Kaieteur News

Govt. not rushing to have 2 oil refineries

W h i l e G u y a n e s e authorities are interested in building the nation's first oil

refinery, it is not in any hurry to bring a second on stream. Thisclarificationwasoffered

- mulls creating storage capacity for refined products

on Thursday by Vice President,Dr BharratJagdeo during an engagement with

media operatives at the Arthur Chung Convention Centre(ACCC).

The official's comment followed questions from Kaieteur News to explain the rationale for the State's independent pursuit of a refinery with a capacity for 30,000 barrels of oil per day (bpd) while also agreeing recently to explore the possibility of establishing one here with the Dominican Republic.

With respect to the 30,000 bpd refinery, Jagdeo saidtherewasafirstroundof evaluationandauthoritiesare awaitingmoreinformation.

“Butevenaswedothat,a number of countries are sendinginproposalstous.At the end of the day, if it (a refinery in partnership with another country) goes forward, it has to be on conditions that are good for our country and they have to meet all the technical and financial requirements,” the VicePresidentsaid.

At the moment, the chief policymaker for Guyana's oil sector acknowledged that the country can only handle one refinery at this time. Such a facility would transform

Vice President, Dr. Bharrat

Jagdeo

petroleum into useful products such as gasoline, diesel fuel, asphalt base, heating oil, kerosene, and cookinggas.

Simultaneously, he said the government has an interest in examining the costs of sending some of its crude abroad to be refined and have those products returned and stored as “strategic reserves.” In other words, the administration would create a holding place for oil products that can be tapped in instances of emergencies.

“Sooneofthereasonswe wanted a refinery was to

ensure national energy securityandweareexploring what it would take to toll some of our crude and what fee we may have to pay for tolling the crude and then bringing back the refined products and storing them; like in the USA, they have strategic reserves,” the Vice Presidentsaid.

With respect to queries about the government's considerationofTrinidadand Tobago which has over 100 years in the oil refining industry, Jagdeo said there was some discussion about this at one stage but those did notmaterialize.

“…But if we are doing a refinery, it would be (have to be located) here because (having it elsewhere) defeats the purpose of your energy security…butifyoucangeta tolling fee, it can be refined anywhere in the world and you then store the refined products here,” the Vice Presidentsaid.

Opposition demands justification from Govt. for extending a portion of ExxonM’s Stabroek Block

“Billions of US-dollars areatstake.”

ThiswastheOpposition's contention yesterday as the political group questioned the Government's move to allowUnitedStatesoilmajor, ExxonMobil, an additional year to explore the resourcerichStabroekBlock.

The company was expected to give back (relinquish) a portion of the block, equivalent to 20 percent in October this year, however it was granted an extension by the government which gave into claims of the company's work programme being hampered by the COVID-19Pandemic.

This is according to Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo during a press conference at FreedomHousebackinJune. The VP told reporters, “The force majeure that was given to them in the COVID period extends the relinquishment provision.”

Notably, the 20 percent portionoftheStabroekBlock isequivalentto120oilblocks or one fifth of the entire 26,800 square kilometers or 6.6millionacres.

With no documented proof that the company's operations were indeed impactedbytheCoronaVirus Pandemic, the Opposition is demanding an evaluation by the administration to confirm Exxon'sclaims.

Economic Advisor to the Leader of the Opposition and Spokesperson on Oil and Gas, Elson Low while speaking at a press conference on Friday explained that while the pandemic is a reasonable explanation, government shouldprovidetheevaluation it conducted for the public to analyze.

Low stressed the importance of the document citing that the administration has a history of not conducting requisite studies andshouldjustifyitsdecision for the extension and clarify that it was not pulled “out of theclearbluesky”.

Accordingtohim,“While I can understand COVID-19 being a reasonable reason, what I would always ask is can the government provide to the public, a document which is evaluating the situation; which they were able to receive expert advice as to whether or not they

shouldrelinquish.”

Low pointed out that the over the past few years, ExxonMobil through the Stabroek Block operator, Esso Exploration and Production Guyana Limited (EEPGL) has substantially ramped up oil production, pushing Guyana's Gross Domestic Product (GDP) aboveitsforecastedgrowth.

He therefore reasoned, “This indicates that the company's operations are functioning and have been functioningwell.

What we need to see is what evaluation has the government done to determinethatthecompany's operations were inhibited and what evaluation was done to give us an understanding that the company should not be relinquishingtheblocks.”

To t h i s e n d , t h e Economist flagged that the 20 percent that should be relinquished by Exxon could bevaluedtensofUS-billions. Given its potential, Low argued he does not believe a determination should be made by a single individual whodoesnotfeellikeforcing thecompanytonotgiveback aportionoftheBlock.

He asserted, “That can't be the way that the country is run. We need to see an evaluation that needs to be released to the public so that we can see the government did its due diligence in makingthisdecision.

T h i s c a n b e a multibillion-dollar decision; of course blocks that are relinquished can then be auctioned.”

T h e O p p o s i t i o n Economist said he suspects that the government does not have such a document but nonetheless issued a challenge for it to be released.

Meanwhile, Opposition Leader, Aubrey Norton commented that there is need for transparency and accountability in the sector, especially as it relates to the extension granted for the relinquishmentoftheBlock.

He argued, “Jagdeo cannot tell this nation that it was done as a result of COVID without providing clear documentation so that w e c a n k n o w t h e rationale...the only way we could verify it, is by having

the documentation to be able to discern whether what he's saying is true, or he is just b e i n g J a g d e o a n d formulatinghisrealitiesashe moves along and send them outasiftheyaretruths.”

Jagdeoresponds

Notably, Vice President Jagdeo was asked during his press engagement about the

Opposition's call for government to release the document that shows why government is extending the oil company's hold on the Stabroek Block when he provided an unrelated response.

Kaieteur News pressed the VP, explaining that the relinquishment was expected

to occur this year, in keeping with the 2016 Production Sharing Agreement (PSA); however,itwasextendeddue to the COVID pandemic. To this end, he said, “That's the force majeure; we looked at the force majeure already That's a different matter We explained it in the period and whyandallofthat.”

In a follow up question Kaieteur News asked the VP about the due diligence by government to prove the oil company's operation was indeed affected when he responded, “Don't worry with that. It's just another waste of time I'm not wasting my time anymore withNorton.”

Map showing the size of the Stabroek Block compared to the Kaieteur and Canje oil blocks offshore Guyana

Economic Advisor to the Leader of the Opposition, Elson Low

Publisher:GLENNLALL-TEL:624-6456

Editor:NIGELWILLIAMS

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

True oil reserves

Guyanaistailormadeforanylevelofexploitation. The eyes of Guyanese are open wide, but there is the considerable likelihood that they are still blind to what is happening. When the issue is about oil reserves, we are helpless. We are lost, and we don’t know what we don’t know, which makes this country ripe for exploitation, any foreignoilcompanies’calculation.

How many proven barrels of oil reserves do we really haveasoftoday? HowmuchhastheExxon-ledconsortium discovered, but of which Guyana only knows a portion, as toldtothisnation? Howmuchmoredotheseismicstudies indicate could be present, but which are still secrets to the Guyanesepeople? Wehavebeeninformedabout11billion barrelsofoilequivalents,withmoreprojectsapprovedand beinglinedupforproduction.Butanearlierquestionisnow refined: is 11 billion barrels the total discoveries resulting from ExxonMobil’s sophisticated, race against the clock, efforts?

TherealityisthatGuyanahasnowaytoknow,otherthan whatExxonMobilseesfittosharewiththegovernment. We do not have the people, nor the systems, to reconcile what ExxonMobilputsbeforeus,versuswhatcouldbetherealoil picturealmost200kilometersfromshore. Wehaveneither boats,northeskills,nortrustedpeopleofourown,tolook into what is shared with us, and how completeit is. Quite frankly,itisclearthatthereisanabsenceofleadershipwill and interest in knowing how much we have as proven reserves. Forwhatisreceivedfromoilcompanypartnersis whatisswallowedwholesale,asifsomedivineforceitself hadsaidso.

Justrecently,Standard&Poor’s(S&P)Globalarrivedat a place that is sure to discomfort ExxonMobil, and its partners. According to S&P’s Patrick Harrington, the numbers are “much bigger than that”, and that Guyana’s proven reserves could be at least double what has been making the rounds here. In numbers, it is not 11 billion barrelsofoil,butstarting(atleast)at22billionbarrelsofoil. S&P noted the oil reservoirs in nearby Venezuela, the biggestintheworld,whichledtothepositiontaken. Itisour positionatthispublication,unscientifictobesure,thatthis country has even more oil reserves that the S&Pleast case numberof22billionbarrels.

This raises an interesting question: why would ExxonMobilnotwanttoannouncetotheworldthatthereis more than, possibly multiples of, the 11 billion barrels reportedlyfoundsofaroffshore? Onesolidreasonisthatto discloseanumberof,say,20billion,oranythingupwardsof that huge figure, would not only intensify pressure from Guyaneseformorefromtheiroil. Itwouldalsoswingthe attentionoftheworldevenmorepowerfullytothemassive Guyanaoilbonanza. Itcouldopenfurtherthefloodgatesfor voices from all over to highlight the callous, definitely heinous, 2016 contract. A vile contract basking in its 2% royalty,andotherrichfinancialprovisionsthathemorrhage Guyana,andsweetlybenefitExxonMobilandothers.

It would be better to withhold the sum of what ExxonMobilhasalreadyconfirmedaboutGuyana’sproven reserves. ItiswiserforExxonMobiltoreleaseoildiscovery and reserves developments on a staggered basis, with a billionbarrelsfromthisfield,andacouplebillionmorefrom another Withsuchatrickledownstrategy,thespotlightand pressureareofffromExxonMobiltodobetterforGuyana, withthecontractremainingintact.

Considering what could be, Guyana is in the best and worstofplaces. Thereistherichnessofgreatoilfinds,but there is the poverty of not knowing, not actually knowing withanydegreeofcertainty,howmanybillionbarrelsthere are. An assertive government, with courageous leaders standingasoilstewards,wouldhavefeltdutyboundtopull outallthestops,anduseeverymeansatitsdisposal,togetan accurateandreliablepictureofhowmuchoilwereallyhave. To depend wholly and solely on ExxonMobil for information about oi reserves is allowing ourselves to be takenforaride.

Listen to the Govt. and Opposition

DEAREDITOR, SomeGuyaneseholdthe viewthatitisawastetimeto listen to Glenn Lall, David H i n d s , K e d a c k i e Amsterdam, Sherod Duncan,GHKLall,orHenry Jeffery They say the named individuals,feeddailyatthe trough of divisive politics and negativity; that they have nothing positive to say about theAli administration andthattheyspendtheirtime and effort criticizing the PPP/C in or out of government.

Further, they warn that those individuals can influence their listeners politically,ideologicallyand philosophically, but that is debatable.

In politics as well as in the public interest it is advisable to listen to all sides, government and Opposition. To ignore either of the two can be to your disadvantage especially when it comes to being knowledgeably

Oneshouldlistentowhat both Government or Opposition spokespersons have to say, but the freedom to agree or disagree is an inalienableright.

At the parliamentary level, political opponents of t h e P P P / C a n d representatives of the ruling party parle with each other from ‘across the floor’ and indirectly, they send

messages to each other through press conferences, the daily newspapers, TV commentaries and social mediaplatforms

Let’stakethecasecritics, cynics, and pessimists for example, they are hard at work on a daily basis, particularly on social media seeking to influence their listeners. Their problem lies in underestimating the intelligence and experience oftheirlistenersspecifically the older folks who, would have heard so many platitudes and unfulfilled promises in their lifetime from far more powerful and influential politicians so much so that what they hear now makes absolutely no sense.Liketheblindmenand the elephant—the prophets of doom and gloom -fail to appreciate the complexities of the Guyanese body politic.

Andasfarastheyounger folksareconcerned,savefor the lumpen elements, they are more concerned about jobs,acquiringahouselot,to be professionally qualified, to pursue their interest in agriculture, uplifting their general welfare as well as their public safety and security

In is against this backdrop that the younger folks of today are not prone to be easily influenced and misledbyemptyrhetoricand

brow-beating that brings them nothing. However, should the views and opinions of opposition elementscoincidewiththose of the ruling party and government on a specific matter, changes are likely to occur in their political outlookandinpursuitofthe economicinterest.

