed a readiness to have the process to appoint the Chief Justice and Chancellor initiated, but it was the President who has been holding off on the appointments.

Unable to process Venezuela’s heavy oil, Cuba turns to Russia, Mexico - data, sources

(Reuters) - Cuba increasingly is turning to RussiaandMexicoforoilto ease an acute shortage of diesel and gasoline and supplement dwindling suppliesofVenezuelancrude and fuel, according to shippingdataandsources.

Venezuela for more than two decades has been Cuba’s main political ally and largest provider of crude and fuel to the island nation, delivering fuel oil for power generation, gasoline, diesel, jet fuel andcookinggas

ButtheU S -sanctioned South American nation’s struggletoproduceenough fuel for its own needs have left it unable to fully feed its Caribbean neighbor.

Venezuela’s oil exports to Cuba so far this year have dropped to 55,000 barrels per day (bpd) from almost 80,000in2020.

Under President Andrés Manuel Lopez Obrador, Mexico has sent a rising volume of fuel to the communist-run nation, accordingtoRefinitivEikon vesseltrackingdata.

Cuba has also imported sinceNovemberatleastfive cargoesfromRussia,alongtimesupplier,aswellasfuel from Caribbean terminals andEurope,thedatashows.

A tanker owned by Mexican state oil firm Petroleos Mexicanos (Pemex), the Bicentenario, since April has discharged twice at a Cuban refinery in Havana, among the few that produce gasoline on the island, according to the E i k o n d a t a a n d TankerTrackers.com.

The ship was seen as recentlyasSundaydeparting fromHavanaHarbor

A s e p a r a t e , independently-owned vessel, the Panama-flagged Fortunato, has also twice visited Cuban ports since January from Mexico’s

Salina Cruz terminal carryingliquefiedpetroleum gas(LPG),typicallyusedfor cooking,thedatashowed.

The fuel, though not enough to meet demand, may prove a lifeline for the c r i s i s - p l a g u e d administration of Miguel Diaz-Canel, which has imposed rationing, prompting days-long lines for gas, diesel and propane acrosstheCaribbeanisland.

Lidia Rodriguez, commercial director of Cuban state oil company Cupet, this week told local media Cuba had low stocks of diesel and gasoline, and particularly low inventories ofcrudethatitsrefineriesare abletoprocess.

“We are trying to avoid total fuel scarcity in the country,” she said, referring totherationing.

Cuba’s government said last week its traditional fuel suppliers had fallen short on theircommitments.

Officials also blame U S sanctions, which complicate the financing and transport of fuel to Cuba,forthecrisis

“We are aware that Cuba purchases oil from a variety of countries, both sanctioned and nonsanctioned, to combat the island’s current energy crisis,” a U S State Department spokesperson toldReuters

The Russian and Mexicansuppliesappearto be compensating, in part, for an insufficient volume of Venezuelan finished fuels and deliveries of heavier Venezuelan crude, which are more difficult to process and produce less gasoline, said Jorge Piñon from the University of TexasatAustin.

Venezuela’s state oil company PDVSA and oil ministry, Pemex, and Mexico’s foreign ministry did not reply to requests for

comment. A Pemex source, who was not authorized to speakpubliclyandaskedfor anonymity, said the company has recently supplied crude to Cuba, withoutprovidingdetails.

Mexico, which has previously shipped oil and other aid to Cuba under emergency situations, receives doctors from Cuba andrecentlysignedadealto import Cuban raw material foratrainproject.

Venezuela sent a crude cargo over the weekend to the island and plans to ship more oil and gasoline in the coming days, according to PDVSA’sschedules.

DAILYWOES

WhileCubascramblesto find new sources of fuel, dailylifegrowscomplicated.

On Tuesday, Cuban officials said its Workers Day parade on May 1, a hallmark of national pride, would be “reformulated” duetofuellimitations.

