Kaieteur News

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Winston Brassington’s NEWS libel judgements against Kaieteur News now over $36M

Sunday Edition

AIETEUR

August 29, 2021

Online: www.kaieteurnews.com

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Price $140

Online readership yesterday, 92,411

Exxon plans to use highly toxic chemical banned in UK to contain oil spill offshore Guyana

- Industry Expert warns

Woman pursued bandits despite shots being fired at her After 20 yrs, ‘temporary’ residents still living in Tucville Big Yard

Man attacks acquaintance with knife during home invasion

Get a Gas Master Plan - Int’l before expending Analyst urges billions on project Guyana WE ARE GIVING AWAY OUR RESOURCES TO THE FOREIGNERS, GETTING BILLS IN US$BS FOR CRUMBS IN RETURN. CGX, KAIETEUR AND CANJE TO START DRILLING HOLES SEARCHING FOR OIL AND THE BILLS WILL COME IN THE BILLIONS. KN OWES EX PRES. DONALD RAMOTAR AND WINSTON BRASSINGTON OVER $55M IN LIBEL JUDGEMENTS. @ 11am, 4&7pm on Kaieteur Radio 99.1/99.5FM

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Kaieteur News

Sunday August 29, 2021

Kaieteur News

Sunday August 29, 2021

Exxon plans to use highly toxic chemical banned in UK to contain oil spill - Industry offshore Guyana Expert warns Should an oil spill occur offshore Guyana at one of ExxonMobil’s Projects, be it the Liza Phase One, Liza Phase Two, or Payara, the oil company is proposing to use a highly toxic chemical to contain the disaster. Pointing this out recently was Petroleum Engineer, Robert Bea, one of the world’s most respected experts on disasters.

In an interview with The G u a rd i a n , w h i c h w a s published a few days ago, Bea said ExxonMobil’s plans to contain a potential oil spill in the Liza Phase One Project rely on methods that were heavily criticised when deployed in previous disasters.

Expounding further, Bea said Exxon intends to use Corexit 9500, a chemical dispersant that was banned in the UK and faulted for severe human and environmental harms when used in previous oil spills such as the Exxon Valdez oil spill and the Macondo oil spill.

Upon noting this, Kaieteur News via its own research found that the dispersant is also being recommended as part of ExxonMobil’s cleanup plan for a possible oil spill in the Liza Phase Two Project as well as the Payara Project.

For those who may not be aware, dispersants are chemicals that are sprayed on a surface oil slick to break down the oil into smaller droplets that more readily mix with the water.

Dispersants do not reduce the amount of oil entering the environment, but push the effects of the spill underwater. While dispersants make the oil spill less visible, dispersants and dispersed oil under the ocean surface are hazardous for marine life.

Dispersants and dispersed oil have been shown to have significant negative impacts on marine life ranging from fish to corals to birds. It releases toxic breakdown products from oil that, alone or in

combination with oil droplets and dispersant chemicals, can make dispersed oil more harmful to marine life than untreated oil.

Both the short-term and long-term impacts of dispersants on marine life have not been adequately tested. As acknowledged by the EPA in the USA, the “long term effects [of dispersants] on aquatic life are unknown.”

For fish, research shows that dispersants create a toxic environment by releasing harmful oil breakdown products into the water.

Also, dispersed oil has been shown to be toxic to fish at all life stages, from eggs to larval fish to adults, according to numerous laboratory studies that have tested a variety of species.

Significantly, dispersants and dispersed oil are particularly toxic to corals, leading scientists to call for a ban on dispersant use near coral reefs. Dispersants and dispersed oil harm the early stages of corals by increasing death rates, reducing settlement on reefs, and altering behavior.

A formulation of one of the dispersants being used in the BP spill response, Corexit 9527, has been shown to prevent fertilisation of mature eggs and hinder the development of young life stages of reefbuilding corals.

According to the Minerals Management Service, dispersant components absorbed by sea turtles can affect their organs and interfere with digestion, excretion, and respiration.

With respect to birds, studies have found that dispersed oil, including oil dispersed by Corexit 9527, damages the insulating properties of seabird feathers more than untreated oil, making the birds more susceptible to hypothermia and death.

Furthermore, dispersants and dispersed oil have also been shown to have toxic

effects on bird eggs that are similar or worse than from untreated oil. Birds exposed to dispersed oil that return to their nests risk the death of their eggs.

As for humans, dispersants pose significant human health risks as well.

One of the dispersants used at the BP spill, Corexit 9527A, contains the toxin 2Butoxyethanol which “may cause injury to red blood cells (hemolysis), kidney or the liver” with “repeated or excessive exposure,” according to the manufacturer’s safety data sheet.

Of significance is the fact that the Corexit 9527 was sprayed on the 11-million gallon oil slick created by the Exxon Valdez spill, and cleanup workers reportedly suffered health problems afterward, including blood in their urine as well as kidney and liver disorders, attributed to 2Butoxyethanol.

Although approved by the EPA, formulations of Corexit 9500 and 9527 were banned from use in the United Kingdom in 1998 because laboratory tests found them harmful to marine life that inhabits rocky shores.

Bp’s use of the more toxic, less effective Corexit dispersants is under scrutiny since the company that manufactures these dispersants, Nalco Co., has ties to the oil industry. In the 1990s, Nalco formed a joint venture company with Exxon Chemical Company and has board members and executives that have previously worked for Exxon and BP. Nalco has sold millions of dollars of dispersants for the BP spill. Nalco has also refused to disclose all of the ingredients in the Corexit products.

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Get a Gas Master Plan before expending billions on project - Int’l Analyst urges Guyana A Gas Master Plan (GMP) plays a crucial role in ensuring that a country’s Natural gas resources are developed in a rational and sustainable manner and if executed properly, could potentially see them being a major player on the international gas market.

And according to Energy Consultant and Co-Director at Americans Market Intelligence (AMI), Arthur Deakin, Guyana should be heading along this path as b e f o r e t h e c o u n t r y ’s

know what kind of gas it is and how much there is and I think there is a lot of it out there and not all of it, of course, is going to go to the local market, because the local market does not need all of it.”

With that surplus gas, Deakin posited too that Guyana can possibly become a “regional gas hub” for the Caribbean.

Already, the government has begun exploring other avenues to capitalise on the surplus gas from the project.

GMPs contain projections of the country’s demand and supply as much as the infrastructure requirements that are needed to realise the country’s projections in regards to gas exploitation and are meant to address two issues: Design Optimisation and Operational Optimisation of a country’s gas project.

intended multibillion Wales gas-to-shore project gets underway.

Deakin, in his most recent appearance on Kaieteur Radio’s - Guyana’s Oil and You, explained that i n G u y a n a ’s c a s e , a “flexible” plan would work best to suit the country’s changing circumstances as more discoveries are made in the Stabroek Block.

“Guyana is still going to discover a lot more oil and gas and I think the gas discovered still pretty unclear…we don’t really

Natural Resources Minister, Vickram Bharrat had said that considerations are being made to decide whether the country would develop “a small petrochemical industry” to make use of the extra gas but no concrete decision has been made.

Meanwhile, countries like Nigeria have marked their territory on the international gas market and have done so by developing a suited GMP. When it comes to raw gas-to-power potential, Nigeria represents a major global player as the

West African nation holds over 200 trillion cubic feet of recoverable reserves – the largest on the continent – and produces 1.2 billion cubic feet per day, as outlined by the Department of Petroleum Resources of Nigeria.

Nearly half of its production is exported, and Nigeria ranks as the fifthlargest liquefied natural gas (LNG) exporter globally.

With the aim of laying a solid framework for gas infrastructure expansion within the domestic market,

Arthur Deakin

the Nigerian Gas Master Plan was approved on February 13, 2008, to be a guide for the commercial exploitation and management of Nigeria’s gas sector.

And the West African nation’s GMP contained three major components: the Domestic Gas Supply Obligation, the Gas Pricing Framework, and the Gas Infrastructure Blueprint.

Those key elements helped to catapult Nigeria into the gas powerhouse, they are today.

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Sunday August 29, 2021

Kaieteur News

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

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

EDITORIAL

Guyana has a sly mongoose for an oil partner Most Guyanese are familiar with that popular song, which has this line as part of its lyrics: “Sly mongoose, your name gone abroad…” Well, though we have said it repeatedly, this is what Guyana has for its main oil partner – a big fat sly mongoose. And just in case any Guyanese is still wondering which body is the ‘sly mongoose’, they don’t have to think too hard: there is Exxon.

Exxon takes out the “big fat chickens” from Guyana’s oil wells, and Guyanese are still not certain that they know the whole story about how much oil the company produces, or the accuracy of the records it keeps. For certainty, we now have local presences from the Guyana National Bureau of Standards to monitor what is going on 125 miles from our shorelines at the wellheads. Still, many Guyanese do not trust Exxon and their coconspirators.

We do not have a clear idea from the billions in bills that Exxon has submitted as part of its recoverable costs, whether those costs are appropriate (fair and reasonable), or whether they are for Exxon’s oil operations in Guyana (not from some of its other oil operations in other places), or whether those billions in expenses submitted actually happened. In other words, we are still clueless regarding if Exxon is trying to pull a fast one, by hiding a whole lot of expenses that have neither relation to Guyana nor any truthfulness as to the quantity of its billions in expenses.

To state this in a real down to earth manner, we could be at sea about whether Exxon is passing off somebody else’s baby on Guyanese, and telling them that this belongs to Guyana. Guyana is the father.

To harbour the belief that oil companies in general, and perhaps Exxon to be pointed, is capable of such skullduggeries is not farfetched at all. For this is what our above the fold headline from last Thursday spotlighted before all Guyanese: “US$100M unrelated oil expenses ends up in Mozambique’s oil books -Int’l watchdog urges Guyana to take note” (KN August 26). In this particular instance, the American-based Center for Public Integrity (CPI) pointed out that the corporate oil bandit and swindler was Sasol Limited, a South African company that gutted Mozambique to the tune of US$99.8M, and this was just last year. Mozambique’s auditors discovered that Sasol fixed it figures to commit a financial fraud on the people of that struggling oil-producing nation.

CPI also revealed that of 40 plus cases it examined in Indonesia, Alaska, and Ghana (among other places), “many of the expenses claimed by the oil companies were simply ineligible.” To put it frankly: oil companies were cheating and robbing those places blind. If this could have been attempted in Alaska of all places, then cheating Guyana with inflated or unrelated oil expenses is like shooting a big fat turkey trapped in a barrel. It is a can’t miss situation.

And given the leaders that Guyana has, they have given oil companies operating here the weapons to destroy us, and invite them to carry away the bird and barrel too.

Look at the cozy relationship that both the coalition and current PPP Governments have had with oil companies, and Exxon standing as Guyana’s Public Oil Enemy Number 1, and this is what has been given free rein to occur here.

What Exxon is actually doing out there on our seas is a mystery. What Guyana’s leading political oil figures are doing is a mystery. And Exxon’s billions in invoices delivered are a special mystery by themselves. The circumstances are custom made for oil companies to come here and conduct themselves in a manner that endlessly cheats us. They have.

We at this paper will not pull any punches: we must not let our guard down. Instead, it is essential that the opposite prevails at all times: we must be on constant alert.

Exxon is an entity not to be trusted. It has dealt in purely the shady, and the company has made Guyana’s political leaders in one government after the other, a shady bunch to begin with, shadier still. We have no choice but to watch them all, meaning, company and political leaders.

Nation is upset with unions, unvaccinated nurses, teachers for new wave of COVID infections Dear Editor, I was praying and fasting for God to save the people of Guyana from the virus. God appeared to me and said he will grant me one wish. I asked the Lord if he can build a bridge between Guyana and Hawaii, that I always wanted to go to Hawaii.

The Lord said, “do you know that’s a very hard thing you are asking me to do?” I said, “OK, Lord, how about if you can cause all our unvaccinated nurses, teachers, and others in Guyana, to understand that we are in an international state of emergency and that the vaccinations save lives, not kill people, and that they should take the vaccinations so our country can move forward.” The Lord replied, “that bridge to Hawaii, do you want one lane or two lanes?”

Our Guyanese people are very difficult to deal with. Can you imagine a doctor in the protest line and 50 hospital workers not vaccinated, and they want to go into the hospital, although the

Government had laid out the new rules? Can you imagine the GTU and GPSU think they can use a national calamity to score political points, and GTU threatening to sue? It’s time for teachers to form a new Union and public workers too, if Unions are going to play politics with our health and safety. Since the Unions care so much, they should pay for the weekly tests if they don’t want members to take the vaccine.

The unvaccinated should know there are many bloggers who are angry at their intransigence in getting vaccinated. The “Captain” said, “Protests must be meaningful. They should be protesting the worst oil contract that the APNU Govt. signed with Exxon.”

Muhammad Raoof said, “Yes, protest ‘Fu’ spread more and more of the virus, this Covid thing spreading more yet these Dumbos protesting AGAINST the very thing that could/would save their miserable lives.”

Fuad Rahaman said, “It’s

a terrible act of political desperation to risk the health of your own supporters with a deadly virus just to score political points. Even a reckless leader like Donald Trump is encouraging his predominantly White supporters to get vaccinated.

However, we have Afro political leaders, oppose to the Government here, recklessly putting Afro people in harm’s way.( Misleading their supporters for five months after the elections about their fraudulent claim to victory failed. If that wasn’t bad enough, now they are at it again misleading their supporters on a public health matter that can have tragic consequences for themselves and others…”

Jim Cruise said, “I wished my PNC party would come hard and stop this nonsense.

We are looking sillier as the days go by. We are looking plain foolish... Say, is there any hope for us in 2025????”( ( Here is a headline for our

teachers, “New York City, The Country’s Largest School System, Mandates Teacher Vaccinations.” And one for our nurses, “There’s no way to find a bed: Oklahoma hospitals are running out of room amid COVID-19 surge.” And to all the unvaccinated, here is a just released report, “As Adult ICU Patients Hit Record Highs for the Pandemic, New Report Shows Unvaccinated People Are More Than 15 Times More Likely to Die From COVID-19 Compared to Vaccinated People.”

Nation, be your brother’s keeper. Encourage everyone to get the vaccine so our country can move forward.

Teachers, you mould the nation.

Nurses, you are our first line of defence. Stop playing these games that you don’t have enough information on the vaccines! Ministers, please release data on numbers of unvaccinated teachers and nurses.

Sincerely, Dr. Jerry Jailall

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Kaieteur News

Sunday August 29, 2021

Problems with GPL and GWI in the Linden Private media should the street. no access to electricity and Highway area emulate Kaieteur News Despite paying for an no proper water supply, Dear Editor, I write seeking to have an urgent matter addressed in relation to the supply of electricity to my home which is situated at the address mentioned below. During the month of February 2019, I applied to the Guyana Power and Light (GPL) for the supply of electricity. I was asked to have a steel poll erected within my yard with certain specifications; subsequently a visit was made by officials from GPL. On July 18, 2019, I received a letter from the GPL captioned Re: Capital Contribution for Electricity Supply. In this letter, it was stated that a compulsory nonrefundable payment of $208,904.00 has to be paid towards extending the primary and secondary network.

Further, the letter stated that when payment is made for all the various materials and equipment, these still remain the property of the GPL. Editor, what is surprising is the fact that other streets

that are behind the street where I reside are benefiting from a proper supply of electricity, I have written several letters to the past and present Public Infrastructure Ministers and to date have not even been availed the courtesy of a letter of acknowledgement.

This area in Yarrowkabra has been in existence for over 20 years and many Guyanese would have gravitated to this area after the 2005 Flood, but it is surprising that basic utilities, such as electricity and water seem to be something hard to come by.

Imagine, I am struggling to build my home and at the end of that process when I am to get basic utilities.

Now, I have to find over two hundred thousand dollars to have electricity to my home.

This is further coupled with the fact that there is no proper supply of water from GWI, due to no sixinch pipe being laid into

installation and supply of water, I had to purchase over 40 lengths of pipe to be attached from the main which is to the head of the street to lead to my home which is over a 300 feet distance.

So, on a monthly basis, I have to pay GWI $1,950 for water, which I hardly receive, whilst those who live in other surrounding streets benefit from a full supply of water.

E d i t o r, I a m d a i l y becoming frustrated with this situation of not having

these are two important utilities that are necessities in any housing community.

Therefore, I penned this letter hoping that those in authority will read this letter and see what steps can be done to rectify this plight that is being faced by the citizens of Swimming Pool Street Yarrowkabra, Soesdyke, Linden Highway.

Yours sincerely, Marilyn Massiah Resident Swimming Pool Street Yarrowkabra Soesdyke Linden Highway

Coercion of a different kind Dear Editor, The chant ‘My body, my choice’ is given new meaning with one faction of the work force deciding on the brand of choice of vaccine for their body.

The rest of us who were vaccinated, by our own choice, did not have the say

to make such demands. Now who is coercing whom, and making the brand of vaccine mandatory in order for them to be vaccinated? This, of course, is in addition to them seeking PCR tests to be free.

Has bullyism taken on a new dimension?

Shamshun Mohamed

Dear Editor, Mr. Sean Ori writes that “a free and impartial media plays an important role in sustaining Democracy” (Aug. 26). That is absolutely correct. He calls for the privatisation of the state media.

I endorse his view on both counts! But a private media is not necessarily ‘free’ of government control or ‘more objective and balanced’ than a state media.

As an illustration, Ori should read a private media published from Ruimveldt.

He will find this private newspaper is more sycophantic than the Chronicle in promoting the incumbent government; it

does not carry any critique of the government, its ministers, or friends of the PPP. The Chronicle at least carries some opposition related news and ‘fair’ critiques of the government and officials; the Chronicle is far more objective and balanced than the Ruimveldt paper.

Ruimveldt paper is sycophancy at its best; the publisher, advisor, editor make no apology for their progovernment position.

I support privatisation.

Any private media should operate along the lines of Kaieteur News.

Yours truly, Edward Burrowes

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When will the AFC and PNC hold their leadership races?

Dear Editor, The two Opposition political parties are guilty of deliberately seeking to stall the voting, which will take place once the bodies hold their conference and congress respectively.

To say firstly that the Alliance For Change is moving along with its planning at a slow pace is an understatement. It should have held its national conference already. The General Secretary, David Patterson, is not being honest about what is really taking place behind the scenes.

Where is the party leader, Raphael Trotman? I’m sure he knows why they are not holding it now. The delegates, as I understand it, are ready to go. Even the venue picked out for the conference is on standby. But the leadership is not aware of anything that members will say and do.

They are not too certain about the performance of the parliamentarians. Party members are weary for

Regions 10, 4, 6 and 7 as there are many issues to be discussed.

Secondly, the PNC has adopted a vow of silence on the Congress. I hear that they are going to stall it and hold it next year in January. The leadership is yet to meet on the plan, which will mark many exits and entrances of familiar and new faces. The party is hoping to wait until talk and interest in challenging David Granger as the PNC leader dies down. Confusion and uncertainty lies ahead.

Finally, it is a great disappointment to their supporters and members if the Congress is pushed back any longer. These people want to elect new leaders of the AFC and APNU+PNC. They are not pleased with certain individuals being at the helm of the party any longer. They want change. Can some leader answer me, when will the conference and congress be held?

Yours truly, Suraj Singh

AFC setting trap for PPP Dear Editor, In Freddie Kissoon column titled “Gambit: The AFC is setting a trap for the PPP”, he did a magnificent analysis of the no confidence motion (NCM) coming up against the Region Four chair and vice chair. I agree with Freddie that the PPP should not vote with

Sunday August 29, 2021

Kaieteur News

the AFC to remove the two APNU councillors.

As Freddie wrote, by supporting the NCM, it will re-enliven the AFC and this is not desirable unless the PPP wants it to be so.

Let’s see what the PPP/C will do.

Sincerely, Sultan Mohamed

Eliminating violence in the home Dear Editor, Violence within the home is unfortunately a common occurrence in Guyana. Almost daily, the public learns about cases of Domestic and Family Based Violence across the length and breadth of Guyana.

There are many factors that contribute to violence in the home, but chief amongst them is the idea that those who are ‘weaker’ must abide by the rules of those who are ‘stronger’.

Appropriately, responding to violence will take a holistic approach from national, civil society and community leaders to ensure that we are shaping not only societal beliefs but also the relevant policies and systemic changes that are needed.

When addressing the prevalence of violence, many persons can begin to feel as

if they cannot do anything to change it, but a lot can be achieved by starting within the home environment.

The examples that parents set will play a large role in creating safe and healthy environments for children’s growth, as the home is usually the first place that children begin to learn about societal gender norms and stereotypes. In challenging beliefs, such as girls are weaker than boys, we will be able to realise a future where all genders are offered the same care and protection that they need.

Parents need to actively unlearn harmful behaviours such as responding with physical attacks when they are upset and/or verbally abusing their children and partners, and instead practice ways to be good parents. The concept of good parenting is

one that is often not considered within this space as it is seen as being a way to spoil children. Good parenting or parenting for success, however, is about teaching children discipline without harming them physically or mentally through abusive acts. It is important to practice open and honest communication with children as lack of that can leave the door open for a lot of resentment to build.

This has the potential to create a hostile environment where they quickly learn to keep secrets to themselves and can become vulnerable to those who are seeking to exploit their fears, insecurities and their unstable home environments.

As much as you build better relationships and environments for children however, you must also

ensure that you are doing the same for yourself. Oftentimes, parents and caretakers can neglect to take time to care for themselves.

This can contribute toward significant stress that in turn is placed upon the child. It must be recognised that curbing violence in the home will take significant changes in the way that familial, personal and parental relationships are usually approached, but it is very necessary in creating environments of care and understanding for children, so that they can break patterns of violence in our society.

Akola Thompson Blue Umbrella Consultant, ChildLinK To report or seek counselling, please call 914/ 227-0979/227-2023/2333500

An appeal to President Ali from Yarrowkabra residents for urgent infrastructural help Dear Editor, Within the next three (3) months, it will be one year since the PPP/C Government terminated the BK International company’s contract to construct the Yarrowkabra Secondary School and the access road from the Linden/Soesdyke Highway. This incomplete project continues to deny our students access to proper educational facilities, which you would be aware as former Chair of the PAC, was budgeted since 2019. I must say this, even before taking up the reins of government in 2020, your party had stated pellucidly that educating the children of Guyana was going to be a top priority, yet for reasons, which are unclear, there has been no more progress on the completion of this school. I am aware, however, that the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic may have contributed to the delay.

Mr. President, I truly hesitate to state the opinion of some that this apparent delay has political overtones particularly since the majority of residents of this community support the now Opposition. This community was established in 1973 and

designated an NDC area in 1990. Over the years, both the PPP/C and PNC Governments had distributed over 1,800 house lots and hundreds of acres of farmland, but the necessary infrastructure development plan was never activated by the PPP/C since it came into power in 1992.

The local government authority was also not established to push the necessary developmental programmers, but it was later set up through our own persistence.

After my own election as an AFC Councillor of the Region Four RDC in 2006, other Council members and I made numerous approaches to the sitting government for Primary and Secondary schools to be built, and for updating of the electricity and potable water networks.

However, between 2006 and 2015, our pleas fell on deaf ears.

Then there was not enough time for the Coalition to execute its plans to improve the community’s infrastructure. Please note that the community itself was stagnated mainly because the new house lot awardees could not begin to construct

their buildings due to this vital shortcoming - no water, no electricity, no school. And now, many stand to lose their housing allocations because they have not started to build.

Please note, Mr. President, that the cost of sending our children miles away to school in Soesdyke has always been too high for one, much less five children from one household. During the decade of the ’70s, plans were being made to relocate the seat of Government and its accompanying agencies to higher ground along the highway, to build new infrastructure and develop the villages located along that corridor.

Those plans were made in recognition of the foreseeable threat, even then, of the imminent rise in sea levels.

This is now our reality. Today, the villagers of the Yarrowkabra community are questioning why the school contract was terminated and no effort has been made to inform them of such.

They believe that they are being discriminated against, since it has now been more than nine (9) months since the contract was terminated and there is still no word from the

Ministry of Education. The people cite Article 13 of Guyana’s Constitution which stated: The principal objective of the political system of the State is to establish an inclusionary democracy by providing increasing opportunities for the participation of citizens, and their organisations in the management and decisionmaking process of the State, with particular emphasis on those areas of decisionmaking that directly affect their well-being.

Mr. President we, the villagers of Yarrowkabra, would like to be told unequivocally when construction of the school would resume. Better than that, we ask you to utilise your executive authority and have this very necessary school built to completion.

The PPP/C says every day that it is a government for all of Guyana. Please show us that this is not lip service. We depend on you living up to your promises, and we look forward to a visit from the relevant education or public works official in the near future.

Michael Carrington, Former MP

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T N Sunday August 29, 2021

Kaieteur News

Leaders of poor countries are the same almost everywhere. There is Nigerian President Buhari's son in a celebrity wedding that most likely cost many millions. Nigeria's superelite turned up in style at the festivities to see and be seen.

This is while much of Nigeria is saddled with poverty and hunger.

This sounds like Guyana, with leaders in Prado-ville mansions, their taxpayers sponsored lifestyles, and their natural resources richened crookedness. Nigerians are dying from hunger, but their leaders and their families are celebrating.

Is this not what the PPP leaders are doing, how they and their cronies are living?

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Sunday August 29, 2021

Kaieteur News

High Court grants default judgment to Enrico Woolford in $150M libel suit against Ramsammy Justice Fidela CorbinLincoln has granted a default judgment to former Chief Executive Officer of the National Communications Network (NCN) and veteran journalist, Enrico Woolford, in a $150 million libel suit he filed against Dr. Leslie Ramsammy, an advisor to the current Minister of Health.

The decision was handed down on Wednesday at the High Court by the judge who is yet to fix a date for an assessment of damages hearing.

In a statement released on Woolford's behalf on Friday, lawyer Eusi Anderson said his client is grateful for the ruling.

According to Anderson, the default judgments are granted in keeping with the Civil Procedures Rules when the defendant to a claim fails to file a defence within the prescribed time.

“My client tried to bring

the proceedings to Dr. Ramsammy's attention both through personal service and then through substituted service. In both situations, he incurred tremendous expense and failed to serve Dr. Ramsammy,” Anderson said in the statement.

Further, the lawyer said “My client looks forward to removing, with the passage of time and financial damages, the stain of alleged election rigging from his name in local, regional, and international quarters. He exhausted the judicial process and was vindicated in the end. He played no role in the alleged rigging of the March 2020 General and Regional Elections.”

Enrico Woolford, former Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the National Communications Network (NCN), had filed a $150 million claim against the Guyana Times and Dr. Leslie

Dr. Leslie Ramsammy, Advisor to the current Health Minister Ramsammy, a columnist and former Minister of Health, for libel.

According to court papers, Ramsammy was sued over an article printed in the Guyana Times in which he

Veteran Journalist, Enrico Woolford.

alleges that he (Woolford) colluded with the APNU+AFC to rig the March 2, 2020 General and Regional Elections.

In his statement of claim, the veteran journalist

outlined that on March 18, 2020, in a column titled: “Ramsammy's Ruminations” the former Minister of Health defamed him.In the circumstances, Woolford was seeking in damages in excess of $150 million from Dr. Ramsammy and Times Media Group Inc., publisher o f t h e G u y a n a Ti m e s newspaper.

According to the claimant (Woolford), the defendants, the Guyana Times and Dr. Ramsammy, expressly called for him to be sanctioned, by name, and as part of the media fraternity they assert is partially responsible for alleged efforts to rig.

