Kaieteur News

AIETEUR Billions of tax dollars spent… Friday Edition NEWS PPP/C, APNU+AFC teamed up to hide expense report for 2020 elections- Ram Kaieteur, Canje Oil Blocks Giveaway…

K

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

December 11, 2020 -Vol. 22 No.48

Online: www.kaieteurnews.com Price $80

Online readership yesterday, 102,565

Robert Persaud’s return fosters culture Foreign Secretary, Robert Persaud

of suspicion- Ram

New GPHC board to Sussex Street drug address bond, SLED Programme, surgeries Leguan Stelling targeted backlog Minister Walrond was US Chain snatcher 2019 Auditor General’s Report handed over to House Speaker…

captured, tied like Citizen at the time of swearing in Court iguana to utility pole - AG says error was corrected -hears Contractors failing to Haitians opted to pay NIS should not be leave holding- Govt. awarded govt. contracts centre for hotel

EU releases almost US$95M to Guyana as budget support

Name and Shame all oil companies, Brother Joe! The Minister of Labour, Joseph Hamilton, has threatened to name and shame errant security companies for non-payment of NIS and tax obligations.

We agree that defaulters should put themselves in order and we understand that the Minister is trying to protect security workers.

But the Minister ought to know that there is bigger fish to fry and more important tax anomalies to which his government should be concerned about.

If the Minister is into naming and shaming, we encourage him to name and shame ExxonMobil and others for not giving us what is due to us, for paying nothing in taxes and for saddling the country with billions of US dollars in field development, audit and legal costs.

We urge the Minister to call a spade a spade, regardless of whose spade it is.

And if to demonstrate how serious and even-handed he is, Minister Hamilton should name and shame his political colleagues for their slackness and gutlessness with the nation’s oil.

These, and some of those on the side of the political divide, are the big oil fishes that should be named and shamed.

Go for it, Brother Joe!

World’s top oil trader paid bribes for years to govts.

Renegotiation of oil contracts/deals can happen! Hear about it on the Glenn Lall Show ...11:00am today on 99.1/99.5FM Kaieteur Radio (Rebroadcast)

Kaieteur News

PAGE 02

Friday December 11, 2020

EU releases almost US$95M to Guyana as budget support

President Irfaan Ali and EU Ambassador Fernando Ponz Canto and others during the announcement yesterday.

T

he second tranche of funds from the European Union (EU) Budgetary Support Programme to the tune of $19.8 billion (in excess of US$90M), was officially released yesterday to

Guyana.

In a statement, the EU explained that budget support is a proof of trust and of a true partnership as the funds are channeled through the national treasury and implemented by the

government under agreed indicators.

“This should provide a major contribution to the inclusive and sustainable development of the Country, and substantial fiscal space for the Country finances, in

the context of an unprecedented COVID-19 crisis,” the EU said.

This latest disbursement brings the total released to Guyana at $51.6 billion. The last tranche of funds, around some $20 billion, is expected to be released shortly as the programme comes to an end.

During the simple ceremony to announce the release of the fund, the EU Ambassador, Fernando Ponz Canto, stated that budget

support offers a valuable platform for dialogue with the government, national oversight bodies and civil society on policies and their financing, objectives and results, consistent with the principles of ownership, transparency and accountability.

“The EU direct contribution to the state budget of Guyana provides the legitimacy and the opportunity to enter into this

dialogue, allowing a comprehensive view on a Guyana´s development and reform strategy and ways to achieve it,” he said.

Ambassador Canto also noted that Guyana had “two crises for the price of one” and with the added support, can move to further improving the country in terms of governance, reforms, and fight against corruption among other (Continued on page 22)

"Guyanese: stop leaders from deceiving.

Pressure them for disclosures on all deals."

Friday December 11, 2020

Kaieteur News

PAGE 03

Kaieteur, Canje Oil Blocks Giveaway…

Robert Persaud’s return fosters culture of suspicion- Ram E

ven though the local media corps along with global transparency bodies have made relentless calls for an international probe to ascertain the truth about the giveaway of the Kaieteur and Canje Blocks to industry unknowns, the People’s Progressive Party /Civic (PPP/C remains unmoved.

Along with its slothfulness to take action in this regard, it even appointed Robert Persaud as Foreign Secretary, in spite of concerns about the role he played in the suspicious award of the nation’s prime assets.

During a recent interview on Kaieteur R a d i o ’s p r o g r a m m e , ‘Guyana’s Oil and You’, Chartered Accountant and attorney-at-law, Christopher Ram posited that such a move by the PPP/C only serves to foster a culture of corruption or suspicion.

His comment was in response to a question on whether he was surprised that the government retained Persaud in light of the troubling circumstances surrounding the award which Guyanese still have no clarity on.

Ram said: “…Having witnessed politics for a number of decades, nothing surprises me about Guyanese politicians anymore.

Whether it be the politicians themselves or who appoints them. After all, Persaud did not appoint himself as Foreign Secretary, a post that was alien to Guyana, but yet there he is.”

The Chartered Accountant added: “And no

doubt, he may still have his petroleum consultancy, we don’t know and that is the kind of declaration of interest (that is needed)…

In my view, these things foster a culture if not corruption, a culture of suspicion.

And it makes the average person wonder, “well what am I doing this for? Standing up for”… because you change the government but nothing changes.”

Over the last three years, this newspaper would have reported that the Canje block was awarded by the Donald Ramotar administration on March 4, 2015, days before the elections to local company, Mid-Atlantic Oil & Gas. As for the Kaieteur block, it was awarded April 28, 2015 to Ratio Energy Limited (now Cataleya Energy Limited) and Ratio Guyana Limited – just two weeks before the elections – and like Canje – on the advice of former Minister of Natural Resources, Robert Persaud.

In a series titled ‘The Fleecing of Guyana’, Kaieteur News exposed some of the red flags in the Canje and Kaieteur oil blocks agreements.

The red flags which have manifested in both situations include, that the awards were given to unqualified companies, that the initial owners quickly flipped the blocks without doing any work, that they are incorporated in secrecy jurisdictions, and that Guyana likely lost revenue due to the avoidance of an open, competitive bidding process.

Foreign Secretary, Robert Persaud During the awards of the Kaieteur and Canje Blocks, this newspaper would have reported as well, on the role Persaud said he played as former Minister of Natural Resources and the Environment.

Persaud had described himself to this news agency as being a mere bridge between former President, Donald Ramotar (who was also the Minister of Energy) and the Guyana Geology and Mines Commission (GGMC). Persaud noted that the applications for those blocks were made between the 2012 to 2013 period while noting that a series of discussions were entered into as required under law with GGMC. The former Minister said that those discussions, based on information and records, show that they lasted for about a year.

Chartered Accountant and Attorney-a-Law, Christopher Ram

Persaud also emphasized that the Minister of Petroleum was always the President and it was only based on GGMC’s recommendations that he provided advice.

GLOBAL WITNESS In an explosive report called ‘Signed Away’, international transparency body, Global Witness, had taken a comprehensive look into all those connected to

the oil blocks give away.

With respect to Persaud, Global Witness said it had interviewed Persaud in July and August 2019 and had asked him about the Kaieteur and Canje licences.

The former-minister had said the awards were made based upon “briefing reports” prepared by GGMC lawyers.

Asked who owned the winning companies, Persaud

had stated that he “did not know who the beneficial owners are” and that it was not necessary for him, as a minister, to know.

He did, however, say he knew some of the people who had signed documents for the companies, such as Kamal Dookie, one of the owners of the Canje Block.

Furthermore, Persaud had said to Global Witness that he could not provide the reports upon which he relied when awarding Kaieteur and Canje.

Now out of government, the official had stated too that he did not have access to them.

The Foreign Secretary also said he could not remember the names of the persons in the GGMC who had prepared the documents.

Global Witness was keen to note, however, that it has no evidence suggesting th at P er s au d r eceiv ed anything of value in exchange for his awarding of the Kaieteur and Canje licences, or is guilty of other wrongdoing.

Be that as it may, Global Witness still recommended that Guyana conducts further investigations on these awards.

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Kaieteur News

Friday December 11, 2020

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

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

EDITORIAL

One Country’s COVID-19 Success One country has come in for special mention on how it has addressed the COVID-19 pandemic crisis. This country stands as a model for others, especially a poor place like Guyana, which struggles to manage this viral emergency.

Though late to make the rounds, the world can learn; we must learn quickly.

According to a MarketWatch article dated November 23, titled ‘WHO head has singled out one developing country for its success in managing the Coronavirus pandemic.”

That country is Thailand, over in mysterious Asia, as identified by no less a global voice than the WHO’s Director General, Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.

Among the surprised reactions would be; how could that be? Surely, that is an exaggeration! For Thailand is famed, or notorious, for its congested capital Bangkok, which is one of the bigger ones around, where a no-holds barred culture prevails.

Additionally, Thailand with a population of 70 million citizens, is a teeming, well-visited locale for a variety of reasons, some of the flesh, and quite a bit associated with that kind of intimate business. It is also a still developing country, with ways to go to be nearer to the top tier.

This is what the WHO had to say to a world that is hopefully paying attention, “Thailand is an excellent example that, with a whole-of-government, whole-of-society comprehensive approach, this virus can be contained - even without a vaccine.”

That is some mouthful, which Director General Ghebreyesus affirms with numbers that “speak for themselves.” We explore them through some excerpts from the MarketWatch article referenced above.

“Thailand was the first country outside China to report a case of COVID-19, but to date it has counted fewer than 4,000 cases and just 60 fatalities.” This is so, and we repeat for emphasis, “despite having a population of 70 million and one of the world’s biggest and most tightly packed cities in Bangkok.”

Guyana has a population of one seventieth of Thailand’s, and definitely way less visitors than this fastliving crossroads in the famed Golden Triangle of Asia. Yet we have more confirmed cases and deaths than Thailand.

