Kaieteur News
PAGE 04
Wednesday December 25, 2019
Kaieteur News Printed and Published by National Media & Publishing Company Ltd. 24 Saffon Street, Charlestown, Georgetown, Guyana. Publisher: GLENN LALL Editor: Adam Harris Tel: 225-8465, 225-8491. Fax: 225-8473, 226-8210
EDITORIAL
Merry Christmas to all!
J
oy to the world. This is the soul of today’s celebration of Christmas Day globally. That is the promise held aloft before all men and women on what is now recognised here as the all-Guyanese holiday. It is one that largely cuts across religion, race, and culture, and that which is embraced universally. Joy to the world it can be for Guyana, which has now become a world-famous place of interest and preferred destination. There can be joy for all citizens, but only if… The but is big, and the if is infinitely bigger. First oil was the long-awaited yesterday. The onus is now upon us to determine how we will react and what we will do to extract the best from our blessing. To extract the best from the beginning, not down the line, when it is too late; best for the most, not the few, which only resets our table for more acrimonies and discontents that have laid us low so long. There can be that special joy that comes from knowing and living that - against odds, despite history - we looked deep inside, and greed and hatred did not prevail for once. But that somehow, we did discover that we can be different without our diversities interfering with the positive attributes that we citizens bring to the table of our banquet. We can share across-the-board, which includes those who languish outside in our hardscrabble streets. This is not some unreachable utopia. It is merely the practicality that, if we stand on tiptoe and crane our necks to recognise the others positively, then we shall see them in the splendour of their presences, whether those who were always here, those who came in whatever order, and those who were previously regarded as enemies and competitors only. For if we see the latter only, and a smaller pie constantly, then like all the wretched oil societies of this troubled earth, we will end up with the localised disasters that, in aggregate, make for an enduring national tragedy. For there will only be the unending quarrels to make things right, to balance the scales towards the equitable. For where there are riches, there are men, and where the latter is present, there is covetousness and all the woes that follow. Can we manage ourselves better? Do we really want to, at the centre of our souls? Then like the grand Christmas story, there must be the willingness to make the sacrifices that are necessary to partake of the prosperities envisioned. Christmas is about the birth of the promise. There is a life to be lived, through a certain course followed, with sacrifices along the road to make things possible. It was made at great expense, and now the promise is closer and greater, we must do our part. First oil was the promise given birth. That is gone, and Guyanese must now adhere to a pathway that is of certain key characteristics: there is the start of recognising neighbour as neither pariah nor outsider. There is that vital next step, which had eluded us for so long, when we were poorer: poorer in spirit, poorer in the material things out of reach. This mandatory next step is of including neighbour. And the last step is that of sharing the oil wealth before all in the fold and none left out. It does not matter which group, or which leader, is in charge. Because if they do wrong, then all of this - the oil, the promised prosperity, the cascading trickledown effects will matter not. For then we would have started on the wrong foot with the most perverse objectives in mind: seize for self only. All would be lost, none could win. There is no other result, and we would go the sorry way of other failed societies, and of which we do know much. Unless it is this way advocated by this publication, it is downhill. If the positions of this paper are found favour with, and practiced, then there can be peace and goodwill to all men and women in Guyana, not only this Christmas, but in the ones to come. To our fellow citizens: Merry Christmas. Joy to the world, and peace and goodwill.
Editor’s Note; If your sent letter was not published and you felt its contents were valid and devoid of libel or personal attacks, please contact us by phone or email.
More Oil Less Democracy DEAR EDITOR, We have witnessed yet another major oil discovery. While this is good news for the future of Guyana, we have continued to witness on a daily basis the gross disregard of our constitution b y t h e G r a n g e r administration. On December 21, it would have been one year since this government was toppled in a no-confidence motion, and we are yet to witness the proroguing of parliament. It as if this government sees our constitution like the proverbial “piece of paper”. Ministers on a daily basis are
traveling the country on outreaches and campaigning using state funds. Let’s face it, every day our democracy is eroding. This, of course, is nothing new, especially amongst oilproducing countries. Empirical evidence (Tsui, 2011) shows us that oil discoveries usually lead to slower democratic transition. What is even more worrisome is that oil companies seem to prefer working with a corrupt government. Having the government under control would allow these
companies to become less accountable. It also reduces the chance of any possible renegotiation that could see the public vying for a bigger share of the pie. Of course, this would mean less profit and even expropriation in some cases. And this is a serious threat to these investors especially when billions of dollars have already being invested in acquiring requisite capitals. Hence, having a few key politicians under control would enable the company to engage is much wrongdoing at the determent of the people, and benefit of the
c o m p a n y. A n d w e a r e already witnessing this collusion. Take, for example, the government’s inability to come up with a depletion policy to dictate the rate of extraction of our oil resource. A higher extraction rate would mean a shorter cost recovery period and more profit. With no depletion policy in place, there is no guarantee that our oil wealth will benefit our future generation. Let’s face it, by the time we learn the ropes of the oil sector, there will be no more oil. Roger Samuels
KN has ramped up journalism in our country DEAR EDITOR, I want to take this opportunity to thank you and KN for publishing my letters over the years; the creation and circulation of KN has added to the general public’s knowledge and information at its disposal and that fact can only make Guyana a better place for all its citizens. KN has created its own niche in the delivery of the news of the day, commentaries, sports and creative journalism. Competition breeds finitely better products for general consumption and newspapers are not an exception to this rule; in fact, KN has ramped up journalism in our country by its keen competition, unique style and flair for “headliners” which draw the consumer/reader to your publication. President
Cheddi always read all the daily newspapers and encouraged me to read them since I was a youngster and even though his advice went unheeded for many years until maturity, I encourage the citizens of Guyana to strengthen the tradition of reading the newspaper on a daily basis - reading opens up the mind and challenges one’s ability to shake off bias and see the reality of truth. A merry Christmas and a prosperous New Year to you and the staff of Kaieteur News and special blessings to all your readers. Editor, I would also like to thank ExxonMobil for the great Christmas gift of Guyana becoming an oil producing nation; the naysayers who predict disaster and doom include Mr. Jagdeo and his cohorts who have recently reminded us that President Janet Jagan
initiated the oil deal - here we go again with Jagdeo and the Gang of 8 utilizing my parents, Cheddi and Janet, to get votes at the next election. Jagdeo et al won’t tell us that Cheddi and Janet would have been very upset to know that the PPP government did nothing for 6 years to spur oil production or even to prepare the groundwork for an oil future; Janet and Cheddi would have been angry with Jagdeo’s 16% consumption tax which crippled and hurt the working people of Guyana; and what about the distasteful treatment Jagdeo dished out to Janet Jagan when she tried to correct his concerted efforts to destroy Stabroek News. Not one leader in the PPP came to my mother’s defense as Jagdeo rebuked and insulted her in public - imagine, without Mrs Jagan’s approval, Mr Jagdeo could never have
become President in 1999. Now that elections are near they want to call her name to get votes! It’s amazing to what lengths some politicians would do for votes and power. Mr. Jagdeo and his “front man” will lose the next elections to Mr. Granger and the coalition because, after 23 years of their misrule, where, as President Cheddi coined the word, “squandermania” ruled the day and taxpayer money was spent without dividends to our country, especially in the sugar, forestry, bauxite, tech (remember the fiber optic cable fiasco) and agriculture sectors. Jagdeo and his comrades, come March 2, 2020, will have to face the nightmare of losing the general elections-it is so written. Yours faithfully, Cheddi(Joey)Jagan(Jr)
Let us avoid the Some offences should temptation to over-indulge not carry any bail DEAR EDITOR, It is ludicrous that bail was granted to the two persons accused of kidnapping and burning a 17 year old teenage boy with hot water on his face and back. What is so dreadful is the fact that these two accused men are police officers sworn to uphold the Law and to serve and protect the public. The victim, Ashkay Budhiram, who appeared in court with clearly visible and terrible burns and other marks of violence on his body, is testimony that these two policemen were bent on maiming the young man. This is strong evidence of an unspeakable crime and yet
the magistrate granted bail to the two officers. This vicious act of violence against the youth reminds us of the terrible pain and suffering 16-yearo l d Tw y o n T h o m a s endured a little over a decade ago when his genitals were burned by two policemen, Sergeant Narine Lall and Constable Mohanram Dulal who were questioning him in connection with murder of Bisram, a carpenter. Like Thomas, the two officers who tortured 17-year-old Ashkay Budhiram have not only violated his fundamental rights, but the (Continued on page 6)
DEAR EDITOR, The festive season of Christmas is once again with us. It is one time in the year when people from all across the political and ethnic divide cast aside their differences and celebrate in a true spirit of brotherhood and humanity. For me, it was only the other day we celebrated Xmas in Guyana, an indication of our fleeting and limited existence. That being the case, it behoves us all to endeavour to make a difference to the society. We cannot change the world but we can play a part, however modest, in enhancing the quality of life of people, in particular the poor and the vulnerable.
The greatest of all service is service to people. Indeed, the best joy one can experience is the joy of giving without any expectation of receiving. This is the true essence of Christmas, to put the good of others before individual self-interest. Let us avoid the temptation to over-indulge and fall prey to the lure of the market. Humility, honesty, simplicity and service to humanity are the defining characteristics of righteousness.I wish to take this opportunity to extend Christmas greetings to all Guyanese both in Guyana and the diaspora. Hydar Ally
Wednesday December 25, 2019
Kaieteur News
Though not perfect, democracy is alive and well under President David Granger DEAR EDITOR, On December 21, 2018, Mr. Charrandass Persaud, an APNU+AFC Parliamentarian joined with the Parliamentary Opposition, the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) to overthrow the APNU+AFC Administration. After his vote, Mr. Persaud was able to, and rightly so, peacefully leave the country. So, how would the script have read if an African PPP/C Parliamentarian had conspired with an APNU+AFC opposition to overthrow a PPP/C Government? To arrive at the unknown, let’s begin with what is known. How did people and organisations fared under the PPP/C Government? We know that Stabroek News and Kaieteur News were punished, with the withdrawal of government ads, for their reportage that was deemed “anti-PPP.” We know that when Mrs. Jagan, the matriarch of the PPP organisation, stood up for what she considered sacrosanct – press freedom – she was publicly denigrated and relegated to the status of now “a private citizen.” We know that Freddie Kissoon, a fierce critic of successive PPP governments, was reportedly called a “man kisser and sleaze ball” by a PPP president. The same Freddie was doused with miasmic substance and received a beating. In his August 12, 2012 Column, titled “I am pleading with my country to protect me,” Freddie detailed some of the sufferings he went through. We know that Mark Benschop who, under Dr. Cheddi Jagan, vehemently criticised the PNC, was jailed on trumped up treason
charges. And, in 2010, two days before Christmas Day, Major Bruce Munroe and his wife, Carol Ann, were arrested and imprisoned for treason. We know that Moses Nagamootoo and Khemraj Ramjattan, former members of the PPP, were called “snakes” because they joined the Coalition political movement. I know one businessman who cautioned me to be careful with what I was saying while using his media platform, because, “these people (the PPP leadership) could hurt [your business] bad.” And we know, also, that Courtney Crum Ewing, who had staged a one-man protest against what he perceived to be behaviour not befitting a Minister, was gunned down days before the 2015 elections, as he urged voters to “oust against the PPP.” I do recall an incident at a John McCain Town Hall. A member of the audience called Mr. Obama “an Arab.” Senator John McCain rebuked her, saying, “He [Obama] is a good Christian man with whom I just happen to have a difference.” P r e s i d e n t O b a m a ’s general manner of dealing with opposing views was, “I do not agree with his view but I defend his right to have one.” We k n o w t h a t M r. Ramotar didn’t do that when asked about Crum Ewing’s murder. No, the President of the Republic of Guyana labeled the murdered protester, “nothing more than a nuisance.” We k n o w t h a t t h i s same Ramotar publicly disparaged a protesting member of our Indigenous community, telling him, “Jagdeo
wudda slap yuh because yuh stupid.” What did the man do? He stood in opposition to the ruling PPP/C. We know that when a group of women protested the incarceration of the teenager, accused of showing his middle finger to the presidential motorcade, the then President labeled them, “Loonies from the fringes.” We know that for her protestations, activist Sherlina Nageer was called “an idiot,” and a “little piece of s**t” and, among other threats against her, was told to “…Foff.” Editor, when I consider what people suffered under the PPP/C for their opposition to that party and compare it to what Charrandass Persaud did on December 21, 2018, and what he experienced, I conclude that democracy is truly alive and well under President David Granger. It isn’t perfect, there is room for progress. But real democracy exists under the David Granger-led administration. With kind regards, Remington Nelson
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Elections were never meant to be held They needed time to regain the trust and in November, 2019 confidence of their supporters because they DEAR EDITOR, The APNU/AFC Coalition will go down in the annals not only for its adamant refusal to resign and call an election within three months as stipulated by the Constitution having been defeated by a vote of no confidence on December 21st 2018 but its continuous violations and blatant disregard for the Constitution. On that unforgettable day 34 members of the National Assembly agreed that the Coalition has, since it acceded Office had not only plunged the Guyanese Nation into an economic crisis but has been the architect of the most blatant forms of corruption and squandermania only paralleled during the 28 years of PNC dictatorship. The Nation has also witnessed a most zealous and unique form of political witch hunting of Opposition members and supporters as never seen before. Thousands lost their jobs because they are perceived as PPP supporters! Undoubtedly, the Coalition was confident that the Opposition’s no confidence motion would have failed since they had the majority of the House, but little did they realized then that the suffering of the people has a way of igniting the conscience of some. It came as a massive tsunami which drowned their confidence and allowed the reality of their gross misdeeds to come to the fore when they lost the NCM. It was unbelievable and in their shell-shocked state of mind they woefully accepted the outcome. However, the very next day they came to realization that a lot was at stake and they needed time to do damage control.
