Kaieteur News

Lands sold K NEWS by NICIL to be - Minister revoked Mustapha

Thursday Edition

AIETEUR

August 20, 2020 - Vol. 13 No. 33 Online: www.kaieteurnews.com

Guyana’s largest selling daily & New York’s most popular weekly

Price $80

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Online readership yesterday 171,363

Govt. should consult the - Chris Guyanese people on Ram Exxon's Payara project p.

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Fire destroys p.

DeSinco's 13 buildings on Sheriff Street Two arrested in Canadian p.8 citizen's alleged kidnapping

Two months of chartered flights approved by GCAA p.

2

The damaged sluice door

Engineers scramble as spring tide collapses sluice door at Diamond/ Grove E.B.D. p.

- dozens of homes 2 under water; Diamond Secondary identified as temporary shelter

BK to fix new sea Parliamentary selection... p. 16 p. defence breach 8 All stakeholders cost $145M at Dantzig...Could - Public Works Minister were consulted - Granger US$150M CJIA renovation…

Fmr. GECOM Deputy CEO awarded $4.3M Duty free concessions p. in libel suit against 3 to contractor halted Vincent Alexander - “long overdue” project must p. and Chronicle 7 be completed swiftly - Minister

Kaieteur News

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Thursday August 20, 2020

Engineers scramble as spring tide collapses sluice door at Diamond/Grove E.B.D.

D

ozens of home owners were scrambling last evening to stave off flood w a t e r s i n t h e Grove/Diamond area as a heavy spring tide collapsed a sluice door.

Several ministers were on the scene of that major breach on the East Bank of Demerara with emergency work scheduled to start when the tide fell last evening. It w i l l c o n t i n u e t o d a y, A g r i c u l t u r e M i n i s t e r, Zulfikar Mustapha, told Kaieteur News.

He was there with several other ministers including Prime Minister, Mark Phillips; Ministers Juan Edghill, Deodat Indar and Kwame McCoy. Several engineers, including Chief Executive Officer of the National Drainage and Irrigation Authority (NDIA), Fredrick Flatts, were also there.

Residents of 'Market Street', Grove, said that they saw water rising rapidly after 6pm, when the spring tide reportedly would have also

- dozens of homes under water; Diamond Secondary identified as temporary shelter

The flood waters and scene last evening in the Grove 'Market Street' area cause breaches at Mahaicony, on the East Coast of Demerara.

At the sluice door area at the Grove/Diamond area, the fury of the tide twisted the sluice door, telling a stark tale of Mother Nature.

The water of the Demerara River was flowing by the thousands of gallons, swiftly rising the canal that drains the New Diamond/Grove Housing Scheme to alarming levels.

There were fears of homes in the new schemes being

flooded.

Scores of homes along the Diamond 'Back Street' and Grove 'Market Street' area were flooded with residents saying they never saw waters rise that fast.

The river dam area is also lined with scores of Ve n e z u e l a n m i g r a n t s squatting. They were spared the flooding.

According to the Prime Minister, he rushed away from a budget preparation meeting after hearing the news. He said that it is

unfortunate that the incident would happen so soon with the new government but it is a clear signal that much has to be done. Minister Mustapha also made it clear that the maintenance would have to remain critical on the infrastructure agenda of the country.

He disclosed that mobilizing of piles had started and work was expected to commence 11pm last night, when the tide went down. According to Minister Edghill, it will take about two tides to get the doors fixed. He too expressed worry about the maintenance programme, insisting that it is high on the agenda of the Ministry of Public Works.

Residents whose belongings were in the lower flats, lost almost everything

from furniture to freezers.

There were tears in the eyes of some. One woman said she came back home to settle down recently and lost everything; her bed included.

According to a government statement,

emergency workers started early to identify shelter with the Diamond Secondary S c h o o l p i c k e d .

Residents were urged to call the CDC's hotline for further assistance and to access the shelter (600-7500 and 6231700).

Two months of chartered flights approved by GCAA

T

he Guyana Civil A v i a t i o n Authority (GCAA) has approved Eastern Airlines for chartered flights for both inbound and outbound passengers, during September and October, this year.

Minister of Public Works, Bishop Juan Edghill, during a press conference yesterday, said the move has resolved the issue of late flight approvals, especially for Guyanese overseas.

Minister Edghill said the new PPP/C Government was able to resolve the issue following engagements with the Director-General of the GCAA, Lt. Col. Egbert Field, according to a government statement.

The move will allow Guyanese to be informed, ahead of time, about the availability of flights to and from Guyana, in the absence

of commercial operations.

Details of the flights for New York and Miami in the United States will be

published shortly by the Aviation Authority.

Regarding flights to (continued on page 7)

Measures have been introduced to allow for controlled, chartered flights to come in, officials say

Thursday August 20, 2020

Kaieteur News

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US$150M CJIA renovation…

Duty free concessions to contractor halted - Minister Edghill - “long overdue” project must be completed swiftly

By Shikema Dey

T

he many duty free concessions enjoyed by the Chinese contractor, China Harbour Engineering Company (CHEC), hired to complete the US$150M Cheddi Jagan International Airport (CJIA) expansion project have been halted.

The concessions were halted by the Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA) because the contractor has failed to meet the contract obligations.

Public Works Minister, Juan Edghill, at a media briefing yesterday said that he recently engaged the Commissioner General of GRA, Godfrey Statia, who stopped the concessions.

Edghill said, “The contractor has performed so

badly that the GRA had stopped granting concessions, which is duty free concessions to the contractor to bring goods into the country.”

He added that the possibility of garnishment is being explored due to the taxes owed to the agency.

“I'm going to be very strong and straight with this,” the Minister said, adding that “this project has gone wrong. The contractor has not fulfilled his obligations.”

Compounding this, he laid blame on the previous David Granger-led administration which he said failed to provide the necessary policy guidelines to the technical people to ensure complete compliance with the contract.

The CJIA expansion

project is one that has been planned for years but due to substandard works, delays and controversy, the project has not come to finality.

The contract was signed in 2011 under then President Bharrat Jagdeo, and then passed through the short presidency of Donald Ramotar and then on to the previous Granger administration.

When Granger's administration took over in 2015, it claimed that the plan was in need of adjustments.

Then Public Infrastructure Minister, David Patterson, had said that only seven percent of the work was completed, with claims for US$90M equating to more than half of the contract sum.

He laid the blame on the PPP/C's management of the project.

COVID-19 death toll now at 29 - 40 new cases, 16 new recoveries

T

he Ministry of Public Health has announced Guyana's 29th COVID-19 death. According to a statement released yesterday, three deaths were recorded within a 24-hour period.

The first death was of a 72year-old man who tested positive for the virus and was receiving medical care at the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) of the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC).

However by 18: 00 hours last evening, the Ministry announced two other COVID19 related deaths. The two other persons who tested positive for the novel

coronavirus (COVID-19) have died at the Bartica Hospital (CuyuniMazaruni), Region Seven.

The patients who died at the hospital were a male and a female, age 55 and 41, respectively.

According to the information released by the Ministry, steps have already been taken to contact the family of the deceased to conduct necessary contact tracing and provide assistance for anyone else who may have been exposed to the victim.

It was also revealed that there were 40 new COVID-19 cases discovered yesterday.

Along with the new cases, 16 persons have recovered. This

brings the total number of confirmed cases to 776 and the total number of recoveries to 381. There are currently two persons in the COVID-19 ICU, 68 persons in institutional isolation, 298 persons in home isolation, and 55 persons in institutional quarantine. To date, there have been 6,297 COVID-19 tests conducted nationally, 5,521 of which tested negative for the virus.

Regions Four, Seven, and Nine have the highest number of cases countrywide and Ministry officials are urging persons to follow all COVID19 measures published in the Official Gazette on August 14, 2020.

But the adjustments made were kept hidden from the public for several years and were only revealed after consistent reports by this newspaper of several red flags related to the project.

Added to that, then Junior Infrastructure Minister, Jaipaul Sharma, had said while different aspects of the construction works were completed, several issues pertaining to quality of materials and work required dire attention.

Those issues and more are listed among the reasons why the project has been delayed for years.

Now it is back with the new Irfaan Ali-led People's Progressive Party Civic (PPP/C) administration which to date is unable to gauge a final completion date. The project should have ended since December 31, 2018.

Minister of Public Works, Juan Edghill Making reference to this, Minister Edghill said, “concerning when they would finish, they should have finished since the 31st

of December, 2018 and I am in no mood for extending timelines.”

He added that they are currently in a 700 day liquidated damages period and insisted that government is only concerned with completing the project with alacrity since it has been long overdue.

Further, he said that the new administration will be accepting no excuses in its quest to ensure that there is proper management of the project. At an appropriate time, he continued, when all players have been engaged, a new work plan would be made public.

It was only in early July of this year that the CJIA sought bids for additional works to be completed.

This was despite the contract being in place, which was expected to be (continued on page 8)

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Kaieteur News

Thursday August 20, 2020

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

Political appointees They come to light every five years, or whenever government changes, and they come in droves. There is sharp, deep-seated anger and aggression directed at political appointees of the losing side by those who hold the reins of power. There is also wholesale resentment by those on the receiving end of exposure and ousting from place of work and state sponsored place of abode.

None of this builds any political goodwill, leads to the much-needed political handshakes to lift us out of the lunacy that is of Guyanese elections and Guyanese divisions. Those on the victorious side cheer for the ship of state steered more sweetly and satisfyingly from what is dished out to opponents and what could come their way, as the spoils of the winner takes all system and control of the levers of power.

But the hard and unsparing reality is that when these actions take place - be they on the rare five year cycle of this occasion, or over a 2-decade run, as has been more customary here, much damage is inflicted on, felt by, the recipients. On both sides, suspicions and tensions intensify, bad blood increases, and lasting rancor results.

What starts out as ‘never again’ ends up as ‘wait until the next time’ and the ‘next turn.’ And so, the cycle continues endlessly with no different approaches endeavoured, no easing forthcoming. The ill feelings harden, and the memories sharpen. This is not a way for any society to coexist, particularly one that aspires to being “One Nation, One People, One destiny”.

The pivotal point and issue is not how to get there to that place of oneness; but how to mould minds of those doing the hurting and those being hurt to begin to think of that unifying ideal, and to desire to work towards achieving some semblance of it, some nearness to it. To be frank, it looks well nigh impossible when the reciprocal afflictions register and linger with unyielding strength.

Before proceeding farther, it must be admitted that there were many political appointees, and as the records of contracts and provisions and spending are exposed, quite a few of them appear inexplicable and indefensible. There is some irrationality relative to the number of such appointees and the number of dollars expended to keep them on the taxpayers’ payroll.

They make no sense, and reek of providing jobs lucrative jobs-for the boys and giving them a jolly good time. It is enlightening that both parties, from time to time, have condemned adversaries and campaigned on the history of cronyism of the other, only to repeat the norm and end up in the same dispiriting place; the excesses boggle the mind.

It must be emphasized and expressed that there are no clean hands in this regard on the part of any of the two political groups that have dominated Guyanese politics and the Guyanese public bureaucracy for over the last fifty years.

There are no innocents on the score of political appointees, and it is not going to be any different this time around, starting in August 2020. How can it be and why should it? Not with so many supporters, who rallied to the party’s cause and stayed a hard, brutalizing course.

Something must be found for them, and there is the trouble of politics in general, and Guyanese reality specifically.

Rather regrettably, this cycle does not promise to be broken any time soon, if at all.

It becomes a matter of whose turn it is today to rule the roost, and what distills to taking full advantage of the spoils of our electoral wars.

One of the sentiments that stood for a time was something undefined and unconcluded about a power sharing arrangement, which may have seen a broader division of the fruits of the state, and a less contentious succession to office.

That proved to be short-lived, went nowhere and, for all intents and purposes, was dead in the mentioning.

So what we have here, in essence, is the equivalent of political boom and bust. Today it is one side on the inside, and then it could be out, if the usual political wrongdoing takes hold. This will only hold for so long.

Exxon oil contract is an example of the big fish eat the little fish Dear Editor, No one would doubt the contract between Exxon and Guyana is one of domination and subordination, of strong versus weak, of big fish eating little fish. There is only one choice for the Guyana Government and that is to renegotiate the contract before signing the new Payara approval. Unless we do this, we can kiss the good life goodbye. I call on all Guyanese, sugar workers, farmers, RUSAL workers, civil society, the religious organizations, trade unions, chambers of commerce and business groupings, NGOs, and all patriotic Guyanese to unite and stand firm with President Ali and the new PPP government to renegotiate

this draconian contract foisted on the nation by the previous government. I support the efforts of the team at the Oil and Governance Network (OGGN), www.oggn.org, spearheading a petition calling for renegotiation of the oil contract.

In a recent front page comment, Kaieteur News commented that “ExxonMobil’s attitudes and actions towards Guyana are prejudiced through and through. It cheated us with a rapacious contract and finalized terms that were fullout robberies. In their smug superiority, they dealt with us as inferior Third World natives. In its arrogance, Exxon talks down to locals,

rushes them to get on with it, brushes them aside, then keeps them in line through oppressive measures. This is done to impoverished societies, while stealing their wealth and leaving them weaker than before.”

I find the Bible story of Dives and Lazarus (in Luke 16:19-31) to be a good portrayal of the unequal relationship between Exxon and Guyana:”There was a rich man who was dressed in purple and fine linen and who feasted sumptuously every day (Exxon). And at his gate lay a poor man named Lazarus, covered with sores, who longed to satisfy his hunger with what fell from the rich man’s table; even the dogs would come and lick his

sores (Guyana).” If we wait on a 2% royalty to add up to make a difference in our standard of living, it will take a very long time. We will not live to see it. We must demand at least a 15% royalty. We cannot be satisfied with crumbs falling from the Master’s table.

