K
AIETEUR Guyana basin Thursday Edition offers bigger NEWS profits due to low developmental costs August 15, 2019 - Vol. 12 No. 33
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House-to-house registration legal; court cannot fix date for polls - Chief Justice - Nandall not impressed with ruling, to file appeal Anna Regina Secondary and CJIA's deputy St Rose’s High students are chief to be 1st and 2nd CSEC performers charged indictably with sexual assault Guyana Goldfields no longer interested in selling Political Grade Grade threats stall Ones Ones sugar reform
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Riana Toney of Anna Regina Secondary, Region Two secured the overall top spot for CSEC performer with 19 Grade ones passes.
18
Alex Abraham of St Rose’s High School placed 2nd with 18 Grade ones and two Grade two passes at CSEC
- Finance Minister
Eco Atlantic shares price doubles following Orinduik discovery
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Kaieteur News
Thursday August 15, 2019
Passenger, 66, arrested on birthday with coke in shoes
A
n outgoing male passenger was o n T u e s d a y, August 13, 2019 arrested with 290 grams of cocaine at the Cheddi Jagan International Airport. According to the police, the drug was unearthed in a pair of shoes he was wearing. The US-bound suspect, who turned 66 on Tuesday, is cooperating with police investigators and will be arraigned before a magistrate as early as tomorrow.
Kaieteur News
Thursday August 15, 2019
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Guyana basin offers bigger profits due to low developmental costs H
annam and Partners, a l e a d i n g independent investment bank headquartered in London, recently prepared a report which compared the economics of Guyana's Liza Phase One Project in the Stabroek Block with the Permian basin, which is arguably, the basin that has attracted the most capital in the last few years and should see the most growth in the near-term. In its analysis, the bank found that Guyana offers a lower cost of development, higher financial returns and more rapid cash paybacks. It said that the reason for this is that the fiscal terms of the contacts are some of the best in the world and the reservoirs rank amongst the highest quality in the world too. For its assessment, Hannam and Partners made reference to the statistics and graphs produced by Hess Corporation, an American
oil giant with a 30 percent stake in the Stabroek block. With US$7/bbl development cost for Liza Phase One and a cash payback in three years at a US$50/bbl, Hess sees its opportunity in Guyana as one of the most attractive in the world today. The chart attached to this newspaper article also compares two world-class investment opportunities, Liza Phase One and an illustrative 50,000 acre development in the Delaware Basin in the Permian. The investment bank noted in its report that the assumptions are both developments to a gross production rate of 120,000 barrels of oil equivalent reserves and exclude acquisition costs. It was further noted that the Delaware Basin development assumptions are based upon 1,400 well locations, and US$7.5mm for drilling, completions and facilities costs.
The financial institution said that the results show a few interesting comparisons: initial investment to peak
Brahma Kumaris ties Rakhi on President Granger
Jyotsna Pattel ties a Rakhi on President David Granger's wrist this morning, at the Ministry of the Presidency.
P
resident David Granger yesterday m o r n i n g celebrated Raksha Bandhan with representatives of the Brahma Kumaris Raja Yoga Centre at the Ministry of the Presidency. President Granger said he was grateful for the request from the group to mark the occasion with him as it has the potential to promote social cohesion, by
fostering a greater understanding of how other groups celebrate brotherhood and sisterhood. “I welcome the opportunity, not only at a personal level, but also on behalf of the entire country,� the President said. While tying the Rakhi (sacred thread) on to the President's wrist, Sister Jyotsna Pattel said the Brahma Kumaris was
pleased to celebrate the festival of Raksha Bandhan with him. She said the tying of the Rahki not only represents a sisterly and brotherly connection, but the bond of love which each person should have for the other. Ms. Paramdai Persaud, Ms. Sita Narine and Mr. Stanley Singh of the Braham Kumaris, also attended the event.
production for Liza will be around three years, versus Delaware, which is over 10 years. It was also found that Liza has better permeability than the Delaware basin and requires less production wells. CONSIDERABLE PROGRESS The development of Liza Phase One is making considerable progress.
Company officials have since noted that development drilling began in May for the first of 17 wells planned for Phase One. This they said would lay the foundation for production startup in 2020. E x x o n M o b i l representatives also noted that in partnership with Hess Guyana Exploration Limited and CNOOC Nexen Petroleum Guyana Limited,
they have so far discovered recoverable resources of more than 5.5 billion oilequivalent barrels in the Stabroek Block. Liza Phase One is expected to generate over $7 billion in royalty and profit oil revenues for Guyana over the life of the project. The project involves the conversion of an oil tanker into a floating, production, (continued on page 9)
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Kaieteur News
Thursday August 15, 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
Different folk, different strokes
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ven in the most advanced societies, there are always the reminders of the double standards that prevail. They occur through private arrangements, which eventually see the light of day. It leaves the colluding and culpable with red faces, tongues tied, and feet tangled, as they run, in vain, for cover through silence or some excuse that were better left unsaid, so utterly foolish they sound and look. Three examples from the Big Apple should illustrate how big officials go out of their way to make things happen for bigger people. They tell the stories of rich and poor, powerful and powerless, and those who know how to work the system to their advantage. Money and the reach that it facilitates are at the heart of the different strokes that are meted out to different folks. There are tawdry histories of now departed financier, Jeffrey Epstein, which calls for a book by itself to tell the story of his predations involving minors, and the favors granted to the man by collaborating law enforcement agencies, one after another. In 2008, a U.S attorney met with the predator’s counsel in a hotel room to discuss a plea deal. Believe it. He got early release and immunity from federal sex trafficking charges. Believe those, too. That was in Florida. In New York, the NYPD did not enforce at any time in eight years the court imposed 90-day check-ins that were part of the sentencing of this serial sexual predator (Source: New York Post editorial dated July 17). His hastened death raises suspicions. Different folks, different strokes. In New York City, a parking space is the equivalent of an oil well: scarce, but treasured. Former hedge fund headman, Noah Gottesman, took matters into his own hands and extended his personal driveway. He proceeded to carve out his own reserved area in a West Village sidewalk on Jane and Washington Streets; he did this without the permission of the Department of Buildings, since 2011, and is only now being held to account. Should a regular citizen attempt to lean a bicycle on a lamppost in one of five boroughs, either the same NYPD or traffic wardens come out in force to hassle, charge and intimidate into compliance with NYC laws. Over here, residents and pedestrians in Georgetown have to endanger themselves by walking before moving vehicular traffic, because well-moneyed and wellconnected people have taken over what used to be pavements and spaces used by the public. It is now the norm around the town. The poor and regular people feel the squeeze when they so much as sneeze. It is not the same standard for the big shots and heavy hitters, who pay their way to get their way. Same story, whether over there or here. Then, there was a matter involving an NYPD lieutenant’s teenage son, who threatened to kill another child, and then proceeded to slash his head; this occurred after the alleged perpetrator sent a picture of himself with a bullet in his teeth to the intended victim. The result should not surprise and may even be expected: no charges filed. This confirms that police departments go to great, perhaps illegal lengths, to cover for their own. In Guyana, there were recent reports of daughters and police connections. The first involved a vehicular accident that resulted in death. The ensuing press coverage and claims of relatives point to a standard applied that was different from that of other drivers faced with similar circumstances. The second was of an alleged felony by another daughter against a cop. That produced a comedy of errors, which should make a whole nation weep for things police. The long arm of the law deliberately amputated itself at the elbow.
The challenge now facing the Guyanese people is how to bring the ship back on course DEAR EDITOR, As the consequential episodes continue to unfold following passage of the No Confidence Motion (NCM) beginning from December 21, 2018 to present, there is a fundamental question that appears to have slipped under the radar. It is to be recalled that following passage of the NCM and the end of the 11th sitting of the National Assembly at approximately 9:26 pm, APNU+AFC MPs, led by Prime Minister Moses Nagamootoo et al, held a hurriedly called press conference in the Parliament Buildings at about 10pm that same night. At the late night event, Mr. Nagamootoo admitted; “We have suffered a setback. This is not an ordinary setback. This is a serious political setback.” Capturing the utterings of the Prime Minister at the press conference, Stabroek News of 21/12/18 reported as follows; ‘PM Nagamootoo has accepted that it lost the No Confidence Motion brought against it by the PPP/C and the relevant constitutional
provisions will kick in.’ In S/N of the same date, the Guyana Trades Union Congress (GTUC) chimed in stating: ‘Our democracy is at work... the decision is lawful and binding.’ For his part, President Granger kept his powder dry for just about 24 hours after the passage of the motion. It was not until Saturday, December 22, 2018 when the President declared; “Government will abide by the stipulations which have been imposed upon it following passage of the No Confidence Motion.” But a major concern that has not been interrogated fully is; what was it that made the APNU+AFC change its position within just thirteen days (13) after admitting that; it lost the motion, that the motion was validly passed, that they had suffered a serious political setback and finally, that government will abide by the (Constitutional) stipulations imposed on it? Could it be that the APNU+AFC parliamentary group did not consult with other key coalition and other
non-parliamentary stakeholders before admitting defeat at the hands of the opposition? Were there any confessions and criticisms within the coalition that the parliamentary group had acted prematurely? Were there any accusations of betrayal by one partner to another? Admittedly, while these are all speculative questions suggesting speculative answers, be that as it may, it would not be unreasonable to conclude that the NCM must have had a tsunami-type impact on the coalition, triggering internal squabbling over an unauthorized deviation from the cultivated image of the coalition. At the risk of deeming the issue ‘water under the bridge’ and as engaging in an excursion into the realm of speculation, it is nevertheless important that we reflect on the APNU+AFC’s change of mind in order to understand why we are where are today on the cusp of a constitutional and political crisis. The situation at the time of the passage of the NCM, could be characterized as one where in the twinkling of an
eye, an overconfident and exuberant Government was tamed by the fickle ways of politics. In retrospect, though all the right things were said by government spokesmen at the press conference and later, by the President himself, what followed immediately after was tantamount to a frenetic scramble to claw back out of a political quagmire onto safer ground. Reality, it appeared, had dawned upon members of the coalition that political power had slipped from their hands. Thus, it became urgent for the coalition to demonstrate to the nation that they were still in charge. Caught in a tailspin with the passage of the NCM, the coalition government’s fragility became so corrosive that it rapidly degenerated into a default mindset. The NCM had obviously upset the APNU+ AFC’s elections timetable and by extension, the shelf-life of the administration, whose foundation was battered beyond repair by the NCM. And as if gasping for political oxygen, (Continued on page 6 )
SUGAR – A STATE OF EMERGENCY DEAR EDITOR, It is not unusual for the sugar industry of Guyana to be under siege, whether it was privately owned or nationalised. The largest employer in Guyana (and the Caribbean) has however learnt to ‘roll with the punches’. Yet it has never experienced such subversion as to which its current management has been subjected over the last two years or more. Effectively at the end of 2017, by a most illogical organisational mechanism, the industry was reduced from seven estates to three – the latter being Albion/PM and Blairmont Estates in Berbice; and Uitvlugt Estate in West Demerara. Wales Estate in the adjoining area had already been closed at the end of 2016; preceding the closure of Skeldon and Rose Hall Estates in Berbice, and East Demerara Estate (Enmore). It was advised at the end of 2017 that the last three locations were placed under an agency named the Special Purpose Unit of NICIL, whose Board reported to the Ministry of Finance. What this construct substantively articulated was that the four named locations would be kept operational as far as possible, purportedly as an incentive to prospective
investors interested in producing specifically sugar. Unfortunately the proposed exercise was undermined by two fundamental misconceptions: i) How would it be possible to maintain production at locations from which most of the relevant skills and competencies had been severed? In this connection, there was the fallacy of having to rehire and pay those who were in the process of receiving their terminal benefits in tranches. ii) The baseless assumption that total strangers could in fact manage a number of patently defective organisational systems, at whatever cost – to attract the putative seventy prospective interested parties announced to a meeting with GAWU and NAACIE at East Demerara Estate (Enmore) in 2017. At the time of writing approximately two years later, the indications are that just two investors may be still interested – an understandable reduction, since there has been no public announcement of sugar production resulting from the identifiable ‘SPU’ estates. Meantime, with the current political distractions, it would appear that no attention is being paid to any deadline for the privatisation of the failed estates.
iii) It is as if the SPU’s Terms of Reference do not have a terminal date for successful implementation of the process, that is, of their publicised misbehaviours towards GuySuCo, would not serve as a disincentive to what remaining investors there may be. In the meantime, all the concerned parties (at the highest level) must take into consideration where and how the critical human resources will be available to operate the individual vested sugar Estates. For it must be realised that of the severed personnel who have not yet found alternative work, others would hardly be interested in returning to new suspect management systems, certainly without similar conditions to their previous employment (particularly health benefits). In the meantime, there is the acrimonious relationship existing between an old dedicated GuySuCo management team and the new intemperate pioneers. One area of dispute is La Bonne Intention (LBI) Estate, already the site of GuySuCo’s Head Office. When the SPU sought office space there, it was graciously proffered, by a management who did not expect the squatters would assert ownership of the LBI compound, most likely with the
mistaken understanding that LBI was actually a component of the East Demerara Estate. History in fact shows that the estate operations were in fact closed by the previous administration since 2011. Most of the resident staff required for the new configuration were transferred to Enmore Estate or resorted to their own homes. So that to all intents and purposes, the LBI compound could not be assumed to be part of the property to be transitioned from the Sugar Corporation to a virtual tenant. There would have had to be a relevant legal execution to make such a transfer a reality. Indeed, the property was not included amongst those vested in NICIL via the Vesting Order of 2017, by the Minister of Finance – effectively divorcing the prospective privatised sugar industry from under the purview of the Ministry of Agriculture – thus constructing two or more competitive sugar economies. So that stories regarding the revival of the swimming pool – a part of the building which housed the extant training facility (no longer considered to be the staff social resort) – by the new arrivals, raised questions about the legitimacy of the (Continued on page 6 )
Thursday August 15, 2019
MANY QUESTIONS REMAIN ON THE ISSUE OF HAITIAN ARRIVALS DEAR EDITOR, I wrote the Press earlier this month, asking the Minister of Citizenship and or our President to explain the sudden arrival in Guyana of a very large number of Haitians reported on extensively in our media. According to the media reports, the Haitian arrivals are carefully organised with obvious official government support. Their arrival has coincided with a highly suspect house to house registration exercise with questionable legal authority and disputed justification. In response to these public concerns, Minister Felix disclosed that, in the last six months, 8,436 Haitians arrived and 1,170 are supposed to have departed. Those whom have left are acknowledged by the Minister to be mostly doing so illegally, The Minis-
ter seemed unable, however, to provide convincing documentation in support of his statement. In the current highly charged political environment, with the opposition and, for instance, the Private Sector Commission, opposed to the “registration” which is being conducted without the legally required scrutineering, it is perfectly reasonable to ask the question: where are the seven thousand odd unaccounted for Haitians? In these circumstances, it is perfectly reasonable to also ask, not only where, but how are the Haitians occupied? They have not come as tourists and they are not authorised to work! In reactions, these questions have been vigourously and vociferously labeled as a ‘xenophobic attack’ meaning racists, on the Haitians.
