K
AIETEUR NEWS
Guyana’s largest selling daily & New York’s most popular weekly
Guyana, Suriname discuss As effects of Climate Change intensify…
Thursday Edition August 19, 2021 - Vol. 14 No.30
p. 14
Online: www.kaieteurnews.com Online Price $80 readership yesterday, 84,549
possibility of gas strategy
Jagdeo-led oil team ditches petroleum talks with Surinamese President Pensioner crashes p. 3
…opts to attend ExxonMobil funded conference in Texas instead
CIOG saves Dr. Balwant Singh’s p.2 p. struggling 17 car while heading Hospital completes mother from six successful heart second time in jail to hospital for p.17 surgeries in four days - pays off child support debt medical checkup
Govt. admits Guyana’s biggest threat is Climate Change but condemns global call to end fossil fuel projects p. 8
Exxon’s contract will not change p. 11
…as Jagdeo repeats any new terms, conditions only for other oil blocks How can oil money come out from Liza 1 to pay the cost for Liza 2, @11:00hrs on before profits are shared? Can someone answer that question? Kaieteur Radio That's what Exxon is doing to us. Ring Fencing provision can stop this insanity. 99.1/99.5FM
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Thursday August 19, 2021
Kaieteur News
Dr. Balwant Singh's Hospital completes six successful heart surgeries in four days T By Rehanna Ramsay
he Dr. Balwant Singh's Hospital is now equipped to offer simple to complex heart surgeries. In fact, over a period of four days, the hospital was able to perform six major procedures on patients with prior myocardial infarctions. The operations were performed by an Indianbased team. According to a release from the hospital, all six surgeries for patients whose ages ranged from 15 to 59 years were successfully performed with zero complications. The operating team from India included Dr. Prashant Va i j a y n a t h , C a r d i a c Surgeon; Dr. Vijay Patil, Cardiologist; Dr. Ramesh V a r a d h a r j a n , A n e s t h e s i o l o g i s t ; M r. Vi n w a n a t h B e l a v i , Perfusionist, and Ms. Elvina Mariadoss, Physician Assistant. Under the leadership of Dr. Prashant Vaijaynath, the Dr. Balwant Singh's Hospital will offer heart surgeries, ranging from simple to complex operations. Dr. Vaijaynath is a renowned Indian surgeon who has more than 25 years of experience and has performed over 15,000 surgeries around the world. During a press briefing held at the hospital yesterday, Dr. Vaijaynath
The Indian team that led the successful heart operations at the Dr. Balwant Singh's Hospital: Dr. Prashant Vaijaynath – Cardiac Surgeon, Dr. Vijay Patil – Cardiologist, Dr. Ramesh Varadharjan – Anesthesiologist, Mr. Vinwanath Belavi – Perfusionist and Ms. Elvina Mariadoss – Physician Assistant. explained the hospital will be offering the surgeries at around US$9,000, a cost lower than that offered locally and at a fraction of the cost if patients and their families were to travel out of Guyana for surgeries. He noted that with the infrastructure and manpower, Dr. Balwant Singh's Hospital can do well for the Guyanese public who are affected by various heart conditions. In his remarks, Dr. Patil pointed to the high incidence of pulmonary heart disease in Guyana. He noted that the cases reflect the rate of such
cases in India. As such, the doctor spoke of the need for good cardiac infrastructure and surgeons and praised the initiative of the Dr. Balwant Singh's Hospital. “We are certainly happy to be here and experience the Guyanese hospitality and serve the people,” he said. Meanwhile, Dr. Madhu Singh, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Dr. Balwant Singh's Hospital, underscored the importance of having quality health care services readily accessible to the people of Guyana. Dr. Singh noted that “the
desire of the Dr. Balwant Singh's Hospital has always been to offer to the Guyanese people safe and advance cardiac surgery and with the arrival of this team, we have been able to do just that but it was not so simple to organise and put together but Dr. Prashant Vaijaynath, the Cardiac Surgeon, has had a lot to do with this and without his assistance and leadership we wouldn't be here today.” She noted too that the Dr. Balwant Singh's Hospital Cardiac Surgery Unit has been more than a year in the making. The CEO revealed
too that the unit is now in capable hands given the accomplishments and experience of Dr. Prashant
Vaijaynath. She added, “Dr. Prashant is an eminent cardiac surgeon and has done many advanced cardiac surgeries including heart transplants…most of the cases he does off pump…that is only done by skilled surgeons which means he does not have to paralyse the heart to do the surgery; it is also called beating heart surgery and not all surgeons are capable of doing that.” According to Dr. Singh, the team will assist greatly in helping to clear the waiting list of patients who are in dire need of cardiac surgery. “We are very pleased with the outcome that we have been able to tend to patients who have been waiting for surgery for almost two years…we have patients, including children, who have been waiting for a year and a half to get the surgery,” she said.
OPR Head urges citizens to report corrupt cops OPR Head, Assistant Superintendent, Elston Baird.
T
he Head of the Guyana Police Force (GPF) Office of Professional Responsibility (OPR), Assistant Superintendent, Elston Baird, on Tuesday night urged citizens to report corrupt members of the GPF. The OPR Head was at the time making an appearance on the GPF's 'Police and You' programme which is hosted by Stan Gouveia, the Deputy Director of the Force's Corporate Communications Unit (CCU). When questioned on ranks being corrupt, Baird responded by encouraging citizens to report such ranks
in order for a sting operation to be conducted so that the rank(s) can be caught redhanded. “Once these matters are reported to us, we will investigate them. We have had cases where persons would come to OPR because ranks were making demands, and we set up what you call a sting operation,” Baird explained. He also noted that in any instance where a police officer is making a demand from any citizen, that citizen can visit the OPR's head office or go to the divisional commander and make a report. Just last week, Corporal, (continued on page 16)
Kaieteur News
Thursday August 19, 2021
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Jagdeo-led oil team ditches petroleum talks with Surinamese President …opts to attend ExxonMobil funded conference in Texas instead
S
u r i n a m e s e President, Chandrikapersad Santokhi, is currently in Guyana for a four-day State visit, leading a high level delegation which has high on the agenda lending support to the development of this nation's nascent oil industry. Their Guyanese counterparts however, are not in Guyana but are in fact in Texas, USA, attending an O f f s h o r e Te c h n o l o g y Conference. That conference is sponsored in part by ExxonMobil which is headquartered in Texas, USA. Accompanying the Surinamese President is that country's Minister of Foreign Affairs, International Business and International Co-operation, Ambassador Albert Ramdin. For Guyana's part, it's Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Relations, Hugh Todd, is in Texas. President Santokhi has walked with his Minister of Natural Resources, David Abiamofo, for the high level talks in Guyana but the Guyanese counterpart, Minister Vickram Bharrat, is also in Texas, USA. Minister of Public Works, Riad Nurmohamed, is also in Guyana while one of his counterparts remains in Texas —a situation that has since attracted the attention of onlookers both in Guyana and Suriname. One official told this
publications that meetings of these nature do not just happen overnight and that they are planned ahead of time. As such, it can only be seen as a snub on the part of the Guyanese, in their dealings with the Surinamese delegation since while high on the agenda, the key local figures are in Texas for the Exxon sponsored conference while their Surinamese counterparts are in Guyana to speak on the subject. The Guyana delegation in Texas is being led by Vice President, Bharrat Jagdeo —the man ultimately in charge of the domestic oil industry—and is joined by other key domestic players including Winston Brassington, the head of the G a s - t o - S h o r e Wo r k i n g Committee; key petroleum advisor, Bobby Gossai Jnr and Guyana Office for Investment's (GO-Invest) Chief Executive Officer, Dr. Peter Ramsaroop, among others. The Guyana delegation also include key private sector umbrella body representatives and business groups while representatives of Suriname's national oil company, Staatsolie, and members from the Surinamese private sector are in Guyana for the high level talks. Others from the Guyana delegation in Texas include representatives from AmCham, GCCI, PSC, GM&SA and private businesses GUYSONS-
Surinamese President, Chandrikapersad Santokhi, arriving at the Arthur Chung Conference Centre with Guyana's Head of State, Irfaan Ali, for a round of talks. GKB, GAICO, Mid Atlantic Oil and Gas, GOGEC, GYSBI, GTT, ExxonMobil Guyana and Halliburton. A 'Guyana Evening of Information Sharing and Networking' event was held last evening at the Asia Society Texas Centre that featured presentations by Vice President Jagdeo, Minister of Natural Resources, Exxon Rep., US Ambassador to Guyana and the CEO of GO-Invest to headline the event. The Guyana Evening was an unpaid invitation-only event. Approximately 400 representatives from various international and local companies were expected to attend to meet with the Guyanese Delegation. Meanwhile in Guyana, the visiting Surinamese delegation, which includes that country's Minister of Agriculture, Animal
Vice President, Bharrat Jagdeo (fifth left), leading the Guyanese delegation to the OTC 2021 in Houston, Texas, USA.
Husbandry and Fisheries, Parmanand Sewdien, and Minister of Transport,
Communication and Tourism, Albert Jubithana, are scheduled to hold a
number of meetings with among others, Head of State, President Irfaan Ali.
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Kaieteur News
Thursday August 19, 2021
Kaieteur News Printed and Published by National Media & Publishing Company Ltd. 24 Saffon Street, Charlestown, Georgetown, Guyana. Publisher: GLENN LALL-TEL: 624-6456 Editor: Sharmain Grainger Tel: 225-8465, 225-8491. Fax: 225-8473, 226-8210
EDITORIAL
The power of compromise Like others, there were doubts. Yet, the near impossible was achieved recently in the United States Senate with a bipartisan 69-30 vote in favour of the massive US$1.2 trillion infrastructure bill. Something of this magnitude has not happened in the longest while in the thinly balanced US Senate. But Tuesday’s development demonstrated, once again, the power and reach of compromise, and the great many things that it can make possible, if only there is genuine interest in it, and the willingness to work, if not fight, for it. It was never easy going, and for the last few decades the US Senate has been the scene of some of the most rancorous battles. But senators from both Democratic and Republican parties, as led by Krysten Sinema, Democrat of Arizona, and Rob Portman, Republican of Ohio, held firm to usher passage of the biggest infrastructure bill in a decade. Republican lawmakers are due some extra praise for their extraordinary courage to wrest free from the long and menacing shadow of their former leader in the White House, who tried to woo them to his destructive side, and who will not rest until he makes them pay for their ‘defections.’ Meanwhile, the bill still has to make its way to the House of Representatives, where ranking Democrats want more. They are making some spirited noises, but the expectation is that they will not want to be the showstoppers in what shapes up to be a long overdue Democratic congressional victory, and to give their party’s occupant in the White House something to walk away with, after all his efforts at working the aisles for some hard-earned political compromise. We are thinking of how much that same simple word, but one so very loaded and nasty here, is needed here, and how much of a difference it could make here. We desperately need compromise to get anywhere tangible with reforms placed, or about to be placed, on the table of consideration. We definitely need some sort of compromise and adjustment in our way of thinking about race relations, and the approaches we bring to this thorniest of Guyanese arenas. We direly need some kind of political compromise to develop the degree of togetherness that is so vital, if we are going to put up a united front before the foreign predators that come here to exploit and plunder our riches, especially our oil wealth, but who are delighted that we remain deadlocked and divided. We at this paper think that current political deadlock is a convenient ploy, which serves as an effective barrier to any meaningful compromise and, therefore, allows the Exxon(s) of the world to rip us up and fetch the precious parts of us away, while we are busy fighting and taking out each other. There is some instinct within that prompts to the belief that elections court petitions are a convenient gimmick and, similarly, the insistence upon removal of claims about “illegitimacy” before there can be any conversations of substance is a feeble posture, and also an unconvincing exercise to evade any seriousness to call Exxon and its partners to book, to seek some bending in favour of a better deal for Guyana. Long before oil came into the local picture, words like compromise and consensus and cooperation were nonstarters in Guyana’s political culture. Our leaders are too self-serving and crooked to want to get too close to any such places. For any of the three would, in some shape or form, represent having to give up some part of the spoils, which is simply unthinkable, so greedy they all are. It does not matter that the welfare of the wider nation would be significantly enhanced, that a way forward out of our decades long impasses could be carved out, and then amplified. Leaders in both their PPP and PNC and their lesser political brethren are all loud about readiness to compromise, but when faced with circumstances that demand that they deliver, they all disappear, because the individual and group corruptions will not allow them to do so. Thus, it has been no to compromise, which means yes to division, and yes, too, to more devastation of the Guyanese people.
