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AIETEUR NEWS

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Forestry Commission Friday Edition unable to pay July salaries August 07, 2020 -Vol. 22 No. 31

Online: www.kaieteurnews.com

- New Minister told of gross mismanagement in Natural Resources sector

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Online readership yesterday, 207,836

17 in Diaspora demand

comprehensive review of oil sector Resolve discrepancies in pre-contract costs Probe cost anomalies between Liza 1 & 2 Review taxes paid by Guyana for oil companies Review unspecified interest rates on oil companies’ loans Improve weak environmental standards Regulate amount of oil being produced

Controversial $1.6B COVID-19 hospital…

Owner now demands Jacob Wilfred Rambarran

over $52M in rent

Guyanese crew Blanhum New arbitration stranded on boat back as act needed for oil in “Trini” waters Crime Chief industry ExxonMobil Ex-Ministers given Shuman to take would not be able 36 hours to vacate joinder seat to meet deadline Govt. houses in Parliament to end flaring- EPA Head - Attorney General, Anil Nandlall

Kaieteur News

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August July 07, 2020

Controversial $1.6B COVID-19 hospital…

Owner now demands over

$52M in rent B usinessman and owner of the newly renovated $1.6B Ocean view hospital, Jacob Wilfred Rambarran, is threatening to take steps to repossess the property over rent monies to the tune of millions.

Rambarran has been silent for months about the arrangement while the previous A Partnership For National Unity + Alliance For Change (APNU+AFC) administration claimed to have expended over $1.6B to renovate and transform the building from a hotel into a infectious diseases hospital.

In fact, the entire negotiation between the owner of the hotel and the government was done in

secret save for the sum expended to renovate the facility.

The APNU+AFC had initially claimed that the building was being rented from Rambarran but later issued a notice of compulsory acquisition for the property.

However, in breaking his s i l e n c e y e s t e r d a y, t h e businessman in a letter to the new government, through his Attorney R. Satram, is now saying that he never entered into negotiations with the former government for the compulsory acquisition of the property.

As such, Rambarran said that the notice should be treated as unconstitutional and ineffective in law.

Newly appointed Minister of Health, Dr. Frank Anthony

Jacob Wilfred Rambarran In the letter dated August 6, 2020, the businessman said that as the owner and sole shareholder of the Ocean View Hotel Limited, he is demanding the new

Government pay all arrears of rent due amounting to over $52M within 14 days of the date of the letter, failing which he will terminate the existing tenancy and take steps to recover possession of the property.

According to the correspondence addressed to Attorney General, Anil Nandlall, and Health Minister, Dr. Frank Anthony, Rambarran explained that in early April he was a p p r o a c h e d b y representatives of the Ministry of Health to lease the property for the purpose of establishing a facility to create the capacity to treat and otherwise deal with COVID-19 patients.

According to document, the health officials outlined an urgent need for the facility to accommodate the expected increase of COVID-19 cases as estimated by PAHO/WHO. The hotel was then

Former Minister of Public Health, Volda Lawrence visited by a number of officials representing the State including doctors, engineers, officers of the Guyana Defence Force, staff of the Ministry of Public Health and members of the COVID-19 taskforce.

Subsequent to this, the letter noted that a tenancy agreement was reached with the Ministry of Health for one year at a monthly rental of $13M since, at the time, the government did anticipate that they would need the property beyond one year.

According to the letter, a lease was drafted following approval by the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Health and other officials.

However, the letter outlined that after it was submitted to the Ministry of the Presidency it was never executed —no rent whatsoever, was ever paid to Rambarran.

According to the letter

too, the Government later issued a notice of compulsory acquisition of t h e p r o p e r t y, w i t h o u t entering into any negotiation of purchase with the businessman.

In light of the foregoing, Rambarran is claiming that the notice is unconstitutional and ineffective in law.

“You are respectfully reminded that Article 142 of the Constitution safeguards o u r c l i e n t ’s r i g h t t o possession of his property.

Our client demands the payment of all arrears of rent due within fourteen (14) days of the date of this letter, failing which he will terminate the tenancy and take steps to recover possession of the property,” the letter outlined.

The letter followed hours after the newly appointed Minister of Health, Dr. Anthony, described the recently-commissioned (Continued on page 16)

The recently renovated $1.6 B COVID-19 hospital

Kaieteur News

August July 07, 2020

PAGE 03

17 in Diaspora demand

comprehensive review of oil sector Resolve discrepancies in pre-contract costs Probe cost anomalies between Liza 1 & 2 Review taxes paid by Guyana for oil companies Review unspecified interest rates on oil companies’ loans Improve weak environmental standards Regulate amount of oil being produced

By Kemol King A group of 16 civil society professionals in the diaspora are calling on President Irfaan Ali to undertake a comprehensive review of the oil sector before it approves the Payara Field Development Plan (FDP) permitting ExxonMobil to produce oil in a third well.

At the top of its list is the renegotiation of the Stabroek Block Production Sharing Agreement (PSA), which has faced widespread condemnation for its lopsided provisions. Canadabased Engineer, Darshanand Khusial heads this list. He told Kaieteur News that the President, whom he congratulated on his assumption of office, should live up to his promises to ensure Guyana’s energy resources are properly managed. The others on the list boast legal, economic and education portfolios, among others.

ExxonMobil has been producing oil in the Liza field since December, 2019.

It is on track to produce from Liza Phase 2 in 2022, and has been campaigning vigorously for the swift approval of the Payara project. Its claims are that any delay in approval would result in billions of losses for Guyana.

Experts like Former Advisor to President David Granger, Dr. Jan Mangal, believe otherwise, and have advised Guyana not to fall for Exxon’s ploy.

The infrastructure necessary for Government to prudently manage the oil sector is severely underdeveloped. That much was expressed by newly sworn in Attorney General, Anil Nandlall. He said on Wednesday that the former Government did not sufficiently prepare the country for the sector.

First and foremost, the group held that the Stabroek

Experts say that Exxon’s operations in the Stabroek Block will result in losses of billions for Guyana, due to a poor contract (Image: ExxonMobil) PSA has to be renegotiated in order to regain the losses its current provisions are set to i n c u r. G l o b a l Wi t n e s s projects the losses to be to the tune of US$55B over the life of the contract. Recent revelations that Suriname is set to reap 36 percent of the revenue share if oil is

produced in its lucrative Block 58 have exacerbated concerns, as Guyana is set to reap a 14.5 percent revenue share from production in the Stabroek Block – a concession much more lucrative than Suriname’s Block 58.

The civil society group

pointed to an interview had by the Guyanese Critic with Ali just days before the March 2 election, during

which Ali said that all deals would be on the table for review. This newspaper has a s k e d t h e P e o p l e ’s

Progressive Party Civic (PPP/C)’s General Secretary, Bharrat Jagdeo, on many (Continued on page 18)

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Friday August 07, 2020

Kaieteur News

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

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

EDITORIAL

The new cabinet The much-anticipated new cabinet is almost complete.

At the crux of it, there is identification of future movers and shakers, of those entrusted to pilot forward. While, on the surface, these are the things that immediately come to mind, there is so much more that goes into, or should, in any new cabinet construction and announcement.

Though the cabinet is still incomplete, it is an encouraging blend of veterans and new and youthful faces.

It is an eclectic mix of leadership familiar with the ropes, particularly in the crucial health and education sectors, along with the energy and drive that should come from the unknowns eager to prove themselves, such as in Foreign Affairs, Tourism, and Public Works. The people are in place, and now they must prove how innovative and dynamic and trustworthy they are, for the good of all the peoples of this society.

As is usual, there are sure to be the disappointed around, who would feel that they did toil in vain. Nevertheless, both old and new faces must move their respective portfolios forward from where they are, and to make much-needed and significant strides, through principled and patriotic stewardship. Our citizens are hurting badly, and they need immediate assistance.

People need money in their pockets; most do not look for a handout via some state determined stimulus. That helps, but most citizens understand that stimuli are simply stopgap measures quickly absorbed by the burdensome expenses of daily life. What Guyanese are looking for is to go to work and earn a living wage as quickly as possible, in the face of a pandemic that looks increasingly as though it is intensifying, rather than receding.

It is comforting to return to a known Minister of Health, a medical professional. We wait for a confidence-boosting Finance head to chart a path forward that instills freshness and hope. After all, much hinges on these two portfolios, and much expected to be forthcoming. The one man already named and the other (Finance) must be authoritative and decisive, with measures that speak to the practical. After the long national hallucination, all Guyanese need a swift and solid return to reality. Health and Finance decisionmakers will set the tone and pave the course; nothing else will do. We think that President Irfaan Ali made a good start in most areas.

In view of the present position with our oil sector, and to a wider degree the natural resources sphere, some serious revisiting and revamping must be introduced and implemented early with what we get from foreign investors exploiting our riches.

Mr. Vickram Bharrat, not a local household name, has his work cut out for him. Guyanese need to get more of everything: more returns, more jobs, more relationship respect. Our treasury, communities and infrastructures must come out ahead, along with the training of our own people.

We appreciate that the wheel cannot be reinvented in midstream, but we recommend pumping some air in the tyres.

To be clear, more air means more money and more of everything that is beneficial to Guyanese. We are at a pivotal stage in the natural resources sector, and the lessons from the past must be studied and applied.

This is the key to Guyana’s future prosperity; indeed, it is crucial to our political and societal harmony and progress.

This cannot be business as usual, with old nonchalance and lack of clarity that characterized the way we did things in the decades before.

As an aside, we cannot help but notice the pride of place that the former president and now Leader of the Opposition, has reserved for himself. As we see it, his role should be largely invisible and inaudible, if only to allow the new head of state the freedom, dignity, and respect that is due the highest of offices. Because of his past record, we confess to not knowing how such a limited role would sit with him. Quite candidly, already he should content himself with the position of elder statesman, and in-house trainer.

He is well-equipped to do so, and especially with an untried president at the helm.

To the president and new cabinet, the word is: lead the way, do not disappoint.

Guyana only wins when we strive for inclusiveness for all Dear Editor, Throughout these recently concluded elections, Guyanese have since, had a golden opportunity not only to vote, but to become aware of all things as it relates to the Electoral Processes. To a much bigger extent, it also exposed the inability of GECOM to properly conduct an election, even after given an allocated three billion Guyanese dollars for same. It exposed how, through appointments, both the government and the opposition can control the workings of a statutorily independent body. This, in my view, must stop.

Guyanese have been given another chance at rewriting the history books. We have been given another chance at correcting the ills of our past leaders, whose mistakes were predominantly based on the premise of who looked like them. Our new found resource in oil will definitely open up some cans we had no equipment to open before. Financial benefits will

come our way through direct and indirect investment opportunities. To put this into perspective, Guyana will be controlling a lot of added monies, thus this sector should be carefully and transparently managed, in the sole interest of the Guyanese people.

While oil presents added monies into the economy, it must not be managed in isolation to other resources and monies there from should be used to balance out or attempt to balance our economy. Baring this in mind, a young agriculture minister should be appointed who has portrayed a progressive mindset as it is my view that the sector needs to modernize its approach to the industries that fall under it. I feel as though an older or old person (above 45) will be reluctant to change many of our outdated techniques still being employed by the state through this apparatus.

Mining reform is much needed. I am not educated on this enough so I would not lend you my two cents on ex-

actly what this means in detail. The small miners must feel protected by the state and not exploited. They must not be at the mercy of big companies.

There is added need for loans accessibility to them and a reduction for them, in the tax paid on equipment, specifically for small miners.

We have longed been an African/Indian dominated country. The source of our unfriendly relationship that seems to be ever-present may stretch as far back as the postEmancipation era and the beginning of the Immigration schemes. The construct of our society, built by our colonial masters is nothing but a tool to disenfranchise Guyanese from the benefits to which she should enjoy, given our natural resources abundance. The reason we have continued with such a system of Blacks for Blacks and Indians for Indians is one of a selfish nature, selfish in that it stymies the growth of a united Guyana. It stymies the growth of this Country and goes against its very name,

the Cooperative Republic of Guyana.