He noted that Ramsammy called on the international community including but not limited to the governments of the USA,

UK, Canada, the European Union as well as the Commonwealth, the Organisation of American States and CARICOM to sanction both him and his family members. According to Woolford, the article also suggests that he actively participated in the contamination and or manufacturing of statements of poll.

“The willful malice of this allegation is to be found in the defendants public and international call for adverse consequences not just to the claimant but to his innocent family (against whom they have raised not the iota of an allegation) without due process or a hearing only a conviction in Court of their opinion where they hold the posts of judge, prosecutor, defence counsel, jury and executioner,” he said in the document.

According to Woolford, the defendants made the allegations without affording the opportunity to confront them or offer a comment in d e f e n c e . Wo o l f o r d contended that the publication has inflicted damage on his name, income, future earning capacity, and international reputation.

He further contended that any right-thinking citizen reading the article would conclude that he is dishonest, of questionable character and d e v o i d o f i n t e g r i t y, unscrupulous, engaged in illegal activities and unethical behaviour, and not professional.

Kaieteur News

Sunday August 29, 2021

COVID-19 CLAIMS THE LIFE OF ANOTHER PERSON The Ministry of Health (MoH) in its COVID-19 Report on August 28 announced that an 81-yearold male from Region Three (Essequibo Islands -West Demerara) who had tested positive for the deadly Coronavirus has passed away on Saturday while receiving care at a medical facility.

His demise takes the death toll for the period March 2020 to August 28,

Dem

boys seh...

De best place fuh give de Pfizer vaccine is in de schools. If all de vaccines is fuh dem school children, it mean dat de best place fuh ensure a faster uptake is fuh give it out at dem schools and leh dem children come in dem school uniform with dem parents.

But once you start carrying it at Mall tarmac, yuh courting problems. Dem gan gat people wah leff school but want de Pfizer, who gan tun up and produce somebody else birth certificate and seh how dem is adolescent and want de vaccine. And dat is where de

2021 to 610.

One hundred and eighty newly infected cases were recorded within the past 24 hours taking the total confirmed cases to 25,147.

The new cases were logged in Region Two (10 cases); Region Three (39 cases), Region Four (109 cases), Region Five (5 cases), Region Six (7 cases), Region Seven (6 cases), Region Eight (2 cases), Regions Nine and Ten (1 case each).

There were no new cases chronicled in Region One. There are 28 patients in the COVID-19 ICU at the Infectious Diseases Hospital; 9 persons in institutional quarantine; 104 individuals are in institutional isolation and a total of 1,576 persons in home isolation.

To date, approximately 22,829 persons have recovered from the deadly disease.

Free food sharing at vaccine site corruption gan start.

Dem nah share out de $19,000 at no Mall. All dem parents had to go to dem children school fuh get de money.

So why de same can't be done fuh de vaccines?

Register gan mark and de authorities gan know how many students tek de vaccine and how much nah step forward. But with dis confusion dis weekend, de school records nah gan be accurate.

Dem boys know freeness giving away. Dem sharing out fast food and aerated drinks – things wah nah

healthy. And dem gan play music. Dem boys wan know when de music can play, before or after de vaccine?

It remind dem boys of dem trade union rallies wah dem used to have back in de day. Dem workers used to go, collect dem box of fried rice and dem free beer and walk through de gate while dem trade unionists mekkin' fancy speech.

So dem had to change de format afterwards. Dem decide dat de freeness gan start after de speeches. De attendance drap.

Talk half and enjoy de freeness!

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Kaieteur News

PAGE 10

Sunday August 29, 2021

Woman pursued bandits despite shots being fired at her

T

he woman who had trailed three armed bandits on Friday and slammed one into a gutter with her SUV had actually pursued them despite shots being fired at her.

The bandits had attacked the 44-year-old woman around 14:45hrs in front of her home located at Golden Grove, East Bank Demerara (EBD).

She was at the time returning home after making a withdrawal from a bank in the area.

While she was turning onto her bridge, the bandits pulled up in a silver Toyota 212 and two of them, one

armed with a gun, exited.

They reportedly walked up to her vehicle and demanded that she gave them money. The woman refused to comply and the bandit armed with a gun fired a shot at her.

The bullet missed her but the other bandit took an opportunity to grab a brown envelope containing US$1500 cash and GYD$290,000 cash, a red iPhone XR and a multicoloured bag containing a quantity of documents.

The bandits ran back to their car and sped off.

The woman reversed her Audi SUV and sped off behind them too. As she

chased them down, Kaieteur News understands, they fired one more shot at her vehicle but this did not deter the woman who accelerated her vehicle and eventually caught up with them.

She drove her car into their car and it turned turtle into a nearby drain.

The bandits exited and decided to run away but one of them was not that lucky because the woman sped behind him and knocked him over.

Eyewitnesses had said the impact “pitched the man from the road into a nearby gutter where he remained stuck.”

Based on the video that

The bandit that was knocked over into a gutter.

was recorded of the aftermath, it could be seen that his body was bent into the shape of the letter “C” in the gutter.

According to police, it was the nearby residents who

had assisted their ranks in apprehending the bandit.

As they look for his accomplices, investigators said that up to press time last evening, he is still hospitalised because of the

injuries he received.

Meanwhile, cops have been able to recover the woman's bag with the documents and her iPhone.

They are hoping that they can recover the cash as well.

The woman's SUV just after she had slammed it into the bandits' car.

Sunday August 29, 2021

Kaieteur News

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Kaieteur News

Sunday August 29, 2021

Bids open for rehabilitation of Itabali to Puruni & Bartica Potaro Road projects D

uring the opening of tenders Thursday at the N a t i o n a l P r o c u r e m e n t a n d Te n d e r Administration Board (NPTAB), 12 companies submitted expression of interest for the Ministry of Public

Works' rehabilitation road projects at Itabali to Puruni and the Bartica Potaro Road.On Thursday too, bids were open for the construction of a walk-in mortuary refrigerator at the Georgetown Public Hospital, and for training and

Ministry of Public Works Rehabilitation of Hinterland Road: Lots 13- Rehabilitation of Itabali to Puruni Road, Lot 14- Rehabilitation of the Bartica, Potaro Road.

development of market based advisory for Women in Building Local Solutions for the Utilisation of Solar Energy, a project which falls under the Guyana Energy Agency. Below are the companies and their bids:

Guyana Energy Agency (GEA) Training and Development of Market Based Advisory for Women in Building Local Solutions for the Utilisation of Solar Energy.

Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC) Construction of Walk-in Mortuary Refrigerator.

Guyana Land and Survey Commission (GLSC) Heavy-Duty Multifunction Black and White Laser Printer.

Sunday August 29, 2021

Kaieteur News

PAGE 13

RE/MAX real estate office slated to open in Guyana R

E/MAX, one of the world's leading franchisors in the real estate industry is scheduled to come to Guyana within the next two months.

Founded in 1973, it currently has an office presence in more countries than any other real estate brands, operating in over 110 countries.

They include the bordering neighbours to Guyana – B r a z i l , Ve n e z u e l a a n d Suriname, each of which has a RE/MAX presence; Brazil alone has over 500 offices.

Until now, Guyana was the only South American country without a RE/MAX franchise.

R E / M A X i s distinguished by the largest market share in the world measured through volume of real estate transactions.

It has achieved this distinction through its strength in being a fierce competitor for the best agents; their numbers now approximating 140,000.

Fitting the RE/MAX agent profile for hard work, popular Toronto Community

local operations for the franchise.

According to a press release by the new franchise holders, Misir is being touted as having 33 years in real estate of which 25 plus years included working with RE/MAX as a broker in the residential and commercial fields in Canada.

Living in Canada since leaving Guyana forty years ago, Misir is said to have kept in close touch with the affairs in his homeland.

Through these years, he Toronto-based, Community was a constant visitor to the Realtor and RE/MAX country, where he recognised Franchise holder Shiv Misir. the need for an organised, reputable real estate brand such as RE/MAX. Realtor Shiv Misir along According to the with two partners have just statement, Misir was driven now entered into a Master to leverage his vast real estate Franchise agreement with skills into the service of his RE/MAX International to former homeland, by a desire c o n d u c t r e a l e s t a t e to help in its progress. operations in Guyana.

After many years of Of the two partners, analysis of the varying Heeralall Naraine one - an factors, the timing for this established and successful venture was now opportune. entrepreneur who resides in Further, the statement Guyana - is taking on pointed out that the large responsibility of handling G u y a n e s e e x p a t r i a t e

Guyanese businessman, and RE/MAX partner, Heeralall Naraine. community in Canada and USA currently surpasses Guyana's entire local population.

Many of these expatriates recognising the business and investment opportunities arising out of the recent oil boom are seeking to return.

With the concomitant influx of international brand name hotels, Fortune 500 regional head office, investment firms, etc., there will be many seeking to do business and

establish a footing in Guyana.

At the local level, subdivisions, housing projects, all commercial and residential real estate going up can gain through this franchise, an international network through which to tag, access and attract international clientele into the country.

Possessing a wealth of natural resources, minerals, forestry capabilities and

agriculture, in addition to oil and gas, Guyana also gets worldwide attention for ecotourism and majestic waterfalls.

RE/MAX setting foot in the country offers world class real estate professional services; in addition to a customer service backed by state of the art technology and constant innovation which combined will perpetuate their over 45 years track record in excellent customer service delivery.

Thus, the franchising foray in Guyana led by Misir with his team of established professionals is both timely and fitting.

In terms of timing, the Master Franchise office will be established by the end of September 2021 in the capital city of Georgetown. In the meantime, there are opportunities opening for potential franchisees, or for buying and selling real estate.

To date, a number of people (Continued on page 61)

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Kaieteur News

Sunday August 29, 2021

Kaieteur News

Sunday August 29, 2021

PAGE 15

Man attacks acquaintance with knife during home invasion A man decided to invade the home of his friend yesterday and placed a knife to his neck before robbing him of his valuables and motorcycle.

Cops identified the friend as Hassan Ali, a 67-year-old resident of Huis 'T' Dieren Essequibo Coast, Region Two.

Ali's home was invaded around 03:00hrs by two men and he is acquainted with one of them for some 20 years.

Ali told the cops that he was awoken from his sleep by someone choking him while placing a knife to his neck. The individual then reportedly proceeded to bind his

hands behind his back with a wire.

When Ali got a glimpse of the individual, he noticed that it was a man he has known for 20 years now.

The acquaintance together with an accomplice began cuffing Ali to his belly. After assaulting Ali, they reportedly put him to sit on a bed

and stripped him of his Casio wristwatch before ransacking his house.

Ali told investigators that the men ransacked his home for half an hour.

They picked up his smartphone valued at $32,000 and a bag of cash that was left on a table. The men

then rode away with Ali's Honda XR motorcycle, which was parked in his kitchen.

After they left, Ali exited his home and jumped his fence into a neighbour's yard. That neighbour untied Ali's hands and took him to the Suddie Public Hospital for treatment.

PAGE 16

Kaieteur News

Sunday August 29, 2021

Local artiste, Charmaine Blackman.

Charmaine Blackman launches new single Ms. Charmaine Blackman, one of our popular local artistes, is back again with her latest exciting Soca song “Wuk or Stay Bruk” which was released last Monday.

The latest Soca song speaks for itself; it's either you work or stay broke. This great song has already gotten a lot of reviews and awesome comments from persons via Facebook. One person really appreciated the song, she noted, “This song should help thieves to understand they should have a legal job or stay bruk.”

On August 25, 2021, Blackman

released the video for her song via Facebook. In the video seen by this publication, she looks exceptional, dressed in a lovely bright orange jump suit with leopard stripes that was shining throughout her video. Her hair was in a lovely style as always.

The song expressed how she felt, citing that no matter what comes her way she will stand strong. Charmaine said in her video, “Thank God I didn't panic throughout the pandemic.”

Charmaine continues to say, “If you don't wuk you cannot expect to get what the other person has, so is either you wuk or stay bruk.”

Sunday August 29, 2021

Kaieteur News

Pfizer Vaccination Drive at MovieTowne parking lot today To make the Pfizer BioNTech vaccines more accessible, the Ministry of Education in collaboration with the Ministry of Health will be hosting a COVID-19 Vaccination drive for adolescents today, Sunday, August 29, 2021.

The vaccination drive which will be at the MovieTowne parking lot, East Coast Demerara (ECD), will run from 09:00hrs to 16:00hrs where adolescents from 12 to 17 years old will receive their first dose of the Pfizer BioNTech vaccine which has now been approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

Laudably, KFC Guyana and ANSA McAL Limited have pitched in to provide one Kids Meal and a Smalta drink for each adolescent who receives their first jab.

Notably, the vaccination drive is not restricted to adolescents in school. In addition, persons are required to be accompanied by a parent/guardian and bring along their birth certificate or another document indicating proof of age.

Further, over the next week, the Ministries will begin rolling out Vaccination Drives at schools in Regions Four, Five and Six for students who have received consent from their parents or guardians to receive the jab.

This will be phase one of the vaccination drive​and ​additional vaccination sites and dates for those exercises will be announced soon.

With schools slated to reopen in September, the Ministry of Education is encouraging parents to get their children vaccinated against COVID-19.

Guyana received its first shipment of Pfizer vaccines earlier this week as a donation from the United States of America.

While vaccination will not be mandatory, the Ministry noted that “we are urging parents to consider the benefits that this vaccine will provide to their children and grant consent.”

PAGE 17

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Kaieteur News

Sunday August 29, 2021

Kaieteur News

Sunday August 29, 2021

PAGE 19

Winston Brassington’s libel judgements against Kaieteur News now over $36M Kaieteur News (KN) now owes former Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the National Industrial and Commercial Investments L i m i t e d ( N I C I L ) , Wi n s t o n Brassington, in excess of $36 million for libel suits he filed in 2014.

Brassington has sued KN 19 times for defamatory remarks in which the newspaper published against him in the satirical “Dem Boys Seh” column. The former CEO had won five cases before Justice Fidela Corbin-Lincoln in which he secured judgment awards of $3.5 million for each case bringing it to a total of $17.5 million.

In another case, which was tried before Justice Navindra Singh, Brassington was awarded $10 million against KN by the Court.

The sums calculated with an interest of four percent per annum along with legal fees brought the total to $34.4 million. In the latest judgment award, which was handed down on Wednesday, Brassington secured an additional $2 million award against the newspaper.

The sum takes the amount to a total of $36.4 million. The former NICIL Head through his attorney,

Former NICIL CEO, Winston Brassington Timothy Jonas, has so far started cashing in on the judgment by securing a garnishment order from the Court, which allows him to deduct the monies from KN’s bank accounts until the damages awarded by the court are fully covered. He has since garnished over $8 million from the KN accounts.

The newspaper has since applied to the court for an order to stop the garnishment and grant the publication a reasonable payment plan given the economic issues stemming from the COVID-19

pandemic.

During his radio programme on Friday evening, Lall lamented on the impact of the climbing judgment awards during the COVID-19 pandemic and the need for the Court to grant him time to pay.

“I don’t know if you remember but me, Adam Harris, and the Kaieteur News were sued 19 times in one day by Winston Brassington back in 2014. Well, last year September, Justice Fidela Corbin tried five and she awarded him $3.5 (million) each with four percent interest rate. That came up to $17.5 (million) in total. A few months later, Justice Navindra Singh tried one of the cases and gave him $10 million. Those six cases total $27.5 million. Added with some legal fees, those six cases moved to $34.4 million,” the KN publisher disclosed. He added that “since then, I have applied to the high court to have a hearing to work out a payment plan. I was given October 6, 2021. I am not running from paying but… give the company time to pay, it is COVID19 and I don’t have to explain what is going on with businesses around the world and what is facing every citizen.”

KN Publisher, Glenn Lall Brassington secured the judgments against the newspaper after the Court upheld his contention that statements published by KN were defamatory and meant or understood to mean that he as NICIL’s head was “dishonest and had been guilty of criminal activity and was habitually guilty of criminal activity and had engaged in criminal fraud and corrupt practices.”

He claimed that the information severely impacted his character and integrity given that it was published

in a newspaper which was widely read and circulated throughout Guyana and online where it is read worldwide.

In the most recent judgment order, it was however pointed out

by Justice Corbin-Lincoln that the pleadings in Brassington’s claim were essentially a repetition of the previous claims, which were heard before.

C o n s e q u e n t i a l l y, i n determining the quantum of damages, the judge took all the facts and circumstances of the case into consideration, including that, in several claims heard contemporaneously and arising from publications made by the defendants in the same newspaper within months of each other in 2014 and already determined by her court.

Further, she emphasised that Brassington’s evidence does not disclose that he suffered any additional loss and damage over and above that which was occasioned from the other publications.

Bearing in mind the objective of an award of damages in defamation is to compensate rather than penalise, the judge took into Continued on page 57

Kaieteur News

PAGE 20

Sunday August 29, 2021

After 20 years, ‘temporary’ residents still living in Tucville Big Yard

By Kellisha Hackett Residents of the community known as ‘Big Yard’ in Tucville, Georgetown, area are now left feeling abandoned after years of promises from both People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) and A Partnership for National Unity+Alliance For Change (APNU+AFC) governments.

In a recent interview with Kaieteur News, residents said that they were moved there for a very long time and the recent governments have done nothing but give them empty promises.

According to most of the residents living in the compound, they were relocated from Tiger Bay over Continued on page 57

Scenes from ‘Big Yard’.

Kaieteur News

Ms. Ashmini Ramnauth

Sunday August 29, 2021

This week's beauty is the alluring Miss Ashmini Ramnauth. This damsel enjoys reading, interacting with children and modeling. Her favourite quote is “Carry out a random act of kindness, with no expectation of reward, safe in the knowledge that one day someone might do the same for you.” - Princess Dianna.

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Kaieteur News

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Sunday August 29, 2021

The Give A Chance Foundation …The children and young adult charity making a case for emotional intelligence learning in schools

By Rehanna Ramsay

W

hen a person experiences s t r e s s stemming from the pressures of life, it is important that they hone a certain set of skills that will help them to successfully navigate those challenges and lead wholesome, productive lives.

This skill set is known as Emotional Intelligence (EI).

EI is essential to helping a person develop adequate coping mechanisms to manage difficult times.

Developing this particular skill set is especially important for children who are coming from difficult circumstances or dealing with challenges at home as it can directly impact their ability to focus on academic learning.

As such, the Give A Chance Foundation (GACF), a local charity that assists children and young adults in Guyana with finding long-term solutions to poverty through innovative education and livelihood projects is making a case for Social and Emotional Intelligence (SEL) to be taught in schools.

The local non-profit organisation was founded by businesswoman, Miranda Thakur-Deen, and her family has lead several education support initiatives in various communities across the country since 2008.

Thakur-Deen told Kaieteur News that the idea for GACF was born out of a need for education support initiatives that she and her siblings had identified while growing up in a little village called Noitgedacht, Wakenaam, in the Essequibo Islands.

She explained, “While growing up in rural Guyana, we understood how difficult it was for people of limited resources to get the necessary tools [text books and school supplies] for their children... And, as children, not having that support system prevented us, even if we wanted to, from pursuing higher learning at the University of Guyana…”

As a result, Thakur-Deen said she and her siblings made the best of the education they acquired and went into various fields of work.

The GACF Foundation Building at Lot 7 Lacytown, Georgetown However, after working for many years in insurance, she joined her siblings in their quest to establish, Atlantic Ventures Inc., a gold mining company that came on stream in 2006.

Then, as the business progressed, Thakur-Deen said that “the family decided to do something about the need we saw, starting with our community in Wakenaam.”

Since then, the foundation has led backpack and school supply drives to

assist hundreds of children from various communities, particularly those in the hinterland, get ready for the new school term; assisted National Grade Six Assessment (NGSA) students with bursary awards and also by donating supplies, computers, bicycles, and other items to them.

The GACF is also committed to providing basic health care to underprivileged children in rural and urban

communities.

Thakur-Deen says the organisation is supported by the family business as well as friends and supporters of the charity. “One hundred percent of all the efforts made to assist us goes into the work we do and ensuring that the children and youth benefit from the work,” she pointed out.

In addition, she said that the education support, GACF has lead social initiatives aimed at helping youths from depressed communities navigate societal ills. One such project is the mentorship programme for young boys f r o m ‘ Wa r l o c k ’ E a s t Ruimveldt, Georgetown, a community plagued by crime and poverty.

All of these efforts, Thakur-Deen says is in keeping with the four pillars of the organisation, which are:

GACF Founder, Miranda Thakur-Deen

G A C F, i t s s t a ff , a n d stakeholders have been increasingly focused on promoting, especially in wake of the plethora of social and emotional challenges that arose out of the COVID19 pandemic.

Last February, GACF launched a project to “promote and implement Social and Emotional Learning in Guyana.”

foundation’s objective was for the participants to receive professional training in order to better equip them to join the movement of EQ and SEL in Guyana.

P r a c t i c a l l y, t h o s e involved in the course underwent four weeks of training with six-eight hours of instruction weekly, which is provided through written, video, and audio learning

“One hundred percent of all the efforts made to assist us goes into the work we do and ensuring that the children and youth benefit from the work.” championing the power of giving another chance, providing access to quality education, offering a ray of hope for a good generation and advocating emotional intelligence for good health and wellbeing.

The latter pillar is where

Some of the children who participated in the Emotional Intelligence learning session hosted by GACF on Friday.

The course, which is titled ‘Wisdom through EQ [Emotional Quotient],’ was aimed at facilitating the training of teachers, psychologists and volunteers across the country.

Through an international partner, BYO Destiny, the

m odules as well as two video conference meetings.

T h a k u r - D e e n emphasised that it is especially needed given the stress associated with the COVID-19 pandemic.

Continued on page 52

Kaieteur News

Sunday August 29, 2021

PAGE 23

Public services have been involuntarily privatised A letter writer in another newspaper has noted the privatisation of public services from education, public transportation, health care, electricity generation and security to potable water. The privatisation of these public services is now so taken for granted that few focus on its wider implication: the indictment of the state.

The involuntary privatisation process started during the grim economic times. Those dreadful days, commencing in the mid1970s included not only shortages and import restrictions but also the contraction of state employment and the concomitant and precipitous decline in public services provided by the government.

The most rapid decline occurred in the electricity sector. Blackouts, or power outages, became extended and a daily feature. These would last for on average six hours per day.

The decline in the water supply system followed soon after. Discoloured and unsafe water dripped through the taps and only

during select hours during the day, leading many to have to walk miles in the countryside to fetch water in drums and buckets. That gave rise to the birth of the black tanks to store water and the use of water pumps to fill them from the main.

The public transport system collapsed as a result of mismanagement. The government owned big buses became part of the transportation sector graveyard.

Education went down the drain. The best of our teachers migrated to Caribbean islands and to Botswana rather than face the humiliation of being forced to sell sugar cakes in schools to supplement their meager salaries. Extra lessons compensated for the decline in educational standards.

Crime became so rampant and endemic that it ended the era of the watchman. Private security firms mushroomed to protect businesses and homes.

Private hospitals charged an arm and a leg for services.

And later would expand rapidly in response to the shortcomings of the public

health system.

Governments have changed but nothing much has been fundamentally altered. The public transportation system is now completely privately owned.

The black tanks used to store water are ubiquitous.

And despite the billions spent on the water supply system very few can boast about receiving water through their taps on the second floor without the use of pressure pumps or overhead tanks. Around-theclock supply of water is nonexistent.

Extra-lessons have become institutionalised.

Some teachers barely teach in the public classrooms because almost every one of their students attend their extra lessons. Little attention is being paid to ensuring that students receive their full instruction within the school system; without extra lessons, the entire educational system would collapse.

Blackouts have returned with a furious frequency.

And while previous attempts to privatise the energy sector failed, a number of private

firms, including this newspaper, are generating their own energy and doing so at a fraction of the tariffs charged by the Guyana Power and Light Inc. More firms are delinking from the national grid because of the high cost of energy.

And while the government has failed to bring the electricity sector under private ownership or management, all that is about to change.

Expressions of interest have already been invited for the gas-to-shore project and for the plans to resuscitate the Amaila Falls Hydroelectric Project. Electricity generation is therefore going to be put exclusively into private hands sooner or later.

It will become a cash-cow for the governments friends and cronies.

The health sector is in a mess. If you are not rich, you have to settle for substandard health services offered by the government. Specialty services such as coronary health care are now being provided by private establishments located within public institutions at a cost which is prohibitive and

outside of the reach of the poor.

Doctors employed in government facilities are moonlighting and sunlighting at private institutions. You can get a free consultation from some of them at the public institution but surgery and other medical interventions is often recommended at their private practice at privately-owned hospitals.

Even nurses are now getting into the act. They pay home visits and provide home care during their offhours and for a fee which is more than what they earn at their normal workplaces.

There are now more private security guards p o l i c e m e n a n d policewomen. And often private security guards are better armed and equipped than the police.

The privatisation of public services is a direct consequence of the failure of the state. It was not pursued as a deliberate policy but, in the main was an involuntary reaction to the decline in government services.

The privatisation of education began when a

relative of Desmond Hoyte wanted to open a school.

Since then other schools have emerged in response to the need of parents to get their children out of the deplorable public education system.

Private hospitals are now providing services which are not being provided satisfactorily by the public health system. In fact, a few years ago, if you were admitted to a public hospital and required an MRI, this had to be done privately. Not much has changed because those who influence public health policies have interests in private health care.

Guyana is said to be destined to be the next Dubai. But the signs of decadence in the delivery of public services are all around. The more we plan to change, the more we remain the same.

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

Kaieteur News

PAGE 24

Sunday August 29, 2021

GEM to emerge from hiatus soon After an almost four-year hiatus, GEM, Guyana’s premier digital and print lifestyle magazine, will be making a return to production come the end of September 2021 with issue #78.

The re-envision version will be quarterly [OCT-DEC], sporting a new logo, and promises to have a more web, digital, and social media presence.

This is according to a release issued by GEM’s press department yesterday. GEM, which was launched in 2004, introduced a high-quality glossy magazine to the country, with its lively features and high-quality pictures.

This enacted a positive change in the way Guyanese saw themselves and how people looked at the nation. The magazine’s focus is on delivering premium entertainment while giving its readers a much-needed escape

from the negatives and a modern outlook on what it truly means to be Guyanese.

Unfortunately, with a decline in subscription and advertising revenues starting in 2016, the publication temporarily ceased production in 2018 to re-evaluate its presence in the market and come up with a plan of action.

However, in the past year, there has been an influx of queries from fans, mostly with requests for the magazine’s return, to fill the void it had left. Taking everything into

consideration and some reenvisioning, the GEM team is ready to deliver even more premium quality and services that will cater to a global audience.

Mr. Simeon Corbin, Publisher and Founder of the publication, explained that GEM will still focus on people, places, events, and businesses while delivering more exciting content and increased coverage of successful Guyanese around the globe.

The reimaged GEM will be the same authentic, trendsetting, and

relatable publication that is everything Guyanese. There will be the usual lifestyle topics on personalities, food, fashion, social events, travel, beauty, fitness and health with some new and exciting additions. As with its previous editorial policy, it will remain apolitical and avoid any kind of highly divisive topics.

Fans will get a steady flow of articles, pictures, events calendars, polls, and other fun stuff between the social media platforms and the website which will be updated frequently. The print edition will be published quarterly to keep the nostalgic experience so many of its readers enjoy. Readers would also be able to flip through the pages of the magazine and order print copies online.

