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Kaieteur News
Sunday December 29, 2019
Kaieteur News
Kaieteur M@ilbox
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
Send your letters to Kaieteur News 24 Saffon Street, Charlestown, Georgetown or email us kaieteurnews@yahoo.com
EDITORIAL
The road to elections I
t seems like it took forever to get to this point. From December 21, 2018 to now feels like a lifetime. It has been a hard road, with all the passions and politics that we seem to drum up effortlessly. Now that parliament is about to be dissolved, what is ahead for us? What is in store for this nation, where polls bring out the worst in us? It is doubtful, whether we could succeed in managing ourselves with maturity, with the temperate. Because now that bell has rung, it is off to the hustings, to appeal to the voters, to position and reposition in one mad rush. March 2, 2020 is not far away. There is so much to do and, yet, for the most part, the Guyanese voter has already made up his or her mind. One would have thought that for all the talk of change, that the new groups may have had some semblance of a chance to make inroads, with few votes here, a seat there. Except that it isn’t, since very few experiment into the unknown by taking a chance on the issues, the promise, and the possibilities. Some of the new people ought to have been given the opportunity to flourish electorally. Regrettably, that is a non-starter, and the signs and portents indicate that it is a foregone conclusion. At the end of the day, and when all the analyses are studied, things point to the usual. The usual that is history and tradition, and now an integral aspect of settled political and electoral culture. Because the thinking and outlook boil down to this hard pass, this enduring reality: why take a chance and go some other way? It is because one vote less for the favoured is one vote for the other group. And that is unthinkable, is troublesome and is fraught with many different kinds of problems; problems with managing the oil, problems with governance, problems with being left out in the wilderness and losing out on this bonanza that is intriguing as to the potentials. As we go into early 2020, there are fears that this is going to be the mother and grandmother of elections. How will we be? Can we dig deep and find it in ourselves to discover the unprecedented and the extraordinary? This publication is not optimistic, as the days ahead will bear out and confirm, how we really are at the core. For here it is, that we stand on the doorstep of a prosperous horizon, and all we can do is bicker and quarrel, and gouge at each other. Greed rules the roost, when everyone knows that there is another way, a better approach instead of fooling ourselves with that which has failed and failed. As matters heat up (and they will), it is hoped that wisdom and civility would be the order of the day. Can we do so, be so, when so much is at stake? The odds are not favourable, because we have always lost it, when so much less was in the offing. This paper calls upon all those sentinels, such as the Guyana National Broadcast Authority and the Ethnic Relations Commission, among others, to manifest the highest degree of watchfulness, the greatest of cautions, so that we can conduct ourselves with dignity and decency. Surely, this can’t be asking too much of us. Because, come to think of it, what are the alternatives, other than the unwise and the ugly? All leaders must be responsible, and must set the example for their supporters. They must demand a strict adherence to what is positive and wholesome. This is nonnegotiable, it is not up for discussion, for all it takes is one folly to take us down a terrible pathway. The world is at our feet; we can kick it, or we can conquer it.
Matis had this 10,609 acres of land since 2014 DEAR EDITOR, I refer to two articles carried in the Kaieteur News over the past few days with respect to my functions as Chairman of the Board of the Mahaica Mahaicony Abary Agricultural Development Authority (MMA/ADA). These articles are captioned: Conflict of Interest? MMA/ADA Chairman leased 10,000 acres in Mahaica – documents dated Dec 25, 2019; 10,000 acres Mahaica lands leased… Unusual for Chairman to benefit dated Dec 27, 2019. Let me say that I am saddened by the fact that these articles were written without, as far as I am aware, any attempt to seek clarifications or
explanations from me prior to their publication-something which I am of the view, should be a sacred principle of investigative journalism. That being said, I wish to add as follows: In August 2014 myself and three other persons registered under the name Mc Agriculture Trading and Investment Services (MATIS) was granted a Forestry Permission SFP DEM 21/14 from the Guyana Forestry Commission (GFC) which contradicts the assertion that “I am the sole owner of that entity, MATIS, registered to Kelvin Saul”. The SFP DEM 21/14 is a block of approximately 10,609 acres of State Lands lying on either side of Captain Creek in Region 5 -in effect the same
land mentioned in your articles. This land was essentially Forest Land in the Hinterland and Intermediate Savannahs and MATIS focused on husbandry and harvesting of forestry products with charcoal production through systematic and sustained tree felling and land clearing. In January 2016 (MATIS) took a conscious decision to diversify into other related Agricultural activities (Crops) The conversion from Forestry to Crops required the intervention/permission of the MMA/ADA and to this end, an application was submitted to the MMA in January 2016 to lease the said block of land for agricultural purposes.
Subsequently, the GFC, which had granted the SFP in 2014, informed the Ministry of Agriculture and the MMA/ ADA on August 8, 2019, that it had no objection to the conversion and to the granting of a Lease for the said Land to MATIS by the MMA/ ADA. As per protocol, I recused myself from the MMA/ADA discussions on the conversion and in any event I was not a member of that Committee that deliberated, nor was I the Chairman of MMA/ADA at the time. The MMA/ADA subsequently approved the conversion. It was not without an element of surprise and I must (Continued on page 6)
Sunday December 29, 2019
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WILL WE BE FOOLED AGAIN? DEAR EDITOR, Hopefully, we will be having General and Regional Elections in a little over two months, but during this time, we will be bombarded once again with parties indulging in skilful marketing of their manifestos and in some cases the selling of not only illusive dreams but also manipulating the masses through outright lies and deceptions. Immediately the APNU/AFC Coalition comes to mind! We have witnessed that during the last 2015 Elections the APNU/AFC Coalition made numerous promises and bold statements of what it can achieve within 100 days of assuming office. In addition, they campaigned heavily on the ‘massive corruption’ of the PPP/C government and made promises to jail the ‘corruptors’. One year after the Coalition was unable to even fulfil its ‘100 days promise’and are yet to do so to date and those that it has fulfilled were far below expectations. For instance, the reduction in Bridge Toll was supposed to be by 50%. This was what Prime Min-
ister Nagamootoo told the Coalition supporters at Whim, but he probably had meant that the Coalition boys will be given 50% increase in salaries. In addition, they had promised ‘significant’ increases in wage and salaries to ‘government workers, including nurses, teachers from primary to tertiary education, security personnel and civil servants on the traditional payroll’ but this also did not materialize ‘significantly’. Sugar workers were never promised a ‘wage freeze’ but a 20% increase and the sugar industry was promised a ‘turnaround’ after the 52 million dollars Commission of Inquiry with no closure! We know what they did to sugar and the sugar workers! Moreover, the old age pensioners have been deprived of their subsidies on water and electricity and are yet to receive any ‘significant’ increases. On the other hand, the Coalition had promised to reduce the presidents’ pension and other benefits. The Coalition had said that the lifestyle of the former President
Bharrat Jagdeo placed an onerous burden on the Treasury. However, that has been relegated to a non-issue status since it is now common knowledge that even the rubberstamp PM is getting far more than Jagdeo. This just goes to show the cunningly deceitfulness of this Coalition. They are now the fattest cats around! Then the Coalition had lustily sung about the corrupt nature of the PPP/C Government in high crescendo which reverberated even internationally. But again this was simply massive lies and propaganda just to deceive the people. In terms of corruption, the investigative Dobermans of the Coalition, SARU and SOCU have failed to prove by way of conviction in the Courts that the PPP/C was guilty of any form of corruption during their 23 years in Office. In fact, these two PNC controlled arms carried out a massive witch hunting exercise to smear and tarnish the characters of former PPP/C government officials. Ironically the PNC ap-
pointed head of SOCU himself became the centre of allegations of fraud and corruption and was sent on ‘leave’ indefinitely! Again this nation has seen the massive increase in cronyism pervading every strata of government which resulted in the successful passing of the NCM more than a year ago. They have squandered more than $1.3 trillion with nothing tangible to show for except some arches, roundabouts, inaugurations and pomp and ceremony! In fact the social and economic gains made under the previous PPP/C Government have been severely eroded. The squandering of our oil patrimony from the signing of the Oil production sharing agreement have presented to this nation an unassailable argument that the APNU/AFC are not only incompetent to govern an oil producing nation but no tangible benefit will ever trickle down to the common man! The failings in this regard are too numerous to mention. It makes us wonder if the $15
billion per year projected GDP growth will actually transform the Guyanese economy when $1.3 trillion have so far failed. The Coalition failed to negotiate a substantial signing bonus and settled for a paltry US$18 million. I t i s a n y o n e ’s g u e s s why the PSA omitted any ‘ring-fencing’ provision thereby negatively affecting oil revenues, accepted a meagre 2% royalty, agreed to pay Exxon’s income taxes, agreed to self-insurance and not a comprehensive one called for by the World Bank, an opaque local content policy which does not augur well for Guyanese and the list goes. Even negotiator Mr Trotman has now accepted that his Government could have done better with the Exxon deal. Is this an apology for the re-election of the Coalition? But lo and behold the
‘raw deal’ continues even after Trotman’s apology. On December 20th Oil producing country and the entire country should have been exceedingly happy but even the sale of the first three oil lifts is highly questionable since it not only breaches our Procurement Laws but the purchasing Company’s public image and dealing is questionable. It seems that from stern to bow we have been royally screwed! In conclusion, to put the icing on the cake Guyana is now categorized as the country with the highest bribery in the Caribbean. It is unbelievable that after just over 4 years in Government our country has descended to a bottomless cesspit of bribery and corruption. Yours sincerely, Haseef Yusuf
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Sunday December 29, 2019
Kaieteur News
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A man in sanctimonious disguise
President Granger Resurrected Constitutionally Dead National Assembly and Dissolved it.
DEAR EDITOR, I wish to respond to a letter by Mr Richard Moore, (Kaieteur News 27, December 2019.) If indeed it is his true public name. Mr Moore seeks to besmirch President David Granger on behalf of the confederacy of the ‘No Confidence Motion’ because he did not relinquish his responsibility to this confederacy, against the majority who voted for the APNU-AFC Coalition government’ as a result of the questionable event that occurred on December 22, 2018. Which you seek to sanctify what SC Ramkarran referred to, as “The Shenanigans and treachery of Bharat Jagdeo and Charandass Persaud”. This same afflicted Charandass , leaves not much room for further imagination. Hypocrisy and deception go hand in hand Mr. Moore, but you attempt sanctimonious hypocrisy and deception with unaccustomed reference to the Bible and Gospels. The Hebrew text that we have inherited, truly abhors bribery throughout its narratives. I penned an article on March 24, 2019 in the Chronicle “Bribery is condemned Biblically and its contempt must be transferred to our secular laws” that include all the references should you be inclined to be enlightened in that area, outside of your obvious intent. Laws are man-made, and also constitute checks and balances, through which this administration found armour to repel the Barbarians at the gates. It was not with ‘Bribes’ or ‘Phantom squads’ and in-
timidations that the NCM was forced to retreat, it was with the Law. Thus defeating the mirage you wish to create. Then there are the laws of ‘Purpose’ the purpose of embracing the 4,000 dropouts his administration inherited and commenced training courses to address, the training of single mothers which they have done. The creation of a modern efficient Public Service that will be necessary for an expanded economy, expansions that must happen to face the new demands for employment as our semi-skilled labour dwindles, due not to our domestic politics, but to the effects of modernisation on the global work force. The President himself has confessed, in words to the effect, that it is costing far more than expected to remedy the errors of the PPP. This was in reference to the infrastructural defects, not to the human content. ‘The trauma of Jagdeo’s years remains in the psyche of many villages’. I do recommend Stabroek News November 18, as a collector’s item. That edition revisits the period between February 2002 to September 2006, an intense period, but not the all that defines the morass that enveloped Guyana, ending in 2015 You must know if you were paying holistic attention and not tuned to the tunnel vision of callous opportunism, that neither the PPP or GAWU, though aware that after the 36% preferential market cut, a subvention was paid from 2006 to 2017, none of this money was
spent on diversifying the income of the workers, by the past government or GAWU even though in early 2015 Dr. Raj Singh the CEO complained that Sugar was being sold at $300 US$ per ton, and the cost to produce it was $ 800 US$ per ton. Do not forget that the implementation of VAT was created to support the ailing Sugar Industry, on the backs of the mainly ‘Other’ public service, whose less vocal unions, could bring to them no more than 5% increase. Mothers stood for hours in long lines for a $10,000 for school clothing aid. The CDB in a survey released in 2015, indicated that from 2010 onwards Guyana’s youth unemployment was at 40% “the personal consequences of youth unemployment were the lack of means to support one’s self; participation in anti-s o c i a l behaviours; participation in negative behaviours as a consequence of social exclusion, low self esteem, hopelessness and ambivalence”. In another survey “Guyana cited for high rates of suicide, violence, and underage drinking”, at the 60th Caribbean Public Health Agency Research conference in Grenada [CARPHA] June 2015. In 4.5 years the APNUAFC have struggled and made impressive inroads to repair the maze, neglect and indifference, especially with our Public Health. This truth justifies the custodian capability of President Granger in the advent of OIL. I say to you, my colonial citizen as a talented and learned Guyanese instructed the coming generation “Those who are disloyal to their ancestry have less chance of creating something with a truly distinctive mark” Norman E. Cameron, and I close with the profound guidance of Frantz Fanon “Each generation must discover its mission, fulfil it or betray it, in relative opacity.” Yours Respectfully, Barrington Braithwaite
DEAR EDITOR, President David Granger resurrected the constitutionally dead (since 18 September 2019) National Assembly, and dissolved it. How can the dead Assembly be dissolved? This is another move to claim constitutional legitimacy, notwithstanding the blatant violation of the Constitution, and the rule of law by this caretaker Granger Government. The incumbent APNU– AFC Government came into office since 2015 with promise of the good life, and to do better than its predecessor, the PPP–C, and to wipe out what it claimed to be much corruption under that regime. The Parties in Government must defend and establish their record of promises of their manifestos achievements, as a government for all the people of Guyana. On the campaign trail, each speaker of the APNU-AFC is called upon, among other matters, to defend and justify to the population the following:· All the contracts in relations to emerging Oil and Gas sector; · All the contracts on land “give away” during its care taker ship since 18 September 2019; · The decision to abandon the Amelia Falls, and usher in another period of “blackouts” reminiscent of the 1970 and 1980 period of PNC rule; · Defend the abandonment of the Speciality Hospital which would have been equipped to provide the relevant medical services and care. It is recalled that senior politicians of the Government, at tax payers’ expense, chose to seek medical attention in New York and Cuba, and to cover the cost for accompanying persons; · The rental of the “drug bond” in South Georgetown for exorbitant and excessive rental to a known party supporter of a”wind power” of proposal. · The modification of the original contract and de-
signed for a new CJIA (airport) with eight gates instead of four, and at substantial additional cost. Forensic audit needed. · The excessive cost for the Durban Park stadium facilities through a thorough forensic audit. · The cost incurred for the proposal of a new Demerara Harbour bridge with no positive outcome. · Public money deposited in a Minister’s private Bank account. · The financial management of the University of Guyana under the stewardship of VC Ivelaw Griffith, by forensic audit. ·The state of drainage and irrigation in the Country, · The state of the City of Georgetown under the PNC control and management, continuously for more than
fifty years. · Deteriorating Public Security and Health Services. · The massive bureaucracy with bloated number of political advisers. · The non-implementation of the recommendations of its own Commission of Inquiry into the Public Service. · The declining state of Agricultural industries. ·The non–implementations of the recommendations of its own Commission of Inquiry into the Sugar Industry. · The closure of four sugar estates and putting some 7000 workers on the bread line, and negatively impacting on the lives of family members and economies of small businesses around these closed estates. And the list goes on. With thanks. Joshua Singh
Honoring of cricket legends DEAR EDITOR The news that two former Windies cricketing legends Clive Lloyd ( now to be referred to as Sir Clive) and Gordon Greenidge - were honoured in Her Majesty, the Queen’s New Year Honour List is just fantastic! With West Indies on an upward swing, as apparent by the just concluded ODI and T20 Tournaments in India, the honoring of these gentlemen might be the impetus needed to get cricket West Indies moving again. Heartiest congratulations to Sir Clive and Mr. Greenidge. You have made our cricket proud by your respective honour, which you richly deserve. May your honour be an inspiration to our young and upcoming cricketers. Long live West Indies cricket! Shamshun Mohamed
Matis had this 10,609... From page 4 admit subsequent annoyance, Editor, that I read the scurrilous allegations by Mr. Harry Gill and Mr. Vickchand Ramphal, both of the PPP/C who egregiously stated that I had obtained the land from the MMA/ADA during this year as part of a pre-election “land-grabbing scheme.” I wish to reiterate, and there is some irony here, that the Lease for the ten thousand acres of land was obtained by MATIS in 2014 from the PPP/C Administration which is a direct refutation of Mr. Ramphal’s assertion that “this could not happen under the previous (PPP/ C) Administration”. The subsequent MATIS application to the MMA, which is the current excuse for
controversy, was merely for a conversion of the use of the said land from Forestry to Agricultural purposes. The indecent haste of these PPP/C persons in making baseless allegations, against MATIS; impugning my integrity as an official, is sad to say a basic modus operandi of some of the activists of this party. I am not excluding the legal option against this sickening attempt to tarnish my reputation by those who are economic with the truth or who fail to do due diligence before making allegations against law abiding persons. Yours Faithfully, Kelvin Saul Chairman MMADA, Member of MATIS.
Sunday December 29, 2019
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Kaieteur News
I removed myself from talks on the 10,000 acres leased to me Chairman of the MahaicaMahaicony-Abary Agricultural Development Authority (MMA/ADA), Kelvin Saul, yesterday defended his leasing10,000 acres.Yesterday, in a statement, the chairman said that the land is a conversion from a forestry concession to a farming one. The lands are all the same ones that were referenced in a number of articles published in Kaieteur News this past week.According to Saul, at the time of the decision by MMA-ADA in 2016, he was not the chairman.He was a board member. He recused himself on the deliberations of the transactions, he said. The transaction for such a large swath of land in Mahaica, in an area under the jurisdiction of MMA-ADA, the same authority chaired by Saul, would raise eyebrows. The Opposition made it clear that there appears to be elements of a conflict of interest scenario. On Friday, Opposition Leader, Bharrat Jagdeo, said that transaction also came at a time when poor farmers are clamoring for more lands. Region Five chairman, Vickchand Ramphal, had said that he would check records to determine whether the transaction was above board. He could not immediately recall the transaction. He said that such a large plot being awarded to board members is not a normal transaction. In recent times, the Opposition said that it has been investigating a number of large land transactions to persons linked to the Coalition Government. The Opposition said it is preparing a file.
Yesterday, Saul made it clear that the transaction is above board.He declined to answer more questions and noted that he is being advised.Below is his full statement as released to Kaieteur News: MATIS had this 10,609 acres since 2014 I, the, undersigned refer to two articles carried in the Kaieteur News over the past few days with respect to my functions as Chairman of the Board of the MahaicaMahaicony-Abary Agricultural Development Authority (MMA/ADA). These articles are captioned: Conflict of Interest? MMA/ADA Chairman leased 10,000 acres in Mahaica documents dated Dec 25, 2019 10,000 acres Mahaica lands leased… Unusual for Chairman to benefit dated Dec 27, 2019.Let me say that I am saddened by the fact that these articles were written without, as far as I am aware, any attempt to seek clarifications or explanations from me prior to their publication-something which I am of the view, should be a sacred principle of investigative journalism. That being said, I wish to add as follows: In August 2014 myself and three other persons registered under the name Mc Agriculture Trading and Investment Services (MATIS) was granted a Forestry Permission SFP DEM 21/14 from the Guyana Forestry Commission (GFC) which contradicts the assertion that “I am the sole owner of that entity, MATIS, registered to Kelvin Saul”. The SFP DEM 21/14 is a block of approximately 10,609
- MMA-ADA Chairman acres of State Lands lying on either side of Captain Creek in Region 5 -in effect the same land mentioned in your articles. This land was essentially Forest Land in the Hinterland and Intermediate Savannahs and MATIS focused on husbandry and harvesting of forestry products with charcoal production through systematic and sustained tree felling and land clearing. In January 2016 (MATIS) took a conscious decision to diversify into other related Agricultural activities (Crops) The conversion from Forestry to Crops required the intervention/permission of the MMA/ADA and to this end an application was submitted to the MMA in January 2016 to lease the said block of land for agricultural purposes. Subsequently the GFC which had granted the SFP in 2014 informed the Ministry of Agriculture and the MMA/ ADA on August 8, 2019, that it had no objection to the conversion and to the granting of a Lease for the said Land to MATIS by the MMA/ADA.
As per protocol I recused myself from the MMA/ADA discussions on the conversion and in any event I was not a member of that Committee that deliberated, nor was I the Chairman of MMA/ADA at the time. The MMA/ADA subsequently approved the conversion.It was not without an element of surprise and I must admit subsequent annoyance, Mr. Editor, that I read the scurrilous allegations by Mr. Harry Gill and Mr. Vickchand Ramphal both of the PPP/C who egregiously stated that I had obtained the land from the MMA/ADA during this year as part of a pre-election “land-grabbing scheme.” I wish to reiterate, and there is some irony here, that the Lease for the ten thousand acres of land was obtained by MATIS in 2014 from the PPP/C Administration which is a direct refutation of Mr. Ramphals assertion that “this could not happen under the previous (PPP/C) Administration”. The subsequent MATIS application to the MMA which is the current excuse for
MMA-ADA Chairman, Kelvin Saul controversy was merely for a conversion of the use of the said land from Forestry to Agricultural purposes. The indecent haste of these PPP/C persons in making baseless allegations, against MATIS; impugning my integrity as an official, is sad to say a basic modus operandi of some of the activists of this party.
I am not excluding the legal option against this sickening attempt to tarnish my reputation by those who are economic with the truth or who fail to do due diligence before making allegations against law abiding persons. Yours Faithfully, Kelvin Saul. Chairman MMA-ADA, Member of MATIS
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Kaieteur News
Sunday December 29, 2019
Region One sees spike in teenage pregnancy
-situation being fuelled by migrant situation - RHO Region One has recorded a significant increase in teenage pregnancy and this is not being taken lightly. This was the disclosure of
Region One’s Regional Health Officer [RHO], Dr. Latchmie Lall. She said that from January to November this year there were 259 teenage preg-
nancies which included the pregnancy of a 12-year-old. This, she said, was from a population size of approximately 850 persons and re-
flects a notable increase from last year. From January to December 2018 there were 152 pregnancies. But the 2019 numbers are already growing. According to Dr. Lall, more teenage pregnancies have been recorded since the last reporting period and the final figure will be known by early next month. In an attempt to analyze the state of affairs, the RHO said that it is often fueled by the migrant situation in the Region. The Region, she explained, continues to see a very large influx of migrants who have been accessing health services. “We have seen a very large influx of migrants and daily we are seeing many patients at our hospitals. More and more diagnoses are being made with some of those infections being transferred to the city,” she said. The RHO disclosed that the region’s Maternal and Child Health programme has resulted in more women embracing family planning. This, she stressed, has resulted in a significant number of women having birth control implants. “This, I must say, is mainly from the migrants…Also all the migrants are being vaccinated so we have had to increase our vaccination programme. It seeks to cater for all the migrants. “It doesn’t only cover outlying areas but riverain areas too that are seeing an increase in migrants,” Dr. Lall shared. The RHO said that because of the very large number of migrants who have taken up residence in the Re-
RHO, Dr. Latchmie Lall gion, efforts have been made to expand the Tuberculosis programme. This is in light of the fact that a number of migrants have been diagnosed with TB. But dealing with this situation has not been straightforward. According to Dr. Lall, “The grave challenge that we are seeking to address is that while we are able to stabilize them with the TB they are a population that is moving back and forth and when they go, they go for three to four months.“This results in them not being able to follow up, thus placing undue pressure on the DOTS workers. It simply means that back here we are now forced to start that process again,” the RHO revealed. This is compounded by a nutritional challenge. Dr. Lall pointed out a significant burden is placed on the Region to continue to meet the increased demand for drugs and medical supplies since no person seeking medical attention can be turned away. The Region has however been getting some support
from UNICEF and, according to Dr. Lall, her department is indebted for training rendered as a result of this support. “We did have a WASH training, which is Water Sanitation and Health training, we have also had outreaches to several of these areas like Yarakita and White Water.” She said, “We have also had help from GWI which constructed some sanitary blocks for the migrant population. Vaccines are being provided under the Maternal and Child Health immunization programme.” The RHO noted, further, that her department is also seeking to create a database with various information on the migrant population being recorded, thus allowing the Region to be aware of the number of migrants accessing health care and other related services. She said that there are currently 900 vaccinated and documented migrants in Region One, noting that there are several more. These, however, have not yet been vaccinated and documented, Dr. Lall informed.
A number of migrants have been accessing health care in Region One
Sunday December 29, 2019
Kaieteur News
Income tax exemptions for foreign workers a deviation from intl norms IMF report According to the Production Sharing Agreement (PSA) Guyana signed onto with ExxonMobil, there is an exemption from Personal Income Tax for expatriate/foreign employees of a contractor, affiliate, or non-resident subcontractor if the employee is not physically present in Guyana for more than 183 days. But upon review of this provision, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) has told the government in no uncertain terms that this “is a departure from international norms under which the country where employment is exercised has full taxing rights over the employment income.” The IMF subsequently recommended that Guyanas authorities “fully tax income derived by an expatriate from employment exercised in Guyana.” University of Houston Instructor, Tom Mitro, had also pointed out this issue to Guyana in a previous interview. He described it as one of the most absurd provisions in Guyanas agreement with
ExxonMobil and its partners, Hess Corporation and CNOOC/NEXEN. The Petroleum Consultant had said that Section 15.12 of the PSA which states that expatriates salaries are not subject to Income tax if they dont spend more than 183 days in country is an old trick in the
book. The company simply gets many expats to be in rotation to avoid going over the 183 days. The Consultant stressed that most countries have plugged this tax avoidance loophole that companies have been abusing. He had advised that Guyana do the same.
Dem boys seh...
De oil company mean to rob Guyana Dem farriners proppa smart. Dem would do everything to rob dem small countries even if it means tekking way de crumbs that they getting. Exxon come and find barrels of oil. Guyana got so much oil that nuff people who living today gun dead and gone and Exxon gun still be pumping oil out of Guyana. And children who ain’t born yet gun be fighting Exxon fuh a proppa share of de cake. But that fight start now. Guyana agree that any farrin worker attached to de oil company wouldn’t pay any income tax if dem wuk in Guyana fuh less that 183 days a year. Wha de oil company does do is let de people wuk fuh 180 days and ship dem out. De replacement gun
come in by de time de first set leff. Is de IMF see de kak and advising Guyana not to allow it. Regardless of how long dem stay, once dem wukking in Guyana dem must pay dem income tax. But de oil people dem smart. Dem done decide that de two per cent royalty is enough fuh a country like Guyana. That is why dem boys don’t believe that Guyana gun get any profit share. When you robbing people you don’t have sympathy, but Guyana like people from a poor country, always got a sympathetic heart. Dem boys find a story bout how de same oil company treat people in Indonesia. Although de bad treatment was almost twenty years ago, people still frighten to talk. Dem know who get rape,
who get kill and who get rob. Dem gone to court in Uncle Sam and de oil company singing de Shaggy song, “It wasn’t me.” De court gun decide. Is de same thing happen when dem boys talk bout de land giveaway. When dew Sanata issue come up fuh Cabinet discuss Jagdeo seh he walkout suh he didn’t have to mek a decision. Dem boys want to know who gun know de boss friend thing coming up fuh discussion and gun vote against it. Well odda people learn Jagdeo trick. Jagdeo give a man land and when de man apply to change it to farming land he recuse himself from de discussion. Talk half and watch how Guyana does get rob.