rapidly eroded the economic gains made from 1992 to 2015 under the PPP/C Government. The Coalition not only gave themselves humongous salary increases but they embarked on a journey to enrich not only themselves but families and friends. Soon after taking office, old and feeble PNC members filled every strata of government, adding to the bureaucracy and incompetence whilst sucking the blood of the overburdened taxpayers! Their support base has dwindled rapidly and their Coalition partner, the AFC has been completely decimated. Therefore, to delay the Elections which was supposed to be held on 22nd March, 2019, the Coalition went from the High Court to the Appeal Court and finally to the CCJ. Months went by and by June 18th the CCJ ruled that the NCM was validly passed thus reactivating the process and making it imperative that elections be held by September 18th 2019. According to Granger in his address to the Nation, his Government accepts the CCJ’s ruling and will abide by it and the Constitution. Then he introduced his next delaying tactic, he claimed that, ‘we cannot proceed on the current list of voters. It is outdated and corrupted. It may hold as many as 200,000 incorrect entries…It is democratic and imperative that house-to house registration be completed’. He was emphatic that based on advice from the then Chairman of GECOM, Justice Patterson, that GECOM will be ready to hold Elections by November, 2019. We have now seen that by proclamation (Continued on page 6)
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Kaieteur News
Wednesday December 25, 2019
Courage, vision of JJ and BJ - Guyana now officially an oil-producing country DEAR EDITOR, According to a release from EXXON and a statement from the Energy Department, Guyana, as of December 20, 2019, is now officially an oilproducing country. This is a proud moment for ALL Guyanese. This is a moment that can transform our country, bringing socio-economic benefits for ALL Guyanese. The possibilities are endless. In spite of many misgivings, Oil is undoubtedly good for Guyana. In spite of serious concerns, EXXON and the big oil companies flocking to Guyana are good for our country. There is no surething, but oil places Guyana in a position to propel itself into a high middle-income country immediately and the talk of being a developed country is no longer utopian rhetoric. Sure, oil by itself is not going to make these possibilities real. Many other things will have to fall in place, but Guyana has its best shot of achieving its “Eldorado” destiny at this very moment. We will either grab the opportunity and seize the possibilities or we will damn ourselves. We did not reach this fork in the road by accident. We got here because two momentous decisions were made in the last two decades. The first was made by Janet Jagan (JJ). When JJ agreed to solicit and encourage BIG OIL to explore seriously in Guyana waters, it was a decision she made against her own lifetime distrust of BIG OIL and big multinational corporations. But she was convinced that among Guyana’s natural re-
sources is an oil Resource and she persuaded herself that only BIG OIL could confirm that such a resource existed. Her own ideology and makeup, her own determination that Guyana must own and benefit from its resources made it difficult for a decision to provide enough incentives for BIG OIL to be interested. I know. After dealing with her Cabinet and her party executives, she often talked to me about her concerns and misgivings. But in the end she made a decision, difficult for her, but one she had to in the interest of Guyana. Many commentators, some of whom today are basking in the glory of oil, denounced and blasted her decision. After oil findings were confirmed beginning in March 2015, these same commentators were ugly in denouncing the exploration agreements, condemning the concessions provided to EXXON and BIG OIL. But without the exploration agreements in 1999 and what some considered as generous incentives, Guyana would not have been an official oil-producing country today. The second momentous decision that contributed to Guyana today being an oilproducing country is the decision made by Bharrat Jagdeo (BJ) after Suriname attacked with its gun boats an oil exploration team from CGX in the deep sea in 2002. The then President BJ decided in April 2004, with total backing from his cabinet, to approach the International Tribunal on the Laws of the Sea under the UNCLOS treaty for a decision to confirm Guyana’s maritime
borders in Guyana’s EEZ (Exclusive Economic Zone), using the formula of the Laws of the Seas. The laws and the treaty agreed to by virtually all countries, including Guyana and Suriname, under the UNCLOS, determined how rights in the seas and oceans and national EEZs are determined. Guyana was always convinced that our borders and rights to the seas and our EEZ were in accordance with the UNCLOS laws and agreements. Suriname sought to interpret those laws differently to expand its rights to maritime hydrocarbon resources. It was a difficult decision to place our destiny in the hands of an international court, but Bharrat Jagdeo displayed the courage and the vision necessary to do so. He chose legal recourse over a military confrontation. This decision built on the platform JJ created by issuing exploration agreements with BIG OIL. Guyana won that case when the International Tribunal ruled in 2007 and the opportunities to explore for hydrocarbons exploded. The decision to approach the international tribunal was not based only on the Suriname attack on CGX, it was based on decades of Suriname refusing to honour mutual agreements on the use of the sea by the two countries. The approach to the international court was a risky one and many commentators had misgivings. In the end, Guyana won that case and removed all uncertainties for exploration in Guyana’s seas. Some will argue that the 2004 approach to the international judiciary and its 2007 decision have nothing to do with the EXXON exploration and discovery because the EXXON fields are well away from the limits of Guyana’s EEZ. But the UNCLOS approach demonstrated that Guyana and her leaders had the courage to defend themselves and resources and this provided confidence for the big investors to explore knowing that Guyana will not be
cowered into not issuing exploration and production licenses. For those who think it is impossible for our politicians to work together, consider this. In 2004, when BJ announced Guyana was going to the International Tribunal of the UNCLOS, the then PNC gave unconditional support, even if privately some expressed doubts. When Guyana, through the APNU+AFC Government, approached the ICJ to defend the integrity of our borders with Venezuela, the Opposition PPP declared unconditional support. There is still hope that our politicians can work together for the benefit of Guyana. These two courageous and visionary decisions play a pivotal role in Guyana finally joining the ranks of oil-pro-
ducing countries. Other persons played a role. President Donald Ramotar provided support and encouragement during the initial exploration drills that finally led to the April 2015 confirmation oil was present in commercial levels in Guyana. The transformation of the exploration agreements into production agreements were eventually signed in 2016 by President Granger. Mistakes have been made, but Guyana is now an oil-producing country. On paper, Guyana is about to become one of the richest countries in the world. Our GDP is about to almost double from about $US4,500 to more than $US9,000 per capita and overall from about $US5B to almost $10B annually. Transparent and accountable management of the oil resources can lead to
socio-economic transformation. Those in charge of these resources now must acknowledge we begin life as an oilproducing country with some serious missteps which have to be corrected. Those who will be in charge in the future must be guided by the principle that oil resources must reach the most vulnerable in our country. While international oil companies are sure to get richer, Guyana must ensure all of our people benefit meaningfully from oil and not only a handful. It is times like these when the courage and vision of those who made this happen must be acknowledged. In this regards, the two momentous decisions by JJ and BJ have brought us to this transformative moment. Dr. Leslie Ramsammy
Some offences should not carry any... From page 4 abduction and kidnapping are an absolute and flagrant disregard for his constitutional and legal rights. It is wrong and they should be charged with attempted murder for such barbaric act. As police officers, they have broken the cardinal rule when they decided to take the law into their own hands. And for them to be placed on such a small amount of bail is an insult to the public and all decent-minded officers in the
force. While police beatings in Guyana have abated somewhat, I can relate directly to such dastardly acts by three policemen who handcuffed me, beat me during the 1970s and then slapped me with seven charges including assault on a police officer, resisting arrest, disorderly conduct, among others. It is my sincere hope that Ashkay Budhiram would not accept any sum of money to settle this case, which is something very prevalent in
Guyana. To do so would only allow such wanton behaviour to continue unabated. He should allow justice to take its course which could strengthen the sentiments expressed Minister of Public Security, Khemraj Ramjattan, to “jail them”. Indeed we echoed the same sentiments that those responsible should be jailed for inflicting such excessive cruelty on a teenager. Leyland Chitlall Roopnaraine, New York
Elections were never meant to be held... From page 5 General and Regional Elections will be held on March 2nd, 2020, 4 months after the Patterson advisory. Furthermore, Granger’s claim of ‘200,000 incorrect entries’ is totally false and ridiculous but the intent all along was to delay the elections and on that score he was successful since just a week before the illegally appointed Chairman demitted office he set the HtH registration by signing the order for it to commence on July 20th 2019 and end on October 20th. This is a clear
indication that the November timeline Patterson had advised Granger on was just a ruse. How can he advise November when he signed the HtH order which will catapult elections in 2020? The work plan of GECOM has 290 days to complete all activities and that is a conservative estimate according to Commissioner Sase Gunraj. Elections were never meant to be held in November, 2019. It is now conclusive that after wasting approximately $3 billion, it is now found that out of the 370,000 persons registered during the HtH registration only approximately 16,000 are
new registrants, that there were massive duplications and from this it is estimated that only about 10,000 will actually be placed on the Revised Preliminary List since approximately 6,000 entries could not be verified. This has now exposed the fact that Granger’s ‘200,000 incorrect entries’ was just another chapter in the PNC’s book of devious stratagem to attempt to rig the impending elections. Will the PNC ever give up their devious ways and allow this nation a free and fair election? The answer will be known soon! Yours sincerely, Haseef Yusuf
Wednesday December 25, 2019
Kaieteur News
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Provisions in one-sided Exxon’s contract make any legal challenge detrimental to Guyana By Kiana Wilburg
T
he Production Shar ing Agreement (PSA) between Guyana and ExxonMobil along with its partners, Hess Corporation and CNOOC/ NEXEN is deemed by reputable international and regional transparency advocates to be lopsided. And in spite of calls for renegotiation, which span over four years, both government and the political opposition have held one head that the deal would remain intact. In the face of this, there have been discussions on the possibilities of challenging the contract, particularly those provisions which are discriminatory, in contravention of the law, and/or make the contract itself immune to any new laws the countrys legislative arm would pass in the future. Just recently, Attorney-at-Law, Sanjeev Datadin told Kaieteur News that it is indeed possible to challenge provisions in a contract which are deemed to be offensive to the law of the land. But applying this principle to the ExxonMobil deal would be to Guyanas detriment should the country emerge victorious in any such challenge. There are three key provisions in the contract which effectively put any legal challenge at an immediate disadvantage. According to Annex C of the contract which outlines all accounting procedures to be undertaken, all legal expenses incurred by ExxonMobil for any matter brought against it in direct relation to operations in Guyana shall be included in cost recovery. That section which falls under the subheading “Legal Expenses” specifically states, “All costs and expenses of litigation and legal or related series necessary or expedient for the procuring, perfecting, retention and protection of the contract area and in defending or prosecuting lawsuits involving the contract area or any third party claim arising out of the activities under the agreement or sums paid in respect to legal services necessary or expedient for the protection
of the interest of the parties are recoverable. Where legal services are rendered in such matters by salaried or regularly retained lawyers of the contractor or an affiliated company of the parties comprising contractor, such compensation will be included instead under sub-section 3, 1 (B) or 3.1(D) above as application” Subsection 3, 1(B) speaks to labour and associated labour costs and 3, 1 (D) speaks to third party contracts. The other provision which puts any legal challenge at an immediate disadvantage relates to Article 24 of the contract which speaks to Force Majeure. In most contracts in the industry, it is not unusual to see force majeure provisions implemented, as it removes liability for natural and unavoidable catastrophes that interrupt the expected course of events and restrict companies from their fulfilling obligations. But in the Exxon deal, force majeure can mean just about anything that prevents the contractor from continuing its production on schedule. Article 24.4 states, “The term Force Majeure shall mean any event beyond the reasonable control of the party claiming to be affected by such event which has not been brought about at its instance and which has caused such non-performance or delay in performance, and without limitation to the generality of the foregoing, including acts of God, natural phenomena or calamities , earthquakes, floods, tsunamis, epidemics, quarantines, fires, wars declared or undeclared , hostilities, invasions, blockades, riots, strikes, insurrection, civil disturbances, mining of the seas, piracy, international disputes affecting the extent of the contract area and any governmental action or inaction that would prevent the performance of an obligation or ability of the contractor to export petroleum...” Should the Minister object to any circumstance the operator wants to deem as Force Majeure then Exxon has the (Continued on page 55)
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Kaieteur News
Wednesday December 25, 2019
CSEC 2013 Top Student excels again! - Graduates with Masters in Civil Engineering in U.S Back in 2013, then 17-yearold Zimeena Rasheed of Anna Regina, Essequibo Coast was announced the country’s top performer at the Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) examinations, attaining an impressive twenty-one grade ones in just one sitting. Today, years later, that same young woman continues to make strides in the academic field; recently attaining her Masters Degree in Civil Engineering. Rasheed, now 22, grasped at an opportunity to study Civil Engineering at the Florida Institute of Technology (FIT) in the U.S. through the kindness of another exceptional Guyanese, Judge Alli Baksh Majeed. Judge Majeed’s life mir-
rored the same struggles Zimeena was faced with. He dreamt big, like her, but was told that his dreams were beyond reach. Despite this, he kept going, fighting his way through college and law school before becoming a prosecutor in the judicial system. But he did not stop there, Majeed put in the hard work until he ended up in the seat of a judge in the state of Florida. Due to her stellar performance at CSEC, Zimeena was promised a scholarship to study at any university of her choice by the then PPP/C government. The CSEC examination body also offered her a scholarship to the University of the West Indies. But neither of those offered her
the opportunity to study Civil Engineering. Days later, after the top student announcement was made, Zimeena got a phone call from Judge Majeed who had attended her school several years before. Justice Majeed was one of the first graduates of Anna Regina Secondary now known as the Anna Regina Multilateral School. Judge Majeed offered the young woman, a once-in-alifetime opportunity; a chance to study Civil Engineering at the Florida Institute of Technology, all expenses paid inclusive of tuition and accommodation. Judge Majeed and his wife Yasim serve as Rasheed’s surrogate parents in the U.S.
and have been her emotional support throughout her study years. It is very rare that you see someone from such a small community like Anna Regina&FIT is a top school in the USA and the world, and it is an opportunity of a lifetime for any student&Zimeena is a brilliant young woman with such a bright future ahead of her, Judge Majeed stated. According to him, Zimeena is well on her way to earning her PhD in Civil Engineering while still in her youthful age; a feat that many try and fail to accomplish. Because of her, the Guyana flag flew high, accompanied by the flags of many other International students
Judge Alli B Majeed, and his wife Mrs Yasmin Majeed, with Zimeena Rasheed at her graduation ceremony at the Florida Institute of Technology. at the University. Zimeena, another daughter of the soil
has made Guyana proud once again.
Its GRO not GPOC
In our Monday edition, an article headlined “GPOC disputes birth claims of 350 Eteringbang residents” should have instead read “General Registrar Office (GRO) disputes birth claims….” In the article it was explained that the GPOC is disputing the birth claims of the aforementioned residents. However, it is the GRO that is responsible for the registration of Births, Deaths and Marriages, not GPOC. Kaieteur News apologises for any inconvenience this may have caused.
Wednesday December 25, 2019
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Kaieteur News
Divide and rule…and then conquer
T
he political debate surrounding Guyana’s oil resources is self-destructive. It leads to a dead-end. That debate has been reduced to one about who should be allowed (or not allowed) to get their hands on the oil revenues. The supporters of the PNCR do not wish to see the PPPC get their hands on the oil. The supporters of the PPPC do not wish the PNCR to get their hands on the oil. And so the narrative of the 2020 elections has already been framed – it is about who should get their hands on the oil. The oil companies understand this narrative. They are cunning. They have dealt with foreign governments before, and they understand that in any country where there are two major political blocs, there will be this rivalry to control the oil revenues. The oil companies know
just how to manipulate this competition. Do you really feel that it was just a coincidence that just days before the 2015 general and regional elections, Exxon announced its oil find? This announcement galvanised both of the rival political camps. As a result, the elections were the closest-ever in the country’s history. Do you think it is a coincidence the start of oil production was announced on the day prior to the 1st anniversary of the no-confidence motion, and weeks away from the start of an election campaign? Do you think it is a coincidence that days after the start of oil production a 15th oil well was also announced? The stakes for the 2020 elections have been increased. And this is what the oil companies want. They are using a typical colonial strategy of divide and rule. While the two rivals are busy argu-
ing about who was responsible for bringing oil to Guyana, and who can better manage the industry, the oil companies are having things their way. Divide and rule and then conquer. That is the tactic which is being deployed in Guyana. Guyana has to be careful about this form of entrapment. They have to be cautious about not being led into fighting over who should get their hands on oil revenues. Guyanese know they are being ripped-off by the oil companies. A recent opinion poll was conducted by the North American Caribbean Teachers Association (NACTA). 88% of those polled felt that the oil agreements should be renegotiated. NACTA has a credible track-record of polling in Guyana and Trinidad and Tobago. The polling group accurately predicted the outcome of elections in Guyana
Dem boys seh...
Is a Merry Christmas Today, dem boys got a headache. Dem know dem didn’t have to work suh dem decide to really hit de bottle. Of course, dem didn’t realize it was so late because it was midnight and nuff people still been on de streets. Of course, today is when food smelling all over de place but who never get a hangover would never know how some people does glad not to smell food. De smell does mek dem stomach sick. But while dem boys deh home wid some headache dem politicians behaving like if dem don’t have a home. Of course, some of dem got such a big house that when dem inside dem feel so lonely. Jagdeo don’t like stay in he
house alone suh he always find some excuse to either deh pun de road or go out de country. Today he visiting all he party supporters because he want dem to know that he wid dem all de way. He gun tell dem how he lef he house to spend Christmas wid dem because he care. Soulja Bai doing de same thing. He visiting people out of town because country people always like when town people come to see dem. Of course everybody gun want he eat something but Soulja Bai got appetite like a bird. Some of Soulja Bai people gun visit dem old people home and dem sick children because nuff of dem glad to
see somebody pun Christmas Day. But is GWI that gun have de most problem by de time today done. Nuff people gun suddenly be rushing to all dem toilet because dem eat and drink all kind of mix up thing. Some people might even give de police extra wuk because wha dem should do in a house dem gun want to do by de roadside. But if is one thing, anybody who deh in de city gun believe dem deh in a graveyard because de place gun be dead—hardly any car or bus. Greens gun giveaway in de market and that is when dem boys gun shop. Talk half and wish you neighbor a Merry Christmas.
and the twin-island Republic using opinion polls. Its prediction for the recent local government elections in Trinidad and Tobago were within the range predicted. When the group therefore says that almost 90% of Guyanese feel that the oil deal should be renegotiated, the government should take note. It shows that the people are reading Kaieteur News. Guyanese are being shortchanged by the oil companies. But instead of Guyanese banding together to help ensure that the country gets a better deal, Guyanese have retreated into their respective political camps. They are hotly debating who should get their hands on the oil. The real debate should be about how much oil should be in our hands. Right now
Guyana is obtaining a mere 14.5% of the oil which is being produced. Two percent of that is royalty, and then 12.5% is Guyana’s share of oil after production expenses have been deducted. Exxon and her partners are sitting pretty on rights to billons of barrels of our oil. And all Guyana could have asked Exxon for is US$18M as a signing bonus. The biggest insult of all was when a Trust Fund linked to Exxon donated US$10M to Conservation International to do work in Guyana. Conservation got US$10M and Guyana got US$18M. Guyana placed itself in this ignominious position. It was Guyana who negotiated the signing bonus, and the principal consideration was not to obtain a fair return for a wasting asset – which is what a signing bonus is all
about. Guyana’s principal objective was to find money to pay the lawyers who are handling Guyana’s case before the International Court of Justice. The oil companies have us where they want us. They know that the more we fight over who should get their hands on oil, the less time there is to debate how much oil we should have in our hands. (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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Kaieteur News
Wednesday December 25, 2019
THE FREDDIE KISSOON COLUMN
Christmas with Charrandass Persaud
My very good friend of 30 years, Charrandass Persaud, has inserted his name on the Christmas calendar of this country. Last Christmas, Charran took Guyana by storm by voting for the opposition’s no confidence vote (NCV). The objective was to bring about an election three months after. Charran said yes to the NCV days before Christmas,
and in so doing, filled the 2018 Christmas atmosphere with his name. Guyana is an insane, negative, incredible, unbelievable, infamous, immoral, shambolic, destroyed, surreal land whose attacks on modern civilisation and modern humanity have no parallel around the globe in the 21st century. Can one imagine that
one year ago a NCV was passed and it is as if it never happened? The President of the CCJ asked the question as to why GECOM didn’t get into preparation mode after the NCV was passed around Christmas 2018. Months after the NCV, GECOM was as inactive as the volcano that destroyed Pompeii thousands of years ago.