My Guyanese people, if we don’t support our government to take a strong stand for negotiation now, all will be lost forever. I urge you to sign the petition calling for renegotiation. Please go to 1) http://chng.it/ hnHfXYJssK, or 2 ) h t t p s : / / www.change.org/ Guyana_oil_contracts_need_renegotiation Yours truly, Dr. Jerry Jailall

The people of Guyana should have a greater say in who will represent us in Parliament Dear Editor, The recent selections of persons to occupy seats in the National Assembly of Guyana, following the declaration of results of the March 2 Elections, have given rise to many posts, discussions, etc on the composition of the new National Assembly, i.e. who should occupy those seats and why.

There have been arguments made for youth and for women, for ensuring diversity, for honouring party loyalty and even for recognising current popularity.

Each of these may have their own merit, some more so than others. But, before we take a stance on any of these, shouldn’t we first consider

the purpose of the jobs that are being discussed?

I say jobs because, essentially, a seat in the National Assembly makes one a (working) member of the Legislature, which is one Arm or Branch of Government, the others being the Executive and the Judiciary.

The primary purpose of the legislative arm is ‘to make laws for the peace, order and good government of Guyana’ (Article 65 of our Constitution). A selected or appointed member of the National Assembly, or Member of Parliament (MP) is therefore employed under the Constitution of Guyana to make laws for the peace, order and good government of Guyana.

This is of immense importance as it effectively gives them the power to determine how our society should function and is thus something that ought not to be taken lightly.

How does one get a seat in the National Assembly of Guyana? As it stands, our Constitution provides for an election of MPs pursuant primarily to Articles 60 and 160.

However, when we cast our ballots we do so only for a particular party and not for a specific Member of Parliament. Though we are essentially casting a vote in favour of a List of Candidates when we vote for a party, we do not get to question that List or pick and choose which members we prefer.

Only after the Election is over, and successful parties are allocated numbers of seats in the National Assembly, will we know who will occupy those seats and, essentially, represent us in Parliament. This is generally done by the Representative of the List (Section 98, Representation of the People Act), who is required to extract names from the List to fill the number of seats allocated to that List.

No voter gets a say in which names are extracted.

And, as has been seen in the recent public outbursts, even prominent members of the party itself may strongly disagree with the names extracted.

However, that is the (Continued on page 5)

Government’s appointments over the past two weeks are upsetting people Dear Editor, Clearly, reviewing the oil contract and renegotiation is not a priority for the big boss.

The concern does not seem to increase oil wealth for country or to enrich the poor.

Is this all about making money for the core group that ran the PPP post Jagan? Only KN has the mettle to block the core group on corruption and to increase revenue sharing from oil. The nation depends on KN to expose the deals.

Thank you for publishing our views.

Nothing changed from five years ago when PPP was chased out of office. The objective of the royal group is maintaining the status quo for self-enrichment and to keep the experts,

professionals, and people of competence out to clear the way to fill pockets. The boss man (the real boss, eh, not the surrogate) has appointed a cabinet maneuvering for absolute control. The bulk of ministers are young, green, inexperienced, and powerless. They naturally will have to turn to the boss and toe the line or face the axe.

Has anyone noticed that the key positions have been retained for the royal crooks who will be enriched at the expense of the nation? The top brass is held together by an agenda of greed setting their eyes on the newly found oil wealth and a life of immorality in dissonance from the rest of the nation.

Siphoning off wealth

requires the right people in key positions. A man who knows nothing about foreign policy or international relations has been turned into a specialist in the field. That person is needed to jet set around the world to set up business deals for the core group. Deal making requires a person of special skill. And this person, gold bar man, has special expertise acquired from the gold bar fiasco and land giveaway deals. That person is amply qualified, the best skilled and best experienced in the business.

He is the right choice and face of the country on behalf of the royal crooks in making deals with big foreign companies. He will cut the corrupt deals for the top brass.

Just two weeks and people are already upset with the government over appointments and expected deal makings. How long will it take before PPP supporters begin to openly rebel? The boss man should realize that the PPP was only accepted by its supporters because of the racist tenor of the other side. And even with that, the government barely scraped past 50%.

Trying to force down the throat again the character of the gold bar man and some of the political appointees at the UN, NICIL, and Presidential Secretariat will surely accelerate the unraveling of the government.

Yours truly, Srimattie Gangadeen

Thursday August 20, 2020

The honeymoon period is over for government Dear Editor, Dem Boys Seh is spot on when it states that the government has shortened its honeymoon on account of its cabinet and political appointments and announcement not to renegotiate oil contracts. This is the shortest honeymoon for any government, a record for the Guinness Book. I never saw a government wanting to give up power so fast. Recall, PPP governed for 23 years before becoming fed up and handing power to PNC. Now after 2.3 weeks, it wants to return power to PNC. Had PNC conceded power five months ago, PPP honeymoon would have been over in 23 hours and the government lasted 23 days.

PNC may very well have been back in power already.

The people, the small parties, and the media have been willing to give the government a long honeymoon.

But the government has rejected goodwill insulting the nation with the appointments. And KN has taken the government to task on the oil contract. The people have spoken on social media against the horrific appointments, the worst by any government, worse than under Granger. The public awaits the voice of the

leadership of small parties on the oil contract and appointees who lack of expertise or specialization.

The small parties are the conscience of the nation.

They have power to hold the government accountable. A no confidence motion is now part of the political culture of parliament. That must be done early to express displeasure with appointments. The voice of the small parties is critical for professionalism and good governance. It cannot fail in its mission to hold the government accountable. It must be prepared at all times to support a justifiable no confidence motion.

Privately, the leadership of the small parties expresses disgust for the quality of appointees. Since they pledge independence from the government, they should speak out publicly against the appointments. They must also pressure the government to pursue a renegotiation of the oil contract.

Who, if anyone, is advising Jagdeo on appointments? Why is he behaving like Lazarus bringing two of the political dead back of life – one at the UN and another in the Foreign Ministry? Will he also bring back another dead, Raja of

Guysuco, the New Yorker man flying first class every weekend shuttling between Guyana and JFK, the deadweight who fired sugar workers, turning away voters from PPP? And why is the man who made blunders in the 2011 campaign, being allowed to return in a ministry he has no expertise? Why is the Queen of Rome rewarded when she could not deliver votes in 2011 and 2015? Did people make sacrifices so that Jagdeo could give jobs to the boys and gals? What benefits do the supporters get?

How is Nandlall taking in all of this? He closes his eyes and covers his ears! The anger is tremendous. Nandlall knows that the rage on social media. Supporters are pissed off. Why isn’t he telling his boss? Supporters of the party on the ground also severely criticize the political appointments.

PPP supporters feel so betrayed by Jagdeo’s cabinet selection and appointments.

Soon they will direct their anger on Nandlall who is not condemning the political appointments. The country put their hope and future in Nandlall. His future is on the line if he does not speak up.

People will not forgive him for being silent. One can feel the peoples’ anger over the appointments. They got an exchange — a replay of (Continued on page 6)

The people of Guyana should...

From page 4 process by which persons become members of the National Assembly.

With that in mind, I would just like to note two things for consideration at this point: 1. Being a member of the National Assembly is no joke. It should not be a popularity contest, or even a reward for loyalty to a party over the years. A person who occupies a seat in the National Assembly should do so to serve the people of Guyana and to represent the views of the people who voted to make that occupation possible. Those who are best able to represent those people are the persons who should be chosen to occupy those seats. Someone who is young should be chosen not

because they are young, but because they represent the voice of the youth who elected them, and this should apply to all other demographics we may want to see represented.

2. The people of Guyana should have a greater say in who will represent us in the National Assembly.

This may only happen following significant constitutional changes that permit us to be able to choose specific individuals whom we can then hold personally accountable. Until then, our votes will result in Members of Parliament who are more interested in, or even compelled to serve, the interests of those who are responsible for extracting their names than the interests

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Kaieteur News

of the people whose votes made their election possible.

If we want to have a greater say in who gets to represent us, we need to keep pressing whoever occupies those seats to enable those changes to be made.

This is not something that is just a peripheral concern. If the people who are elected do not represent us and see themselves as accountable to us, we may continue to find that all of our other concerns will not be addressed.

Change is possible, but we have to begin to understand where the primary changes need to occur, and we need to change our mindset in relation to who we want to elect and why.

Yours truly, Kurt Da Silva

Robert Persaud’s work as Foreign Secretary will be to clean out the Augean stables at the Ministry Dear Editor, Are former Ministers of Government not expected to work after leaving office? An article in the Stabroek News (19.08.20) seems to suggest that Robert Persaud is guilty of something by starting an Oil & Gas consultancy. Work and growth are essential for any man and when it also contributes to nationbuilding, all the better. The article also suggests that there are unaddressed allegations of impropriety in the former minister of Natural Resources past; this is patently false as all allegations have been responded to with detailed explanations.

The best explanation for the sale of oil blocks that have been among the subjects addressed by the Global Witness report of 2020 comes from an Oilnow.gy story (15.7.2019) “The financial risk was high and the prospects of finding oil off the Guyana coast were low in the lead-up to the 2015 drill campaign that saw the largest discovery for that year being made at the Liza field. The level of uncertainty was so pronounced that ExxonMobil’s partner at the time – Royal Dutch Shell – looked at the same data that led to the Liza discovery and made a fateful decision to exit the South American country” Robert Persaud was the first to concede that the

People’s Progressive Party lost the elections in 2015 and for that, he has earned the ire of many a party faithful; it may, however, be a good time for those upset by the appointment of Robert as Foreign Secretary to reflect on how they felt when David Granger took five months to concede. Hindsight is 20/20 and in retrospect, many may want to reconsider their views on the man and his actions.

Robert Persaud was not very visible on the campaign trail, preferring to let newer voices be heard, Robert worked tirelessly behind the scenes on logistics of the nationwide movement of party activists and campaign material. A political campaign that lasted 15 months takes a toll on all participants and behind-the-scenes workers; all who worked with Robert were thankful for the experienced advice and helpful assistance provided.

On the 16th August, a story surfaced on Gordon M o s e l e y ’ s Newssourcegy.com that “Several Guyanese Diplomats in Guyana and abroad have expressed concern and worry about a statement issued by the US Assistant Secretary of State, Michael Kozak which appears to point to a changing of Guyana’s position on the internal affairs in Venezuela”. This was after Guyana’s Foreign Minister Hugh Todd had

made a presentation to the Lima Group that left no doubt that Guyana respects the will of the Venezuelan people as expressed at the ballot box.

On September 16th, 2019, The United States (US) Department of State had similarly thanked Guyana for its support in the 14-member Lima Group that is seeking to find a peaceful end to the political and humanitarian crisis in neighboring Venezuela. It was immediately clear that a level of unprofessionalism had seeped into the Foreign Service and a strong political administrator was required to right the ship.

In accepting the post of Foreign Secretary, Robert Persaud is giving back to the nation. The job is not a glamorous one, it will entail a review of every job and every person’s performance in the Ministry, a reorganization to maximize efficiency and modernize a Ministry shaped

by Forbes Burnham in the ’70s. The Foreign Secretary has the thankless and difficult task of cleaning the Augean stables that will test every bit of patience and require him to call on every bit of experience he acquired while serving as Minister of Agriculture and his time at Natural Resources.

This is the time to rally round and give all the support you can for the benefit of all Guyanese.

Yours truly, Robin Singh

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COVID-19 recession calls for economic remodeling Dear Editor, Over the last few months, I have written extensively on the state of Guyana’s economy vis-a-vis the election crisis, COVID-19 pandemic, and economic mismanagement.

Our approach to these three issues was disastrous to say the least from March 2, 2020.

Luckily we have managed to overcome one of them (the election crisis), but overcoming the other two is not going to be easy, and how we approach them matters greatly.

Shutting the economy down and waiting out the pandemic is not a strategy; neither is continuing with business as usual or pretending that the pandemic doesn’t exist. The top priority must be to protect lives.

Saving the economy is the second priority. So what exactly are states to do? How should they approach these matters? What options are there for lawmakers?

Lawmakers have a historic opportunity to soften the recession landing by remodeling the economy.

Remodeling simply means “changing the way we do things”.

Starting with the public sector, government has the opportunity to bring public services online, digitize the government, increase efficiency, cut cost, create jobs and keep the economic engine running, albeit less than full throttle.

Here are some practical steps that the government

Thursday August 20, 2020

Kaieteur News

can embark on to immediately commence remodeling; (1) create a temporary retraining and jobs programme - people who have lost their jobs can be employed by the government. To do what?

To start digitizing government services. For example, all birth records should be digitized so people can order birth certificates online; digitize agencies data and profile for all government entities to put them online, etc.

(2) create a temporary cash assistance program to put monies in the hands of families, especially poor families, that have lost their jobs and without income to feed their families. Yes, give them the cash wherever it is possible and make sense, if not then give the food stuff. There is a greater economic impact by giving families the cash instead of goods and services during this period.

(3) adopt strict COVID19 guidelines to allow government services and p r i v a t e s e ctor business especially small groceries and other essentials businesses, to stay open and operate at some level (50% or 60%) of capacity.

This would ensure some amount of economic activities and prevent the economy from coming to a grinding halt.

(4) the night economy this is one of those policies we (Guyana and the

Caribbean) have not been considering and making full use of. Economies can no longer operate on an 8am-4pm schedule. Density of economic activities and pedestrian traffic are not friends in this pandemic.

We must make use of the night economy and shift those activities that are better suited for those hours. This will lower the density and spread activities over the day instead of cutting activities.

(5) budget policy reorientation - use the national budget process to realign spending to not only deal with the immediate impact of COVID-19 but to remodel the economy. Key sectors that ware starved of funding such as agriculture must see an injection of funding. But the ICT sector is also critical. Broadband for every household, reliable electricity for every household, adequate and reliable mobile connectivity for every community should be top priorities.