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Kaieteur News
Pres. Granger commissions $800M power plant in Bartica
With the aim of providing reliable electricity to Guyanese, President David Granger yesterday commissioned a 3.3megawatt power plant at Dogg Point, Agatash, Bartica, Region Seven. The $800M power plant, which is a collaboration of the government through the Guyana Power and Light Incorporated (GPL), is expected to meet the demand of the residents of Bartica. It will be sufficiently powered by three 1.1 megawatt high-speed diesel engines.. The President stated, “Energy security is critical to Barticas role as an ignition to human development. The plants generation capacity will exceed the demands of the town.” Earlier a number of challenges were faced during the project, such as issues with closing a sandpit and bad weather conditions. While the power generation needs will be met, minor interruptions to the power supply, which will aid in the maintenance of transmission lines may occur. The state-of-theart power plant is expected to provide relief to residents, who have experienced severe power outages for the longest while in recent times.
Bartica Power plant
Continued NICIL support for outstanding Berbice students The three students who were awarded the first National Industrial and Commercial Investments/Special Purpose Unit (NICIL/SPU)-National Grade Six Assessment (NGSA) scholarship for 2019 were again rewarded by the company for excelling at their Christmas term exams. The students who are all attending the Berbice High School all scored over 70 percent at their exams. The scholarship was instituted by the companys Chief Executive Officer (CEO) (ag), Colvin Heath-London, who acted upon a suggestion by Finance Minister, Winston Jordan that something tangible should be done to reward the top performing children of former and/or present GUYSUCO workers in Region Six. He had given the required approval, thus setting in motion the establishment of the NICIL/SPU Region Six NGSA Scholarship. The students who were among the top five performers of Region Six were awarded with school supplies
and a monthly stipend of $50,000 each The students Pawan Etwaroo and Chitra Ramdihal had both topped Region Six, while Marissa Siriram was fifth top performer. They were all placed in different Grade Seven classes with Ramdihal achieving 83 percent, Sirinam 76.8 percent and Etwaroo 74.6 percent. The students were all elated to have scored over 70 percent and committed to improving their respective performances next term. Etwaroo, who was also able to make his schools under 15 cricket team, said that he has a deep passion for cricket. He however promised to balance his love for cricket and books thus ensuring that his grades will be one that remains impressive. At a simple presentation ceremony, NICILs Rose Hall Berbice Estate Manager, Edward Anderson, said that the company was very excited to once again be rewarding the students. He said that the invest-
ment in the students is paying off. “When we decided to invest in these children we recognized that it was the right thing to do as they were evidently faced with challenging financial difficulties. “As such, we felt that such a scholarship programme would have further enhanced their academic ability as it is a known fact that some students are unable to perform to their highest potential because of financial difficulties facing their homes,” Anderson said. The Rose Hall Berbice estate manager reiterated his companys commitment to continue lending valuable support and assistance to the three students urging them to be cognizant that their performance would help in reaffirming NICILs belief that they are worthy of financial and other support. “All we at NICIL expect of you is to do your best and we are already aware that you three are highflyers, so continue the trend of excelling as
From left - Mr. Edward Anderson, Marissa Siriram, Pawan Etwaroo, Chitra Ramdihal and Deputy HM, Mr. Basdeo Utam we are definitely confident that you are all going to achieve your dreams. “Guyana will certainly be a better place with three top
professionals in some years time,” he declared. Deputy Headmaster of the Berbice High, Basdeo Utam, congratulated the students
for what he said were excellent performances. He declared that he and the rest of the schools teaching staff are (Continued on page 14 )
Sunday December 29, 2019
Kaieteur News
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Kaieteur News
100 percent survivability rate possible for breast cancer victims Early screening is not merely a recommendation in the fight against breast cancer. Rather, it is a tactic that can help to ensure a 100 percent survivability rate for those inflicted. At least this is according to Dr. Zoilo Placeres Leon who has been helping to treat the disease at the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation [GPHC]. Cancer treatment is a subspecialty of Dr. Leon, who hails from Cuba but has been lending his support here for the past four years. Given the potential survivability rate, Dr. Leon is proposing that, without fail, women of all ages, should become candidates for early screening and should not merely wait for the manifestation of symptoms of the disease to seek medical attention. In fact, he made it pellucid that this proposition should not only be applicable to women with high risk factors for the disease such as those with family members who were previously inflicted. All women should adhere, the Dr. Emphasised. “At least one in every 10 women screened will be diagnosed with early stage breast cancer.” Breast cancer can manifest in four stages – one through four – and, according to Dr. Leon, with the onset of stage four, death is imminent although it can be made bearable through palliative care. “But when you pick up that early stage breast cancer
the tumour usually is [a few] millimetres and it is something that you only can see in the xrays...If you see the breast it would be totally normal; you can’t see that something is wrong at this stage. “Once cancer is picked up at this early stage the chance of you surviving is 100 percent and so we emphasise that all the women should be doing their screening to increase their chance of survival,” said Dr. Leon. According to information released by the World Health Organisation [WHO], breast cancer is the most frequent cancer among women, impacting 2.1 million women each year. It also causes the greatest number of cancer-related deaths among them. Last year alone it was estimated that 627,000 women died from breast cancer – that is approximately 15 percent of all cancer deaths among women. While breast cancer rates are higher among women in more developed regions, WHO has underscored that rates are increasing in nearly every region, globally. In sync with Dr. Leon’s suggestion, WHO has noted that in order to improve breast cancer outcomes and survival, early detection is critical. “There are two early detection strategies for breast cancer: early diagnosis and screening.” WHO has proposed adding that “limited resource settings with weak health systems where the majority of women are diag-
nosed in late stages should prioritize early diagnosis programmes based on awareness of early signs and symptoms and prompt referral to diagnosis and treatment.” Early diagnosis strategies, according to WHO, too, should focus on providing timely access to cancer treatment by reducing barriers to care and/or improving access to effective diagnosis services. The goal is to increase the proportion of breast cancers identified at an early stage, allowing for more effective treatment to be used and reducing the risks of death from
breast cancer, according to WHO. Turning his attention to the notion that prevention can be better than cure, Dr. Leon disclosed that diet can play a crucial role in this regard. “The diet is important; weight control is essential…If
you can control your body weight you will have less chance of getting breast cancer,” said Dr. Leon. Reports suggest that a diet high in foods like fruits, vegetables, whole grains, healthy fats and lean protein may help to prevent cancer.
Conversely, processed meats, refined carbs, salt and alcohol may increase one’s risk. Though no diet has been proven to cure cancer, it is said that a plant-based and low-carb diet may lower the risk or benefit treatment.
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Sunday December 29, 2019
Kaieteur News
Auditor General warns of contract splitting at year-end With a few days before the year closes, the Audit Office has warned Government’s account officers to beware of last minute spending. Auditor General, Deodat Sharma, has also advised against attempts to split contracts to avoid delays in procurement process. The official made the statements over the weekend during an interview. In the past years, the Audit Office, in its annual reports, has been finding cases of a rush in late December for regional administrations and ministries to issue contracts and spend remaining money budgeted for the year. Under best practices, remaining money has to be sent back to the government’s treasury or Consolidated Fund. According to the official, Permanent Secretaries and Regional Executive Officers must be reminded that December 31 is when all transactions have to be closed with no cheques for the year to be cut after that date. “Government operates on a cash basis and not accrual. They are supposed to be cutting no cheques after
President David Granger meeting with Permanent Secretaries earlier this year
December 31.” Sharma said that especially with elections due on March 2, there may be attempts to deviate from procurement and other financial procedures.
“In a time when we are heading towards elections, any deviations will have serious implications.” He said that in cases where a budget could not be passed, like for 2020,
Government ministries and other entities can utilize 1/ 12th of the monthly expenditure based on the last approved national budget. “This means that come 2020, the money to be spend has to come from that 1/12. It cannot be from the year 2019. It would be illegal to do so.” Sharma made it clear that he is aware that happened in the past with the Audit Office flagging such transactions consistently. “Let us say you try to buy stationery to run it for the next three months, it is illegal to use this year’s funds for next year’s.” The Auditor General also warned about signing any projects and cutting any cheques that will see work spilled over to next year. “After December 31, the remaining sums have to be returned to the Consolidated Funds. I am gonna be very serious this year about it.” He pointed to the Fiscal
Auditor General: Deodat Sharma Management and Accountability Act which cater for fines and even jail terms for Permanent Secretaries and REOs for breaching the regulations. “My people will be checking on December 31 and we are going to be signing off on those cheques. So no
cheques should be cut after that date.” With regards to contract splitting, the official said that in the past there was evidence that projects were broken into several parts so that they will fall within the approval limit of the region or the accounting officer. “We will be looking at cases of these nature. We cannot do business the same way,” the official said. The Audit Office of Guyana (AOG) scrutinises the expenditure of public funds on behalf of Parliament. The office conducts financial audits of all publicly funded entities, including donorfunded entities, local government agencies and trade unions, in Guyana. The Constitution also secures the independence of the Office, describes its principal functions, and articulates provisions to govern the appointment of the Auditor General.
Continued NICIL support for outstanding Berbice students From page 11 impressed with the conduct and performances of the three students. He, however, singled out Etwaroos elevation into the schools cricket team as outstanding. “We are aware of Pawans cricketng ability and we intend to continue lending support to him as he continues to excel in both sports and academics. While Chitra is leaning towards the arts we recognize that Marissa is a very shy young lady, but we are confident that before the end of the academic year that
they both would also be deeply involved in extra curriculum activities,” the Deputy HM said. Recognizing that several students come from financially and other challenged homes, Utam said that the school has been raising funds to lend assistance to those in dire need. He disclosed that at a recent school concert 30 hampers were distributed to some of the schools most needy students and further assistance will be provided in the New Year. “Support from Corporate
companies and organizations like NICIL help us significantly in achieving our set objects and goals and we are appealing to others to emulate the actions of NICIL as I can assure you that with the relevant support and assistance these students can and will excel,” Utam said. As part of their reward package the three NICIL scholarship students will be spending the weekend with their parents and siblings at the Watooka Guest House. They would be touring several places of interest in Region Ten next weekend.
Sunday December 29, 2019
Kaieteur News
Govt. transactions sluggish, generate cost for both citizens and firms The Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) has reported that Guyana is the lowest ranked country in Latin America when it comes to the speedy services when transacting businesses with Government institutions. Doing such requires a lot of effort; from waiting at counters, filling forms reading communications, seeking information, sending letters or even learning to use a new system or website. In brief are all time consuming. According to the 2019 data supplied by Transparency International citizens spend an average of five hours, and sometimes three or more visits to get one transaction completed. This paints a gloomier picture which includes waiting in lines and at the counters, excluding the time spent waiting for a resolution. The time may vary depending on the type of transaction. Requesting Birth Certificates, registering a property, etc. are all transactions that fulfill basic functions but are difficult to attain. Most of the Government transactions that were conducted in the last 12 months were vehicle-related—driver’s license, license plate registration, identity and civil registration. It is a sharp contrast, other functional documents that often act as primary means of identification. As it regards to the approach of channels used to conduct these transactions 89% were
carried out in person while a mere 15% was done completely and partially online. On completing these transactions when looking at the differences, Health and Education are by far the most discouraging sectors as they reported a five-hour on average transaction. Persons are often asked to visit different offices to obtain information which other Government agencies lack. Adding to that, the transactions will require more interactions s o m e t i m es mounting up to the existence of excessive requirements resulting in the need to carry out additional transactions and creating a “chain of transactions.” The multiple transactions then generate transaction costs for citizens even if every individual visit is short, as citizens must spend their time and resources commuting to public offices, asking multiple times to leave work, among other costs. In addition to the difficulties for citizens, these multiple interactions also imply efficient losses for the government, which is forced to earmark more resources for providing citizen services. This raises questions about attrition, it is plausible that the more interaction a transaction requires the greater probability of having people abandon the process. Given the fact that carrying out a business transaction is difficult, it would be
natural if the levels of citizens’ satisfaction with transactions are affected. Satisfaction falls as the time spent doing these transaction increases, marked as a consistent trend. The one possible explanation, citizens are made to understand these difficulties are casual factors manifested in requirements and paper work, as a proxy for protection against fraud. In the low trust environment, they accept and sometimes even applaud the high transactional burden as a means to protect public services, and therefore their individual access to them from other “untrustworthy” citizens. To prevent some of these instances some recommendations were made by the IDB; to redesign Government transactions with the citizens experience in mind, eliminate as many Government transactions as possible; a onceonly initiative and to study the citizens experience with government transactions. “Few things are more frustrating for citizens than enduring the seemingly unending barrage of paperwork, lines, and delays in accessing the many public services. Government institutions can put citizens in the centre and make accessing public services easier. Government agencies can make an effective use of information. Government institutes can present a unified face to the citizens and act as one,” IDB reports.
Miner who never reached camp found dead on Backdam trail Samuel Gonsalves, a 22-year-old miner of Tabatinga, was found dead on Christmas day by a ranger at around 18:30HRS on Obanna Backdam trail. According to police, Gonsalves’ body bore two suspected stab wounds to the left side of his chest and is presently at the Mahdia Hospital Mortuary awaiting a post mortem examination. The deceased worked with a dredge owner from Moruca, North West District (NWD) and
had received his pay in gold on the 23rd of December. He left camp and headed to the Kuribrong Landing where he was seen imbibing alcohol with friends at various shops. The deceased continued drinking until Christmas day. At around 12:00HRS that day he decided to head back to the Obanna Backdam but never arrived. Police have since detained two persons who are assisting with investigations.
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Sunday December 29, 2019
Kaieteur News
Beach hotel double murder…
Second victim identified by relatives while police pursue motive Sunsplash hotel
Relatives of the second victim in the horrendous murder in the hotel by the 62 Village beach shore have since identified his body. He has been identified as Harry Persaud Prashad, 59, of Number 68 Village, Upper Corentyne, Berbice. The other victim who is the owner of the hotel has been identified by his sister as VivekanandBrijbassi called “Vaka”, 71. Both men’s bodies were found in an advanced state of decomposition by lawmen late Friday afternoon in the upper flat of the Sunsplash Hotel and Bar owned by Brijbassi. Police confirmed that the men may have been killed approximately a week ago. They were found tied with parts of their bodies hacked off by the perpetrators. Brijbassi was discovered with two toes missing from his left foot while Prashad was found with his hands tied behind his back to a pole with part of his foot severed from his ankle. The entire building, including the bottom flat, was ransacked giving an indication that the perpetrators may have been looking for something specific, a police source said. The source also indicated that based on the state in which the men were found “they were tortured for a while”. Meanwhile, Prashad’s nephew who asked not to be named, told Kaieteur News that they were informed about the incident via the internet around 6:30 Friday afternoon. After making contact with the police they were told that his body was at Bailey’s Funeral Home, West
Coast Berbice waiting to be identified. The nephew disclosed that himself and other relatives ventured to the parlour and positively identified his body. “We recognized the pants he was wearing and he had a scar on his belly from when he did a surgery a few years back. “He also had a foot issue and he had steel in that foot so we saw that too,” the nephew said. He added that the last time they saw him was about three weeks ago when he visited them in Port Mourant but since then they did not hear from him. He disclosed that his uncle lived at Number 68 Village but had started working for Brijbassi and was taking care of the hotel when Brijbassi was out of the country. Prashad had told them that he was comfortable at the hotel taking care of it and spoke of no issue. However, in an attempt to contact the daughter of Brijbassi, messages were read but no responses were given. In addition, this publication was informed by a police source that while no arrests have been made they are pursuing a motive in the grisly death of the two elderly men. Meanwhile, a source close to Brijbassi revealed that there were several break and enters on the building “that cause a lot of problems. That place get a lot of problems. He get a lot of problems with people breaking in there.” The businessman arrived in Guyana weeks ago and had visited his sister on December 16. They had dinner together but she had her in-laws over so he told her he would
Harry Prashad be staying at his hotel with two other friends. It was after his daughters and other relatives could not get in contact with him for several days via phone that they sent a friend from the village to check on him. When the individual arrived at the location and was making his way into the building he was hit with an overpowering stench. He then decided to leave and return with police. It was then that the police discovered the dismembered decomposed bodies in the upper flat. Brijbassi had always wanted a hotel by the beach and made it a reality in 2000 when he built it. But after migrating overseas with his wife and kids the business dwindled away. Years later he decided he was going to revamp it and make it operational again.
Sunday December 29, 2019
Kaieteur News
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Sunday December 29, 2019
GPHC Maternity Unit receives new equipment Pregnant mothers and babies being admit in the Maternity Unit attached to the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC) are expected to be a lot more comfortable, due to the donation of several mattresses and incubators to the medical facility. Kaieteur News understands that the equipment was donated last Thursday by a charitable organization, in light of the festive reason. In an interview, a top official at the hospital,
Some of the stuff that was donated to the hospital
stated that although the maternity unit does not lack such equipment at this point in time, the donations of such items is at all time highly appreciated since beds and incubators are at all times being used in the maternity department. “Within a month we deliver dozens of babies in this unit. This is the department where expecting mothers are admitted and as medical personnel we have to do our best to make sure persons being admitted in this unit are comfortable.” At present, the Maternity Unit attached to the city hospital has over 300 beds and six incubators. “There was a time when pregnant mother used to be worried when they have to come to GPHC to deliver due to the situation we were going through then. “Two pregnant mothers used to be on one single bed with their babies between them, but thankfully times have changed and things are way better at the city hospital,” the source continued. According to sources,
internal surveys that were lately done on the hospital maternity unit shows that with the abundance of necessary equipment; patients feel more comfortable about being admitted in the unit. This in turn eases the pressure from expecting mothers. For the past four months the board of directors at the city hospital has implemented several new programmes in the hospital curriculum with the aim of offering new and upgraded services to persons accessing
health care at the medical facility. Programmes that were implemented and completed in the past six months are the health and family care programmes for all young and first time mothers admitted at the unit; Attitude improvement programmes completed by doctors and senior medical personnel at the medical facility; and language programmes. A total of 40 nurses working in different departments at the hospital completed this programme on Friday.
Sunday December 29, 2019
Kaieteur News
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You want to share my cake? T
here is a lot of cake around at Christmas time. Cakes are part of the traditional staple in the homes of Guyanese. It is hard to imagine a Guyanese home without Christmas cakes. It has always been so. It would have been quite unusual to go to someone's home and not receive a piece of cake during the festive season. The person whom you visited would always, back then and even in the difficult times, offer you a piece of sponge or fruit cake. If you visited six homes, you could be sure that you would be offered at least 12 pieces of home-made cake. It led to something called 'cake belly' which forced you to go to the parks to exercise after the holidays. One man got to be so fed up at one time that when he came to my home. Before I could have offered him a piece of black cake, he asked me whether I had any “channa”. Fortunately I did – yes, there was time in Guyana when so many items were prohibited or restricted that “channa” became a Christmas delicacy. I have often wondered what I would have done if he had
asked for an egg ball. Not sure what happens these days, but back in those days you could not walk in to a man's kitchen, pick up his knife, and help yourself to his cake. You had to wait until you were offered. A guest at your home, or your wedding or your child's birthday party could not take it upon himself or herself to decide how your cake was going to be distributed. A person may help cut the cake, but when it comes to the distribution of the cake, that was the prerogative of the host. No stranger could walk off the road and share your cake in your home, at your wedding or at your child's birthday. Your cake is your cake. You are not going to allow somebody to decide what you are going to do with your cake. Would you allow someone to share your cake without your consent? Some persons are inseparable from their cakes. Over the Christmas holidays, one man got so drunk that he took up a piece of cake from his plate, looked at it lovingly and said to it, “No matter what happens, I will not dessert you.” Men and women have to
protect their cake. It is their right to decide on who gets a piece of their cake. The situation with a country's natural resource wealth is no different. Investors may come to partake of that wealth through their investments. But they should not be the ones who should decide how the national cake is to be split. That is for the country and its people to decide. We have an unusual situation in Guyana in the oil and gas industry. Guyana's oil wealth belongs to the
people. Guyana invited investors to come here to help develop this industry. But it seems as if that invitation has been interpreted as allowing those invitees the right to dictate the division of the 'national cake.' Guyana faces an unusual situation with its 'oil' cake. It is the guests (the oil companies) who are deciding on the division of the national cake. They are the ones who are sharing Guyana's cake and informing Guyanese that 2%
of that cake will be given to them. The people are tumbling over each other about how to share this thin 2% slice. forgetting that it is their right to decide on the size of the slice. Some want conditional cash transfers, others want non-conditional cash transfers. Even more others want for the parts of this thin slice to be allocated to them more than to others. Guyanese are fighting over the cake even before it is baked. And they are not worried that they are not the
ones sharing their own cake. The oil companies are sharing out the cake. And on top of that when they are finished, they are sending you a bill. (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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Sunday December 29, 2019
A weak, worn out Caribbean will not serve its people in 2020 By Sir Ronald Sanders
A
s 2019 ends and the New Year dawns, the world faces a troubling period of uncertainty. This precariousness will affect international and regional organizations as some powerful governments pursue a policy of de-linking from the established international system, encouraging fragmentation of regional groups, and imposing their own agenda through various methods of coercion. That process has started – most glaringly in the World Trade Organization (WTO), where the dispute settlement machinery has been forced into collapse by the retirement of two of the
remaining three members of the Appellate Body on December 10, and a veto by the United States of any new appointments. Now, states will have to revert to settling disputes through bilateral negotiation. No fair and equitable settlement can possibly emerge from a negotiation between a large power and a small powerless state. That's why no big country – including India – has railed against it. Absent strict international rules, n a t i o n a l p o w e r predominates. Small countries will be especially endangered if this trend intensifies. The rulesbased international system protects them from suffocation by larger powers in a range of areas, including
terms of trade; access to financing; defence and security; and the right to participate effectively in regional and international decision-making. That is w h y, t h r o u g h o u t t h e international system, small states should form strong alliances and make common cause to protect and preserve the rules that govern international relations in all its aspects. The big and powerful nations, whose governments are intent on establishing their own primacy by encouraging the breaking up of regional groups, will also suffer adverse consequences in the longer term. For, even the rich and powerful will suffer if the markets and states around them are poor, weak and unstable. But, few
governments show concern for the longer term; instead, they are intent on satisfying their own immediate political interests and on the primacy they can procure for their own countries. BREXIT – the withdrawal of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland (UK) from the now 28-nation European Union (EU) will weaken the EU as a balancing economic and trade force against the United States of America (US), China and Russia. The present governments of all three of these large powers have separate but common interests in dismantling the EU monolith and dealing, instead, with 28 smaller states. None of the 28, by themselves (not even Germany and France) has the capacity to bargain effectively with China and the US. And, in military terms, not even the largest of the EU countries alone can face-up to Russia. It should be noted that the EU itself was not averse to using the combined power of its 28 states to impose its will on the weak and
vulnerable, including Caribbean states. The two-decade long war that it has waged on small countries over tax and financial matters, using trade and aid as measures to coerce them to comply with arbitrary and imposed regimes, confirmed its own readiness to effectuate its will through force. The EU is using that power by itself and through the influence that its hawkish member states exert in the 36-member Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) which has set-up itself as the world's standard-setting body on tax and financial services. The actions of both the EU and the OECD have disrupted the provision of financial services in small countries, including the Caribbean, causing the loss of employment and revenues. Regrettably, none of this shows any sign of easing as the world enters 2020. Entrenched religious prejudice, nurtured sentiments of racial s u p e r i o r i t y, i n g r a i n e d
Sir Ronald Sanders craving for economic advantage and power, including claims for territorial land and sea by governments of states that adjoin others - all combine to hinder human progress that should reside in fairness and impartiality; peace and genuine respect for people; and the provision of conditions that allow for the welfare and protection of others. Of course, these arguments are relevant to regional situations as well. Unity and solidarity with each other, in pursuit of their common good, are often sacrificed by regional countries for immediate national gain. Alliances are formed with an external country or countries that satisfy short term benefits but weaken regional bargaining capacity. In the Caribbean, this particular situation is one that regional governments should strive to overcome in (continued on page 50)
Sunday December 29, 2019
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Kaieteur News
---Hinds’ Sight by Dr. David Hinds---
Oil wealth must be immediately used to tackle poverty and social inequality So, Guyana has started to produce oil. Understandably, the government celebrated the announcement of First Oil. The President declared a National Petroleum Day. The Opposition was lukewarm about the official announcement. The critics of the government’s handling of the contracts and the general preparations have continued their criticisms. In the meantime, Guyanese wait to see how oil would change their lives for the better. I have long decided that I will not make much of the mistakes made thus far. The bigger test for me is how the revenues coming to Guyana would be spent. There has been no shortage of advice to the government on what to spend the money on. APNU+AFC has given us an idea of how it intends to proceed. To date, I don’t see or hear any bold idea coming from the coalition. There is nothing revolutionary about the Sovereign Wealth Fund—it is about saving today’s wealth for an unknown future . There is ev-
erything correct about a rainy-day fund. But there is also everything correct about using today’s money to solve today’s chronic problems. And Guyana has some very chronic problems which have blighted this country for all its life, before and after independence. It is why I favour a sensible balance between saving for tomorrow and aggressively using the wealth to deal with the institutional problems of today. I am not convinced that the Coalition has struck that balance. There is too much emphasis on the Sovereign Wealth Fund and too little on tackling poverty and socio-economic equality. That message needs to be articulated very clearly to people as pointed policy items. This is Guyana—a Caribbean country that shares a lot with the rest of the world, but has its own peculiar history. We are a post-plantation society. We have never had the kind of resources needed to successfully tackle the problems that accompany post-
plantationhood. Now that we are in the presence of such resources, the primary concern should be erasing the scourge of post plantationhood. The institutional nature of our condition means that we need a multipronged approach—a wide gaze and a wide swipe. I am afraid that what I hear is too narrow for my liking. This business of spending on education, or infrastructure, or agriculture as stand-alone areas is nonsensical. Any country with the kind of problems we have demands that we spend on developing all those sectors simultaneously. There is a reason why Guyana has for some time been among the poorest countries of the hemisphere. During that time, we have had periods of positive growth rates. But these have never translated into sustained human development. The majority of our people continued to be poor and the gap between the minority rich and the majority poor widened by the year. One of the biggest chal-
The Baccoo Speaks There were many untoward incidents during the Christmas holidays. There were seven deaths. That is going to ease as the New Year approaches, because even the criminals dont want to take risks with their lives. However the motorists have no such compunction. In their haste to capitalize on the available fares they will take chances, one of which would lead to a collision. There will be damage but no
fatality. That will come later. ** There are usually fires at this time. This year would be no different. A kitchen fire would cause some panic. Fortunately quick action by
neighbours would avert disaster. But there would be some damage. ** Old Years night is a time when people try to welcome in the New Year in different ways. One household would be at a function when some enterprising crooks would invade their home. The crooks would escape, but not for long, because they would be seen and tracked.
lenges, then, is to translate the expected colossal rise in the GDP into human development. I am afraid that to do that we must from day one begin to intentionally invest in people in the short and long term. One of the fortunate things is that Guyana could learn from the mistakes of other new oil-producing countries with a similar history to ours. The instances of corruption are many. But so too are the instances where governments acted as if the money is theirs and only they know how to spend it. Government programs are a must—there is no escaping them. Tax breaks for citizens are always a useful tool of putting money into people’s hands. But we know that tax breaks often benefit the rich. For poor people who live their entire lives without enough income to fulfill basic dreams, Cash Transfers have proven to be a very effective policy intervention. Cash Transfers, in conjunc-
tion with a quality education and full employment, is a very potent recipe for poverty alleviation. Yet for some strange unexplained reason, the Coalition is hesitant to embrace. To its credit, the PPP has already announced that it would enact a limited Cash Transfer program. The Coalition is yet to announce a similar policy. There is a lot of talk about Local Content. But it’s local content for the business class. What about local content for the working people? Businesses are important for job creation and the provision of goods and services, so local entrepreneurship must be encouraged and protected. However, the working people should not be at the mercy of a trickle-down approach. Invest in local businesses, but invest more in the Guyanese people. I will be listening out to hear what the parties, especially the two large formations are putting before the people at the upcoming elections. I have no problem with prom-
Dr David Hinds ises—that is what elections are about. I want to hear the promises to the people. Enough Guyanese are saying that they will not vote if they don’t hear how this coming oil wealth would concretely benefit them at the personal and family levels, both in the short and long terms. I am warning the big contestants that they ignore that threat to their peril. (The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of this newspaper) More of Dr. Hinds’ writings and commentaries can be found on his YouTube Channel Hinds’ Sight: Dr. David Hinds’ Guyana-Caribbean Politics and on his w e b s i t e www.guyanacaribbeanpolitics.news. Send comments to dhinds6106@aol.com
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Kaieteur News
Who killed the peeping tom? R
Sunday December 29, 2019
By Michael Jordan
adio announcer Matthew Allen loved to tell the story about a notorious peeping tom who roamed the seawalls many years ago. They called him ‘the moving blacksage’ because he would reportedly cut clumps of blacksage bushes and hide behind them while creeping up on unsuspecting lovers. Bill Rogers even made up a calypso about him. But his luck reportedly ran out one night when an irate man caught the ‘moving blacksage’ and beat him with a bull-whip. “And that,” Matthew Allen would say, “was the end of him.” Like I said, that was many, many moons ago, so let’s turn to another ‘peeping tom’ who met an ignominious end six years ago. The Safari Inn at Friendship, East Bank Demerara, was one of Guyana’s oldest hotels at the time. It was where handyman Victor Ramsabad, also called ‘Tun Tun’ worked and sometimes slept. The Safari Inn was owned by Francis and Yvonne Correia, and 37-year-old ‘Tun Tun’ had been doing oddjobs at the hotel since he was a teen. Yvonne Correia had told me that ‘Tun Tun’ was paid $3,000 for a day’s work. He was well treated, and the business couple even put up with his heavy drinking and his habit of stealing alcohol and other beverages from the bar. It was said that whenever he misbehaved, ‘Tun Tun’ would stay away for about a month, but then return and ask the Correias “for another chance.” But while they put up with Ramsabad’s pilfering, Mrs. Correia claimed that he had a particularly nasty vice. He was also an incurable ‘peeping tom’.