How come this is so, these astonishingly low numbers, given Thailand’s realities? What is Thailand doing that differs from what, it would appear, most of the rest of the world is doing?

This is from WHO head Tedros Ghebreyesus, “This is not an accident,” said Ghebreyesus.

It’s because, in his view, Thailand made a commitment 40 years ago to invest in its healthcare infrastructure, and has built up a network of more than a million village health volunteers, to act as the eyes and ears of the health system in their communities. Community outlook and intelligence for national healthcare, which now proves its weight in gold, in a time of a global pandemic and panic.

In addition, Thailand has learned valuable lessons from the top of the millennium - SARS outbreak in 2003, which have been put into practice. Further still, the actions of Thai officials are not based on lessons from the past only.

This country has manifested the zeal to familiarize itself and apply “the lessons of the present by working with the WHO country office…to understand how it can further strengthen its public health defences.”

When we look at our own Guyana, it is a mixed bag, as all of these elements are considered. On the positive side, our officials are receptive and cooperative in following the guidance offered by the knowledgeable representative bodies’ resident locally, with PAHO and CARICOM health groups listened to and partnered with, to a commendable degree. When examined from the minus side, however, there is both the good and cause for alarm.

There is our regional network of health professionals that interacts with communities in their line of oversight.

This is helpful, but needs more robustness relative to

Are these problems befitting of Presidential intervention?

DEAR EDITOR, As I sit here and read the news of the President visiting various Regions and getting things done, I am having some serious doubts as to how effective this exercise will be.

The reason for this, Editor, is because while it is commendable that the President of a country is travelling less and attending to the needs of the people in Guyana, the things that he is tackling is basically mundane compared to the problems of the everyday life of Guyanese.

So what are these problems you may ask Editor? For starters, I’ve seen him sorting out a pensioner who was unable to receive his pension for two months. Tell me, is this commendable? Is this a problem befitting of Presidential intervention? I

think not! Why is it that NIS couldn’t have this man’s problems sorted out?

Why is it that NIS is so slow that it takes months to sort out people’s problems relating to pension and benefit? Further, why is benefits from NIS still so meagre? $10,000 for a full spectacle is far too low.

Next up is the frustratingly long amount of time that it takes for payments to be processed by RDCs. And the amount of checks and balances that seems over the top, and contributes to the ever rising need for more staff, thereby increasing the amount of people who are employed using tax dollars, most of whom are rude and unhelpful and downright unprofessional.

The sad part is that, while it is easy to bash these public

servants, we have to admit that the laws and procedure governing them play a significant part of their effectiveness.

Another major grievance of the people is that the Ministry of Housing is much too slow to execute the development of lots to meet the demands of Guyanese.

There must be a more realistic approach to sorting this out, but yet again, many people have faced the issue where their documents have been lost, the same as NIS. Our records system as a whole in the public sector needs to be modernized.

Editor, with all these problems that we face, is it not a farce that we are being robbed blind of our natural resources? Is it so shocking?

We lack the abilities to sort out the small problems and we

got oil? That’s a recipe for disaster. I really want to know if the leaders of Guyana, both Government and Opposition for the past 50 years don’t feel any shame?

All the current and past Parliamentarians? The clear answer is no! They are only concerned about gaining power so that their friends and family benefit! They are only concerned about giving handouts to keep people hooked on the system of dependence, so that their motives to half of the population seem pure! We are told by scammers that we are oppressed and they provide a way to make money, but the politician is no different!

Remember that the next time a politician promises you anything!

Regards, Amir Khan

Those state boards’ appointments DEAR EDITOR, As the news releases about appointments to State Boards have come out in the past several months, I recognize the presence of some good Guyanese people: clean, conscientious, and coherent in objectives and approaches to doing things right. That’s the good news, and I laud the PPP government for those clearheaded selections in a society where the cupboard is almost bare. On the other hand, there are those who reflect something completely different, and what the PPP cannot shake, and what perpetuates wrongs in Guyana.

On all these boards, almost without fail, there are those presences that taint the collection of solid sober minds, clean ones. I say this because some of these characters have lengthy associations with the unscrupulous. This is from their personal record, business dealings, and the litany of malfeasances that they encompass. Their very presence on state boards, on any board, sully the good work that could be possible.

These corrupt ones always have an ulterior motive (many such), a side deal going on (several simultaneously), and those they carry along wherever they go (nearly everyplace). They can’t help

themselves, since acquisition by any means is confirmed addiction; a place must be found to house them to satisfy their lusts, loyalties.

Now, I am appreciative of the PPP’s need to spread the wealth by remembering those faithful in different ways, and the need to reward them. But this is not President Ali’s patrimony to dispense with as he pleases; or that of sidekick(s) who know only of the scurrilous. When His Excellency, Dr. Irfaan Ali, make these selections, he is playing with the people’s prospects, toying with their hopes, compromising his own legitimacy. Because those involve much money and prime properties (of all descriptions), this is serious business calling for serious and strong people, some of whom I commend the president for naming.

Regrettably, I am unable and unready to say the same for some of the rest.

Having said these hard things about some heavies, I still struggle with the mere thought that His Excellency, President, Dr. Irfaan Ali, would dabble with, or ever go near, the unscrupulous, the felonious, or the dangerously contagious. I think he has enough champions to make that kind of dirty business take wings. It is why I state without fear of correction that the head of state has named

numbers and quality facilities.

A sturdy community network, like Thailand, tuned in to health issues could help immensely. Its absence is a major disadvantage for Guyana, especially when community people contribute by their reckless actions to health crises. We can do better, but we have to be focused and serious. We must decide what our current biggest priority, greatest concern is.

some real head cases and hard cases (think those old Western outlaws) to run amok in the treasuries of the people’s affairs. It does not prophesy well for the future; the oracles are certain on this.

And that is not based on any Baccoo insight or forays into the spiritual netherworld. On this, the president has been transparent in honouring that specifically related word in his inauguration address. That is, he has openly chosen for the honourable business of the people, some people to serve on boards, who project anything but the honourable, who have no equals in the dishonourable department.

Even if the president did not want to be transparent, his choices speak against him.

It does not matter what secular spaces they occupy -

legal, technical, or professional - their originals are straight out of Mario Puzo’s Godfather and television’s, The Sopranos.

Very few Guyanese should need any introduction to either. This country has much work to do; much more money is going to be spent; and still more sensitive and expensive decisions must be made. I trust that all these people would prove me wrong, and the president right. I could live with that and continue. In contrast, if the feared opposite becomes the reality, and provides hay for the media, then I daresay that the president would not have the same luxury, and live to rue his unwise confidence.

I wish all well.

Sincerely, GHK Lall

What are we trying to achieve with the sugar industry?

DEAR EDITOR, Guyana currently produces sugar at nearly 34 cents per lb when the world market price is nearly 15 cents per lb.

While I agree that in the short term a sugar subsidy is necessary to keep thousands of Guyanese workers off the breadline more clarity is needed on what we are trying to achieve and how we are going to achieve it.

Sase Singh did mention that we can get 60 cents per lb for packaged sachet sugar.

Clearly, this is certainly a

market that Guyana can tap into.

The PNC-led APNU+AFC sacked thousands of sugar workers when it’s own COI into the sugar industry says investment then privatisation.

Without clarification as to where we are incurring high production cost in the industry, it is difficult to judge if the medium and long term future of the sugar industry is viable.

Yours Faithfully, Sean Ori

Friday December 11, 2020

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Kaieteur News

Improving ethnic relations in Guyana must be shaped by historical experiences DEAR EDITOR, With elections fatigue still impacting the nation; with COVID-19 wreaking havoc in the lives of the Guyanese people and causing tremendous hardship on businesses big and small; with law enforcement authorized to go after violators of the COVID-19 protocols, the question being asked is whether a national conversation on race relations, sponsored by UNDP and the University of Guyana in the midst of the Christmas season will bring any glad tidings of great joy to a tired, heavily laden and weary nation.

It is interesting to note that the conversation to which President Ali and Opposition Leader Harmon has been invited on December 14th will be overshadowed by the Presidential Quintet scheduled for December 15th.

In any event, participation by Ali in the UNDP/UG December Affair is still up in the air while participation by Granger in the quintet is yet to be confirmed.

Why these two important events have been organized back to back defies rational explanation and therefore remains open to speculation.

Will the convo on race influence the parlay by the Presidential Quintet? Which one of the two events will turn out to be ‘a damp squib’ is left to be seen.

As far as both events are concerned, the politicians will be asking what is in this for me? What political benefits will participating bring for me?

Leaving speculations aside, as far as the conversation goes, this is not the first time the UNDP has inserted itself as a co-sponsor to a discussion on the ethnic dilemma in Guyana.

In June 2006, the UNDP’s Social Cohesion Programme and the Ethnic Relations Committee (ERC) sponsored: ‘The Multi-stakeholder Forum And National Conversation (Regional Meetings)’.

According to a full page advertisement published on Friday, June 2, 2006, the ERC/ UNDP stated: These activities are aimed at enhancing social cohesion and deepening participatory

democracy through dialogue.

The advert continued: Residents of each region attending the meetings will be given the opportunity to seriously discuss issues affecting them and offer suggestions and recommendations for improving race and ethnic relations in Guyana.

Finally, the advert informed that: The Multistakeholder Forum project will culminate with a National Conversation at which political, religious, and civil society leaders will participate along with representatives chosen from the Regional Conferences.

A precursor to the Multistakeholder Forum was the official visit to Guyana in July 2003 by Mr. Doudou Die’ne, the UN Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance.

Held just about three years after the visit of the Special Rapporteur, the 2006 Multi-stakeholder Forum was, no doubt, a follow-up to the visit by the Special Rapporteur. The Forum’s terms of reference speak to that raison d’^etre very clearly.

Now 14 years after the 2006 Multi-stakeholder Forum, the UNDP this time, has hitched its wagon to the University of Guyana. The two entities will be co-hosting a ‘Virtual National Conversation on Improving Ethnic Relations.’ The conversation will be launched in mid-December with a general discussion on: How can we improve ethnic relations in Guyana?