Several universities have also announced online classes as fuel for transportationhasdriedup Food production and transport are also beginningtosuffer

Cuban officials say they are negotiating with foreign oil suppliers but have not provided details, leaving some island residentsfeelinghelpless

At a crowded bus stop Tuesday morning in Alamar, just 15 minutes east of Havana, Ruben Infante, a 37-year-old tobacco worker, said he waits as many as three hoursdaily-eachway-for aridetothenearbycapital.

“Look at the number of people here, all of them waiting for a car to Havana,” Infante said, noting he still gets to work late every day “And there’s no choice, because if you don’t (work), you don’teat.”

ACuban tanker ship enters Havana’s bay with a sign that reads in Spanish: “No more blockade”, referring to the trade embargo on Cuba imposed by the U.S., Havana, Cuba, April 25, 2023. REUTERS/Alexandre Meneghini

Supporting safe and healthy work practices along the seabob value chain

Under the FISH4ACP programme, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the UnitedNations(FAO)ispartnering with the Fisheries Department, the Guyana Association of Trawler Owners and Seafood Processors (GATOSP), the Guyana National Fisherfolk Organization (GNFO) and other key stakeholders to develop and implement an OSH Strategyfortheseabobvaluechain.

This initiative is very timely as Guyana celebrates Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) Month, under the theme, "A Safe and HealthyWorkingEnvironmentisa FundamentalPrincipalandRightat Work."

In a press release FAO said globally,thefishingindustryisone ofthemosthazardousoccupations. Casualties can arise from occupational hazards on the vessels, risk of capsizing, and operation of gear, nets, engines, ropes, and other equipment on board vessels. Fishers can also be exposed to viruses and bacterial contamination, harsh weather exposures, risk of drowning, and psychological stressors, such as insomnia, fatigue, stress, anxiety, anddepression,tonameafew Guyana is the world's largest

producer of Atlantic Seabob, a commerciallyvaluedshrimpthatis harvestedbytrawlersandartisanal fishers.

AnOSHStrategywillimprove the wellbeingof workers, improve operational safety and health standards and build long-term sustainability and resilience in the seabob sector This industry-led strategy will also strengthen risk assessment and risk management practices along the seabob value chain while upgrading current policies and practices to protect this fishery Additionally, it will help export firms to maintain compliance with National and International Labour Standards as required by the Ministries of Labour and Health in Guyana and comply with the labour requirements introduced by the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC)in2022.

Maintaining MSC certification is essential for export market access, and increasingly the new European Union regulations are requiring exporting firms to demonstrate how they are meeting internationally recognised standardsforlabourpractices.

''We the members of GATOSP welcomethisinitiativeoftheFAO

FISH4ACPProject,asitwillassist with the development of the OSH strategyfortheseabobsector This will ensure that the revised policy meets not only the MSC certification process but also help them to meet the Ministries of Health and Labour OSH requirements ''Mr Reuben Charles,GATOSPPresident.

The strategy development processcommencedwithaninitial awareness and assessment of the current OSH conditions, policies,

and regulations across the value chain. Following this will be a series of consultations among stakeholders for their input into a Risk Assessment and Risk ManagementManual.

Trawler captains and crews, dock/transport workers, and seafood processing workers and managers will then be trained on the safety and health measures of thevaluechainoperations.

Artisanal (Chinese Seine) seabob fishers will also receive training through the fisherfolk cooperatives on OSH and risk assessment to improve the lives of fishers at seaandonland.

The entire process of consultation, development, training,

finalising, testing, and endorsementforimplementationis expectedtobecompletedwithin18 monthsandhandedoverfullytothe industry FISH4ACP is an initiative of the Organisation of African, Caribbean and Pacific States (OACPS) aimed at making fisheries and aquaculture value chainsmoresustainable.

It contributes to food and nutrition security, economic prosperity and job creation by ensuring the economic, social and environmental sustainability of fisheriesandaquacultureinAfrica, the Caribbean and the Pacific. FISH4ACP is implemented by FAO with funding from the European Union (EU) and the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development(BMZ).

