Kaieteur News

K

Gary Best NEWS walks free in death of cyclist AIETEUR

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

Friday Edition December 04, 2020 -Vol. 22 No.47

Online: www.kaieteurnews.com Price $80

Online readership yesterday, 119,368

UK firm throws shares in Kaieteur, Canje Oil Blocks on US, UK stock markets Audit recommended for several Berbice NDCs - after financial irregularities discovered Rape of 14-year-old...

High 600 Cubans US$304M for DNA samples Exxon to bring from stepdad Court halts camp out at gas-to-shore accused deportation Suriname border pipeline only of rape sent of detained …intend to use Guyana Haitians as transit point to US Parents of 6-day-old COVID-19 with authorities infant test negative- plead to lay baby to rest

- feasibility study

for testing

11.5 tonnes Belgium coke bust…

Multiple passwords used to delete about 1,000 scanner images Listen to what your leaders don't want you to hear and know...

11:00 am today on 99.1/99.5FM Kaieteur radio (Rebroadcast)

Friday December 04, 2020

Kaieteur News

PAGE 03

UK firm throws shares in Kaieteur, Canje Oil Blocks on US, UK stock markets W

estmount E n e r g y Limited, a UK company that has been buying up shares in several companies with highly prospective oil blocks in the Guyana-Suriname basin, has been able to land its shares on the Alternative Investment Market (AIM) and the OTCQB Market.

The Alternative Investment Market (AIM) is a sub-market of the London Stock Exchange (LSE) that is designed to help smaller companies access capital from the public market.

AIM allows these companies to raise capital by listing on a public exchange with much greater regulatory flexibility compared to the main market.

The OTCQB® Venture Market is for early-stage and developing U.S. and international companies.

To b e e l i g i b l e , companies must be current in their reporting and undergo an annual verification and management certification process.

By making it onto these m a r k e t s , We s t m o u n t Chairman, Gerard Walsh, said he is hopeful that the company will be provided with more opportunities to broaden its investor base.

The Swiss resident and Chartered Accountant was keen to note as well that Westmount is now the only junior company on the AIM market that can provide investors with accessing profit making opportunities in Guyana’s Kaieteur and Canje Blocks.

Trading under the ticker, WMELF, Kaieteur News understands that the company is using the OTCQB market as an international stage for its investments in the fastemerging Guyana-Suriname Basin.

The Guyana-Suriname basin is one of the oil industry’s major exploration hotpots.

In the last five years, 18 out of 20 exploration wells drilled on the Stabroek Block have met with success, contributing to a discovered inventory of nine billion barrels of oil equivalent resources.

That figure is expected to grow as ExxonMobil, the operator of the Stabroek Block, moves ahead with its aggressive drilling programmes in the Kaieteur and Canje blocks.

Those two blocks are also contiguous to the oil rich Stabroek concession.

C u r r e n t l y, f o u r companies have stakes in the Canje block: ExxonMobil (35 percent), Total (35 percent), JHI Associates (17.5 percent) and Mid Atlantic (12.5 percent).

In this concession, Westmount has shares in JHI Associates.

In its latest financial report, Westmount disclosed that it recently increased its stake in JHI from 3% to 6.9%.

As a result, JHI is now its largest investment constituting approximately 61% of its portfolio.

As previously reported, JHI is a private, Ontarioregistered, company established in 2014 and focused on oil exploration opportunities in the emerging Guyana-Suriname Basin. The company’s main asset is a 17.5% carried interest in the Canje Block covering over 4,800 square kilometres, offshore Guyana.

It is anticipated that the first well on the Canje Block, Bulletwood-1, will be spudded this month.

The Bulletwood-1 prospect is reported to be a ‘Liza look-alike’ confined channel complex and will target approximately 500 million barrels of oil equivalent resources.

The second well on the Canje Block will target either Sapote-1 in the east of the block or Jabillo-1, in the northwest of the block, which is reported as a billion-barrel class basin floor turbidite fan.

In the Kaieteur Block, Westmount has shares in two companies, Cataleya Energy Limited and Ratio Petroleum. Westmount currently holds a total of 567,185 common shares in CEC. As previously reported CEC is a private, Canadian registered company established in 2015 and focused on oil exploration

Map showing which companies in the Guyana-Suriname basin that Westmount has interest in opportunities in the emerging Guyana-Suriname Basin.

CEC’s main asset is a 25% participating interest in the Kaieteur Block, which it holds through its wholly owned subsidiary Cataleya Energy Limited (“CEL”).

The 13,500 km2 Kaieteur Block is located outboard of, and adjacent to, the Ranger Oil Discovery which is located on the Stabroek Block, offshore Guyana.

In Ratio Petroleum Energy Limited Partnership (“Ratio Petroleum”), Westmount holds 1,200,000 units in Ratio Petroleum.

This company holds a 25% participating interest in the Kaieteur Block and a 20% interest in Block 47 offshore Suriname.

We s t m o u n t a l s o has1,500,000 common shares in Eco Atlantic Oil and Gas which holds a 15% interest in the Orinduik Block offshore Guyana, which is adjacent to the Stabroek Block.

During August and September 2019, Tullow, the operator of Orinduik and its partners, Total and Eco, reported two heavy oil discoveries (Jethro-1 and

Joe-1 respectively) in s e p a r a t e Te r t i a r y a g e reservoirs. Subsequently, in January 2020, Tullow

reported a light oil discovery (Carapa-1), in Upper Cretaceous reservoirs, on the neighbouring Kanuku

Block. The commercial potential of these discoveries remains to be fully evaluated.

PAGE 4

Friday December 04, 2020

Kaieteur News

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

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

EDITORIAL

Where is the rest of the media?

The biggest, richest, most promising development this country has ever had, is its oil discoveries and the prosperity that could be possible, but only if handled right.

In view of the deep pools of oil being found and more believed to be present, there is the likelihood of this oil of ours, outstripping in volume and dollars all of Guyana’s other wealth streams, inclusive of gold, forestry, and bauxite.

But the dreams that come from that oil are only as good as how well, how honestly, it is managed and watched.

As several revelations have confirmed, this nation’s oil wealth has not been managed well by successive governments. It is now becoming more apparent daily, both prior and present PPP/C governments, and the coalition APNU regime, have all miserably failed Guyanese with a series of wrongdoings.

But that is only part of the looming disastrous problem for this country, that is directly traceable to ignorance and incompetence (in part), and corruption and cover-up (in full) on the part of one leader after another, in one government succeeding another. Moreover, their trusted agents and henchmen have been part of the surrounding cast, heavily involved in the criminalities that are so draining and damaging to the present hopes and future welfare of citizens. When we speak of citizens in this society, we speak not of PPP/C supporters or of those who are for the APNU coalition. We speak of each and every citizen of this country, rich and poor, but especially the latter, who stands to lose the most.

And as all of this is placed before the Guyanese reading public, we ask ourselves, why are there no more voices in this business of ours, which is about the pursuit of truth and facts that are standing up and speaking out and representing the ideals of this calling.

Not this job or this profession, but this calling. To take this to another level, where duty is done in an honest and dogged manner, that informs the public accurately as to the positives and the negatives surrounding our oil. That the independent media is silent is pitiful, given that government-controlled media was all that Guyanese knew at one time. Guyanese need the check and balance of vibrant media, and not what we have with this oil.

It is known that the Exxon(s) of the oil world play up to, invest in, partner with, and make moves on host country influence centres either to propagate their storyline or diminish those against their interests. It is also not an unknown that this country is suffused with the partisan, prejudiced, and compromised, which all disadvantage this society. It is no secret that there are media centres that have their own constituencies, which range from political to racial to governmental.

In a nuanced manner, sometimes unknowingly, the noble practitioners of journalism that hold themselves out as fortresses of fearlessness wilt, as some have done with our oil. They, companies or company leaders, wilt and shrink from the responsibility to be about the pouring out of both the frank and fair (regardless of fallouts) on this tempting, corrupting oil. They unconsciously commit to a certain line of thinking and behavior that aids and abets, and also comforts, those powerful people and groups that abuse public trust and lay waste its prospects. In fact, it equates to playing upon divisions and naiveness to put a paper bag over the nation’s head with how this oil is being handled. Most Guyanese, who can read, are well aware of the enormous upheavals and devastations that have occurred over oil power and oil participation in places like Nigeria and Iraq, which stick out as harrowing examples of what we do not wish ever to take place here in this tiny vulnerable society.

We appreciate the turmoil and trauma, the human horrors, visiting neighbouring Venezuela, since we have had our share of those in the latter decades of the last century. Oil inflames wherever it is. Oil corrupts massively.

Let there be more voices, please. There must be more willing to have their say to make a difference with our oil. It starts with our partners in this business making oil their business.

Guyana’s oil, drilled with the thrills of complexities and perplexities DEAR EDITOR, Guyana, this beautiful land of nature’s gifts and treasures, is certainly going places. It is travelling faster than it can catch its breath at break-neck speed. A country that was once placed at the penultimate position at the bottom of the economic ladder in this hemisphere, has risen over night to be catapulted as the number one gold mine with its oil and gas findings. Waving good-bye in the rear view mirror to the callous and convoluted APNU+AFC Party and their devious corruptions, the new PPP/C government under the youthful leadership of a different president, promises to move forward this nation to a progressive stage to meet the needs of a younger generation, influenced by the IT age. President Irfaan Ali took over the reign as the driving force to traverse a pathway filled with hurdles and obstacles deliberately spiked by a previous reckless and unscrupulous government. The Granger led management team, ensured that all avenues were exhausted and drained of all resources and all revenues were utilized to provide and protect their well-being,

guaranteeing their secured financial future.

Now facing a bankrupt economy riddled with misappropriations in every conceivable corner within the ministries and state agencies, this government is further saddled with the elimination of pain, poverty and suffering of the man in the street, due to the economic hardship created by the APNU+AFC Party. Granger and his band of merry men and women ensured that only they enjoyed the good life during their tenure and the small man never had a chance to become the real man. Tagged with the complexities and perplexities of the deadly COVID-19 repercussions, this uphill battle doesn’t get easier, nor does the political insinuations perpetrated by a ruthless APNU+AFC party is any area for comfort.

Their encouragement of violent upheavals is the root cause of much damages and destructions and this is pushing the government on slippery ground. The fragility of the safety and security of the nation is being underwritten by the uncontrolled criminal elements throughout the

country and this administration is being side tracked with this erratic discombobulation.

Much economic mileage has been scored with the rehiring of workers in GuySuCo and the revamping of the sugar industry, advancing the reopening of the sugar estates wickedly closed by the Granger administration in order to further underscore their retribution. The mining, bauxite and forest industries are coming alive again. The PPP/C was successful in piloting a short term budget which reversed many of the oppressive taxes instituted by the APNU+AFC Party that brought economic hardship to the working class people.

While President Irfaan Ali is stepping up to the plate and delivering his party’s campaign manifesto, many of the promises made are yet to be unfolded and an eager nation is patiently waiting for this gravy train to arrive. Even though the government is only four months old, there has been much acclaimed success and Guyanese will have to be patient. But, there is certainly no comparison with their predecessors. After the last five years under

APNU+AFC’s dictatorship, this Granger party succeeded in taking Guyana back to the stage 28 years ago when the PPP/C took over the mantle from the 28 years of PNC’s devastating rule, starting from 1964 and ending in 1992.

Facts and figures don’t lie and the quiet David Granger who has made more public appearances in the past five months than he has given open press conferences in the past five years, is once again encouraged to respond to Dr. Tara Singh’s request.

Yet, a troubled nation sleeps with a heavy heart each night, wondering and pondering on the disturbing oil and gas issues. Too much information is being related to a dumb struck nation leaving Guyanese in gross uncertainty and entertaining a degree of deep curiosity.

People’s faith is being shaken and they now want to query how reliable sourced data from the two administrations are. People are beginning to question the free give away of our sovereignty and the selling out of our rights.

Clearly, Guyana’s interest was overlooked and Guyanese’s worth was devalued more than its dollar. Transparency (Continued on page 6)

Opposition watch DEAR EDITOR, As part of my opposition watch, and larger political interest, I came across four media items on Thursday.

They tell of so much that is wrong, the norm, and usual in Guyanese politics, to which a smattering of the extracurricular is added to spice up things.

There was a letter from an honourable member of the opposition, carried in both SN and KN. There were two news items involving a big fat cheque deposit and a captured ‘fowl thief ’, compliments of KN; and a matter initiated in the people’s house by another honourable member of the opposition that was struck down rather unceremoniously, as reported

by SN. Before proceeding, I invite my fellow Guyanese to speculate upon my thinking and attitudes when I speak of honourable member from any political party. For purposes of clarity: any member of any political party, and the sheer delight I derive in addressing them as ‘honourable.’

There was the good in the letter in SN and KN. It spoke of the return of the over-thehill gang, some of whom are clueless as to what and where Guyana is. They are that far

gone.

The honourable member named names; I don’t. Suffice it to say that it is a real geriatric brigade. I am pushing some numbers, but some leave me far behind, in days and mental acuity. But they are back. Some of them named and unnamed left under a haze and return under a halo; the unreconstructed are the untouchables. Get used to it! For the only political scoundrels present in this town are those from the PNC. So say PPP rogues, who by their actions condemn themselves. These people look Guyanese in the face and lie. “Deh cud ray-lee lie.” I applaud the honourable opposition member for justifying his existence and earning his keep.

Unprecedented.

From the good, I dabble with the bad. The Hon. Speaker of the House (there I go again) slammed the door on some motion for a name change with some ministry.

Good Lord! Where do we get these people from, who go shamelessly public with such bizarre priorities? Surely, there are other matters, many matters, of greater importance that should be prioritized than something as inconsequential as a name change?

I recommend

damage to the environment and the welfare of the Indigenous people.

I recommend a little focus on the devastations of alcohol on that community, its economics and political predations. I recommend some commonsense and stop wasting space, time, and taxpayers’ money by these embarrassments. Stop saying something for the sake of appearing to do something.

Then, the good and the terrible was followed by the ugly in “dah” million-dollar deposit. By the way, that is not local but foreign money.

Somebody hit the big time, and I swear it is not me.

Trust me on this one.