(6) economic stimulus yes, despite their limitations, fiscal and monetary stimulus initiatives are key to remodeling our economy during this pandemic and setting a foundation for long term prosperity. Key infrastructure projects can be undertaken or move up the priority l a d d e r.

Ensuring a sizable fund to h e l p t h e p r i v a te sector weather the storm is vital for economic survival and remodeling.

These are some smart policy ideas that are making their rounds in the international policy arena, both at the national and local economy levels. They are solid policy advices and the extent to which we can adopt these and other creative policies to remodel our economy will determine how we come out at the end of this crisis, and more importantly used the crisis to jolt us into the future.

Yours truly, Dhanraj Singh

Seek diaspora expertise in oil industry Dear Editor, Much has been written in the Guyana media about the need for oil specialists and experts and there are critiques in KN that the person trained in the oil industry is not appointed as the line minister (Energy). Be that as it may, and not to detract from one’s formal training in an industry, one does not necessarily have to be skilled in the subject in order to become its line minister although it would be ideal to have someone in the position that is competent and educated or at least has some experience in the field.

Studying a subject does not necessarily make one an expert. Experience would help.

In my economics studies and readings on OPEC and on energy, most of the energy or oil ministers of Mexico, Venezuela, Trinidad, India, Indonesia, Russia, Nigeria, Malaysia, Argentina, Brazil, and Arab oil producing countries are not skilled in oil or gas industry.

Some don’t even have college education. They are political hawks. The experts behind the scene run the ministry as I learn from my in depth study of developing economies. Ministers learn by doing and are assisted by experts.

When I was doing my MA degree in Economics at City College of City University in early 1980s, a required course was Developmental Economics. Prof. Edwin Reubens required a research paper (plus presentation and exams off course). He advised I research the role of Mexico’s oil industry in national development.

Later, I did studies on oil production in Argentina and Brazil and their role in development.

From my studies, there was hardly any recognized oil

specialist who headed the Mexican Ministry. The technical specialists and the oil economists ran the day-today operations of the various divisions of the Ministry.

(There were a lot of allegations of corruption under the Presidencies of Luis Echeverria and Lopez Portillo that I examined. Prof Reuben suggested that the paper be published on the so called oil curse).

The issue in Guyana’s budding oil industry is a total lack of expertise in oil (the technical aspects of exploration and recovery) and even in oil economics to manage it and where to invest revenues.

Oil specialist is a reference to someone who has some competence in the oil industry.

Guyanese economists did not even study oil economics.

Specialists acquire expertise or competence from formal (university) or informal education (reading books), experience working in the area, or from education by experts in the field. In general, the oil industry comprises of the technical specialists or engineers, environmentalists, and oil economists who study pricing and advice on production to maximize revenues.

To say there is a paucity of them in Guyana is an understatement.

The country should seek the expertise of the diaspora; several Guyanese work in the oil industry in North America and would be gladly willing to lend a hand if the government were to ask.

The government can also source the assistance of Norway or UK or India to streamline the oil ministry.

The country (University of Guyana or another tertiary institution) should consider offering training in the technical aspect of oil exploration and recovery as

well as oil economics which should now be introduced as a required subject in secondary school.

Oil is among a few commodities that don’t always follow the law of demand and supply that we study in basic economics. It is a very complex and highly specialized branch of economics. There are no experts in Guyana and few if any Guyanese in the diaspora specializes in oil economics.

When I did doctoral studies in economics, there were no courses on oil – now, oil economics is a critical part of the field.

To become more familiar with the oil industry and oil economics (pricing, in particular), I would advise the Energy or Natural Resource Minister and advisors or bureaucrats to read the daily New York Times (Business Section in particular), Washington Post, Wall Street Journal, Financial Times, and the weekly Economist, among others.

Other news and magazine publications are also useful and some focus exclusively on oil and gas. These would help to boost one’s knowledge about oil, providing so much information and updates on the oil industry.

The oil industry has changed very significantly from the time I studied it in the 1980s.

Today, there is greater focus on production or manipulation of oil price, issues about carbon emissions, green house gases, and climate change, and concerns about oil pollution.

The government would be wise to seek the assistance of non-traditional economists familiar with oil industry and the technical experts.

Yours truly Dr. Vishnu Bisram

The honeymoon period is over...

From page 5 nepotism and cronyism not dissimilar from the predecessor APNU+AFC. They say that the PPP and PNC have really shown that they are two sides of the same coin. Nothing has changed. That is why the honeymoon is over so quickly.

If the government feels that talent is

unavailable in Guyana that it must return to bring back the dead, the discredited, and the corrupt, why not tap into the diaspora that has plenty independent professionals and supporters of competence. This can stretch the honeymoon.

Yours truly, Jagnarine Singh

Kaieteur News

Thursday August 20, 2020

PAGE 07

Fmr. GECOM Deputy CEO awarded $4.3M in libel suit against Vincent Alexander and Chronicle

F

ormer Deputy Chief Executive Officer (DCEO) of the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM), Vishnu Persaud, has been awarded approximately $4.3M in a defamation suit brought against Vincent Alexander and the Guyana Chronicle newspaper.

The ruling, which was handed down by High Court Justice Priya Sewnarine Beharry on Tuesday last, outlined that Alexander must pay damages in the sum of $2,500,000 to Persaud; the Guyana Chronicle and its former Editor-in-Chief must pay damages in the sum of $1,500,000 jointly and severally.

Further, Alexander was ordered to pay $150,000 in court costs to Persaud, while the Guyana Chronicle and its former Editor-in-Chief were each ordered to pay the same sum jointly and severally. The sums awarded must be paid on or before September 30, 2020.

The judgment stems from a case Persaud brought against Alexander, an A Partnership for National Unity +Alliance For Change (APNU+AFC) GECOM commissioner and Guyana

Chronicle and its former Editor-in-Chief, N igel Williams, for the publications of statements which he contended were defamatory.

According to the lawsuit filed on Persaud's behalf by Attorneys, Devindra Kissoon and Nicholas Caryll of London House Chambers, the claim stems from the contents of an article printed on June 14, 2018 in the daily newspaper under the caption: “Poor past...Alexander says Vishnu Persaud's past performance sank him - Myers emerged the more qualified for the top GECOM post”.

The article which was accompanied by Persaud 's photograph stated, among other things, that “Former Deputy Chief Elections Officer (DCEO) of the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) Vishnu Persaud, was rejected from rehiring on the grounds of his past performance, his alleged history of faking his qualifications to the commission... 'He (Justice Patterson) objected to Vishnu based on past performance, based on the other candidate having better qualifications and based on the history of misrepresentation of

Former DCEO, Vishnu Persaud

Attorney: Devindra Kissoon

GECOM Commissioner, Vincent Alexander

qualifications to the commission', longstanding c o m m i s s i o n e r Vi n c e n t Alexander told the Guyana Chronicle.”

The court document noted that Persaud on June 16, 2018, published an article on the Stabroek News website in a bid to defend himself.

However, he claimed that Alexander replied in the comment section under the article where he insisted that “… When Mr. Persaud was appointed as DCEO, it was on the pretext that he was the holder of a first degree. I

contested that then and it was maintained that his diploma was equivalent to a first degree hence my objection then was overruled.

I specifically posed that question in the recent interview and he admitted it was not a first degree; hence, he was never eligible to be appointed in the first instance. This fact is carefully skirted in his letter.

My evidence remained unchallenged.”

Additionally, the former DCEO noted that on June 20, 2018, the Guyana Chronicle published yet another article which contained the words: “On that matter I stand by my word and hereby restate emphatically that Vishnu Persaud's candidacy was opposed by me on the grounds that the other candidate is superior, in

addition to the fact that Vishnu was appointed as the PRO of GECOM when he was not qualified for the job.

He was elevated to the DCEO on the pretence of being the holder of a first degree, here again, he was appointed to a position for which he was not qualified.”

In response, Persaud denied all the allegations, stressing that he never misrepresented his qualifications in any way.

He said that when he was appointed DCEO, he met the educational requirements set

by GECOM, and submitted all details of his professional qualifications to GECOM and was hired on that basis.

Further, the former GECOM official noted the article led the public to believe that he was corrupt, dishonest and put his

Two months of chartered flights...

From page 2 Toronto, Canada, Minister Edghill informed that the details of that arrangement are being worked out. “As of noon, the latest communication is that engagements with West Jet and Caribbean Airlines are ongoing for a similar arrangement to be put in place, observing all measures of COVID-19.”

The GCAA, he noted, continues to provide regulatory advice and instructions,

ensuring that all protocols are observed during incoming and outgoing flights during the pandemic. Both the CJIA and GCAA are currently exploring the possibility of acquiring mist (sanitisation) tunnels for arriving and departing passengers.

“We want to ensure that, at the appropriate time, all the standards that are required for the full reopening of the airport are met, and we are in full compliance,” the Minister stated.

professional reputation in disrepute.

He claimed that the words published affected his social and personal relationships negatively and caused irreparable damage to his professional reputation and employability prospects.

In her ruling, Justice Sewnarine-Beharry held that the extent of the damage was compounded by the fact that the publications were made

by Alexander who was a long standing GECOM Commissioner and a significant figure in civil society and who the average Guyanese would tend to trust and believe, more so because he was well placed to know the facts.

She noted that Alexander went out of his way to publish the statements on platforms, which reached readers locally and worldwide.

Justice SewnarineBeharry noted too that Alexander ignored the demand for an apology in a letter sent by Persaud's attorney.

“Rather than publishing a retraction of the article and an apology, he defended the statements as true in spite of plain evidence to the contrary.

The repeated publication on the part of [Alexander] after [Persaud] was not selected for the position of DCEO in 2018, is indicative of malice as it served no other purpose than to damage [his]reputation,” she said.

Kaieteur News

PAGE 08

Thursday August 20, 2020

Govt. to revoke lands Jaipaul Sharma retires from - Minister sold by NICIL Mustapha politics M

inister of Agriculture, Zulfikar Mustapha, in a statement on Monday, announced that the Ministry of Agriculture (MoA) will be revoking lands belonging to the Guyana Sugar Corporation (GuySuCo) that were vested to various private entities by the National Industrial and Commercial Investment Limited (NICIL).

The Minister in his statement noted that it was under the coalition's tenure

as caretaker government, that the Special Purpose Unit (SPU) had begun the process of selling off estate lands to various bidders.

To this end, the minister noted that under his leadership, the MoA will ensure that an immediate halt is placed on the land selling process undertaken

by NICIL in an effort to ensure that the lands be used for the benefit of the people and country. The Minister also stated that his Ministry will be collaborating with

NICIL to have the lands which were sold, reinstated to GuySuCo. In an article published by this paper, it was reported that NICIL through the SPU, had sold lands that were vested to it, and garnered deposits of $2.1 billion which were then used to offset outstanding repayment of a $30B bond secured by NICIL to retrofit and revitalize the three remaining sugar estatesAlbion, Blairmont and Uitvlugt.

Two arrested in Canadian citizen's alleged kidnapping

A

maid and her son were arrested yesterday and are being questioned in connection with the disappearance of Canadian citizen, Nicholas Jaipaul who was on vacation with his grandfather at Number 69 Village since January.

According to the grandfather, Ramkissoon Jaipaul, the maid in custody started working for him about a year ago and had previously lived in Brazil. He added that she never provided a solid address and he only knew her as Radha.

Based on the little he knew about her, he said that she had stated that she had developed issues with her husband in Brazil and

Missing: Nicholas Jaipaul

returned to Guyana.

Nicholas Jaipaul disappeared from his vacation home at 69 Village sometime between Sunday night and Monday morning.

His grandfather told this publication that he received an anonymous call Monday afternoon from someone saying that they have his grandson.

They both came to Guyana in January for vacation and were expected to return to Canada in May, however, because of the COVID-19 restrictions, they have been stuck here. This publication understands that a team from the Major Crime Unit was sent to Berbice to assist detectives in investigating the matter.

The Minister, who was at the time responding to statements made by former president David Granger calling the PPP/C's plans to reopen the sugar industry “fake news”, noted that, despite the growing threat of COVID-19, the MoA will continue to ensure that its plans for the reopening of the sugar estates are executed.

“We will stick to our commitment and promise made to the People of Guyana to reopen the Sugar Estates that were closed by t h e A P N U + A F C Government even though they promised to keep it alive in their 2015 campaign.

Agriculture will continue to be a main contributor to Guyana's Economy,” the Minister said even as he noted as part of MoA's comprehensive plan of action, a new Board of Directors will be appointed to GuySuCo. In addition to this, the Minister stated that the MoA has set up a team to examine areas of support to families affected by the closure of the estates through targeted interventions during the transitional phase. This team is expected to meet with executives from various farmers' groups, the Guyana Agriculture Workers' Union ( G AW U ) a n d o t h e r stakeholders.

“We and the workers are well aware that this will not happen at the click of a (continued on page 16)

F

ormer Minister of Government and member of People's National Congress Reform (PNC/R), Jaipaul Sharma, has announced that he has quit politics.

The announcement was made on Facebook, following the recent publication of the APNU+AFC coalition's list of opposition Members of Parliament.

Sharma, who left the Justice for All Party (JFAP) in January to join the ranks of the PNC/R, was not on the list. In his message, Sharma said that he is “humbly” passing on the mantle of leadership, and noted that it was not easy but that he is filled with pride and happiness about his political journey.

“I have tried to serve our citizens diligently at all times,” he stated. “However, I was not always successful in getting the necessary assistance to resolve the complaints of everyone but I hope my responsiveness has weighed favourably against my failure in getting you a favourable outcome to your concerns.”