New to the team are Natasha Martindale who will be Editor-inChief with Jasmaine Payne and Sean

Devers as editors, while Coretta Corbin-Rival will remain the Managing Editor, Colin Sulker and Carl Croker as event photographers and popular contributors Renee Chester, Macaela Cameron, and Kevin John will continue writing exciting articles.

An integral part of GEM’s return will be an increased engagement with its fan base aka honourary editors who will help shape the magazine’s content for each issue.

In the meantime, those who would like to receive regular updates, take exclusive polls, or get invitations to signature events can visit gemguyana.com to sign-up for the Insider newsletter.

Readers can also follow the magazine on social media. For website, digital, and print advertising, send email to sales@gemguyana.com.

Sunday August 29, 2021

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Dear Reader, in light of the economic impact caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, our publisher, with you in mind, has taken the decision to extend our weekly review of some of our major stories in their entirety.

SUNDAY GUARD DROPS DEADAFTER CHASING PORKKNOCKERS OFF AUSTRALIAN CONTROLLED GOLD LANDS A security guard employed with Australian mining company, Troy Resources Inc., dropped dead on Friday while he and his colleagues were reportedly chasing off local pork-knockers from gold lands his company rents for only G$1,000 per acre.

The gold lands that the guard was protecting at the time he collapsed are part of the company’s Karouni Gold Project located in the Region Seven district of Guyana.

The dead security guard has since been identified as Xenier Fraser, 36. According to a press release sent out last evening by the Ministry of Labour, it noted that an investigation has been launched to determine how Fraser died.

Kaieteur News was told that Fraser collapsed around 10:00hrs. that day, while on patrol duties with other security guards. Based on information received by this newspaper, he was still alive after he collapsed and his colleagues had rushed him back to the base.

From there he was placed in vehicle, which reportedly sped off to transport him to the Mahdia District Hospital but he died on the way.

Kaieteur News learnt from persons who had reportedly seen when Fraser had collapsed that he and his colleagues were alerted that a group of pork-knockers described as ‘punters’ were illegally raiding the company’s lands.

They claimed that the security guards had spotted the men and headed in the direction they saw them. One of the eyewitness said that “while the security guards were running behind the punters, Fraser fell while crossing over a stream.”

The eyewitnesses said that ‘they thought he had fell and hit himself hard” but according to the Public Relations Officer of Troy Resources, Ajay Baksh, Fraser had collapsed while on patrol duties.

“He was on patrol duties

and as we would say in local terms, ‘he tek in and collapse,” Baksh told Kaieteur News.

As it regards to whether or not Fraser was at the time chasing local pork-knockers from the company’s land, Baksh said that such information had not reached him. What he sure of, at the time he spoke to the press, was that Fraser was on patrol duties with other security guards.

However, he said that in any mining area there will always punters around illegally invading lands to work. These individuals make a living by hustling daily on gold lands, some with battels and others with metal detectors. On concessions controlled by small-scale miners, the pork-knockers would be allowed to “hustle” and should they find large amounts of gold, the smallscale miner would ask them to pay him/her a percentage.

On the other hand, hustling on concessions operated by large-scale mining companies is taking a big risk because it is considered to be illegal and the lands are heavily guarded. If they are caught they could be detained and charged.

The Karouni Gold Project lands from which the punters were reportedly being chased off is 100% controlled by Troy Resources and has been a profitable venture for the company since it commenced operations there in 2013.

Recently in May, the company had announced to its shareholders that it is realising an average of 2,200 ounces of gold from its operations this year.

It had noted too that it was successful in securing another lucrative concession 20 kilometers south of its present operations - in the gold rich Potaro locale because it had mined out its Hicks 4 and Spearpoint mining pits.

The Australian company had boasted that the new

claim secured will increase its land holding to an area of approximately 3,000 hectares.

Troy Resources had even related to its shareholders that the recently secured claim adjacent to the Karouni Gold Project is “considered to be highly prospective for largescale discovery.”

Despite securing new lands to mine, the company is still not closing off operations in its Hicks 4 and Spearpoint mining pits.

Kaieteur News reported in July that Troy Resources is firing local workers in order for the expatriates to focus on underground mining there.

This move was made known to this newspaper by a circular to employees signed by the mines’ General Manager, Colin Connors.

Meanwhile, it should be noted that during the past five years of Troy’s operation in Guyana, the country has only received US$85,000 in royalty while the company was granted US$35M in waivers on fuel imports and tax breaks.

Troy also benefits from similar concessions afforded to the principals for the Aurora Gold Mines—now Zijin Mining Group. The company also pays G$1,000 per acre of gold land just like Zijin Mining Group.

GUYANA’S GAS-TOENERGY PROJECT LINKED TO SUPPORT FROM FRENCH GUIANA, SURINAME & BRAZIL …2017 IDB STUDY WILL FORM BASIS OF PROPOSED JOINT SUMMIT TO CRAFT MASTER PLAN - ALI The success of Guyana’s proposed US$900M Gas-toShore energy project is dependent on the off take of electricity being generated as part of an interconnected grid including French Guiana, Brazil and neighbouring Suriname, a conclusion determined by the InterAmerican Development Bank

back in 2017.

This, since according to Guyana’s President, Irfaan Ali, there still remains significant uncertainty on the project and that the Arco Norte master plan, developed in 2017 by the IDB, is indeed the backbone behind a proposed joint summit between the countries.

President Ali made the disclosure on Thursday last during press engagement at the Arthur Chung Convention Centre (ACCC) following two days of talks with neighbouring Head of State, Surinamese c o u n t e r p a r t , Chandrikapersad Santokhi.

The two led delegations that met and agreed on the joint development of a Natural gas master strategy, taking into account the potential resource available to the two countries in their offshore basin. More importantly, the Arco Norte Electrical Interconnection Study.

President Ali was at the time responding to members of the media, when asked about the direct input to be had from the IDB study.

According to Ali, “indeed a master plan was developed some time ago and it is in this context that this joint approach is being developed, so yes the joint energy plan is definitely linked and that is why we working towards a bigger summit with Brazil, French Guiana and Guyana.”

The President was however quick to hold back on providing “details,” signalling instead, the option to wait for the technical teams to meet and flesh out the details of the joint strategy— taking into account the Arco Norte study.

As such, he suggested, “very soon we will have the technical teams meeting and we have agreed that there will be briefings for the private sector and the media when we come up with that overarching strategy from the joint team.”

Surinamese President Santokhi in his remarks on the

joint initiative told media operatives that “within a short period of time a design proposal will be presented for a clear strategy for how to extract the gas of the two nations for the industrial development in the west side of Suriname and the east side of Guyana and also to develop the bauxite industry and also to export that gas to Brazil.”

He did note however, “that those who are familiar with the plan would know of the potential there in creating a new hub of manufacturing, industrial activity but more importantly on the energy side.”

The President did use the occasion to concede still unknown variables that would guide the size and scope of any project and cited as example, “a lot of this has to do with quantum of gas and that is why we said that this strategic analysis and joint approach is critical to this to determine these technical attributes.”

According to the Guyanese President, when the technical teams have determined the quantum of available Natural gas, “that will determine the size of the initiative.”

The envisioned electricity transmission lines in the Arco Norte proposal for the interconnection would span over 1,900 kilometers across the countries.

It was noted in that InterAmerican Development Bank (IDB) study, that the Arco Norte interconnection will require major investments in transmission infrastructure to link the electricity systems in Guyana, Suriname, French Guiana, Roraima, and Amapá Making the announcement, President Ali noted that the decision to forge ahead with the joint approach was taken, “recognising that both countries will be key players in the oil and gas sector.”

The Arco Norte Electrical Interconnection Study was

commissioned by the IDB with the objective to assess the potential for an electrical interconnection of power systems in the Arco Norte Region of South America.

The Arco Norte Region consists of the countries of Guyana, Suriname, Brazil (with its northern states of Amapá and Roraima), and French Guiana (an overseas department of France); together these are known as the Arco Norte countries.

The Study was conducted in collaboration with the Guyana Energy Agency (GEA), Energiebedrijven Suriname (EBS), Électricité de France (EDF), Centrais Elétricas Brasileiras (Eletrobras), and Agence Française de Développement (AFD).

MONDAY GAS IS NOT A BRIDGE TO CLEANER ENERGY; IT’SA WALL - SENIOR POLICY ADVISOR WARNS Following the crippling effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, many leaders across the globe have renewed their intentions to lead economies that run on cleaner energy. But instead of an immediate switch to renewable projects to prove their pledges are sincere, policy leaders such as those in Guyana have said gas will be used in the interim as “the bridge” to realising their clean energy goals.

Upon noting this, one international advisor has publically stated that citizens ought to hear alarm bells when such statements are made since gas is not a bridge but rather, a wall. Specifically making this comment in recent times was Greg Muttitt, a Senior Policy Advisor on Energy Supply at the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD). The IISD is an independent think tank founded in 1990 and (Continued on page 26)

PAGE 26

From page 25 headquartered in Canada.

Muttitt categorically stated in his written commentary that gas impedes rather than enables the energy transition.

Further to this, he said the idea of gas acting as a bridge to the “clean energy transition” is just obsolete thinking and for three main reasons.

Expounding in this regard, he said, “First, after decades of continually rising carbon emissions, there is no longer room for more fossil fuels of any type: the International Energy Agency argued in May that to meet the Paris Agreement goals (of lowering global temperature), there should be no investments in new gas, oil, or coal production.”

Muttitt added, “Second, the costs of renewable energy have fallen dramatically, and renewables are now cheaper than fossil fuels in most of the world.

Third, recent findings on the extent of methane leakage from gas infrastructure undermine claims of environmental benefits over other fossil fuels.”

With those three critical points in mind, Muttitt argued that the world has already missed the opportunity to cross over to cleaner energy via a gas bridge. But what is more important to understand he said is the fact that the world does not even need a gas bridge given the declining costs of renewables and their unmatched environmental benefits.

He said, “Gas is therefore more like a wall than a bridge, impeding rather than enabling the energy transition by competing with renewable energy for investment and policy support.”

Muttitt also contended that there should not be further investments in gas as it is a poor use of public money and serves only the interests of powerful and polluting companies.

As economic resources remain constrained in the coming years, Muttitt said it is vital that scarce public funds are devoted to building economies that are powered by renewables as opposed to fossil fuels.

TRINIDAD’S “ECONOMIC MELTDOWN” CAUSED

BY OVERDEPENDENCE ON OIL SECTOR GUYANANEEDS STRONG NON-OIL ECONOMY TO AVOID SIMILAR FATE -VP JAGDEO Vice President, Dr. Bharrat Jagdeo is blaming the economic troubles currently facing Trinidad and Tobago

Sunday August 29, 2021

Kaieteur News

that the auditor general is also aware of what, how the process is involved, it will require parliamentary approval.”

He said the process will allow scrutiny, where all the questions can be asked by the public before implementation.

He reminded that right now, the funds in the NRF are transparent, adding that that will continue.

Dr. Jagdeo considers the current amount in the fund, US$436M, to be de minimis (meaning negligible). So, it will not be used. However, his expectation is for the flow of money into the funds to increase significantly around 2025/2026.

Speaking on plans for use of the oil money, the Vice President said that though some say the money should all be saved, the Government intends for there to be a balance.

“We cannot have poor people; people who don’t have water and electricity and basic minimum, and not address those concerns whilst we are saving for intergenerational equity,” the Vice President said.

TUESDAY TWO TRADERS VYING TO MARKET GUYANA’S CRUDE BANNED BY MEXICO OVER FRESH CORRUPTION ALLEGATIONS - CORRUPT COMPANIES SHOULD NOT BE HERE - MEXICO’S ENERGY MINISTER on the Dutch Disease.

The Vice President made this statement during an interview with News Room, as he explained the Government’s plan to build a diverse economy to ensure the country avoids a similar fate.

“Look at Trinidad and Tobago, what they’re having now, an economic meltdown because they didn’t have the foresight to invest in the nonoil and gas sector. And so many countries have suffered this. It’s called the Dutch disease. So that is what we’re examining carefully.”

Since 2019, Kaieteur News pointed out the state its sister CARICOM country found itself in, trapped in years of declining growth.

With dwindling oil production, the country had no choice but to start restructuring its economy away from oil.

Dr. Jagdeo said Guyana will have to ensure it utilises its oil money to build a strong non-oil economy.

“We have to build, utilise those funds to build the

conditions for a progressive, prosperous non-oil economy so that when the oil disappears, we still have a booming economy with jobs for all of our people, unlike many of those countries that utilise all the money, not for the oil and gas sector or for welfare and didn’t build the fundamentals of a non-oil economy, so that when the oil and gas resources became depleted, they’ve ran into serious trouble.”

The Government intends to overhaul the Natural Resource Fund, which was put in place by the previous David Granger administration. The Vice President said the Irfaan Ali administration will come up with a programme for spending that will go through a parliamentary process.

“Any time we utilise funds from that pool of resources, they will have to go through a transparent process. And the process will be publicly identifying the project, saying how much money will be utilised from the fund for that project, ensuring

Guyanese evaluators are currently reviewing bids from 15 companies, which are interested in marketing the country’s next lift of one billion barrels of Stabroek Block oil, which is due in September. But two of the traders on that list were on Sunday banned from receiving new work in Mexico. The ban came on the heels of fresh corruption allegations. The two global traders in question are: Vitol Group and Trafigura Group.

Though Mexico has not released the details of the new corruption charges, its Energy Minister, Rocío Nahle said both companies would remain under the ban until 2024 while the government reviews the conduct of other oil operators and traders. The Mexican government has also declared that it will suspend work with any company found to have committed wrongdoing.

In recent years, the world’s most powerful commodity traders have faced bribery and corruption investigations in a worldwide

crackdown that has spanned jurisdictions from the US and Switzerland to Brazil and Mexico. Lopez Obrador swept to power on pledges to revive Mexico’s state oil giant to its former glory and reduce the influence of private energy operators that he often characterised as corrupt. In agreement with his line of thinking is Nahle, Obrador’s longtime ally and Chair of Mexico’s state owned oil company, Pemex. Just last Thursday, Nahle told Mexican press, “Those who are carrying out corruption shouldn’t be in Mexico,” while adding, “We are working to leave a country with good practices.”

Trafigura was keen to note that it sees no basis for new business to be suspended, while adding that its compliance policies and procedures have been fully reviewed and found by an independent external counsel to meet the highest standard required by law across all jurisdictions in which Trafigura operates. It also strongly refuted any allegation or suggestion of corruption.

Representatives from Vitol did not immediately respond to requests for comment by Bloomberg and other foreign press members.

In the past however, Vitol has said it is committed to upholding the law and has anti-bribery and anticorruption policies, procedures and controls across its business activities.

Those statements have been deemed questionable by industry stakeholders since in December last year, Pemex’s trading arm PMI had suspended new business with Vitol. The firm had agreed to a US$160 million settlement over charges that it plotted to pay bribes in Brazil, Mexico and Ecuador. The allegations included bribes paid to Pemex officials. The government and the Mexican producer have launched their own investigation into Vitol on this matter.

The other companies, which have submitted bids to market Guyana’s crude, include western oil majors such as Royal Dutch Shell, Chevron Corp, France’s Total Energies SE and Norway’s Equinor ASA. Hess Corporation, a partner in the consortium that operates the oil rich Stabroek Block, submitted a bid, while lead partner ExxonMobil did not.

Other companies submitting bids included, commodities trading houses like Mercuria, as well as, units of Saudi Arabia’s Aramco and China’s Sinochem.

The proposed commissions ranged from

two cents per barrel in the case of Sinochem, to 26 cents per barrel in the case of a joint bid submitted by the National Gas Company of Trinidad and Tobago, and Trinidad-based Heritage Petroleum Company Limited.

CGX RESUMES OIL HUNT OFFSHORE GUYANA Canadian based, CGX Energy Inc., along with its joint venture partner, Frontera Energy Corporation, have begun drilling its second exploration oil well offshore Guyana resuming its Guyana campaign.

The announcement was made Monday by the company, as it re-engages its exploration programme in Guyana.

The company has already submitted a bill to Guyana for some US$155M for its first dry well spud, and currently controls the Demerara and Corentyne Blocks.

Making the announcement the Joint Venture partners noted that it has exercised its option to drill a second well with Maersk Drilling Holdings Singapore Pte (“Maersk”) through the use of Maersk Discoverer, drill ship.

Co-Chair of CGX’s Board of Directors and Chairman of Frontera’s Board of Directors, Gabriel de Alba, in making the announcement noted that “today is an important day for CGX and Frontera as we continue to make substantial progress in realising the value of our investments in Guyana.”

He said “the Joint Venture has spud the Kawa-1 well, which we believe is one of the most exciting exploration wells in the world. The Joint Venture has also exercised its option to drill a second well offshore Guyana under similar terms and conditions.”

According to de Alba, “I am pleased with this major operational milestone for CGX and Frontera and appreciate the ongoing support of the Guyanese government, our employees, and our other various partners as we work together to maximise benefits for all of our stakeholders.”

The Joint Venture expects the Kawa-1 well to reach total depth in the first half of December 2021. The Maersk Discoverer, which is on station, is pictured below.

The Kawa-1 well is located in the northeast quadrant of the Corentyne Block, approximately 200 kilometres offshore Georgetown.

The water depth is approximately 355 metres (1,174 ft.) and the expected (Continued on page 27)

Sunday August 29, 2021

From page 26 total depth of the Kawa-1 well is 6,685 metres (21,932 ft.).

According to the Joint Venture partners, “with multiple opportunities based on internal geological studies, the Kawa-1 well targets light oil in combination structuralstratigraphic traps in large Santonian and Campanian slope fan complexes.”

Additionally, the Kawa-1 well is expected to de-risk multiple other prospects on the Block which also have stacked reservoirs and similar structural geometries.

WEDNESDAY US INDEPENDENT THINKTANK WARNS GUYANA ABOUT MASSIVE COST OVERRUNS FOR GAS PROJECTS - SAYS THEY CAN BE AS HIGH AS 45% OR MORE The risks to government revenue from inflated exploration expenses are significant, but they pale in comparison to the risks of inflated expenses during the development phase of oil and Natural gas projects. Often times, these inflated costs run into the tens of billions of dollars.

This was noted in many instances that were researched by US independent think-tank, The Center for Public Integrity (CPI). In the cases it examined, CPI found that cost overruns on Natural gas projects “are the norm rather than the exception, often by 45% or more.”

In one of its analytical papers on this subject, CPI noted that initial estimates of capital costs for large petroleum projects are almost never correct. It noted for example that there were massive cost over-runs in the first phase of Sasol Limited’s Pande Temane project. Sasol Limited is an integrated

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energy and chemical company based in South Africa. The company was formed in 1950 and is now one of the biggest corporate carbon emitters in the world.

As for the project in question, it involves a pipeline that was built from the gas fields of Pande and Temane in Inhambane, Mozambique. CPI during its research found that the estimated cost for the project was pegged at US$600M but the final price tag ended up being over US$1.2B. Over in Australia, CPI found that all Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) projects exceeded their initial cost estimates by at least 40%. The same trend was found in Papua New Guinea (PNG) too. In PNG, a Liquefied Natural Gas project had carried an estimate of US$8 billion to US$9 billion when the project was approved, but then it climbed to US$15 billion when construction began and upon completion, it ballooned to US$19 billion.

In one of the cases it studied in Angola, CPI found that the cost overruns were even worse: initial estimates were pegged at approximately US$3 billion for one LNG project while the final costs were over US$10 billion.

Taking the foregoing cases into account, the American think-tank urged countries, particularly new producers like Guyana to be wary of the costs for such projects as the evidence shows they often times inflated.

In Guyana, the government says that the planned gas-to-energy project is expected to cost $900M. But there is no guarantee that this would be the final cost. The requisite geophysical and economic studies are still being done for the project.

B e t h at as it may, Vice

President, Dr. Bharrat Jagdeo, previously gave assurances that the project costs would not exceed US$1B. Kaieteur News had previously reported that the gas-to-energy project is being designed to provide 250MW of power to the national grid, following its estimated operationalisation in late 2024. It is also estimated to create about 775 jobs. About 700 of these will be aggregate to the construction phase, while the remaining 75 are for the other aspects of the project life cycle.

The proposed project would bring associated gas from two ExxonMobil Guyana-operated projects offshore being the Liza Phase One and Two operations via pipelines to onshore gas processing facilities. The pipeline would transport up to 50 million standard cubic feet per day of Natural gas to the facilities. The maximum flow of the pipeline is approximately 120 million standard cubic feet of gas per day. All of the gas will be transported to the Wales Development Site.

E N V I O N M E N TA L CONCERNS It was on June 27, 2021 that this newspaper published an article highlighting the devastating effects this project could have on Guyana’s marine life. This was confirmed following a perusal of the project summary that was submitted to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

ExxonMobil in the document noted that the project could impact Guyana’s marine geology and sediments. It said this could occur through the installation of offshore and non-routine or unplanned events, which was not explained. Regarding the possible effects on human life and the environment where this is concerned, ExxonMobil said

it could result in the “Disturbance of the seabed during offshore pipeline installation activities, has the potential to affect benthic habitat and cause death/ injury of benthic fauna.” In short, any marine life that is near or close to the seafloor where this project is being done is at risk of being killed or injured.

The oil giant goes onto state that the project has the potential to affect some marine fish in the project area by way of activities such as underwater sound generated by marine component operations and activities, ship strikes, lighting on offshore pipeline installation vessels, wastewa t e r d i s c h a r g e s , offshore pipeline construction, hydro testing discharges, vessel movements, operational effluent discharges, and non-routine or unplanned events which again was not explained. Exxon noted that the foregoing ecological impacts could potentially have ramifications for commercial and/or subsistence fisheries.

It should be noted that ExxonMobil in collaboration with the government, is moving ahead with this project at a time when the world is moving away from fossil fuel based projects. In May for example, this newspaper had reported on the United Nations’ (UN) call for a shift in the policy of countries worldwide, to move away from supporting fossil fuel projects through financing such as subsidies, towards renewable energy and the promotion of the

transfer of technology to developing countries.

ALERT GIRL, 6, SAVES MOM’S LIFE IN BRUTAL KNIFEATTACK “I was like no, I am not gonna let my mother die,” were the words of a six-yearold girl, who had reportedly saved her mother’s life in a brutal knife attack last Sunday.

Her mother, Gaindowattie Ramdeo, was attacked and stabbed several times around 16:30hrs. that day by her dad, Dwayne Williams, a taxi driver, but it was the alertness of the child that might have saved the woman from being killed.

Ramdeo during an interview with Kaieteur News Tuesday, recalled that her daughter had knelt down in front of their home located at Best Village on the West Coast Demerara (WCD) and prayed before running to get help from a shop nearby.

On Sunday, Williams showed up at Ramdeo’s home uninvited and launched a brutal knife attack on her and other family members who had intervened. The entire ordeal was captured on CCTV camera and showed the moment Williams entered the yard and also the moment he went berserk.

Williams’ sudden attack has not only left Ramdeo injured but also her mom, Mahadai Ramdeo, and her cousin, Prakash Jagmohan.

Ramdeo’s family members believe that her decision to not rekindle a relationship with the man might have fueled the brutal attack. The relationship between the couple which lasted some

nine years came to an abrupt end on Monday August 16, because of infidelity. Ramdeo had reportedly caught him cheating and after more than a year of ups and downs, she told Williams to leave her home.

Ramdeo said that when he entered, he met her mom and had asked to see their daughter. The woman’s mother had reportedly told Williams that he cannot enter their premises. Williams did not take no for an answer and allegedly pushed Ramdeo’s mother aside and barged in.

Upon seeing his ex-wife, he walked up to her and allegedly attacked her.

“He pull his jersey out and I saw the knife,” Ramdeo told Kaieteur News. Williams reportedly pulled out the knife and allegedly began stabbing her.

One stab caught her on her shoulder and as she barred, some caught her to the hands and forearms.

Ramdeo’s mother and her cousin Jagmohan rushed to save her but he allegedly stabbed them too.

“As they (her mom and cousin) were trying to relieve him of the knife they told me to run,” recounted Ramdeo.

She did not manage to get far before he attacked her again.

“He pinned me to the ground and as he tried to bust my throat, a gardener rescued me, I don’t know how he come or where God send he from, he does live around hay but he didn’t been round for a while,” said Ramdeo.

That gardener allegedly pulled Williams off of her, but instead of leaving Ramdeo alone he pinned her again.

(Continued on page 28)

PAGE 28

From page 27 Based on the CCTV footage obtained, the gardener found a spade and dealt him two blows with it. Williams got up and according to Ramdeo, the gardener told her to run.

“I ran out into the streets and he came after me but the only thing I could remember after then was a group of residents nearby running out,” she added.

“They pushed me into a car and tell the driver to carry me to the hospital and someone grabbed him,” detailed the woman.

It was after receiving treatment that Ramdeo would be told that persons liming at a nearby shop had responded to the cries of traumatised little girl (her daughter) reportedly yelling, ‘Yall come quick ma father killing ma mother.”

As they investigators reviewed the CCTV footage of the incident, Ramdeo would be shocked yet again after she saw her daughter kneeling in the yard, just in front of the house. The girl bowed twice to the ground before running out of the gate. Ramdeo learnt later that her daughter was actually praying to God for her safety before she ran off to get help.

The girl was brave enough to share her story with Kaieteur News too. She said that her dad had entered the yard and he looked normal but what happened next had shocked her.

“He was normal and I looked away and then when I looked again he was trying to kill my mother,” she said.

The alert girl continued, “I was like thinking and then I was like no, I am not gonna let my mother die.”

This was when she decided to run and alert the people at the shop.

“They all looked surprised and it was like they did not believe me, but when they saw my mom running out in blood then they believed me,” recounted the girl.

After her mom was rescued, a female worker from a nearby wash-bay picked her up and took her home. That individual noted that child was traumatised at the time.

As Kaieteur News concluded their interview with the family, the girl turned to her mom and said, “Mommy I can’t forget what I see, I does keep remembering it.” Her mom hugged her and responded “Alright babe, you have to forget it, forget it now.”

Her dad, Dwayne Williams, has since been remanded to prison for attempting to murder his exwife and grievously wounding her mom and cousin. Williams was charged

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Kaieteur News

at the Leonora Magistrate Court Tuesday and is expected to make his next court appearance on September 14, 2021.

THURSDAY US$100M UNRELATED OIL EXPENSES ENDS UP INTO MOZAMBIQUE OIL BOOKS - INT’L WATCHDOG URGES GUYANATO TAKE NOTE - INT’L WATCHDOG URGES GUYANA TO TAKE NOTE New oil producing states such as Guyana are often warned by international transparency groups to be wary of cost recovery bills that are submitted by oil companies. Their analytical work over the years has found that these bills, in many instances, contain costs for legitimate goods and services that are intentionally inflated by the millions. However, this is not the only area of concern Guyana is being urged to keep an eye on. The sweet crude producer is also being warned to pay attention to another area of massive value loss—bills containing unrelated or ineligible costs.

Pointing this out was the Centre for Public Integrity (CPI). To underscore the significance of its advice, the American watchdog noted that just last year; it was found that Sasol Limited, a South African petrochemical giant, recovered US$99.8M in ineligible costs from Mozambique.

Expounding further, CPI noted that an audit ordered by the Mozambican government showed that Sasol declared recoverable costs of US$148.7M for its operations in the southern province of Inhambane in the 2017 financial year. But the audit found that of this sum, US$50.5 million was not eligible for cost recovery.

The same trend was uncovered when an audit was done for cost recovery claims made by the company in 2018.