In a recent exchange of viewsairedonsocialmedia, David Hinds supported HenryJeffery’sviewthatall those who supported and fought for free and fair electionsbetweenMarchand August 2020 helped legitimize the undemocratic PPP/C.They argued that the ‘Defenders of Democracy’ mistakenly helped ‘install’ anillegitimategovernment.

Theduoweresupportive of continuing with bad governance practiced by the APNU+AFC and favoured the reinstatement of the corruptcabalaswellastheir abuse of power for their personalenrichment.

Both Hinds and Jeffery mustknowthatwhateverthe concepts and precepts they construct to suit their own fancies, such as injustice, d o m i n a t i o n a n d discrimination,such‘things’ can be de-constructed. They hold unabashedly, that however false their narratives, they are believable and that the gullible will accept their

opinions as obvious truths whereasonthecontrary,they areculturallyconstructed.

One of the tricks they use, is the way they communicate their views and opinions to their listeners in an effort to convincethemthataword,a concept, a precept or a simple text, has a single, fixedmeaning.Andthatthis meaning is true, pure, and unconstructed – that it is natural,ratherthancultural.

While airing their programmes, the naysayers expect viewers to believe what they are saying, but viewersshouldnotmakethe mistakeofthinkingthatwhat they are hearing is natural and reasonable to believe. On the contrary, it would do uswell,werewetocritically think through all they said with a view to pulling apart alltheirfalsenarratives.

Viewersshouldnotallow themselves to be empty vessels into which anything can be poured The contradictions are in the narratives the naysayers utilize, not in the narratives theychosetoignore.

In‘biggingup’theirfalse messages, they try to laugh off and scoff at the views of government spokespersons notrealizingthattoviewers, theyareinfactcontradicting themselves.

Yoursfaithfully, ClementJ.

Rohee

When are we going to get it right?

D

EAREDITOR

, Nodoubt,withtherecent spateofaccidents,especially causedbytrucks,theGuyana Police Force would embark on some temporary comedy show, which would yield some results, but because of their consistency, no doubt, the situation would return to normalgradually

Despite the opening of new roads, drivers continue to recklessly drive as if they are above the law, endangering themselves and other lives. Because of the rapid development in the constructionsector,thereisa huge demand for stones, sand, cement, etc. and truck driversareinarushtomake more trips, and descend along the road on a wild rampage.

M a n y l a c k t h e experience or are naturally stupidtofullyunderstandthe mechanics of the truck to calculate braking distance with and without load, and this causes the trucks to become uncontrollable. The government made a big fuss

about traffic cameras and to date, I’m wondering what has become of that project andifanyonesquanderedthe monies allocated with support from individuals withinthegovernment.

Editor, I travel a lot to various places and would observed police at various locations.Whenonebelieves that their presence would curb the constant mayhem occurring on the roadways, my opinion is that they are paving the way for more accidents. The police on the roadways are constantly stopping vehicles, pointing out a few faults, and taking bribestoallowthevehicleto continue.Someareknownto the police and would offer a drinkorlunchmoneybefore they are asked, thus the drivers automatically think that they are under the impression that they’ve formed a bondage with the police, so they are free to recklesslyusetheroadways. The hierarchy of the GPF knows what transpires daily on the roadways by the

ranks, but chooses to ignore it, conveniently chastising them when they attract the mediaattention.

FinallyEditor,afewdays ago,Iwasamazedtoobserve several tinted vehicles parked around the environs

of the Leonora Police Station. Because they have rules about parking around thestation,Iassumethatthe GPF started another campaign against tainted vehicles.Tomyamazement,

(Continuedonpage05)

Sugar Workers’strike action must be condemned

DEAREDITOR

Is this for real? Sugar workers striking and demandingcompensationas somewerere-assignedtothe soon to be reopened estate?

(KNAugust17). Thatsugar estate faced with industrial action even before reopening.Whatdoworkers really want, the estate reopened or not? Ramping up calls for compensation, through strike action, when workers were gainfully employed within the company receiving all due benefitscanbeseenasanact of sabotage and is damn nonsense.

Thecompanyhasaright todeployitsemployeesasit

sees fit in the interest of its operations, once such deployment is not disadvantageous to employees. Theworkofthe company takes precedent and priority over perceived, flimsy calls and engineered situations.

Itisnotedtheunionwas not approached but calls made for the hierarchy of government to respond ‘to comeandsolvethisproblem for us’. The union must swiftly condemn the strike action as the move and stance taken by workers is ludicrous,withoutmeritand fliesinthefaceofgoodfaith andsenseprevailing.

ShamshunMohamed

DEAREDITOR

,

Make the vehicle duties structure equitable Many crimes are unreported

DEAREDITOR, Our vehicle duties system, which charges citizens based on the year andenginesize,defieslogic onmultiplefronts.

Why do we have higher ratesthanmanynationsthat are economically less privileged?

Thisisn’taboutthepace of development; it’s about fairnessandcommonsense

Of course, we want to ensure a flow of revenue and manage environmental impacts, but there’s a glaring imbalance when higher-end vehicles, predominantly driven by those who are exempted fromtheseduties,becomea symbol of a certain social class

Making vehicles more affordable can stimulate economic growth by expanding the market, which may compensate for lower individual duties Enhancedsafetyfeaturesin quality vehicles can lead to safer roads and fewer subsequent costs from accidents

Such a reformed system would also promote equity,

allowing all citizens, irrespective of their economic background, access to quality transport. Addressing the argument that we lack road capacity for more vehicles, it’s essential to note that even if someone owns multiple vehicles,theycanonlydrive oneatatime.

Also,theotherargument that reducing the duties and taxes on vehicles isn’t feasible for our economy seems more and more

brittle upon closer inspection

Health and safety should not be a privilege oftheelite;theyshouldbe accessible advantages for allGuyanese.

Furthermore, it’s bewildering how a 4x4 pickup truck with the same engine size would attract different rates based purely on its numberofdoors

While the claim is that 2-door pickups, due to their alleged agricultural purposes, have a lower duty, the reality is starkly different.

Many purchase these 2-

door pickups and use them predominantly for personal needs, sidestepping the higherduties.

Such anomalies and inconsistenciesdon’tmerely represent minor oversights; they are indicative of a deeper systemic issue that cannotbeignored.

Every Guyanese deserves a fair shot at owning a quality, safe vehicle without being financiallyburdened

Byrefiningourvehicle duties structure, we can uphold equity and potentially even bolster our revenue if more citizens invest in quality vehicles

We don’t need oil wealth to rectify this; we need clarity, fairness, and an earnest reconsideration ofourcurrentprotocols

ShazaamAlly ExecutiveMember

T h e C i t i z e n s h i p Initiative

So our Hon. Minister of HomeAffairshasstatedthat the public has confidence in the Guyana Police Force. Then our latest Hollywood star,actingCommissionerof Police in his address called upon ranks to give themselvesapplause.

Dear Editor, it is about time that persons in high office, as noted above, take their responsibility s e r i o u s l y

Frompage04 after4pm,policeofficersin uniformandcivilianclothes periodically enter vehicles anddriveaway Imentioned itandwasinformedthatthey are the owners. Now, the CommanderofRegionthree is stationed at the Leonora Police Station, and there’s nothing that could convince

I live in the south of Georgetown and mix with all sorts of people. Many crimes, big and petite and notreportedtothePolice,for onesimplereason,theylack trust in the leadership and manypoliceranks.

So what is the Minister and the Commissioner talkingabout?

Years ago, there is a calypso titled “Yuh hear lie, That is lie.” The tragedy in all this is that there are a

number of Officers and ordinary ranks who are decentandwishtodoagood job serving and protection, but we now have a Force with political eczema where an Officer who arrested a lawyer for merely telling a citizen what their rights are - This Officer,wearetold,isnow being elevated as Traffic Chief.

Lord,

comeandhelpus.

EricMoseley,MS

me that he doesn’t see this blatantlawlessness.Isitfair forprivateownerstofollow orderstostripthetaintsfrom their vehicles from those whoalsohavetaintsontheir vehicles?

I would ask what their motives for becoming a policeofficerwere,butthere are officers in the GPF who

wereveryslimwhenjoined, todayIseemanythatwould makeSantaClauslookslike an embarrassment. Sadly, they are very young and it astonishesmetosuchyoung menaccumulatingsuchsize. Region Three has some and thattellsmethatlifeissweet intheGuyanaPoliceForce.

SahadeoBates

Two new Permanent Secretaries; six reassigned

In a shake-up at eight G o v e r n m e n t Ministries, President Irfaan Ali on Thursday announced the appointment of two new Permanent Secretaries (PS) while reassigningsix.

The Head of State has appointed Adele Diane Tricia Cole-Clarke as the PS of the Ministry of Legal Affairs and Miguel Shaun Choo-Kang, former Head of Regional Planning in the State Planning Unit of the MinistryofFinance,asPS for the Ministry of Local Government and Regional Development

Apart from the new appointments, President Ali reassigned PS Alfred King from the Ministry of

EducationtotheOfficeofthe Prime Minister; PS

Shannielle Hoosein-Outar wasmovedfromtheMinistry of Human Services and Social Security to the Ministry of Education while PS Prema Roopnarine was moved from Ministry of Local Government and RegionalDevelopmenttothe Ministry of Human Services andSocialSecurity

Additionally,PSBishram Kuppenwasreassignedfrom theMinistryofLabourtothe Ministry of Housing and Water

while PS Mae Toussaint Jr ThomasMeerabux was moved from theMinistryofHomeAffairs totheMinistryofLabourand PS Andre Ally was moved fromtheMinistryofHousing and Water to the Ministry of

HomeAffairs.

A few months ago, PS Thomas-Meerabux was at the center of an incident involving United States officials. While traveling to China for a training programme with a local delegation, the Thomas –Meerabux was detained at the Miami International Airport and her cell phone wasconfiscated.

The PS's U.S. visa was alsorevoked.

President Irfaan Ali had labeled the PS's experience as a “normal routine” Moreover, United States Ambassador to Guyana, Sarah Ann-Lynch said that the detention of the PS is “a matter of privacy”. She was on official government business.

Holness says Jamaica near full employment

CMC – Prime Minister Andrew Holness, says Jamaica is close to full employment as the country reached a record low unemployment level of 4.5 percent.

I n a s t a t e m e n t Wednesday, Holness described as “welcomed news’ the report by the Statistical Institute of Jamaica (STATIN) that the out-turn, based on the April 2023 Labour Force Survey, was 1.5 percentage points lower than the figure for the corresponding period in 2022.“We are now close to full employment [and] that our economy continues to expand,” Holness said, adding “but what it really means is that more Jamaicanshaveincome.

“It means that more Jamaican families can do much better than they were doingbefore,”saidHolness, who is also the Minister of Economic Growth and Job Creation.

“This is the best news that our economy can have we are building Jamaica”.

Speaking at STATIN’s quarterly digital media briefing on Tuesday, DirectorGeneral,CarolCoy,

said that the number of unemployed people inApril this year fell by 19 700, or 24.3 per cent, to 61 300, c o m p a r e d t o t h e corresponding period in 2022.

She noted that the number of unemployed males fell by 8,900, or 26.3 percent,to24,900,whilethe corresponding out-turn for females dropped from 47,200lastyearto36,400in April

The number of unemployed youth, aged 14

to24,was24,600,adecrease of6,800or21.7percent.

Thenumberofemployed people increased by 43,300 to1,312,600.

“Females accounted for over two-thirds of this increase. Employed females grew by 5.1 per cent or 29 700, while employed males increasedby two percentor 13600,”Coysaid.

STATIN also advised that there was increased employment in all age groups.

Adele Diane Tricia Cole-Clarke

Bishram Kuppen

Miguel Shaun Choo-Kang Shannielle Hoosein-Outar

Andre Ally

Mae Toussaint Jr Thomas-Meerabux, Alfred King

Prema Roopnarine

Jamaican Prime Minister, Andrew Holness

BLUNT...BLUNT...BLUNT...BLUNT

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Debtservicegoingup

The World Bank declared Guyana a high-income country.

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Thanks for nothing, now that we have to come up with more something.

Much higher interest rates will bend our backs.

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Don't worry says PPP big shots, we have the money.

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Guyanese are the ones to bear the burden, the PPP tasting the honey.

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It is borrow, spend, and steal.

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Guyanese taxpayers have to deal with how that feels.