Please. “This is more than what dah song she: tell meh weh yuh get da monee from…” Forget about source of funds and all those AML hypocrisies, as I am not concerned about clearly criminal land deals.

Those who take a different tack, better tell me (and the nation) since when anything involving the political (PPP or PNC or newcomers) is not criminal. I am waiting. It is the talk of the town; not the old disco on the old High Street, but on all lips wondering what they have to do to get near that kind

of US dollar windfall. I too smart to tilt at those kinds of windmills. Great country this Guyana is. For here I am a slave for decades in the big money Wall Street canyons, and the world passed me by.

That would be the bigger money world of hustling, buying and selling Guyana.

I missed out, but there is not a speck of regret. Kudos to opposition people for being way ahead of me in these departments.

In fact, kudos to all Guyanese politicians, be they PPP or PNC, or whatever, as the last news piece attests.

The fourth piece, a joy of a news item, came from KN. The title tells the tawdry tale, which for the enlightenment of dumb Guyanese, (sorry, learning challenged) is shared here: “Suspected ‘fowl thief’ nabbed in Sussex Street canal.”

I hastened to look at the accompanying picture, expecting to see a local political figure. It was a coiled serpent, which is the same in every respect: sibilant defiance; underwater; silence; and slimy slickness.

If that is not inseparable from Guyanese politicians, then sue me. I rest my case.

Sincerely, GHK Lall

Friday December 04, 2020

Kaieteur News

PAGE 07

Kaieteur News

PAGE 08

Friday December 04, 2020

Gary Best walks free of Jude Bentley’s death

F

ormer Chief of Staff of the Guyana Defence Force (GDF), Gary Best, yesterday walked free of a causing death by dangerous driving charge in which national cyclist, Jude Bentley, was killed.

During a brief interview outside of the courthouse yesterday, when asked for a reaction, Best said: “I would like to express that I’m happy that the matter is dismissed and what played out in court is exactly what happened.”

Best was placed on $500,000 bail and was not required to plea to the indictable charge when it was first read to him. The charge stated that on February 8, 2020, at Clive Lloyd Drive, Georgetown, he drove motor vehicle, PRR 8182, in a manner dangerous to the public thereby causing the death of Bentley.

He was on trial in the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts before Magistrate Rondell Weever.

M a g i s t r a t e We e v e r yesterday upheld a no-case submission that was made in October by Best’s attorneys, Nigel Hughes, Ronald

Daniels and Sophia Findlay.

On October 26, Hughes submitted the no-case submission to the court for the cause of death by dangerous driving charge to be dismissed against his client based on the grounds that the prosecution failed to prove the key elements of the offence.

A s s uch, after the prosecution responded to the no-case submission, M a g i s t r a t e We e v e r adjourned the matter and had set yesterday’s date for ruling.

According to Hughes, the no-case submission was upheld by Magistrate Weever, who ruled that the prosecution failed to establish that Best was d r i v i n g d a n g e r o u s l y, therefore the charge was dismissed.

During the interview, Best also stated that now that the matter is over both families can heal. He said that it was an accident and the facts that were presented to the court showed that he was not driving dangerously and did not deliberately killed Bentley.

The People’s National Congress (PNC) executive

Dead: National Cyclist, Jude Bentley. member who lives at Pradoville Two (Sparendaam), East Coast Demerara, was also charged for driving under the influence of alcohol.

He had denied the charge, which stated that on February 8, 2020, at Clive Lloyd Drive, Georgetown, he drove motor vehicle PRR 8182 while his blood alcohol level was at 0.85 micrograms.

Best was granted selfbail on that charge, while the

trial for that matter is ongoing in the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts before Senior Magistrate Clive Nurse.

In a previous hearing of the matter, the court learnt that Best served his country for nearly 35 years and that he also served as a presidential advisor, a member of the Legal Aid Clinic and is the recipient of a Medal of Service.

Kaieteur News has reported that the accident occurred at around 5:00 am on February 8, 2020. Bentley was allegedly struck by a black Toyota Land Cruiser, which was being driven by Best.Reports indicate that Best and Bentley were heading in the eastern direction when the former slammed into the cyclist, taking down a utility pole located on a median at the same time.

Walks free: Former army chief, Gary Best

Friday December 04, 2020

Kaieteur News

PAGE 09

The old-fashioned way Georgetown is a mess. At this time of the year when everything used to be e v e rg r e e n a n d s c e n i c , Georgetown is slushy, dirty and chaotic.

When you look at the mess and chaos, you realize how the lack of appreciation of history has been responsible for the city’s decline. If there was greater understanding of how well the colonial authorities kept t h e c i t y, d e s p i t e t h e haphazard manner in which it was developed, Georgetown would not have been in the deplorable state that it is in today.

The unbridled pursuit of money and the lack of leadership are responsible also for the city’s social decay. People are out to make money and care little about their surroundings.

Leadership has failed.

The PNC/R has been in control of the City Council since Independence, and it has destroyed what was once the finest city in the Caribbean.

T h e c i t y ’s t r a f f i c situation is out of control.

Georgetown was simply not built to accommodate the number of vehicles which now traverse its streets.

But do not only blame, the fact that more people can now afford to own vehicles.

This was always expected to happen. Blame also the Central Planning and Housing Authority for its failure to develop proper zoning regulations.

Businesses are being allowed to prop up all around. And there is absolutely no mandatory requirement for provisions to be made for parking. So in some narrow streets, customers park wherever

they feel. The indiscriminate parking is destroying our parapets.

Drainage is poor in the city. The briefest of high intensity rain leads to a flood because there is no proper run-off of the water and the storage capacity of our canals have been seriously compromised.

On North Road, there are businesses which are being allowed to encroach on the already narrow canal. This encroachment is to accommodate customer parking.

Persons who have spent hundreds of millions of dollars to purchase property are being allowed to narrow a vital drainage canal simply because no one is insisting that they spend the same hundreds of million to provide parking for their customers.

The drainage outside of State House where the President lives has been seriously compromised.

They drain slowly or not at all. Something is blocked somewhere and solving this problem is like rocket science for those entrusted with this task.

It is in times like these that you miss a man like Bunny Fernandes, the former head of the shipping firm, John Fernandes Limited. If someone had said to Bunny that there is a problem with drainage in the city, Bunny would have walked around the city and examined where the problem was. He would then take action to solve the problem. He was a hands-on man.

Today if you appoint someone to examine the problem, that person would have to assemble a team of engineers. Maps would have

to be brought out from their cupboards and dusted. The gradient of the drains would have to be calculated. A visit, with cameras in tow, would have to be made to the outfall channels. The engineers would have to meet, measure the lengths and depth of the canals and then decide that they really do not have the answers to the problem.

As such, a team from Holland would be invited to assess the problem. The members of the team would then talk to the same clueless engineers and then the team would submit a long report.

That report will then be incorporated into another report. By the time the final report is finished, the rainy season would have ended and the report would be so massive that nobody would have time to read it.

Bunny would have simply gone to work to fix the problem rather than spending months planning how to do so. Bunny would fix the problem because he had an understanding of the history of the city and the way it was. He knew that the problem could not be the lack of infrastructure but rather human activity which has compromised this infrastructure.

Bunny got things done the old-fashioned way. He broke a big problem into its composite elements, turning it into a series of simple problems. And then he applied practical solutions to each of these simple problems. He was a fixer not a report writer.

Our leaders see a big problem and they seek a big solution. This is why things hardly ever get done and when they do, they take so long.

Tings in dark does boys seh... come to light Dem

De government had a foreign firm review de oil contracts wah de Hap-NewHay-Eff-See sign with ExxonMobil. Up to now dem can’t mek de review public, not even in de National Assembly. So we nah know what de lady agree to but we know wah de government agree to with Exxon since de review.

Dem boys wan know whether de report more harder than de CXC examination. Some of dem children still waiting fuh dem review but dem know dem gan eventually get it.

But with de review of de oil contract, even though it done, dem boys nah know if we gan ever see it.

Is suh when yuh gat a control freak in de government. Everything does gat to be controlled.

And this leads to slowness and secrecy. Wah supposed to come out does tek a million years. And wah dem want hide, does get push under de carpet.

De secrecy mek dem boys remember de signing bonus. Dat too was being treated like a state secret until de Waterfall Paper

expose wah going on.

Dem boys remember dem old people used to say wah do in de dark does eventually come to light.

And de Waterfall Paper mekking a lot of people seeing the light. Dem seeing de light so much dat dem nah know whether he day or night.

Dem boys know some politicians suffering. At night dem can’t sleep and in de morning dem can’t wake up.

Talk half and wait and see when the review report gan come to light.

Georgetown is in a mess because everything, which has to be fixed has to involve a contract. It was never this way. There was a time when things were simpler, cleaner and less chaotic.

But do not tell that to our leaders. They have no

appreciation of the history.

They snub at the oldfashioned way of fixing things.

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

Kaieteur News

PAGE 10

Friday December 04, 2020

THE FREDDIE KISSOON COLUMN

60 signatures that reveal both the dangerous and narrow mind

O

n December 2, there appeared a letter in the Stabroek News seeking an explanation as to why 26 Haitians are detained, if they are bone fide holders of a visiting visa.

This is a justified e n q u i r y. H a i t i a n s a r e CARICOM citizens and must be treated as such.

They are entitled to be treated legally and nicely by a fellow CARICOM state.

I hope those 26 persons once they broke no law are showed due respect by the state of Guyana. If not, then Guyanese must not be silent

when our own country mistreats fellow CARICOM citizens.

Having made that point, I will leave that topic of the Haitians and examine the mind-set of those 62 signatures.

The missive was published on December 2, exactly four months after a government came into being in this country, after five months of an ugly, demonic, diabolical, conspiracy to rig the Guyana 2020 national election by the APNU+AFC regime and elements in GECOM including the Chief Elections Officer.

The

conspiracy lasted five months and could be classified into stages.

Each stage was characterized by the most comical yet bizarre episodes of election rigging ever seen since the 19th century. Let’s return to the mind of the 62 signatures.

I recognize as an exception, the brother of Walter Rodney, Donald. He did openly called for free and fair election in a joint letter during the rigging. Charlene Wilkinson, UG lecturer also publicly denounced the fivemonth nastiness.

That leaves 60

signatures that were silent on an electoral fraud that was met by widespread condemnation in the world without even global organization or international personality supporting the APNU+AFC’s claim to winning the election.

Let us expose some of those names among the 62 that the young people of Guyana need to know about, because in knowing about these people, the young minds that are in a majority in the population, will have a better insight into who they should respect, who they should ostracize, who they should see as hypocrites and who should never be invited to shape the democratic future of this sad society.

Here is a sample list of some of the more well-known signatures below that letter that either supported what APNU+AFC were doing or remained totally reticent during the five months. To put it another way, they had a severe bout of amnesia.

Dr. Melissa Ifill, UG Deputy Vice chancellor, who supported the narrative of APNU+AFC. Akola Thompson, Stabroek News columnist who was critical of the foreign observers.

Sherlina Najeer, social activist – not a word.

Danuta Radzik, Help and Shelter official- not a word.

Vanda Radzik, Red Thread- not a word.

Josephine Whitehead, Help and Shelter – not a word.

Vidyaratha Kissoon, SASOD – not a word.

Dr. Raquel Thomas,

CEO, Iwokrama – not a word.

D r. J a n e t t e B u l k a n , environment activist – not a word.

Renata Chuck-AFrederick Kissoon Sang, business womanI need not write any more not a word.

Keith Branch, WPA words in support of the Overseas Associate, not a Haitians, but surely if a voice can speak up on what is word.

Dr. Alissa Trotz, WPA taking place with the Overseas Associate, not a Haitians, then how can such a voice have remained word.

Patricia Sheerattan- unmoved, when over five Bisnauth, religious preacher, months this country faced death and destruction over not a word.

A l i m H o s e i n , U G election rigging.

Where were these lecturer, not a word.

Alicia Roopnaraine, signatures when from March Stabroek News columnist, until August, the APNU, the AFC, their surrogates and not a word.

Elton McRae, ACDA elements in GECOM were hell bent on repeating executive, not a word.

S A S O D - L G B T Burnhamism in Guyana and were willing to destroy it, if organization, not a word.

Red Thread, women A P N U + A F C c o u l d n ’ t secure permanent power? rights group, not a word.

Transparency Institute of Where were these signatures Guyana, civil society group - when after the world pressured them to stop their not a word.

Omattie Madray, women violence, and recognize the legality of the election, they rights activist - not a word.

Karen De Souza, Red instigated vicious violence against innocent villagers in Thread- not a word.

Joycelyn Dow, APNU Region Five?

That mayhem was executive – supported A P N U + A F C c l a i m o f instigated by the inciting vocabulary of David victory.

Karen Van-Sluytman- Granger and Joe Harmon.

I close by appealing to Corbin, former Permanent S ecr etar y - s u p p o r ted the young minds of Guyana to shun and stay away from APNU+AFC. N o r v i l l H i n d s , any advocacy of those 60 A P N U + A F C g o v t . signatures.

Guyanese do not deserve spokesman - supported to have such people.

APNU+AFC. (The views expressed in Kamala Kempado, artist this article are those of the and writer - not a word.

I will have to stop the a u t h o r a n d d o n o t enumeration of names here necessarily reflect the opinions of this newspaper.) because of space.

Kaieteur News

PAGE 12

Friday December 04, 2020

600 Cubans camp out at Suriname border …intend to use Guyana as transit point to US

I

t has been brought to th e atten tio n o f Kaieteur News that at least 600 Cubans have been camping out for days at the Suriname border waiting to enter Guyana.

According to a prominent Suriname media house, Waterkant, around 600 Cubans headed to Nickerie, on Monday, in large buses with hopes of

crossing over to Guyana.

The Cubans, reported Waterkant, came from Paramaribo and had expected to travel on the same day, which they arrived but the border was closed.

Coincidentally, that was the same day the Guyana Government revealed that travel to Suriname, via the Moleson Creek Crossing, will be opened from

December 12.

Kaieteur News too reported the following day that the Suriname ferry will be opened soon.

The government’s move was part of its new COVID-19 measures for December, which included travel guidelines for Suriname. As a result, this newspaper was told, the Cubans decided to set up tents at South Drain,

New batch of prison officers being trained -to reduce corruption in prisons A new cohort of prison officers is currently being trained and initiated into the Guyana Prison Service, to manage the prisons without corruption.