He urged persons to continue to vigilantly hold their leaders accountable regardless of their political affiliation, ensuring that they fulfill all of their promises.

Sharma made a name for himself as he had joined his father, Chandra Narine

Former Minister Jaipaul Sharma Sharma on the once popular TV show, Voice of the People.

He represented JFAP when the A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) coalition was formed to contest the 2011 elections, after which he served as an opposition Member of Parliament.

When the APNU+AFC coalition won the 2015 elections, Sharma took up office as Minister with a Finance portfolio, but was later moved to the Public Infrastructure Ministry in 2019.

His former party, JFAP, only recently announced that it is currently reviewing its membership in the coalition, owing to the party's disgruntlement with “wrongdoings” occurring during the recently concluded electoral process, and the sidelining of small parties by the coalition leadership.

BK to fix new sea defence breach at Dantzig

By Shikema Dey

B

K International Inc. will now be tasked with fixing a new and additional 100 meters of breached sea defence resulting in massive flooding to the surrounding coast land communities at Dantzig, Mahaicony, Berbice.

Revealing this detail to the

media was Public Works Minister, Juan Edghill, who also said that this new breach could cost $145M to be sealed.

“The estimate for the fixing of that 100 meters breach as currently exists,” he explained, “could be about $145M and that's what we are looking at based upon the figures that they provided

- Could cost $145M - Public Works Minister to me.” BK International was already handed a $352M contract to fix some 500 meters of breached sea defence at the very Dantzig, Mahaicony point but a recent visit to the area by Junior Public Works Minister,

Deodat Indar, revealed no significant work has been done. According to Minister Edghill, the breach occurred close to where the contractor is conducting repairs and since this was so, he relayed that instead of hiring a new

Duty free concessions to contractor...

From page 3 enough to transform the port into a regional transit hub.

Invitations for bids advertised in the daily newspapers indicate that the airport needs a new fence for its public car park and an access control security hut.

These intended projects, which stand outside of the

US$150M contract, are not alone.

There are also plans for a new parking lot valued at GYD$122M, a cargo facility, a commercial centre, an office area and a parking lot, all advertised last year. Jagdeo, in his capacity as PPP General Secretary, in early 2019 had stated that the exclusion of so

many projects from the initial blueprint was due to the government wanting to leave room for local contractors to benefit. A similar claim was made late last year during the advertisement of some of these projects by A P N U + A F C M i n i s t e r, Jaipaul Sharma.

However, arguments were

presented that the projects should never have been left out in the first place, as numerous contractors relayed to Kaieteur News that the amount and quality of work being done to renovate the port since it began could have been done for US$5M – 30 times less than the whopping sum taxpayers are expected to foot.

contractor, they identified BK to complete the job.

“The reality is because of how the sea defences are situated, even if you wanted to put in another contractor that is not currently mobilized on the site to do that emergency work, you're talking about an impossibility,” he said.

“What I have agreed with the Permanent Secretary, since we had a contract that was already awarded to BK International, and the monies were not all paid out,” the Minister said that monies from that $352M contract would be used in an emergency manner to foot the bill for this new breach.

Minister Edghill said that

at the appropriate time, “with a budget and in a proper financial architecture,” applications will be made for the sums that are required to satisfy the contractual demands.

Giving more context to the extent of the issue, Minister Indar explained that the little breach could expand further, causing more damage and result in additional funds being expended.

“That 100 meter in couple of days can become 200, 300, 400…and it extends as the water keeps gushing into the riverfront, the oceanfront, so to stop the escalation, the speed to react is the most critical thing,” he said.

Thursday August 20, 2020

Kaieteur News

PAGE 09

The Guyanese Donald Trump T

he Guyanese President is beginning to sound a lot like the United States President, Donald Trump. There appears to be greater concern with opening the economy rather than implementing a lockdown in order to suppress and contain the spread of the coronavirus epidemic It took more than two weeks, and a firestorm of criticisms about its handling of the COVID-19 epidemic, for the government to finally announce its “allencompassing” and “multifaceted” response plan. Unfortunately, the government response is far from inspiring and definitely not comforting at all.

The President spent an inordinate amount of time addressing the financial response to the epidemic as well as announcing measures for increased testing, improving testing capacity, personal protection and equipment and mobilization of household relief. But far less time was devoted to the very element which the President said was of paramount importance – the safety and health of citizens.

No new or intensified social restrictions were a n n o u n c e d n o r, m o r e importantly, were any detailed measures announced to suppress and contain the spread of the virus locally. This is a fatal defect of the “allencompassing” and “multifaceted” plan.

The government seems

obsessed with emphasizing financial relief measures for the private sector so as to kick-start the economy. But it appears far less concerned with stemming the rapid growth in cases which have taken place over the past two weeks.

The numbers are frightening. In the more than two weeks since the new government was sworn-in, the number of confirmed cases have increased from 474 to 776. And over the past four days, there have been a staggering seven deaths, including four yesterday.

The majority of those who died over the past four days were unaware of their test results because of the waiting time between testing and results.

Five of the seven persons who died over the past four days did so without knowing that they had tested positive for the virus. The health system failed them. And the PPP/C should not be asked to accept the full blame for this because they inherited a dysfunctional response from the previous administration.

But it was their duty to move with greater alacrity to correct what they described as a disjointed response.

A most glaring omission from the President’s allencompassing and multifaceted response plan has been the treatment protocols. This is a matter which should have been on the front-burner since a number of favourable drugs and treatment regimens have emerged in recent months.

It took a full two weeks to

come with this response plan which is out of sync with the realities of the epidemic.

And in those two weeks, the situation has gotten worse and a total of seven persons have died.

Region 4, the largest Region in the country, has seen a dangerous spiralling of cases. There have been 60 new confirmed cases in this Region over the past week.

Yet, the government seems more interested in keeping the economy open rather than implementing stricter social restrictions. It is time for Region 4 to revert to the social restrictions, which were implemented earlier this year.

The President spoke about not opening schools in S e p t e m b e r. B u t h e announced no return to work-from-home or rolling back the opening of nonessential businesses. Surely, the need to suppress and contain the transmission of the virus has to be the number one priority. Yet, there was a palpable deficit of measures announced.

Great attention is being paid, however, and commendably so to ensuring a reduction in the waiting time for test results. For months ago, the APNU+AFC administration indicated it had the capacity to test 96 persons daily, including 48 on an eighthour shift.

It appears however that little was done to significantly boost testing capabilities to cater for a massive surge in the number of cases. At present, it is said

Dem boys seh...

Frankie need eagle eyes

Y

esterday was a deadly day. Dem boys had to check dem almanac fuh see if it was Friday 13th. Dem boys realize that was only Wednesday 19th.

Four people dead from COVID-19 and a business bun down pon Sheriff Street.

Then a koker bruk away in Grove and flood out a lot of people.

Is on days like dat them boys does wan sleep all day.

But nowadays people frighten fuh sleep because with this COVID-19, yuh nah sure if yuh gon wake up.

Dem boys wan know whether Frankie need a wake-up call at de Ministry of Health. Dem boys seh like

he getting undercut from some of them carpetbaggers wah de PPP/C send to help he. He surrounded by some kavacamites who looking fuh full dem pocket. Frankie gat to put on he Eagle Eyes.

De man getting sideline from OP. He nah even get de chance fuh announce de new COVID-19 Response Plan.

Irfaan steal Frankie thunder and mek a mess of de announcement. Dem boys never hear a more disjointed press announcement than dat one which announce yesterday.

Dem boys nah know whether de government fully appreciate wah dem facing from the COVID-19. Dem boys nah hear nuttin about

implementation.

Dat was de downfall of de plan wah de Rig-adier bin implement. It look good pon paper but, without implementation, it appear bad in practice.

Dem boys seh if things continue how it going, we gan gat many more days like yesterday. People gan begin to fall like flies.

Dem boys nah want dat.

So dem boys calling pon Frankie fuh get he act together and put he foot down pon some of dem people wah just looking fuh feather dem nest in he Ministry.

Talk half and hope Frankie get a pair of Eagle Eyes!

that a total of only 140 cases can be handled locally.

This is woeful and one has to ask why concerted steps were not taken to increase the testing capacity to beyond 400 per day, especially considering that there was a model which predicted as many as 1200 cases. At the rate at which the virus is spreading, Guyana is going to surpass that 1200 figure. And this will mean more than an estimated 120 persons are likely to die.

The government has responded smartly to this

problem but it will take at least another two weeks for the waiting time to be reduced from nine hours to two hours. Those persons who died this week without knowing their infection status would not have minded waiting nine hours.

Days passed and the results were not ready. And these persons died.

There is only one proven way of suppressing and containing the COVID-19 epidemic and that is a total lockdown. The government should seriously

contemplate doing this so as to arrest the present rapid community spread.

There is only one business, which is going to profit if the spread of the virus is not contained and that is the funeral business.

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

Kaieteur News

PAGE 10

Thursday August 20, 2020

THE FREDDIE KISSOON COLUMN

Lil Joe: A big monarch falls

I

remember a set of us from the media were talking about the July 2015 gazette when it came out. It listed the legal jurisdictions of the Cabinet members. It was there and then, Guyana knew that the prime minister in actual power was not second to the president.

That person was the minister of the presidency – Joe Harmon. Harmon had 18 areas that his authority extended to, compared with

four for the PM. In APNU+AFC's five years in office, the PM was virtually a ceremonial figure never before seen since Guyana converted to executive presidency. Every PM since then – Ptolemy Reid, Desmond Hoyte, Hamilton Green, Sam Hinds – had portfolios that were substantial with real authority over their designated areas.

The exception was Moses Nagamootoo. It was

indeed a shameless episode in the life of the APNU+AFC regime.

Harmon had the ultimate say in every ministry. When the Minister of Public Infrastructure refused to renew the lease of an Ogle airport businessman, the ministry of the presidency approved it.

The ministry of the presidency had legal authority to reject any policy direction or override any decision of any ministry. The

Prime Minister had the portfolio for the state media.

When the board removed the Chronicle general manager, Sherod Duncan, the PM reappointed him.

The ministry of the presidency rejected the continuation of Duncan when it argued he could not reclaim his position because the Chronicle's board would have to approve it and there was no board in place at the time when the PM made his decision.

Such was the

power of that ministry headed by “Lil Joe” or Joe Shanlin,” nicknames given to Harmon by the satirical column in this newspaper, “Dem Boys Seh.” Harmon refused to resign when his party lost power.

And his reason is as comical as it has been since he became the frontman for the APNU+AFC's bandwagon of fraudulent election. It is worth reminding the Guyanese people of how inept and unacceptable is the leadership of David Granger when one takes into consideration the abominable antics of Harmon during the five month election saga.

He employed an American public relations firm –JJ&B – to lobby the US government and US lawmakers that APNU+AFC had won a handsome victory.

The dossier the firm submitted listed President Granger as an American citizen, obviously highlighting to the Guyanese people that the president had committed a criminal offence when he signed his candidacy papers for the elections.

Lil Joe (an ironic sobriquet because Harmon is more than six feet tall) told the nation that the use of JJ&B was important because the government had to defend itself. Three deformities surrounded Joe Shanlin. One was that Granger denounced his description of him being an American citizen. Secondly, the Guyana government did not contest the 2020 election because governments do not do so; only political parties do. Thirdly, the president as head of government and party told the nation that he knew nothing about the employment of JJ&B and the dossier.

If Granger was a competent leader, he would have immediately fired Lil Joe. Last week, the PNC elevated Lil Joe into its executive committee and Leader of the Opposition.

This is the same PNC that

Frederick Kissoon criticized the composition of the PPP Cabinet and rejected Kwame McCoy as a minister. A graphic case of pot telling his “matee”, his bottom is black.

So Joe Shanlin told the Attorney General, Mr. Anil Nandlall, he is not resigning from the ministry of the presidency. He has applied for two months leave. He also told the AG that he does not recognize his authority and the legality of the government. So if Lil Joe stays on, who will be his boss? Which government will he be working with? The entire saga stinks to high heaven but more importantly, there must be a reason why Harmon is behaving like that.

It is not easy for a normal mind to understand why Harmon is behaving like this. We are talking about the fall of a monarch. Hilary Clinton went into a state of depression when she lost to Trump. The entire world thought she would have mauled Trump at the election because the world thought Trump was simply unelectable. We mortals could not put ourselves into the mind of Clinton to understand the mental anguish, which she was enduring.

With huge power, second only to the president and with Granger being a lackluster president, Harmon had monarchial power. Such authority would have reached greater heights with the massive oil revenues coming in. And to think he will never be a king again. Joe is too confused to face reality.

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

Thursday August 20, 2020

Kaieteur News

PAGE 11

Kaieteur News

PAGE 12

Thursday August 20, 2020

OP warns of fake

India donates 29 ventilators Presidential Twitter account as part of US$1M COVID-19 aid Minister Anthony poses for a photo with Indian High Commissioner, Dr. K. J. Srinivasa

G

Image from fake Presidential Twitter account

T

here is a fake presidential Twitter account being used by persons unknown to solicit funds.

The Office of the President announced this yesterday via a statement which states in part that “The Office of the President is advising the public to be

aware of a fake account on social media platform Twitter, purporting to be the official account of His Excellency Dr. Mohamed Irfaan Ali.” Ali was sworn in as the President of Guyana just over two weeks ago, after an unprecedented fivemonth electoral impasse.

The phoney presidential a c c o u n t , @DrMohamedirfaa1, according to the statement, is seeking to solicit funds from unsuspecting citizens for a fake United Nations fund.

“The public is therefore advised that the Twitter account is fraudulent and that they should refrain from engaging the page, the statement added.

uyana's COVID19 fight will be well boosted with a donation of 29 ventilators, compliments of the Government of India. This is according to information released by the Ministry yesterday.