According to reports, the convo in December is aimed at having “frank and open discussions to capture diverse views and factors that

impede ethnic harmony.”

We are told that recommendations arising from the conversation “will be submitted to the National Assembly and relevant stakeholders for implementation.”

The process by which recommendations from such fora is to be submitted to the National Assembly has long been established. However, should the recommendations be presented merely as a report for the information for parliamentarians then they will end up dead in the water.

Recommendations are one thing, funds to implement them is another. Hopefully, UNDP will provide the funds to do so.

If this is the National Conversation that should have been launched 14 years ago, following the conversations at the regional level, then hardly anyone would deny that much water has passed under the bridge since the 2006 Multistakeholder Forum.

Between 2006 and 2020 there have been the Jagdeo, Hinds, Ramotar, Granger and now the Ali administrations.

Every one of these administrations had differing, and at times, common experiences in administering the affairs of our complex, multiethnic society fraught with its national peculiarities, constitutional and societal imperfections.

The above, notwithstanding the following factors in my view, are of fundamental importance in any discussion on ‘improving ethnic relations in Guyana’ and more so, among the Quintet or

maybe Quartet.

First: Is the question of democracy in all its aspects, and at all levels, as indispensable for the advancement of economic and social progress.

Democracy has been severely tested time and again in Guyana. Recent events leading up to the election of a new government is testimony to this fact.

Second: Is the delivery of goods and services to all the people in a people-centered economy at the national and local government levels that ensures human development targeting the poor, marginalized and dispossessed.

Third: Good governance as the foundation for national development including participatory democracy, consensus building, accountability and transparency, responsiveness and the rule of law. Fourth: Inclusiveness in all representative bodies in the process of governing, be it at the parliamentary level, in the standing and sectoral committees and on State boards.

Fifth: Equal opportunity for all ethnic groups. The Amerindians should have the right to preserve and to develop their spoken and written language and cultural heritage. They should also have titles to land, the right to maintain or to change their customs and habits.

Any National Conversation on improving ethnic relations must cut through the thicket of rumour and the anecdotal with a view to coming up with concrete, realistic and implementable recommendations acceptable

to all stakeholders across the political divide. Failing agreement, the outcome is bound to flounder and be dismissed as hot air of political dispatch.

For the sake of balance, any truthful and sincere conversation on improving ethnic relations in Guyana must be shaped by historical experiences notably, the split in the national movement and external influences exerted at the time to stoke ethnic insecurities.

The conversation must seek to establish a realistic and acceptable periodisation of the so-called ‘Period of the troubles’ and its impact on the national psyche if any.

It must deconstruct pervasive perceptions based on racial and political discrimination as well as selfserving double talk, principally of an anecdotal nature, about ethnic cleansing.

Last, but not least, the conversation must take into account the multi-cultural and multi-religious nature of Guyanese society, its negation of the ethnic fault lines, and how it has helped to keep us together on the pathway to nation building.

Notwithstanding, the tenuous nature of Guyanese society experience has shown that the Guyanese people have, by and large, rejected attempts to become ensnared in an ethnic conflagration similar to what took place in the 1962 to 1964 period.

The conversants must take into consideration, attempts at stoking the fire in Georgetown in December

1997, Agricola in February 2006 Lusignan in January 2008 and more recently, at West Coast Berbice in September of this year.

What has gone unnoticed with the passage of time, but is of great significance to the body politic is the emergence of a new national consciousness amongst the Guyanese people.

This new national consciousness has imposed limitations on attempts at brinkmanship which frames ‘every man as enemy to every man’ and fosters a society characterized by ‘continued fear, and danger of violent death and the life of man, solitary, poor, nasty, brutish and short.’

The views, language and actions of that generation of Guyanese who lived through the period of the 1960’s and episodic events following elections, have contributed significantly to the emergence of this new national consciousness.

But it is the younger generation that has made an even more powerful contribution to the emergence of the new national consciousness making it necessary, if not obligatory for politicians to pronounce in favour of national unity in one form or another.

If the UNDP/UG national conversation-cum-truth commission will contribute to the consolidation, growth and further development of this national consciousness then it should be welcomed.

Yours faithfully Clement J. Rohee

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Kaieteur News

No other country determines who enters Guyana DEAR EDITOR, It is clear Attorney General and Minister of Legal Affairs, Anil Nandlall, is making every effort to divert attention from the Government’s unjust decision to place 26 Haitians before the Magistrate Court for deportation.

The Government’s decision is not about the law, it is about the Haitians.

The Attorney General in a recent interview with Trinidad and Tobago CCN TV6 reportedly made allegations to justify the deportation. His main reasons are: 1.

Guyana does not have the capacity to handle large influx of Haitians and Cubans; and 2.

Brazil complained that Guyana is being used by Haitians and Cubans as transshipment.

In the instance of No.1, the 26 Haitians entered Guyana through a legal port (airport), submitted themselves to Immigration authority, and were granted entry. There exists no need to deport them when they have not overstayed their time or committed a crime warranting deportation. Further, their hotel accommodation was not at the government’s expense and the government is out of order to raid their domicile, take them into custody and restrict their movement under police guard, first at the Criminal Investigation Department and presently at the Hugo Chavez Centre.

The Laws of Guyana allow

Haitians, who are part of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), to enter and stay for six months like every citizen of other countries who are members of the Caribbean Single Market Economy (CSME). The deprivation of this right and freedom to Haitians by the Government, and excuse by the Attorney General that he was unaware of this law, must not be accepted.

The planned deportation of the Haitians has been foiled thus far because decent and law-abiding Guyanese have spoken out and offered their support. This matter is now before the High Court, and in this charged political environment, it is hoped the court’s decision would be guided by the law.

It is another sad day for Guyana not only as a founding and leading member of CARICOM but as a nation that is prepared to violate its own laws to go after a group of people. We must be unafraid to call it for what it is - it is an injustice against Haitians because of their ethnicity. Referencing alleged concerns about Cubans and Brazil are red herrings. Guyana is a sovereign state, and no other country determines for Guyana, as with every sovereign nation, who enters.

It is a country’s immigration laws that guide this practice.

This is what the Attorney General must be held accountable to.

Lincoln Lewis

Friday December 11, 2020

Do not stand in a fool’s way DEAR EDITOR, The recent comments by the “Eyewitness” were quite surprising. I would have never thought that he or she would find offence in protecting children from sodomy.

But who am I to judge?

Some people are very sensitive if they believe their lifestyle or sexual preference is being threatened. To each his or her own! The rambling which followed I guess could

be attributed to high emotions that led to less focus on the issues and more on personal attacks.

Some of us were trained in the British educational system and do know how to respectfully address each other.

When one knows how it feels to be spoken of with the use of the word for a baggage handler in a derogatory manner, it goes without

saying why the practice should be put to an end.

However, there are different expectations to be had depending on one’s standard for what should be acceptable and what shouldn’t be acceptable. After all, the Eyewitness appears to be blinded by emotions to quite a number of important issues.

Don’t let me stand in his or her way. Please do go ahead

upon your journey. The cliff appears to be forthcoming.

The anti-sodomy laws are important and the church knows what their standing is in society and why it is important not to cross the line which the Bishop did.

Regards, Mr. Jamil Changlee Chairman The Cooperative Republicans of Guyana

Peace must be first attained DEAR EDITOR, It is with great joy that I read of His Excellency President Ali’s plans for the development of Silica City on the Linden Highway which was named after His Excellency former President L.F.S. Burnham. There is much that we can achieve as a nation if we can peacefully attain progress together.

However, given the current level of conflict that was recently on display due to the deaths of the young African Guyanese brothers, the young Indian Guyanese and the Indian Guyanese gentleman whose deaths have yet to be resolved, it is

difficult to see how peaceful coexistence can be attained in the near future. In addition, the ongoing electoral conflict that has increased the level of suspicion between the races does not foster an atmosphere of cooperation.

This is being clearly displayed in Parliament. The conflict of the 1960’s that was a defining moment in our country’s pursuit for independence is still very fresh in our memories and is yet to be fully acknowledged by both races in a forum of resolution and strife free remembrance. We must acknowledge and make peace with our past. The date of

Independence continues to be a dark moment in the psyche of many which brings forth strong emotions of hurt and conflict during that period.

It is the fear of many that a development on the Linden Highway may lead to a renewed conflict due to our history and the legacy which ties the Linden Highway to the opposition party.

For this very reason we must find common ground for cooperation and peaceful coexistence if the communities of the African Guyanese and Indian Guyanese are to develop in close proximity. Without this

the options for development must continue to be pragmatic and within the limitations of our current infrastructure with increased focus on expanding non flood zone communities where the security of each ethnicity has a positive history that can be maintained in the future. We must ensure the safe development of our citizens during this expansionary period of our Nation’s development.

Best regards, Mr. Jamil Changlee Chairman The Cooperative Republicans of Guyana

Stop politicking and put the nation’s interest first DEAR EDITOR, Prior to the announcement of the results of the General and Regional elections 2020, the Guyana Elections Commission adjourned its meeting, cognizant of previous post elections upheavals and, deliberately, in an effort to have the representatives (PNC/R and PPP/C) of the lists, who are also the leaders of the major parties, dialogue on the way forward, given the impasse that preceded the final declaration and the likely

spill over of that atmosphere into the post-election period.

The two representatives conferred and indicated that they agreed to engage after the installation of the President. I mentioned that to support the logic of what is to follow; and to preempt the haters who will find fault of the messenger, or the motive of what is to follow.

Much has happened since the installation of the President, except for the promised engagement. However, the

President has recently announced his intention to engage with Past Presidents.

This is certainly not the promised engagement, and seems quite awkward. The representatives of the lists agreed to meet. Their portfolios and authority haven’t change, why haven’t they followed up on their commitment.