Vendors selling seabob at a local market

A fish vendor at Mon Repos Market plies her trade

Guyanese lawyers urged to withhold services for oil projects

Ag r o u p o f p r o m i n e n t l a w y e r s , workingwiththeGoodLaw ProjectandPlanB.Earth,are taking action in solidarity, with all those on the front lines of the climate and ecological crisis, in particular, the younger generations, the people of the global south, and those prosecuted,andinprisonfor peacefulactsofconscience.

“We have declared that we will withhold our professional services in respect of supporting new fossilfuelprojectsandaction against climate protesters, exercising their democratic right of peaceful protests,” the lawyers said in a fullpage advertisement published in the Kaieteur News on Wednesday In the advertisement titled, “Lawyers are Responsible” to legal colleagues in Guyana, the lawyers highlighted that for 200 years, human activities have been the main driver of climate change, primarily

due to the burning of fossil fuel like coal oil and gas. They elaborated that the burning fossil fuels, generates greenhouse gas emissions, trap the sun's heat, resulting in the rising sea levels and climate breakdown.

“The rainforest of Guyanaremoves154million tons of greenhouse gas making Guyana a carbon sink but if we do not stop fossil fuels, this beautiful land is under threat,” the lawyers said They confirmed, “Already global overheating will result in much of Georgetown, being underwater by 2030. The interior of the country will face the devastating impacts of worsening drought and floods, from intensifying food, insecurity to loss of landandhomes.”

On the website it was stated,"We,theundersigned members of the legal profession, support the contents of this letter in the light of substantial evidence that breaching the 1 5˚C

Speeding driver died in Coldingen crash

Ackram Samaroo, 28 of Non Pareil, East Coast Demerara(ECD)onTuesday diedafterhelostcontrolofhis carandploughedintoatrench atColdingen,ECD.

K a i e t e u r N e w s understands that the accident occurred on the Coldingen Access Road, around 18:15hrs. According to the police, the young mechanic was heading south along the easternsideofColdingenata fast rate of speed and while making a left bend on the access road, he ended up losing control of his vehicle. Reports are that the car careened off the road and ended up in a nearby trench where it became submerged in water Samaroo, the police said was later pulled out by persons in the area and examined by the Emergency Medical Technicians who pronounced him dead at the scene.

Samaroo's body was taken to Jerrick's Funeral Home where a post-mortem examination is scheduled to take place. An investigation into the accident is ongoing. Samaroo leaves to mourn his

temperaturegoalestablished by the Paris Agreement on Climate Change risks mass loss of life and threatens the conditions for a stable civilisation, including the rule of law." It was also mentioned that “We did not join the legal profession or study law to facilitate mass lossoflifeorthecollapseof theruleoflaw Totheextent thatourrulesofprofessional conductrequireustosupport courses of action which contribute towards these outcomes, we reject them, and will accept the personal consequences.” Given the urgency, the lawyers are inviting Guyanese lawyers to sign the declaration at https://www.lar.earth.

The lawyers highlight that last year, the United Nations (UN) Secretary General warned that “investing in new fossil fuel infrastructure is moral and economic madness”.Yet the United Kingdom (UK) Government, despite claiming to be a "worldleader on climate change", accelerated the grant of new oil and gas licences in the North Sea and has approved anewcoalmineinCumbria, contrary to the expert and scientific advice They explained that international lawrecognisestheprinciples that sovereign states, have control over their own

Dead, Ackram Samaroo

wife, two children and other relatives Kaieteur News understands that inclusive of Samaroo'sdeathover30road fatalities have been recorded fortheyearthusfaracrossthe country

TheGuyanaPoliceForce (GPF) on Tuesday revealed that as ofApril 24, 2023, the Traffic Department has recorded 31 accidents with a totalof38personslosingtheir lives.Alsotherehavebeen19 fatal traffic incidents with 19 deaths.

resourcesandmustnotcause harmtotheterritoryofother states.ItwassaidthattheUK Government is knowingly pursuing policies that contributetowardsaclimate catastrophe that will render whole regions of the world uninhabitable,inviolationof thenoharmprinciple.