What more evidence does one want to prove that this is a most bizarre nation on Planet Earth? As we celebrate Christmas 2019, Charran is still with us, but not his NCV that he was accused of taking money to bring to a reality. His NCV is gone. Last year, Christmas was dominated by Charran and the NCV. This year the NCV has disappeared, which brings up an interesting dimension – if Charran took money then he got a huge jackpot. You see, because the NCV did not curtail APNU+AFC’s tenure – elections will be held two months before May, which was the time of the general election in 2015 – then Charran got billions freely. If you believe he was bribed, then he has to give back his benefactors their money and give me some before he does so. Everything about the presence, shape and continuation of the ruling formation in office is neatly intact, as if there was no NCV in 2018. Can one imagine a similar situation in any other country that does not have a military dictatorship? I have been involved in political activism my entire life. As a trained academic I have studied Guyanese politics all my life. I say without even an infinitesimal pause that if anyone from any part of the world should ask me to point to even a tiny spot
in the exercise of power that was affected by the NCV, I will be unable as both an activist and academic to do so. There are no signs in the exercise of power by APNU+AFC in Guyana since Christmas last year that would tell a human from another country that an NCV was passed a year ago. It is Christmas 2019, and Charran refuses to erase his name from the ambience of Christmas. He wants his name to still be floating around this time of the year. So a few days ago he wrote a long overdue letter to explain to the Guyanese people why he gave his legal imprint to the Opposition’s NCV. But do you think the timing was not important? Why he did not compose his correspondence early this year? Or middle of this year? He chose the anniversary of the NCV and the NCV’s anniversary falls four days before Christmas. One of his reasons, as stated in his missive, was what the government did to 7,000 sugar workers. They closed some of the estates, putting those numbers out of employment. Charran explained that when you add up the families of 7,000 sugar workers, then 28,000 persons are without an anticipated income. This is where the significance of this Christmas comes in. On the 25th anniversary of the founding of Kaieteur News in April, Mr. Yesu Persaud took the podium
Frederick Kissoon after me. He pointed out that I did not mention the plight of those 7,000. I didn’t see the relevance given the subject matter I was dealing with when I spoke – the contexualisation of Kaieteur News’s importance to Guyana. But I do understand Yesu’s feelings. I must be honest and say that as an academic, I support the substantial reduction of the sugar industry. Also it was being subsidised by the PPP so as to ensure the permanency of at least seven parliamentary seats. But I cannot accept the denial of the benefits of those sugar workers which were not given after their retrenchment and they had to take the government to court. I am still in an emotional tantrum on why those workers were not generously given the lands of those closed estates. They must be given them. On this day, my heart genuinely goes out to those 28,000 souls. (The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of this newspaper)
Wednesday December 25, 2019
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Kaieteur News
Wednesday December 25, 2019
Kaieteur News
Wednesday December 25, 2019
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Celebrating Christmas with Guyana in mind Three overseas-based Guyanese share their stories By Rehanna Ramsay Have you ever wondered what it would be like spending Christmas in a foreign land? M o s t G u y a n e s e e x p r e s s n o s t a l g i a t h i s t i m e o f y e a r.
They yearn for the pepper pot, black cake, mauby, sorrel, ginger beer and other features unique to a Guyanese Christmas. Kaieteur News caught up with three Guyanese living abroad, who shared a glimpse of how they celebrate the holiday with Guyana in mind.
CHRISTMAS IN THE U.S.
Dimple Willabus of Brooklyn, New York, says that “throughout my childhood, Christmas has been the highlight of each year because of how special my parents made it”. Willabus, is a GuyaneseAmerican wife and mother of three. She reflected on Christmas in her homeland. “Growing up in Guyana
my parents would use an old sardine can and nail it to the back of one of the doors in the house and save money throughout the year. My dad would take down the sardine can in midDecember and give my mom that extra money to purchase gifts for us. As children, we would mark off the days on the calendar until Christmas.
My mom made all of our window curtains and matching bed sheets each year. We would clean the house and my mom would decorate our living room, but we were not allowed to dwell in that space until Christmas Day. My mom would soak fruits for fruit and black cakes from about two months in advance. She baked about six different cakes the night before Christmas, since we always entertained visitors.” “When I came to America, I never thought I could capture my Guyanese traditions and share them with my children. However, since my husband is also from Guyana, it made life much easier. I would bake homemade bread with my two daughters on Christmas Eve. We usually bake several cakes. Of course Christmas is not complete without our ginger
Dimple Willabus, her husband and three children beer and sorrel. My children all love our Guyanese pepper pot and bread on Christmas morning. Willabus noted that “regardless of how much effort we put into celebrating Christmas our Guyanese way, there is no replacement for a true Guyana Christmas that is celebrated in
Guyana”. “My husband and I usually share our experiences with our children about how great this time of the year was. We always emphasize that Christmas is celebrated in Guyana by all religions. My dad is a Hindu, but he also celebrated Christmas
with us. My older daughter, Chantelle, is married and has moved on with her life. This year, we will be having our traditional brunch at her home for the first time. I can safely say that we have done a good job passing on our Guyanese traditions to our children.”
CHRISTMAS IN CHINA
Kayshell’s photo shoot with some her little friends. Kayshell M. Jennings is an aspiring doctor who has been studying in Beijing, China for five years. She says the Christmas season makes her nostalgic each passing year. “Let me start by saying there is no Christmas like a Guyanese Christmas. That’s why being 9,370 miles away, in a country where Christmas isn’t celebrated, brings on the nostalgia one thousand-fold. It’s been five years and I believe
Eating black cake at a Christmas party with a friend from Kenya. The husband of the host was of Jamaican heritage.
I’ve just learnt to cope; different is difficult.” The medical student told Kaieteur News that Christmas in China has been on a spectrum. “From eating cup noodles with international friends on Christmas eve to lavish annual Christmas dinners with the church community singing carols of praise or a cordial invite to the Guyana Embassy in Beijing, where all the Guyanese sweets and treats open the taste
buds that have been lying dormant. They are awakened by pepper pot, chicken foot souse, some mauby and a good El Dorado, in the right proportions, of course, to bring a feeling of home.” She noted that “Guyanese are a resilient people, and so we adapt”. “I’ve learned in the times of plenty to relax and enjoy, and in times of little to be grateful, because you see, Jesus was born in a manger with grass and animal
Kayshell and her international friends share a meal of noodles and cake on Christmas Eve
poop. Regardless of the situation, spending Christmas away from home makes you appreciate home, even the mundane or seemingly torturous task of cleaning cutlery and table ware that no one uses the entire year, because in the end there is a feast with family.” She said that the experiences bring things into perspective and add a little bit more meaning. “So even though, I and many of my colleagues may have
examinations or regular work days during the Christmas season, you grasp onto more true meaning of the season: The Birth of Jesus, love and spreading cheer, whatever the dinner spread looks like.Christmas is in the heart. I’d still prefer to eat pepper pot and black cake any day. I’m truly looking forward to spending Christmas at home in the future.Season greetings to all Guyanese at home and abroad, was Kayshell’s final assertion .
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Wednesday December 25, 2019
Flavoursome Celebrating Christmas with ... Christmas Beverages CHRISTMAS IN GERMANY By Tianna Graham Among the many delicacies to look forward to each year, certain beverages are definitely among the best of the best. Many have even been relished by holiday revelers for more than a decade. From ginger beer and eggnog to wine and Shandy, these classic Christmas drinks are as inherent to holiday celebrations as decorating the tree and tasty pepper pot. They have stood the test of time and are sure to keep your You should ensure that you get the deepest season bright. red coloured blooms and the ones with the Ginger Beer freshest aroma. Its unique flavour enhanced with spices, lemon juice and rum is what makes Christmas, well…Christmas.
Ginger beer is a key beverage in most Guyanese home at Christmas time. Ginger beer, commonly made with ginger root and active yeast, goes with nothing better than homemade black cake. You can always feel like Christmas when you have ginger beer and black cake. This can be brewed up to 2 days to get that taste Guyanese love; this well loved holiday beverage has no substitute.Unlike many manufactured ginger beers which are made with corn syrup and ginger flavourings, there is nothing like a tall glass of chilled ginger
Wine Are the neighbours coming over for a last minute festive drink, but theres nothing cold in the fridge? Or sometimes you just want to sit back and uncork a bottle of wine. If you are planning your own Christmas menu then it can never be complete without a bottle of wine. Be sure to stay away from ice cubes since it melts and dilutes the wine. Instead try keeping some grapes in the freezer and popping those in your g l a s s i n s t e a d . Eggnog What is eggnog anyway? The festive holiday drink is typically made with milk, egg yolks, rum or whisky, and spices. It may not sound like the most appetizing
beer made the traditional Guyanese way Shandy What is a Guyanese Christmas without an ice cold Shandy. This beverage, produced and bottled by Banks DIH, has a1.6% alcohol content, and is available in five refreshing flavours (lemon, sorrel, champagne, honey lemon and citrus punch). Even little children can indulge in this tasty beverage, once the permission of their parents is granted. Sorrel Drink Sorrel as it is commonly called in Guyana is a species of hibiscus plant that has much health, traditional and medicinal benefits. Fun fact as well, the sorrel flower is in full bloom at Christmastime, so thats one of the reasons its a traditional holiday favourite.
As anyone would imagine Christmas in Europe is celebrated in a way that is quite different from Christmas in this part of the world. Ashma John, a Guyanese based in Bremen, Germany, gives us a glimpse of the festivity in the Western European country. She noted that among the common features of Christmas in Germany is the Christmas market. It‘s market spaces are opened during the run-up to Christmas. According to John, the town squares all over Germany are filled with festively decorated huts selling hand-crafted goods and delicious street food which consists of mostly sausage. “Sausage is a big part of German cuisine, so there’s a lot of that, and there‘s Glühwein, a drink which is traditionally served at stalls at Christmas markets across Germany.” She emphasized however that there is no late shopping there. All the Christmas shopping must be done early. “We do our shopping here early, because by midday Christmas Eve all the shops are closed,” said John, whose home is located just about an hour away at Hamburg, a major port city in northern Germany. She noted too that Christmas markets are a common feature in major cities across Europe. “For instance in Paris at Christmas time, it’s basically the Nutella-filled crepes sold by vendors in Christmas markets.” John says nonetheless she and her husband, Alex, are not too consumed by the European customs. “I still do my Christmas the traditional Guyanese way. I clean and rearrange like most Guyanese do at Christmas. My husband actually likes Caribbean food. He likes the spices, so I cook mostly Guyanese food.” John noted however that key ingredients for Christmas delicacies such as pepper pot are not readily available in Germany. We get most of the stuff here, but key ingredients like cassareep have to be sourced directly from Guyana. So whenever my friends from Guyana visit me in Germany, they bring stuff like cassareep and achar. “I had pepper pot last year, because a friend bought me some cassareep from Guyana,” John disclosed. The Germany-based Guyanese said she is constantly looking for ingredients which make her cooking feel most like home. “When I shop, I keep looking for things that are essential to cooking meals, Guyanese styles. We find most of the stuff we need.” She added, “But it is not always that way, because one time I tried to get the ingredients
Ashma John and her husband Alexandru Brasovean in the Christmas spirit at their home in Bremen, Germany to make cook-up rice for New Year’s Eve, but I could not get the salt beef and tripe. I remember one time my husband found the Danish cookies in the tin that Guyanese love, and brought it home. And recently I went to Zanzibar, Tanzania and I found split peas, so I made pholourie,” she added. John said that in addition to having a Guyanese-style Christmas, she and her husband have started a holiday tradition of their own. “We have started travelling and breaking the New Year in a new city or location that we love.” ***
Ashma’s pepperpot from Germany with love
A glimpse of the Christmas market in Bremen, Germany
cocktail based on its ingredients, but eggnogs creamy goodness is sure to lift your holiday spirits. Eggnog is believed to have descended from a drink called a “posset,” which consisted of hot curdled milk, ale or wine, and spices. More expensive ingredients like eggs, sherry, and figs were added to the recipe later on and the drink became popular among monks and the wealthy. Although this beverage is not very common in the Caribbean, you can give it a try this Christmas.
Kaieteur News
Wednesday December 25, 2019
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Gift Ideas for your ‘significant other’ at Christmas By Tianna Graham The Christmas holidays are a wonderful time of year—don’t let the pressure of what to get for your significant other dull your spirit in the festive
SPA DAY T
here’s nothing more luxurious and relaxing than a trip to the spa. Everyone loves to be pampered, from massages to manicures and pedicures and even facials. Experiencing a massage after a stressful time, or treating yourself to a facial
before a big event, is a luxury that many of us love to indulge in. Scheduling him or her for a massage, facial, mud bath, or entire day at a spa to relax and unwind can be just what your partner needs to undo all the hard trials of 2019 and refresh for the New Year to come.
H
season. If you’re unsure of how to approach this gift-giving situation, keep in mind that it is important to consider your partner’s wants and interests. That way, your partner will find your gift
PERSONALIZED PHOTO GIFT
ave you been wondering what to do with all those adorable selfies you and your partner took together? If you want your partner to ‘get the picture’ of just how
DINNER DATE
How often do you and your significant other enjoy a true “Date Night”? I’m not talking about a night of sitting on the couch watching a movie. I’m talking about a real, honest to goodness, ‘get dressed up and put-onmakeup’ kind of date. Create an enjoyable experience for your partner that he or she
will never forget. Whether it’s dinner at the best restaurant in town, a night of wine tasting or a couple’s photo shoot with a professional photographer, surprising your partner with something you know he or she will enjoy can be a fun holiday gift.
ELECTRONIC DEVICE
Is your partner a gadget guru? Then honestly, your loved one deserves better than a generic gift card. And with so many technological innovations on the table, selecting the best of the best can seem like an enormously daunting task. Is there a certain
invaluable, no matter the price tag. Here are some gift ideas that will have your partner giving you nothing but praise during this Christmas Season.
gadget or device that your partner has had their eye on? The answer is obvious then. Whether it’s a new laptop, some air pods or that brand new iPhone 11 pro max, it is sure the show off your excellent gift-giving skill.
much you love and cherish him/her, then a personalized photo gift is your best bet. Regardless of if you create a photo album, a mug, a poster, or even a pillow with your faces on it; it is bound to show your thoughtfulness this holiday season.
CLOTHING
Clothes are something that we all need all of the time and something women, especially, cannot have enough of! Is there a designer that he or she loves? A certain colour and style? Instead of giving a generic item of clothing that could seemingly send the wrong message, select something specific and sentimental that
could only come from his or her great boyfriend or girlfriend. Take your honey down memory lane and back to the places of meaning in your relationship. This can be a sweet holiday present that lets your partner reminisce on your journey together as well as how excited you are about the future.
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Wednesday December 25, 2019
Christmas crafts for kids ‘Do It Yourself ’ (DIY) Christmas ornaments. Do have fun with these few crafts listed below. By Trishan Craig During the holidays it can be a bit difficult to keep the kids occupied. Decorating the house is something a few find exciting while some only think of the hard work. This Christmas you can pull the kids in on helping to decorate the house with these simple
Handprint Santa What an excitement your kids will receive from creating a Santa Claus from their own handprints! This is a super fun activity for the kids, who love getting their hands messy. All you need are washable paints and a black sharpie/marker.