I cannot speak for others, but as far as I am concerned, the application of this label, in this context is utter rubbish, and, if anything, is in itself racist in character and concept.The Haitians are our Caricom brothers and sisters and are understandably and undoubtedly fleeing their own impoverished circumstances in search of a better life and deserve our empathy and assistance. I wonder, however, if it has occurred, at all, to those, some otherwise very intelligent people amongst them, who so readily and conveniently employ this emotive use of race in pursuit of their own unspoken agenda, that the Haitians are both vulnerable and susceptible to political manipulation and exploitation of the worst kind. Yours sincerely Kit Nascimento
The seeming vestiges of ‘massa day’ belong to the relics of the past DEAR EDITOR, The GAWU has seen the comments of GuySuCo’s Corporate Communications Manager, Ms Audreyanna Thomas, which appeared in the August 10 Stabroek News, regarding the recent strike action by workers of Albion Estate. Ms Thomas points out that discussion regarding pay rise for 2018 was deadlocked and the Company was not in receipt of the Union’s demands regarding 2019. What wasn’t said, maybe out of ignorance, was that the conciliatory discussions at the level of the Ministry of Social Protection became deadlocked mere days ago. Certainly, it would have been imprudent and illogical for the Union to submit its proposals for this year without concluding discussions on 2018 as, obviously, one affects the other. Nevertheless, the GAWU is working, at this time, to submit its claims in the shortest time. Moreover, it does not negate the reality that sugar workers are enjoying rates-ofpay that were last adjusted in 2014. In fact, during our en-
gagements with the Corporation at the bilateral and conciliatory levels, the GAWU hastened to point out that the freezing of wages, apart from other attacks on workers conditions-of-work, has seen between 2014 and 2017, workers taking home 30 per cent less in their pay. When inflation is taken into account, a further 6 per cent in wages have been lost by workers. Our Union noted that those developments came at a time when prices for certain food items have gone up in excess of 50 per cent and the cost of medicines, for instance, has also steeply risen. In spite of those daunting realities, sugar workers continued to work dedicatedly and saw the Corporation not only meeting its production targets, but exceeding them as well. Yet for those feats and efforts, the workers are treated disdainfully and were given a paltry bonus which equated to about less than $1,500 per month. Also, the GuySuCo spokesperson didn’t say, for obvious reasons, that there is support, among certain forces, to approve a pay rise
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to workers yet, nevertheless, the workers continue to experience denial after denial. We have told the GuySuCo that it cannot turn a blind eye to the reality that their workers’ dollars are buying less and less and they will soon be placed firmly with their backs against the wall, if they are not there already. Certainly, this situation for the workers is upsetting, especially when they go home and come to the realisation that they cannot meet, at times, even the basic demands of life. Ms Thomas also told the Stabroek News that “[l]ast year, for the second crop, the workers achievement 2,200 tonnes per week”. Our records advise us that of the twenty (20) grinding weeks during the 2018 second crop, on three (3) occasions the production of 2,200 tonnes was surpassed. During the recently concluded first crop, at no time
I am steadfastly in the camp of the am fully aware of the Court’s are hoping for a happy Rule of Law Idecision for the election to be marriage between principle
DEAR EDITOR, Response is being made to Robin Singh’s letter “Et tu, Lincoln?” (Kaieteur News, 14th August, 2019). I am not sure if this Robin is the one who presents himself on facebook and elsewhere as part of “Camp Ali” i.e. a supporter of PPP/C presidential candidate Irfaan Ali. This notwithstanding, evidently based on the writer’s arguments, he desires of me to be in a camp. Let it be known, I am in a camp. That camp is called the Rule of Law. On the matter of the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ)’s rulings and orders, this nation continues to witness the interpretations of persons presented as though these are the decisions of the Court. An interpretation is different from a decision. In the decision of the CCJ, with regards to when an election is to be held, there was no mention of the 18th September. Refer to: http:// www.ccj.org/wp-content/ uploads/2019/07/2019CCJ-14-AJ.pdf The 18th September has been an interpretation applied by some. To ask or expect of me to follow the band who have so interpreted, while for Robin it may place me in the category of what he considers a “stab in the back for us all” by a “member of civil society,” shows how polarising and irrational some are becoming in the quest to make their interpretation the Court’s decision. Robin is being called on to show where in the CCJ’s ruling it stipulates in an order that elections be held by 18th September. Until the High Court, which has before it a case calling for elections to be held by such date, so makes the decision, my position stands! 18th September was never mentioned by the court. Contrary to the misinformation he is peddling
held within the timeframe as stipulated by Article 106 of the Guyana Constitution. I have consistently pointed to same and call for its respect. What is clearly missing from the national discourse is that the implementation of the Court’s decisions require a meeting of minds by the political operatives. This is an appeal yours truly has been repeatedly making and reiterate today. On the matter of showing respect for Article 13 (i.e. inclusionary democracy) Robin is applying a disingenuous tactic in the hope that wool could be pulled over the eyes of the people. As a principal proponent for giving true meaning- via policies, programmes and legislation to this fundamental declaration of our political system, once again this nation missed the opportunity to get it right. The CCJ on the 18th June sent back the parties to work out modalities on how they will proceed consistent with the decisions it handed down. Justice Wit said, “We
and practicality.” This entreaty, were it implemented, would have seen constructive engagement between and among groups, giving life to Article 13. Wit’s request went straight over the heads of many, lending the impression that even the court may not be able to help us to get the fundamentals of governance correct. No wonder we are in this conundrum today. Rather than seeking to come together on a common platform which the CCJ’s decisions afford us, some are veering into camps of irrationality and stubbornness. Robin is not excluded. The PPP/C’s interpretation of the CCJ’s decision on when an election ought to be held and its attempts to corral national thinking and action inconsistent with said decision shall not find a party in me. I am steadfastly in the camp of the Rule of Law. Who benefits or is offended by such activism, it is incidental. Lincoln Lewis
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The issue of migration of people and immigration policies of nations is complex DEAR EDITOR, The issue of migration of people and immigration policies of nations is complex. For any visitor travelling to a foreign country, the first clearing point is the immigration officer. The officer inquires if she is entering the country for business or pleasure. If the nature of the visit is business, what is the nature of the business. If the visitor is in the country to work, proof is required: a letter from the employer confirming the job. In some countries, the visitor must demonstrate that the job is specialized and there are no locals who can do it. Work visas are difficult to get. If you are visiting on holiday, (visitor’s visa), you will be asked where are you staying (hotel or friend’s house) and whether you have enough money to pay your expenses during your visit. This screening process is designed for the protection of the host country, and represents good national and government policy to screen incoming visitors. A visitor who cannot pay for her trip will become a burden on the society. A visitor should not take away a job that a citizen can do. But citizens of poor countries will always seek a better life elsewhere, and will ‘put in’ and hope to ‘get through’ in the hope of betterment elsewhere. After fifty-three years of political mismanagement in Guyana, there has been mass migration of Guyanese from this country until more than two million Guyanese live in the Caribbean, the USA,
Canada, the UK and elsewhere, having run the gauntlet of immigration rules and officialdom before finding those ‘greener pastures’ abroad. And the process was not easy. There is ‘the bench’, ‘backtrack’, ‘overstaying’ and ‘deportation’, expressions familiar to all of us. In the Caribbean, an enlightened approach has tried to create a single economic regional entity through the formation of Caricom. As part of this combination, Caricom members have agreed that nationals of Caricom should have visitors’ right of entry to any Caricom state without a visa. The right is not unqualified; work visas are not granted by right, and even to get a visitor’s visa, visitors must upon arrival in a Caricom state demonstrate to immigration officers that they have the means to support themselves for the duration of their stay. In June 2018, Caricom extended this right of entry to citizens of the recently admitted Caricom state of Haiti. It was agreed that six months’ visitors visas would be granted to Haitians seeking entry into any Caricom state, with the single and important qualification being reserved that the visitor must demonstrate to Immigration his or her financial ability to support himself or herself during the period of the visit. This was a continuation of the progressive Caricom policy that our sister States should continue to pursue the original agenda of Caricom of economic and so-
cial cohesion and cooperation. The single qualification imposed, that the Haitian visitor demonstrate financial means, was a practical and safeguard to ensure that national economic and social interests of the host nation continue to be protected. However, as usual, in Guyana, instead of providing true leadership for the good of the nation, the two large political parties have permitted our ethnically divisive politics which has so harmed our country to intrude into the Haitian visa issue. When the President of Guyana implemented the Haitian immigration policy, in January 2019, his Order was not informed to the national media, and no explanation was given by the government to the public, informing them of the history of Caricom, of Guyana’s obligations as a Caricom member, and of the need for a single and cohesive Caricom model based on inclusivity. The government is here to serve all Guyanese and we should have been fully informed of developments. But we weren’t. Instead, the Order appeared shrouded in secrecy and no explanations were offered. The inevitable occurred. When Haitians began appearing in the country, suspicions were aroused and xenophobic fears were ignited. Haiti is a black nation. Elections are near in Guyana, and voting in Guyana is based on black-indo ethnic affinity. APNU has in its former manifestation been
I support the idea of free education... DEAR EDITOR, August 6, 2019 marked thirty-four years since the passing of Forbes Burnham. Glowing tributes were paid to him by President Granger, who credited him for introducing free education in Guyana, from nursery to university. Free education, desirable
as it was, turned out, however, to be highly deficient in terms of quality, as the performance of Guyanese students lagged behind their regional counterparts, with Guyana at one time ranked among the worst performing countries at the CXC examinations. More than half of the students who sat the CXC exami-
nations failed to attain acceptable pass grades. The situation got progressively worse as the economy deteriorated to a point where we were once ranked among the poorest nations in the western hemisphere. The point I am seeking to make is that there is a strong correlation between the state of the economy and the quality of education delivery. A weak and shrinking economy impacts negatively on the supply of critical ingredients for education success, including a strong cadre of qualified professionals and other resource material. I am not opposed to free education. I support the idea of free education, but unless the economy is strong enough to sustain the cost of free education, we could revert to the days when the quality of education delivery became a sacrificial lamb on the altar of political expediency. Hydar Ally
guilty of electoral fraud. And now Haitians are being imported into Guyana without apparent restriction and without explanation by the Government, and are disappearing into the country with very few returning to back to Haiti the same way they arrived. Right or wrong, the suspicions of PPP loyalists, and indeed of some moderate Guyanese citizens, were aroused. In response to the unpardonable silence from the Government, the Opposition could have acted in the interest of the country to explain the Caricom system to its supporters and express support for the hand of welcome extended to Haiti, while calling on the Government to reassure Guyanese with real and meaningful information. Instead it has over the past seven months remained silent, doing nothing to restrain the speculations by its supporters. It was only recently
that the tepid hope was expressed by the Opposition that Haitians should not be made to feel unwelcome by Guyanese. Unrestrained by meaningful and informed leadership, the expressions of suspicion by PPP loyalists grew in volume and temperature. Equally unrestrained by meaningful and informed leadership, the response by APNU loyalists has been to accuse Opposition supporters of ‘xenophobia’. The noise reached a crescendo, and the real issue was subsumed. Only the two monolith parties benefit from this polarization of the country, which threatens to reach unprecedented extremes as even moderates are sucked into the morass of accusation and counter accusation. “How can you vote for those racists?” “How can you trust those people?” Political discussion in Guyana should not be about
race, but unfortunately it is about race. It will be about race as long as the two monolith parties each represent one large ethnic group and both continue their politics of divisiveness. A New and United Guyana calls on the PPP to express its support for the inclusion of Haiti into Caricom as a sister State, and its support for the policy of granting visiting (not working) visas to Haitians for periods of no more than six months. These are our brothers and sisters in the Caribbean and have suffered the same victimization and stigma that we as a people have suffered as a result of failed leadership in both our countries. A New and United Guyana calls on APNU to publicly assure the people of Guyana that no Haitian will receive a visa unless he or she demonstrates the financial means to support himself or (Continued on page 24)
The challenge now facing the Guyanese... From page 4 the need for time and space became a matter of political survival for the coalition administration. But the fundamental challenge for the coalition was, in what way and by what means could the coalition continue to govern legitimately having lost its credibility as a result of the Constitutional provisions imposed upon it, and to which it was legally bound. Whatever the coalition’s mindset was at the time of the passage of the NCM, subsequent events proved that the mindset changed dramatically to a more hardline, inflexible approach anchored in the thinking that; ‘We can’t give up just like that.’ In the circumstances, it was a clear case where the President had no interest whatsoever in being a prisoner of the constitution, nor to be humiliated by the politi-
cal opposition It was this cynical narrative that guided subsequent steps of the administration’s forays into the realm of the judiciary with the hope of buying time and space with a view to undoing what the constitution, in letter and spirit, had called upon the coalition to do. Taking advantage of the separation of powers, the ruling coalition then sought to utilize the machinery of the executive branch to obfuscate and frustrate every order of the Judiciary, be they from a lower or higher court. The strategic objective being: to live through its full five-year term in office. Having found itself between a rock and a hard place, the caretaker government embarked on a journey aimed at deceiving the populace into believing that it would honour its Constitutional ob-
ligations, but would do so by way of a self-fulfilling prophecy of its own making. What followed were manifestations of the depth to which the country’s ethical tone can fall as witnessed for example, in the infamous miscalculation of what constitutes half of sixty-five. Little did the caretaker government realize that to change MV Guyana’s course by one degree, would cause the ship to sail through entirely different, if not uncharted waters as is evident in Guyana today. The challenge now facing the Guyanese people is how to bring the ship back on course and to effect a change of crew who will bring the ship safely to a port where there will be no storm, and where the people will study war of any kind no more. Yours faithfully, Clement J. Rohee
Sugar – A State of Emergency From page 4 residency which they claimed. Somehow, however, the related decision-makers, while overlooking any real promise of privatisation – for the declared purposes of producing sugar – are reducing the possibilities for investment by allowing technically misguided personnel to dispose of components of the very Estate factories as ‘scrap metal’. Meantime, recent information would suggest that these newcomers have shown little inclination of a reconciliation with their (unofficial) landlords, who so far
as the public is concerned, do not appear to have taken a firm legal position to quell the unnecessary turbulence. From this writer’s perspective, there must be insistence that LBI, where GuySuCo’s Head Office is located, belongs only to GuySuCo; and its staff members must be allowed to feel and remain secure. It is not as if the ‘Tenants’ are there permanently, for presumably it is well understood that their ‘special purpose’ having been fulfilled (or having failed), it will be logical for their principals to recall them to their base. This submission is there-
fore intended to help clarify, for the benefit of the public, the confusion which appears to surround the SPU in the first instance, and its effect on the management of GuySuCo in the second instance.But more fundamentally, all must ponder the wisdom or otherwise of the initial strategy, and the growing futility of the exercise of an SPU. Meanwhile, some concern must be shown for the debilitating effect this sterile period has had on the morale of those who sustain the legacy of the sugar industry. Yours faithfully E.B. John
Thursday August 15, 2019
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Kaieteur News
Guyana working closer with India to build solar energy capacity President David Granger yesterday accepted the Letters of Credence from Dr. K. J. Srinivasa, accrediting him as the new High Commissioner of India to Guyana. Dr. Srinivasa replaces former High Commissioner, Venkatachalam Mahalingam, whose tour of duty ended on July 1, 2019. In his remarks, President Granger said Guyana and India are bound together by ties of blood, history and common interests since immigrants from India came to Guyana 181 years ago and their descendants, today, constitute a large proportion of the country’s population. He noted that India was among the first countries to establish diplomatic relations with Guyana after it became independent on May 26, 1966. “Our relations are founded on mutual respect for each other’s territorial integrity and sovereignty, mutual non-interference in each other’s internal affairs, cooperation for mutual benefit, respect for treaties and international law and the maintenance of regional peace and security. Guyana and India have enjoyed excellent relations over the past 53 years. Our relations have been characterized by cooperation
Dr K. J. Srinivasa, the new High Commissioner of India to Guyana, and his wife being welcomed by President David Granger and others yesterday. and collaboration in the fields of agriculture, culture, diplomacy, public health, public information, housing, information communication technology, infrastructural development, investment, renewable energy, sport, trade, training and water,” he said. The Head of State noted that the relations between the two countries continue to be enhanced by high-level
engagements between officials of both states as Guyana would have signed and ratified the Framework Agreement of the International Solar Alliance in January 2018 under his tenure. “I reaffirmed our commitment to the ‘Alliance’ during my attendance at the First Summit of the International Solar Alliance held in New Delhi in March 2018. Guyana looks to
continue its cooperation with India in pursuit of its goal of becoming a solar state – a key component of Guyana’s Green State Development Strategy. “Guyana looks forward to intensifying its cooperation with India during your tenure as High Commissioner,” President Granger said. Meanwhile, Ambassador Srinivasa, in his remarks, said although India and Guyana
are separated by long distance, they have common characteristics and can continue to collaborate in a number of areas. “Immense opportunity exists for the two countries to enhance bilateral trade, particularly in agriculture and food processing, oil and gas, renewable sources of energy, forestry, drugs and pharmaceuticals, education, health and infrastructure.
India is committed to Guyana’s overall development and India’s participation in various sectors of Guyana’s economy will continue. The GSDS has been recognised all over the world and India would like to benefit from Guyana’s experience in this field. Our two countries can indeed play a role in the international fora,” he said. (Ministry of the Presidency)
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Thursday August 15, 2019
Kaieteur News
Trinidad private sector group Eco Atlantic’s share price doubles “discussing” comments by Jagdeo following Orinduik discovery (Antigua News) - The Trinidad and Tobago private sector remained silent on Wednesday after Guyana’s Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo criticised Trinidadian investors seeking to do business in the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) country. A spokesman for the Trinidad and Tobago
Chamber of Industry and Commerce told the Caribbean Media Corporation (CMC) that “the matter is currently being discussed.”. Jagdeo, speaking at a news conference last Thursday, referred to the foreign investors as “carpet baggers” adding “there are quite a few coming in from Trinidad and Tobago”.
He said just recently he was speaking to an unidentified person “who was unguarded and he said he yesterday signed up to get some land from Go-Invest and he is going to get free hold title”. The Opposition Leader in dismissing statements made by the country’s Finance Minister, Winston Jordan, about the influx of foreign investors and the four per cent growth of the local economy, said land which had been earmarked for a speciality hospital under the previous People’s Progressive Party (PPP) administration, had also been sold to Trinidad and Tobago investors. He said Trinidad and Tobago investors were also entering various areas of the local economy including car rental and movie businesses. “The Trinidadians are coming in and getting a ton of land here and a lot of them are paying bribes. I don’t have a problem with Trinidadians coming here and investing. Let me make that clear, but not in this period. “The carpetbaggers are coming,” he said, noting that a team which had recently travelled to Trinidad for an investment conference “has been brokering these arrangements. “So they meet with the people, they have to give donations over there in (Continued on page 12)
Just hours after announcing on Monday, the discovery of oil at its Jethro1 well on the Orinduik Block, the share price for Eco Atlantic doubled from 73p per share to trade just over 139p per share on the London Stock Exchange. Thrilled with the news, CEO of Eco Atlantic, Gil Holzman was quick to comment that the partners which include Tullow and Total, have multiple plays on the block with similar geological characteristics with the Joe prospect being the next well to be drilled. F u r t h e r m o r e , E c o ’s Chief Operating Officer (COO) and Co-Founder, Colin Kinley, commented that the Jethro-1 well confirms the continuance of the petroleum system onto the Orinduik Block, an up dip from the prolific discoveries on the Exxon operated Stabroek Block. Kinley said that the well has resulted in a mitigation of risk of the presence of quality reservoir sands, seal and trap parameters. He also stated that the company has multiple drilling targets on the block
Eco Atlantic CEO, Gil Holzman with similar geophysical characteristics. Kinley said that the company will be moving the Stena Forth drill ship immediately to its next target, the Joe-1 prospect which is just a s h o r t m o v e t o a shallower target, and is e x p e c t e d t o s p u d midAugust. ORINDUIK JV PARTNERS In January 2016, Eco signed a Petroleum Agreement and is party to a Petroleum Licence with the Government of Guyana and Tullow Oil for the Orinduik Block offshore Guyana. Tullow Oil as the Operator of the Block, paid past costs and carried Eco for the first 1000km2 of the 2550km2 3D Survey. Further, Tullow contributed an extensive 2D seismic data set
and interpretation. The Company’s 2550 km2 3D seismic survey was completed in September 2017, well within the initial four-year work commitment the Company made for the initial 1000km2. In September 2017, Eco announced that its subsidiary, Eco Atlantic (Guyana) Inc. entered into an option agreement on its Orinduik Block with Total, a wholly owned subsidiary of Total S.A. Pursuant to the option. Total paid an option fee of US$1 million to farm-in to the Orinduik Block. An additional payment of US$12,500,000 was made when Total exercised its option to earn 25 percent of Eco’s working interest in September 2018. Following the exercise of the option by Total, the Block’s working interests became: Tullow – 60% (Operator), Total – 25% and Eco – 15%. In October, last, the Government approved of the Total farm-in on the Orinduik Block, which has the potential for almost three billion barrels of oil equivalent. Just a few days ago however, Total sold 10 percent of its interest in the Orinduik Block to Qatar Petroleum. The government is still to grant approval for this farm-in by Qatar.