Theundersignedlawyers said, the UK legal profession,takenasawhole, plays a major role in supporting the fossil fuel economy, that is already killing and displacing many peoplethroughouttheworld, and which now also threatens all of our futures. TheCityofLondonisoneof thelargestglobalcentresfor financingfossilfuelprojects, assessed in 2019 as supporting at least 15% of globalemissions.

Those who peacefully protest against the climate crisis are treated as criminals: on just one day last year, more than 50 peaceful climate protestors werejailedintheUK.

D e c l a r a t i o n o f Conscience

According to the lawyers, the undersigned members of the legal profession believe in upholdingtheruleoflawasa cornerstone of social stability, prosperity and democratic values The lawyers note the UK's

….as group raises alarm over climate crisis, devastation of planet

parliament declaration of climate emergency in 2019 and similar declarations by over2,000nationalandlocal governments.

The lawyers also note that in 2021, the InternationalEnergyAgency concludedthattherecouldbe no new oil or gas fields or coal mines if the world was to reach net zero by 2050, and the UN Secretary General's statement in April 2022 that “investing in new fossil fuel infrastructure is moral and economic madness”.Despitewhich,as global carbon emissions from fossil fuels hit record levels in 2022, the UK Governmentapprovedanew coal mine in Cumbria and currentlyplanstoissuemore than100newlicencesforoil and gas production in the North Sea Further, they recognize that those who signed onto the 2016 Paris Agreement is set to breach the 1.5C global warming limit established under the agreement HM Treasury stated in its Net Zero Review: Interim Report (July 2021) that the world facean“existentialthreat”.

Accumulating scientific evidencehasconveyedstark warningsoftheincreasingly severe, interconnected and often irreversible impacts of climate change on ecosystems,biodiversityand human systems It was underscored that the likely c o n s e q u e n c e s o f

“overshooting”1.5Cinclude widespread loss of life and livelihoods, catastrophic harm to health, large scale population displacements andthedestructionofcritical infrastructure. In the UK alone, we are already seeing unprecedented heat waves, wildfires, flooding and coastal erosion In other partsoftheglobetheeffects arealreadyfarworse.Totake but two examples, in East Africa at least 30 million

peoplearefacingfamineand 2022's record-breaking floods in Pakistan impacted around 33 million people. Climate change results in climate injustice: lowerincomegroupsandcountries and the younger generation have contributed least to climate change but are the mostseverelyaffectedbyit.

The lawyers expressed their grave concern that the above developments pose a seriousrisktotheruleoflaw

It was noted that lawyers whosupporttransactionsthe effects of which are inconsistent with the 1.5C limit contribute towards the above consequences Accordingly, “we call upon our government and our colleagues to act urgently to do whatever they can to address the causes and consequencesofclimateand ecological crisis and advance, a just transition to sustainability.”

The lawyers said, they support law reform and litigationaimedatmitigating andadaptingtotheeffectsof globalwarming.

Adding, in particular, t h e y s u p p o r t t h e implementation of the polluter pays principle to correct the market failure that externalises to society the costs of greenhouse emissions created by burning fossil fuels. It was also stated that they support individuals democratic right of peaceful protest, particularly those aimed at drawing public attention to climatecrisis.

Signatoriesinclude:

SirGeoffreyBindmanKC

ProfLeslieThomasKC

FionaMcLeodAOKC

ImranKhanKC

MattHutchingsKC

JolyonMaughamKC

GreggTaylorKC

TimCroslandPlanB

MelindaJanki

Prof BillBowring

BCB continues to invest in West Berbice cricket via Faizal Jaffarally MP Trust Funds

“West Berbice cricket has benefited greatly since my administration came into office in 2018 with numerous cricket tournaments and clubs receiving assistance on an unmatched scale.