Three, past and present, Presidents from one party meeting with the past President from another party rings hallow.

What gives them the authority to further the Nation’s business, and what is the likely outcome of the, three to one, encounter given the polarized nature of our politics?

In moments of crisis, the parties have usually conferred or the Head of State and the Leader

of the Opposition. Those are the complementary poles in our political system. Those are the appropriate levels for any such meeting. Let the parties (Granger and Jagdeo) meet to inform their creatures (Ali and Harmon) or let the creatures meet and exercise their executive authority. Any other arrangement for dialogue, in Guyana’s circumstance, is maize like and in this instance lopsided and theatrical. It will produce an anti-climax, at best.

I would be the happiest person, if proven wrong. However, from my current vantage point, I urge our politicians to stop politicking and put the Nation‘s interest first.

Yours truly, Vincent Alexander

Friday December 11, 2020

Kaieteur News

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Kaieteur News

PAGE 08

Friday December 11, 2020

Corentyne fisherman pleads guilty Contractors failing to pay NIS to 2016 killing of drinking buddy should not receive compliance

A

Corentyne fisherman, who killed his drinking buddy back in 2016, has pleaded guilty to the lesser count of manslaughter.

H enry Trim called ‘Buddy,’ 31, a fisherman, of N u m b e r 6 0 Vi l l a g e , Corentyne, Berbice is on trial for the unlawful death of Ravi Kumar Sharma called ‘Posho,’ 24, of the same village.

The act was reportedly committing between 28 and 29 November, 2016, at the village.

He is appearing before Justice Brassington Reynolds in the Berbice High Court.

Representing the state for the prosecution is

Dead: Ravi Kumar Sharma attorney-at-law Abigail Gibbs.Trim, who had turned himself in, and has been incarcerated since 2016, indicated to the court that he would like to plea. His subsequent guilty plea to the lesser count of manslaughter was accepted by the state.

Trim was described as a close friend, who would visit the deceased home regularly.

Sharma’s body was found in his yard about 06:00 hrs. with multiple lacerations about the body.

It was reported that the deceased, who was residing with his mother, was said to be an alcoholic. On the night before, he reportedly went home intoxicated and ordered her to vacate the home, which she did. She returned about 06:00 hrs. the next day and discovered his lifeless body in their yard.She had spoken to him and told him to get up and go upstairs. She went to the back yard and upon returning, she noticed he (Continued on page 22)

for government contracts - says NIS should fulfill their mandate

Minister of Labour, Joseph Hamilton Contractors failing to make National Insurance Scheme (NIS) payments on behalf of their employees should not be given the compliance needed for them to acquire contracts.

This view was offered by the Minister of Labour, Joseph Hamilton, during a recent interview on Kaieteur Radio’s ‘Wake Up Guyana Show.’ During his interview, a question was posed asking why contractors who are not NIS compliant, be in receipt of contracts for construction and other state contracts including in the security arena.

Further, it was asked what course of action could be taken by the Ministry of Labour.According to Minister Hamilton, the Labour Ministry has no mandate in that regard. He said the NIS is governed under its own statutes and regulations.

“The NIS like the GRA… they come under their own laws, statutes and

regulations. They have what they call inspectors and (properly) if a man has not paid up his dues - his contributions for employees, he should not be given a compliance,” the Labour Minister noted.

The compliance is basically, statements from NIS, that the employer is meeting the NIS obligations regarding contributions.

He said that there are laws in place to ensure these persons comply, which includes them being taken to court. In light of this, Hamilton said, he is questioning why the NIS is not “robustly applying the law across the board.”He also noted that workers at the NIS are not doing their jobs.

In giving an example, he said that he would often contact senior officials at the NIS querying about matters and these matters would usually be solved within 24 to 48 hours. “So what it is suggesting to me is that people are not doing their work, they are not properly supervised. Because if the matter at the level of most senior functionary can be resolved in 24 hours, it means it is a resolvable matter,” the Minister lamented.

As previously reported by Kaieteur News, the Minister stressed that when persons fail to pay NIS on behalf of their employees, they are not only robbing the employees but the NIS. Hamilton also highlighted a “culture” of deskbound officers even within the Labour Ministry. “They should only be at their desk when they are going to write their reports.

They should come in every morning, report to their bosses and be given assignments,” he said.According to the Minister, he is dealing with that issue to ensure they understand their roles.

Kaieteur News

Friday December 11, 2020

PAGE 09

Unbothered T

he government a p p e a r s unperturbed by the continued rise in COVID19 cases locally. For this week alone, there have been almost 100 new cases.

What this means, is that there is a higher probability, and almost certainty, that before next weekend, there will be three more deaths.

This cannot be a heartening development.

Ye s t e r d a y, e i g h t o f G u y a n a ’s 1 0 R e g i o n s recorded positive cases. The two regions which did not record cases yesterday were Regions Eight and Nine and it could well be that there was limited testing done in these Regions.

Yesterday, one in every three persons, who tested, was positive. The day before the positivity rate was below two percent. These numbers are making a mockery of g o v e r n m e n t ’s t e s t i n g programme. It is difficult to understand how the epidemiologists (if there are any at all) are advising the government on COVID-19, can make sense out of the large daily variations in cases.

COVID-19 infections in Guyana started out in two Regions – Region Four and Seven. It has now gone national. Region Six is now a COVID-19 hotspot.

This column had predicted that based on the increases in cases in recent times.

But who cares?

The economy is open and saving the economy has assumed greater importance than saving lives, when in fact it should have been the other way around.

Up to now there are no regional strategies being

Dem

boys seh...

employed.

Wi t h a n t i g e n t e s t s available, there is now the capability to significantly increase testing.

But what is the use of increasing testing when there is no attempt to ensure there are regional COVID-19 response units to improve contact tracing.

It can now be inferred that the opening of the economy has been primarily responsible for the increases in cases.

If you look at the curve, exhibiting the total number of cases and the total number of new cases, there is striking similarity in its shape between March to now. In the early months, the gradient was less steep, but as the economy reopened most countries had a steep spike in cases.

This trend is not only global but also regional. This is what is happening now in Trinidad and in Jamaica. As the economy has reopened, the number of cases and deaths has increased.

The lesson there is that, it is impossible to keep reopening the economy and expect a decline in cases. It is simply not going to happen given the absence of more effective contact tracing and regional strategies.

The Region with the lowest number of cases is Region Five.

The Regional Chairman there believes that the efforts his Region took was responsible for this. He is only deluding himself.

Region Five’s numbers are low because of population density.

While Region Six has a lower population density, if one considers not the entire Region but the habitation

areas, then Region Five would have the lowest population density. It also does not have the number of businesses and offices, factories and large markets like most of the other coastal Regions.

And it has no towns or excessively large communities. All of these place it at a lower risk.

The government continues to be less than transparent about the pandemic.

The critical number for the Regions are the number of active cases. The total number of active cases is declining but very slowly on account of the daily new cases. And the government is not making public the number of active cases in each Region because if it did, this would bring pressure on the government to order lockdowns. A lockdown during the peak business season would be unthinkable for a pro-business government.

Over the next week, more persons are likely to die and this is so sad considering that a vaccine is now being rolled out around the world.

This evidence suggests, that countries which are able to control the number of cases will benefit more from the vaccine.

So despite the prospects that by next August, greater normalcy will return, it is incumbent that steps be taken now to stem any increase in cases.

The longer it takes to stem the increase, the more extended will be the pandemic.

People should try to keep safe. Social distancing is cognitively challenging for many Guyanese.

Trump study Guyana to a tee

Once a week, de President of de US does get a detailed intelligence briefing. Plus when certain foreign policy matters arise he does have to be briefed in detail.

Before de United States impose travel restrictions on persons in Guyana, Trump had to approve it. He had to be briefed on de matter.

He gat to be told about all de excuses and shenanigans dat was employed to steal de elections.

He wud have been told about de need for a recount, de challenging of de legality of de recount, de claim about dead and migrant people voting and de amount of legal challenges.

All this happen in Guyana and Trump would have known about it.

It should therefore not come as any

surprise dat de same things he hear in Guyana is de same thing Trump claiming in the United States. But unlike Guyana where you had a five-month impasse, in de US by the second week in January, there will be a new President in de White House.

Despite this, Trump do a great deal of damage to de United States’ reputation as a democratic nation.

To question de outcome of an election in de United States was unthinkable but this is what is happening simply because Trump ego is bigger dan de US Defence spending.

Dem boys seh if democracy under threat in de US, it will be under threat elsewhere in de world.

Talk half and wait fuh see whether Trump gan appoint heself as Leader of the Opposition!

People do not seem to understand that you cannot stand within six feet of another person.

They are still doing this and therefore exposing others to the risk of infection.

But who cares?

The graph can shoot

upwards at a 900 degrees angle. As long as business is o k a y, t h e g o v e r n m e n t remains unbothered.

(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 11, 2020

THE FREDDIE KISSOON COLUMN

Is Dr. Ali’s four-month old presidency violent?

Dr. David Hinds in a letter to this newspaper (Dec. 7) wrote that I am, “totally silent on the violent governance of AugustDecember (2020).”

Despite his morbid incitement to racial mayhem during the five-month of election rigging and his similar gesticulations after the two cousins were murdered in Berbice, I still would not wish mental degeneracy on him or anyone that I disagree with politically.

But has mental decay stepped in? Dr. Hinds wants me to condemn “four months of violent governance.” In other words, he wants me to share his phantasmagoria.

The Ali presidency has just

passed four months and its balance sheet has to examine, within the context of five months of dangerous descent into evil captured around the world in vicious attempts to rig a national election that if succeeded could have resulted in the demise of Guyana and the breakup of the Caribbean integration movement.

Have the four-month old Ali presidency been violent?

The answer for me is a vociferous no and it is fetid nonsense to so describe power in those four months as such.