The government said the oil company claimed recoverable costs of US$114.4M but auditors calculated that US$49.3M was not eligible.

Taking the two years together, Sasol had overstated its recoverable costs by US$99.8M. This has had a significant impact on revenue that should have gone to the State, government auditors said.

Sasol did not contest the findings but said it has since submitted feedback to the government to explain the expenditure in question.

It said, “…Sasol ensures that all costs are correctly accounted for, under the

terms of the agreement between the shareholders and the Mozambican government.”

Sasol also maintained that it is “an ethical corporate citizen” and that it is “committed to continue developing Mozambican hydrocarbon resources for the benefit of the country, its people and all stakeholders.”

OTHER EXAMPLES CPI was keen to note as well, the experiences of other resource rich countries that lost billions of dollars due to international oil companies routinely claiming billions of dollars in ineligible costs.

In the 40 plus cases it examined in Indonesia, Alaska, Ghana, Kenya and Timor-Leste, CPI said many of the expenses claimed by oil companies were simply ineligible. It said examples of such unrelated costs came in the form of: expenses incurred prior to the signing of the “host government agreement” contract; expenses associated with unrelated projects; expenses for personal interests of executives, expatriate employees and families; expenses for the technical training of expatriates; duplicate invoice for a good or service that has already been expensed; and inclusion of expenses such as oil and gas marketing fees, or expenses related to mergers, acquisitions, or transfers in participating interests that are normally deemed ineligible according to the contract.

To ensure Guyana and other oil producing States do not fall victim to the same abuses that hurt the government’s share of the profits, CPI said rigorous audits must be done annually.

Thus far, Guyana has pursued the audit of over US$460M ExxonMobil claimed was expended prior to the discovery of oil in 2015 in the Stabroek Block. Another audit was undertaken for over US$1B in costs racked up for the 2015 to 2017 period.

Those findings also remain undisclosed despite the government’s promise to be as transparent as possible with details on the sector.

OPERATOR DELAYS EXPLORATION IN CONTROVERSIAL KAIETEUR OIL BLOCK ExxonMobil Guyana has decided to delay a planned second exploration well in the controversial Kaieteur Block offshore Guyana.

The announcement was had Monday by ExxonMobil’s partners in the Block, Westmount Energy, which noted that the oil majors are looking to take

more time to nominate the prospect target for the second exploration well on the Kaieteur Block.

Westmount Energy, an indirect partner in the Block on Monday cited Ratio Petroleum, which owns a 25 percent stake in the offshore Block, as saying that the date for elective nomination of the prospect target has been extended by seven months to March 22, 2022.

The original Kaieteur second well prospect nomination date was reportedly August 22, 2021, with any drilling consequent to this decision to start within nine months of the nomination date.

ExxonMobil last year made a non-commercial oil discovery at the Tanager-1 well, in the Kaieteur Block, failing to replicate a string of successes made in the nearby Stabroek offshore Block, where it has so far found more than nine billion barrels of oil.

The Tanager-1 exploration well, drilled by the Stena Carron Drillship, was the deepest well drilled in the Guyana-Suriname Basin to date. It was spudded on August 11, 2020, eventually reaching a total depth of 7,633 metres.

Westmount said that the Kaieteur Block partners agreed to the decision to delay the nomination date, “to facilitate continuing analysis by the operator and integration of extensive multiplay drilling results and comprehensive data collection programmes into regional petroleum system models and the prospect nomination decision.”

Cataleya Energy Limited (CEL), the company that was

first awarded the Kaieteur Block in 2015 by former President, Donald Ramotar, had sold one fifth of its 25 percent working interest in the offshore concession to Hess Corporation.

As a result of the transaction, Hess’ working interest has moved from 15 percent to 20 percent, while Cataleya is now left with 20 percent.

Meanwhile, the other partner on the Block, Ratio Guyana Limited, holds a 25 percent stake while ExxonMobil’s subsidiary, Esso Exploration and Production Guyana Limited (EEPGL), holds 35 percent, thereby making it the operator of the Block.

The sale between Hess and Cataleya was reported by Westmount Energy Limited, a UK investment firm that gives overseas firms opportunities to buy shares in the licenced operators of Guyana’s offshore Blocks. According to Westmount in its latest report, the increase in Hess’ working interest has occurred on the back of the Tanager-1 oil discovery, announced in November, 2020.

For several years, this newspaper was at the forefront of calls for there to be a thorough, independent investigation into the award of two Blocks, Kaieteur and Canje, since several industry stakeholders who examined the matter, concluded that they were awarded under suspicious circumstances.

With respect to the Kaieteur Block, this publication previously reported that it was awarded

by Ramotar on April 28, 2015, just two weeks before the 2015 general and regional elections

on the advice of former Minister of Natural Resources, Robert Persaud.

Two companies received the Block with 50-50 stakes, Ratio Energy Limited (now Cataleya Energy Limited) and Ratio Guyana Limited.

Ratio Energy was incorporated in Gibraltar on April 15, 2013, and registered in Guyana on October 23 later that year. Independent watchdog, Global Witness, said in its damning report ‘Signed Away’ (which was subsequently pulled by the organisation), that at the time of receipt of the Block, the company was owned by an Israeli-based lawyer named, Richard Roberts.

Ratio Energy’s name was then changed on August 3, 2017, after it received the Kaieteur Block. Its two directors are Canadian, Michael Cawood, and Guyanese, Ryan Perreira, who have experience in mining.

The other initial owner of the Kaieteur Block is Ratio Guyana, a subsidiary of the Israeli company, Ratio Petroleum.

FRIDAY GUYANAOPERATING WITHOUT OIL REGULATOR FOR ALMOST 2 YEARS - MORE TRANSPARENT AND ACCOUNTABLE GOVT. NEEDED - INT’LANALYST As world leaders take steps to wean their respective energy systems off fossil fuels and onto cleaner sources of power such as solar, hydro and wind, there (Continued on page 29)

Sunday August 29, 2021

From page 28 are quite a few things Guyana can do to ensure its petroleum industry is uniquely qualified to stand the test of time.

In this regard, Energy Consultant and Co-Director at Americans Market Intelligence (AMI), Arthur Deakin posits that Guyana can pursue a diversified economy in a proactive and thorough manner. Deakin said too that the new oil producing State can ensure there is an efficient blend of oil and gas production with Carbon Capture, Storage and Utilisation (CCSU) technologies.

He was keen to note however that the foregoing strategies must be accompanied by “a more transparent and accountable government.” Although the ruling party has bashed the previous administration’s Natural Resource Fund law for being too politicised, Deakin said the People’s Progressive Party/ Civic (PPP/ C) has failed to introduce legislation to create a new fund. He also noted that the Petroleum Commission to manage the country’s oil sector is yet to become a reality despite the country producing oil for nearly two years.

Deakin asserted that President Irfaan Ali appears to have recognised the urgency of the situation, as he recently pledged to create the Petroleum Commission by year’s end.

As he lauded the government’s renewed promise, he said the government must take steps to be more transparent. He said too that the way forward for the country must include incentives for CCSU, renewable energy and nature-based solutions. “The path is being charted for Guyana to become an energy powerhouse, but without these strategies, it ‘is more likely than not’ that it will be left behind in this rapidly changing energy sector,” the international consultant noted.

ALI INSISTS ON TRANSPARENCY On the 2020 election campaign, President Ali had promised that the oil sector would be characterised from end to end by transparency.

In spite of this pledge, this newspaper had highlighted that following his first year in office, an information deficit still persists in the sector.

To date, Guyanese have not seen a single Local Content Report, which ExxonMobil submits to the government on a quarterly basis, production reports on the Stabroek Block have not

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been released, and the report on the audit of US$460M ExxonMobil claims was spent pre-2015 in search of oil remains cloaked in secrecy.

Also hidden from the public’s eye despite a promise that it would be released, is a report that was done by Canadian consultant, Alison Redford.

The former politician who is tainted by scandals regarding the misappropriation of tax dollars had spearheaded the review of the Field Development Plan (FDP) for ExxonMobil’s US$9B Payara project in the Stabroek Block.

Challenged on the lack of transparency in this regard, Ali had said earlier this month, “I do not believe that we have been hiding anything as it relates to the oil and gas sector. Every piece of information that the government has, every discussion we have had, any change in any agreement, it has been shared with the public.”

Ali continued, “Many of the areas you outlined, the government itself is identifying technically competent support staff that would come on stream with us in the new structure, which we are designing for the sector to do the analysis in all the areas you have outlined and to present their findings to the population.”

The Head of State added, “We recently advertised for various posts within the unit and it is our hope that very soon, we can put together the structure and the team to further enhance our work in having an open and transparent system of management and information sharing in the oil and gas sector.”

Ali said too that his government is currently working on a website, which would house all the production, expenditure, and revenue collection details on the oil sector. He gave no timelines for when this would be completed or when the reports Kaieteur News enquired about would be released.

SATURDAY GWI WAS IN A STATE OF CRISIS - IT WAS INFESTED

BY CORRUPTION, BANKRUPTCY, MISMANAGEMENT MINISTER RODRIGUES While it is well known that the Guyana Water Incorporated (GWI) offers crucial support for the nation’s economic wellbeing, it appears that post 2020, it was not managed with any regard or reverence for its role.

Expressing this viewpoint among others was Minister within the Ministry of Housing and Water, Susan Rodrigues. During her maiden appearance on Kaieteur Radio’s Programme, Governance, Corruption and Justice, the Minister noted that GWI was found in a state of crisis; it was fraught with mismanagement and corruption.

The Minister said, “When we took office, GWI was in crisis, it was bankrupt, it had not received a subvention for five years and so it owed the Guyana Power and Light over $7B…The bank balance for GWI was reduced by $1.8B in five years. From August 2015 to 2020, the operational costs had increased by $1.1B and this was regardless of the two tariff increases, one in October 2018 and October 2019, almost 100 percent it increased by.”

She added, “I don’t know if people realised that and also not just the bank balances and increase in spending but GWI owed suppliers over $800M and 80 percent of that was long overdue.

And of course, the company was infested with corruption. One of the biggest scandals involved the purchase of the SeaQuest.”

In June, Kaieteur News had reported that the Special Organised Crime Unit (SOCU) has been called in to investigate suspected financial irregularities at the Guyana Water Incorporated (GWI) and among them was a US$9M contract for a water treatment chemical called SeaQuest.

These financial irregularities allegedly took place while the coalition government was in power, under ex-boss, Dr. Richard Van West-Charles.

Informing media operatives of the development was the current Managing Director (MD), Shaik Baksh, who also detailed that a forensic audit of the company is currently ongoing. Baksh had pointed out that there was a questionable water chemical contract, which cost Guyana some G$1.8B over a four-year period, or almost US$9M. According to Baksh, the money was used to solesource the water purification product, SeaQuest, through a middleman, from the manufacturer, an American company called Aqua Smart Inc. The product is a trademarked combination of chemicals used to reduce or separate the iron content from the water as part of the purification process.

“They have a middle company doing the

procurement and then mixing, batching the product and transporting it to all Regions.

So a middle man was there sourcing (the product) from Aqua Smart and this was sole sourcing,” the GWI boss had told reporters.

Baksh said that by doing this, the then management of GWI breached all the tender processes, both at GWI and

the National Procurement and Tender Administration Board (NPTAB).

Further to this, Minister Rodrigues pointed out that GWI was without the necessary materials to do basic connections thereby leading to an application backlog of over 5,000.

She said, “There were no basic spares, parts, pumps,

supplies, no materials. There were 5,200 applications for new water connections that were sitting there and they couldn’t do anything about it because simple hardware they did not have in the inventory. The company was just bare, it was a shell.”

The Junior Minister added, “There was not a single meter in the inventory so they couldn’t install any meters or service connections too. Since coming into office, we have been through the application backlog and it was cleared. We now have over 2,000 new connection applications and we are working on that.”

Rodrigues was keen to note that measures in the 2020 and 2021 budget have also allowed for her Ministry to be able to restock GWI’s inventory and get the agency up and running efficiently. “…Management is now doing a good job in that regard,” the Minister concluded.

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THE FREDDIE KISSOON COLUMN

The politics of Guyanese revolutionaries:

Revisionist notes on racial instincts There will be one tantalising question after the historian reads this column.

That person is bound to say, “Freddie, there is a contradiction in your analysis that must be explained.”

That contradiction revolves around three Guyanese East Indians – Dr. Rupert Roopnaraine, Dr. Josh Ramsammy and Mr. Moses Bhagwan. It will take a separate article to elaborate on this contradiction which can be logically explained. I have treated this lacuna before in relation to Roopnaraine and Bhagwan. I have not done it for Ramsammy, the reason being, he was far more a principled, morally guided activist than the other two Indians. Because of space constraint, please Google my condemnatory articles on Roopnaraine and Bhagwan. I will just add a few notes on them below.

This analysis here argues that the African Guyanese leaders in the WPA, in the 1970s, nurtured deep, Freudian desires of majority African rule but sublimated these cravings under Rodneyite politics. Many of them were already committed Africanists when they joined Walter Rodney.

Pay attention to some of their

names – Eusi Kwayana, Omawale, Andaiye, Sase Omo, Abysinnian (Andaiye's brother), Ohene Koama, Kwame Apatha.

These African names should not lead to a faulty analysis. African Guyanese in the WPA leadership who retained their Christian appellations were also driven by their Africanist ideologies.

What unites those with African names and those with English names was the historical perspective that Guyana should be ruled by the descendants of African slaves. Their politics were shaped by a certain type of praxis that was opposed to the PPP simply because the PPP was the vehicle for Indian ownership of the government.

The enigma is Rodney himself. But discussion of his role in this analysis has to come after I offer my revisionist perspective on the WPA leadership in the seventies. One of the theories in Guyanese sociology was that the birth of the JaganBurnham camaraderie, named the PPP, at the beginning of the 1950 rendered both invisible and dormant, the ethnic strategies of political leaders for their own political future.

The theory goes on to argue that after the constitution was suspended

by British military invasion in 1953, circumstances were born that allowed these ethnic instincts to come to the surface. The rest is history.

I am applying here that sociological paradigm of the original PPP to the WPA of the 1970s. I am contending that the urban African leadership of the WPA was not really interested in a multi-racial shape of power but saw Rodney as the vehicle to replace a mentally unstable, authoritarian, narcissistic Black leader – Forbes Burnham – with a Black leader who had global respect.

How do the three Indians fit in? Roopnaraine was an Indo-Saxon who thought the average Indian was socially inadequate for modern Caribbean society. He accepted he was part of western, middle class Creole society in Guyana.

Roopnaraine never considered himself a Guyanese Indian but a British citizen. Bhagwan joined the W PA b e c a u s e h i s implacability to Cheddi Jagan dominated his personality.

He saw the WPA as replacing Jagan. Ramsammy

was by far the better human.

As an idealist, he wanted multi-racial governance.

Space limitation will prevent further elaboration but just as the British invasion allowed ethnic instincts to come to the surface, the long years of post 1992 PPP rule made the invocation of ethnic yearning in the WPA to become a reality. Today in Guyana, some of the purist anti-Indian racists are certainly not in the PNC and the PNC has never had such insane anti-Indian leaders as we see in today's WPA. Burnham was certainly not a racist for me. I would say Ronald Waddell had deeper racist thoughts than Hamilton Green. His common-law wife, Bonita Bone-Harris was one of the top leaders of the WPA. Look at the nature and shape

of the politics of the WPA in the 21st century.

The Afrocentricity is graphic.

David Hinds, Tacuma Ogunseye, Dr. Nigel Westmaas, Karen DeSouza, Desmond Trotman, Clive Thomas, Dr. Maurice Odle, Tabitha Sarabo-Halley, Dr. Alissa Trotz, Kidackie Amsterdam, Deon Abram, Keith Branche, among others, have nothing multi-racial about their praxis that you can detect.

The signs are overwhelming that these people see themselves as African Guyanese and are comfortable with taking sides in society in which ethnic competition is the only game in town.

I was shocked by the ethnic make-up at the funeral

Frederick Kissoon se rvice at the Conference Centre for Andaiye. The attendees were 99 percent African. None of the more than a dozen guest speakers were Indian.

No one from the PPP was invited to speak. Finally, about Walter. What would he have become? I think he would never have succumbed so insanely to diabolical racebaiting.There was too much class consciousness in him.

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

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Coronavirus: The next wave has reached our shores; hope you're prepared

By Dr. Zulfikar Bux Assistant Professor of Emergency Medicine, Vanderbilt Medical Center

Over the past fortnight, we have been seeing a slow rise in cases and the numbers are now alarming with the situation looking ominous.

One cannot ignore the fact that the world has been experiencing the wave of the delta variant and it was only a matter of time before it reached the shores of Guyana.

I am afraid that that time has arrived and we need to brace ourselves for the “delta wave”.

Current situation in Guyana?

On August 7, 2021, our seven-day average case numbers were steady at 58 cases daily.

As of yesterday, the seven-day average had jumped to 131 cases.

This is a clear sign of an upward trend in infections.

In addition, we are seeing patients that are sicker and presenting earlier with

moderate to severe forms of the disease. There has been a 24 percent rise in hospitalised COVID-19 patients during the same period.

The unvaccinated are accounting for the COVID19 deaths so far but the vaccinated are presenting for treatment with more serious symptoms than previously.

All of this points to a new trend and while we do not test for variants locally, the alarm bells are ringing that a new variant is responsible for this new trend.

Given the international patterns with the delta variant, we cannot ignore the high likelihood of this variant being responsible for the recent change in events.

What we know about the delta variant The delta variant is the most efficient form of the SARSCOV2 virus (coronavirus) and was first detected back in December 2020 in India.

It is spreading 50 percent faster than its previous form, the Alpha variant, which was

50 percent more contagious than the original strain of the coronavirus.

Experts theorised that in a completely unmitigated environment—where no one is vaccinated or wearing masks—it's estimated that the average person infected with the original coronavirus strain will infect 2.5 other people.

In the same environment, Delta would spread from one person to maybe 3.5 or 4 other people.

This version of the coronavirus is a “beast” and runs through populations like a wildfire leaving trails of the dead in its tracks.

What may happen if it is the “delta wave”?

We have seen what this “efficient beast” did in countries like India and the US Hospitals become overwhelmed and death rates increase further because some infected patients did not have effective access to appropriate medical care. If we are not careful and we let our guards down, the “beast”

can repeat such devastations in Guyana.

Based on experiences from other countries, this wave can last from one to three months and will depend largely on our vaccine uptake and behavioural patterns.

Previously, our worst seven day average death rate hovered around four deaths per day. If we assume similar numbers of deaths with this wave, then there is a possibility of us losing between 200 to 400 of our fellow Guyanese within the next two to three months.

That can be heartbreaking and we need to get our act together and take actions that will prepare ourselves to survive this wave.

How you can prepare yourself Contrary to all the myths and rumours that are being

spread about COVID-19 vaccines, your best investment for the incoming wave is to ensure you are fully vaccinated.

If you do not believe, Google “vaccines and delta variant deaths” and you will be swamped with articles from many reputable sites showing that the overwhelming majority of deaths are coming from the unvaccinated population.

In addition to being vaccinated, you can add more layers of protection to your armour by continuing to wear masks and avoid sharing closed and poorly ventilated spaces with others. Finally, ensure your immune system is optimised by exercising, eating healthy, avoiding stress when possible, and your vitamin uptake is optimal.

While I do not have the

factual evidence in the form of tests to validate my prediction that the delta variant is with us, one would have to be reckless to ignore the recent trend and not assume the worst.

In any case, we are more prepared to “ride” this wave than previous waves; vaccinate and be wise when you interact with others!

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>>> ENCOURAGING EVENTS, DISTURBING DEVELOPMENTS <<<

School reopening, poor handling, and possibly worse in the making

By GHK Lall

I

was against from the inception, disturbed that the Government and Minister of Education would rush ahead so recklessly and endanger our children, families, communities. My position is that the wisest course should be implemented, after all considerations have been given their rightful weight. Our children should be outside the regular politics that seeps into everything here. On school reopening, it should not be just yet.

Still, I am listening to and weighing what the Minister of Education offers, if only to let

better heads prevail.

Frankly, such heads do not include the Government, from its twin-headed leadership to most ministers.

There are too many party hacks and political operators around. Again, I desire to give the Minister of Education the opportunity to present what is persuasive. She hasn’t; not in the least. She has been erratic and inconsistent; instill little confidence that children and nation are well served. She comes across as a councillor of the confusing.

First, it was that schools were reopening in September, come hell or flooding; and that was that. For that to take place smoothly and e f f i c i e n t l y, r e a c h p r e s e t educational objectives, teachers are necessary. They had a problem, which their union made clear and ominously at an early hour. The next official word was that teachers had to get vaccinated, which sounded like mandatory to me.

Then, it was that there was

some flexibility, but only if they present a negative PCR report weekly. So, it was, and then it wasn’t, where vaccination was a ‘have to have.’ In money terms, one PCR test is about $7,000, give or take, which totals to $28,000 monthly. I think I can hear balking and bickering; resisting, too.

Second, there is choice: parents and sending out their children; parents and vaccination consenting; and, from before, teachers and vaccination.

Alternatively, they all have the option to not do so. When there is a need for clear and decisive leadership from the Minister of Education, there is this hedging and talking from both sides of her mouth. Having backed herself into a corner with an early unilateral ministerial declaration from on high, the minister now scrambles to appear reasonable, flexible, to save some face.

Then, on Friday, the minister announced what looks like a rush job scrambled in the throes of a hangover: a combination of the rotational and fixed attendance; with the latter makeshift (11%

Nursery), guesswork (9% Primary), mysterious (‘several’ Secondary). The kindest thought is: experimental, small beginnings.

A harsher one is that it dangerously forces the reopening issue without the thoroughness and profoundness circumstances demand. Considering these low startup numbers/percentages, I am convinced that with public commitment to an ill-conceived decision (reopening), it is roll the dice, and dismiss the downside.

Doing something for the sake of doing something, to appear wise.

Fourth, the minister said that the reopening strategy and approach would be on a school-byschool basis. I have to question if the minister really does know what she is about. Out of ill-deserved respect, I refuse to use a word like ‘dunce.’

If I may, I suggest to the minister that a more enlightened manner in which to proceed with this sensitive issue would be to do so from a region-by-region thinking, working with the union.

With reopening closer by a week, steamrolling parents will cause

some backlash; sidelining union concerns is a mistake. I think that this could have been handled better, even with the limited, firmly set minds at the ministry’s high command.

Fifth, I think a hybrid learning approach-part in person, part remote classes, is better: cautious and gradualist class tactic necessitated by pandemic circumstances. Giving books and instructions help, but working to bridge gaps is better.

I regret that the minister failed to grasp the essentials of what gives everyone breathing room to function, while taking care (more safely) to the educational needs of the young. Of course, it must be the PPP’s way, and no other.

Problems brew. Governance must be about communication and cooperation; heavy-handed dictatorial tendencies, and leadership arrogance inevitably backfires.

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

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OUR FRONTLINE WORKER OF THIS WEEK IS… MULTI-PURPOSE TECHNICIAN,

A

Multi-Purpose Technician, Ginnel Garraway

Ginnel Garraway

lthough it took some stoking from her mother, Ginnel Garraway was eventually able to realise that she was destined to make her mark in the health sector.

This of course was after she’d caressed the idea of being a flight attendant for some time. But according to Garraway, “my mom had other plans...being a part of the health system, she encouraged me to take that path.”

Her mother, Waveney Thomside, was a Senior Health Education Officer at the Ministry of Health Annex for several years before she migrated to the United States.

While Garraway opted for a different aspect of health care – being a MultiPurpose Technician – she, over the years, was able to hone the skills she acquired to the point of being an outstanding professional.

Reflecting on her

Since the onset of COVID-19 here, Garraway in her lab technician capacity has been tasked with processing all samples from patients who are hospitalised with a view of getting the requisite results to the doctors in a timely manner. Being in the heat of the COVID-19 battle, has taught her quite a few lessons.

Among them, she shared, is that “life is not to be taken for granted.”

With more than 24,000 confirmed cases locally, of which over 600 have died, being in the business of health care these days is an especially risky affair.

But even with this

Engrossed in her laboratory work. exposure to the MultiP u r p o s e Te c h n i c i a n programme which was facilitated by the Ministry of Health, Garraway said, “I was trained as a Lab, Pharmacy and X-ray Technician but I have only

With her lovely daughter, Brienelle Hopkinson

worked in the laboratory since my training.” She went on to explain that “as a lab technician for the past 11 years at the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation, it is my duty to provide accurate and precise results in the health care facility to every patient.”

But before that, as a fledgling Multi-Purpose Technician, she was attached to the National Blood Transfusion Services, the national blood bank. Her stay there would span a period of seven years.

Garraway, who was ushered into the world on January 30, 1982, recalled that she was raised exclusively by her mother since her father, Joseph Garraway, passed away three months after her birth.

“I never got to know him and so it was just my mother who raised me and got me to where I am today,” said a contented Garraway.

As a child, she attended the Sacred Heart Primary and the North Georgetown Secondary schools, and during those days, she recalled developing a passion for cricket. Rivalling her love for cricket back then, was her desire to become a flight attendant.

But like most mothers, Garraway’s mother saw wisdom in guiding her daughter to a more impacting profession, one in which she is now able to make history alongside droves of other frontline health workers, who are daily taking on the fierce fight against COVID-19.

COVID-19 much too close for her liking. “I have had family members who were infected including two of my sisters, one of my nephews and also workmates.”

Grateful that she was spared being infected, Garraway today is proud to

Hopkinson, bolsters her protection by taking the necessary precautions such as hand washing, always wearing a mask, social distancing and constantly sanitising.

This is particularly important to her since, according to her, “I try

“I love my profession and being able to provide health care to patients on a daily basis motivates me to get up every day and keep going.” awareness, Garraway has no regrets that she chose a career in the health care system. She, with pride, intimated, “I love my profession and being able to provide health care to patients on a daily basis motivates me to get up every day and keep going.” This is in spite of the fact that she has seen the impact of

be among the local health workers who opted to be fully vaccinated when the COVID-19 vaccine became available. Convinced that the vaccine works, her advice to those reluctant to be vaccinated is simply “choose life.”

In choosing life herself, Garraway, who is mother to a lovely daughter, Brienelle

to spend as much quality time with my daughter because she is preparing to write the CXC exams next year.”

In addition to finding time for her daughter, G a r r a w a y, a c r i c k e t enthusiast, admitted that she can be found glued to the television whenever a game of cricket is on.

A photo opportunity with her colleagues.

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STRAWBERRY SPARKLETINI: Make Life Extra Bubbly!

Sparkletini! The wine that is celebrated for their easy-drinking and fruitforward personalities. Verdi Spumante is an Italian sparkling beverage made with natural ingredients.

This intriguing flavor gives the renowned line of sparkling beverages a fruity and pleasant twist.

Furthermore, Strawberry

Sparkletini is a very flexible Spumante with just the right amount of Strawberry flavor.

Furthermore, Verdi is an Italian-style sparkling malt beverage with natural flavors.

To truly appreciate its balanced, clean, and delicious flavor, serve chilled.

It has a delicate and fruity flavor and is deliciously effervescent and light.

Additionally, it’s a wonderful addition to many other cocktail ingredients, including vodka (either plain or flavored). Seductive, bubbly, and perfect for all occasions.

Grab a bottle today! Distributed by ANSA McAL Trading Limited and available in leading supermarkets countrywide.