Jealous man invades home, stabs ex-lover and partner Police are hunting for an Upper Berbice man who stabbed his ex-lover and her partner after sneaking into their home.Dolly Gobin, 48, and Leymond Smith, 40, of Hururu Mission, Upper Berbice, were admitted to the Linden Hospital Complex with stab wounds to their upper bodies. According to reports, Gobin and Smith were consuming alcohol at Gobin’s home when a man with whom Gobin had shared a relationship
confronted them. The intruder then stabbed Gobin under the left side breast while Smith was stabbed to the left side chest. The assailant then fled. The victims were treated at the Kwakwani Hospital before being transferred to the Linden Hospital Complex. Kaieteur News understands that police searched a camp that the suspect had occupied but failed to locate him.
Thursday August 15, 2019
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Kaieteur News
Any chorus for a cause The ruling yesterday by the Chief Justice that persons who are already registered cannot be deregistered by virtue of them being abroad, has effectively neutered the
arguments which the APNU+AFC and its echoers have been making about the necessity for house-to-house registration. The APNU+AFC
shamelessly used the demand for house-to-house registration as a ploy not to go to elections within the three months period for elections following a no-
Dem boys seh ...
Any chorus for a cause The ruling yesterday by the Chief Justice that persons who are already registered cannot be deregistered by virtue of them being abroad, has effectively neutered the arguments which the APNU+AFC and its echoers have been making about the necessity for house-to-house registration. The APNU+AFC shamelessly used the demand for house-to-house registration as a ploy not to go to elections within the three months period for elections following a noconfidence motion. The coalition government said that the house-to- house registration was necessary to remove the more than 200,000 errors which were on the Official List of Electors, the very list which it did not find fault in November when it contested local government elections. The APNU+AFC’s argument was that house-to-house registration was necessary to sanitize the List of these 200,000 errors – persons presumably who were dead or migrated either permanently or temporarily. It matters not that there were effective controls to prevent these persons from voting. According to the APNU+AFC, the best way to purge the list of these massive errors was to have house-to-house errors. The APNU+AFC has nor presented a shred of evidence that the list is seriously flawed. It did not need to. All it has to say is that the sky is yellow and its supporters will pick up this chant – any chorus for a cause. GECOM went ahead with house-tohouse registration even though the Opposition was contending that it was more effective, less costly and quicker for the list to the sanitized through a claims and objections period. Yesterday’s decision of the Chief Justice means that the coalition government no
longer has a leg to stand on in terms of its justification for house-to-house registration. The Chief Justice has ruled that persons cannot be deregistered by virtue of them being out of the country during the registration exercise. So why then have house-to-house registration if these persons cannot be removed? The only reason why house-to-house registration would have made sense was if it was permissible for absentee residents to be taken off the list. But this can no longer happen since, according to reports, the Court ruled that this would not be lawful. Why then waste billions of dollars on house-to house registration when all those names with which the list was padded can now no longer be removed. It makes no sense now to have houseto-house registration. It will be a waste of money and a waste of time. GECOM is likely to meet today and it should take the decision, in light of the decision of the Chief Justice, to discontinue house-to- house registration. A Claims and Objections Period can then be launched and if GECOM finds its necessary a sample house-to-house verification of the new List of Elections can be undertaken to satisfy the naysayers and those who still harbor suspicions about the integrity of the list. But stop the charade about the need for house-to-to house registration. Take the remaining money if left from the house-to- house registration and fix the New Amsterdam Hospital before it becomes the unofficial mortuary of Region Six. Fix the drainage system before Guyana becomes the Venice of the Caribbean. Take some of those billions and pay the teachers properly. But forget house-to-house registration. The justification for it no longer exists.
confidence motion. The coalition government said that the house-to- house registration was necessary to remove the more than 200,000 errors which were on the Official List of Electors, the very list which it did not find fault in November when it contested local government elections. The APNU+AFC’s argument was that house-tohouse registration was necessary to sanitize the List of these 200,000 errors – persons presumably who were dead or migrated either permanently or temporarily. It matters not that there were effective controls to prevent these persons from voting. According to the APNU+AFC, the best way to purge the list of these massive errors was to have house-to-house errors. The APNU+AFC has nor presented a shred of evidence that the list is seriously flawed. It did not need to. All it has to say is that the sky is yellow and its supporters will pick up this chant – any chorus for a cause. GECOM went ahead with house-to-house registration even though the Opposition was contending that it was
more effective, less costly and quicker for the list to the sanitized through a claims and objections period. Yesterday’s decision of the Chief Justice means that the coalition government no longer has a leg to stand on in terms of its justification for house-to-house registration. The Chief Justice has ruled that persons cannot be deregistered by virtue of them being out of the country during the registration exercise. So why then have house-to-house registration if these persons cannot be removed? The only reason why house-to-house registration would have made sense was if it was permissible for absentee residents to be taken off the list. But this can no longer happen since, according to reports, the Court ruled that this would not be lawful. Why then waste billions of dollars on house-to house registration when all those names with which the list was padded can now no longer be removed. It makes no sense now to have house-to-house registration. It will be a waste of money and a waste of time. GECOM is likely to meet
today and it should take the decision, in light of the decision of the Chief Justice, to discontinue house-tohouse registration. A Claims and Objections Period can then be launched and if GECOM finds its necessary a sample house-to-house verification of the new List of Elections can be undertaken to satisfy the naysayers and those who still harbor suspicions about the integrity of the list. But stop the charade about the need for house-to-to house registration. Take the remaining money if left from the house-tohouse registration and fix the New Amsterdam Hospital before it becomes the unofficial mortuary of Region Six. Fix the drainage system before Guyana becomes the Venice of the Caribbean. Take some of those billions and pay the teachers properly. But forget house-tohouse registration. The justification for it no longer exists.
Guyana basin offers bigger profits due... From page 3 storage and offloading (FPSO) vessel named Liza Destiny, along with four undersea drill centers with 17 production wells. Construction of the FPSO and subsea equipment is under way in more than 12 countries. Additionally, ExxonMobil officials have since said that Liza Destiny will have a pro-
duction capacity of 120,000 barrels of oil per day. A second FPSO with a capacity of 220,000 barrels per day is being planned as part of the Liza Phase Two development, and a third is under consideration for the Payara development. Together, ExxonMobil said that these three developments will produce more than
500,000 barrels of oil per day. The Stabroek Block is 6.6 million acres (26,800 square kilometers). Esso Exploration and Production Guyana Limited is the main operator and holds 45 percent interest. Hess Guyana Exploration Ltd. holds 30 percent interest and CNOOC Nexen Petroleum Guyana Limited holds 25 percent interest.
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Thursday August 15, 2019
Kaieteur News
=== The Freddie Kissoon column ===
Chief Justice ruling: APNU+AFC are going to be selective We have gone back to square one. Once a judge gives a decision on any aspect of the no-confidence vote (NCV), words that are spoken by the judiciary are
chosen for convenience, other words are completely ignored. Let us trace the attitude of the APNU+AFC leadership since the NCV. The morning
after, both president and prime minister acknowledged the NCV was passed and would observe the constitution. But GECOM never lifted one finger after
December 21 to arrange an election within three months even though there was no contemplation of court action by APNU+AFC at the time. Then writs were filed against 33 versus 32 and dual status. The Chief Justice upheld the NCV and did not grant a stay. The APNU+AFC approach to power exercise continued as if nothing happened. The governmental political leadership appealed and won t h e n l o s t completely in the CCJ. The chairman of the CCJ enquired why GECOM was not in readiness after December 21, 2018. That question was never answered by GECOM or the governmental leadership of the state. Related to the ongoing saga of the NCV was the constitutional propriety of the p r e s i d e n t ’s a c t i o n i n unilaterally appointing the GECOM chairman. The waters got opaque because President Granger gave an interpretation to some words that emanated from the mouth of the CCJ’s chairman that in the opinion of this commentator was incredible and unbelievable. Here is what the CCJ chairman said “… before the list is submitted, the Leader of the Opposition and the President must communicate with each other in good faith on, and perhaps even meet to discuss, eligible candidates for Chairman. The aim of these discussions must be to agree that names of six persons who fit the stated eligibility requirements and who are not unacceptable to the President. In this regard, the Constitution anticipates that the Leader of the Opposition and the
President will conduct themselves in a reasonable and responsible manner, eschew partisanship and seek the best interests of the Guyanese people…. Once the President and Leader of the Opposition have hammered out a list of names not unacceptable to the President, the list, comprising the six persons, must then formally be submitted to the President by the Leader of the Opposition and the President must select the Chairman from those names.” President Granger used that emanation and interpreted it to mean that he could offer a list of names to be considered in the melting pot of names. And he did just that with the intention that his names must be considered by the Opposition Leader. The CCJ told the lawyers for the governmental leadership that the NCV was passed therefore elections are due three months after June 18 and the government must act in a caretaker capacity. In my opinion I have seen no cluster of power rearrangement from the political leadership of the state that is in accordance with the requirements of the NCV. We come now to the words of the Chief Justice. She ruled that house to house registration is legally proper. She ruled the court cannot set a specific date for election. But she said more than that. Her delivery contains two vital aspects. But will they be adhered to? She observed that “GECOM cannot operate as if it is in a normal elections cycle.” She also stated that GECOM should consider other means through which the register of voters could be verified to allow for the
Frederick Kissoon conduct of timely elections.” This second part to my mind is the dimension of the NCV that the APNU+AFC leadership does not want to deal with. We need to emphasize the words “conduct of timely elections.” What does that mean? To my mind it connotes one thing and one thing only. There has to be an election before the scheduled 2020 fixture because the NCV was passed. The role of the APNU+AFC in the NCV drama has now come to an end with the Chief Justice’s pronouncement. It is now for GECOM to decide when the election will be. I can only give my opinions. First, I think other means should be used to sanitize the list so that we do not go beyond 2019 for the national poll. That decision should be made today when GECOM meets. Secondly, once that is agreed on, the early the election the closer we come to adhering to the most precious document in Guyana – the constitution. Because Guyana experienced an NCV in 2018, an early election is a requirement. I believe since 2018 there has been an ongoing masquerade in constitutional politics. GECOM today should put an end to that insanity.
Thursday August 15, 2019
Kaieteur News
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PAGE 12
Guyana oil discovery means more opportunities for Ghanaians - Tullow boss Ghana (ghanaweb)Executive Vice President of oil company, Tullow Oil PLC, Kweku Awotwi, has said that the latest oil discovery in Guyana will be beneficial to Ghanaians. According to him, the discovery does not only extend the radar of Tullow PLC but broadens the employment horizon of citizens as most of the people on the Stena Forth drillship in Guyana are Ghanaians. “We already have some of our own Ghanaian geoscientists that were in London last week who are going to be part of that exercise, doing the exploration, doing the engineering…The company moved the rig of Ghana to Guyana but kept the workforce from Ghana.” Tullow, on Monday, announced a large discovery in South America’s Guyana which shot the shared London-based oil company to 20% moments after the discovery. This made them the top gainer in the FTSE 250 mid-cap index. Awotwi revealed that the initial discovery from the Jethro-1 well, shows commercial quantities. “We’ve seen a minimum of a hundred million (100,000,000) barrels…We
Thursday August 15, 2019
Kaieteur News
Two construction workers charged for stealing $860,000 in articles
Remanded: Alfren Singh Executive Vice President of oil company Tullow Oil plc, Kweku Awotwi have to drill more wells to really see what’s there but the initial discovery suggests that it’s commercial so that means that we’ll be doing more work,” he noted. According to Tullow, “the Jethro-1 was drilled by the Stena Forth drillship to a Total Depth of 4,400m metres in approximately 1,350 metres of water. Evaluation of logging data confirms that Jethro-1 is the first discovery on the Orinduik licence and comprises high-quality oil-
bearing sandstone reservoirs of Lower Tertiary age. The well encountered 55m of net oil pay which supports a recoverable oil resource estimate which exceeds Tullow’s pre-drill forecast. Tullow will now evaluate the data from the Jethro discovery and determine appropriate appraisal activity”. Kweku Awotwi was speaking at a media capacity training organized for the media by Tullow Oil PLC and Rigworld.
Remanded: Dexter Forde
Jagdeo remains opposed to houseto-house following CJ’s ruling Leader of the Opposition, Bharrat Jagdeo, still remains opposed to the issue of house-to-house registration, calling it a “complete waste of time and money.” These statements surfaced following yesterday’s ruling by Chief Justice Roxane GeorgeWiltshire. She ruled that house-tohouse registration is not illegal or unconstitutional, but she urged the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) to consider other forms of verification. This would mean that the Chief Justice would have placed the proverbial “ball in the court” of GECOM, to act in a manner that allows for the constitution to be complied with. “[The government] continues to misinterpret, or reinterpret decisions and the constitution. We argued that the timeline for the holding of election would conflict with the house-to-house registration. “We went to the court in the absence of the commission because there was no commission at that time-— there was no appointed chairperson, and we asked the court two things; to stop the [house-tohouse] exercise, and also because it was inconsistent with the timeline, and that we believe that this exercise is
unconstitutional because it will deregister people. “But [Chief Justice Roxane George- Wilshire] said that GECOM cannot operate as if it is in a dormant elections cycle,” Jagdeo disclosed yesterday at his Church Street office. The Chief Justice was keen to note that residency is not a qualifying requirement, and therefore the names of those on the list of National Register of Registrants (NRR) and Official List of Electors (OLE) cannot be removed unless deceased, or becomes disqualified. “So what does this mean now? It means that the entire house-to-house exercise which has been done so far has been a complete waste of time and money because they cannot remove people from the NRR who have already registered,” said the opposition leader. The Chief Justice went on to say that it would be unconstitutional for people who are already registered to be removed because they reside in another jurisdiction or location within Guyana. “That means that the NRR that we used to extract the OLE for all the elections before remains intact. And when the enumerators come around now, whether you are at home or not, whether you
are registered or not, once your name is on the NRR and you voted on the last elections then they cannot remove your name. Your name will be on the updated OLE. “We are vindicated in telling people not to register. It is a colossal waste of time… This is a major movement forward and we expect that GECOM will respect the decision of the court and move swiftly into the Claims and Objections period. “The constitution said three months, and the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) mentioned March 21st that the time has been out on pause. There has been no extension of the life government since March 21. So if they are claiming that September 18 is not the drop dead date, because it was allowed or we were generous on our recalculation of the three months starting on the date of the CCJ ruling then it has to be March 21 because there has been no extension of the life of the government,” Jagdeo explained. The opposition leader did not elaborate on what the next move is for the People’s Progressive Party (PPP), but he did assure media operatives that such would be conducted today at his weekly press briefing.
Two men who are employed with the Ministry of Public Infrastructure as construction workers were yesterday remanded to prison after they appeared in court to answer to a joint break and enter charge. Dexter Forde, 25, and Alfren Singh, 28, both of West Ruimveldt, Georgetown, appeared in the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts before Senior Magistrate Leron Daly where the charge was read to them. The charge stated that between August 10, 2019, and August 11, 2019, they broke and entered the dwelling house of Natasha David and stole a flat screen television valued at $269,000, three bottles of rum valued at $50,000, and a total of
$541,000 in jewellery. Forde and Singh pleaded not guilty to the charge that was read to them, Attorneyat-law Paul Fung-a-fat represented both of the defendants who made application for his clients to be released on a reasonable amount of bail, citing that one of his clients was never charged before. Police prosecutor, Traceyann Gittens, made objections to bail being granted to both defendants because they were both caught on the CCTV camera which the virtual complainant have installed on her home. Prosecutor Gittens further mentioned that on the day in question about 22:30 hrs the virtual complainant secured her place and then went to
bed. Around 5:00hrs the next day the virtual complainant heard loud noises in the house. When she went into her living room she noticed her house was ransacked. A report was then made to the police and an investigation was launched leading to the arrest of Forde and Singh, who were later, charged for the offence. Senior Magistrate Daly denied attorney Fung-a-fat’s bail application after it was made clear to the court by the prosecutor that Forde have a pending matter before another court and he was released on $80,000, bail for robbery under arms. Both defendants are expected to make their next court appearance on September 11, 2019.
Trinidad private sector group.... From page 8 Trinidad and they were offered land here now”. Jagdeo warned that Guyanese nationals would soon become marginalised as a result of the influx, adding “I see all of the taxi companies coming in here from abroad…There is no local content policy. “I don’t have a problem with people from Trinidad
coming here, I believe they have a lot of expertise in the oil and gas sector, you need skill people etc, but they must come in transparently and Guyanese must have the opportunity to access the same resources that they are getting. “Almost every piece of land that has been divested from GUYSUCO (Guyana Sugar Corporation)…is on the
chopping block,” he added. Guyana is being ranked among the world’s most prospective, underexplored offshore basin, with an estimated 13.6 Bbbl of oil and 32 tcf of natural gas yet to be discovered. ExxonMobil, along with its junior partner Hess Corp., will bring first oil online by 2020, providing the country with much needed revenue.
Thursday August 15, 2019
Kaieteur News
PAGE 13
Corentyne man dies from injuries sustained in accident three days prior
The motorcycle Steele was riding and the car he collided with on the Bushlot public road Dead: Nevon Steele
CJIA's deputy chief to be charged indictably with sexual assault
T
he Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) has advised that a senior manager of the Cheddi Jagan International Airport (CJIA) be charged with a sex crime. Deputy Chief Executive Officer, Andre Kellman, who is second in command and in charge of operations at the that state-owned facility, will appear in a court before a magistrate within days. The case which has been in the news since June has brought the issue of workplace harassment sharply into focus. Yesterday, the DPP in response to a request for an update on the file, said that the police have been advised to lay a charge of sexual assault. “Please be advised that the police file for "Alleged Sexual Assault committed by Andre Kellman on ***** ********** at the CJIA," has been returned to the Guyana Police Force. Based on the evidence contained therein, legal advice has been given for the charge of
To be charged: CJIA's Deputy CEO, Andre Kellman Sexual Assault to be instituted against the accused Andre Kellman,” the DPP said. The advice would come days after the (continued on page 14)
Prisoners beat suspect in mechanic's murder, cut off hair
P
rison officials are attempting to identify a group of inmates who beat and cut off the hair of Marlon Bradley, the suspect in the murder of Guyhoc Park mechanic Reginald Atherly. The incident occurred on August 8, last, in the holding area of the Lusignan Prison. A brief video posted online showed the inmates holding down a whimpering Bradley and shearing off his thick hair. There is blood on his shirt. One inmate is heard saying “Alyo is bad bhai? Cut off this (expletive) hair.” The faces of the attackers are not shown in the video. Director of Prisons Gladwin Samuels stated that Bradley has since been removed from the holding area and placed in the Lusignan Prison. “He said that he was unable to identify his attackers because their faces were covered,” Samuels stated. “By voice recognition one person was identified by prison staff (but) he is so far not providing any information.” The Prison Director also told Kaieteur News that Bradley has not revealed why he was attacked. Samuels also indicated that because he is in a prison environment, it would be difficult to protect Bradley from similar attacks, Bradley was shot in the leg on August 4, allegedly while shooting at police ranks who were attempting to arrest him in Cornhill Street, Stabroek.
