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Kaieteur News
Monday August 12, 2019
KAIETEUR NEWS Printed and Published by National Media & Publishing Company Ltd. 24 Saffon Street, Charlestown, Georgetown, Guyana. Publisher: GLENN LALL Editor: ADAM HARRIS Tel: 225-8465, 225-8491 Fax: 225-8473, 226-8210
EDITORIAL
MAN AT WAR WITH HIMSELF Ayan Ali thought he had found a toy. It was a bomb, an unexploded artillery shell in the remote village of Jabri, far from the flashpoints of volatile Kashmir. He took it home, where it exploded in his hands. Four-year-old Ayan Ali died last month (Reuters, August 11). This month, there is the celebration of sacrifice in the festival of Eid-al-adha. More sacrifices in blood and life are in the offing, in this magical land plagued by conflict that is over wealth, power, religion, hegemony, and all those things that comprise the insoluble dilemmas of Kashmir and of man at war with himself. Repetitions of the ancestors of Abraham, Cain and Abel, the tiller and the herder, and the struggles of Esau and Jacob that, in many unforgettably hostile and tempestuous ways, have rushed down to this day. For what are India and Pakistan, if not of the same womb, but torn apart by the coming of ages and warriors and visions that bring clashing? It is a nuclear-tipped, religiously powered, nightmareinfested cauldron, which The Huntingtonianon March 18, rightly called “the most dangerous place on earth.” Dangers require sacrifices; and sacrifices in Kashmir have become the norm not confined to the grand submission of Abraham memorialized and observed on a specific day. It is day around and yearlong; year after year, since that cataclysmic one of 1947. The traumas that have led to wars and terror now promise further deteriorated, through a disturbing decision by Prime Minister Modi to revoke Article 370 of the Indian Constitution. Article 370 provided for the autonomy of the state of Jammu and Kashmir. In a decision with farreaching consequences, Kashmir is now incorporated into India. It should matter that outsiders (non-Kashmiris) must be approved by the autonomous state’s lawmakers to buy land and take up permanent residence. It should matter, also, that Article 370 itself stipulates that only the legislative body that drafted the state’s constitution can rescind it; that body dissolved itself in 1957. And it ought to matter most powerfully and relevantly that, in 2018, the Indian Supreme Court handed down a decision that this offending Article 370 is a permanent part of the constitution (New York Times, August 5). Now that age-old question about whether men or laws prevail stands in harsh, unambiguous spotlight. As PM Modi acted, and Guyanese politicians battle about constitution and courts, the question and associated issues weigh heavily. In Kashmir and India (and Pakistan), those are the things that matter, as concerns flare as to envisioned demographic reengineering through land purchases and an influx of permanent residents. Pakistan’s Foreign Minister, Shah Mahmood Qureshi, was blunt, “When a demographic change is made through force, it’s called genocide, and you are moving toward genocide.” Although, the foreign minister was quick to indicate that, “Pakistan is not planning to take military action” (Associated Press, August 11); there is belief that this could lead to war. Nuclear war, however limited or so-called tactical, cannot be ruled out should matters get desperate for one side or the other. The willingness to sacrifice in this time of Eid Qurbani will last beyond a holy day, a special time commemorated for rising towards divine nobility and reaching to deliver the ultimate. It is the stuff of which many a martyr has been made. It is of little comfort that the Indian government has eased some of the curbs put in place, in recognition of the Eid holiday. New York Times reporters peered inside the hell that is Kashmir today and found “a population that felt besieged, confused, frightened and furious” And a herdsman offered an unrehearsed, “we are ready to pick up guns” (New York Times, August 10). Thousands of years ago, a revered ancient journeyed at dawn towards a fateful destiny. As celebrations of that storied travel occur in distant Kashmir today, men stand ready to sacrifice in another date with destiny.
We are being intentionally misled DEAR EDITOR, 174,000 persons registered by GECOM shouted one newspaper headline, using figures provided by Public Relations Officer Yolanda Ward. Factually, however, I can show not a single person has as yet been registered; we are being intentionally misled by persons possibly engaged in a conspiracy to subvert our Constitution and our democratic institutions and processes. GECOM is currently engaged in a field exercise gathering data for the creation of a new National Register of Registrants DataBase (NRRDB), this is not an update of the existing NRRDB and as such not a single person has as yet had their datasheet processed as that portion of the House-toHouse (H2H) work-plan has not yet begun. At this point, it may be instructive to explain the steps needed towards the creation of a new NRRDB. The GECOM workplan lists 41 steps, for brevity I shall start with number 24: OPS –Commence and Conduct H-t-H Registration
(120 days) this activity concludes on the 29th September 2019. Following Item 24, major Items are 30: VRD/ITD –Produce draft consolidated list of transactions encoded for checking and verification (internal use only) (22nd October) Items 31-37 involve cropping fingerprints and sending overseas for crossmatching, processes for dealing with conflicts identified, etc. (3rd December) Items 38-40 deal with removal of duplicates identified and deceased persons from the Register (16th Dec) and on the 18th December a new NRRDB is created. At that point, 80 days after the current field exercise, there can be a claim that ‘persons have been registered’, to do so before this exercise too is deceptive. Immediately after the passage of the NoConfidence Motion, Chief Election Officer, Keith Lowenfield, convened emergency meetings of the GECOM Secretariat on the 23rd December, cognizant of the responsibilities to provide general and Regional
Elections within the threemonth timeframe specified by our Constitution. On the 27th December, GECOM PRO Yolanda Warde said, “With this no-confidence motion, it means once the date is set, it will be held… it is our constitutional mandate to conduct the General and Regional Elections and Local Government Elections (LGEs) whenever they are constitutionally due; so whether it is in the 90 days then it is GECOM’s responsibility to conduct elections”. By the morning of the 29th all of this changed as Nigel Hughes, Husband of Minister Cathy Hughes, was on all media platforms insisting that 33 votes out of 65 did not constitute a majority. It is my sincere belief that it was at this point an investigation can begin to examine if a conspiracy to delay elections and thwart the provisions of the Constitution was forged between GECOM Chairman Patterson, APNU, GECOM CEO Lowenfield and possibly other actors. Editor, claims of such a conspiracy to subvert provisions of the Constitution
are not made lightly, as they rise to the level of treason. A full Commission of Inquiry must be conducted in the near future to determine why; 1. The GECOM Secretariat did not submit a work-plan for General and Regional Elections until 22nd Jan 2019, 32 days after the passage of the No-confidence motion. 2. The work-plan for Elections was for 148 days, far beyond the 90 days stipulated by the Constitution (the 90-day timeframe was arrived at after consultation with GECOM as to requirements during the Constitutional reform process, it is not arbitrary). 3. The work-plan submitted also contained an alternative 290-day plan that included H2H registration and creation of a new NRRDB. This act has led inevitably to an unstable nation and must be explained fully. 4. APNU/ AFC used judicial challenges to the No-confidence motion to delay the elections, this should not have affected GECOM’s preparations, however, the Secretariat stood idly by for months awaiting ‘direction’ from the Continued on page 6
AMERICA ALREADY KNOWS THE ANSWERS TO HER PRESENT WOES DEAR EDITOR, Once again America is caught in the throes of yet another mass shooting and caught once again scrambling for explanations amidst the damnation and ruination. Both America and the modern world broadly deny the existence of the spiritual, desiring only material explanation. As long as the spiritual connection is not made, there would be no peace in the land. Today, people scoff at the existence of God, and even those who believe in his existence believe that He has no involvement in current events. Others have asked why there attacks keep recurring, and many have been praying to God. Is God answering the prayers? What is the solution to this terrifying problem? Strange but true America was already forewarned on divers occasions of the consequences she will face, and the harvest to be reaped if God is forgotten. Over two centuries ago, Yale University’s 8thpresident Timothy Dwight (1752-1817) warned America about forgetting God. “Without religion, we may possibly retain the freedom of savages, bears, and wolves, but not the freedom of New England. If our religion were gone, our
state of society would perish with it and nothing would be left which would be worth defending. He further added, “Where there is no religion, there is no morality....With the loss of religion...the ultimate foundation of confidence is blown up; and the security of life, liberty and property are buried in ruins.”https:// w w w. c o n s o u r c e . o r g / document/the-duty-ofamericans-at-the-presentcrisis-by-timothy-dwight1798-7-4/ Alexis de Tocqueville, a French sociologist and political theorist came to America in 1831, fifty five years after its independence to study its prisons and assess the new nation. He wrote his famous observations in 1835 in one of the most influential books of the 19th century, —Democracy in America, in which he noted: “It must never be forgotten that religion gave birth to AngloAmerican society.” In 1954, Ira & Charlie Louvin, American gospel singers of the Louvin brothers fame, produced a song titled, “If we forget God”, wherein the nation was made aware of the consequences if God was forgotten. The final stanzas run thus: If we forget God, His mercy will flee, And sin
will cover the land and the sea, If we forget God, Satan will rule, If we forget God, our nation is doomed https:// w w w. y o u t u b e . c o m / watch?v=wlh-2O0dPkg Despite such a foreboding given 65 years ago, America has followed her own path In the Good Book, Ezekiel is an end-time prophetic book addressed to the modern descendants of ancient Israel, which includes America. In addition to the recent mass shootings in Texas and Dayton, Ohio, 46 people were shot in Chicago alone. These were not hate crimes. Just ordinary folks shooting their friends, neighbours, relatives and strangers https:// chicago.suntimes.com/crime/ 2019/8/4/20752752/7-killed46-wounded-chicagoshootings-lawndale-douglaspark-gun-violence. According to Thomas Jefferson, third U.S President and author of the Declaration of Independence in his letter of June 5, 1824 to Major John Cartwright, ( Father of English Parliamentary Reform), “The Constitution of most of our states (and of the United States) assert that all power is inherent in the people; that they may exercise it by themselves; that it is their right and duty to be at all times armed.”https://