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Govt. needs to borrow money to fund profitable projects

Opposition Leader Aubrey Norton on Thursday said that the government needs to borrow money to fund profitable projects. Norton was asked by Kaieteur News to comment on whether Guyana, with all its resources, should continue borrowingmoney

In response, he said, “I don't want to say that the Government should not be borrowing but I can say I am opposed to borrowing in the fashion it is being done currently, because a lot of the money is misused and mismanaged. And oft times there is too much corruption involved.”

Norton explained that while the government ought toborrowmoney,hebelieves that the government is using the loans to fund nonprofitableprojects.

“If these loans were funding projects that would generate income to service theloanstheyareborrowingI wouldn'thaveaproblemwith thembutifyouareborrowing anticipating the money coming from oil, then I would have a problem,” he explained.

The Opposition Leader further said, “Sometimes people want us to say no to borrowing but running a country is more complex than that. It is because of the behavior, approach of the Government and because of theabsenceofaproperplan.I don'tbelievethattheyshould be borrowing at the rate they areborrowing.”

He is adamant that the government needs to borrow moneysensibly

“They must borrow where they can pay back and advance the society We

-Norton

should not arrive at a point in our society where people just say no to borrowing. The approach should be one where we do proper analysis and we decide what is in the best interest of the country because we don't want the loans to become a burden on futuregenerations,”hesaid.

Further, Norton opined that the Government has shownthatalotofthefundsit borrow can end up in corruption.

“Forexample,theyleftus with the likes of the failed Sheldon Sugar Factory and Fibre Optic Cable project all of which were serviced by loans that the Guyanese people are left to pay back,” theOppositionLeaderadded.

Norton's comments follow the National Assembly's approval of a new debt ceiling to allow for increased borrowing. During

the debate in the National Assembly, Opposition Member of Parliament (MP) and Shadow Finance Minister, Juretha Fernandes said that the new ceiling cemented a $7.9M debt for eachGuyanesehousehold.

Fernandes during her presentation argued that Guyana has numerous examplesofwhatnottodoin an oil-dependent economy, yet the administration is doingexactlythat.

Fernandes in her debate presentation pointed to the recent report issued by the United Nations, titled 'A World of Debt' which cautioned developing countries about increasing debt, citing the major underlying implication of being forced to choose between servicing debt and servingitspeople.

In fact, she said, “The

PPP

[People's Progressive

Party] is operating as though thereisnotomorrow,ormore so, as if they are expecting to be out of office come 2025. Theyarespendingallthatwe have,andnowspendingeven more of what we don't have. They are putting the country in a position that future governments will be faced with debt to service regardless of the economic viability.”

Fernandes described the government's borrowing as “reckless” since she believes the administration is piling on more debt based on

projected earnings from the oil and gas sector As such, she urged that it should be condemnedbyallGuyanese. According to the Bank of Guyana (BoG) in its 2022 Annual Report, the country's total public debt when compared to December 2021 had increased by 16 percent tojustoverUS$3.6billion. When the government's borrowing was reassessed by Central Bank in the first quarter of 2023, it was revealed that the debt had further increased by 2 3 percent, taking the country's totalloanstoUS$3.7billion.

Leader of the Opposition, Aubrey Norton

Jagdeo throws another tantrum

The President’s national record for the longest openingstatementataPress Conference remains intact, but just barely Vice President, Bharat Jagdeo came mighty close to shaving a few minutes off that record yesterday but managed to stop himself beforeitwastoolate.

As usual the Vice President launched into another extended tantrum full of name calling and the usual ‘buse’out, against the Oppositionanditsleader He alsothrewafitatGlennLall andGHKLall.

However, by now the press corps and the public have grown accustomed to such crass and classless performances by the Vice President Just like the President’s last press conference, the questions askedhadlittletodowiththe openingstatement.

At yesterday’s presser, Jagdeowasagaincompelled to mention how much the Guyanese people are benefiting from the economy One example givenwastheincreaseinthe public sector wage Bill by some 37B over its 2019 equivalent.

But those numbers are

aggregated numbers and conceal more than they reveal. Given that Jagdeo said there were 30,000 personswhobenefittedfrom this increase, this works out to a monthly average per capita increase of 35,000 overthepastthreeyears.

Jagdeo is fond of throwing out aggregate numbers in the hope of clouding the reality The government’smonthlywage bill may have indeed increased by average of $35,000 per capita. But certainly, the lowest paid public servants have not enjoyed a $35,000 increase in salaries in the three years that the PPPC came into office. This is why Jagdeo’s use of statistics is so deceptive.

Low income public servants are struggling to make ends meet Low income workers have had a net decline in real incomes. The increases they have enjoyed under the PPPC administration have been eroded by the spiraling cost of living. Food prices have increased tremendously and this has hurt the pockets of thesmallmanwhoseincome is now buying less than before.

Dem boys seh...

It took intense public agitationforthegovernment tofinallyagreetoanincrease in the national minimum wage to $60,147 per month. For a long time, the g o v e r n m e n t k e p t prevaricating on increasing the national minimum wage even though the sum had beenagreedtowithinthetripartiteprocesssince2019.

All manner of excuses were made. At one time it was even said that a study had to be done. Most likely the PPPC government was receiving a pushback from its powerful backers in the private sector That new nationalminimumwage,set last year, was deemed as insufficientbyacivilsociety grouping called Article 13. In light of the rising cost of living, Article13demanded a G$75,000 n

n FITUG called for the minimum wage to be increasedpointingtodouble digitinflationin2021.

It is time for a national living wage to be set, one that will be affordable and that will not have further inflationary effects.Aliving wage is calculated based on the minimum income requiredforanindividualor

Garbage truck tek win!

Demboysusedtothink dat minibus did run things punderoad.Demboysdoes still see dem minibus overtaking, undertaking and mistaking pun de road. Someahdemminibusdoes use dem road as if is wan airstrip. Dem flying down deroadlikedemConcorde.

Andwhendemstappun de road, traffic gat to stap also. Because dem stap in demiddleahderoad.

Like de fella yesterday wastaphebusindemiddle of de road and cause traffic fuh back up fuh two

corners. Wan man see de trafficjamandthoughtwas alinefuhpetrolandhejoin it.

But was only wan case of de minibus driver making a pit stop fuh go to de sh#t house. He tek he good time while dem car waiting fuh he fuh pull off. Andwhenhecomehelook at de traffic as if he nah noticedem.Denhesitdown inside he bus and smoke a cigarette All de while people busing and cussing he, he deh playing Steve Wonder and Thomas

Edison–wanwhodidblind anddeodderwhodiddeaf.

Butifyouthinkhebad, tek second think Dem garbage truck tek win When dem picking up garbage, dem nah gat no concern bout traffic Ambulanceandpolicesiren canbeblastingandstilldem nah move. You gat to wait tell dem done wah dem doing, bear dem smell, before you get to pass. If yuh in a hurry and garbage truckpunderoad,yuhgatto gattoreverse.

Talkhalf.Leffhalf!

a family to meet essential expenses such as housing, f o o d , c l o t h i n g transportation, other basic necessities, while also accounting for local cost of living variations It is typically determined through thorough research and analysis, taking into considerationvariousfactors including inflation rates and prevailing market prices. A living wages would enable workers to afford a decent standardofliving,including housing and with something leftoverforsavings.

Government can now afford the cost of a living wage. The only problem is whetherthepaymentofsuch a living wage will fuel inflation and a loss of competitiveness In 1999 when the public servants took to prolonged strike action and earned a hefty salaryincrease,theincreases did not fuel inflation and so there is no reason why it

shouldnow

Thepersonsthatstandin the way of the payment of a living wage are the private sector friends of the government.Theywillresist any move that is likely to reducetheirprofits.Yet,they find themselves in the unusual situation of their lowest paid workers earning less than the lowest paid workersinthepublicsector

Yesterday, Jagdeo bragged about the gas-toshore project. He admitted that the government will be generatingenergyatU$0.04 cents per kwh and will be selling this at around US$0.11centsperkwh.

It has not yet dawned on Jagdeo that the cost of distributing the electricity is almost double the cost of producing it These distribution costs are even higher than in the United States which has a more complex distribution network.

In lieu of an immediate livingwage,thegovernment can commit to granting households who consume lessthan250Kwhpermonth free electricity This can happen when the gas-toshoreplantcomesonstream.

Subsidizing electricity for low usage consumers –more often the poor- is one way of reducing poverty But perhaps if Jagdeo stops throwing his weekly tantrums at the Opposition, he may come around to that realization.

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

GHK LALL

Sketches of Oil Leadership – VP Jagdeo, a Profile in Wiles and Guiles

I think of oil, and there is this nightmare: where will Guyanaendupwiththisvast oil richness, given the leadership wretchedness of Guyana's finest, Bharat Jagdeo? It is my pain and regret to share that it is a long, dark road that he is takingthiscountrydown;the slippery precipice to which he had led Guyanese. From t h e n a t i o n ' s s o g g y intellectual pool to the swamps teeming with its insipid, from the flood of self-blinding fanatics to the multitudes of the hoping for small slivers from their oil treasure, it is the same story

It is of Guyanese dismayed and dispirited by the appallingly dreadful nature of the leader that is Bharat Jagdeo, once a President, stillPresident.

The story of Bharat Jagdeo is a tragic one. A man, a leader, a character who took the wrong bend in the road, and even if he wishes now, cannot turn back. Frankly, he has no such wish, for brother Jagdeo has fallen in love

with his leadership style, which is all about guile with oil. Instead of a profile in courage with oil, this is a profile of leadership shrinkageandmiscarriage. I

bypass addiction to truculence, lust for power; though integral, I leave u n s a i d p e r v a s i v e spitefulness, the sheer vindictiveness. When what is written and said, the word would have been whispered to Live in Guyana to conjure it newest criminal episode, delivercrookedescapade.

My focus on Bharat Jagdeo's husbandry of the nation'soilconfirmshowhis wiles and guiles are inseparable from his tense leadershipsmiles. Iweighed how to make this shine brightly, and I came up with charactersstraightoutoftwo immortal pieces from literature'sstorehousethatfit his oil management to a perfecttee.

The first is Robert Louis Stevenson's Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde. With the tophatted crowd of foreigners now dancing excitedly all

over Guyana, with the ABC &EUpeopleintheforefront, Dr Jagdeo is the epitome of the suave, silky, Dr Jekyll. At least, he does his best imitations of urbanity and sincerity when his audiences are made of national plenipotentiaries standing alongside powerbrokers for gigantic commercial enterprises.

When this country's oil patrimony is on the front b u r n e r ( a l w a y s i s nowadays), Dr Jagdeo goes on a charm offensive and behind thin smiles and calculating eyes, he is about doing what pleases these people with plummy, lockjawed, accents. Though overmatchedinthecompany of the Oxbridge and Ivy Leaguecrowd,heisrunaway champion in the one department where he rules effortlessly: wiles and guiles. It is to the enduring loss of Guyanese that those are not employed for their benefit, that those bargains and barters involving their oil(andother)wealtharenot firstfortheirprosperity

When serious and sharp (pushy) questions are raised by conscientious Guyanese, then the other side of the Dr J e k y l l - D r J a g d e o personality flares into being. Enter, Mr Hyde. Brother Jagdeo convulses into this deformity of a figure before everyone: all snarls, all viciousness, all of what is a completely frightening apparition; an unhealthily frightenedone.

Thefirstreactioniswhat secrets do this man carry aroundinhisheadthatweigh himdownsopowerfully My second is what forces him to twist himself into all these tangled webs, whenstraighttalkonoilisall thatmatters.

Why is there the drivel andjive,whencleananswers should rush from his lips, and flush from his fevered brain coiled to operate a certainway?

Like Robert Stevenson's post medieval masterpiece on the torments in the skull, it is proof of how simple inquiries, writings, positions reduce Dr Jagdeo into

Guyana's equivalent of a fearsome Mr Hyde.

There is the horror of a m a n d r i v e n t o extremes, one stalking and bashing any Guyanese who daretostandinhisway,raise ahand,andsay:notthisway, sir It is my belief that the Americans have let loose the CIA and its psychoanalysts to study our brother, Dr Jagdeo, especially in the limelightof Guyana's oil. In this manner, they have a considerable edge in dealing with him. They do, which is why they know his wiles, and see through his guiles.

On each occasion that this self-wounding brother obfuscates and prevaricates, he unwittingly provides u n c h a l l e n g e a b l e confirmation of his modus operandi. He is so far committedinhislaboredand tormented way of managing this oil thatit has becomehis wayoflife.