This was disclosed by Minister of Home Affairs, Robeson Benn, during a side-line interview after the Best Minibus Driver 2020 Awards Ceremony at the Arthur Chung Conference Centre on Tuesday.

Minister Benn said the level of corruption involving prison officers and inmates was concerning.

“We are losing more prison officers than we are getting, due to corrupt practices. Between last week and this week, I have dealt with at least five in respect of drug smuggling and other grave indiscretions in respect to their uniforms and code,” he said.

Minister Benn added that additional support from

Minister of Home Affairs, Robeson Benn

the Guyana Police Force and other areas are underway to ensure effective management of the prisons.

The Lusignan Prison has been under review for its alarming level of corruption, including numerous escapes over the past few years and smuggling of drugs and

prohibited items.

Additionally, Minister Benn said there is an active surveillance for the two inmates who escaped from the Lusignan Prison last week. The inmates’ sentences will be increased once they are recaptured.

(DPI)

near the Canawaima Ferry connection. Videos seen by this media showed that the Cubans have been camping out, and expressing the hope that they will be allowed to board the ferry.

Interviewed by a reporter, some of them stated that the situation in their country is terrible so they don’t want to go back there.

Others who have been living in Paramaribo for some years said they too are running from Suriname

because of its current economic situation.

They were further questioned about their reasons for wanting to enter Guyana. The Cubans said that the intend to use Guyana as a transit point to the United States (US).

“We get opportunity to go to United States, we only need to go to Guyana, Brazil, Colombia Nicaragua and then United States,” said one of the Cubans.

“Only please, we need to

go to Guyana right away,” he continued.

Another Cuban said, “We will not stay in no country, we only want to go to United States”.

As the Cubans continue their campout, it is unclear whether the Guyana government will allow them to enter. Nevertheless, Guyanese voiced their opinions on social media.

Many of them are against the Cubans entering the country (Continued on page 25)

Kaieteur News

PAGE 14

Friday December 04, 2020

Women’s commission joins calls to reduce gender-based violence The Women and Gender Equality Commission has called on all Guyanese to

redouble their efforts in working together to reduce gender based violence.

From November 25 to December 10, the Commission joined millions

of persons worldwide in commemorating the 16 days of activism against genderbased violence.

The United Nation’s theme recognizes that violence against women and girls is a human rights violation that has been perpetuated for decades.

The decision by the UN to recognize November 25 is to honour the three Mirabel sisters who were murdered by the Trujillo regime in 1960. They created a catalyst for organizations to use this observance to bring attention to the systemic violation of

women and girls.

The WGEC noted that the first UN world conference in 1980 and the three subsequent conferences heard the voices of women from all over the world affirming that genderbased violence is a violation of their human right, which is unacceptable, intolerable and unjustifiable.

In Guyana, prior to 1996, gender-based violence was considered a family affair.

The research undertaken by Danns/Shivpersaud in 1989 affirmed that two out of every five women in the

country experienced some type of violence.

The Domestic Violence Legislation that was passed in 1996 provided some respite to this problem where violence moved out of the realm of the private sphere to that of a criminal offence.

Twenty-four years after, the country continues to harbour attitudes that perpetuate violence against women and girls. The release stated that Guyanese women experience interpersonal violence at significantly high rates than the global average (Continued on page 26)

Region 4 COVID-19 cases reach 2,500

Out of 79 new COVID-19 cases recorded yesterday, Region Four (DemeraraMahaica) accounted for 36 of those, pushing the region numbers to 2,500.

Regions One and Two recorded two new cases, Region Three and Nine- five cases while Region Seven and 10 - twenty new cases.

This was presented in the Ministry of Health’s (MOH) daily dashboard update.

The dashboard further indicates that four

persons are currently receiving care in the COVID-19 Intensive Care Unit at the Liliendaal Infectious Disease Centre; 43 in institutional isolation; 712 in approved home isolation while 31 are in institutional quarantine.

The COVID-19 death toll remains at 151, while 4,618 recoveries have been recorded.

Guyana’s total confirmed cases stands at 5,528 while 31,040 persons have been tested for COVID-19 to date.

Friday December 04, 2020

Kaieteur News

PAGE 15

Parents of 6-day-old COVID-19 infant test negative - plead with authorities to lay baby to rest T

he parents of a six-day-old infant, that the Ministry of Health (MOH) reported as Guyana’s 150th COVID-19 death, have tested negative for the virus.

This was revealed by the infant’s mother who spoke with this publication yesterday.

The grieving woman told Kaieteur News that she and her husband were asked to take a Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) swab test following her child’s death, to confirm if they were carrying the virus. She claimed that since they were negative, her baby most likely contracted the virus at the hospital, adding that since his birth, she had scarce contact with him. She was only allowed to hold him once, on November 22, the night before his death.

According to the mother, the baby had to remain in an incubator due to health

complications.

She was told that the hospital was awaiting the availability of a life support machine from the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation to use on the child but they were unable to get one because all were in use.

Additionally, she said that the nurses told her that the baby had ingested dirty water and he developed jaundice. “Every day was some different story, they even say he was vomiting up everything they feed him,” the woman complained.

She alleged that while her baby was in the Intensive Care Unit at the hospital, the nurses tending to him were not wearing any masks.

Further, she highlighted that the poor state of the h o s p i t a l ’s w a s h r o o m facility, led to her requesting to be discharged, as she deemed it unfit for someone who just had a C-section.

Despite being discharged, she would make visits to the hospital to see her baby but one morning, a hospital staffer contacted her saying that something is wrong and she should get there immediately.

When she arrived at the hospital, it was revealed that her baby had died and PCR swab test had to be conducted which subsequently returned positive.

Since her son’s death, the woman has been questioning the hospital and the circumstances surrounding his death.

She also told Kaieteur News that she has been pleading with the hospital officials to lay her child to rest but has been met with steady excuses.

After requesting her child’s body for burial, the hospital told her that they would have to conduct a (Continued on page 26)

Region Six setting up two additional COVID-19 testing sites

T

wo additional COVID-19 testing sites will soon be established in East BerbiceCorentyne (Region Six), to encourage more people to get tested voluntarily for the disease.

The testing sites are located in New Amsterdam and Skeldon hospitals and should be completed by this weekend.

Speaking with DPI, Regional Chairman, David Armogan, said this approach aims to foster more testing as opposed to persons calling the region’s hotline number for assistance.

“The majority of cases that would have accounted for the increase that would have come over the past month, would have come from Orealla and Siparuta,

but the 14-day period would come to a close by Thursday so, quite a number of those tested positive will now be clear,” he explained.

The region is now able to receive test results in about 48 hours instead of the seven to eight days that it previously took.

The Regional Administration has been able to conduct mass testing of 575 persons per week, since a spike in cases was first recorded in Orealla and Siparuta.

This approach, the Regional Chairman said, will pay off for them in the long run.

With easier access to testing, Armogan expects the active cases to decrease, similar to what occurred at Vryman’s Erven, after a

New Amsterdam hospital: COVID-19 testing will soon be available at the New Amsterdam Hospital

lockdown was imposed.

“The active cases in the region are what we hope to curb by mid-December so that people will be more comfortable during the holiday period instead of having active cases walking around,” he added.

The Regional Chairman is encouraging individuals to get tested if they start to suffer any symptoms of the disease.

He says persons must realize that taking action to curb transmission of the disease is every individual’s responsibility.

The region has also established testing sites at Rose Hall, Port Mourant, Orealla and Siparuta.

Region Six had reported 280 active cases as at December 1. (DPI)

The West Demerara Hospital

PAGE 16

Kaieteur News

Friday December 04, 2020

Audit recommended for several Berbice NDCs Vice Chairman, Zamal Hussain, making his point to the RDC yesterday.

-after financial irregularities discovered

D

iscrepancies discovered at s e v e r a l Neighbourhood Democratic Councils across Region Six (East Berbice) has sparked recommendations for financial audits to be conducted.

At yesterday’s Regional D e m o c r a t i c C o u n c i l ’s (RDC) monthly statutory meeting, Regional Vice Chairman and Chairman of the Local Government Committee, Zamal Hussain, while presenting the Local Government Committee report asked that “an urgent financial audit” be executed.

The basis for the recommendation made was premised on several discrepancies that were uncovered at the NDCs. He recommended that

audits be done at the Maida/Tarlogie, Bushlot/Adventure, Kintyre/ Borlam, Port Mourant/Johns and the Gibralter/Fyrish NDCs. Speaking with the media after the meeting, Hussain disclosed that he is in possession of evidence showing “financial misconduct and irregularities” and it is in that regard that he is asking that the region take the necessary steps “because they oversee the finances of these NDCs”.

Hussain is expecting that the Audit Department of the Regional Democratic Council to “conduct a comprehensive audit of these NDCs”.

He added that he will not release the evidence in his possession until the audit is completed.

He also stated that there have been several reports against the NDCs mentioned and that was also another r e a s o n f o r h i s recommendations.

The LGC Chairman and VC stressed the importance of the region being aware of what transpires in the NDCs. He therefore further recommended that there be a rotation of overseers. ”...we are asking that

consideration be made in terms of rotation of overseers.

Some of them have been very comfortable and that is one of the reasons why we end up in serious problems…,” he stressed.

Hussain also asked that all payment vouchers be lodged at the Local Government Department so that records could be kept of them. ”A copy should be lodged at the Local Government Department because whenever checking has to be done, it doesn’t match the records. One of the examples is at Port Mourant (NDC) because when we go back, the records aren’t there. So we need to ensure that we have records of the checks and balances”, Hussain said.

All councilors from the APNU/AFC and PPP/C s u p p o r t e d t h e recommendations made.

Just recently, the Port M o u r a n t / J o h n ’s N D C overseer was fired after there were instances of financial fraud unearthed at the NDC. Receipts did not correspond with the records’ book. The previous overseer for that NDC was also fired months before over allegations of a similar nature.

"Guyanese: No more 'Nancy stories' from leaders; DEMAND they tell ALL on our wealth."

Friday December 04, 2020

Kaieteur News

PAGE 17

E’bo Coast says goodbye to Anna Regina’s Deputy Mayor Respect due: The procession as it made its way over the Anna Regina High Bridge yesterday

T

he town of Anna Regina was enveloped in grief yesterday as the funeral procession of the Deputy Mayor slowly wended its way through Anna Regina.

The Deputy Mayor, Rudolph Williams, succumbed to COVID-19 related complications on November 24.

The procession was

organised by the Anna Regina Town Council, and attended by residents.

Rajendra Prabhulall, Mayor of the Anna Regina To w n , a t t e n d e d t h e procession in the company of his Town Clerk and staffers.

Minister of Regional Development, Nigel Dharamlall, who was also in attendance, referred to the

The late Deputy Mayor, Rudolph Williams

former Deputy Mayor as a martyr, who devoted his life to serving the Guyanese people, despite the COVID19 pandemic.

“Although he knew the dangers of the COVID 19 pandemic, he was very active serving his people until he contracted the virus, fell sick, hospitalized and later died.”

The minister also

extended condolences on behalf of the President and Government of Guyana, and promised that the Williams’ family will be supported to the fullest.

Kaieteur News understands that Williams was a long-serving member of the People’s Progressive Party/Civic [PPP/C].

A few days after his demise, the party hosted a

candlelight vigil, in his honour. Also in attendance was the Regional Vice Chairman, Umace Oudit, and other officials of the various NDCs. After the procession had made its way over the Anna Regina High Bridge, the body of the Deputy Mayor was taken to his Hampton Court home.

It was finally taken to

Williams’s birth place, Waramuri Mission, Moruca, where it was laid to rest.

Williams was elected as Deputy Mayor of the Anna Regina municipality following the Local Government Elections in 2018.

Amongst his most significant contributions was to the education sector in Amerindian communities.

PAGE 18

Kaieteur News

Friday December 04, 2020

The house located in Kitty where the fatal shooting reportedly took place.

Kaieteur News

Friday December 04, 2020

PAGE 19

High Court halts deportation of detained Haitians

C

hief Justice (Ag), Roxane GeorgeWiltshire, last evening placed a hold on an order by Magistrate Sherdel Marcus-Isaacs to deport 26 Haitians back to their homeland.

The stay granted after 6:00 pm, followed an application by attorney-atlaw, Darren Wade, in the Georgetown High Court.

Wade had filed a Fixed Date Application (FDA) which seeks to invoke sections of the fundamental rights provision of the Constitution.

However, during a Zoom hearing of the proceedings last evening, Attorney General(AG) and Minister of Legal Affairs, Anil Nandlall, who is representing the State’s interest in the matter, said that the sections only apply to citizens of Guyana and the Commonwealth and other persons who are listed under Article 47 of the Constitution.

“Haiti is not one of those territories,” Nandlall said adding that “These persons are aliens under the Constitution.”

Further, the AG said that Haiti has not signed on to the free movement aspect of the Caribbean Single Market and Economy (CSME) programme under CARICOM. In light of this, Nandlall contended the court has no jurisdiction to hear the application.

The Chief Justice (CJ), nonetheless, issued an order staying the deportation order of the Magistrate until the hearing and determination of the FDA. On Tuesday, Principal Magistrate Sherdel MarcusIsaacs, granted an order for the 26 Haitian nationals, who were detained during a police operation last month, to be deported.

The Association of Haitian Nationals in Guyana, through attorney-at-law Darren Wade, filed a motion in the High Court for the Haitians to be put before the court.

According to Wade, the Haitians were not charged and were not put before any court, m a k i n g i t d i ff i c u l t t o understand on what grounds the deportation order is being supported.

The lawyer posited that the Haitians entered Guyana legally and were granted six

Attorney-at-law, Darren Wade, speaking to a number of Haitians who are being held

Chief Justice (Ag), Roxane George-Wiltshire. months stay by the Immigration Department.

The lawyer said that he intends to fight the deportation order in the High Court, since he believes it was wrongfully granted.

According to a press release, the 26 Haitians were discovered between November 7 and November 8, 2020, at a city hotel and in a minibus en route to Linden – M a b u r a R o a d .

It is reported that, out of the 24 Haitians discovered, there were 10 males, nine females, two boys and five girls.