The question of pensionability needs to be more fundamentally addressed DEAR EDITOR, What a wonderful gesture (however short-lived the benefits) of a one-time cash grant to old age pensioners, presumably whether or not they are employed. The question though is that the sustainability of the unemployed seemed to have been overlooked, and certainly given a choice the latter pensioners would opt for an extended monthly increase that would absorb statutory expenses less discomfortingly. In the meantime however, the question of
pensionability needs to be more fundamentally addressed, particularly with regard to public servants. After 55 years of independence they are still required to retire at the colonial eligible age of 55 years. One critical result has long since been that even if they have satisfied the full contributory requirements, public servants still have to await being 60 years of age before becoming eligible for the NIS dispensation. Interestingly however, most, if not all, public corporate employers have instituted the retirement age as at least
sixty years, with GPL for example inheriting a 65-year-old pensionability from the original Canadian owners of that facility.Over the last decade or more there has been a significant incidence of peremptory terminations of public servants, consequent upon changes of administrations. Several of those affected would not have reached the eligibility requirement for pension. In contrast (if not contradiction) the replacements who fill the vacancies created are, more often than not, recruited as ‘Contracted Em-
ployees’ by individual Ministries (at discretionary compensation values) with assurance of a gratuity of 22.5% of monthly salary payable every six months. Quite irrelevant of this process someone described the theory of relativity as ‘taking care of relatives and friends.’ But with that aside being forgiven, urgent attention needs to be paid to raising the pensionable age to no less than that obtaining in the rest of CARICOM, wherein Barbados has long been 62.5 years. Yours truly, E.B. John
With the withdrawal from Afghanistan, America disgraced itself DEAR EDITOR, I note Richard Haass’ Project Syndicate article in SN on Afghanistan (August 17) – and wish to comment as follows: Richard Haass writes: “American troop levels were down to around 3,000; their role was largely limited to training, advising, and supporting the Afghan forces. There had not been an American combat fatality in Afghanistan since February 2020.
The modest US presence was both an anchor for some 8,500 troops from allied countries and a military and psychological backstop for the Afghan government” (End-of-quote). A mere 3,000 American troops plus 8,500 from allied countries. What’s the big deal over barely a handful of troops? Leave ‘em there for 50 years if necessary. (America kept thousands and thousands in Korea and Germany for 75
years and still ongoing). The Trump and Biden administrations created this whole mess. What was the cost of 3,000 troops? The psychological damage - and the loss of confidence by the Afghan army precipitated the whole collapse. And paved the way for the return of Taliban’s medieval rule. Two trillion dollars (mostly for nation building) and 2,500 American soldiers’ lives lost - have already been
deemed a sunken cost. But now with the withdrawal, America disgraced itself. To say nothing of the tens of thousands of Afghans whose lives are now in danger. To say nothing of the lost Cause of women and girls all of whom go back into purdah. And, the country falls back into medieval Islam. A total waste. An American blunder. Yours faithfully, Mike Persaud
Given our wealth and economic performance much more can be done for the people DEAR EDITOR, Many Guyanese, myself included, were deeply disappointed by the governance of the Coalition and wanted them out of office through the ballot box. I was among those who supported now President Ali in his campaign. Sincerely, I, like many I am sure, thought
like many others that his Government would have stood with the people and made genuine attempts to uplift their wellbeing. While I cannot discount that several efforts have been made to that end, I also cannot ignore what appears to be a sidelining of the ordinary people.
We should be leading by example in reducing our carbon footprint DEAR EDITOR, Guyana has been a poor country for so long that some Guyanese would do anything to get rich quick. Some turn to thieving; some turn to drugs trade; some turn to prostitution. The latest get rich quick scheme is the oil trade where VP Bharrat Jagdeo remarks that we need to pump the oil as fast as possible before decarbonisation of the world takes place. NO WE DON’T. We can get developed in a sustainable way. While the oil revenue
helps, it does no good sitting in a bank account in America. Does VP Bharrat Jagdeo thinks every Guyanese is foolish enough to believe that we actually need the oil to get develop? We had sugar, rice, bauxite, timber, gold, etc. and we did not reach development status. We should be leading by example in reducing our carbon footprint even though it is relatively small. Not using another get rich quick scheme like carbon credits trading. Yours truly, Sean Ori
Certainly, we have all received our cash grants and several other reliefs granted through the budget. But I contend given our wealth and economic performance much more can be done for the people. What I find most disturbing is that the business community seems to get the hog of the government benefits. It appeared to me that as soon as the businesses just exhales a small whimper, the Ali Administration comes running to their aid. At the same time, we have many of our ordinary Guyanese crying out for help and we do see that same haste. While I know that it is popularly held that the private sector is the engine of growth, the fuel for that engine remains the ordinary people. President Ali is certainly
not a novice politician and he is fully well aware that it is the people, not the businesses, that will keep him and his Party in Government. I appeal to the President to have an even handed approach. Meet the people and their representatives and not be seen as cozying up to the private sector at every turn and bend. It is disappointing that I recognise that the President, as far as I know, has not even met the trade unions of Guyana to listen to their concerns. But scores of meetings have been held with the private sector. While the workers and the ordinary people may not be in the monied class they have the final say at the ballot box and the President should be wary about that. Yours truly, Patricia Persaud
Is there a connect between the two events? DEAR EDITOR, Out of the anti-government protest, suddenly comes the formation of a local chapter of the party of which one of its congressmen was very vocal. Is there a connect between the two events? Is there more in the mortar than just the pestle? Yours truly, Shamshun Mohamed
Thursday August 19, 2021
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Kaieteur News
In just one year in office, the PPP/C government has allocated over 5,000 house lots DEAR EDITOR, I have read Ms. Annette Ferguson’s letter (APNU+AFC created a sound housing sector strategy, Stabroek News - August 14, 2021). Essentially, her letter attempts to make two arguments: that the people are suffering under this government and that APNU+AFC had a better housing plan than the incumbent PPP/C government. I shall now comment on those two arguments: To begin, the former Minister, Ms. Ferguson, did not go into the trouble of explaining how the people are suffering under this new PPP/ C government; she wrote in general terms. There is a reason for that: she will be hard-pressed to show that it is the government that is causing people to experience hardships and that the difficult circumstances some individuals are facing are the doings of the government. Therefore, her argument is more in the realm of propaganda; it is void of substance. But anyone who
looks objectively at the national economic situation would have to admit that, over the last year, the performance of the government has been nothing but excellent. In the face of a raging deadly pandemic that is affecting the global economy, the government has managed to keep the public sector, public systems, and vital public services consistent with the needs of the wider populace. In addition, the government has been reaching out to people, particularly, those in vulnerable situations with help in many different ways. And while the former minister dismissively talks about the
distribution of hampers by the government to citizens, it would be interesting for her to say how much assistance her party is giving to its supporters. In fact, Ms. Ferguson should let us know about the quantity and the quality of assistance the former government, of which she was a part, gave to the ordinary people of Guyana as opposed to what was given to rich friends of the APNU+AFC. Therefore, when she speaks of suffering perhaps Ferguson is reflecting on the inaction of the immediate past government to help citizens desperately in need of it. Second, Ms. Ferguson has set out tables about
acreage of lands acquired for the purpose of housing by the past government but those tables and figures, in substance, means nothing if it did not translate into real benefits to ordinary Guyanese. I am of the view that those figures would change if we know how much of those lands went to friends and party cronies as against how much was given to Guyanese at the working-class level. After five years in office, the former Housing Minister should have been embarrassed to reveal those numbers. Those numbers show that the government performed poorly over the last five years in that sector
of the economy. And we must not forget, the processing of applications seems to have been speeded up on the tail end of the APNU+AFC’s term in office when they were seeking votes. Compare that to the record of this new PPP/C government led by His Excellency, President, Dr. Irfaan Ali. The PPP/C government has allocated 400 house lots, in Linden, in just two days. This is more than the amount allocated by APNU-AFC Coalition in five years. Where were those house lots? Right there, in Linden. But, the Coalition was too busy taking care of their friends; they had no time for ordinary people of Linden. In fact, one of the past Ministers of Housing resides in that
very town. Moreover, in just one year in office, the PPP/C government has allocated over 5,000 house lots. Unlike the previous government, these allocations are to ordinary Guyanese, who work regular jobs and are seeking to improve the quality of their lives. It must also be said that the allocation process is done in a transparent manner; no hide and seek games and secret deals. Going forward, the government has already activated the appropriate processes to ensure the planned and orderly development of housing schemes, in all ten administrative regions, for all Guyanese. Yours truly, Attiya Baksh
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Thursday August 19, 2021
Brooklyn – a stark revelation of where Guyana is DEAR EDITOR, Today I join two events, which I believe are related. The first occurred at an opposition rally in Brooklyn, with 2,000 Guyanese attending. The second was of an almost overnight Presidential announcement of a ‘one-off’ $25,000 cash grant for some 60,000 Guyanese pensioners and others with distressed circumstances. The claim in Brooklyn was of government discrimination against Afro Guyanese; while the presidential announcement was to provide relief to vulnerable Guyanese. Which is which and what is what, behind the sharp contentions, and sweet leadership response? And where do this singular gathering in Brooklyn point, as to what exists in
Guyana and what could possibly develop a full head of steam in the future? Two thousand Guyanese came out in Brooklyn to rage against PPP injustices and PPP discriminations. There were overwhelmingly Black Guyanese. I am not Black, I am Indian. I agree with those claims of injustice and targeted racial discrimination. The PPP record is there; words and deeds, too, and with only one year considered. I have read, heard, seen, and detected them. Close up and from the victimised. In one state agency after another, Black Guyanese are isolated and sent packing. I have names, places, and instances; and I think that for each one that I have, the coalition has scores more. They didn’t steal, engage in wrongdoing. They were longstanding workers with clean histories. This is in the realm of employment only. Their only crime is their colour. Oh! And the colour that they followed faithfully
(but wrongly) for 19 gruelling months. But following the wrong party is never grounds for witch hunts, terminations, keeping out qualified applicants, and torturing those already in the worksite. The wounds of elections have not closed, and they are probed and stretched further by these ongoing incidents of racial discrimination by the PPP. Undoubtedly, there would be some exaggeration and inflation, given politics at work. But there is also the reality, of which I know, where too many Black public servants have been pushed out to pasture. Though there is no reason that stands honest scrutiny, there is rime. The rime is their acidic colour, the pungency of their political affiliation; and, given the closeness of the 2020 elections, clearly it was a case of apaan jaat in near absolute terms on both sides of the racial divide. Now I get down to the dirty. The fact that 2,000 prima-
rily Black Guyanese could muster energy in Brooklyn to rail against real and suspected PPP racial discriminations presents a disturbing picture. It disturbs because it was an opposition-driven event, and which group is still floundering to find its moorings. If in its weakened state it can stir 2,000 overseas Guyanese (Black Guyanese) to spend a summer afternoon, amidst an escalating pandemic, to voice their anger and call for action against what is wrong, then I read much from that painting. It is that, though enfeebled, the PNC-APNU-AFC (plus outliers) can inspire this degree of energy and following tells me of what else it could do, what more could be lying in store. If the troubled opposition can bring out 2,000 in Brooklyn, it can bring out 20,000 in the streets of Guyana, and in a whiff, once its leadership finalises. Even more importantly, there is deep and intensifying resentment and animosity over elections (misplaced)
and natural resources wealth (accurate) political mismanagement from the crooked visions of PPP leaders. The vision of Black Guyanese, wherever they are, is that they will forever be dependent on a cash handout, PPP leadership charity, and condemned to the margins with frail hopes that hinge on the kindness of PPP leaders. In the minds of Black Guyanese that is totally unacceptable. And if the shoe were on the other foot, then Indian Guyanese would be of the same sharp, stormy disposition. No number of presidential platitudes and Vice-Presidential reassurances find reception in the hearts of Black Guyanese. They don’t in me, and look at who I am. No occasional and tactical $25,000 cash relief (national or segmented) serves to satisfy long-term dreams and aspirations of a national race that is more than an electoral statistic; demographically, a perpetually losing one. Even further, none of