In many ways, oil supremo Jagdeo has metamorphosed into French writer, Jules Verne. Ask the Guyanese oil steward

anything about oil, and it is the Vice President's version of 'Around the World in 80 Days'.

D r . J a g d e o i s reincarnated as wily and tricky representations of Mr. Fogg and Mr. Fix. His story is foggy, and there is usually something about the fix in hisproductions.

Guyanese are left hanging, as Bharat Jagdeo keeps yanking their chains with this oil. Trick answers and postures are now his inerasable trademarks, his multiheaded makeup. Wiles and guiles have brought Bharat Jagdeo this far; the road ahead is rocky and blanketed with trouble Both for Bharat Jagdeo and thetinderboxthatisGuyana.

(The views expressed in this article are those of the a u t h o r a n d d o n o t necessarily reflect the opinions and beliefs of this n e w s p a p e r a n d i t s affiliates.)

Linden gets $23.6M agro-processing facility

Less than two weeks after commissioning an agro-processing facility in Karaudarnau Village in Region Nine,Agriculture Minister, Zulfikar Mustapha on Wednesday commissioned a similar facility at Watooka,Linden(Region10).

The Ministry of Agriculture through the New Guyana Marketing Corporation (New GMC) expended some $23 6 million to construct and outfit the facility providing much-needed agro-processing services to approximately 600 persons in and aroundtheregion.

Minister Mustapha in his addressatthecommissioningnoted thatthegovernmenthasmadelarge sums of money available to fund initiatives to develop Guyana's agro-processingsector.

Heexplainedthatwhilefarmers are encouraged to produce more, value-addedproductionwillenable them to maximize profits and extend the shellfire of their commodities.

“The commissioning of this facilityatWatookaclearlyindicates the ongoing development in the agriculture sector Our farmers are producingprimaryproductsandare sellingthemtomiddlemen.Thereis no value added. We sell our fruits and we are purchasing juices from

overseas.So,attheministrylevel,a decisionwastakentodevelopthese facilities because we have sufficient products to help our farmers get involved in valueadded production. When we do this,ourcountryisabletomovetoa higher level. We are not only focused on primary production. Now our farmers are having these facilities because this government is interested in development,

especially in the agriculture sector,”heexplained.

Minister Mustapha also said that over the last three years, approximately 300 new agroprocessed products were introduced through collaboration andsupportfromtheNewGMC.

He added that by the end of 2023, some 13 agro-processing facilitieswillbecommissionedand put into operation to assist farmers

in rural areas with value-added production.

While noting that Guyana produces most of the food consumed locally, Minister Mustapha said that focus is being placed on increasing production in order to lower Guyana's and the region'sfoodimportbill.

“We, in Guyana, are very fortunatebecauseweareproducing 60% of the food we are consuming.

But, as a government, we are not satisfiedwithonly60%.Wearestill i m p o r t i n g a n u m b e r o f commodities that we can produce locally Alotofeffortandemphasis isbeingplacedonensuringfarmers are able to produce more and have the necessary infrastructure and inputstodoso.

Wearealsoworkingatthelevel ofCARICOMtolowertheregional foodimportbill,”headded.

New GMC's General Manager, Teshawna Lall said that the establishment of the facility stands as a testament to the government's commitment to bolster commercial agro-processing within the region. She added that the facility was constructed and outfitted to satisfy international standards, fortified with efficient technology to minimizewastageandspoilage.

The facility is said to have the capacity to produce in excess of 4,300 liters of sauces and seasonings monthly and is equipped with an array of machinery such as mixers, blenders, stoves, stainless steel containers, heavy-duty scales, and chillers.

It also has the capacity to operate on a 24-hour base offering mechanized processes to allow for lower operational expenses. (DPI)

Minister Zulfikar Mustapha along with New GMC's General Manager, Teshawna Lall and other regional officials at the commissioning

Guyana records 11 deaths, 239 hospitalisations due to dengue infections

Guyana has recorded 2169 confirmed cases of dengue with 239 patients being hospitalized and 11 deaths so far this year With the revelation of these statistics by the Ministry of Health, the Opposition is calling on government to up its handling of what it terms an outbreak.

A Partnership for National Unity & the Alliance for Change (APNU+AFC) Member of Parliament (MP), Dr Karen Cummings is of view that Guyana is heading towards a major health crisis.

According to Dr Cummings approximately 3,453 persons in Guyana have contracted the vector borneillnesswith2,169ofthecases remaining active; inclusive of the recent death of two children, ages 9 and11.

In addition to this, Dr Cummings noted that two weeks ago Region Six recorded in excess of 107 cases of Dengue with 24 cases in twenty-four (24) hours according to the Regional DemocraticCouncil(RDC).

With the steady rise in cases of

dengue, the Opposition MP called on the Government to record the statisticsrelatedto the vector borne illnesswiththeurgencyrequired.

She said, “Circumventing, denial, or diminishing the dangers of the illness at this time, are risky responsesthatmustbeavoided.”

Dr Cummings said that the Ministry of Health has to admit sooner rather than later that there is a public health crisis treat the situationwithurgentimportance.

She described as unfortunate statements by Advisor to the Minister of Health Dr Leslie Ramsammy that “one or two cases a day is not a phenomenal number buthasfailedtorecognizethat90to 95 percent of persons with dengue mayhavesymptomsanddonotfeel theneedtoseekmedicalcare”.

“It is the 5 – 10 percent of persons who visit the hospital whose conditions will progress to severe Dengue manifested by hemorrhage and shock or severe organ involvement, ” Dr Cummingsstated.

Dr Cummings continued: “We must also be cognizant of the fact that frequent international travel

and Global warming could contribute to increasing the frequencyofthisdenguevirus,”Dr Cummingsaddedinherstatement. Meanwhile, the Ministry of Health in a statement lateThursday night said that that Dengue is endemic to Guyana and the Region oftheAmericas.

“Every few years there is a cyclical increase in dengue cases due to seasonal and climatic conditions amongst other factors. The Region of the Americas has recorded a significant increase in

dengue cases in the last few months.They have recorded 2,102, 848 cases from January to June 2023, of which 3210 were classified as severe dengue with 876 deaths. The highest number of cases within this region were observed in Brazil, Peru and Bolivia,”theMinistrysaid.

“Dengue is an acute febrile diseasethatiscausedbythedengue virus which is transmitted by the Aedes mosquito. There are four serotypes of the dengue virus knownasDENV1-4,eachofwhich can cause an infection Reinfection with a different serotype from that of a previous infection can result in a more severe form of thedisease.”

TheMinistryofHealthsaidthat persons with Dengue may experience fever, eye pain (back of the eye), muscle/joint pain, skin rash, and headache and generalized weakness Persons affected by severe dengue (haemorrhagic d e n g u e ) m a y d e v e l o p complications that are associated with bleeding and clotting disorders.

The ministry said that to ensure

the adequate prevention, diagnosis and management of Dengue, the Ministry has undertaken several actions to ease the burden of the disease in Guyana. The statement said that the Minister of Health, Dr Frank Anthony has activated a Technical Working Group responsible for assessing, recommending and implementing actions to mitigate this public healthevent.

“As recommended by the Technical Working Group, several of these measures include a heightened public awareness c a m p a i g n t o p r o m o t e environmental sanitation and hygienic practices, and, public awareness on the prevention of Dengue and other mosquito borne diseases. These include several appearancesonradioandtelevision stations and frequent messages on the Ministry's social media platforms,” the ministry said while adding that to ensure prevention and a curb in transmission, several environmental and entomological measures have been increased acrossGuyanasuchasfogging

(Continued on page 24)

$2M dental clinic commissioned at Mahaica Health Centre

The Ministry of Health on W e d n e s d a y c o m m i s s i o n e d a $2million dental clinic at the Mahaica Health Centre The commissioning of the dental clinic will allow residents from Mahaica, East Coast Demerara (ECD) and neighbouring communities to benefit from dental services in their locale. Minister of Health, Dr Frank Anthony said that the clinic was a project his ministry has been working on for some time and expressed satisfaction that it has finallymaterialized.

He noted that the decision for establishing a dental clinic at the Mahaica Health Centre was aimed at reducing the gap in services offered there The Minister disclosed that a dentist will be stationedattheclinic.

“We are now trying to extend therangeofservicesthatweofferin the health sector so even at the health centre and other facilities we are constantly trying to expand range of services that we can offer and dentistry is one of those,” he related.

Further, he added that the Ministry aims to provide more patient education to reduce the number of tooth extractions being done. “In the case of dentistry, we hope that we can do more prevention, rather than extraction, and hopefully one of the things that we'll be able to offer here is patient education,”DrAnthonystated.

Among the services being offered at the dental clinic are: dental cleaning, fillings, and

Minister of Health, Dr. Frank Anthony

surgeries, such as tooth impaction. Services will be provided Mondays - Thursdays from 8:00hrs to 16:30hrs and on Fridays from 8:00hrs-15:30hrs.Accordingto

(Continued on page 24)

The $2 million Dental Clinic at the Mahaica Health Centre.

Some of the equipment at the new dental clinic at Mahaica

APNU+AFC Member of Parliament, Dr. Karen Cummings

Sale of Marriott Hotel in final stages

American businessman, Ramy El-Batrawi, will soon be the new owner of the profitable Guyana Marriott Hotel. El-Batrawi was the highest bidder, proposing the sumofUS$90Millionforthe acquisition of the Kingston, Georgetownproperty

The sale of the hotel is being facilitated by the National Industrial and Commercial Investments Limited(NICIL).

D u r i n g a p r e s s conference on Thursday, Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo was asked for an updateonthesaleofthehotel which began in December 2022.

“It's basically to wrap up the negotiation with the bidder, the sooner they can wrap that up, the better, I don't know if they have completed that ” Jagdeo responded. He continued by stating that following the finalization of the sale of the hotel, the documents will then be submitted to Cabinet. However, the Vice President said, “The Cabinet has already accepted the highest bid which is (US) 90 Million dollars.”

Thereafter, Kaieteur News contacted Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of NICIL, Radha Krishna Sharma, who explained that NICILisstillintheprocessof finalizingthesaleofthehotel w i t h t h e A m e r i c a n businessman.

L a s t y e a r , t h e Government of Guyana (GoG) announced that it will be selling the hotel

NegotiationswithEl-Batrawi and NICIL began in June 2023.

F o l l o w i n g t h e a n n o u n c e m e n t , s i x companies had submitted their proposals for the hotel. However, in May, the governmenthadinformedthe bidders that their initial bids were rejected, because the bids were too low and did not reflect the true value of the hotel.

Thereafter, four bidders dropped out leaving X, LLC owned by El-Batrawi, and local consortium Integrated Group Guyana Limited, headed by Ravindra Prashad, whose second bid was US$86 1 million, falling short of El-Batrawi's proposal.

Construction of the

-Jagdeo

Marriott Hotel started under the Bharrat Jagdeo-led administration Taxpayers' money along with a syndicated loan through the Republic Bank Limited of Trinidad was used to finance theproject.

The hotel opened its doorsonApril17,2015.

Under the syndicated loanagreement,thepreferred rights go to those investors –meaning that in the event of the hotel being unable to service the loan – the unknown investors would have the first privilege to the proceedsofasale.

Meanwhile, Kaieteur News had highlighted that

El-Batrawi was barred by the United States Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) back in 2010 from acting as an officer or director of a public company for a period of five years.

Notably, while El-Batrawi neveracceptedwrongdoings, in April 2010 the final judgment resulted in him being barred from running a public company for five years.

Moreover, El-Batrawi visited Guyana twice last year, October 2022, and November 2022. The American businessman had praisedthetimehespentwith President Irfaan Ali during

his visits to Guyana. One month later, NICIL announced the Government's decisiontosellthehotel.

In March 2023, Jagdeo revealed that despite the criticism the hotel faced when the construction was announced – the hotel had emerged as a profitable venture, but justified the sale of the hotel by stating that it wasabusinessdecision.

Infact,theVPsaidduring a press conference that while thehotelismakingaprofit,it is of no supreme benefit to the Government owning it anymore.

Jagdeo continued by

saying that within a few years, several hotels are expected to come on stream and in order to avoid competition, this is the best time to maximise the profit andsellthehotel.

According to Jagdeo, the proceeds of the sale is to be used, “to clear off the remainingloanandsomeofit will come back to the Treasury to be used back for whatever purpose is determined.”

Notably,adecisionbythe former administration resulted in US$1.1 million ($226 million) of taxpayers' money coming out every six

months (since 2017) to service the US$27 million loanfromthebank–fora13yearperiod.