In fact, if I were to assess that period, I would say it was characterized by political cautiousness that is based on the need not to play

into the hand of people like David Granger, Joe Harmon, D r. H i n d s a n d E u s i Kwayana.

It was Granger and Harmon who went to Region Five and incited African Guyanese, after two young men were beaten and killed in Cotton Tree.

No one knew the reason for the homicides and the motives behind them but Granger and Harmon put a racial spin to it.

Dr. Hinds called for protest against what he described as political killings.

To date, there has been no debate among scholars about the asininity of the racial accusation behind the murders. Why would Indians

in Region Four, who waited for five months to see if their party would win, finally see that victory then create selfdestruction? Your party won an election, your party is in charge of the state, your party can dish out resources to your villages but the Indian people of Region Five are so stupid that they captured two African youths, killed them and marked X on their bodies. To accept this ghoulish fiction is gross racial slander.

These Indian people are so idiotic that instead of protecting Guyana now that their party is in power, they go on a racial rampage hoping that African Guyanese would not retaliate. Does any sound mind believe this nonsense?

L e t ’s l o o k a t t w o alternative theories. One is that the boys were murdered in criminal circumstances and their killers imprinted political symbols on their bodies to deceive police investigators.

The other theory, borders on the nasty and ugly side of realpolitik. Why couldn’t anti-PPP, anti-Indian racists in the PNC and WPA, unable to accept the loss of power, decided to make the country ungovernable by sacrificing the two young men?

Why isn’t such a theory

possible? It becomes tenable when you think of what Granger and Harmon did.

The second theory came close to becoming reality.

Granger and Harmon went to Region F i v e a n d u s e d Frederick Kissoon dangerously inciting innocent PPP activist for language. Then Africans murder.Rodney at public began to beat and rob meetings during the trial of innocent Indians.

Arnold Rampersaud told It was getting out of hand Black people that they must u n t i l Vo l d a L a w r e n c e not trample upon their stepped in. What Lawrence dignity as the descendants of did was to back off from the slaves by going into court agenda of Granger, Harmon and sin their souls to kill an and Dr. Hinds. innocent Indian man.

She is a PNC and wanted Lawrence in her address to the PNC in power but what Black Guyanese in Region was facing her was the Five told them that killing destruction of Guyana. She and hurting others is not in had to choose between her the DNA (my word) of Black party’s realpoltik or her people. country.

She told them that what In choosing her country, was happening in Region her appeal to Africans in the Five was not what Black Region was accepted. Now it people stood for. Instead of is interesting to read the imagining four months of words of Lawrence when she Ali’s violence, Dr. Hinds went to calm down her should denounce the two constituencies. She used the weeks of racial mayhem he, v o c a b u l a r y o f Wa l t e r Granger and Harmon were Rodney. How ironic that a responsible for in Region protégé of Rodney, Dr. Five.

Hinds, was inciting race hate (The views expressed in w h i l e L a w r e n c e , n o this article are those of the colleague of Rodney, did a u t h o r a n d d o n o t what Rodney did when necessarily reflect the B u r n h a m c h a r g e d a n opinions of this newspaper.)

Friday December 11, 2020

Kaieteur News

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Kaieteur News

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Friday December 11, 2020

World's top oil trader paid bribes for years to govts.

F

or years, the world’s largest oil trading firm has maintained that it has “zero tolerance” for corruption.

Now Vitol Inc. has admitted that it was paying bribes through a network of shell companies and sham contracts.

As recently as July 2020, while publicly repeating those assurances, Vitol was bribing government officials in Ecuador and Mexico.

I n B r a z i l , a Vi t o l executive delivered cash to traders at Petroleo Brasileiro SA in exchange for the “gold number” — the price at

which Vitol should bid to win tenders from the Brazilian state oil company.

The revelations, from a deferred prosecution agreement between Vitol Group’s US unit and the Department of Justice, are part of Brazil’s so-called Carwash bribery scandal, that’s described by the Petrobras chief as “an MBA in corruption.”

They are a setback for all commodity traders, undermining efforts to cast off a reputation for malfeasance that’s dogged the industry since the days of Marc Rich, the pioneer who

spent two decades as a fugitive from American justice.

“The risk traders are taking in being compromised in such scandals is enormous,” said Jean-Francois Lambert, a consultant and former trade finance banker.

“Bad behaviors are simply not tolerated anymore and such wrongdoings are bound to be exposed sooner or later.”

Gold Number Agreeing to pay just over $160 million to regulators in the U.S. and Brazil, Vitol admitted to having bribed

government officials for more than a decade, between 2005 and 2020, DOJ documents show.

“We understand the seriousness of this matter and are pleased it has been resolved,” said Russell H a r d y, Vi t o l ’s c h i e f executive officer. “We will continue to enhance our procedures and controls.”

The company paid more than $8 million in bribes to Petrobras executives between 2005 and 2014, according to the DOJ documents. In exchange, officials from the Brazilian oil company gave the trading

house valuable information about its tenders, including the price of the highest bid from competitors.

That meant Vitol could bid for Petrobras’s oil products at exactly the price that it knew would win.

Within the trading house, this was referred to as the “gold number,” according to the DOJ documents.

In internal emails between the Vitol traders, information from the Petrobras officials was marked “PRIVATE AND CONFIDENTIAL_PLEAS E”, according to a separate order from the Commodity Futures Trading Commission.

Petrobras has said it is the victim of crimes unveiled by the Carwash probe and is cooperating with investigations.

On one occasion, in early 2013, an executive at Vitol in Brazil emailed his colleague in Houston the exact price that one of the trading house’s competitors was bidding for a cargo of highsulfur diesel, according to the DOJ documents.

“This is the gold number,” he said. “Okay great...we’ll take it,” replied the trader.

Tricks of the Trade The mechanisms Vitol used for paying bribes were hardly revolutionary.

Vitol SA, the Swiss unit that handles a large portion of the company’s trading, sent money to intermediary companies via bank accounts in the U.S., Curacao, the Cayman Islands, the Bahamas, Portugal and Brazil.

On some occasions, the money was then converted into Brazilian currency by a “doleiro,” a professional money launderer, before being delivered in cash to a Petrobras trader, according to the DOJ documents.

Vitol and the individuals involved in the scheme created fake invoices showing the payments were for consulting services and “market intelligence.”

T h e t r a d e r s communicated using codenames, including “Batman,” “Tiger,” “Phil Collins,” “Dolphin,” “Popeye,” and “Beb.” “Shell/offshore companies, fake consulting contracts, fake invoices, sham email accounts — nothing is new under the sun,” said George Voloshin, director for corporate intelligence and investigations at Aperio Intelligence.

“The tricks of the trade have changed little from the

previous century.”

Industry Scrutiny Authorities in the U.S. and Brazil are also investigating Vitol’s rivals, Glencore Plc and Trafigura Group Ltd., on similar allegations.

Brazilian prosecutors last week filed a civil lawsuit against Trafigura and several of its top executives, alleging it also paid bribes to Petrobras executives.

Trafigura said it hired the law firm Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan LLP to review the allegations. So far the firm’s investigators believe “any allegations that current management were involved in, or had knowledge of, alleged improper payments to Petrobras are unsupported by the evidence and untrue.”

Glencore, the world’s biggest metals trader, declined to comment.

It has previously said it is cooperating with the Brazilian investigation.

Non-governmental organizations and watchdogs say the investigations and Vitol’s settlement give credence to their calls for greater regulatory oversight of commodities traders in Switzerland, where Glencore is headquartered and Vitol and Trafigura have major operations.

Vi t o l ’s d e f e r r e d prosecution agreement “vividly illustrates the all too real corruption risks posed by commodity trading,” said Anne Fishman, a commodities expert at Swiss NGO Public Eye. “In an industry where opacity prevails, Swiss traders once more are making the headlines, and for the wrong reasons. It shows that regulation of this sector in Switzerland is long overdue.”

Vitol will have to submit reports to the DOJ’s Fraud Section and Office at least once a year for three years, regarding remediation and implementation of a compliance program and internal controls and policies, the DOJ said.

“Vitol is committed to upholding the law and does not tolerate corruption or illegal business practices,” said Russell Hardy, Vitol’s CEO. (Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a s y n d i c a t e d feed.)(https://www.ndtv.co m/world-news/an-mba-incorruption-worlds-top-oiltrader-paid-bribes-foryears-2336122)

Kaieteur News

Friday December 11, 2020

PAGE 13

Traffic on Demerara Harbour Bridge almost - damages from collision being assessed back to normal - realignment to be done today Emergency crews were hard at it yesterday to repair the damage to the Demerara Harbour Bridge.

The works followed a collision involving a tug and barge. The barge reportedly rammed into the high span of the Demerara Harbour Bridge.

The situation would have worried thousands of commuters who depend on the structure to take them to and from West Demerara and further to and from Essequibo.

According to the harbour bridge, the situation is near to normalcy as it has also resumed transiting vehicles of up to 12 tonnes and has reopened to marine traffic under the high span.

It is reported that around 17:30 hrs. on Wednesday, a tug and barge (Rediston and

Surtrans) owned by Deonarine Sookram of D’Edward Village, West Coast Berbice, collided with the southern section of the high span.

At the time of the accident, the barge was transporting bauxite to John Fernandes Wharf in G e o rg e t o w n , a n d w a s captained by Dale Andrews Green.

As a result of the hit, the smooth flow of vehicular traffic was disrupted for persons seeking to cross the bridge, and those travelling along the East and West Banks of Demerara. About an hour after the hit, the bridge was re-opened for small vehicles and minibuses only.

Yesterday, an emergency meeting was held at the DHBC boardroom. Present

at the meeting were Minister of Public Works, Bishop Juan Edghill; the Chairman of the DHBC, Ravie Ramcharitar; Minister of Home Affairs, Robeson Benn; the General Manager, Rawlston Adams and a technical team.

According to a statement from the management of the bridge, the engineering team yesterday met with the owner of the tug and barge that damaged the bridge.