It is no secret that the Indians dominate the economic class of Guyana. They are the business owners, though not all. As Africans, we can no longer perpetuate dialogues and relationships between us and the Indians as one that is polarizing. The Indians must trust the African and the African must trust the Indians, because quite frankly speaking, these two ethnic groups spill the most hatred in our society, towards one another and towards other groups.

Our unions need to stop being politically motivated, for it hinders the right of the workers under its umbrella to fully enjoy benefits due to them. At the same time, workers must feel protected being a part of union. Negotiations with the powers that be must be in good faith and not to establish a stalemate, so as to give a political party points and thus making a claim that the government is not operating (Continued on page 6)

Volda Lawrence should serve in the post as Leader of the Opposition Dear Editor, Let me begin by first congratulating President David Granger on his tenure as Executive President of the Cooperative Republic of Guyana. He led this nation with dignity, integrity, honesty and purpose. Just have a look at the aesthetics of our country, the removal of the scourges of drugs, money laundering, trafficking and rampant corruption. Thank you President Granger!

It is my firm belief as a comrade and card bearing member of the PNCR that our Cde. Leader if he desires to enter the hallowed halls of Parliament then he must get the full support of all APNU+AFC. I treat with disdain any suggestion of an exit by the Cde. Leader on terms not his own. If however, the Cde. Leader is not desirous of following in the footsteps of the Bharrat Jagdeo who, having served as President, went on to serve as Opposition Leader too, then it is with great pleasure that I nominate Mrs. Volda Lawrence for the position of Leader of the Opposition, for the Twelfth Parliament of the Co-operative Republic of Guyana. I make this nomination on the underlying fact, our Cde. Leader has in the past exhibited tremendous trust in the leadership of Cde. Lawrence. Cde. Leader your legacy has been the promotion of women. Your

legacy is empowering women.

Under your Presidency women functioned and in some cases continue to function in the following posts: Chancellor, Chief Justice, Chief Magistrate, Chairman of the Public Accounts Committee. There were more women parliamentarians and ministers under your tenure than ever before. As Leader you had women served as your General Secretary and Chairman. You can further cement your legacy and further establish your place in history as the Leader who stood for and by women by appointing Cde. Volda Lawrence as Leader of the Opposition. Cde. Lawrence is the second ranking officer in the PNCR a party whose backbone is women. Further, Cde. Lawrence has demonstrated an extraordinary commitment to the people of Guyana the PNCR and the APNU+AFC. Her span of service runs from the hinterland to the coast land, from city to town to neighbourhood. Every region has been impacted by Cde. Lawrence in her capacity as an officer of the PNCR and as a member of the APNU+AFC Coalition Government. Through her leadership at the Ministry of Public Health and as Chairperson of the PNCR, Ms. Lawrence has provided exceptional support and service to all who sought her assistance. She was quick

to discern their individual needs and moved efficiently to provide key information, recommendations, or direction, to achieve desired Party of Government outcomes.

Ms. Lawrence is the quintessential representation of genuine public service. She epitomizes servant leadership by performing above and beyond the call of duty, while inspiring others to give back and pay it forward, whenever they can. Her efforts are unique and far-reaching. Ms. Lawrence was appointed to serve on the World Health Organization’s Executive Board, from 2020 to 2022. She also led the passage of the Tobacco Control Bill No. 5 of 2017, which resulted in international recognition of Guyana’s outstanding leadership in tobacco control. The country was awarded the World No Tobacco Day Award, a year later.

In addition to the above, infant mortality rates at the public Hospital and all Public Health Centres were reduced during her tenure as Minister of Health. Further, under her leadership, the Ministry of Health recorded a reduction of suicide rates in Guyana.

She facilitated the passage of updates to the Nurses and Midwives law, to improve the welfare of the practitioners.

While Minister of Social Protection, she facilitated the opening of the Family Court,

with its own Registry, Proceedings and Procedures and facilitated the registration of 230 daycare centers and the licensing of 84.

Mrs. Lawrence resuscitated the Women of Worth (WOW) programme, targeted towards the empowerment of vulnerable women in society and she implemented the People of Worth Entrepreneurial Resources (POWER) project.

The POWER programme is aimed at providing support in the form of loans to single parent men, married women, widows and widowers, who are unable to access loans under WOW, to start-up or expand income generating projects.

Mrs. Lawrence has made a difference in our society.

She exemplified the mission of the Coalition government and has positively impacted the people of our state. She is identified as the most successful Minister of the Coalition’s term in office. Her skills, knowledge, willingness to help others, and dedication to our Country and Party make her the perfect choice for Leader of the Opposition.

She will be a strong and exceptional Opposition Leader and will deliver the needed leadership that will return the Coalition to the seat of government.

Sincerely, Maureen Philadelphia

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Kaieteur News

Political appointees should demit office Dear Editor, Whenever there is a change in administration in any country, ‘political appointees’ demit office. Political appointees were chosen on the instruction of the political directorate presumably because they have some sense of political or ideological with the ruling party, and by extension loyalty to it. On change of government, they leave voluntarily without being asked. Even in a university in America, when a new President takes over, deans and directors of offices submit their resignations, but the tradition has been to instruct them to continue their service unless the President really wants them out. Would appointees under the previous regime in Guyana submit their resignation now that there is a new government?

The new President should have the freedom to make appointments in important bureaucratic positions, government agencies, state corpora-

tions, foreign missions, and the university. All of these heads and top appointees, including the Chancellor and Vice-Chancellor of UG, should demit office. The President and his government should have an input in selection to fill these critically important offices that were made in violation of the spirit of democratic governance.

The President and his government come with their own agenda. They would like to implement their manifesto or program the people vote for. They would like to have persons they are comfortable with in critical posts. Rather than wait to be asked to demit office, the officers should voluntarily submit their resignations. I recall Hydar Ally resigned as PS (to the Education Ministry) when there was a change in administration. If I were appointed to head a department or a management position at UG, I would resign following a change in government especially if I were ap-

pointed under a caretaker administration. A new President must have loyalists (with competence) heading every department to execute his or her agenda especially in a country like Guyana where every major appointment is political or racially aligned.

Even a professional, non-politically affiliated person like me would not fit in with the goal of a winning party unless asked to undertake a specific task. Parties and candidate run for office to implement their agenda. What would be the purpose of winning an election if appointees of another party are running the affairs of government and the university?

Eyebrows were raised when appointments were made by the caretaker administration after December 21, 2018. I studied comparative and international politics, a field in which I earned one of my doctorates. In my studies and readings, no caretaker administration, especially one

Renegotiate the Stabroek Oil contract before Payara plan approval We congratulate Dr, Irfaan Ali on becoming the ninth Executive President of Guyana. In the history of our nation, this is a transformational moment given our recent discovery of an abundance of energy resources.

What he does over the next few years will set the direction of Guyana for decades.

We were elated when on Feb 26th, 2020, on the Guyanese Critic Facebook programme, he indicated that all oil contracts are on the table for review and renegotiation. Many in the local and foreign media have pointed out why the oil contracts are unfair. Suriname will reap 36% from their oil revenues but Guyana will receive only 14.5%. The international nonprofit organization, Global Witness produced a report that showed that Guyana should renegotiate the Stabroek Block contract as the incremental value to the Guyanese people would be at least US$55 billion. In addition to Guyana giving up the billions of dollars with the

current Stabroek contract, there are a number of other issues with the Stabroek Block contract. These include: 1. Pre-contract costs discrepancies; 2. Taxes that are paid

by Guyana on behalf of the oil companies; 3. Unspecified interest rates expensed to Guyana for loans to the oil entities; 4.

Weak environmental standards; 5. Guyana’s inability to control the amount of oil being produced; 6. Infrastructure cost anomalies between the Liza 1 & Liza 2 Before approving the Payara plan, we urge the President to renegotiate the terms of the Stabroek contract with the oil companies for the benefit of the people of Guyana.

There are generations to be born that will prosper or suffer based on the actions he takes with respect to the oil contracts over the next few weeks and months.

The past five months lead-

ing up to the declaration have made it abundantly clear that there are tens of thousands in the diaspora who are paying keen attention to events in Guyana.

Consistent with the manifesto for inclusive government it would be wise to use some of the experts who reside abroad and who are always willing to contribute.

The errors of the past include making contracts hurriedly and without the appropriate participants knowledgeable in the field. We trust that this error will not be repeated. A New Deal can result in Guyana becoming independent economically returning to the days it was the bread basket of the Caribbean.

Sincerely, Baytoram Ramharack; John Peters; Dhanpaul Narine; Ramnarine Sahadeo; Rajendra Singh; Jerry Jailall; Joe Persaud; Mike Persaud; Kris Dindial; Steve Kishore; Harold Ragnauth; Hari Singh; B. Benimadhu; S. Bernard; R. Sankar; Darshanand Khusial

that lost a no confidence motion, ever undertook permanent appointments. They were all automatically considered to be interim or acting and they all leave office upon completion of the election.

The Coalition violated the spirit of democracy and the effects of the no confidence motion when it made new appointments between December 21 and August 2, 2020. It was rather bizarre for a caretaker regime to make new appointments or renew appointments. To the extent professional standards are employed in making political appointments, they are limited to technical or program policy expertise. Any other appointment violated principles, morality, ethics, and decency if not laws of the country. What kind of educated person would want to retain a post if appointed by an administration that was a caretaker or held power illegally? It would be shameless to stay on. If they are professional and people of integrity, and if they are worth their salt, they would resign. All those ap-

pointments were unethical and the appointees should submit their resignation and re-apply when the positions are re-advertised.

All appointees or those hired between Dec 21, 2018 and August 2, 2020 should do the honorable thing and resign and allow President Ali the option of retaining or replacing them including at UG. As Freddie Kissoon pointed out, UG is in a financial and leadership crisis. The Chancellor and VC should offer their resignation to the President. Both were somewhat ‘political’. The Chancellor Edward Greene, appointed last October, penned in an article that Burnham made enormous gains in political support in the 1968 and 1973 elections. Anyone of integrity would know that is not factual. Burnham massively rigged the 1968 elections with phantom voters. And in 1973, the army was used to rig elections killing, opening fire against those who sought to protect the ballot boxes killing two. Greene left put both facts in his writing on Guyana

elections in which he claimed Burnham made gains. Greene should come out and apologize for those inaccurate statements since he now heads a university. Those victories, as he described them, were frauds.

I am reminded that neither Chancellor Greene, and Vice Chancellor Paloma Mohammed, both appointed during the Caretaker regime, condemned the financial abuse at UG during the tenure of the previous Vice Chancellor. (Silence is support for wrong doing). They did not even order an investigation or a forensic audit of the many allegations at that institution.

One must not paper over complaints. They should step down and let the new government decide if they should stay on. A new UG board should be appointed and it should be charged with selection for both positions.

Also, political appointees in other institutions should immediately submit their resignations.

Yours truly, Dr. Vishnu Bisram

It is unbelievable that a quarantine centre is being established in the middle of a residential area in Lethem Dear Editor It goes without saying that every single precaution must be taken to mitigate the effects of the COVID virus. It is therefore absolutely unbelievable that a quarantine centre is right now being established in the middle of a residential area in Lethem. To the east and west of that lot are residences and, incredibly, sharing its southern boundary and separated only by a chainlink fence is the Arapaima Primary School.

Residents in the area were neither consulted nor notified. It is obvious, too, that no research was done before deciding on this location. Had any research been done, they would have noted that strenuous objections to putting quarantine centres in residential areas were made in Hong Kong, India, Syria, South Korea, Bulawayo (the MP there asked,

“How on earth can we have a quarantine centre at a residential area?”). Nor did they obviously not check recommendations made by the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control. I totally object to the present location partly because I live just two lots away and because I am considered a particularly high risk case. I find it absolutely unacceptable, too, that the head of the household immediately east of the centre this week had to move his family of six to another location because of his own concerns.