The Haitians were being kept in protective custody, while the police force had launched an investigation. The Haitians are suspected to be victims in a human smuggling or trafficking in persons’ o p e r a t i o n .

It was recently revealed by Minister of Home Affairs, Robeson Benn, during a press conference that the seven Haitian children who were found during the two police operations might not be related to the adults, and they may have been trafficked.

Minister Benn had said that when Haitians enter the c o u n t r y, t h e y u s u a l l y disappear without any trace.

For that reason, when this batch of Haitians entered the country, they were under police surveillance, subsequently leading to them b e i n g a r r e s t e d .

The Minister also told reporters, that he is anticipating the Haitians can be sent back to Haiti shortly and the government will be seeking to implement visa requirements for Haitians who wish to travel to Guyana.

Guyana, as part of CARICOM, had dropped the need of visas for Haitians.

PAGE 20

Kaieteur News

Friday December 04, 2020

Labour laws under review to further safeguard workers’ rights Minister Joseph Hamilton during ‘The Wake Up Guyana Show’ on Wednesday with host, Leonard Gildarie, on Kaieteur Radio.

The Ministry of Labour is currently reviewing the labour laws to further safeguard the rights of workers.

Minister of Labour, Joseph Hamilton, made this assertion while appearing on the Kaieteur Radio’s - ‘The Wake Up Guyana Show,’ on Wednesday.

“We are reviewing the labour laws and regulations, seeking to strengthen them and amend what is outdated, and to add new legislation to what we already have,”

Minister Hamilton told the s h o w ’s h o s t , L e o n a r d Gildarie.

Several laws and regulations make up the Labour Laws of Guyana.

These include the Holidays with Pay Act; the Wages Council Act; Labour (Condition of Employment of Certain Workers) Act; Employment of Young Persons and Children Act; and the Occupational Health and Safety Act. Once the review of these laws and regulations are completed, the Ministry will be presenting a legislative agenda to the Attorney General Chambers, Minister Hamilton said.

To ensure full adherence to these key Laws, Minister

Hamilton announced that approximately 40 Labour and Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) Officers will be trained and placed in all of the sub-districts within the 10 Administrative Regions.

Additionally, officers will be trained in Portuguese, Mandarin and Spanish to e n s u r e p r o p e r communication with the Brazilians, Chinese, Venezuelans and Cubans, who have joined the country’s labour force.

“Our mandate is to protect workers’ rights, all of our workers … I will resolutely seek to execute my mandate and use all channels and the law to protect our workers,” Minister Hamilton reiterated.

Friday December 04, 2020

Kaieteur News

US$304M for USD$304M forExxon Exxon to bring gas to shore -feasibility study shows

A

ccording to a 2018 feasibility study that was handed to the former A P N U + A F C administration, a whopping USD$304M is needed for ExxonMobil and its consortium of oil companies to bring natural gas to Guyana’s shores.

However, the feasibility report pointed out that ExxonMobil would only be involved in building a pipeline to transport the gas, not in the construction of the onshore infrastructure that would refine it for use.

In details, the feasibility study, which was compiled

by Energy Narrative, a USbased market analysis firm, states that out of the US$304M, ExxonMobil would be responsible for US$165M, which will be used for pipeline construction costs.

The remaining US$139M for the construction of the onshore infrastructure will have to be financed by the Government of Guyana.

This form of financing is contrary to what the former Minister of Public Infrastructure (MoPI), David Patterson, a Coalition minister in the Opposition, had said to Kaieteur News a few years ago.

In fact, Patterson had explicitly indicated to Kaieteur News that ExxonMobil had agreed to fund both the pipeline and generators up front, as Guyana would have sold bonds to the private sector and buyout the project within six years.

Notably, Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo had told reporters that the Government wants to get the gas to power project on board “as swiftly as possible” so that the Guyanese public can enjoy significantly reduced electricity rates.

He had made these and other comments during a press conference at the Arthur Chung Conference Centre (ACCC) in August.

The VP noted that ExxonMobil had been eager to move along with the project, but was waiting on the former government to steer the way forward.

The David Granger government of Guyana put the roadblocks in this regard because they did not respond, I gather, Jagdeo had said.

He had explained that the current administration still has to gather pertinent information about the former Government’s work in this regard, including details about who bought up lands at the proposed locations for the pipeline.

The government also, he indicated, has to go through several studies, and its considerations will be guided by technical advice from the best minds.

N o t a b l y, t h e Vi c e President said that the gas price in the Stabroek Block agreement is not to the government’s satisfaction, and that the pricing mechanism will have to be very different from that if Guyana is to move forward.

“We need the electricity to industrialise this country,” Jagdeo said. “We need it so we can generate more jobs, and we also need it so we can fulfill the promise, which we made to the people that we’ll cut their electricity bill. You heard the President mention that, significantly, as much as by half of what they’re paying now. And this is a project that has high priority.”

The government is expected to consider, very soon, the availability of the gas at this point in time, and ownership of the intended facility. Jagdeo said that the project may even take on the form of a public-private partnership.

Currently, the Government is constructing a 46-megawatts power plant at Garden-of-Eden, East Bank Demerara.

The Wartsila engines have the capacity to utilize natural gas.

Natural gas is said to be a

naturally occurring hydrocarbon gas mixture consisting primarily of methane, but commonly including varying amounts of other higher alkanes, and sometimes a small percentage of carbon dioxide, nitrogen, hydrogen sulfide, or helium. It comes up as part of the pumping process to bring up the oil.

PAGE 21

A methanol plant in Trinidad and Tobago.

Kaieteur News

PAGE 22

The contents of the container which the Belgian authorities found

Friday December 04, 2020

11.5 tonnes Belgium coke bust…

Multiple passwords used to delete about 1,000 scanner images

Wanted For Questioning: GRA Commissioner-General, Godfrey Statia Marlon Primo

E

fforts by the Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA) has led to the recovery of a deleted image of a shipping container that the Belgium authorities busted with 11.5 tons of cocaine in early November.

It has also led to the recovery of other deleted items raising shocking questions.

Kaieteur News was informed that the process to retrieve the images taken at the Lombard Street scanning facility of GRA required the use of specialized equipment to ensure the data was recovered intact.

But in their attempts to recover the deleted image file, authorities recovered a thousand more images that were deleted from the scanner’s server.

What is even more of a concern is the fact that to delete images from the scanner, a special “administrative” pass code is required before access is granted, which would lead investigators to suspect that the image of the container in question and others were deliberately tampered with.

This was confirmed by GRA Commissioner General, Godfrey Statia.

Statia told Kaieteur News that “images can be deleted…it depends on if you have an administrative password. And if you are using the administrative password to deliberately delete the images that is

where the problem lies.”

After it was discovered that the scanner images were deleted, GRA suspended 11 staffers including a senior manager from the scanning unit.

The Commissioner General reported that an employee would have had to utilize their administrative pass code to delete the image or may have lent it to someone else to do same.

And with the mountain of images now recovered, GRA is tasked with sifting through the pile to determine what passed under the radar.

“We have to go through all the images to show that there was no skullduggery in the past,” he continued.

Four shipping containers left Guyana on September 25, shipped by Marlon Primo’s MA Trading, of Atlantic Ville, East Coast Demerara, to the consignee, Lotraco R e c y c l i n g B V, T h e Netherlands.

But checks made by investigators revealed only images of three containers were found as the images of the fourth were deleted.

Under regulations, containers considered highrisk leaving Guyana, have to be scanned at the facility on Lombard Street, Georgetown as part of the country’s protocols for exports.

It would have been impossible for the container to escape GRA’s system of being scanned.

The deletion of the (Continued on page 25)

Kaieteur News

Friday December 04, 2020

At the lighting up of the Christmas tree last evening in Parika, Region Three.

First Lady spreads Christmas cheer at Parika tree lighting

First Lady, Mrs. Arya Ali distributes gifts at Parika Christmas tree lighting ceremony Scores of children and adults from Parika and surrounding neighbourhoods embraced the festive spirit of the season as First Lady, Mrs. Arya Ali, spread Christmas cheer last evening.

The First Lady was at a tree-lighting ceremony where she encouraged residents to be grateful.

Against the backdrop of the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, the First Lady said, “I hope and pray 2021 is a brighter and safer one. I urge all of you to take some time and reflect and be thankful for what we have.”

The event was organised

by Minister within the Ministry of Public Works, Deodat Indar and officials w i t h i n b o t h P a r i k a ’s Neighbourhood Democratic Council and the Regional Democratic Council of Region Three.

Minister Indar said the Government remains focused on advancing a

message of peace and love.

“We want to spread the spirit of Christmas to every household as much as we can reach,” the Minister stated as he underscored the importance of embracing humility.

Musical renditions were delivered by Poonam Singh who sang, “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas,” and the Faith Community Church choir, which did a medley of Christmas carols.

Ricardo Singh, a young boy from the community, also braved the audience to recite an inspirational poem titled “The Colours of Christmas” while the Guyana Police Force Steel Orchestra kept the atmosphere lively with popular Christmas songs.

The evening culminated with the First Lady turning on the switch to illuminate a Christmas tree and distributing gifts to children at the event.

Belting it out: Poonam Singh

PAGE 23

PAGE 24

Kaieteur News

Friday December 04, 2020

Discussions of developing secondary city underway President Irfaan Ali on We d n e s d a y e v e n i n g announced that the Government has initiated discussions for the development of a secondary city.

President Ali revealed his plans at the Guyana Manufacturing and Services Association (GMSA) 25th Annual Awards Ceremony at the Baribi Benab, State House.

“We have initiated discussions on having a new area – a secondary city – developed. We are exploring this opportunity along the new four-lane highway because we are already seeing the pressure on the city itself.”

President Ali noted that as development and expansion continue, there will be more occupation on the outskirts of Georgetown and the country must be prepared for it.

As a result, Government will be putting plans in place to ensure that such growth and development will be facilitated.

President Ali noted that the idea is not new, but was in the pipeline since he was

- President Ali

Discussions are underway for a secondary city to be built, President Irfaan Ali says

Minister of Housing and Water years ago, when the concept of Silica City was introduced at a Building Expo.

“Now we have to think about the future, think about the floodplain, think about a natural expansion of the city, the industrialisation that will take place.”

The Head of State added that the government is looking at an area on the Linden-Soesdyke Highway that will be connected to the new four-lane road, which will act as a catalyst for development.

In terms of funding, President Ali noted that a mixture of a public-private partnership will be used.

On a larger scale, he noted that the infrastructure landscape will undergo drastic changes in the coming year.

“That infrastructure landscape change is linked directly to the opening up of n e w e c o n o m i c opportunities, to the opening up of new lands; creating new areas, and new growth polls. These are the things that would mark 2021 and beyond.”

GPL says pre-paid meters’ transactions experiencing vending difficulties The state-owned Guyana Power and Light Inc. (GPL) says that customers attempting to buy credit for pre-paid meters may experience delays.

“All prepaid meter customers are advised that the Guyana Power and Light Inc. (GPL) Juice/Prepaid System is currently experiencing a suspected hardware fault; which is affecting token vending. These transactions are taking a longer time to process.”

According to GPL in a statement, as a result, GPL wishes to advise that “all

p r e p a i d m e t e r agents/vendors” should avoid multiple vends of the same transaction due to the slowness of the response.”

GPL explained that multiple attempts at one transaction will result in accumulation (back-log) within the system and further delay response time.

“GPL’s technicians are working assiduously to resolve this issue in the shortest possible time. We apologise for the inconvenience caused and remain committed to providing optimum service.”

Kaieteur News

Friday December 04, 2020

Teenager sees father with knife in hands; mother covered in blood A 35-year-old housewife of Lot 105 Letterkenny Village, Corentyne, Berbice is currently hospitalized at the New Amsterdam Public Hospital with multiple stab wounds.

Reports are that her husband stabbed her several times during an argument.

Rajwattie Punie called Shakira, age 35 years, is said to be in a serious condition.

Kaieteur News was informed that the victim and

the suspect are reputed husband and wife and they had an argument in the lower flat of their two-story building.

It was shortly after the argument that the couple’s 1 3 - y e a r- o l d s o n w e n t downstairs and saw his mother with blood on her clothing and skin with his father holding a kitchen knife in his hands. His mother had wounds on her abdomen, hands and feet.

The suspect then walked out of the yard with the knife and escaped.

The woman was taken to Port Mourant Public Hospital by relatives where she was seen and examined by a doctor who transferred her to the New Amsterdam Public Hospital where she was treated and admitted a patient. Her condition is regarded as serious.

Police are hunting for the suspect.

600 Cubans camp out at...

From page 12 because of the COVID19 Pandemic. Others expressed concerns about t r a ff i c k i n g a n d a s k e d questions about who will monitor them if they do enter and where will they be housed.

It was only on Thursday that Magistrate Sherdel Isaacs ordered the deportation of 26 Haitians who had entered the country legally but were subsequently detained by police in early November for

giving false addresses.

The Haitians were reportedly found in a city hotel with children in the mix. Some were also found in a minibus en route to Linden.

The Association of Haitian Nationals in Guyana, through attorneyat-law Darren Wade, filed a motion in the High Court for the Haitians to be put before the courts, and yesterday Chief Justice Roxane George-Wiltshire placed a stay on the deportation order

until the hearing of the motion filed by Wade.

Honourable Robeson Benn, Minister of Home Affairs had also touted during a recent press conference that Guyana may introduce visa system for Haiti Soon.

According to Benn when Haitians enter the country, they usually disappear without any trace. He added that it is for this reason, the batch of 26 were under strict surveillance which led to them being arrested.

Multiple passwords used to...

From page 22 images would embarrass GRA, which has not been without its corruption troubles.

Meanwhile, the Customs Anti Narcotics Unit (CANU) is still seeking local scrap iron dealer, Marlon Primo, a person of interest in the probe. A wanted bulletin has since been issued.

The massive load of cocaine left Guyana on September 25 and was opened in Belgium

on October 27. The seized cocaine has an estimated street value at €900 million (about US$1B).

It was disguised as scrap metal and placed inside a steel container, which was in turn packed into a sea container and loaded onto a trans-Atlantic vessel.

It would have been the largest confirmed shipment from Guyana, a trans-shipment point for drugs.