In a statement, the Ministry revealed that the Government of India has allocated US$1M from the “Quick Impact Development Project” that is being implemented jointly by the Ministry of Health, the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) and the United Nation Development Programme (UNDP) to support the Guyana's response to COVID-19.

Tuesday, at a signing ceremony of the tripartite agreement, were the Minister of Health, Dr. Frank Anthony;

t h e I n d i a H i g h Commissioner, Dr. K. J. Srinivasa; PAHO/WHO Country Representative, Dr. William Adu Krow, and Resident Coordinator of the United Nations Development Programme, Maikiko Tanaka.

At the signing, Dr. Anthony thanked the Government of India for their partnership and donation to the health care system of Guyana during this global pandemic.

“The Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) purchased under this fund will assist in preventing our frontline workers from becoming ill,” the Minister said as he revealed that it is expected that the 29 ventilators will arrive soon.

During his brief remarks, Dr. Srinivasa said India and Guyana have always partnered for development

and progress over the years.

He further explained that the Government of India has been assisting many countries across the world as part of Prime Minister's Narendra Modi efforts to coordinate the COVID-19 worldwide response.

He also highlighted that, thus far, a total of 100 countries have benefited from medical equipment, personal protective equipment (PPE), emergency room medicines, and monetary aid.

Meanwhile, both Dr. Adu Krow and Ms. Tanaka expressed their appreciation to the Government of Indian for their support to Guyana's COVID-19 response.

Dr. Adu Krow indicated that a quantity of medical supplies and PPE have already been procured and is expected to arrive in Guyana shortly.

Thursday August 20, 2020

Kaieteur News

PAGE 13

Fire destroys DeSinco's buildings on Sheriff Street

By Renay Sambach

I

t was chaos yesterday afternoon as fire ripped through three DeSinco Trading Limited buildings on Sheriff Street, Georgetown. While firefighters struggle to control the blaze hours after arriving on the scene, Minister of Home Affairs, Robeson Benn, shared some concerns as it relates to how the fire was handled by firefighters.

Around 13:20hrs, a fire of yet to be determined origin, erupted in the wooden upper flat of the Associated Packers Industry building (which belongs to the owner of DeSinco Trading). When Kaieteur News arrived on the scene, the fire was under control as members of the Guyana Fire Service were seen hosing the building.

H o w e v e r, t h e f i r e quickly escalated since firefighters started experiencing issues in getting water, which resulted in the fire spreading to a back building.

According to a source, the top flat of Associated Packers Industry building is used as a home and the back building is a bond, which stores items for DeSinco Trading, a large distributor of consumer products.

As the firefighters struggle to control the burning buildings, members of the Guyana Police Force also had a difficult time controlling a large crowd that gathered to watch the fire. After the police officers were able to set up barriers some distance away from the fire, some persons were still trying to get closer to the scene.

A woman in the crowd shouted, “The fire wasn't this big, now look what happened; they allow the fire to spread and now they can't control it.” Another man yelled, “This is what they using our tax payers dollars to do…they send trucks that don't even have water. How can a fire truck come to (put) out a fire without water in the tank?”

While persons continued to voice their concerns, the

Scenes from the fire yesterday at DeSinco's Trading Limited owner of DeSinco Trading Limited, Frank De Abreu, his wife and other relatives arrived on the scene.

However, Mr. De Abreu, shortly after his arrival began hyperventilating.

According to reports, he was rushed to a hospital for medical reasons. Some of his relatives remained at the

Some persons at the scene of the fire scene of the fire.

Meanwhile, more fire trucks started to arrive on the scene and after 40 minutes of trying to contain the fire, it spread to DeSinco's office building, which is situated to the right of the building that was initially on fire.

While some firefighters continued hosing the first building, others turned their attention to the office building and for 20 minutes,

the fire ripped through its top floor. By this time, the fire which appeared to be under control in the first building resurged with a vengeance. A section of the building started to collapse.

The fire started to spread to the electrical wires in front of the first building.

However, the fire on the wires was quickly extinguished by the firefighters, while owners of

nearby buildings started to douse them with water.

At around 15:40hrs, shortly after Minister Benn arrived on the scene, another fire truck came with a ladder.

The firefighters quickly started to gear up to put out the fire from the ladder since those on the ground were having trouble tackling it at the top floor of the building.

As the ladder extended (continued on page 16)

Kaieteur News

PAGE 14

Thursday August 20, 2020

PSC appeals for public's UNICEF, FAO to Aid Development adherence to COVID-19 of Education System guidelines

A

s it continues to collaborate with stakeholders in the fight against COVID-19, the Private Sector Commission (PSC) in a statement yesterday made an appeal for members of the public to adhere to safety guidelines set out by official healthcare institutions and the Ministry of Health.

According to the PSC, “We wish to remind all that these guidelines include the vital practices of observing social distancing protocols, properly washing of hands and/or sanitizing, and the use of face masks appropriately.”

The guidelines, according to the PSC, are clear but noted, however, that “if more clarity is needed, businesses are urged to seek same from the Private Sector Commission as the Government of Guyana, through H.E. President Mohamed Irfaan Ali, has directed that the PSC is represented at the Governmental level of the Policy Group and the

Coordinating Committee for the fight against COVID19.”

The PSC said too that it is working on the basis that President Ali has asked for all protocols regarding the operation of businesses. As a result, the PSC said it “has submitted same and continue to so do in various sectors of economic activity.”

Weighing on concerns regarding the COVID-19 lockdown measures, the PSC added, “For those businesses that are disappointed at the nonreopening so far, we urge your patience as protocols are reviewed by the technical team of doctors."

As it reiterated its expectation that there will be strict compliance with the COVID-19 guidelines and curfew directives set out in the Official Gazette, the PSC highlighted the need for the Police Force to take all the necessary steps to enforce the wearing of face mask in public places and strict observation of the curfew

requirements. It however noted that the public can make it easier for the Force by being compliant.

“More stringent measures are being enforced at the borders under the guidance of the Coordinating Committee headed by the Prime Minister H.E. Brigadier Mark Phillips.

We support the Prime Minister and the Minister of Health in their efforts at the enforcement of COVID-19 protocols by the business community both in their individual companies and for the introduction of a regime of inspection to ensure compliance,” the PSC said.

The body is also urging all businesses to give priority to “our frontline health workers entering your businesses or requiring our services. These persons deserve the best from all of society as they risk their lives daily to save ours.”

Remains highly cognizant of the health and safety of all citizens, the PSC said that it is calling on all to continue maintaining precautionary measures and safety practices to prevent further transmission and expansion of the virus.

Minister Priya Manickchand greets UNICEF Education Specialist, Ms. Audrey Rodrigues. Also in photo are UNICEF's Irfan Akhtar and Chief Planning Officer, Ms. Nicola Johnson.

F

rom all indications, recently sworn-in Minister of Education, Priya Manickchand, has hit the ground running in her quest to overhaul the education system.

In so doing, yesterday the Minister was engaged in two important meetings – one with a representative of the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), and another with representatives of the United Nations International Children Fund (UNICEF).

During the meeting with FAO representative, Ms. Gillian Smith, the discussion was focused on how the agency can support the development of the education sector with an emphasis on the school feeding programme.

That meeting was also attended by Chief Planning Officer of the Ministry, Ms. Nicola Johnson, who was also present when the Minister engaged the UNICEF representatives.

Acting UNICEF Country Representative, Mr. Irfan

Akhtar, was accompanied by UNICEF's Education Specialist, Ms. Audrey Rodrigues.

They discussed with the Education Ministry's team matters relating to the needs of the sector, taking into consideration, its efforts to tackle the realities presented by the COVID-19 pandemic.

In this regard, UNICEF, which has been offering critical assistance to the Ministry to ensure the continuity of learning, has committed to remaining a strong developmental partner.

Kaieteur News

Thursday August 20, 2020

Four-month budget to help tackle pressing issues in Agri. Sector - Minister

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s government prepares to present its fourmonth budget for 2020, A g r i c u l t u r e M i n i s t e r, Zulfikar Mustapha, has disclosed that his Ministry's submission will target pressing issues in the sector.

“We know that there was no budget for 2020 because the previous government held on to power for many months after the no confidence motion was passed. Even after the March 2 elections, they refused to accept defeat and as a result, Guyana suffered.

Projects were either put on hold or unable to start and as such the country suffered.

Now that the PPP/C is in power, we will soon table a four-month budget to get critical projects up and running,” Minister Mustapha said.

The Minister further noted that agencies were tasked to revise their old budget submissions to reflect projects that are urgent.

A s s t at e m e n t disseminated by the Ministry noted that agencies are scheduled to submit their respective budgets this week to the Minister and the Permanent Secretary, after which, those submissions will be made to the Ministry of Finance.

Agriculture Minister, Zulfikar Mustapha Also, Minister Mustapha said that the urgent needs of farmers will take precedence in the upcoming budget.

“From the Ministry's end, farmers' critical needs will be prioritized. We will be looking to improve drainage and irrigation, infrastructure and purchase new pumps.

There are also some existing pumps that we will be fixing and some cultivation dams that need rehabilitating. We also hope to rehabilitate critical structures in the MMA that have been neglected for years,” Minister Mustapha said.

The budget is also expected to strengthen the Ministry's extension capabilities to address pest and disease management and

chemical use management.

Last week, Vice President D r. B h a r r a t J a g d e o , announced that extraordinary circumstances have forced government to present a budget in 21 days.

“It takes 179 days to prepare a budget from the date the circular goes out to the date of presentation in Parliament… but we want the budget prepared and we are working towards preparing a budget in 21 days,” said Dr. Jagdeo.

Last week, Minister Mustapha during a virtual press conference revealed that several of the Ministry's agencies are in a terrible financial state. He pointed out that severe mismanagement was the cause and that he is working to bring order to the sector.

Radha Krishna Sharma named interim NICIL CEO

T

he Board of Directors of the National Industrial and Commercial Investments Limited (NICIL) yesterday announced in a statement the appointment of Mr. Radha Krishna Sharma as the Interim Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of NICIL. The Board noted that NICIL has been without a substantive CEO since 25th October, 2018 with the passing of its then Head. The former acting CEO has reverted to his substantive position as Head of the Special Purpose Unit, the statement added.

It was pointed out that given the importance of NICIL's operations, as the Government's Privatization arm and the controversy surrounding many transactions conducted by NICIL over the past few years, the Board considered it urgent and necessary to immediately appoint an Interim CEO of NICIL for a period of three months.

Following this, the statement added, the post will be filled following an advertisement inviting suitably qualified candidates to

Interim NICIL CEO, Radha Krishna Sharma apply.

Sharma, it was noted, is no stranger to the corporate world, having a substantial breadth of experience in the commercial sector.

He has worked in the capacity of CEO of the Guyana Telephone and Telegraph Company from March 2013 to December, 2015 and as CEO of the Guyana Bank for Trade and Industry from July 2000 to November 2009.

PAGE 15

PAGE 16

Thursday August 20, 2020

Kaieteur News

Parliamentary selection…

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The selection of A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) candidates for Guyana 12th sitting of Parliamentary is embroiled in internal conflict between its constituents after top executives were not included on the list.

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The fact that Lawrence was excluded angered Senior PNC member, James Bond, who took to social media to issue a scathing message to Granger in which he noted that her exclusion was tantamount

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(proof of nationality), competence, community service, constituency representation, ethnic balance, gender balance, generational balance, geographical balance, occupational balance, and political party membership.

The APNU noted too that upon launching its 2020 elections campaign, each party needed to campaign aggressively in order to increase the parliamentary seating allocations.

Granger, reportedly, pointed out that the smaller parties would need about 7,000 votes to qualify for a single parliamentary seat.

It would appear that the only parties that met this particular criterion were The Guyana Action Party (GAP) and the Working People's Alliance (WPA) as they will have candidates in parliament.

According to the APNU statement, “it would be false and regrettable, for anyone to state that small parties within the APNU are being used, abused and discarded.”

They pointed out that all parties that comprise the APNU are “valued members of the partnership” and urged them to continue to work to

Leader of the Coalition, David Granger achieve its goal of a more cohesive society.”

Further, the coalition noted that, “it must be organized and committed to develop Guyana into a united, stable and prosperous nation” and added that will not deviate from their founding principles.

JFAP was the only constituent apart of the coalition that made calls for Granger to concede defeat in the protracted March 2020 Elections.

After the declaration, Granger announced a criteria list for his constituent parties to earn their slot in Parliament.

He said he needed “Not fake parties, not cardboard parties” thus ruling out many of the smaller parties within his coalition.

The party is however yet to address the utterances made by Bond.

Fire destroys DeSinco's buildings...

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to a “slap in the face of the entire PNC.” JFAP General Secretary, Savitree Singh-Sharma, also commented on that party's exclusion. APNU in response, denied that there was discrimination or preferential treatment meted out to partners during the extraction process.

While this is so, a few persons on the list told Kaieteur News that they were not aware that they were selected as Parliamentarians for the coalition.

Kaieteur News made contact with Coretta McDonald; former Natural Resource Minister, Raphael Trotman; former Junior Infrastructure, Minister Annette Ferguson; along with former, Education Minister, Nicolette Henry and former Telecommunications, Minister Cathy Hughes whose names are on the list.

While Ferguson declined to comment, the rest expressed shock and surprise that their names were included and noted that they were not consulted.

APNU in its statement said those selected to represent the Coalition were required to meet the nomination criteria that included citizenship

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From page 13 close to the top floor of the office building, firefighters on the ground started to break the doors of the bottom flat of the office building.

The fire had already spread to the second floor. It was while the firefighters engaged the fire that Minister Benn spoke with members of the media.

When asked what prompted his visit, he said, “From my office, I could've seen the black smoke for hours so I decided to come down here.”

Many were worried that the fightfighters were taking too long to contain the fire.