The new Minister of Health has just condemned the design of the Liliendaal COVID centre. I ask him to urgently enquire into the location of the Lethem centre.

Yours truly Clairmont Lye

PAGE 6

Youthful Cabinet welcomed but needs tweaking Let me congratulate the President. T h e m o s t l y youthful cabinet is welcomed. But there is some mismatch in experience and academic qualifications as the outpouring in social media indicates.

For example, it would seem that the young Ramson would have been better placed in the Ministry of Natural Resources where his legal and oil and gas training is crucially n e e d e d . M r. Vi c k r a m Bharrat would be better put in charge of a Ministry relating to IT and computer related works. Hugh Todd was a UG lecturer in Business with no background i n F o r e i g n Aff a i r s t h a t needs the assistance of scholars; he might have been better placed in trade.

More glaring is the nonappointment of long time youthful stalwarts of the p a r t y. F o r e x a m p l e , Dharamkumar Seeraj would be an asset in the Ministry of Agriculture that he shadowed while in the opposition.

He was a champion of protecting the ballot boxes and monitoring the count.

Everyone thought Seeraj would be an automatic choice given his background and his struggle championing the farming community among whom he is extremely popular because of his years of service to the agriculture sector. The Agriculture Ministry is perhaps the largest, and it has traditionally benefited from two Ministers – Pandit Reepu and Sash Sawh, Ramsammy and Ali Baksh, and Holder and Patterson.

This Ministry holds the long-term economic salvation of Guyana as best positioned, aside from oil, for growth in the economy. It must be made vibrant through heavy investment with short term oil revenues for improved and expanded agriculture investments.

Seeraj held positions at NDIA, RPA, GRDB and is a most trusted PPP loyalist literally grown up in Freedom House.

The time has come for him to be challenged with contributions at the highest level of decision-making.

He is well equipped to assist the Agriculture Ministry by taking responsibility for the rice sector with associated Drainage and Irrigation infrastructure a n d a l l o w f o r M r.

Mustapha to concentrate on revamping the sugar,

livestock, and other crop sectors.

Agriculture is a critically important Ministry with enormous undertaking and responsibilities given the dire condition of agriculture in the country, depressed world markets, and climate change impacts.

And the skills of Seeraj would be a great asset to assist Mr. Mustapha. Similarly, it would be a clever strategic appointment to have Dr. Jagdeo head the Finance Ministry. No one is more qualified than him for that post. Even his worst detractors would be hard pressed to criticize his appointment.

Some tweaking and additions as suggested above would improve the working of this cabinet and overall governance.

Yours truly, Boysie Mangru

Guyana only wins when we strive for...

From page 4 in the interest of workers.

Thousands are misled, and we end up in a crisis where the poor suffer and rich eat.

There is added need for a workers union in the armed forces, where junior ranks are preyed on sexually by senior officers for favors that are constitutionally owed to them.

I shall now turn my attention to the big bad Linden.

First and foremost, we must, as Lindeners, accept that we, like all of Guyana, have had both major parties rule us.

We have always been, in all of my life, a PNC dominated town, both in name (Linden - LFS Burnham) and in nature. We need to accept that while both major parties have failed us,

Friday August 07, 2020

Kaieteur News

it is our local leaders that have failed us the most. We have to move away from the notion of “Once you bad talk we, you is a PPP”.

It is not bad talk when it is facts. Our foreigners are coming home less and when they do, it is around carnival time, which means they are coming to spend time out of the town rather than in.

The Mackenzie Sports Club is a mess. Almost all of our community grounds are a mess, though we boast the best athletes throughout the land.

We need to look past parties and run in the faces of our local leaders. The road on the turn by LECI has been bad all my life.

I noticed some stones thrown there but that is temporary. How do we live

with ourselves ignoring these signs?

Two mayors that nobody in the community speaks of, and if they do not with pleasantries and we accept that?

Our highway, to me, represents the most dangerous road in the country yet it remains with the highest speed limit and no serious attempt at modifying the road.

Please keep that “we putting lights on the highway” chat for it never was there until after the No Confidence Motion. Linden is the least developed community throughout the country over the past 15 years.

I don’t see how we are not blaming the local leaders who continue to send back budgeted monies.

Persons in the community are saying you had to marry into or be in an intimate relationship with someone from a particular church to acquire your land. My only hope is for Linden to stop sleeping.

To my Guyanese far and wide, my appeal to you is very simple: When the Indians employ policies that are to the detriment of Africans or other groups in the Society but to the ‘upliftment’ of their people and the Africans (or others) do the same, it only enriches a single group/ class. Guyana only wins when we are acting towards to inclusiveness of ALL. And anyone who wishes to rule our land, must at all times, ensure Guyana wins.

Yours truly, Jafar Gibbons

Urgent need of risk management, internal audit and a UG Diploma in Auditing Dear Editor, On the eve of the General Elections on March 2 earlier this year, I had written a letter articulating the need for the new government to establish a risk management and internal audit function in each government agency to bolster oversight and accountability.

I would like to echo that call again in addition to asking the University of Guyana to introduce a Diploma in Auditing programme. I suggested over a decade ago at that institution and which was approved but never implemented.

Countries like Canada, Israel, Malta, South Africa, and Sweden, as an example have all successfully implemented internal audit functions in government ministries with effective coordination between internal audit and their respective audit offices. Huge monetary and non-monetary savings have been realized.

An internal audit function will provide risk-based and objective assurance, advice, and insight for a better-run ministry to ensure the new policies of the government are implemented, operations are effective and efficient with economical use of resources.

The existence of a risk management effort which entails a structured approach that aligns strategy, processes, people, technology, and knowledge to manage risks and uncertainties is now a best practice. Resources are deployed to the greatest effect while problems are identified long before they take root ultimately leading to improved outcomes.

The risk management effort will complement internal audit and enhance internal oversight and coordination between departments, and institutionalise robust decision-making, thus ensuring value for public funds being spent.

Traditional academic accounting programs do not address the specific skills for today’s auditors in this era of technology, digital transformation, and big data world and ever-changing risk, control, and governance landscape where auditors need to be smarter and most current. My proposed two-year Diploma in Auditing programme covered

areas like financial statement auditing, government accounting, public sector auditing, information technology auditing, fraud auditing and investigation, operational auditing, and valuefor-money auditing. Moreover with limited resources and technological advancements, auditors can be trained to audit smarter with real-time data and address problems instantly.

A well-structured and equipped internal audit effort or even elements of it is a critical element in public sector agencies where it can cover areas not ordinarily covered by the Audit Office.

Its mandate encompasses extensive financial, operational, value-for-money, systems, and special audits within that ministry. Internal auditors at a ministry will garner detailed knowledge of that ministry’s risks and operations and root out problems long before they explode. Such knowledge can be unleashed to assess the economical acquisition and use of resources, efficiency of routines, and effectiveness in the discharge and application of government policies.

An internal audit and risk effort can be tailored to local conditions and will enable the government to make smarter decisions and embed a respect for taxpayer dollars within government itself. As a result, all Guyanese can expect improved services, better value for their money and smarter government. In addition, a two-year Diploma in Auditing program will attract students from around the Caribbean as the University of the West Indies does not have such a program in place.

I am quite sure that with the new government now in place reflecting the will of the Guyanese, that organizations like the World Bank, IMF, INTOSAI (International Organization of Supreme Audit Institutions), the Global Institute of Internal Auditors, and IADB will be only too keen to help with these initiatives of mine. Moreover, there are qualified people in Guyana who can be tapped.

Yours truly, Lal Balkaran

August July 07, 2020

PAGE 07

Kaieteur News

Guyanese crew stranded on boat in “Trini” waters

A

crew of nine Guyanese men is currently stranded aboard a ship in Trinidadian waters.

According to reports the crew has been stranded for the past three weeks.

Information reaching this media house suggests that the relevant authorities in Trinidad have detained the vessel, Caerus Kingstown, because of an ongoing court matter between the ship’s operators and an engineering company it owes money.

Kaieteur News understands, however, that the crew members are not involved in the matter and are free to go. Nevertheless, the men are unable to leave the vessel because the ship’s operators have failed to pay them for some five months

now.

The Guyanese crewmen are also owed months of vacation money and allowances. One of the crewmen told this newspaper even if they wanted to leave they cannot since they have no money. He claimed that they have been working for quite a while now without pay or vacation and are eager to see their families.

This media house has learnt that the operator of the vessel is a Trinidadian Company called Ocean Star Shipping Limited which specializes in the distribution of TCL cement to Caribbean Islands.

It was also found out that Ocean star owes large sums of cash to D&D Engineering Company Limited for months of mechanical

The Caerus Kingstown Vessel on which the Guyanese crewmen are stranded.

maintenance for the vessel it operates. A spokesperson of the company owed, told Kaieteur News the matter has been brought before the court and the vessel cannot leave Trinidad waters until the debt is paid.

One of the ISM managers of the company, Banie Gajadar, was contacted about

Shuman to take joinder seat in Parliament

L

eader of the Liberty and Justice Party (LJP), Lenox Shuman, is set to occupy the sole parliamentary seat gained by the tripartite joinder in the March 2, 2020 election. The parties have written to notify Chief Elections Officer (CEO), Keith Lowenfield, in this regard.

In parliament, Shuman will be representing LJP, The New Movement (TNM), and A New and United Guyana (ANUG)—a joinder which gained 5,214 votes in the election. According to a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed among the three parties, the party with the most votes shall first take up the parliamentary seat, followed by the party with the second most and least.

Given that the LJP had secured 2,657 votes in the elections, it is the first entitled to sit in parliament, followed by ANUG and TNM. LJP maintained that it will not join forces with the P e o p l e ’s P r o g r e s s i v e Party/Civic (PPP/C) or the A Partnership for National Unity + Alliance for Change (APNU+AFC)—while also assuring that whoever occupies the seat will work in the interest of the Guyanese people.

Meanwhile, Shuman was keen to highlight the concerns expressed to the LJP regarding reverting of the Ministry of Indigenous

LJP leader, Lenox Shuman Peoples Affairs to the Ministry of Amerindian Affairs. This, according to Shuman, is politically incorrect even as he noted that President Irfaan Ali repeatedly committed to an “inclusive” government, with “adequate” representation from all races and segments of society.

Against this, Shuman, in a statement yesterday, noted that, “We remind our brothers and sisters that there are other vital roles at many levels of Government inclusive of technocratic posts such as advisors, state boards and numerous committees where we are anticipating His Excellency may seek to include a more demographically representative force.”

To compound issues, Shuman noted that in the past 24 hours his party has received an avalanche of messages and phone calls expressing dismay at what appears to be a minimal indigenous representation in

the current cabinet. This, he said, is evident by a notable one out of 23 members being indigenous. Many, he said, have noted that this amounts to a mere four percent.

Shuman was keen to note too, that many have also expressed concern that in the previous administration there were four ministers with three being senior functionaries.

“The LJP acknowledges receipt of all your messages and phone calls expressing these concerns.

Additionally, we note your concerns and fear of having the Ministry of Indigenous Peoples’ Affairs reverting to its previous name – Ministry of Amerindian Affairs.”

He reminded his supporters that this is only the first week since President Ali’s swearing-in and that already “he has set a blistering pace towards accomplishing his promises.”

While it is their duty to offer constructive criticism, he indicated that it is also their duty to allow time for the full administration to be appointed.