Marlon Bradley He was subsequently charged with possession of a .32 pistol and eight .32 rounds without a firearm licence. Police have said that he was wanted in connection with the murder of Reginald Atherly, who was shot dead in his home. Atherly, 44, called 'Diesel Boss', was gunned down in late July, allegedly after confronting two masked bandits who had broken into his Lot G 26 Guyhoc Park home. He was shot in the head and right side, reportedly during a struggle with one of the intruders.
N
evon Steele, 22, of Eversham V i l l a g e , Corentyne, Berbice died on Tuesday at the Georgetown Public Hospital after he was struck down from his motorcycle by a car on the Bush Lot Public road, Sunday night around 19:30 hrs. Reports are that Steele was heading west along the Bush Lot Public Road on his motorcycle when a car heading in the very direction
in front of him made a sudden dash to avoid an animal. The actions of the car driver forced Steele to swerve ultimately causing him to lose control of his motorcycle and veering into the path of an oncoming car. After the impact residents from around the area ran out to render assistance to the injured Steele. He was transported to the Port Mourant Hospital in an unconscious state and subsequently transferred to
the New Amsterdam Public Hospital. Due to the severity of his injuries he was then moved to the Georgetown Public Hospital where he remained in ICU. Kaieteur News understands that the 22-yearold sustained severe head injuries and internal bleeding. He reportedly n e v e r r e g a i n e d consciousness. A post mortem is expected to be conducted on Friday.
Kaieteur News
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Thursday August 15, 2019
Guest house for Kaieteur Park
T
he Protected A r e a s Commission (PAC) and the Ministry of the Presidency (MoTP), on August 7, last, signed a Project Financing Agreement for the implementation of the Guyana Protected Areas System Phase III (GPAS III). The 4.8 million Euros project focuses on supporting the development of infrastructure in three protected areas in Guyana;
community resource use (including livelihood related projects) and capacity building for effective management of the protected areas. Commissioner of the Protected Areas Commission, Denise Fraser, and Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of the Presidency, Abena Moore, signed the agreement on behalf of the respective agencies, to formalize the channeling of the project
funds to the PAC for the implementation of the project, which is a
requirement under the project agreement, signed w i t h t h e d o n o r, K f W Entwicklungsbank (German Development Bank). According to the Ministry of the Presidency, the National Protected Areas System (NAPS) can now look forward to improved infrastructure through the protected areas in the form of a new Guest House at the Kaieteur National Park, ranger stations and outposts at the Shell Beach Protected
Area, Kanuku Mountains Protected Area and the Kaieteur National Park along with offices at Lethem a n d i n B r i a m a - Wa i n i (Region One). Administrative Director, Protected Areas Commission, Mrs. Denise Bentinck, and Technical Officer, Ministry of the Presidency Ms. Natasha Ramdas witnessed the signing. Guyana has already benefited from technical and
financial support for the development of the NPAS under two phases of the project, which are expected to be completed by 2022. “With the continued support and cooperation between the KfW, the MoTP and the PAC, Guyana will move closer towards the Commission's vision of a world class protected areas system that protects nature and improves lives,� the ministry disclosed.
Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of the Presidency, Ms. Abena Moore (left) and Commissioner of the Protected Areas Commission, Mrs. Denise Fraser (right), signing the agreement for the implementation of the Guyana Protected Areas System, Phase III (GPAS III), in the Boardroom of the Ministry of the Presidency, Shiv Chanderpaul Drive, Georgetown.
CJIA's deputy chief to be charged... From page 13 alleged victim, a supervisor of a business which has a concession at the airport, complained that she is in limbo with her job with little word on the investigations. In June, the woman alleged that she was held and kissed twice in the office of the manager when she visited him last year. The supervisor claimed that she visited the office of Kellman, a long-serving employee, to ask his help in removing the wheel clamps on her employer's vehicles. The vehicle had been left overnight in the parking lot of the airport.
While in the office, the woman said she was blocked from leaving and kissed twice without her permission. She claimed she did not have that level of relations with the manager. The supervisor reported the matter the next day to CEO, Ramesh Ghir who she said promised to probe the matter. However, for several months there was no word despite her queries. It was some time in June that after demanding a response, that she was told by an official of the Human Resources Department that the matter had been resolved.
She was not told how. She later complained to the police and the media. Days later, she was ejected from the airport and had her security passes revoked. Kellman was sent on leave but resumed work after. The airport's handling of the matter had come under fire with the board of directors later making it clear that it does not tolerate workers' victimization. The board also said that it has ordered a review and update of CJIA's protocols on how to better deal with issues like this.
Thursday August 15, 2019
Kaieteur News
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27 agencies trained in environmental data and statistics collection
Representatives of the 27 agencies, who took part in the recently concluded three-day capacity building workshop on environmental data and statistics collection.
T
he Ministry of the Presidency's D e p a r tment of Environment, in collaboration with the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and the Coordinating Office of the Green State Development Strategy (GSDS) recently held a technical capacity building workshop for 35 participants from 27 agencies. The workshop, which was held over three days from August 6 was themed, 'Enhancing Environmental Statistics for Measurement and Evaluation'. Speaking in the context of the GSDS: Vision 2040, Director of the Department of the Environment, Ms. Ndibi Schwiers, emphasied the importance of “good quality, verifiable statistics to Guyana's ability to meet its international commitments to the climate, biodiversity and other environmental agreements and conventions, and to facilitate evidence-based decision-making.” Meanwhile, Resident Coordinator of the United Nations (UN) System in Guyana, Ms. Mikiko Tanaka, reiterated the UN support to the country in its implementation of the Green State Development Strategy: Vi s i o n 2 0 4 0 a n d t h e Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). “The UN System will
support Guyana's renewed efforts to strengthen its data systems, through assistance in the development of a robust monitoring and evaluation framework for the Strategy and in the use of technologies for analysis of 'big' data, driving change in the culture of data management,” Ms. Tanaka said. A d d i t i o n a l l y, M s . Donna Levi, who represented the Ministry of Finance, reminded participants of Guyana's commitment to the SDGs, as demonstrated by the country's recent submission of its first Voluntary National Report on the SDGs to the High-Level Political Forum at the UN Secretariat in New York. “Guyana's priority is education (SDG 4), and achieving our educational goals will require accurate data for demonstrating progress,” Ms. Levi said. The Workshop outlined the elements of a statistical roadmap for Guyana, based on a robust foundation of data collection, in accordance with international procedures. It is part of capacity building activities under a project implemented by UNEP titled “Towards coherent implementation of the environmental dimension of the Sustainable Development Goals”. It was held at the Roraima Duke Lodge.
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‌ following one night of heavy downpour
Charity residents hit by severe flooding
A
fter more than six hours of continuous rainfall Tuesday night, the community of Charity suffered what is being described as one of its worst flooding in history. Based on information sourced by this publication, residents awoke to flood waters as deep as fifteen inches yesterday morning. Kaieteur News was on the scene yesterday and saw that quite a number of businesses and stalls along the Charity Public road were inundated.
The Xenon Hotel and Bar, which is a popular night spot within the commercial community, was submerged in as much as six inches of water. The Management of the hotel indicated told this publication that apart from the losses due to the flooding, the business was closed for the entire day. The Charity Squatting area appears to have been affected the worst. When this publication visited the Charity Squatting area yesterday, most of the
A flooded section in the Charity Squatting area
Thursday August 15, 2019
“The flooded Xenon Hotel and Bar.� homes were in knee deep water. This publication understands that over the
years, Charity is prone to flooding. It is believed that one of
the major contributing factors is the many clogged trenches within the community's drainage network. Earlier this year, a multimillion mini-Koker was constructed by the Regional Administration within the community, with the aim of reducing flooding. The Regional Administration of Region Two underlined the fact that the clogged drains within the marketing area are a direct link to the numerous flooding. Based on reports, there are a number of stalls that have been constructed over
the main drainage trench for a number of years. Over the past years the drainage trench below these stalls has not been desilted. While persons are recommending that pumps be installed along the bank of the Pomeroon River, the regional officials made it clear that the irrigation trenches must first be desilted before the water can be properly drained. In the meantime, the N e i g h b o r h o o d Democratic Council that presides over Charity, must ensure that the trenches below the stalls are desilted and cleaned.
Kaieteur News
Thursday August 15, 2019
PAGE 17
Anna Regina Secondary and St Rose’s High students are top CSEC performers
Riana Toney of Anna Regina Alex Abraham of St Rose's Secondary is the overall top High School secured 18 performer with 19 Grade ones Grade ones and two Grade two
R
iana Toney, a student of Anna R e g i n a Secondary in Region Two, has emerged as the top performer at this year's overall Caribbean Secondary Examination Certificate, (CSEC) with 19 Grade one passes. Toney emerged as the top performing student from amongst a total of 11,467 candidates who were registered to write the exams. The Region Two native is followed by Alex Abraham of St Rose's High School who came in second with 18 Grade ones and two Grade two passes. Charrandatt Narine of Anna Regina Secondary secured third place with 18 Grade ones . The top three performers are followed by Samuel Haynes of Queen's College who has 18 Grade ones; Donlee Castello of Queen's College, 17 Grade ones; Chetram Harrinarine of Swarswati Vidya Niktean, 17 Grade ones ; Manoj Latchman of Swarswati Vidya Niketan 17 Grade ones ; Vijay Sharma of Queen's College, 16 Grade ones and 2 twos; Keisha Jaisingh of Swarswati Vidya Niketan, 16 Grade ones;
Jhashodra Ramnarain of J.C Chandisingh Secondary 16 Grade ones, 1 two; Daniel Roopchand of Queen's College 16 Grade ones, 1 two; Jorrel Desantos of Queen's College16 Grade ones; Brianna Gopie of Queen's College, 16 Grade ones; Amisha Ramdin of Anna Regina Secondary, 15 Grade ones; Premchand Rampersaud of Anna Regina Secondary, 15 Grade ones, 3 twos ; Dharshanie Birbal of Swarswati Vidya Niketan 15 Grade ones, 2 twos ; Alicialall Hiralall of Queen's College 15 Grade ones, 2 twos; Cameron Fraser of Queen's College 15 Grade ones, 1 two; Ushana Mohan of Abram Zuil Secondary 15 Grade ones, 1 two. Minister of Education Nicolette Henry announced the results for the May/June CSEC and CAPE examinations yesterday at the National Centre for Educational Resource Development (NCERD). She noted that the names were drawn from a list of 251 candidates who secured Grade One passes in eight or more subject areas. According to Henry, of the 251 top performers, candidates also came from West Demerara Secondary ,
Charandatt Naraine placed third with 18 ones and 2 twos
Al Madina Islamic Academy, Camille Institute, Zeeburg Secondary , St Ignatius Secondary ( Region Nine), Diamond Secondary , Hope Secondary, Annandale Secondary , Apex Academy, Skeldon L i n e P a t h S e c o n d a r y, Berbice High School, Brickdam Secondary , Christ Church Secondary, Central High School, Isa Islamic School, Tagore Memorial S e c o n d a r y, B y g e v a l Secondary, President College, Diamond Secondary St Joseph High School, Maes Secondary , Rosignol Secondary, New Amsterdam Secondary, Mackenzie High school and
Samuel Haynes of Queens College earned 18 Grade Ones
Fraser's Educational Institute . Minister Henry provided an analysis of the 2019 results. She revealed that the overall pass rate at the General and Technical proficiencies for Grade 1-3 was 73 percent compared to 69.1% in 2018. Minister Henry noted the performance as Guyana's best recorded performance as a country. She said that improved performances were evident in 21 subject areas, seven subjects remained constant , while another seven subjects showed better performance in 2018. Outstanding performances were noted in
13 subjects where 90% and over gained acceptable Grade 1-3. Some Subjects with outstanding performance were Agricultural Science (Double Award) with 99 percent; Religious Education 100 percent; Information Technology with 98 percent, Physical Education and Sports with 100 percent and industrial technology ---electrical with 93.4 percent. With regards to Mathematics and English, Henry said that Grade 1-3 passes in English A have improved in 2019. “English A recorded a pass rate of 77% in 2019 as
Donlee Castello received 17 Grade ones and 3 twos against 67% in 2018. Mathematics remained constant with a pass rate of 43 percent in both 2018 and 2019. Additional Mathematics pass rate increased to 68.4 percent in 2018 and 80 percent in 2019.” With regards to the Sciences, the Education Minister announced there were improvements in the Grade 1-3 passes, this year. Improvements were noted in the pass rate for Biology, Chemistry and Physics. Biology moved from 64 percent in 2018 to 77 percent in 2019. Chemistry recorded a (continued on page 18)
PAGE 18
Kaieteur News
Thursday August 15, 2019
Anna Regina Secondary... From page 17 pass rate of 62 percent in 2019 against 56.4 percent in 2018. Physics recorded a pass rate of 70 percent this year; in 2018 the pass rate was 66.2 percent. Agriculture Science (Double Award) moved from 97 percent in 2018 to 99 percent in 2019. Agricultural Science (Single Award) moved from 87 percent in 2018 to 96 percent in 2019. Henry said there was a wane in performance in Human and Social Biology and Integrated Science. The subject moved from 72.4 percent in 2018 and 62 percent in 2019. Integrated Science recorded a pass rate of 69.1 percent in 2019. The Education Minister pointed to improved performance in Office Administration, Principles of Accounts and Principles of Business. She noted that Office Administration pass rate increased from 84.2 percent in 2018, to 87 percent in 2019. “Principles of Accounts moved from 74.4 percent in 2018 to 83 percent in 2019. The pass rate for principles of business was 84 percent as against 87 percent in 2019. Electronic documentation preparation and management attained constant performance with a pass rate of 97.2 percent in 2019 as compared to 98 percent in 2018. According to Henry, for Humanities and expressive arts, religious education pass rate increased from 97 percent in 2018 to 100 percent in 2019. Caribbean History gained a pass rate of 68.1 percent in 2019 and 72 percent in 2018. An improved performance was noted in the pass rate for geography from 72.1 percent in 2018 to 76.3 percent in 2019. Technical and Vocational Education (TVET) cluster of subjects recorded varying performances in 2019. Food and nutrition and health improved from 89 percent in 2018 to 91.2 percent in 2019, Family and Resource Management recorded a constant performance with a pass rate of 85.1 percent in 2018 and 85,2 percent in 2019. Clothing and Fashion attained a pass rate of 81.4 percent in 2018 to 79% in 2019,� Henry added industrial Technology Building, electrical and mechanical all secured passed over 90 percent in 2019. Meanwhile, for modern Languages Portuguese recorded an improved performance of 81.2 percent in 2019 as against 72 percent in 2018. Over 70 percent of entries for French gained acceptable grades in 2019 while Spanish moved from 64.4 percent in 2018 to 68.3 percent in 2019.
Thursday August 15, 2019
Kaieteur News
PAGE 19
Parliament comes out of recess on October 10
T
he National Assembly has not met for quite some time. It has been in recess. According to Minister of Finance, Winston Jordan, it will be coming out of recess on October 10, 2019. During a press conference yesterday, the Minister made the announcement. However, he was keen to note that this doesn't mean Parliament will “meet”. “Given the interim status of the Government, we are not meeting in Parliament. That's what I'm saying.” Jordan added. For that to happen, the two parties – the People's Progressive Party (PPP) and the A Partnership for National Unity +Alliance for Change (APNU+AFC) coalition – would have to agree to go there for a
- Jordan
specific purpose, said the Minister. This is because of the interim status of the Government. President David Granger
had announced that out of respect for the ruling of the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) on the December 21, 2018 No Confidence
Civil society to picket Ministry of the Presidency today
T
he Mass Action P e o p l e ' s Movement (MAPM) - formerly known as the Movement Against Parking Meters - is organising a peaceful protest today from 12:00hrs to 13:00hrs outside of the Ministry of the Presidency, at the Vlissingen Road entrance. “The peaceful protest is being staged at this time and is aimed at driving home the need for Constitutional compliance by the ruling party,” the body said
yesterday. It is being held under the banner of "Disrespect for Constitution = Disrespect for Guyanese." In addition, MAPM is calling on businesses to close operations during the hour of the protest in order to facilitate both the business owners and their staff to join the protest. “MAPM is an apolitical organisation dedicated to representing the interest of Guyanese who want good governance, transparency, respect for the rule of law
an d o b ed ien ce to th e constitution.” MAPM said it would like to reiterate its respect for the rule of law, civility, and the importance of Constitutional compliance by all for a wellfunctioning, stable democracy. “MAPM is committed to continuing our demands and protest until such time as we are convinced that all stakeholders are in total compliance with the rule of law and the Constitution to ensure the stability of our democracy.”