This was after the hotel was unable to service the loan.

In order to prevent the hotel from being acquired by the bank, the APNU+AFC Government in April 2017 transferred the hotel's financial obligations to the Central Government However, VP Jagdeo stated that while in Opposition, the People's Progressive Party (PPP) was opposed to the hotel's financial obligation beingtransferred.

The Guyana Marriott Hotel

American businessman, Ramy El-Batrawi

Vice President (VP), Bharrat Jagdeo

CARPHA convenes Regional Health Security Planning Meeting with member states and partners

The Caribbean Public Health

A g e n c y (CARPHA) on August 8 and 9, 2023 convened a Regional Health Security (RHS) planning meeting at the Hilton Trinidad Hotel and ConferenceCentre.

The RHS Planning Meeting was attended by Chief Medical Officers, a Permanent Secretary and other health representatives from 21 CARPHA Member States, 11 regional and international agencies, and three (3) international developmental partners (IDPs).

This two-day meeting provided the opportunity for local, regional and international health stakeholders to facilitate a forumforthedevelopmentof a detailed mapping toward the RHS Pathway, discussing keypriorityareas.

This was reemphasized by Dr Lisa Indar, Director, Surveillance, Disease Prevention and Control, CARPHA as she stated, “Robust, regional, integrated surveillance and early warning and response s y s t e m s , e n h a n c e d laboratory and workforce capacities, supported by

regional coordination and partnerships, are crucial for effective RHS in the Caribbean.”

According to CARPHA, the transboundary spread of infectious diseases is a threat to regional and global health security. The devastating global impact of COVID-19 and other public health concerns, reiterate the necessity for regional and global health security to protectandimprovehealth.

“Regional Health Security(RHS)encompasses thecapacitiesrequiredforthe Caribbean to prepare for and respond to public health threats, risks, priority issues and concerns that transcend national boundaries and potentially impact on economic stability, trade, tourism, and access to goods and services in the Region.

RHS offers a coordinated approach which is especially crucial in the Caribbean as the Region – like the Pacific and African small island developing states - is characterised by small, under-resourced populations and varying surveillance, laboratory and human resource capacities. It is also highly interconnected with porous borders, heavily

reliant on tourism, and susceptibletoclimatechange and disasters,” a statement fromCARPHAsaid.

CARPHA said too that the combination of factors significantly increases the region's exposure and vulnerability to disease spread,enablingrapidspread of highly transmissible communicablediseases.

“Furthermore, the tropical climate, and abundance of competent vectors make the region particularly vulnerable to vector-borne disease outbreaks Consequently, regional health security and prevention,preparednessand response to public health emergencies need to be improved not only at the national levels, but at the regional level, as functional regional capacities are greater than the sum of the capacities of individual countriesforimprovingRHS in the Caribbean,” the statementsaid.

Meanwhile, Dr Joy St. John, Executive Director of CARPHA encouraged stakeholders to be prepared to respond to public health threats to stop them from becoming emergencies. Dr St John highlighted the

recent cases and outbreaks in the Region, such as Mpox, Norovirus and Zika, stating, “Since the declaration that COVID-19 no longer poses a threat of international concern, the Region has not rested because in the last year, the Region has detected other public health threats and increasing reports of otherdiseases.”

Dr Richard Garfield, US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Global Health Security and Emergency Response and Recovery BranchTeam Lead commended CARPHA's coordinated COVID-19 response, highlighting that trust and quality of communication were the most important factors in successfully dealing with COVID-19.

Dr Garfield stated, “There's a high level of openness to messages [CARPHA] would give the population, and a fairly high level of [CARPHA's] ability to listen to them, their interests and concerns.” He also reiterated the need to focus on non-communicable diseases (NCDs), as NCDs are the major, quiet killers in theRegion.

Guyanese selected for Fulbright Scholarship Award in Forensic Science

The United States (U S ) Embassy in Guyana on Thursday announced that Renea Douglas, Tutor within the Department of Biology, Faculty of Natural Sciences at the University of Guyana has been awarded the 2023 FulbrightScholarshipAward.

In a statement to the media, the EmbassysaidthatDouglaswillpursuea MasterofScienceinForensicStudiesat Syracuse University, Syracuse, New York through the Fulbright Foreign StudentProgram.

“Ms. Douglas holds a Bachelor of Science Degree in Biology from the University of Guyana and was awarded the Vice-Chancellor special award and best graduating student, Bachelor of Sciencebiologyprogram2021.

Amystery and investigative stories enthusiast, Ms. Douglas's passion for forensic studies is fueled by her desire tosupportGuyana'sjudicialservicesby delivering justice to families of victims,”theEmbassysaid.

During a luncheon held on August 10, 2023, in honor of the Fulbright Program, Public Affairs Officer, Kelly

Terrence Deyalsingh, Minister of Health, Republic of Trinidad and Tobago gave his keynote address stating, “Our approach to Regional Health Security must incorporatethestrengthening of our nations' core frameworks such as our political, environmental, social, technological, legal and economic systems, cognisant of the fact that we must prepare for when the n e x t P u b l i c H e a l t h

Emergency of International Concernoccurs.”

The Minister called for coordination, and data collection, stating “You cannot manage, what you cannot measure.” He noted that CARPHA's two-day

proceedings featured crucial sessions, especially following the World Health Assembly.

The major outcomes of this meeting include the detailingandprioritizationof Member States' current needs, increased awareness of CARPHA's integrated surveillance and capacity b u i l d i n g w o r k a n d strengthening partnerships These elements will assist in developing the sustainable RHSPathwayinshortorder

This 2023 meeting follows the RHS meeting held in July 2022 in which CARPHA developed a RHS framework and conducted consultations with 84 stakeholders.

Minibus driver remanded for possession of cannabis

Remanded for Drug Possession: Allan Stephen, along with the 4000 grams of Cannabis that was found

A30-year-oldminibusdriverofTabatingaLethem,Region Nine was on Thursday remanded to prison for being in possessionofnarcoticsforthepurposeoftrafficking.

The minibus driver, Allan Stephen, was arrested on Saturday after police allegedly nabbed him during an intelligence-led police operation on the Grove Public Road, EastBankDemerara(EBD).

The ranks reportedly found 4000 grams of suspected cannabisinacontainerandasparewheelofaroute94minibus.

Stephen made his first court appearance at the Diamond/Golden Grove Magistrates' Court before Principal MagistrateJudyLatchman,whoreadthechargetohim.

th

t the U S Government is pleased to support

He pleaded not guilty and was remanded to prison. The matterwasadjournedtoSeptember13,2023fordisclosure.

Guyana's development by building local capacity through higher education and contribute to improving the lives of Guyanesecitizens.

The Fulbright Program is the U.S.

government's flagship international educational exchange program and is designed to build lasting connections between the people of the United States andthepeopleofothercountries.

Public Affairs Officer, Kelly McCray with 2023 Fulbright Student, Renea Douglas

Govt. only addressing pollution and harassment, not impact to livelihoods of Amerindians at Chinese Landing

The impact of mining on the livelihoods of the Amerindian people at Chinese Landing, Barama River,RegionOnewillnotbe addressed now, only the allegations of pollution by miners and the harassment they face, Vice President Dr Bharrat Jagdeo said on Thursday

Jagdeo was at the time responding to questions posed by Kaieteur News at a Press Conference held at the Arthur Chung Conference

Center (ACCC), Liliendaal, Georgetown.

Kaieteur News while seeking an update on the “fact-finding” team's report following a visit to Community on Sunday, August 6, 2023, noted that the residents had also raised concerns that the takeover of theirtitledlandshasleftthem without a main source of income to provide for their families.

Jagdeo in his response said, “That is not what went before the human rights

body You know what went there, we have to respond to that, the pollution in the area and its overrun by mining I don't know what we gonna (do)”.

The human rights body, t h e I n t e r- A m e r i c a n Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) had called on the Guyanese authorities to implement a series of measures to protect the I n d i g e n o u s C a r i b Community of Chinese Landing.

According to the

Commission, the Carib community which has approximately 210 residents, currently is at serious risk of suffering irreparable harm to their human rights by miners and even some members of theGuyanaPoliceForce.

Vice President, Bharrat Jagdeo

Details of those risks were outlined in a petition to the international body which was filed by the Chinese Landing Village Council, the Amerindian Peoples Association of Guyana (APA), and the Forest Peoples Programme. Some of the allegations made are pollution to the e n v i r o n m e n t , destruction of their homes, and threats against their lives for protesting against the takeoveroftheirlands.

Afact-finding team was sent to investigate the allegations and the residents had broke down into tears as they demanded the return of theirlands.

A c c o r d i n g t o residents, the lands are usedtoprovidefortheir families As many cried, the residents a c c u s e d t h e Government of taking away their “daily bread” and giving them to miners thereby forcing them to suffer

Jagdeo at his press conference on Thursday said that his government is aware of those concerns too, but in the same vein claimed that while a majority of the residents at Chinese Landing want the miners off their lands, specifically Mr M.V, the legal holder of a gold concession on their titled lands, there are others who want him to continue working.

“…Somepeoplewantthe mining and some don't want themining,afewbelievethat Vieira(M.V)shouldcontinue and the majority believe that he shouldn't continue and it's a complex situation,” the VicePresidenttoldreporters.

The Vice President continued: “One thing is sure,thatweareonthesideof the village and we have alwaysbeenfromthetimewe went to court and we want to protect the villagers and their interests.”

One of the interests that the IACHR asked the government to protect is the villagers' “rights to life and personal integrity” The government was reportedly given 20 days to respond to the IACHR's resolution and that deadline was set for

August10.

The government has failed to meet the deadline but Jagdeo said the report willbe“releasedshortly”.

“I guess that the response shouldbemadeshortlythatis my latest update,” Jagdeo said.

While the residents await the government's findings, the Moruca District Council (MDC), Region One in statement on Wednesday called for Mr M.V mining permitstoberevoked.

“TheresidentsofChinese Landing have been clear that for their rights to be protected,theminingpermits registered to Mr Wayne Vieira must be revoked and the miners, along with all equipment and weapons, be removed from the village's lands We call on the Government to immediately implement this”, the MDC stated The MDC also stressed that the lands are used by the residents of Chinese Landing people to maintain their families. The Councilsaiditwillberaising the issue at the upcoming NationalToshao'sCouncil.

The MDC is made up of 12indigenousvillages,Santa Rosa, Kariako, Kokerite, Waikrebi, Santa Cruz/LiLle Kanuballi, Chinese Landing, Assakata, Warapoka, Santa Rosa, Kwebanna, Waramuri, Father's Beach, and Manawarin.

A resident demanding the return of their lands at the recently held fact finding meeting

- Jagdeo

$62M estimated to extend & renovate Suddie mortuary

Efforts are in train for the extension and renovation of the Suddie mortuary located in Region Two. The project,

which falls under the Ministry of Local Government and Regional Development, is estimated to cost $62,605,200.

Below are the companies and their bids:

Ministry

This was disclosed at the opening of tenders recently. Seven contractors have submitted bids for the project, all below the estimated cost. Meanwhile, it was disclosed

Ministry

Nicaragua seizes Catholic university accused of being ‘centre of terrorism’

too that the Supreme Court of Judicature is preparing to build an access bridge to the new Anna Regina Magistrates’ Court. That project is estimated to cost $41 million.

Critics have accused the government of President Daniel Ortega of continuing its attacks on education and religion

Ministry

Students file past the Central American University in March 2022, shortly after the government of Daniel Ortega instituted reforms designed to increase his control over the education system [File: Maynor Valenzuela/Reuters] tellectual freedom, quality education and critical thinking. Every day, they sink deeper into their irrationality, their wickedness and their fear.”

Aljazeera - The Nicaraguan government has seized a prominent Jesuit-run university in the capital Managua, in President Daniel Ortega’s latest effort to lash out against the Catholic Church.

The Central American University (UCA) announced on Wednesday that all classes and administrative activities were suspended after a criminal court ruled its property and financial accounts were being transferred to the government.

The Society of Jesus, the Jesuit order that runs the school, told reporters that the government had accused the university of being “a centre of terrorism organised by criminal groups”.

In the wake of the announcement, the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) issued a statement condemning the university’s confiscation.

“The impact of this measure with the suspension of classes seriously affects the right to education, which is essential for the fulfilment of other human rights,” the OHCHR wrote.

The agency called on Nicaragua to respect its obligations under the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, which protects the right to education.