“We wish to assure you, our brothers and sisters, that we are anticipating that the wisdom and sensitivity of His Excellency to the Indigenous peoples will be demonstrated in his consultative approach with the people whose identity it affects before such a move as renaming the Ministry is cemented,” Shuman noted.

the matter. He said that it is indeed true that the vessel was detained some 10 days ago leaving the men stranded. Gajadar also confirmed that his company has not paid its crewmen for

quite a while now. The men, he said, are currently being represented by a legal body in the court with regards to their non-payments. When asked if he had any idea when the men will be paid, he

responded, “Well we have a matter before the court regarding the crewmen’s pay and also over some money owed for some maintenance works carried out on the (Continued on page 16)

Kaieteur News

PAGE 08

August July 07, 2020

ExxonMobil would not be able to meet -EPA deadline to end flaring Head H e a d o f t h e Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Dr. Vincent Adams, had told Kaieteur News a few weeks ago that ExxonMobil would bring an end to the flaring of gas via the Liza Destiny Floating Production Storage and Offloading (FPSO) vessel on August 10. But the official said he was informed by his staff on Wednesday that the American oil giant would not be able to make that deadline.

Dr. Adams disclosed that the company wants an additional four days to bring the flaring under control. But even that is no guarantee. In the meantime, ExxonMobil he said would continue to burn over 12 million cubic

feet of gas which in turn, releases over 200 toxic chemicals into the airspace.

Dr. Adams has since asked ExxonMobil to submit a quality assurance and quality control report for the Liza Destiny FPSO. SBM Offshore, the Dutch company which constructed the Liza Destiny FPSO, also spoke about the issue of flaring in its latest half year report. During the final commissioning phase of the FPSO, the company told its shareholders that the crew encountered some challenges with the gas handling system. As a result of those issues it experienced, ExxonMobil has been forced to flare.

SBM said it is working

together with its client, ExxonMobil, and suppliers, in order to expedite resolution. Once the system is commissioned, SBM said ExxonMobil will ramp up to full capacity, that is to say, 120,000 barrels of oil per day. SBM said, “Both the safety of the staff on board the FPSO and the efforts to minimize flaring are key priorities for the company.”

During its second quarter earnings call that took place last week, ExxonMobil executives also informed shareholders about the issues being experienced with flaring in Guyana while noting that it has prevented the company from reaching peak production of 120,000 barrels of oil per day.

Executives explained that the challenge to fix the mechanical issues in a timely fashion were due to difficulties experienced in mobilizing the technical experts as well as materials in-country due to COVID-19 restrictions. Be that as it may, ExxonMobil was keen to note that these issues are being resolved and noted that there will be 100 percent injection of gas this month.

As the company works towards bringing an end to the flaring onboard the Liza Destiny, toxic chemicals will continue to be released into G u y a n a ’s a t m o s p h e r e .

According to a special study conducted by the World Bank, flaring releases gases that are not only harmful to one’s health but also disastrous to the climate. The report notes that flaring releases more than 250 toxins including cancer causing agents such as benzopyrene, benzene, carbon disulphide (CS2), carbonyl sulphide (COS), and toluene. It also releases metals such as mercury, arsenic, and chromium and

EPA Head, Dr. Vincent Adams

nitrogen oxides.

Another study that was conducted by the Suez University in Egypt agrees with the findings of the World Bank Group, while adding that flaring is a significant contributor of greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide and methane.

When released into the atmosphere, these gases trap heat to a significant degree.

The University’s Department of Petroleum and Chemical Engineering was keen to note that flaring is also considered to be extremely harmful to the

environment since it releases methane which has about 25 times greater global warming potential than carbon dioxide.Other pollutants such as sulfur oxides (SOx) and volatile organic components (VOC) are also released from flaring. These are considered major causes of acid rain and fog, which harm the natural environment and human life.

Taking these and other harmful environmental effects into consideration, nations such as Guyana are urged to limit and/or prohibit flaring.

Kaieteur News

August July 07, 2020

PAGE 09

The Changing of the Guard

T

he new Cabinet, which was announced on August 5th, represents a changing of the ‘old’ guard of the People’s Progressive Party. A new generation of political leaders has emerged w i t h i n t h e P e o p l e ’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C).

Those within the ‘old’ leadership, who are alive and who guided the party from 1992 onwards, have been effectively put out to pasture.

Many of the PPP’s stalwarts have passed to the great beyond. Cheddi Jagan, Janet Jagan, Reepu Daman Persaud, Feroze Mohamed, Navin Chanderpal, Cyril Belgrave and Komal Chand have all died.

The sole survivor of the ‘old’ guard in the Cabinet is Gail Teixeira and this is based mainly on the institutional knowledge which she possesses on parliamentary affairs and governance reforms. Kellawan Lall, Harripersaud Nokta, Clinton Collymore, Clement Rohee and Indranie Chanderpal are among the living stalwarts who will not be part of any Cabinet. They also are not likely to be named on the PPP/C’s parliamentary slate.

The winds of change and the winds of time have swept the PPP. From all appearances Bharrat Jagdeo – not too far away from being an ‘old’ guard himself – took a conscious decision to inject new blood and vibrancy into the party. The results have been impressive. He has managed to attract a fair number of young professionals into the party.

Some of them have been chosen to be part of the new Cabinet.

Cheddi Jagan during his long vigil as Opposition

Leader had struggled to attract intellectuals and young professionals into the party. Given the rigging of the elections from 1968 to 1985, there were few prospects of him gaining power.

When you have little chance of getting into office, invariably there is no sugar to attract the ants.

Times have changed since the Jagan era; society and the country’s politics have changed and Jagdeo has also been receptive to these changes. He correctly assessed that young professionals constituted a crucial bloc of voters and he deliberately set about trying to woo some of them to his party.

A number of young, qualified and skilled individuals came on board the PPP/C’s campaign. Among these were Sonia Parag, Susan Rodrigues, Hugh Todd and Oneidge Walrond. They have been rewarded with Ministerial appointments.

The young professionals made a difference during the elections campaign. They injected new life into the campaign. They also helped to recreate a new image for the party, distancing it from the old, lackluster guard of whom many had become tired. The PPP/C rebranded its image as a result of the new blood.

A remake had been necessary. The blame for PPP/C’s defeat in the 2015 elections had fallen heavily on the shoulders of Jagdeo.

As President, his policies were widely and sternly criticized as being primarily responsible for the PPP/C’s loss of power after 23 years.

His administration had been assailed by allegations of corruption.

Jagdeo had by then gained

a firm grip of control on the PPP/C. And he used that power to marginalize the ‘old’ guard from the party and take full control.

He successfully piloted a candidate of his choice as the p a r t y ’s p r e s i d e n t i a l candidate. There can be no doubt that he is now the Maximum Leader of the People’s Progressive Party and most definitely, the power behind the Presidency.

In order to complete this feat, however, he needed to sideline the ‘old’ guard. He did this by comfortably winning the post of General Secretary. The ‘old’ guard was neutralized and those who were belligerent were sent out to pasture.

A new guard has emerged not only within the PPP/C. To survive they will have to become beholden to Jagdeo.

There are many willing supplicants within the PPP/C who call him “Champion” and “The Boss”.

The change in guard also represents the final rites for Marxism and communism within the PPP/C. The ‘old’ guard was attached to this ideology, more out of supplication and reverence to Cheddi Jagan rather than to any real conviction of left wing praxis.

The new guard is likely to see a different approach within the PPP/C and within the government. The party has become more vibrant and appealing to younger persons, particularly young professionals who had long spurned the PPP/C. The government is likely to become more technocratic in its approach.

The ‘old’ guard has been swept off its pedestal within the PPP/C. This has happened because of natural attrition

Dem boys seh...

Eviction order done serve De plan is to streamline government. But from the way things start, we might get a live streaming of government.

Dem newly-minted Ministers tun up fuh wuk yesterday. It was dem fuss day. De cameras were behind them like follow-me bee. Wan ah dem Minista dun had wan interview with de media. Dem boys hear all of dem receive a warm welcome.

But dem boys know dat dem gat plenty viper in de bureaucracy. So dem Ministers better be careful dem nah step into de snake pit.

Is important dat dem minister deh in the limelight so dat people could know dem, so if they mess up, people know who fuh hold accountable.

De Pressie establish a team fuh conduct a rapid assessment of 19 government

agencies. Dem boys feel dat is too much wuk de team gat. You can’t do an assessment of the financial management of so many agencies rapidly. Dat is long, long wuk. So dem boys want know how long is rapid. And dem boys wan know if de team dat get conscripted doing it pro bono and fuh de love of country.

Some people in de former government get notice fuh move out of de house wah de government paying rent fuh. And some media people dun mekin’ excuses for them.

Dem boys seh, if you no longer part of the government, yuh gat no right still being in de government property. All dem excuses about excuse nah apply.

Talk half and remind dem dah living free dun once de wuk fire yuh and is time fuh pack yuh traps.

and because of a new thinking within the party, one which could not have coexisted alongside the ‘old’ lieutenants of Cheddi Jagan.

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

Kaieteur News

PAGE 10

August July 07, 2020

THE FREDDIE KISSOON COLUMN

What brought about the end after 5 months?

T

here was no intention of giving up power after the serpentine gods of APNU+AFC knew in the uncivilized hours of March 3 that they lost the election.

There are no secrets in a small town. This columnist was told by the spouse of a person who was there that the next day of Wednesday, March 4 at the APNU’s campaign office some of these gods were in tears.

From there on the decision to stay in power was made. The plan was to shape the election battle as a zerosum war between the two

major ethnic communities and that given that familiar terrain the past 70 years, the international community will broker a deal between the PPP and PNC. Armed with this strategy, the AFC fired the first salvo.

It issued a press statement on March 30, informing the nation that its leadership has agreed to be part of an urgent dialogue between the two major parties to end the election stalemate through the establishment of a joint government. Please see my column of Saturday, May 23, 2020 with the caption, “Amna Ally is going to

crucify Granger over Nagamootoo and Ramjattan.”

This attitude was generated by a March 10 publication in the newspapers in which WPA stalwarts living in the US, Moses Bhagwan and Eusi Kwayana, appealed to the PPP and PNC to form a joint government. So powersharing or joint government or interim government was the inflexible position taken.

Since the PNC and AFC bosses knew they could not sustain themselves in office with the kind of international pressure, the fervent hope

was that at some point, the West would broker talks on sharing the government.

From the time Kwayana and Bhagwan issued that advocacy and the AFC was asked to strengthen it, a school of surrogates began to push the line that the 2020 election crisis showed up the depth of the ethnic fault line, and there can only be one solution. The school was populated by names like Lincoln Lewis, Mark Benschop, Henry Jeffrey, Rickford Burke, etc. These people shaped the denial of the right to vote by a country in the 21st century by

adumbrating the irrelevance of election and the urgency of saving African Guyanese from Indian domination. I remember, being on a radio programme with Mark Benschop and Rickford Burke and Burke told me African people are annoyed at me criticizing African leaders. He did not say Guyanese leaders, when in fact during the election volcano, I penned more condemnations of Nagamootoo and Ramjattan than any other African politician.

B y J u n e , t h e APNU+AFC’s message was incandescent – they were not coming out of power.

The attitude to sanctions was flippant. Two factors were involved here. They didn’t believe sanctions would be imposed. Secondly, they didn’t believe the sanctions would be damaging. By July, all indications of attitudinal softening were dead.

Granger spelt it out with clarity. He would only accept a GECOM declaration that was legally sound. Simply put, it gave him the excuse to stay on because he would a r g u e t h a t G E C O M ’s declaration was a violation of the law.

We come to the sudden denouncement of August 2.

Almost a hundred percent of Guyanese were surprised by the sudden demitting of power. Two factors may explain it. One involved the extending of the visa scope.

It is interesting to note that the Commissioner of Police went into retirement one day after the second wave of visas. My take on this is that he asked to be retired to stave off visa cancellation.

Frederick Kissoon The second tranche of visa withdrawals began to hurt two sets of people – those in the police force and certain big people in state related jobs and close family members of the entire cabals within the kingdom of the PNC and AFC. As a spinoff from this, family pressure began to mount on Granger himself and other hierarchical personnel in both the PNC and AFC. Once the Court of Appeal had ruled against Granger and company and the visa abrogation was intensified, fear became the key. Those state officials and family members thought that it would take months before the visa revocation hit them but it did sooner than they anticipated.