But according to the Minister, “the firefighters are claiming that inadequate supply of water from the main and not having the foam that is needed to deal with the chemicals that are burning is the cause for the fire not being extinguished by now.”

These issues the Minister said he intends to have addressed as part of the training for firefighters.

He also expressed concern over what he dubbed “lack of energy” in the operation and observed that too many officers at the scene resulted in no one being assertively in con-

trol.

The Minister also added that “as a general rule now, I would want to see for businesses, which have storage of this kind, crude and oil and so on, they install a fire sprinkler system so that the earliest effort could be made to bring a situation like this under control.”

By 16:30hrs, the firefighters were eventually able to fully extinguish the fire before it spread to DeSinco's Furniture building that is located to the right of the office building.

An investigation into the origin of the fire is ongoing.

Govt. to revoke lands sold by NICIL From page 8 finger but it will take time. I take this opportunity to implore on those persons who are awaiting the reopening, not to fall prey to the “fake news” coming from the APNU+AFC camp but to have some patience and confidence in our team,” the

Minister said.

According to the Minister, more than 7,500 workers have lost their jobs in the sugar industry within the last five years after the Coalition closed four factories, which they claimed were dragging the industry down.

The PPP/C has repeat-

edly stated, both throughout its campaign and after assuming office, that it will be placing emphasis on revitalizing the sugar industry in an effort to provide a source of income for the thousands who suffered as a result of the closure of the sugar estates.

Thursday August 20, 2020

PAHO director says Caribbean countries interested in COVID vaccine WASHINGTON - CMC – Caribbean countries have expressed an interest in joining the World Health Organization (WHO) COVID19 Vaccine Global Access (COVAX) Facility, a senior Pan American Health Organisation (PAHO) official has said.

Dominican-born, PAHO director, Dr. Carissa Etienne said that the move is expected to go a long way in ensuring equitable and affordable access by these states to coronavirus vaccines through a collaboration with PAHO’s Revolving Fund, when these become available.

The COVAX Facility is designed to accelerate equitable access by countries globally to appropriate, safe and efficacious vaccines, and Dr. Etienne said the immediate objective of arrangements with the COVAX Facility “is to have agreements with vaccine producers to secure around two billion doses until the end of 2021”.

She said this would allow each country to access a volume of vaccines to inoculate at least 20 per cent of their population.

“They would use those to vaccinate health and social workers, adults over 65 years of age, and other adults with chronic conditions, who are the most vulnerable groups to develop the severe form of COVID-19.”

Dr. Etienne said that all vaccines available through

PAGE 17

Kaieteur News

PAHO director, Dr. Carissa Etienne the Facility/Revolving Fund will be prequalified by WHO to ensure that they are safe and effective.

“Equitable access to vaccines against COVID-19 is key to ensuring that we will be able to protect all vulnerable groups in every country, rich or poor, and save millions of lives.

“We have encouraged our member states to join the COVAX Facility… to allow low- and middle-income countries to have early access to the vaccines. This is the first priority when the vaccines are available,” she added.

Dr. Etienne said based on economic criteria, 10 regional countries are eligible to receive financial support from the COVAX Facility to access the vaccine via donation.

These are Bolivia, Dominica, El Salvador, Grenada, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, Nicaragua, St. Lucia, and St. Vincent and the Grenadines and the PAHO director said that in the case of the other countries, the Facility will reduce the “risks” posed by bilateral agreements with specific companies, “because we will have a basket that already has more than 10 manufacturers that are engaged in the [vaccine development] process”.

She said PAHO is “extremely excited” by the speed and diversity of the vaccination development process thus far.

“It really is exciting to see a pipeline of over 150 vaccines that are in different stages of development… (with) eight of them already in phase three of clinical trials,” she noted.

President tells Govt.: Failure not an option NEWSDAY - President Paula-Mae Weekes has offered congratulations to the Prime Minister and Cabinet ministers following the swearing-in ceremony yesterday.

She said the citizens of TT have spoken on the choice for government to lead the country for the next five years.

She said she was glad to have carried out the swearing in at President’s House, as there had not been a swearing-in ceremony for a prime minister since 2002 nor of a Cabinet since 2007. She saluted all the MPs who were elected and the candidates who offered themselves for the August 10 general election. She thanked those who had served in government over the past five years.

Weekes said outstanding matters facing government included constitutional reform, Tobago self-government and racism, while covid19 and illegal immigration remain front and centre.

She said TT cannot be said to be at peace with itself, but those who were sworn in took an oath to conscientiously carry out their duties without fear and favour “You will be judged unsparingly. Failure is not an option.”

Weekes said the covid19 precautions

President Paula-Mae Weekes carried out during the ceremony, including the use of masks and social distancing, echoed the gravity of the proceedings and suggested the sacrifices which the new ministers will have to carry out in their new roles.

“On behalf of us all, urge you to roll up your sleeves, put your hand to the plough and begin the business of good governance of Trinidad and Tobago.

Lands sold by NICIL to be revoked

Minister of Agriculture, Zulfikar Mustapha, in a statement on Monday, announced that the Ministry of Agriculture (MoA) will be revoking lands belonging to the Guyana Sugar Corporation (GuySuCo) that were vested to various private entities by the National Industrial and Commercial Investment Limited (NICIL).

The Minister in his statement noted that it was under the coalition's tenure as caretaker government, that the Special Purpose Unit (SPU) had begun the process of selling off estate lands to various bidders.

To this end, the minister noted that under his leadership, the MoA will ensure that an immediate halt is placed on the land selling process undertaken by NICIL in an effort to ensure that the lands be used for the benefit of the people and country. The Minister also stated that his Ministry will be collaborating with NICIL to have the lands which were sold, reinstated to GuySuCo. In an article published by this paper, it was reported that NICIL through the SPU, had sold lands that were vested to it, and garnered deposits of $2.1 billion which were then used to offset outstanding repayment of a $30B bond

- Minister Mustapha secured by NICIL to retrofit and revitalize the three remaining sugar estatesAlbion, Blairmont and Uitvlugt.

The Minister, who was at the time responding to statements made by former president David Granger calling the PPP/C's plans to reopen the sugar industry “fake news”, noted that, despite the growing threat of COVID-19, the MoA will continue to ensure that its plans for the reopening of the sugar estates are executed.

“We will stick to our commitment and promise made to the People of Guyana to reopen the Sugar Estates that were closed by the APNU+AFC Government even though they promised to keep it alive in their 2015 campaign.

Agriculture will continue to be a main contributor to Guyana's Economy,” the Minister said even as he noted as part of MoA's comprehensive plan of action, a new Board of Directors will be appointed to GuySuCo. In addition to this, the Minister stated that the MoA has set up a team to examine areas of support to families affected by the closure of the

estates through targeted interventions during the transitional phase. This team is expected to meet with executives from various farmers' groups, the Guyana Agriculture Workers' Union (GAWU) and other stakeholders.

“We and the workers are well aware that this will not happen at the click of a finger but it will take time.

I take this opportunity to implore on those persons who are awaiting the reopening, not to fall prey to the “fake news” coming from the APNU+AFC camp but to have some patience and confidence in our team,” the Minister said.

According to the Minister, more than 7,500 workers have lost their jobs in the sugar industry within the last five years after the Coalition closed four factories, which they claimed were dragging the industry down.

The PPP/C has repeatedly stated, both throughout its campaign and after assuming office, that it will be placing emphasis on revitalizing the sugar industry in an effort to provide a source of income for the thousands who suffered as a result of the closure of the sugar estates.

IDB to provide funds for housing and COVID pandemic in Trinidad and Tobago WASHINGTON - CMC – The Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) has signed two loans with the Trinidad and Tobago government for a combined total of US$150 million to improve housing conditions, invest in urban transformation and respond to the impact of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.

The Washington-based financial institution said a US$50 million investment loan will support the enhancement of living conditions for lowincome households and invest in urban spaces as part of a strategy to foster more sustainable development.

“The Urban Upgrading and Revitalization Programme is expected to directly enhance the living conditions of at least 4,000 households, support urban renewal on both islands, utilize greenbuilding technologies for utility savings, and address the medium-term housing and urban development needs of the country,” the IDB said.

It said another element will see low-income households being linked with potential private finance opportunities to better their housing conditions.

The IDB said the programme will be executed by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Development’s Programme Monitoring, Coordinating and Evaluation Unit, “and will support their commitment to reduce the qualitative and quantitative housing deficits and revitalize urban centers.”

The second loan, valued at US$100 million, is titled Programme to Strengthen Fiscal Policy and Management in Response to the Health and Economic Crisis Caused by COVID-19 in Trinidad and Tobago.

“This intervention will aid the government’s ongoing efforts by supporting their health response to the pandemic through additional hiring of health personnel and purchasing of medical equipment; strengthening fiscal policy measures to protect vulnerable households and increase liquidity for businesses; and promoting economic and fiscal recovery in the post-pandemic period,” the IDB said.

It said this second operation will be executed by the Ministry of Planning and Development, which “will have close coordination with the Ministry of Finance and other relevant ministries and agencies in relation to the policy measures under the loan”.

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Thursday August 20, 2020

Kaieteur News

Govt. should consult the Guyanese people on Exxon’s Payara project - Chris Ram Attorney-at-Law Christopher Ram said that the Government of Guyana should hold public consultations with the Guyanese people, as part of its review process for the Payara project, ExxonMobil’s third intended field development in the Stabroek Block.

Ram appeared on Kaieteur Radio’s newest show, Corruption, Governance & Justice, with hostess Kiana Wilburg.

A Canadian World Bank advisor, Alison Redford has

been hired to lead the review of the controversial Field Development Plan (FDP).

ExxonMobil has pressured both the former and current governments to grant swift approval to the project, before Guyana could undertake a thorough and comprehensive review of the project.

Experts like Dr. Jan Mangal and Melinda Janki have said that if Guyana is to consider Payara, it should take all the time it

needs.

Ram is positing that it is necessary to ensure local voices are heard.

“Don’t only ask Canadians. Don’t only ask foreigners,” he said. “Why not have open consultation in Guyana on the same issues?”

He explained that while Guyana welcomes the expertise and contributions of foreign helpers, Guyanese must have a voice.

“After all, it is our pat-

rimony. It is not theirs… if you are saying this is our patrimony, then give us a voice.”

Pertinent to the interests of Guyanese are the provisions in the FDP, or the lack thereof, which speak to issues such as local content.

Two FDPs have already been approved; the first for Liza Phase One which is already in production mode, and the second Liza Phase Two, which is on track for startup in 2022.

These approvals have beckoned concerns about the sheer magnitude of the costs foisted upon Guyanese taxpayers, which Guyana hasn’t even begun to scrutinise. Janki had told Kaieteur News that if

Attorney-at-Law, Christopher Ram G u y a n a i s t o consider Payara, it has to get the two earlier projects in order first,

including ExxonMobil’s flaring at the Liza Destiny Floating, Production, Storage and Offloading (FPSO) vessel.

Mangal said that the entire Stabroek Block agreement should be renegotiated first.

Rife discourse in the public has revealed discontentment with the consultant the Government has procured to lead the review of the project.

There are multiple concerns.

Firstly, Redford’s experience reviewing Field Development Plans (FDP) has not been proven.

Secondly, she is a former politician, who was forced to resign her post as Premier of the Canadian province, Alberta following a sustained scandal over mismanagement of public funds for partisan and personal purposes.

$1.6 B COVID-19 hospital to be used as isolation centre - President Ali

The $1.6 BCOVID -19 Hospital at Liliendaal, East Bank Demerara President Dr Irfaan Ali has announced a move by Government to use the $1.6B COVID-19 retrofitted Ocean View Hospital located at Liliendaal, East Coast Demerara as an isolation centre for patients affected by the disease.

To this end, President Ali said that arrangements are being made to have a facility that caters to at least 150 patients requiring isolation. During a live streamed update on Guyana's response to the pandemic, Dr. Ali said that his administration has been working at implementing an all-encompassing approach to dealing with the disease.

He alluded to a holistic approach to addressing the pandemic.

“The objective of our allencompassing approach is to ensure that the multifaceted aspect of the COVID-19 pandemic is addressed…We are not only looking at the health aspect of the COVID-19 pandemic, but we are targeting measures that would re-create jobs, ensure income goes back to the people, improve spending in the economy whilst at the same time, securing our population with the implementation of good health scenarios,” he said.

In addressing some of these issues, the President said that the Government is pursuing delivering relief to the strained health system and workers; increasing testing throughout Guyana; maintaining and addressing public health and safety; delivering stimulus incentives and arrangements to encourage business stability; delivering relief measures for persons affected at the household level; and delivering education to children in non-conventional avenues as efforts are made to adopt to the new environment.

To tackle the other ongoing challenges, the Head of State said that Minister of Health, Dr. Frank Anthony, had advised that a number of interventions have been made to improve test turnaround time, testing capability, human resource capacity, infrastructure and equipment.

To address those needs, Dr. Ali said that the Government moved to improve capabilities from a position of 4060 per day to 96-140 per day.

Notwithstanding this significant improvement, he said that there is a backlog of 700 tests results.

“This is as a result of the manual PCR machines cur-

rently used and also the lack of medical technologists. Two weeks ago, we had one medical technologist working. By the end of this week, 30 new medical technologists will be trained in PCR testing from both the public and private sector and will be available from next week.

In addition to this, two new automatic machines will be sourced to cut testing turnaround time from nine hours to two hours. This will not only clear the backlog but significantly improve our capacity to do mass testing, which will become necessary in the eventual opening up of our economy and country,” the President said.

In terms of the essential medical supplies, he said that government has moved to procure an additional 100,000 N-95 masks. “We currently have four working ventilators at the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC). By next week, 29 additional ventilators will be in country to be utilised not only at GPHC but in all the regions. The Ministry has also advised that additional healthcare personnel including doctors have been deployed to hotspot areas in Regions Seven and Nine,” the President added.