During the discussions, the maintenance team identified the damage to the sub and super structure.

A d d i t i o n a l l y, t h e maintenance team reconnected seven anchor chains and replaced one buoy.

The equipment and spare machinery were also put in (Continued on page 22)

Chain snatcher captured, tied like iguana to utility pole The alleged chain snatcher

It was a spectacle yesterday after publicspirited citizens reportedly captured an alleged chain snatcher and tied him like an iguana to a utility pole.Kaieteur News was told that he had snatched a woman’s gold chain on Robb Street, Georgetown and attempted to escape.

As he ran, four men give chase and he was eventually captured on North Road.

He was reportedly beaten and then tied with rope to a utility pole in the vicinity of Piccadilly Taxi Service and Global Gold Inc. In a video seen by this media house, the alleged chain snatcher had his hands and feet tied behind his back. His feet were not touching the ground and his muscles and bones were given a full stretch as his captors awaited the arrival of police.

The tug and barge that hit the Demerara Harbour Bridge.

Kaieteur News

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Friday December 11, 2020

Billions of tax dollars spent… PPP/C, APNU+AFC teamed up

to hide expense report for 2020 elections – Ram The Representation of the People’s Act has clear provisions that mandate political parties to submit a detailed report outlining expenses undertaken during the elections period.

Nonetheless, the People’s Progressive Party Civic (PPP/C) and the A Partnership For National Unity + Alliance For Change (APNU+AFC) Coalition teamed up to blatantly violate the Constitution, by failing to submit their reports to the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) for the March 2, 2020 elections.

Same was revealed by Chartered Accountant and Transparency Advocate, Christopher Ram. Ram had written to the GECOM Chair, Justice (Ret’d) Claudette Singh, back in September, pointing to Section 108 of the Representation of the

People’s Act dealing with Election Expenses Report.

That section requires the election agent of each group of candidates to submit that report within 35 days of the declaration of the results of the elections.

But shockingly, in her response, Ram stated that the Chair noted the six-member Commission had advised her that “although cognizant of the law, those sections were never operationalized.”

Her response, according to the Chartered Accountant would generally be considered less than acceptable under any other circumstances, “…but for a retired Justice of the Court of Appeal to admit a conscious and deliberate violation of a key element of an election law by the constitutional body responsible for the lawful conduct of elections is beyond shock.”

GECOM Chair, Justice (Ret’d) Claudette Singh Not only that, Ram added that even more troubling was the fact that the violation was being condoned by the Commissioners, the Chair, “or successive chairpersons of the Commission.”

“Individually and collectively they are guilty of gross dereliction of their duty and the undermining of the rule of law and democracy in the country,” Ram stated, adding “It may

not have started under Justice Claudette Singh but she is now admitting culpability by endorsing the violation.”

The Charted Accountant noted that the Elections Expenses Report is the flip side of Campaign Financing Regulations.

With the Coalition’s defiance of the December 2018 no-confidence motion and subsequently holding Guyana’s democracy at ransom with the March elections, Ram noted that it is “perfectly legitimate” for the electors to question their leadership’s fitness for any public office in this country.

Unfortunately, he added, the PPP/C’s leadership is not innocent, as it violated Section 108, “making a mockery of accountability, opening the door to corruption and undermining the country’s democracy.”

Chartered Accountant and Transparency Advocate, Christopher Ram Further, Ram noted, too, that for the 2020 elections, “political parties took money from any quarters, and no one – not even their members and supporters - dare ask of them any questions.”

But GECOM has the power and the duty to demand answers and compliance with the law.

It was only after reports surfaced, did the country get a glimpse of the massive

sums spent during the 2020 elections.

The PPP/C reportedly expended in excess of $63.4 million while the Coalition spent at least $10.5 million on lobbyists.

No other details were disclosed.

Ram said that the refusal of the two major political parties to comply with a simple law tells ordinary citizens that despite the apparent hostility between them, “the parties will not hesitate to conspire to undermine democracy, subvert the Constitution and set aside the rule of law when it is in their joint interest.”

“They did it with crossing-the-floor legislation, the dual citizenship issue, resisting individuals being candidates in elections, and the law on election expenses – all done (Continued on page 24)

Friday December 11, 2020

Kaieteur News

PAGE 15

President Ali: 80 land titles for distribution in Region Two next -reminds public servants week of their duties to citizens

P

resident Irfaan Ali announced on Wednesday afternoon that 80 land titles will be distributed to residents of Region Two (Pomeroon-Supenaam) by next week.

The Head of State made this disclosure at the end of a presidential outreach, which was held at the Regional Democratic Council in Anna Regina.

“Today alone, just with some pushing, we have eighty (80) titles that are now available to people that were in the system for years; five years, six years, seven years.

On Monday, these 80 titles will be available to the people.”

One of the main aims of Wednesday’s exercise, was to reduce the bureaucratic hassle that many persons face when accessing services The President said the engagement also highlighted the existing weaknesses in the system as well as a deficiency in service delivery to citizens of the region. On this note, he urged the RDC staff to recognize and respect the prestige that comes with their jobs.

“Public service is the highest call of service in your country and we must not think that we are doing people a favour... and if you believe at this point in your career that you want to go in the other direction, then make that choice. But once we are in public service, let us serve; the same feeling you have today, the same energy, the same excitement you have to serve the people should be what you find every day. We are not in public service because we have no other option…we are in public service because we chose a career to serve the people. And if we don’t want to serve the people, then public service is not for us.”

He said too that public service and leadership must involve all levels of workers from the CEO to the helpers.

In this way, each level will have a better understanding of the strategic vision and direction of the organization.

“If they understand where the organization is going, what is their strategic vision, then they will know how they have to perform and how they have to behave. We have an excellent opportunity to achieve this. We have to change this country.”

President Ali explained that positive change is vital especially with Guyana’s development trajectory. He said that it is imperative that we “fix our culture of doing business” to ensure greater local content.

He then urged the older Agencies’ heads to recognize their roles in leaving a legacy of efficiency.

“I ask you to use this opportunity of your experience in the public service to pass this on to all these younger people. This is the only way we will become a better country. All of us have an equal role in making this country better… Uniting our country starts in the public service. We have the greatest ability to demonstrate this common vision… Take today as a renewal of your vows to your job and to service to the people.”

While the Head of State expressed gratitude to the staff for their diligent efforts in making the engagement a success, he assured them that the Government has their best interest at heart.

“We are going to look at your welfare; we are going to work so that you will have better conditions to live under, so that your families live under better conditions.”

The President told the gathering that Guyana belongs to all Guyanese and remains as strong as its citizens remain.

In closing, he assured the residents that they would benefit from similar engagements as his government understands the importance of serving all of the people.

“You will see a lot more of me, my office and my Government, because the Ministers understand and Cabinet understands that we are governing from the fields, not the office.”

D u r i n g T h u r s d a y ’s engagement, the President personally addressed the concerns raised by scores of residents, which ranged from access to electricity, water, land allocation concerns and drainage issues, among other issues.

As the issues came to the fore, President Ali instructed officials present to “fix it now” and to “get it right.”

Va r i o u s a g e n c i e s collaborated at the outreach to address concerns at the (Continued on page 22)

President Irfaan Ali addressing Region Two officials and staffers on Wednesday.

Region Two staffers have been warned to ensure service is provided to the people.

Kaieteur News

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Friday December 11, 2020

Construction worker shot dead for motorcycle…

One suspect nabbed; funeral today Police have nabbed one of the suspects who they believe killed a 60-year-old

man for his motorcycle and left his worker traumatized.

The man, identified as

Peter Gonsalves, a construction worker of Pere Street, Kitty, was riddled

with bullets around 21:30 hrs. on Monday evening.

Gonsalves was killed by the armed bandits who arrived on another motorcycle in front of Red Bar, located on Garnett Street.

Witnessing his boss being shot repeatedly was Ravindra Ramlakhan, 18, of U i t v l u g t , We s t C o a s t Demerara.

Police revealed yesterday that the suspect was caught on Wednesday, following leads they

o b t a i n e d f r o m investigations. The lawmen told Kaieteur News that they are continuing efforts to trap another who is still on the run.

Kaieteur News reported that Gonsalves had left his house on his black and white Honda XR motorcycle with Ramlakhan (the pillion rider), in search of cigarettes.

It was during the search for the item, Kaieteur News was told, that Gonsalves sensed that he was being trailed by the suspects, who were also on a motorcycle.

Eyewitnesses recalled noticing Gonsalves and his pillion rider riding pass them and then stopping in front of

Murdered: Peter Gonsalves Red Bar. Speculations are that he had stopped there because there were bright lights and he felt safe.

Persons were also outside of the bar “setting up” Christmas decorations.

The men rode up beside him and the pillion rider, jumped off, approached (Continued on page 24)

Ponzo-like scheme…

Mini-bus driver, accountant slapped with five fraud charges

Charged: Claire Joseph

A

mini-bus driver a n d a n accountant were on Wednesday hauled before the court after they were charged for obtaining $107, 500, under false pretense from five persons.

The defendants, Dwayne Charles, 41, called “Uncle Male” of Central Amelia Ward, Linden and 48-yearold Claire Joseph of the same place, appeared at the Linden Magistrate’s Court before Magistrate Wanda Fortune.

According to reports, many persons had made complaints to the Guyana Police Force (GPF) about the alleged “blessing circle”, in which persons were asked to bring $21, 500, and two friends with $21, 500, to invest and within 5-7 days they will receive a return of $172, 500.

However, it is reported that after investing, most persons did not receive the $172, 500 that was promised and subsequently asked back

Charged: Dwayne Charles for the money they invested.

No money was returned.

This led persons to make official police complaints, sparking an investigation.

The charge alleged that Charles and Joseph obtained the total sum of $107, 500, under false pretense from Gavin Munroe, Vernon Richmond, Leslie Jervis, Odetta Hall and Salome Henry.