Once the visa net began to spread, pressure came down on individual PNC and AFC leaders to let go because the point of no return had reached – the West and CARICOM would not negotiate on a joint government. This columnist was told that after the Court of Appeal ruled, a very big one in the AFC called Granger to ask him to concede or he would go public with an acceptance of the results. The rest is history.

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

Friday August 07, 2020

Kaieteur News

PAGE 11

Kaieteur News

PAGE 12

August July 07, 2020

Mocha fire leaves family of five homeless A fire that destroyed a house at Barnwell North, Mocha, Arcadia has left a family of five homeless.

The house belonged to an elderly man called “Papa George”, who occupied the top flat with his two daughters. The mother of George’s daughters, whose name was given as Dolly, was living in the bottom flat of the building with her son.

According to a source at the Fire Department, the fire started in the bottom flat of

the house after Dolly’s sixyear-old son threw a lit match at a pillow. It was reported that the woman was unaware of the youngster’s activities as she was busy washing. The entire room quickly caught afire and people in the neighbourhood were alerted.

The woman, according to reports, managed to rush out of the house with her son. It was neighbours who assisted the elderly man out of the top flat of the

building, this newspaper was told. With a bucket brigade, they also tried to put out the fire in hopes of preventing it from spreading to a house in close proximity where a young mother of one resides.

Two fire tenders, from We s t R u i m v e l d t a n d Diamond, arrived on the scene but by then George’s entire house was engulfed with flames. The fire reportedly started around 10:55hrs and by 11:15hrs it

was destroyed.

According to the elderly man, his losses include some $300,000 which he was saving to renovate the house and several items including a refrigerator, a flat-screen T V, a n d h o u s e h o l d appliances.

Residents of the neighbourhood alleged that this was not the first time a fire was started in the bottom flat of the house by the very six-year-old who started yesterday’s fire.

A fire fighters at the scene yesterday.

‘Papa George’ assessing his losses.

Kaieteur News

August July 07, 2020

PAGE 13

New arbitration act needed Forestry Commission unable to pay July salaries…

New Minister told of gross - Attorney General, for oil industry Anil Nandlall mismanagement in A Natural Resources sector new arbitration act is needed to form part of the repertoire the new People’s Progressive Party Civic (PPP/C) Government intends to modernize and employ to prudently manage the petroleum sector.

Attorney General (AG), Anil Nandlall, told reporters at the Arthur Chung Conference Centre (ACCC) o n We d n e s d a y t h a t arbitration has to be taken to a modern level.

“Most of these big oil companies,” he said, “may wish not to go to Court but to resolve their differences at the level of arbitration. That is how it’s being done in the modern world.”

He described the current arbitration infrastructure as “basically non-existent” and said that the justice system has to be enhanced to handle the new challenges the oil industry brings.

Nandlall said that the

Attorney General, Anil Nandlall government also intends to revise the petroleum bill “that has been in Parliament for nearly two years now,” explaining that it is one of the most important legislative frameworks required.

The financial and environmental laws, the AG said, also must be modernized to go hand in

hand with the industry.

“We need to modernize our financial sector to go hand in hand with that industry. That has to be done by legislation. We have an environmental issue that we have to address. This thing here, the new industry will excite different environmental challenges.

We have to get legislation in that direction.”

Nandlall also expressed concerns about the legality of the Natural Resource Fund Act, which was passed in 2019, after the former APNU+AFC government was defeated by a Motion of No Confidence in the National Assembly. The PPP/C has committed to repealing and replacing the Act. While he said Government is yet to work out how Parliament will operate in the age of COVID-19, the AG said that (Continued on page 16)

Solar for GPL

The state-owned Guyana Power photo, posted by Dave Lall, is of and Light Inc. is taking no chances, it technicians installing solar panels on seems, when it comes to blackout. This the Main Street, Georgetown office.

Minister Vickram Bharrat met with his heads of agencies yesterday.

Recently appointed Minister of Natural R e s o u r c e s , Vi c k r a m Bharrat, during his first day on the job, met with the heads of the various agencies under his purview.

In attendance were Permanent Secretary of the Ministry, Joslyn McKenzie; Commissioner of the Guyana Geology and Mines Commission, Newell Dennison; Commissioner (ag) of the Guyana Forestry

Commission, Gavin Agard, and General Manager of the Guyana Gold Board, Eondrene Thompson.

According to the Ministry, the meeting held at its Duke Street, Kingston office, served to inform the Minister on the operations and current standing of the agencies.

“The agencies provided a grim report which points to gross mismanagement of the sector under the previous

administration. The Guyana Forestry Commission is presently unable to pay salaries for July and owes millions to the utility companies. Major restructuring is needed to ensure these agencies function in a more effective manner,” a statement from the Ministry outlined.

The Minister said he will be meeting with the management team and staff of these agencies shortly.

Kaieteur News

PAGE 14

August July 07, 2020

Unarmed man, who was shot by police on Mandela Avenue, dies Dead: Cecil Sampat

Paralyzed: Winston Frazer

- doctors say other victim could remain paralyzed for life

By Shervin Belgrave Thirty-nine-year old Cecil Sampat, one of the unarmed men who were shot by police ranks 11 days ago, died yesterday at the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC).

Doctors also confirmed that the other unarmed victims who was shot, 28year-old Winston Frazer, will mostly likely be unable to walk for the rest of his life.

A c c o r d i n g t o information reaching this publication, Sampat passed away some time after 14:00hrs.

Kaieteur News was told that, at the time of his death, doctors had not yet retrieved the three bullets that were lodged in his body. In fact this publication was able to confirm that minutes before he passed away, yet another CT scan was conducted to assess Sampat’s condition and readiness for surgery.

Meanwhile, Frazer is

said to be faced with a life and death situation. Doctors, this publication learnt, told him that with or without surgery he will remain paralyzed for life. This is due to the fact that when he was shot a bullet severed different sections of his spinal cord leaving multiple bullet fragments within its column.

Moreover, doctors have reportedly told the man that if he chooses not to go through with surgery he will survive but will have to depend on pain killers.

Added to this, there is a possibility that he could also develop other health complications later.

Should he choose the option of surgery, doctors have advised that there is a 50 percent chance of survival.

Should he survive, the man was told that he will live without pain but if any fluid leaks from his spine during surgery, then he will die.

Frazer has been given a day to decide his choice and to mourn the loss of his friend.

The two men were shot at around 02:00hrs on Saturday July 25, while heading home in a car which was being driven by Frazer.

The men and two other friends were traced by ranks from Agricola, East Bank Demerara (EBD) to D’Urban Street and then Mandela Avenue where police officers riddled their car with bullets.

Kaieteur News had reported that both Sampat and Frazer received gunshot wounds to the back which damaged vital organs in their body.

According to Sampat’s sister, he received damage to both lungs and was dependent on an oxygen machine to help him breathe.

To make matters worse, the bullets were lodged in his body causing him to suffer intense pain daily.

His sister recalled that

despite excruciating pain, he fought each day to stay alive.

She revealed that the medical team did a lot of work to keep him alive but after 11 days of a painful battle, he took his last breath.

What is even more difficult for his sister to stomach, is the continuous silence of the Guyana Police Force as it relates to the investigation of ranks responsible for the death of her brother.

Kaieteur News was told by police sources that more than a dozen officers were in custody. It was later revealed that only three out of that group are under close arrest.

According to a source, none of the ranks have

admitted to shooting the men. Reports, however, suggest that investigators were able to identify the alleged shooters from video footage of the incident. It was also revealed that as part of protocol the guns used by the ranks were sent for ballistic testing. This was almost a week ago.

A source close to the investigation said, that ranks involved had accused the men of shooting at them first.

The source also made it known that no guns were f o u n d i n t h e m e n ’s possession and investigators were unable to corroborate their statements using the footage obtained.

One of the occupants of

the car, Seon Greenidge, who escaped unhurt, had revealed that he and his friends realized that they were being followed by police when they were at Houston, EBD. Greenidge had told Kaieteur News that he could not speak on Frazer’s behalf as to why he did not stop the car. He, however, speculated that it might have been because they were under the influence of alcohol and breaching the COVID-19 restrictions. He also claimed that the officers had gunbutted and kicked all of them before taking the injured Frazer and Sampat to the hospital.

Sampat’s sister, through (Continued on page 16)

Kaieteur News

August July 07, 2020

PAGE 15

Ex-ministers given Ministry gets sizeable 36 hours to vacate donation of supplies to boost COVID-19 fight Govt. houses

Former Youth Affairs Minister, Simona Broomes Four former ministers under the previous A Partnership For National Unity + Alliance For Change ( A P N U + A F C ) administration, were yesterday given 36 hours to vacate the government houses they currently occupy.

Clerk of the National Assembly, Sherlock Isaacs, confirmed this development in an invited comment to Kaieteur News yesterday.

Isaacs informed this publication that former Youth Affairs Minister, Simona Broomes; former Minister within the Ministry of A g r i c u l t u r e , Va l e r i e Patterson-Yearwood; former Business Minister, Khemraj R a j k u m a r, a n d f o r m e r Foreign Affairs Minister, Dr. Karen Cummings, were issued the 36 hours notice of eviction.

He indicated that the orders of eviction came directly from the government, and not a particular person in the administration.

It is instructive to note

Former DPI Director, Imran Khan that there are reports that suggest that the order was made by Minister of Parliamentary Affairs and Governance, Gail Teixeira.

Teixeira had previously served as the Parliamentary Chief Whip for the People’s Progressive Party/ Civic (PPP/C).

Adding to the list of evictions is the former Director of the Department of Public Information (DPI) and APNU+AFC member, Imran Khan. According to a notice seen last evening by Kaieteur News, the Ministry of the Presidency (MoTP) had taken a decision to have E c h i l i b a r Vi l l a s , a government housing complex, vacant to facilitate occupancy by the newly elected government officials.

Against this, Khan was given a notice to vacate the Campbellville residence with “immediate effect”.

Notably, this is the sixth set of notices of eviction that have been issued by the government. On Tuesday, Ganesh Mahipaul, Guyana

Former Business Minister, Khemraj Rajkumar

Former Foreign Affairs Minister, Dr. Karen Cummings Chronicle’s new General Manager (GM) and the Region Three Information Officer for the APNU+AFC, had been given 72 hours to vacate the government property he is currently occupying in Leonora, West Coast of Demerara.

Mahipaul is adamant that he will not vacate the building. Region Three Chairman Julius Faerber, however, was keen to point out that if he refuses to leave then “sterner measures” will be taken to remove him.

From right: Public Relations Officer of the Civil Defence Commission (CDC), Stan Gouveia; Director of the Materials Management Unit of the Ministry of Health, Mr. Cecil Jacques; Director General of the CDC, Lieutenant Colonel Kester Craig and Deputy Director General of the CDC, Major Loring Benons preparing to inspect the cargo Director-General of the Civil Defence Commission (CDC), Lieutenant Colonel Kester Craig, on Wednesday evening, handed over a quantity of essential medical supplies to the Ministry of Health.

The items include 5,730 N95 masks, 316,600 surgical masks, 46,250 rapid test COVID-19 kits, 200 overalls and 5,000 gloves.

The handover was done moments after the supplies arrived at the Cheddi Jagan International Airport, Timehri on a special cargo flight, according to the Ministry of the Presidency.

The supplies were donated to the CDC through a collaborative arrangement with the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), the Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency (CDEMA), the World Health Organisation (WHO), Jack Ma Foundation and the United Arab Emirates.

Guyana is one of 14 Caribbean territories

to receive these supplies.

The Director-General expressed gratitude for the timely donation and said the CDC has been working over the years to establish a good relationship with local and international partners.