founders.archives.gov/ documents/Jefferson/98-0102-4313. Armed they certainly are but sadly with the wrong ammunition. Trace it and then face it. Let us carefully examine the facts and the accompanying acts. The United States is the largest consumer of illegal narcotics in the world, spending hundreds of billions of dollars on them each year. In America there are 23 million people incarcerated, about a fifth of whom are in prison on drugrelated charges. https:// w w w. p r i s o n p o l i c y. o r g / reports/pie2019.html. Logically stated, there are more people in prisons than in Russia, China or any other country in the world. Many Americans believe President Donald Trump is trying to destroy the country, and there are others who believe Barack Obama tried to destroy the country when he was president. Then there are the white nationalist supremacists who strongly postulate that in order to save America, their country from disaster, they must wage war against all people of color. h t t p s : / / www.nytimes.com/2109/08/ 05/world/americas/terrorismwhite-nationalist-supremacy. Others believe that illegal Continued on page 6
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Extraordinary effort needed to ensure stakeholders fully grasp the Credit Bureau’s concepts DEAR EDITOR, In keeping with Creditinfo’s thrust to expand its efforts at enhancing public awareness regarding its mandate, functions and importance - an issue that is relevant for consumers and stakeholders alike, kindly permit me space in your column to provide a further update on some important issues that should be of interest to the public at large, including consumers and businesses, particularly at this juncture when Guyana is poised for explosive growth. It is therefore expected that via our ongoing public engagement initiatives we will be able to enhance and contribute to financial inclusion by: Improving consumer and SME financial literacy; reducing overindebtedness; encouraging responsible borrowing; helping SMEs and individuals build up a credit profile based on their “ r e p u t a t i o n a l collateral”; helping lenders expand markets to unserved SMEs and individuals and in general contribute to responsible lending. We would have recognised over the course of the past six (6) years that the operations of a credit bureau demand extraordinary effort
to ensure that stakeholders fully grasp its concepts and appreciate the implications. I therefore trust that the general public as well as our stakeholders and partners would be duly enlightened and develop a full appreciation of the responsibility of all parties in the credit reporting process. We would also welcome direct engagements in person or via telephone, our website or social media platform. As a means of establishing context, I wish to make reference to a matter that was recently highlighted in the media by a customer and to utilise this experience as an opportunity to provide clarification on the key issues to be noted particularly by consumers with respect to the new and growing credit reporting industry in Guyana. The subject of his discontent surrounded: 1. the lack of a credit score on his credit report in spite of his previous borrowing record 2. the composition and sufficiency of the CI database and the lack of efforts being made in this regard 3. the competency of the CI Staff as well as the opulence of the facilities within which the operations are housed
The following is a summarised version of our internal report on the matter: On May 20, 2019, customer visited the local office and requested a copy of his personal credit report. He was told of the requirements for this report and upon completion of the required procedures a report was generated and given. Soon after receiving the report, he informed the receptionist of some perceived inaccuracies which he saw on the report. He was then advised that the process of addressing those issues requires the filing of a dispute using a dispute form. This he refused and angrily left the office. On May 21, 2019, it was brought to our attention that a letter was written in a popular newspaper highlighting several complaints including the lack of a score on his credit report in spite of having a number of current loans as well as his displeasure with the service. This was subsequently followed by threatening emails and indicating plans to directly contact the Regulator if the report is not updated as he believes it should. The customer was once again informed of the
need to visit the local office to file a dispute which is the ONLY recourse that would allow Creditinfo to legally address the issue on his behalf. On June 3, 2019, the customer visited the office to file his dispute. At that time, an indepth interview was conducted and it was determined that the customer was incorrect in his statements. After checking with the two financial institutions mentioned, in the customer’s presence, it was determined that the loans mentioned as opened were actually attached to his business and hence could not be linked to his personal credit report as expected. It must be noted that at no time in the initial engagement did the customer indicate that he has a business or is interested in the credit report for that company prior to filing the dispute. If he had, certainly the credit report for that entity would have been generated and certainly any perceived ‘missing data’ would have been seen. Following the engagement with our staff the customer eventually filed the dispute to allow for the requisite action to be taken
i.e. to have the identified loans moved from his personal report to his business account. We were however advised that was not possible as the institution indicated that the documents presented were all legally associated with the person and not the company. The dispute was therefore resolved as a false dispute and the matter closed. Following are some very important points to note from this scenario: 1. Customers are responsible for verifying the accuracy of the data sent to the credit bureau by accessing their credit reports. 2. The law provides for consumers to access a free credit report once annually. Additional reports can be obtained as often as desired for a small fee 3. Upon observing any inconsistencies in a credit report, a customer should file a dispute with the Bureau as this is the only authority by which Creditinfo can act to rectify any erroneous information. However, it must be noted that false disputes will negatively affect one’s credit score. 4. Creditinfo is not a data provider. All correct and incorrect information on a credit report is supplied by
the respective data provider. 5. Creditinfo does not police the data sent by data providers who are bound under law to ensure data supplied is accurate. 6. There is a very complex and comprehensive mechanism that informs the calculation of the credit score that is a reflection of the customers’ borrowing behaviour. THE CREDIT SCORE EXPLAINED A full credit report comprises a score which is a numerical representation of all the information contained in a credit report; a profile of payments related to all facilities taken, as well as other credit related information which provides comprehensive insight to lenders on a borrower’s credit profile including previous payment behaviour patterns. The credit score is a numerical calculation intended to represent the specific level of risk that a person or entity brings to a particular transaction. Credit scores are calculated by the application of advanced Continued on page 6
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Extraordinary effort needed to ensure stakeholders fully grasp... From page 5 algorithms or statistical formulas to the information contained in a credit report at a particular moment in time. Credit scoring models assign statistical weights to certain types of data such as outstanding balance to available credit ratios and number of late payments and utilising mathematical algorithms produce simple three - digit numerical score. In utilising this score, lenders set their own levels above which a credit application will be approved and below which it will be rejected. The credit score therefore provides a neutral and objective measure for lenders to use in their credit decision making process by helping to predict specific consumer behaviours, such as the likelihood of default or repayment. The calculation of a credit score is also guided by: (a) how serious are any missed payments, (b) how often are payments missed, and (c) how long ago were the credit related events on the data subject’s account. In the Creditinfo experience, the lack of a score on a credit report could be an indicator of the newness of a facility as well as the lack of recorded credit activity on a contract for any number of reasons resulting in a ‘thin credit file’. The issue of the recency of credit related events on a data subject’s account is a key determinant of the existence of a credit score at any point of time. [A data subject is an individual or business on whom lenders wish to assess the risk of default and nonpayment before approving credit]. In the absence of recent credit information, while historical information and scores may be available, this is scientifically not predictive i.e. a data subject’s distant past behaviour, say five (5) years ago, is not necessarily indicative of that individual’s current conduct. Hence, that individual should not be penalized by the use of this information which is not likely a fair representation of their current credit profile and will likely create bias in their assessment. Credit scoring is considered to be one of the most important innovations in the credit reporting industry and offers multiple benefits at every level of the economy. Credit score is a numerical
expression based on a level analysis of an individual’s credit history, to represent the creditworthiness of an individual i.e. the statistical probability of default on any future financial obligation. The Creditinfo Score, which has been customised to the Guyana market based on observable trends and patterns evident in the data, falls within a range of 250 and 900. The higher the score, the lower the risk. But no score says whether a specific individual will be a “good” or “bad” customer as each lender has its own strategy, including the level of risk it finds acceptable for a given credit product. Note, the credit score itself does not determine a lending decision but rather enables the credit provider to make an informed decision about whether or not to lend. In actuality, the credit score has made lending decisions faster [in a matter of hours or minutes rather than days or weeks] and also more equitable and objective. The use of credit scoring also enables lenders to extend credit to historically underserved areas. In addition to speed and convenience, scoring also makes the cost of extending credit lower. As the information in the credit report changes, so will any new credit score based on your credit report. So your Creditinfo Score from a month ago is not likely to be the same score a lender would get from the credit bureau today. It cannot be overemphasised that this process is fully driven by data and therefore the necessity for data submission by all subscribers. DATAQUALITY One critical aspect of the governing credit reporting legislation mandates Creditinfo to ensure that the data in its database is as accurate as possible. The company therefore takes its obligations to data quality very seriously. Since its establishment in 2013 no expense has been spared in this regard and with the co-operation of subscribing credit information providers has to date developed a reasonably sufficient database allowing for a current hit rate of over 85% - among the highest in the company’s operations in the region. The ‘hit rate’ is the