The passageway where the body was found. The shed from which Yvonne Correia believed the handyman fell.
According to Mrs. Correia and some of her staff, Ramsabad would peep into the bedrooms and into bathrooms of the hotel guests. The businesswoman alleged that ‘Tun Tun’ would even “bore holes” in the bedroom
walls to get a view of the guests. As if that wasn’t enough, he would joke with his friends about his escapades. Mrs. Correia would say: “Tun Tun, stop peeping the customers,” and even com-
Victor Ramsabad, called ‘Tun Tun’. plained to his mother. Despite being occasionally caught by guests, and despite pleas from his mother, Tun-Tun apparently just couldn’t stop
‘peeping.’ Eventually, the hotel proprietors ordered their handyman to stay off the premises whenever he was drunk. Nevertheless, ‘Tun Tun’ would still sneak into the unfenced compound. At around 10 p.m. on Sunday, August 18, 2013, a couple came to book a room at the Safari Inn. A female tenant gave the customers a room key. She then looked outside and saw Ramsabad in the yard. The tenant reportedly said: “Tun Tun, Auntie Yvonne ain’t say that she don’t want you in the yard after hours?” It is alleged that the tenant then went inside, so she was unable to say whether the handyman had left. It is believed that he was intoxicated at the time, since he had visited a wedding house in the area earlier in the day. It is alleged that on the afternoon of Tuesday, August 20, 2013, proprietor Francis Correia was strolling in his compound when he spotted his handyman’s motionless body near a passageway at the southern section of the premises. The body bore what appeared to be a gaping wound to the back of the head and lacerations about the body. Police, who eventually arrived and examined the body, surmised that the handyman had died sometime between Sunday, August 18 and Tuesday, August 20. Because he had found the body, the police took Mr. Correia into custody, while awaiting a post mortem. Ramsabad’s mother later said she had received reports that her son had gotten into an altercation with someone at the Safari Inn after taking several bottles of beer from a freezer. According to this report, the handyman had taken the
beverages under the pretext of giving them to a customer on credit. This was refuted by individuals at the hotel. Meanwhile, businesswoman Yvonne Correia had her own theory about how the handyman had died, and she suggested that he had caused his own demise. Taking me for a stroll around the sprawling compound, she showed me a shed and explained that this was where they had found ‘Tun Tun.’ According to Mrs. Correia, her handyman would often climb onto the shed. From there, he got a good view of the bedrooms of the hotel guests. Mrs. Correia believed that the heavy-drinking handyman had clambered onto the shed. But this time, the intoxicated ‘Tun Tun’ slipped and tumbled to his death. She suggested that the body was not discovered immediately because the area where he fell was not frequently traversed. But then a post mortem revealed that Ramsabad had died from a fractured skull and brain hemorrhage. According to the police, someone had murdered the handyman. But detectives were unable to make any headway in their case. They released Mr. Correia, and, to this day, no one knows how Victor Ramsabad, the peeping handyman, met his end. If you have any information about any unusual case, please contact us by phone or at our Lot 34 Saffon Street location. We can be reached on telephone numbers 2258465, 22-58491, and 2258473. You need not disclose your identity. You can also contact Michael Jordan at his email address mjdragon@hotmail.com
Sunday December 29, 2019
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Kaieteur News
==THE FREDDIE KISSOON COLUMN==
I’ve been warning Guyana about revenge power Your friend has access to your house. You trust him. You ignore the fact that he stole a particular music CD. You thought it wasn’t important. On another occasion, he pinched an engraved pen. Again, you did not see this as something large. The question is; what makes you think that one day, the temptation will not arise to steal a piece of jewellery? It will happen and it has happened countless time in life since civilization began. This is a law of life. I have continued to dismiss, and will continue to do so, the statement I have read from so many observers, including my own friends, that after four years, APNU+AFC leaders have not physically harmed opponents the way the PPP has done. Such a statement cannot be a sound argument, because it has immense academic weaknesses. One can be harsh and say the point is childless. You have to judge power by the temperament of its holder, not by comparing
and counting acts of violations between past and present governments. Jagdeo and Ramotar ruled for fifteen years, so in four years, APNU+AFC would not have reached even a quarter of the violations and atrocities committed by the Jagdeo/ Ramotar cabals. But there are sufficient acts of perversity in those four years to indicate a larger authoritarian trend is coming. The perversities and depravities are mounting up These pages of mine were replete with warnings that if the PPP returned to power after the 2011 elections it would be more fascist. I was proven right. I was the first victim of Donald Ramotar after he became president. He was elected in November 2011. My UG contract was terminated in December 2011. I issued the identical warning during the 2015 elections. But the PPP lost. Here is my unambiguous, pellucid prediction. If the PPP wins the 2020 poll, and with the maximum power Jagdeo
will exert in the Irfaan Ali administration, the fascistization characteristic of the Jagdeo/ Ramotar era will continue. The PPP’s leaders and the many others affiliated with them will ultimately destroy this nation. Jagdeo will perpetuate revenge power on this nation. After Irfaan Ali is sworn in, his first act will be to turn off the street light outside my home. His second act will be to instruct that the part of the public trench outside my home not be cleaned. No one can convince me otherwise, that if the PPP returns to power, my daughter will not get employment with the state. There are sufficient grounds to believe that there will be revenge politics if APNU+AFC wins in 2020. From May 2015 when they won, right up to this moment, that regime has showed the entire world it is the other side of the coin, the same coin that the PPP’s imprint is on. APNU+AFC is as corrupt
as the Jagdeo/Ramotar outfit. APNU+AFC is a practitioner of incestuous power, just as the Jagdeo/Ramotar cabals. APNU+AFC is as authoritarian as the Jagdeo/Ramotar bandwagon. APNU+AFC is as racially discriminatory as the Jagdeo/Ramotar oligarchy. So what is the latest evidence that if APNU+AFC wins we are heading for revenge politics? State advertisements to the Stabroek News continue to dwindle. Finance Minister Jordan has sued the Kaieteur News for libel. This is the very gentleman that shouted out at a Bartica rally of APNU+AFC that “war break” and the police and the ERC never interviewed him. The Chronicle recently did an editorial openly advocating the return to power of APNU+AFC in the election in 2020, a monstrosity and depravity that even under the PPP did not occur. The latest is the attack by Carl Greenidge on the Kaieteur
News, in which open racial motives can be seen. The Chronicle editorial and Greenidge outburst will be the subjects of forthcoming columns. I am in no doubt whatsoever that if APNU+AFC returns in 2020, authoritarian power will run amok. There are little things that this government is doing to me that I am waiting for the election campaign to begin to expose. I have done one already – the street light outside my home. I will end with another one. When the PPP was in power, no bigwig in that government ordered the National Park authorities to stop me leaving my bicycle in the park. Because of my criticism of APNU+AFC, I was asked to remove it. The letter was arrogant with threats of legal action. All of this for a bicycle left in the park for the past 15 years. I complained to Dr. Raquel Thomas, the board chairman and Ms Ndibi Schwiers, head of the Department of Environment. I was
Frederick Kissoon ignored. I believe either Joe Harmon or David Granger is behind this. (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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Sunday December 29, 2019
Kaieteur News
BETTER TOGETHER A very prosperous 2020 to Guyanese everywhere! Guyana stands poised for take-off. We are on the cusp of becoming a developed nation with enough wealth for this nation to take off on the road to massive growth. According to the International Monetary Fund (IMF)’s best estimates, Guyana’s GDP is expected to grow from 4.6% in 2019 to 86% growth over the next 12 months! So, it bears repeating: Happy 2020 to all Guyanese. Guyana’s time has come to make our great plans real, but there is one proviso – the APNU+AFC has to be voted back to Government so we could continue to build this nation. We started four years ago, and those who are able to recognize the truth have to acknowledge that this Govern-
ment has begun to turn the fortunes of our nation around. The new Guyana is already visible. There is hope in the eyes of our people who have suffered from criminal neglect for about 23 years. Some say that at last they feel like they belong to this country because their needs are being met – water, electricity, Internet connections, new airstrips, bridges, local and overseas markets for the products they make, schools for their children and easy ways for them to reach school by bus, boat, bicycles, etc. for free. This is not magnanimity on the part of Government. This is very necessary! President Granger’s 5 ‘B’s programme has one all-encompassing objective, to recreate Guyana’s external image as an Educated Nation, and as the Breadbasket of the
Caribbean. This can only be done by you the people, who have better means to earn well from your labours. Now we have friends around us in the Caribbean. Guyanese no longer face the embarrassment of being searched three times between CJIA and Piarco’s Baggage Claim, or Grantley Adams, or JFK, or Lester B. Pearson, or Amsterdam Airport Schiphol. Guyanese are proud now, and we have every reason to be! There are no tyres around our necks and no invisible signs on our backs saying “I come from Guyana, the Narco State”. No more do our neighbours treat us with scorn because they believe us to be so poor that we’d come to their country to take what they have – food, clothing, fuel, dry goods, etc. Ac-
tually their vendors were happy to sell our Traders their ‘overstock’ at inflated prices, and yes, some damaged goods too. Well, that’s done, so please let us keep it over and done with. Please remember that what will continue to define us as a nation is our ability to walk over the pettiness that we’re still seeing in the political arena. Certain people are still sowing seeds of confusion and uncertainty, and helping you to believe that you didn’t see what you did see. Please let your eyes guide you towards making the right decisions for you. There is a piece of the Guyana cake for every citizen with your political representatives working together to build up what we found was broken down. In the Coalition’s first term, the people of Guyana have been ably represented in Parliament and the Cabinet of Ministers by the five parties that make up A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) which is its own coalition, and the AFC. The AFC joined this group on Valentine’s Day 2015 when the Leaders signed the first Cummingsburg Accord to form the historic multiparty, multi-racial Coalition. Together they won the 2015 General Elections. Last week, after a few months of very amicable negotiations and discussions, President David A. Granger and Vice President Khemraj Ramjattan placed their imprimaturs on the new, stronger Accord. Under this new agreement, the AFC will get 30 per
cent of the Coalition’s seats in the National Assembly based on the 70:30 ratio agreed upon. The new formula will also determine the allocation of seats in the Regional Democratic Councils (RDCs), and the AFC will retain the Prime Ministerial post. For the second time, this group of true nation builders will face down the ‘destroyer’ and the new parties contesting the 2020 elections. This time, the Coalition has the benefit of the work it has already done in four short years. This is a good time to say that in 2015 when the Coalition was the ‘new Kid on the Block’, with each member having little (or no) experience sailing the ship of State, the mess that the new Government met was almost overwhelming. It took much of the next two years to clean up the Governance systems and public service; and to at least slow down corruption (which has proven to be so deeply entrenched that it will take more than four years to erase). We stayed aware of our people’s expectations for us to fix the problems that kept them from developing faster; for us to implement the new systems faster; and to get rid of the PPP’s ‘elements’ who remained within the public service’s workforce. From Day One, we have had to fight against institutional sabotage and delaying mechanisms designed to hold back and even break up new projects. We’ve had to work doubly hard to convince certain sections of society that this
Coalition Government does not care about which political party you voted for. We have a mandate to serve the people of this nation, and that is what we have been doing. We’ve worked hard to switch the focus of Government to function like it is working for the People, as servants of the People. For too long, Guyanese were made to believe that they had to pledge their allegiance to the ruling PPP before they could receive running water, or have their road graded or paved. The coalition put an end to that wherever we could, even though we understand that the allegiance card is still being played in certain inland communities. The coalition returned Local Government Elections in the hope that communities would elect the people they know would work for them. It turned out that the previously entrenched systems have been reinforced instead of stamped out. However, if you, the electorate, give us the chance to continue the work we began, measures will be put in place to make sure your communities are developed for the benefit of all, not just the few in the NDCs. The new Accord is an enhanced version of the 2015 Cummingsburg Accord that fits better with the new Guyana. Happy New Year, Guyana. (The views expressed in this article are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of this newspaper)
Sunday December 29, 2019
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Kaieteur News
My column
Rumours and promises for 2020 The year is ending pretty much as it began, with accusations in the political arena. Indeed some of the accusations are intended to gain headlines and they will. Recently, there was the comment that Minister Khemraj Ramjattan had an account with Capital Bank in New York, and that he used this bank to channel US$5 million. Needless to say, the accusation was picked up by two news entities, one of which actually approached Ramjattan for a comment. Ramjattan simply said, “Booy”, a sign of his exasperation at the accusation. The media entity reported that Ramjattan would neither confirm nor deny. Reality is that with the focus on money laundering, any transaction the likes of which Ramjattan was said to be conducting would have brought the house down on his head. And the house would have been the developed world that is pushing to stamp out money laundering. Late last week, Jagdeo said that he ran with an unconfirmed report and that he was prepared to say sorry. There is a saying that because of the word sorry, little boys take the opportunity to mash the toes of big men. There is the belief in the media that people should respond to any allegation. Even Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo said that Ramjattan should have put the rumour to rest. That is surprising, since anyone could start a rumour and expect the target to respond. Generally, most of us would simply ignore them, because we know that they would soon die down and another would start. It happened with President David Granger. He was said to have built a mansion soon after he acceded to the presidency.
The suggestion was that he took funds from the national coffers to enrich himself. Someone in his camp did say that the Head of State moved into a house left by his late brother. Then there was another rumour that President Granger dipped into the national coffers to build a swimming pool. This did not take root. It was started in New York by Opposition Leader Jagdeo when he addressed a gathering of his people. Recently, Jagdeo said that if President Granger had hired an international crew to investigate the foreign accounts of present and past politicians there would have been no need for such rumours.It would seem that in the coming days there will be rumours upon rumours to distract from the real issues of development. But there are the real issues. The oil companies would be increasingly in the news, especially since oil has begun to come to the surface. Guyana was never prepared for oil, so whatever laws it has in place are inadequate. There is the view that no new law would impact ExxonMobil, but this would have to be tested. Laws are laws and nothing is above the law. If a contract determines some things that are outside the law, a citizen could move to the courts and have that contract nullified. Of interest is the fact that neither the government nor the opposition seems inclined to tamper with the contract already in place. There are aspects that could be challenged, and I am certain they would be. But for now Guyana has arranged to sell its share of the oil. That means money for the coffers. But even then, there is the threat that the companies that opt to sell
Guyana’s oil at this time would be blacklisted. According to the opposition, the government should not sell anything, because it is in caretaker mode. This would mean that any decisions taken would be nullified if the opposition gains office. Yet I fear this is all idle talk. I remember when the government changed in 1992. There was a contract to sell the Guyana Telecommunications Corporation. The new President, Dr Cheddi Jagan, opted to review the sale. He did the same thing with the contract that established Barama Company Limited. In both cases nothing changed, because one investigation found that the sale of the telephone company was above board. In fact, the finding was that Guyana got the best offer. But there were some changes. One involved the Essequibo Coast road. The result was a substandard surface, all in the interest of saving money. Another contract that the new government visited involved the Soesdyke-Linden Highway. That road was built in 1968 to last twenty years. It was due to be reconstructed, but the new government decided that it would be resurfaced. Today that major thoroughfare is a far cry from what a highway should be. At one stage it was a death trap and indeed, people died. So I expect that nothing would change with what is happening in the oil sector if a new government accedes to office. The same can be said for sugar. The previous government did not have the courage to do what was necessary in the sugar industry. To talk of reopening the closed sugar estates is just talk. That will not happen. To create 50,000 jobs is also
laughable. From where would the 50,000 come? Meanwhile, the race is on to ensure that Guyana is protected from any untoward occurrence in the oil sector. There was a mud spill of which the country knew nothing. It could have been worse. It could have been an oil spill. Fortune favours Guyana even as it struggles to capitalize on the newfound opportunities in oil. There is talk about bringing the natural gas to shore. The government has said that it is looking for a point to land the gas. The gas would do wonders for the
economy. It would power machinery currently relying on fossil fuel—to be exact, oil. Trinidad is capitalizing on its natural gas, albeit a little late. At the same time, the private sector has expressed a desire to get involved in the gas sector. Gas would be far cheaper, so electricity bills would fall significantly. New machinery would emerge to help process foods. Guyana once had a canning sector, but the high cost of electricity caused this sector to collapse. The result is that Guyana is now importing
Adam Harris all its canned goods. (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
Sunday December 29, 2019
A decade for youth development (Excerpts from an address by HE David Granger at the Youth Empowerment Summit Linden, 19th December 2019)
T
he next decade will be the most trans formative in our nation’s history. It will become the most important era for young people. The progress made over the past four years will be accelerated exponentially over the next ten, as Guyana transitions rapidly towards a modern, developed state. You will grow up to live in a country with: “ an education system and a first-rate healthcare system that are among the best in the Caribbean; “ an economy that generates employment for all young people; and “ an infrastructure network – including aerodromes, bridges and roads linking every community and region – and with ICT connecting every village, household and public agency. Young people constitute the majority of the country’s population: “ two out of every three Guyanese are below the age of 35; “ one in every three is between the ages of 15 and 35;
and “ one in every five is between the ages of 15 and 25 years. Young people are vital to the nation’s progress. You will become the brains and sinews of our ‘green’ economy. You will be the motors of change and progress. You will need to be provided with the knowledge, skills and values necessary to participate in a transformative economy and progressive society. Every young person, no matter where he or she resides, should be provided with greater job-creation opportunities and share, equitably, in the country’s prosperity; young people should be afforded a greater role in the country’s decision-making. The ‘good life’ will be unattainable unless young people have access to better education, enjoy greater equality, are provided with increased employment opportunities and are empowered to make decisions that affect them. The National Youth Policy rests on these four cornerstones of youth development – education, equality, empowerment and employment. The ‘Policy’ explains Government’s vision as: … a nation in which
young people are united, educated, trained, safe, happy, healthy and integrally involved in the decision-making processes, while enjoying equality of opportunity and equal access to the resources of our country and are politically, economically and socially empowered. Education: Education is an essential element in employment, empowerment and equality. It is the principal pillar of Government’s youth policy. Education is the foundation for the achievement of a good life. Prospects for self-development will be precluded until and unless young people are provided with the knowledge, skills and values which are necessary for them to become productive citizens and to provide for themselves and their families, adequately. Your Government is improving education. More money is being spent on the public education system that ever before. More than G$170B has been expended on education over the past four years. Expenditure in the public education sector moved from 14.8 per cent of the national budget in 2014 to 17.0 per cent in 2017. A total of $G52.2B was allocated to the education
sector this year, up from G$ 32.3 B budgeted in 2014, an increase of 61 per cent. “ The Public Education Transport Service (PETS known popularly as the 3 Bs Initiative) – which provides free transportation by buses, boats and with bicycles – is making it easier for children to attend school. “ The Public Education Nutrition Service (PENS) – known as the school-feeding programme – has been expanded. More than 20,000 students now benefit from some form of school feeding in 216 hinterland nursery and primary schools and annexes. “ The Public Education IDEAL (Improving Digital Equity, Access and Learning) Programme is enhancing educational delivery with a total of 175 primary schools, 106 secondary schools and 34 technical and vocational institutions connected to the internet to support remoteaccess learning, online research and to help students with their academic assignments and homework. “ The Public Service Scholarship Programme (PSSP) awarded 1,888 scholarships to students drawn from every administrative region, and the Hinterland Scholarship Programme awarded 882 scholarships, since 2015, as part of its policy to provide education and training to youths. “ The National Endowment for Science and Technology (NEST) is promoting science education in schools. Teacher training is being improved. Investments, totalling more than G$ 50M, have been made to improve science laboratories at the Cyril Potter College of Education. Equality: Equality is the second pillar of your Government’s youth development policy. Everyone desires, demands and deserves a good life. Development will be deformed unless growth is accompanied by greater income, gender, geographic and ethnic equality. Disparities in opportunity between the coastland and the hinterland and between urban and rural areas must be reduced and, eventually, eliminated. The gender gap will be closed by ensuring that girls and boys are given equal access to education, training and upward economic and political mobility.
Everyone must have access to education. Schooling becomes a powerful equalizer when opportunities for quality education and training are accessible by the entire population. Educational opportunities open prospects for upward mobility, especially to disadvantaged groups. Your government, already, is pursuing greater equality by providing improved access to public services – business registration, immigration, legal services, public education, public health, public information, public infrastructure, public security, public telecommunications, electricity and water. Regionalization is helping to remove geographic inequalities. Every Region will have its own capital town which will drive its development. Regional development will act as a catalyst for faster hinterland and rural development. Empowerment: Empowerment is the third pillar of the National Youth Policy. Young people are being empowered to contribute to their own development and to the decision-making in their communities and country. The restoration of local democracy, after an absence of more than two decades, triggered a surge in youth participation. Young candidates contested and campaigned in local government elections in 2016 and 2018. The voices of the young people are being heard in their villages, neighbourhoods, in their regions and in the National Assembly. Young professionals and entrepreneurs are being consulted in the fashioning of our annual budgets and in the development of government policies. Employment: The fourth pillar of the national youth policy is employment. Your government is promoting job creation through self-employment. Several initiatives – aimed at providing young people with marketable skills, including entrepreneurship - have been launched. Seed capital and micro-financing are providing them with self-employment opportunities. Initiatives include the: “ Sustainable Livelihood and Entrepreneurial Development (SLED) programme, launched in 2016, provided financing and technical support for more than 400 community projects which support income-generation and entrepreneurship, including youth entrepreneurship;
“ Hinterland Employment and Youth Service (HEYS), launched in 2015 assisted in creating more than 1,200 jobs and trained some 3,728 hinterland youths; “ Linden Enterprise Network (LEN), re-launched in December 2015 with an injection of G$155M from the Government, disbursed 570 loans totalling G$326.2M over the past four years; “ Micro and Small Enterprise Development Scheme aimed at removing some of the traditional bottlenecks – financing and lack of skills training – which inhibit smalland micro-sized enterprises disbursed 559 grants between 2015 and 2018 which supported initiatives in the fields of agro-processing, apiculture, aquaculture, business outsourcing, cultural industries and eco-tourism; “ Guyana Youth Corps – aimed at ensuring that our young people are equipped with the knowledge, skills and attitudes to become productive citizens and at providing for themselves and their families while enhancing national and community development – was re-launched on 28th March 2019 after having been inaugurated on the 1st January 1968 by the Governmentof-the-day; “ Guyana Industrial Training Centre has graduated a total of 734 persons since 2015 trained in data operations, electrical installation, furniture-making, masonry, metallurgy, motor vehicle repairs, plumbing and welding; “ Board of Industrial Training equipped more than 8,000 young persons with technical vocational skills over the past four years; and. “ Youth Innovation Project of Guyana – launched in 2017 with the aim of encouraging innovative project ideas from young persons aged 14 to 35 years, youth groups, schools and faithbased organizations – selected 105 projects, from all 10 administrative regions, for approval of which 65 have received funding totally G$97.3M, so far. Youth development programmes have expanded over the past four years. Youth development is reaching every corner of the country. Never before, in our country’s history, has so much been done for young people in so short a period. (The views expressed in this article are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of this newspaper)
Sunday December 29, 2019
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Kaieteur News
Shoulder impingement: The “nagging” shoulder pain By Dr Zulfikar Bux Assistant Professor of Emergency Medicine houlder impinge ment is a very com mon cause of shoulder pain, where a tendon inside your shoulder rubs or catches on nearby tissue and bone as you lift your arm. It affects the rotator cuff tendon, which is the rubbery tissue that connects the muscles around your shoulder joint to the top of your arm. An impinging shoulder will often improve in a few weeks or months, especially with the right type of shoulder exercises, but occasionally it can be an ongoing problem leading to a persistently painful shoulder joint. Today we will discuss this very common cause of persistent shoulder pain. WHATARE SYMPTOMS OF SHOULDER IMPINGEMENT? Shoulder impingement can start suddenly or come on gradually. Symptoms include: ·pain in the top and outer side of your shoulder · pain that’s worse when you lift your arm, especially when you lift it above your head · pain or aching at night, which can affect your sleep · weakness in your arm ·Your shoulder will not usually be stiff. If it is, you might have a frozen shoulder instead. WHAT CAUSES SHOULDER IMPINGEMENT? When you lift your arm, the rotator cuff tendon passes through a narrow space at the top of your shoulder, known as the subacromial space. Shoulder impingement occurs when the
S
Dr Zulfikar Bux
tendon rubs or catches on the bone at the top of this space, called the acromion. This can happen if: · the tendon becomes swollen, thickened or torn this can be due to an injury, overuse of the shoulder or “wear and tear” with age · the fluid-filled sac (bursa) found between the tendon and acromion becomes irritated and inflamed (bursitis) this can also be caused by an injury or overuse of the shoulder · the acromion is curved or hooked, rather than flat this tends to be something you’re born with · there are bony growths called spur on the acromion these can develop as you get older WHEN SHOULD YOU SEE A DOCTOR? See a doctor if you have shoulder pain that does not go away after a few weeks or is stopping you from doing your normal activities. He/she will look at your shoulder and ask you to move your arm in
different ways to see how easily you can move it and if movement makes the pain worse. The doctor may suggest some treatments you can try or refer you to a physiotherapist for treatment advice. You probably will not need to go to hospital for any scans. WHAT CAN YOU DO TO HELP IF YOU HAVE SHOULDER IMPINGEMENT? · Avoid things that make the pain worse avoid activities that involve repeatedly lifting your arm above your head for a few days or weeks. Ask your doctor when you can restart these activities. · Do not stop moving your arm completely try to carry on with your normal daily activities as much as possible so your shoulder does not become weak or stiff. It’s usually best to avoid using a sling. · Hold an ice pack to your shoulder for around 20 minutes several times a day · Take painkillers anti-in-
flammatory painkillers such as ibuprofen or paracetamol may help. A doctor can prescribe stronger painkillers if needed. HOW IS SHOULDER IMPINGEMENTTREATED? Your doctor will put you on a course of anti-inflammatory painkillers and review you in a week or two. If it doesnt improve, the following may be other treatment options that your doctor will explore with you: ·Shoulder exercises - A doctor may be able to advise you about simple shoulder exercises you can do. Physiotherapists can also diag-
nose shoulder impingement and suggest exercises to help improve shoulder posture and further strengthen your muscles to improve your pain and range of movement. You may need to do these exercises with a physiotherapist at first, but after a while you’ll usually be able to continue doing them at home. · Steroid Injections - Steroid injections into your shoulder can help relieve pain if rest and exercises on their own do not help. But it’s still important to do your shoulder exercises, as injections usually only
have an effect for a few weeks and your pain may come back if you stop the exercises. While the injection can be repeated if needed, having more than 2 is not usually recommended because it might damage the tendon in your shoulder in the long term. · Surgery-A surgery called a subacromial decompression may be an option if other treatments have not worked, although there’s some uncertainty about how much it helps. The surgery involves widening the space around the rotator cuff tendon so it does not rub or catch on anything nearby. The pains from shoulder impingement can often be relieved, especially if caught early. Do not hesitate to visit your doctor if you this type of nagging shoulder pains.