Other critics of Ortega, a long-time leader in the Sandinista movement, also spoke out against the university’s closure on Wednesday. “The unjust and illegal confiscation of the UCA by the Sandinista dictatorship is outrageous,” exiled Nicaraguan bishop Silvio Jose Baez wrote on social media.

“In this way, they demonstrate their contempt for in-

Another exiled Nicaraguan, historian Dora Maria Tellez, also denounced the move as an act of “dictatorship”. “The university with the highest academic quality in the country has been liquidated,” Tellez, an alumna, said. But, she added, the classrooms will open again when the country is free.

The university’s seizure is part of a pattern under the Ortega administration, which has faced international criticism for its heavy-headed approach to stifling dissent.

Starting in February 2022, the country’s legislature, dominated by Ortega loyalists, revoked the legal status of several private universities, perceived to be hotbeds for government opposition.

Other campuses – the overseas branches of foreign universities – were likewise shuttered.

Those institutions were subsequently placed under state authority through the National Council of Universities.

Nicaragua’s legislature followed that move with reforms to limit the independence of universities and cut government funding to institutions like the Central American University.

Critics believe Ortega and his allies have targeted universities for their role in the widespread anti-government protests that jolted the country in 2018. Proposed cuts to social security brought tens of thousands of protesters into the streets, many of them youth. Those young protest

(Continued on page 24)

of Legal Affairs Procurement of Computer Hardware and Accessories for the Hope & Justice Centre.

Supreme Court of Judicature Construction of an Access Bridge to the New Anna Regina Magistrate’s Court.

National Agricultural Research Extension Institute Construction of 300m Timber Breakwater along the Foreshore of Dantzig.

Ministry of Agriculture Supply of High-Density Polyethylene Tubes for the Brackish Water Shrimp Project.

of Health Supply, Delivery & Installation of Warehouse Racking.

Ministry of Local Government & Regional Development Extension and Renovation Works to Suddie Mortuary.

of Human Services and Social Security Construction of Kitchen at Night Shelter, La Penitence.

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VACANCY

Nicaragua seizes Catholic university...

From page 19 leaders often used universities as spaces to organise. The Polytechnic University in the capital Managua – one of the institutions whose legal status was later cancelled – was among the institutions that saw young people occupy its campus, building barricades and amassing medical supplies and equipment.

more than 3,200 organisations have been forced to shutter between June 2022 and June 2023 alone, including the local branch of the Red Cross.

Among those institutions are radio stations, schools and other groups associated with the Catholic Church.

lic leader, Bishop Rolando Alvarez, for “destabilising and provocative” activities.

When Nicaragua flew 222 political prisoners to the United States in February, Alvarez was anticipated to be among the deported. But he refused to board the plane and was subsequently sentenced to 26 years in prison.

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Clashes with government forces ultimately left at least 355 people dead over the following year, some of whom were killed at the university itself.

Since the 2018 protests, the Ortega administration has ramped up efforts to crack down on its critics by imprisoning political rivals and closing nongovernmental groups. The UN estimates

Ortega has been an outspoken critic of the church, particularly since 2018, when the Catholic leaders attempted to serve as mediators between the government and protesters.

He was also stripped of his Nicaraguan citizenship, as were the political prisoners flown into exile.

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The talks ultimately floundered, and Ortega has since denounced bishops and priests as “coup plotters” acting on behalf of “American imperialism”.

In 2022, Ortega expelled the Vatican’s ambassador from Nicaragua, and police arrested a prominent Catho-

Central American University, the institution targeted on Wednesday, was not only a prominent Catholic institution in Nicaragua, but it was also a springboard for some of the country’s most influential voices.

Ortega himself briefly attended in the early 1960s to study law.

$2M dental clinic commissioned at Mahaica...

From page 12 the minister, soon the Ministry of Health would be adding ophthalmology services and several other services to various healthcare facilities on the ECD so that people can have access to those services closest to them.

In addition, Minister An-

thony stated that with the Lusignan Diabetic Centre and the soon to be constructed regional hospital at Enmore, the range of services provided on the ECD would be expanded.

The government had signed contracts with China’s

Sinopharm International last year for the construction of six new regional hospitals. The hospitals are for Bath, Region Five, Skeldon, Region Six, Enmore and Diamond, Region Four, Tuschen, Region Three, and A nna Regina, Region Two.

Guyana records 11 deaths, 239...

From page 12 (fumigation), residual spraying, home inspections and distribution of larvicidal chemicals to communities through the Neighbourhood Democratic Councils (NCDs). Notably, a second cycle of fogging (fumigation) has commenced in most regions.

Further, the ministry said that the procurement and distribution of rapid diagnostic test kits and other laboratory supplies and equipment to ensure adequate diagnostic capacity are being done.

“Considering this disease does not have a cure, medication and medical supplies have been distributed in adequate quantity to all regions to ensure symptomatic treatment of all patients throughout the health care system in

keeping with a revised national treatment guideline,” the statement said while noting that the ministry’s Technical Working Group will continue to assess the epidemiological situation and the progress of the implemented measures. “All Guyanese are encouraged to do source reduction otherwise known as the elimination of mosquito breeding sites, especially around homes, schools and their surroundings. Importantly, containers such as bottles, buckets and old tyres should be inspected to ensure that they are covered, punctured or removed from your homes and community. Open water tanks are known breeding sites for mosquitoes. Always secure water tanks by covering them with

a net or a cover and ensure that all extra openings are sealed. Remember to clean your tanks and prevent water from laying stagnant for too long.” Additionally, the ministry said that persons residing in and around mining camps where malaria cases are more prevalent, are urged to sleep under treated mosquito nets which are being provided free of cost through the Vector Control Services Unit. Personal protection measures include the use of long sleeve clothing and mosquito repellents.

For more information on dengue, malaria and other mosquito-borne diseases, please contact the Vector Control Services of the Ministry of Health on Tel: +(592) 225-8973.

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Bahamas through to semi-finals of FIBA Americas Pre-Olympic Qualifying Tournament after 101-89 win over Argentina

SportsMax - Deandre

Ayton, Buddy Hield and Eric Gordon all starred as The Bahamas got a big win over hosts Argentina in their second group game at the FIBA Americas Pre-Olympic Qualifying Tournament on Wednesday.

The Bahamians overcame a 12-point deficit at the end of the first quarter to enter halftime with a 55-53 lead.

From there, they built on their advantage to lead 82-67 after the third quarter before completing a 101-89 win.

Ayton, the 25-year-old Phoenix Suns Center, shot 1116 from the field on the way to a 22-point performance.

The big man also recorded 15 rebounds, three blocks and two steals. Eric Gordon, who

Eric Gordon had 23 points for The Bahamas.

Ricks and Sari Regan Rodrigues Memorial cycle race set for tomorrow at National Park

Ricks and Sari Agro Industries Limited, is once again the proud sponsor of the Regan Rodrigues Memorial Cycle race.

This year’s event, the 17th edition will be held in the inner circuit of the National Park tomorrow, Saturday 19th August at 9:00am.

Alexander Leung is poised to repeat his “nail-biting”, victory, where he became the youngest cyclist in Guyana to win an open event, at age fourteen (14).

will be Ayton’s teammate in Phoenix this upcoming NBA season, had a game-high 24 points while Indiana Pacers sharp-shooter, Buddy Hield

hit four three-pointers on the way to a 23-point night while also getting six rebounds and three assists. Travis Munnings also had himself an

Friday August 18, 2023

ARIES (Mar. 21–Apr. 19)

In order to reach your destination, you may have to take an unusual route today, Aries. Zigzag your way to the finish line. Don't automatically assume that this is a bad thing.

TAURUS(Apr.20–May20)

Get out of the doldrums and enjoy life, Taurus. The situation is such that if you remain stagnant for a little while, you will soon sink into a spiral of depression and downward thinking.

GEMINI (May 21–June 20)

This morning is your time to shine, Gemini. You should be in a good mood, with a positive outlook that helps you attack the day's tasks with vitality. Elements of the unexpected.

CANCER (June 21–July 22)

You may get a bit frustrated in the morning because of a lack of commitment on the part of others, Cancer. You may find it hard to pin down an answer when everything seems to be up in the air.

LEO (July 23–Aug. 22)

The energy you put out today will most definitely fuel the fire, Leo, so make sure you have an extinguisher within reach.

VIRGO (Aug. 23–Se pt. 22)

You may feel indecisive today, Virgo, especially in the morning. Other people's actions may confuse you. Don't worry. Concentrate on your projects and goals.

LIBRA (Sept. 23–Oct. 22)

Emotionally, you should be feeling quite good today, Libra. This is important since you may get thrown off balance by a strange, unexpected force. The more stable you are on the inside,

SCORPIO (Oct. 23–Nov. 21)

Free your mind and consider alternative options, Scorpio. This is a time to throw away the old to make room for the new. There's a distinct advance in original and forward thinking today.

.

SAGIT (Nov.22–Dec.21)

You might find your energy comes in strong, erratic bursts today, Sagittarius. Don't be surprised if you're high as a kite one moment and down in the dumps the next. Even if you're driving everyone.

CAPRI (Dec. 22–Jan. 19) The

You may feel a tendency to do things the same old way today simply because it's what feels most comfortable, Capricorn. Even though the familiar route may be tempting now,

AQUARIUS(Jan.20–Feb.18)

An extra log has been thrown on your fire today, Aquarius, so don't be surprised if you burn especially hot.

PISCES (Feb. 19–Mar. 20)

Don't feel like you have to rationalize everything, Pisces. Accept the fact that there are some things in life that occur without a specific logical explanation. More than likely these are the most interesting

excellent game, shooting a perfect 8-8 from the field to finish with 20 points and four rebounds. Nicolas Brussino led the way for the 2004 Olympic Gold medalists with 21 points and seven rebounds while Facundo Campazzo had a double-double with 18 points and assists.

The Bahamians are now through to the semi-finals of the tournament after winning their two group phase games.

The semifinals are Saturday and the finals are Sunday. Bahamas must win the tournament to advance to next year’s FIBA Olympic qualifying tournaments July 2-7, 2024.

Fruta Conquerors...

From page 29 support to the Federation’s members under four pillars: Administration and Operations, Equipment and Material, Competition and Technical Development, and Infrastructure Development.

In three years, the entire football fraternity has seen the positive impact M-FAP has had on football development in Guyana with the distribution of equipment and millions of dollars to Regional Associations.

In June, a total of $12.4 million dollars were given to the Federation’s Regional Associations to support the staging of the 2023 Senior Men’s League across Guyana.

From page 31 completion of the tournament, at approximately 5:30pm.

Sankar’s Auto Works has been providing customers with a wide range of products that meet their automotive needs as well as deliver a level of service that makes them unique from their competition.

They deliver automotive products at reasonable prices and offer an exceptional level of service to wholesale customers in all regions of Guyana

The event will see the best on the Open, Veterans over50, Veterans40-50, Juniors, Ladies, and Juvenile categories, “battling of top’ placings.

Last years’ winner

Mr. Regan Rodrigues Jnr, Mrs. Rodrigues (widow), and the staff of Ricks and Sari Agro Industries will attend this event.

The event is expected to be “started’, by former National Cycling Coach, and close friend of Mr. Rodrigues, Mr. Hassan Mohamed.

Senior squash athletes gear up to leave Guyana for 2023 Senior CASA Games

The Georgetown Club, situated on Camp Street in Georgetown, was the venue for a concise press conference orchestrated by the Guyana Squash Association (GSA) yesterday.Theeventmarked the buildup of senior squash players as they ready themselvesfortheupcoming Senior Caribbean Area SquashAssociation(CASA) Games in the picturesque Cayman Islands. Scheduled to span fromAugust 20th to 26th, the games hold great anticipation.

It’s worth noting that Guyana currently holds the coveted title for two consecutive years The national team is now on the cusp of seizing the Caribbean senior title for an impressive third time. The collective enthusiasm among team members is

palpable as they gear up for their journey to the Cayman Islands.

As they embark on the pursuit of their third consecutive championship, the female team will be under the leadership of squash sensation Nicolette Fernandes, who will assume the role of captain. On the male team, the lead will be taken by the accomplished AlexArjoon.Assistinginthe managerial capacity is Deje Dias. Departure for George Town, Cayman Islands, is slatedforSaturday

Distinguished figures from corporate sponsors attended the conference, including Dwayne Dodson, the General Manager of Cage Guyana Inc, Denita

Prowell, Corporate Communications Officer of ANSA McAL, and Devon London,HeadofBusiness.