Thursday August 20, 2020

Kaieteur News

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Kaieteur News

Thursday August 20, 2020

Thursday August 20, 2020

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Kaieteur News

Windies opener Kieran ‘Great to have cricket back in region’ Powell joins SKN CWI CEO Grave thrilled with CPL return

Barbados Tridents are the Caribbean Premier League defending champions.

Thursday August 20, 2020 ARIES (Mar. 21–Apr. 19) You may have some trouble getting out of bed today due to a desire to let the world carry on without your help for a while.

TAURUS(Apr.20–May20) The day ahead should be excellent. You tend to work with an energy unparalleled by the other signs, and today you reap some rewards for your diligence.

GEMINI (May 21–June 20) You've been lucky for the last two months, there's no doubt about it. Lately it seems like your luck is changing. It's hard to pinpoint, but something isn't quite right in your daily life.

CANCER (June 21–July 22) This is going to be a good time to get a global view of things. Take full advantage of the current planetary aspects by reading some books on spirituality or travel.

LEO (July 23–Aug. 22) It's true that having to earn a living isn't always the most agreeable thing in life, Leo. However, we all know that it's necessary. Have you thought about adding more balance to your life?

VIRGO (Aug. 23–Sept. 22) If you've had some problems in your sentimental life during the last few m o n t h s , Vi rg o , they're probably behind you now.

It's a sure bet that you've learned something.

LIBRA (Sept. 23–Oct. 22) If you aren't the most selfassured p e r s o n i n t h e world, take a look around and see all that you've done. True, you still have many unattained dreams.

SCORPIO (Oct. 23–Nov. 21) You may meet some new people in the next few days, Scorpio. Someone in your professional life may help you launch some unusual experiments that have never been done before.

SAGIT(Nov.22–Dec.21) It seems as though you're trying to live down some criticism, Sagittarius. For weeks you've taken special care to look over your work to catch any mistakes.

CAPRI (Dec. 22–Jan. 19) Smile, because the forecast is bright today. You'll be in a curious mood, just right for new encounters.

AQUARIUS(Jan.20–Feb.18) The Rolling Stones said it best, "I can't get no satisfaction," and that's how you've been feeling lately, Aquarius.

Indeed, looking back on your recent activities, you may feel a bit like a character in Wonderland PISCES (Feb. 19–Mar. 20) You're often preoccupied by other people's lives. Your devotion to others will be appreciated today. For example, in the family circle, you may have to bandage everyone's little physical or psychological wounds.

SportsMax - Cricket West Indie CEO Johnny Grave has expressed delight with the start of this season’s Caribbean Premier League (CPL) tournament, amidst complications caused by the global coronavirus pandemic.

The West Indies became one of the first teams to return to international cricket last month, after embarking on a three-match tour of England.

The entire series, which the West Indies lost 2-1, took place in a biosecure environment.

Likewise, the region has been among the first to return to hosting a major T20 franchise tournament when the CPL tipped off on Tuesday.

The entire tournament will take place in Trinidad and Tobago, where another bio-secure environment has been established. Grave believes the return of the tournament to the region’s pitches will provide a boost to players and fans alike, despite this edition being played in an empty stadium.

“I think it’s great that we have cricket back on in the region. We are very proud of the fact that with England and Wales Cricket Board we were able to bring international cricket back to the world,” Grave said.

“It’s great for everyone in the region, it’s brilliant for our players. It’s great for cricket fans around the world that they’ve now got almost doubleheaders every single day for the next few weeks to enjoy,” he added.

“We haven’t had any regional cricket since the West Indies Championship finished in March. So, I think the West Indians involved in CPL alone will pick up collectively US$2m. It is really important to them as professional cricketers that they can earn some muchneeded match fees from the tournament.”

Patriots as replacement for Fabian Allen

SportsMax - West Indies opener Kieran Powell has joined the St Kitts & Nevis Patriots for the remainder of the Hero Caribbean Premier League (CPL).

Powell will replace Fabian Allen in the Patriots squad and was available for their match against the Guyana Amazon Warriors yesterday, August 19.

As a native of St Kitts & Nevis, Powell was invited to join the Patriots squad as a training player but he will now be eligible to play for the franchise.

Powell has played 40 Tests and 46 ODIs as well as one T20 International.

Powell has played for the Patriots before, most recently during the 2016 Hero CPL. Powell was the leading scorer in last year’s Regional Super 50 competition, making 524 runs for the Leeward Islands.

Powell travelled into Trinidad & Tobago on August 2 and he has gone through the rigorous quarantine and testing process that Hero CPL and the Ministry of Health put in place.

This year’s CPL is taking place behind closed doors in two venues in Trinidad & Tobago with the final taking place at the Brian Lara Cricket Academy on 10 September 2020.

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Kaieteur News

Thursday August 20, 2020

‘Drastic measures’ coming at Barcelona, FIFA’s ethics committee clears as Bartomeu warns legends must leave Infantino after investigation ZURICH (Reuters) FIFA’s independent ethics committee has cleared the organisation’s president Gianni Infantino of any alleged breach of its code, world soccer’s governing body said yesterday.

Swiss authorities last month decided to open criminal proceedings against Infantino to look into meetings between the FIFA chief and Swiss Attorney General Michael Lauber.

Lauber and Infantino have denied any wrongdoing with the FIFA chief saying he met the Attorney General as part of his duties as president of the governing body.

The ethics committee said it had received a complaint on June 21 and had received documentation from various Swiss authorities and administrative courts.

“All of this material has been duly scrutinised by the chairperson of the investigatory chamber in the context of the preliminary investigation,” the committee said in a statement.

“Based on the information available to date, no aspect of the conduct analysed constitutes a violation of the FIFA regulations,” it added.

The committee said some parts of the complaints did not “even fall within the provisions of the FIFA code of ethics, or justify the adoption of any kind of measure, including that of a provisional suspension”.

FIFA said that, at the time of the meetings held in 2016 and 2017, the Attorney General’s office was conducting investigations in more than 20 cases related to a scandal in which FIFA became embroiled before Infantino was elected president in 2016.

“There is no factual basis whatsoever for this criminal investigation,” FIFA deputy

Barcelona will take “drastic” steps to arrest their decline.

FIFA President Gianni Infantino after his speech during the UEFA Congress.

(REUTERS/Yves Herman/File Photo) general secretary Alasdair Bell told a news conference this month, describing the investigation as “grotesque” and “absurd”.

On Wednesday, the Swiss parliament dropped its impeachment case against Lauber after he agreed to leave office later this month.

FIFA was embroiled in the worst corruption scandal in its history in 2015 which led to several officials being indicted in the United States on corruption-related charges.

Infantino was elected in 2016 to replace Sepp Blatter, who was the subject of criminal proceedings in 2015.

Blatter was banned by FIFA’s ethics committee, although the investigations against him are still ongoing and he has not been charged.

He denies wrongdoing.

On being elected, Infantino promised to clean up FIFA and to put the focus back on football.

Stats Perform News Barcelona will take “drastic” steps to arrest their decline and famous faces will be pushed towards the exit door, club president Josep Maria Bartomeu has declared.

In a startlingly explicit message, Bartomeu said the time had come for change at Camp Nou, and he committed to swingeing cuts of the playing staff.

Bartomeu said some players have already been told their time is up, and that for others a quiet word would soon be coming.

The Barcelona squad contains a host of players over 30 whose best days are behind them, and for whom diminishing returns have already set in.

Speaking to Barca TV, Bartomeu said: “The technical secretariat and the new coach will take drastic measures and affect certain players who must leave with all honours.

“They are players who have given their best and have given Barca the best years.”

He explained: “Some of them already know it because they have been spoken to in recent times. A conversation will be held with the players to explain their situation.

“The first thing to do is talk to the players first out of respect for them. They are legendary players who have to leave with all the honours, but you have to talk to them.”

Bartomeu knows a big rebuilding job is coming but the financial impact of COVID-19 is taking a major toll on the club’s finances.

Their wage bill is the highest in Spain, and much of that money is going to the experienced players Barcelona would like to find new homes.

Despite repeatedly flagging financial concerns in recent weeks, Bartomeu said: “Barca has money. The

problem is the wage bill. We have salary limits based on income. Therefore, we have to reduce the team’s salary mass to be able to bring in new players.”

He said conversations would take place with new coach Ronald Koeman about the likes of long-time target Lautaro Martinez, the Inter striker that Barcelona fancy bringing to Spain.

“We stopped the negotiations a few weeks ago and we will see what the new coach and the secretariat think,” Bartomeu said.

Cashing in on young talent would be an easy way to raise funds, but Barcelona are minded to look towards their La Masia academy to bolster the ageing first-team squad rather than as a production line from which other clubs can pick off talent.

He said Barcelona have received offers for young striker Ansu Fati, adding: “Many clubs love him, but we

don’t want to sell him. He knows it.”

As well as insisting Lionel Messi will stay, Bartomeu said there are “many others who are non-transferable”.

“There are many young players,” he said. “[MarcAndre] ter Stegen, [Clement] Lenglet, [Frenkie] de Jong, [Nelson] Semedo, [Ousmane] Dembele, [Antoine] Griezmann. They are players who we count on a lot and who have come to spend many years at Barca.”

With a matter of weeks until the new Spanish season begins, Barcelona must act quickly, with Bartomeu’s reputation just one of many at stake.

He will leave after next year’s elections, and would want to depart on a high.

He vowed: “It will not be a transitional season. Every year we fight for all the titles.

Barca’s obligation as a benchmark club is to always go 100 per cent.”

Tallawahs big hitters get them...

From page 22 Wi l l i a m s , a n d P o w e l l clubbed a pull followed by a straight six off Zahir. All of a sudden, the Tallawahs were ahead of the required run rate.

Sammy sensed the danger and brought back McCoy, and Phillips had to wait till the last ball of the over for a boundary. Powell tried to take on Cornwall but found only deep midwicket, and at the Angostura LLB drinks break, the Tallawahs were 78/3 needing a further 83, and the game was finely balanced.

But Asif Ali blasted his third ball over the ropes and was unfazed by the loss of Phillips. A four off Nabi kept things ticking, and a free hit and a brutal Russell cut shot meant the 13th over went for double figures. Russell pulled the last ball of the fourth for f o u r a n d t h e Ta l l w a h s entered the last six overs needing 50.

The 15th over went boundary-less, and Russell and Asif had to take a chance off Zahir ’s last.

They responded in style, with Asif dancing down the track for a Hero Maximum

and Russell easing a short ball for four.

The Zouks had a chance when a Williams slower ball drew a thin edge from Russell, and thus Brathwaite joined Asif with the required run rate above 9. But an Asif dink and two Brathwaite bludgeons, plus a dropped catch by Sammy, meant Kuggeleijn’s last over went for 16 and the game was as good as won.

The Zouks will feel they left a few runs out there, and Sammy underused himself and Nabi, but today belonged to the Tallawahs’

power-hitters. A good measure of how comfortable they were in the end was, despite Andre Russell scoring at under a run a ball, the game was won with an over to spare.

Scores: Jamaica Tallawahs 160/5 (Asif Ali 47*, Phillips 44, Powell 26, Brathwaite 18*; Williams 2/32, Cornwall 1/9, McCoy 1/28, Nabi 0/13) beat St Lucia Zouks 158/7 (Chase 52, Najibullah 25, Fletcher 22, Deyal 17; Mujeeb 2/25, Permaul 2/34, Lamichhane 1/23, Russell 1/32) by 5 wickets.

Thursday August 20, 2020

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Kaieteur News

Hetmyer and Paul stand out in Warriors success Keemo Paul and the spinners handsomely repaid Guyana Amazon Warriors’ decision to go with an unchanged XI from their opening day loss, and Shimron Hetmyer’s brilliance meant even a misfiring batting line-up won with time to spare, consigning the St Kitts & Nevis Patriots to the bottom of the Hero Caribbean Premier League (CPL) table.

The Patriots started shakily, with Evin Lewis dropped off captain Chris Green by the usually safe Ross Taylor at slip and Chris Lynn dragging a Naveen-ulHaq slower ball just past his stumps. Imran Tahir’s early introduction paid off first ball, the skipper holding a skier to dismiss Lynn. Tahir again acknowledged Black Lives Matter, dropping the knee and raising the fist.

Lewis started to find his range, sending Tahir over the cover boundary, and taking Naveen’s second over for 18.

But smart bowling from Green and even better keeping from Nicholas Pooran saw Lewis stumped for 30 as his back foot lifted for just a moment.

The Patriots ended the powerplay at 54/2.

Joshua Da Silva’s exclusion was an eye-opener pre-game, and his replacement Nick Kelly fell

early, carving Keemo Paul to point where Shimron Hetmyer held a sharp chance. Paul’s celebration was neatly topical, involving a face mask and strictly enforced social distancing.

Ben Dunk picked up Shepherd over midwicket to break an 18-ball spell without a boundary, but Green put the squeeze right back on. The pressure told, as first Ramdin was strangled down the legside off Paul and then Jahmar Hamilton fell to the googly as he did yesterday, Tahir his tormentor tonight.

With his team stuttering at 83/5, Patriots captain Rayad Emrit broke another lengthy boundary-less period, 26 balls this time. But Green finished his spell well, Naveen was equally accurate, and Tahir was unlucky not to finish with Emrit’s wicket.

Emrit broke a third long boundary drought, of 22 balls, off Paul, but the latter had his revenge immediately as a hurried pull looped to Taylor at mid-on.

The Amazon Warriors kept Dunk quiet, and when he tried to run a desperate two, Paul and Pooran combined to run him out by a yard. Paul picked up another in the last over with Dominic Drakes, in for the injured Sohail Tanvir, holing out to square leg. Only

four boundaries after the Powerplay told the story of the Patriots’ innings.