Director of the Materials Management Unit of the Ministry of Public Health, Cecil Jacques, said the items will greatly assist in the protection of local frontline health workers.“We have seen two doctors so far being tested positive and we would love to assure those health professionals that with these COVID supplies, that there are adequate amounts throughout the duration of their care for those who are at risk,” he said.

Just two days ago, President Dr. Irfaan Ali, had announced that the country will be benefitting from a donation of medical supplies, which will assist in the fight against the Novel Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19).

PAGE 16

Friday August 07, 2020

Kaieteur News

11 new cases of Covid yesterday

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Trinidad Express - The Ministry of Health remis yesterday afternoon reporting three more cases.

The sources of the new infections are not immediately known.

This brings to eleven the number of new cases yesterday.

The Ministry reports the following:Number of samplessubmitted to the Caribbean Public Health Agency (CARPHA) and the UWI site for testing for COVID-19 - 9559

Number of samples which have tested positive 210 Number of deaths 8 Number of persons discharged 135 The Ministry of Health provides the following update:

• Three (3) additional persons have tested positive for COVID -19.

These cases are pending epidemiological investigation.

All established protocols have been implemented.

Members of the public are reminded that they must adhere to the ‘New Normal’ recommendations and take the following personal health measures to protect themselves and their loved ones from COVID-19:

Owner now demands over $52M in...

From page 2 Ocean View Infectious Diseases Sanatorium as “an absolute disaster” even vowing that a full investigation will be carried out.

Dr. Anthony, moments after his appointment, told media representatives the Ocean View Hospital is “literally a shell”, adding that the

previous administration merely refurbished a building but not much else.

“One would have thought that the facilities would have been there but what you have is a space and there is nothing else,” Dr. Anthony noted.

The newly appointed Health Minister also noted that even more alarming was

the cost to equip the building.

Former Public Health Minister, Volda Lawrence, had put the price to acquire the needed equipment for the sanatorium at “three times” the $1.6 billion construction cost—something the new government would have to find.

Guyanese crew stranded on boat in...

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From page 7 vessel by another company.

When the matter is over a decision will most likely be taken for the company to pay the men and the engineering company it owes.”

Gajadar outlined too, that if the company does not come up with the money, then the vessel it operates might have to be auctioned off or sold to pay its debts and workers.

He added that for the time being, the stranded Guyanese crewmen are well taken care of and efforts are being made to transfer them to another vessel for repatriation to Guyana. If they are repatriated before the decision is made, he said, they will have no need to worry because their money will be paid through the legal body that is currently representing them.

Kaieteur News however understands that Ocean Star Shipping Limited also owes

the rightful owners of the ship.A source detailed that Ocean Star rented the ship from a St Lucian company called Golden Hinds Limited and has not been paying up.

When Kaieteur News contacted Golden Hinds Limited to verify this, a representative of the company said this was indeed true. The representative furnished this media house with a contract docu-

ment between his company and Ocean Star. It was also explained by the representative that the agreement was that once Ocean Star covers all of its expenses of maintaining the vessel, whatever remains must be paid to Golden Hinds as rental. However, since the agreement was signed back in April of 2018, Golden Hinds was only paid US$10,000 for rental.

New arbitration act needed...

From page 13 it will ensure it improves on the former Government’s track record, which he said showed no proper legislative agenda to manage the sector. Some of the laws have not been reviewed in decades.

The former Government had hired an American firm, Hunton, Andrews, Kurth LLP to review the nation’s legislative framework where the oil industry is concerned. It is expected to work in concert with local firm, Cameron and Shepherd. However, there is no petroleum policy in place to guide the review. The contract is projected to last one year, at a cost of US$1.2M under a US$20M World Bank loan. The firm is also expected to exact a wide sweep of the sector’s needs.

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From page 14 her attorney, had also written to Commissioner of Police, Leslie James, who recently proceeded on pre-retirement leave. Letters were

also sent to the outgoing Commander of ‘A’ Division, Phillip Azore, and the Police Complaints Authority (PCA) requesting a thorough investigation into the matter.

August July 07, 2020

Kaieteur News

PAGE 17

PAGE 18

Blanhum back as Crime Chief

Crime Chief: Wendell Blanhum As major reshuffling of the Guyana Police Force (GPF) continues, it was revealed that Senior Superintendent, Wendell Blanhum, is back as Crime Chief.

Under the previous administration, Blanhum was removed from this post and sent to Division 4 ‘A’ where he served as Deputy Commander before he was assigned Commander of Region One. With Blanhum now assigned Crime Chief, Superintendant Jairam Ramlakhan will replace him as Commander in Region One. Assistant Commissioner, Royston Andries-Junor, will be the Force’s new Public Relations Officer (PRO) while Superintendent Khali Pareshram will take over as Commander Division 4 ‘C’.

Assistant Commissioner, Simon McBean has been instructed to leave Region Three and move over to the

Friday August 07, 2020

Kaieteur News

New Police PRO, Royston Andries-Junor

A’ Division Commander McBean

New Region One commander superintendent Jairam Ramlakhan

‘D’ Division, Commander Errol Watts

city (Division 4 ‘A’). Senior Superintendent, Errol Watts, has been given the greenlight to take over as Commander of Region Three.

The new government led

by President Irfaan Ali has been “shaking up” the police force since it took office days ago. Former Commander of ‘A’ Division, Edgar Thomas, was

tasked with responsibly for security for the Prime Minister and President. He was transferred from his post as Commander by the previous administration for refusing to remove PPP/C Commissioner, Sase Gunraj, and others from the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) media center at Ashmin’s building.

17 in Diaspora demand comprehensive review of...

From page 3 occasions whether the public could expect the controversial contract to be renegotiated under a PPP/C Government. He has made it clear that all contracts, save and except for the Stabroek PSA, are up for review. ExxonMobil’s Senior Vice President even reported during the company’s earnings call, last Friday, that it was given assurances by both major parties of their support of and confidence in the contract.

Notably, if changes are made, such as new legislation, which affect the economics of the agreement with ExxonMobil and its partners, the contract mandates that Guyana would have to compensate the companies for whatever losses they would incur.

However, the contract may be renegotiated if the Government and contractor(s) agree to do so.

The civil society group also pointed to several issues with the contract and other oil sector management related to ExxonMobil and the agreement, which have been well ventilated by this newspaper over the years.

ExxonMobil is looking to recover US$460M in pre-contract costs.

Those costs are currently being audited by UK firm, IHS Markit in concert with a local multi-agency team. Attorney-at-Law and Chartered Account, Christopher Ram, had said that the figure represents an overstatement of US$92M. It is unclear when the audit will be completed.

The deadline for the completion of the audit had been extended due to COVID19.

The joint civil society letter also includes concerns about payments of taxes. Oil companies and their contractors have been given a range of tax exemptions set to amount to billions of dollars, where the life of the Stabroek PSA is concerned. In addition to exempting taxes, the Government is also expected to give ExxonMobil and its partners tax certificates to take to their home countries, to exempt them from payments there.

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has said that if Guyana is paying oil companies’ taxes, then its share of profit oil should be

Corruption benefits the rich and powerful at the expense of the poor.

Say no to it.

higher, but no move has been made to provide for Guyana to get a higher share.

Unspecified interest rates expensed to Guyana for loans taken by oil companies, is also a concern of the civil society group.

To put it simply, the Exxon agreement allows the company to recover all of its expenditures to operate on the block.

If those funds are used from loans taken by the contractor, Guyana is also expected to repay the interest incurred on those loans at unspecified and uncapped rates.

Khusial himself had noted in previous writings to Kaieteur News that Guyana could lose up to US$16B. Khusial had stated, “Why Guyana would agree to pay interest on loans that the oil companies negotiated with their bankers is puzzling.”

Following this newspaper’s reporting on this matter, Kaieteur News saw a government document noting that, “interests would no longer be a recoverable/deductible expense” by oil companies. However, the issue still remains for the Stabroek PSA. Next on the list of concerns raised by Khusial and other signatories to the joint statement is the state of Guyana’s environmental management infrastructure. ExxonMobil has been flaring gas for months, instead of re-injecting into the reservoir, resulting in emissions of billions of cubic feet.

The issue was caused by mechanical issues experienced with its gas compressor system for the Liza Destiny vessel. In addition to that, Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Head, Dr. Vincent Adams, reported on ExxonMobil’s opposition to paying paltry fines for fuel spills, explaining that the company’s lackadaisical attitude toward an issue of that magnitude could spell disaster for Guyana, in the event that the company commits graver environmental infractions. AG Nandlall has committed to refining the legal framework to ensure oil companies respect Guyana’s natural environment.

The rate of oil production ExxonMobil intends to pursue is also a matter of concern.

Energy Department Head, Dr. Mark Bynoe, had said that the guidelines for a Depletion Policy, which would mandate oil companies’ production levels, were completed since last December and submitted to the InterAmerican Development Bank (IDB) which funded the exercise. Discourse on the need for a depletion policy has gone on for years,

as Exxon ramps up its plans to have as many as five Floating, Production, Storage and Offloading (FPSO) vessels offshore Guyana in the next five years. The IMF has called this “unprecedented” and has explained that if Guyana does realize those plans, it would reach one of the highest ratios of daily oil production per capita in the world.

The group is also of the view that mathematical anomalies observed between Liza Phase One and Two are to be sorted out.

The Liza Phase One project initially was projected to cost US$4.4B in 2017, was reduced to US$3.7B in 2018, then to US$3.5B in 2019 – a total reduction of US$0.9B. Liza Phase Two is now projected to cost US$6B. Judging from the cost of Liza Phase One, Khusial and his associates are skeptical. Both of these projects have been approved already.

“Rushing approvals and lack of high-quality analyses have resulted in US billiondollar benefits to the oil companies and to equivalent losses for the Guyanese people,” Khusial had stated in a letter.

These concerns form part of many, raised over the years by local and international civil society, and industry experts.

“There are generations to be born that will prosper or suffer based on the actions he takes with respect to the oil contracts over the next few weeks and months,” the statement noted.

“The past 5 months leading up to the Declaration have made it abundantly clear that there are tens of thousands in the Diaspora who are paying keen attention to events in Guyana.

Consistent with the manifesto for inclusive government it would be wise to use some of the experts who reside abroad and who are always willing to contribute.”

The group said that practices employed in the past, such as hurried contracts and refusal of expert advice should not be repeated.

“A New Deal,” they added, “can result in Guyana becoming independent economically returning to the days it was the bread basket of the Caribbean.”

Apart from Khusial, the signatories are Baytoram Ramharack, John Peters, Dhanpaul Narine, Ramnarine Sahadeo, Rajendra Singh, Jerry Jailall, Joe Persaud, Mike Persaud, Kris Dindial, Steve Kishore, Harold Ragnauth, Hari Singh, Bhowanie Benimadhu, Singh Bernard, Ravin Sankar and Charles Sugrim.

Friday August 07, 2020

Kaieteur News

PAGE 19

PAGE 20

Kaieteur News

Friday August 07, 2020

Friday August 07, 2020

PAGE 21

Kaieteur News

London Marathon to go ahead as elite-only race WorldAthletics - After months of intensive work and consultation with London’s authorities, organisers of the 2020 Virgin Money London Marathon, a World Athletics Platinum label race, yesterday confirmed that the race’s 40th edition will go ahead on Sunday 4 October as an eliteonly event.

The race will take place on an enclosed looped course in St James’s Park in a “secure biosphere”, a contained safe environment like that of Formula 1 and England cricket, with performances eligible for Olympic qualification.

Runners cross Tower Bridge during the London Marathon (AFP / Getty Images) The long-awaited headto-head between Kenyan Eliud Kipchoge and Kenenisa Bekele of Ethiopia will headline the men’s race while world record holder Brigid Kosgei of Kenya heads the women’s.