Your Member of Parliament Faizal Jaffarally has played a great part in this development. “He has been one of my greatest supporters and today, I want to specially thank him for his dedication and support”, The words of BCB President Hilbert Foster as he spoke at the presenta-

tion ceremony for the second BCB/Jaffarally Trust Fund for cricket teams in Region Five. Foster along with Secretary Angela Haniff and Chairman of the Competition Committee Leslie Solomon visited the Cotton Tree Ground with the People Progressive Party Member of Parliament Faizal Jaffarally to share out two hundred and fifty thousand dollars worth of cricket balls and scorebooks to teams in West Berbice.

The Member of Parliament first sponsored the trust fund

Thursday April 27, 2023

ARIES (Mar. 21–Apr. 19)

Today you might be in the public eye along with some close friends and perhaps a love partner. You may be giving a speech, leading a discussion group.

TAURUS(Apr.20–May20)

Whether or not you're artistic, Taurus, inspiration for music, painting, writing, or other creative projects could come to you thick and fast today.

GEMINI (May 21–June 20)

A group activity could involve a number of people, including some close friends, who share your intellectual, philosophical, or spiritual interests.

CANCER (June 21–July 22)

Today you might be in the public eye along with some close friends and perhaps a love partner. You may be giving a speech, leading a discussion group, or be the center of attention at a party.

LEO (July 23–Aug. 22)

A new and exciting person, possibly someone from a distant state or foreign country, could come into your life today. You could spend hours talking.

VIRGO (Aug. 23–Se pt. 22)

Some unusual dreams could have unexpected side effects, Virgo. They could spark new ideas for creative projects or possible innovative concepts to advance your career or social life.

LIBRA (Sept. 23–Oct. 22)

Social contact with new and exciting people, Libra, perhaps at a neighborhood gathering, could bring intriguing information your way. You could learn about new fields that interest you.

SCORPIO (Oct. 23–Nov. 21) Work might take up a lot of your time today, Scorpio, perhaps job related, perhaps chores around the house. Friends or family may join you, and their conversation could help relieve some of the tedium.

SAGIT (Nov.22–Dec.21)

Much of your day is likely to be spent in the company of family, close friends, and a current or potential love partner, Sagittarius. Business partners could be involved.

CAPRI (Dec. 22–Jan. 19) The Today you might decide to host a social event in your home, perhaps for friends and colleagues with whom you share intellectual, philosophical.

AQUARIUS(Jan.20–Feb.18)

in 2022 and this year increased his contribution after assisting clubs with balls and wicket keeping gloves. This year, four clubs- Achievers, Cotton Tree, Bath and Bush Lot United each received two boxes of red balls because they are involved in junior cricket in addition to second division while one box of balls were presented to others who only play at the second division level. Among those were Police, D Edwards, Shieldstown and Blairmont. Each of the teams also receives a scorebook under the trust fund. Foster stated that since 2018, clubs in the area has benefited from playing in numerous cricket tournaments at both the junior and senior levels and have received a wide range of assistance that include items like grass cutters, practice nets, cycles, school bags, cricket balls, scorebooks, water pitchers, cricket gears, catching cribs and educational materials among others. Cricket at the secondary school level has also returned after an absence of a few years while the game is now played at the primary level. Secondary Schools in the region has also benefited from uniforms and gears under the BCB massive developmental programme while primary schools have also benefited from donation of much needed items like bats and tape balls. The region would soon benefit from a bowling machine and batting cage at a combined cost of over six hundred thousand dollars. Four cricket coaches who are employed under the Government of Guyana Job Programme are also based in the West Berbice area and are working with youths. The sub association also received a large pitch cover at the cost of over three hundred thousand dollars.

A large gathering, perhaps a festival of some kind, could take place in your neighborhood today, Aquarius. You could choose to attend with some close friends and your romantic interest.

PISCES (Feb. 19–Mar. 20)

Discussions with friends or colleagues about possible future business enterprises could find you taking notes, Pisces. Your natural meticulousness should serve you well.