We are being intentionally... From page 4 Commission. 5. CEO Lowenfield began an H2H exercise based on an order from James Patterson that was fortuitously provisioned with dates that allowed Patterson to make the order while still Chairman and that encompassed the 48-day delay in readiness of GECOM to begin the H2H.6. The proceeding with H2H despite the absence of agreement of all parliamentary political parties as is the norm. 7. The absence of Political party scrutineers on GECOM data gathering teams (the data forms have a provision for the signature of party scrutineers). This may serve as the basis for a legal challenge to the veracity of the data gathered during this costly exercise.8. CEO Lowenfield has stated that he is running two concurrent exercises, an H2H and preparations for Elections, Lowenfield must know his actions are causing great uncertainty and
instability in the nation, so why is he (Lowenfield) persisting? These and other questions require answers. Of interest is the historical data of the number of new Registrants added to the NRRDB during the last 4 Claims and Objections periods. Do the numbers of new Registrants garnered from these exercises justify the discarding of the present NRRDB? Is the present NRRDB being used as a basis for the current H2H? Are more persons being enfranchised or disenfranchised by H2H? Guyana may be undergoing a period of disregard for Rule of law and our Constitution is being subverted, but “Time being longer than Twine”, I am confident that we will one day return to status as a nation of laws, and this COI will be held. There should be dire consequences for any found complicit in any conspiracy to subvert our laws. Respectfully Robin Singh
percentage of searches within the credit bureau database for which credit information is found. Because comprehensive reporting increases a lender’s ability to recognize borrowers for responsible or ineffective use of credit, it correspondingly gives lenders a greater appreciation of the importance of excellent data quality. Notwithstanding, data quality continues to be an issue that requires constant attention by all stakeholders. While Creditinfo maintains the database, the primary sources of data are credit information providers from whom data is gathered on a monthly basis. Institutions are then mandated to ensure that the information supplied is of the highest quality and its integrity unquestionable in accordance with Section 14 of the Credit Reporting Act. Additionally, the importance and principal obligation of the data subject [consumer] in ensuring that the data being held in the credit bureau database accurately reflects his/her credit history i.e. the pattern of their borrowing behaviour, cannot be overemphasized. In order to prevent errors in the credit report, every Guyanese is entitled to review a free credit report once every year. The best way to identify potential errors that could be impacting your overall score is also to have regular review on your credit reports. If any inaccuracy is detected, the appropriate actions to resolve this are facilitated through our Dispute Process. Only in an ideal world can there be a ‘perfect’ credit bureau database. Additionally, a credit score depends on data [both traditional and nontraditional data] and good quality data uploaded by ALL lenders to the credit bureau database. So, in the case of Guyana this would be: · All lenders are uploading data of excellent quality · All holders of non-traditional data upload data to the credit bureau database · All data subjects [individuals and businesses] are identified by a unique identification such as the
taxpayer identification number or · The tin database is linked with the Creditinfo database to provide unique identification for all data subjects - and this presupposes that every borrower has a valid TIN In reality, the symbiotic relationship between Creditinfo and potential subscribers is established by mutual agreement and hence it is only those entities that understand and appreciate the value of applying modern risk management practices and are willing to subscribe to the services will commit to the engagement. Also, the process of sharing data is a time consuming one and hence credit information providers are required to make a serious commitment as well as assign resources to this process. Therefore, the time taken to commence data sharing rests mainly with the data provider often at their sole discretion, legislation notwithstanding! For example, in our local experience, it took one established financial institution in excess of five years to complete the data submission process – with the implication of consumers being denied the benefit of their good credit history. CONSUMERS’OBLIGATIONS Section 25 of the Credit Reporting Act accords data subjects the right to ‘check their own credit history as well as to correct erroneous information’. In the event that the information is deemed incorrect, the data subject is obligated, in accordance with Section 28 of the CRA, to file a dispute with the credit bureau outlining details of the inaccuracy. It is only with the written submission of a dispute that redress could be granted in these circumstances. Once the information is corrected a free credit report is then issued with the updated information. Failure to file a dispute will result in the inaccurate information being perpetuated on the credit report and may result in the data subject’s inability to access credit. Creditinfo is therefore urging data subjects [individuals], especially those who may be unable to visit our offices, to utilise the new online facility at www.creditinfo.gy to access their
annual free credit report. The company has collaborated with GTT through its Mobile Money facility to allow countrywide access by individuals to: (a) their advanced credit reports which contain information beyond the free credit report, (b) multiple credit reports, and (c) monitor their credit profile. Payments for these facilities can be made via the mobile money medium. It must be noted here that the responsibility for data accuracy rests with all stakeholders: the credit reporting service provider, data providers as well as the data subject. Even though it’s in the best interest of lenders and credit bureau to maintain accurate records, sometimes errors do happen. Variations in the information could be attributed to ordinary factors such as data entry errors. Creditinfo, as the credit reporting service provider, therefore continues to support data providers through its recently launched Data Quality Index and Score. The company also facilitates data subjects’ queries at its office on a daily basis and more recently online via its website. The online facility also provides for the option of monitoring of activities on credit reports. Creditinfo, a global credit bureau represented in twenty-four (24) markets, was granted the licence in 2013 to operate Guyana’s first credit bureau with the intention of deepening the financial sector through the establishment of a Credit Reporting Industry. The company’s operation in Guyana was the second to be established in the Caribbean Region at the time and is now one of three (3) fully established and a fourth pending in the OECS. Its key partners and supporters in the development of credit bureau operations consist of prominent international organisations such as the World Bank and the International Financial Corporation (IFC). Our standards and certificates include ISO 9001 and ISO 27001 for Quality Management and Information Security respectively. Yours faithfully, Judy Semple-Joseph Chief Executive Officer
America already knows the answers... From page 4 immigrants are crossing the border in droves to take away jobs and lives. https://newrepublic.comarticle/154655/ el-paso-exposed-ugly-realityimmigration-debate. Yet no one believes that America has lost its collective mind. The blame has been put on the movies, video games, music, computers, fake news, the guns, poor gun control, the criminal element they repeatedly echo, as if the criminal element has nothing to do with the rest of Americans. Oh say America, can’t you see? The truth does not lie among any of these. The present state in which America finds itself was well summed up by John Adams, the 2nd U.S President in 1798: “We have no government armed with power capable of contending with human passions unbridled by morality and religion. Avarice, ambition, revenge, or gallantry, would break the strongest cords of our Constitution as a whale goes through a net. Our
Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other.” One of the greatest American speakers of the 19th century Massachusetts Senator Daniel Webster once declared, “Finally, let us not forget the religious character of our origin. Our fathers were brought hither by their high veneration for the Christian religion. They journeyed by its light, and laboured in its hope. They sought to incorporate its principles with the elements of their society, and to diffuse its influence through all their institutions, civil, political, or literary.” The famous orator further so opined, “We live under the only government that ever existed which was framed by...deliberate consultations of the people. During the dark days of the Civil War, America faced similar, if not worse challenges. To this end, in 1863 President Abraham Lincoln
called for a national day of repentance and prayer, in which he warned Americans to stop forgetting God as a nation and to remember this truth: “those nations only are blessed whose God is the Lord.” It is obvious that America’s fate lies in her trait. America, much like Israel, was originally founded on the truths of God’s Word. History reveals that during the founding years of America God was respected and sought by many. What has happened? Too many changes have been wrought, and God is not respected as He ought. If the age old maxim “seeing is believing”, holds true, then the American people had better believe what they are seeing, and further believe the warnings given years ago. . America knows all the answers to her present woes. The country may have come a long way, but sadly it is the wrong way. Yvonne Sam
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A PATIENT SPIRIT A reporter went to heaven and saw two lines. Over one line was a sign that read “For men who were dominated by their wives”. There were hundreds of men in that line. The other sign had a sign which read, “For men who dominated their wives.” There was only one man standing in that line. Being a reporter, he went up to the man and asked, “Sir, could you tell me why you’re the only man in the line for “Men who dominated their wives?” “Sure”, the other man responded. “My wife told me to stand here.” Guyanese do not like lines. This may have something to do with the experience of the past when there were shortages and people would see a line, join it and then ask what the line was about. That experience taught patience. People developed the patience to stand in line all day, not knowing when their turn came whether they would get whatever was being sold. Perhaps, it is because the present generation was spared those hard times that so many Guyanese have become impatient. Some motorists run the red light at
junctions just because they do not wish to wait sixty seconds. Banks are usually very quiet places and the atmosphere influences the mood. Even loud- mouthed persons are constrained from speaking audibly in banks. Despite this, one can hear grumblings in the lines leading to the tellers. People complain despite the airconditioned atmosphere that the lines move too slowly. They are impatient; they want to get out of there. Waiting ten minutes in a line these days can lead to frustration and at times anger, especially when someone jumps the queue. This is a regular practice in Guyana. You are standing patiently in a line and then someone comes up and forms a conversation with the person ahead of you. And the next thing you know is that the latecomer gets into your space. When others see this, they do the same and the entire line is thrown into chaos. Whenever there are big events, being in a queue can be a problem. Order can easily turn into confusion simply because people do not wish to form a line and to wait their turn.