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Kaieteur News
Sunday December 29, 2019
Members of a South Sudanese militia
SUNDAY TRUSTING OIL COMPANIESAND KEEPING CITIZENS IN DARK COST TRINIDAD US$17 BILLION IN SIX YEARS Now that first oil is here, Guyana is moving forward with preparations for the sale of the first three cargoes of oil it will collect as early as February 2020. But the world of oil trading is known to be a murky business, says Energy Advisor, Dr. Anthony Paul. Dr. Paul made these and other statements during a recent appearance on Kaieteur Radio Programme, Guyana’s Oil and You. There, he highlighted the costly mistakes his home country, Trinidad and Tobago, made in the oil trading business. According to Dr. Paul, the failure of politicians to inform the citizenry about the decisions taken on the sale of Trinidad’s gas as well as trust in companies to sell the resource on the nation’s behalf, resulted in Trinidad losing billions of dollars in revenue. To be specific, Dr. Paul said that such a concoction of gullibility and opaqueness resulted in US$17B in taxes being lost. Guyana’s budget for 2019 is approximately US$1.5B. It therefore means that the money Trinidad lost could have funded Guyana’s economy for more than a decade. The Trinidadian said, “The mistake we made is that we had this capability (of being able to understand the market and selling oil on our own) but we did not have it for natural gas. Instead of building it for gas, we asked the company to market the gas on our behalf and that is where they took us to the cleaners. We were taken to the cleaners because we trusted them with what we have.” The Energy Advisor added, “Here is how we got taken to the cleaners. The sellers of our gas were selling to marketing companies who
are marketing arms of their parent company. In other words, they were selling to affiliated companies and they were reporting prices that were below market prices or even below the prescribed price in the law.” When the government finally did an independent audit, Dr. Paul said that the consultants found that the value reported by the companies for the gas from 2010 to 2016 was US$30B less than the actual value. “…And with our tax regime, this meant the government would have been able to get, had they done due diligence, at least US$17B in taxes,” the Trinidadian shared. When this was made known to the citizenry, Dr. Paul noted that there was obvious opposition. But only a change of government was able to put an end to the abuse and advantage that the CARICOM founding member suffered. OIL COMPANIES FUEL YEARS OF CIVIL WAR IN SOUTH SUDAN … 400,000 ESTIMATED DEATHS, WIDESPREAD FAMINE,AND SEXUAL VIOLENCE How far would international oil companies go to make sure they secure the billions of dollars their shareholders are cashing in for? The people of the world’s youngest country, the Republic of South Sudan, know all too well. The East African nation has been in a state of civil war for six years; a deadly power struggle that the United Nations Human Rights Council says is fueled by oil money. One report from The New York Times places the estimated deaths of the 11 million-person population at nearly 400,000, with more 1.75 million people being displaced, and hundreds of thousands becoming refugees. The UN Commission on Human Rights in South Sudan said in a statement earlier this year that it is outraged by reports of
thousands of civilians forcibly displaced, following a scorched earth policy in which the parties to the conflict are attacking villages, torching homes, killing civilians, raping women and girls, and leaving many in a state of famine. With some of the largest reserves in Sub-Saharan Africa, South Sudan’s economy is practically entirely funded by oil extraction – so the warring sides have virtually nowhere else to turn if they want to substantially sustain their efforts. Faced by the pressure to remove themselves from complicity with war and other crimes, some oil companies pulled out of the young African country, with most of the country’s rigs being shut down or destroyed during the war. Few have doubled down on their operations and partnerships with the stateowned Nilepet. The UN stated that South Sudan National Security Services have expanded their involvement in the oil sector, taking over the state owned Nile Petroleum Oil Company (Nilepet), whose operations have been characterised by a lack of transparency and independent oversight. The UN stated with certainty that the company has diverted money, which should be shared with the country’s states into the coffers of the elites in government. AFTER 10 YEARS AND 2 GOVT’S… REVIEW SQUATTERS STILL TO BE RELOCATED …AS INHUMANE CONDITIONS WORSEN In a recent visit to Riverview, Ruimveldt by Kaieteur News, reporters were left dumbfounded at the conditions under which the Riverview squatters live. To make matters worse, the main entrance bridge to the community was completely buried in “soppy mud” from a canal recently cleared by an excavator. The foul smell emanating
Location of South Sudan in Africa
from the silt mud and piled up garbage that can be seen almost everywhere prompted reporters to question residents about their living conditions. One man said that he has been a resident of the area for more than 15 years. He claimed that the former government– the People’s Progressive Party (PPP)– had promised to relocate them to a better place but failed to fulfil its promise. The man further said that the current administration, A Partnership for National Unity + Alliance for Change (APNU+AFC) also promised to do likewise. But to date nothing has been done about the Riverview squatters. Supporting the man’s claims is a 2009 Government Information Agency (GINA) article. The article stated that the then Minister of the Ministry of Housing, Irfaan Ali, promised that, “focus will be placed on the Ruimveldt Squatting area in Riverview” It was discovered by the then PPP administration that the persons squatting along the dam were preventing the cleaning and de-silting of the drainage canal. In 2015, the administration changed, and in 2016 the APNU+AFC government embarked on a plan to eradicate squatting in Guyana. A number of areas were targeted, including Riverview, The Lamaha Canal and the squatters on Broad and Lombard Streets. In 2018, squatters from Sophia and Broad and Lombard Streets were scheduled to be relocated.
JORDAN BUDGETS US$700K TO MANAGE MINING, FORESTRY & OIL REVENUES Guyana has officially begun oil production in the Stabroek Block offshore the country’s coast in the its Exclusive Economic Zone. Production is estimated at rate of 120,000 barrels per day (bpd) with each of the four partners taking an accumulated one million barrels every eight to ten days. The country has passed and enacted a Natural Resources Fund Act and has appointed the central bank as the manager of the fund. Government, however, has allocated US$700,000 to the fund for its operations in the coming year—managing ‘excess’ revenues garnered from mining and forestry, including revenues from the sale of crude. The management of the country’s NRF, called the Sovereign Wealth Fund by some, has been placed under the management of the Bank of Guyana under an Operational Management Agreement that was inked with the Ministry of Finance on December 11, last. Under that agreement between the Central Bank and the Ministry of Finance, the Minister of Finance will annually determine the annual fee to be charged by the Bank for the management of the Fund “and shall be based on the resource requirements”. This amount include funding by the bank for the fund’s operation and employments costs. There is also funding for capital
expenditure needed by the bank to execute its duties in managing the NRF as is required under the Act and the Agreement. The Agreement inked between Bank and Guyana Governor, Dr. Gobin Ganga and Minister of Finance, Winston Jordan, stipulates however, that “the annual fee to be charged by the bank for the management of the fund for 2020 only shall be $168,051,000 (US$789,000). The agreement does provide, however, that should there be reasonable cause for the bank to charge in excess of the fee, an additional amount may be requested but shall be limited to a tenth of the previous year’s allocation. Additionally, fees charged by external service providers for services provided to the fund shall be paid in addition to the fees paid to the Bank, “from the assets of the fund”. Responsibilities under the Agreement to be funded by the ‘annual fee’ includes meeting the daily operational management of the fund including the maintenance of records, appointing banking correspondents, dealers, brokers, and private managers among others. The Bank is also expected to provide monthly and quarterly reports to be submitted to the Minister—a report that must include a summary of the performance of the account and each of the private managers involved. Under the principles adopted for the operationalising of the Fund, “the assets of the fund shall (Continued on page 33)
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A section of the community
Conditions under which the squatters live
From page 32 be maintained in the name of the bank but segregated from other assets of the bank…” At the inking of the Agreement, the two officials had expressed optimism in the efficient management of the NRF and pointed to safeguards in place. MONDAY WITH WORLD BANK’S BLESSINGS… ENERGYDEPT. ALLOWED TO HANDPICK COMPANIES FOR KEY PROJECTS IN OIL INDUSTRY Earlier this year, the Energy Department benefitted from a US$20M loan from the World Bank to fund a Guyana Petroleum Resources Governance and Management Project. That project is intended to support the enhancement of legal and institutional frameworks and the strengthening of the capacity of key institutions to manage the oil and gas sector. On a number of occasions, the Energy Department has told the media that contracts have been awarded via direct or limited tendering. In the face of criticisms that open tendering was not used, the Department has been quick to say that it received the World Bank’s blessings. But the context of
this was never given. According to the Bank’s Guidelines for Procurement of Goods, Works and NonConsulting Services, it is categorically stated that Open competition is the basis for efficient public procurement. But this is not mandated. Borrowers have the prerogative to select the procurement method for the award of the contract. In fact, the guidelines of the bank specifically state, “The Borrower is responsible for preparing and implementing the project, and therefore for selecting the consultant, and awarding and subsequently administering the contract. The Bank, for its part, is required by its Articles of Agreement (Bank’s Articles of Agreement, Article III, Section 5(b); and IDA’s Articles of Agreement, Article V, Section 1(g)) to “ensure that the proceeds of any loan are used only for the purposes for which the loan was granted, with due attention to considerations of economy and efficiency and without regard to political or other non-economic influences or considerations.” The financial institution has also established detailed procedures for this purpose. Once it has reviewed the selected procurement process, and all the procedures were followed, it then gives its blessings to the borrower to proceed. An aerial view of the Riverview squatters
Since taking on the loan, the Department has embarked on procuring several services via limited and direct tendering. There were also cases where it used open tendering. NO GUARANTEE ‘OIL MONEY’ WILL TRANSFORM GUYANA – PPP Guarantees that petroleum production will be transformative for Guyana’s economic development and usher in prosperity for the people of the country are non-existent, according to the Peoples Progressive Party (PPP). The parliamentary opposition gave its gloomy outlook over the weekend, on the short term fortunes of the nascent oil and gas industry. According to the PPP, the announcement of ‘first oil’ should have fueled the hopes and aspirations of Guyanese across the country, given the opportunities in the oil and gas sector. Instead, the PPP suggests that the announcement has “morphed into a cause for greater apprehension about our future, due to the incompetence and corruption that the APNU+AFC Coalition have demonstrated in the developing sector over the past four-plus years.” The party said it believes there can only be positive
advances if the oil monies are well managed and that the coalition has demonstrated its inability in this regard. According to the parliamentary opposition party, President David Granger’s stewardship has been found wanting and that his “Decade of Development’ mantra as the panacea for finally fulfilling the ‘good life,’ exposes his penchant for declaratory statements and sloganeering. The PPP in its missive suggests, “instead, what obtains under his (Granger’s) stewardship is a plethora of failures…Granger’s record in office, even outside the oil and gas sector, reflects the same story: increased borrowing” It was stated by the opposition that just months out from the March 2020 General and Regional Elections, it has already made public details on its plans for the oil and gas sector, with in-depth policies and initiatives to be disclosed when the Party’s 2020-2025 manifesto is launched in January 2020. GUYANA’S PRODUCTION SHARINGAGREEMENTS (PSAs)… CLAUSES WHICH HONOUR LAW IN BREACH CAN BE CHALLENGED ATTORNEY-AT-LAW Since
the
Guyana-
ExxonMobil Production Sharing Agreement (PSA) was released and perused by local anti-corruption advocates, there have been arguments that the contract contains provisions which honour the nation’s laws in breach rather than obedience. There are contentions for example; that the PSA allows ExxonMobil to hold onto 600 blocks when the law prescribes that it should only be 60. There are also arguments that the failure to use the auctioning process for the award of the blocks, goes against the Constitution which requires that the nation’s resources be awarded competitively and in the interest of the people. During a recent appearance on Kaieteur Radio’s Programme, Guyana’s Oil and You, Attorney-at-Law, Sajeev Datadin said that he is indeed aware of the aforementioned perceptions, among others. He said, too, that he is also aware that some individuals hold the view that since there are provisions which do not honour the law, then there could be no sanctity or respect for the PSA. Datadin noted however, that Guyana is not in an entirely hopeless position. The lawyer said that such clauses which are deemed controversial or deficient, can be severed and dealt with separately, then it could be removed. This is provided that it is proven to be unlawful. The lawyer said that if the clause is deemed too fundamental to the entire contract to be dealt with separately then the whole contract would fail. Datadin said, “…We should have, for example, people who are capable of assessing whether changes in this contract would be good or bad. We have to be careful about what we want to change in the contract and understand why we want to pursue this and what will it achieve.” But at the end of the day,
Datadin said that the contracts must not contain parts which offend the law. TUESDAY NON-DISCLOSURE OF NEGOTIATION DETAILS COSTS TRINIDAD 75 PERCENT OF ITS NATIONAL DEBT – ONLY RECOVERED US$157M OF PILFERED US$17B When Governments fail to be transparent about the decisions they make and deals that are signed with oil and gas operators, they can be taken for a royal ride that leaves the country losing billions of dollars in revenue. This is the case with Guyana’s CARICOM sister, Trinidad and Tobago. During a recent interview on Kaieteur Radio’s Programme, Guyana’s Oil and You, Energy Advisor, Mr. Anthony Paul explained that his country was “taken to the cleaners” due to the government’s failure to be transparent with the people as well as its trust in the companies to market the country’s resource in a fair and honest manner. But when an audit was done, Trinidad found that it was being robbed by the billions of dollars. In fact, the country lost US$17B. But what occurred after this came to the fore is an even more saddening story, says Paul. The Trinidadian said, “…In 2010, our Prime Minister went to London to meet with the companies (about the taxes owed on the sale of our gas). And instead of coming back with what we thought we were owed, which was billions of dollars in taxes, he came back smiling with a cheque for US$157M…” Paul said that interestingly, the Prime Minister stated that the companies convinced him that based on the formula set out in the contract, that is what they should pay. But the Energy Advisor was keen to (Continued on page 41)
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Sunday December 29, 2019
COUNTRYMAN
- Stories about life in m and out of Guyana, fro ve a Guyanese perspecti
A neighbourly old tale of race relations By Dennis Nichols
I
n Guyana, 'old time story' is a phrase that can be interpreted a couple of different ways. One relates to an argument or feud between families or friends that could date back several generations. Another is the recall of an amusing or striking event that happened in the past and left an indelible impression on your mind. The following can be described as a mixture of both, with a bearing on Guyana's political and social history. It relates to a time when, in Charlestown, Georgetown, I first became aware of the amalgam of races in our capital city, and a few memorable encounters. I was my family 'go-for' errand boy in the early sixties, and I went – mostly
to the neighbours and neighbourhood businesses – from Channa Shop opposite the jail on D'Urban Street to Jewan's drugstore at the corner of Russel and Howes Streets. Along that CampRussel Street strip there were groceries, drugstores, a supermarket, a sawmill, a watch and jewellery store, a taxi garage, a cloth store, pastry parlours, and at least one rumshop. These were operated by Portuguese, Chinese, East Indian and Black proprietors – Gonsalves, Chung, Wong, Loy, Haniff, Lachmansingh, Ramsamooj, Rahaman, Daniels and Seaforth. Into that multiracial setting, Providence placed Ms. Jacobs and Mrs. Shah (real characters; fake names) in houses adjacent to each other along a narrow passageway on Russel Street, with our family
separated by that divider on the northern side facing Princes Street. The two women didn't appear to be enamored of each other; maybe it was because one was a strapping, loud, Black woman and the other, an older conservative East Indian lady, and in that racially-charged period those could be the ingredients for a good old Guyanese cuss-out. Both women were husband-less and prone to verbal outbursts when one felt the other had disrespected her on that point. To tell the truth it didn't happen very often but when it did, it could be a spectacle of scrappy entertainment. Ms. Jacobs had a juke box and possibly every '45' and LP pop record pressed in the 1950s and early '60s, from sublime love songs to
bawdy calypsos; and she and her sons hosted dances, it seemed, just about every Saturday night. Incongruously yet seamlessly, Patsy Cline's 'I fall to pieces' could be followed by Sparrow's 'Benwood Dick' and Marty Robbins' 'Devil Woman' and partygoers danced to them all. These were boisterous affairs, and fights were not infrequent; often when intoxicated young men fought for the favours of the party girls. I can only imagine how poor Mrs. Shah must have struggled to endure those all-night affairs, some of which continued well into the next day. In August 1961 there were general elections in British Guiana. In the wee hours of the morning after the poll, there was a rumour that Burnham's PNC had won. Shortly after, Ms. Jacobs' juke box began to blare. Neighbours were aroused, and awoke to the sight of the music box in her yard with a large pointer broom tied to the front; it being the party symbol of the PNC. By mid-morning the tune had changed. Jagan's PPP had in fact won and he was going to be appointed premier of the colony by Governor Sir Ralph Grey. That's when Mrs. Shah got out a large enamel cup, the PPP symbol, and started banging on it. Ms. Jacobs turned up her volume from blare to blast, but somehow the tinny, metallic sound of the enamel cup held its own. Mrs. Shah increased the percussion and for some reason began a shrill vocal accompaniment of 'Heh, heh, me ah Nazir wife! Heh, Me ah Nazir wife'. Veins in her neck and forehead stood out distortedly as she upped the tempo to a frenzy. I later figured that she was maybe 'throwing a thing' at Ms. Jacobs whose husband had been lost at sea, (unlike hers) implying some financial benefit that kept her from having to resort to the kind of entertainment the latter employed to supplement
otherwise meagre earnings. Later that afternoon a number of vehicles trundled by on Russel Street with enamel cups strapped on top while from each rear bumper a pointer b r o o m d r a g g e d unceremoniously behind. By then the musical battle had stopped in the passageway with the contestants retired to their sanctums; one in smug triumph; the other resigned to the country's political fate. Neither could then have foreseen the racially-tinged events that would wrack Guyana in the coming years and make their noisy little spat seem like what it really was – a petulant and childish display. To my family's credit if I remember rightly, we never got embroiled in any racial confrontation or titfor-tat exchanges. My mother especially was neither fazed nor influenced by her neighbours' run-ins, but I knew she and my father were initially rattled by the booming jukebox music, having left a rural quietude for urban upliftment a few years earlier. On one occasion, though, we were at a loss for words when Mrs. Shah begged my mother to go with her wherever it was she was going that day because she was fearful for her life, having heard that East Indians were going to be attacked. In my opinion, even with the presence of Ms. Jacobs, she had little to fear. Over the next three years, although residents were normally civil to each o t h e r i n t h e neighbourhood, there was the occasional racial provocation. In one instance an older mixed-race friend of mine got lashed with a bicycle chain, presumably because he looked more East Indian. He was actually Portuguese and Black. Once the wife of Baboo, a man from whom we bought provisions, ran into our yard believing she was being chased by some black youths, pleading that my mother tell them how much she loved black people. Her words caused some amusement, since no
Dennis Nichols one had ever observed that declaration in action. Sometime in 1962 or 1963, my father had joined a few male neighbours in keeping an all-night vigil after hearing talk of a plot to burn down the Ramsamooj shop next door. The watchers included a feared Black cartman, an excon with an acid-scarred face, who later befriended my father when he did some repairs to our house. No one seemed bothered by his presence that night. A few years before then, a male in the Ramsamooj family had married a 'coloured' American girl. I remember being at the reception and for the first time in my life eating food from a large, oval-shaped leaf, with relish. I hadn't been aware of a single mixed-race marriage before then, and I'm sure the experience helped shape my later acceptance of interracial relationships. Although racial fear in those days may have been very real, I can't help but imagine it was sometimes overstated. Ms. Jacobs and Mrs. Shah mellowed with the passage of time, and on occasion, actually hailed each other in passing. By 1967, when my family moved from Princes Street following independence, a measure of stability had returned to the country, and it was reflected in the neighbourhood's social interactions. A decade later I was to see another side of race relations (with an Amerindian twist) in the North West District, but that's another story. (The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of this newspaper)
Sunday December 29, 2019
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THE
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Sunday December 29, 2019
STORY WITHIN THE
A tough year beckons By Leonard Gildarie
T
his will be the last piece for the year. What a year it has been! We have first oil and it was a bitter fight in and out of the courts over that no confidence motion on the evening of December 21st, 2018. The net effect of that vote has not change by much the timeline for when elections was scheduled to be Constitutionally held. However, that vote has served to deliver to us some harsh truths…as a people we have failed to gather around the table when it mattered the most. Our politicians failed us in our hour of need to find consensus on an issue that demanded our full attention…yes, oil and gas. We have the single most important development that potentially can transform our lives overnight. I argued throughout the year and will repeat in this last piece for the year…ExxonMobil is not the monster. We are. ExxonMobil and its partners have shareholders they are answerable to. In Guyana, our leaders are answerable to us the voters. We are the shareholders who are demanding a return on
our investments. There is a splinter in our Board of Directors…the Parliament. It is to be dissolved tomorrow to make way for the March 2nd elections. In the meantime, the directors are unable to gather together for a common cause to tell the world that united we stand. I sat and learnt Friday of 84 barrels of mud being spilled in our oceans by an oil company, Repsol. Guyana learnt of it through a newspaper report. There are several things wrong here. What mechanisms were there to deal with issues like these? Should the people of Guyana have been told formally? Have we determined scientifically what kind of environmental impact, if any, occurred? There are worrying signs that Repsol and its drilling company possibly did not follow procedures, thus causing the spill. The incident has raised questions about EPA's capacity to monitor spills. I want to make this very clear…our politicians and executives in office should understand very clearly their stay in office is temporary…that goes for
Leonard Gildarie both sides of the fence. Accountability and transparency are the hallmarks of good governance. In any case, as shareholders, they have an obligation to keep us abreast. As we enter a new year, there is an opportunity for us to correct the situation. The production of oil has to force us to the table to talk about what matters the most to the people of Guyana. Elections is a mere two months away. It will be the mother of all elections. The People's Progressive Party will be fighting one of its most defining battles. It knows the implications of losing. The incumbent Coalition fancies its chances. T h e a m e n d e d Cummingsburg Accord, which spells out how the partners would share governance, has been signed. The PPP is fighting tooth and nail. The Coalition has been unveiling its completed projects. Two of the oldest parties will meet on March 2nd to do battle. It would not be pretty. In the meantime, the production of oil is already with us…sadly in the background it seems. As a people, we have to endeavour to do much, much better. Over the years, I have disclosed some of my most personal details in this forum. It staggers me to think afterwards about the disclosures. Many would meet or text and say it was a brave thing. It has made me stronger. There are lessons. We should not be afraid to cry. We should not shy away from demanding publicly for better. If not for us…let's do it for our children. We travel and visit cities and marvel at what could be. We can dream for a better Guyana and demand our leaders chart a course to take us there. As we enter 2020 and what is promising to be a challenging year, one major issue continues to dog our productivity…traffic congestion. We simply do not have the infrastructure to keep up with the number of vehicles (continued on page 50)
Sunday December 29, 2019
From page 33 note that Trinidad’s law stipulates otherwise. The Energy Advisor said, “The law supersedes the contract and the law says that you will pay the price in the contract if it (gas) goes to the market in which you are contracted in but if it goes elsewhere then you have to pay the world market price.” Paul intimated that if the nation was kept abreast of the decisions the government was making every step of the way about its resources, then the foregoing situation could have been averted. But in the absence of accountability or transparency, Paul noted that three-quarters of the country’s national debt, that is, US$17B, was given away.
countries, Norway and others, the World Bank said that positive impacts on overall poverty levels are achievable while mitigating risks, with good governance, investments in the quality and capacity of public and private institutions, investments in skills and technological capacities, efficient and transparent revenue collection and management, and sound macroeconomic and fiscal management policies. It was keen to note that these countries triggered growth as resource-based economies, but ultimately succeeded in achieving wider growth, economic diversification and poverty reduction through targeted interventions.
GUYANALACKS POLICY, LEGALAND REGULATORY FRAMEWORKS TO MAXIMISE OIL BENEFITS -WORLD BANK
NEW DEMERARA RIVER BRIDGE… OPPOSITION PROTESTS GOVT.’S COMPULSORY ACQUISITION OF ALMOST 123 ACRES
As a new oil and gas producer, Guyana lacks the policy, legal and regulatory frameworks and institutional capacity needed to maximise the benefits from expected oil revenues and minimise downside risks associated with oil revenues and growth of the sector. This is according to the World Bank, an international financial institution, which fights poverty worldwide through sustainable solutions. In a document prepared for the Government of Guyana, the Bank was keen to note that the oil and gas sector affects multiple layers of the economy, and impacts the livelihoods of present and future generations, the environment and local communities. If poorly managed, the financial institution warned that the development of Guyana’s oil and gas resources can be economically and socially costly for the country, failing to lead to sustainable economic growth, poverty reduction, and shared prosperity. In addition, the Bank pointed out that there are environmental and social risks – usually low frequency but high impact – associated with oil and gas production that require effective and constant monitoring as well as significant investment in environmental damage prevention and response capacity, among others. Notwithstanding this, based on experience in resource-rich countries such as Australia, Canada, the United States, Chile, Botswana, several Gulf
Government has compulsorily acquired 123 acres of prime lands at Houston, East Bank Demerara and on the opposite side of the river for the construction of access roads for a new floating bridge. The details are published Official Gazette dated December 21, 2019. The Opposition immediately raised questions, making it clear that such a transaction should not be done while the “caretaker” government under the Coalition is preparing for general and regional elections. A planned new Demerara River bridge has been in the works for many years now, after it was recognised that the aging one had long outlived its 40-year usefulness. The Coalition Government had entered a controversial agreement to conduct feasibility studies which placed Houston, East Bank Demerara and Versailles, West Bank as the ideal locations for the bridge. According to the Order signed by Minister of Public Infrastructure, David Patterson, on December 16, the lands are being acquired for public purposes for the construction of access roads for a new bridge. On the East Bank of Demerara, some 55.623 acres, comprising of tracts ‘RR’, ‘RR1’, ‘RR2’, ‘RR3’, Parcel 184, 4727, sub-parcel 4220A and sub-parcel 204A, being portions of Plantation Houston and Ruimveldt. Schedule 2 speaks to two strips of land- 36.37 and 7.43 acres- at Plantation Versailles, West Bank Demerara, being compulsorily acquired.