E-Networks secures exclusive TV broadcast rights for 2021 CPL T20 in Guyana Thanks to a deal with International Media Content Ltd (IMC), the owner and broadcaster of SportsMax, ENetworks Inc. – Guyana’s leading TV service provider –was pleased to announce yesterday that it has secured the exclusive rights for live TV coverage in Guyana of the Hero Caribbean Premier League (CPL) T20 2021 tournament from August 26 to September 15, 2021.

For the third consecutive year, E-Networks said it is proud to keep Guyanese cricket fans in “The Biggest Party in Sport” by delivering the matches on its E2 channel, available countrywide on all its TV platforms: DreamTV

Satellite, DreamTV Wireless, and DreamTV Fiber.

The company said persons can also use the DreamTV Mobile app on their mobile phones to watch the matches on-the-go from anywhere. It said too that ENetworks customers can catch the action live in crystal-clear, high-definition quality, for as low as $3,600 monthly. Persons can visit www.enetworks.gy or any of the company’s social media pages for more information.

In the agreement with SportsMax parent IMC, which is the regional broadcast rights owner for the CPL T20, E-Networks will broadcast all 33 matches from

this year’s tournament. Each match day in the preliminary round will have doubleheaders – first match at 10 AM and second match at 7 PM, except for triple headers for the last two match days at 10 AM, 2:30 PM and 7 PM respectively. First started in 2013, the Hero Caribbean Premier League (CPL) saw an increase of 67 per cent in television, streaming and digital viewership in 2020, reaching 523.5 million viewers and passing half a billion for the first time in the tournament’s history.

The 2021 tournament is the league’s ninth season, with all the matches taking place in St. Kitts and Nevis.

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Side vs Back vs Stomach - The Pros And Cons Of Sleeping Positions Studies have shown that the majority of adults transition to sleeping on their side, while kids are somewhat divided between sleeping on their side, back and stomach.

Each sleeping position has its benefits and issues and this may also differ between individuals.

While you may have a preferred sleeping position, it may be affecting your health in ways that you might not expect, apart from the obvious body aches. Some people have no preferred position and cycle through different positions throughout the night. There is no best way to sleep, each person will have different requirements.

Let’s explore the pros and cons of each sleeping position.

Sleeping on your Side Side sleeping, where your body lies on your side is supposedly the most commonly reported sleeping position. This position may have some downsides, so it is not the best way to sleep but overall it is one of the more healthy sleeping positions.

Sleeping on your side has been linked to better waste removal from the brain, which in turn may lower your risk for disorders that affect the brain (such as Alzheimer’s). In the side sleeping position, your airways are less restricted

allowing for better breathing while you sleep. This is beneficial for avoiding snoring issues and may also help with sleep apnea.

Side sleeping is not the ultimate position, however, since there are no sleeping positions that can be definitely called the best. One of the downsides to side sleeping, especially if you only sleep on one side, is shoulder pain when you wake up. This may also be accompanied by neck pain if your pillow isn’t allowing your head and neck to get the rest it needs.

A better mattress and pillows can go a long way to preventing the negative effects of side sleeping, as does regularly switching the side you sleep on. Also for people with chronic joint disorders like arthritis, side

sleeping may put a strain on your joints. · Is the Right Side Better than the Left?

Although it is one of the healthy sleeping positions, both sides are not the same.

Sleeping on your right side is more beneficial, as it puts less strain both on your heart as well as your sympathetic nervous system. The only time sleeping on your left side is better than the right is during pregnancy, as sleeping on the left is better for blood circulation Sleeping on your Back Many people also choose to sleep on their back and often even if you have other preferred positions you may return to this position from time to time during the night.

This position has the same effect as standing, it keeps your spine in its natural

form while you rest.

By providing even and equal support to your entire upper body, it lowers any buildup of strain to one particular body part. Keeping your knees elevated with a pillow or a rolled-up towel while lying on your back is an excellent way to avoid back pain.

A potential downside is that this position may increase your risk of experiencing acid reflux symptoms when you wake up if you suffer from an acid issue.

Also, though the reason is not known or understood, sleep paralysis is more common when sleeping on your back. Still, sleeping on your back is one of the more healthy sleeping positions for most people.

It can be made healthier if you keep your upper body gently raised with a pillow or if you use an adjustable bed/ mattress.

Additionally, sleeping on your back can improve your sleep-time breathing, may reduce acne breakouts, wrinkles and fine lines and may prevent sinus congestion. It can also help with puffy eyes and tension headaches, although this may require further studies to prove definitively. Sleeping on your back may not be the

best way to sleep or the worst but it also allows you to wake up better with the sun since your face and eyes can detect the rising sun streaming into your room better from this position.

Sleeping on your Stomach Unlike the previous two positions, sleeping on your stomach has more negatives than benefits.

Only a minority of adults choose this position as their preferred sleeping style and it’s no wonder either. Stomach sleeping can cause neck, back and hip pain while also aggravating any kind of acid reflux symptoms. That is why it should especially be avoided by those who suffer from GERD. Although sleeping on your stomach may reduce the chance of snoring and possibly sleep apnea, it is not worth the risk. Most paediatricians and doctors advise against putting infants and small children to sleep on their stomachs.

Occasionally resting on your stomach is fine but if it is your standard and preferred sleeping position, it may lead to issues in the future.

Do I need to Change my Sleeping Position?

It depends on your current health condition. If you do not have issues with

snoring, sleep apnea, acid reflux or GERD and you don’t have any regular aches and pains, then there is no need to do anything different. In this case, you may already be experiencing the best way to sleep and likely already have a healthy sleeping position.

On the other hand, if you find yourself waking up frequently with back and neck pains, then it is probably being caused by your sleeping position. Try your best to change your sleeping position for better sleep and avoid causing yourself any long term issues.

People who move from stomach sleeping to side sleeping may find it easier to hug a pillow while they transition, as it helps to imitate the sensation of the mattress against your tummy.

Lastly, if changing your position is not working, you may need to go out and get yourself a new mattress and pillows, as these are the second most relevant causes for good or bad sleep.

Always ensure that you have ample support for your back and if you sleep on your side, use a pillow between your knees to avoid hip pain.

If a change in position and bedding still doesn’t help, you may need to see a doctor for further advice.

Phone Time And Overall Health - What’s The Optimal Screen Time?

As surviving with sanity becomes more and more challenging in the recent world, people are opting for the easy way out to stay occupied indoors. Spending lots of time watching tv or using phones is causing irreversible negative effects.

The pandemic has pushed us into confinement and more than ever we feel the need and dependency on virtual life. Screen time is the total time spent per day in viewing screens such as mobile phones, TV, computer, tablet or any hand-held or visual device.

It is time to ask the question, “what is the ideal amount of screen time?” Let us find answers to what should an average screen time per day be for children and adults. · Children below the age of 2 years should not be exposed to any type of

screen with the exception of an occasional video call with relatives. · Children in the age group of 2 to 5 years should have strictly limited screen time.

They are extremely sensitive and may need to use screens for educational purposes but not as a time pass option.

Playtime is important at this stage and must be given priority. Parents should be careful about not using screen time as entertainment for their children. WHO recommends 1 hour or less of screen time for children below 5 years of age. · Children who are older than 5 years may have more screen time. However, there must always be a limitation.

You as a parent must set aside a specific time when they can be exposed to screens apart from educational purposes.

Remember that it should not interfere with learning,

relationships, family time, physical activity, playtime or sleep. Excessive screen time can affect both the physical and mental health of an individual. 2 hours of screen time is acceptable on school days and can be dragged up to 3 hours during the weekend. · Adults tend to use screens for entertainment and interaction. They are usually at a higher risk of screen dependency. This is why it is important that they should limit screen time outside work.

It must be less than two hours per day and anything beyond is considered harmful.

Outside of work, you should not spend more than 2 hours on social media or watching movies/series on TV or OTT platforms.

The negative effects of prolonged screen time are as follows: 1. Obesity

When you are looking at a screen, you usually remain in a particular position for an extended period of time. This means you have restricted movement and that can increase your risk of obesity.

It can further cause chronic issues like heart disease.

Being in front of a screen for a long time will likely lead to mindless snacking and usually make adults and children, obese.

2. Insomnia Prolonged screen time evidently has a negative effect on your sleep. This applies to both children and adults. The blue light emitted by the screens can significantly lower the melatonin levels, a hormone that regulates when you sleep and wake up and this will disrupt your entire sleep cycle.

3. Eye problems One of the first and noticeable effects of too much screen time is impaired vision.

The blue light can prove to be dangerous and eye strain often leads to dry eyes, blurry vision, irritation and burning sensations.

4. Back and neck issues If you continue to look at your phone, tablet or a tv screen for a really long time,

it will put a lot of strain on your neck muscles and your spine. You will experience pain after sitting in a slumped posture for too long. This is common and likely results in frequent headaches and backaches. To avoid these, reducing screen time is a must.

5. Impact on behaviour and mental wellbeing Excessive screen time can be addictive and has a negative impact on the mental health and behaviour of a person.

Understanding how to reduce screen time for a healthy life. · It is necessary that you stop using screens prior to bedtime. You should ideally stay away from the screen, two hours or at least 30 minutes before sleep. Adults must make it a point to not use phones in bed, especially in a completely dark room. · Set a timer while watching tv or when using the phone. Take frequent breaks amidst using digital devices to go for a walk, workout or indulge in any other activity. · Exercising helps you to stay active and reduces chronic pain. · When using your phone,

make sure your eyes are at an arm’s distance. · It is best to turn off your phone before going off to sleep. It prevents distraction and helps you sleep better. · Be careful to not get addicted to screens. It will then control your mood and behaviour, result in poor cognition and you may also experience withdrawal symptoms. · Finding an alternative interesting physical activity to get engaged in can minimise the need of watching TV or phone.

Conclusion: As we talk about the negatives of screen time, you must remember that it is not entirely a negative element. If you maintain the ideal screen time for yourself and train your children accordingly, you can derive several benefits from digital media. It helps you learn and stay connected with friends and relatives. It is okay to include screen time as a part of your daily activities but do not make it the only activity and increase dependency on it. (https:// pharmeasy.in/blog/phonetime-and-overall-healthwhats-the-optimal-screentime/)

Sunday August 29, 2021

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Sunday August 29, 2021

More women and girls sign up …As 'Human Services' launches 'WIIN' in Region Two

M

ore than 160 women and girls of Region Two (Pomeroon-Supenaam) this week signed on to the Women's Innovation and Investment Network (WIIN) programme by the Ministry of Human Services and Social Security.

Several persons from Anna Regina and Charity expressed their appreciation and gratitude for subject m i n i s t e r, D r. Vi n d h y a Persaud's efforts to take the ministry's services to them in their own communities.

WIIN, which seeks to empower women and girls, helping them become financially independent, was launched last May and piloted in Baramita.

So far, over 4,000 applications have been received, with Minister Persaud promising that everyone should be trained by the end of this year.

“Keep on signing up because WIIN will be continuously rolled out,” the Minister urged residents of Region Two during her outreach there on Wednesday last.

She took the opportunity to educate persons on how the WIIN programme works and encouraged them not to let age, academic background or any other factor deter them from signing on to it.

“It's always good to be receptive to opportunities for learning and make much of it,” Minister Persaud advised, adding, “don't only commit to starting the programme but cross the finish line and 'WIIN.' Everyone who applies will get through.”

Minister Persaud has been conducting outreaches across all regions of Guyana and in the case of Region Two this

Minister Persaud delivering remarks during her outreach to Region Two time; it was a follow-up visit to distribute spectacles after a significant number of persons was tested on the previous occasion under the ministry's eye care programme.

The spectacles programme, for which over 1,000 pairs of glasses have been distributed in partnership with several eye care centres, was offered to every region across the country except for Region Five which will be done in September.

Staff of the ministry was on hand last Wednesday to fix any problem with the spectacles on the spot so that the residents could've benefited from a perfect fit.

Dr. Persaud also used the visit to distribute hampers to senior citizens and those living with disabilities.

She announced to the pensioners that this year, they will be able to get their 2022 pension books by October.

“So you don't have to go anywhere special, you don't

Residents were able to interact with Minister Persaud on issues and concerns affecting them

have to line up for any of the vouchers because as you're collecting your pension, you'll collect the book for next year same time.

Through the ministry, we've been working hard to ensure that our senior citizens are being cared for,” Minister Persaud assured.

The Ministry has also placed several measures in place to simplify processes and make access to the service easier and in less time.

Rosealine Thompson, a resident, was very happy to have received her spectacles during the outreach.

“I had to pay thousands of dollars for my last spectacles and I am a pensioner.

I do sewing so it will help a lot,” she remarked. Premnauth Ramcharran and Yougmattie Boodhoo are two other residents of Region Two who were grateful for their spectacles, calling attention to how expensive it was to get them otherwise.

Ministry staff assisting residents to sign up for WIIN Minister Persaud listens as this resident makes a point

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The Elephants And The Mice

Junior page

Creating leaf crown What you need:

In an earthquake-hit village abandoned by humans, a colony of mice lived. Near the village was a lake, which was used by a herd of elephants.

The elephants would have to cross the village to go to the lake. Thus, one day, as they walked through, they trampled a lot of mice.

The leader of the mice met with the elephants and requested them to take a different route to the lake. He promised them that they favour would be returned in the time of their need.

The elephants laughed. How could such small mice help these large elephants in any

way? But then, they agreed to take a different route.

Not-so-long-after, the mice heard that hunters had caught the herd of elephants and were tied in nets.

Immediately, they rush to rescue the elephants. They gnawed through the nets and ropes with their sharp teeth.

The leader of the elephants repeatedly thanked the mice for their help!

Moral of the story A friend in need is a friend indeed. Make sure you help your friends out whenever they need it. They should always be able to count on you.

Keeping clean In all the things we do each day, Taking care of our things and body, We must try to be clean and tidy, So as to keep them always ready.

by Uncle Roy

Cleanliness is a very good habit, That helps us to keep things right, As well as make ourselves the best, So that we always look neat and bright.

So whether it is your body or clothes, Your room, your books or toys, Make sure you keep things nice and clean, And you will have much more to enjoy.

Fall leaves in various colors (not dried out and crispy) scissors a toothpick (or a skinny twig you find next to the leaves) fall leaves in various colors (not dried out and crispy) How to Weave a Leaf Crown Step 1: Snip or break off the end of the leaves where they were attached to the tree.

I've left them on before and it works but it makes a larger hole than you need, causing the crown to be more wiggly than it has to be.

Step 2: Start with a leaf with a long(ish) stem. Fold over the leaf by 1/3 to 1/2 (eyeball it) and hold the folded piece behind while you punch two holes with the toothpick about an inch or so apart.

Step 3: Insert the long(ish) stem of another leaf into the top hole and then up through the bottom hole.

Don't cut the stem off, you'll need it later. Pinky swear you won't cut it off. In fact, don't cut off the first couple (leave the first two stems entirely intact).

Continue adding leaves in the same way.

In-process clean up: I do about 5 leaves and get a secure section before doing this next step.

You will have stems poking out where they were woven once, and you will want to poke another hole (between the previous leaf's holes) and weave the stem through to the back.

Only then will you want to cut it or break it off.

Step 4: Repeat the steps above and do the cleanup.

Remember, do not cut the first 2 stems.

Step 5: The last step is to weave the first leaf's stem through the last leaf, just like

you've done all the others.

You will want to weave it as many times as you can without making too many holes.

Fill in the blank squares so that each row and each column contain all of the digits 1 thru 3.The heavy lines surround areas (called cages) that contain groups of numbers that can be combined (in any order) to produce the result shown in the

Repeat with the second leaf's stem to add extra stability at the join-point. Or you could just staple the thing closed.

clue, either using addition (+) or subtraction (-) as shown in the clue. For example, 12+ means you can add the values together to produce 12.Numbers in cages may repeat, as long as they are not in the same row or column.

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Sunday August 29, 2021

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TEEN TIME

Be clear about who you really are by developing a Sense of Identity A proper knowledge of self is the key to the development of a sense of i d e n t i t y.

This selfknowledge implies a clear and realistic idea of what we are, including awareness of one's strengths, one's shortcomings and how one appears to others.

Formation of this clear sense of identity is based on the ability to separate yourself from the influence of others – your parents, peers, what you see on the television and read in the press – and make up your mind as to who you really are, what are your goals in life, and what you will make of yourself as you plan honestly and successfully to achieve these goals.

The first step you should take in this effort to

form your unique identity is to accept your physical appearance for what it is.

You should realise that you had no control over the way you look and not even your parents, whose features you partly bear, had that control.

Begin to take a purposeful attitude about acceptance of

how you look, and feel good about it. Always remember that you are a unique person, and this combination of your features, your size, your height, your figure, your complexion, etc. is unique, and will never be duplicated, no matter how many other people are born in this

world.

It is a common habit of many persons, especially teenagers, to compare themselves with other people who are generally seen as perfect. This feeling originates from a desire of feeling superior to others, especially due to their physical appearance.

In fact, no one is above others because of their physical attributes, as none of these is better than others.

Whenever you are driven to feel inferior to others, remind yourself that you are someone without comparison, and that is your own unique identity.

We will continue next week with the effort you should be making to reinforce this sense of uniqueness.

Insane sudoku

I am the Captain of My Soul

by Nideesh I decide what I am to be, never would be the one who would be held down by the chains of time.

No man, no fear, no superstitions, no tears would pull me down into where I came from.

I need nothing, nothing, but my soul nothing, but my will nothing, but myself to take me up to where I have to get, no matter what it takes, or what I have to do, even the torments of hell, the fierce winds, the raging tides, I would withstand them all.

I would destroy an army of a million lies, walk over the failures, like men who never give up, and climb over mountains of difficulties, break through the dams of uncertainty, face the darkness just to be who I am.

I am the captain of my soul, and I decide my fate, I choose to be what I am and do to keep me great..

To ensure your best life ahead, take the time now to determine who you are, what you stand for, what you want to be and not be, and how you want to act now and in the future.

Solutions to last week’s

Killer Sudoku

Slitherlink

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EXFOLIATING YOUR LIPS KEEPS THEM FEELING AND LOOKING HEALTHY But, it's important to know how to exfoliate lips properly so that you don't cause any damage. The damage or dryness on your lips may be a result of the weather e.g. UV-radiation from the sun or coldness, incorrect care or stress. Indulging in an exfoliating treatment once or twice a week will help cleanse your lips so they are left looking healthier than ever.

HOW TO EXFOLIATE YOUR LIPS Make sure your lips are clean of make up before you start Gently exfoliate lips using a toothbrush or flannel to get rid of dead skin Use a humidifier to help keep the air around you moist Wear a lip balm with an SPF factor if you're exfoliating in the morning, or a hydrating moisture lip balm if you're about to hop into bed.

SHOULD YOU EXFOLIATE YOUR LIPS? You should exfoliate your lips once or twice a week to maintain soft, supple and healthy looking lips. Other reasons for exfoliating lips are To remove dry skin To make lips soft and smooth To keep lips moist To make your lipstick look better and stay on for longer Exfoliating your lips can prevent dehydration of the lips which may cause swelling, bleeding or dryness HOW DO YOU EXFOLIATE LIPS PROPERLY? There are a number of simple, natural DIY lip exfoliant recipes available for you to try. Consider experimenting with one of these two practical lip scrubs: 1. HONEY-SUGAR LIP SCRUB Mix one teaspoon of honey with two teaspoons of sugar Massage the mixture into your lips and leave for 10 minutes or so Remove with the help of a wet face washer Sugar is an effective natural exfoliant. When mixed with honey, it becomes a great moisturising lip scrub.

Honey 2. LIP BALM AND TOOTHBRUSH LIP SCRUB Apply a thick layer of your favourite lip balm to your lips With a clean toothbrush, gently brush your lips in a circular motion TIPS FOR EXFOLIATING YOUR LIPS When exfoliating your lips, remember these important tips.

BE GENTLE Don't exfoliate lips too hard! Use a toothbrush to gently exfoliate your lips in small circular motions. If your lips are sensitive, use a small children's toothbrush to get the same impact without hurting your skin..

DON'T OVER EXFOLIATE Limit your lip exfoliation routine to once a week, this is enough to remove the dry skin to help maintain soft and supple lips.

PROTECT YOUR LIPS When going outdoors, make sure to apply a lip balm that has an SPF component to protect your lips from the harmful sun.

ALWAYS MOISTURISE AFTER EXFOLIATING Opt for a rich lip balm to hydrate your lips after exfoliation.

NIVEA essential Care Lip Balm with Shea Butter and Hydra IQ will help keep your lips plump and healthy.

HOMEMADE LIP SCRUBS ALL THE WAY Knowing what's in your lip scrub is important. So why not DIY your own exfoliation process? Scroll up to read through our fave recipes.

Kaieteur News

Sunday August 29, 2021

Kaieteur News

Sunday August 29, 2021

The Court Journal

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Repeat offenders at the Georgetown Magistrates' Courts

By Renay Sambach

I

magine being locked away in a small room with a filthy mattress to lie on. In that very room, imagine having just a small container in a corner as your makeshift toilet. Imagine being separated for months, perhaps years, from your loved ones.

As awful as this may seem, there are many who make choices that send them, time and again back into a state of incarceration.

Repeat offenders are quite common at the Georgetown Magistrates' Courts. From being at the court, certain defendants become known to you due to the number of occasions they appear in court more often than not for similar offences.

In one matter, weeks after a man was released from jail after serving a five-year sentence, he landed back before a Magistrate for a similar offence. That man is ex-con, Orin Favourite, 25, also known as 'Solo' of Rosemary Lane, South Ruimveldt, Georgetown.

Favourite was previously sentenced to five years behind bars for stealing a gold chain. But despite his previous conviction, the man once again found himself back in prison for a similar offence.

He had denied the charge which alleges that on July 30, 2021, at Hadfield Street, Georgetown, while being armed with a gun, he robbed Mishal Juman of his iPhone 11 valued at $200,000. The latter charge states that on the same day and at the same location, while being armed with a gun, he robbed Chandroutie Juman of her phone valued at $98,000, one handbag valued at $25,000, and $405,250 in cash – he denied both allegations.

According to the police prosecutor, on the day in question the Jumans were making their way to motor car PZZ 3450 which was parked on the southern side of Hadfield Street, when Favourite and another man approached them.

The men were armed with guns and after relieving the Jumans of the articles mentioned in the charge, Favourite allegedly fired a shot at them but no one was injured.

The matter was reported to the police and an investigation was launched.

This led to Favourite being apprehended and charged for the offence.

2019 repeat offenders - from left: Shemar Moore, Kevin Rose, Jobe Caesar and Morvin Akeem Mikoo While in custody, the defendant reportedly said, “I want to see the people saying I rob them. I was present in the area when I saw some police officers come and pick up a bag from a garbage bin not too far from where I was standing.”

However, the Jumans positively identified Favourite as one of the men who robbed them.

In May 2017, Magistrate Dylon Bess had sentenced Favourite to five years' imprisonment after he was found guilty of stealing a gold chain worth $135,000 from Charlie Hytmiah.

There was the case of repeat offender, Shaquiel Mentore, who was remanded to prison on three counts of larceny in July 2021.

The particulars of the first offence allege that on July 3, 2021, at Stabroek, Georgetown, he stole from Shenola Gittens one gold chain valued $120,000 and one Samsung galaxy J7 cell phone valued $73,000, a total value of $193,000.

The second charge states that on July 13, 2021, at Stabroek, Georgetown, Mentore stole from Cindy Lyttle, one gold chain valued $64,000 and two gold rings valued $30,000.

This is a combined total value of $94,000, all property of the said victim.

The third charge states that on July 13, 2021, at Longden Street, Georgetown, the young man stole from Lavia Bookie, one gold chain valued at $100,000 and one gold and diamond pendant valued $100,000, with a total value of $200,000.

Mentore pleaded not guilty to the offences and was later remanded to prison on the grounds that he has pending matters before the c o u r t . L i k e t h e aforementioned repeat o ff e n d e r s , 2 4 - y e a r- o l d

businessman, Micah Sonaram of Lot 2273 Flying Fish Street, North Ruimveldt, Georgetown, had faced the court on several occasions for fraud related charges.

The alleged serial fraudster, managed to secure bail on all his previous matters except for when he appeared before the Chief Magistrate in July last, when she remanded him to prison.

During all his court appearances he had denied the charges that were read to him. The first charge alleges that on November 3, 2020, at North Road, Georgetown, while being solely entrusted

Micah Sonaram with $1 million by Yohance Smith to purchase and deliver one Bobcat, he fraudulently converted the money to his own use and benefit.

The remaining charges allege that on November 13, 2020 and November 20, 2020 at North Road, Georgetown, while being solely entrusted

by Smith with $35,000 and $1 million to purchase an electric control joystick and 210-model excavator respectively, he fraudulently converted the money to his own use and benefit.On a previous appearance, he had pleaded not guilty to the

charge, which alleges that on November 4, 2020 at North Road, Georgetown, while being solely entrusted with $7 million by Steve DeCosta to purchase and deliver one excavator, he fraudulently converted the money to his own use and benefit.

Prior to that Sonaram faced three similar charges, after he reportedly defrauded several persons using his social media business page, Parts Zone Gy, which advertises that he ships parts and machinery.

It was also reported that he faced two fraud charges which allege that he

Bagotstown, East Bank Demerara, during the course or furtherance of a robbery.

Twenty-three-year-old Moore, who is known as 'Franky,' was previously charged with a firearm matter.

He was released on April 3, 2019 after serving a nine months sentence for robbery.

Rose was also charged with a firearm matter and he was sentenced to serve four years in prison and was released on April 1, 2019.

Almost a month after serving time both men were implicated in the murder of 'White boy.'Also, Jobe

Shaquiel Mentore defrauded persons of over $11 million. During December 2020 he was charged for defrauding a businessman of $4.5 million and in 2017 he was charged for defrauding another man of over $5.8 million.

Moreover, in 2019 the Georgetown Magistrates' Courts saw 12 repeat offenders.

Kevin Rose and Shemar Moore were remanded in 2019 for the murder of Patrick Fraser called 'White Boy.' According to reports, the duo had allegedly shot Fraser on May 9, 2019, at

C a e s a r, a 1 9 - y e a r- o l d national footballer, was sentenced to six months in prison after he was found guilty of wounding a cop.

The accused was on trial for unlawfully and maliciously wounding Police Corporal, Kerry Joseph, on September 3, 2018 at East Ruimveldt, Georgetown.

The facts of the charge indicated that on the day in question, Caesar went to visit his girlfriend at the location and he saw the victim there.

They got into an argument and while the victim was leaving, the defendant dealt

him a cuff to the face.

Caesar was also charged for allegedly stealing from his girlfriend and damaging her car valued at $3.5 million and was also charged for assaulting her.

Meanwhile, Morvin Akeem Mikoo was sent back to prison on a six-month sentence after he stole a cell phone belonging to Travis Rampaul.

On his first appearance before the courts in relation to this matter, he had identified himself as Akeem Bennett and also provided a fictitious address. After two months of evading the police

Orin Favourite under his false name, he was hauled back to court where he confessed to the deception.

Mikoo then told the court that he was sentenced to nine months in prison on a simple larceny charge and was only released a short while before the new incident.The victim and Mikoo had met at a restaurant and Rampaul offered to buy him something to drink and take him for a treat. While out on the treat, Rampaul sent Mikoo on an errand.However, the accused took that opportunity to steal the victim's phone and made good his escape.