Mr. Jafarally was loud in his praises of Mr Foster leadership of the game and spoke of the many achievements over the years. He called on the teams to work together to achieve more success in the future.

The MP pledged his future support including his sponsorship of the Jaffarally 20/20 tournament which would now be played on a round robin basis in 2023 and

would start shortly with twelve teams divided into three zones.

The defending champion D Edwards CC is expected to be strongly challenged by the other teams for the championship in 2023 with Achievers,

Cotton Tree and Bush Lot United being the main challengers. President of the West Berbice Cricket Association David Black expressed thanks to both Foster and Jaffarally for their continued interest in West Berbice cricket.

Representatives of the West Berbice clubs pose with Faizal Jaffarally MP, BCB President Hilbert Foster and other board executives.

Headley/WeekesTri-Series…

Match2Day1:TeamWeekesvs.WestIndies-Academy

Team Weekes dominate opening day, following batting exhibition

- McCaskie (93), King (92), Hamilton (57), Sinclair (52*) Team Weekes 1st innings 365-7

Astring of halfcenturies from the batting core of Team Weekes, gave their side a total control heading intotheseconddayofaction intheongoingTri-Series.

Day 1 ended in a strong position for Team Weekes, who will resume day 2 after rackingupanimposing3657 in their 1st innings, thanks to4half-centuryscoresfrom afewoftheirstars.

Opener Zachary McCaskie (93) and theWest Indies trio of Brandon King (92), Jahmar Hamilton (57)

and Guyanese Kevin Sinclair, who will continue his innings today, after lookingsolidon52*.

Electing to bowl first, WI-A pacers, McKenny Clarke (3-91) and Nyeem Young (2-75) worked hard, butmadeonlyslightinroads as the bowlers toiled on a toughopeningday Young first removed Windies Test opener Tagenarine Chanderpaul for 25, but his opening partner McCaskie kept the runs coming despite the huge earlyloss.

After being 55-1, Keacy Carty(12)andCaptainAlick Athanaze(00)wentcheaply, further reducing the wickets inhand.Kingthenteamedup with McCaskie as the two added an invigorating partnershipof136forthe4th

wicket King’s burst of energy played into the opener’s patience and when McCaskie departed, sadly a fewrunsshortofaton,King too missed out, having playedafantasticinnings.

Both Sinclair and Hamilton continued to milk the overs, before Young

landed another huge blow when he removed Hamilton afewruns afterreachinghis mini-milestone but Team Weekes were well past 350 runs as stumps arrived, leaving the Guyanese with moretodocomeDay2. Actioncontinuestodayat CoolidgeCricketGround.

Jaahmar Hamilton calmly celebrates his half-century for Team Weekes.

Kenisha Phillips named Athlete-of-the-year at Austin Peay University

ByRawleToney

Guyana’s Kenisha Phillips is leaving her mark at Austin Peay University –an NCAA Division One institution that competes OhioValleyConference.

Phillips, a product of Coach Julian Edmonds and the Running Brave Track Club, formerly competed in the ASUN Conference and was recently named her institution’sFemaleAthleteof-the-Year, ASUN Winter Winner for Life 23-24 accoladeswhilealsopicking uptheLegendsAward.

“I feel very blessed receiving those awards, and it is a testimony of my hard workanddedicationtowards the sport I love,” Phillips said, speaking exclusively withKaieteurNews.

The former Bladen Hall Secondary School Student, who hails from the East Coast Demerara Village of Buxton, said she’s “motivated to run faster and make it out to Nationals this year since I missed it twice byaspot.”Phillips,21,hasa personal-besttimeof23.28s inthe200mand52.44sinthe 400m,tellingKaieteurNews that she’s focusing on the 2024 Olympic, “so I am working hard towards qualifying for the 200m and 400m, which I believe is possible.”