A few years ago, persons lined up is disciplined manner to view the body of the murdered, Muammar Gaddafi. One would have expected there to be a mad rush to see the body of the slain leader. This was however not the case. The people lined up orderly and calmly to see the remains of the late leader. Even though the majority of those who went to view the body could not be considered supporters of the slain leader, there was calmness about the whole procession of persons. Those in line were patient and waited their turn. The one time that Guyanese seem to exercise tremendous patience is during elections period. The number of persons eligible to vote at any polling station is kept within limits so as to avoid the excuse that someone could not vote because of the long lines. Yet, we find that there are long lines early in the morning as voters heed their parties request to go out and vote early and late in the afternoon just as the polls are about to close. For the remainder of the day, it is just a trickle of persons that can be seen in and out of the polling
stations. The vast majority of Guyanese vote early in the morning and late in the afternoon. And you would be amazed that despite having to stand in line, there are few protests about the length of the line or the time taken. People take voting seriously in Guyana, so seriously that they do not complain about the lines. Interestingly, there are hardly any cases of persons trying to jump the queue. There is so much patience in the election line. If we can do it for elections, we can also do it for normal situations. There is no reason why people should get frustrated at standing a few minutes in a line for a service. They do it for election without complaining but when it comes to paying a bill, they want to get out of the line quickly. Perhaps they should try gardening. It takes time, it
takes efforts and it takes tons of patience to get a garden going. It is one activity that relaxes you and teaches patience. Other than that, we should simply have elections every two years. (The views expressed in this article are those of the
author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of this newspaper)
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Venezuela’s aggression did not deter us, Int’l law favours Guyana’s position - Ratio Petroleum Co-Founder, Geologist By Kiana Wilburg When Israeli based Ratio Petroleum took the decision to apply for the Kaieteur Block licence in 2012, it was unaware of any impending claims by Venezuela on Guyana’s territorial sovereignty. However, the signing of a Production Sharing Agreement (PSA) between Ratio and Guyana in October 2013 was put on pause by the Government. This newspaper understands that the government’s decision came after Anadarko Petroleum Corporation, the licensed operator for the Roraima Block, had a research vessel called the MV Teknik Perdana, which was conducting a geophysical survey on its behalf in 2013, ordered out of Guyana’s Exclusive Economic Zone by the Venezuelan Navy and escorted to the island of Margarita. The Research vessel had at least five US citizens onboard. Since that incident, Anadarko has not resumed exploration activities. The Roraima Block, which is adjacent to the Kaieteur Block (Block B), was known at that time as Block A. Subsequent to this event, one of Ratio’s co-founders
Ratio Petroleum’s Co-founder, Geologist, Eitan Aizenberg and Senior Vice President (SVP) of Exploration and Production, Eitan Aizenberg, categorically stated that this was by no means an intimidating factor for the company. During an exclusive interview with this newspaper, the geologist said that in the risk analysis that was subsequently done, Ratio was of the conviction that this was a risk it could live with, mostly because it believed, and knew that international law favoured Guyana’s position hence. It was therefore ready to sign the Production Sharing Agreement (PSA) with the Government and start
working on the area immediately after all the terms of the PSA were agreed in early 2013. Aizenberg shared that a lot of work, effort and time had gone into the preparation of the application and negotiation of the PSA by this time. The Ratio Co-Founder said, “The tricky thing with under-explored basins with no discoveries, like the Guyana-Suriname Basin was at the time of the application, is to build the geological analysis with very little information that is available but with a lot of creativity, out of the box thinking and using the broad industry knowledge and experience you have in-house. This is what we did in Israel and the same in Guyana.” Aizenberg said that Ratio’s proposal to the authorities detailed the work programme that would have been carried out once they were allowed to get to work, that is to say, conducting 2D and 3D seismic acquisition, interpretation and eventually leading to the drilling of exploration wells on any prospects that were generated from the work, just in the same way they did on Leviathan in Israel. The geologist also noted that amounts for annual rental
Govt. should approve no further projects until it can regulate offshore oil operations – Mangal The Government of Guyana should not have approved another project after Liza-1. It is moving too fast. With every project it approves, it does so to its detriment. Government should slow down, and should not approve any more, until it can properly oversee and regulate the operations of the contractors offshore Guyana. This is the caution of Oil and Gas Consultant, Dr. Jan Mangal. Recently, an Attorney-atlaw, Melinda Janki had raised concern over an article of the Production Sharing Agreement (PSA) of the Stabroek Block, which allows the contractor to take as much oil for its operations as is reasonably required. Article 11 of the PSA speaks about Cost Recovery and Production Sharing. Article 11.9 affords the Contractor the right to use from the production for its operations. It states, “The Contractor shall have the right to use in any Petroleum Operations as much of the production as
Oil and Gas Consultant, Dr. Jan Mangal may reasonably be required by it there for and the quantities so used or lost shall be excluded from any calculations of Cost Oil and/ or Cost Gas and Profit Oil and/ or Profit Gas entitlement.” The Contractors on the Stabroek Block are Exxon’s subsidiary, Esso Exploration and Production Guyana Limited (EEPGL); Hess Guyana Exploration Limited; and CNOOC Nexen Petroleum Guyana Limited.
Janki had contended that, because there is no cap on the amount the oil companies are allowed to take, and because Guyana does not currently have the means to oversee that process, the article is unfair to the people of Guyana. “We have to get past the ugly truth of Guyana’s oil deal.” Janki had said. In an exclusive interview with Kaieteur News, Dr. Mangal said that Janki is correct in raising this issue; that Government is not prepared to verify the claims of ExxonMobil, the lead operator on the Stabroek Block, that what they will take is reasonable. But more importantly, the Consultant said that this speaks to a much bigger issue: the fact that Government does not have the capacity to regulate the offshore operations of these offshore oil companies. When Exxon first struck oil, “Government did not understand the obligations with regard to monitoring”, Mangal said. But he maintains that the Continued on page 22
fees, commitments for training etc. also underpinned the company’s plans. When that was completed, the SVP shared that the Licence and Petroleum Agreement for Kaieteur were eventually signed in April 2015 after Ratio and the Government of Guyana agreed to delay the commencement of petroleum operations until expressly permitted to commence same by the Government. The geologist said, “We respected that and believed that we would receive permission to start work on
Block B (the Kaieteur Block) as we had no doubt that Guyana’s position in the dispute with Venezuela was the just one according to international law as well as with every international parameter and standard we knew.” SIDEAGREEMENT But even after the PSA was signed, there was a caveat attached to it. Based on documents emanating from the Guyana Geology and Mines Commission (GGMC), the Kaieteur Block licence was granted to Ratio on the
condition that only 40 percent of the block could be explored due to the ludicrous claims and threats from Venezuela. The Side Letter Agreement, which was seen by this newspaper, was signed between former President, Donald Ramotar, Ratio Energy Limited and Ratio Guyana Limited on April 28, 2015. In 2017, the Granger administration granted the licence holders permission to begin exploration works after ExxonMobil farmed into the block and became the Operator.
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Monday August 12, 2019
Kaieteur News
Govt. should approve no further projects...
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From page 21 operations must be regulated. “It’s up to Guyana to monitor and make sure it’s legitimate, to ensure what the contractor says it’s using is legitimate… No sane government would allow a business [to operate unregulated]… It’s the country’s oil. It’s the people’s oil.” In June last, Dr. Mangal, who was once Government’s advisor on Petroleum, told Kaieteur News “Oil companies always want to pump everything as fast as possible…Don’t buy into the hype…” He had said that, while it’s beneficial for an oil company to advocate for early production, as it would grant them quick returns on investment, it is highly unlikely to work for the country. Every time Government approves another project, Dr. Mangal said, “[it’s] forfeiting billions of dollars of Guyanese money for no reason.” ExxonMobil has already received approval for two projects. Liza-1 is expected to produce up to 120,000 barrels a day, and Liza-2, which is expected to startup mid-2022, is expected to produce 220,000 barrels a day. Exxon is currently seeking approval for a third, Payara.