There will be no spectator Friday August 07, 2020 access to maintain the biosphere but BBC Sport LIBRA (Sept. 23–Oct. 22) ARIES (Mar. 21–Apr. 19) plans to broadcast eight Meditation, dreams, or viHave you been looking for hours of coverage during the sions could bring amazing a new job, Aries? If so, you day. “We have been working insights your way. You might hear of an opportufor months on a number of might find them too bizarre nity from an unexpected different scenarios with the to believe, at least at first, but source, perhaps at a social health and safety of our follow-up research could regathering, if possible. runners, our charities, our veal that what you've come up sponsors, our volunteers, our with is quite credible.

TAURUS(Apr.20–May20) medics, our communities and If you're single, Taurus, love our city always our priority,” SCORPIO (Oct. 23–Nov. 21) may come to you comsaid Hugh Brasher, the You're an adventurous pletely out of the blue tomarathon’s Event Director. soul, Scorpio. Are you day. The person could be “We had detailed plans to thinking about a little misstanding behind you in line deliver a socially distanced chief today?

Are you going at the store or sitting nearby mass participation event – to propose that you and a you in the park. either a run or a walk – and friend or perhaps your partwe were planning to utilise ner skip town for a day and GEMINI (May 21–June 20) new technology to do this. forget about work.

Some unexpected but very “Despite all our efforts, the welcome visitors could arfantastic support from all of SAGIT(Nov.22–Dec.21) rive today, Gemini. They our partners and the progress An unexpected communimight bring some people that has been made on cation may come today from you don't know but should planning for the return of someone connected with connect with right away. smaller mass participation your career, Sagittarius. events that are not on the CANCER (June 21–July 22) roads, it has not been CAPRI (Dec. 22–Jan. 19) Who's that intriguing new possible to go ahead with a An unexpected chance to person in your neighbormass socially distanced walk fly to a faraway place, perhood? What is it about this or run.” Full details of the elite haps at someone else's exnew neighbor that makes it races and the elite fields will pense, could come to you impossible for you to stop be announced later this today. A group might be inwondering about them? month. volved, perhaps one conQuit obsessing. nected with education.

LEO (July 23–Aug. 22) AQUARIUS(Jan.20–Feb.18) An unexpected letter could Some bizarre and rather silly arrive today, Leo, with a dreams might come to you check enclosed, perhaps a tonight. They may be the gift, bonus, or offer to make sort that is so crazy that you more money. This might be actually wake up laughing. a welcome break, possibly Don't dismiss them. These coming at a time when you dreams are trying to tell you really need it. something.

VIRGO (Aug. 23–Sept. 22) PISCES (Feb. 19–Mar. 20) If you're in the arts or sciIf you're single, you could ences, Virgo, sudden inspifeel a very powerful attracration could cause you to tion to someone unusual start or continue a project and perhaps a little wacky. that means a lot to you.

If you're already in a relaSome friends or group memtionship, you could bers could help out with glimpse a silly and rather useful information. Your mind may generate new insane side of your beloved ideas throughout the day. you've never seen before.

NBA roundup: Thunder dump cold-shooting...

From page 22 eighth and final playoff spot in the conference.

The game was tied at 97 with 8:49 to play but Denver’s flowing inside-out attack was too much for the Spurs to handle down the stretch. The Nuggets took charge with Jokic hitting a bucket and dishing out three assists in a two-minute stretch that led to a 114-105 Denver lead.

Utah Jazz 124 Memphis Grizzlies 115 - Joe Ingles scored 25 points and Mike Conley added 23 points to lift Utah over Memphis.

Rudy Gobert added 21 points, 16 rebounds, and three blocks for Utah.

Donovan Mitchell chipped in 18 points and seven rebounds. Ingles, Conley, and Mitchell combined for 18 assists.

Dillon Brooks scored 23 points and Jonas

Valanciunas added 21 points and 14 rebounds to lead Memphis. Ja Morant added 20 points, nine assists, and six rebounds.

Boston Celtics 149 Brooklyn Nets 115 - Jaylen Brown scored a game-high 21 points, and Boston seized control in the first quarter and cruised to a victory over Brooklyn.

The Celtics rested Kemba Walker and turned in perhaps their best defensive showing since the restart.

They rebounded from a 112106 loss to Miami on Tuesday, a game in which they never held a lead.

Jayson Tatum added 14 of his 19 in the third quarter when Boston led by as many as 30 points.

He shot 7 of 11 and also hit five 3-pointers. Jeremiah Martin led Brooklyn with 20 points, 18 in the fourth quarter.

PAGE 22

Friday August 07, 2020

Kaieteur News

James not bothered about losing Trump as a viewer amid kneeling criticism (Reuters) - LeBron James has said he has no qualms about losing U.S. President Donald Trump as a viewer as the Los Angeles Lakers forward defended NBA players for kneeling in protest before games.

NBA teams have been protesting against racial injustice before games, with players wearing Black Lives Matter t-shirts, bowing their heads and kneeling when the

U.S. national anthem is played.

Trump told Fox News that he switches off the game when he sees players kneel, describing it as “disgraceful” and “not acceptable”.

“I really don’t think the basketball community are sad about losing his viewership, him viewing the game,” James told reporters after the Lakers lost 105-86 to the Oklahoma City Thunder in Orlando,

Florida on Wednesday. “I think our game is in a beautiful position and we have fans all over the world.

“Our fans not only love the way we play the game, we try to give it back to them with our commitment to the game but also respect what else we try to bring to the game and acknowledging what’s right and what’s wrong.”

Athletes from around the world have united behind anti-

racism protests sparked by the death of George Floyd, an unarmed Black man, while in police custody in Minneapolis in May, with James being one of the NBA’s leading voices for social justice.

James added that he hoped Americans “no matter the race” could see the leadership the country had at

the helm and urged them to make their vote count to bring about change when the U.S. goes to the polls in the Nov. 3 presidential election.

“November is right around the corner and it’s a big moment for us as Americans,” James, who started a group with other black celebrities in June to work to prevent the

suppression of the AfricanAmerican vote, added.

“If we continue to talk about, ‘We want better, we want change’, we have an opportunity to do that. “But the game will go on without his eyes on it.

I can sit here and speak for all of us that love the game of basketball, we could (not) care less.”

NBA roundup: Thunder dump cold-shooting Lakers

LeBron James kneeled alongside his LA Lakers team-mates before the defeat by Oklahoma City Thunder

Bakewell continue sponsorship of RHTY&SC cricket teams which started in 2000 Oklahoma City Thunder’s Nerlens Noel is defended by Los Angeles Lakers’ Danny Green, left, and JaVale McGee during the second quarter of an NBA basketball game Wednesday, Aug. 5, 2020, in Lake Buena Vista, Fla. (Kevin C. Cox/Pool Photo via AP) Field Level Media - Chris Paul scored 21 points to lead the Oklahoma City Thunder to a 105-86 win over the Los Angeles Lakers on Wednesday at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex near Orlando.

Paul added seven rebounds and six assists to keep up his strong performance since the NBA’s restart. The veteran point guard is averaging 20.7 points in Oklahoma City’s three games in central Florida.

The Lakers had their worst offensive game of the season, with season lows in points and 3-point percentage. Los Angeles was just 5 of 37 from behind the 3point arc, with the 13.5 percent rate the Lakers’ worst since early in the 2017-18 season.

Danilo Gallinari added 19 points and Steven Adams 18 for Oklahoma City, which once again was playing without backup point guard Dennis Schroder. LeBron James led the Lakers with 19 points and 11 rebounds.

Philadelphia 76ers 107 Washington Wizards 98 Joel Embiid scored nine consecutive points in a 13-0 burst, and Philadelphia beat Washington despite losing Ben Simmons to a knee injury.

Embiid finished with game-high totals of 30 points and 11 rebounds for the 76ers, who won their second straight after beginning their Florida stay with a loss to Indiana. Philadelphia coach Brett Brown told reporters postgame that he didn’t have an update to provide on the severity of Simmons’ injury.

Washington lost its fourth straight in the NBA “bubble” despite 19-point efforts from Thomas Bryant and Jerome Robinson.

Toronto Raptors 109 Orlando Magic 99 - Fred VanVleet scored 21 points and added 10 assists as the Raptors won their seventh straight while completing a four-game season sweep of the Magic.

The Magic never led and trailed by as many as 24 points

in the game. Pascal Siakam had 15 points for the Raptors, and Kyle Lowry contributed eight points, nine rebounds and 10 assists.

Evan Fournier and Terrence Ross each had 15 points for Orlando, and Nikola Vucevic added 12 points and nine rebounds. Aaron Gordon had nine points and 11 rebounds before leaving in the third quarter due to left hamstring tightness.

Denver Nuggets 132 San Antonio Spurs 126 Michael Porter Jr. scored 30 points and pulled down a career-high 15 rebounds, and Nikola Jokic added 25 points and 11 assists as the Denver defeated San Antonio.

The win allowed Denver to climb to within a half-game of the Los Angeles Clippers for second place in the Western Conference standings. The Spurs, who have lost two straight, remained in 10th place in the West and two games behind Memphis in the race for the (Continued on page 21)

Guyana’s most popular bakery, Bakewell, recently renewed its long standing relationship with the nation’s leading youth and sports organization, Rose H a l l Town Youth and Sports Club MS. The company s ince March 2000 has sponsored the club’s Under17 and Second Division teams and in 2020, would be sponsoring the teams to the tune of $260,000.

The two teams since 2000 have won a combined 31 tournaments and have been the dominant teams in the ancient county over the last few years. Club Secretary/ CEO Hilbert Foster at the simple presentation held at the Bakewell’s Head office, Triumph.ECD, noted that the company was one of the main reasons why the club was so successful and has been able to make a positive difference in the lives of others.

Bakewell General Manger, Rajin Ganga stated that the company cherishes its partnership with the RHTY&SC, MS and the relationship would continue in the future as the club has been outstanding representatives of the Bakewell brand. Ganga wished the teams more success and urged the

players to continue being disciplined at all times.

Foster, who is also the President of the Berbice Cricket Board stated that in an era where sponsorship is difficult to obtain, the club has been able to maintain relationships with sponsors because of its record of achievements, honesty, accountability and fulfilling commitments.

He further disclosed that under the sponsorship, the two teams produced over fifty (50) players for Berbice, Guyana and the West Indies, combined.

They include Assad Fudadin, Royston Crandon, Esuan Crandon, Renwick Batson, Khemraj Mahadeo, Delbert Hicks, Shemaine Campbelle, Erva Giddings, Kevin Sinclair, Kevelon Anderson, Clinton Pestano, Junior Sinclair, Jonathan Rampersaud and James Fraser.

Off the field of play, the teams have successfully completed over 1200 personal development programmes under the sub headings of sports, culture, charity, youth development, community development as well as social and religious, among others.

Among the programmes hosted have been father and mother of the year, senior

citizens breakfast project, Christmas village, say no/say yes, patron fund, school bags, feeding of the poor, corona virus hamper charity outreach, cricket academy and summer educational camp.

With the BCB cricket season on hold due to the current pandemic the two teams along the eight other teams of the club have shared out over 2500 food hampers to less fortunate families across Berbice and is also hosting the ongoing Basil Butcher Memorial project.

Assistant Secretary/CEO Simon Naidu committed the two teams to upholding their high standards on and off the cricket field.

He disclosed that the club would meet shortly to name captains for the two teams as the current captains Kevin Sinclair and Jonathan Rampersaud are no longer available to play at those levels.

Sinclair is now a senior national player while Rampersaud in an Under-19 player. Naidu expressed gratitude to the company for their continued confidence in the club and the second division team has several finals to play once the cricket season restarts.

Friday August 07, 2020

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Kaieteur News

Manchester City face 13-time winners Real Madrid in Champions League last-16 blockbuster MailOnline - One of the most notable features of a visit to the Santiago Bernabeu is the sheer throng outside the stadium. As the Madridistas wait for the team bus to arrive, it can be almost impossible to take a step forward.

That was what it was like back in February when Manchester City were there.

Now it is very different everywhere. Tonight in Manchester, the Champions League resumes and it is hard not to think about what this occasion could have been like.