these now recognisable red herrings that PPP leaders widely use to rearrange the attention of Guyanese, especially simmering Black ones beginning to agitate, are working as well as before. When I contemplate all this, I arrive at a rough and undesirable place. My sense is that there is great discontent in the hearts of Black Guyanese, which racial discrimination only fuels, though at a low burn currently. Discontent is prey to ratcheting pressures, pressures prone to cultivation, and the cultivated open to rebounding and standing spiritedly. PPP leaders have aided with discriminations and deviousness producing unending deceptions. I believe this: people can accept where they are stoically and resignedly. Or they can say, to hell with this, and put an end to their misery. Of course, misery breeds more misery. I think it brews. Sincerely, GHK Lall
The Cinderella narrative has not changed DEAR EDITOR, The Cinderella county (Essequibo) continues to be a place rarely visited by Govt. ministers, this is construed as a sign of neglect by the residents and in this void local public officials continue to function in corrupt ways. A few months ago, Local Govt. Minister, Dharamlall held a meeting with the Anna Regina Town Council and stall holders of the Anna Regina Market. At that meeting it was decided that all and sundry would desist from vending on the roadway in the vicinity of
the old Anna Regina Market and stall holders will take up their stalls in Cotton Field New Market where the Govt. had spent millions of dollars to accommodate them. To this date, no one complied. On Fridays, vendors continue to block the roadways, creating chaos for commuters. Shoppers would always go where the vendors are! Unless every vendor is removed from the roadway, cries of favouritism will prevail. I wonder how well thought out was the Govt’s plan to build the new market half a mile away from the old
market for essentially the same reason (stop the chaos created by vending on the roadway) and the town council seems powerless to attain this objective. The result is that stalls in the new market are languishing for want of occupants, while Friday’s continue to be mayhem on the road. Adding insult to injury it is rumoured that some councillors had instructed their favourite vendors not to move. Even Mayor Prabulall seems complicit, not having made any attempt to execute the resolution made by the
council and vendors three months ago to stop vending on the roadways. There seems to be little the minister can do, the mayor has jurisdiction in his township. Two weeks ago, a resident from Somerset on the coast told me that he was served a notice by the Chairman of the Charity/Urasa NDC to remove his rice farming implement from the parapet in front his house while his neighbour is allowed to occupy his parapet. This resident contention is that what goes for one should go for all and quite rightly so. A while ago a rice farmer told me that after the PPP got back into office the regional administration parked the bulldozers that the APNU Govt. were using to fix the dams for farmers to harvest their crop and give out contracts to repair the dams. Someone from Affiance was given the contract to do the dam in Bounty Hall where this farmer has his rice field. This farmer had to use his tractor to repair the dam to ensure that his crop could be harvested on time. His contention - he did the work while someone else collected pay, compliments of the PPP big wigs at the regional office. Space does not permit me more examples. These actions by the regional officials are causing the people to lose faith in the Government. Yours truly, Rudolph Singh
T N U L B . . . T B N U T L N B T . U . L . L T B . . N . U N U T L N B . U T . . L N N U T B . U . N L U BL BLUNT. B . . T . T T N N U . U L . . L B . T B . . . . N . T U T N N T U N U L L U B . L B . . . . B . T . . T . N N T U N L LU U B . N L . . U B T . L . . N B T . U . . N L T U B . N L . . U B T . L . . N B T . . U . N L T U B . N L . . U B . T L . . N B T . . U . N L T U B . N L . . U B T . L . . N B . T . U . N L T U B . N L . . U B T . L . . N B T . U . . N L T U B . N L . . U B T . L . B . UN .BLUNT. L . . B T . . . N T U N L . . U B T . L . B . UN .BLUNT. L . . B T . . . N T U N L . . U B T . L . . N B T . U . . N L B T . U . . N L T U B . N L . . U B T . L . . N B T . . . LU ...BLUN B T . . . N T U N L U B T . L . . N B T . U . . N L T . U B . . N L T U B . N L . . U B T . L . . N B T . U . . N L T BB T...BLU U N L U B . L . . B . T . . N N T T L U U N L L U B U T...BLU B L . . N . B . T . . N T U N N N U L U U B L . BL TLUNT.. UNT...B BL Thursday August 19, 2021
Kaieteur News
The Inter-governmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) says the evidence is present of the link between human activity (fossil fuel companies) and severe climate disruptions/changes. Lawyers are now armed with better scientific information to challenge oil companies with lawsuits.
Where are our lawyers on filing and fighting for Guyanese? Where are our lawyers, other than hoping for a sweet contractual relationship with Exxon or one of its relationships? Where are all the Guyanese legal eagles and legal scholars who can quibble over constitution and crime, when the biggest national crime is in the works, compliments of a savage government and a predatory oil company?
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Kaieteur News
Thursday August 19, 2021
Govt. admits Guyana's biggest threat is climate change but condemns global call to end fossil fuel projects O
n Tuesday last, Vice President, Bharrat Jagdeo, while addressing attendees at the Offshore Technology Conference organised by the Baker Institute in Houston, Texas, had admitted that one of, if not the biggest threat that Guyana faces is climate change. He said, “Well, its climate to a large extent, climate change. We had a flood in 2005 that wiped out the equivalent of 60 percent of GDP (Gross Domestic Product) and we just had one recently and we haven't even done the assessment.” It is now common knowledge that Guyana's low-lying coastal plains
along the Atlantic Ocean are highly populated and generally lie below sea level. At least 40 percent of the over 750,000 population live in Region Four, which includes the capital city, Georgetown. Over one metre of rain fell in January 2005, nearly five times the normal amount, with 65 centimetres in just five days (an estimated return period of 1,000 years). The extreme rainfall caused widespread flooding which affected almost half of Guyana's population. The flooding situation earlier in the year had, like in 2005, devastated the country, with persons engaged in primary industries such as agriculture
being especially hard hit. The Civil Defence Commission had reported that over 36,000 households across 300 communities in each of Guyana's 10 administrative regions were affected. According to Dr. Jagdeo, although an assessment of the most recent floods this year has not yet been done, the United Nations Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) is lending assistance. Despite Guyana's glaring vulnerability in the face of the impending and inevitable climate change driven by anthropogenic activity, the recently elected government
has rejected the call for the cessation of new fossil fuel projects. The International Energy Agency, a group of oilconsuming nations, this spring, said if governments wanted to achieve net zero carbon emissions by 2050, there would be no need for new fossil fuel developments. A recent report by the world's foremost authority on climate science, the International Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), which combines the work of over 230 scientists from 66 countries and references over 14,000 scientific papers, has revealed that the climate change situation is much worse than previously thought, and states that immediate action is needed to prevent catastrophic consequences. Despite this clear
warning to cut emissions now, the government had made it known that it does not support the call. The Vice President described as 'unfair' the calls by some for Guyana to 'leave the oil in the ground' in support of netzero by 2050 efforts. “There are many others who have been globally saying that to get to a decarbonised future, to get to net-zero by 2050, there should be no further investments in oil and gas assets,” Dr. Jagdeo said. “So, what is our position on this? We believe it's totally unfair,” he asserted. He said despite efforts to cut emissions and embrace the Paris Agreement, the world is not doing enough to keep global temperatures at 1.5 degrees above preindustrial levels, and the demand for energy is far outstripping the investment for renewables.
Vice President, Dr. Bharrat Jagdeo “So, the world will need to use fossil fuels even if the transitional fuel is gas, as we get into that future. So, the people who are calling for us not to develop an industry in a small country like Guyana… we cannot remain locked into a cycle of low carbon emissions but low (continued on page 10)
Labour Ministry to facilitate long-awaited DTL, GAWU meeting
Officials from the Ministry of Labour meeting with representatives of Demerara Timbers Limited
Y
esterday, the Ministry of Labour (MOL) held yet another meeting with Demerara Timbers Limited (DTL) to resolve the longstanding issue of dialogue between the company and the Guyana Agricultural and General Workers Union (GAWU) as it relates to employees' welfare and conditions. According to a release issued by the Ministry, for approximately five years, GAWU would have been engaging the ministry about the matter and recently reached out for intervention since DTL would have refused
to meet the union on a faceto-face basis, stating that it would only engage via written dialogue. F o l l o w i n g G AW U ' s written request for intervention, the Minister of Labour, Joseph Hamilton, had held a meeting with DTL representatives for a better understanding of the matter of dialogue, conditions of employment at the company and the way forward to an amicable settlement. Since the representatives were not in a position to make decisions for or on behalf of the company, the ministry wrote to the company to have its senior management attend
another meeting which was held yesterday under the chairmanship of Minister Hamilton and the Chief Labour Officer (CLO), Mr. Dhaneshwar Deonarine. Also, representing DTL was its Operations Manager, Mr. Ting Hie Chui; Sales Officer, Mr. Robert Perry; and Office Manager, Mr. David Chen Zhao Quan. Following a lengthy discussion, according to the Ministry's release, the company has agreed to meet within two weeks to have dialogue with GAWU. This will be facilitated by the ministry under the chairmanship of the CLO.
Thursday August 19, 2021
Kaieteur News
PAGE 09
September reopening of schools is now doomed T
he Department of P u b l i c Information reported the Minister of Health, Dr. Frank Anthony, as saying, “When we look across the spectrum…we have seen a decreasing trend in cases. So, the numbers generally have gone down a little bit and across the Regions we are seeing that.” The facts do point to a decreasing rate of growth of cases. However, the number of active cases is increasing and has now surpassed the 1,000 mark. As at Tuesday August 17, 2021, the number of active cases stood at 1,043. Two weeks prior it had declined to 702, its lowest level since April. Since the commencement of August, there has been a steady and worrying increase. Despite the decrease in the rate of growth of total cases this month, the death rate has not declined. Fortyone persons have died so far for this month which is barely over the half way mark. This threatens to erode the slow reduction in deaths which occurred in June and July. In May, there were a staggering 99 deaths. But this declined by more than 20 percent to 78 in June and was followed by a marginal reduction to 70 in July. August is threatening to keep deaths in the 70 plus range which would represent a recession in the control of the pandemic. The present number of active cases should be a forewarning to the Minister
Dem
boys seh...
D
e United States does don't play when people threaten dem country and dem nationals. Dem pass wan act called de Patriot Act which allows dem fuh deport people wah inciting terrorism in de United States. De USA also gat laws which allow dem fuh request rendition of persons wah threaten de security of de United States. Dat is how some Guyanese ole men get deport to de United States fuh threatening fuh cause terror deh.
of Health that his problems are far from over. It should also be instructive to him that government's one-track approach, depending almost exclusively on vaccination, will not bring an end to this pandemic. The experience of other countries has shown that once around 50 percent of the population is fully vaccinated, the rate of vaccination falls appreciably because of vaccine hesitancy and vaccine resistance. Guyana is nowhere near vaccinating 50 percent of its population. Guyana is dealing with its adult population and at last count only 31 percent of its population has been fully vaccinated and the rate of vaccination had slowed so dangerously low that the government was forced to implement stringent requirements to protect the rest of the population from the unvaccinated. A Cuban Medical Brigade has arrived and it is reported that they are to be assigned to the Infectious Diseases Hospital which is the central institution treating serious COVID-19 cases. This is unfortunate that the Cubans are being given this high risk assignment. What will happen is that when the number of deaths climbs at the end of August, it will be the Cubans who will unfairly have to shoulder the blame for something which is not their responsibility. The Minister of Health however has bigger
problems. He has too many advisors and the government which he serves is hell-bent on resisting the implementation of even partial lockdowns or increasing the curfew hours. New Zealand has had an amazing record in managing its COVID-19 outbreak. They have a population of almost five million persons, more than six times that of Guyana's. Yet they have less than 3,000 cases. Guyana has 23,675, or more than seven times that of New Zealand. New Zealand has 26 deaths. Guyana has 582. On Tuesday, after the discovery of one case (it turned out there were four on that day), New Zealand said it was locking the country down. But they are only locking down for a short period – short term pain for long term gain. But not Guyana! Guyana is hell-bent on avoiding anything which would force non-essential businesses to close their doors for a short period. Instead, the burden is being shifted towards vaccination which cannot solve the problem. In fact, given the present number of active cases, we can now kiss goodbye to the reopening of schools in September. Guyana needs to gets its testing right. PCR test results should by now have been available on the same day of the test. The regional capacity to undertake the tests should have been boosted to the point where each region could undertake the full testing process from
De US cyan practice double standards when it comes to terrorism But dem boys wan know wah Uncle Sam doing bout dem people in dem own country wah threatening violence in other country. De Patriot Act supposed to cover dat eventuality. Dem boys see a video with a man threatening dat Georgetown gan bun down unless de PPP/C step out ah office. In dem boys book, dat is fomenting terrorism in another country. Dem boys hear how complaint gan get file fuh dat person get charge under US laws and if dat fail, fuh have de person deported to Guyana fuh sedition.