The former Chase Academy student will be graduating on May 5, from

AustinPeayUniversity,with a degree in Health and HumanPerformance.Here’s a breakdown of some of Phillips achievements at AustinPeayUniversity:

2020 OVC Indoor FreshmanoftheYear

2020 OVC Indoor

A t h l e t e o f t h e Championships

2021 OVC Outdoor FreshmanoftheYear

OVC Indoor 200m

Champion(2020)

OVC Indoor 4x400m

Champion(2020)

OVC Outdoor 200m Champion(2021)

OVC Outdoor 400m

Champion(2021)

OVC Outdoor 4x400Meter Relay Champion (2022) OVC Indoor 4x400-

Meter Relay Champion (2022)

OVC Indoor 200-Meter

Champion(2022)

OVC Indoor 400-Meter Champion(2022)

OVC Outdoor 200MeterChampion(2022)

OVC Outdoor 400MeterChampion(2022)

2022 OVC Outdoor

Female TrackAthlete of the Year

2022 OVC Indoor

Female TrackAthlete of the Year

2022 OVC Indoor

Female TrackAthlete of the Championships

12-time OVC Female Track Athlete of the Week (Jan.19,Jan.26,Feb.2,Feb. 9,Feb.16,April6,April27, May4)

Four teams to compete Sunday a Reliance Sports ground for $100,000

Excitement galore is highly anticipated on Sunday, April 30th at Reliance Sports Ground, Essequibo Coast, Region

Two where four teams will be competing for trophies andcashincentives.

The competitors are: Invaders Masters, Reliance Hustlers Sports Club, Affiance,andCharitySports Club.

Also on the card for the day will be an exhibition match between Reliance Sports Club and Sparwin Sports Club. All games are 10-overs and the action is slatedtocommenceat09:30 hrs. According to organizer

Trevis Simon, the winning team will take home $100,000andatrophywhile the second-placed side is set to receive $50,000 and a trophy Player-of-the-match in the final will collect $30,000 and a trophy while the best batsman and best bowler will grab a trophy each All prizes are sponsored by the Guyana BreweriesInc.

“Iwouldliketothankthe Guyana Breweries Inc. for coming on board for this special one-day event; we [are] expecting some exciting cricket from ball one,”Simonmentioned. Recently at the same

venue, the abovementioned teams participated in a oneday tournament as well with Affiance emerging victorious.

Again,alargenumberof top players are expected to be on show representing theirrespectiveteams.

Some of the big-named players to be on show are: Ramesh Narine, Beesham Seepersaud,RicardoAdams, Ganesh Mangal, Yogeshwar Lall, Rocky Parsotam, Latchman Rohit, Rovindra Parsram, Narindra Madholall, Mark Austin, Hasan Rahim, Dinesh Chattergoon, Mukesh Singh amongothers.

Guyanese Kenisha Phillips with her Athlete-of-the-year award.

RHTYSC/NAMILCO makes significant contributions to Port Mourant Hospital Therapy Unit

Patients seeking treatment at the Port Mourant Hospital Therapy Unitwouldnowbenefitfrom abetterserviceasthecricket teamsoftheRoseHallTown Youth and Sports Club (RHTYSC) along with one oftheclubofficialsponsors, NAMILCO joined hands to donate over three hundred thousand worth of much neededitems.

The donation was made onTuesdayatthehospitalby a delegation consisting of club officials and NAMILCO Marketing Supervisor Alicia Anderson duringasimplepresentation ceremony

The donation was done asathankyougesturebythe club and company for the role that the hospital played innotonlysavingthelifeof RHTYSC Secretary Hilbert Foster but returning him to almostfullhealth.

Foster, who has returned to work after an absence of three months, was full of praise for the staff of the hospital led by doctor in charge Dr G. Sukhdeo and AdministratorMs.Shazeeda Nabifortheroletheyplayed inhisrecovery

Specialmentionwasalso made of Matron Shaw and headoftheTherapyUnitMs. Yonette Yaw for their outstandingwork.