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Sunday August 29, 2021

CPA, GPF using education to help reduce rape in hinterland communities

Region Eight Commander, Michael Kingston

By Shervin Belgrave The Child Care and Protection Agency (CPA) is working along with the Guyana Police Force (GPF) to educate persons from the hinterland to reduce rape in those areas. According to the GPF’s crime statistics, rape has increased by 62 percent this year. A total of 187 rape cases have been reported

to the GPF from January to date.

Deputy Director of the Force’s Corporate Communications Unit (CCU), Stan Gouveia, told Kaieteur News that the majority of this number are cases from the hinterland regions – mainly Regions One, Eight and Nine.

Commander of Region Eight, Michael Kingston, during an episode of ‘Police and You’ that was broadcast on Tuesday last, stated that the root cause of rape in his district is culture.

In an effort to stop or reduce rape in the area, Kingston highlighted that he is working along with a plan to educate villagers that they must change their culture.

The commander revealed that last year, there were six cases of rape in the area but this year that

number has increased to 19.

So far, Kingston said, they have been able to arrest some of the perpetrators while some still remain at large.

He added that some of the accused would move to other villages in the interior and because of the remoteness of these areas, photos of the suspects are difficult to obtain in order to issue a wanted bulletin.

Nevertheless, the commander said that in dealing with rape matters, he has been collaborating with the Child Care and Protection Agency, Child link and Blossom Inc. However, the commander noted that the root cause of rape, especially in the “north villages” of his district where it is more prevalent, is culture.

Kingston detailed that in order to change the culture, his unit, along with the relevant agencies is embarking on a plan to educate the villagers.

He added that Blossom Inc. has issued an advertisement to recruit persons from these same areas to educate their fellow villagers and to work along with the victims of sexual violence. The commander believes that because the matters are being reported, there is a glimmer of hope that the culture might have started to change.

Meanwhile, the director of CPA, Ann Greene, in an invited comment acknowledged that there are challenges when it comes to dealing with rape in the hinterland regions. Despite this, she said that the Laws of Guyana cater for everyone in Guyana and not just

Director, Childcare and Protection Agency, Anne Greene citizens living on the coast.

She added that part of her agency’s plan is to bridge the gap between the culture of the persons living in the hinterland and the laws of Guyana through education.

Kaieteur News

Sunday August 29, 2021

g ts in s... re ure e t t In rea C

P

Bullet Ants

araponera clavata is a species of ant, commonly known as the bullet ant, named for its extremely painful sting. It inhabits humid lowland rainforests in Central and South America.

The specific epithet of the ant, clavata, means “club-shaped.” The generic name, Paraponera, translates to “near-Ponera.”

Due to its notoriety, the ant has several Native American, Spanish and Portuguese local names in different geographical areas.

Perhaps the best-known name is the Venezuelan hormiga veinticuatro (the “24 ant” or “24-hour ant”), referring to the full day of pain that follows being stung; it can also refer to the time it takes to kill a human.

In Brazil, the Portuguese names given by locals include formiga cabo verde, formigão, or formigão-preto (big black ant), and Native American-derived names are tocandera, tocandira, and tocanquibira. These names derive from the

THE

Tupi–Guarani tuca-ndy, which translates to “the one wounding deeply.” Other names by which it is referred include chacha, cumanagata, munuri, siámña, yolosa, and viente cuatro hora hormiga. In Costa Rica, P. clavata is known as bala, meaning “bullet.” P. clavata also has several common names; it is most commonly known as the bullet ant because of the extreme pain it delivers following a sting, similar to that of getting shot. Other names are the lesser giant hunting ant and conga ant.

This is further supported by the fact that P. clavata is a forest ant that forages on the ground and up into bushes and trees.

Description Worker ants are 18–30 mm (0.7–1.2 in) long and resemble stout, reddishblack, wingless wasps.

Paraponera is predatory, and like all primitive poneromorphs, does not display polymorphism in the worker caste; the queen ant is not much larger than the workers. They are not

aggressive ants but are vicious when defending the nest, when they produce a stridulating sound and sting with ferocity.

Distribution Paraponera is distributed throughout Central and South America, commonly found in the wet Neotropical realm. These ants are found in Honduras, El Salvador, Nicaragua and Costa Rica from the north and in Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia and Brazil from the south.

Colonies are found in lowland areas, at elevations ranging from sea level to 750 metres (2,461 ft). However, specimens have been collected at elevations of 1,500 metres (4,921 ft) in La Amistad International Park.

Enemies This ant is a predator of Greta oto, the glasswing butterfly. This butterfly attempts to combat P. clavata by producing chemical extracts during the larval stage that are unpalatable to these ants.

Parasites The small (1.5- to 2.0-

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(PARAPONERA CLAVATA)

mm-long) phorid fly, A p o c e p h a l u s paraponerae, is a parasite of injured workers of P. clavata, of which the supply is constant because frequent aggressive encounters occur between neighbouring colonies, resulting in maimed workers. The flies are able to parasitise healthy ants if the ants are artificially restrained, but healthy ants are agile and able to repel them. Both male and female flies are attracted by the scent of injured ants; the females lay eggs, as well as feed, and the males feed and possibly mate with the females.

The flies are attracted to a crushed ant within two to three minutes and 10 or more flies may be attracted to each ant. Each ant can harbour 20 fly larvae. Carl Rettenmeyer observed P. clavata actively trying to attack A. paraponerae when they approached the entrance to their nest.

Relationship with humans Sting

The bullet ant’s sting is currently the highest on Schmidt’s sting pain index, at 4.0+. According to Justin O. Schmidt, the pain is like “Walking over flaming charcoal with a three-inch nail embedded in your heel.”

Some victims compared the pain to that of being shot, hence the name of the insect.

It is described as causing “waves of burning, throbbing, all-consuming pain that continues unabated for up to 24 hours.”

Lymphadenopathy, edema, tachycardia and fresh blood appearing in human victim feces are common symptoms.

Poneratoxin, a paralysing neurotoxic peptide isolated from the venom, affects voltagedependent sodium ion channels and blocks the synaptic transmission in the central nervous system. It is being investigated for possible medical applications.

Kaieteur News

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Sunday August 29, 2021

The Give A Chance Foundation From page 22 She explained that developing emotional intelligence is linked to better stress management skills and people are better equipped to avoid getting overwhelmed with responsibilities during challenging times.

Added to this, ThakurDeen said that given the ongoing pandemic, SEL has become even more important because of children being placed into isolated and often, heavily stressful situations.

To t h i s e n d , t h e organisation on Friday hosted yet another EI session that was aimed at training children ages seven to 12 years. The session was facilitated by Barbadosbased certified Personal and Business Development Coach, Georgia Inniss.

With her expertise and certification as an EI administrator, Inniss, a Guyanese by birth, hosted a session on exploring personality types and discovering strengths and stretches, with children from the GACF. Thakur-Deen noted that the children’s session is part of efforts to

A section of the participants of the GACF walk in 2019 which was aimed at raising awareness about Social and Emotional Intelligence.

further advance their mandate to promote EI learning.

The activity’s aim was to promote students’ selfawareness, selfmanagement, social awareness, relationship, and responsible decisionmaking skills. These, in turn, provide the basis for them to

be more successful at school, in relationships, at home, and beyond. The GACF founder noted that her efforts to advocate for EI learning have been ongoing for a number of years.

She noted that the movement is silently growing as more people are realising the importance of

mental health in their overall well-being. The foundation has lead several awareness walks and pop-up shops aimed at promoting SEL. Additionally, on Social and Emotional Learning Day held on March 26 annually, GACF usually hosts activities, programmes, and events to highlight the importance of SEL. To further underscore the importance of EI, the charity has plans to embark on a social media campaign to raise more awareness by promoting and advocating

for SEL. T h e f o u n d a t i o n ’s overarching objective is for EI and SEL to become a regular aspect of learning in Guyana. In one of its previous statements issued to the media on the subject, the GACF stressed that EI is as important as academic learning since it teaches practical skills to overcome difficulties encountered in everyday living.

To this end, the GACF believes the onus is on the educators, be it parents or actual teachers, to first learn

the skill of emotional intelligence so that the next generation can be given the necessary tools to implement these techniques into their everyday lives.

“The best part of EQ is that it is 100 percent teachable and learnable but it cannot be taught with the use of textbooks or lectures…it has to be practiced,” the GACF said in the statement.

GACF can be reached on Facebook or via email at gac.foundationgy@gmail.c om or on telephone (592) 600-0044 or 592-231-8699.

Kaieteur News

Sunday August 29, 2021

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‘592 G.O.A.T’ FOR ALL YOUR CUSTOM CAPS AND TEES “Young people in business play a huge responsibility in society since they have what it takes to inspire and encourage others with the same fate.”

By Allyiah Allicock

I

n the fashion world, there is always something new that grabs our attention. It is an evolving industry where more and more people are introducing their own unique style and brand. A popular way that persons are doing this, is by customising the clothing they wear.

One individual whose aim is to provide a service where anyone can come and have their wear modify with their own designs is Aleem DeSantos, the owner of ‘592

G.O.A.T’, a local cap and tees customising business.

DeSantos in an interview with Kaieteur News said that his first business idea came

Some of the customised t-shirts and caps you can purchase and order from DeSantos’ business.

about back in November last year when it was just him “bringing in caps to make a side hustle” on top of his barbering studies. Seeing that it was grabbing people’s attention, in February, he decided to officially launched his customising business venture online.

The young man who grew up in a single-parent household because of the death of his father at an early age, shared that it was his sister who really was the one that inspired him to get into business in the first place. “I always admired my sister for starting a small business shortly after finishing school…She inspired me to get up and do something,” he added. His customising business too, he said, was started to pave a way to bring about an income for himself since his barbering work was not producing much.

When asked what are some of the traits that he brings to the table as a young entrepreneur, the 18-yearold boasted of the uniqueness, quality and creativity that he offers. To put this to test, he said it

shows through the number of persons that support his Continued on page 61

Young Entrepreneur, Aleem DeSantos during the early days of his business.

Kaieteur News

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Sunday August 29, 2021

Goedverwagting residents complain about deplorable roads R

By Wayne Lyttle

Mr. Rodwell Lewis Chairman of the Plaisance/Industry Neighbourhood Democratic Council (NDC)

esidents of the Goedverwagting on the East Coast of Demerara have voiced their concerns on the deplorable state of the access bridges and the main access roads in the village. They are pleading with the Industry/Plaisance Neighbourhood Democratic Council (NDC) and other relevant authorities to address the matter urgently. According to some residents, the roads had begun eroding for some number of years.

When Kaieteur News visited the area and spoke to some of the residents, they complained that ever

since they have been living in the area for a number of years, there has been no maintenance work of any sort by the relevant authorities.

They complained about the drainage and irrigation system in the district and said that the resulting floods pose many health risks to them and their families; additionally, there are the issues of the overgrown bushes that criminals could be lurking to attack them, and the deplorable state of the road.

Mr. Marvyn Allen, a retired Staff Sergeant of the Guyana Defence Force (GDF) said he has been living in the area for over 25 years and there has been no Continued on page 57

Construction needed for a new access bridge from Area ‘K’ of Goedverwagting into Plaisance.

The condition, which Middle Street remains in after a number of years.

The main access bridge leads from the Railway Embankment into Goedverwagting remains in deplorable state.

Scene of the undeveloped access road in the Goedverwagting Village.

The deplorable roads in Vaughn Street has been promised to fix since two years ago. This is the condition that it is in today.

Sunday August 29, 2021

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Kaieteur News

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Sunday August 29, 2021

==CONSUMER CONCERNS== Presidents Santhoki and Irfaan Ali have done their countries extraordinarily well

By Pat Dial In the first quarter of the 21st century, the most memorable events which occurred in Guyana were the discovery of large deposits of oil in Guyana's territory with t h e p r o m i s e o f metamorphosing Guyana into a well endowed First World country; the final affirmation of Democracy and the Democratic Culture in Guyana; and lastly, the exchange of visits of President Dr. Irfaan Ali of Guyana and President Chandrikapersad Santhoki of Suriname which revolutionised relations between their two countries.

From our perspective, Suriname had also had a similar experience in its first quarter of the 21st century.

In this offering, we shall focus on the Presidential visits and the deepening of Suriname/Guyana relations.

This unfortunately could be done only in a very

constricted way since our allotted space does not permit comprehensive coverage of the details which such relations encapsulate.

Yet we hope to say enough to convey the weight and importance of them.

President Santhoki and his brilliant Foreign Minister Dr. Albert Ramdin have proved themselves able Diplomats and have not only strengthened relations with Guyana to the highest pinnacle ever reached but have secured many important gains for Suriname on every front Social, Economic and Political - and what they achieved in three days would normally take many months.

President Ali, on his part, always ensured that there was a synthesis of Guyana's and Suriname's interests.

The Presidential discussions took place on the bases of the reports made by the various subcommittees of

the Guyana Suriname Strategic Dialogue Cooperation Platform (SDGP). They reported on the collaboration and coordination initiatives in Foreign Policy Coordination and political dialogue; Environment; Security; Health; Infrastructure and Transportation; Agriculture; Investment and Trade; and Enhancement of the Private Sector.

The Presidents further agreed to initiate discussions between their Ministers responsible for Legal Affairs towards the conclusion of a mutual legal assistance agreement and an extradition agreement.

They were committed to the Inter-Guiana Games and the Inter-Guiana Cultural Festivals and the collaboration between the Universities since these increased people-to-people contact.

The Presidents committed themselves to

close cooperation in their Oil and Gas industries so as to take advantage from avoidance of duplication in areas of infrastructure; to facilitate the production of electrical energy from natural gas; to promote manufacturing and creation of petrochemical industries as well as refining from natural gas resources such as bauxite; and the exportation of surplus clean electrical e n e r g y.

Of topical importance as Oil and Gas is the protection of Democracy in Suriname and Guyana and in the Region as a whole.

The Presidents therefore underscored the need for the Region to work collectively and continuously, guided by the CARICOM Charter of Civil Society, to strengthen and safeguard democratic governance and to strenuously condemn political violence.

The menu of programmes and activities outlined above

are taken from the Joint Communique issued by the two Presidents on the conclusion of the official visit of President Santhoki.

It would be useful to explain in greater detail the various programmes agreed upon by the Presidents so that the public would know their complexities and impacts but space would permit to mention only one or two as examples. Our first example is the bridge over the Corentyne River. President Ali gives its raison d'etre as "Once constructed, the bridge would serve as a permanent link between the peoples of Suriname and Guyana and would be of enormous benefit to the Tourism, Transportation and Trade Sectors". The building of the bridge would involve a plethora of other activities such as advertising for contractors, engaging various consultants, studying reports, due diligence of

persons contracted to execute certain functions, mobilising building materials and so on.

And the managers have to be continually alert to avoid any slippage of time. All papers, plans and so on have to be vetted and agreed upon by both sides.

In addition to the areas of cooperation in the Oil and Gas industry mentioned above, there is a large number of other areas of continuous cooperation such as Marketing, strategies in negotiation with the Oil companies, training of locals, the Local Content Legislation and execution to ensure that the people of Suriname and Guyana accrue maximum benefits from employment and ancillary spending such as supply of goods and services. Then there are the Sovereign Wealth Funds, which have to evolve a model which would be transparent, win the trust (Continued on page 61

Kaieteur News

Sunday August 29, 2021

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After 20 years, 'temporary' residents still living in Tucville Big...

From page 20 20 years ago. It was also said that the other residents were moved there by the Ministry of Housing and the remainder are children of persons who were moved there. The residents in the interview all spoke of feeling abandoned and forgotten by the governments, especially the PPP/C who had told them that they were only being relocated for a temporary period of three months.

The residents said the only hope they have ever gotten was from the former Minister Simona Broomes who had promised to ensure the enhancement of the residents living situation.

However, this was since in 2019 and to this date nothing happened.

They also noted that they

were promised contract homes within the compound and contractors were even sent to evaluate the area.

According to an article in Guyana Chronicle April 7, 2019, “a team from the Central Housing and Planning Authority (CH&PA) was engaged in numbering the housing quarters in the compound.

H e a d o f C H & PA ' s Relocation Resettlement Unit, Roxanne Campbell, said it was the first time an inventory of the number of persons settled in the compound was being taken.

Campbell explained that the census would give the housing authority a clear idea of the number of persons living in the compound and the number of housing quarters

existing.”Natasha Alexander, who resides in the compound, indicated that she was relocated from Tiger Bay over 20 years now. She said, “I had applied for a land since 2012 and never got through.”

In 2019, Alexander's house had fallen down because of how long it was there and given the fact that it was not properly constructed or renovated.

“Some government people,” Alexander said, “had come and check on it and promise to help me but nothing happened. I had to continue to live in that same house that had fallen down for three months because no one was able to help me. But with help from friends and family, I build a concrete house to live in for the time

Goedverwagting residents complain ...

From page 54 development as such in the area.Mr. Allen indicated, that the drainage system needs to be facilitated and the main access bridge that leads from Area 'K' of Goedverwagting into Plaisance needs tremendous work and maintenance however, the bridge is currently used by schoolchildren. As a result, the students will be affected by the condition that the bridge is in presently.

“This road in 1992 was done under the late President Jagan and after then this road was never been repaired.

Nothing has been done to it ever. It is in a deplorable state; it needs urgent fixing,” one other resident said.

He highlighted that, there is one part of the road that has some huge potholes.

Due to the condition of the road, it is not suitable to drive on and vehicles have to divert to another road.

He also indicated that Middle Street, which is primarily the main roadway in the community, is uneven and the drivers have to

manoeuvre their vehicles in a slant way in order for them to pass. He also stated that the road was promised to be fixed by the Prime Minister, Mark Phillips when PM Phillips attended one of the residents father's 102 birth anniversary on November 15, 2020, but unfortunately after months passed by, no development was made.

He pleads that the relevant authorities to deal with the matter urgently.

“When the rain fall, we have to slush our way through the slushy roads we have,” another resident said.

“The Chairman of Plaisance, Mr. Rodwell Lewis may be reluctant in addressing issues at their diminutive stage; instead they wait to address the situation until it would've matured into a major disaster,” that resident stated.Meanwhile, residents of Middle Street complained that they are unable to access transportation to take them to their homes because of the condition of the road and they noted that taxi drivers demand outrageous sums of

money to take them into the area.

They went on to say that the relevant authorities should place more emphasis on the community because of the rapid deterioration in the area. They added that those authorities should start repairing the roads and clear the drains so they can prevent the regular flooding.

The residents also suggested that measures should be put into place to control the number of heavyduty vehicles going into the little cross-streets and bridges because the roads are not built to take the weight. This, residents said, breaks up the roads, causing potholes while no action is being taken to have them mended.The residents are also calling Minister of Public Works, Bishop Juan Edghill and Minister within the Public Ministry Deodat Indar to look into the matter urgently. Further, they stated that Mr. Lewis is not committed to the roles and responsibilities as a NDC Chairman and should be removed from his post.

Winston Brassington’s libel judgements ...

From page 19 consideration defamatory words, which impute some form of criminality to Brassington and the further effect which it may have caused to his feelings. Justice Corbin-Lincoln stressed that it was for that element alone that Brassington was compensated. According to the judge that “the case [in particular] shows how distinct an element in compensation is the matter of injury to feelings.” In those circumstances, she ordered that damages be paid to Brassington in the sum of $2 million, since in her view, neither KN nor its principals adequately pleaded their defence.The newspaper had relied on a defence of fair comment. Fair comment is a common-law privilege to criticise and comment on matters of public interest without being liable for defamation provided that the comment is an

honest expression of opinion and free of malice.

However, Justice Corbin-Lincoln found KN’s “defence of fair comment to be badly drafted and deficient.” She noted too that the facts upon which the defence relied are not pleaded or particularised.Added to this, she noted that while the defendant led no evidence, thus reducing the trial time, a trial nonetheless took place. As such, costs were awarded to Brassington. “[And], in all those circumstances, the defendants shall pay the plaintiff costs of $150,000,” the judge added.

Brassington’s libel awards are not the only outstanding judgments against KN. In March, the newspaper company was also ordered by Justice Singh to pay a $20 million judgment award to former President Donald Ramotar for a libel in relation to the sale of the Kaieteur and Canje oil blocks.

being.”

Kaieteur News was able to understand that her happiness was short lived as upon doing so, she said officials came and asked her why she did that and invited her to a meeting in which she was informed that the construction of her now new home did not give her ownership to the land. She was further told that they will give her a low income land, but, that is yet to be done.Doris La Rose, who was relocated in the yard by the Ministry of Housing, said she came to the yard as a caretaker and has never received a land. La Rose said she was placed in the yard over 25 years ago, by former Minister Shaik Baksh who never looked back to provide any changes or to help.

One of the residents who was also relocated from Tiger Bay some 22 years ago

said the persons there are poor and can't afford house lots. “We're poor here and all we're asking for is for the government to help, even if it's a one bedroom or a Food For The Poor house to help us out of this,” one resident said.

The woman went on to say that she can't invest in where she lives because the government is not notifying them on what they're doing with the yard or give permission to do anything.

She added that they were told by officials they cannot build concrete structures without permission. The woman continued by saying that she never applied for a land because the APNU+AFC government told them to wait and not to apply for land.

Another resident who was also relocated from Tiger Bay said that she

applied for land since 2018 and nothing has ever been done. She said only a few were fortunate to get house lots and moved already.

Persons noted that they are being restrained from a comfortable living because they are not sure if they are there permanently.

They said the government should tell them what they are doing with the yard so that they can expand and live comfortable. Some even stated because of the living conditions, they don't have enough money to purchase the lands.

Other residents did not want to talk about what they' re going through because they said, “it doesn't make sense, the government is still not going to do anything...once they are okay, they don't care for others so we're just going to do what we have to do”.

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Kaieteur News Anti-vaccine demonstrators shout slogans during a protest against coronavirus disease (COVID-19) vaccinations in Athens, Greece.

Sunday August 29, 2021

Kaieteur News

Sunday August 29, 2021

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GNBS IN FOCUS WORKING TO MAINTAIN TRANSPARENCY IN RICE PRODUCTION IN PREPARATION FOR SECOND CROP The harvesting of the second rice crop for 2021 is about to commence in the various rice growing regions of Guyana, and while farmers are aiming to maximise profits from their yields, millers are aiming to buy and stockpile paddy at reasonable prices.

To ensure that both farmers and millers receive the best deals, there must be accuracy and transparency in all transactions.

Transparency between farmers and millers is primarily critical in testing for the moisture content of paddy, determination of dockage and the determination of weights supplied. These aspects, individually and collectively, affect the actual price a miller pays to a farmer.

As the organisation legally responsible for measurements in Guyana by virtue of the 1981 Weights and Measures Act, the Guyana National Bureau of Standards (GNBS) works to ensure farmers and millers benefit from a reliable measurement system in the industry.

The Bureau also has a

number of standards to streamline the production processes and ensure quality rice is produced for local consumption and export.

Prior to the rice crop (harvesting), the Bureau verifies measuring devices used throughout the industry including weighbridge scales, platform scales, hopper scales and smaller laboratory scales. So far, in anticipation of the second crop at the beginning of September, verification of these weighing and measuring devices is on schedule.

Inspectors of the GNBS have been using the test truck and large capacity masses to conduct the verification of weighbridge (truck) scales at rice mills in Regions 2, 3 4, 5 and 6. Other smaller devices also are being verified during visits to these mills.

Meanwhile, millers have been submitting their moisture meters used to determine the moisture content of paddy to the GNBS Main Office and its branch offices in Regions 2 and 6.

Earlier this year, the Bureau commenced the

verification of the commercial types of moisture meters instead of those domestic types used in the industry over the years.

The commercial types of moisture meters are more applicable to production seen a c r o s s t h e i n d u s t r y.

Commercial moisture meters include Steinlite NTEP Moisture Tester SL95, Dickey-john Commercial N T E P G r a i n Te s t e r GAC2500UGMA and the Perten AM 5200 Moisture Meter.

Apart from ensuring reliable measurements, the implementation and use of standards is very important and can be considered essential for addressing quality issues in the rice

industry.

The CARICOM Standard –Specification for Rice” (GCP 10:2003) which is also a National standard prescribes hygienic and safety practices for the processing, packaging, storage, and transport of rice for human consumption.

By implementing this standard, producers within the indus t r y c a n m e e t p r o d u c t i o n a n d harvesting requirements, hygienic processing requirements, design and facilities requirements and other hygienic requirements.

Conforming to the requirements of this and other related standards could help to improve quality,

increase production efficiency, and protect consumers' health and safety.

As preparations are made to commence second crop 2021, it is important to remind famers to be present at mills to oversee the measuring of paddy sold to millers, and to e n sure that scales and moisture meters are verified.

Scales must indicate zero before weighing commences.

For millers, it is important that they allow farmers to witness the

weighing of paddy and the processes of determining moisture and dockage content.

Additionally, millers should promptly address queries raised by farmers to ensure transparency, and ensure all transactions are conducted in the SI (Metric) units of measurement.

For further information, call the GNBS on telephone numbers: 219-0065 or visit the GNBS website: w w w. g n b s g y. o r g o r facebook.com/gnbsgy

CRISIS DEAR EDITOR, I would be grateful if my c o n c e r n s a n d disappointment with the crisis after crisis, which G e o rg e t o w n h a s b e e n experiencing for the past decades, under continuous PNC management, can be afforded space in your publication.

I spent the first 11 years of my life in Regent Street, between Bourda and Alexander Streets, in the yard of the store of my uncle, S B Nawbatt, the first to be burnt in the disturbances of the 60’s.

The next 30 years plus were spent in Wortmanville, so I am a product of Georgetown. I remember the days when Georgetown was proudly and legitimately described as the Garden City.

Sadly, that description was damaged savagely by the continuous political MISMANAGEMENT of the City. It is inconceivable and baffles one’s imagination as to how such incompetence could be rewarded by being voted into office election

Sunday August 29, 2021

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IN

after election.

I’m convinced that therein lies the basis for the deplorable situation and condition of Georgetown and is exactly the reason for me, a few weeks ago, advocating for the installation of an Interim Management Committee for the City, as a previous Government had to successfully do some years ago.

I was prompted to write again, following a recent letter, in which a “Senior Citizen”, raised among other items, the condition of the Le Repentir Cemetery.

My brother and grandfather are buried there and many attempts to locate their graves, have been impossible due to inaccessibility to get anywhere near to where their final resting places are.

I often wonder if such a situation exists anywhere else in the world. For those who like to take to the streets protesting (as recently as the unimaginable anti-vaccine protests) I suggest their

GEORGETOWN

efforts can be very well appreciated by protesting against the conditions of this cemetery.

I am sure THEIR loved ones are similarly inaccessible.

However, I have a suggestion, which I know is going to raise a firestorm.

The Bourda Cemetery, which has not been a burial site for decades (maybe for plus or minus a hundred years?) is also in a deplorable condition, resembling a jungle, in the heart of Georgetown.

I remember a suggestion to convert this area into usable space was raised before and since consensus could not be reached, was abandoned.

I am throwing out a suggestion for this cemetery, with all the necessary precautions taken to preserve the sanctity of the deceased, to be converted into a parking lot.

The City Council, with efficient management, can garner much needed revenue.

Another suggestion, also made previously, is for the canals along South Road/Croal Street/Avenue of the Republic and other such spaces, be covered (to permit removal of the covers, to allow cleaning) and for vehicles to park, for fees.

I am impressed by the owner of Sleep-in Hotel, for his initiative in converting a part of Merriman’s Mall for parking.

The voice ‘in the wilderness’, in this case, being that of the now irrelevant former mayor, Hamilton Green.

It is obvious that his motives for opposing this

arrangement were motivated by reasons only such a relic can contemplate.