Dem boys want see if Uncle Sam gan investigate and whether dem gan deport anybody or support de deportation of de person to Guyana if a request mek by de Guyana government. Uncle Sam cyan have double standards when it comes to terrorism. If other nationals threaten dem citizens, dem gat right fuh arrest and charge dem fuh terrorism. But same way if persons in de US threaten fuh do violence in other countries with a view to forcing de guvament to resign, dat is also international terrorism.
swabs to results. Mass testing should long have been undertaken to determine the scale of infections. There is no estimate at present as to what percentage of the population is likely to be infected and this is because mass testing is not taking place to make such deductions. None of these things are happening. Also, there is no regional or community-based strategy to contain community
spread. If the government is so concerned about the effects of a lockdown on the business community, the least it can do is to move towards a four-day work week for public servants and public sector employees. Anyone familiar with the public sector will know there will be no loss of production and productivity by a fourday work week; the same work which is done in five and six days can be done in
three or four days. The government can also extend the curfew hours since it makes no sense having stricter control at workplaces but when workers leave their places of employ, they are openly mingling, unprotected, with friends and family, in the wards, villages and towns. (The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of this newspaper.)
Kaieteur News
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Thursday August 19, 2021
THE FREDDIE KISSOON COLUMN
The PNC rally in New York was done to weaken Granger's leadership T
he main speaker from Guyana at the recent PNC rally in New York was Aubrey Norton, one of the formidable challengers for leader of the PNC at the next congress whenever that is. It is more than strange that none of the leaders on the PNC's pyramid that are strong advocates for Granger's continuation were invited; neither Granger nor Harmon. The high profile Norton attained at the meeting is graphic proof that the organisers of the rally want to topple Granger. And their choice is either Norton or Lawrence. There was no invitation of Burnham's sonin-law, Richard Van WestCharles, who incidentally Granger doesn't like but has far greater disdain for Norton and Lawrence. Sitting next to the sponsor of the event, Rickford Burke, was the Indian being groomed to be the Indian face of the
PNC – the Mayor o f Georgetown. Subraj Narine. Narine was a special guest at the rally and is favoured by PNC groups in Guyana and the diaspora to hold that position. This is a colossal embarrassment for Khemraj Ramjattan. Granger and Joe Harmon were frenetic in their opposition to Ramjattan being formally declared the prime ministerial candidate in the 2020 election campaign. To assist Ramjattan to allow his psychology to accept that reality, Harmon declared at a Bartica rally in August 2020 that Moses Nagamootoo was political royalty. At that outing, Nagamootoo appeared on stage donning PNC colours rather that AFC's yellow symbols. One thing this analyst was certain of, and I mean by a 1,000 percent – had the APNU+AFC win in 2020, Ramjattan would not have been the PM.
Ramjattan is one of the world's most foolish politicians. Here is why. He is currently speaking the language of the PNC to ingratiate himself with PNC big wigs for 2025. Two things this silly man needs to understand quickly. There is no top contender for the position of leader of the PNC that wants Ramjattan around; not even the incumbent Granger, not Harmon, not Norton, not Lawrence. Ramjattan's only chance of survival is with Van West Charles who has no animosity towards Ramjattan. The second thing is the PNC is not going into the 2025 battle as APNU+AFC. For all intent and purpose Ramjattan is dead meat, long rotten into nothingness. The New York diaspora is going to hold more rallies for Aubrey and if Volda throws her hat in the ring, they will pitch tent for her. The PNC
groups around the world, Aubrey, Volda and others who will challenge Granger are in for a rude awakening. I prefer the term, “jumbie lash” as I understand it growing up in south Georgetown. David Granger is not going to resign. The PNC congress will not be held in October before local government elections (LGE). Granger will be in charge of the PNC in the upcoming LGE campaign. The reason for the congress being postponed is a gamble by Granger. If he retains the municipalities, Regional Governments and NDCs that the PNC have controlled for decades, then, he is going to use those victories to solidify his position. If he loses them there is going to be tsunamic pressure on him to hold congress. Once congress is held, Granger will be contesting and he will “win.” Most, if not all, academics who study Guyanese politics will know how Granger will win. One of the questions that will
tantalise every person who follows events in Guyana wherever they are is this what are the formidable antiGranger groups going to do if the congressional system is Frederick Kissoon manipulated. This is where one coalesce around the idea that can speak of the selfdestruction of the PNC. By the PNC is too precious and 2025 both Van West-Charles historical to tear it apart. Or and Aubrey will enter their emotions can take on seventies, with Lawrence volcanic moods and the lava close behind. If none of the can drown all and sundry. There is a third way being three succeeds Granger in 2021, then their future planned. The idea is very, chances are doomed. Too very young. It is being toyed many young ones are around with. The anticoming up and there will be Granger factions are looking pressure to elect a woman. at the idea of forming a new Amanza Walton-Desir is PNC party. I guess Guyana being groomed and that is continues to be one of the why she was invited to the most exciting and intriguing political societies in the New York rally. Will it be “bruk up time” if entire world. (The views expressed in Granger stays on and continue to project Harmon as this article are those of the the de facto leader? It could author and do not necessarily go either way. The anti- reflect the opinions of this G r a n g e r f a c t i o n s m a y newspaper.)
Govt. admits Guyana's biggest... From page 8 income,” he stated. The government's justification for such a controversial position, according to the Vice President, is that there is a legitimate expectation on the part of the Guyanese people that they should prosper. “Guyana's per capita income is now $6,000. Our people have a legitimate expectation of prosperity too. The United States is 70 odd thousand dollars per capita. The other developed countries are within that range or a little bit lower. So, we have a legitimate expectation to grow the per capita income, and rapidly too. This industry can contribute to that,” he pointed out. In light of various analysts previously saying that Guyana is poised to rake in billions of dollars from development of its vast hydrocarbon resources, Vice President Jagdeo has lamented that “if we freeze all new investments now in the oil and gas sector, particularly in countries like Guyana, there is still a four trillion-dollar industry –that's producing for the global demand. What these activists are doing, is they want to lock this
investment in for the incumbents.” Jagdeo, who leads the nation's energy development, said Guyana will develop its oil industry in an environmentally friendly way with regulations for safe, low-carbon operations. Despite the Government's support for the oil industry, not every Guyanese feels the same way. In May, convinced that ExxonMobil's Stabroek Block operations will lead to the emission of tonnes of greenhouse gases in the billions, two Guyanese filed a landmark case in the Constitutional Court, seeking a declaration that the said operations violate their right to a healthy environment. The two applicants, through their lawyers, asked that a declaration be made by the court to say that the State's duties under Article 149J (1), require that it refrains from authorising activities that would contribute significantly to climate change, ocean acidification and/or sea level rise. The applicants' corroborative research, which was attached to the claim, highlights that billions of tonnes of greenhouse gases
would be emitted into the atmosphere due to offshore petroleum extraction activities. The 22,030,000 tonnes of greenhouse gases from petroleum operations in the Liza Phase 1 Development Project, proposed emissions of 34,545,000 tonnes of greenhouse gases from the Liza Phase 2 Development Project, and the proposed direct emission of 35,720,000 tonnes of greenhouse gases from petroleum operations in the Payara Development Project would make the environment more harmful to the health and wellbeing of citizens and future generations by significantly exacerbating and/or contributing to climate change, ocean acidification, and rising sealevels and as such would amount to a violation of Article 149J (1), according to court papers. Article 149J (1) imposes upon the State two primary obligations: (a) an obligation to respect the environment, which requires the State to refrain from interfering with or causing damage to the environment; and (b) an obligation to protect or guarantee the health of the environment.
Thursday August 19, 2021
Kaieteur News
PAGE 11
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Kaieteur News
Thursday August 19, 2021
Exxon’s contract will not change
…as Jagdeo repeats any new terms, conditions only for other oil blocks
C
onsecutive administrations, since the release of the now heavily criticised Production Sharing Agreement (PSA) inked with ExxonMobil and other operators in Guyana, have been publicly committing to having the document's template revised in order to secure better deals for the country in the future. To t h i s e n d , Vi c e President, Bharrat Jagdeo,
has now committed to having the revised PSA template be made available in as little as six months, one that will be tougher than the one negotiated with the Exxon consortium. Jagdeo gave his views on the sidelines of the ongoing O f f s h o r e Te c h n o l o g y Conference (OTC) 2021, which is underway in Houston, Texas, USA, where he is leading a Guyanese delegation.
According to the Vice President, Guyana's aim is to increase its oil royalties and revamp other contract terms as part of a PSA regime for future crude and gas projects now in its draft stage. “We have made it clear that in any new PSA we negotiate for those blocks, the conditions will be very, very different than the ones from the Stabroek Block,” Jagdeo said, including higher royalties and
Vice President, Bharrat Jagdeo (right), during a special presentation at OTC 2021 on Tuesday. mechanisms for deducting costs from investment. The Vice President during a special presentation on Tuesday last had said “all the deficiencies of this contract will be addressed.” In his conference presentation, Jagdeo pushed back against critics as being, “totally unfair … because the world is going to continue to use fossil fuels in the future,” and Guyana should be allowed to benefit from this demand. ExxonMobil for its part is on record publicly stating that “The terms of the contracts are competitive with other agreements signed in countries at a similar resource development phase. Our work and the support of the Government of Guyana are the basis of a long-term mutually-beneficial relationship that has already created significant value for the people of Guyana. “These resources are being brought on line at a record-pace for the industry, resulting in significant cost savings for the government and its industry partners as multiple developments are being processed,” according to Exxon. According to the Vice President however, the rising oil industry in Guyana will see the implementation of financial and capital discipline; so that the proceeds from the oil producing projects are invested in non-oil economy. “That will give us sustainability in the long run. We will see growth in agriculture, the tourism sector, and overall Guyana's economy expansion.” T h e l o p s i d e d arrangement with regards Guyana's PSA with ExxonMobil and its partners that govern the dealings with spending and recovery and profit sharing from the Stabroek Block, has been heavily criticised by numerous international
experts and watchdog bodies. Only recently the Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis (IEEFA) released a report where it lamented the fact that ExxonMobil and partners initially reap 85 percent of the total take and pointed to the absence of ring fencing provisions and its impact on the country's future earnings. In fact, the IEEFA's Director of Financial Analysis, Tom Sanzillo, in the report notes that with exploration costs being 100 percent recoverable in addition to other categories of spending, it means that the oil company's annual take currently far exceeds the total revenues to be had annually. The remaining unrecovered balance is carried over each year. It is generally assumed that as each year passes, the unrecovered amount is reduced. Sanzillo, in his recent report reviewing Guyana's future earnings from its offshore oil production, laments however that the total recoverable costs are currently far in excess of annual gross revenue from production. A portion of gross revenue goes to retire development costs in addition to paying for operations and profit. Compounding the situation, it was noted by Sanzillo that while the current development costs can be recovered by 2028, the contractor has announced on a fairly regular basis that it has made new discoveries. As such, “how the cost of these discoveries is factored into the overall project accounting is not publicly available, but Guyana will need to approve these costs for reimbursement.” It was noted however, that the actual development plan (continued on page 13)
Kaieteur News
Thursday August 19, 2021
PAGE 13
GMSA collaborates West Dem. Hospital performs with FAO to first facial reconstruction surgery conduct study on elderly patient - aims at pushing Private Sector to achieve SDGs
By Renay Sambach
T
h e W e s t D e m e r a r a R e g i o n a l Hospital recently performed its first maxillofacial or face reconstruction surgery on Raymon Abdool, a 73-yearold man. The surgery was performed by Dr. Belkis Toledo Borbolla with the assistance of the anesthesia team from the hospital's theatre. Kaieteur News was reliably informed that Abdool's left orbital floor was damaged as a result of the aging of his disk herniation (a herniated disk refers to a problem with one of the rubbery cushions (disks) that sit between the individual bones (vertebrae) that stack to make your spine). This is related to wear and tear which is c a l l e d d i s k degeneration. It was further stated that as people get older, the disk becomes less flexible which makes it more prone to tearing or rupturing with even a minor strain or twist – this causes the orbital floor to be fractured which is similar to Abdool's case and as a result,
A
Dr. Borbolla [first right], Raymon Abdool [second right] and the anesthesia team at the West Demerara Regional Hospital theatre.