Motion, Government would take several steps to limit its functions until the holding of General and Regional Elections. If the two sides don't make that decision, Jordan said that the National Assembly will not meet. “That is why I say I'm not sure when Parliament will be meeting again. But Parliament comes out of recess on October 10, unless dissolved earlier.” The dissolution of Parliament is a request that was made by Opposition Leader, Bharrat Jagdeo. The President had responded, saying that the dissolution of Parliament would rest on the readiness of the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) to hold elections. Only then would the President dissolve the National Assembly. But there are several
pressing matters which will need attention from the legislative body in the months to come. A budget is usually passed at the end of the year. Minister Jordan said that Government will not go to Parliament due to its interim status, but budget preparations are still being made. If the budget isn't passed, there are provisions for spending to be done for a period. “Once the budget expires at December 31,” Jordan said, “until the next budget is presented… you are limited to 1/12 of the previous year's provision” for current expenses. For capital expenses, there is no provision. Jordan said that there will be no new projects if the budget is not passed. “Only those projects that are rollovers and ongoing,
you can continue with, but you cannot do new projects. That's the rule.” He also said, “Come January, people will be paid their salaries and so on. But you will not be able to do a lot because it is just routine things.” Otherwise, there are several Bills expected to b e p r o p o s e d i f Parliament reconvenes, including the Bill No. 10 of 2019, the Adoption of Children (Amendment) Bill 2019; and Bill No. 11 of 2019, the Restorative Justice Bill 2019. There is also a likelihood of a Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substance Control (Amendment) Bill being proposed, as Government has proposed a removal of custodial sentences for the possession of small quantities of marijuana.
Political threat stalls sugar reforms - Finance Minister
T
he privatization of the sugar e s t a t e s Government has closed has been delayed. Minister of Finance, Winston Jordan, is blaming this state of affairs on the People's Progressive Party's (PPP) promise to review any privatization if it wins the next General Election. Speaking to the press during a presentation of the 2019 Mid-Year Economic Report, Minister Jordan said, “Nobody is expressing interest when the Opposition says 'we are going to review sales and so on' and that happened in the past, too, where people pulled out.” He said that people will not invest in an atmosphere of uncertainty. “And I don't think at this stage, quite frankly, given our status of interim
government that we will want to engage in any major privatization at this time.” In its decision on the validity of the No Confidence Motion of December 21, 2019, the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) had declared the Granger-led administration was a “caretaker” Government. O p p o s i t i o n L e a d e r, Bharrat Jagdeo, has promised that three sugar estates would be reopened if his party forms the next Government. This is despite the fact that they were closed due to a burgeoning deficit. The estates were haemorrhaging billions of dollars. Jagdeo had said that the cost to close the sugar estates is far greater than the cost to leave them open and subsidise them.
The PPP general secretary had said that, prior to the government's decision to close the estates, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) had indicated that several studies should have been done, and that the PPP had advocated for those studies to be conducted. “We said this is not closing a small shop. Thousands of people's lives are involved. The wellbeing of our economy is involved because sugar is so integrated into so many other aspects of our lives that we sometimes don't see.” The IMF is one of the many institutions that advocated for Guyana to reduce the size of its sugar industry since it was too costly to upkeep production at competitive rates. Following this advice, t h e A P N U + A F C
Minister of Finance, Winston Jordan
Leader of the Opposition, Bharrat Jagdeo
administration closed four estates, which displaced over 4,000 sugar workers. During a press conference in January, Jagdeo had said: “Use the oil and gas money in the future
to find other alternative jobs and then you can move out, or you bring in private participation into the sugar industry. “Eventually, you can, without losing the sugar
industry, shutting it down, you get a new owner. That was our approach to the whole matter. And it's still a viable one.” The Guyana Sugar Corporation (GuySuCo) is using three estates for production – Blairmont and Albion in Berbice and Uitvlugt in West Demerara. The remaining four estates, Wales (West Bank Demerara); Enmore (East Demerara) and Rose Hall and Skeldon (East Berbice), are up for offers of divestment and privatization. The National Industrial and Commercial Investments Limited's Special Purpose Unit had said that a group of Ghanaian, Guyanese and Indian businessmen were likely to purchase the Rose Hall Estate by last July.
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Thursday August 15, 2019
President Granger requests an investigation into Presidential Guard's death
President Granger meets with the relatives of dead Police Constable Winston Cooper
P
resident David Granger is adamant that a detail investigation should be done into the death of Police Constable 2045 Wi n s t o n C o o p e r, w h o succumbed to his injuries yesterday morning at the Georgetown Public Hospital. After learning of his death the President and the Commissioner of Police
(AG) Nigel Hoppie, visited the dead man's East Ruimveldt, Georgetown home where they met with the family. President Granger empathized with Cooper's g r i e v i n g m o t h e r, M s . Loraine Peters, and assured her and other relatives that an investigation will be conducted into the matter. Words of encouragement were also offered to the
grieving family members. “He was a member of the Presidential Guard… What I will ask the Commissioner to do is to conduct an inquiry to find out how [this incident] could have happened,” the Head of State said. The Presidential Guard was found unconscious outside the National Gymnasium by first responders of the Guyana Fire service at about 5:30 am
Govt. warns low-lying coastal communities of spring tide
T
he Ministry of P u b l i c Infrastructure is advising the public, especially residents of lowlying coastal communities to take precautions, as the period of Spring tides – August 14-19 – are here. Some areas are considered to be particularly susceptible to flooding due to storm surges which may induce overtopping of sea/river defense structures. According to the Sea and River Defense Department, these areas include Pomeroon River Banks; San
Souci to Sarah and Maria's Pleasure to Meerzorg, Wakenaam Island; Cane Field/Amsterdam, Endeavor/Blenheim, Cane Garden – Leguan Island; Windsor Forest to DeWillem, West Coast Demerara, Parika Market Area and Salem to Sparta, E B E ; Wa t e r S t r e e t , Georgetown, Chapman Grove/Greenfield, ECD; Helena # 1 & 2, Mahaica; and Prospect/Dangzit, Mahaicony. In addition to those locations, Government advises persons residing
along banks of rivers and low-lying coastal areas to also take precaution, a s w e l l as mariners, including those operating fishing vessels and larger vessels. According to the Public Infrastructure Ministry, the highest tides are expected to be on Friday August 16 at 4:29 am at a height of 2.95 metres, and on Saturday August 17 at 5:03 am at a height of 2.95 metres. The use of beaches and foreshore areas for recreational purposes is not advised during this period.
on July 1, 2019 and was rushed to the Georgetown hospital where he was hospitalized for a period of time and then sent home. According to his aunt, the man was showing signs of improvements until yesterday morning when he
began to gasp for breathe while he was on the chair. He then stopped moving so he was taken in a taxi to the Georgetown Public Hospital but Cooper was pronounced dead on arrival by doctors. Since the incident the
police have not issued information about any development in the case or if anything or anyone was suspected to have caused Cooper's death To this day the family is stilled mystified about how he received his injuries.
Persistent rainfall causes severe flooding in Region Three
S
everal communities in the Essequibo Islands- West Demerara Region are flooded due to the heavy rainfall during the course of Tuesday night. According to sources, communities such as Farm, Zeelugt, Wakenaam, Canal Polder and Parika, received the worst of the impact as the water rose a whopping two feetand settled in the yards of residents in these areas. The Region Three Information Officer, Ganesh Mahipaul, told Kaieteur News that it's less than two hours of rainfall that caused the severe flooding of the communities, however the opening of kokers and the clearing of clog drains have resulted in the
water receding slowly from the land. Residents in the communities are asked to let their cattle graze on the high land so as to prevent losses and cramp from being in too much water. He also added that his greatest concerns is for the affected residents that used the yard toilet, because at this time the water in the pit would usually raise and substances from the toilet would flow out in the opening which could be unhygienic for persons. Residents are being advised to wear weather boots when going outdoor so as to stay on the safe side. Yesterday morning Local Government Officials visited the affected communities so as to receive detailed information from residents on how they are affected by the flooding. However, members of the Civil Defence Commission is presently in the areas monitoring the flooding and if necessary, assistance will be provided to residents who are directly impacted by the flooding.
Thursday August 15, 2019
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Kaieteur News
Guyana Goldfields no longer interested in selling Canada-owned Guyana Goldfields Inc. (GGI), which operates the country’s biggest mine, has for all intents and purposes abandoned attempts at this time to sell. Hours after a report by Bloomberg on Tuesday that the company has been engaging market experts for a possible sale, a spokesperson made it clear…that juncture of the company’s history is behind them. “…We do not really like to comment on rumors ... that article is simply speculations... We can confirm that we had engaged both Maxit and RBC to assist and advise during the proxy contest but as you know that is now behind us… and you are aware our Board has made several positive changes aimed at improving the company all around performances and to increase
stakeholders returns which has been demonstrated,” a spokesman of AGM Inc., the local operating company of GGI said. Bloomberg, a respected business news site, reported Tuesday that the Torontobased company is working with advisers at Royal Bank of Canada and Maxit Capital, an independent financial adviser to mining companies. While sources said that the matter is private, it was disclosed that the deliberations are in early stages and may not result in a sale of the business. The gold mining company has faced pressure from investors after a sell-down in the stock saw the company losing more than US$1B in value since June 2016. Investors, led by former chief executive officer Patrick Sheridan, said publicly at the beginning of the year that
CXC Implements New System to Handle Website Traffic. The Caribbean Examination Council recently announced that they have implemented a new system to deal with the release of results of both CAPE and CXC and the volume of traffic that is attracted to the website. The release dates for the former was August 13 while the latter will officially be released on the website today. It is highly anticipated by those who sat them, as it basically determines their way forward educationally and has an impact on the path they would undertake in life. However in the past years the council has noticed that students may have been experiencing access issues due to the large number of persons attempting to log in at the same time, when results are scheduled to be released on their respective dates. CSEC is a regional thing and there are thousands of candidates from each participating trying to gain access at one time which could lead to the website being unavailable or show up as an error. This year in order to allow easy access to the portal, results would be released at varying times throughout the day. This new approach will significantly decrease the number of persons visiting the website and in addition specific windows for
countries will be open for approximately two to three hours on the release dates and results can be accessed within that time frame. The result will be subsequently available freely until the portal closes. As the organisation is celebrating its 40th anniversary of offering CESC examinations, the organisation is remaining committed to preparing students of all ages, abilities and interests for an everchanging competitive global market, through its provision of high quality syllabuses; valid and reliable examinations and certificates of international repute. Below is a list of the results release times for both CAPE CSEC: Time 9:00 a.m. – 11:00 a.m. Territory Antigua and BarbudaAnguillaBeli z e B V I C a y m a n IslandsDominica Grenada MontserratSt. Kitts and NevisSt. LuciaSt. Vincent and the GrenadinesSurinameTurks and Caicos IslandsSt. Maarten 11:15 a.m. – 2:15 p.m. Territory Barbados, Guyana 2: 30 p.m. – 5: 30 p.m. Territory Jamaica 5:45 p.m. – 8:45 p.m. Territory Trinidad and Tobago
they were seeking an overhaul of the board, amid falling production and higher costs. In April, Guyana Goldfields reached a settlement with a group of dissident shareholders after a proxy fight and agreed to revamp the board and change the CEO. Guyana Goldfields slumped by almost half in late October after the company
lowered its production guidance and raised costs for a second time last year. The first time it delivered similar bad news in 2018 was in mid-July, when its market value plummeted by more than a fifth. The company’s shares were down 5.7% at 10:35 a.m, Tuesday, in Toronto, giving it a market value of about C$231 million (US$175 million).
That’s down from about C$1.6 billion in mid 2016. AGM, in addition to its main operations at Aurora, has annexes at Buck Hall on the Essequibo River and at Liliendaal, Georgetown. AGM has more than 600 workers and have been producing about 150,000 ounces on average since starting commercial operations in early 2016. It is the largest private
producer for an industry that has been the biggest foreign currency earner for Guyana. It is moving to build an underground mine. It is targeting up to 160,000 ounces to be produced this year with 38,300 declared for the second quarter. Gold prices are on a high currently, topping over US$1,500 per ounce on the world market.
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Thursday August 15, 2019
Kaieteur News
“I did what I had to do” alleged bull thief tells court
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VACANCY
VEHICLE FOR SALE 1 Honda CRV. includes TV, music system, alarm, reverse camera, sproiler, crash bar, Low mileage. PTT Series (First Owner) Contact #6490956 One 2014 Honda Vezel, Special Edition, Halo Light $4.2M Neg. #689-5103 New model premio, pearl white 2009 registered $2.3M , Toyota Vitz 2010 Black unregistered $1.8M . Tel#2235615/600-4212
CAR RENTAL PROGRESSIVE CAR RENTAL: CARS FROM $4000 & UP, SUV’S PER DAY- CALL: 656-0087 / 643-5122 ,EMAIL:PRO_ A U T O R E N TA L @YAHOO.COM DOLLYS AUTO RENTAL CALL: 225-7126 & 2263693 -DOLLYS AUTO RENTAL @ YAHOO.COM/ W W W . D O L L Y SAUTORENTAL.COM
Pick up Truck from Canada extra cab, 2005 Tacoma $1.750M, Ford F150 Sport $1.2M, Ford Ranger sport $1.1M, 682-5230/615-4414.
Speedy Auto Rental & Bus Service: Lowest rates guaranteed. Special pakages for overseas customers. Call: 629-2915/616-7351. Email: speedyautorentals @gmail.com
Tractor Massey Ferguson (foreign used) MF165$1.5M, MF135 $1M, MF265 $1.7M, MF165 Loader tractor $2.1M Vreed-en-hoop.Call:682-5230/ 615-4414.
AIDAN’S CAR RENTAL:PICKUP,9-11 SEAT MINI BUS, GOOD FOR AIRPORT & FAMILY OUTINGS, CHEAPEST RATE . Call: 698-7807
LEARN TO DRIVE EDUCATION Register for ongoing Common Entrance Lessons. Register Full time students, Ages 3-9 years Nursery Phonics & Aftercare. Call: 677-0296
1 Chowmein machine operator. Apply in person to R.P’s Enterprise, Area ‘K’ Le Resouvenir, ECD
Business property for sale, lot 27 Grove Housing Scheme, East Bank Demerara. Contact #691-0230
REPAIRS AT LOW COST: FRIDGES, AIR CONDITIONERS, WASHING MACHINE, FREEZER, SALE OF AC’S. TEL#629-4946,225-4822 Installation, Repairs and parts for AC, Fridge, Washing Machine, Stove etc. Call Nick 630-1600, 627-3206
Live-in General Domestic 3045 yrs. Salary $25,000 wkly. #610-3974
N. Outar Driving School, Learn to Drive the right way @ Cuffy Square. Affordable package. Call: 644-5166/6912561/681-2808
WANTED Wanted- Salesman, Cashier and Office Clerk. Apply in Person at Lot 10 Vlissengen Road, Survival.
An elderly man who is charged for allegedly stealing a bull was yesterday released on bail after he made his first court appearance. Fifty-five-year-old Ryan Robinson appeared before Senior Magistrate Leron Daly in the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts where the charge was read to him. The Charlestown resident
Vacancy exist for a Full time/ Part time teacher, must be able to teach (2 & 7) years old. Call: 600-6887 for more information Vacancy exist for a Spanish Teacher- must be able to teach (2 & 7) years old. Call: 600-6887 for more information Salesgirl. Apply at Alabama Trading 65 Robb St, Bourda. Mason. Apply at Alabama Trading, 65 Robb St, Bourda. One waitress, One kitchen assistant needed. Apply in person at the Coffee Bean 133 Church St. #223-2222
VACANCY Operator (Electrical & Mechanical Knowledge an asset), Labourer. Apply with handwritten application, Police Clearance. Wieting & Richter Ltd 10-13 Water St, G/ town 1 experienced driver, must have license for car/van/ minibus & motorbus, residing in G/town between ages 2450 yrs old. #225-1429/641-5075 Pump attendant & cashier, shift rotated weekly (6am-3pm & 3pm-11pm) Shell Service Station Providence EBD. E m a i l : Shellramsburg@gmail.com Industrial Sales Representative, 5 Subject CXC Age 25+ Experience in Sales, must own vehicle, email r e s u m e : vacancy@josarltd.com Vacancies exist for Cashiers & supermarket helpers.Apply in person with written Application @ Nirva Superstore 49 Sheriff & Craig st.Tel:227-5771 Handyman. Contact# 2235273/223-5274 One experienced salesman, must be able to write bills neatly, taking stock. Apply @ Keyfood Trading McDoom Village.
Male Bond Staff & Experienced Salesgirl with 2 yr experience CXC maths & english. Attractive Salary, Apply @ Christine’s Variety, Lombard St. Contact#2278529
Looking for a job & educational services? Contact The Job Centre 43 Croal & Alexander Street or call 5024002/600-8457
Waitress & Cook preferably carnegie trained & cashier/ waitress #225-7933 or visit 172 Sheriff Street
Two (2) Seamstress to work for an established company, must have experience. Call #672-4695 for more information
Room attendant 25-45 years 233 South Road Lacytown #225-0198 Diesel Mechanic. Contact# 223-5273/223-5274
Vacancy exist for Receptionist 25yrs & older. Send Application to Agri Parts Machinery & Services. 193 Mandela Avenue, Georgetown
pleaded not guilty to the charge which stated that on August 11, 2019 at Georgetown, he stole one bull valued at $180,000, which was the property of Abdul Azeez. In addressing the court, the defendant said, “I did what I had to do.” Police prosecutor Traceyann Gittens made no objections to bail being granted to the defendant but asked that conditions be attached. According to the facts of the charge, on the day in question around 23:45 hrs, the victim heard a noise coming from his backyard and, upon checking, he observed the defendant tying a rope around the bull’s neck and pulling the animal out the yard. The man shouted for the defendant to stop but he continued pulling the bull. The next day, the victim reported the matter to the police station. An investigation was then carried out and Robinson was arrested and charged. After listening to the prosecutor Senior Magistrate Daly released Robinson on $50,000 bail with the condition that he must report every Monday to the Ruimveldt Police Station until the hearing and determination of the trial. Robinson is expected to make his next court appearance on September 25, 2019. Meanwhile, a woman, the court heard, stole from her employer and was yesterday granted bail by the Magistrate. Thirty-eight-year old Ivana Cummings appeared before Senior Magistrate Leron Daly in the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts where the charge was read to her and she pleaded not guilty. The charge stated that between May 2019, and July 2019, she stole $287,000 in cash from Hope Nester. No other information was disclosed to the court pertaining to the matter. However, Magistrate Daly granted the defendant bail in the sum of $50,000, Cummings was instructed to report to the Brickdam Police Station every Monday until the completion of the matter. The matter was adjourned for September 25.