Dancing elf
Start by painting your child’s hand. Firstly, put white on the fingers and end of the thumb, skin colour in the middle for his face, and red at the bottom for his Santa hat. Press their hand on a black piece of construction paper. Turn the paper upsidedown and you have the start of your Santa Claus! After the paint dries, take a black sharpie/marker and draw the face. Add a white mustache, a red nose and rosey red cheeks to finish him. Popsicle Stick Snowman Hat Ornament Kids of all ages will enjoy making this DIY popsicle stick snowman hat ornament for Christmas. This is such a cute and easy craft idea for the holidays. Materials needed: · 5 Miniature craft sticks · 2 Standard craft sticks · 3 Red buttons · Green felt · Pinking shears
· Tacky craft glue or low-temperature hot glue gun · String · Satin Finish Mod Podge (optional) · Paintbrushes · Red acrylic paint · Black acrylic paint Instructions 1. After gathering supplies, arrange the popsicle sticks so there are 5 miniature craft sticks on the top and 2 standard craft sticks on the bottom. 2. Glue 2 mini craft sticks on top of the arrangement to secure them and create the shape of the snowman hat. 3. When the glue is dry, flip the snowman hat over to paint it. Paint the 4 top mini craft sticks and the bottom 2 craft sticks black. Paint the bottom mini craft stick red. 4. If desired, seal the paint with Satin Mod Podge. 5. Use pinking shears to cut 2 leaves from the green felt. When the paint is dry, glue the leaves to the hat with tacky craft glue or hot glue.
Snowman hat
Celebrating Christmas with zest – the unique outlook of the blind By Shania Pereira When comparing a visually impaired or blind person to one with normal sight, there are significant differences. Some of those with vision impairments are even faced with societal stigma. Moreover, it is perceived by some that celebrating Christmas for these individuals just might be viewed as perhaps the worst time of the year for them. This, however, is not true for all persons with visual impairment, as many of them are known to really get into the spirit of Christmas. This has been amplified by
persons within the Society for the Blind. In fact they have been making recommendations for society to accept that those it represents can indeed do what it takes to have a jolly Christmas too. Just like other Guyanese, the visually impaired can celebrate their Christmas exactly, and even more, than those who have no issues with sight. Just like most of us, they start with the traditional “breaking up the house”, thorough cleaning and other preparatory work, of course with the help of persons who are seeing better than they
can, to get things just right. They may need little help to get the traditional Christmas meals going, as they are able to make full use of their other senses of touch, smell, hearing and taste. Truth be told, I have even heard that a blind person’s cooking can turn out to be especially sumptuous. Shopping for them is another interesting experience. Because of their extraordinary sense of touch they are much more capable of selecting quality items. They can go shopping for Christmas trees, bells, streamers, lights, furniture and appliances.
Even accompanied by a relative or friend, a blind person bumping into other shoppers at this busy time of (Continued on page 43)
Handprint santa 6. Next, glue 3 red buttons on top of the leaves with tacky craft glue or hot glue. 7. Secure a loop of string to the back of the ornament with tacky craft glue or hot glue. 8. Your Snowman Hat Ornament is complete! Dancing Newspaper Elf Craft Materials needed: · Dancing Elf Craft Printable (Get yours at the bottom of this post.) · Newspaper · Paint · 1 Sheet of A4 Card · Small Jingle Bell (Optional) · Googly Eyes · M i n i R e d Pompoms · Marker Pen · Glue · Scissors Instructions 1- Allow your child to use their imagination and draw a dancing elf. 2 – Paint some newspaper sheets to the drawing of the elf. You can
choose the colours you want for your elf craft. 3 – Lay your elf craft drawing pieces onto the painted newspaper and draw around them and cut them out. 4 – Start building your dancing elf craft concertina, the long leg pieces and glue them onto the bottom of your A4 piece of card. Then glue on the elf’s cute curly toes dancing shoes! 5 – Add some mini red pompoms to finish off your elf’s dancing shoes. 6 –Add a jingle bell if you choose to the hat of the elf (Please be careful with small children as the bells could be a choking hazard.) 7 – Glue on the red trimmings to your elf’s hat and neck and then give your elf a cheeky face. You can use 2 googly eyes, a mini pompom for a nose and marker pen for the smile. Now you can wiggle your newspaper elf craft from side to side and hear his bell jingle merrily and see those cute wibbly wobbly legs do a festive dance.
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A Christmas without them
By Shikema Dey Christmas comes each year with all the trimmings; carols, trees, gifts, food, lights and most importantly, the love and warmth of family. But while most are prepared to celebrate the holidays, other families are
adjusting to a change in their usual celebrations; where the sad truth of death brings a reality that could cause Christmas to never be the same. Whether it may be the first year without them or the tenth, Christmas Day can be a tough milestone for those
who have lost a child, a parent, a grandparent, or, any loved one for that matter. To write this feature, I spoke to a few persons who lost someone dear to them to understand how different their Christmas celebrations will be today.
“I STILL HAVE HER GIFTS…”
“My daughter, Maria, loved Christmas. She loved everything about it. The lights, the food, the decorations but most of all, she loved family. Days before she passed, Maria said she wanted a tablet for Christmas. But I told her, she can have something else. I had already bought her gifts, wrapped and hidden away from her eyes. A big teddy bear, bigger than herself, a fluffy cartoon blanket and the only thing missing was a frozen ball. Even though she is not here, I will still buy that ball to keep as a reminder of my daughter. Maria was a perfect child, understanding and humble, and Christmas was her favourite. Maria loved pizza; it was her favourite food to eat even at Christmas. She loved helping me decorate. I took her shopping and we bought a lot of decorations, the tree and lights, the Santa hats, everything. But sadly, we did not get
“GRANNY WAS THE GLUE…” “For my family and me, growing up, Christmas was always a big deal…we celebrated even before the holidays, we just enjoyed cooking and being together most of the time. I lived with my mom, so I spent the majority of my time with her side of the family, and that’s what they did best. Christmas was just an excuse to do more cooking and celebrating than usual, the entire week leading up to Christmas would be filled with impromptu meet-ups and fun-filled cook-outs, but Christmas day was a lot quieter and felt more genuine than all the other days. My grandmother was always an active woman, so she insisted that the cooking for Christmas dinner should
be her thing, since she sat back and enjoyed all throughout the holiday. She would put her all into the food she made, and spend all day preparing it with a little help from the Aunties, though she ruled with an ‘iron spoon’. It was all fun and games, since cooking together had always been the way my family bonded, and Granny would have it no other way. Hours later and a well prepared dinner was there; the smells that filled the house only made you eager to sit around the table and enjoy, but while we waited, older cousins and uncles told us kids, scary stories, and we would play hide and seek in my grandmother’s house, but nothing we did could beat
finally digging into Granny’s Christmas dinner. Everything was made with love and determination to fill the family with more food and love than they came in with, and in that mission, Granny always succeeded. The smile on her face was all we needed to know that she was happy and contented with our little ‘get together’. We would play and laugh well into the night, everyone together with not a frowning face in sight, as Granny intended and always made sure of on Christmas Day. But the food does not taste the same; the atmosphere is not the same without her. But we try to keep the tradition alive as she intended.” – Julissa Williams [granddaughter]
“GRANDMA AND THE HOLIDAYS…”
Nerissa Persaud and her Grandmother
to decorate together this year. This year, Christmas will not be the same. But next year, I am determined to
celebrate Christmas just like she wanted, with the decorations she loved and her favorite pizza.” – Yoshoda Mangal [Mother]
“CHRISTMAS WITHOUT MOMMY…” “Every Christmas season, we’d start by cleaning the house, just like everybody else. When that’s done, we decorate, we’d put up blinds to match our decorations and everything else that would make our house look fancy. We’d make our shopping list, then we’d go shopping at the market for the beef, pork and everything else to make that ‘prapa’ Pepper pot. We’d buy everything to make our black cake and sponge cake. But the best part was me getting a present for being a good girl. On Christmas Eve, we’d go to Rosignol to see the festivities; the toys, clothes on sale, music playing, people dancing, the whole Christmas feeling. On Christmas day, the first thing I’d wake up to is a kiss from my Mommy and a great big hug. I’d open my gift in her presence… it was always something I’d wanted. Then
Wednesday December 25, 2019
Shanika Braithwaite and her mother in happier times I’d hug and kiss her. Throughout the day, all I did was eat, especially the apples and grapes. Christmas with my mommy was the best. Ever since she passed...it isn’t the same, and I don’t feel like it’s
the season to be jolly anymore. She was loving, kind and smart. She had a personality of gold...Christmas was her favourite time of the year. It was mine too, but not anymore.” Shanika Braithwaite [daughter]
“Deorajee Persaud was a very humble being. Gracious in her ways, jolly and kindhearted. We all admired the way she’d carry herself, with strength. Her children and grandchildren were always proud when people would talk about her. Everybody would call her Ma. Christmas was our favourite time together. The holidays were always looked forward to. We’d prepare meals; enjoy drinks, share jokes or stories from the past,
one of her favourite things to do. We’d compliment and make fun of each other as we sang… horribly, Christmas carols, and dance. She was our love and happiness. That happiness we felt disappeared when she left. Her death came and shook us all. Heartbroken, we were all left to face life. It became gloomy. Christmas is not the same without her. We’d still share the same jokes,
cook her favourite foods. But the memory of her being with us is all we have remaining there. It becomes a fresh wound whenever someone mentions her. This Christmas will just be another day without her. She’ll forever be in our hearts. Our Ma.” – Nerissa Persaud [granddaughter]
Wednesday December 25, 2019
Kaieteur News
PAGE 35
A Christmas gift for Anita By Michael Jordan Gracie, my eleven-yearold sister, got to the gate before me and collected The Citizen, the evening papers, just dropped off by old Mrs. West, who walked through Tucville hawking her printed goods. It was two weeks before Christmas. Gracie dodged as I playfully tried to block her path. she ran inside, laughing triumphantly. In a minute she would be giggling over the stupid comics, Flop Hat and Lil Comrade and Cassava Joe, and calling me to read about the latest exploits of Joseph the Amorous Goat, the big stray ram that roamed roaming Linden’s Burnham’s Drive, and pushed his head under ladies’ skirts. I was thinking about Loraine and my brother’s upcoming party and table tennis when I heard Gracie scream. It was a sound of anguish, and I would hear her scream like that, many years later. I rushed upstairs; she was standing in the living room, staring at the paper, mouth open, shaking her head. “What happen, Gracie?” She didn’t answer. Just kept staring at the n e w s p a p e r, t e a r s n o w coursing down her face. “What happen?” She looked me and said, in a trembly voice: “They kill my friend.” * I took the paper. Stared at the headlines: SCHOOLGIRL’S BODY FOUND PROPPED UP IN ALLEYWAY. MURDERED AFTER LEAVING NETBALL GAME Beneath, was the photograph of a girl. She appeared to be sitting in some narrow, grassy area. Her back was against a chain-link fence, her head tilted to the left; eyes closed as if asleep. The picture was taken at an angle that made her legs look too long for her body. Her white Dunlop boots seemed almost comically large. The long, thin legs were outstretched; her hands were limp in her lap. “That’s not her,” I heard myself mumble as I stared at the girl while Gracie whimpered nearby. The girl my sister called her friend always had that half-smile
playing around her mouth. There was something sad about this girl’s closed mouth. And her hair. … Gracie’s friend had neat plaits; this girl’s hair appeared dusty and unkempt. “They kill my friend,” Grace whimpered again. Murdered after coming from netball practice. …It can’t be her…But it could still be a mistake. But what was not a mistake was the skirt; that pleated skirt. * Her name was Anita Stephens.I hadn’t even known that until now. Gracie might have told me, but my friend was all I remembered her ever saying. My sister had just started out to Saints Stanislaus College, and I was designated to follow her in the mornings as she caught the East La Penitence bus that would take her to school. I didn’t mind, because I would sometimes get a glimpse of Loraine. She lived at the corner of Jackson Street. I had gotten to know her from church about a month ago. It was my brother who had made me know that he had heard her and a friend whispering about me. “Loraine likes you,” he’d said. “Who?” “That girl in church, with that wide smile that shows her nice gums.” “Oh.” I had spotted her after church; a slim, dark girl who had smiled and said something to me just as I was leaving church. Then she had walked on. I had met her again the first day I was following Gracie. On those days that I followed Gracie, I would be so absorbed with Loraine that I barely noticed my sister’s friend. I estimated, vaguely, that she was a year or two older than Grace. She was a tallish, brown-skinned girl who always seemed to be smiling. She wore a lightpink uniform with a pleated skirt. I knew that was the Alleyne’s High uniform. I remembered Gracie said she played netball. Gracie’s closest friend had been a girl her age named Terraine, who had lived next door with a postmaster and his wife. They had known each other since they were around four, when we had moved to Tucville. They had a silly, girly whistle that they would use when they wanted to meet and chat at the fence. But Terraine had migrated with her mother to the States last June. She and Gracie had
both cried and promised to keep in touch. This new girl was the new friend, I guess. So, while we waited for the bus, Gracie would be chatting with this girl, and I would be with Loraine; too stupidly shy to say anything about how I felt; then the bus would come, and Loraine would smile and enter, and I would be thinking, afterwards, about what I could have said; should have said, what I would say next time; glad that this friend gave me some space to talk to Loraine. I had not thought of the fact that I had not seen Gracie’s friend this morning. And now Gracie’s friend was dead. * Anita Stephens had gone to school, come home at three, changed into a white tee shirt, and gone to netball practice at the Parade Ground. When she had not come home, her mother checked at friends. No one could account for her whereabouts. Her mom also checked at the Georgetown Hospital and made a report at the East La Penitence Police Station Next day, with Anita still missing, Mrs. Stewart was passing by the Tucville Primary School when she saw a group of schoolchildren standing by an alleyway. Curious, she went to look, only to see that they were staring at Anita, who was lying dead in the alleyway. * My sister was still crying when Mom came home. Mom was furious that the Citizen would have such a photograph on its front page. She took the paper, put it away, and glared at me as if it was my fault that Gracie had seen it. “When Miss West comes tomorrow,” she snapped, “please tell her we not taking the Citizen anymore!” With the papers out of sight, I half-wondered if I had imagined it all. But the next day, when I took Gracie to catch the bus, the girl in the pink skirt wasn’t there. I saw my sister, looking around as if expecting to see her; looking at the empty spot where Anita Stephen usually stood. Then, right there, she began to cry. I began to comfort her and didn’t see when Loraine came up. “Hi,” she said, speaking to me, looking at Gracie, who was rubbing away her tears. “What happened to her?”
“Her friend,” I said. Loraine creased her brows in puzzlement for a moment, then she said: “You mean Anita Stephens?” I nodded. She sighed. “Sad…” Then she added, looking at Gracie: “Don’t worry, girl. The police catch the killer, and they will punish him good.” “What…when?” I blurted. “You didn’t know? It in the Chronicle.” “No,” I said. “I didn’t know.” Conscious of Gracie nearby, but curious, I asked. “ W h o t h e y held?—Somebody from Meadowbrook?” I had heard someone say that she was attacked while walking through Meadowbrook. “I thought you would know,” Loraine said; then her sweet mouth, that I often imagined kissing, twisted into a grimace of scorn: “Is Fat Man Do it!” “Who is Fat man?” “Her neighbor, man!” she said, a note of impatience in her voice. She paused, then added: “Somebody tell me that he plays tennis at your club.” Fat Man. … A face came to me, and I felt a chill of recognition. The Club The houses of the De Abreus and the Joneses were where you went to party. The Harper house was the place where you went to lift weights and box and maybe learn a few karate and judo moves. Our house was the house with the table tennis club. But it wasn’t a club, really. It was just where a crowd of noisy boys from the neighbourhood that would gather at our bottom house to play table-tennis. My brother’s classmates would come over—Eddie, Wilko, Long-belly, and others. They followed when we moved to Tucville. They were joined by the new friends we made. The one they called Fat Man was one of them.