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The entrance buried by the silt mud from the canal Another strip of land- 23.9 acres is located at Plantation Goed Fortuin, Versailles, Malgre Tout, Klien Pouderoyen, Grant 7042 and 7043, at the rear of Plantation Vreed-en-Hoop, was last set of lands compulsorily acquired by the government. Monday, Opposition Leader, Bharrat Jagdeo, made it clear that the timing of transactions raises alarming questions. “These lands are being compulsorily acquired by a government that is in caretaker mode that is never supposed to undertake such.” According to Jagdeo, there have been several questions about other aspects of the project, including feasibility studies, which were controversially awarded to a European consultant. WEDNESDAY GOVT. STRIKES DEAL TO SELL GUYANA’S OIL WITH COMPANY INVOLVED IN WORLD’S BIGGEST CORRUPTION SCANDAL With the Government of Guyana due to collect its first three cargoes of oil from the Stabroek Block in two months’ time, a process was initiated last week for a company to purchase the crude. Out of nine companies invited for face-to-face bidding, the Energy Department announced Tuesday that Shell Western Supply and Trading Limited (SWSTL), which is based in Barbados, has emerged the winner. According to the Energy Department, the subsidiary of Shell, which is the third-largest company in the world
based on 2018 revenues, won the bid on account of a number of factors. These include a competitive pricing that limits the Government’s exposure to market uncertainty; the size, scale and global reach of its trading operations; the company’s high level of integration between Upstream, Trading and Downstream; S h e l l ’s strong foothold in the Latin American markets and the size and scale of their shipping and storage operations in the region, allowing for multiple options on the Liza crude commercialization; and the range of new grades Shell recently introduced into the market. The Department also took into consideration Shell’s willingness to share critical refinery information which it asserts Guyana needs in order to understand the Liza crude behaviour. Kaieteur News was also informed via a statement from the department that Shell’s readiness to support it in operating these cargoes, while it is strengthening its structures and in-house crude commercialization human resources, was also a determining factor. To the rest of the world, and perhaps, even to the Energy Department, Shell portrays itself as an upstanding company with strong anti-corruption values. But research conducted by Kaieteur News shows that this very company Guyana has now struck a deal with, is embroiled in the industry’s “biggest corruption scandal” and is currently on trial for the said matter. GLOBAL WITNESS EXPOSES
Armed with some damning pieces of evidence, international NonGovernmental Organization, the Global Witness was able to reveal to the rest of the world how Shell participated in a vast bribery scheme for one of Africa’s most valuable oil blocks, known as OPL 245. In 2011, the Global Witness reported that Shell and Italian Oil Company Eni paid over US$1.1 billion in a murky deal for this lucrative asset located off the coast of Nigeria. Following a lengthy investigation by the NGO it was able to access documents showing that this money for the rights to exploit the country’s natural resources did not go to benefit the Nigerian people as it should have done. PROVISIONS IN ONE-SIDED EXXON CONTRACT MAKE ANY LEGAL CHALLENGE DETRIMENTALTO GUYANA The Production Sharing 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 d i s c r i m i n a t o r y, in contravention of the law, and/or make the contract
itself immune to any new laws the c o u n t r y ’s legislative arm would pass in the future. Just recently, Attorneyat-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 t o G u y a n a ’s d e t r i m e n t 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 (Continued on page 42)
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From page 41 regularly retained lawyers of the contractor or an affiliated company of the parties comprising contractor, such compensation will be included instead under subsection 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.
NATURAL RESOURCE FUND… WORLD BANK TO HELP GUYANAOVERCOME KEY CAPACITY CHALLENGES
MINERS COMPLAIN OF SHAKEDOWNS AND DISCRIMINATION BY GGMC There is mounting pressure on the Guyana Geology and Mines Commission (GGMC) to clean up its act. As if a current investigation ordered by President David Granger is not enough, there are other complaints now from miners of widespread discrimination and the use of cease work orders to force them to pay bribes. “You either pay up or remain closed. The situation now is beyond ridiculous and is part of the systematic shakedown that has become part of GGMC’s culture. It runs deep and has to be fixed. It is killing small miners.” This was one of several complaints by miners who visited Kaieteur News recently to talk about the mining sector. “We have miners being visited by mining officers who find imaginary infractions. Imagine you have about 30 staffers working and they w a n t m o n e y. F o r a n y reason, they issue cease work orders. That is the life of every small miner. You don’t pay, you are closed.” A few months ago, President David Granger, acting on an anonymously w r i t t e n l e t t e r, o r d e r e d Minister of Natural Resources, Raphael Trotman to launch an investigation. In turn, Trotman directed Head of the Compliance Division of the Ministry of Natural Resources, Derrick Lawrence, to head a probe. Miners complained that their calls for GGMC actions on raiding by renegade operators are sometimes falling on deaf ears. “We have foreigners coming here getting gun licences and barely registered as a citizen. We have people in GGMC who are recommending them for g u n l i c e n c e s . We h a v e mining operations flagrantly operating right under the noses of GGMC hinterland locations and
Sunday December 29, 2019
diverting waterways and nothing is being done,” one miner from the Cuyuni area said. FRIDAY DETAILS OF GUYANA’S CRUDE OIL SALES WILL BE MADE PUBLIC – ENERGYDEPT. In an effort to ensure there is transparency and accountability in Guyana’s oil sector, the Energy Department has announced that it will be taking steps to ensure citizens are able to access records on the sale of the nation’s oil. According to the department, the records will explain how, when, and for how much the country’s crude oil is being sold. It also stated that it will be collaborating with the Guyana Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative Secretariat regarding the mechanisms to allow public access to this information.
On Tu e s d a y, the department would have informed the nation that the first three lifts of G u y a n a ’s o i l f r o m t h e Stabroek Block will be sold to Shell Western Supply and Trading Limited. This subsidiary of Shell, the third largest oil company in the world, is based in Barbados. The three lifts which are due in February 2020, will amount to three million barrels of Liza Crude. Furthermore, the E n e rg y D e p a r t m e n t ’s decision to make details of the oil sales public would be in keeping with a key recommendation from the International Monetary Fund (IMF). Kaieteur News would have reported last week that from 2015 to now, the IMF has played a key advisory role to the Government, particularly on oil-related matters and just recently, impressed upon the government, the need to carefully monitor
every aspect of the process to sell Guyana’s oil, as significant revenue is at stake. The IMF stressed that the sale of the Stabroek Block oil will require significant decisions to be made based on technical experience and expertise. But in all its dealings, the Fund categorically stated that all decisions and activities regarding the sale of Guyana’s oil must be “transparent” and “undertaken in the public’s interest.” Its advice in this regard was outlined in a special report prepared mere months ago. In that document seen b y t h i s n e w s p a p e r, t h e I M F ’s F i s c a l Aff a i r s Department said that since the sale of crude could bring significant revenue, establishing an optimal s e l l i n g p r i c e i s k e y. I t noted, however, that this requires professional expertise, careful understanding of the process, and oversight.
The Government of Guyana will soon benefit from millions of dollars in World Bank funding to aid in the enhancement of its fiscal management systems. According to the Bank’s loan agreement with Guyana, the funding which totals US$3.5M, will be crucial to helping Guyana overcome its limited institutional capacity and governance challenges – key obstacles to successful public finance management. It will also be critical to support the efficient management of the Natural Resource Fund (NRF) which will be held at the United States Federal Reserve Bank. Expounding further, the World Bank said that the Project will support the enhanced role of the Ministry of Finance as regards the NRF legislation, and contribute to a well-functioning investment committee on issues related to the investment strategy of the NRF so as to manage the risks from financial investments. The World Bank was also keen to note that the funding is expected to help Guyana build up the Ministry of Finance’s macro-economic management and fiscal analytical capacity The financial institution said that this enhancement process will be carried out in close coordination with its economic and governance teams, the International Monetary Fund (IMF), and other donors. Further to this, the World Bank said that part of the money will be used to help Guyana formulate an Enterprise Architecture (EA) for more effective and transparent management of Guyana’s public finances. It stressed that such a system is critical, considering the significant incoming oil revenues. This newspaper understands that the EA will be the blueprint for the design and implementation of an Integrated Financial Management Information System (IFMIS), which will allow for more effective control over public finances, enhanced transparency and accountability, and is expected to act as a deterrent to corruption and fraud.
Mahaicony-Abary Agricultural Development Authority (MMA/ADA). This was the opinion of Region 5 chairman, Vickram Ramphal Thursday. He was responding to questions about a report on Christmas Day in Kaieteur News about MMA-ADA’s chairman, Kelvin Saul, receiving over 10,000 acres. At the time of the lease of the lands, located in the right back of the Mahaica River, it appeared that Saul was the chairman of the authority, which is responsible for managing thousands of acres in the area. The lease transaction took place months ago. Ramphal is a board member, representing Region 5. He said he saw the report and was unable to provide details. He needs to check on the minutes of previous meetings to verify the transaction that was reported. While Ramphal does not think the MMA-ADA act speaks about how board members will be handled should such situation arise, the official was clear that it should not be common practice. He asked that Kaieteur News make contact with him again to get more details. He was sure of one thing. “That amount of land under the previous administration could never happen.” This week, the Opposition raised concerns about a possible conflict of interest situation involving Saul. However, there appears in the MMA-ADA Act, some warnings about conflict of interest. According to the MMAADA act, in the Second Schedule, “A member of the Authority shall not take part in or vote on the decision whether at a meeting of the Authority or of a committee on any matter with respect to and transaction between the authority and any person in whose business the member is pecuniarily interested, whether directly or indirectly…” According to lease documents, Mc Agricultural Trading and Investment Service was the beneficiary of 10,609.319 acres within the last year. That entity is a sole owner business registered to Saul. The lands were applied for agricultural purposes. SATURDAY
10,000 ACRES MAHAICA LANDS LEASED… UNUSUAL FOR CHAIRMAN TO BENEFIT – BOARD MEMBER
REPSOL’S MUD SPILL EXPOSES EPA’S INABILITY TO MONITOR OIL SECTOR
Board members are not supposed to be benefitting from lands at the Mahaica-
A mud spill that occurred in the Kanuku Block which is (Continued on page 42)
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From page 42 operated by Spanish oil company, Repsol, has exposed just how unprepared the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is for the role of monitoring Guyana’s growing oil sector. During an interview with Kaieteur News on Friday, EPA Head Dr. Vincent Adams, disclosed that the Repsol mud spill took place in November. The official noted that the company reported that only 84 barrels of mud were released into the ocean due to a valve that was open during its efforts to drill a well. The official was keen to point out that 84 barrels of mud is what the company said was released, but the EPA due to its limited resources is incapable of verifying if this is accurate. Following the incident, Dr. Adams confirmed that no designated officer is at Repsol’s offshore operations. since he does not have the human resources to ensure same. Dr. Adams said, “We are hoping to improve this situation where we don’t have round the clock, on-site monitoring. We will know based on the budget for 2020, how fast we would be able to get up to speed but as you know, we have elections. “This would have an effect on allocation for the first part of the year until June I believe. So it would be a late start.” The EPA Head noted that he is targeting 2021 to have better monitoring conditions as well as trained personnel in place for the oil sector. For the time being, more than 90 percent of the burden rests on his shoulders. The EPA Head said that Repsol contracted Valaris, an offshore drilling contractor headquartered in London, United Kingdom, to drill an exploratory well in the Kanuku Block. Up to July 19, last, Valaris was known as Ensco Rowan. The following month, it suffered a well blowout offshore Indonesia which led to an oil spill . The spill pumped an estimated 3,000 barrels of oil a day into the sea since it began, according to the Indonesian Forum for the Environment (Walhi), the country’s biggest green Non-Governmental Organization. Dr. Adams said it is obvious that the operation in the Kanuku Block was not conducted in conformity with rigid safety procedures or else a valve would not have been left open which resulted in mud spilling into the ocean. The official said, “I was on vacation when I learnt of the incident and I was
shocked, because while I know the mud is not an environmental hazard, the fact that this happened meant that safety procedures were not followed, and I knew that I had to get to the bottom of this. I was deeply concerned about what caused this.” Dr. Adams said he subsequently sent a threeperson team, which included one official from the Guyana Geology and Mines Commission (GGMC), at the end of November, to conduct several interviews. He said that inquiries revealed that there were, as he suspected, no proper procedures in place. “If they did have, they would have known the position of every valve. This is a matter of adhering to safety procedures. It could have been worse…,” added the EPA Head. He further noted that all oil companies were summoned to a “serious discussion” about what is expected of them. Dr. Adams said, “I brought in all the companies and I told them this would not be tolerated. I also had a separate discussion with Repsol, where I told them that any further application using Valaris would be placed under serious scrutiny.” Dr. Adams told Kaieteur News that he is enraged at the fact that all he can do at this point is institute a fine of $1,066,000. “This is not even a slap on the wrist. But that is all I am allowed to do by law. I have since asked my lawyers to do an urgent review of the law,” he said. Going forward, the EPA head said that the agency would be checking the safety procedures for all the oil companies. “But again, my only problem is the number of people I need to help me. It is not easy because in the Repsol’s case, I even had to tell my people what questions to ask. So while I intend to do this, it is not something I would be in a position to do steady. I desperately need resources for this job,” the concerned EPA head asserted. FORESTRY COMMISSION CLAMPS DOWN ON CONCESSIONS TO FORCE COMPLIANCE The Guyana Forestry Commission (GFC) has taken a decision to re-examine concessions allotted to companies, to ensure compliance with their contractual obligations. According to a “Fact Sheet” on Guyana’s forests, released by the Ministry of Natural Resources, the Forestry Commission’s Board
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has undertaken a comprehensive effort to scrutinise concessions granted while “providing support to ensure that concessionaires are fulfilling contractual obligation.” The Commission, in an effort to clamp down on concessions and refute claims that a significant percent of the large concessions were given to foreigners, had begun to examine the operations of multiple large concession holders to ensure that they are adhering to regulations and that commitments made in contractual agreements are being honoured. However, just a few weeks ago, GFC awarded two new concessions to the Ituni Small Loggers Association (ISLA). Commissioner of Forestry, James Singh, had previously stated that to ensure transparency in the distribution of forestry lands, concessions are advertised one month before the opening of interest. Concurrently, the Commission’s forestry production has remained under 400,000m3 for three consecutive years. The lowest production was recorded in 2016 (353,500m3), followed by 2017 (377,100m3) and 2018 (385,700m3). GFC blamed the lower production volume on the fact that a significant amount of forest hectares belonging to Barama Company Ltd had been restored to unallocated state forest. Recently, some two million hectares of forest area were restored to unallocated state forests, including that of the Barama Company Ltd which voluntarily relinquished its concessions. The Malaysian-owned company, which had been operating in Guyana for over 25 years had announced plans to cut back operations and has reportedly given up its 1.6 million hectares. The company, in a paid advertisement, announced
that it will not be seeking the renewal or extension of its Forest Concession Agreement with Government. HOTEL OWNER, WORKER DECOMPOSED BODIES FOUND IN C’TYNE HOTEL The decomposed bodies of an Upper Corentyne businessman and his worker were yesterday afternoon discovered by police ranks. The bodies were found in a building, a former hotel and bar owned by the businessman at a location in No. 62 Village overlooking the beach. Dead is the owner of the Sunside Hotel and Bar, Vivekanand Narpatty, called “Viko”, 71, and his workman only known as “Diamond” and “Guana-man”. According to reports, a friend of the Narpatty family ventured to the facility where the owner stays, but when he entered the yard and was
making his way inside the building which was open, a pungent scent assailed his nose. He also noticed the place ransacked in the lower flat. Reports are that the friend contacted the police who accompanied him back to the hotel. While they were searching the premises and making their way to the upper flat of the building, the stench
became even more evident. There, the bound and decomposed bodies of the two men were found. Kaieteur News was informed that Narpatty had made several reports that he was robbed in the past but there was no progress with those reports after they were made. Investigations are in progress.
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The Surprising Health Benefits of Eating Pumpkin Pumpkin seeds may be small, but they’re packed full of valuable nutrients. Eating only a small amount of them can provide you with a substantial quantity of healthy fats, magnesium and zinc. Because of this, pumpkin seeds have been associated with several health benefits. These include improved heart health, prostate health and protection against certain cancers. What’s more, these seeds can be easily incorporated into your diet. Here are the top 11 health benefits of pumpkin seeds that are supported by science. est 1. Full of Valuable Nutrients Pumpkin seeds are also known as “pepita” — a Mexican Spanish term.Unlike the hard white seeds from a carving pumpkin, most pumpkin seeds bought at the supermarket don’t have a shell. These shell-free seeds are green, flat and oval. One ounce (28 grams) of shell-free pumpkin seeds has roughly 151 calories, mainly from fat and protein. In addition, a 1-ounce (28gram) serving contains (1): · Fiber: 1.7 grams · Carbs: 5 grams · Protein: 7 grams · Fat: 13 grams (6 of which are omega-6s) · Vitamin K: 18% of the RDI · Phosphorus: 33% of the RDI · Manganese: 42% of the RDI · Magnesium: 37% of the RDI · Iron: 23% of the RDI · Zinc: 14% of the RDI · Copper: 19% of the RDI They also contain a lot of antioxidants and a decent amount of polyunsaturated fatty acids, potassium, vitamin B2 (riboflavin) and folate.Pumpkin seeds and seed oil also pack many other nutrients and plant compounds that have been shown to provide health benefits. SUMMARYPumpkin seeds are rich in antioxidants, iron, zinc, magnesium and many other nutrients. An ounce (28 grams) contains about 151 calories. 2. High in Antioxidants Pumpkin seeds contain antioxidants like carotenoids and vitamin E. Antioxidants can reduce inflammation and protect your cells from harmful free radicals. That’s why consuming foods rich in antioxidants can help protect against many
diseases.It’s thought that the high levels of antioxidants in pumpkins seeds are partly responsible for their positive effects on health. In one study, pumpkin seed oil reduced inflammation in rats with arthritis without side effects, whereas animals given an anti-inflammatory drug experienced adverse effects. SUMMARYPumpkin seeds are full of antioxidants
reduced symptoms associated with BPH. In a one-year study in over 1,400 men with BPH, pumpkin seed consumption reduced symptoms and improved quality of life. Further research suggests that taking pumpkin seeds or their products as supplements can help treat symptoms of an overactive bladder. One study in 45 men and women with overactive blad-
source of antioxidants, magnesium, zinc and fatty acids — all of which may help keep your heart healthy. Animal studies have also shown that pumpkin seed oil may reduce high blood pressure and high cholesterol levels — two important risk factors for heart disease. A 12-week study in 35 postmenopausal women found that pumpkin seed oil supplements reduced dias-
that may help protect against disease and reduce inflammation. 3. Linked to a Reduced Risk of Certain Cancers Diets rich in pumpkin seeds have been associated with a reduced risk of stomach, breast, lung, prostate and colon cancers (5). A large observational study found that eating them was associated with a reduced risk of breast cancer in postmenopausal women. Others studies suggest that the lignans in pumpkin seeds may play a key role in preventing and treating breast cancer. Further test-tube studies found that a supplement containing pumpkin seeds had the potential to slow down the growth of prostate cancer cells. SUMMARYSome evidence suggests that pumpkin seeds may help prevent certain types of cancer. 4. Improve Prostate and Bladder Health Pumpkin seeds may help relieve symptoms of benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH), a condition in which the prostate gland enlarges, causing problems with urination. Several studies in humans found that eating these seeds
ders found that 10 grams of pumpkin seed extract daily improved urinary function. SUMMARYPumpkin seeds may reduce symptoms of benign prostate enlargement and an overactive bladder. 5. Very High in Magnesium Pumpkin seeds are one of the best natural sources of magnesium — a mineral that is often lacking in the diets of many Western populations. In the US, around 79% of adults have a magnesium intake below the recommended daily amount. Magnesium is needed for more than 600 chemical reactions in your body. For example, adequate levels of magnesium are important for: · Controlling blood pressure · Reducing heart disease risk · Forming and maintaining healthy bones · Regulating blood sugar levels. SUMMARYPumpkin seeds are rich in magnesium. Healthy magnesium levels are important for your blood pressure, blood sugar levels, as well as heart and bone health. 6. May Improve Heart Health Pumpkin seeds are a good
tolic blood pressure (the bottom number of a reading) by 7% and increased “good” HDL cholesterol levels by 16%.Other studies suggest that pumpkins’ ability to increase nitric oxide generation in your body may be responsible for its positive effects on heart health. Nitric oxide helps expand blood vessels, improving blood flow and reducing the risk of plaque growth in your arteries. SUMMARYNutrients in pumpkin seeds may help keep your heart healthy by reducing blood pressure and increasing good cholesterol. 7. Can Lower Blood Sugar Levels Animal studies have shown that pumpkin, pumpkin seeds, pumpkin seed powder and pumpkin juice can reduce blood sugar . This is especially important for people with diabetes, who may struggle to control their blood sugar levels. Several studies have found that supplementing with pumpkin juice or seed powder reduced blood sugar levels in people with type 2 diabetes.The high magnesium content of pumpkin seeds may be responsible for its positive effect on diabetes.
An observational study in over 127,000 people found that diets rich in magnesium were associated with a 33% lower risk of type 2 diabetes in men and a 34% lower risk in women. More research is needed to confirm these beneficial effects of pumpkin seeds on blood sugar levels. SUMMARYPumpkin seeds may help reduce blood sugar levels in people with type 2 diabetes. However, more research is needed. 8. High in Fiber Pumpkin seeds are a great source of dietary fiber — shelled seeds provide 1.1 grams of fiber in a single 1-oz (28-gram) serving. A diet high in fiber can promote good digestive health.In addition, high-fiber diets have been associated with a reduced risk of heart disease, type 2 diabetes and obesity . SUMMARYWhole pumpkin seeds are a good source of fiber. Diets high in fiber are associated with many health benefits, including a reduced risk of heart disease, diabetes and obesity. 9. May Improve Sperm Quality Low zinc levels are associated with reduced sperm quality and an increased risk of infertility in men. Since pumpkin seeds are a rich source of zinc, they may improve sperm quality. Evidence from one study in mice suggests they may also protect human sperm from damage caused by chemotherapy and autoimmune diseases . Pumpkin seeds are also high in antioxidants and other nutrients that can contribute to healthy testosterone levels and improve overall health. Together, all these factors may benefit fertility levels and reproductive function, especially in men. SUMMARY : The high zinc content of pumpkin seeds may help improve sperm quality and fertility in men. 10. May Help Improve Sleep If you have trouble sleeping, you may want to eat some pumpkin seeds before bed. They’re a natural source of tryptophan, an amino acid that can help promote sleep. Consuming around 1 gram of tryptophan daily is thought to improve sleep . However, you would need to eat around 7 ounces (200
grams) of pumpkin seeds to achieve the needed amount of tryptophan. The zinc in these seeds can also help convert tryptophan to serotonin, which is then changed into melatonin, the hormone that regulates your sleep cycle. In addition, pumpkin seeds are an excellent source of magnesium. Adequate magnesium levels have also been associated with better sleep.Some small studies have found that taking a magnesium supplement improved sleep quality and total sleep time in people with low magnesium levels. SUMMARYPumpkin seeds are a good source of tryptophan, zinc and magnesium — all of which help promote good sleep. 11. Easy to Add to Your Diet If you want to experience the benefits of pumpkin seeds, they’re easy to incorporate into your diet.In many countries, they’re a popular snack that can be eaten either raw or roasted, salted or unsalted.Besides eating them on their own, you can add them to smoothies, Greek yogurt and fruit.You could incorporate them into meals by sprinkling them into salads, soups or cereals. Some people use pumpkin seeds in baking, as an ingredient for sweet or savory bread and cakes. However, as with many seeds and nuts, they contain phytic acid, which can reduce the bioavailability of some nutrients you eat. If you eat seeds and nuts regularly, you may want to soak or sprout them to reduce their phytic acid content. Roasting them may help as well. SUMMARY Pumpkin seeds can be easily incorporated into your diet as a snack or ingredient in meals or baking. The Bottom Line Pumpkin seeds are highly nutritious and packed with powerful antioxidants. Eating them can help solve dietary deficiencies and may protect against various health problems.In fact, pumpkin seeds have been shown to improve heart health, blood sugar levels, fertility and sleep quality. They may even protect against certain types of cancer.In addition, their rich nutrient content may provide other health benefits, such as improved energy, mood and immune function. What’s best, they can easily be added to your diet, allowing you to reap their many positive effects. (https:/ /www.healthline.com/nutrition/11-benefits-of-pumpkinseeds#section12)
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Home Entertainment... Five easy cocktails to make with Grey Gosse Vodka is one of the most essential cocktails ingredients its subtle taste makes it a great way to add alcohol to fruit juices or other mixers without overwhelming their flavours. But just because vodka is a delicate flavour, doesnt mean that it doesnt effect the taste of your cocktail! A quality vodka will be smooth and just a little bit sweet and will make for a finer tasting drink in the end. Today, were sharing recipes for some simple, fruity vodka cocktails with one of our favourite vodkas Grey Goose. Grey Goose (which is distributed by Ansa McAL Trading Limited) is known for being one of the classiest vodkas, with a crisp and clear taste and a subtle hint of almonds. It makes for great cocktails, so try it in one of the drinks below and youre sure to be delighted. Cosmopolitan This tart, fruity classic is always a hit at a party. The
combination of sweet orange Cointreau and sharp cranberry juice is delicious with smooth Grey Goose, and the little hit of citrus adds an acidic note. When in doubt, you can never go wrong with a Cosmo. 3 parts Grey Goose Vodka 1 part Cointreau 2 parts Cranberry juice Squeeze of lime juice Orange rind twist to garnish Pomegranate Martini This variation on a Cosmopolitan uses pomegranate juice for a distinctive sour, slightly floral taste which complements the sweetness of Grey Goose. If youre feeling really fancy, you can even get a fresh pomegranate, chop it open, and drop a few of the seeds into your drink. This cocktail can be mixed in advance, so if you have a bunch of vodka lovers coming round you can prepare a pitcher of this ready for drinking.