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Monday August 12, 2019
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Kaieteur News
>>>>> EID UL ADHA MESSAGES <<<<<
The Central Islamic Organization of Guyana Remembering the sacrifices of Prophet Ibrahim and his family Even after 40 centuries, the message and the character of Prophet Ibrahim (peace be upon him) remains exemplary for millions of people. A proponent of monotheism, he declared the Oneness of Almighty God at a time when the whole world was submerged into darkness of polytheism. In this backdrop, he heralded his determination to turn his face to the Almighty God, the One Who is the Creator of the universe. Born in Babylon (modern Iraq) some 2000 BC, Ibrahim traveled through Syria, Egypt, Hijaz and Palestine, where he died and is buried at a place which is known after his name as Al-Khaleel. He made the entire Middle East areas as his area of operation for his mission, and assigned his nephew Lot to Sodom; his son Isaac to Palestine and planted his elder son Ismail at Hijaz. He is ancestor of most of the Prophets referred to in Old Testament, New Testament and the Holy Qur’an. He holds the highest position in world history with no parallel to him. Here we analyze his life and mission in light of the Holy Qur’an. Ibrahim: God’s friend Almighty God chose him as His friend (Khaleel). The people of his time in Syria would worship stars (thurayya). He is said to have been invited to select a star for his own worship. But after examining the sun and the moon, he rejected the idea and turned his face towards Allah the Creator of the heavens and the earth: “When the night covered him over, he saw a star: he said: ‘This is my Lord.’ But when it set, he said: ‘I love not those that set.’ When he saw the moon rising in splendor, he said: ‘This is my Lord.’ But when the moon set, he said: ‘Unless my Lord guides me, I shall surely be among those who go astray.’ When he saw the sun rising in splendor, he said: ‘This is my Lord; this is the greatest (of all).’ But when the sun set, he said: ‘O my people! I am indeed free from your (guilt) of giving partners to Allah. ‘For me, I have set my face, firmly and truly, towards Him Who created the heavens and the earth and never shall I give partners to Allah’.” Ibrahim the iconoclast In Iraq, King Nimrud then was powerful and a tyrant. The people were generally idolatrous and had many temples. Ibrahim was astonished to see people assigning their aspirations to idols of stones. One day when they were out of town for a festival, he entered the temple and hammered the stone-idols, mutilating their faces except the big one on which he placed the axe. When the people returned and saw their deities smashed and mutilated, they became angry. Although they
felt ashamed of worshipping the idols that could not save themselves, they however decided to kill Ibrahim. “So he broke them to pieces (all) but the biggest of them, that they might turn (and address themselves) to it. They said, ‘Who has done this to our gods? He must indeed be some man of impiety!’ They said, ‘We heard a youth talk of them: he is called Ibrahim.’ They said, ‘Then bring him before the eyes of the people, that they may bear witness.’ They said, ‘Art thou the one that did this with our gods, O Ibrahim?’ He said: ‘Nay, this was done by, this is their biggest one! Ask them, if they can speak intelligently!’ So they turned to themselves and said, ‘Surely ye are the ones in the wrong!’ Then were they confounded with shame: (they said) ‘Thou knowest full well that these (idols) do not speak!’ (Ibrahim) said, ‘Do ye then worship, besides Allah, things that can neither be of any good to you nor do you harm? ‘Fie upon you, and upon the things that ye worship besides Allah! Have ye no sense’?” (21:57-67) “So naught was the answer of (Ibrahim’s) people. Except that they said: ‘Slay him or burn him.’ But Allah did save him from the Fire. Verily in this are Signs for people who believe.” (29:23) Argument with the king When caught and brought before the king, Ibrahim declared the power of his Lord in the open court: “Hast thou not turned thy vision to one who disputed with Ibrahim about his Lord, because Allah had granted him power? Ibrahim said: ‘My Lord is He Who giveth life and death.’ He said: ‘I give life and death.’ Said Ibrahim: ‘But it is Allah that causeth the sun to rise from the East do thou then cause it to rise from the West?’ Thus was he confounded who (in arrogance) rejected Faith. Nor doth Allah give guidance to a people unjust.” (2: 258) The migration Ibrahim left his father and the fatherland, and migrated to Egypt with his wife Sarah and he returned triumphant to Palestine with many gifts from the Egyptian king including a maid named Hajrah. Since Sarah was barren, Ibrahim married Hajrah who gave birth to a baby boy at his old age of 95. A jealous Sarah pressed her husband to take Hajrah away from her. On the Divine Guidance, Ibrahim took Hajrah and the new born Ismail to a distant place (present day Makkah) in Hijaz. Ibrahim left his beloved wife and infant son in the barren valley with no greenery, water or human inhabitation and prayed for the prosperity and security of his offspring in this barren valley. Moments of trial When the little amount of dates and water
Ministry of the Presidency, Dept. of Social Cohesion, Culture, Youth and Sport On behalf of the Ministry of the Presidency, Department of Social Cohesion, Culture, Youth and Sport, I wish to extend sincere greetings to all Guyanese, particularly our Muslim brothers and sisters, on this auspicious occasion of Eidul-Adha. The story behind today’s ‘Festival of Sacrifice’ or ‘Qurbani’ dates back to many centuries ago, when Prophet Ibrahim (Abraham) was commanded by Allah (God) to sacrifice his son. Just when Abraham was about to make the sacrifice, Almighty God spared Ishmael’s life and
replaced him with a lamb. But it was Ibrahim’s willingness to knife his son that was seen as the ultimate act of submission, and continues to be honoured by the adherents of Islam. This sacred day is observed during the 10TH day of the Islamic month of Zul Haj (Holy Pilgrimage). Each year, Muslims from around the globe undertake a pilgrimage to Mecca – the holiest city for Muslims. This journey is one of the Five Pillars of Islam, and this year a number of Guyanese Muslims have embarked on
this Holy Hajj. We want to wish them a most rewarding experience, and a safe return home. For our brothers and sisters at home, we hope that the real lessons of this sacrifice will be embraced. We hope that Muslims and nonMuslims will be able to sacrifice their egos, prejudices and ill thoughts so that we can all live in love and harmony. In the spirit of Social Cohesion, let unite to partake in today’s festivities of charity and true faith. EID MUBARAK, GUYANA!
left by Ibrahim was over within few days, she felt thirsty and her infant son Ismail was crying to death. She ran madly between the two nearby hillocks of Safa and Marwah looking for water. She ran seven times. The hills and hillocks echoed with her cries. This was an ordeal, a great ordeal of God. She cried again and again but called none except Him. God showered His mercy upon her and a forceful spring of sweet water gushed out near Ismail’s feet. She called it Zamzam and it is flowing at the same place for the last 4,000 years. Almighty Allah declared Safa and Marwah as His signs and ordained the pilgrims to run seven times between them like His devoted lady, Hajrah: “Behold! Safa and Marwa are among the Symbols of Allah. So if those who visit the House in the Season or at other times, should compass them round, it is no sin in them. And if any one obeyeth his own impulse to Good, be sure that Allah is He Who recogniseth and knoweth.” (2:158) The great triumph Ibrahim returned a few years later to find his infant Ismail an energetic boy. He was tested again. He saw in a dream that he was offering his son Ismail as a sacrifice to his Lord. Ismail was his only son at this ripe age. Having decided however to win His pleasure, Ibrahim told the son of his dream. Being son of a great soul, Ismail immediately agreed, for this he said was ordained by God. Ibrahim took him to Mina (near Makkah) and as he laid Ismail to slaughter him, his Lord awarded him with great pleasure and ransomed Ismail with a goat sacrifice. This is the practice which is followed by all Muslims throughout the world as Eid Al-Adha or the festival of sacrifice. The great assembly of Haj Haj was started by Prophet Ibrahim. It is the perfect replica of the incidents and occasions of the life of Prophet Ibrahim and his family. Here we mention the main rites of Haj and their relationship with this noble family. I. Construction of Holy Kaaba: Almighty Allah bestowed great favor on Prophet Ibrahim and Ismail to build the Holy Kaaba at Makkah Mukarramah, which is the focal point of the true faith in the world. Muslims turn their faces towards it in prayer, five times a
day from every corner of the earth. Even their dead are buried facing the Holy Kaaba. II. Performing Tawaf: Later Almighty Allah told him to call the people to perform Haj and Tawaf. III. Saie of Safa and Marwah: Every pilgrim is obliged to run between the two hillocks. IV. Zamzam: This is the water, which gushed out as a gift to infant Ismail. Pilgrims drink it and take it with them as holy water to the four corners of the world. V. Rami Jamraat: When Prophet Ibrahim was taking his son, Ismail for a sacrifice in Mina the Iblees tried the seduce the family three times and they threw dust and pebbles upon him. The pilgrims follow the same practice and throw pebbles upon Iblees seven times each in three days of Haj. VI. Animal sacrifice: This is in commemoration of Prophet Ibrahim’s decision to sacrifice his son Ismail and God’s Mercy upon him to ransom it by a sheep. The pilgrims in Mina and other Muslims celebrate the Great Win by sacrificing sheep, goat, cow and camels throughout the world. About two million animals in Mina and many millions abroad are slaughtered within three days whose meat is distributed to the poor. This is the largest free food distribution program of the world on the ‘Eid Al Adha’ annually. VII. Maqam-i-Ibrahim: This is the place of a stone, marked with the foot print of Prophet Ibrahim where he was standing while raising the walls of Holy Kaaba. Every pilgrim offers prayer at this blessed place in every Tawaf. VIII. Hijr Ismail: This place marked with Prophet Ismail’s name is now a part of the holy Kaaba and pilgrims offer prayer at this place. The above rites of Haj are directly connected with the noble family of Prophet Ibrahim. Although Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) initiated Haj, there is however no Haj rite connected with his life. It is the commemoration of Prophet Ibrahim and his submission to the will of Almighty Allah. Islam is the religion of Prophet Ibrahim. This is mainstream of Divine guidance including all prophets of Torah and the Bible. Judaism and Christianity are the offshoots of that one thread of divinity.
Monday August 12, 2019
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Kaieteur News
PPP condemns assertion that Sept. 18 elections deadline is self imposed The People’s Progressive Party (PPP) has denounced the assertions of Trade Unionist, Lincoln Lewis, who in a letter over the weekend, claimed that the September 18 elections deadline is a part of an agenda by the PPP and not a part of the ruling of the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ). In a statement to the press, the Party stated that Lewis’ assertion was nothing but “a barefaced attempt” to mislead the public. According to the PPP, Lewis selectively refers to one sentence from the consequential orders granted by the Caribbean Court of Justice. “Had Lincoln Lewis read the consequential orders, issued by the Court on July 12, 2019, in totality, he would have been clear on what is now the constitutionally mandated deadline for elections to be held in Guyana. “By now, most Guyanese are clear that Article 106 (6)
of the Constitution mandates that General and Regional Elections are to be held within three months of the passage of a no confidence motion.” The Party went on to state that paragraph six of the CCJ’s consequential orders states that “Given the passage of the no confidence motion on 21st December 2018, a general election should have been held in Guyana by 21st March 2019. The said paragraph stated too that the threemonth deadline, if it is to be extended, can only be done by vote of two-thirds of the Parliamentarians in the National Assembly. The Party’s General Secretary and Opposition Leader has repeatedly said there will be no agreement to any extension of the life of the APNU+AFC caretaker government by the People’s Progressive Party/ Civic (PPP/ C). Further, the CCJ’s consequential orders go on to add that,” the PPP said in the statement.