He was a stocky, roundfaced, pleasant looking chap, who always seemed to be smiling, never playing, just standing nearby, looking on, never staying for any length of time. That afternoon, after the finding of the body, the usual crowd of boys came around. Now that Fat Man had been arrested, we heard all that they said that he had done. That he “limed” with the two Baines brothers from East La Penitence; that they had raped a few girls coming home late, that he knew to fight, and that they believed he had broken Anita’s neck with a karate chop. There were whispers that they had found scratches on his body and blood on his jersey. Mrs. West had come around with her stack of papers at around four. I told her that we weren’t taking the Citizen for now but didn’t tell her why. T h e morni
ng’s Chronicle had an update; a small story hidden discreetly in the centre pages. There was a passportsize photograph of Anita with that familiar smile and a headline that said: Several detained for Schoolgirl’s murder. “We got to be careful who we let come to the club,” my brother said, after the boys had left. “And we can’t let mommy dem know that this chap used to come here.” “Okay.” “Gracie alright now?” “Much better,” I said. Then I added: “I see Loraine today.” “You inviting she to my party? I got the tickets.” “Yes,” I said, playing it cool, not letting him know that I hadn’t even told Loraine how I felt, (Continued on page 36)
Kaieteur News
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Wednesday December 25, 2019
A Christmas gift for Anita... From page 35 though I was sure that she liked me. I had never been bold like the Kickster. “I will give you two tickets tomorrow.” * Anita was to be buried two days later. When the day came, my brother came up with the idea that the boys from the club should sub, buy a wreath. and attend Ann’s funeral. That was the Kickster; a girls-guy, but studious, always trying to do the right thing. Mom told Gracie she couldn’t attend. Gracie had cried. Mom gave her a dollar to put towards buying the wreath. So, that afternoon, there we were, attending only the third funeral I had ever attended … the funeral of a girl I had barely known; there I was, dressed in my Sunday clothes, along with about ten of us from the Club. The funeral was held at the small Seventh-Day Adventist church not far from where Anita had lived. I saw several girls from Anita’s club. They were dressed in jerseys marked GT Celtics. The church was packed and hot. We didn’t go to the cemetery. What I remember was us filing into the church, at the head of the isle, and passing Anita’s casket that they said that her father, who was a carpenter, had made. Even then, part of me didn’t believe that it was Gracie’s friend, and that part of me made me pause to look inside the casket and at the thin, powdered, longish face; the smile gone forever. That night, I dreamed of Anita Stephens. She was sitting in the alleyway, staring at me. * I was following Gracie to the bus stop, glad that school would be closed in three days; glad that I would no longer see my little sister staring towards the spot where Anita usually stood, where the two of them usually stood. I pushed the thought away, thinking of the Kickster’s birthday next week Saturday, thinking of how my hands had gone cold as I gave Loraine the tickets and she had said yes, she would come; thinking of what I would wear; the nice pair of Hush-Puppies that the Kickster had bought me, or
maybe the brown platform shoes that would make me look taller…thinking of how it would feel to hold Loraine, smiling as I thought of the Kickster, who was only now wondering how he would juggle the three girlfriends he had invited. Gracie and I were heading towards the Jackson Street bridge that would take us to the bus stop, when she emitted a small cry, stopped and clutched my hand tightly. Fat Man, wearing a grey toque, short khaki pants, and white tee shirt, was sitting on the bridge. He sat, hunched forward on the western side of the wide bridge, where we would be passing; staring at the other side of the bridge; seeming not to see the schoolchildren, the people hurrying past. We stood there for a moment, Gracie’s grip tight around my hand; my heart pounding; wanting to turn back, but thinking that Gracie looked up to me, Gracie had never seen me show fear.I took a deep breath. “Come over to my right side,” I said. She shifted over to my right, and, trying to put a swagger into my walk, trying to walk slowly, I headed with Gracie towards the bridge; trying not to look at Fat Man.For the first time I realized that he wasn’t really fat; at least, not fat in a soft, girly way, like the chap we called Piggy, who lived in South and had come to our club a couple of times. Looking at Fat Man was like seeing a ghost or someone returned from the dead, seeing this man who had always seemed to be smiling, wondering what to do, what to tell him, what he was doing there, why they had released him; feeling a wave of rage emitting from the slouching man, sitting there and seemingly ready to pounce ;daring anyone to say a wrong word or looked at him in the wrong way; and for the first time in a long time, I felt small, like the skinny, pimpled boy I had
only recently grown out of being.. Two girls were heading across the bridge towards us. They took a quick glance at Fat Man as they passed him. I saw them veer away from him, step a little quicker, saw the taller one glance quickly back and, hand half-covering her mouth in that gossipy g i r l ’s w a y, w h i s p e r something to her friend. Fat Man turned to the girls, just as the tall one sneaked a look at him. He shifted on the bridge, and for a moment I thought he was getting up to follow them. Then he spotted me and Gracie. We stared at one another for a moment; a moment in which his rage lay bare for me to see. Then he turned away and stared again at nothing. We passed him. I did not look at him; did not greet him, just took Gracie to the bus stop. I watched her look at the spot where Anita would have been standing. I knew what she would say before she said it, and I knew I would have no answer. “They loosed him,” Gracie said. Her voice filled with that same anguish and disbelief as when she had stared at her friend’s photograph. I didn’t answer. “Why they loosed him?” “I don’t know.” I was just as stunned and baffled as she was. I guessed that Gracie somehow expected me to know why he was out. I was the big brother with a fascination for detective stories; hooked on them at the age of eleven and had never grown out of that phase. I even had a wormeaten book with a British pathologist about his cases. I had a collection of Mike Hammer novels, and I told Gracie that I would be a detective one day. She, naturally, expected answers from me as to why Fat Man, suspected of murdering her friend, was sitting on the bridge. After I got home, I checked the newspapers for answers. I perused the
Chronicle; I borrowed The Citizen from my best friend, Mallie Hawker. I read that a group of boys had lassoed Joseph the Amorous Goat and drowned him in the Demerara River. But there was nothing about Anita Stephens; not that day, or the next, or the next; nothing to say the detectives were working the case; nothing to say that a girl named Ann Stewart had even existed. In my mind, the detectives had failed. * Christmas came. I got a pair of jeans and a jersey. Dad surprised me with a Bruce Lee magazine,’ Jeet Kune Do, My martial Arts Training Guide.’ Inside was a poster of Lee in his Enter the Dragon stance when he had fought Mr. Han in the hall of mirrors. I was thinking about the best place to put the poster before I settled down in bed to read through the training guide, when Gracie called out to me from her room.For Christmas, Gracie got a compendium of games and a book. She also got a Christmas card from her friend Terraine. I went over, wondering what she wanted, and found her on bed with her old teddy, and looking at the card and crying. “You miss Terraine,” I said. She stared up at me. “I thinking about Anita.” I felt guilty, and a little angry, because I wanted Gracie to stop thinking about
her; I wanted to stop thinking how we had failed Anita. I wanted to forget that photo of her in the alleyway; forget about seeing her in her casket, stiff and unsmiling. I wanted to push away this feeling of helplessness. This was Christmas Day, for heaven’s sake. We had gone to midnight mass. The house smelled of black-cake and the chicken that mommy was baking. I didn’t know what to say, so I said nothing. Then she said: “I want to do something for Anita.” I helped her pick some roses and zinnias from the front yard. I picked a few hibiscuses that protruded into our yard through the chain-link fence that separated us from Mr. Allen, the retired postmaster. We added some of mommy’s palm fronds. I tied them together and placed them in a plastic bag. Mommy had given me a parcel to take to the woman who did her hair, so I told her Gracie was following me. The hairdresser lived along the same route that we were taking. We dropped off the parcel and headed to the alleyway; getting whiffs of garlic pork and pepperpot, passing a group of boys with cap-guns playing a noisy game of ‘war;’ with one boy hotly insisting he wasn’t dead. From a house, we heard Nat Cole, singing about chestnuts roasting on an open fire. We passed Anita’s house. I noticed that there were no fairy lights strung in the verandah, no music, passed the house where I was told that Fat man lived; saw that one window was open. Eventually we reached the corner where the alley started. A small trench separated the alley from the road. Someone had placed a narrow plank across the trench. There was a man in the
yard near the alley. He looked at me, looked at Gracie. I could almost sense him thinking of what had happened in the alley only a few days ago. He kept staring as I crossed the plank. Now, still staring, he came closer to the fence. “What you children up to?” I was wondering what to say when he peered at me and said. “You are Mr. Mc Allister’s boy?” “Yes, Sir.” I took the flowers out of the bag. “We are just putting these in the alley for my sister’s friend.” He didn’t say anything, so I crossed over into the alleyway, now realizing that I had forgotten to count the houses to know where Anita’s was. I walked about a hundred yards down the alley, the earth soft from the December rains. From where I stood, I could hear the soft strains of Nat Cole.Yule-tide carols, being sung by a choir, and folks dressed up like Eskimos. … It hit me then. Anita would never hear that song, would never get another present, would never sit at her parents’ table, waiting for stuffed chicken and ham, and when we were sleeping off the big Christmas meal Anita would be. No. I won’t cry in front of my little sister. I pushed back the tears, placed the flowers on the ground. I turned back, stood with Gracie at the alleyway for a moment, then we headed home, with me making a silent promise that I would find out who had killed Gracie’s friend. (From a novel to be published in 2020. In memory of Ann Stewart. M u r d e r e d , December 1976. Killers unknown.
Kaieteur News
Wednesday December 25, 2019
PAGE 43
It just won’t be the same without “Mammy”
By Renay Sambach Reminiscing on the good and bad times they shared with their mother, 16-yearold Tyrese Hubbard and 8year-old Tyron Hubbard share how different it would be for them this festive holiday season. For most people Christmas is a time of joy, togetherness, peace and celebrating the birth of Christ. Christmas is also a time for family and friends to get together and celebrate a traditional Guyanese Christmas. Tyrese and Tyron grew up with their mother in Queenstown Village located on the Essequibo Coast. While the rest of the villagers have long been engaged in activities such cleaning, shopping and other preparations in time for today, Tyrese and Tyron are still trying to cope with losing their mother, the sole breadwinner of their home, who died earlier this year.
Days before her 42nd birthday, Mary fell sick, and on June 19, 2019, she was admitted to the Suddie Public Hospital. “After Mammy get sick my aunty dem carry she to the hospital…and aunty Roxanne say she would carry me to see Mammy a day, but when I asked her she changed her mind and told me I can’t go,” Tyrese reflected. Mary was her sons’ superhero. In December, adults attend their work social and children attend their school party. Tyron, a student of Queenstown Primary School, said that his mother didn’t get the chance to keep her promise to him since she passed away before he could have attended this year’s school party. Tyron was unable to attend his school party last year since his mother couldn’t afford to buy him new clothes and a gift. He said that last year after his mother explained to him that he wouldn’t be attending the school party, he was disappointed, but he stayed home and watched cartoons. He remembers the other children dressed in
their new clothes, fancy shoes and boots, passing on their way to the party. Later that afternoon he had sat on his steps as the children talked about how much fun they had at the school party, while holding balloons and party bags in their hand on their way home. Mary had made a promise to her youngest son Tyron that she would have purchased him new clothes, boots and a gift for him to attend this year’s school party. However, Mary died months before she could have fulfilled the promise she made to her son. “Mammy promised me that she would send me school party this year, but she dead before I get to dress up nice.” Still in their memories, Tyrese and Tyron remember the Christmas they spent with their mother before she died. They shared that around the Christmas season they would have helped clean the yard and even helped their mother decorate the home for Christmas. After weeks of hard work, cleaning and putting away, it all paid off on
Celebrating Christmas with zest – the... From page 28 the year is almost impossible to avoid. This can become daunting when cruel and unkind words are hurled at them. Grocery shopping is practically the same, but this is a more enjoyable experience. Getting the right cuts of beef, pork, ham, chicken, fish, shrimp and mutton, and the ingredients for cakes, puddings, yogurts, sauce, drinks and so much more could in fact be a fun aspect of a blind person’s Christmas. After all the big excitement of shopping is done, the Pepper pot is prepared with the wellseasoned meat, garlic pork is cured and the house is usually painted. “Without that extraordinary scent of paint, oh please, where can I get that Christmassy Feeling,” a visually impaired woman said excitedly. But trying not to touch the walls is one of the biggest challenges for them since these serve as a guide for navigating and maneuvering around the house. “I remember when I made baby steps throughout the entire house all day long just to avoid touching those freshly painted walls,” she confided. “Even though we are
A crooner does his thing at a Christmas concert for the visually impaired blind, we still manage to decorate the Christmas trees and the houses in an organised and well fashioned way… we’ve got magic in our hands,” a few more visually impaired persons chimed in. For them, too, the eve of Christmas, that’s when all decorating is preferred to be done. “With carols playing and that tender bread baking that gives you all the effort and encouragement to get on your feet and get something doing,” another blind person shared. Despite challenged without sight, blind persons
still have a clear image in their head of what works well for them. After the finishing touches to the home are completed, they are able to go to bed with relaxed and eased minds, very much aware of their tremendous contributions. “We can cook, bake and do all of the things that are traditionally done on our own, without assistance,” another member of the Blind Society shared. Christmas comes but once a year, the season where everyone should feel most loved, even if they are blind or visually impaired.
Christmas Day when their mother would cook a big pot of fried-rice and pot-roast chicken for lunch, and a pepper pot so delicious it would finish in less than a day. “After Mammy finished cooking was the best time for us and the time we spent together was fun.” With a melancholy expression evident on both their faces, the lads appeared to be fighting back tears. The boys agreed that thinking about this Christmas is sad, since they didn’t know last year Christmas was the last Christmas they would have spent with their mother. The most hurtful part, they said, is having to live with the fact that they will never again be able to spend this joyous season with their mother in person, but just in spirit. Even though today won’t be the same for Tyrese and Tyron, they are willing to make the best out of it and make the necessary adjustments in order to keep their Christmas spirit alive. While Tyron will be spending Christmas with his aunt Roxanne, Tyrese has moved in with his boss and his family. Minutes away from each other, the boys still communicate with each other. Tyrese visits his aunt’s home regularly and is
Tyrese (left) and Tyrone Hubbard with their mother Mary in happier times able to see his brother off to school every day. Tyron’s face lit up, while still having teardrops on his face, when he shared that even though his mother died before she purchased his school party items, his aunt kept his mother’s promise and she bought new clothes and ensured that he had everything to attend his school party Today, Tyrese will wake up at his boss’ home, but he will go and visit his brother and carry him for a treat. The ‘badcow’ is a traditional event that happens during the Christmas season in Queenstown Village.
There will be days when the boys will miss seeing their mother and hearing her voice and sadness will overcome them, but their mother will always be in their hearts even if she won’t be able to be there to hold them anymore. After years of learning and having fun with their mother, this Christmas will take a huge adjustment for the Hubbard brothers. While Christmas for some is cheerful and fun, Tyrese and Tyron will be trying their best to keep a smile on their faces and never forget that their mother will always remain in their hearts.
Homeless, but not hopeless... From page 29 inferno has essentially halted her family's involvement in the Christmas celebrations this year. “My entire family was looking forward to being part of the celebration this year and now look what happened. I am now staying by my sister until I'm able to rebuild a home for myself.” “As a mother and a Guyanese woman, I does look forward to celebrating Christmas every year with my family and friends. In my house the smell of pepper pot does be in the air since December 22. I start my Christmas shopping since November and I was almost done with shopping when the fire destroyed my home,” the woman related as she reflected on past Christmases.
“It hasn't been easy letting go of Christmas plans,” said Deolall, as she shared “This style of celebrating Christmas is something I got from my mother, my mother used to take down all the window curtains from her home since the beginning of October month and leave the windows just like that until she buys new curtains, and then she would pay somebody to scrub or paint the house. So when Christmas Day arrives all houses on the street does look brand new, including ours,” Deolall recounted. Although Deolall is not celebrating Christmas today like old times, she too has extended warm Christmas greetings and hope for
the entire nation. Joining the other two families to extend holiday greetings to the nation is 62year-old Amoutie Premraj. She lost her Lot 35 North Sophia home, which she shared with her two grandchildren and disabled husband, on October 7, 2019. According to Premraj, although she does not have her own home to be in this Christmas, it is still her duty to make sure her family has a good time. “Me, my husband and our grandkids are staying by a family member, but I will not allow that to bother me, I am going to have a good Christmas this year,” she assured.
Kaieteur News
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Wednesday December 25, 2019
Christmas in Kumaka - an area that does not take its celebrations lightly A wine collection in one of Kumaka's stores
By Shania Pereira
G
u y a n a ' s Christmas tradition may vary from town to town. However, Christmas trees, strings of light, garlands, ornamentations, angels and bells are all essential features during this festive time. We enjoy the love and warmth each Christmas carol brings, congestion in stores, the anxious kiddies who await Santa Claus and the magic hidden under each parent's smile. Christmas is one of the special times to remember those that are far away from our minds. When one considers the holidays, the brightly-lit capital city comes to mind. But there are Christmas celebrations outside of Georgetown too. Kumaka is one such area of the country that does not take its celebrations lightly. In Kumaka, Christmas
preparations begin since in October. At this time all marketing companies gear up for competition. Shopping and intense cleaning begins; cobwebbing, wiping of walls, throwing out of old furniture and appliances…there is usually a whole lot to be done. Kumaka's Christmas fully embraces tradition. Every year residents usually start their festive preparation by dismantling their homes until Christmas Eve. This is followed by Christmas shopping where they enjoy the scenery of items on display. Without that hustle and bustle, it is believed that it's almost impossible to have the Christmas spirit in the atmosphere. A s t h e s e a s o n approaches, more residents tend to go to churches and participate in charitable and cultural events. Businesspersons from the Region play significant roles in the cultures of the Kumakans,
contributing monetary assistance to help the less fortunate. Persons in Kumaka go all out to ensure everyone experiences a feeling of acceptance, peace and prosperity during this time. In recent years, the Mayor along with residents initiated an annual Christmas concert and Christmas tree light up in the square of a nearby community. This tree light up still manages to delight the residents of the community. This major event brings out hundreds of individuals and its end usually signals that it is time to wish everyone, especially firsttimers, “Seasons Greetings”. At this time every house is decorated in abundance, exhibiting the flair of Kumaka's cultures. With this done, a lot of people take time to cruise around the community “sightseeing” the best and the most attractive decorated houses. A lot of praying is usually done to request and accept blessings, mercy, peace, love and joy within the community.