Pep Guardiola’s City team have a chance to take the biggest European scalp of all, that of the 13-time winners.

They will have to do it on their own, though. Guardiola is used to it by now. This is City’s 13th game without supporters since football restarted in England but beyond any doubt it will be the one when they are in danger of feeling that absence most.

Football without supporters does many things.

It reminds us all just how real and persistent the threat of Covid-19 remains. Wander down the high street — even in lockdown Manchester —

Pep Guardiola got the better of opposite number Zinedine Zidane more than five months ago @Reuters and it’s quite possible to forget about the pandemic.

It is not possible at the football. Walking in to City’s stadium can feel like walking in to a hospital at the moment.

From a sporting point of

view, meanwhile, empty stadia level the playing field.

The statistics tell us as much and so, over the course of the last couple of months, have our own eyes. The absence of fans can hurt a home side

and this is the fear which stalks City tonight. As Real’s French defender Rafael Varane said on Thursday night: ‘We are on City’s ground but the Champions League is all about emotion and the fans provide that extra bit of edge. It can be an important factor.’

Guardiola and his players are facing a very good side on Friday night, even if it is weakened by the suspension of defender Sergio Ramos.

Madrid were better than City for the first hour of what was a poor game back in late winter and if they are allowed to impose themselves like that tonight, this could be a more difficult task than many imagine.

City’s away goals give them comfort. If they score once more, Real will need to shed any notion of caution and chase the game almost recklessly. Maybe it is this factor which has decided Guardiola’s strategy for him.

‘We’ve talked of how we can hurt them,’ said Guardiola on Thursday. ‘That’s what we have focused on. ‘We want to impose our style on the game and take it to areas where we can hurt them, where our quality can stand out.’

If his players can carry out Guardiola’s instructions we

Murray, Clijsters receive U.S. Open wildcard entries NEW YORK (Reuters) Former U.S. Open champions Andy Murray and Kim Clijsters each received wildcard entries to 2020 edition of the tournament, organisers said on Thursday (yesterday).

The tournament will take place in a quarantined setting from Aug. 31-Sept. 13 in New York. The Western & Southern Open, which was relocated from Cincinnati this year, will be held from Aug. 20-28 as a warm-up event for

the Grand Slam.

Murray, a former world number one who won his U.S. Open title in 2012, also received a wildcard entry into the Western & Southern Open, but said on Monday that players travelling to New York need assurance that they would not face mandatory quarantine after returning to Europe. The 33-year-old Briton missed the tournament in 2017 and 2019 due to injury.

Clijsters, who won the tournament in 2005, 2009 and

Andy Murray will make his first US Open appearance in two years

2010, returned to action after nearly eight years away from the sport in 2020, competing in World TeamTennis’ threeweek season that kicked off in July at the Greenbrier resort in West Virginia.

The 37-year-old from Belgium also received a wildcard entry to the Western & Southern Open.

The U.S. Open wildcard entries also include seven American men and seven American women, organisers added.

should be in for a better game than the one we got in Madrid.

City downed Zinedine Zidane’s team brilliantly at the death with two late goals following the introduction of Raheem Sterling as a substitute. Prior to that, Madrid has wasted opportunities to take their one-goal lead to two and maybe three.

Spanish champions again, Madrid come to Manchester with reputation intact.

Zidane’s treatment of Gareth Bale continues to baffle many people, as does Hazard’s inability to ever be fit.

Problems like this tend to get buried when you have only lost three games of 38 en route to your 34th league title, so it was strange that Zidane chose Thursday of all days to publicly throw Bale under the bus.

‘What happens in the dressing room stays in the dressing room,’ said Zidane, only moments after deliberately betraying that most ancient of sporting creeds. Bale’s time in Zidane’s team is clearly done but Hazard’s participation tonight is less clear.

Having struggled with an ankle injury all season, the Belgian has not featured consistently. Zidane insists he is fit but it would be a

surprise if the 29-year-old began the night anywhere more prominent than the bench.

Such uncertainty and rancour in the Madrid ranks will not discourage City — not that they would appear to lack confidence anyway. Their Spanish midfielder Rodri said: ‘I know we have the better team but we have to show it.

It’s worthless to think that, if we can’t do it on the pitch.’

City’s attacking football was consistently excellent following the restart of the Premier League and it’s worth remembering that they amassed 100 goals while coming second to Liverpool.

They will miss Sergio Aguero today — there remains no news on a comeback date — and this will be as big a night for the Brazilian forward Gabriel Jesus as it will be for Guardiola’s often inadequate back four.

If City do prevail, it would be onward to Lisbon and the final stages of a competition that remains of fundamental importance to Guardiola and his sense of self-worth. The field would be wide open.

There may be nobody there to witness it, but this feels like one of the most important nights of City’s recent history.

Kim Clijsters Getty Images

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Friday August 07, 2020

Kaieteur News

Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma retain top two spots in ICC ODI rankings PTI - India captain Virat Kohli (871 points) and his deputy Rohit Sharma (855) continued to retain the top two positions in the ICC ODI rankings for batsmen, with Pakistan’s Babar Azam currently placed third.

Among the bowlers, Jasprit Bumrah (719) held on to the No. 2 spot, marginally behind New Zealand’s Trent Boult (722). There were movements for three Irishmen, who played a key role during their impressive chase of 329 against England on Tuesday.

Ireland captain Andy Balbirnie, who struck 113, jumped four places to 42nd, while his deputy Paul Stirling climbed one spot to 26th after a 128-ball 142. Rookie Curtis Campher’s impressive first series, which saw him score half-centuries both times he

batted - 59 not out and 68 in the first and second matches - helped him make an entry into the batsmen’s list at the 191st position.

In the bowling chart, Ireland fast bowler Craig Young’s six wickets in the series lifted him 40 places to a career-best 89th position, while Mark Adair (up six places to 138th) and Josh Little (up 38 places to 146th) also made significant moves after Ireland’s stunning seven-wicket win that helped pull one back after conceding the three-match series to England.

England’s ODI captain Eoin Morgan, who also scored a century in the final match, gained one place to be ranked 22nd, while Jonny Bairstow moved up a slot to 13th position, thanks to his bruising 41-ball 82 in the

second ODI. Among the England bowlers, legspinner Adil Rashid advanced from 29th to 25th with five wickets in the series, while left-arm pacer David Willey’s eight wickets, including a haul of 5 for 30 in the opening match, not only won him the Player-of-theSeries award but also lifted him six places to the 51st position.

England’s series win got them 20 points in the World Cup Super League, which will see 13 teams vie for direct qualifying places in the next World Cup in India in 2023.

Ireland are on ten points.

India and seven other top teams from the league will make it directly to the tenteam World Cup with the remaining two sides to be determined through a Qualifier.

Minister of Sport Charles Ramson Jr. interacts with staff for the first time - Excited to chart new and successful era Just one day after being sworn in as the new Minister of Culture Youth and Sport, Hon. Charles Ramson Jr. met with the staff at the Ministry during a guided tour led by Permanent Secretary, Mrs Melissa Tucker-Grimes.

In a brief comment by the Ministry, it was stated that Minister Ramson is very

eager to start working with the staff and is looking forward to bringing to the table, a diverse and solid leadership style.

Based on the fact that Guyana is positioning itself to become a global player n the Oil and Gas sector, there is expected to be varied and direct changes to ensure a

vibrant sport, youth and culture sector is accomplished and Ramson is energised to work with his staff to accomplish the objective set forth based on policy.

Staff members in turn assured Minister Ramson that they are ready to support him in advancing the development of the nations Culture Youth and Sport.

Virat Kohli congratulates Rohit Sharma with a broad grin AFP

England v Pakistan

Shan Masood century inspires tourists BBCsport - England are already facing defeat in the first Test after a Shan Masood-inspired Pakistan dominated the second day at Emirates Old Trafford. Opener Masood worked his way to 156, forming the basis of Pakistan’s 326 all out.

He added 105 with Shadab Khan, who busied his way to 45 in a post-lunch period where England surrendered the initiative with some baffling tactics. When they came to bat, the hosts were exposed to Pakistan’s skilful, enthusiastic and dangerous attack and limped to 92-4.

Rory Burns was lbw to Shaheen Afridi in the first over and Dom Sibley fell in the same way to Mohammad Abbas. When Abbas bowled Ben Stokes, England were 123. Joe Root and Ollie Pope managed to add 50, only for Root to be caught behind off the leg-spin of Yasir Shah for 14. Pope ended unbeaten on 46 in the company of Jos Buttler, England 234 adrift and looking to the lower order to retrieve a dire situation.

Even if England can get somewhere near Pakistan’s total, they face the prospect of batting last on a dry surface offering turn and showing signs of uneven bounce.

This was a miserable day for England, who were the architects of their own disarray and once again face losing the first Test of a series.

The crime is that, at lunch, they had control. With their four seamers, particularly James Anderson and Stuart Broad, expertly utilising the overcast conditions, they picked up three wickets for

Shan Masood salutes the dressing-room after his hundred Getty Images only 48 runs in the morning session, including Anderson having Babar Azam caught at first slip without adding to his overnight 69.

After the break there were only five overs remaining until the second new ball was due.

Perhaps to hasten its arrival and save his pacemen, captain Root opted to bowl his part-time off-breaks in tandem with Dom Bess. It was a mistake from which England never recovered.

Previously shackled, Masood and Shadab added 27 in five overs. With the momentum reversed, Pakistan continued to score against the second new ball, bumping along at more than four an over in the afternoon session.

England strangely ignored Jofra Archer, bowled bouncers when the new ball was only 12 overs old and were ragged in the field.

Wicketkeeper Buttler, who twice reprieved Masood on day one, dropped Yasir off Bess, albeit an error that did not prove costly.

When they came to bat, they were tortured by the contrasting styles of Shaheen and Abbas, and were left in danger of capitulating after losing three wickets in six overs.

First Test, Emirates Old Trafford (day two of five).

Pakistan 326 (109.3 overs): Masood 156, Babar 69, Broad 3-54. England 92-4 (28 overs): Pope 46*, Abbas 2-24.

Friday August 07, 2020

Kaieteur News

CPL travelling party tests negative for Covid-19 CPL - The Hero Caribbean Premier League players, officials and administrators have arrived in Trinidad and Tobago and have been tested on arrival. All 162 members of the party who travelled into Trinidad have tested negative for the virus.

They will now be kept in quarantine in the official hotel for 14 days during which time they will be tested regularly. If any member of the party is found to have contracted the virus they will be removed from the hotel and placed in further isolation in accordance with the current protocols in Trinidad & Tobago, but as of now all those who have arrived in Trinidad & Tobago are free from COVID-19.

Michael Hall, Tournament Operations Director, said: “It has been a colossal effort by all involved to get everyone safely into Trinidad & Tobago and we would like to thank everyone for their hard work and diligence. Our main priority is the health and wellbeing of all those involved in CPL and the wider population in the host country, to have got through this first step without any cases is encouraging news, but we will remain vigilant.�

The tournament gets underway on 18 August and will see 33 games played at two venues in Trinidad. The first match will see last year’s runners-up, the Guyana Amazon Warriors; take on the Trinbago Knight Riders. The final will take place on 10 September.

PAGE 25

Minister of Culture Youth and Sport Charles Ramson accompanied by Permanent Secretary of the Ministry, Mrs Melissa Tucker-Grimes.

Minister of Culture Youth and Sport Charles Ramson meets with staff of his Ministry, yesterday.

rt Spo

Minister of Sport Charles Ramson Jr. interacts with staff for the first time Excited to chart new and successful era CPL travelling party tests negative for Covid-19 Manchester City face 13-time winners Real Madrid in Champions League last-16 blockbuster

RHTY&SC’s Hilbert Foster receives sponsorship from Bakewell’s Natasha Bhikhari.

Bakewell continue sponsorship of RHTY&SC cricket teams which started in 2000

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