An x-ray of Raymon Abdool's injuries
he needed to undergo surgery. The hospital reported that due to the exceptional teamwork at the regional hospital, the surgery was a success. It was further stated that “the surgery was done to reduce and reconstruct
Boat captain remanded for allegedly killing missing fisherman
A
35-year-old boat captain was on T u e s d a y remanded to prison for the alleged killing of Shaheed Mohamed, the fisherman who was found floating in the Aruka River located at Kumaka Front, Region One, last Thursday. Making his first court appearance was Damian Ming of Canal Bank, Port Kaituma, who was arraigned at the Mabaruma Magistrate's Court via Zoom before Senior Magistrate, Sunil Scarce. Ming was not required to plea to the charge which states that between August 9 and August 10, last, at K u m a k a Wa t e r F r o n t , Mabaruma, Region One, he m u r d e r e d 3 4 - y e a r- o l d Mohamed, formerly of Sheet Anchor, East Canje, Berbice. Mohamed's body was last Thursday morning discovered floating in the Aruka River just two days after he was reported missing to the police.
Remanded to prison, Damian Ming Senior Magistrate Scarce after remanding Ming adjourned the matter for November 15, 2021, for the commencement of a Preliminary Inquiry (PI) in the case. When news broke about Mohamed's death, five persons including three of his
crewmates were detained for questioning. It was reported that around 08:00hrs. last Thursday, his body was retrieved and was positively identified by the boat captain, Edwin O'Neil, and other crewmembers. According to police report, upon examination of the body, what appeared to be marks of violence were seen on Mohamed's right eye and on the right side of his neck. The report further states that the fisherman was reported missing on August 10 by the boat captain who told investigators that he last saw Mohamed two nights earlier (August 8) in the company of two Venezuelan women. A police investigation led to the arrest of the two women along with three of Mohamed's crewmates. However based on the findings of the investigation, Ming was arrested and charged for the man's death.
Abdool's orbital floor which was a fracture with the herniation or extraconal fat into the left maxillary sinus and rupture to the interior rectus muscle – the aforementioned was done and it was a satisfactory evolution for the patient.” Maxillofacial surgeons are trained to handle a wide variety of conditions and injuries that affect the head, neck, jaw, mouth, and face. Some surgeries a m a x i l l o f a c i a l s u rg e o n performs are: impacted wisdom teeth, misaligned jaws, oral reconstructive surgery, cancers of the head and neck, and dental implants. Those surgeons perform surgeries to correct problems or make cosmetic changes, and the surgeries are (continued on page 18)
s the COVID-19 p a n d e m i c continues to impact food and nutrition security globally, there are major recessions and disruptions in the food value chains. The Food and Agriculture Organization's (FAO) vision for nutrition continues to be enabling healthy diets for all from a sustainable, inclusive, and resilient agri-food system. In response to aiding in the current recovery strategies for the agriculture and food sectors, the Guyana Manufacturing and Services Association (GMSA), on August 13, 2021, officially signed a Letter of Agreement valued at G$3.3 million with the FAO to conduct a study on “Strengthening Strategic Engagement with the Private Sector in Guyana towards achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).” This is detailed in a release the GMSA issued yesterday. According to the release, the study, in support of the FAO's Strategy for Private Sector Engagement (2021-2025) initiative, is expected to commence on August 16, 2021, with an anticipated duration of four months. The initiative, it continued, acknowledges the importance of engaging and mobilising the capacities and resources of the private sector, specifically those that play a critical role in food systems transformation, measurable sustainable impact, ultimately contributing to the Sustainable Development
Goals (SDGs). Through a consultative process facilitated and managed by the GMSA, the release noted, the key stakeholders from various business support organisations within Guyana will have the opportunity to collaborate closely to form strategic partnerships, improve collective multistakeholder efforts, and bring regional, sub-regional, and country-owned and led innovative solutions through the development of a Private Sector Engagement Plan. It added that consultation will commence with the preparation of a comprehensive work plan, outlining the resource mobilisation strategy to be implemented in completing the study. Some of the key objectives and requirements of the study were outlined. They are: identifying potential private sector partners and entry-points for partnership and collaborative initiative between FAO and private sector entities in Guyana, according to country priorities; identifying key private sector entities for engagement in channelling and delivering the countryspecific priorities; introducing and promoting the use of the CONNECT Portal and gain feedback for improvement, while utilising and inputting data in the Portal as a tool for facilitating private sector engagements. Upon completion of the (continued on page 14)
Exxon’s contract will not change From page 12 for the Stabroek Block is to make more investments, “in fact, additional costs are already being incurred for more exploration.” To th is en d, S anzillo observed, “these additional development costs will be added to the total development costs and push back the date when the country will receive payments in the $6 billion per year range.” According to Sanzillo, robust annual revenue payments to Guyana will be delayed as additional development costs are added
to the cumulative unrecovered balance and that “the actual number of years until Guyana receives more
robust profit oil payments is uncertain. For Guyana, actual total development costs are unknown.”
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Thursday August 19, 2021
Kaieteur News
Guyana, Suriname discuss possibility of gas strategy As effects of Climate Change intensify…
E
ven though the International Energy Agency (IEA) and the United Nations have urged world leaders to hasten steps towards renewable energy given the intensifying effects of climate change, two CARICOM countries are discussing the possibility of a gas strategy. Yesterday, Guyana's President, Dr. Irfaan Ali, and Suriname's Head of State, Chandrikapersad Santokhi, continued bilateral discussions at the Arthur Chung Conference Centre (ACCC) with a high-level delegation from both nations present for the plenary session. Prior to that engagement, the two Presidents met with their respective Ministers of Foreign Affairs to advance discussions in several areas encompassing a number of sectors. It was during that discussion that talks of new areas of collaboration were discussed, including the environment, the oil and gas sector and the likelihood of establishing a common gas strategy for Guyana and Suriname. “As you are aware, both parties here have similarities and have similar challenges and opportunities in relation to the environment. Both of us also have to manage an
emerging oil and gas sector in the context of our credentials on the environment and climate changes so that is a new area that we have added,” President Ali explained. The two Presidents also discussed local content and the legislation governing same, among other matters. President Ali noted that the objective of the enhanced collaboration between the two nations is geared towards improving the lives of the countries' citizens through social and economic benefits. “We are not on a timewasting exercise,” President Ali noted, adding “we are going to make decisions today for a better tomorrow, and we are going to advance at a very rapid pace from today in relation to all the commitments and decisions that we will take.” Meanwhile, President Santokhi expressed his appreciation for the warm welcome extended to him and his delegation. He acknowledged that the engagement allows for the advancement of important discussions between the two countries. The Surinamese delegation included Minister of Foreign Affairs, International Business and International Cooperation (BIBIS), Ambassador Albert
Suriname's President, Chandrikapersad Santokhi
President, Dr. Irfaan Ali
(IPCC) which speaks to the devastating effects of human activity on the earth. Guterres said his word of caution against further oil and gas development must be heeded since the internationally agreed threshold of 1.5 degrees Celsius is “perilously close.” He had said, “We are at imminent risk of hitting 1.5 degrees in the near term. The only way to prevent exceeding this threshold is by urgently stepping up our efforts, and pursuing the most ambitious path…We are already at 1.2 degrees and rising.” ABOUT IPCC & ITS REPORT
R. Ramdin; Minister of Natural Resources, David Abiamofo; Minister of Agriculture, Animal and Husbandry and Fisheries, Parmanand Sewdien; Minister of Public Works, Raid Nurmohamed; Minister of Transport, Communication and To u r i s m , A l b e r t E . Jubithana; Managing Director of the State Oil Company Suriname and Advisor to the Government of Suriname, Annand K.R. Jagesar. Guyana's delegation at the plenary session included Senior Finance Minister, Dr. Ashni Singh; Minister of Health and Minister of
Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation (Ag), Dr. Frank Anthony; Minister of Home Affairs, Robeson Benn; Minister of Agriculture, Zulfikar Mustapha; Minister of Public Works, Juan Edghill; M i n i s t e r o f To u r i s m , Industry and Commerce, Oneidge Walrond; Foreign Secretary, Robert Persaud; Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Mrs. Elisabeth Harper; Guyana's resident Ambassador to Suriname, Mr. Keith George, and representatives from the Office of the President. GRAVE DANGER It was only a week ago that Kaieteur News published an article noting a call by the United Nations Secretary General, Antonio Guterres, for there to be a swift shift to renewable energy. His call came on the heels of a damning report by the Inter-governmental Panel on Climate Change
The IPCC was created in 1988 by the United Nations Environment Programme (UN Environment) and the Wo r l d M e t e o r o l o g i c a l Organization (WMO) to provide policymakers with regular scientific assessments on climate change, its implications and potential future risks, as well as to put forward adaptation and mitigation options. Through its assessments, the IPCC determines the state of knowledge on climate change. It identifies where there is agreement in the scientific community on topics related to climate change, and where further research is needed. The reports are drafted and reviewed in several stages, thus guaranteeing objectivity and transparency. The IPCC is now in its sixth assessment cycle. The first report from this process is called Climate Change 2021: The Physical Science Basis. It was released this week. The report addresses the most up-to-date physical understanding of the climate system and climate change, bringing together the latest advances in climate science, and combining multiple
lines of evidence from paleoclimate, observations, process understanding, and global and regional climate simulations. A total of 234 scientists from 66 countries are behind the first chapter of the IPCC's sixth assessment report. Also, over 14,000 scientific papers are referenced in the report. Some of the key findings of the report are as follows: Keeping to 1.5 Degrees Celsius will require “immediate, rapid and largescale reductions” in emissions while slower action leads to a temperature of 2 Degrees Celsius and more suffering for all life on Earth. Drought is increasing in more than 90 percent of regions across the world. The past five years have been the hottest on record since 1850. The recent rate of sealevel rise has nearly tripled compared with 1901-1971. Extreme sea-level events that occurred once a century are projected to occur at least annually. Under all the emissions scenarios considered, all targets for reductions will be broken this century unless huge cuts in carbon emissions take place. 2,400 billion tonnes of Carbon Dioxide (CO2) have been emitted by humanity since 1850. The world can afford to only leak another 400 billion tonnes to have a 66 percent chance of keeping to 1.5 Degrees Celsius. Many changes due to past and future greenhouse gas emissions are irreversible for centuries to millennia, especially changes in the ocean, ice sheets and global sea level. Under scenarios with increasing CO2 emissions, the ocean and land carbon sinks are projected to be less effective at slowing the accumulation of CO2 in the atmosphere.
GMSA collaborates... From page 13 study, the FAO's, Resource Mobilization and Private Sector Partnerships Division (PSR) will oversee the implementation of the strategy organisation wide to capitalise on the opportunities at the country level. As a strategic
development partner, the GMSA noted that it is committed to working with the FAO to create influential local representation, as the entities collaborate to achieve transformational change and innovation, including sustainable and measurable impacts and benefits to Guyana.
Thursday August 19, 2021
Kaieteur News
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Caribbean Cinemas at Giftland Mall reopens today H aving fully complied with the guidelines and recommendations mandated by government, Caribbean Cinemas at Giftland Mall is set to reopen its doors today. According to a Caribbean Cinemas release, cinemas will operate with 40 percent capacity to create social distancing by leaving seats and empty rows between parties. Also, it noted, “proof of vaccination and identification card are required from all guests, excluding pregnant women and children under the age of 18.” Cinemas in Guyana were asked to maintain the restriction on selling food, but the company is hopeful that “patrons could soon
enjoy once again their favorite movie snacks that complete the cinematic
solidifying its place as Hollywood's biggest theatrical hit of the pandemic
animated adventure film for the whole family. “Ava,” “Till Death” and “Great
of vaccination and “ Proof identification card are required from all guests, excluding pregnant women and children under the age of 18.
”
experience.” As part of the reopening schedule, Caribbean Cinemas confirms the release of: “F9,” the ninth installment in the actionpacked “Fast and Furious” franchise which has surpassed US$500 million in global ticket sales,
era; “Wonder Woman 1984” with Gal Gadot reprising the role of Princess Diana; “Hitman's Wife's Bodyguard,” the action comedy starring Salma Hayek, Ryan Reynolds and Samuel L. Jackson and “Peter Rabbit 2: The Runway,” the computer-
White” are also on the schedule. According to the release
too, health and safety protocols will be observed for all visitors and employees at the cinema. With this new normal and to minimise contact areas inside the theater, patrons will have the option to purchase tickets online. Additional cleaning time between shows will be added and will include seats and cupholders disinfection, as well as railings. By the end of the movie, patrons will leave the auditorium in row order, as instructed by usher. In the concession area, once
it reopens, it will be compulsory for employees to use gloves, and protective gear. According to Caribbean Cinemas, its employees are “happy to be back and looking forward to welcoming their loyal patrons” from Monday to Friday with shows from 5:00pm and Saturday and Sunday with shows from 2:00pm. For more information about upcoming r e l e a s e s , v i s i t www.caribbeancinemas.co m.