Many more businesses need to follow this example, if only to ease the problem of finding safe parking spaces in Georgetown and for financial gains, both for the Council and the businesses.

I am well aware that both these suggestions would rightfully generate much discussion, but am convinced that there is much room for improvement of the City, and therefore any suggestion for ending the CRISIS being engendered by the clique headed for a few years now by the “travelling pandit”, must be

open for public discussion.

I have stayed away at this time, at least, to mention other matters, which I’m sure the majority of citizens of Georgetown are fed up with, including the now ongoing attempts by those at City Hall to oppose the acting appointment of a Town Clerk.

My hope is that sensible judgment would prevail, and should this not be forthcoming, an NCM may need to be considered for this Council as well.

“Tek” warning “wid” the NCM now engaging the R e g i o n F o u r administration…

H N Nawbatt

Cooperation between National Archives and GRO needed DEAR EDITOR, The Walter Rodney National Archives of Guyana and the Guyana General Registry Office (GRO) should cooperate to transfer old records to the National Archives, especially for ancestral research.

These documents are rapidly decaying and should be digitised as soon as possible.

For some time now, the Walter Rodney National Archives has been seeking from GRO old birth, death and marriage records to aid the public in research, especially that they have the space and support staff to do so. GRO is overwhelmingly busy. And while there have been improvements, more has to be done. During my visit at GRO, the office was packed and chaotic upstairs.

People did not form a line

nor had a ticket number for their inquiry. It was a futile visit.

The need to conduct research for educational purposes, ancestry and finding family members is of great importance for many Guyanese both at home and abroad.

The corruption of indentured immigrants’ names was extraordinary.

This is why some can’t connect with lost relatives; have one name, or have three names all together as one.

Many times, the father’s first name ended up as the surname of the newborn.

This happens when there are language and cultural barriers.

The digitising of our ancestral records should no longer be delayed. This project was proposed two decades ago. With the cooperation of the

Netherlands, Suriname, and Mauritius, Paramaribo has one of the most state of the art digital archives in the Caribbean. Their archives hold a large collection of indentureship and slave records and include correspondences between Guyanese hero Cuffy, Akara and the Dutch authorities.

Guyana, The Netherlands, UNESCO, and Suriname have committed to this endeavour. We hope the project becomes a reality.

The Kingdom of the Netherlands has been aiding Guyana in translating and digitising records from the Archives that relates to its presence in Guyana. The Guyana archives like that of Suriname will be linked to the Royal Archives of the Netherlands, thus allowing access to a vast collection of materials.

Ray Chickrie

Why does the prosecution need more time with SoPs and SoRs? DEAR EDITOR, The Prosecution in the election fraud case was granted extra time to organise the SoPs and SoRs. Their presentation of some of these documents in court was less than professional, and created the impression that

they were still not prepared and ready.

It begs the question just what was the prosecution doing from the time these documents were released by the court?

And why so much time?

Shamshun Mohamed

Kaieteur News

Sunday August 29, 2021

Presidents Santhoki and Irfaan Ali...

From page 56 of the populations that there would be no corruption or theft of funds, and that the populations would be fully aware how funds are spent.

Both Suriname and Guyana would have to work together to get the best solution.

Guyana became British only in 1815 but before then, Suriname and Guyana were the same country as contiguous Dutch colonies.

In other words, Guyana and Suriname have been longer one country than they have been two. And this common identity surfaces in many ways: Sranam Tongo is an English Creole and could quickly be learnt by any Guyanese in a few months; Sranami Hindi is spoken and understood in both countries; Guyana used the Civil Law which Suriname uses until it was replaced by the English Common Law in 1918 but the legal assumptions remain largely the s ame; the

thought-process and way of life of both countries are much the same.

No two countries in the world are closer than Suriname and Guyana and this familial instinct was shown when, between 1960's and 1980's, Suriname generously accepted tens of thousands of Guyanese immigrants and kept supplying Guyana with essential food items such as wheaten flour during those years.

This opportunity of regaining our Oneness offered by the various agreements made by our two Presidents should be seized with alacrity since the execution of those agreements would more quickly usher in the good life.

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

'592 G.O.A.T' for all your custom ...

From page 53 business since its inception.

Speaking of support, the young entrepreneur spoke glowingly of his friends who he said are the ones that have helped to sell his business to the public.

As his business continues to grow, one of his ideal plans in the coming years is to open up a physical location where he would be able to better showcase the products his business has to offer.

Since joining the business arena, he admitted that thus far, he has not encountered too many challenges.

Even the global pandemic, COVID-19, which has had a huge impact on some businesses, did not impact his sale. In fact, DeSantos was able to find

ways to adapt to it.

O u r f e a t u r e d entrepreneur, like many others, is of the belief that “young people in business play a huge responsibility in society since they have what it takes to inspire and encourage others with the same fate.”

He shared too that what is important for businesses that have now started, if for there to be a platform where they can be promoted so that persons can view and know that these types of services are available. Meanwhile, persons who wish to have their t-shirts or caps customised with their own unique designs can contact DeSantos on Facebook and Instagram @592 GOAT or via his mobile number (592) 655-8761.

RE/MAX real estate...

From page 13 have already expressed interest in the opportunity to own a franchise.

With the expansion of housing into suburban areas and in line with government projection on future development in the country, there will be further

opportunities in the expanding regions to own franchises to meet the growing needs.

To find out more, contact Shiv Misir at 416-275-7911, WhatsApp, or email at smisir@rogers.com. In Guyana, contact Heeralall Naraine at 592-645-3423

PAGE 61

PAGE 62

Sunday August 29, 2021

Kaieteur News WANTED Chowmein machine operator/steamer.Apply in person R.P Enterprise area 'k' L e R e s s o u v e n i r E.C.D.Call:220-2818/3710.

LAND FOR SALE

VEHICLES FOR SALE Ist car for sale.Call:6918420.

Tractor Massey Ferguson 165-$1.7M,Massey Ferguson 135-$1.1M,Ford Ranger pick up $1.3M,Ford F150 pick up $1.3M. 6825230/615-4414.

SERVICES

8 acres farming land at KuruKururu good road access nearby creek.Contact:6813512.

Zeelugt (100ftx50ft) $4.5M Farm (East Bank).110ftx53ft $10.5M.Tel:656-0701.

Wanted Masons, Carpenters, Labourers & Welders.

Contact: 602-9469, 657-5800, 666-2887.

Farm(East Bank) $6.5M & $7M.Tel:617-9930.

Experienced general domestic to work in G. Town,must know to press. Call:615-3379 for more info.

PROPERTY FOR SALE 1-(2) story house 3 1/2 bedroom.9 Street Cummings Lodge.Tel:622-8748/6843561,negotiable.

Lot 32 Public Road Grove/ F&L Hardware. Contact:664-9701/642-6056.

Visa Application: U.S.A, Canada & UK; Graphics design, advertisements, Wedding arch rentals. Tel: 626-7040 Installation, Repairs and parts for AC,Fridge, Washing machine, Stove etc.Call Nick#656-0110.

H.H.I on sale:Fridge, Stove,Microwave,Bed,Sofa Set,Recycliner,Table,A/ C,Swing & more. Call:6560701.

1-16ft boat,1 5 HP Tohatsu engine,4-20ft Hauling seine(Shrimp), 200lb 5" Nylon Seine complete. 6703912.

2 bedroom apartment at Herstelling.Tel:#601-0223

1bedroom apartment,single person. Price $23000, call7am-7pm.Tel:656-3879/2340965.

3 bedrooms house for rent at Providence Red Road E.B.D.Tel:609-9909.

TO LET One bedroom apartment with bathroom & living room, Cummings Lodge E.C.D. Call:222-0401 or 673-2467.

1 Jet Boat $30,000,000.

Call:695-1356/671-2486.

Large Property with Huge Concrete Bond, Prime Location Cumberland, Canje.

Ideal for Business. Price reduced/negotiable. Call:6792497.

WANTED Taxi driver & dispatcher at Princess taxi.Located at RamadaPrincess Hotel.Tel:616-5419,2657075,265-7076.

Gardener for Subryanville.

Must be able to work with dogs. Contact:225-5818.

LAND FOR SALE Roadside land for sale @ GoodHopeMahaica 500ftx42ft. Call:691-8420.

Mining property located, K u r u p u n g River,Umbambaru Creek area. Contact:681-3512.

Able body porters needed.Apply@Why Pay More Trading,7 Public RD Houston E.B.D with application.

VACANCY FOR RENT

For Sale – 4.018 acres of prime land in New Amsterdam,Berbice.Price reduced/negotiable.Call 592 679-2497.

1 6x6 Truck,1 Freightliner,1 Sylphy,1 Hilux LN 172,1 JCB loader.Tel:673-4002/ 665-3676.

One male able bodied clerk.

Call:693-8462/231-2029.

Maid wanted.Light house keeping $3500 daily.Semi skill labour $4000 daily. 682-52301/615-4414.

Apartment to rent.Tel:2330327/602-6734.

FOR SALE

Boy and girl to work in factory. Applyin person. R.P E n t e r p r i s e a r e a 'k'LeRessouvenir E.C.D. Call: 220-2818/3710.

Live in domestic,Lusignan E.C.D. Tel:662-1883.

Male seeks common law wife,ages 18-38. Light h o u s e wWANTED ork,salary $80,000monthly. Call:6039085.

Delivery,Lorry license driver.Tel:621-9336.

Porter and Welder/Serviceman. Applicants must be experienced. Call: 231-2250.

1 western union representative 5 CXC inclusive Maths &English,3pump attendant,sound secondary education. Tel:646-3117/2740144.

Vacancy for Night handy man. Call:637-6700.

Senior accounts & Sales Clerk & Cashier,must have 4 CXC subjects.Apply at Alabama Trading,65-66 Robb St Bourda.

For Carpenters.Apply at Alabama Trading,65 Robb St Bourda.

For Security Guard.Apply at Alabama Trading,65 Robb St Bourda.

In all departments: Prep,Meat, Service, Kitchen.

Apply:Bettencourt's Diner.

Call for information:2311368/223-1938.

One salesman,5 subject cxc.

Experience in writing bills,stocktaking & cashing.

Keyfood Trading,Mc Doom village.

One clerk for TSI Eccles office.English& Mathematics,grade 1 or 2.

Email application:techserigy @yahoo.com or call 6429823.

Driver must be able to assist in workshop at Eccles,age 25-50,Car/Van licence. Call:642-9823.

VACANCY Cook/Baker,Kitchen assistant & Pitmen for interior location.Applicants must be experienced.Call:2312250.

U.S. starts troop withdrawal from Kabul; hits Islamic State with drone attack (Reuters) - President Joe Biden warned yesterday that another militant attack was highly likely as U.S. troops began their withdrawal from Kabul airport after a two-week scramble by Washington and its allies to evacuate citizens and at-risk Afghans.

As Washington neared the end of its military involvement in the country with the Taliban militants it ousted 20 years ago back in power, the United States said it had killed two Islamic State militants planning attacks in Afghanistan after a deadly suicide bombing outside the airport on Thursday.

American officials also warned of a high risk of additional attacks by the group - enemies of both the West and Afghanistan’s new Taliban rulers - as U.S. forces wind up their mission before a Tuesday deadline set by Biden.

The U.S. president said military commanders had told him an attack was highly likely in the next 24 to 36 hours. He said the situation on the ground remains “extremely dangerous”.

After Thursday’s blast that killed scores of Afghans and 13 American troops, the most lethal incident for U.S. service members in Afghanistan in a decade, Biden vowed to hunt down the perpetrators. He said Friday’s strike was not the last.

“We will continue to hunt down any person involved in that heinous attack and make them pay,” he said.

The Taliban condemned the overnight U.S. drone strike, which took place in Nangarhar Province, an eastern area that borders Pakistan.

“The Americans should have informed us before conducting the air strike, it was a clear attack on Afghan territory,” a Taliban spokesman told Reuters, adding that two women and a child were wounded in the attack.

The Taliban have said they have arrested some suspects involved in the airport blast.

Spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid also said the Taliban would take over the airport “very soon”, after U.S. forces withdraw, and announce a full cabinet in the coming days.

Naval Station (NAVSTA) Rota sailors attend to an Afghan child, who is part of group of 450 Afghan citizens evacuated from Kabul, as they left a U.S. Air Force C-17 Globemaster III transport plane. Navy Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Katie Cox/Handout via REUTERS The Western-backed government and Afghan army melted away as the hardline Islamist militants entered the capital on Aug. 15, leaving an administrative vacuum that has bolstered fears of a financial collapse and widespread hunger.

Mujahid told Reuters the group had appointed governors and police chiefs in all but one of Afghanistan’s 34 provinces and would act to solve the country’s economic problems.

A U.S. official told Reuters yesterday there were fewer than 4,000 troops left at the airport, down from 5,800 at the peak of the evacuation mission.

Pentagon spokesperson John Kirby later confirmed to reporters that the withdrawal had begun but declined to say how many service members remained.

Thursday’s suicide blast, claimed by (ISIS-K), the Afghan affiliate of Islamic State, caused a bloodbath outside the gates of the airport - where thousands of Afghans have gathered to try to get a flight out since the Taliban returned to power.

The Taliban, facing the loss of billions of dollars of aid for the country, appealed to the United States and other Western nations to maintain diplomatic relations after their withdrawal; Britain said that should only happen if the Taliban allow safe passage for those who want to leave and respect human rights.

The White House said the

next few days were likely to be the most dangerous of the evacuation operation. The United States and allies have taken about 111,900 people out of Afghanistan in the past two weeks, the Pentagon has said.

With another attack against Kabul airport a near certainty, according to U.S. officials, the U.S. Embassy in Kabul warned Americans to avoid the airport.

The last British flight evacuating civilians from Afghanistan left Kabul yesterday. British troops would take small numbers of Afghan citizens with them as they leave this weekend, a defense ministry spokesperson said. Armed forces chief Nick Carter said hundreds of people who had worked with Britain would not make it through.

Residents of Jalalabad, the provincial capital, said they had heard several explosions around midnight and community elder Malik Adib said three people were killed and four were wounded in an air strike, adding that he had been summoned by the Taliban investigating the incident.

“Women and children are among the victims,” said Adib, though he did not have information about their identity.

The U.S. military said in a statement that it knew of no civilian casualties.

While Kabul’s airport has been in chaos, the rest of the city has been generally calm.

The Taliban have told residents to hand over government equipment including weapons and vehicles within a week, the group’s spokesman said.

Kaieteur News

Sunday August 29, 2021

PAGE 63

BLUNTNESS ON INDECENCY! I

n case you haven’t heard, please be informed that as part Page Seven to be “BLUNT” about on-going indecency in our of our continued effort to channel positive changes in our land that should matter, not only to us at this publication, but the country, our publisher, Mr. Glenn Lall, has dedicated our entire nation.

SUNDAY Suriname's President Santokhi keeps doing justice for his country with its oil.

He is the man for Dr. Jagdeo to speak with during his official visit to Guyana, and not jetting off to some oil junket to Texas to be steamrolled by Exxon and those that have links with the company, depend upon it.

However, Vice President Jagdeo prefers playing these games with our oil when he avoids the people who could give Guyana pointer s on how to work a r o u n d E x xon and its l o c a l a n d f o r e ig n c oconspirators, and get more out of it.

Guyana may not be able to overpower Exxon, but it could wage a war of attrition, and eke out continuing oil gains.

But even that Jagdeo doesn't want to do, since such would alarm and anger Exxon's powers.

He is more comfortable bowing to, and beating around the bush here.

That is why he went to Texas. Just one more artful dodge by a leader who is expert at that practice.

MONDAY Even though numerous experts have warned Guyana to slow down its fast pace of oil exploration and development, Guyana's leaders continue to turn a blind eye to words of wisdom.

Instead, they choose to be led astray by ExxonMobil and its mad rush to find more oil. Sadly, this mad rush only hurts the citizenry; it leaves every man, woman and child, doomed to a future of debt and economic peril.

Guyanese, you must stand up against this modern day scheme of economic enslavement by ExxonMobil! Demand a change today!

TUESDAY What does it say of leaders when they see amending a cross dressing law as urgent, while nothing is being done to stop the nation from haemorrhaging millions of US dollars by the day?

We don't need leaders who feign progress by focusing on the side attractions while the main

event passes by without needed attention.

We don't need schemers as leaders; we need statesmen and women with a vision for this nation that doesn't leave us trapped, to the tune of billions upon billions of US dollars, for generations to come.

If our current leaders are worth their salt, they will put their backs into ensuring that Guyana becomes a developed nation rather than being left in a developing loop for eternity.

WEDNESDAY The wisdom from analysts, as spoken at the Baker Institute in Texas, is that Guyana will be the largest producer of oil per capita in a few years.

Meaning, that for each Guyanese man, woman, and child, this country would be producing more oil than any other country.

What the speaker didn't mention was that under the

cunning leadership of the PPP Government, with Vice President Jagdeo the most cunning, each Guyanese man, woman, and child (outside PPP cronies), will be the biggest losers, despite that oil production.

PER CAPITA, EACH GUYANESE WILL BE AMONG THE POOREST ANYWHERE IN THE UNIVERSE, WITH OIL LEADERS LIKE THE PRESIDENT AND VICE PRESIDENT.

THURSDAY Jagdeo will NOT slow down Exxon. He prefers to slow down Guyanese who get in his way, and show him the error of his ways with this oil of ours.

Jagdeo's behaviour is a clear reminder that 'massa' days ain't done, but alive and well in Guyana.

Jagdeo prefers to sellout his own people than stand up to the true owners and operators of Guyana's oil

plantation.

Look at Jagdeo: he is a stonewall against Guyanese who disagree with him, but he can't bend over low enough before his Exxon's masters, who tell him what song to sing, and when to dance to its tune.

FRIDAY Guyana has been urged to engage Exxon to R E N E G O T I AT E t h i s country's lopsided oil contract.We have news for all and sundry who think that we will do better.

Whatever crumbs was coming before; we may get a few more of those same scraps.

This is what we believe that the VP and Exxon have come up with to setup Guyanese with high hopes, and then unload a bag of nothing much on them.

Jagdeo will then get to say: he did what the PNC couldn't do. He RENEGOTIATED, even though the most

disturbing clauses and condition of the contract will remain intact.

That is Jagdeo's idea of renegotiating. That is part of the continuing sleight of hand that he plays with Guyanese.

SATURDAY Guyanese academic, Dr. Te r r e n c e B l a c k m a n , informed Guyana and its Vice President, what should be done, the examples to be followed, to avoid the dreaded resource curse on Guyana.

Dr. Blackman could have saved his wisdom and his breath.

We say this, because it is now crystal clear that the PPP Government and Bharrat Jagdeo don't listen to Guyanese whose insights clash with whatever exists in the heads of the inner circle, and what could disturb Exxon's visions.

This reality in our dear land, we must stand up against!

PAGE 64

Kaieteur News

Sunday August 29, 2021

Sunday August 29, 2021

Kaieteur News

PAGE 65

Fmr. Guyana batter Gajanand Singh earns USA call-up as part of revamped squad - Xavier Marshall, Akshay Homraj and Timil Patel have all been dropped ESPNcricinfo - Gajanand Singh, the former West Indies Under-19, Guyana and Guyana Amazon Warriors batter, is one of four debutants named in a USA 14-player squad headed to Oman in September for a six-match ODI tour that includes two games against Papua New Guinea before the start of a Cricket World Cup League Two tri-series against Oman and Nepal in Muscat.

Gajanand first came on the USA radar in May 2018 when he was invited to USA Cricket Combine trials in New York.

Earlier this year he was invited to a USA selection camp in Texas.

Along with Gajanand, three other players will be making their touring debuts for USA: 20-year-old American-born medium pacer Abhishek Paradkar, 32-yearold batter Sushant Modani and 28-year-old batter Dominique Rikhi.

Paradkar has most recently been playing for Silicon Valley Strikers in the new domestic Minor League T20 tournament alongside former India U19 captain Unmukt Chand and current USA national captain Saurabh Netravalkar. But Paradkar had spent part of his developmental teenage years training in Bangalore where

he was on the radar of USA head coach J Arunkumar, who will be leading his first touring squad after being appointed to the role last year.

Modani is originally from India but has been a heavy scorer in local cricket after migrating to Dallas, Texas.

Guyana native Rikhi has similarly risen through the ranks after consistent scoring in New York and New Jersey league cricket.

Two other arrivals into the USA squad from the group who were bowled out for 35 in their last ODI 18 months ago at Kathmandu against Nepal are the recalled pair of medium pacer Jessy

Sunday August 29, 2021 ARIES (Mar. 21–Apr. 19) A delay in completing an important project could have you feeling irritated, frustrated, and inadequate, Aries, even though you've done your best.

TAURUS(Apr.20–May20) Some pressing matters might have you worried that you may have to postpone a much-needed vacation, Taurus. You could be tempted to go into a funk over it, but don't.

GEMINI (May 21–June 20) If you've been thinking about investing, this isn't the day to start. Not only would there be delays in processing your investment but it also probably won't pay off the way you hope.

LIBRA (Sept. 23–Oct. 22) A member of your household could be depressed over their job, Libra. Something may have gone wrong that wasn't their fault.

SCORPIO (Oct. 23–Nov. 21) Some letters, checks, or phone calls you may have been expecting for a long time could still be delayed.

There's no reason to get too frustrated, as the delays are beyond your control.

SAGIT(Nov.22–Dec.21) Some news about money, perhaps a check in the mail you've been waiting for still might not come. This could be frustrating, Sagittarius, especially since there isn't much you can do about it.

CANCER (June 21–July 22) Attempts to reach a potential or current business partner could go awry today, Cancer. Phone messages may not get delivered, emails could get lost, and letters remain unopened.

CAPRI (Dec. 22–Jan. 19) Delays in accomplishing certain goals could have you feeling down today.

You could wonder if you did something wrong.

Chances are you didn't. The delays probably stem from poor communication.

LEO (July 23–Aug. 22) Today you might feel a little out of sorts, Leo, perhaps because of overindulgence from last night. You might be tempted to stay home in spite of other commitments.

AQUARIUS(Jan.20–Feb.18) Today you might feel very low, Aquarius, though you may not have any idea why.

Your life is going well, so there's no real reason for you to feel this way.

VIRGO (Aug. 23–Sept. 22) Today you might be eagerly awaiting a phone call that never seems to come from a current or potential romantic partner, Virgo. This could awaken your insecurity and cause you to think the worst.

PISCES (Feb. 19–Mar. 20) Today it looks like you might not be able to attend a group activity that you've been anticipating, Pisces.

Other pressing matters may demand your immediate attention. This could prove frustrating.

Singh and wicketkeeper Jaskaran Malhotra. Both have not played for USA since 2019.

Xavier Marshall, Akshay Homraj and Timil Patel were all dropped from the group that went winless on the fourmatch ODI tour of Nepal in February 2020. Patel is USA’s all-time leading wicket-taker in both T20 and 50-over cricket prior to USA’s elevation to ODI status. The legspinner has taken 81 wickets in 68 matches at an average of 21.96, much of them taken along the World Cricket League pathway to ODI status when matches were not given List A designation. But 37-year-old Patel struggled to make the step up in class against elite Associate competition in ODIs and went wicketless on USA’s tour of Nepal in his two appearances while sitting on the bench for two more.

Marshall, 35, was finally axed after paying the price for inconsistent form. He made a half-century in USA’s final match of their ODI tour of the UAE in December 2019, but collected just 54 runs in four innings at the top of the order in four ODIs in Nepal.

Homraj similarly never produced with the bat in his opportunities for USA, failing to reach 50 in 11 innings during three consecutive tours after being called up to debut for USA at the 2019 CWI Super50 tournament in Trinidad.

Ian Holland, who was USA’s best performing batter on the tour of Nepal in February 2020 with a pair of half-centuries, one each against Nepal and Oman, was unavailable for this tour while still on county cricket duty with Hampshire. Fast bowlers Cameron Stevenson and Rusty Theron were similarly unavailable due to personal commitments.

USA squad: Saurabh Netravalkar (capt), Aaron Jones (vice-capt), Karima Gore, Elmore Hutchinson, Nosthush Kenjige, Jaskaran Malhotra, Sushant Modani, Abhishek Paradkar, Monank Patel, Nisarg Patel, Dominique Rikhi, Gajanand Singh, Jessy Singh, Steven Taylor (Traveling Reserve - Kyle Phillip)

...ThompsonHerah coasts From page 70 medallist Hansle Parchment bounced back to form after claiming the event in 13.03.

The United States’ Devon Allen was second in 13.08, with his compatriot Daniel Roberts third in 13.16.

Jamaica’s Ronald Levy, the Olympic bronze medallist was third in 13.24.

Gajanand Singh in action during his time at the CPL. (Randy Brooks - CPL T20/Getty)

Kaieteur News

PAGE 66

Arsenal went down to 10 men in the first half after Xhaka was dismissed for a tackle on Joao Cancelo. (Reuters)

Sunday August 29, 2021

Verstappen leads Williams’s Russell in dramatic Belgian GP qualifying Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton and Williams’ George Russell celebrate after finishing third and second in qualifying. (Pool via REUTERS/John Thys)

Arsenal without a point or goal after 10 men thrashed by Man City BBC Sport - Ten-man Arsenal were completely outplayed by Manchester City as they slumped to the bottom of the Premier League.

It is the first time since 1954 that the Gunners have lost their three opening games of the league season and this match was effectively over by halftime.

City captain Ilkay Gundogan and striker Ferran Torres scored in the first 12 minutes and any hope Arsenal had of an unlikely comeback was ended when midfielder Granit Xhaka was sent off for lunging into a challenge on Joao Cancelo.

A trademark teasing run from £100m man Jack Grealish set up Gabriel Jesus for an easy third just before the break, then Rodri guided home a fourth from 20 yards just after it.

Such was his side’s total control that City manager Pep Guardiola had used all three substitutes within 16 minutes of the second half starting. It turned into an extended keep-ball session for the hosts, who finished off the rout with Torres’ second six minutes from time.

Guardiola’s counterpart and former assistant Mikel Arteta looked shell-shocked in the other technical area as Raheem Sterling - twice Aymeric Laporte and Riyad M a h r e z w a s t e d opportunities to increase the margin of victory still further.

By the end, Arsenal had managed a single shot - off target - and 19% possession.

They are still to score in the Premier League this season and immediately after the international break play

Norwich, the team they replaced at the foot of the table.

No Kane, no Ronaldo, no problem After being forced to abandon their hopes of prising Harry Kane out of Tottenham and opting not to pursue a deal for Manchester United-bound Cristiano Ronaldo, it appears Guardiola will attack the new season without an orthodox number nine.

If his side continue to meet opponents as accommodating as Arsenal, there will be no problem.

The Gunners defence was so flimsy, it scarcely did justice to their status as a Premier League outfit.

City’s opener looked good on the eye. But there was no challenge on Bernardo Silva as he strode through the visitors’ midfield, no effective closing down of Jesus as he lined up his cross and barely a challenge on Gundogan hardly the greatest physical threat - as he rose at the far post. Add in Bernd Leno’s weak attempt to keep the ball out of his goal and it summed up everything that is wrong about the visitors.

At one point, Ederson stood for fully 10 seconds, not moving, as he decided where to aim his clearance.

Eventually Emile SmithRowe closed the Brazilian down and forced him to do something.

Perhaps he was a little bored. Earlier, he had delayed for so long an intended pass from his own goal-line that Smith-Rowe almost nicked the ball but could only watch as it ricocheted off him and narrowly wide of the far post. That was as close as

Arsenal came to scoring.