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Assessing the impact of climate change on livelihood With the 2019 hurricane season underway, researchers are assessing how over 30 communities in Jamaica are affected by disasters and climate change. The research, which is being done by representatives from the Community Disaster Risk Reduction Fund (CDRRF) managed by the Caribbean Development Bank (CDB), the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations and the Social Development Commission (SDC) will focus specifically on the impact on the lives and earnings of residents in the communities. “This research is critical as it will provide local-level information considered essential to the process of turning awareness of natural hazards and risks faced by communities into actions that will help persons to effectively prepare for and improve their capacity to respond to and recover from disasters. The livelihood baseline will help us to see what needs to be put in place to address this,” said Claudia James, Project Manager for the CDRRF, which is based at the Bank’s headquarters in Barbados. Throughout June, the CDRRF and SDC team, with technical support from Dr. Maria Protz, FAO Consultant, completed surveys in Llandewey, Ramble and Trinityville, St. Thomas, Jeffrey Town in St. Mary, Peckham and four surrounding districts in Clarendon and Savanna-laMar, Westmoreland, .using methods from FAO’s Livelihood Baseline toolkit. Volume two of the toolkit emphasises the importance of determining the many ways in which community members earn an income before a disaster, the hazards that are
likely to affect them and some of the coping strategies they use in the face of disasters. It also provides a solid basis for making estimates of the impact of disasters on livelihoods at the community level. The research comes on the heels of a recent workshop held in Belize which introduced the Livelihood Baseline Assessment Toolkit developed by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations and the International Labour Organization (ILO). The workshop, which focused on Volume 2 of the Toolkit - Livelihood Baseline and Contingency Plans - was organised by the CDRRF and FAO. SDC staff members involved in the data collection exercise were previously among a group of 34 regional representatives trained at this workshop. “In the Caribbean, we are quite good at disaster and emergency preparedness to minimise loss of life and damage to homes, schools, hospitals and infrastructure. But we have not invested the same level of concentration on preparedness for the loss of livelihoods. “So our people have much better chances of surviving the immediate impacts of disastrous events, but have challenges getting back to work afterwards. Livelihood contingency plans really don’t exist. And as a result, we are often left with “guestimates” as to what livelihood resources have been lost,” explained Dr. Maria Protz, FAO Consultant on the research. “Responses can be quicker and more targeted if we know in advance, which households and which persons are more likely to be vulnerable and which
livelihoods are most at risk.” She said that the LBA offers a methodology for developing solid “before pictures” of the livelihoods that exist in particular communities, and the resources (human, financial, physical, natural) that are needed to sustain them and what the costs will be if they are lost. Importantly, the data collected will be used for inter-agency planning and development of initiatives ahead of disasters. It will also provide a reliable basis for immediate post-disaster assessments. Following the surveys, the SDC team will compile the Draft Livelihood Baseline and Contingency Plan reports for the communities surveyed. This information will be shared with other national agencies such as Rural Agriculture Development Authority (RADA), the Planning Institute of Jamaica (PIOJ) and the Office of Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Management (ODPEM). The inter-agency network can then use the information as evidence to determine what programmes persons would need to help them during these times. For SDC, the experience with the Livelihood Assessment Toolkit was a timely and important one. According to Juanita Reid, Deputy Executive Director with responsibility for Community Research and National Development Priorities at the SDC, while her team would have previously completed participatory community research, the current tools that were introduced under the CDRRF project have expanded their scope to now include an assessment of livelihoods and the preparation of community contingency
The Hurricane Season is here. The Community Disaster Risk Reduction Fund of the Caribbean Development Bank and the Food and Agriculture Organisation joined representatives from Jamaica’s Social Development Commission (SDC) to conduct community-wide research to assess the relationship between climate change, disasters and how they affect the lives and earnings of residents in 30 Jamaican communities. plans. “It is good for us that we are doing this research using the Livelihood Assessment toolkit as many persons do not typically highlight the impact of natural hazards on their livelihoods. It is also timely as we are in the 2019 hurricane season and several of these communities have experienced some climatic change impacts.
“The data collected will therefore be useful for further planning in the event that they have a disaster in their space,” Reid added. The survey findings will be used by the SDC in various ways, including the preparation of its 5-year Strategic Plan. The methodology will be incorporated into their community profile
development process which is intended to help improve socioeconomic aspects of life in communities across Jamaica. CDRRF is a multi-donor trust fund, managed by CDB, which finances communitybased disaster risk reduction (DRR) and climate change adaptation (CCA) initiatives at the local level across eligible borrowing member countries of the CDB.
Taxi driver who allegedly fondled passenger, 16 gets bail A taxi driver who was charged for sexually assaulting a 16-year-old girl who stopped his car to take her to Diamond, East Bank Demerara, was yesterday released on bail after he appeared in court. Thirty-nine-year-old Rohan Singh, of Lot 52 Block CC Mon Repos, East Coast Demerara appeared before Chief Magistrate Ann McLennan in the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts where the charge was read to him. After the charge was read to him by the magistrate,
Granted Bail: Rohan Singh
Singh was not allowed to plea to the indictable charge which stated, that on May 22, 2019, at Farm East Bank Demerara, he touched a 16-year-old in a sexual way without her consent. According to reports on the day in question the victim stopped a car which was driven by the accused. The victim then told the accused that she was on her way to visit a relative at the Diamond Diagnostic Centre. On their way to the Diamond Diagnostic Centre, the accused pulled his car over and drove through a
street in Farm, where he then pushed his hand under the victim’s shirt, rubbed her and attempted to kiss her. Later that day, the victim told her mother and the matter was reported to the police. The accused was subsequently arrested and charged for sexually assaulting a teenage girl. Chief magistrate McLennan then granted the defendant bail in the sum of $100, 000 and he was instructed to make his next court appearance on September 11, 2019.
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House-to-house registration legal; court cannot fix date -Nandall not impressed with ruling, to file appeal for polls- Chief Justice By Feona Morrison The Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) has acted within the remit of the powers invested to it under the laws said Chief Justice Roxane George as she declared that the current house-to-house registration exercise embarked upon by the commission is legal. In fact, Justice George held that not only is GECOM a constitutional creature, it is also an independent body and the court cannot interfere with the manner in which it executes its function, unless it is found to be unconstitutional. Justice George was yesterday delivering a highly anticipated judgment in a challenge mounted by Attorney-at-Law Christopher Ram who had petitioned the High Court for a Conservatory Order prohibiting GECOM from conducting or continuing to conduct the current houseto-house registration process which he deemed unconstitutional. Ram had also sought another Conservatory Order compelling GECOM, immediately, take all steps and actions necessary and requisite to hold General and Regional Elections on or before the September 18. Ram sought the order on the basis that the current registration exercise and failure to hold elections by September 18 would be in violation of Article 106 (6) and (7) of the Constitution and also the ruling of the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) in the NoConfidence Motion appeals. NOT UNCONSTITUTIONAL “I don’t see how the house-to-house registration exercise violates Article 106 (6) and (7). The CEO (Chief Elections Officer) of GECOM has no role to play in relation to Article 106 (6) and in regards to Article 106 (7) GECOM could conduct the house-to-house registration or any other verification in the circumstance following the No-Confidence Motion,” said Chief Justice George. There is nothing in the Elections Law (Amendment) Act or the National Registration Act which suggests that the registration exercise was unconstitutional. According to Justice George, since GECOM is an independent body it can conduct house-to-house registration, as a means provided to it for verification of the list of voters to compile the Official List of Electors (OLE). According to her, the laws allow for house-to-house registration as a verification exercise based on the ELA
and NRA. She said that these Acts makes provisions for the house-to-house registration process and for persons to visit their district registration office to be registered. She said the Acts provide for eligible voters to be registered and persons attaining the age 14 by a specified date to be issued with national identification cards. Justice George held, “That for these reasons it cannot be said that the house-to-house registration as a method of registration in and by itself is unconstitutional or unlawful.” She added that the registration process is consistent with these two Acts, and therefore cannot be in contravention of Articles 106 (6) and (7) of the Constitution. In the circumstances, the Chief Justice ruled that there was also nothing in the ruling of the CCJ which suggests that the conduct of house-tohouse registration is unconstitutional or unlawful. While the house-tohouse registration process will build a new voters’ register, the Chief warned that the removal of names from the list of electors is unconstitutional unless the persons are dead or otherwise disqualified as stipulated under Article 159 (2), (3) and (4) of the Constitution. She, therefore, agreed with the submissions advanced by Ram that the current registration exercise will result in persons being deregistered, hence resulting in them losing their right to vote at the next elections. Against this backdrop, she urged GECOM to consider other forms of verification to not only verify the voters list, but to also hold timely elections. In light of the latter, she added, “GECOM cannot operate as if it is in a normal elections cycle.” According to the Chief Justice, persons who were previously registered and are residing overseas cannot be removed from the National Register of Registrants. Justice George stated that unless persons away from their official residence change their addresses through the house-to-house registration exercise or visit a district registration office, they would need to return to the district in which they are registered to cast their vote. The Parliamentary Opposition continues to argue that the house-tohouse registration exercise will disenfranchise eligible voters. Its position is that the current voters list can be refreshed by Claims and Objections exercise. Justice
George, nevertheless, said that residence requirements from citizens is no longer a qualification for the registration process and the right to vote and the right to be registered to vote are sacrosanct. CAN’T FIX DATE FOR POLLS Moreover, Justice George agreed with the judgment of the CCJ that the court does not have the authority to fix a date for elections. Against this backdrop, she refused to grant a Conservator Order requested by Ram compelling GECOM to hold elections by September 18. In his application, Ram said that the CCJ at paragraphs e and f of its Consequential Orders declared that the NoConfidence Motion against government was validly passed, thus the provisions of Article 106 (6) immediately became engaged. In spite of this, Ram argues that the Cabinet including the President has not resigned “and in willful and flagrant violation of Article 106 (6) and (7),” the President has not issued a proclamation dissolving Parliament nor fixed a date no later than September 18 for the holding of general and regional elections. The Attorney-at-Law had argued that his interpretation of the CCJ ruling is that elections are to be held within three months from when the court delivered its judgment, that being June 18. However, the Chief Justice in determining the issues raised in this regard relied on paragraphs six and seven of the CCJ’s judgment in the No-Confidence Motion appeal. Paragraph six states, “Given the passage of the no confidence motion on 21 December 2018, a general election should have been held in Guyana by 21 March 2019 unless a two thirds majority in the National Assembly had resolved to extend that period. The National Assembly is yet to extend the period. 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 18 June 2019. There is no appeal from that judgment.” Seven adds, “Article 106 of the Constitution invests in the President and the National Assembly (and implicitly in GECOM), responsibilities that impact on the precise timing of the elections which must be held. It would not therefore be right for the Court, by the issuance of coercive orders or detailed directives, to
presume to instruct these bodies on how they must act and thereby pre-empt the performance by them of their c o n s t i t u t i o n a l responsibilities.” It continues, “It is not, for example, the role of the Court to establish a date on or by which the elections must be held, or to lay down timelines and deadlines that, in principle, are the preserve of political actors guided by constitutional imperatives. 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 21st December 2018.” The Chief Justice, therefore, underscored that she was bound by the ruling of the CCJ. For this reason, she agreed with the regional court that elections were due by March 21 given that the No-Confidence Motion was passed since December 21, 2018. She pointed out that it was not the role of her court to set a date for elections, but rather for the political actors to return to Parliament and activate the extension proviso of Article 106 (7). According to Justice George, she cannot and will not re-fix the date the NoConfidence Motion was passed to June 18 when it was passed since December 21, 2018. To do so, she said, would be out of the court’s jurisdiction. She noted that the court will not usurp on the powers of the executive and the legislature. In her ruling, the Chief Justice explained that the CCJ did not implicitly ordered that elections be held within three
Attorney General: Basil Williams
Chief Justice: Roxane George
months of its ruling. In fact, Justice George emphasized that the CCJ intimated it was not the role of the court to fix a date for polls. WE WILLAPPEAL Ram’s lawyer, Anil Nandlall, said that with the utmost respect, he is not impressed with the Chief Justice’s ruling that the registration process is not unconstitutional and he intends to file an appeal. Nandlall maintains that there is a timeframe implied in the regional court’s ruling for the holding of elections. Speaking with reporters on the court corridor, Nandlall said, “Obviously we will appeal. We do not agree that no timeframe for the holding of elections were fixed. The Chief Justice, herself, said in her ruling that Article 106 (6) and (7) was activated. It cannot be open ended. The CCJ’s judgment could not have meant that elections would never be held unless Parliament agrees.” This led him to ask, “Suppose Parliament does not agree?” WELL REASONED Attorney General Basil Williams who was a Respondent in the matter told reporters, “It was a well reasoned judgment. All that the applicant asked for the court refused just as in the case of the CCJ and of course the court accepted that the
matters were Res judicata (were litigated already). “What is very important is that the house-to-house registration is not unconstitutional. No date was ever fixed by the CCJ and she (the Chief Justice) won’t fix a date either. Nor no elections are to be held in three months. There was nothing that was asked for by the applicant that was successful,” Williams noted. It was always Williams’s position that house-to-house registration is vital in creating a credible list of electors for the impending elections. He has insisted that the old list is invalid and expired and GECOM is taking the necessary steps to cleanse the list. In the meantime, the Opposition has encouraged its supporters to boycott the registration process. Ram, through a newspaper ad, said that he, too, will not be participating in the house-tohouse registration exercise. Government has already gone to parliament and has allocated a little over $3B for GECOM to hold polls. Moreover, Ram was ordered to pay $500,000 in court cost to the Respondent Chief Elections Officer, Keith Lowenfield, while Williams was ordered to pay 80% of that sum to Ram who was successful in an aspect of his challenge.
The issue of migration of people and... From page 6 herself during his stay, and to publicly assure the people of Guyana what steps are being taken to ensure that those visitors leave Guyana by legal means upon the expiry of their permission to stay, and to publicly assure the people of Guyana that no Haitian will be permitted to vote in the upcoming election or will be registered in the ongoing House to House registration process for that purpose, and to advise what system exists to ensure that these assurances will be honoured. Additionally, A New and United Guyana calls on the Government to remember that we as a sovereign na-
tion must earn international respect. It is incomprehensible that Ministers of Government can officially state that visitors to Guyana are entering through the airport and leaving backtrack to Suriname and Brazil because we cannot control our borders. Over eight thousand Haitians have come into Guyana this year, and only one thousand five hundred have left legally. The media have reported Haitians leaving via back track to Brazil and Suriname, and individuals being paid to facilitate this process. Trafficking in persons is an international crime. Our government’s apathy on this
issue is an embarrassment to our country. It is time to put Guyana first. Guyanese must be able to express their legitimate fears and concerns without accusations of racism and xenophobia. The Government in power, whether the PPP or APNU, must remember that it serves ALL Guyanese, and must protect and reassure and give confidence to ALL Guyanese. The Opposition, whether the PPP or APNU must empower its supporters by informing and educating them, having in mind national rather than party interests. A New and United Guyana
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Djokovic shakes off rust, Federer rolls in Cincinnati
(Reuters) - Novak Djokovic survived a nervous start to see off Sam Querrey 7-5 6-1 at the Cincinnati Masters on Tuesday as the world number one returned to competition for the first time since beating Roger Federer in last month’s epic Wimbledon final. Seven-time Cincinnati champion Federer, also playing his first match since Wimbledon, was quicker to get back in the groove, needing just 61 minutes to dispatch Juan Londero 6-3 6-4 in their night match, which was halted in the second set due to rain. Defending champion Djokovic fired his 15th ace on
match point to defeat Querrey but his serve had been an issue earlier in their secondround encounter. “I made three double faults in my opening game and lost the break. I was quite a nervous at the start,” he said after falling behind 2-0 to the American. “I’m really glad to overcome a challenge like this and get myself going.” Djokovic, who defeated Federer in a classic five-set battle at Wimbledon in July, said he had needed time to recover from the mental strain of that match. “That was one of the most epic matches I’ve been a part of and probably the
Roger Federer (SUI) against Juan Ignacio Novak Djokovic (SRB) returns a shot against Sam Querrey (USA) during the Western and Southern Londero (ARG) during the Western and Southern Open tennis tournament at Lindner Family Tennis Open tennis tournament at Lindner Family Tennis Center. (Aaron Doster-USA TODAY Sports) Center. (Aaron Doster-USA TODAY Sports) most demanding one from the mental perspective,” he said. “So it really did take me
Thursday August 15, 2019 ARIES (Mar. 21–Apr. 19) Once you start talking about a certain topic, Aries, it might be hard to stop, especially if the topic is you or one of your activities. TAURUS(Apr.20–May20) Your mental activity is more pronounced than usual, Taurus. It may be difficult to stop the barrage of thoughts streaming through your head. You may be able to accomplish a lot, but you might drive yourself crazy GEMINI (May 21–June 20) Ideas are intriguing today, Gemini. You might feel like a kid in a candy store seeing new treats for the first time.
LIBRA (Sept. 23–Oct. 22) You may feel a great urge to dive headfirst into a project, Libra. Perhaps there's a plot of ground that you want to turn into a garden. Dig your hands into the soil. SCORPIO (Oct. 23–Nov. 21) The connection between your thoughts and words is strong today, and communication with others goes especially well, Scorpio. SAGIT(Nov.22–Dec.21) Your words will flow smoothly today, Sagittarius, and you certainly won't lack things to say. Conversations about higher learning and greater spirituality are likely.
CANCER (June 21–July 22) You pick up information quickly, Cancer. Someone only needs to explain something to you once for you to grasp the concept. Your questions are concise.
CAPRI (Dec. 22–Jan. 19) If someone says something you disagree with or disapprove of, Capricorn, speak up. The person might assume you agree unless you say something.
LEO (July 23–Aug. 22) You have independent views about everything, Leo. People would be wrong to try to box you into thinking a certain way. Don't let others convince you to accept something you're skeptical of.
AQUARIUS(Jan.20–Feb.18) You're likely to be even quicker on the uptake than usual, Aquarius. Conversation will be brisk and lively. You may feel like the conductor of a symphony.
VIRGO (Aug. 23–Sept. 22) If you know you've wronged another, admit it immediately, Virgo. People are often quick to point out when others make mistakes, but it's the rare individual who points out their own mistakes.