Early in the chase, Brandon King broke his Hero CPL 2020 duck with a crisp straight drive and rasping square cut. Jon-Russ Jaggesar, in for Alzarri Joseph, asked questions with his left-arm spin but it was Sheldon Cottrell who made the breakthrough - King drilled a cut to cover, and out came the familiar salute. A wicket-maiden was a consolation birthday present for the former JDF man.

Hetmyer showed his class with a flurry of early boundaries, including a Hero Maximum that nearly took out the scoreboard. Chandrapaul Hemraj hit one of his own off Jaggesar, his first boundary of the tournament, and the Amazon Warriors cruised to 54/1 at the end of the Powerplay.

Hemraj failed to realise the danger of a powerful throw from Drakes and was sloppily run out, but by now the chase was well under control. An opportunity to dismiss Hetmyer went begging when sub fielder Kieran Powell failed to hold a powerful drive at cover, and the straight hit for four next ball rubbed salt into the wound.

A Hero Maximum

walloped over Ish Sodhi’s head brought up Hetmyer’s second fifty in two games, this one off just 31 balls. A mix-up saw Taylor run out by most of the 22 yards, and Pooran fell to Emrit first ball, but by then the required run rate was well under five an over.

Emrit caused some late nerves with two wickets in two balls, including Pooran for a golden duck, and when Dunk held on inches off the rope to end Hetmyer’s charge,

the Patriots entertained thoughts of a burglary. But the Amazon Warriors eventually stumbled over the line, and three overs left told the story far more than three wickets. Kemo Paul was named player of the match for his performace.

The action continues today with another double header with the late game set to be a cracker.

St Lucia Zouks face Barbados Tridents at the Brian Lara Cricket Academy,

Trinidad from 10:00am.

Trinbago Knight Riders tackle Jamaica Tallawahs also at the Brian Lara Cricket Academy, Trinidad from 5:30pm.

Scores: Guyana Amazon Warriors 131/7 (Hetmyer 71, Hemraj 19, King 10, Rutherford 10; Emrit 3/31, Cottrell 1/24, Drakes 1/28) beat St Kitts & Nevis Patriots 127/8 (Lewis 30, Dunk 29, Emrit 17, Lynn 16; Paul 4/ 19, Tahir 2/18, Green 1/24) by 3 wickets.

PAGE 24

Thursday August 20, 2020

Kaieteur News

Minister Ramson joins GFF President, staff for Concacaf FIFA WC Qatar 2022 Draw - Both excited with Guyana’s prospects after drawn in Group F

Guyana was drawn in Group F to loud applause from those gathered to observe the Draw.

In a significant setting, new Minister of Sport, Charles Ramson Jr., yesterday joined Guyana Football Federation President Wayne Forde along with other Executive Members, Technical Director Ian Greenwood and other staff to view the Preliminary Draw for Concacaf FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 qualifiers which was streamed live from the Home of FIFA, Zurich.

The new Concacaf Qualifiers for the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 will comprise of three rounds and provide all participating Member Associations with the chance to compete for the Confederation’s three and a half World Cup spots.

The First Round will be played between the Concacaf Member Associations ranked 6-35 based on the FIFA Men’s Ranking as of July 16, 2020.

Absorbing the activity in the Board Room of the GFF, Dadanawa Street, Section’K’ Campbellville, the officials observed Guyana being drawn in Group F along with arch-rivals Trinidad and Tobago, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Puerto Rico and the Bahamas, a group that will surely see some

mouthwatering match-ups as every nation will be going after the lone qualifying spot available for the next round.

The ‘Golden Jaguars’ will no doubt fancy their chances of finally booking their place at the FIFA World Cup, a dream that has been elusive in the 100 year’s plus history of the GFF. But hope is alive and well and President Forde has stated emphatically that the Federation will leave no stone unturned in ensuring that this dream finally becomes reality.

Both Forde and Minister Ramson are excited for their nation and have pledged to complement each other towards this end.

Minister Ramson expressed his delight: “I personally think it gives Guyana a more than fair opportunity to be able to advance and of course advancing means a little bit more attention so let’s see how it goes, I think it looks good.”

Forde in expressing gratitude to Minister Ramson for sharing the moment with the GFF stated that the nation could not have asked for a better draw and its chances are just as good as any other

nation in the group.

He posited that they would be preparing well and be ready for competitive from the first whistle.

“As we like to say in football these days, there are no small teams, many of the countries especially in the Caribbean have been scouting the diaspora to find second and third generation players that can represent the national teams.

We’ve utilised that in the past while we emphasise the development of our local players.”

Forde noted that those players that are bred in the international football environment brings a different level of professionalism and quality to the game.

He admitted that this campaign will by no means be easy for Guyana but he is confident that the ‘Golden Jaguars’ will be up to the task.

“If the October window remains open we have a few weeks to prepare, we’re trusting that the covid-19 situation can be brought under control and we can get our national team back into training.”

The GFF boss renewed

Minister of Sport Charles Ramson (left) and GFF President Wayne Forde following yesterday’s Draw. his call for all the stakeholders to get on board and support: “We take this opportunity to ask corporate Guyana and the government of Guyana to, once we complete our preparation plan, to come on board and give us all the support that they can to make all of Guyana proud and to give football the opportunity to bring this beautiful nation together at this opportune time.”

Minister Ramson continued that what’s important to himself and Forde is to develop Guyanese talent using the sport as that vehicle; positing that there’s a lot of hidden talent in the bosom of the nation.

“All around the country, in many of the regions where its unexplored and I think that avenues like this really create the enthusiasm, the excitement and the vehicle for us to be able to find that talent and be able to showcase that to the world.”

Ramson, himself and avid sports lover, reminded that

this international event will bring lots of attention to Guyana.

“This time for a good reason and so we want to make sure that we use the avenues where there is an opportunity to showcase Guyana’s talent for positive things; this would be a good way to do it and this is just the beginning.

I hope Wayne and the entire GFF, FIFA as well as Concacaf and everybody knows that we want to be able to promote football here as part of the government’s programme and overall, working in a collaborative way.

Sport is important to the President, sports is important to me and we don’t only want to say it, we want to show it.

And that’s why I wanted to make the time to be able to be here with you when Guyana is being drawn and where it’s going to play.

So, expect to be hearing from me just as I expect to be hearing from you.”

Based on the schedule

released by Concacaf yesterday, Guyana will play their opening match against Trinidad and Tobago’s ‘Soca Warriors’ on T h u r s d a y October 8th and five days later will host the Bahamas on Tuesday October 13th here.

Friday November 13th, the Golden Jaguars will oppose host nation Saint Kitts and Nevis and will welcome Puerto Rico on Tuesday November 17th.

The other Group are as follows: Group A: El Salvador, Antigua and Barbuda, Grenada, Montserrat, United States Virgin Islands Group B: Canada, Suriname, Bermuda, Cayman Islands, Aruba Group C: Curacao, Guatemala, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Cuba, British Virgin Islands Group D: Panama, Dominican Republic, Barbados, Dominica, Anguilla Group E: Haiti, Nicaragua, Belize, Saint Lucia, Turks and Caicos Islands

Tallawahs big hitters get them home CPL - Asif Ali finished the game in style as the Jamaica Tallawahs middleorder put the rest of the Hero Caribbean Premier League (CPL) on notice, recovering from a top-order collapse to make light work of a tricky target against the St Lucia Zouks.

Rakheem Cornwall battered Oshane Thomas for two fours in the game’s first over, and Andre Russell dropped Andre Fletcher on just 4, but captain Rovman Powell made no mistake when Cornwall it to him at cover when the batsman was

on 9.

Mark Deyal cut Mujeebur-Rahman for four and lofted Permaul for consecutive Hero Maximums, but Permaul had his revenge, keeper Chadwick Walton taking a neat catch.

Fletcher struggled against Mujeeb but sent Permaul into the stands over long-on, and the Zouks closed the GuardianLife Powerplay at 52/ 2.

Thomas sent down four wides and was pulled for four

by Chase, and while Russell’s bouncer was too hot for Fletcher to handle, Chase was quickly onto a hook for his

first six. Najibullah Zadran launched Sandeep Lamichhane onto the grass bank, and another boundary from Chase off Russell took the Zouks to 86/3 at halfway.

Lamichhane kept Najibullah quiet with a series of googlies, and while Chase relieved the pressure with a pull off Carlos Brathwaite and a cover drive off Lamichhane, the Nepalese spinner came back beautifully to almost have Chase out twice in two balls.

Big hitters Daren Sammy and Mohammad Nabi were kept waiting as Chase and

Najibullah were forced to run hard to keep the scoreboard ticking. Four twos in a row might have taken it out of Najibullah as a flat-bat found only Powell at long-off, the catch held despite a collision with Permaul.

Nabi took Mujeeb for a huge Hero Maximum and a deft four, but his countryman took revenge with a simple return catch. Chase brought up his first ever T20 fifty off 39 balls, but Mujeeb beat him in the flight to give Thomas a simple catch at point.

With Russell accurate at the death, Sammy was forced

to risk a tight second run and Powell’s hard throw found him short. Despite the slow finish, the Zouks’ 158/7 was the highest total of Hero CPL 2020 so far.

The Tallawahs struggled early, and a frustrated Walton skied Obed McCoy to Sammy at mid-off. The Zouks used a different bowler for each of the first four overs, and none of them went for even a single boundary.

Nicholas Kirton tried to break free, but Deyal pulled off the Republic Bank Classic Catch of the tournament so far, leaping almost behind him

to pluck a pull shot from the sky and reduce the Tallawahs to 13/2 in the 5th over.

Powell began the rescue mission off his first two balls, hitting Scott Kuggeleijn for four and then a powerful flat Hero Maximum. Phillips lofted Zahir Khan or a fourand-six pair of his own, but at 36/2 the Tallawahs were behind the game after the Powerplay.

But it was a different story in the middle overs.

Phillips meted out brutal treatment to Kesrick (Continued on page 20)

Kaieteur News

Thursday August 20, 2020

The victorious Gold is Money team. (file photo)

Gold is Money claim Dion Carter dominoes title Gold is Money proved unbeatable as they carted off the Dion Carter birth anniversary dominoes title which concluded on Sunday last at Turning Point.

Following their semi final victory, Gold for Money continued their fine form as they chalked 79 games to win the final, beating their closest rival F and H by nine games. Mix Up, who drew the bye to the final, finished in third position on 61 games.

Ewie Gordon and John Chance top scored for the winners with 17 and 16 games respectively while Kevin Boston and Mark Rodrigues made 17 each for F and H. Ganesh Sankar scored 17 and Tony Smith got 16 for Mix Up. Gold for Money marked 76 games while F and H

scored 70 and Big Boss 66 in the semi final. The champions were led by Toney Rebel and Ewie Gordon with 16 and 15 games in that order, while Kevin Boston chalked 15 and Hazim Hack 14 for F and H. Big Boss leading player was Charlene Barnwell with 16 games.

Gold for Money pocketed $80,000, F and H collected $40,000 and Mix Up $20,000.

Meanwhile, senior organising secretary of the Guyana Dominoes League, Mark Wiltshire will be hosting a four-game sixsitting competition on Sunday at R and R Sports Club, 76 Meadowbrook Gardens. Entrance fee is $12,000 and action gets underway at 14:30hrs.

Referees and Judges Seminar rescheduled to last weekend of August President of the Guyana Boxing Association (GBA) and Vice-President of the Americas Boxing Confederation (AMBC), Steve Ninvalle, has informed Kaieteur Sport that the twoday Virtual Seminar for Referees/Judges of the English-speaking Caribbean, Haiti, Suriname and Curacao, originally scheduled for last weekend (August 8-9) is now set for this weekend (August 2223).

The seminar will be conducted by Chairman of the AIBA Referee/Judges Commission Ray Silvas of the USA. Ninvalle, who is the Chairman of the Caribbean Boxing Steering Committee, explained that the seminar was delayed due to the death of a Ray Silvas family member.

The sport administrator highlighted that over a 149 participants from 17 countries have registered for the sessions and the Golden Arrowhead will have a total of eight officials participating in this historic seminar.

The local team will be led

Steve Ninvalle

by AIBA One stars Richard Braithwaite and Lawrence Assanah, and the country’s first and only AIBA certified International Technical Officer (ITO) Elton Chase.

Jermaine Craig, Colin Rodney, Nicola Yhap, Shanice Agard and Denola Bristol are the other local participants.

The Referees/Judges seminar follows close on the heels of a Coaches’ seminar run by AMBC a few weeks ago. Guyana was represented by Terrence Poole MS, Sebert Blake, Clive Atwell, Joseph Murray and Orlan Rogers.

Ninvalle hinted that a seminar to update coaches on the technical aspects associated with scoring of fights will be conducted soon after.

PAGE 25

Shimron Hetmyer struck the ball cleanly, Guyana Amazon Warriors v St Kitts and Nevis Patriots, CPL 2020, Trinidad, August 19, 2020 © Randy Brooks - CPL T20 / Getty

rt Spo

Keemo Paul celebrates one of his four wickets, Guyana Amazon Warriors v St Kitts and Nevis Patriots, CPL 2020, Trinidad, August 19, 2020 © Randy Brooks - CPL T20 / Getty

Hetmyer and Paul stand out in Warriors success Minister of Sport Charles Ramson (2nd left) and GFF President Wayne Forde (left) joined by other officials as they with the Draw yesterday in the GFF Board Room.

Minister Ramson joins GFF President, staff for Concacaf FIFA WC Qatar 2022 Draw - Both excited with Guyana’s prospects after drawn in Group F

FIFA’s ethics committee clears Infantino after investigation 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.