PAGE 25

Small business owners urged to register their operations The Small Business Bureau on Wednesday evening hosted a webinar for small and micro enterprises (SMEs) to examine solutions small business owners could use to improve their operations in 2021.

The owners were urged by representatives of the Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA), the National Insurance Scheme (NIS), the Guyana National Bureau of Standards (GNBS) and the Commercial Registry to register with those entities to access services to help their businesses develop.

GRA’s Communications Officer, Fabian Clowes, said registered business owners could benefit from tax concessions/exemptions.

He highlighted that small manufacturers who import raw materials and packaging materials could be exempted from paying Customs duties and VAT on the imports, once they are registered and they apply to the GRA Commissioner-General.

He added that tour operators in Regions One, Seven, Eight, Nine and Ten can be eligible for exemption of payment of Corporation Tax for a maximum of 10 years,

providing the business is registered and the Commissioner General is satisfied with the criteria for compliance.

Clowes also encouraged persons to regularly check on their tax status, to avoid u n p r e d i c t a b l e circumstances, for example, when applying for tax compliance.

GNBS’ Public Relations Officer, Lloyd David, said the agency trains business owners on standards to enhance efficiency and improve quality of the service they provide as part of its business support services.

The bureau also provides certification for measurements and has some 500 standards in play.

David said SME standard could be applied to i n c r e a s e e f f i c i e n c y, productivity and quality of the product.

David added that business owner should apply for their standards from the GNBS, and they will provide assistance in the selection of the standards and provide guidance during the application process.

In 2021, the GNBS will target small businesses, so

that they could reach the identified standard and be certified.

Business Name Supervisor from the R e g i s t r y, Va n d a l e e z a Balgobin said persons must firstly register their business name at the Commercial Registry to ensure they are operating legally.

She noted that business owners who register could benefit from loans and have easier access to opening bank, Visa and travel accounts. Registration also provides security for a business’s name and proves legal ownership.

Meanwhile, NIS Training Officer, Dane Chesney urged businesses to ensure their contributions are up to date, in case of unforeseen issues that may negatively affect them.

He said they should ensure their payments are current and comply with all requirements so they could receive compensation benefits in case of loss of income.

The webinar, titled, ‘Challenges and Solutions for Micro and Small Enterprises in Guyana’ continued last evening.

(DPI)

Kaieteur News

PAGE 26

Suspects in Bisram’s robbery released on bail

K

aieteur News h a s b e e n informed that the eight suspects held for robbing former murder accused, Marcus Bisram, of millions of dollars, have been released on station bail.

Six of them were released earlier yesterday, while two were bailed last evening.

This newspaper had reported on Wednesday that among the eight was an excop and close friend of Bisram, Bharrat Shattarpaul.

Police stated that there is not sufficient evidence to build a case against the suspects; hence they cannot detain then any longer in custody.

However, investigations are continuing and detectives are currently pursuing two additional suspects for questioning as well.

The men were believed to have been the ones who staged an armed robbery at B i s r a m ’s N u m b e r 7 0 Village, Upper Corentyne, Berbice home.

The entire ordeal was captured on surveillance and the footage shows a group of

Friday December 04, 2020

Govt. to re-evaluate programmes for persons living with disabilities -talks ongoing with National Commission on Disability

T

Marcus Bisram with his close friend, Bharrat Shattarpaul, former cop, and one of the persons held. masked men, armed with cutlasses and a gun, barging into the Bisram’s yard.

The video showed one of the occupants of the home at the time was beaten with a cutlass.

The bandits, according to Bisram, carted off gold jewellery and cellphones totaling millions. He also claimed that they stole $5M in cash.

Commander of Region

Six, Jairam Ramlakhan, had also said that ranks were investigating a video that surfaced on Facebook of an armed and masked man; clearing the air on the amount of money he robbed Bisram.

In the video, the presumed robber said he only stole $800,000 from Bisram.

Bisram has since refuted the claims made in the video.

he Ministry of Health says it has been working with the National Commission on Disability (NCD) to examine the Government’s services to persons living with disabilities in the country.

Minister of Health, Dr. Frank Anthony told DPI on Wednesday that current services need improving, especially in light of COVID-19.

He noted being isolated and disconnected have disrupted routines and diminished services to these members of society.

“We have to look at how we can improve service to this community from the level of the Ministry; it is

something that we have been working on with the National Commission on Disability.

In the upcoming months, we will be looking closely at current programmes to do an evaluation and see how we can expand these so that we can provide more services.”

Minister Anthony said already, Government’s physical therapy departments have been improving its service to persons who require them.

But ultimately, he said, it w a s p e o p l e ’s a t t i t u d e towards citizens with disabilities that needs changing.

“As a society, we must be more civil and caring for persons who have

disabilities, and I think if we were able to do that, if we have more empathy, then it certainly would help motivate these persons to have a better life.”

Minister Anthony said there is a lot of work to be done because persons with physical disabilities and some with cognitive disabilities still face a lot of discrimination.

On Wednesday, Guyana joined the international community in observing the International Day of Persons with Disabilities.

This year’s theme was “Building Back Better: To w a r d a d i s a b i l i t y inclusive, accessible and sustainable post-COVID-19 world”. (DPI)

Women’s commission joins calls...

From page 14 of one in three women.

In analyzing this problem, WGEC highlighted that one has to recognize that the country inherited its legal system from European colonists who believed that women were inferior to men.

“The law is not gender neutral but retains a deep structure that is patriarchal.

This is the elephant in the room which needs to be addressed,” the release stated.

WGEC urge all decision makers in the various institutions of Guyana to denounce the culture of tolerance for violence against women and girls by ensuring they take the requisite actions to name and shame those guilty of perpetuating such actions.

The Commission stressed that sufficient resources should be allocated towards providing assistance and remedies of victims.

WGEC emphasized that

the laws that protect women needed to be enforced and must be able to access justice.

The Commission call on the parents and care givers to re-examine the way they socialize their sons by ensuring that negative stereotype such as “boys will be boys’ and “boys must not cry” are discouraged.

Both father and mother should play a meaningful role in the lives of their children, WGEC reminded.

DNA samples from stepdad accused ...

From page 11 with the results of the paternity tests as being very critical.

She is also not proficient in sign language to properly communicate but the Director of the CPA had said that through the Child Advocacy Centre, she will be educated to do so.

The teen was living with her mother, stepfather and

six siblings and had managed to communicate a bit of what transpired to a relative.

According to the teen, her stepfather had come home drunk one night and committed the act.

Months after, she was sent to live with a relative who noticed her swollen tummy upon her arrival and was immediately concerned.

The relative had queried

whether the teen was pregnant, but her mother insisted she was not.

Despite the mother’s denial, the relative took the teen to a clinic where her suspicions were confirmed.

It was also stated that when the teen made attempts to relay the information to her mother, she was beaten, by both her mother and the stepfather.

Parents of 6-day-old COVID-19...

From page 15 second test, which she said made no sense since the Health Ministry would have officially recorded his death as a COVID-19 fatality.

The second test was conducted on Wednesday and she was told that the results would be back by midnight, but despite that, when she inquired, she was told that the tests will take 24 to 48 hours.

“I also asked for my baby’s body so we can bury he but they say if the second test come back positive, they will have to cremate him,” she said.Kaieteur News understands that it is mandated that when a person dies from COVID-19, they are cremated, but the mother is contending that even if that is the case, the steady delays and excuses from the hospital are hampering her child from being laid to rest.

PAGE 28

Friday December 04, 2020

Kaieteur News

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ADDIS ABABA/ HAMDAYET, Sudan (Reuters) - Relief agencies in Ethiopia prepared convoys yesterday to truck aid into Tigray region, where a month of war is feared to have killed thousands of people and has forced refugees to flee along corpse-strewn roads.

Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed declared victory over the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) after federal forces captured the northern region’s capital Mekelle at the weekend.

However, TPLF leaders have dug into surrounding mountains in an emerging guerrilla strategy. “The war is a people’s war and will not end easily,” its spokesman Gebre Gebretsadkan said on Tigray TV, adding that fighting had continued round Mekelle.

One aid worker in touch with Tigray said clashes had been taking place to the north, south and west of the city.

Fighting appeared to be

Ethiopians fleeing from the Tigray region arrive by boat to Sudan after crossing a river between the two countries, near the Hamdeyat refugees transit camp. REUTERS/Baz Ratner moving closer to the city, said a diplomat in touch with a resident.

Redwan Hussien, head of the government’s taskforce on Tigray, said isolated incidents were possible.

“Sporadic shootings out of desperate attempt may not be ruled out. But wouldn’t in any way bear fruit,” he told

Reuters.

Diplomats in touch with sources on all sides say thousands of combatants and civilians appear to have died since Abiy’s offensive began on Nov. 4, after a TPLF attack on a military base was the last straw in their feud.

More than 45,000 refugees have crossed into

neighbouring Sudan, while many more have been displaced within Tigray.

Ethiopia’s government and the TPLF have both accused each other of - and both denied - targeting civilians. Both have also worked alongside militias accused of abuses by refugees and rights groups.

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2019 and that global economic growth is expected to slow to 2.9 percent this year from 3 percent in 2018 as world trade and investments dilute. And, to further expand on this note, oil prices were volatile in the second half of 2018 with sharp plunges toward the end of the year. This scenario was primarily due to supply – side factors: 1) Oil prices average $68.00 per barrel slightly lower compared to the World Bank forecast from June 2018 but 30 percent higher than the average price of oil in 2017.

2) Producers have agreed to cut supply by 1.2 million barrels per day for six months starting January 2019. This measure to stem output may prove to be insufficient in order to reduce the oversupply of stock levels.

3) Another sets of key uncertainties for oil prices will be the impact of the US sanctions on Iran when the waivers end in early May 2019 and as well, for production in Venezuela which has been in steady decline over the past two years.

4) Crude oil output in the US is expected to rise by a further 1 million barrels per day in 2019.

Based on these various analysis and views, it is believed that the long-term oversupply of oil is inevitable, however, optimism is still shared that oil price will gradually increase to finish 2019 trade around 5-10 percent above January opening

prices”. (Ramrattan, P. January, 2019. Research Methods Dissertation, pages 12-13. Chartered Banker MBA.) “Based on the present market balance it is anticipated that oversupply of oil can be strong in 2019. Current oil prices are roughly at $50.00 per barrel (WTI Crude) and a continuous oversupply of the commodity could have an enormous effect on present prices.

According to IEA predictions for 2019, should oversupply match their forecasts that would cause oil prices to slump to channel lows of less than $30.00 per barrel.

In gaining momentum, it is believed that 2019 oil market will react to decisions of OPEC members coupled with Russia’s agreement to cut production by 1.2 million barrels per day for six months starting early 2019 and Saudi Arabia also cutting production. With the present oversupply of the commodity, OPEC could very well effectuate drastic production cuts in order to level out this oversupply which could propel a slight increase or stabilization of current prices.

It is noteworthy to mention, even though OPEC and Russia still control 40 plus percent of the global oil supply, should the US increase its oil production that could impact the global oversupply balance resulting in OPEC’s ability to control the oil market. However,

should oil prices slump that condition can decrease US shale production which could act as a catalyst for OPEC in controlling the oil prices”. (Ramrattan, P. January, 2019. Research Methods Dissertation., page 14. Chartered Banker MBA.) Further, the current US sanctions on Iran and Venezuela, which have had an impact on the market, should always be considered as part of the equation since this mutagenicity can adversely affect oil prices: 1) Iran – should the US sanction be lifted. Iran will increase its production and sales.

2) Venezuela (once the world’s fifth largest exporter of crude oil) – should the US removed its sanction, Venezuela will restart production and sales In the event, these two oil giants’ producer-countries get back on stream with their oil business, the world can very well witness oil prices tumbling downwards into US$20s per barrel and that price range will probably remain so for the next decade.

In concluding, Guyana should take note of the foregoing and just not sit and wait on high oil prices to bounce back to cushion our meagre earnings as per our PSA agreement with ExxonMobil, we need to renegotiate for a better deal in order to capitalize on current market trends.

Yours faithfully, Paul Ramrattan

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Friday December 04, 2020

Friday December 04, 2020

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Friday December 04, 2020

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Kaieteur News

NBA-Rockets trade Westbrook for Wizards’ Wall, first-round pick

Houston Rockets’ Russell Westbrook.

AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill

Reuters - The Houston Rockets have agreed to trade 2017 NBA MVP Russell Westbrook to the Washington Wizards for fivetime All Star point guard John Wall and a future first-round draft pick, both teams announced on Wednesday.

The 32-year-old Westbrook, a nine-time All Star point guard who spent the bulk of his career with the Oklahoma City Thunder before being traded to Houston in 2019, averaged 27.2 points and 7.9 rebounds in the most recent season.

The Rockets had hoped Westbrook would help them to a first NBA title since winning back-to-back

Friday December 04, 2020 ARIES (Mar. 21–Apr. 19) Maintain a positive attitude, Aries, and things will naturally flow your way. Tell a few jokes and keep things light and energetic.

TAURUS(Apr.20–May20) You may be reluctant to commit to anything major today. Your natural tendency is to look askance at those who promise grand and wonderful things. You're smart to question such talk.

GEMINI (May 21–June 20) This may be one of those days when you feel completely alone even if there are hundreds of people around. No one seems to understand your perspective.

CANCER (June 21–July 22) Balance your boisterous, adventurous nature with a bit of discipline today, Cancer. It's important to laugh, but it's also important to stay on task with your duties. The good news is that both of these things can work in tandem.

LIBRA (Sept. 23–Oct. 22) You might need to spend time alone in order to reset your programming, Libra.

Other people's influence may be seeping into your psyche. There's no reason to always do or say what other people dictate.

SCORPIO (Oct. 23–Nov. 21) You will find that discipline, organization, and a bit of a dramatic flair are exactly the things needed to be successful today, Scorpio.

SAGIT(Nov.22–Dec.21) You might find it difficult to deal with people on an emotional level today. Others could seem too demanding of your attention and want to keep the focus on themselves.

CAPRI (Dec. 22–Jan. 19) You might find your emotions a bit dampened today, Capricorn, but this may not be a bad thing. Try not to blow things out of proportion so much.

LEO (July 23–Aug. 22) There may be a thousand things for you to do today, Leo, but you can only get them done if you concentrate on one at a time.