PISCES (Feb. 19–Mar. 20) If you're in a debate, don't back down, Pisces. The major advantage you have over your opponents is your keen power of observation. It enables you to pick up on the energy around you. You know exactly what other people are thinking and where their arguments are going.
some time to recharge my batteries, especially in my head. My body was fine.”
Djokovic will face either John Isner or Pablo Carreno Busta in the next round, with
a potential quarter-final meeting with Australian Nick Kyrgios. Federer will take on Swiss compatriot Stan Wawrinka or Andrey Rublev in the third round. Wawrinka overcame Bulgaria’s Grigor Dimitrov 57 6-4 7-6(4) in a roller-coaster first-round match. Dimitrov clawed his way back from a double break down in the decider to level at 5-5 and after Wawrinka broke again, Dimitrov forced the tiebreak. The Swiss surged into a 4-0 lead but Dimitrov rallied once more before Wawrinka closed out the match with an ace. American Frances Tiafoe beat Frenchman Gael Monfils 7-6(7) 6-3 and Canadian Denis Shapovalov came from behind to see off Portugal’s Joao Sousa 2-6 6-3 6-2.
Dananjaya fivefor, Taylor fifty... From page 30 delivery that was turning away. Williamson fell three balls later when he flicked one straight into the hands of his opposite number Dimuth Karunaratne at short midwicket.In the last over before lunch, Raval failed to pick a googly and was caught at first slip by Dhananjaya de Silva for 33. Both Sri Lanka and New Zealand are playing their first match of the World Test Championship, which has nine top teams competing for supremacy in the five-day format.Play was stopped at 3.42 pm (10.12 GMT) local time due to rain and half an hour later was called off with 22 overs lost in the day. Play will resume early today. Scores: Stumps New Zealand 203 for 5 (Taylor 70*, Santner 8*, Akila 5-57) v Sri Lanka.
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Dananjaya five-for, Taylor fifty marks rain-hit day one AFP - Ross Taylor hit an unbeaten half-century to keep New Zealand afloat after Sri Lanka spinner Akila Dananjaya claimed five wickets on a rain-hit day one of the first Test yesterday. New Zealand were 203 for five, having recovered from 71-3 at lunch, when rain stopped play for the day in the final session in Galle with Taylor batting on 86. Dananjaya, bowling with a remodelled action after being reported for a suspect action last year, stood out with his fourth five-wicket haul. The mystery spinner took three early wickets including skipper Kane Williamson for nought before Taylor put on 100 runs for the fourth wicket with Henry Nicholls. Dananjaya, who was overlooked for Tests in New Zealand, Australia and South
Ross Taylor goes deep in his crease and tucks one around the corner. (Getty Images) Africa, trapped Nicholls for 42 to break the century stand and then got BJ Watling for one to make New Zealand slip further. Taylor handled pace and spin with aplomb as he registered his 31st Test fifty and had no problems picking up Dananjaya, who mixed up his deliveries to outfox the batsmen. Taylor registered the highest score by a Kiwi batsman in a Test match at Galle, sur-
passing the 69 by Tim McIntosh. New Zealand have struggled at this venue having lost all three previous Tests. Earlier, openers Jeet Raval and Tom Latham put on 64 runs before Dananjaya struck on a pitch that is already offering big turn. Latham was the first to go after being caught behind for 30 as Dananjaya got the lefthanded batsman to poke at a (Continued on page 29)
Sri Lankan cricketer Akila Dananjaya (second left) celebrates with teammates after dismissing New Zealand captain Kane Williamson. (AFP / Ishara S. Kodikara)
Theresa & George Bobb/ RFA U-17 Women’s Football
Guyana Rush Saints into the lead; matches continue tomorrow
BCCI goes back on decision, keeps Admin Manager Subramanium for Windies Tour NDTV.com - Sunil Subramaniam has tendered “an unconditional apology” for misbehaving with senior officials from the country’s High Commissions in the West Indies. The BCCI yesterday went back on its decision to call back the national team’s administrative manager Sunil Subramanium after he tendered “an unconditional apology” for misbehaving with senior officials from the country’s High Commissions in the West Indies. In what could have been a first in Indian cricket, the BCCI had contemplated calling back the manager midway from the ongoing tour, but Committee of Administrators (CoA) chief Vinod Rai let him off with a severe reprimand following his apology. “Sunil Subramaniam didn’t know that it was a request from the government of India. I had initially thought of recalling him back but in the evening, after he tendered an unconditional apology, I have decided to keep him for the remainder of the tour,” Rai told PTI. “He will complete this tour as I have now accepted his apology,” Rai added. Earlier, Subramanium was sent flight tickets for bringing him back at the earliest. He had indulged in high-handedness while dealing with senior Indian Foreign Service officers, a top BCCI official told PTI. The IFS officials had reached out to him with the government’s request for a video shoot by players to promote ‘water conservation’. “The Indian team had a fairly long shoot on ‘Water Conservation’ project and he needed to oversee that. Once that was over, he was sent an e-mail instructing him to choose the earliest available flight options,” the senior Board official had said. It remains to be seen whether Subramanium, who is a shortlisted candidate for the administrative manager’s interview, will get a chance to appear for it or not. The former Tamil Nadu left-arm spinner has offered an unconditional apology for his alleged misbehaviour with officials from the Indian High Commissions in Guyana and
Naomi Scipio - Moco-Moco FC
The BCCI had contemplated c alling back the manager midway from the ongoing tour. © AFP Trinidad & Tobago. It has been learnt that Subramanium cited stress as the reason for his alleged misbehaviour. “In his apology, he has said that he was sleep deprived and under stress which resulted in poor behaviour. He has apologised unconditionally. But you have to understand that the matter had reached the highest levels of the government and the BCCI can’t be seen doing nothing on the matter,” the official had said earlier.Subramanium was also accused of repeatedly avoiding calls from senior government officials and then the BCCI brass. “When a very senior person from Indian High Commission in Trinidad & Tobago called up Subramanium seeking his co-operation, he told him ‘Don’t flood me with messages’. The BCCI has come to know that he refused to entertain their calls when all they were doing was to carry out the government’s directive,” a senior official had said on Wednesday. The 52-year-old Subramanium, a former coach of Ravichandran Ashwin, has played 74 first-class games and taken 285 wickets.
Three goals were scored on match day three of the Theresa and George Bobb / RFA Under-17 Women’s round-robin tournament being held at the St. Ignatius Sports Club where the Guyana Rush Saints FC commands the points table with six after their second win in the tournament. The last match up of the teams on August 9 saw three matches being played with wins for Moco-Moco FC and Guyana Rush Saints FC by respective 1-0 and 2-0 margins over Terminators FC and Gladiators FC. The third match ended 0-0 between Rising Stars FC and Tabatinga FC. Naomi Scopio scored the winner for MocoMoco in the 40th minute securing the victory for her team but the result does not quite reflect the story of the match as her team had to put on a valiant fight against the aggressive Terminators who were intent on also registering a win.
Zena Cabral - Guyana Rush Saints FC The second match saw Nina Cabral scoring in the 34th and 36th minutes for Guyana Rush Saints FC against a very competitive Gladiators FC. While the goals were scored in the first half, it was the more competitive half but the Guyana Rush Saints FC were the more dominant and eventually secured the three points in the championship as the match ended on 2-0. The Rising Stars FC vs Tabatinga FC match saw the fans being treated to some very exciting individual skills but the 50 minutes could not separate the two teams and they had to settle for an equal share of the points. The tournament continues tomorrow with the following matches: Sky Kings FC will oppose Moco-Moco FC from 17:00hrs; Terminators FC battle Far East SC one hour later with the final match from 19:00hrs bringing together Saints FC and Rising Stars FC.
Thursday August 15, 2019
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Kaieteur News
King Kohli leads India to victory and overshadows Gayle swansong AFP - Classy Virat Kohli upstaged rampant Chris Gayle as India defeated the West Indies by six wickets in the rain-affected third and final One-Day International of their series at the Queen’s Park Oval in Trinidad yesterday. Set a revised target of 255 based on the DLS scoring method after Gayle blazed 72 in pacing the home side to 240 for seven off 35 overs, Kohli was at his most imperious in compiling an unbeaten 114 — his second consecutive ODI hundred –- to pilot his team to 256 for four with 15 balls to spare.His 43rd ODI hundred off 99 balls with 14 fours and overall impact on the series ensured him the double accolade of ‘Man of the Match’ and ‘Man of the Series’. This successful chase under leaden skies and with the floodlights switched on gave India the series 2-0 following the abandoned first match in Guyana last week. Kohli’s masterminding of another successful pursuit will leave Jason Holder and his West Indies team wary of what the Indian captain will have to offer with the bat in the upcoming two Tests in Antigua and Jamaica. As commanding as his innings was though, the hosts were left to rue a straightforward opportunity missed by wicketkeeper Shai Hope off all-rounder Keemo Paul when the champion batsman was just on 11. He received excellent support, as in the previous match, from Shreyas Iyer with an innings of 65 off 41 balls in a 120-run third-wicket partnership that tilted the match decisively India’s way following a brief wobble when left-arm spinner Fabian Allen had dismissed both Shikhar Dhawan
Virat Kohli celebrates his century. (AFP / Randy Brooks) and Rishabh Pant in the same over. Allen had also effected the run out of Rohit Sharma for the first wicket of the innings but was unable to complete his seven-over allotment due to an injury sustained attempting to save a boundary. While Kohli illuminated the gathering gloom in at the end of the match, it was Gayle who stole the show at the start. Playing what is likely his final ODI in a 20-year-international career in which he hopes to still represent the Caribbean in defence of the World T20 title in 14 months’ time in Australia, Gayle savaged the Indian bowlers after Holder chose to bat first, occupying only 41 balls with five sixes and eight fours distinguishing his typically bludgeoning innings. Opening partner Evin
Lewis made a bold attempt to match arguably the most destructive power-hitter in the international game, his innings of 43 coming off 29 deliveries and embellished with three sixes and five fours. Their rampage had taken the West Indies to 114 after ten overs, the most productive ten-over start to an ODI since the 2015 World Cup. However, Lewis departed in the next over, the first bowled by leg-spinner Yuzvendra Chahal while Gayle was well caught by Kohli at mid-off striking out at Khaleel Ahmed. As he left the field, the manner of the Indian players’ appreciation of the 39-yearold’s innings, and his acknowledgement of the applause as he departed the field, left the distinct impression that he had played his final ODI innings. There followed a lengthy
Virat Kohli and Shreyas Iyer found the perfect blend of caution and aggression © AFP rain stoppage and the West Indies lost wickets in the mad scramble for runs on the resumption. Ahmed picked up two more wickets to be the most successful bowler, although he was also the most expensive, conceding 68 runs off seven overs. Mohammed Shami picked up two wickets but the spinners –- Chahal, Kedar Jadhav and Yuzvendra Chahal -– were the most economical for India during the frenetic innings. Scores: WEST INDIES 240 for seven off 35 overs (Chris Gayle 71, Evin 43, Nicholas Pooran 30, Shimron Hetmyer 25, Shai Hope 24; Khaleel Ahmed 368, Mohammed Shami 2-50). INDIA 256 for four off 32.3 overs (Virat Kohli 114 not out, Shreyas Iyer 65, Shikhar Dhawan 36; Fabian Allen 2-40.
Eagles of Stewartville to represent WDFA in GFF Federation Cup 2019 Eagles FC of Stewartville have earned the right to represent the West Demerara Football Association in the upcoming Guyana Football Federation (GFF) Federation Cup having won a four-team playoff. The Eagles soared past Uitvlugt Warriors 3-1 in the final after defeating Crane FC in the semis while Uitvlugt Warriors trounced Pouderoyen, 4-0. Adrian Adelph led Eagles in the final with a double; he scored in the 28th and 51st minutes with Joel Stephenson hitting the back of the nets in the 82nd minute. Uitvlugt got their consolation goal from Seon Bobb in the 45th minute.
Eagles FC of Stewartville following the qualification for the GFF Federation Cup 2019 after downing Uitvlugt Warriors.
Four a side football competition on this Saturday in New Amsterdam Berbice A one night four-a-side football competition is set for this Saturday Evening at the New Amsterdam Basketball court, Vryman’s Erven, New Amsterdam. The activity, which is part of the Smythfield Village day activities set for this weekend, will begin at 19:00 hrs. Over $150,000 in incentives including cash, trophies and other prizes are up for grabs. The competition is open to all interested teams and players are asked to register early. The competition is being sponsored by Ansa Mc Al through their Lucozade Brand. Registration will be done by Birth Certificates and other valid forms of Identifications. Music will be supplied by Shocking Vibes Sound System and interested persons can make contact with Karo on 6856380 or any member of the Shocking Vibes Family. (Samuel Whyte)
ISG and Windjammer...
From page 34 venture, we believe that this event is going to be huge,” Griffith said.The business, in the past has housed foreign racers that have ventured here for various events under the GMR&SC including the last international drag race. “Why are we onboard with this? We just love racing especially motor-cycles and like I said before, we feel that it is time we show a little bit more support to racing.” He spoke of the buildup to the international Drag racing meet billed for later this year, indicating that the company is already putting together packages for those International competitors out of Suriname. Giving a brief comment, Executive Committee member Motilall Deodass welcomed back Windjammer into the fold, saying “They are undoubtedly a huge part of racing locally. “We have always enjoyed a great partnership with them and this time it’s no different.”
Kaieteur News
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Snr C’bean Squash C/ships to start Sunday in Guyana Men and Women to defend team titles
From left) K. Juman Yassin (GOA President), Deedra Moe (ExxonMobil rep),Vidya Bijlall-Sanichara (Digicel) & David Fernandes (GSA President) at the Head table yesterday. By Sean Devers After no tournament was held last year Guyana is set to host the 26th Senior Caribbean Squash Champions from August 1424 at the Georgetown Club and the National Racquet Centre with games commencing each day at 09:00hrs.This is the first time since 2013 that Guyana, defending Champions in both Men and Women after winning the 2017 Championships in St Vincent, will host this Event. Present at the tournament launch yesterday afternoon at the GT Club on Camp Street, were President of the Guyana Olympic Association (GOA) K. Juman Yassin, President of the Guyana Squash Association (GSA) David F e r n a n d e s a n d representatives of the main Sponsors ExxonMobil Deedra Moe, the senior Director Public & Government Affairs and Digicel’s Communications Manager Vidya Bajlall-
Sanichara. Yesterday’s Event was Chaired by Tiffany Solomon and the long serving GOA Head said the GOA has always been supportive of Squash and was happy to contribute towards making these Championships a success. Yassin recognised the presence Regan Pollard and Nicolette Fernandes and told the gathering of his memories in tournaments in which he saw them play.Sanichara said Digicel plays a big role in youth development in all of its 32 Markets in the Region and wished the team well. The GSA President noted that this Tournament is a fantastic collaboration between the Business Community, NGOs, Sleep Inn Hotel where all the teams will be accommodated, the Government and everyone else.“There is still a lot of work to be done but we are all confident of being a successful host. It’s hard since the Business entities
can become overburdened and we hope that at some time Government can contribute more to National sporting events,” Fernandes added. The Men’s team will be led by Jason Ray Khalil, while Nicolette Fernandes is the Women’s Captain. The Veterans teams (040 Male & Female), O-50 (Male & Female) and O-60 (Male) have not yet been confirmed but the Men’s and Wo m e n ’ s t e a m w e r e announced. Men: Jason Ray Khalil (Capt), Nyron Joseph, Richard Chin, Kristian Jeffery, Shomari Wilshire and Deje Dias. The Women team is Captain by Nicolette Fernandes and includes Mary Fung-a-Fat, Ashley Khalil and Taylor Fernandes who represented Guyana in the recently concluded Pan American Games in Peru. The other two members of the Women’s team are Larissa Wilshire and Ashley DeGroot.
Thursday August 15, 2019
Jofra Archer forced to wait for Test debut as first day of second Ashes Test is a washout ESPNcricinfo - Jofra Archer will have to wait a day to make his highly anticipated Test debut after heavy rain forced play to be abandoned without a ball being bowled in the second Ashes Test at Lord’s. Archer received his England cap from close friend Chris Jordan during a brief break in the otherwise appalling weather with the toss imminent, only for the covers to come back on and the showers to set in for good.The umpires made the call to abandon play around 4.20pm local time and the match will officially become a four-day fixture with the toss taking place on Thursday and overs added to the end of each day. The follow-on margin, if required, will be reduced to 150 accordingly. Archer shared a warm embrace with Sussex teammate Jordan, also born in Barbados, after the cap
Jofra Archer was awarded his England Test cap. (Getty Images) presentation on the Lord’s field. Jordan, who played eight Tests for England in 2014 and 2015, has shared in Archer’s rapid rise through international ranks since he became eligible to represent England earlier this year, with the pair playing a T20I together against Pakistan in M a y, w h i c h r e m a i n s A r c h e r ’s o n l y T 2 0 I appearance. That was two days after Archer made his international debut in an ODI against Ireland. With a vastly improved
forecast for today, play looks likely with Josh Hazlewood set to line up for Australia at the expense of Mitchell Starc after both were included in a 12-man squad while James Pattinson rests for this Test. England still have a selection call to make on whether they risk not playing spinner Jack Leach, given the shortened match, and pick Sam Curran instead. Should they opt for Leach, there is a possibility Curran could still play ahead of Joe Denly.
Cevon’s Waste Management on Board From page 35 which includes two females, has been selected, but added some other Boxers who are not a part of the Guyana team, will have the opportunity and exposure of showing off their skills in an International atmosphere. “Seven Countries will participate with Trinidad and Tobago bringing the largest contingent. The young Boxers should have benefitted from weekend encampments which began on June 14,” Ninvalle said. The GBA President informed that next year the USA, Venezuela and Colombia should be participating. According to Ninvalle, Venezuela and Colombia wanted to come this year but
because of the economic conditions in their Countries they could not make the trip. “We have renamed this tournament, which was previously called the Caribbean Schoolboys and Juniors Boxing Tournament after Winfield Braithwaite who is one of Guyana’s better Amateur fighters and the only one with a Commonwealth Medal; So any Country can participate,” Ninvalle. Experienced Boxing Coach Lennox Daniels, one of three Coaches taking the youths through their paces during their Camp, has been appointed Manager. Sebert Blake is the Head Coach, while Clive Atwell, who is making his debut as Guyana Coach, is Blake’s assistant.