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Kaieteur News
Thursday August 19, 2021
Services upheld for most customers during Tropical Storm Grace, says Flow
SERVICES
WANTED
Visa Application: U.S.A, Canada & UK; Graphics design, advertisements, Wedding arch rentals. Tel: 626-7040
Counter attendants. apply @ Shatas’s, 225 Camp & New market st.
Houseplan drawing and estimates.K.Lakeram Building Contractor.Call:2160671/692-8464 or whatsapp 622-0267.
Chowmein machine operator/steamer.Apply in person R.P Enterprise area 'k' L e R e s s o u v e n i r E.C.D.Call:220-2818/3710. Boy and girl to work in factory.Applyin person.R.P E n t e r p r i s e a r e a 'k'LeRessouvenir E.C.D.Call:220-2818/3710. S e a m s t r e s , Ta i l o r w a n t e d . Te l l : 6 9 1 - 1 9 1 8 whatsapp.
FOR SALE Pure breed german shepherd pups,11 wks old.Price $100,000.Call:615-6589/6500347. 16x6Truck,1 Freightliner,1 Sylphy,1 Hilux LN 172,1 JCB loader.Tel:673-4002/ 665-3676.
VACANCY C l e a n e r, m a i n t e n a n c e worker,labours to work with P.S.G.C.S.Call:621-6969 or 615-7784,7-4pm.
FOR RENT Vr e e d - e n - h o o p junction.Place for hair salon, pedicure, manicure ,other.Call:603-6400.$15,000 per month.
One general domestic.Must able to cook vegetarian meal.Apply at Alabama Trading,65 Robb street Bourda. Vacancy for a domestic maid.Call:637-6700. Porter and Welder/ Serviceman.Applicants m u s t b e experienced.Call:231-2250.
Unfurnish 3 bedroom upstairs & 3 bedroom downstairs house.New Road Vreed-en-hoop.Call:6433170 or 688-4604.
One female cashier & one malewelder/fabricator@Del ice Co.Call:642-9191/2311408,8am-1pm.
Furnish & unfurnish apt 1 bedroom,2 bedroom,3 bedroom.Diamond,Providence & H e r s t e l l i n g E.B.D.Call:682-6238.
Auto Electrical apprentice age 19-25 yrs.Apply in person, Lot 120 Forth Street Albertown G/Town or call 610-0340. Kitchen help/assistant, must live in town. Must have experience. Location: Duncan St. Call Cathy: 6778906.
WANTED Puri Roti Cooks.Apply @Shanta's,225 Camp & New Market Streets. Experience welders between ages 30-45.MechanicDoosan & Excavator operator.Tel:223-5273/74. Taxi driver & dispatcher at Princess taxi.Located at RamadaPrincess Hotel.Tel:616-5419,2657075,265-7076.
S&S security service having vacancy for security officers.Contact urgently:691-6081/226-8645.
KINGSTON, Jamaica — Communications and entertainment company, Flow Jamaica, is reporting that services were maintained for majority of their customers during the passage of Tropical Storm Grace as its ongoing assessment confirms that its network adequately weathered the storm. “The reports so far have indicated some service dis-
ruptions across the island, primarily due to the loss of commercial power and in a few instances, downed poles and broken cables. Collectively, this represents five per cent of our customer base. Since the passage of the storm, our focus has been on restoring services to our impacted customers. We want to caution, however, that there are some delays in our
service restoration process as we await the restoration of commercial power to some areas,” shared Kayon Mitchell, communications director at Flow Jamaica. . Flow reopened its retail stores yesterday morning and has been reminding the public to exercise extreme caution around cables which may have loosened from poles or shifted out of position.
Kayon Mitchell “Once the cable is unbroken, service will remain uninterrupted. We are therefore appealing to members of the public not to cut or otherwise damage these cables. Instead, please report such occurrences to our team via 1800-804-2994 and we will dispatch our technical teams to conduct repairs as soon as it is safe to do so,” Mitchell added. The company is also asking its customers to exercise patience at this time as its teams work to restore services as quickly as possible.
OPR Head urges citizens to report... From page 2 Omale Damon, was remanded to prison when he appeared in the Georgetown Magistrates' Courts before Chief Magistrate, Ann McLennan. It was reported that Damon was caught in a sting operation collecting money from a suspect's relative, but at that time he had already allegedly swindled $400,000 from the woman, claiming that he could get her relative released from police custody. The defendant was slapped with three counts of corrupt transactions. He pleaded not guilty to all three charges and was remanded to prison. According to reports, in March, 2021, Damon allegedly collected a total of $400,000 for the release of a person in custody for the possession of firearm. He was also charged for collecting $80,000 for the release of the motor vehicle the suspect was driving. It was reported that shortly after receiving the first $200,000 the defendant requested another $200,000 which was given to him after he told the woman that the other officers involved wanted more money. The woman later requested that Damon release the motor vehicle the suspect was driving when he was arrested for the illegal possession of firearm, and in return the defendant requested another $200,000. However, the woman informed him that she did not have any money and she later sought help from the girlfriend of the person that was in custody. The girlfriend then reported the matter to the police and a sting operation was carried out. This led to Damon being caught in the act receiving $80,000 from the girlfriend – the $80,000 was later recovered.
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Kaieteur News
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Thursday August 19, 2021
Kaieteur News
CIOG saves woman Pensioner crashes car while heading to hospital from a second for medical checkup time in jail - pays off child support debt The Central Islamic Organization of Guyana (CIOG) has helped to save a struggling mother of six from going to jail a second time for her child support debt. The woman, Bibi Ally, was sent to jail for one month after she failed to cancel an accumulated child support debt of $516,000. She was released from prison on Thursday July 29, 2021. Fearful of being sent back to jail, Ally started looking for a job and had even moved to plead for assistance from the Minister of Human Services, Dr. Vindhya Persaud, and the public at large in finding one. Learning of her plight through a Kaieteur News article, CIOG decided to lend a helping hand. Speaking with this newspaper yesterday, CIOG’s General Manager, Shameena Haniff, related that her organisation decided to pay off Ally’s $516,000 child support debt in full. The payment on Ally’s behalf was made through the court on Wednesday. Ally has since expressed that she is grateful for the assistance and has stated that she can now breathe a sigh of relief. Despite breathing a sigh of relief, Ally is still trying to
find a job because she will have to continue paying her monthly child support fee. A representative of the Guyana Police Force (GPF) explained that the amount canceled yesterday is an accumulated sum that was owed by Ally. The woman, the representative explained, will have to continue paying the monthly child support fee that the court had ordered her to pay. She will be required to continue to pay until her children (the youngest being 9 and the eldest being 14) turn 18 or until the court orders otherwise. The mother of six was forced to pay child support after she decided to end a relationship with her husband some five years ago. Ally had claimed that she had made the decision after enduring years of abuse. The relationship she had shared with the man produced five children, three boys and two girls. When she decided to break free, she left with her daughters and opted to leave the boys with their father. Not long after their separation she got involved with another person and hoped to make a fresh start at having a happy nuclear family. According to the woman, her ex-husband somehow
found out about her new relationship. After the man learnt that she had moved on in life he decided to take her to court to pay child support for her sons. Ally said that she had begged the man not to move forward in that regard as she did not have a job at the time. Nevertheless, he went ahead and filed a summons against her and she was subsequently ordered to pay up. Ally further noted that she had become pregnant and was unable to work and the child support owed started to accumulate because she was not making payments. After giving birth, she said that she had encountered difficulties in finding a job. Despite trying circumstances, the woman related that her vengeful ex-husband still pursued the matter and she was hauled before the Cove and John Magistrate’s Court three times to explain her failure to pay. At each court appearance she had explained to the magistrate that she was not finding a job and did not have money to pay. Ally had said she even begged the court to assist her in finding a job but she received no assistance and was eventually sent to jail for one month.
The scene of the accident. A 61-year-old pensioner was on Tuesday morning killed after the car he was driving was involved in an accident along the Stanleytown access road, West Bank Demerara (WBD). The deceased, Tribohan Sobah, was a resident of Lot 676 Belle West Housing Scheme, Canal No. 2 Polder, West Bank Demerara. According to a police report, the tragedy took place at around 06:30hrs. At the time, police revealed that Sobah was driving a Toyota Corona model vehicle at a fast rate along the northern side of the Stanleytown access road. It is alleged that the accident occurred when Sobah attempted to overtake a canter that was being driven by 43-year-old Kelvin Pilgrim, of Lot ‘C’ Lookout, Parika, East Bank Essequibo (EBE). According to eyewitness, the canter was in the middle of the road moving at a slow rate and at that time Sobah was travelling at a fast rate. It is alleged that the pensioner lost control of his vehicle and as a result it collided with the right front side of the canter which was travelling in the opposite direction. Sobah’s nephew, Rajram Persaud, said that his uncle was a truck driver for over 20 years and had over 40 years of driving experience. According to Persaud, Sobah had left his residence at 06:30hrs. for a 08:00hrs. appointment for a medical checkup at the Woodlands
Dead, Tribohan Sobah. Hospital. The nephew stated that he was at home when he received a call from a family friend informing him of his uncle’s involvement in a tragic car crash. Persaud said that by the time he ventured to the roadway to identify his uncle, persons had already rushed him to the West Demerara Regional Hospital where he was pronounced dead. Sobah was described as a hardworking, religious person. His body is presently at the Ezekiel Funeral Parlour awaiting a post mortem examination.
West Dem. Hospital performs... From page 13 generally outpatient procedures. Kaieteur News was informed that Dr. Borbolla is new at the hospital and is offering her expert services there. Moreover, with the success of the first maxillofacial surgery at the hospital, officials there have expressed their appreciation to the entire anesthesia team and the hospital's director for their collaboration with Dr. Borbolla. An official at the hospital
stated, “we believe that it is a great step forward in this Region (Three) and specialised service for the care of trauma, tumours, facial deformities as well as injuries inside the mouth.” Additionally, in an effort to give oral and facial health services to the population in
Region Three, the hospital has already performed several outpatient surgeries such as wisdom tooth and oral sinus communication closure.
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Former Afghan women’s captain tells players to burn kits, delete photos Khalida Popal, the former captain of Afghanistan’s women’s national soccer team, speaks in an interview from Copenhagen, Denmark, August 18, 2021. (REUTERS/ Reuters TV)
(Reuters) - The former captain of the Afghan women’s soccer team has urged players to delete social media, erase public identities and burn their kits for safety’s sake now that the country is again under Taliban rule. Copenhagen-based Khalida Popal told Reuters in a video interview yesterday that the militants had killed, raped and stoned women in the past and female footballers were scared of what the future might hold. The co-founder of the Afghan women’s football league said she had always used her voice to encourage young women “to stand strong, to
Thursday August 19, 2021 ARIES (Mar. 21–Apr. 19) You have a generous spirit, Aries. And today you're feeling particularly altruistic. Finally, you have a chance to help your fellow man in a very real, direct way.
LIBRA (Sept. 23–Oct. 22) You're sensitive, Libra, and impressionable. You may not appreciate the intense atmosphere building, but it may be just what you need to get motivated.
TAURUS(Apr.20–May20) This may be an intense day, Taurus, especially if you follow your instincts and say what needs to be said to loved ones. There may be some unresolved issues at home.
SCORPIO (Oct. 23–Nov. 21) It's one thing to stick to your guns, another altogether to do so without considering the views of others. People may resent this stubbornness, Scorpio.
GEMINI (May 21–June 20) This is just the kind of day you like, Gemini - intense and supercharged, just like you! It seems there's a deadline coming up, or a time-sensitive project. CANCER (June 21–July 22) You're an organized, disciplined person, Cancer. No one who knows you would disagree. But there are times when you need to loosen up a bit, and this is just such a time. LEO (July 23–Aug. 22) Leo, today you may have to make some important decisions. You're demanding of your friends and loved ones. Have you ever thought about why? VIRGO (Aug. 23–Sept. 22) You may be thinking about everything you need to do to improve your work situation. You've made your demands clear, but no one seems to be paying attention. Maybe you've approached the wrong.