The Party concluded therefore the filing of the court proceedings in January challenging the validity of the no confidence vote effectively placed matters on pause, but this Court rendered its decision on 18th June 2019.—there is no appeal from that judgment.” “The CCJ was clear that the clock on the three-month election timeline started on June 18, 2019 – meaning that the deadline for Elections to be held ends on September 18, 2019. After that, Guyana will be under unconstitutional rule. These facts considered, it would seem that basic logic and reasoning continues to elude Lincoln Lewis.” Further on, “Lewis pointed out that the Caribbean Court of Justice did not set a date for Elections, he seems to miss the point that the Court pronounced on the timeline within which Elections must be held”. The Party recommended that he reads
Westside promoter surprises senior citizens with ‘give back gesture’ Over twenty-five senior citizens from Pouderyen, West Bank Demerara, were pleasantly surprised just recently when a West Demerara District entertainment promoter knocked at their doors with food hampers. Many of the residents were quite surprised since that has not been the norm among promoters, especially from the Westside. Promoter, Andre July of Pouderyen Village just recently hosted the annual Poudereyen Village Day, which attracted quite a large audience. This event is always a brilliant showcase of village culture as villagers congregate to rekindle past customs and traditions. It is a norm that everything goes back
to normal after the event, but this time around July, he had something different in mind. “I have always respected and admired our senior citizens, and they too deserve to be acknowledged in some way or the other. As a result, I decided this year to surprise the elderly folks in my village. Therefore, I got my team together and we decided to give food hampers to twenty-five senior folks. They were all pleasantly surprised and were very appreciative of the gifts. I wanted them to know that they are well appreciated and want them to feel that they are important to our society as well.” July said that every year, he will continue to give back not only to the elderly, but also to the needy and underprivileged.
paragraph five of the CCJ’s consequential orders. “It states clearly that these particular provisions [Article 106 (6) and (7)] require no gloss on the part of the Court in order to render them intelligible and workable. Their meaning is clear and it is the responsibility of constitutional actors in Guyana to honour them. “Upon the passage of a vote of no confidence, the Article requires the resignation of the Cabinet including the President. The Article goes on to state, among other things, that
notwithstanding such resignation, the Government shall remain in office and that an election shall be held ‘within three months, or such longer period as the National Assembly shall by resolution supported by not less than two-thirds of the votes of all the elected members of the National Assembly determine.” According to the PPP, the Guyana Elections Commission (“GECOM”) has the responsibility to conduct that election and GECOM too must abide by the provisions of the Constitution.”
“It would seem that the Caribbean Court of Justice overestimated the levels of integrity among the likes of Lincoln Lewis and others when, in paragraph seven of its consequential orders, it said ‘The Court must assume that these bodies and personages will exercise their responsibilities with integrity and in keeping with the unambiguous provisions of the Constitution bearing in mind that the no confidence motion was validly passed as long ago as 21 December 2018.”
UG, Department of Energy and Halliburton Host Science of Energy Workshops for Children WHAT: THE SCIENCE OF ENERGY- A CHILDREN’S WORKSHOP WHEN: AUGUST 13, 14 AND 15, 2019 WHERE: UNIVERSITY OF GUYANA, TAIN CAMPUS AUDITORIUM - TUESDAY AUGUST 13, 2019 1-4 PM UNIVERSITYOFGUYANA,TURKEYEN CAMPUS, PSYCHOLOGY BUILDING WEDNESDAY AUGUST 1-4 PM. LINDEN -THE EGBERT BENJAMIN CONFERENCE AND EXHIBITION CENTRE -THURSDAY AUGUST 15 , 1-4 PM
WHY: To encourage and support the industry’s next generation of talent means providing opportunities for hands on learning for eager future scientists. The Society of Petroleum Engineers created the Energy4me which is a global energy education program relying on hands-on activities that use simple components to teach complicated engineering functions used in oil and gas exploration and production. The workshops in Guyana will target children between the ages of 9 -14 just as they prepare for the new school term. This event is approved by the Government of Guyana, Ministry of the Presidency, Department of Energy and represents a collaborative effort between the University of Guyana and Halliburton.
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Four horsemen promotion says thanks for support of PMTC Aug. 1st meet
Marcel Crawford (left) with one of his winning racehorses.
The organizing committee of the “Four Horsemen Promotion” group says a big thank you to all who contributed in one way or the other in making their one day horserace meet a success. The event was held on Thursday August 1st (Emancipation day) at the Port Mourant Turf Club, Corentyne Berbice. The event was organised in collaboration with the Crawford Memorial Turf Club and held in observation of the Port Mourant Turf Club (PMTC) Centenary Anniversary. With this being the 100th years since the establishment of the PMTC, it was decided that a horserace meet in observance of the occasion would be a welcome venture. It was also held in memory
Kohli hits 42nd ton as India defeat West Indies in rain-hit second ODI AFP - Indian captain Virat Kohli ended a run of 10 matches without a century yesterday, setting the platform for his team’s 59-run (DLS) victory over the West Indies in a rain-hit second One-Day International at Queen’s Park Oval. Kohli went a long way towards justifying his decision to bat first with a typically assertive innings of 120 off 125 deliveries, with 14 fours and four sixes adorning his 42nd ODI hundred as India totalled 279 for seven. Set a revised target of 270 off 46 overs when rain interrupted play during their chase, West Indies were on course at 179 for four in the 35th over but then crashed to 210 all out with four overs to spare as seamer Bhuvneshwar Kumar triggered the slide with figures of four for 31. Kumar’s first wicket was near the start of the innings when he removed Chris Gayle, the hard-hitting opener falling for just 11 although it was enough to take him past Brian Lara for the most runs in ODI cricket by a West Indian, a record which now stands at 10,409. It was also Gayle’s 300th ODI, making him the first West Indian to reach that landmark. Following a no-result from the rain-ruined first ODI in Guyana three days earlier, India will defend an unassailable 1-0 lead going into the final match, also at Queen’s Park Oval, on Wednesday. Man of the Match Kohli received excellent support from Shreyas Iyer who contributed 71 and featured in a 125-run fourth-wicket stand with his skipper.
As their partnership progressed through the middle overs of the innings a total closer to the 300-run mark seemed inevitable. However Kohli’s dismissal to Carlos Brathwaite in the 42nd over triggered a mini-collapse and the West Indies retained their discipline through the final overs in conceding 67 runs over the last 10. Brathwaite was the most successful of the bowlers, finishing with figures of three for 53 off 10 overs. Sheldon Cottrell got the West Indies off to an excellent start when he trapped Sharma’s opening partner, Shikhar Dhawan, leg-before
in his first over, a decision determined by the television official after on-field umpire Nigel Llong turned down the initial appeal. Kohli’s eighth ODI hundred against the West Indies and second in succession in the Caribbean underlined both his supreme class and ravenous appetite for runs. Scores: INDIA 279 for seven off 50 overs (Virat Kohli 120, Shreyas Iyer 71; Carlos Brathwaite 3-53). WEST INDIES 210 off 42 overs (Evin Lewis 65, Nicholas Pooran 42; Bhuvneshwar Kumar 4-31, Mohammed Shami 2-39, Kuldeep Yadav 2-59).