Te a m G u y a n a ’s

participationwillencompass a variety of categories, including Men and Women Singles,Doubles,andMixed Doubles events. The spotlight will be on prominent Guyanese participants, such as Kristen Gomes and Samuel InceCarvalhal,Ashley and Jason Ray Khalil, and Nicholas Verwey,amongothers.

Meanwhile, Deje Dias, Chairman of Competitions ofGSA,tooktheopportunity toconveygratitudeonbehalf of the association to the sponsors who have played a crucial role in facilitating their participation in this significantevent.

The instrumental sponsors include Enet, Cage Guyana Inc, ANSA McAL Guyana, Republic Bank, G u y a n a O l y m p i c Association, and the Ministry of Culture, Youth, andSports.

Further tickets on sale for CPL finals today, Friday 18 August

CPL-Alimitedbatchof tickets for each of the Republic Bank Caribbean PremierLeagueplayoffswill be on sale at the Amazon Warriors box office at 2332 3 4 C a m p S t r e e t , Georgetown from 9am today,18thAugust.

This batch includes

tickets for the stands for the followingmatches:

19Sept

Eliminator –ThirdPlace vsFourthPlace,7pm

20Sept

Qualifier 1 – First Place vsSecondPlace,7pm

22Sept

Qualifier 2 – Winner of

Eliminator vs Loser of Qualifier1

24Sept

FINAL – Winner of

Qualifier 1 vs Winner of Qualifier2

Tickets are also on sale forAmazonWarriorsgroup m a t c h e s a t wwwcplt20 com

Rosignol swamp Ithaca 8-1

Home side Rosignol United maintained theirunbeatenrunaftermakinglightworkof IthacaFCinWednesday’slonefixtureofthe Berbice FA Senior Men’s League (SML) played at the Rosignol Community Center ground.

Double-strikes byAnthonyAlexander (20' and 33') and Mark Galloway (67' and 73') accounted for half of team’s tally Rayon Rose opened the scoring in the 6th minute while TeriqueBennaddedanotherinthe33rdminute for a half time lead of 4-0 Aminute after the

resumption Jaheim Elgin got Ithaca’s sole conversion TheotherscorersforRosignolwere, Royan Solomon (59') and La Shawn Myles(78') TheBerbiceFA’sSMLwillcontinueon Sunday with a double-header at the Rosignol Community Center ground Hopetown RangersmeetNAUnitedat5pmandat7pmit willbeMonedderlustFCversusFyrishFC

TheGuyanaFootballFederationthroughits Members-Financial Assistance Programme (M-FAP) has provided funding for the 8teamcompetition.

Cage Guyana Inc General Manager, Dwayne Dodson (left) during his featured Guyana Dodson address, seated next to other the member of the head panel Communications to Officer of ANSA McAL Denita Prowell and Head of Business Devon London. Officer Head Devon

Fruta Conquerors FC gets football gear from GFF M-FAPfor grassroots programme

Several youths with the gear received from the GFF M-FAP programme.

anticipated nationwide

Summer Grassroots

Programme with the distribution of key equipment to the nine Regional Associations throughM-FAP

The kids training programme, which kicked offinAugustinGeorgetown,

Linden, Essequibo and Berbice,isanintegralpartof President Forde’s vision to increase the population of players across Guyana by ensuring young boys and girls have access to training programmes throughout the year. Fruta Conquerors Football Club has partnered

with Travel Foundation to execute their School Holiday programme in Georgetown.

The GFF’s pioneering M-FAP programme was launched in 2020 by Forde with the full approval of the GFFCongresstoprovide (Continuedonpage27)

Fruta Conquerors Football Club received a timely donation of football gear from the Guyana Football Federation (GFF) Members Financial Assistance Programme (M-FAP) for its School holiday Grassroots Programme. The Tucville, Georgetown club received cones,balls,bibsandhurdles

during a simple handover ceremonyonFriday,August 10 at the GFF National Training Centre in Providence, East Bank Demerara.

GFF Technical Director Bryan Joseph said the donation is part of the Federation’s efforts to ensure its members’ grassroots activities are

successful. “The support given to the Fruta Conquerors Summer Grassrootsactivityisallpart of the continued efforts of the Federation to support its membersineverywayitcan through M-FAP,” Joseph said.

GFF President Wayne Forde in late July launched the Federation’s much

Jamaica Tallawahs off to winning start

CPL - Defending champions Jamaica Tallawahs defeated Saint LuciaKingsby11runsinthe opening game of the 2023 Republic Bank Caribbean Premier League (CPL) on Wednesday

Saint Lucia Kings won the toss and opted to put JamaicaTallawahs in to bat, captain Brandon King leading the way with a dazzling innings of 81 from 53ballstotaketheTallawahs to187allout.

In their chase, Saint Lucia Kings struggled to build momentum as the experienced spin bowling duoofChrisGreenandImad Wasim caused them early problems Roston Chase gave the home side hope with a superb innings of 53, however,itwasinvainasthe Saint Lucia Kings fell short ofthetarget.

Jamaica Tallawahs had gotofftoafluentstartinthe firstfiveovers,beforelosing twoquickwicketstothespin ofRostonChase. WithAmir Jangoo also departing in the following over, the

Tallawahslookedintrouble, butBrandonKingcontinued to make runs, hitting twelve boundaries in total, as the Tallawahs scored a substantial 187 Alzarri Joseph and Roston Chase werethepickofthebowlers for Saint Lucia Kings, the West Indian internationals taking a combined five wickets.

Saint Lucia King’s responsewasstifledwiththe lossofcaptainFafduPlessis inthethirdover,yetJohnson Charles and Sean Williams guidedthemto45-1atendof thePowerplay ChrisGreen would dismiss them both as the required run rate crept up.

Roston Chase put up a valianteffortwiththebat,his half century coming off just 27 balls, with support from Roshon Primus, but it was nottobeenoughastheSaint Lucia Kings finished on 176/8.

Saint Lucia Kings were hoping to rebound in last evening’s match as they faced off against Barbados Royals at the Daren Sammy

NationalCricketStadium.

The action takes a break today and it’s on for back to back double headers on Saturday and Sunday Daren Sammy National Cricket Stadium, Gros Islet, St Lucia.

Tomorrow, Saturday from 10am, Match #3 pits the Trinbago Knight Riders versustheStKittsandNevis Patriots in the opening encounter

Later in the evening at 7pm Match #4 will see Guyana Amazon Warriors bounce into action for the startoftheircampaigninthis year’stournament.

Home side Saint Lucia Kingsaredowntobethefirst opponent for the Guyana Amazon Warriors this year and a good contest is anticipated.

Sunday two more matcheswillbeplayedatthe same venue and times with Matches#5and6.

At 10am Jamaica Tallawahs face Barbados Royals, while 7pm Saint Lucia Kings challenge St KittsandNevisPatriots.

GGA continues to make history with first National Junior Golf Championship

The largest Golf tournament in the country’s history will take place on Saturday August 19th at the Nexgen Golf Academy as 135 players from around the country vie for honours in the Finals of the Guyana GolfAssociation’sInaugural Savannah Milk National JuniorChampionship.

The Ministry of Education and Guyana Tourism Authority played a keyroleinensuringthatfirst ever National Junior Golf Championships in Guyana’s history was a success and pledged their continued support.

GTA’s Head Kamrul Baksh, “This is the second major golf event that the AssociationandTourismhas partnered to lay the foundation for development ofsportstourism.Theresults have been outstanding and we’re excited about the potential in the years ahead.

“ GGA Vice-President

DallasThomassaid,“Weare extremely proud of this accomplishmentandtohave giventheseyoungplayersan opportunity to excel in a sport that was never previouslyavailabletothem.

The GGA has taken Golf in Guyana to a new level, by using Guyana’s only Golf Academy, with just a 3 hole

and 5 hole Golf course to teachandprovidethousands withaccesstothesport.”He noted that the massive programme is not affiliated with the Lusignan Golf Course which has not allowedaccesstoitsfacility Actionteesofffrom13:00h.

The event is sponsored by DDL Savannah Milk; Guyana Tourism Authority; Sterling Products; Sylvie’s

ToolsiePersaudLtd;Trophy Stall; Sunshine Snacks; Guyana Beverages Inc.,TriStone Auto; Praetorian Executive Security; Party Castle; Giftland Mall; and Westside Golf Course NicholasFraser,Department Head Unit of Allied Arts noted, “The Academy’s specializedtrainingprogram

which has allowed several hundredstudentstotakeand pass golf as a PE elective at the CSEC examinations, simultaneously allowing thousandsofpersonsin8/10 regions access to the sport for the first time, is something that we fully embrace.”

Meals, trophies and prizes for the players are provided by Giftland

Products, DDL Savannah Milk, Trophy

Praeto

ian

a

Security and Ministry of Education Unit of Allied Arts All players and supporters will be provided with complimentary Icecream (Sterling Products); Beverages (DDL and Guyana Beverages) and Snacks(SunshineSnacks).

Peter Lewis Construction &Asphalt Plant Services Big Man Cricket-2

@ O40s restarts this weekend

Thisexcitingtournament had to be suspended due to inclement weather experienced in Guyana during the past 3 months or sobuttheorganizersarevery happytohaveitrestartedthis weekend.

BLUE WATERS had originally extended its partnership for this BIG MAN CRICKET-2 in Guyana featuring 14 teams at the O40s age group level from its inception in May 2023.

P e t e r L e w i s Construction & Asphalt Plant Services has since come on board with this

BMC-2tournament.

The 14 teams that have registeredtoparticipatehave been divided into 2 zones-

EAST ZONE &WEST

ZONEasfollow:

E a s t Z o n e

West Zone O Men Of

G u y a n a M a s t e r s

Everest Masters Legend

R a n g e r s

Essequibo Masters X

Berbice Police Masters

East Bank Rubis 11

East Side Legends

Independence Sports Club

J a i H i n d J a g u a r s

R e g a l G T R o y a l s

Canal#1Scorpions

Enterprise Star Sports

WestBankWarriors

The fixtures for the 2ndround matches to be played on Saturday, August 19th, 2023 are as detailed hereunder with 2 double headersslatedforEnterprise and the Canal # 2 Sports Club grounds with the finalistsintheBMC-1,West Bank Warriors and Regal facingoffinthe1stmatchof the double header and top masters team in Guyana, Everest Masters taking on Canal # 1 Scorpions. Both matches are expected to draw some big grounds as 2 hometeamswillbeonshow along2strongopponents:-

Nexgen Golf Academy tournament is set to feature 135 players from around the country as they vie for honours.

Grenada sends 5-member team for Braithwaite Boxing Championships

The five-member G r e n a d i a n boxing team officially arrived on local shores yesterday to compete in the prestigious Winfield Braithwaite Caribbean Schoolboys/Juniors Championship, which will commence today at the National Gymnasium, MandelaAvenue.

The team, which will be under the tutelage of Coach Stephen Benjamin, comprisesJoshuaClyne[8191 KG heavyweight], Jonathan Clyne [75-80 KG light heavyweight], Kino Griffith [50-52 KG light bantamweight], Corey Joseph [70-75 KG middleweight], and female Norddisha Williams [70-75 KGmiddleweight].

T h e a f o r e s a i d combatants will be making their debut at this juncture and will compete in the

juniorcategory Benjamin, during a brief interview, stated, “This tournamentisveryimportant forusbecausewhatwehave is a lot of school kids that have been training for a numberofyearsandarevery hungrytofight.

All of them are here for the first time, and they promise their country to bring back gold and not silverandnotbronze.

I think Guyana will see rumblesinthejungle.”

He further said, “We have the two brothers, Jonathan and Joshua Clyne, and Norddisha Williams as well,whoisthelonefemale. Allinall,Iexpectexcellence fromall,andbytrainingwith an experienced coach who boxed Guyana in the interCaribbean games like me and fought against top fighters like Andrew ‘Six Head’ Lewis, I expect the

best, and I hope a lot of Guyanese come out and support.” The tournament, which commences today,

Sankar’s Auto Works Golf Tournament set for this weekend

The Lusignan Golf Club (LGC) golfers will be itching to get much-needed tournament exposure this Saturday,whentheSankar’s AutoSparesgolftournament kicks off with a bang. The action will commence at 12:30h and the format will beMedalplayover18holes andshotgunstart.