SAGIT(Nov.22–Dec.21) Today you may be confronted with one of the harsher aspects of your personality, Sagittarius. It can be a bit of a shock when such a thing happens. CAPRI (Dec. 22–Jan. 19) Today you won't feel quite like your usual upbeat self, Capricorn. There's nothing to be concerned about. It's just that you have a lot to do and can't help but be focused on it. AQUARIUS(Jan.20–Feb.18) You're feeling altruistic today, Aquarius. You're eager to do what you can for others. You can now put into action all those lofty visions of volunteering for a worthy cause. It's time to do some real work. PISCES (Feb. 19–Mar. 20) Children are highlighted today, Pisces, either yours or someone else's. You could be in one of the healing professions. If you're a nurse or doctor, you may have the opportunity.
be bold, to be visible” but now she had a different message. “Today I’m calling them and telling them, take down their names, remove their identities, take down their photos for their safety. Even I’m telling them to burn down or get rid of your national team uniform,” she said. “And that is painful for me, for someone as an activist who stood up and did everything possible to achieve and earn that identity as a women’s national team player. “To earn that badge on the chest, to have the right to play and represent our country, how much we were proud.
”During their 1996-2001 rule, guided by Islamic law, the Taliban stopped women from working. Girls were not allowed to go to school and women had to wear burqas to go out, and then only when accompanied by a male relative. Those who broke the rules sometimes suffered humiliation and public beatings by the Taliban’s religious police. The Taliban have said they will respect the rights of women within the framework of Islamic law. Popal said soccer had enabled women to take a strong stand for their rights, and to
defy those who would have them silenced. “They are so afraid. They are worried, they are scared, not only the players, but also the activists... they have nobody to go to, to seek protection, to ask for help if they are in danger,” she said of the situation now. “They are afraid that any time the door will be knocked. “What we are seeing is a country collapsing,” she added. “All the pride, happiness to be there to empower women and men of the country is like it was just wasted.” A spokesperson for FIFA said the world soccer body shared “concern and sympathy with all those affected by the evolving situation. “We are in contact with the Afghanistan Football Federation, and other stakeholders, and will continue to monitor the local situation and to offer our support in the weeks and months to come.”
Allen, Benn among standouts at GGA... From page 25 Guyanese golfers, who along with staunch corporate sponsors such as Assuria General Insurance; Copa Airlines; Blue Life Waters; Trophy Stall; Ansa Mcal; Toolsie Persaud Ltd; Kanuku Suite & Apartments; Ramchand Auto; Kanuku Tours; Angel Seafood Restaurant & Bar; Sunshine Snacks; Ram & Mcrae; Puran Brothers; Panko Steel Construction; H. Nauth & Sons; DanCo Inc.; AR Printery; Bissessar Shipping Company; CS World Cargo & Logistics; Sterling Products; PasCargo; New Trend Auto; Maraiko Bay Resorts; the Knight family; and NexGen Global Group, who were the reason for the success of this and other efforts to develop golf in Guyana. Hussain emphasized that without the help from Head Coach Dr. Joaan Deo, Coaches Miguel and Colin Wong, Margo, Vishal, Mr. & Ms. Carter, General Manager Philip Haynes; Niketa; Steve; Al Wilson; and Captain Chen Deo who helped to design the training programme and worked with the Academy during the past year, this Camp could not have been a success. “When one looks back at the development of Golf in Guyana, these are the names of the persons and companies that must be remembered.”
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Thursday August 19, 2021
18th IPF/NAPF/Pan American Regional Powerlifting C/ships
Lifts off today, Manager confident of success; as Taharally and Brisport go into action Nadina Taharally entering the arena yesterday ahead of the opening ceremony. (Franklin Wilson photo)
Team Guyana at yesterday’s opening ceremony. (Franklin Wilson photo) By Franklin Wilson in Orlando, Florida compliments of Pele Alumni, Fitness Express and the Trophy Stall
M
anager of the Guyana A m a t e u r Powerlifting team attending the 18th Annual NAPF/FESUPO Pan-American Regional Powerlifting Championships here in Orlando, Florida, Kerma Singh is confident that his charges will all do well. Competition will lift off today
with two of the athletes in action, the lone female on the team, Nadina Taharally given the opportunity to set the tone for the rest of her colleagues when she competes in the 76kg class (Classic/Raw) Masters 1 competition. We i g h - i n c o m m e n c e s a t 07:00hrs with the first lift of the day to start two hours later. Franklyn Brisport-Luke will be next in line in the afternoon session when he battles in the Masters 2, 66kg Classic competition. Brisport will be in action again on Saturday in
the Equipped (Suited) competition. Over 150 athletes, some of the best in the world from fifteen (15) nations will be in action over the next three (3) days and it is anticipated that a number of records will be set. Following yesterday afternoon’s very brief opening ceremony which lasted less than 15 minutes, Manager of the Guyana Team Kerma Singh who joined the team yesterday morning along with his father, Naranjan Singh (USA b a s e d ) , G u y a n a ’s o l d e s t
competitive powerlifter at age 77, the younger Singh who has been around the sport for over 30 years, said that he is very confident his charges would excel. “I expect great things from them all, I know that they have all been training hard despite the many challenges that have come their way due to the ongoing pandemic. This is not the first time I am performing duty as a Manager so I know that pedigree of these athletes and what they can do.
The two debutants, Wazim Mohamed and Roger Rogers I expect to give very good accounts of themselves also. So all in all, Guyana can look forward to some very good performances from their athletes and we look forward to many medals.” Singh said that he is always happy to serve his nation in any capacity that is requested of him and is looking forward to another good sojourn and continued service to the GAPLF and Guyana.
Essequibo Cricket Board... From page 23 England which eventually did not come off.” Sheldon also represented Guyana twice at the Under 17 level, being the MVP during the second year with the most runs and most wickets in the tournament. Cricket West Indies Inc was so impressed with Sheldon Charles that in 2019 they sent personnel to Guyana to look at him. “The GCB is perpetuating the same crime that they are accusing the WICB of that is, ignoring our talented players. Even if he was forgotten when the initial four players were submitted to the CWI Inc he
should have been drafted in when the request to submit an additional four players was granted,” the release stated. “Our member on the Selection Committee made representation but he was out-voted by the other selectors. And to add insult to injury, a member of the GCB recently called Sheldon and sympathized with him, but we deem that not as sympathy but condolence because they are killing the youngster’s career. We hope that all the cricket knowledgeables are watching and taking note as we expect more of the same and even worse to come from this GCB.”
Thursday August 19, 2021
Kaieteur News
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The Unforgiven, by Ashkey Gray is available
‘
The Unforgiven’, by Australian writer A s h k e y G r a y, i s a n interesting and informative book which covers the two West Indies rebel tours of South Africa at a time when that nation was banned from international cricket due to the apartheid system. It is an insightful record of a time when West Indies had just began a period invincibility in test cricket. In an era described as the ‘glory years’ in which they did not lose a single test series in 15 years (19801995), it was difficult to break in to the West Indies team. So for many of the fringe players, the opportunity to earn a handsome payday - in the region of US$100,000 each - was enough to lure them to ‘sell out’ their black and coloured brothers and sisters in the Caribbean. The author, Sydneybased Ashley Gray, travelled
all over the West Indies to meet the rebels - now in their 60s and 70s- and find out their motives for touring the pariah republic. For Guyanese players like Faoud Bacchus, who was struggling to cement his place in the team after West Indies’ shock defeat to India in the 1983 world Cup final and Surrey batsman Monte Lynch it was an offer that was hard to resist.However, fellow Guyanese Alvin Kallicharran and Colin Croft were senior members of the West Indies team. Kallicharran was disgruntled at not being retained as captain when Clive Lloyd’s team returned from the controversial Kerry Packer series after he had led a young West Indies team to India. Croft wanted to become a commercial pilot and took the opportunity to finance his studies in that career. I recommend this book,
Ashkey Gray
which has historical value especially for the young West Indians fans and is an enlightening and educational read for every cricket fan.
Should the rebels have taken the money or stuck to their principles? Did they have the right as professional cricketers to earn money anywhere in the world? These are the questions
The front cover of the book ‘The Unforgiven’ by Australian writer Ashkey Gray. that will linger with the reader long after he has turned the last page. The Unforgiven, by A s h k e y G r a y, P i t c h
NSC will support swimming prodigy Aleka Persaud 'Not the finished product' - young Windies fast bowler Seales vows to keep improving game
The National Sports Commission (NSC) has thrown its support behind young Olympic swimmer, Aleka Persaud, who has her sights set on qualifying for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. The 15-year-old swimmer became the country's youngest-ever Olympian, when she qualified and competed at the games of the 32nd Olympiad in Tokyo, Japan just this month. Persaud didn't just participate at the Games; her time of 27.76 seconds in the Women's 50 metres freestyle was also a National record. She finished second in her heat. Her time wasn't fast enough to see her through the semi-finals in Tokyo, but the young Guyanese lass displayed signs that with the right support, she can compete on the international stage. Following her return home, Persaud, along with her Coach Sean Baksh, spoke about the support needed to advance the swimmer's career and the hope of matching or even besting the best in the world.
Those calls were heard and Persaud met with Director of Sport, Steve Ninvalle, and NSC Chairman Kashif Muhammad, in the company of her coach and president of the Guyana Amateur Swimming Association (GASA), Dwayne Scott. “We understand that she's maybe the best that came out of Guyana for some time, and we would want to make sure that this is not a 'one stop' whereby we support, but that we continue to support her over the years towards the 2024 Olympics,” Ninvalle said. Coming out of the meeting, Ninvalle disclosed that the NSC will start with Persaud's preparation for the Junior Pan Am games in Cali, Colombia later this year. The Director of Sport pointed out that a detailed plan was presented to the NSC, where a commitment was made that will see the Commission investing in Persaud's future. Ninvalle highlighted that “yes, we would want other athletes to come forward if we have a proposal that we
can study, the NSC will do that and where we find justified, then we would make sure that the support is forthcoming.” “We have just started, there's a lot more work for us to do, but we want to make sure that whatever we do, we can justify why we have been supporting. It is not by one person. We have a team of people working; we're pooling our ideas and we're also listening to the Associations,” Ninvalle said. The Director of Sport, known for his proactively in the amateur boxing arena both local, regional and internationally, pledged to bring that impetus and full forward thrust into his new role at the NSC, calling for a concerted approach with the associations to propel sport to the next level and beyond. “We're moving forward and we will encourage each and every association to have a discussion with us. It doesn't mean that we will have to reach out to each and every Association. The Association can reach out to us too; it must be a 50-50 way,” stated Ninvalle.
SportsMax - Talented up and coming West Indies fast bowler Jayden Seales has vowed to continue focusing on development as he does not believe himself to be the finished product.Seales played a leading role in the team's one wicket over Pakistan earlier this week, in the process of securing his firstever five-wicket haul. In the process, he also made history by becoming the youngest West Indies bowler to achieve the feat at 19 years and 336 days. With many already predicting a big future for the young player, however, Seales himself believes it is important to keep both feet firmly planted on the ground. Over the last few years, several young fast bowlers have threatened to make the breakthrough for the
Publishing, available from: https://www.amazon.com/U nforgiven-MissionariesMercenaries-CricketersApartheid/dp/1785315323.
Jayden Seales
Caribbean team but have seen their development stalled at various points. “It's just for me to stay in the moment. I will ride the fame and everything, but for me, it's about continuing to work on my game. I'm not where I want it to be. I'm not the finished product. I know I can be better,” Seales told members of the media on Tuesday. “It's just for me to work on my game a little more, build on the things I want to improve on, build from there and eventually become better.” In three matches so far Seales has claimed a total of 13 wickets. The second match of the two-Test series will begin on Friday at Jamaica's Sabina Park.
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Akesh (a part of the committee) presents the bag to Lakeram Singh
Thursday August 19, 2021
GMR&SC & MoH to host vaccination drive this Saturday at GT MotorSports
The Guyana Motor Racing and Sports Club and the Ministry of Health will host a vaccination drive on Saturday.