On Christmas day, the residents are well aware of the dishes cooked from the pleasing and desirable aroma in the atmosphere. Some of the most classic delicacies are prepared. Later in the day, children are given the special gifts, those which are provided by the contributions made by the businesspersons in the community. One feature residents look forward to at this festive time is the “fireworks”. In Kumaka, explosives are lit on New Year's Eve, followed by a church service which begins at 7pm and ends about midnight, while others enjoy the comforts of parties, dinners and the final day of public caroling. It is also their custom to cook the appetizing cook up rice with a variety of peas. As they continue to bake cakes and bread to last throughout the remainder of the holidays, residents of Kumaka embrace the hope of ushering in the New Year with a pure soul, heart, mind and a clear conscience for their continuous progression and prosperity. A store in the community
Two residents pose with Santa
One of Kumaka's Christmas trees
Kaieteur News
Wednesday December 25, 2019
Today we at Kaieteur News join our Christian brothers and sisters to celebrate the birth of The Christ Child. We pray that the season will be filled with joy, peace and thanksgiving;
PRESIDENT DAVID GRANGER The Holy Festival of Christmas celebrates the miraculous birth of Jesus Christ. His birth was a fulfilment of a prophecy foretold, centuries earlier, in the Book of Isaiah in the Holy Bible. Christmas represents the promise of peace, an eternal and universal human aspiration. The Gospel of St. Luke in the Holy Bible reminds us that, on the night of Jesus’s birth, angels proclaimed: “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.” Christmas recalls that Christ was born into a family. Jesus came into the world as a baby, born into a family, He belonged to a model family…the holy family. The family is a divine creation
which must be protected. Christmas is a time to strengthen the bonds of fraternity, friendship and family-hood. It is a time for family reunions and for spreading cheer by exchanging gifts, visiting friends, attending church, sending greeting cards, singing carols and sharing dinners within the home and community. Christmas reminds us of our duty to each other, particularly the nurses, soldiers, policemen and other working people who will spend Christmas away from their families and homes. We are reminded, also, of the plight of the poor, the weak, the destitute and those who are sick, in grief and in need, at this time. We are all part of society.
Guyana is in a better place at this time. The future is bright. Things will get better in the months, years and decade ahead. Citizens’ quality of life will continue to improve. Everyone – regardless of class, ethnicity, gender or place of residence – will benefit from the continued growth and development in our country. The Holy Festival of Christmas is an opportunity to strengthen the bonds which unite us – as a family, community and country. Let us be the agents for promoting peace and bearing goodwill to all. Let us ensure peace, goodwill and safety in our homes, on the roadways and in our communities. A happy and peaceful Christmas to all Guyanese!
PEOPLE’S PROGRESSIVE PARTY People’s Progressive Party (PPP) takes this opportunity to extend greetings to all Guyanese, especially the Christian community here and in the Diaspora, for a joyous and blessed Christmas. The holiday season is a time of joy, goodwill and sharing. It is also a time for compassion and kindness as we all endeavour to spread peace and love towards our fellowmen and women for the betterment of humanity. Our dear country abounds with traditions for Christmas, as Guyanese, despite their challenges, find ways and means to share in the true spirit of the season. It is these traditions and values that have come to make this period here unique and much anticipated, epitomizing what we have all come to hold
dear at this time of year. As we celebrate in the ways we can, our Party urges reflection so that the pertinent messages and significance of this festive time are not lost. Christmas marks the birth of the saviour Jesus Christ whose exemplary life and teachings provide guidance for the upliftment of humanity. Let us all be inspired by what he stood for and continues to represent so as to build a more tolerant society and a better Guyana. Our Party also urges that we all keep in our thoughts and prayers, the needy, the less fortunate and the many others who are faced with personal challenges thereby preventing them from truly experiencing the festivities of this season. Merry Christmas to all!
GUYANA AGRICULTURAL AND GENERAL WORKERS’ UNION Christmas, as we know, is associated with the birth of Jesus Christ. His religion – Christianity – has survived many trials in its history and is known for many values humanity has embraced. Among these are peace and empathy for the poor and vulnerable. Today, in the Middle Eastern lands where Jesus Christ was born and where he lived we see continuous conflict and turmoil. Thousands are losing their lives, losing their homes and meagre possessions and forced to contend with dire circumstances.In our Guyana, at the present time, we are witnessing growing intolerance and escalating economic pressures; unemployment and high-handedness stalk many communities. In this season, we see the heartless measure whereby sugar workers remain jobless and clueless about the future. Really, this will be the most challenging Christmas for the Guyanese working-class. The human spirit, however, knows how to overcome adversity. Ways and means must once again be found to deal with our misfortunes. This is the season of hope and we must resolve to never give up. It must be noted that Jesus is regarded as a type of
Religious rebel who confronted courageously the Roman rulers on behalf of the oppressed. Hope dwelt amongst them. With the foregoing sentiments uppermost in our thoughts, the Guyana Agricultural and General Workers Union (GAWU) joins the Christian community in celebration, yet again, in this season of Christmas. We wish, indeed, all Guyanese a joyous season. This season now transcends its origins as all Guyanese seem to be caught up in some aspect of the celebration whether in church, home or community. Christmas signals the closure of 2019 a year of severe challenges for the masses of Guyanese. It also brings us to the threshold of a New Year, which if it is to be a better year requires our united struggles and selfless efforts. The celebration of Christmas 2019 embraced by so many, presents the opportunity for togetherness to prevail over selfishness, political high-handedness and discrimination and set our nation on the path to harmony and strive to ensure that peace and goodwill among men and women prevail. A joyful Christmas and a New Year of Hope from GAWU – to all Guyana!
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features that are embraced during this festive time of year. Below are some similar sentiments also intended to amplify the true meaning of Christmas.
PEOPLE’S NATIONAL CONGRESS REFORM The miraculous birth of Jesus Christ – celebrated by most Christians on the 25th December – is recorded in the Gospel according to St Luke as heralding an era of “peace on earth and good will toward men.” Jesus’ humble birth took place in a common manger in a tiny town in an obscure country. He was able, nevertheless, with a small band of disciples, to preach a gospel that transformed the world in a most fundamental way and created a remarkable Christian civilization of which we are all heirs. Guyana being a multi-religious and multiethnic society is in a unique position to benefit from the teachings of the religions of all of its peoples. Christmas is, therefore, not only for members of the Christian community but for all Guyanese in a very real
sense. There is abundant evidence that the teachings of Christianity and its practices have influenced the lives of all of our people. In other words, this country has seen the benefits of the policy of allowing all religions to flower in Guyana. Christian beliefs go well beyond the religious and have had a notable effect on all aspects of life in Guyana, in terms of the production of Art, Literature, our way of living and our objective of building a harmonious and tolerant society. The Christian spirit of charity continues to inspire Guyanese of all religions. Ordinary people everywhere reach out with compassion and generosity to help their brothers and sisters in distress. We call to mind the plight of the aged, the poor and
other vulnerable citizens. We remember our servicemen and soldiers who will spend this joyous festival separated from their families at sea and on our far-flung frontiers. We recognize the service of our nurses, servicemen, technicians and working people who maintain our utilities, sanitary facilities and security services to ensure that citizens could be safe and that the nation could be secure. The biblical promise of peace on earth and good will toward men, however, remains unfulfilled. Guyanese are urged on the occasion of this sacred festival – through thought, word and work – to make Jesus’ message of mercy and his ministry to the poor and needy the main motifs of their celebration. Happy Christmas to all Guyanese!
GUYANA PUBLIC SERVICE UNION The Guyana Public Service Union extends Season’s Greetings to all Guyanese, especially members of the Guyana Public Service Union, their families and friends during this time of peace and goodwill. May your hearts be joyful, and wishes come through; may we always have peace and love in abundance as we share precious time with our loved ones, relatives and friends. This Christmas, I would like to pay tribute to those public servants in and out of uniform, particularly doctors, nurses, revenue c o l l e c t o r s , a i r t r a ff i c
controllers, members of the Guyana Defence Forces, the Guyana Police Force, the Guyana Fire Service and other security personnel who would be working through the holidays to ensure that the public enjoys bliss and comfort. The year 2019 has been a difficult year in many regards but we must remain resolved as we tackle injustices, secure our patrimony and accomplish necessary and positive change. This Christmas, we have another chance to listen, another chance to reflect and to remember all the things
that brings us together. This Christmas we must also remember to be benevolent and compassionate, whilst helping those in need. The hope that Christmas brings is unchanged as we must continue to face and confront all the challenges to the promise of Peace on Earth.As families gather to celebrate Christmas, we would like to take this opportunity to wish all of you and your families a Merry Christmas. We hope that this time of goodwill brings happiness to your homes. Once again Merry Christmas.
CHANGE GUYANA
“Let’s not forget the many who are unable to experience the joys of Christmas due to accident, fire, crime, suicide and loss of jobs” Christmas is a time where we come together to celebrate all the wonderful people in our lives - family, friends, co-workers and those sacrificing everyday to make life bearable. So a special thank you to our hard working parents, police, teachers, nurses, doctors, and
the many young people who innovate and never give up the pursuit of a better, brighter Guyana. As we celebrate during this festive season let’s not forget the many who have lost loved ones in 2019 by accidents, fire, crime or suicide; we must also not forget the many who have lost their jobs and struggle to celebrate the holidays in grand ole Guyanese style. Our wishes and prayers are
with you. Guyanese are resilient people who have endured much over the past decades but still find the time and goodwill to celebrate and bring joy to their family, friends and neighbours. On behalf of Change Makers across Guyana, we wish you and your loved ones a blessed and peaceful Christmas and a new year filled with happiness and possibilities.
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Wednesday December 25, 2019
Kaieteur News
The Season of “Hallacas”… A Venezuelan family making hallaca.
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From page 52 “mis primos” (cousins). My mind would wander during the 12-hour trip as I anticipated the gifts I would be receiving from my uncles and aunts. Then I'd dose off into sweet sleep. I would be hunched out of my sleep by mom, “Wake up its time to get off the bus”. We would then join a taxi to get to what I would call a family reunion. Loud Christmas folk songs called “aguinaldos” playing on my grandmother's stereo would greet us at the gate. “Aye loco what's up?” one of my cousins would shout as he ran to help me with my suitcase. The rest of the family would raise the alarm that we had finally arrived. After tidying up, everyone would gather around a large table in the yard where instructions would be handed out by “grandma” for the Hallaca making festival. The children would be tasked to look for banana leaves. The men would be given strict instructions to look for the best variety of beef, chicken and pork. They would also be responsible for ensuring that the best olives, fruits, mushrooms, corn kernels and vegetables are bought. The teenagers would be given the responsibility to look for the best wine, beers and scented candles. The women would be responsible for preparation of all the meals
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and the planning of how much Hallacas was going to be made. When all the ingredients are bought, banana leaves collected and the freezer is stocked with the exotic wines and specially-brewed beers, the festival begins. The very next day bright and early, grandma would wake everyone up for breakfast. After breakfast, my cousins and I would be sent to wash and quail the banana leaves we had collected over a fireside. Mom would join my aunts in the boiling of the corn kernels in a large pot fueled by coal. Meanwhile, the men would “cut up” the meat and prepare the rest of ingredients to make the stew. After the kernels are boiled the women would then proceed to grind the boiled kernels in a mill to make dough. The “cut up” meat and essential ingredients would then be given to the women to prepare the stew. This stew comprises a variety of meats, olives, dried fruits, mushrooms, eggs, onions and any other ingredient one may feel to add. When this is done, the aguinaldos (Christmas folk songs) would be played and a bottle of wine would be opened. A toast would be made by grandma and every one participates in the final phase of the Hallaca making Festival. The dough would be separated into smaller portions, which depends on the number of Hallacas catered for. These smaller portions of dough will be flattened by a rolling pin, and the stew would then be placed in the centre. The remaining ends would then be folded carefully to cover the stew. The next step is to wrap this now filled dough in a banana leaf and tie it at both ends with thread. After being wrapped, the Hallaca would be placed in a pot of boiling water to be boiled for about an hour. When the hour is completed, the cooked Hallacas will be stocked in a reserve freezer. In the days leading up to Christmas morning, the family will participate in the masses of caroling.
The family would join other Venezuelans who would dress up in attires of Joseph, Mary, the shepherds, the angels and the three wise men. There would be dancing, singing of Christmas songs, role playing and the distribution of hallacas to person who are less fortunate. After the masses, other religious festivals also come to an end, such as the arrival of the three wise men, the dances of the shepherds and the purification of the virgin. The remaining days before Christmas morning breakfast, are days of parties and celebration as a family. Special meals such as Lomo de Cerdo, Pernil, Pan de Jamon, stuffed turkey and of course Hallaca would be eaten and washed down with wine. On Christmas Eve Night a special dinner would be prepared and the table laced with scented candles. Grandma, the oldest member of the family, would stand up and advise her family on the way forward for the New Year. While we feast, affectionate words and Christmas wishes would be exchanged around the table. Everyone would then enter their beds feeling loved, happy and peaceful with the evening's activity. On Christmas morning everyone would stuff themselves in the living room for a time of gift exchange. Then there is a moment of laughter and chatter followed by a cook-out. Once the celebration is over, everyone returns to their home to prepare for the end of the old year and dawn of the much-anticipated new one. The Hallaca is always tasty and satisfying, but the taste is not what stays with me. It is the story behind it; it is the experience of sharing memorable moments with family, it's the cherished experience of working together as a family. It is the time when family feuds are resolved, everyone leaves grandma's house motivated and energized in spirit to face the challenges of the new year. It leaves a mark in the minds of each family member. This is why Christmas is meaningless without “Hallacas” for Venezuelans.
Wednesday December 25, 2019
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Kaieteur News
23 bids at Tender Board for five major governmental projects The National Procurement and Tender Ad- --procurement of modernization and financial ministration Board (NPTAB) yesterday management strengthening; to supply and inopened 23 bids for five major governmental stall Information Technology- related hardware projects. under the Ministry of Finance (MOF); and for One notable project included the procure- bidders to supply and deliver hardware for the ment of fresh frozen chicken under the Guyana integration of Electronic Data Processing SoftDefence Force which is set to cost over $100 ware for the Environmental Protection Agency million. Other noteworthy plans included the (EPA). Ministry of Public Health --Provision of consultancy services for the review and supervision to design, build and equip the Government Analyst Food and Drug Department (GA-FDD)
Jamaicans Encouraged To Invest In Limestone Mining Limestone mining in progress
Ministry of Finance Procurement of modernization and financial management strengthening; to supply and installation of Information Technology- related hardware; and for bidders to supply
Rehabilitation of washroom area
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Supply and deliver hardware for the integration of Electronic Data Processing Software for the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
Guyana Defence Force Procurement of fresh frozen chicken
Ministry of Indigenous Peoples Affairs Procurement of Security Services
Provisions in one-sided Exxon contract ... From page 7 right to take the matter to Arbitration in Washington. Here again, Guyana would have to compensate the operator. Further, if any litigation should be brought against the contract on the grounds that Guyana did not get a fair value, then Exxon is still protected. According to Article 32 of deal which speaks to stabilization, it notes, “After the signing of this agreement and in conformance with Article 15, the government shall not increase the economic burdens of the
Contractor under this agreement by applying to this agreement or the operations conducted there under any increase of or any new petroleum related fiscal obligation, including, but not limited to any new taxes whatsoever any new royalty , duties, fees, charges, value-added tax or other imposts.” Article 32 also states that if any action affects the overall economic benefits of the contractor, “the government shall promptly take any and all affirmative action to restore the lost or impaired economic benefits to the contractor...”