2 parts Grey Goose Vodka 1 part Cointreau 2 parts pomegranate juice Squeeze of lemon juice Orange rind twist to garnish Caipiroska This is a twist on a Caipirinha, the classic cocktail of Brazil but this version uses vodka in place of the Brazilian cachaça. A vodka like Grey Goose is less sweet than cachaça, so you might want to up the amount of sugar that you use if you have a sweet tooth. You need to muddle the lime with the sugar that means that you put them both in a class and crush them together to release the lime juices, before adding crushed ice and pouring the Grey Goose over the top. Grey Goose Vodka Lime wedges Brown sugar Vodka Gimlet Gimlets are usually made with gin, but this version uses vodka for a crisp flavour. You
can add more or less simple syrup depending on how sweet you want the final drink to be, but weve found that using less syrup allows the almond flavours of the Grey Goose to shine. 3 parts Grey Goose Vodka 2 parts fresh lime juice 2 parts simple syrup Lime wheel to garnish Sea Breeze This cocktail is a summer classic; just as refreshing as its name suggests and ideal for a hot day. Now spring is finally here were getting ready for the warm weather, and this drink is at the top of our todo list! Grab the Grey Goose and start mixing pitchers for those summer picnics. 1 part Grey Goose Vodka 1 part grapefruit juice 1 part cranberry juice Lime wedge to garnish Happy Mixing this weekend Guys and remember to drink responsibly. (https:// www.urban-drinks.co.uk/)
West Vybz continues to pioneer community leadership by giving back All roads led to West Vybz on December 22, last, which saw the local business carrying on the tradition of giving back during the holiday season. The West Vybz owners hosted a “giveback event” for children within the community in which children were able to enjoy free ice cream, trampoline jumping, and a Christmas tree light up. Dozens of community families came out to enjoy the activities in support of the businesss efforts. “We appreciate them for taking on the role of community leaders and doing this for our kids. It is always rewarding to see business owners give back to their communities,” said one local resident. Kaieteur Entertainment understands that the activities are part of West Vybzs mission during the holiday season. “It’s only right that you take time and give back to the people that support you. Without the support of the people in this community my business is nothing. People that know me, know that I come from a family that is big on charity. So giving back to our people is something that has been embedded in me from an early age and I am blessed to be in a position to give back,” as-
West Vybz owners and staff handing out free ice cream to children in the community serts owner Kevin Balgobin. Owners of West Vybz are ending the year 2019 with a free “Gratitude Is A Must” event on December 31st, 2019 where they will be serving free food and live entertainment all night. The event is being hosted
by Slingerz Family Guyana’s #1 Sound w i t h p e r f o r mances from some of the countrys top DJs and will take place at West Vybz Sports Bar located at Tuschen Public Road E.B.E (Westside). Although primarily a bar
for adults, West Vybz takes pride in contributing to the local economy and the business boost that it has brought for local vendors around the area. Kaieteur Entertainment wishes them all the best in their endeavours.
Jubilee Concert set for Old Year’s Night The most exhilarating Jubilee Free Up concert is all set to go down on Old Year’s Night at the Stabroek Market Square from 10PM. The concert is expected to feature some of the nation’s most talented and celebrated artistes such as Jumo Primo, Big Red, Brandon Harding, Vanilla, and Bunty Singh. The Heatwave Band, Slingers Family, Stereo Sonic , Mix Doctor and DJ Shizzle are also scheduled to ensure you ring in the New Year with great music and magical fireworks. It’s the event you wouldn’t want to miss. Admission is free. See you there.
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Thunder’s New Year’s Resolution Written by Sybil Shearin As was the custom in the southern United States of America, folks in every household would make a resolution about something they wanted to do better in the next New Year. It could be one of many things such as stop smoking cigarettes, go on a diet, or stop shopping all the time. Most people however do n o t r e a l i z e G o d ’s l i t t l e creatures also make New Year’s resolutions. Let’s take a peek outside our houses and just see what others are doing. “Mackie are you going to do anything new this year?” Gloria the pig asked timidly. “Oh, I expect I will lose some weight. If I lose some weight and become very thin, I don’t think they will choose me to kill this year. Maybe I can live a few more years here on the farm if I lose some weight.” Silas the pig snorted. “I think I’ll try and lay the most eggs.” The red hen added. “I suppose I’ll clean up the barnyard by eating up all the cans.” Billy Goat said. “Clean up the yard?” Minerva the cat asked. “This yard has never been clean since you came here.” You are a filthy animal and you stick on top of it.” She scolded. “Well if you would stop playing around with that Percy the Tom cat you just might not have so darn many kittens.” Nikki the horse bellowed from behind the fence. “I know what I will do.” Pillow said softly. “I will gather only the leftover cotton to make me a bed. Last year I picked an entire row of the prettiest cotton in the field and
my conscious bothered me for weeks.” Pillow the sheep said lowering her head. “I guess I will stop playing in the rain.” The white duck quacked. “I will limit myself when it comes to making noise.” The Prissy the white cow mooed. “Ok I get the picture here. You all want to do something but everything you have said is a bunch of hog wash. You sit here all pious saying this and that when you all know darn well you are not going to do it.” Cleo the owl hooted as loud as he could. ”All you are doing is lying like a dog. Excuse me Rocky no pun intended.” Cleo ranted making note to Rocky the dog he didn’t mean to use him for an example. “All I plan to do is get a few twigs of mistletoe and hang high over my stall. If anyone wants to kiss and snuggle then I am ready to rumble.” Thunder the stallion neighed. “Shut up Prissy you lazy heifer!” Popcorn the old goat bleated. “You can’t go five minutes without making some outrageous sound. “Hey now, I think I will join Thunder and just enjoy the evening.” Sassy the mare said hoping to stop an all-out war of words.
Sunday December 29, 2019
Junior page Happy New Year crowns
“It is nice to think of good things we need to improve on each year but you can get carried away with all those resolutions. Just do the best you can.” Sassy smiled showing her shiny teeth. “I’m going to be underneath the mistletoe and I will not be watching to see what all of you are doing.” She winked to Thunder. So, it was on the farm on New Year’s Day. The dogs barked, the cats meowed, the roosters crowed, the sheep bleated, the owl hooted, the duck quacked, the pig snorted, the hen cackled, the cows mooed and the Billy Goat bleated. The New Year had come and everyone was as happy as could be. Nothing had changed except one thing. Sassy would be a new mother and Thunder would be a proud father. “ I t ’s t h a t f l i p p i n g mistletoe!” The donkey exclaimed. “It will do it every t i m e . Yo u w o u l d t h i n k animals could get the idea after a decade, wouldn’t you?” He snorted showing his dislike for small critters of all kinds. The sun warmed the day and all was well on the farm once more. Sometimes all God’s creatures need to just be thankful for the good things they have.
Materials oPrinter (for templates) Tools oScissors oGlue Instructions 1. D o w n l o a d a n d print our free New Year Paper Crown Printable from this link: https://docs.google.com/do cument/d/1QMnz_c2H4V4 ORGVMo6JIm7L548hm mkVs23rbgNt2fnE/edit?us p=sharing 2. It comes with two
designs you can use. For the best results, print the template onto cardstock. Normal printer paper will tear very easily. 3. C u t o u t t h e template. 4. G l u e t h e s t r i p together.
5. Use the extenders template if necessary. Use it if the crown won’t fit on your child’s head or if you are making it for an adult. 6. Leave the paper crown to dry. Wear it as you countdown for the year 2020!
FUN WITH POETRY
Happy 2020 Hooray, it is a New Year, Let us give a merry cheer; Time to get together with friends, And party till the day ends. At the start the ball will drop, And a thousand balloons will pop; It will be a brand new 2020, And time for some fun and gaiety. Let us all share a high five, As we hope to grow and thrive; And determine to greet this new year With more goodness and care.
FUTOSHIKI Fill in the squares so that each digit from 1 to 4 occurs exactly once in each row and column. Greaterthan and lessthan signs indicate the relationship of the two adjacent squares. There is only one solution, and you can find it without guessing.
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Sunday December 29, 2019
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Explore your Spiritual Qualities
I
n this time when people of all the major religions in our country are in the midst of celebrating the holidays, it will be useful if we take some time to think about how we can develop our spirituality so as to benefit most from this aspect of our personality. Not only does the worship of a God, who has made and can make all things possible, give us the faith and confidence to move forward in this world, but we can acquire the same positive spirit when we accept that all men are equal, and are all entitled to the same benefits on this earth. Prayer has been said to be the most powerful form of energy, and all things which we need for our sustenance on earth can be obtained if we ask the Source of all Power with true faith and humility. It will assure us the peace and stability in our lives which are essential to our welfare, no matter how disastrous the situation in which we find ourselves may be. It will free us from all hatred, fears and lack of confidence in ourselves and our fellow human beings. It will eradicate prejudice and discrimination, and will point us towards the good rather than the evil of this world. But, as I said before, even though you may not be a believer in an Almighty, you can still achieve peace in your life if you consider that we are all one on earth, and we are all contributing to the welfare of a collective mankind. One successful businessman,
What a wonderful world
who is not sure of his belief in a Creator, still manages to find peace in his life by tapping into the spiritual resources of his mind. For a little time each day, even in the middle of his business dealings, he would return to a quiet place and relax his mind. First, he would think of a peaceful scene, such as a lonely spot in the mountains or near a gently flowing stream. Then he would think of people in this scene, all living together peacefully and happily. If he had any problem with any other person, he would imagine both himself and that person in this tranquil scene getting on
well together and with everyone else. What this man is actually doing is uniting himself spiritually with all other human beings, and this helps him to get rid of all negative thoughts of himself and others, and gives him the confidence to react in a positive manner afterwards. Whether you indulge in prayer to an Almighty God in whom you firmly believe, or follow the example of this businessman, make sure you take time every day to practise the use of the spiritual powers that are a basic ingredient of your personality. This will enable you to achieve more than you ever believed to be possible.
God gave this world to you and me, Its priceless, yet its also free; It is beautiful beyond compare, And he has left it in our care. Everything begins anew, Like a rose sparkling with the dew; They blossom in the morning sun, And bloom until the day is done. A little seed becomes a tree, And gives its shade for you and me, Every creature large and small, The Lord above has made them all. The bear, the bee, the kangaroo All share this world with me and you; High above us in the sky, We watch the silver clouds go by. They bring the gentle rain our way, And a rainbow brightens our day; As we watch the setting sun go down, Another perfect day is done. God gave his world to you and me, He lit the stars above; By seeing all the things He made, We know that God is love.
The New Year will be prosperous to each of us in proportion to how much we try to improve ourselves during this time.
THOUGHT FOR THE WEEK
Solutions to last week’s
Kakuro
Slitherlinks
Instead of letters, each block contains the digits 1 through 9. The same digit will never repeat within a word. If you add the digits in a word, the sum will be the number shown in the clue. Clues are shown on the left and right sides of “across” words, and on the top and bottom sides of “down” words.
MAZE
Goodluck!
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6 Ways to Keep Your Gums Healthy What is gum disease? Gum disease starts when plaque builds up under and along the gum line. Plaque is a sticky film-like substance that’s filled with bacteria. It can cause infections that hurt the gum and bone, leading to gum disease and tooth decay. Plaque also can cause gingivitis, the earliest stage of gum disease. Gingivitis causes your gums to become: • inflamed • tender• red• swollen• prone to bleeding 1. Floss Floss at least once a day. This helps remove the plaque and food that’s beyond your toothbrush’s reach, according to the ADA. It doesn’t matter when you floss. Do it at night, do it in the morning, or do it after lunch... just do it! 2. Get regular dental cleanings Your dentist can detect early gum disease symptoms if you see them on a regular basis. That way symptoms can be treated before they become more serious. A professional cleaning is the only way to remove tartar. It can also get rid of any plaque you missed when brushing or flossing. If you have gingivitis, brushing, flossing, and regular dental cleanings can help reverse it. 3. Quit smoking Yet another reason for smokers to quit: Smoking is strongly associated with the onset of gum disease. Since smoking weakens your immune system, it also makes it harder to fight off a gum infection, say the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)Trusted Source. Plus, smoking makes it more difficult for your gums to heal once they’ve been damaged. 4. Brush twice a day Brush your teeth after every meal. This helps remove the food and plaque trapped between your teeth and gums. Scrub your tongue too, since it can harbor bacteria. Your toothbrush should have soft bristles and fit in your mouth comfortably, says the Mayo Clinic. Consider a battery-powered or electric toothbrush. These can help reduce gingivitis and plaque more than manual brushing. Swap toothbrushes or toothbrush heads every three to four months, or sooner if the bristles start to fray. 5. Use fluoride toothpaste As for toothpaste, store shelves are lined with brands that claim to reduce gingivitis, freshen breath, and whiten teeth. How do you know which one is best for healthy gums? Make sure to choose toothpaste that contains fluoride and has the ADA seal of acceptance. After that, the flavor and color is up to you! 6. Use a therapeutic mouthwash Usually available over the counter, therapeutic mouthwashes can help reduce plaque, prevent or reduce gingivitis, reduce the speed that tarter develops, or a combination of these benefits, according to the ADA. Plus: A rinse helps remove food particles and debris from your mouth, though it’s not a substitute for flossing or brushing. Look for the ADA seal, which means it’s been deemed effective and safe.It doesn’t matter whether your brush, floss, or rinse first. Just do a good job and use the right products.
SOLUTION TO LAST WEEK’S WORD SEARCH
Kaieteur News
Sunday December 29, 2019
Sunday December 29, 2019
What do you tell someone you didn’t see at New Year’s Eve? I haven’t seen you for a year! My New Year’s resolution is to help all my friends gain ten pounds so I look skinnier. To kick start my New Year: I took an IQ test and the results were negative. My resolution was to read more so I put the subtitles on my TV. It’s officially New Year’s Eve, you only have a couple of hours to do all the things you will resolve not to do in the New Year. I was going to quit all my bad habits for the New Year, but then I remembered that nobody likes a quitter. My wife still hasn’t told me what my New Year’s resolutions are. I love when they drop the ball in Times Square. It’s a nice reminder of what I did all year. What happened to the man who shoplifted a calendar on New Year’s Eve? He got 12 months! A New Year’s resolution is something that goes in one year and out the other. So what could be the best New Year Gift than making people laugh at such an important occasion? New Year Jokes and One-Liners Some people just win everything in an instant just because of their classic one-liners. If you want to become good at it as well, here are some cool and very funny New Year one-liners for you: May all your troubles last as long as your New Year resolutions? My New Year’s resolution is 1080p. New Year’s Eve forecast: Mostly drunk with a slight chance of passing out. new year countdown hong kong People think New Years is a life-changing event. If your life sucked last year, it’s probably still going to suck tomorrow. New Year’s is just a holiday created by calendar companies who don’t want you reusing last year’s calendar. With the rise of self-driving vehicles, it’s only a matter of time before we get a country song where a guy’s truck leaves him too. I want to die peacefully in my sleep, like my grandfather.. Not screaming and yelling like the passengers in his car. One liner tags: car, sarcastic Going to church doesn’t make you a Christian any more than standing in a garage makes you a car. Apparently I snore so loudly that it scares everyone in the car I’m driving. My wife is so negative. I remembered the car seat, the stroller, AND the diaper bag. Yet all she can talk about is how I forgot the baby. A dad is washing the car with his son. After a moment, the son asks his father, “Do you think we could use a sponge instead?” I got gas for $1.39 today. Unfortunately, it was at Taco Bell. I gave up my seat to a blind person in the bus. That is how I lost my job as a bus driver. Matt O What do you call someone who doesn’t like carbs? Lack-Toast Intolerant. Christine C A man walks into a bar and it’s empty – it’s just him and the bartender. He sits down and orders a drink. workplace jokes He hears someone whisper, “Pssst…I like your tie.” The man looks around but doesn’t see anyone. “Pssst…that color looks nice on you.” He asks the bartender, “Excuse me, but…are you speaking to me?” The bartender rolls his eyes and says, “No, sorry about that. It’s the peanuts… they’re complimentary.” Sinan W Why did the birthday boy wrap himself in paper? He wanted to live in the present. Kusum C What does a house wear? A dress. Eloi L What did the full glass say to the empty glass? You look drunk.
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Sunday December 29, 2019
A weak, worn out... From page 24 order to achieve a more perfect union which remains the only viable means to achieve their national wellbeing. There are many obvious ways in which Caribbean governments could work toward a more cohesive and stronger region. Trade is a blatant area: in 2018, the 14 independent nations of CARICOM suffered a trade deficit with the US of US$9 Billion; the CARIFORUM countries, that include CARICOM and the Dominican Republic, had a trade deficit with the EU of US$3.5 Billion. More than US$5 billion was spent on food importation alone. If the CARICOM countries are to do better in 2020 and beyond, a resolute effort has to be made to address, on a regional basis, the ancient and persistent problem of establishing air and sea transportation; strengthening each other's economy through trade; bargaining collectively with the rest of the world, including on financial services. They also must stop signing-up individually to demands by outside countries and begin to
n e g o t i a t e c o l l e c t i v e l y. Nationalist adventures with third countries must also end. The Caribbean exists within a world where internationalism is being disregarded and raw power is being exercised to rule. The region cannot disentangle itself from that world, but it must be keenly aware that the juggernaut of the powerful will not be deterred by a disunited, disorganized and debilitated Caribbean. In 2020 and in the years beyond, it is in the interest of every nation in the Caribbean to work for greater economic equity, wider political participation, and broader cooperation to bridge differences and build trust amongst themselves. (The writer is Ambassador of Antigua and Barbuda to the United States and the Organization of American States. He is also a Senior Fellow at the Institute of Commonwealth Studies at the University of London and at Massey College in the University of Toronto. The views expressed are entirely his own and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of this newspaper)
A tough year beckons From page 40 being imported. More roads and another Demerara River crossing will have to be our biggest priorities. I live in Diamond. It is traumatic using that one access road - in and out. In the mornings, the lines are curling. There is a cost to that. Workers, thousands of them seated in vehicles not using air condition, would eventually make it to their place of employ, sweaty and tired. It is a grind. It is the same for the thousands who brave the roads of West Demerara on workdays. We would not see an Ogle/East Bank Demerara link for another four years. Another harbour bridge will not likely be here for about the same time. In the meantime, at least 10,000 more vehicles are hitting the roads annually. I am getting a motorcycle. It is a pain. At the Stabroek Market, the minibuses are parked with the speedboat landing located in the area. The congestion stretches across the river at Vreed-en-Hoop. One of the suggestions I heard of easing the congestion at the West Demerara area is to drop passengers heading further along the coast along the Windsor Forest area. This
suggestion drives home the point that we need to think outside the box. The past year has been tough on me. Management asked me to host a show on Kaieteur Radio and I reluctantly agreed. I never did radio and I don't have the voice for it. So it was that 'The Political Show' was born. I was also asked to temporarily host 'The Legal Mind'. Fortunately, both shows have been doing fantastically well, with no shortage of the big names as guests. It has been brutal with more work scheduled, but a challenge I have grown to love. We will be called upon to work harder by our e m p l o y e r s ‌ o u r shareholders in the coming months. We may not agree, but it is how the world works. We have to pay attention to the lessons and adopt practices that will help us g r o w. D i s c i p l i n e a n d teamwork will be the watchwords. A prosperous new year from my family at home and Kaieteur News to you all. I do thank you for the words of encouragement‌and the criticisms too. (The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of this newspaper)
Sunday December 29, 2019
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Sunday December 29, 2019
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Lawsuit claims ExxonMobil liable for tortures, rapes and murders in Indonesia “There wasn’t a single person in Aceh (pronounced AH-chay) who didn’t know that the massacres were taking place ... everybody was afraid,” A former top Indonesian government official is quoted as saying. His comments are contained in a shocking lawsuit brought against ExxonMobil by some Indonesian villagers, so fearful for their lives that they became plaintiffs on the condition of anonymity. The males are identified in the lawsuit only as John Doe, and the females are named Jane Doe, the names commonly used for persons whose identities are concealed. Some represent their deceased spouses. They feared that if they raised their complaints in Indonesia, they would face retribution from their authorities. ExxonMobil has been operating in the Southeast Asian country for decades, even before it became known as ExxonMobil. The lawsuit was filed in the United States District
Arun liquefaction facility
Court for the District of Columbia. It notes that the plaintiffs are filing there because they do not have access to an independent or functioning legal system within Indo-
nesia to raise their complaints. The lawsuit against the oil major that only started producing oil in Guyana just days ago, tells scary stories of detainment, torture, sexual
Afternoon cool down?
violence and murder between 1999 and 2001. The defendants are ExxonMobil Corporation; its Indonesian subsidiary, ExxonMobil Oil Indonesia Inc.; and the oil major’s predecessors, Mobil Corporation, and Mobil Oil. The Arun natural gas fields were discovered five decades ago. One of the largest in the world, the fields were once said to be the jewels in Exxon’s crown, as the company was granted exclusive rights to explore for and produce natural gas by the Indonesian government. The lawsuit states, “ExxonMobil has received hundreds of millions of dollars in revenue from the Arun project. Throughout the 1990s… the Arun gas fields comprised approximately 25% of Mobil Corp’s world revenues.” It was so important that the oil major hired Indonesian
Indonesian military forces
This Route 40 minibus ran off the road yesterday at Vlissengen Road and Barr Street, Kitty. According to eyewitnesses, the driver was speeding and negotiated a bad turn. However, the bus driver whose only name given was “Cross-Eye”, claimed that the bus suffered a brake failure. Thankfully, no serious injuries were reported.
military agents to protect its operations during a period of civil unrest. The forces, of whom their history of human rights abuses was common knowledge, wreaked havoc on innocents. “People literally line up to tell stories of abuses and murders committed by the troops they call Exxon’s army.” The lawsuit quotes an article from the Time’s Magazine Asia edition about the horrific events of two decades ago in the Indonesian province of Ac``````eh. “The article reported that a certain farmer was held for a month by ExxonMobil security personnel and whipped nightly with ropes of barbed wire, burned with cigarettes and beaten unconscious with a wooden board. He was also forced to watch the security personnel shoot his brother in the head,” the lawsuit states. It goes on to add that in
ExxonMobil’s cluster IV gas field, Anwar was dragged, kicking and screaming, past men wearing white uniforms and ExxonMobil hard hats…” The suit quotes the article as stating that “according to locals, riding a bicycle or oxcart on the street in front of ExxonMobil’s facilities has become a deadly game of dodge-bullet, with soldiers taking potshots at just about anybody who moves. Those who pass at the wrong time of day are sometimes dragged into ExxonMobil’s warehouses and taught a lesson.” This is just one report in a wider, gruesome story of the horror Indonesian villagers faced, as reported in the suit. ExxonMobil has since 2001 shut down its natural gas operations there, and refuses to take responsibility for the atrocities. Please see Kaieteur News’ New Year’s Day edition for more details.
Sunday December 29, 2019
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Kaieteur News
Victims recall face to face encounters with “sindicatos” A tiring two weeks of hard work had paid off greatly for two young men who were working with a Brazilian dredge owner at the “Black Water” Backdam, Region Seven, Cuyuni Mazaruni. Wendell Williams and Romario Hernandez received their wages in gold and planned a trip to neighbouring Venezuela. The adventurous friends decided that they will visit a small town called Tumeremo. They made the four-hour long trip up the Cuyuni River to the Eteringbang Landing where they spent the night at a friend’s house. The next day the men awoke very early and boarded a boat to San Martin where they would obtain a pass to enter Venezuela. Very anxious about their sightseeing adventure they entered a vehicle to embark upon their three-hour journey to Tumeremo. They arrived at their destination around 9:00 hrs and spent the entire day experiencing the Venezuelan culture. The fun filled day ended quickly and they were soon heading back to San Martin in a Ford Bronco (Vehicle). But little did they know that they would come face to face with one of the most ruthless Criminal Gangs that patrol the Venezuelan border. About one and a half hour later, a bright light flashed in front of their vehicle. The light was so bright that it blinded the chauffeur forcing him to stop. The light then went dim and what the men saw sent shivers up their spines. A group of heavily armed men with masked faces speaking Spanish approached the vehicle and ordered everyone out. “We did not understand much Spanish but we tried our best not to panic. They bound our hands with ropes and forcefully loaded us into a large truck. Our heads were covered with canvas bags and the truck took off. “It was horrifying we had no idea what these men would do to us or where they were taking us.”. The men said the truck soon stopped and they were hauled out and forced to lie face down on the dusty road. “The canvas bags were removed and we were gunbutted about the body and searched thoroughly”. When the search was over, the passengers and two friends were taken to a hut where they were interrogated. The masked men began to interrogate each person one by one. Some were beaten and taken away. “It was finally our turn; my feet buckled. I started to tremble, I whispered to Wendell this is it buddy. This
is it, and I started to cry. I was certain that we were going to die that night.” The men began to question Wendell and Romario but the two Guyanese men invented a language that never existed forcing the criminals to burst out in laughter. Surprisingly one of gang member spoke broken English and asked the friends if they were foreigners. Tearfully the men responded, “Yes, we are Guyanese tourists and we ain’t want dead buddae”. With laughter the man responded, “Nah cry; we nah guh kill you. We lookin fuh a Venezuelan sapo”. Wendell and Romario were then transported to another hut where they remained the entire night under guard. Very early the next morning the men were reunited with their Chauffeur and the rest of the passengers. Their documents were returned along with their belongings and they continued their journey to San Martin. The friends arrived at San Martin around midday and boarded a boat directly to “Black Water” and vowed never to return to Venezuela again. On my quest to find out more about these Venezuelan gangs, I was granted the opportunity to have a conversation with a Venezuelan woman who resides in San Martin. She is a Kindergarten teacher of the community’s only church and was willing to share her near death experience with this so called “Sindicato Gang” Yumilia de Williams said that her kindergarten students had practiced an entire year for a district competition in a place called Gran Sabana. The day finally arrived and plans were in place. She and fellow teachers, a few parents and 50 children boarded two Toyota Land Cruisers. They took off with smiles on their faces and chatted about the competition ahead and even celebrated as though they had already won. About two hours later their faces became pale as they saw men with high powered rifles pulling over cars and pulling out the passengers. They could not risk turning the car around in an attempt to escape because they would be pursued and shot at. The woman said that she began to pray that the criminals would allow them to pass and rehearsed a speech to plead for their lives. But they were not spared. They too were forced out of their Toyotas and forced to lie face down in the nearby bushes with guns placed at
Members of the Ruthless Sindicato Gang posing for a photo in Caracas the back of their heads. The children began to cry; some fainted. Even a few of the adults became numb with fear. Being a leader and having the responsibility of taking care of these children Yumilia was eager to plead with the sindicatos to let the children go. She found the courage to face these ruthless men de-
spite the fact that they can rape, kill or butcher her. She begged and begged but was ignored. However, she said “God touched one of the gang members heart and he approached me.” In a polite voice he asked, “Where are these children heading?” She responded, “To a dis-
trict competition. Please don’t kill us, please.” The man then ordered his colleagues to release all the hostages including those who were detained before them. “We arrived at Tumeremo later that evening but never continued the journey to Gran Sabana. We were left in a state of
shock. My daughter, who was among the fifty children, fell ill and had to be hospitalized. Until this day she would experience nightmares and trauma attacks.” The notorious sindicatos have been responsible for a number of brutal Guyanese deaths at the many borders between Guyana and Venezuela.