The donation from the

clubincludedagymbicycle, electric fans, office chairs andalargesupplyofsanitary and cleaning materials Namilco,theofficialsponsor of the RHTYSC first division team, specially donated another stationary gymbiketotheunit.

Foster, who is also the President of the Berbice Cricket Board recalled that when he first started to use the therapy center, he observedthatithadonlyone stationarybikeandnowwith the donations, it had three andhecommittedtheclubto assisting more in the future withmoregymequipment.

Ms.Andersonstatedthat NAMILCO is very proud to sponsor the cricket team which has represented the brandwithprideandpassion since2019.

She recalled knowing Foster for over two decades andthemajorroleheplayed in shaping her career especially in the public domain and wished him a fullandspeedyrecovery

Head of the Therapy Unit, Ms Yonette Yaw expressed thanks to the RHTYSC and NAMILCO forthedonations,notingthat the items would be a major boostforthestaff.

Yaw also stated that the wait time for patients would begreatlyreducedasthreeof themcannowbeonbikesat

thesametimeinsteadofone. She hailed Foster as a compassionate person who lookedoutforothers,despite hismedicalproblems.

The teams which organized the donations wereFarfanandMendesLtd Under-15,PoonaiPharmacy U13, Bakewell U17, Pepsi U19, Metro Females and NamilcoFirstDivision.

The NAMILCO First Division team has won numerous BCB titles over the years and has produced playerslikeClintonPestano, Kevin Sinclair, Kelvon Anderson, Junior Sinclair, Sylus Tyndall, Jonathan Rampersaud, Shawn Perriera, Jeremy Sandia, Matthew Pottaya and MahendraGopilall.

The team has also organized over two hundred community projects under the name of t h e N A M I L C O sponsorship under the sub heading of charity, awards, community development, health, sports, youth development,religiousand educational among others

The RHTYSC would also shortly honor four staff members of the hospital under its annual Tribute to Medical Workers Award Scheme while twenty staff who are mothers, will receivespecialhampersfor Mother’sDay

Mrs. Saintalene Foster hands over the RHTYSC donation to Ms. Yonette Yaw in the presence of the staff of the Therapy Unit and Robby Kissoonlall of the club.

The IKD/GKC nearing completion

–SaysIKDHeadFrankWoon-A-Tai

With at least eighty-five percent of work completed on the new Guyana Karate College building, constructed at Plantation S Lilliendaal, Georgetown.

H e a d o f t h e International Karate Daigaku and Guyana K a r a t e C o l l e g e (IKD/GKC) Shuseki

Shihan (World Karate Master) Frank Woon-ATai, 9th Dan, M S, spearheaded a brief walkthrough exercise at the site yesterday with visible foundation works being laid for the electrical and window installation, among other work being doneatthefacility

The state of the art facilitysitsonaone-acreplot ofland,whichwillalsoserve a s t h e Te c h n i c a l Headquarters of the International Karate

Daigaku/University

Upon completion, the GKC will be a fully modernised, two storey

facility consisting of four dojo’s with the largest being (32x105 feet) and smallest (21x30feet),includingtoilet and bath amenities, stores, office space, as well as instructor’slounge.

Meanwhile, speaking at the gathering Frank WoonA-Tai, 9th Dan, M S e x p l a i n e d , T h i s Daigaku/University is very important for us, not only will it be the home for all Martial Artists desirous of coming here to train and study but this college dojo willalsogivesthechildrenof Guyana, and all Guyanese, theopportunitytoexperience the many benefits of karate such as developing discipline, confidence and skill in the various techniques According to FrankWoon-A-Tai,“Despite 85% of work being completed at the facility, the GKCisstillsometenmillion awayfromcompletion.”

The GKC welcomes donations or any other form of assistance towards this veryworthyendeavour

Guyana Karate College officials.

Guyana Karate College taking shape with about 85% of work completed.

Guyana’s Kenisha Phillips in action forAustin Peay University

AliciaAnderson of Namilco hands over the Gym Stationary Bike to Ms.Yaw.