Winfield Braithwaite Caribbean Schoolboys tourney team profiles From page 31 Fights: 2, 2 wins At just 14, Alisha is one of better young female Boxers in Guyana and is the younger sister of Abiola Jackman who is the other female Boxer in Team Guyana. If handled in the proper way Alisha has the talent to follow the in the footsteps of the likes top Guyanese female pugilists like Gwendolyn O’Neil, Shondell Alfred and Margret ‘Chico’ Walcott
Abiola Jackman (Born Nov 26,
2002) age 16 Boxing Style: Southpaw Division: Female Junior Welterweight Gym: FYF School: Business School Nat debut: 2018 in Guyana Fights: 1, 1 win
Sebert Blake (Born Dec 5, 1973) age 46 Position: Head Coach Gym: FYF As a Boxer Coach Blake won a
Bronze Medal at the 1997 Pan American Games in Columbia and first got involved in Coaching in 2001. He was Head Coach of the National to the then Caribbean Development Boxing Championships in 2015 in Barbados when Guyana returned home with 10 Gold and a Silver Medal. This remains Guyana’s best showing in an overseas Boxing Tournament.
Lennox Daniels (Born Jan 28, 1959) age 60 Position: Manager A National Intermediate Boxing Champion, Lennox got into Coaching at early age and made his debut as National Junior Coach in 1988 at the Junior Carifta Games in Jamaica.
Clive Atwell (Born Nov 11, 1988) age 30 Position: Assistant Coach If Clive lived in an ideal World, he would still be fighting but that phase of his career endedat the Giftland Mall on October 24, 2015 during the ninth round of his WBC FECARBOX Lightweight title fight against fellow Guyanese Dexter Gonzales when he fainted and had to do two Brain Surgeries. At that time Clive held the National Featherweight and Lightweight Titles and WBC CABOFE Super L i g h t w e i g h t a n d Featherw eight crow ns . A Preacher from the Village of Agricola, Clive made the transformation to coaching and this tournament will be his firs t w ith a N ational Team although he already has tw o w ins as Coach, in Dominica, where he once lived, and in T&T.
Kaieteur News
Thursday August 14, 2019
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Winfield Braithwaite Caribbean Schoolboys tourney team profiles T h e Wi n f i e l d B r a i t h w a i t e Caribbean Schoolboys and Juniors Boxing Tournament will be staged from tomorrow August 16 to Sunday 18 at the Cliff Anderson Sports Hall (CASH). Three-times defending Champions Guyana will hope to maintain that dominance and today we present the personnel that will hope to keep the Golden Arrowhead proudly flying at these championships.
Isaiah Moore (born Jan 17, 2001) age 18 Boxing Style: South Paw Division: Youth Flyweight Gym: Forgotten Youth Foundation (FYF) School: Charlestown Sec (wrote CXC) Nat debut: 2016 –C’bean Dev C/Ships in B’dos Fights: 30, one loss (on disqualification), 19 KOs Isaiah is the son of retired Professional Boxer Leon ‘Hurry up’ Moore who is now a Coach at the famous Gleason’s Boxing Gym in Brooklyn, New York and the brother of Thierry Moore who is making his debut for Guyana in this tournament. The talented Isaiah is Captain of team Guyana and in age and fights, will be one of the most experienced Boxers in this tournament and a lot will be expected of him on home soil.
Emmanuel Pompey (born Dec 13, 2002) age 16 Boxing Style: Orthodox Division: Middleweight Gym: Young Achievers (YA) School: New Campbellville Sec Nat Debut: 2018 in Guyana Fights: 12, 5 wins, 7 losses Emmanuel is one of the Boxers who is expected to make an impact in his second year is this tournament and the Coaches will want to see if he has matured and improved from last year.
fought at this level and is fast building a reputation as a power puncher and could be aiming for more Knock-outs in this tournament.
Thierry Moore (born Aug 1, 2006) age 13 Boxing Style: Both Division: Junior Schoolboys-Pin weight Gym: FYF School: Charlestown Sec Nat debut: This tournament The baby of the Team, Boxing runs in his blood since his Father is a former Professional Boxing Champion and his elder sibling is the Captain of this team. This will be learning experience for him as he represents the Golden Arrow Head for the first time.
Mark Crawford (Born Dec 15, 2002) age 16 Boxing Style: Orthodox Division: Juniors Lightweight Gym: FYF School: West Demerara Sec Nat Debut: 2018 in Guyana Fights: 3, 1 win, 2 losses Mark understands the importance of balancing education with sports and is awaiting his CXC results. He has the experience of Boxing at this level last year when both of his losses were at the hands of the same opponent.
Richard Howard (born Jan 29,2002) age 17 Boxing Style: Orthodox Division: 52kg Gym: FYF School Nat debut: 2017 in Guyana Fights: 3, 3 wins, 2 KOs Richard is one of the Boxers has
Travis Inverary (Born May 12, 2004) age 15 Boxing Style: Southpaw Division: 57kg Gym: FYF School: Ascension Sec Nat debut: This Tournament Travis will be keen to give a good account of himself in his first year at this level
Malachi Jones (Born Dec 13, 2004) age 14 Boxing Style: Southpaw Division: 53kg Gym: FYF School: Dolphin Sec Nat debut: This tournament While he is yet to fight officially for his Country, Malachi is one of the Boxers returning from last year’s team. With no opponent in his division available he fought in an Execibition bout and should know what to expect when he steps into the ring this time.
Jaqwan Milo (Born Sept 22, 2004) age 14 Boxing Style: Southpaw Division: Welterweight Gym: FYF School: West Ruimveldt Sec (formerly David Rose Sec) Nat debut: This tournament
Sean Graham (Born Feb 4, 2006) age 13 Division: Schoolboys Gym: FYF School: East Ruimveldt Sec Nat debut: This tournament
Jevon McKenzie (Born Jan 23, 2002) age 17 Boxing Style: Orthodox Division: 64kg Gym: YA School: East Ruimveldt Sec Nat debut: This tournament
Dwayne Castello (Born Nov 18, 2004) age 14 Boxing Style: Southpaw Division: 46kg Gym: FYF School: Ascension Sec Nat debut: This tournament
Shurlon Stephen (Born Aug 15, 2003) 16 Boxing Style: Both Division: 63kg Gym: YA School: South Ruimveldt Nat Debut: This Tournament
Alex Butcher (Born Jan 2, 2002) age 16 Boxing Style: Both Division: Lightweight Gym: YA School: Sophia Training Centre Nat debut: This tournament
Fitz Haywood (Born Jun 8, 2001) age 18 Boxing style: Southpaw Division: 67kg Gym: FYF School: South Ruimveldt sec Nat debut: This tournament Fitz wrote CXC exams this year and awaiting his results
Royan Benjamin (Born Sept 3, 2004) age 14 Boxing Style: Southpaw Division: Featherweight Gym: FYF School: West Ruimveldt Nat debut: This tournament
Alisha Jackman (Born Nov 15, 2004) age14 Boxing Style: Southpaw Division: Female 60kg Gym: FYF School: St Mary’s sec Nat debut: 2018 in Guyana (Continued on page 32)
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Kaieteur News
Thursday August 15, 2019
31-man Guyana-based Provisional Squad announced; Training kicks off today
Concacaf Nations League 2019-2020
Golden Jaguars Head Coach Michael Johnson and Technical Staff chatting with the players in the USA before a training session during the 2019 Concacaf Gold Cup. As the countdown begins to the start of the Concacaf Nations League in the September - November window, a 31-man Guyana-based provisional squad has been selected to begin training today at the GFF’s National Training Centre, Provid e n c e . The squad, comprising four Goalkeepers, 11 Defenders, 10 Midfielders and six Forwards also has seven first-timers who will be competing for a chance to earn their debut in the senior national squad. According to Charles Pollard, the Golden Jaguars Assistant Coach and lead for the Guyana based team preparation; the squad was selected by a technical panel which included Head Coach Michael Johnson: “We’re continuously looking for players with the right combination of technical skill, heart and commitment to represent Guyana. I believe this squad reflects that. While the majority of the squad is taken from those who were part of the previous training programme, we have brought in some new players who have shown creditable performance in the recently-held tournaments and who have to fight for a place when the short list is made. One of those players is young Ryan Dowding who performed well dur-
Charles ‘Lily’ Pollard during the recent and historic Concacaf Gold Cup campaign. ing the recently-concluded GFFKFC U20 Tournament. Careful consideration was made to the squad selection by a technical panel including Head of Recruitment, Faizal Khan; Goalkeeper Coach, Eon De Viera; Fitness Coach, Wilson Toledo; Head Coach, Michael Johnson, Technical Director, Ian Greenwood and me.” Pollard said the first sessions will prioritize fitness, which will be led by Toledo: “Fitness in the sport, especially during this time, can never
be underestimated so while some of the guys have been actively engaged in tournaments, others may not have been so active so the fitness regime will test this to determine their overall readiness and will also point us to areas to focus on.” Fitness evaluation is scheduled for Saturday. More tournament details as well as the home venue for matches will be announced soonest. Guyana will play three home and three away matches as follows:
ISG and Windjammer caters for 1320 Heat Local Hotel and restaurant, Windjammer International Cuisine and Comfort Inn along with Industrial Supply Guyana (ISG) have joined the sponsorship team for the 1320 Heat International drag race meet. The 1320 Heat event is being organised by local racing authority, the Guyana Motor Racing and Sports Club (GMR&SC), and the event will boost off on Sunday August 25th at the South Dakota Circuit’s drag strip. During a handing over yesterday, Windjammer’s managing director Carey Griffith told the media, “We are really happy to be back on board again with motorsport.” “We’ve sponsored circuit racing and endurance racing before and while this isn’t our first drag racing (Contined on page 29)
NEE/Mohamed’s Enterprise Futsal tourney Semifinal round kicks off tonight The remaining four teams in the sixth annual New Era Entertainment (NEE) futsal tournament will clash tonight at the Mackenzie Sports Club (MSC) hard court which will stage the semifinals of the tournament that will see over $2million in cash and prizes being doled out. The remaining four teams are already sure of at least $50,000 which will go to the fourth place finishers of the tournament, but everyone will have their eyes on the $600,000 first prize. The fixtures will see Hard Knocks clashing with Dave & Celina’s All Stars in the first semi-final tonight at 20:00hrs, while High Rollers will match skills with NK Ballers for a place in the final. Following the first semifinal, an exhibition match between the Police Force and the Fire Service is scheduled before the feature clash. The quarterfinal round of the event concluded on Saturday last at the Mackenzie Sports Club (MSC) hard court with some exciting but not so surprising victories.
WIPA Expresses Sympathies at Passing of Reginald Scarlett
Steve Ghisiawan of ISG handing over his company’s sponsorship to Lankey Mohamed of GMR&SC.
KINGSTON, Jamaica - The West Indies Players’ Association (WIPA) is saddened by news of the passing of former West Indies and Jamaica cricketer, Reginald Scarlett, the body said in a release. Reginald Osmond Scarlett was born August 15, 1934 in Port Maria, St. Mary, Jamaica and played for Jamaica and the West Indies in the 1960s. Scarlett was a lower-order batsman and spinner, who later worked with the Jamaica Cricket Association and the West Indies Cricket Board, now Cricket West Indies, on cricket development.Reg Scarlett, as he was affectionately called, would have celebrated his 85th birthday in one day. He was reportedly battling a long illness.WIPA President and CEO, Wavell Hinds expressed “The WIPA family would like to extend our deepest sympathies to Reginald Scarlett’s family and friends as well as the cricket fraternity. We wish them strength and peace at this time.”
Kaieteur News
Thursday August 15, 2019
Winfield Braithwaite C’bean Schoolboys Boxing tourney
Cevon’s Waste Management on Board
By Sean Devers The much anticipated Wi n f i e l d B r a i t h w a i t e Caribbean Schoolboys and J u n i o r s B o x i n g Championships is set to get going from tomorrow to Sunday at the Cliff Anderson Sports Hall (CASH) with the action on each evening scheduled to commence at 18:00hrs. Yesterday at their Head Office in South Ruimveldt Gardens, Cevon’s Waste Management became the latest Sponsor to come on board when their Administration Manager Allana McCullock presented a cheque to the President of the Guyana Boxing Association (GBA) Steve Ninvalle. Team Guyana, which will led by Isaiah Moore, the 18year-old son of retired Professional Boxer Leon ‘Hurry up’ Moore, has won the Championships for the past three years and will be keen to retain Championship honours in the fourth edition here which is being held for
GBA President Steve Ninvalle is presented with the sponsorship cheque by Admin Manager Allan McCullock yesterday at Cevon’s Waste Disposal at their Office in South Ruimveldt Gardens. the first time at the Sports Hall, the home of Boxing in Guyana. McCullock said Sports is a very important aspect to her Company. “We want to ensure that we contribute not only to Boxing but Sports in general since it’s important to encourage youths to participate in sports as a part of our Community development plans,”
McCullock explained. McCullock promised Ninvalle continued support for boxing as Cevon’s fulfils their mandate as a good Cooperate Citizen. Ninvalle thanked Cevon’s for their support and hoped that this partnership will remain strong and last for a long time. The GBA Head disclosed that a 20-member squad, (Continued on page 30)
Track in immaculate condition ahead of Sunday’s meet
Guyana Cup 2019
Preparatory works on the Rising Sun Turf Club track was completed this week. All roads will lead to the Rising Sun Turf Club in Rising Sun Village, West Coast Berbice this Sunday when the 13th edition of the Guyana Cup International Horse race meet gallops off. This year, over $18million in cash and prizes are up for grabs and the steeds will have a clear and immaculate track to trample down come Sunday. Images seen by Kaieteur Sport of the horserace track, which is located a meager 45 minutes from Georgetown, suggests that all systems are in place for a fun filled day. Over US$50,000 cash in prize money will be handed out to the top performers on race day and a grand mega concert featuring eight international artistes is planned after the event. The event will feature a nine-race programme. The details of the races and prize money are
l i s t e d b e l o w : – C Class and lower feature race over a distance of one mile for – $2million, – Three-year-old Guyana Bred – $1million – G3 and lower – $400,000 – L3 and lower (open to non-winners from T r i n i d a d & To b a g o ) – $ 3 5 0 , 0 0 0 – Two-year-old Guyana bred over – $300,000. – J3 and lower over seven furlongs – $300,000. – L Class for Colts – $250,000 – L Class Philly and Mare – $250,000 Some of the top animals expected to be on show come race day will include Just Call Me Bass, Crown the King (Jamaica), Doublin Fashion (USA), Chameli (Jamaica), Safara (Jamaica), Southern Express (T&T), Silver & Things (T&T), Sitarr (T&T), Kentucky Woman (T&T), Super Easy (T&T) and She’s a Princess.
PAGE 35
McIntosh, first winner of Lets Bet Sports’ Fantasy League Delroy McIntosh of Bartica is the winner of week one of the Let’s Bet Sports’ Barclay’s Premier League Fantasy league and he received an authentic English Premier League jersey for his efforts. McIntosh racked up 100 points to come out as the week one winner while Keno Washington, also of Bartica was second with 98 points. He won a $500 voucher to either play online, or at any lottery/Let’s Bet Sports agents’ countrywide. Brand Ambassador Rawle Toney was on hand to make the presentation yesterday at the Guyana L o t t e r y C o m p a n y ’s Corporate Headquarters at Lamaha Street, Georgetown. At the presentation, Toney highlighted that this
Delroy McIntosh receives his Arsenal team Jersey from Lets Bet Sports Brand Ambassador, Rawle Toney. is the first of many winners and encouraged others to join the league as they too, could be winners.The Fantasy Premier League is an online game based on the Barclay’s Premier League in England in which fans can assemble an imaginary team of real life footballers and score points based on
those players’ actual performances on the pitch. Participants are asked to select 11 players from the BPL within a £100 budget to form their Fantasy team. At the end of the season in May 2020, a winner will emerge and two jerseys directly from the BPL will be up for grabs.
GABBFF’s Bess pleased with turn out at Senior Nationals Plans to have competitions out of Town in 2020 President of the Guyana Amateur Body Building and Fitness Federation (GABBFF) Keavon Bess has expressed satisfaction at the turn out for the federation’s senior national competition which was held on Monday evening last at the National Cultural C e n t r e . While acknowledging that there were a few glitches which included poor lighting and issues with playing athletes music in an efficient manner, Bess said that they show was a good one. Fans saw a change in the normal routine which in the past would have seen athletes doing their free posing routine after which they would have done the compulsorily poses. However, this was done on the reverse for the first time. F o r n e x t y e a r, B e s s informed that they are hoping to take the Novice competition to the Bauxite Mining Town of Linden as well as bring back the Mr. B e r b i c e s h o w. ”For next year the proposal we’ll put to the athletes is to give some form of motor vehicle, either a bike or a car. But this relies heavily on our ability to bring in sponsorship and I am sure we’re going to be able to bring in sponsorship in
Space Gym Manager Lucas Matos presents the first place Miss Bikini prize to Rosanna Fung. addition to our own fund raising activities that we w o u l d h a v e . ” The intention Bess noted is to give the athletes something more tangible. It is also the hope of the local federation to put in a bid to host CAC in 2021 or 2022. Bess stated that by taking
the sport around Guyana, it would serve as a positive incentive to bring back the fans apart from allowing two areas that have traditionally been very supportive of the sport, are back in the mix having been neglected for some years, according to him.
King Kohli leads India to victory and overshadows Gayle swansong
Virat Kohli hugs Chris Gayle after he is dismissed © Associated Press
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Chris Gayle of West Indies waves to fans while walking off the field. (AFP / Randy Brooks)
Snr C’bean Squash C/ships to start Sunday in Guyana
Team Guyana & Officials at the Launching at the GT Club yesterday. Printed and published by National Media & Publishing Company Ltd., 24 Saffon Street, Charlestown, Georgetown. Tel: 225-8458, 225-8465, 225-8491 or Fax: 225-8473/226-8210.