AQUARIUS(Jan.20–Feb.18) Make sure you get your daily dose of laughter and try to come out of your shell a bit more. This is an important time for you to let go of your inhibitions and open up to the world.

VIRGO (Aug. 23–Sept. 22) No matter what you're doing today, have fun, Virgo.

Whistle a tune. Turn the stereo up to full volume and dance around the kitchen as you make dinner. You can find amusement in just about anything, so keep this in mind as you tackle even the menial tasks.

PISCES (Feb. 19–Mar. 20) This is an important day for you to give thanks for all that you have, Pisces. Give your loved ones extra hugs and let them know how much they mean to you. If things start to get a bit too serious and somber, you're the one who can pull others out of the rut.

championships in 1994-95 but they were eliminated from the playoffs by the Los Angeles Lakers in the Western Conference semi-finals.

Westbrook will be reunited with Wizards coach Scott Brooks, who was his coach for seven years in Oklahoma City. “Russell’s accomplishments and honors on the court speak for themselves, but his drive and

will to win are what separate him as a truly unique player,” said Brooks.

“As much as I’m looking forward to reuniting with him, I’m equally sad to say goodbye to John. He is one of the toughest and most gifted players I’ve ever been around and we all wish him nothing but the best moving forward.”

Wall has spent his entire

nine-year career with the Wizards. The 30-year-old missed the 2019-20 campaign through injury and played only 32 games the season prior. The move comes amid widespread reports that 2018 MVP James Harden, the league’s leading scorer, was seeking a trade from the Rockets after the departure of the team’s head coach and general manager.

...USA Cricket stepping up foreign recruitment From page 32 young South African players are close to signing for the league.

Theron retired from South African cricket and moved to Florida to pursue a teaching degree before rekindling his professional career through USA’s T20 club scene. He ultimately ended with a USA Cricket central contract.

Theron’s route, however, may become increasingly rare.

Dane Piedt was specifically recruited by ACE to come to the USA and given a contract earlier this year.

Similarly, 23-year-old allrounder Willem Ludick who represented South Africa at the 2016 Under-19 World Cup before playing in the last three Plunket Shields, was convinced to leave New Zealand for an ACE contract in Texas, despite being the second highest wicket-taker in the competition this past season for Central Districts.

With the Kolpak route to the UK soon to be curtailed after Brexit, USA has fast become an appealing option to South Africans looking to earn good money, with contracts reported to be in the $100,000 range per year. Overseas American passport holders have also become prioritized targets over local players in the last two years. Aaron Jones, Hayden Walsh Jr, and Karima Gore were plucked from Barbados and Antigua in the build-up to USA securing ODI status in 2019.

Subsequently, the Australian trio of Cameron Gannon, Cameron Stevenson and Ian Holland have all made USA debuts in the last year.

Attempts have also been made to recruit 2019 World Cup winner Liam Plunkett, whose wife is from Pennsylvania where the England bowler regularly spends his winters and he could potentially secure a US passport through her.

While the strategy means a new earning outlet for longtime overseas pros, it poses a potential obstacle for domestic talent to be able to work their way through a local pathway to the national team.

At the moment, the only

regular in the USA men’s national team who has come up through the USA U-19 system is Florida native Steven Taylor.

Higgins said that ACE and USA Cricket established guaranteed roster slots for USA junior players in Minor League squads in the hopes they will enhance their skills to the standards comparable to what is seen overseas.

However, Higgins said it would be naive for USA not to pick professional players brought in by ACE once they meet ICC eligibility criteria.

“It’s very much our objective to invest now in the U-17s so that in two years time we have a very strong Under-19s team that we can go to a group qualifier for and go to the Under-19 Cricket World Cup and perform

extremely well there,” Higgins said. “Of course if people are performing at that level, whether or not another ten Rusty Therons turn up, then there’s no reason why they would not get picked in the national team two or three years from now.

“We’d like nothing more than a national team to come from people who have all been born here in the USA and learned their cricket here.

We’ve just got to be careful about picking the right balance. If someone has got a passport or someone has come and they meet the ICC regulations, then they meet the regulations. There’s probably not a team in the world at the moment that don’t want to pick their best team in accordance with the ICC regulations.”

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Friday December 04, 2020

Kaieteur News

IPL could have two new teams as BCCI seeks ‘approval’ at AGM ESPNcricinfo - The BCCI has signalled the likely addition of two new teams to the IPL for the 2021 edition.

That, along with the “discussion” on including cricket in the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, are two key items the BCCI has listed on the agenda for its forthcoming annual general meeting, scheduled in Mumbai on December 24.

Ever since the conclusion of the 2020 IPL, which was held in the UAE due to the Covid-19 pandemic, there have been constant murmurs about the BCCI considering adding at least one, if not two, IPL teams to the lucrative T20 tournament, which was originally started as an eightteam event in 2008.

It is understood that the top brass of the board comprising BCCI president Sourav Ganguly and secretary Jay Shah had informal discussions on addition of new teams with board members during the IPL final. A formal proposal was meant to be discussed at the IPL Governing Council

meeting, which has not yet taken place.

In the AGM agenda sent to the state associations on Thursday, the BCCI noted: “Approval on inclusion of 2 (two) new teams to the Indian Premier League.”

The impact of 10 teams on the format - If the BCCI members (state associations) approve the addition of two new teams, it will not be the first time the IPL has had 10 franchises in a season. That happened for the first time in 2011, when Pune Warriors and Kochi Tuskers were added to the original roster of eight franchises. The home-andaway format, which would have meant a total of 94 matches, was shelved due to fear of burnout.

Consequently, the IPL split the 10 teams into two loose groups with a total of 70 league matches and four playoff games. Teams, though, were ranked together in one composite league table. During the league phase, every team played the same number of league matches, which was 14. Each

team played the other four in their group both home and away (eight matches), four of the teams in the other group once (four matches, either home or away), and the remaining team in the other group twice, both home and away. A random draw decided the composition of the groups as well as who played whom across the groups once and twice.

The last time more than eight teams played in the IPL was in 2013, when nine teams took part with a total of 76 matches conducted.

Cricket at Olympics 2028? - The ICC has become more optimistic in the last 18 months about cricket featuring in the 2028 summer Olympics, which are scheduled to be held in Los Angeles.

Although the ICC has been pushing for a long time to get cricket at the Olympics, which are usually held in the July-August period every four years, teams like India, England and Australia have been skeptic about participation hurting their

Sourav Ganguly and Jay Shah keep an eye on the proceedings BCCI bilateral calendar.

However, recent events including the BCCI agreeing last year to come under the ambit of the National AntiDoping Agency (NADA) have boosted the ICC’s push.

The BCCI had resisted the move for several years, mainly concerned by the

whereabouts clause listed in the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) rules, which NADA subscribes to.

Recently, the ICC sent a questionnaire to all member countries asking them to quantify the “potential financial benefits” they could accrue from their respective

governments if cricket is included in the Olympics.

The BCCI now wants to seek the state associations’ viewpoints and said it wanted to have a “discussion” during the AGM on the board’s “stand on the inclusion” of cricket at Los Angeles Olympics.

USA Cricket stepping up foreign recruitment to live up to ODI status ESPNcricinfo - ODI status is spurring an ambitious recruitment drive

by USA Cricket that could eventually lead to it fielding active internationals from around the world. That is part of a strategy with its commercial partner ACE (American Cricket Enterprises) to bring in professionals for its Minor and Major Cricket League setup, eventually putting players - potentially the likes of Sami Aslam and Corey Anderson - on a three-year residency path to switch allegiances and represent USA internationally.

Pakistan Test opener Aslam has been the most recent target of such efforts while multiple sources have indicated that New Zealand allrounder Anderson is another, potentially as a marquee player for the Major League T20 franchise based in Dallas.

Anderson has not been picked for New Zealand in more than two years and has spent most of the Covid-19 pandemic in Texas, where his fiancée is based. According to sources, he has been spotted over the northern summer at local cricket matches around Dallas and has not played any part for Auckland in the Plunket Shield nor the Ford Trophy at the start of the 2020-21 New Zealand domestic summer.

Akeem Dodson, Ali Khan and Fahad Babar celebrates after USA’s victory in the WCL Division Four final in 2016. Peter Della Penna The Major Cricket League’s plans have received a shot in the arm recently, with the news that the Knight Riders Group - owners of Kolkata Knight Riders and Trinbago Knight Riders - will invest in it, as well as own a franchise.

“It’s about the long-term sustainability of developing the sport in this country,” USA Cricket CEO Iain Higgins told ESPNcricinfo earlier this year, ahead of the

launch of Minor League and Major League Cricket initiatives.

“It’s a balancing exercise.

In an ideal world, we would have our entire squad made up of people who had been born in the USA, learned their cricket in the USA, had got into the junior pathways, represented USA at age group cricket, graduated, got selected into the minor league team, became a professional in the major league team, and

then eventually get selected to play for the national team.

That’s where we’re trying to head to. It’s a question of how we get there from where we are right now.

“We want to win cricket games. We want to qualify for World T20s, we want to qualify for World Cups. We want to win cricket matches.

By winning cricket matches, we’re able to - we don’t do this very well at the moment but we need to do this better

- we build heroes and role models that are wearing the stars and stripes, and we need to amplify those stories.

Sometimes those will be people who have come through the US and sometimes those will be people that come into the team because they have a passport or have qualified on residency grounds. But we want the USA team to be in the forefront of the international cricketing

community’s minds.”

Sameer Mehta, ACE cofounder, confirmed in a recent press conference that some players had already relocated to the US. But the plan is for any such arrangement to go beyond just appearing in the national side.

“We just want to make sure that cricketers who relocate to the US are doing it for the right reasons,” Mehta said. “In most cases, they’re doing it to help grow the sport in the US, which means coaching in our academies, playing in the local leagues and of course playing international cricket.

I think we’ll be in the unique place where we’ll have international-quality cricketers who will relocate to the US and play in our local leagues and be part of the fabric of the local community.”

Rusty Theron made his USA ODI debut in September 2019 following a three-year residency qualification period, since when a slew of former South Africans have also been targeted. With CSA pushing for tougher transformation targets over the next few years which could limit the number of white South African cricketers in the national side to four, that could be fertile ground.

ESPNcricinfo understands at least four (Continued on page 31)

Friday December 04, 2020

PAGE 35

Kaieteur News

1960 Olympic decathlon champion and former world record-holder Johnson dies WorldAthletics - World Athletics is deeply saddened to hear that 1960 Olympic decathlon champion Rafer Johnson – widely regarded as one of the all-time greats in the combined events – died on Wednesday (2) at the age of 86.

Between his Olympic silver medal in 1956 and his triumph in 1960, Johnson was undefeated in the decathlon.

Having been the USA’s flag bearer at the 1960 Olympics, the first African-American elected to that honour, Johnson went on to light the Olympic cauldron at the 1984 Games in Los Angeles.

In an eventful life, Johnson enjoyed an acting career in Hollywood, cofounded the California Special Olympics in 1969, and was one of three men to tackle Robert F Kennedy’s assassin moments after the fatal shooting in 1968.

Born in Texas in 1934, Johnson and his family moved to California when he was nine years old. The Johnsons were the only black family in the town of Kingsburg and they would spend hours every week picking cotton to earn a meagre living.

Johnson played baseball, basketball and American football to a high standard in his youth, but athletics – and specifically the decathlon – became his main focus at the age of 16 when his then coach, Murl Dodson, drove Johnson to the 1952 US Olympic Trials to watch Bob Mathias compete. According to a 2010 article in Sports Illustrated, Johnson turned to his coach at the end of the competition and said: “I could

File Photo: Rafer Johnson, 1960 Olympic gold medalist shakes hands with Eric Garcetti, Mayor of Los Angeles at the torch lighting ceremony before the game between the Los Angeles Rams and the Washington Redskins at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports have beaten most of those guys.”

Within a few years, Johnson started to live up to his promise. In 1955, aged only 20 and contesting just the fourth decathlon of his career, he won the PanAmerican Games title in Mexico City, beating double Olympic pole vault champion Bob Richards in the process.

A few months later, Johnson returned to his hometown of Kingsburg and broke the world record with a score of 7985, adding 98 points to the mark Mathias had set when he retained his Olympic title in 1952.

Johnson started the 1956 season in outstanding form.

He set PBs of 13.8 in the 110m hurdles and 7.76m in the long jump, marks that would place him in the top six on the world lists for that season. He also won the decathlon at the US

Olympic Trials, beating 1952 Olympic silver medallist Milt Campbell, and placed third in the long jump, earning a place on the Olympic team in that discipline too.

But in the weeks leading up to the Olympic Games in Melbourne, Johnson picked up a knee injury and tore a stomach muscle. It forced him to withdraw from the long jump, but he didn’t want to surrender his place in the decathlon.

Campbell ultimately won by a comfortable 350-point margin with a score of 7937, just 48 points shy of Johnson’s world record.

“I lost to a good man,” said Johnson, who would never lose another decathlon.

He missed the 1957 season through injury but returned to top form in 1958. Soviet rival Vasilly Kuznetsov broke Johnson’s world record at the

Rafer Johnson and Yang Chuan-kwang in the decathlon 1500m at the 1960 Olympic Games (Getty Images) © Copyright

start of the 1958 season, but Johnson reclaimed it on Kuznetsov’s home soil in Moscow at the first USAUSSR dual meet. Johnson’s score of 8302 added almost 300 points to Kuznetsov’s world record. At the end of 1958, Sports Illustrated named Johnson the Sportsman of the Year.

Johnson was sidelined again in 1959, this time with a serious back injury sustained as a result of a car accident.

During that season, Kuznetsov regained the world record with 8357 while Johnson was in a race against time to be fit for the 1960 Olympic Games.

Johnson rehabbed well and returned to action in 1960.

But it soon became clear that Kuznetsov would not be Johnson’s only big threat at the Olympic Games in Rome later that year. Taiwanese decathlete CK Yang, Johnson’s friend and former teammate at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), was in the form of his life and was Johnson’s closest rival at the US Trials that year.

Johnson emerged victorious with a world record of 8683, while Yang finished second with a score of 8426, the second-best mark in history at that time and a performance which made him one of the medal favourites heading into the Olympics.