Rose Hall CC young players latest to benefit from ‘cricket gear for young players’ Rose Hall Community Center Under 13 and 15 player, Lakeram Singh, is the recipient of a junior cricket gear bag from “Cricket gear for young and promising cricketers in Guyana” project. The promising 12year-old cricketer, who is a leg spinning all-rounder, was selected by his club to benefit from this initiative. Items collected so far: cash for first aid kit, two cricket boots, twelve pairs of batting pads, eleven bats, nine pairs of batting gloves and four gear bags. Youths and clubs from the Essequibo Coast and Pameroon have already benefited from six pairs of batting pads, four pairs of batting gloves and seven bats. This project is a joint initiative by Kishan Das of the USA and Anil Beharry. Cricket related items, used or new, will be distributed free of cost to young and promising cricketers in Guyana. Skills, discipline and education are important characteristics of the recipients. Talent spotting will be done across the country and club leaders will also assist to identify talent. Persons who wish to make a contribution can contact Beharry or Kishan. We a l s o t a k e t h i s opportunity to say thanks to Javed and Imran of West Indian Sports Complex, Option Group of USA, Bish Panday of P and P Insurance
Brokers, Sean Devers, Hilbert Foster, Travis Simon, Årïêl J. Tïlkú, Aaron Beharry, Leanna Bachan and Imran Saccoor, Devon Ramnauth, Teddy Singh, Romesh Munna, Vishal Mohabir and Sherman Austin. More distribution will be done as they receive the gear from the USA.
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he Guyana Motor Racing and Sports Club (GMR&SC) and the Ministry of Health (MoH) have begun forging the way for the sport to resume as quickly as possible. The club, in partnership with the National COVID-19 Task Force (NCTF) and the MoH will host a vaccination drive aimed at ensuring that the club members have a chance to access the various vaccines available locally. Following an inspection on Tuesday, approval was given by the NCTF for the hosting of the vaccination drive on Saturday (August 21, 2021) at the GT Motorsports building, located in the club’s Albert Street and Thomas Lands location.
GMR&SC President Rameez Mohammed in an invited comment contended that, “We want to urge all our drivers and riders and even marshals and club members who haven’t been vaccinated as yet to come out and get at least your first doses.” Organised by committee member Nyron Maraj and Club captain Neilon Dias, the drive is expected to run from 09:00h to 15:00h. “Our plan moving forward is that we have to get vaccinated in order to resume racing. There is no running from it. The sooner we get it done, the sooner we can have a footing with which to approach the Task Force for events,” Maraj said after Tuesday’s inspection. He added, “It isn’t only for the drivers; it’s for the
mechanics, the team managers, the support staff and even the marshals, media and eventually spectators [when the club is allowed re-entry of such]. At the end of the day, we have to protect ourselves and restart racing.” Club Captain Dias said, “This isn’t a means of singling out anyone or segregating anyone. Hypothetically, if we want to host an event let’s say at the end of October, we can approach the Task Force to say that X amount of drivers have been vaccinated which represents a majority of our race officials and drivers and then we have a place with which to start a discussion [with the COVID-19 task force]. “The drive also gives
those unvaccinated persons a chance to get vaccinated so they cannot claim they had no chance to get vaccinated. We brought it almost to their doorsteps,” the Club Captain said. According to the Ministry of Health, the drive will feature the first dose of the Sputnik V as well as both doses of the Oxford Astrazeneca and the Sinopharm options. Persons are reminded that they must walk with a valid form of identification and for those taking the second doses, their vaccination card issued when the first dose was administered. The club office will also be open on Saturday to facilitate any question members may have.
Unbeaten WI Over-50s, USA clash for place in Friday's final After two days of action in the trilateral series, featuring hosts Canada, USA and the West Indies Over-50s, both Cricket West Indies Masters Association (CWIMA) and USA remain unbeaten. It therefore sets up a virtual semi-final clash between the two at the Danville ground in Mississauga, Ontario, Canada, which was set for yesterday. The winners advance to Friday's final, while the other two teams battle in today's semi-final. Led by a 84-run unbeaten stand by former Guyana national players Sunil Dhaniram and Shivnauth Seeram, the West Indies Over-50s defeated Canada by seven wickets Tuesday, sending the home team to their second consecutive defeat following their loss to USA on the opening day, Monday. The WI Over-50s were shakily placed at 24 for three in the seventh over in pursuit of a victory target of 108 after limiting their opponents to 107 all out in 44.3 overs in the 45over affair.Mixing defence with aggression, the pair, who also featured prominently in the Ontario Masters Softball Cricket Clubs ( O M S C C ) O v e r- 5 0 s o f t b a l l
tournament for Toronto Blizzards, combined effectively to blunt the Canadians attack.The left-handed Dhaniram, who had earlier bowled nine economical overs with his leftarm unorthodox spin, conceding just 10 runs while bagging two scalps, struck eight fours in his entertaining unbeaten 50. The more subdued Seeram, who ended on 41, counted three fours in his innings.Earlier, former Guyana all-rounder Vejai Seonarine was the architect of the Canadians destruction, grabbing four for 14 in a mesmerizing 8.3 overs of off-spin bowling. Kenny Girdharry and Mohan Harihar chipped in with a wicket each for 15 and 24 runs respectively.On Monday, in what turned out to be a low scoring nail-biting encounter, the WI Masters were bundled out for a meagre 89 off 19.1 overs of their allotted 45 overs. Seonarine, batting at number six, led the way with 36 and came back to claim three wickets in a brilliant all-round performance. Ian Baldeo picked up three wickets for the Canada Over-45s.In reply, the C a n a d a O v e r- 4 5 s s t r u g g l e d throughout their innings and were bundled out for 87 in 43.5 overs,
Vejai Seonarine.
Shivnauth Seeram and Sunil Dhaniram
going down by a mere two runs. Mohan Harihar took three for 21 from 8.5 overs and Sunil Dhaniram, two for seven off his nine overs. Captain Zaman Amin and Seeram also chipped in with two wickets apiece.The Canada Over-45s have
been added to the tournament to facilitate four teams but only the three Over-50 teams are vying for championship honours. Friday's final will be followed by a presentation ceremony. (Frederick Halley/Guyana Chronicle)
Kaieteur News
Thursday August 19, 2021
Essequibo Cricket Board furious at Sheldon Charles omission The Essequibo Cricket Board is upset and furious about the omission of Sheldon Charles from the group of Guyanese players who attended the Cricket West Indies Inc trials to short list a squad for the ICC Under 19 World Cup next year. A release from the ECB stated that it is evident that the GCB continues to treat Essequibo with scant respect, for not a single Essequibian was in their eyes, good enough to merit selection.“How could Sheldon Charles from the village of Lima on the Essequibo Coast, who was born on November 23, 2002, not be considered? This youngster represented Guyana two years at the Under 15 level, was the MVP in the second year and was selected to represent the West Indies on the tour to (Continued on page 22)
Allen, Benn among standouts at GGA/Nexgen GA camp Members of the Academy and participants with their prizes.
Sheldon Charles
Everest Cricket Club congratulates Maniram Prashad on appointment to CWI Speaker of the National Assembly and President of the Everest Cricket Club, Manzoor Nadir, along with fellow Executives and members of the club are o ff e r i n g h e a r t y congratulations to Guyanese Maniram Prashad on his appointment to Cricket West Indies (CWI) Board of Directors as a non-member (independent) Director, effective July 30, 2021. According to the club, Prashad, who is a past Minister of Tourism, Industry and Commerce, brings to the position “His valuable experiences as a business executive former city Councilor and a member of Cabinet.” The Club also expressed that his qualifications and skills will add to the depth of talent which Cricket West Indies possess. Prashad is also the current Chairman of MP Insurance Brokers and Consultants Limited, Consul General of the Philippines to Guyana, Corporate Coordination and Executive Member of the Private Sector Commission and President of the Guyana Oil and Gas Energy Chamber.
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Maniram Prashad Prashad is a longstanding cricket enthusiast, having served as President of various cricket clubs and leagues, including the Gandhi Youth Cricket Club and Eastern American Cricket League. Prashad’s appointment means that CWI has reached its allocation for four nonmember Directors. He joins Trinidadian Attorney Debra CoryatPatton, Jamaican Surgeon a n d U n i v e r s i t y Administrator, Dr. Akshai Mansingh, and former West Indies captain Daren Sammy, as non-member Directors whose terms will expire at CWI’s Annual General meeting in 2023.
Jason Allen and Princess Benn won the Over -13 male and female categories respectively when the second G u y a n a G o l f Academy/Nexgen Golf Academy camp concluded on Monday last at Woolford Avenue. Allen won ahead of Ilan Ramkellawan and Yamar Rodney while Benn prevailed over Adivya Charles and Kristeen Chase in that order. Christopher Gonsalves won the boys U18 division while Elon Rickford placed second and Maxwell Viapree finished third. Amelia Gonsalves took the girls U18 title, while Ariel Bonie grabbed the runner up spot Amara Khan was third. The boys Under 13 category was taken by Kishan Singh ahead of Kadmiel Wolfe and Jerome Blyden respectively. Jasmin Allen won the girls U13 segment, Akeala Curry placed second and Jordan Softley third. Phillips Alexander carted off the boys U6 segment while Alexander Gonsalves took the runner up spot and Nolan Naiku third. The girls Under 6 title went to Kathleena Klass, Autumn Lynch placed second and Asriel Bonie third. *Tied for Third in the Boys Under 8 was Raphael Braithwaite who lost in a playoff. The Camp, dedicated to former Coach Colin Ming, culminated with a graduation exercise and presentation of trophies sponsored by Trophy Stall. The event was sponsored in part by Service Guyana HVAC, Guyana's leading air conditioning, energy services and energy solutions for businesses and residents throughout Guyana, that
offers a full array of energy efficient air conditioning equipment and services from concept to completion including maintenance and repair; Ansa Mcal D i s t r i b u t i o n ; To o l s i e Persaud Ltd, the country's leading supplier of all hardware and building n e e d s ; C S Wo r l d w i d e Shipping & Logistics, who recently donated its shipping services to provide thousands of school children access to golf equipment; AR Printery; Chen Deo Distribution, and Trophy Stall whose owners Ramesh and Devi Sunich have been long-time supporters of golf in Guyana. Head Coach Dr. Joaan Deo stood in for Captain Chen Deo, running the competition with assistance from Coaches Miguel Wong, Margo Seecharan and Vishal Dhanai and assistance from Mr. and Ms. Carter. In the Longest Drive Competition, there were 12
contestants and it was highly contested with playoffs required in both the male and female categories. The results saw Ethan Gonsalves crushing a drive down the middle to best a great effort by Ilian Ramkellawan and Shania Garraway producing a clutch center drive to win over the Charles sisters who hit good shots but strayed out of bounds. Speaking on behalf of the BV Empowerment Youth Group and PYARG, Mr. Wayne Barrow said, “This activity has given our youths an opportunity that they probably would never have been able to experience. On behalf of all the families and Mr. Ivan Bentham, we wish to thank Mr. Hussain for making their dreams come through.” The Golf Camp featured table tennis and fitness with Coach Miguel and Colin Wong, along with Archery Coaches Anand Mangra, Narda Mohamed and their
entire Team, and National Players Priyanna Rhamdhani and Akili Haynes from the Guyana Badminton Association. The concept was to provide a fun and varied setting so that the youths would stay engaged and look forward to the various activities whilst focusing on learning golf. Parents of students for this second Camp Ronveer Rickford and Dean Viapree added, "Our youths had a fantastic experience and we saw them making new friends and really dedicating themselves to the sport. This was definitely an experience worth repeating." President of the GGA/Nexgen Golf Academy Aleem Hussain said it was the efforts of the coaches, staff and sponsors which included the Shafura Hussain Foundation, Anwar 'Buddy' Shaffie, Danny Ramnarain, Neil Jones and the Ming family plus many overseas (Continued on page 21)
One of the young players in action.
18th IPF/NAPF/Pan American Regional Powerlifting C/ships
Lifts off today, Manager confident of success; as Taharally and Brisport go into action
The Guyana Amateur Powerlifting Federation Team following the opening ceremony yesterday afternoon at the Hyatt Regency Hotel, Orlando International Airport. (Franklin Wilson photo)
Chairman of the NSC, Kashif Muhammad makes a presentation to Aleka Persaud in the Boardroom of the National Sports Commission, in the presence of GASA president Dwayne Scott, Coach Sean Baksh and Director of Sport, Steve Ninvalle.
rt o p S
NSC will support swimming prodigy Aleka Persaud Printed and published by National Media & Publishing Company Ltd., 24 Saffon Street, Charlestown, Georgetown. Tel: 225-8458, 225-8465, 225-8491 or Fax: 225-8473/226-8210.