The Gleaner - Principal Director, Minerals Policy Planning and Development Division in the Ministry of Transport and Mining Dr Oral Rainford is encouraging persons to invest in limestone mining. In an interview with JIS News, Rainford explained that the Ministry is intent on educating the public about how increasing limestone mining would redound to the country’s benefit. “I don’t think enough is known about the extent to which limestone’s contribution has been expanding, especially as we seek to diversify the economy and bridge that particular segment of the mining sector,” he said. “The limestone that we have is wide-ranging in terms of uses. The purity ranges from material that we use for road construction to pharmaceutical grade products, which are used in antacids, calcium tablets, tablet fillers, and various other supplements,” he said. He added that limestone is also a diffused mineral as it is used in small quantities in many areas, such as paper, cosmetics, and soap. “We have decided to push this particular mineral, primarily because Jamaica has a huge quantity of limestone which has a significant variability in quality. The quality is exceptionally good at both the higher level and the lower level in terms of its utilities,” Rainford said. He outlined the steps that need to be taken for persons to enter the mining industry, pointing out that an application should be made to the Governme nt through the Mines and Geology Department of the Ministry of Transport and Mining and that the application is then sent to the Minister for a quarry licence to be granted if the
entity is seeking to mine quarry materials for construction purposes. Rainford said if persons plan to mine high-purity limestone, they would then apply for a mining lease because high-purity limestone is defined as a mineral, which would require a different approach. “There are two different regimes which govern the mining or exploitation of limestone in our country,” he explained, adding that once the application for a lease is done, the applicant would need to ensure that he or she has a
quarry plan or a mine development plan, which would include a business plan, and show how the mining or quarrying would progress to ensure sustainability and adherence to high environmental standards. He informed that the minerals sector impacts many other segments of the economy. “Without mining we would not have roads or buildings. It, therefore, means that the equipment that is needed has to be in place and operating efficiently,” he said.
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Kaieteur News
Wednesday December 25, 2019
Contrasting messages with an eye on a general election PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad - CMC – Trinidad and Tobago’s two leading political figures had contrasting messages for citizens as the country prepares to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ today. While Prime Minister Dr. Keith Rowley may have made no direct statement regarding the political situation here, Opposition leader Kamla Persad Bissessar was straightforward in telling citizens that she was preparing her main opposition United National Congress (UNC) for office when the general election is held in 2020. Rowley said Christmas Day holds great significance for Christians worldwide as it heralds the birth of the Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ. “Overall, the Christmas season brings a web of emotions, unique feelings which cause us to suspend, on one hand, at least temporarily, our instinctual or egoic search for esteem, status and recognition, and financial gain, and, on the other, it creates a powerful atmosphere of genuine love, with open displays of generosity of our hearts — not based on pride, but rather on
humility,” he said. But he said even as the country celebrates the occasion “I urge, that we all reflect upon our personal, spiritual journey, and our inter-connectedness with that larger force, which stands beyond our daily lives, for it is also a time when we all should seek purification in which we confront and dispose of the distorted realities in our lives”. In her message, Opposition Leader Kamla Persad Bissessar said while the country celebrates the birth of Christ “a shadow hangs over our nation. “There is no doubt that 2019 has been a year of challenges. Four years of rule by an administration that has no ability to govern have taken a toll. “Our economy is in crisis. Criminals continue to strike fear in the hearts of citizens. People are suffering because of an inadequate healthcare system, and thousands are without jobs, without hope.” But she said she believes “in the citizens of our great nation” and that “we have weathered worse than this and I believe that with the
right leadership, and through a concerted effort by all of us, we can overcome the challenges that we face. “This Christmas, even as you partake of our famous “black cake” and drink sorrel, please spare a thought for the less fortunate amongst us. Several thousand families in South Trinidad, forgotten by this government, are still trying to return to some sense of normalcy after being devastated by flooding. “For them, and for the thousands who lost their jobs, the families of crime victims, there is little to feel joyful about. I urge you to take a moment and share a kind word with your neighbour or engage in some small act of charity to bring relief to someone in need. “The United National Congress has a vision and plan to get us there,” she said, adding during her meetings with constituents “I have felt your pain, I have learned about your hopes and I know you are ready to return our country to greatness and to build a stronger, more prosperous future for the generations to come”.
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Kaieteur News
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West Indies take giant strides despite... Boxing Day Matches... From page 61 five of the six games against West Indies, pitching in with bat, ball, and the field. Even when he wasn’t in the XI - like in the T20I decider in Mumbai - he still left his mark by plucking two catches, including that of Pollard. West Indies provide a glimpse into their batting future At the World Cup, West Indies went on a boundaryhitting spree. But the madness resulted in collapses leading to defeats. In India, they found two anchormen in Shai Hope and Roston Chase who lent a method to the madness. They batted around their big-hitters to take the innings deep. Pollard even spoke about this in Visakhapatnam.
“You’ve got to build a foundation first. You can’t build the top part of the house and then look to build the bottom. We’ve identified Shai [Hope] as the guy to lay the foundation for us.” In Cuttack, West Indies bumped up Chase to No.3 to join Hope at the top, and although they both couldn’t convert starts, they set the scene for a late assault from Pollard and Nicholas Pooran. With Shimron Hetmyer returning to form, Pooran extending his rich form, and Pollard sussing out conditions and situations smartly, West Indies’ batting is in the pink of health. Should West Indies re-think their bowling combination? Their bowling was patchy
at best. Sheldon Cottrell impressed with his variations, as did Keemo Paul, but the rest of the attack didn’t quite have a Plan B, especially on flat tracks. Jason Holder wasn’t accurate enough and on a placid Mumbai surface in the T20I decider, he conceded 54 in four overs. In hindsight, you have to wonder if West Indies may have been better off playing Paul because of his variations. The spinners Hayden Walsh Jr. and Khary Pierre bowled some tidy spells in the shortest format, but couldn’t make much of an impact in the ODIs. Chase too proved ineffective with his offspin in the 50-over format. These are still early days yet for the CPL stars - Pierre and
Wednesday December 25, 2019 ARIES (Mar. 21–Apr. 19) Your words may get you into trouble today, so be careful of what you say. Try to keep a lid on hasty comments fueled by intense emotions. These comments may come out the wrong way and be used against you later. TAURUS (Apr. 20–May 20) You may be a bit confused today. Other people's actions may send you into a whirlwind of conflicting emotions. You may be sensitive regarding your goals.
LIBRA (Sept. 23–Oct. 22) This is a terrific day for you. Your emotional state of mind is wonderfully upbeat. Things should be flowing your way. SCORPIO (Oct. 23–Nov. 21) Things may be mentally focused today, which could conflict with your emotional nature. Strong opinions may crop up, and you should take the time to listen. Don't force things to come out if they aren't ready.
GEMINI (May 21–June 20) Communication is key today. Make your intentions known right away to avoid unnecessary confusion. The more you can settle now, the better off you'll be down the road.
SAGIT(Nov.22–Dec.21) Communication is a big theme of the day for you. Every time you speak, a large audience is listening to every word. The stronger you are at expressing your opinions, the better.
CANCER(June21–July22) Channel your energy into constructive tasks. Look to where you can make important connections. There's a fine line between helpful suggestions and manipulation. Try to avoid the latter.
CAPRI(Dec.22–Jan.19) Your emotions may feel restricted today, but this could be for the best. Try to take a lighthearted approach to the situation, and don't get too serious about anything.
LEO (July 23–Aug. 22) Restrictive forces may come into conflict with you today. The good news is that you should be able to find a space of peace within your emotions. VIRGO (Aug. 23–Sept. 22) A planned, disciplined approach works best today. One thing to keep in mind is that it's important to connect with others now. Trying to do things alone may seem like the right thing to do, but you're much more efficient when you enlist the help of others.
AQUARIUS(Jan.20–Feb.18) This is a great day for you. You should find that your general mood is excellent. You'll have the perfect thing to say in every situation. Your adaptable nature will come in handy PISCES (Feb. 19–Mar. 20) It may be hard to come to grips with your emotions today. You may be flightier than usual. Realize that this is to your advantage. Come out of the quicksand and take a breath of fresh air
Walsh Jr. - but they need to do more to show they can be a wicket-taking threat in the middle overs. India need to step up in the field India dropped as many as 21 catches in the six games across formats. KL Rahul felt the low floodlights in Hyderabad made catching tricky, but the lapses weren’t restricted to Uppal alone. Kohli was critical of the multiple reprieves after India slid to defeat in the second T20I in Thiruvananthapuram, with Lendl Simmons, who had been dropped on 6, making a bruising match-winning unbeaten 67. Iyer settles into the middle order After making two fifties from No. 5 in the Caribbean, Shreyas Iyer enhanced his reputation as a middle-order bat with with back-to-back half-centuries in the ODIs. While the one in Chennai was built on a sluggish track, he hit the high notes quickly in a must-win game in Visakhapatnam. After being on a run-a-ball 20 at one point, he clobbered 33 off his next 12 balls. “I think it [the No.4 slot] was more of an issue that it was,” Kohli told Star Sports. “If the No. 4 doesn’t get to bat consistently for you, there’s no real reason behind someone not doing well. I think Shreyas [Iyer] got an opportunity in the last fourfive games, and he’s got four fifties in a row. So, he has grabbed his chances and has performed well.”
From page 59 over Eagles FC, would be looking for another good night at the office. Marcus Wilson, Lennox Cort, Rondel Peters, Stephan Reynold, Nicholai Andrews, Ryan October, Orin Yarde and Jermaine Padmore would add quality to Santos ambitions of taking out the defending champs. Tomorrow night’s curtain raiser pits last year’s beaten finalists Buxton United and the Guyana Defence Force in a clash that would showcase experience (GDF) coming up against youth. Buxton United have shown that they are a force to be reckoned with in this format of the sport and no less is expected against the GDF. The exciting Omari Glasgow who netted a double in their opening win (6-1) over New Amsterdam United, the largest margin of
the first round, would again be working in tandem with Dillon Wright who blasted a hat-trick in that win, Samuel Johnson, Troni Semple, Tony Ogle, Deshane Garnette, Kevin David, Shemar Fraser, Maurice Barnes, Lindley Garner, Jamar Harrigan and Tyrone Harper. The GDF would hope to craft out another clinical display following their historic win over home team Mainstay Gold Star at the Anna Regina Ground, 5-0. Player of the match Benjamin Opara, who scored a hat-trick, would be going after more goals against the Buxtonians. Support will come from Olvis Mitchell, Colin Nelson, Ryan Searles, Delroy Fraser, Sherwin Caesar, Runnel Gordon, Shawn Arthur, Ian Dooker, Delwin Fraser, Delroy Ferdinand and Dellon Adams.
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Wednesday December 25, 2019
Kaieteur News
GOA presents GBA with US$15,000 for Boxers and Coach to attend training in Cuba
GBA President Steve Ninvalle is presented with the Cheque by GOA’s VP Dr Karen Pilgrim as GOA’s Head K Juman Yassin and GBA’s TD Terrence Poole share the moment. By Sean Devers Yesterday at his Carmichael Street Office, Guyana Olympic Association (GOA) President K Juman Yassin handed over a cheque worth US$15,000 to Steve Ninvalle in the presence of GBA’s TD and National Head Coach Terrence Poole and GOA’s VP Dr Karen Pilgrim and it was a timely Christmas gift. The Cheque is to assist in facilitating a three-month training camp in Cuba for Guyana’s four Olympic Boxing hopefuls; Kevin Allicock, Desmond Amsterdam, Dennis Thomas and Colin Lewis, who are scheduled to depart Guyana on December 29, 2019. Ninvalle thanked the GOA for their contribution which he said will assist the pugilists as they attempt to qualify for next year’s Olympic qualifiers from March 26 to April 3 in Argentina. The 2020 Olympics will be held in Tokyo, Japan from July 24 to August 9. Ninvalle informed that the GOA’s contribution was the biggest the GBA has ever had and informed the entire cost to send the team to Cuba is US$31,000. “We thank Mr K Juman Yassin and the GOA, who was the first to pledge their support, for their contribution. We also thank the Government for their $2.5 Million of which have already gotten $1Million with the other $1.5 to be given early
next month,” Ninvalle informed. The GBA boss, who was elected in March this year as Vice President of the American Boxing Confederation (AMBC) at a Congress held in Panama, disclosed that Coach Sebert Blake and GCA’s Technical Director Coach Terrence Poole MS should accompany the boxers to Cuba, while Cuban Coach Francisco Roldan, who worked with Allicock in Cuba during his preparations for the Pan Am Games in Peru, will join the pair of Guyanese Coaches. “With the GOA and NSC contributions and what we (GBA) will put, we have enough to send the Boxers and Coaches. We have given them the tools it’s up to them to make use of the training which should help them in the qualifiers.” Poole thanked the GOA for their continued support of Boxing and said this timely gesture will see the boxers having adequate preparation ahead of the Qualifiers in March. Vice-President of the GOA Dr Karen Pilgrim, said, the GOA was happy to supports sports especially boxing. “The first Games I attended I saw the boxers doing really well and I love Boxing. Boxing could give Guyana another Medal in Japan,” Dr Pilgrim added. GOA’s President Yassin, a former President of Guyana Boxing Board of Control, related that about the middle
of this year he met with Ninvalle and spoke about the Olympic qualifiers. “Training in Cuba will expose our Boxers to a wide range and variety of sparring partners and medical and other facilities that we don’t have here,” the long-serving GOA head said. Yassin thanked Christopher Jones and the NSC for stepping in with financial support and stressed that the combination of the Government, GOA, Business entities funding is needed for sports to grow in Guyana. “I think it’s very important for our Coaches to go to Cuba and experience what they do there and bring that experience back to the benefit of the local Coaches and boxers. I know that the boxers will have to make that sacrifice of missing Old Year’s Night with their families but if you want to be successful, sacrifices have to be made,” Yassin added. “I hope that Coach Blake is given the three-month timeoff from GPL where he works to conduct National Duty,” Yassin concluded. In 1996 when John Douglas competed in the men’s light heavyweight event in the Summer Olympics, it was the last time a Guyanese Boxer Qualified for the Olympics, while Guyana’s Mike Parris, who won a Bronze Medal in the 1980 Olympics in Moscow, remains the only Boxer from the English Speaking Caribbean to win an Olympic Medal.
Wednesday December 25, 2019
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Kaieteur News
GFF Super 16 Cup – Semi Final spots up for grabs today and tomorrow - Milerock, Fruta Conquerors, Police FC, Western Tigers battle tonight @ Eve Leary The gateway to the business end of the 2019/2020 edition of the GFF Super 16 Cup will commence this evening at the Police Sports Club Ground, Eve Leary and end tomorrow at the GFC Ground when the full line-up for the semi finalists would be confirmed. Following the completion of the round-of-16 which saw all the Regional Members Association teams being knocked-out, it is now the eight Elite League teams that will be battling to decide who would eventually walk away with the first place prize of Two Million Dollars. The Most Valuable Player of the tournament will ride away with one Honda 125cc Motorcycle compliments of Marics Honda. Exactly at the half way mark with four more days to play, fans can brace themselves for what is anticipated to be some fierce clashes, and while there has been no upsets to date, going forward that might very well change. Kicking off the quest for a place in the final four would be Fruta Conquerors and Milerock, the former would have gotten the better of their rivals in the Elite League and
would be fancying their chances of easing into the semis at the expense of Milerock. In their opening match, Conquerors made light work of East Coast’s Buxton Stars winning 4-0 while Milerock had to work hard for their 2-0 triumph over Pele. Conquerors boast a solid unit and would once again depend on their Captain, the experienced Vurlon Mills to lead them to another win. Mills would be supported by Akel Clarke in goal, Quincy Adams, Raphael Edwards, Simeon Moore, Rashaun Ritch, Anthony Benfield, Ryan ‘Bum Bum’ Hackett, Nicholas Mc Arthur, Delon Lanferman and Gregory Richardson. Milerock would be led by another seasoned campaigner, Rawle ‘Boney Man’ Gittens who would be combining efforts in the quest of an upset with Sese Norville between the uprights, Eric Moore, Mickel Jeffers, Quacy Cadogan, Lionel Halley, Omalli Webb, Lorenzo Miller, Michael Wilson, Lennox Richards and Jashawn Moore. Kick off time is 18:30hrs. Feature play between the Guyana Police Force and
Western Tigers will be a humdinger of a battle as neither of these teams would be giving up any room to maneuver in their defensive third. Police were in rampant form against Timehri Panthers trouncing them 6-2, while Western Tigers which contested their match at the Bartica Community Centre Ground, came away 4-2 winners in what was a good test for them. This evening’s showdown however, would be a totally different ball game as it would be a step up in competition either side of the field with less room for mistakes. The level of preparation by the teams would be visible based on how they perform. Both sides have displayed a huge appetite for goals but that craving might just be different tonight as a more cagy game is anticipated. Cortez Kellman who netted a double for Western in Bartica is expected to be a handful for the Police defence. He would receive support from Clive Nobrega , Randolph Wagner, Andrew Murray, Kareem Knights, Dwayne Mc Lennon, Jamal
Boxing Day Matches @ GFC Buxton United vs Guyana Defence Force; Santos vs Den Amstel The final two quarter final matches would be played tomorrow evening, Boxing Night at the Mecca of the sport in the City, Georgetown Football Club Ground from 1830hrs when defending champions Den Amstel will put their title on the line again, this time against Santos FC, both winning their round-of-16 matches on Sunday night last at the Leonora Track and Field Centre. Den Amstel won a bruising battle against Riddm Squad 4-1 coming from behind and unfortunately would be without one of their leading marksmen, Gideon Payne who had to leave the match in the first half. Based on reports he would be out of action for the next two months having injured one of his ribs. Despite, Coach O’Neil will still be oozing with confidence that his remaining charges would be able to pull together and be a solid force as they seek win number two this year on their way to retaining their
Marcus Wilson (right), Kestor Jacobs and Lavavghn Ennis - Santos FC. title. Captain Leo-Orion Lovell would be hoping for another huge game in leading his team to another successful result. Support will come from Andre Hector, Chris Macey, Denzil Smith, Jamal Pereira, Kwesi Henry, Emanuel Cox, Sebastian Edwards and Keswin Fraser. Santos’ line up include two of the players who won the title with Den Amstel last
year in their Captain Kevin Dundas and Kestor Jacobs, both these players would have to play key roles if Santos is to get past Den Amstel. Dundas would be marshalling the defence, while Jacobs would be key to Santos’ offensive maneuvers as he would be controlling the midfield. Lavavghn Ennis, who netted a brace in their win (Continued on page 57)
Nicholas McArthur (right), Ryan ‘Bum Bum’ Hackett and Delon Lanferman – Fruta Conquerors FC. Pedro, Moses Gritten, Devon Charles, Kwadjo Garnett, Cleyton Forrester a n d S h amar Carrington among others.