Yang won the first two decathlon disciplines in Rome but Johnson moved ahead after the shot put, throwing a Games record of 15.82m.

Johnson held a slender 55point lead at the end of the first day, but Yang went ahead again after the 110m hurdles

Rafer Johnson in action at the 1960 Olympic Games (Getty / Hulton) © Copyright on day two. Johnson reclaimed the lead in the discus, but the contest remained extremely close. By the time they lined up for the 1500m, Johnson’s lead was down to 67 points – roughly equivalent to about 10 seconds in decathlon 1500m terms. Yang, however, was a superior 1500m runner and his PB was 15 seconds faster than Johnson’s.

Johnson doggedly stuck to his friend and rival in the final decathlon discipline.

Yang attempted a few surges, but Johnson would not be dropped. He eventually crossed the line just one second behind Yang in a PB of 4:49.7, enough to take gold by 58 points with an Olympic record of 8392.

“Ours was the purest of rivalries,” Johnson wrote in his autobiography, The Best That I Can Be. “We each wanted the other guy to do well, but we wanted even more to win.”

At the conclusion of the competition in Rome, Johnson announced his retirement from competitive athletics.

He turned down opportunities to compete in other sports and instead focused on acting, landing supporting roles in several movies including the Elvis Presley film Wild in the Country and the James Bond film Licence to Kill.

Johnson met Robert F Kennedy at an awards dinner in the early 1960s and the pair soon became good friends.

Johnson became part of Kennedy’s presidential rally in 1968 and travelled around the country alongside NFL player Roosevelt Grier. On 5 June 1958, Johnson and Kennedy were on their way

out of the Ambassador Hotel in LA when a gunman opened fire and shot Kennedy.

Johnson, Grier and journalist George Plimpton tackled the gunman, Sirhan Sirhan, to the ground. Kennedy died in hospital the following day.

In 1969 Johnson cofounded the California Special Olympics and held a competition at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum.

A decade later, Los Angeles Mayor Tom Bradley invited Johnson to join the board of the committee tasked with bringing the 1984 Olympics to the city.

Johnson, aged 49 at the time, was asked to light the Olympic cauldron during the opening ceremony for the 1984 Games in LA. It became one of the most iconic moments of the Games.

Following his stints as flag bearer in 1960 and cauldron lighter in 1984, Johnson was involved in the international Olympic torch relay for the 1996 and 2004 Summer Games as well as the 2002 Winter Games. More recently, he was involved in LA’s successful bid to host the 2028 Olympic Games.

Johnson leaves behind his wife Betsy and children Jennifer and Joshua. Joshua was an accomplished javelin thrower and set a PB of 76.16m in 2003, while Jennifer represented the USA in beach volleyball at the 2000 Olympic Games.

While Johnson was an allround sports fan throughout his life, track and field remained his main passion.

“There was something pure and innocent about the sport,” he said. “You ran, you jumped, you threw things, just as young men had done since the dawn of civilisation.”

PAGE 36

Friday December 04, 2020

Kaieteur News

Ronaldo scores 750th career goal in Juventus win as Frappart makes history BBCsport - Cristiano Ronaldo scored his 750th career goal as Juventus eased to victory against Dynamo Kyiv in a match refereed by Stephanie Frappart, who became the first woman to take charge of a men’s Champions League fixture.

The Portuguese forward scored the second for the Italian champions, already through to the last 16, when he tapped in after Georgi Bushchan’s attempted block rebounded off Juve striker Alvaro Morata.

Ronaldo was a made to wait a few seconds before the VAR team signalled to the French referee the goal would stand. That was the only major contentious issue Frappart had to deal with, although Kyiv might point to an incident in the first half when penalty appeals were waved away after defender Leonardo Bonucci had his arms around forward Benjamin Verbic.

Juve took the lead in the 21st minute when loan signing Federico Chiesa scored his first for the club, with a header from Alex Sandro’s cross. After Ronaldo added a second, Morata made it 3-0 when he slotted home his sixth Champions League goal of the season following good work from Weston McKennie and Chiesa on the right.

Kyiv, who have now taken only a point from five group games, impressed in patches and were twice thwarted by former Arsenal keeper Wojciech Szczesny, who denied winger Viktor Tsygankov with two great reflex saves.

Juventus are at Barcelona in their final Group G match next week, with both sides vying to finish top of the pool.

Cristiano Ronaldo’s 750 career goals: Real Madrid 450, Manchester United 118, Portugal 102, Juventus 75, Sporting Lisbon 5.

Cristiano Ronaldo. Getty Images

Forty-eight NBA players test positive for COVID-19 as league gears up for new season Reuters - Forty-eight NBA players tested positive for COVID-19, the league said on Wednesday, as players returned to their team’s home markets for the start of the 2020-21 season on Dec. 22.

The NBA said it tested 546 players as part of its “initial return-to-market testing phase,” which kicked off between Nov. 24 and Nov. 30. Anyone who tested positive was placed in isolation until cleared under league rules.

The league had few issues keeping its “bubble” environment at Walt Disney World free of the novel coronavirus as it carried out the end of their delayed season earlier this year, but

now faces many of the same challenges other North American leagues have playing in the COVID-19 era.

With the exception of the Toronto Raptors, teams will play in their home markets this season, with individual player workouts starting this week and group workouts

beginning Sunday.

The Raptors, the only Canadian team in the league, will start their season in Tampa, Florida, due to tight international travel restrictions, as COVID-19 cases soar in the United States, where hospitalizations hit a record for a fourth consecutive day on Tuesday.

The NFL, which is currently playing, and MLB, which wrapped its truncated, delayed season with the World Series in October, both grappled with numerous game postponements and COVID-19 positives, as players traveled from city to city to compete in a sports landscape thoroughly upended by the pandemic.

Stephanie Frappart became the first woman to referee a men’s Champions League game. AFP

Paralympics: Athletes offered grants worth $2 million to offset COVID-19 Tokyo (Reuters) - The International Paralympic Committee (IPC) announced on Thursday an unprecedented grant package worth 1.8 million euros ($2.2 million) to compensate losses from the coronavirus.

With the Tokyo 2020 Games postponed until next year because of the pandemic, the IPC’s more than 200 federations, along with

National Olympic Committees, have suffered huge losses. The grants will be awarded from January 2021 to assist with athlete license fees, para sport development, education and preparations for the Tokyo Paralympics, due to begin in August.

“This is the IPC’s biggest ever one-off investment into its members at a time when they need it the most,” IPC

President Andrew Parsons said in a statement.

The Games are the biggest source of cash for IPC federations. It expects total revenue this year to be around 20 million euros, down more than 7.5 million euros from 2018 when the last Paralympics took place. IPC members can apply for the grants from Thursday (yesterday).

Refunds sought for 18% of tickets sold they will be resold has in Japan, organisers say when not yet been decided,” the Tokyo (Reuters) Refund requests have been made for around 18% of the tickets sold in Japan for the Tokyo Olympics, the organising committee said on Thursday (yesterday).

Ticket holders in Japan were given the chance to ask for refunds because of the oneyear postponement to the Games caused by the novel coronavirus pandemic.

Organisers said in a press release that refunds for roughly 810,000 tickets had been requested, out of a total of 4.45 million initially sold during the domestic lottery.

Ticket holders were able to make refund applications in November, and the refunds will start being made later this month.

“While we plan to resell the refunded tickets, how and

organisers said.

Tickets that have already been purchased for the Tokyo Olympics, now scheduled to be held next year, will remain valid for rescheduled events.

Organisers have yet to say whether spectators will be allowed into venues during the Games and have said a decision will be made on this “in the spring”.

FILE PHOTO: Thomas Bach, International Olympic Committee (IOC) President visits the National Stadium, the main venue for the 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games, in Tokyo, Japan November 17, 2020. Behrouz Mehri/Pool via REUTERS

Friday December 04, 2020

PAGE 37

Kaieteur News

Arsenal beat Rapid Vienna in front of 2000 fans

Arsenal were allowed a limited number of fans at the game.

BBCsport - Arsenal gave their supporters the perfect welcome back to Emirates Stadium as Rapid Vienna were outclassed in the Europa League.

It had been 271 days since Arsenal fans had last been at their home, for the victory against West Ham United on 7 March - and how the 2,000 allowed in relished watching the Gunners confirm their dominance of Group B. Alexandre Lacazette gave those gathered at a social distance inside the cavernous stadium an early reward with a spectacular 25-yard drive

after 10 minutes that swerved high beyond the reach of Rapid keeper Richard Strebinger.

Pablo Mari then glanced Reiss Nelson’s corner in off a post before Eddie Nketiah completed the first-half scoring a minute before the interval, heading in after his first effort had been saved by the besieged Strebinger.

Rapid, hopelessly inferior, scrambled a goal back through Kohya Kitigawa early in the second half but Arsenal were never in any danger and substitute Emile Smith-Rowe scored a simple

fourth from Ainsley MaitlandNiles’ pass.

Arsenal’s team bore little resemblance to the side that is likely to play at Spurs in the north London derby on Sunday and the Austrians provided passive opposition.

It was still, however, a convincing victory and one Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta desperately needed after a poor start to the Premier League season, including three home defeats, that sees the Gunners languishing in 14th place.

And what a tonic it was for Arteta and his players to

Alexandre Lacazette’s opener ended his eight-game goal drought for the Gunners. hear supporters back inside Emirates Stadium in good voice and spirits as they enjoyed some slick attacking football.

They swiftly and noisily dusted down their anti-Spurs repertoire of songs to provide a backing track to the action, while the famous “1-0 to the Arsenal” chant echoed around Emirates Stadium moments after they went ahead.

There may have been only 2,000 supporters inside the 60,000-capacity stadium but the Arsenal fans still generated great volume and

atmosphere des p i t e t h e reduced numbers - with even the return of club mascot “Gunnersaurus” being given a rapturous reception.

Arsenal’s players applauded their fans before kick-off and there was a flamboyant sliding celebration in front of the elated supporters by Lacazette after scoring that thrilling opener.

Arteta needed a win of any sort to stem some of the criticism that has been coming his way, especially after very poor performances

in home losses to Aston Villa and Wolves, and this was impressive enough as his shadow squad took the opportunity to make a good impression.

The acid test will come at Spurs on Sunday, when Arsenal’s main players such as Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang will be in from the start against the current Premier League leaders. But Arteta’s side required confidence and a win wherever they could take it, and this will have done very nicely after their recent struggles.

Rodchenkov’s expose on Los Angeles Lakers: Anthony Davis signs contract extension and LeBron James set for new deal Russian doping scandal BBCsport - Anthony has agreed a new fivewins sports book award Davis year deal with the Los Reuters - Grigory Rodchenkov, the former head of Russia’s national anti-doping laboratory, w o n t h e Wi l l i a m H i l l Sports Book of the Year award on Thursday for his tell-all account of the c o u n t r y ’s statesponsored doping scandal.

“The Rodchenkov Affair: How I Brought Down Putin’s Secret Doping Empire” outlines his account of how he helped Russian athletes who cheated by doping escape detection.

Rodchenkov later became a whistleblower and was featured in a 2017 Academy Award-winning documentary ‘Icarus’, providing testimony which ultimately led to the disqualification of Russian athletes and the country being banned from the Olympics.

“The Rodchenkov Affair was praised for its searing honesty and bravery,” Alyson Rudd, the chair of

the judging panel said in a statement. “He is a whistleblower like few others, and he remains a ‘ghost’ living in America, separated from his family, the price he pays for wanting ‘to be on the side of truth’.”

Last month the U.S. Senate passed the Rodchenkov Anti-Doping Act which gives U.S. justice officials the ability to pursue criminal penalties against anyone involved in doping at international events involving American athletes, sponsors or broadcasters.

Rodchenkov beat four other shortlisted authors to the prize and will receive 30,000 pounds ($40,233). The other shortlisted books were: * Born Fighter Ruqsana Begum, Sarah Shephard * The World Beneath Their Feet - Scott Ellsworth, * The Unforgiven - Ashley Gray, * The Breath of Sadness - Ian Ridley.

Angeles Lakers, while LeBron James is set to sign a two-year extension. Davis’ agent told ESPN the 27-year-old has formally agreed to the deal, which is worth a reported $190m (£141m).

He added that Davis has the option to terminate it prior to the fifth year. James, 35, is set to sign a deal worth a reported $85m (£63m), which will run until the end of the 2022-23 season - his 20th in the NBA. James will become a free agent in the same year in which his 16-year-old son Bronny is slated to enter the NBA when he graduates from high school.

His career earnings will approach $435m (£324m) by the end of his Lakers deal.

James and Davis helped the Lakers to their first NBA title in a decade in October. James was named the finals’ most valuable player and became the first player to win the title with three different teams, having twice won it with

Anthony Davis and LeBron James.

Miami Heat and once with the Cleveland Cavaliers.

The Lakers will play the Los Angeles Clippers in

their opening game of the new NBA season on 22 December. James says the Lakers “absolutely can”

retain their title, telling the ‘Road Trippin’’ podcast: “We can. I mean, it’s that simple.”

PAGE 38

Friday December 04, 2020

Kaieteur News

Kane Williamson, Tom Latham put New Zealand in control ESPNcricinfo - Kane Williamson made smooth progress and Tom Latham was assured, as New Zealand ended a dominant first day on 243 for 2, having been put in to bat by Jason Holder on a pitch whose colour was indistinguishable from the outfield.

The bowlers, particularly seamers, were expected to dominate. But the fans who came to the Seddon Park in Hamilton got to see a masterclass from their national captain. It’s a good thing New Zealand have managed their Covid-19 situation well enough to have mask-free attendances at the stadiums - properly appreciating a Williamson masterclass needs a free range of facial expressions.

On losing the toss, Williamson said he would have bowled first. He then proceeded to show how Jason Holder’s decision to bowl could be made irrelevant. Williamson was within touching distance of a 22nd Test match century, having batted from the time he came in the middle as if he had been on a

steady red-ball diet for months, instead of taking part in the most intense T20 competition in the world.

He was batting on a serene 97 at stumps, having come in as early as the fifth over. That was the only period of play when West Indies were at parity with New Zealand. Debutant Will Young had been trapped in front

by Shannon Gabriel a ball after being reprieved with a dropped catch behind the stumps courtesy Shane Dowrich, and New Zealand were 14 for 1 in four overs.