Thistournamentwillsee many of Guyana’s top golfers engaging in healthy competition since the MayJune rainy season. Miguel Yunes was the 2022 winner, having scored 40 points in the stableford tournament. However, with the format changing this year, Yunes will have to work hard to retainhistitle.

Speaking on behalf of the LGC was President, Patanjilee Persaud, who said, “We are looking forward to this tournament.

AsyouknowSankar’sAuto Worksisaregularsponsorat the LGC and it is a pleasure to be hosted by them. The lasttimewehadasponsored tournament was inApril, so this tournament will be a first since the rains have

LGC PRO, Paton George, receives a sponsorship cheque from Sankar’s Auto Works Managing Director, Sase Sankar

halted.”

“The golf course is in excellent condition and we expect a lot of players

Players are looking forward to this tournament as they willnowbeabletoenterinto competition mode as the course was upgraded during the break we had. We look forward to having more of Sankar’s and more partnershipsinthefuture.”

The prizes up for grabs are trophies from first to third place. Prizes will be awarded for Nearest to Flag

–Hole#4andLongestDrive

–Hole#12.

All participants are advisedtocontacttheclub’s manager on the day of the tournament to collect scorecards, pay their tournamentfeesandproceed totheirallocatedteeboxesto begin play Once on their respectiveteeboxes,players must await the sounding of the horn or siren as indication to begin teeing off. Presentation of prizes willbeheldupon

(Continuedonpage27)

The Grenada boxing team and officials - The Grenadian Boxing The Team,following their arrival on the local shore, is ready to fight in the Winfield Braithwaite Caribbean Schoolboys/Juniors Championship, which starts today at the National Gymnasium, Mandela Avenue.

Team,following

will conclude on Sunday at the same location.The 2023 iteration is expected to featurethelargestcontingent

of nations. To date, Barbados, St. Lucia, and Trinidad and Tobago have also confirmed their

participation. Guyana has walked away with the overall Champion Country accoladeineachedition.

Jackson says she’s in top shape ahead of start of World Championships

SportsMax - Defending

World 200m Champion, Shericka Jackson, has heightened anticipation for the upcoming IAAF World Athletics Championships in Budapest by making a declaration that she is “a lot faster” than she was at the JamaicanTrialsinJuly

Atthosetrialsheldatthe National Stadium in Kingston, the 29-year-old producedapersonalbestand world-leading 10 65 to defendher100mtitlebefore returning two days later to run 21.71 to defend her 200mcrown.

“I’ve gotten a lot faster since the Jamaica trials. It’s just to go out there and execute a good 100m and 200m and I’m definitely expecting good things. I’m in pretty good shape so anything is possible,”

Jacksonsaid.

Jackson, who also ran

10.71tofinishsecondinthe 100m at last year’s World Championships in Eugene, ran a pair of 100s and 200s after her exploits at the JamaicanChampionships.

The former Vere Technicalstandoutran10.78 for second at the Silesia DiamondLeagueonJuly16 before, two days later, running 22.02 for victory at the Gyulai Istvan Memorial inHungary

Threedaysafterthat,she ran21.86,hersecondfastest time of the season, to win at the Monaco Diamond Leaguebeforerunning10.94 for third at the London DiamondLeagueonJuly23.

She says that she was able to get some good work done on the training track afterthosefourraces.

Jackson also believes some 400m work earlier in the season has put her in a goodpositiontoproduceher

best in both the 100m and 200minBudapest.

“Earlier in the season I did some 400m work and thenIbackedofftofocuson

the 100m Since I’ve finished competing in those four events on the circuit, we’ve went back to the drawing board and we’re

doingprettywell,”shesaid

“We have days when we focus on the 200m and days when we focus on the 100m so it’s a good balance,” she added.

When questioned about theloadedfieldshewillhave to deal with in both events, Jackson said that the most important thing to her right nowisgettingtothefinals.

“Theroundsarethemost important. You can’t win a medal if you don’t go throughtheroundssoIthink once all of us line up in the final, anything is possible,” shesaid.

When initially making theswitchfromthe400mto the 100m, Jackson’s start was something that was underthemicroscopebutshe saysitisnolongeranissue.

“My start has improved tremendously since 2021 and all I’ll have to do is execute and focus on my

lane,”shesaid.

Jackson also said that, despiteherscintillatingform over the last two seasons, World Records are not the main thing on her mind in Budapest. Instead, her focus isexecutingagoodraceand takingwhatevertimescome.

“I’m not going to say I don’t focus on breaking the World Record but it’s not something I dwell on,” she said.“Yes,it’sinthebackof my head that if I execute a goodrace,thenit’sdefinitely possiblebutI’mnotgoingto go into the race thinking about a World Record. My coach and I have mental sessionswherewefocusona vision of how I’m going to execute the race. Once I go out there and execute a fast timewillcome,”sheadded.

The Championships will take place from August 1927.Alltheactioncanbeseen liveontheSportsMaxapp.

Djokovic enjoys stress-free win in US return at Cincinnati

(Reuters) - Novak

Djokovic enjoyed a stressfree return to U S competitionfollowingatwo year absence, after secondround opponent Alejandro Davidovich Fokina was forced to retire after dropping the first set 6-4 at the Cincinnati Open on Wednesday

Djokovic has not competed in the United States since the 2021 U.S. Open final and was subsequently denied entry intothecountrybecauseheis not vaccinated against COVID-19.

He was far from his best in his 46 minutes of action, facing break points at 1-1 beforeservinghiswayoutof trouble.

Davidovich Fokina took amedicaltimeoutawayfrom the court to tend to a lower back issue while trailing 3-4 and when he returned his movement was limited and hewasbrokenatlove.

Handed the opportunity to serve out the set against the ailing Spaniard, Djokovic played an uncharacteristically sloppy game, dumping a forehand intothenettohandthebreak back.

But the 23-time major winner recovered, flicking a

forehand crosscourt passing shot in the next game to capturetheopener.

In the first game of the second set, Davidovich Fokina took a step that further aggravated his back injuryandsoonafterwalked tothenettoshakehandswith Djokovic.

“It’s great for me to be able to come back to the courtandtowinamatchbut obviously mixed emotions

with the way it finished,” saidDjokovic.

“Nevertheless I’m hoping I can build my form day to day and progress through the tournament raisingmylevel.”

Up next, Djokovic is meeting with the resurgent GaelMonfils,whobeatAlex de Minaur in straight sets earlierintheday

“He’s an amazing guy, someone I truly respect and

like a lot as a person,” said Djokovic, who holds an astounding 18-0 record againsttheFrenchman.

“He brings so much joy to the fans, so much entertainment.

He’s one of the most charismatic players we’ve had in the last two decades on tour and he’s playing betterthanever.”

Djokovic, who has seen fans pack into his practice

session and who played in a doubles match on Tuesday, could be on a collision courseattheU.S.Opentuneup with world number one Carlos Alcaraz, who bested him in the Wimbledon final lastmonth.

LAJOVIC UPSETS SINNER

Earlier, Serbian Dusan Lajovic upset world number six Jannik Sinner 6-4 7-6(4) toreachthethirdround.

The66th-rankedLajovic struck 20 winners in a confident performance to claim his fourth win over a top-10 player this year and next faces American Taylor Fritz, who comfortably beat Italy’s Lorenzo Sonego 6-4 7-6(1).

Sinner earned his first Masters 1,000 title days ago inTorontobutwasunableto keep the momentum alive, failing to convert any of the five break point chances he hadacrossthematch.

“Iobviouslyknewthatit was going to be tough because whenever you are playing somebody who is in great form and has a lot of confidence,theyplaywellin the important moments,” Lajovicsaid.

Former champion and third seed Daniil Medvedev cruised past Italy’s Lorenzo

Musetti6-36-2,breakingthe Italian twice in each set and winning 82% of his firstserve points en route to victoryin77minutes.

Australian Open finalist Stefanos Tsitsipas dropped only three first-serve points to beat American Blake Shelton7-6(3)7-6(2)andset up a meeting with Poland’s Hubert Hurkacz, who ended BornaCoric’stitledefence.

“We didn’t play a lot of rallies today, which was difficult to get into the rhythm,”saidTsitsipas.

“He was serving big today,hewasn’tgivingmea lottoworkwithandIhadto hang in there, wait for my chances.”

In the final match of the day, veteran Swiss Stan Wawrinka turned back the clock to overpower American16thseedFrances Tiafoe6-36-4.

Wawrinka, 38, put on a vintage performance and crushed his 11th ace on match point for his 27th winoftheyear

Next up for the threetimeGrandSlamchampion is a first time meeting with Max Purcell after the Australian upset third seed Casper Ruud in three tight sets to reach the round of 16

Shericka Jackson

- “I’ve gotten a lot faster since the Jamaica trials”

Novak Djokovic, of Serbia, returns a shot to Alejandro Davidovich Fokina, of Spain, during their match of the Western & Southern Open tennis tournament at Lindner Family Tennis Center (Kareem Elgazzar-USA TODAY Sports)

Guyana boxing team ready for challenge as Winfield Braithwaite Boxing commences

for them to be successful, and with that, I don’t see anythingelsebutchampions amongstus.”

tournaments under the GBA umbrella. Bristol expanded, “Wehavethe‘SixHead’,the Lennox Blackmore, and the

KennyBristoltocome,andI could name a list of them, many of whom were worldranked fighters and many of

whom fought for world titles, though they might not have been successful. I am proudtoknowthatinallthe

competitions that we are doing,eventhisone,wecan emphasize our history and formerlegends.”

While emphasizing the regional importance of the Winfield Braithwaite C a r i b b e a n

Schoolboys/Juniors Boxing Championship, the manager of the Guyana team, Seon Bristol, affirmed that the squad has undergone an excellent preparatory phase andisprimedforthestartof today’s tournament at the National Gymnasium, MandelaAvenue.

Bristol declared, “Preparation has been excellent;sincetheteamhas encamped, they have been working twice a day In the morning, they would get up andgotothenationalpark,if nottheseawalls,andevento the gymnasium itself. We have quite a few talented trainers that have dedicated theirtimetothistournament. We have a total of four coaches that are with the team, so I have been briefed about their activities, and I was able to brief them on someoftheexpectationsthat havebeensetforthem.”

He disclosed that disciplinehasbeenaguiding light for the group, which entails in and outside the squared circle, noting, “For the tournament, to my surprise, we held an exhibition tournament in Linden on the previous Sunday, and I was very p l e a s e d w i t h t h e performances of all the youngsters.Iknowthatthey are all ready to compete; we have been counselling and having discussions with them, and they have shown the willingness to go out there and represent their country,Guyana,soIhavea way of letting people know that wherever your head goes, your body follows. Theyhaveproventomethat their heads are in the right place,andthatwasmymain concern.Weareheretogive them all the necessary tools

The Guyana Boxing Association (GBA) has officially selected a 23memberfightrosterthatwill be tasked with defending hometurfinthecompetition, whichconcludesonSunday The GBA had commenced itsarduousselectionprocess with its monthly U16 Championships, which were hosted at the Andrew ‘Six Head’ Lewis Gym in Albouystown. Upon the end of the previous competition in July, combatants were shortlisted for further assessment, which resulted in the aforementioned roster beingselected.

The team is under the supervision of the GBA national coaches and technical officers, Lennox Daniels, Sebert Blake, Clifton Moore, Francisco Roldon, and Technical Director Terrence Poole

Presently, Barbados, Grenada, St Lucia, and Trinidad and Tobago are the confirmed participants for the championship, which was conceptualized in 2016 by current GBA chief Steve Ninvalle.

According to Bristol, “The importance of this tournament is extremely highforthefactthatwehere in the Caribbean have been gaining a lot of mileage when it comes to taking home medals This tournament captures the Caribbean, and with that, keep in mind that Guyana has always dominated this area. It was pleasing that when the Grenadian team came after they checked in, they actually said directly to me, ‘We are here to fight’, and the question I asked t h e m w a s i f t h e accommodations were up to par They are here to fight, whichprovesthatpeopleare here to prove that they are among the best in the Caribbean.”

He revealed that one of the secrets behind this venture is that the association refuses to forget but palpably acknowledges the individuals that were central in the creation of the path,notingthatthe eventis named after a famed local fighter, which has become a tradition of local

Seon Bristol

Sports Senior squash athletes gear up to leave Guyana for 2023 Senior CASA Games

Jamaica Tallawahs off to winning start

Members of the senior teams pose for photo-op in the presence of sponsor representatives.

Alexander Leung

Jamaica Tallawahs celebrate a wicket during the contest. (CPL)