Police’ attack would be led by Trayon Bobb, Jamal Harvey, Colwyn Adams, Daniel Wilson, Darren Benjamin, Travis Jones,
Jermain Junor, Kester Dundas, Ronaldo Dover, Winston Tanner, Rawle Thornhill, Stephen Ramsey and Kavis Fraser.
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Kaieteur News
Wednesday December 25, 2019
USA Open U-15 Final
Central Zonal Council beat Floodlight by five runs On Monday night just before 11:00 hrs at the Central Broward Regional Park in Florida, Central Zonal Council beat Guyana Floodlights by five runs under lights in a thrilling last over finish to the USA Open U15 Final at a venue which has hosted six ODIs, 10 T20I in addition to CPL T20 matches. With five to get from six balls and eight wickets down, Rajeev Ramnauth polished off the tail with his first two deliveries to
spark wild celebrations from the Central Zonal Council camps to leave the Guyanese heartbroken. Ramnauth’s unbeaten 38 from 36 balls with a single boundary and 15 from Raul Ali had given Central Zonal Council a fighting chance with their 84-5 from 20 overs as Mavendra Dindyal followed up his 3-5 in the semi-finals with 2-15 from his four overs. Floodlights replied with 79 all
out in 19.2 overs, despite a run a ball 22 with three boundaries from Jonathan Van Lange. But Dindyal, fresh off a match winning unbeaten 38 in the semi-finals earlier in the day, could only make 13, while Alvin Mohabir’s 10 was the only other double figure score from the team from the latest Oil producing Nation. Chasing a gettable total, Dindyal and Nicolas Seepersaud (3) took the score to 19 with the
right-handed Dindyal doing most of the scoring before Seepersaud was LBW to Alexander Chase the sixth over. Dindyal was LBW to Adam Furlonge a run later and the South Americans were 20-2 in the seventh over when rain stopped play. When play resumed Zachary Jodha (3) was removed by Romario King at 27-3 in the eighth over and required runs had jumped to five runs per over to win. Mohabir was bowled by Ramnauth at 35-4 before Romeo Deonarain and Gabriel Rookhum were dismissed for ducks off consecutive balls to leave the score on 37-6 andRaul Ali on a hat-trick. Van Lange was joined by John Persaud with their wobbling on the ropes from the three vicious body blows. And when John Persaud was run out for seven at 61-7 in 15.5 overs, Floodlights still needed another 25 from 17 balls. But with Van Lange at the crease there was still hope and when Josh Charles hit a boundary in the 18th over the Guyanese had reduced the target to eight from 12 balls. However, Van Lange was run
Mavendra Dinyal had had a good day with the ball and bat in Florida on Monday but could not prevent Floodlights from losing in the final. out off the first ball of the penultimate over at 79-8 and it came down to five runs from the last over. Nithyanand Mathura (1) was bowled by Ramnauth, who got rid of Dave Mohabir next ball to end the match on a hat-trick and
give Central Zonal Council an exciting last over win. Earlier, Floodlights won the toss and invited Central Zonal Council to bat under lights on a good track and Josh Charles and left-arm spinner Zachary Jodha shared the ball on the large ground. A small crowd watched as Van Lange struck in the third over when he bowled Justin Jagessar (1) at 4-1 before offspinner Dindyal struck at 16-2 when he had Romario King stumped by Van Lange for a sedate six from 26 balls. Adam Furlonge (6) struggled to get the ball away before he was caught behind off Mohabir as Central Zonal Council slipped to 26-3 in 10.1 overs as Floodlights kept the shackles on the batsman. Ramnauth and Ali joined forces and tried to steady the ship with a fighting 36-run stand before Dindyal got rid of Ali for 15 at 58-4. Things got worse when Alexander Chase (2) was run out at 65 -3 in the 18th over as Ramnauth stayed to the end; unbeaten on 38 which, in the end, was good enough. (Sean Devers)
Two Practice matches to be held prior to 2020 CWI Regional four-day tourney A number of Franchise and Academy players will be involved in two practice matches prior to the commencement of the 2020 CWI Regional 4 Day Championship, which is scheduled to begin on 9th January 2019. The first practice match will be played from 28th to 30th December 2019 from 0930 hours to 1700 hours at the National Stadium, with each day comprising a minimum requirement of 98 overs. The squads for the first practice match are as follows, with the tentative availability of the current West Indies
players, and that of Raymon Reifer and Tagenarine Chanderpaul who based on their applications, were given NO Objection Certificates (NOC’s) with the options to play. Leon Johnson’s side: Leon Johnson (Captain), Chandrapaul Hemraj, Vishal Singh, Christopher Barnwell, Anthony Bramble, Veerasammy Permaul, Gudakesh Motie, Keon Joseph, Devendra Bishoo, Sherfane Rutherford (optional players Shimron Hetmyer, Romario Shepherd and Keemo Paul), (players
who received Noc’s are Tagenarine Chanderpaul and Raymon Refier), the other players in Johnson’s team which subject to availability of players, are Trevon Griffith , Akshaya Persaud, Ramaal Lewis and Kevin Sinclair. Antony Adams’s Side: Antony Adams (Captain), Kevlon Anderson, Raymon Perez, Kemol Savory, Ronaldo Ali-Mohamed, Ricardo Adams, Tevin Imlach, Richie Looknauth, Kevin Umroa, Nial Smith, Clinton Pestano, Ashmead Nedd, Qumar Torrington, Joshua Jones and Quintin Sampson.
GCA holds Fast Bowling Camp at Gymnasium - New participants can join The Georgetown Cricket Association (GCA) will hold a three-day Fast Bowling camp for Under-19 bowlers at the National Gymnasium on Mandela Avenue. The Camp runs from Friday, December 27-29 and at the Camp participants will be advised on important technical features of fast bowling to help promote faster bowling speeds and sustaining pace to keep up with the increasing
demands of the game. A d d i t i o n a l l y, the participants will have the opportunity to engage in cricket specific power training, and be able to have their bowling speed accurately measured each day with the support of a technical team from the U n i v e r s i t y o f t h e We s t Indies. In addition to persons who started the programme in its inception in October, new fast bowlers between
ages 14-19 are invited to join, and they are advised to come in training kits with indoor sneakers. Daily refreshments will be provided and there will be moderate prizes on the last day for commendable effort from the participants. The event starts daily from 9:30 a.m. and concludes at 12:30. For any queries contact 653-5491 or 618-0853. (Sean Devers)
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Wednesday December 25, 2019
GCOS hosts award ceremony T
he Guyana Committee of Services (GCOS) whose mandate is to support the performing arts and sportspersons, held their annual dinner and awards ceremony at the Beacon Café last Sunday to honour persons who have contributed towards sports not only for 2019 but throughout the years. According to the Leslie Black, committee member of the GCOS, his organisation has been very busy throughout the year, rendering assistance to mainly sportspersons while also playing a helping hand in the organisation of events. One of the GCOS’ main events for the year was their August vacation athletics camp that was held in all three counties of Guyana, concurrently, free of cost the student-athletes that participated. Black noted that the GCOS is majorly dependent on their fund raising activities inclusive of their raffle that had a grand cash prize of GYD$1million and the backing of corporate sponsors. The GCOS presented plaques and gold pendants with the Guyana Flag to some 25 persons who are listed here: Amanda Hermonstine, Arron Frazer,
Some of the recognised individuals pose with their plaques at the Beacon Cafe last weekend. Julian Edmonds, Lorraine Adams, Aubrey Hutson, Alisha Fortune, Henry Chase, Joseph Ramkumar, Carlos Powell, Christopher Gaskin, Rolston Richmond, Thomas Bowman, Collie Mickle, Gladstone Hopkinson, Clive Atwell, Christopher Jones, Alike Morgan, Hon. Dr. George Norton, Lennox Cush, Harry Parmesar, KaieteurNews, Stabroek News, Maad 97.5 FM, Ramsay Ali and Eugene Noel.
West Indies take giant strides despite trophy-less tour ESPNcricinfo - Kieron Pollard’s West Indies dug deep into their reserves to stretch India, but were unable to win both the T20I and ODI deciders. That the young West Indian hopefuls gave a good account of themselves bodes well for the side’s immediate future. India too were encouraged by contributions from their younger players like KL Rahul, Shreyas Iyer, Kuldeep Yadav, Navdeep
Saini and Shardul Thakur. These in addition to the performances of Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli completed what Kohli termed “one of the most successful years”. Here’s a look back at the major talking points from the tour.
Jadeja + one wristspinner > two wristspinners? India picked both K u l d e e p Ya d a v a n d Yuzvendra Chahal in their squad for the first time since the 2019 World Cup. However, they didn’t field the ‘KulCha’ combination for the want of batting depth.
And so, Ravindra Jadeja got the nod ahead of Chahal in all three ODIs. On his part, Jadeja repaid the faith with an unflappable unbeaten 31ball 39 to help tip a tense ODI decider in India’s favour. In all, Jadeja featured in (Continued on page 57)
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Kaieteur News
Wednesday December 25, 2019
Excitement galore expected at KMTC Boxing Day meet
The action tomorrow, Boxing Day, promises to be keenly contested and fans heading to the Corentyne will be in for a treat.
By Zaheer Mohamed Following months of preparation, the stage is set for much excitement tomorrow when the Kennard Memorial Turf Club (KMTC) stages its annual Boxing Day horserace meet at Bush Lot Farm, Corentyne, Berbice. Seven races have been carded for day with the feature contest being the Metro Million Mile which is open to all horses. This event has attracted a number of top horses and according to KMTC Chairman Cecil Kennard fans will be given much to cheer about. Kennard told Kaieteur Sport yesterday that the track is in fine shape and the
weather on the Corentyne has been favourable. “We did some renovation to the facility; a number of overseas based Guyanese have returned for this event and I expect a large turnout,” he added. “I expect all races to be keenly contested since all the major stables will be taking part including Jumbo Jet, Fazal Habibulla, ChaFoon, Chris Jagdeo, Nand Persaud and Shakalin Racing Stable. The main event will see the winner taking home $1,000,000, the runner up $500,000, third place $250,000 and fourth place $125,000. Lucky Star of West Berbice headlines the
number of horses registered for this event; tough challenges are expected to come from Vera’s Finally, Just Call Me Boss, Tom Bird, Setting Star, TNT, Golden Blue Echo, Golden Dancer, Goodwill Boy and Not This Time. Other events listed are LNon Earner for a distance of five furlongs and carries a top prize of $130,000 and the runner up $65,000. H and Lower for seven furs and fetches a winning purse of $250,000 with the runner up $125,000. Two-year old Maiden for a distance of six furs and will see the champion pocketing $200,000 and the runner up $100,000. L-Non Winner for a winning purse of $150,000 and second place $75,000; J and K Lower which will see the winner receiving $200,000 and the runner up $100,000, and LOpen in which the winner
will take home $170,000 and second place $85,000. The races will be run under the rules of the Guyana Horse Racing Authority and entries were closed on December 16. No late entries will be accepted. Among the sponsors are: New Building Society, Patsan Trading, Hand-in-Hand, Torginol, Metro, DDL, Ansa Mc Al, Silvie’s, Country Pride Enterprise, Dalip Trading, P and P Insurance Brokers, Republic Bank, Mohamed’s Enterprise, P o o n a i ’s P h a r m a c y, Chatterpaul Deo, Horse Shoe Racing Service, Goodwood Racing Service, Rohan Auto Spares, R. Singh and Sons, Khanai’s Electrical Agency, Optique Vision Clear, Bishundial Rice Mill, Ariel Enterprise, Rohan Oudit, Mike’s Pharmacy, Courts’ Guyana Inc, KSM Investment and D. Gobin Agri Spares.
Kaieteur News
Wednesday December 25, 2019
PAGE 67
UDFA Christmas Football
Botafago blast Aroaima 5-1, Rockers and Shattas play to 3-3 stalemate ...Tomorrow Boxing Night double on at MSC
A
fter losing their two previous g a m e s Botafago, who came into this tournament as the number two seed behind Net Rockers, won their third match in 5-1 hammering of Aroaima but the top ranked Net Rockers could only gain a 3-3 draw against Silver Shattas as they both made their exit from this year’s Christmas championship being staged by the Upper Demerara Football Association at the Mackenzie Sports Cub ground, Linden. In fact, Group C will see two teams advancing from the four contesting and that is why Botafago’s win gives them a chance of reaching the quarterfinals. Net Rockers, however, playing in Group A were up against it among the three teams as Coomacka beat
both Rockers and Silver Shattas earlier to secure that lone spot in the semifinals. Playing on Monday night, doubles off the boots of Shane Haynes and Andre Gill allowed them that polished win. Haynes got his goals in the 11th and 75th minutes and Gill in the 25th and 73rd minutes of play with Jashawn Moore getting the other for Botafago in the 79th minute. The goal for Aroaima was scored by Lyndon Benjamin in the 55th minute. The Shattas and Rockers game was of academic interest as Coomacka had already qualified from Group A and the result was a 3-3 stalemate. For Rockers the scorers were Omeion Wills, Shane Luckie and Baggey Rose. Netting the goals for Silver Shattas were George
Trophy Stall dominoes set for Boxing Day in Wakenaam
Lakeram Narine (left) of Trophy Stall presents the first place trophy to Zaheer Mohamed.
T
he Trophy Stall Dominoes competition will be contested on Boxing Day at Carlosh Sports bar in Good Success, Wakenaam. Action is set to get underway at 11:00hrs and among the teams set to take part are Under Dog, All Star,
Melville, V Net, Eastern Wa k e n a a m , M a r i a ’s Pleasure and Zeelandia. At stake are cash prizes and trophies. Proprietor of Tr o p h y S t a l l R a m e s h Sunich wished the teams well, while Nazeer Mohamed of All Star team thanked him for the support.
Stephens, Damion Williams and Jomain Samuels. In other games played recently Capital FC had their 2-1 win against Hi Stars overturned for playing an ineligible player. And that same evening Topp XX secured an easy 20 victory against Aroaima behind goals from, Travis Grant in the 77th minute and
Carlos Grant in the 82nd minute. Tomorrow night, Boxing night, the tournament continues with two more matches when from 19.00hrs it will be Amelia’s Ward Panthers against Topp XX and the second from 21.00hrs Haynes and Lewis Winners Connection face Capital FC.
Topp XX’S Scorers Carlos Grant at left and Travis Waterton.
rt Spo
Leo-Orion Lovell (right), Andre Hector and Chris Macey – Den Amstel FC
Dillon Wright (right), Samuel Johnson and Omari Glasgow – Buxton United FC.
GFF Super 16 Cup – Semi Final spots up for - Milerock, Fruta Conquerors, Police FC, grabs today and tomorrow Western Tigers battle tonight @ Eve Leary GOA presents GBA with Boxing Day Matches @ GFC Buxton United vs Guyana Defence US$15,000 for Boxers and Force; Santos vs Den Amstel Coach to attend training in Cuba West Indies take giant strides despite trophy-less tour
Kieron Pollard and Shimron Hetmyer celebrate Virat Kohli’s dismissal. (BCCI) Kuldeep Yadav became the first Indian to pick up two hat-tricks in international cricket. (BCCI)
Guyana Floodlights were runners up in the US Open U-15 final in Florida on Monday.
USA Open U-15 Final
Central Zonal Council beat Floodlight by five runs Printed and published by National Media & Publishing Company Ltd., 24 Saffon Street, Charlestown, Georgetown. Tel: 225-8458, 225-8465, 225-8491 or Fax: 225-8473/226-8210.