Both defendants denied the charge and the Magistrate placed them on $40,000 bail each on one of the fraud charge and self-bail for the remaining charges.

The matter was then adjourned to January 12, 2021, for report and fixture.

The charges followed a major case involving a Cuban national and his wife who are before the court on 70-plus fraud charges. They have been charged also under the anti-money laundering laws.

That case involved billions of dollars and about 17,000 alleged victims.

Kaieteur News

Friday December 11, 2020

PAGE 17

Teen shot to head by friend… DPP sends back

file for additional information

A

s investigations continue into the death of Rockey Sawh, 15, Kaieteur News learnt that Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) has sent his case file back to the investigating ranks for additional information.

Sawh was “accidently” shot to his head on Tuesday November 17, allegedly by his best friend,16.

Sawh died the following day while receiving treatment at the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC).

S aw h’s bes t friend w as subsequently arrested, but later released on $100,000 bail.

No charges were laid against him. Commander of Region 4 ‘A,’ Simon Mcbean, disclosed that the case file was sent to DPP for advice.

DPP sent back the file and instructed that additional information must be included.

The commander said that file is yet to be re-submitted. He said that the detectives are currently conducting the necessary investigations to add the required information needed.

Meanwhile, Sawh’s mother, Amrita Panday, told Kaieteur News that the best friend’s mother has since reached out to her and expressed her condolences.

Nevertheless, she is yet to be told what really took place that tragic night.

She had permitted Sawh to sleep over at the best friend’s residence located at Sandy Babb Street, Kitty.

Sawh was reportedly video chatting with another friend around 22:00 hrs. that evening.

Around 03:00 hrs., she was notified that Sawh was shot and was at the GPHC in a critical condition.

Doctors had told her that Sawh was brought to the hospital around 02:30 hrs. and might have been shot hours prior to his arrival.

S a w h ’s f a m i l y m e m b e r s believe that he might have been shot around 23:00 hrs.

The two were home alone, when Sawh’s friend reportedly located his father’s licenced firearm. He allegedly showed the gun to Sawh and playfully pointed it at his head. He accidently pulled the trigger and Sawh fell to the ground.

What happened next continues to be a mystery.

Detectives had revealed that it was the best friend’s mother who notified police of the incident around 02:00 hrs. on Wednesday, November 18.

Dead: Rockey Sawh

PAGE 18

Kaieteur News

Friday December 11, 2020

Detained Haitians choose option to leave holding centre for city hotel - Govt.

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

T

The Haitians were seen outside a city hotel after they were released on Wednesday night.

he Government is categorically r e j e c t i n g allegations that they are responsible for leaving 26 Haitian nationals stranded on the city streets.

They were released from the Hugo Chavez Centre late Wednesday night on their own volition.

In a statement issued yesterday, the Government appeared to be taking the reports of the Haitians seriously.

Government noted that following the order by Chief J u s t i c e R o x a n e G e o rg e – Wi l t s h i r e t o temporarily halt the deportation of the 26 nonnationals, steps were taken to release them.According to the statement, this step was taken since it could not be determined when the legal proceedings will be concluded.

The statement noted that as a result, the Haitians were offered either to remain at the Hugo Chavez Rehabilitation and Reintegration Centre, West Berbice, where they were being supervised and fed or to be released at an address of their choice.

“They chose the latter.

After their meals, last evening, they were dropped off at the address requested.

Their valuables and passports were delivered to them,” the statement added.

A d d i t i o n a l l y, t h e government explained, via the statement, that prior to their release the Haitians w e r e n o t b e i n g accommodated at a detention centre.

“This centre is properly

staffed, resourced and its guests are adequately fed and supervised. The facility is secured and the conditions hygienic,” the Government emphasized.

The statement comes after photos of the Haitian nationals and their belongings in front of a city hotel circulated social media.

The government was accused of carelessly discarding the foreigners after the Court halted their deportation.

Last Friday, the High Court halted the deportation of the Haitians despite arguments by Attorney General (AG) and Minister of Legal Affairs, Anil N a n d l a l l . A d d i t i o n a l l y, Nandlall in a statement that followed the decision noted that Guyana lacks the infrastructure and policies to accommodate a massive influx of immigrants.

Nandlall was at the time responding to questions about over 1,000 Cubans assembled at South Drain, Nickerie, Suriname waiting to enter Guyana via the ferry service, which was scheduled to resume operations from December 12. That resumption has been delayed.

As it regards the Haitians, they were taken into protective custody since November 26th after they were found in city hotels. The police force had launched an investigation. The Haitians are suspected to be victims in a human smuggling or trafficking in persons’ operation.

It was Minister of Home (Continued on page 22)

Friday December 11, 2020

Kaieteur News

PAGE 19

New GPHC board to address surgeries backlog Minister of Health, Dr F r a n k A n t h o n y, h a s instructed the newly appointed board of the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC) to address several planned surgeries that have been backlogged since March.

H e m a d e t h i s announcement during Wednesday’s COVID-19 update and said that the hospital will soon administer these surgeries since the GPHC now holds the capacity.

This is in light of the COVID-19 intensive care and transition patients who were previously housed at the GPHC being transferred to the Liliendaal Infectious Disease Hospital (better known as the Ocean View

Hospital).

The Minister stressed that the transfer of the patients has enabled the GPHC to return normalcy after dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic since its onset in March.

Dr. Anthony, in an exclusive interview with this newspaper, had highlighted that the GPHC has been the central management unit of the virus for nine months and in some instances, they saw a high influx of cases but lacked space. It also contributed to the inability to carry out critical functions apart from COVID-19 e ff i c i e n t l y, h e n c e t h e backlog.

The hospital is still the central unit managing the virus, but with the transfer of

COVID-19 patients to Ocean View, it now has capacity to carry out other functions.

The Health Minister has since expressed elation since those who have been on long waiting lists for surgeries will now be able to get them done.

He further added that the hospital will be using antigen tests which will also contribute to a faster pace in returning to normalcy.

“We will be able to hospitalize patients and have faster turnaround because we are now using the antigen test, so rather than people waiting in these transition wards for long periods on a PCR result, we can check their COVID-19 status by using antigen tests, and if

Board members at the GPHC boardroom this week: From left to right- Mr. Harryram Parmessar, Malcolm Watkins, Dr. Amarnauth Dukhi, Dr. Madan Rambarran, Dr. Fawcett Jeffrey and Brigadier (ret’d) George Lewis

we’re not certain, then we do the PCR. But the antigen tests would help us to screen a lot of patients and get them into the hospital and be able to do surgery as quickly as possible,” the Minister disclosed.

He also said that they have re-purposed the outpatient facilities to promote social distancing and curb the possible spread

of the virus. This included installing sinks and sanitization units. According to Dr. Anthony, he expects to see outpatients attending clinics regularly since the transfers. There had been a marked decrease in the number of persons attending.

Anthony said that they have to ensure persons who normally attend those clinics, especially people

with chronic noncommunicable diseases, receive their treatment since their conditions require proper management. He also outlined that these persons are more at risk of COVID19.

The new GPHC Board is expected to function until November next year and is being chaired by Dr Madan Rambarran.

Kaieteur News

PAGE 20

Friday December 11, 2020

Minister Walrond was US Citizen at the time of swearing in - Court hears - AG says error was corrected Chief Justice (Ag) Roxane George-Wiltshire yesterday handed down a decision that Minister of To u r i s m I n d u s t r y a n d Commerce, Oneidge Walrond is not a lawful member of the National Assembly, given that she was a US citizen at the time she was sworn in by President Irfaan Ali. The ruling comes after Attorney General (AG) and Minister of Legal Affairs Anil Nandlall admitted to the C o u r t t h a t Wa l r o n d ’s appointment as a Technocrat Minister was made before she relinquished her United States citizenship.

The AG said that necessary steps have since been taken to rectify the

situation after the government realised that it erred in appointing Walrond back in August 2020.

As such, he said that Minister Walrond will sit in the National Assembly as an unelected member, when it convenes.

The decision was based on a case brought by APNU+AFC Chief Whip and Opposition Member of Parliament (MP), Christopher Jones, who filed the action after it was discovered that US records revealed that Walrond was still a citizen of the USA when she was sworn in as the Minister and Member of Parliament.

In the matter, Attorney General Nandlall SC,

Debora Kumar, Deputy Solicitor General and Chevy Devonish, State Counsel, appeared on behalf of the s t a t e w h i l e a t t o r n e y, Roysdale Forde, appeared for the applicant.

In a statement after the court decision, the AG explained that the government had erred but took steps to immediately correct their misstep.

Nandlall noted since then Walrond had resigned the post as Minister of Tourism, Industry and Commerce, and was properly appointed by President Irfaan Ali for a second time on December 1, 2020.

He said that the acceptance to the Court is in

Minister Oneidge Walrond conformity with the government’s commitment to respect and uphold the Constitution of Guyana and the rule of law, and to avoid unnecessary wastage of judicial time, resources and public funds.

“At the hearing, these facts were disclosed to the Court by the Attorney General, who emphasized that unlike in the recent past, this Government took expeditious remedial action in correcting an error of law that was made as soon was

reasonably practicable without the need for protracted, time consuming and unnecessary litigation,” Nandlall added in the statement.

The AG further informed the Court that the legality of all actions and or decisions of Minister Walrond prior to the 1st day of December 2020 would be saved and cured by the de facto doctrine and the doctrine of necessity – a proposition with which the Court concurred.

According to Nandlall, the government’s position in the case was also informed by the fact that Minister Wa l r o n d ’s u n d i v i d e d attention and energy are required in the discharge of her ministerial responsibilities as part of their agenda of improving the lives of the citizenry and working towards creating a better Guyana for all.

Attorney General (AG) and Minister of Legal Affairs, Anil Nandlall.

He stressed that to keep the case languishing in the Court would result in an unnecessary cloud and burden over Minister Walrond.