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Kaieteur News
Sunday December 29, 2019
Sunday December 29, 2019
Kaieteur News
Bail for alleged drunk Mechanic who fatally struck Linden granny A 27-year-old Linden mechanic was on Tuesday released on a total of $500,000 bail on two charges; driving under the influence and causing death by dangerous driving. The accused, Corwin Cooper, appeared at the Linden Magistrate’s Court where it was alleged that on December 22, last, he drove motor car PVV 2251 in a manner dangerous to the public, resulting in the death of 78-yearold Juliet Cornelius. The second charge stated that on the same day, he drove the said motorcar while being under the influence of alcohol. Cooper was then placed on $450,000 bail for the dangerous driving charge and $50,000 for the DUI. He was also requested to lodge his passport and report regularly to the Wismar Police Station. Kaieteur News had previously reported that combination of speed and drunk driving allegedly resulted in the death of 78-year-old Linden resident, Juliet Cornelius, of West Watooka, Wismar Linden. The woman was on her way to church when she was hit by a speeding car, after the driver lost control while negotiating a bend at Burnham Drive, Wismar. The motor car PVV 2251 involved in the accident is owned by Allan Henry, of Lot 50 Powis Crescent; Amelia’s Ward, Linden but was being driven by 27-year-old Corwin Cooper, a mechanic of the same address. The car involved in the fatal accident
Dead: Juliet Cornelius The woman fell on the roadway, as a result, sustaining injuries about the body. She was rushed to the Linden Hospital Complex, by public spirited citizens, but succumbed while receiving medical attention. A breathalyzer test was conducted on the driver for alcohol.
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Kaieteur News
CONSUMER CONCERNS
RING IN THE NEW YEAR AND A PROSPEROUS 2020 TO ALL! FOR RENT
In a few days the year 2019 would have expired and 2020 would have taken birth. This is symbolized by an old man moving to his inevitable dePLANNING AN EVENT? mise and at the same time welBIRTHDAY PARTY, coming a new-born baby repG R A D U A T I O N , resenting the New Year. W E D D I N G S , The advent of the New ANNIVERSARY, ETC. - Year, in all Cultures, is always CALL DIAMOND TENTS: enveloped in traditions, 216-1043; 677-6620 myths, superstitions and even philosophic lessons. 1 Bedroom semi-furnished For example, the depiction of apartment in Campbellville, the Old Year as an old man, suitable for students/persons who though sturdy enough, working in G/Town for more is inexorably moving towards info.Call#666-3213/668-0450. death, reminds us of our own mortality and how close and 925 Block 111 Providence, unexpected it is. E.B.D.1-2 Bedroom flat house, In Western cultures, we Tenant with transportation celebrate the Old Year as part preferable $50,000.Monthly 1/ of the New Year since Old 1/2020 Call#669-3401.Tank Year’s night is subsumed and Available. indeed, flows into the New Year. This is different from the TO LET Hindu or Islamic New Year Rooms tolet, 1 bedroom- where there is distinctiveness working people: $30,000, between the Old and the New. There is a strong belief $32,000,$35,000, $40,000 monthly, 2 month security. that one’s home and surroundings should be kept in Call: 623-0076 good order and that one One Bedroom apartment, bath should be well attired and well & living room fed when the New Year arincluded.Preferably UG rives since this same milieu Student.Contact#222-0401 will continue for the rest of the year. Rooms in Albertown#225It is a time of family din3234 ners and reunions, of settling old quarrels, of church-going and dances for if the New Year finds one in a joyous mood, such will continue through the New Year. Thus at twelve midnight, there is an eruption of joyous noises, of singing, loudly exchanging New Year greetings, VACANCY discharging squibs and fireworks and raising “Auld lang Vacancy exist for Experienced syne”, that Scottish song Pharmacy assistants to work which expresses nostalgia for @ reputable pharmacy in G/ the year which has just town. Interested persons call passed and a hopeful and joy#696-5098 between 8am-4pm ous welcome for the New Vacancy for (1) Sales Year. Auld lang syne is the verigirl.Apply in person to Alatable anthem for the passing bama Trading. of the Old Year and the adTwo Domestic maids required vent of the New. New Year Resolutions are one should know cooking among the most important too.Call#618-1853 facets of that festival. Most Vacancy for (1) experienced of us believe that such ResoAccouints Clerk.Must have lutions are of a personal kind passes in Mathematics and but there are resolutions of a English.Apply in Person to societal and country kind Alabama Trading also. Such country resolutions tend to go on from year Experienced Salesgirls with 2 yrs experience. Apply @ VACANCY Christine’s Variety, Lombard St. Contact: 227-8529 Vacancies exists for Truck Office Assistant- Applications Drivers and Loader Operator. with CV & References to Contact - 621-5282 Guyana Legal Aid Clinic, 1 Secretary 28-45 yrs old. #231Maraj Building, Charlotte & 0655/683-8734 King St, G/town- by 3 Jan, General domestic. 3 Days 2020 work. Must know to cook. Vacancy for (1) maid.Apply in Apply with 2 references. KeyFood McDoom village person to Alabama Trading. 2 bedroom Apartment for rent-Semi furnished in Herstelling.Contact#6839487/675-8572.
SERVICES Visa Application: U.S.A, Canada & UK; Graphics design, advertisements, Wedding arch rentals. Tel: 626-7040 ICONIC MARKETING & PRINTING –TEL: 6006887: We create A/works, logos, business cards, posters, etc, placements of ads included. PLANNING AN EVENT? BIRTHDAY PARTY, G R A D U AT I O N , W E D D I N G S , ANNIVERSARY, ETC. CALL DIAMOND TENTS: 216-1043; 677-6620 We repair fridge, freezer, AC, washer, dryer-Call: 231-0655; 683-8734. Omar Installation, Repairs and parts for AC, Fridge, Washing Machine, Stove etc. Call Nick 630-1600, 6273206 Mason- Experienced in casting, block work and plastering. Available on call/ Tel# 619-3296/231-2060 EDUCATION
VEHICLE FOR SALE 1 Honda CRV. includes TV, music system, alarm, reverse camera, sproiler, crash bar, Low mileage. PTT Series (First Owner) Contact #6490956 Nissan Bluebird (Sliver) PXX Series for sale.Contact#6839487/675-8572. 07 BMW MSport Edition, less than 87,000km, drives great, 2.9M neg, for more information call: 648-6567/ Facebook.com/AriaImports Red CRV- 2007 model. Contact 666-7895 PROPERTY FOR SALE Lot 89 Robb Street, Lacytown, Georgetown. Next door to Mike’s Pharmacy.Land size3431.25 Sq.ft. Phone: 617-5323, 666-8052 Plot 8 O Tract Zeelugt, East Bank Essequibo, Ram #6926153 / 917- 698- 9824, Kumar #660-6410/269-0569 One 3 Story building at 97 Sugar Cane St, S/Rveldt Gdns. $125,000,000. Tel#674-9905/ 695-1356/225-2971
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By PAT DIAL
to year with little change and are found largely among politicians and those who make national budgets. Since there is little that is new or exciting in them, they are almost forgotten . Personal New Year Resolutions, on the other hand, are always alive and layout an optimistic course of action and achievement for the person making them. They serve as an affirmation. Societal or Country Resolutions for Guyana for the New Year 2020 would be very different from the past since in 2020 the country would have been metamorphosed into an Oil and Gas one. Oil wealth would begin to flow and the country could realistically achieve the dreams of development it had always had from the time of Sir Walter Raleigh. The country resolution is to improve the standard of living of the population by having enough funds to inject into the development of agriculture, industry and social services. Wages, salaries and pensions would be improved. Health services throughout the country will begin to move towards the highest levels with surgeries and medical treatments which could only have been accessioned abroad would be done locally. The Faculty of Medicine of the University would be upgraded and serious medical research would be embarked upon. Education is another area where standards would begin to be immediately raised. All teachers would have better salaries and would be fully trained so that there would be no untrained teachers in the schools. School buildings would be modernized and properly equipped and the hardships which pupils from poorer families now experience would begin to disappear. Throughout its history Guyana was known to be a country with vast resources waiting to be developed.
Whatever development occurred did so at a slow and painful pace leaving the country in 2019 with a sugar industry, a bauxite industry and a rice industry struggling to survive because of lack of capital injections. The other industry which has been earning is the gold industry which needs capital to be spent on infrastructural development. With the infusion of adequate capital which would have derived from the Oil and Gas industry, they would have become prosperous and a source of continuous and permanent wealth unlike Oil and Gas whose existence is finite as Trinidad is sadly experiencing. Oil revenues would have been spent on the development of cheaper and renewable energy mainly on hydropower and solar energy. These cheaper and renewable sources have eluded Guyana for decades. It made the profitable and continuous development of industry and Agriculture almost impossible. Now, this handicap would be forever removed. And lastly, The Venezuelan Controversy which has been such a threat to the country’s security and existence and which was used by Venezuela to prevent investment in Guyana and stymie economic development would have been put to rest. The hearings of the International Court of Justice (ICJ) would have brought the issue to its finality and Venezuela would inevitably have to accept the boundaries as had been decided by the 1899 Arbitration and which Venezuela herself demarcated with Britain shortly thereafter. Guyana’s New Year Resolutions are optimistic and far more realizable than personal Resolutions. When the traditional New Year greetings of “Ring in the New Year” and “Prosperous 2020” are given, they would be more meaningful to Guyanese than they had ever been.
Sunday December 29, 2019
World Bank to assist with legislation on routine flaring The World Bank proposes to begin an initiative to prohibit routine flaring during oil production. The government of Guyana had previously stated that no statement has been made as to how ExxonMobil intends to dispose of the impurities and wastes except for the monitoring done by the EPA. There is no clause in the Agreement ExxonMobil has made with the Government of Guyana which states that the natural gas produced from the oil fields is exploiting, cannot be flared. However, Minister Patterson had stated that Guyana will not allow gas flaring and there is no indication that ExxonMobil intends to get rid of the gas generated, otherwise. Followed by another interception, “except for necessary testing, Government has assured that there will be no flaring of natural gas found offshore, in keeping with its commitment to developing a green state,” Natural Resources Minister Raphael Trotman said. In spite of the decision that was conveyed precisely, the government will proceed in the process of drafting and subsequent enforcement of a legislation to prohibit routine flaring of associated gas during the oil production. Even though Government has been assured of “no flaring” of natural gas it still has to be prepared for such cir-
cumstances and set penalties to deal with the negligence of these oil companies. These gases can be utilized in a number of other productive ways or re-injected into an underground formation. The initiative being a part of Guyana’s effort to alleviate climate change will also complement the government’s intention to join the initiative. The initiative joins forces such as governments, oil companies and developed institutions that recognize flaring as an unsustainable resource management. From an environmental perspective, many agree to cooperate to eliminate routine flaring no later than 2030. Governments that endorse the initiative will provide a legal, regulatory investment and operating environment that is conducive to upstream investments. The initiative is also conducive to the development of viable markets for utilization of the gas and the infrastructure necessary to deliver the gas to these markets. This will therefore provide companies with the confidence and incentives as a basis for investing in flare elimination solutions. Once a government has signed onto the initiative it is required field development plans for new oil fields to incorporate sustainable utilization or conservation of the field’s associated gas without routine flaring.
Rush-hour vehicle bomb kills dozens in Somali capital
(BBC) vAt least 76 people have been killed by a vehicle bomb detonated during morning rush hour in Somalia’s capital. The blast took place at a checkpoint at a busy intersection in Mogadishu. More than 90 people were also injured. No group has yet claimed responsibility for the bomb but al-Shabab militants have often carried out attacks there. President Mohammed Abdullahi Farmaajo said its aim was to demoralise the Somali people, but that jihadists would never stop the country rebuilding.
US saw highest number of mass killings on record in 2019, database reveals (BBC) The US suffered more mass killings in 2019 than any year on record, according to researchers. A database compiled by the Associated Press (AP), USA Today and Northeastern University recorded 41 incidents and a total of 211 deaths. Mass killings are defined as four or more people being killed in the same incident, excluding the perpetrator. Among the deadliest in 2019 were the killings of 12 people in Virginia Beach in May and 22 in El Paso in August. Of the 41 cases in 2019, 33 involved firearms, researchers said. California had the highest number of mass killings per state, with eight. The database has been tracking mass killings in the US since 2006, but research going back to the 1970s did not not reveal a year with more mass killings, AP reported. The year with the second-highest number of mass killings was 2006, with 38. Though 2019 had the highest number of incidents,
the death toll of 211 was eclipsed by the 224 people who died in mass killings 2017. That year saw the deadliest mass shooting in US history, when 59 people were gunned down at a festival in Las Vegas. Many mass killings in the US fail to make headlines because they involve family disputes, drug deals or gang violence, and don’t spill into public places, the researchers said. The number of mass killings in the US had risen despite the overall number of homicides going down, said James Densley, a criminologist and professor at Metropolitan State University in Minnesota. “As a percentage of homicides, these mass killings are also accounting for more deaths,” he told AP. Prof Densley said he believed the spike was partly a consequence of an “angry and frustrated time” in US society, but he added that crimes tended to occur in waves.
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“This seems to be the age of mass shootings,” he said. Gun ownership rights are enshrined in the second amendment of the US constitution, and the spike in mass shootings has done little to push US lawmakers towards gun control reforms. In August, following deadly attacks in Dayton, Ohio, and El Paso, Texas, President Donald Trump said “serious discussions” would take place between congressional leaders on “meaningful” background checks for gun owners. But Mr Trump quietly rowed back on that pledge, reportedly after a long phonecall with Wayne LaPierre, the chief executive of the National Rifle Association - a powerful lobby group which opposes gun control measures. Speaking to reporters after the call, the president said the US had “very strong background checks right now”, adding that mass shootings were a “mental problem”.
Al-Shabab - a group of Islamist militants, allied to AlQaeda - has waged an insurgency for more than 10 years. It was forced out of the capital in 2011 but still controls areas of the country. Witnesses described carnage at the scene. “All I could see was scattered dead bodies ... amid the
blast and some of them burned beyond recognition,” said Sakariye Abdukadir, who was close to the blast. “May Allah have mercy on the victims of this barbaric attack,” the former internal security minister added. At least 16 of the victims are students from Banadir University who were travel-
ling on a bus that was struck by the vehicle bomb, AFP report. “This was a black day,” university chairman Mohamed Mohamud Hassan said, according to AFP. “It was a day when parents who have sent their children to learn were sent back the dead bodies of their children.”
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REO Storm on a mission to bring accountability back to Region One REO Randy Storm in discussion with regional officials as he inspects a completed project
There is still some way to go to improve the level of accountability in Region One but Regional Executive Officer [REO], Lieutenant Colonel Randy Storm, has assured moves are being made in this regard. Col. Storm admitted that when he first arrived in Region One as the REO of the Regional Democratic Council [RDC] he was appalled at the level of accountability there. According to him, there were several things that were being done unprofessionally and unethically. He assumed the position of REO last January. “When I first came here the people would say that there is no law and order here, and from how government finances and resources were being expended, I was just appalled. “It was very difficult bringing it to the letter…There is certainly more work that needs to be done if we are going to bring it to 100
percent,” he said. The REO pointed out that one of the greatest challenges was ensuring that there was value for money as it related to projects. He said there was evidence that several projects were not properly done or even completed but the contractors were paid. This state of affairs was a bother to Col. Storm. Moreover, he embraced an approach of examining projects before monies were paid. He even began demanding that some contractors do corrective ahead of full payment. “There were several difficulties with several projects, but I had embarked upon visiting several of the projects and after checking some they were not completed when I inspected them. Several contractors were recalled and for those that we had their monies, they were told to correct the mistakes and or faults before they can access payment,” the REO said. REO Storm in giving ex-
amples of some sloppy projects, referred to the Port Kaituma Amerindian Hostel, which after inspection was found to be devoid of several installations in the bathroom area. “There was a nursery school at Moruca where the contractor said that he had completed it and after checking I realized that the floor of that nursery school was not constructed properly and as a result water was settling under the flooring. “The sad part was that people had accepted this sloppy and very poor work. I demanded that he level the floor as the students were nursery level and this was certainly posing a danger for them to use such crooked flooring.” The REO pointed to the dire need for training of several levels of staff pointing out that many departments have personnel who lack basic knowledge and skills of their duties.
This, he said, has significantly contributed to the poor performance of many staffers in various departments. He revealed, for example, that the stores department continues to suffer immensely as there are no trained stores personnel thus resulting in it being run unprofessionally. “What I intend to do in 2020 is to have persons trained. What I found was that people were doing all kind of magic...I intend putting an end to the magic by providing training as we must improve the store accounting,” the REO disclosed.
REO Storm stressed that with contractors being required to deliver in terms of both quality and a timely manner, several have come to the realization that they may no longer qualify for work in the region. He said that taxpayers’ monies must be accounted for and therefore while he serves as REO he will demand the highest level of professionalism from contractors. According to Col. Storm accountability will remain his number one priority during his tenure as REO. “No longer will we at the
region tolerate sloppy and very poor work. Contractors are aware that I am not someone who will stick for this level of nonsense. If they want to continue securing contracts from this RDC then they must recognize that they have to deliver as we cannot allow them to scantly waste taxpayers’ monies. “Someone must be held accountable for the monies that are being spent and as the REO I will ensure that I can remain accountable as the people expects nothing less from their REO,” he declared.
comply with this requirement. The lacking in digital signatures has a damning effect on the ease of doing business and transitions. This effect is proven since the IDB reported that Guyana was ranked the lowest in Latin America regarding the transactions with Government institutions.Doing such requires a lot of effort; from waiting at counters, filling forms reading communications, seeking information, sending letters or even learning to use a new system or website. All time consuming. Further to this, the World Banks Doing Business Report 2020 which analyzes the ease of doing business in 190 countries placed Guyana at rank 134/190. This would mean that much more needs to be done to improve on the effectiveness of local services, one
which could be the implementation of digital signatures. With respect to regulation, there has been significant progress in the Latin American and Caribbean region with 25 of the 26 countries instituting a law which establishes the legal validity of the digital signature. In some other countries including South Africa, the United States (U.S), Algeria, Turkey, India, Brazil, Indonesia, Mexico, Saudi Arabia Uruguay. Switzerland and the countries of the European Union (E.U) electronic signatures have legal significance. Only Guyana lacks such a law in the LAC. However, having a legal framework does not necessarily mean that there is a digital signature in place that can be used by all citizens and that is accepted by all private and public institutions.
Guyana only country in region that lacks digital signature
G
uyana is the only country in the Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) region in which services do not offer to their customers the option of digital signatures. This is according to the Wait No More: Citizens, Red Tape, and Digital Government Caribbean Edition a report prepared by the Inter- American Development Bank. A digital signature is a mathematical scheme for verifying the authenticity of the signature, where the basics are satisfied. It gives the recipient very strong reasons to believe that the message was created by the known sender (authentication), and that the message was not altered in transit or integrity. These forms of signatures enables applicants to sign documents or forms online without having to submit a physical copy. This thereby potentially reduces the number of visits to a government office. Without the digital signature, there are many government transactions that, despite being digitized in everything but the signature, still require an in-person visit to
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West Coast Warriors crowned MMZ 10/10 champs West Coast Warriors beat host Meten-Meer-Zorg Future Youths by 10 wickets and five overs to spare in the final of the Meten-Meer-Zorg 10/10 fund raiser cricket competition which was held on Sunday last. Batting first, the host struggled to 56 for 6 at the end of the 10 overs. Dexter George batting at seven saved the host, who did not look like they would have gotten past 40 at one stage, with 19 from 13 balls. Bowling for West Coast Warriors, Azaad Azeez was almost unplayable with figures of 3 for 5 from his two overs. The Warriors galloped to 57 for 1 in five overs. Vickash Dhaniram scored 32 and Ameer Singh 18 not out. In the first match of the day West Coast Warriors beat
The victorious West Coast Warriors team. Zeeburg off the last ball of the contest. Batting first, Zeeburg scored 100 for 3, in the 10 overs. Ershad Ali led with 41 with three fours and three sixes, while Yetesh Dhanpaul made 17 and Malcolm Hubbard 16 from four balls. In reply The
Warriors struggled up front, but Cornelius Jaisingh, batting at number six cracked a breezy 37 from 14 balls, while Mandolall Doodnarine and Azaad Azeed contributed 12 apiece to see their team to victory. Malcolm Hubbard was excellent with the ball for
Sunday December 22, 2019 ARIES (Mar. 21–Apr. 19) An unexpected visit or call from a friend could bring exciting news. You might decide to get together with this person and celebrate. TAURUS (Apr. 20–May 20) The morning could find you somewhat worried about finances. Past reckless spending may be on your mind. Go through your records and look at them objectively. GEMINI (May 21–June 20) Romance and marriage are always important to you, and today they're especially so. You should feel particularly warm, loving, and attractive, and matters of love and partnership should be especially romantic. CANCER(June21–July22) Today you feel especially imaginative, and you might want to try writing, painting, or composing. The past is especially appealing, so you may want to stroll through an art gallery or museum or attend a concert. LEO (July 23–Aug. 22) You're always intellectually curious, but today you might be especially so. Although you're usually idealistic, today your imagination is in full swing. VIRGO (Aug. 23–Sept. 22) Your usually dependable judgment may seem clouded by emotion today. Perhaps you're unable to decide between different courses of action. Or perhaps you're feeling distracted and can't focus on what needs to be done.
LIBRA (Sept. 23–Oct. 22) Optimism and foresight are important today, as you take charge of your life and seek new opportunities. SCORPIO (Oct. 23–Nov. 21) New ideas and opportunities for advancing yourself financially may come your way today, yet this isn't the day to act indiscriminately or make any definite changes in your financial structure. SAGIT(Nov.22–Dec.21) Today, you may feel especially sociable. You might want to look up old friends you haven't seen for a while, perhaps to release past quarrels or hurt feelings. Take care to release them instead of bringing them up again. CAPRI(Dec.22–Jan.19) Your biorhythms may be low today, so you might not be feeling quite up to par. This could make you feel restless and a little blue. Most likely your malaise is related to stress. Play some soft music. AQUARIUS(Jan.20–Feb.18) Matters of love seem to be taking a turn for the better. Discuss your relationship with your partner. Your friend may or may not share your opinions, and a compromise may need to be reached. PISCES (Feb. 19–Mar. 20) Have you been thinking about remodeling or redecorating your home? If so, this is the day to do it. Your energy and aesthetic sense are high today.
Zeeburg grabbing 4 for 10 from his two overs. Host Meten-Meer-Zorg Future Youths beat Mc Gill Sports Club in the first game. Batting first, the host scored a challenging 108 for 2 in the 10 overs with Sheldon Alexander scoring 44 from 16 deliveries, while Adharian Johnson made12. Mc Gill Sports Club were bowled out for 74 in 9.4 overs in response. Veteran Sudesh Persaud scored 19 from 17 deliveries. Dexter George took 2 for 16 and Sheldon Alexander 2 for 19. Vickash Dhaniram was named man of the match in the final. The winner and runner up trophies were sponsored by Supreme PETROLEUM and the man of match trophy was sponsored by Trophy Stall. The winner of the two tour tickets compliment of Odyssey Tours was won by Ms. Shenny of Meten-MeerZorg and Mr. Maniram of Zeeburg. The Meten-MeerZorg SC has expressed gratitude to the sponsors, players and fans who have assisted in contributing towards the event from which the proceeds will go towards helping to cover medical expenses for a family member of one of the players.
Adams’ X1 reached 80-2... From page 69 Keeper Anthony Bramble, the leading Keeper in this year’s tournament. The solid Kemol Savory demonstrated rare aggression and lofted West Indies Emerging Players’ off-spinner Kevin Sinclair over mid-off for four before sweeping Bishoo behind square for his second boundary. But the 34-year-old Bishoo, who has taken 117 Test wickets and 382 scalps from 100 First-Class matches, had the last laugh when he removed Savory for 18 at 742. Imlach and Smith were together when bails were lifted in fading light. Today is the second day and the action is set to start at 09:00hrs. (Sean Devers)
Sunday December 29, 2019
Giant slayers Paradise take aim at Friendship... From page 68 at the end and will no doubt be inspired to produce a classy performance. Former national player Dwain Jacobs will look to use his vast experience in these situations to orchestrate victory and his supporting cast of Quason McAulay, Seretse Huntley and Phillip Williams must play their part to guarantee a win. BV’s pursuit of a place in the championship game will rest on the shoulders of Omari Glasgow, Reon Hopkinson, Akin Curry and Jemar Harrington, all players with immense talent and experience to make life uncomfortable for the Golden Grove unit. It’s the Christmas season
known for its good cheer and the Buxton community which has been welcoming all visitors with open arms will once again be expected to do so. The tournament has been embraced by the residents along the East Coast Demerara corridor and who has displayed exemplary discipline to date and with the final showdown just days away this element of goodwill is anticipated to continue. Most of them expressed appreciation Organiser Eon Havercome and Ansa McAl under its 592 Beer brand. All the other sponsors were also recognized for their support as well.
Sunday December 29, 2019
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Storm Bird flies away with top honours at KMTC Boxing - TNT dominant in winning H class race Day horserace meet Storm Bird stormed out of the gates and flew away from its opponents as it dished out a gate to pole licking on its challengers to run away with the feature Metro Mile event when the Kennard Memorial Turf Club staged their annual Boxing Day horserace meet at the Club’s track, Bush Lot Farm, Corentyne, Berbice. The animal, trained by Fazal Habibulla and ridden by Trinidadian Jockey Razack, raced away with the Metro Office and Computer Supplies 1$M first prize and trophy as it won by about 20 lengths. Golden Blue Echo of the Nand Persaud Stable placed second with Settling Star settling for third, while pre race favourite Lucky Star was beaten into fourth. It was a good day for connection of the Nand Persaud Stable as the ever improving TNT made light work of the opposition to win the H and Lower seven furlongs event in convincing fashion. Good Will Boy and Not This Time will have to try again as TNT trained by Mohendra Persaud with Jockey Ajai in the stirrups raced away with the $250,000 first prize and trophy.
Connections of Strom Bird collects their million dollars winnings from a representative of Metro for the animal’s victory in the feature Metro Mile. Jockey Razack is perched on the animal (background). Flash De Cash was in winner’s row in the controversial two-year-old event for Guyana-bred maiden horses. The race had 13 starters but with only 12 gates available the animal that started outside was eventually declared winner after passing the finishing line first, but was disqualified after it was concluded that it
started long before the others. Perfect Pleasure, She’s a Maneater and Mi Diablita occupied the other positions. The w i n w a s w o r t h $200,000 and trophy. There was no secret of the L class open race as Secret Flyer flew away with the $170,000 top prize and t r o p h y a s Aw e s o m e Banner, Plane Land and Irish Boy were the others
that placed. R e d We a s e l g o t t h e better of Perfect Return, Osana and Touch Gold in the race for L non winners for 2018-2019. Red We a s e l ’s t o o k h o m e $150,000 and trophy for the win. The L non earners even saw Magaline winning from De Wicked Cat and Osana to take the $130,000 and trophy
Connections of the Nand Persaud Stable receive their winning from Nikita Ross of the KMTC for TNT victory in the H and lower race. available. The Nand Persaud Karibee Rice Racing Stable, with owner/trainer Mohendra Persaud in the forefront, was the top stable on show. Jockey Razack out of Trinidad and Tobago was the champion Jockey. The runner up jockey was Ramnarain, while jockey Grey was the top apprentice of the day.
Among the sponsors were Metro Computer and Office supplies, Trophy Stall and Ansa Mc AL Trading. The champion jockey, stable and trainer were all presented with accolades compliments of Trophy Stall of Bourda Market. Coordinator Dennis De Roop said it was a good day for racing and thanked everyone for their assistance.