of the achievements of the late Attorney at Law and Senior Council Marcel Crawford for the enormous amount of work he did at the PMTC during his lifetime. The members of the management Committee would like to say a big thank you once again to Banks DIH Limited, Dequan Trading, Attorney at Law Senior Counsel Rajendra Poonai, Sankar Auto Works, Cumming Electrical Company, Valvoline, Just Water, Colin Elcock Delmur Company Limited, Poonai Pharmacy,
Murals Logistics, Toolsie Persaud and Habibulla Meat Center. According to coordinator Colin Elcock despite the inclement weather the activity was well organized and incident free. The committee would also like to say a special thanks to Commander B Division, Assistant Commissioner Paul Langevine and ranks of the Guyana Police Force and to all for their unstinted support and look forward for their continued patronage in the future. (Samuel Whyte)
Colin Elcock
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Residents of Region Six praises NICIL for assisting with community grounds …Brigadier Collins dubs support as timely and important
Several community ground in Region Six are now better able to host community and sporting events thanks to the timely intervention of the National Industrial and Commercial and Investments Limited (NICIL). As such, several residents have expressed their gratitude and thanks to NICIL’s CEO dubbing the support and assistance as a major boost to their community activities and spirits. They hailed the contributions as being very important urging NICIL to continue the trend. This comes after NICIL provided support in slashing, harrowing, levelling and blading of these grounds. The community grounds that benefited were Bermine, New Amsterdam Multilateral School and the Liverpool Community Centre. According to residents, the input by NICIL has significantly aided the residents in executing a number of sporting events and activities. It was disclosed that NICIL readily made manpower and equipment available to aid in the execution of the project, thus resulting in commendation from a number of prominent individuals. Brigadier Edward Collins was one of the first to single out and acknowledge the efforts of NICIL, stating that the assistance provided by the company’s Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Colvin Heath-London is noteworthy. He singled out Heath–London and Estate
Manager, Mr Sam Anderson who he said have demonstrated their genuine and sincere concern and willingness to assist the residents with the project. He dubbed their assistance as timely and pivotally important to the continued development of sports and community involvement. “I commend Mr Colvin Heath-London and Estate Manager Sam Anderson for their willingness to help and the enthusiasm they have shown at all in ensuring the successful execution of this project,” Collins said. The Brigadier noted that the support of both HeathLondon and Anderson has tremendously helped the communities, stressing that the residents were seeking assistance in having their community grounds cleared and looked after for a while. “I would certainly like to recognise the sterling performance of both gentlemen, am deeply grateful to both gentlemen as their response and attitude is certainly noteworthy of emulation,” he said. He stressed that with NICIL’s ‘timely’ help and assistance the residents of these communities including the Canje Secondary school are now benefiting significantly which he noted would aid in the continued growth and development of these communities through cohesive approaches. In dubbing the support provided by NICIL as timely and important the brigadier
said that he would like to see other such support in other communities and reassured the CEO of his sincere thanks and gratitude, declaring that it was provided at a time that the residents were certainly in great need of it. Several residents commenting on the project stressed that there was significant work one and urged otherlike-minded corporate and private citizens to emulate their actions, declaring that it would aid in the development of communities, while ultimately assisting in youths being involved in positive things instead of contributing to social ills. Heath-London said that NICIL is always happy to be playing a meaningful role in assisting communities. He noted that this is not the first time that they have assisted communities with regards to their grounds, stressing that they have been doing this and more in several communities. He gave the assurance that NICIL will continue to play a responsible role in community development and enhancement, declaring that he is happy that their efforts with regards to several of the community grounds in Region Six can see more sporting and other activities, thus building stronger and more united communities. “As the CEO of NICIL I am very happy that the contribution that we have made have certainly impacted and benefited these communities positively and I would like to assure all that we remain committed and dedicated to further developing the Guyanese people through initiatives and projects like these,” he said.
Monday August 12, 2019
C’bean Schoolboys Boxing tourney renamed after Winfield Braithwaite
GBA President Steve Ninvalle (2nd from right) is with Mike Paris (right) and Winfield Braithwaite (left) & Lennox Blackmore. At a time when those in authority neglect to honour Guyana’s outstanding sportspersons by naming things after them, the Guyana Boxing Association (GBA) has renamed the fourth annual Caribbean Schoolboys and Juniors Boxing tournament after Commonwealth Gold medallistWinfield Braithwaite. Guyana has won Championship honours on all three previous occasions and this year the Tournament is scheduled for the Cliff Anderson National Sports Hall from August 16-18. The pro-active GBA President, Steve Ninvalle, explained that the renaming of this tournament was to pay homage and give credit to what Braithwaite has done, especially in Amateur Boxing. “The only other Guyanese who would have surpassed him would be Mike Parris who went on to win an Olympic Medal …so going in our trend of recognising these Boxers while they are still alive we will be renaming this tournament after him,” Ninvalle said. “We have named our competitions after Boxers, some who would have not
have reached the pinnacle of their career as an Amateur but more as a Professional so we just see it as right to give Winfield what is due to him while he is still alive,” added the GBA Head. “I would say Congratulations to him. Winfield has done a lot for Boxing…a lot for this Country. I was just a little child when he won the that Gold Medal in Canada but we can celebrate now and give him the credits that is due to him,” concluded Ninvalle, a former Boxing Journalist who covered Guyana first World title being achieved by Andrew ‘Six Head’ Lewis in Las Vegas on February 17, 2001. Now 65, Braithwaite was a light-welterweight Boxer, who won Gold at the 1978 Commonwealth Games in Canada defeating Alec Leatherday of Australia, Baba Sumaila of Ghana, Michael Mwangi of Kenya before knocking out James Douglas of Scotland in the first round in the Final This was the first gold medal won by a Guyanese athlete at the Commonwealth Games since runner Phil Edwards won the 880 yards in 1934.
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When Braithwaite returned to Guyana with the Commonwealth Gold medal, President Burnham, the last Guyana President to place any real importance on Sports, arranged a motorcade around Georgetown for Braithwaite to show off his Medal. Braithwaite moved to the USA in 1980 and retired after being unbeaten in a fairly short Professional career. The only occasion he failed to win was his draw against fellow Guyanese ‘Teacher ’ McKenzie on debut in 1979. The GBA has affixed names of outstanding Guyanese pugilists to all of their local tournaments. The National Novice is named after Andrew ‘Six Head’ Lewis who won Guyana’s first World title, the National Intermediate is named after Lennox Blackmoore who only had one Amateur fight, the National Open after Terrence Ali who fought three times for World titles and the Pepsi U16 tournament after Mike Parris, the only Boxer from the English speaking Caribbean to win an Olympic Medal when he won Bronze in 1980 in Moscow. (Sean Devers)
Supreme Ventures are official betting partners of 1320 Heat Ibet Supreme is the latest entity to join the sponsorship team for the highly anticipated 1320 Heat International Drag race meet that is being organised by the Guyana Motor Racing and Sports Clun (GMR&SC). Billed for the South Dakota Drag Strip on August 25th, the event promises to be a spectacle for both fans and racers. Representative Dustani Barrow acknowledged this, saying that the company is more than happy to support the venture. “We’ll (Ibet supreme) see you at the drags,” he said when handing over the company’s contribution. Meanwhile, President Rameez Mohamed told the media that he is pleased to have a company like Ibet supreme on board with the event. “We cannot thank these guys enough for coming on board with this venture. We want them as a sport betting company to see the potential that motorsport has in their line of work.” A contingent from Trinidad and Tobago has been confirmed to participate, while cars from Suriname have also shown interest but that depends on when the Guyana/ Suriname gets back
Dustani Barrow of Ibet Supreme (left) hands over his company’s contribution to GMR&SC representative, Cheryl Gonsalves. operational. Sponsors include DEL CO ICE, R.kission Contracting, Deryck Jaisingh Trucking Service and Machinery Rentals, Mohamed’s Enterprise, BM
Soat, Prem Electrical, ENetworks, Trans-Pacific Auto Sales, Cyrils Taxi, Blue Spring Water, Choke Gas Station, Miracle Optical, Tropical shipping and Hand in Hand.
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2020 Concacaf Women’s Under-17 Championship Qualifiers
Guyana’s preparation is advanced; team management optimistic about performance G e o r g e t o w n : “Preparation has been going great. Over the past eight weeks, we were able to work on the different aspects of the game and have seen great improvement from the girls,” said Akilah Castello, Head Coach of the National U17 Women’s team in an invited comment as the team count down to the 2020 Concacaf Women’s Under-17 Championship first-round Qualifiers in Curacao from August 17 – 25. Castello said the 20person squad will comprise eight international-based players and 12 from the 17person Guyana-based squad in training four days a week at the GFF’s National Training Centre. The Head Coach expressed her optimism about Guyana’s performance at the qualifiers: “We are expecting positive results from this group along with our international-based players
Akilah Castello Head Coach (National U17 Women’s Team) who’ve been preparing as well for this U17 girls’ competition. We have some good talent in the likes of Jalade Trim, Shamya Daniels, Samantha Banfield, who played in the last U15 championship, and Janea Knight who also played both in the U15 and
Guyana-based National U17 Women’s Team. U20 levels who, we believe, will seek to make valuable contributions at this level.” Guyana has been placed in Group D along with the Bahamas, Curacao and St. Vincent and The Grenadines, and is scheduled to play on the following days at the Stadion Ergilio Hato Willemstad: MATCH 1: 21st August – Curacao vs Guyana @ 20:30hrs MATCH 2: 23rd August – St. Vincent & The Grenadines vs Guyana @ 18:00hrs MATCH 3: 25th August – Guyana vs The Bahamas @ 17:00hrs According to Concacaf, there will be 32 participating teams. The qualifiers comprise the lowest ranked 16 teams, based on the Concacaf Women’s Under-17 Ranking
as of July 2018, where the topfinisher of each group will advance to the knock-out stage of the championship. These teams are: Anguilla, Antigua & Barbuda, Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Bonaire, Cayman Islands, Curacao, Dominica, Guyana, Honduras, Martinique, Saint Kitts & Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent & the Grenadines and US Virgin Islands. The remaining 16 teams, consisting of top-ranked teams, based on the Concacaf Women’s Under-17 Ranking as of July 2018, will participate in the Finals Championship. Each has been placed in four groups – E, F, G and H – and will play round-robin following which “the top three finishers in each of the
groups will join the winners of Groups A, B, C and D (from the qualifiers) in the round of 16,” according to Concacaf. “The 16 teams participating in the group stage of the Final Championship are (in alphabetical order): Bermuda, Canada, Costa Rica, Cuba, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Grenada, Guatemala, Haiti, Jamaica, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Puerto Rico, Trinidad & Tobago and the United States. The knockout stage of the competition - round of 16, quarterfinals, semifinals and final - will be played in its entirety in a single match elimination format, with the finalists and third place finisher automatically qualifying for the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup 2020.”