In his programme notes Guardiola proclaimed this would be a ‘tough game’ for his team. By the end, it was City’s biggest ever win against the Gunners and their third successive 5-0 home win in the league.

Xhaka’s red card folly Arsenal’s performance dispelled any notion that a 60 Carabao Cup triumph over a team of West Brom youngsters in midweek might shunt Arteta’s underfiring group into life.

The return of skipper P i e r r e - E m e r i c k Aubameyang and new signing Martin Odegaard made no noticeable difference to two previously tepid performances against Brentford and Chelsea.

The Gunners’ hapless state was exemplified by Xhaka.

An experienced international, needed to guide the youngsters around him, Xhaka’s response to his team going two goals down so early in a key game was to launch himself at Cancelo in a manner that made referee Martin Atkinson’s decision to brandish a red card automatic.

Arteta offered some sympathy to the Swiss as he made his way down the tunnel and spoke to the fourth official in a manner that indicated he felt the decision was wrong.

He may have a different opinion when he reviews the incident - but there is far more for Arteta to find criticism of from this.

Manchester City are next in action at Leicester on Saturday, 11 September (15:00 BST). On the same day, Arsenal entertain Norwich (15:00).

(Reuters) ed Bull’s Max Ve r s t a p p e n mastered the treacherous conditions at a rain-soaked SpaFrancorchamps track to seize pole position from surprise star George Russell in a crash-interrupted qualifying session for the Belgian Formula One Grand Prix yesterday.

The Dutchman lapped the seven-km track in one minute 59.765 seconds.

Russell briefly looked like he would seize a shock pole in his Williams, with even Mercedes’s

R

Red Bull’s Max Verstappen after qualifying in pole position. (Pool via REUTERS/ John Thys)

championship leader Lewis Hamilton unable to beat him, but was ultimately pipped by Verstappen with a lap that was 0.321 seconds quicker.

Hoping to join Hamilton at the champion team next season, Russell inadvertently ends up being a buffer between the seventime champion, who will start third, and his Red Bull title rival.

“That was so difficult out there,” whooped Verstappen, who heads into today’s race eight points behind Hamilton in the overall standings after having had a 33-point lead overturned in just two races.

“We needed that.”

McLaren’s Lando Norris walked away from a heavy shunt during the final phase of qualifying that forced a 40-minute halt to the session.

The Briton, who had led the opening two parts of the qualifying hour, was the first driver out on track in the pole-position shootout when his car snapped out of control and smashed into the barriers at the fast Eau Rouge corner.

He was taken to the medical centre for checks.

“Should have had a good one there. I let you down; my bad,” Norris told his team over the radio.

Kaieteur News

Sunday August 29, 2021

PAGE 67

World Boxing Day observed at 6-Heads Gym

Boxers being taken through a warm-up session at Friday’s event.

Terrence Poole The flyer highlighting the local Boxing Day celebrations.

AIBA International Boxing Day is observed annually on August 27 and Friday for the first time in the three-year history of this event, the Guyana Boxing Association (GBA) joined the celebrations under the theme, ‘Boxing past, present and the future, at the Andrew ‘six-heads’ boxing Gym in Albouystown.

The past was represented

by Guyana’s only Olympic Medalist Mike Parris who won bronze at the 1980 Olympics in Moscow; the present was represented by Olympian Keevin Allicock, Dennis Thomas, Desmond Amsterdam, Colin Lewis and the Jackman sisters, while an army of talented young pugilists represented the future of Boxing in Guyana.

President of the GBA and Director of Sport Steve Ninvalle, Assistant Director of sports Melisa DowRichardson, Chairman of NSC Kashif Muhammad also with boxing Coaches Sebert Blake, who took Allicock to the Olympics, Clive Atwell and Terence Poole were among those who spoke.

Ninvalle said Guyana is honoured to be a part of international day of Boxing activities.

“This event is hosted across the world and this is the first time that we as an Association will be participating in it. We have had several programmes in observance of this event…one being last Saturday when some coaches including former

World rated Clive Atwell would have gone over to West Demerara to do some painting and repairing of the house of former Boxer Mike Benjamin,” Ninvalle disclosed.

According to Ninvalle, yesterday’s event showcased Guyana past, present and future in the fistic sport.

“This was the brain child of the AIBA President, Russian Umar Kremlev, who I think has the vision to take our Boxing to another level.

Mr Kremlev was elected last year and Guyana and several other Caribbean Countries would have put their shoulders to the wheel to make sure he was elected.

And now the entire world in the boxing family is now reaping the benefits of him being the President of AIBA.

Steve Ninvalle We are happy to be a part of international Boxing Day. It also says that our Caribbean brothers and sisters are now drawn into what is happening in Boxing internationally.

In the past we had a back seat but now we are in the front seat of the development of Boxing and I would like to congratulate Mr Kremlev, the Executives of GBA, the Boxers and Coaches.

I think this programme will be good for us and next year we could replicate and

do much better,” Ninvalle concluded.

P o o l e , t h e Te c h n i c a l Director of the GBA, spoke about the GBA’s short term, medium term and long term developmental plans for Boxing in Guyana.

“We are looking at our Coaches; we want more coaches being starred by AIBA, more Referees being starred. In terms of our short term plans the A&BC Continental Championships set for September and the A I B A Wo r l d B o x i n g

Championships set for October/November,” said Poole, a MS Awardee for his contribution to boxing.

His added the medium term plans are the Commonwealth Games and the long-term plans are for the 2024 Olympics in France. Parris encouraged the youths to represent, to try and win an Olympic medal, while Allicock carried the youngsters through their paces in addition to being involved in a sparring sessions. (Sean Devers)

U.S. Open unfolds amid a new era for players’ mental health

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EW YORK, (Reuters) Players’ mental health is in focus as the U.S. Open kicks off tomorrow, after four-time Grand Slam winner Naomi Osaka led the charge for her fellow athletes this year.

The 23-year-old withdrew from the French Open after being fined and threatened with expulsion for refusing to attend media conferences, which she said had an adverse impact on her mental health, and disclosed she had suffered from depression for years.

The incident led Roland-Garros organisers to concede that the sport’s governing bodies needed to do better and the United States Tennis Association (USTA) this week announced a mental health initiative for players in partnership with the Mount Sinai Health System.

“Sports psychology has always been in the realm of, ‘how do we optimize on the court?’ but there’s so many reasons for why athletes are impacted after competition,” Shannon O’Neill, PhD, a psychologist at Mount Sinai West, told Reuters.

Naomi Osaka of Japan celebrates with the championship trophy after her match against Victoria Azarenka of Belarus (not pictured) in the women’s singles final of the 2020 U.S. Open.

(Danielle Parhizkaran-USA TODAY Sports)

“Really promoting a wellrounded person who is multifaceted, not just an athlete... I think is really critical in the therapeutic process.”

A broader conversation on mental health in sport has unfolded since Roland-Garros, with fourtime Rio Olympic champion Simone Biles withdrawing from

several gymnastics events at the Tokyo Games, citing the need to focus on her mental health and drawing worldwide support.

At Flushing Meadows this week, world number two Aryna Sabalenka told reporters working with a psychologist had paid dividends on and off the court.

She previously credited therapy

with helping her handle the pressure of Wimbledon, where she reached the semi-final in the best major performance of her career.

“Knowing that I have someone who’s going to help me whenever I need it... it’s definitely help,” she said. “One time at night I couldn’t sleep because I was overthinking about everything. I just call her and

I spoke with her... After that I felt much better.”

Moving swiftly to give athletes more support is imperative for sport’s governing bodies, Bob Dorfman, the creative director at Baker Street Advertising, told Reuters, with the issue still top of mind.

“The mental health of athletes had never really been a major concern until Naomi Osaka bravely made it public, and Simone Biles courageously kept it front and center,” he said. “It’s admirable that the U.S. Open is putting forward initiatives in this regard, but it can’t be mere lip service or temporary.

“Action must be sincere, ongoing and well-funded.

Anything less will ring phony.”

T h e Wo m e n ’s Te n n i s Association (WTA), for its part, joined forces with seven-time G r a n d S l a m w i n n e r Ve n u s Williams, partnering with mental health services company BetterHelp for a $2 million “free therapy giveaway.”

“We need to create an accepting and open environment to seek professional mental health therapy,” said Williams.

Kaieteur News

PAGE 68

Sunday August 29, 2021

Robinson strikes as England level India series with innings victory

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India captain Virat Kohli walks off after falling for 55 on the fourth day of the third Test against England at Headingley on Saturday (AFP/ Lindsey Parnaby)

FP - Ollie R o b i n s o n completed a five-wicket haul as England thrashed India by an innings and 76 runs to win the third Test at Headingley yesterday with more than a day to spare.

The hosts levelled the five-match series at 1-1 after India’s 151-run win in the second Test at Lord’s.

The tourists, 215-2 overnight, collapsed against the new ball as they lost eight wickets for 63 runs in 19.3 overs on Saturday, with Robinson taking 5-65 for a match haul of 7-81.

India’s 278 all out, however, was 200 runs more than their woeful first innings of 78 — made after captain Virat Kohli won the toss — which saw England great James Anderson rip through the top order with 36.

Robinson, who has now played four Tests, has become an increasingly important figure in a pace attack missing the injured Stuart Broad, Jofra Archer, Mark Wood, Chris Woakes and Olly Stone, with allrounder Ben Stokes out of

action due to mental health issues.

Yet his international career came to a shuddering halt with the re-emergence of historic racist tweets during his debut against New Zealand earlier this season that saw the Sussex seamer hit with an eightgame ban, albeit five were suspended.

The visitors resumed yesterday on 215-2 but, with 80 overs bowled, England took the new ball straight from the start of yesterday’s play.

From the moment Cheteshwar Pujara was lbw to Robinson without adding to his overnight 91, lbw playing no shot to Robinson, England were in complete command yesterday, with Kohli falling soon afterwards for 55 — his first fifty of the series.

England started the day with three maidens India before Pujara — without a Test hundred since a superb 193 against Australia at Sydney in January 2019 — inexplicably played no shot to Robinson as he pushed forward outside off stump.

He was initially ruled not

out but Robinson had little trouble in convincing England captain Joe Root to call for a review that duly led to the end of Pujara’s 189ball innings.

England great Anderson had ripped through India’s top order with 3-6 in eight overs during the first innings.

- Kohli blow Anderson thought he had Kohli, 45 not out overnight, caught behind yesterday for 46 off the last ball of a superb over to the star batsman.

But vice-captain Ajinkya Rahane urged his skipper, who was walking off the field, to review the decision, with replays revealing Kohli’s bat had hit his pad, not the ball.

But there was no doubt soon afterwards when Kohli edged a good length ball from Robinson to Root at first slip.

Rahane (10) fell in similar fashion, edging Anderson to wicketkeeper Jos Buttler before Rishabh Pant (one), reaching for a w i d e d e l i v e r y, n i c k e d Robinson to Craig Overton at third slip.

Now the only question was whether India could

keep the match going beyond the lunch interval.

They could not, the tail managing little better than the top order, for all Ravindra Jadeja made a quickfire 30.

All-rounder Jadeja fell to Craig Overton and the paceman (3-47) ended the match by having Mohammed Siraj caught in the slips for a duck.

This Test was a personal triumph for Root, who topscored with 121 in a total of 432 on his Yorkshire home ground.

It was Root’s third century of the series and sixth in Tests this year.

Meanwhile, the rest of England’s often fallible top order all posted fifties, with Dawid Malan compiling 70 on his Test recall after Dom Sibley was dropped from the team.

The fourth Test at the Oval starts on Thursday.

Scores: England 432 (Root 121, Malan 70, Hameed 68, Burns 61, Shami 4-95) beat India 78 (Sharma 19, Anderson 3-6, Overton 314) and 278 (Pujara 91, Sharma 59, Kohli 55, Robinson 5-65) by an innings and 76 runs.

New Zealand cricket great Cairns paralysed after stroke AFP - New Zealand cricket legend Chris Cairns has been left paralysed after suffering a stroke during a heart operation and faces “a long road to recovery”, his family said Friday.

Cairns, 51, one of the world’s top allrounders in the early 2000s, suffered a lifethreatening heart condition this month when a tear developed in the lining of a major artery.

The Canberra-based former international underwent emergency surgery in Sydney but his family said he suffered a stroke during the procedure.

“This has resulted in paralysis in his legs,” the family said in a statement.

“As a result, he will be undertaking a significant rehabilitation process at a specialist spinal hospital in Australia.”

It said Cairns and his family had

returned to Canberra to focus on spending time together and “making whatever progress they can in his recovery”.

“Chris and his family remain appreciative of the immense public support as they deal with this difficult time,” the statement said.

“They also appreciate the way in which their privacy has been respected.”

Cairns played 62 Tests between 1989 and 2004, averaging 29.4 with the ball and 33.53 with the bat, including 87 sixes — a world record at the time.

However, his on-field achievements were overshadowed by match-fixing allegations, strongly denied by Cairns, that resulted in two court cases.

Cairns was cleared on both occasions but complained his reputation had been “scorched” regardless.

New Zealand allrounder Chris Cairns, seen here in 2004, played 62 Tests between 1989 and 2004, averaging 29.4 with the ball and 33.53 with the bat (AFP/Alessandro Abbonizio)

Kaieteur News

Sunday August 29, 2021

PAGE 69

Tennis Camp concludes

Devon Thomas cuts behind point Aug 28, 2021 © CPL T20/Getty Images

Participants at the conclusion of the Non-Pareil Tennis club camp.

Patriots make it two in two against Warriors CPL - The St Kitts & Nevis Patriots made in two wins out of two at the 2021 Hero Caribbean Premier League (CPL) against Guyana Amazon Warriors thanks to wickets from Dominic Drakes and runs from Evin Lewis and Devon Thomas.

The Warriors innings stuttered at the beginning before some later order runs took them to a respectable total.

In their first match against the Trinbago Knight Riders the Warriors defended a similar total. In this match a stunning opening stand of 113 between Lewis and Thomas took the Patriots to a eight wicket win.

The Warriors won the toss and elected to bat, but they struggled to get their innings underway in the face of some tidy bowling from

the Patriots. Drakes was the star but there were excellent spells inside the PowerPlay from Sheldon Cottrell and Paul van Meekeren.

It was Cottrell who got the first breakthrough when he had Brandon King caught

by Sherfane Rutherford off a leading edge. The Warriors once again pushed Odean Smith up the order as a pinch hitter but he didn’t have the same success as in game against the Knight Riders, falling for a seven ball duck.

Wickets continued to fall throughout the Warriors innings, and they found themselves 75/5 in the 12th over with Drakes finishing with 3/26 and Fawad Ahmed claiming 2/33. Some lusty blows from Nicholas Pooran and a measured innings from Mohammad Hafeez got them to 146/8.

Thomas and Lewis were

in fine form, and they made the Guyana total look under par as they batted with controlled aggression to put the Patriots in complete control of the chase.

There were few alarms for the Patriots as Evin Lewis top scored with 62 from 39 balls, an innings that guided his team to a eight wicket victory with eight balls to spare.

The action continues at the same venue today with the St Kitts & Nevis Patriots facing the Guyana Amazon Warriors in the second game at 02:30 pm.

Scores: St Kitts & Nevis Patriots 147/2 (Lewis 62, Thomas 55*; Drakes 3/26, Ahmed 2/33) beat Guyana Amazon Warriors 146/8 (Hemraj 39, Hafeez 38*; Imran Tahir 1/32, Naveen ul Haq 1/28) by eight wickets.

Dwayne Bravo celebrates after getting rid of Shimron Hetmyer Aug 28, 2021 © CPL T20/ Getty Images

The Non-Pareil Tennis club has pulled the Curtains on their Lawn Tennis Camp as another Tennis club has completed a Camp for youngsters during the Covid 19 pandemic period.

According Coach

Leyland Leacock, the twoweek Camp which was held at the National Park accommodated 35 children between ages of five to 17.

“It’s the club’s seventh camp since the first camp was held 2014. It was very

successful, I saw the children having fun and learning new things every day,” said Coach Leacock.

Leacock also said that he spotted talent during the Camp that he could work with down the road.

Reifer’s all-round display leads Royals to their first win

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PL - Barbados Royals got their first win of the 2021 Hero Caribbean Premier League (CPL) with a comfortable 15 run victory over the Jamaica Tallawahs.

The Royals won the toss and opted to bat first and Glenn Phillips ensured that they put a competitive total on the board with an unbeaten 56 from 46 balls.

In reply the Tallawahs chase was over before it really began as they lost four wickets in the PowerPlay and as a result never kept pace with the run rate.

The Royals opted to make a change to their opening pair – with Shai Hope partnering Johnson Charles and it appeared to work with them putting on 32 run partnership from 20 balls.

However, once Hope was

dismissed it sparked a flurry of wickets that left Barbados teetering at 48/3 at the end of PowerPlay.

It should have been even worse but Haider Ali dropped Glenn Phillips when he was on 2 runs.

Phillips punished that drop in the back end of the Barbados innings hitting a half century with 56 runs from 46 balls and he was ably assisted by Raymon Reifer in a brisk partnership of 79 runs.

161 always looked like 15 runs too many and the Tallawahs got their chase off to the worst possible start losing four wickets inside the PowerPlay.

Some good bowling and electric fielding by Hayden Walsh Jr had the Tallawahs on the back foot throughout.

Carlos Braithwaite and Shamarh Brooks threatened

to bring them back into the game with a 66-run partnership but a double strike from Reifer got rid of Braithwaite and Andre Russell in the same over.

Despite some late blows from Miguel Pretorius that made the last few overs interesting there was always too much for the Tallawahs to do once Russell had departed.

More play is set for today as the tournament continues with Saint Lucia Kings taking on the Trinbago Knight Riders at Warner Park in the first game of the day at 10:00am.

Scores: Barbados Royals 161/5 (Phillips 56*, Reifer 31*; Reifer 3/25, Perera 2/17) beat Jamaica Tallawahs 146/9(Brooks 47, Braithwaite 29*; Permaul 2/15, Powell 1/21) by 15 runs.

Kaieteur News

PAGE 70

Sunday August 29, 2021

Rutherford happy to bat up the order for Patriots

Rutherford pulls during his 53 on debut for the Patriots against defending champs Barbados Royals. (Getty Images)

Aims to use CPL to make West Indies W/Cup squad

By Sean Devers n Thursday at the Warner Park in St Kitts, Guyanese Sherfane Rutherford made an auspicious debut for host St Kitts and Nevis Patriots in the first round of the 2021 CPL, scoring a magnificent 53 against defending champions Barbados Royals.

The left-hander followed up his Man-of-the-Match performance in the opening round with 14, batting at three against the Guyana Amazon Warriors, a team he had represented 27 times before he was bought by the Patriots for the ninth edition of the CPL Although he has scored three fifties with a highest score of 93 and taken 33 wickets with a best 6-32 from 17 First-Class matches, Rutherford is regarded as a T20 globe trotter.

Rutherford, who turned 23 on August 15, hails from the East Coast Demerara Village of Enmore and has played six T20 Internationals for the West Indies.

However, the pugnacious batsman has played for nine different T20 Franchise and West Indies, in his 63 T20 games.

Now playing his first CPL season for St Kitts and Nevis Patriots, Rutherford, who is 42 runs away from reaching a 1,000 runs from 63T20 matches, has also represented Peshawar Zalmi, Delhi Bulls, Karachi Kings, Guyana Amazon Warriors, Sylhet Thunder, Delhi Capitals and Bengal Tigers.

Rutherford spoke about his short time with the Patriots, being allowed to bat up the order, the state of the pitch in his debut fifty and his desire to play in the upcoming T20 World Cup.

Sherfane says his mom Karen Rutherford is his inspiration.

O

Rutherford arrived in St Kitts on August 16 after playing in the minor leagues in New York.

“I have been living and playing cricket in New York and it really helped me since there is no cricket being played in Guyana due to the Covid-19 pandemic and rain.

The Covid protocols here are not too bad….in this bubble it’s same as always, wear a mask, sanitize regularly and social distance,” said Rutherford, who made his T20I debut against Bangladesh on December 22, 2018 after being the leading run-scorer in the 2018 Global T20 tournament in Canada for the West Indies B Team.

Rutherford explained how he approached his well-constructed 53 which lasted 43 balls and was decorated with two fours and four

sixes.

“I was given the opportunity to bat early and my mind set was always to take it deep.

The pitch was not one that you could go and play shots from early….it had a bit of bounce and pace, you had to give yourself a few balls to get in and pick the balls to hit. That was one thing that I stood with throughout that innings,” said Rutherford.

“If selected for the World Cup I would defiantly be available…it’s my dream. I always want to play in a World Cup…my parents, es pecially my mom K ar en Rutherford, have always been my inspiration and would love to see me play in a World Cup. I don’t set goals but I play hard cricket and try to be successful to

help my team win and if I am selected for the World Cup I would grab it with both hands and try my best to be successful to help West Indies defend the title,” added Rutherford.

Rutherford, who played his last T20 game for the West Indies in January 2020 against Ireland, said moving to a new franchise takes a bit of time to get to know each other.

“However, with St Kitts it was faster than any other franchise I have been in because most of the guys know me including the Skipper. Reyad Emrit is like a mentor to me and encourages me so I am settling in very fast and feeling

comfortable. It’s like home for me now,” disclosed Rutherford.

He feels the strength of the Patriots is its experienced players and feels they will play a key part for the side this year as the tournament progress.

“Bravo, Gayle, Evin Lewis, Cottrell, Emrit…these are seasoned guys. Having so many seasoned guys makes it a lot easier for us the young and upcoming players.

That’s the standout for me and the strength of our team,” concluded the attacking batsman and excellent fielder.

St Kitts and Nevis Patriots defeated the Warriors yesterday in their second match in a row.

Thompson-Herah coasts to easy win at Paris Diamond League SportsMax - Jamaica double Olympic champion Elaine Thompson-Herah recorded another comfortable victory at the Paris Diamond League meet, yesterday, marking a second win from three events since her triumph in Toyko.

For the first time in four races involving Thompson-Herah, however, a Jamaican trio did not sweep all the spots on the podium. Thompson-Herah took top spot in 10.72, with Olympic bronze medallist Shericka Jackson second in 10.97. Great Britain’s Dina Asher-Smith took third spot in 11.06 and Jamaica’s Natasha Morrison was fourth in 11.09.

However, Olympic silver medallist Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce did not take part in the meet.

Thompson-Herah, who clocked a meeting record, had an average start but

started to pull away from the field by the 60m mark and was well clear by the finish.

In the men’s equivalent, Jamaica’s Nigel Ellis clocked 10.14 to take second spot, behind the United States’ Marvin Bracy who claimed top spot in 10.04.

Côte d’Ivoire’s Arthur Cissé was third in 10.17. Another Jamaican in the race, Julian Forte, was fifth in 10.21, with Antigua and Barbuda’s Cejhae Greene 7th in 10.26.

In the women’s 100m hurdles, Danielle Williams recorded her fastest time this season, taking the event in 12.50.

The Netherlands Nadine Visser was second in a national record of 12.58, with Olympic bronze medallist Megan Tapper third in 12.66.

In the men’s equivalent, Olympic gold (Continued on page 65)

Jamaica double Olympic champion Elaine Thompson-Herah recorded another comfortable victory at the Paris Diamond League meet.

Kaieteur News

Sunday August 29, 2021

PAGE 71

DVA A division league

Strikers grab 5 points in upset win The Demerara Volleyball A s s o c i a t i o n ( D VA ) A Division league continued on Friday night at the Cliff Anderson Sports Hall (CASH) on Homestretch Avenue where Castrol Strikers, who dwelled at the bottom of the league table since its inception, pulled off a huge upset and defeated Eagles Volleyball Club in three straight sets to now sit in second of the three-team league.

Castrol Strikers dominated the Eagles in the first set by a margin of 25-19, and continued with their aggression to win the second set 25-2.

Strikers were down by seven points in the third set but they overcame that deficit to eventually win the third set 25-22, gaining two bonus points in the process.

The top scorers from Castrol strikers were Vance Harding with 15 points, Omari Joseph with six points and Devon Bowman also with six points.

The next match day of

Castrol Strikers copped their first win of the DVA First Division League on Friday night. the league is this Tuesday at the same CASH venue where Castrol strikers will look to continue their winning momentum against the undefeated Young Achievers that are top of the table with six points.

Castrol’s win on Friday saw them grab five points and are second while Eagles

languish at the bottom with three points.

Meanwhile, last Sunday, the Senior National Volleyball Team showcased their dominant skill and IQ over the National U23 select team with a commanding three sets to one defeat in the third leg of the best in five series at the CASH.

This was a welcomed result after losing the first two matches in the series since Sunday’s fixture was a must-win match for the seniors who did not disappoint. The first set of the game went in favor of the Seniors after defeating the youth 25-17. The under-23 men then came back

bouncing in the second set defeating the seniors 25-21.

The seniors then claimed the third and fourth sets 2516 and 25-22, respectively.

The top scorers on the Senior National team were Quacy Matheson with 14 points, Trevon McRae with 13 points, Juan Valezquez (13 points) and Klondyke

Rodney (12 points).

The top performers for the National U23 team were Ronaldo Bobb with 16 points, Kristoff Shepperd who notched 13 points and Andy Rohoman with 8 points.

The fourth leg of the series will be played on the 11th of September 2021.

Match Officials successfully complete FIFA Member Association Refereeing Course

Match officials show their certificates of attendance at the closing ceremony of the FIFA Member Association Refereeing Course.

The Guyana Football Federation (GFF) wrapped up its annual FIFA Member Association Refereeing Course on Friday, with 17 match officials receiving certificates of attendance for the country’s first in-person FIFA football development programme since 2019.

The course, which updates referees on the latest changes to the Laws of the Game and provides elite guidance for officiating matches, was led by FIFA Referee Development Officer Javier Santos, FIFA Referee Instructor Peter P r e n d e rg a s t a n d F I FA Fitness Instructor Alan Brown, as well as GFF Referee Instructors Ingram Johnson and Sherwin Moore.

GFF President Wayne Forde congratulated the group for completing the top-level training course, as the Federation accelerates its plans for the safe and structured return of play in the coming months once permission is granted by the

authorities.

“I’ve received only positive feedback from our Head of Refereeing Dion Inniss about your performance this week,” Forde told participants. “We are extremely proud of the dedication of this group of match officials, which is now well equipped to ensure the return to competitions will be well managed on the field of play.”

With just three female participants in the course group, including FIFA Referee Maurees Skeete, Forde called on the GFF’s regional associations and football community to seek out and encourage more women to sign up to train as match officials.

“We have so much p l a n n e d f o r w o m e n ’s football in the coming months and years, and we really want to see more female referees as part of that evolution,” he said. “I would like to personally encourage more women to join us on this journey as we develop

football for all.”

Inniss, who also serves on the GFF Executive Committee, urged all the participants to maintain the levels of peak performance, decision-making and fitness they had achieved during five days of intensive theoretical and practical sessions at the GFF National Training Centre in Providence, East Bank Demerara.

“Many times after these courses, you are highly motivated and at your peak, and then after a few weeks and months later, you can get demotivated and be back to where you were, my hope is that – this time around – that is not the case,” he said.

The FIFA course is the second refereeing program that the GFF has organised for its match officials this month, following on from a three-day seminar led by Guyanese-born Dianne Ferreira-James, a Concacaf Elite Assessor and Head of Refereeing for the Bahamas Football Association.