UDFA Christmas semifinals
Can Coomacka upset Botafago, as Topp XX challenge H & L Winners Connection for final places Two intriguing matchups are set for the Mackenzie Sports Club ground tonight as the Upper Demerara Football Association’s annual Christmas football championship has reached its semifinals; where Botafago, who limped through to reach the final four, now have the challenge of a fearless Coomacka team in the second game of a double header at 21:00hrs, while in the first from 19:00hrs Topp XX will hope to turn back the hand of time and put in a good show when they tackle the many times winners of this championship Winners Connection. Botafago after losing their two opening matches, had a big 5-1 win that allowed them the chance to advance form their group of four where two teams were allowed a place in the final four. That being so, they now take on a Coomacka side that is daring and rearing to reach their first ever final. They have a group of youngsters who will come at their opponents and Coach Carlsdale Aaron is looking to
Coomacka’s striker Ateba Edmundson his side to come out on top. He said his team showed courage when they faced Eagles United last year and that in itself was a good yardstick, as Eagles United had just won the league and went on to win this very tournament. According to Aaron, “We are not underrating no team, but come game night they (Botafago) are the known team but with the type of players we have, we got the upper hand. They are going to battle it out to the end. Lorrick Daw, Wheatland Thom, Ateba Edmundson, Lionel Peters (Jr.) and
Topp XX’S Jamal Bentick left and captain Ryan Noel goalkeeper Kellon Major are players with a heart that will not allow this opportunity to go away easily and Aaron will look towards the usual support that accompanies teams from that community tonight. However, the first game will also give answers as to which of the other two will reach this year’s final on New Year’s night. Topp XX through late strikes in overtime play were able to reach the semifinals with a 3-0 victory over a tired Amelia’s Ward Panthers after both teams were scoreless in 90 minutes of play. The
energy by Topp XX no doubt was encouraging as Jamal Bentick got the double and Noel the other in that important win. In the other game Wednesday night, Haynes and Lewis Winners Connection overcame Capital FC 4-2 behind a hat-trick from the boot of Marmalaque Davidson and another by Shaquille Frank. Both goals for Capital FC were registered by Tony Adams, ensuring their spot in the final four. That means that the main strikers in the Winners Connection fold are in fine
H & L Winners Connection Marmalaque Davidson
H & L Winners Connection Shaquille Frank
form especially Davidson who is among the key scorers in this tournament. This match therefore will
be as interesting as the other semifinal and a good crowd for this year’s semifinals is highly anticipated once more.
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Sunday December 29, 2019
Kaieteur News
SBF Petroleum 50-over Franchise League review
Lower C’tyne take title, E’bo take runners-up
Lower C’yne dethroned E’bo in the CGI 50-over Franchise League.
Tagenarine Chanderpaul scored the most runs in 50-over Franchise League for West Demerara. By Sean Devers Lower Corentyne emerged champions of the CGI/SBF Petroleum 50-over Franchise League following a 231-run win over Upper Corentyne in their final round game to dethrone defending Champions Essequibo. Batting first at Cumberland, Lower Corentyne piled up 366-9 with
Jonathon Foo made 333 runs for Champions Lower C’tyne to earn a super50 recall.
Adrian Sukwah stroking nine fours and five sixes in a top score of 98, while Junior Sinclair made 57 with seven fours. The pair added 98 for the fifth wicket before Sinclair was lbw to Demetri Cameron, while Sukwah was bowled by Quacy Burnett. Jason Sinclair made 56 including eight fours and one six, Niall Smith got 39, Garfield Benjamin 33 and
Jonathan Foo 31. Cameron claimed 3-59 while Alex Algoo had 2-43. Upper Corentyne responded with 135-7. Algoo scored 56 which contained three fours and two sixes; Junior Sinclair captured 4-39. Lower Corentyne amassed 25 points from seven matches including five bonus points, the same as Essequibo but the Berbicians,
who had two losses each and same amount of bonus points as Essequibo, took championship honours due to superior net run rate. West Berbice, West Demerara, East Bank, Georgetown, Upper Corentyne and East Coast took up the next spots in that order. Led by 333 runs from Jonathon Foo, 244 from West Indies U-19 batsman Kevlon Anderson (ironically the pair were the only batsmen with 100 runs for their team) and eight wickets from five games, including 6-18 against West Berbice from left arm spinner Veerasammy Permaul, Lower Corentyne beat Essequibo into the second spot to win the title. National pacer Neil Smith with 96 runs and Seon Hetmyer, the elder brother West Indies ba t s m a n Shimron Hetmyer, with 92 runs, got the closest to a three-figure aggregate for Lower Corentyne. Foo got into the 80s on three occasions but failed to get a hundred but did enough to get back into National colours for the first time since 2017. Anderson began with 94 against West Demerara and
got into the 40s twice. Permaul got support from Kelvin Umroa (10) and Junior Sinclair (8). Tagenarine Chanderpaul scored the most runs with 342 for West Demerara including a century in the final round against Lower Corentyne. The left-handed son of the illustrious Shiv Chanderpaul had three fifties and 46 in the first round. Essequibo’s Kemol Savory had a couple of 80s in three half-centuries in 336 runs which earned him a maiden call-up for Guyana, while his team mate Quintin Sampson scored 304 runs. Leon Johnson, who scored 104 against East Bank, was the leading run scorer for Georgetown with 257 runs but Joshua Persaud (150) was the only other batsman from the City Franchise to reach 150 for a team which included Chris Barnwell (147), Robin Bacchus (117) and Steven Jacobs (59). Vishaul Singh (234), Trevon Griffith, who scored 122 against East Coast, had 220 runs and along with Sherfane Rutherford (213) who made 154 against E’bo, were the only batsmen to
reach 200 for East Bank. Kevin Sinclair, unfortunate not be picked for Guyana but eventually had a wonderful Super50 for Champions WI Emerging Players, got back to back fifties in the last two games to reach 241 runs for West Berbice but no one else reached a three-figure aggregate. Former Guyana legspinner Amir Khan (170) was the only batsman with 100 runs for East Coast, while Alex Algoo scored four halfcenturies in 280 runs but only Kandasammy Surujnarine, who got a ton against Georgetown, of the other batsmen reached 155 for Upper Corentyne. Rutherford, Chanderpaul, Griffith, Johnson and Surujnarine scored centuries on pitches that were not the best for batting. Gudakesh Motie (18), Trevon France (16), Ashmead Nedd (13), Steven Sankar (13), Griffith (11), Cameron (10), Umroa (10) and Kishram Seyhodan (10) were the bowlers with 10 or more wickets but Smith and Ronsford Beaton bowled with genuine pace.
Orrin Boston and friends host last Sunday 2019 Pull A Rama
Gudakesh Motie had 18 wickets for West B’ce and the most in the Tournament.
For Dominoes Lovers all roads lead to the Turning Point Sports Club today to compete in a Pull A Rama Dominoes Competition. In A Pull A Rama, individual skills of each player will be tested, since this method encourages playing for oneself to survive through an elimination to be crowned king or Queen. All Dominoes players are invited whether in a team or not, all that is
required is to be present and get registered. Registration will close at 14:00hrs today; players will be given 30 minutes grace period to register whereas, registration is $2000 per player, while late registration will be $2,500 per player. No player will be allowed to register after 15:00hrs and players must be present at 15:00hrs for the draw. The king/Queen will receive the winner’s trophy and cash.
The prizes are dependent on participation. However, there is a guarantee that No less than a $150,000 will be paid to the top four places, But dependent on participation as much as $300,000 to be shared among the top six players. There will be zero tolerance on indiscipline. All dominoes players, teams affiliated or not are invited to match their skills in pursuit of the King/Queen title.
Sunday December 29, 2019
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Kaieteur News
GFF Super 16 Cup Semi Finals
Fruta Conquerors tangle with Santos; Guyana Police Force battle Guyana Defence Force
Santos FC
Fruta Conquerors FC It’s now all down to the penultimate day of rivalry in the 2019/2020 edition of the GFF Super 16 Cup today at the GFC Ground, Bourda where two potentially riveting semi-final clashes will unfold from 18:30hrs. The clash of the Armed Forces in the main attraction promises to be exhilarating with both teams boasting a number of experienced players who are definitely eying the first place prize of Two Million Dollars; the second place is worth One Million Dollars. Tonight’s curtain raiser will also be a humdinger of a clash when Fruta Conquerors take on a resurgent Santos Football Club. At the end of it all, only two teams will remain standing and earn the right to
face off in New Year’s Night Finals. The respective losers will still be in the money as they would play for third ($500,000) and fourth ($250,000). The Guyana Police Force vs Guyana Defence Force match according to Secretary of the Police Club, Ronald Ali, “This is a battle of the Military and we expect a good game even though we are the underdogs.” Ali also informed that they are well aware of the strengths of the Army side and they have been planning to counter any hurdles they come up against, noting that with the players on the roster, they are capable of taking care of business. The likes of Trayon Bobb, Daniel Wilson, Pernel Schultz, Jamal Harvey, Jermain Junor,
Williams Europe and Trevon Lythcott will hope to continue their good showing so far and deliver another victory for Police following their quarter final downing of Western Tigers 2-1 and their round-of16 whipping of Timehri Panthers, 6-2. Police have scored a total of eight (8) goals whilst conceding three (3). The Guyana Defence Force on the other hand have been almost flawless in the defensive third scoring a total of seven (7) goals and conceding just a single goal in their quarter final match against Buxton United bettering that with two goals. They’ll be led by the tournament’s joint leading goal scorer, Benjamin Opara (four goals) who’ll have a number of experienced
players around him as they seek to match Police in every department. The experience of the Soldiers might very well make the difference but it would not be an easy task against the Law Enforcement team. Opara will find able support form Sherwin Caesar, Olvis Mitchell, Kevin Layne, Amos Ramsey, Eusi Phillips, Delwin and Delroy Fraser and Shawn Arthur, among others. The round of sixteen saw a total of 41 goals in eight matches; there was just 13 in the four quarter finals and it is anticipated that going forward, goals would continue to dry up as teams have been planning for opposing sides with a view of limiting goal scoring opportunities. The Fruta Conquerors vs
Santos showdown is expected to be a keen tussle with both sides yet to concede a goal in the two matches that they have played to date. Conquerors recorded respective 4-0 wins over Buxton Stars and Milerock FC, while Santos clipped Eagles Football Club of Stewartville 4-0 and upset defending champions Den Amstel, 3-0. The confidence that they {Santos} are exuding at the moment under the guidance of Coach Trevor Burnette would be seriously tested by the Tucville based Fruta Conquerors side. They’ll be buoyed by the fact that the T&T based Golden Jaguar Sheldon Holder is in the side and will combine offensive
maneuvers along with Lavaughn Eniss, Marcus Wi l s o n , K e s t e r J a c o b s , Captain Kevin Dundas, Orin Yarde, Ryan October and Alex Murray who’ll be in goal once again. Conquerors Head Coach Sampson Gilbert disclosed that they are looking forward to this match with confidence whilst being very mindful of the ability and level of competition they’ll have to put up with from the Santos outfit. “Our approach would be clinical in the execution of the various aspects of the game we’ve been working on in training in order to proceed to the final of this year’s tournament.” Fans are in for an entertaining evening of action.
Guyana Floodlights finish runners-up in Florida Last Monday in Florida, Central Zonal Council beat Guyana Floodlights by five runs under lights in thrilling last over finish to the USA Open U-15 cricket Final. With five to get from six balls and eight wickets down, Rajeev Ramnauth polished off the tail with his first two deliveries. Ramnauth’s unbeaten 38 and 15 from Raul Ali rallied Central Zonal Council to 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 for the Guyanese team who ended as the runnersup. I n Tu e s d a y ’s i s s u e , t h e w r o n g p h o t o , w h i c h inadvertently was sent from someone involved in the tournament, was used. To give the youngsters their recognition for consistent performances throughout the tournament we publish the correct photo which was sent by a member of the Guyana Floodlights committee. (Sean Devers)
Guyana Floodlights finished runners-up in the USA Open U-15 Cup in Florida.
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Sunday December 29, 2019
Kaieteur News
GABF looking to make a bang in 2020 after quiet 2019 Action between Guyana (defence) and Grenada at the CASH during the threematch Goodwill basketball series.
From L-R, GABF head Mike Singh, Kobe Tappin, Delroy Belle, Shemroy Green, Immanuel LaRose and coordinator Andrew Hercules. By Calvin Chapman It would have been difficult for the Guyana Amateur Basketball Federation (GABF) to emulate what was achieved in 2018; the greatest year in the history of the sport in Guyana where they clinched their first ever Caribbean Basketball Confederation (CBC) senior men’s title, while defying the odds with a relatively young and inexperienced team. And, 2019, was always going to be quieter in comparison, although the Federation could’ve done much better with the hosting of the anticipated National club championship (Road to Mecca) that was dearly missed by the basketball fraternity. This year also saw the body keeping its elections for the executive committee where Michael Singh on January 26thwas elected to serve as the new head of the GABF for the next five years after the tenacious Nigel
Hinds decided not to contest for another term. Singh’s slate included Vice-president (Operations and Development) – Kenrick Thomas; Vice-president (Compliance and Discipline)Lawrence Simon; Vicepresident (Marketing and Public Relations) – Alex Graham; General Secretary – Patrick Haynes; Treasurer – Gavin Singh; Technical Coordinator – Junior Hercules and Assistant Secretary/Treasurer – Joe Chapman. Shortly after the elections, preparation mode was activated for the senior men’s team that qualified for the FIBA AmeriCup pre-qualifiers for the first time, after winning the CBC Championship in 2018. The pre-qualifier tournament was held in Tunja, Colombia, and despite finishing strongly with a 7365 win over Bolivia, two massive group losses against Paraguay 93-53 and Colombia 114-68, didn’t allow for the
Guyana will be looking to emulate their C-Ship winning 2018 CBC campaign come 2020.
Guyanese to reach to the final round of qualification for the 2021 tournament. In the win over Bolivia that was the lowest ranked team in the competition, Anthony Moe (16), Kevon Wiggins (15) and Stanton Rose (11) were the top scorers as the Guyanese hit 40% of their attempted field goals. Cristhian Carmargo tried to single-handedly pull off a win for the Bolivians with a 22-point game-leading performance but it wasn’t enough as his side fell by 18 points. Luis Choque (15 points) and Ronald Arze (11) were the other major contributors for Bolivia. In the loss to Colombia, Braian Angola led the charge for the hosts with 26 points, while Luis Almanza contributed 22 points during the 46-drubbing. Anthony Moe, who was the top scorer for Guyana in each of the games, finished the Colombia game with 17 points, while Kevon Wiggins and Stanton Rose scored 16
points each. Guyana majorly missed power forward, Delroy James, who had recently led his club side AEK Athens to victory in the FIBA Intercontinental Cup the previous week in Brazil. James had chosen to represent Guyana instead of his adopted country, USA, but there were difficulties in him getting to renew his Guyanese passport which was needed for him to represent the Golden Arrowhead, according to FIBA rules. Head coach of the Guyana senior men’s team, Andrew Hercules, was very vocal in expressing his disappointment with the relative authorities in not being able to grant James a passport and, recently, Hercules has noted that James is available to represent the Guyana as the team looks to retain their CBC Championship in 2020. Although the conversation about the lack of local basketball tournaments has always been
on the agenda, 2019 saw a further decline in local competitions. However, when Hercules rallied his troops in no more than two weeks before the Guyana versus Grenada three-match Goodwill series at the Cliff Anderson Sports Hall (CASH), at the beginning of this month, lack of competition had no effect on the local based squad that swept the visitors scoring in excess of 90 points in each match. It was positive in the eyes of the coach who shared with Kaieteur Sport that he wasn’t going to leave any stone unturned as preparations for the 2020 CBC tourney commenced earlier as opposed to previous editions and he was pleased that the local elite players were staying sharp and fit despite the lack of competitive game time. Hercules also expressed delight with the quality of the local personnel when mixed with the likes of overseas based co-captains Stanton Rose and Anthony Moe, and,
the dangerous James who now outfits for South Korean pro team; Seoul Samsung Thunders, should be able to successfully defend their CBC title and prove to the region that their 2018 campaign wasn’t a fluke. Before the Goodwill series, the GABF held the 2019 boys’ under-18 3x3 oneday tournament at the Burnham hard court on November 24th to select the team that will represent Guyana at the regional tournament in February 2020 in Guadeloupe. Sixteen teams were drafted into four groups with the winner of each group advancing to the semifinals. The final two teams in the tournament were Blazers that lost to Victory Valley Royals of Linden 15-10. Kobe Tappin, Captain of the Royals, led from the front with a starring role for his side from the beginning of the tournament. The full Royals team consisted of Tappin, Immanuel LaRrose, Shemroy Green and Delroy Belle.
Giant slayers Paradise take aim at Friendship tonight in 592 Cup football With Friendship being the last remaining team from the Buxton environ still in the inaugural 592 Community Cup Football Tournament, an urgent call is being made for its supporters to flood the Buxton ground tonight. Friendship, the lone survivor, will look to exact revenge for sister team Buxton when they face nemesis Paradise in the feature clash of semi-final action. In the opening game, Golden Grove face BV and their aim will surely be to make the final which is set to be staged on their home turf on January 1.
Paradise, who dispatched Buxton on penalty kicks after equalizing in the dying moments of regulation time to send it to spot kicks, will try to take advantage of the mental edge they hold following their quarter-final triumph. Star player Quincy Adams, who was responsible for the miraculous comeback win, once again will hold the key to victory, while Teshawn Gordon and Tyreke Cummings are expected to lend critical support if they are to advance. On the other hand, Friendship could use the loss of their counterparts as impetus to motivate them to
represent the community. However, this will depend on how well players such as Clive Andries and Dillon Wright perform. What is certain is that the Buxtonians will be aided by overwhelming support and definitely will use this to their advantage to engineer a win. The Golden Grove versus BV affair is another exciting encounter and this too has making of a virtual final. Golden Grove on whose ground the final is tentatively planned to be played will want to be there (Continued on page 64)
Sunday December 29, 2019
Radar Security supports Super 16 Cup With the GFF Super 16 Cup now down to the final four where teams are having a clearer view of the top prize worth Two Million Dollars, another corporate entity has partnered with the Guyana Football Federation (GFF) to ensure a successful tournament. Radar Security Service and Supplies located at Lot 133 Church Street, South Cummingsburg is the latest entity to join hands with the Federation. Managing Director, Adepemo Peters handed over the company’s contribution to President of the GFF Wayne Forde, citing that his company has been following the progress of the sport and tournament and felt it necessary to further empower the GFF towards hosting a successful competition. Peters, himself a former football administrator, congratulated President Forde and the GFF for the positive leadership the sport has been receiving over the past four years and promised that his company would continue to support this
Managing Director of Radar Security Service and Supplies, Mr. Adepemo Peters (2nd right) hands over sponsorship to GFF President, Wayne Forde in the presence of two employees. forward thrust in whatever way they can. President Forde in accepting the sponsorship thanked Peters and Radar Security Service and Supplies for their
partnership through this tournament and assured them that the positive developments would only get better. Forde also pointed out
that the teams in this year’s Super 16 have all done their best and is expecting more fierce battles in today’s semi finals ahead of the grand finale on New Year’s night.
Brian Tiwari Birthday Football prize winners receive prizes Following the conclusion of the third annual Brian Tiwari birthday football tournament which was won by West Side Spartans that defeated Gaza Squad in the final, the top performers received their prize monies on Friday at the BK Group of Companies head office on Water Street. The champions pocketed $200,000, Gaza Squad received $100,000, while third place Den Amstel got $60,000 and
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Kaieteur News
fourth place finishers Pouderoyen $40,000. Present at the presentation was head of the Guyana Football Federation (GFF) Wayne Forde, who shared during his remarks that, “Often time when we speak about donation, sponsorship and investment in sport, we focus on the competition but what I want to say to Mr. Tiwari is what you do, what you continue to do is invest into the lives of young men, some of whom are very vulnerable.”
Winners West Side Spartans skipper collects the championship trophy and prize of the Brian Tiwari Birthday Football tourney during the presentation.
Brian Tiwari (2nd) right with the winners of his birthday football tournament along with coordinator Lennox Arthur (left) at the presentation.
GCB congratulates Clive Lloyd on being Knighted The executive and staff of Guyana Cricket Board expresses their heartiest congratulations to former Guyana and West Indies captain, Clive Hubert Lloyd, on having been bestowed the order of St Michael and St George Knight Commander, the Guyana Cricket Board (GCB) stated in a release yesterday. The knighthood is very commendable and fitting, since the cricketing Icon has given humane service to West Indies cricket as a player, Match Referee, Match Manager and as a cricketing icon. Lloyd joined the likes of Sir Garfield Sobers, Sir Vivian Richards, Sir Andy Roberts, Sir Curtly Ambrose among others. Lloyd who was born in Georgetown, British Guiana, on the 31st August 1944, made his debut for British Guiana at the tender age of 19, and went on to debut for the West Indies against India in Mumbai, in 1966. Lloyd who in his first Test
match at Brabourne Stadium, scored two half centuries, finished his test career with 7515 runs in 110 test, at an average of 46.67. He played 87 ODI’s scored 1977, at an average 39.5. Lloyd took up the captaincy role on the 1974-75 against India and is considered the greatest test and one day captain. He was instrumental in leading West Indies to their World Cup title in 1975 and 1979 played a significance role during the pinnacle years of West Indies Cricket. Lloyd was in 1971 named Wisden Cricketer of the year. The GCB is grateful for Clive Lloyd’s service to cricket development in Guyana and the region and wishes him continued success in his endeavors. The executive and staff of Guyana Cricket Board also congratulates former Barbados and West Indies opening batsman Gordon Greenidge on receiving a similar knighthood, the release stated.
Regional First-Class cricket practice match
Adams’ X1 reached 80-2 in rain affected day Morning rain and late preparation resulted in yesterday’s three-day practice match between Leon Johnson’s XI and Anthony Adams’ XI at Providence being delayed by just over two sessions. This was the first of two practice matches as five times defending Champions Guyana Jaguars began preparations for next year’s Regional First-Class season which commences on January 9. When play eventually commenced at 15:30hrs in bright sunshine Adams XI reached 80-2 from 28 overs when the day ended at 17:30hrs with Tevin Imlach unbeaten on 23 and night watchman, pacer Nial Smith on five. Imlach got going in front of empty stands with a delicate glance to the fine leg boundary off Chris Barnwell before Raymond Perez cut Keon Joesph behind point for four on the heavy outfield. The right-handed Perez then stroked Joesph elegantly through extra cover for a boundary as the batsmen started solidly on a slow track despite a generous amount of grass on the surface. Left-arm spinner Veerasammy Permaul was
Raymond Perez was looking good before fell for 25 at Providence yesterday. introduced in the seventh over and Perez danced into him and on-drove him for four as conditions again became overcast. But with the score on 47, Perez, who reached the boundary three times in his 25, edged leg-spinner Devendra Bishoo to the (Continued on page 64)
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Kaieteur News
Sunday December 29, 2019
‘Not enough is being done at the E/Ruimveldt Community ground’ says CGMC V/Chairman By Sean Devers East Ruimveldt CGMC’s objective is to host the Georgetown Cricket Association’s (GCA) second division Cricket matches involving East Ruimveldt’s Ace Warriors but the promise to build a pitch on the East Ruimveldt Community ground by the National Sports Commission (NSC) is being viewed by residents in the Community as an empty promise. The CGMC, a Committee which helps to maintain the state owned ground, would also like to host matches in the School’s Football tournament, but while the East Ruimveldt ground is larger than City grounds like GYO, MYO and GNIC and has a pair of Goals on the ground, the venue is in an unplayable condition. CGMC Vice Chairman Ms. Jennifer Pile is one of the residents of East Ruimveldt who feels not enough is being done by the NSC and Mayor and City Council (MCC) to properly prepare the venue. Ms. Pile explained that work was done on the ground by Director of Sports Christopher Jones and Minister of Social Cohesion with responsibility for Sports Dr. George Norton last year but no follow-up or the promised building of a cricket pitch was done. When contacted, Jones, the shadow sports Minister when the PPP/C was in power, said
that a pitch is planned for the ground adding he would send someone to cut the grass which has grown into bushes, especially close to the fences which was over a feet in height and the surface is in a sluggish condition when this Newspaper visited the venue during the past week. According to the residents those promises by Jones are yet to be fulfilled. Ace Warriors is the only competitive cricket team in South Georgetown and Ms. Pile said it was disappointing that there ground is a big ground in East Ruimveldt and the team has no ground to practice on. “Ace Warriors received a bag with some gears from the Director of Sports a while ago, while the Mayor of Georgetown Ubraj Narine, elected to the position last year November, recently paid a visit to the ground,” the ViceChairman disclosed. The Mayor had told the residents that they must be given services that do not compromise expediency. Businesses must thrive and young people provided with opportunities for their talents. His deputy is Alfred Mentore, a former Guyana U-19 cricketer. The residents are calling on the City Council to come and do some projects at the facility as a project and the Community must be involved and encouraged to help. One of the 13 members of the CGMC said that because those in ‘East’ are aware of large amounts of funding provided to Contractors to do the same work
The grass at the East Ruimveldt ground is very high. that the residents can do, they are reluctant to volunteer their services but would still help out in maintaining the venue. He added that many times their Committee, which oversees the State owned ground, is not informed when work at the facility is being done and just see people working on the ground. Councilor for West and East Ruimveldt, Tricia Richards, played a part in getting a grass cutter for the ground but this cannot cut the big bushes explained another CGMC member. About 10 years ago an overseas Volunteer group worked along with the Guyana Defence Force (GDF) to construct a plastic slide for the
Children in the Community, while a tiny pavilion sits just outside the playing area. There is an Basketball Court (where the cricketers are forced to practice) while the City Council provided two rooms in a building at the venue, which accommodated a Library and a Computer Centre. According Ms. Pile the Rooms are now unoccupied and is asking the relevant authorities for use of one of the rooms for their meetings. Another CGMC member used his own funds and got a few sponsors to set up a mini recreational Park between the well paved two-lane Street from the ‘East and West’
Bridge over the canal linking the two wards near the ground. That is the best Street to the ground, while the Street leading to the ground from Mandela Avenue (Back Road) was recently paved. However, the others Streets to the ground are in a
deplorable condition and are impassable when it rains heavily. The residents of East and West Ruimveldt are predominantly supporters of the APNU Party and are calling on government to look and give assistance to the area.
BK International rides with GFF Super 16 Cup
Kyle Tiwari hands over sponsorship to GFF President Wayne Forde in the presence of his Father, Brian Tiwari.
The play area is under water which also gets on the court in the rainy season.
The roads in the area need repairs and residents are calling on the authorities to do some work in the East Ruimveldt (California Square) area.
Owner of BK International, Brain Tiwari and his son Kyle presented a sponsorship cheque to President of the Guyana Football Federation Wayne Forde towards the hosting of 2019/2020 GFF Super 16 Cup. Handing over the cheque at their Water Street, Kingston Office both Tiwari’s expressed delight at being able to support the sport once again, noting that the company has always been doing their bit in support of not only football, but sports on the whole in Guyana. The senior Tiwari noted that they have been observing the strides the sport has been making over the past few years, pointing out that clubs always look forward to having a good
time at the yearend tournament. “We are more than happy to be able to keep this tradition alive and we trust that the remaining teams would give it their best shot in the semi finals.” President Forde thanked BK International and the Tiwari’s for their continued partnership with the sport and the GFF. Forde thanked all sixteen teams for the commitment and discipline displayed so far and while he congratulated the four remaining teams, said that all the teams are winners. President Forde also extended gratitude to the fans for coming out and supporting their teams in the City, Bartica, Essequibo and East Coast.
Sunday December 29, 2019
Kaieteur News
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Guyana Defence Force FC
rt Spo
Fruta Conquerors tangle with Santos; Guyana Police Force battle Guyana Defence Force
Guyana Police Force FC
‘Not enough is being done at the E/Ruimveldt Community ground’ says CGMC V/Chairman 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.