Thereafter, Latham and Williamson put on 154 runs for the second wicket to grind West Indies down. When Latham fell, bowled by a peach from Kemar Roach, Ross Taylor joined Williamson and the runs kept coming.

The unbroken third-wicket stand was already worth 75, and West Indies were reduced to bowling Kraigg Brathwaite in the last over of the day to just finish the day’s play quickly. Early rains meant the first session was washed out, with the remaining two sessions elongated, but

although 85 overs had been budgeted for, a pace-heavy West Indies bowled only 77 despite another extra half hour being tacked on at the end of the day.

Latham and Williamson ensured most of those overs went New Zealand’s way, although a somewhat tardy West Indies bowling attack made their jobs easier. They had to negotiate potentially tough conditions, against an attack that should have fancied itself to make the most of getting first use a lush green pitch.

But, a combination of poor lines by the West Indies bowlers and exemplary control by Williamson and Latham, meant West Indies’ advantage on winning the toss was negated entirely.

Latham was compact, content to leave deliveries all day long if needed but pouncing on any errors in length. Williamson was a bit more adventurous in terms of getting bat on ball, but every bit as controlled in his shot-making.

Williamson leaned into his drives with trademark elegance, and on the rare occasions when

Tom Latham and Kane Williamson chat in the middle Getty Images a delivery spit at him or did something unexpected, his hands and wristwork were nimble enough to negotiate the ball.

Latham had a stroke of luck when he flashed at a short and wide one to the keeper, off Holder in the penultimate over of the first session. There was an audible noise as the ball went past bat, but only Darren Bravo at first slip half-appealed and the rest of the

West Indies fielders, including the bowler and captain, were silent.

Replays showed a spike on Ultraedge as the ball passed the bat, but Latham went on to double his then score of 43, eventually out for 86 when Roach got a full ball that was angled into him to straighten and cannon into the stumps via an inside edge.

At the start, West Indies’ seamers couldn’t find the right length, and allowed Latham and Williamson to gauge the pitch better with several balls they didn’t have to get their bats near to. Holder’s natural back of length was such that balls from there would carry over the stumps. Roach mixed some testing deliveries with a whole bunch that were too far outside off to threaten the stumps, while Gabriel offered scoring opportunities in between his on-target deliveries.

After the first session, the bowlers attacked the stumps a lot more, but by then, New Zealand’s second-wicket pair were well set. The only moment of cheer for the rest of the day arrived via Latham’s wicket. And it was not so much cheer as solemnity, with Roach recently bereaved due to the death of his father - sinking on one knee and staring at the pitch when he broke through Latham’s defences.

New Zealand 243 for 2 (Latham 86, Williamson 97*) vs West Indies.

Shepherd hits maiden ton in superb ‘A Team’ fightback

Raymon Reifer ©Getty Images Windiescricket Romario Shepherd hit a superb century which was the highlight as West Indies “A” made a magnificent comeback against New Zealand “A” on the first day of their four-day first-class match.

The power all-rounder came in at Number 9 with the visitors tottering on 112—7 and scored 133 to pull the innings around at the Bay Oval, in Mount Maunganui.

He added 199 for the eighth wicket with Raymon Reifer, who made 65.

Shepherd was watchful and patient at the start of his innings before he gained confidence and went into attack mode. He was last batsman to be dismissed. He faced 154 balls and struck 14 fours and seven sixes - a whopping 98 runs in boundaries.

The experienced Reifer

also played well and struck six fours off 162 balls in a fourhour stay at the crease. West Indies A closed their innings at 322. Earlier, left-hander Nicholas Pooran played some attractive strokes in 46 with seven fours off 74 balls but he was among a clatter of wickets in the first session, before Shepherd and Reifer led a great recovery. New Zealand A in reply ended on 10-0 trailing by 312.

Kaieteur News

Friday December 04, 2020

PAGE 39

‘Lady Jag’ Natalie Nedd progressing with grace at Graceland University “I know I can’t be selfish with this opportunity and waste it, I must be productive and give it my best for everyone else.”

By Franklin Wilson Senior Goalkeeper of the ‘Lady Jags’, Guyana’s flagship female team Natalie Nedd who became the first Guyanese female footballer to be signed to a scholarship at a University in the USA has been advancing with grace ever since starting the scholarship in 2018.

The combined efforts of the International Support Group (ISG) and the Guyana Football Federation (GFF) brought to fruition a historical beginning which will sure see other players being able to benefit, similarly.

Nedd was recruited by the University as part of a programme established by the ISG and GFF to identify and promote national team players for scholarship opportunities in the USA and Canada.

Kaieteur Sport recently reached out to Nedd to find out how she was progressing and to get her thoughts on how she feels about being the trailblazer in this regard.

KS: Can you tell me about yourself? Where you were born, schools attended, name of mother and father and other sibling (s)?

Natalie: I was born in Georgetown Guyana; I lived there for about eight (8) years. I then migrated to

Trinidad in Tabago where I lived in Tabago for about ten (10) years. I attended the Scarborough SDA Primary School and Mason Hall Secondary School in Tabago.

I moved back to Guyana for about two (2) years and did my SAT exams at the New Guyana School before leaving for College. My mother’s name is Hasmin Nedd, my father’s name is Carl Nedd and my brother’s name is Michael Nedd.

KS: You have been the first female footballer to be awarded a scholarship (4year) at Graceland University, Iowa, USA to pursue studies, how has it been going for you since?

Natalie: At first it didn’t seem real at the time, it was a dream come true for me. It has been going really well over here for the past three years since I got to Graceland. My first year was amazing I got to play a lot of games; I got involved with different student organisations within the school and I also have made a lot of friends during this time.

My second year was bittersweet, after being injured, I was broken mentally but my friends helped me through this process. I decided to focus more on my studies. For the whole year I was able to have

a 4.0 GPA. Also, being a Scholar Athlete for that year.

Now that I am in my junior year at GU, I am working my way back to being the goalkeeper I know I can be as well as trying to maintain a second year of a 4.0 GPA. KS: How significant to your mind, was the partnership between the GFF and ISG in making your opportunity a reality?

Natalie: This opportunity wouldn’t have happened if it were not for the GFF and ISG; they played an important part in making this come to pass.

Especially with the help of Coach Paul Beresford going out of his way in getting me at Graceland University. The GFF, I consider part of my family, before I left, I worked with the GFF and I got to know a lot of the staff.

KS: Can you say which area of studies you are pursuing?

Natalie: The area of studies that I am pursuing is Sports Management and Social Philosophy with a Minor in Philosophy and Religion.

5. How challenging has it been for you?

Natalie: It hasn’t been very challenging for me since I got to Graceland. It has its moments; some moments are more challenging than others. For instance my second year

Flashback: Sealed with a smile! Natalie Nedd signs on the dotted line in 2018 in the presence of Graceland University Assistant Coach, Chelsea Phillips; International Team Coordinator, Paul Beresford and Graceland University Head Coach, Ozzie White.

Flashback: Natalie Nedd with Head Coach of Louisiana Tech University Kevin Sherry (right) and Assistant Coach of the Lady Jaguars, Paul Beresford. when I got injured was more challenging than my first year.

KS: What’s a normal day is like for you?

Natalie: A normal day; I would wake up at 7:00 am and get some homework done. I have classes at 10am, 12pm, and 2pm. I hang out with my friends a little during my breaks or watch some television. I have training at 4pm to 6pm.

After, I find some time to relax and hangout with my roommate and also get some more schoolwork done.

KS: How active have you been in terms of playing the game?

Natalie: This season, coming back from injury, I have not been playing a lot. I am still trying to get back to playing form. I have been playing a lot of the Junior Varsity Games. This has helped me a lot since I got back from injury getting back into game situations.

KS: How are you able to balance playing and managing your studies?

Natalie: I believe that balancing playing and managing your studies is all about how I manage my time. I have been able to manage school and football this year; however, if I can’t and I am struggling, my Professors have been understanding and flexible when it comes to schoolwork.

KS: How important is this opportunity to you and laying the foundation for

others to follow?

Natalie: This is an incredible opportunity I believe that I need to set a good example for the rest of the young girls to follow when they are given an opportunity. I know I can’t be selfish with this opportunity and waste it, I must be productive and give it my best for everyone else.

KS: How challenging has it been with the Covid19 pandemic being so devastating?

Natalie: It has been difficult over the past few months; at first it was a mental strain trying to stay in shape for games. However, COVID-19 has shown me how strong I can be.

KS: What is the support like for you from your family, GFF and ISG? Natalie: The support from my family has been strong. My mother and brother have always supported me in my decisions and they continue to. For the GFF and ISG, they have been one of my biggest support system since the beginning.

KS: In terms of continuing to represent your country, how eager are you?

Natalie: I am very eager to play for the Guyana Women’s National Team again. Without being a part of the national team I don’t believe that I would be at College right now.

KS: Female football in Guyana will see some major

investments being undertaken by the GFF in terms of more female friendly facilities, your thoughts on this?

Natalie: This is major news for female football in Guyana. I remember this has been an issue since I had returned home. I believe by undertaking to establish better facilities for female football will increase the chances of having more females joining the sport.

KS: As a role model to other players especially females, what would be your advice to the youngsters in terms of staying focused and believing they too, can achieve?

Natalie: I would say if you have a dream to pursue your studies and play football at a College level or something else you should continue working hard and trying to get better every single day.

Most importantly, never give up on your dreams. I’m happy to be a role model for the young female football players; however, I believe that they have a lot of role models in front of them right now that they can look up to especially from the GFF and other female football players in the country who have also pursued their dreams at a College level.

I will tell them that they need to remember that no one else can make this happen but they need to stay focused and one day, the opportunity will come.

Kaieteur News

PAGE 40

Friday December 04, 2020

KSM Investment, V-Net, GNNL, Bissan Trading and 4R Bearings on board

RHTY&SC Secretary/CEO Hilbert Foster receives cheque from Vickram Sukhai of KSM Investment.

RHTYSC Cricket Teams Christmas Programme

T

he efforts of the Rose Hall Town Youth and Sports Club (RHTY&SC) cricket teams on Tuesday last received a major boost when s e v e r a l o f t h e c l u b ’s longstanding friends came on board with contributions for the annual Christmas Programme.

The ten cricket teams, namely, Rose Hall Town Farfan and Mendes Under15, Poonai Pharmacy Under12 and 13, Bakewell Under17 and Second Division, Pepsi Under-19 and Intermediate, NAMILCO Thunderbolt Under-21 and

First Division would be hosting a series of charity projects under their annual Christmas Outreach Programme.

Club Secretary/CEO Hilbert Foster and Vice President Mark Papannah received the donations which included toys and financial contributions.

Honorary RHTY&SC m e m b e r S a f r a z Sheriffudeen, Chief Executive Officer of V-Net Communications handed over a large quantity of toys which would be distributed to children of single parent households.

Bissan Trading’s Ryan Singh hands over donation to Hilbert Foster.

Long time club sponsor Mr. Mahadeo Panchu of KSM Investment Inc. along with the Guyana National Newspaper Ltd., Bissoondyal Singh of Bissan’s Trading and Ricky Deonarine of 4R Bearings also made financial donations to the programme.

Foster, who is also the President of the Berbice Cricket Board expressed gratitude to the donors for their assistance and

reassured them that all the planned activities would be well organised.

The 2020 Christmas Programme would officially commence next Monday, December 7th with the distribution of hampers to less fortunate families.

A total of one thousand food hampers valued at $4000 each would be shared out across Berbice to less fortunate families which were identified by a Special

Committee of the club after visiting several communities.

The teams would also distribute out five thousand Christmas toys to children drawn from less fortunate and single parent households. The club would donate the toys to religious places of worship across the county and they would share them out to children in their areas.

Among the other projects

planned are donations to Orphanages, distribution of special Christmas packages to senior citizens and Christmas breakfast to five hundred senior citizens in the Lower Corentyne area.

Distribution of educational material, clothing and footwear would also be done in what Foster described as the largest Christmas programme ever organised by the club since it was started in 1990.

Friday December 04, 2020

Kaieteur News

PAGE 41

Cricket West Indies wins CMJ Spirit of Cricket award BBCsport - Cricket West Indies has won the 2020 Christopher MartinJenkins Spirit of Cricket Award for sending their men’s and women’s teams to tour England. The men’s side arrived in June for a threeTest series when coronavirus infection rates in England were high.

The women played a Tw e n t y 2 0 s e r i e s i n September at short notice after India and South Africa were unable to tour because of the pandemic. “We are delighted,” said Cricket West Indies chief executive Johnny Grave.

“I’d like to thank MCC and the BBC for recognising the efforts that our teams made in helping to ensure that international cricket came back safely during the pandemic.” All matches this summer were played in a bio-secure environment,

with players staying in hotels on site and no fans allowed in the grounds.

MCC president and former Sri Lanka captain Kumar Sangakkara said West Indies’ actions “truly embodied the spirit of cricket”. The MCC and BBC, who created the award in 2013 in memory of former BBC Test Match Special commentator and MCC president Martin-Jenkins, also praised the Pakistan Cricket Board, Cricket Ireland and Cricket Australia for allowing teams to tour.

They also said the England and Wales Cricket Board made a “herculean effort to host international cricket in this extraordinary year”. Last year’s winners were the New Zealand men’s team, who were recognised for their conduct after losing the World Cup final to England.

West Indies men lost the three-Test series 2-1, while the women lost 5-0 in a Twenty20 series.

‘Lady Jag’ Natalie Nedd progressing with grace at Graceland University “I know I can’t be selfish with this opportunity and waste it, I must be productive and give it my best for everyone else.”

t r o Sp Shepherd hits maiden ton in superb “A Team’ fightback

Natalie Nedd in playing mode

Romario Shepherd celebrates his maiden ton. Photosport New Zealand

Whitney Brock of V-Net Communications hands over toys to RHTY&SC Vice President Mark Papannah.

Kane Williamson, Tom Latham put New Zealand in control

Shannon Gabriel is congratulated by teammates for taking the first wicket.

KSM Investment, V-Net, GNNL, Bissan Trading and 4R Bearings on board - RHTYSC Cricket Teams Christmas Programme

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