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Upper Corentyne Cricket is on the right track BCB President tells Clubs Hands out over $250,000 worth of donations President of the Berbice Cricket Board Hilbert Foster continued his countywide visits of Clubs and SubAssociations attached to the Board last Wednesday when he met with representatives of the twenty six Clubs in the Upper Corentyne Cricket Association at the Riverton Suite in Corriverton. The Berbice Cricket Board has a membership of thirteen Clubs and three SubAssociations and the visit to the Upper Corentyne Cricket Association was the sixth one by Foster after earlier meetings at Rose Hall Canje, Port Mourant, Whim, Chesney and RHTYSC, MS. Foster brought the attentive Clubs’ Executives up to date on the progress made over the last nineteen months, the financial status of the Berbice Cricket Board, challenges affecting Berbice Cricket and unveiled several developmental programmes that Clubs would benefit in the future. The dedicated BCB President hailed the Upper Corentyne Cricket Association as the most active and progressive subassociation in Berbice as they
BCB President Hilbert Foster pose with representatives of some of the clubs who received balls. have a group of dedicated administrators with Dennis D’Andrade, Sydney Jackman and Lakeram Latchman being the best example. The Upper Corentyne Cricket Association has organised numerous cricket tournaments at the Under-15, Under-19, Primary School, Secondary School, Second Division levels along with several other sponsored by the Berbice Cricket Board. These included the Ramnaresh Sarwan 40-Overs,
RHTYSC/GNNL 20/20 and Magic Moments 20/20. Once the weather improves, teams in the Upper Corentyne area would have a packed season with the Let’s Bet Sports 20/ 20, NBS 40-Overs and R&R Taxi Service 40-Overs. Another sponsor it was disclosed wants to sponsor another tournament in the area but that has been scheduled for January 2020 due to the crowded agenda. The Berbice Cricket Board President also
announced that the Upper Corentyne Cricket Association with support from the Berbice Board and RHTYSC, MS would be hosting a three days Cricket Academy at the Scottsburg Ground from the 19th August, for 40 youths. The Upper Corentyne Cricket Association Inter Secondary School Tournament would start in the new school year, while the Upper Corentyne and Skeldon Teams would
NEE/Mohamed’s Enterprise futsal tourney
Final four decided after Saturday’s action The quarterfinal round of the sixth Annual Mohamed’s Enterprise futsal tournament that is organised by New Era Entertainment group concluded on Saturday last at the Mackenzie Sports Club (MSC) hard court with some exciting but not so surprising victories. Now, four teams remain in the tournament that will see a total of $2milliom dollars in cash and prizes bring doled out to the top performers. The first of those teams to qualify was Dave & Celina All Stars that edged fan favourites Germans United 21 courtesy of goals off the heels of Benjamin Opasu and Solomon Austin, while the young and talented Andre Mayers netted the consolation for Germans. Hard Knocks look like the team to beat after a
Daniel Wilson
Omar Brewley
convincing 8-4 trampling of Royal Warriors in the quarterfinal fixture. Hard Knocks were spearheaded by Daniel Wilson and Pernell Schultz who banged home four and
three goals, respectively, while Colin Nelson added the eighth. High Rollers slipped past LA Ballers by a solitary goal during their 11-goal thriller that had the multitude of fans
that flocked to the venue on their feet throughout the pingpong contest. Omar Brewly netted a hat-trick for the semifinalists, while Johan Simmons, John Regis and Shane Haynes all contributed with one goal each during the victory. Jaleel Hamilton bagged s brace for LA Ballers but it wasn’t enough to prevent the loss. Donovan Francis netted a hat-trick to lead NK Ballers to the final semifinal spot after they got past West Side Connection 6-4. The fixtures for the semifinal leg will be released in tomorrow’s edition. The curtains will fall on the event on this Saturday and the winning team will pocket $600,000, second place $250,000 and teams finishing third and fourth will take home $100,000 and $55,000 respectively.
participate in at least four first division tournaments. Foster spoke widely of his efforts to obtain a Two-day First Division Tournament and stated that the Berbice Cricket Board would work closely with the Upper Corentyne Cricket Association to coach junior cricketers as an investment into the future. The President handed over cricket balls to sixteen clubs including Dukestown, No. 72 All Stars, No. 72 Cut and Load, All Family, Scottsburg, Skeldon Titans and No. 70 MYO. The remaining ten Clubs would receive their balls shortly, while every club also benefitted from the donation of a scorebook. Foster stated that all twenty six Clubs would shortly benefit from a water pitcher, White T/Shirts and a dozen of Berbice Cricket Youth Information Booklets. He also committed to assisting one club with a set of stumps and providing gears for a less fortunate cricketer, whose parents are unable to provide him with gears. Foster, who has visited the Upper Corentyne sub area, forty seven times since his election on the 18th February, 2018, also unveiled plans for the 80th
Anniversary Celebration of the Berbice Cricket Board for the entire month of September. He urged the twenty six clubs to be a part of the celebration by undertaking a project to make a positive difference in the lives of a less fortunate family. The Club would then submit a photo and brief report of the project to the Berbice Cricket Board, who would select the best project. The winner would receive a gift from the RHTYSC, MS and BCB. On a request from a Club representative, Foster would visit the area shortly to resolve a problem between two clubs who use the same venue. At the end of the highly successful meeting, Foster also handed over a collection of stationery and educational materials to Upper Corentyne Cricket Association for the upcoming Cricket Academy. The Sub-Association had earlier benefitted from a donation of a bicycle, trophies, medals, school bags, cricket balls and cases of water for the Academy. Upper Corentyne Cricket Association President Dennis D’Andrade and representatives of the clubs expressed gratitude to the BCB President for the visit.
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Tough day for locals; T&T’s Comarmond cops the Junior double; PR’s Segarra...
The Juvenile Time Trials medalists Alexander Miller (gold), Derex Segarra (silver) and Liam Flannery with Deputy Mayor Ms. Arita Embleton (left) and CCF Secretary, Cyril Monga.
The top three Junior Time Trial medalists pose with deputy Mayor of Bartica Ms. Arita Embleton and CCF Secretary Cyril Monga following the presentation yesterday. Enrique Comarmond (gold), Nicholas Narraway (silver) and Rene Gayual (bronze).
Mayor Gifford Marshall (left) and CCF VP Henny Bonafacio (right) joins the Juvenile Road Race medalists following the presentation. Derex Segarra (gold), Alexander Miller (silver) and Michael Dizon-Bumann (bronze).
The 2019 JCCC Junior Road Race top three pose with Mayor of Bartica Gifford Marshall (left) and CCF VP Henny Bonafacio; Enrique Comarmond (gold), Kianny Noel (silver) and Nicholas Narraway (bronze). From back page of the race and was eventually caught by Comarmond half way through the race and had to settle for the silver medal in 2:30:33. The bronze medal went to Bermuda’s Nicholas Narraway who had taken the silver medal in the Time Trials; he capped a satisfying 2019 championship for himself and nation as they rode away with five of the 12 available medals
(1 gold 2 silver 2 bronze). Narraway’s time in the race was 2:34:25. In the Juvenile contest which started off yesterday’s action, Puerto Rico’s Derex Segarra was golden in the 7lap/36.54 miles clash winning an exciting sprint home in 1:48:34. Early in the piece, it was established that it was going to be a battle between Segarra, Bermuda’s Alexander Miller and United
States Virgin Islands’ Michael Dizon-Bumann. Miller, who had captured the Time Trials gold medal was hopeful of sealing the double but Segarra who had to settle for the silver behind Miller in the Time Trials, turned the tables this time around to the delight of his management team after he crossed the finish line. Miller’s silver medal time was 1:48:35 while Dizon-Bumann
clocked 1:48:36. Bartica Mayor Gifford Marshall and Guyana Cycling Federation President Horace Burrowes who provided live commentary of the races on both Saturday and Sunday expressed gratitude to Almighty God for allowing them to bring off this historic event. They both agreed that it was not an easy pathway to pulling off the biggest cycling event ever in Guyana and expressed thanks to all and sundry for their support and positive words of encouragement. Mayor Marshall thanked his fellow Barticians for coming out in their numbers
to make the visiting nations feel at home, while Burrowes thanked all the volunteers including national cyclists for their commitment in serving as Marshalls at various points along the circuit. Special thanks were extended to members of the Guyana Police Force for excellent service rendered which resulted in an incident free championship. The Caribbean Cycling Federation (CCF), Pan American Cycling Confederation (COPACI) and the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) were all commended for their support by President Burrowes. A total of 16 nations including the host,
participated in this year’s championship: Guyana, Bermuda, Puerto Rico, Curacao, Anguilla, Barbados, United States Virgin Islands, Grenada, Suriname, Trinidad and Tobago, Dominica, Antigua & Barbuda, Cayman Islands, Bahamas and St. Martin descended on these shores, inking their names in the history books. Marshall, his Deputy Mayor Ms. Arita Embleton, CCF Secretary Cyril Monga of Saint Lucia and Vice President Henny Bonafacio of Curacao assisted with the presentation of medals and championships jerseys which were presented to the gold medalists.