As such, the AG said that the Minister will be sworn at the next sitting of the National Assembly, as an unelected member thereof.

The issue of dual citizenship surfaced after the December 2018 noconfidence vote which toppled the Coalition government and saw the resignation of several ministers then who were dual citizenship with the US and other countries.

Friday December 11, 2020

PAGE 21

Kaieteur News

Contractor wants 1.5B to supply pharmaceuticals at GPHC The National Procurement and Tender Administration Board (NPTAB), on Tuesday, opened 221 -----bids for 16 government ministries at their Ministry of Finance office on Main and Urquhart streets.

Notable projects included the procurement of medical supplies for the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC); the construction of a new regional office in Region One for the Guyana Revenue Authority, as well as the

supply of materials and works for the drilling of a well at the Infectious Diseases Hospital at Liliendaal, East Coast of Demerara.

Below are the companies and their bids:

Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) - Repair to chain link perimeter fence at GECOM

Supply and delivery of new air conditioning units

Supply, delivery and installation of printers

Procurement of Windows 10 software licence

Ministry of Public Works (MoPW) - Miscellaneous Roads 2020: Rehabilitation/ construction of main access road, Onderneeming, West Coast Berbice

Procurement of Microsoft Office 2019 software licenses

Supreme Court- Supply and delivery of desktop computers, UPS backup batteries and LaserJet printers

Ministry of Amerindian Affairs (MoAA) - Design and supervision services for the construction of the National Toshaos’ Council Secretariat complex Rehabilitation/ construction of Sideline Dam

Guyana Defence Force (GDF) - Supply and delivery of wrapped children presents, gift items Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation Incorporation (GPHC) – Supply and commissioning of medical equipment Ministry of Finance (MoF) - Procurement of IT-related hardware

Ministry of Housing & Water- Consultancy services for preparation of detailed design for water supply improvement works and feasibility study of Hope Canal

Guyana Water Incorporated (GWI) - Request for bid opening- procurement of goods supply and delivery of pre-printed bill forms

Supply of network switches Ministry of Education (MoE) - The expansion and refurbishment of the Fellowship Practical Instruction Centre

Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA) - Construction of new regional office, Mabaruma in Region One

Procurement of pharmaceutical supplies

Deeds & Commercial Registry Authority - Supply, delivery and installation of photocopiers Ministry of Health (MoH) - Supply of materials and works for drilling of well- Infectious Diseases Hospital at Liliendaal

PAGE 22

Kaieteur News

Friday December 11, 2020

Govt. will appraise bid evaluation criteria in coming days - President Ali

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From page 11 of Council for Technical, Vocational Education and Training (TVET); Preparedness for the Marine Oil Spill Response; Maternal Health Care Services at the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC); and An Assessment of the Hinterland School Feeding Programme.

Notably, three special investigations were finalized for the period October-November 2020. These included the Ministry of Public Health (MoPH) – Drug Bond; Ministry of Public Infrastructure (MoPI)

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In 2018, Kaieteur News had reported that the former A Partnership for National Unity + Alliance For Change (APNU+AFC) government had exited the drug bond arrangement at Sussex Street, Albouystown, but not before racking up a bill of $314.6M. The controversy became intensified when it was discovered late 2016, that the fa-

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From page 2 areas. The announcement was made yesterday afternoon at the Bel Air, Georgetown residence of the ambassador where President Irfaan Ali and a number of his cabinet members were also present.

President Irfaan Ali, in his brief remarks, noted that the release “goes a long way to show the new Guyana and helps in regaining our trust

and creditability,” that dwindled during the fivemonth elections crisis.

Guyana was expected to receive the funds since back in 2018, but according to Finance Minister, Dr. Ashni Singh, the December 2018 noconfidence motion and the absence of parliamentary oversight were key factors in why the payment was stalled.

“This country was found unable to secure the dis-

...Detained Haitians choose From page 18 Affairs, Robeson Benn, who said 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 country, they usually disappear without any trace. For that reason, when this batch of Haitians entered the country, they were under police surveillance, subsequently leading to them being arrested.

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.

It was discovered, during investig a t i o n s b y t h i s n e w s p a p e r, t h a t t h o u sands of Haitians and Cubans were using Guyana as a stepping stone to the US and Brazil.

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cility was merely storing items such as lubricants and condoms.

Meanwhile, the SLED programme initiated under the previous A Partnership for National Unity + Alliance For Change (APNU+AFC) government has attracted attention. In fact, Minister of Local Government and Regional Development, Nigel Dharamlall, had revealed that $250 million from the programme was unaccounted for. There are also three other investigations at varying stages of completion namely:

Mayor and Councillors of the City Georgetown; Ministry of Legal Affairs – Retainers Agreement; and Ministry of the Presidency – Acquisition of Birth Certificates.

On receiving the report, the Speaker said it would be laid at the first sitting of the National Assembly. Afterwards, it would become a public document.

The report is supposed to be examined and deliberated on by Parliament’s Public Accounts Committee (PAC) where recommendations are made to correct deficiencies.

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Government to see.”

“We saw, for example, criteria that disqualified a bidder because they did not show what qualifications the mason or the carpenter had.

These are issues that we are grappling with that requires change, and we are committed to that. Very shortly we will have consultation on that,” the Head of State said.

President Ali initially

President Irfaan Ali announced yesterday that the Government will next week examine the current bidding document and evaluation criteria with relevant stakeholders.

President Ali made the pronouncement at a joint press conference between Guyana and the European Union for the disbursement of

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The Head of State explained that the meeting with stakeholders and contractors will aim to examine the standard bidding document and evaluation criteria. He stated that the current standards have been “distressing for the

made the pronouncements after the launch of the Guyana-Canada Chambers of Commerce on December 4.

“So, together we can go through those evaluation criteria, and we’ll come up with a standard evaluation criteria to facilitate more competition and not derail competition,” President Ali had said while stressing that the Government is “very concerned” with the current criteria.

From page 15 community level. Participants included Government officials, representatives from the Office of the President, the Ministry of Housing and Water, the Central Housing and Planning Authority, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs

and International Cooperation, Guyana Power and Light (GPL), National Insurance Scheme (NIS), National Drainage and Irrigation Authority (NDIA), the Ministry of Health, the Guyana Police Force and several regional officials among others.

bursement because of the absence of parliamentary oversight, but I want to say now that this government intends to work hard to qualify for every cent of budget support,” Minister Singh vowed.

The EU Budget Support Programme is a contract based on a partnership with mutual accountability. As stated in the financial regulations of the European Union, the use of budget support is subject to conditions. Eligibility criteria have to be met before signing a contract and maintained during its implementation, before payments are made.

Budget support involves the transfer of financial resources to the national treasury of Guyana, following the fulfillment by the latter of the agreed conditions for payment set out in the contract.

Transfers are made in Euros

to a government account held at the Central Bank and then converted into local currency to the national treasury account.

Budget support funds must be included in the state budget of Guyana and fiscal accounts as grants.

Once the transfer has taken place, budget support funds are used in accordance with the partner country’s own Public Financial Management (PFM) systems. The responsibility for the management of these transferred resources rests with the government of Guyana. The EU´s responsibility when accounting for and auditing its resources is to ensure that the stipulated conditions have been met and that resources are transferred to the national treasury of Guyana in accordance with the financing agreement.

...Corentyne fisherman pleads guilty to 2016 killing From page 8 was still there. She realized that something was amiss after taking a closer look at him and realizing blood was on his body.

She immediately began to run and scream for help. Her screams alerted neighbours.

Police subsequently arrived on the scene and the body was taken to the Skeldon Public Hospital.Trim had told investigators that he went to the deceased’s house the night before, during which

time there was a heated exchange. He was struck to his head by Sharma. In retaliation, he picked up a cutlass and severely broadsided his friend. He left and went away.The suspect reported that he had returned to the house the following morning, and saw a crowd and Sharma’s lifeless body in a pool of blood in the yard. He subsequently left.

Justice Reynolds has ordered a probation report before a sentence is passed.

Friday December 11, 2020

Kaieteur News

PAGE 23

PAGE 24

Kaieteur News

Massy to trace distribution of expired toothpaste Massy Distribution, the official distributor of Colgate toothpaste, is now searching for a carton box that expired toothpaste was packed in.

Kaieteur News had reported that it was discovered that some retailers were selling toothpaste that has been expired since October 2002… at an extremely cheap cost.

According to Director of the Government Analyst Food and Drug Department (GA-FDD), Dr. Marlan Cole, six of 10 regions have confirmed that no expired products were found in their supermarkets.

He added that while the department is conducting investigations, Massy Distribution is conducting an independent probe into the matter, since they are the official distributor of the product.

This publication was told that Massy is searching for the carton that the toothpaste came in, to track the distribution of the toothpaste and remove them from the market.

Since the discovery was made, Massy has written to the department distancing themselves from this product.

In a statement last week, issued by the Food and Drug Department, consumers were warned about the sale of the toothpaste that had been expired since October 2002.

It was reported that the issue was brought to the Department’s attention by a consumer complaint.

As such, the Department dispatched an alert to the members of the National Food Safety and Control Committee, Public Health and Environmental Health Officers (EHO’s) in all 10 administrative regions and municipalities.

Inspectors of the department, assisted by ranks from the Guyana Police Force, visited several retail outlets in Georgetown including the Bourda Market, the Stabroek Bazaar and the La Penitence Market, where the expired products were seized and removed from premises.

Expired products have been found in Stabroek and Bourda Markets and indicate they were manufactured for Canada.

The police had arrested one retailer for knowingly and deliberately selling an expired product to unsuspecting

consumers.

According to the consumer who raised the complaint to the department, within three days of using the product, severe pain and headache symptoms occurred for a few days even after the product’s use was discontinued.

The release stated that the department is strongly advising consumers, particularly during the festive season, to pay closer attention to the expiry date and the label of products.

Consumers are also advised not to consume or use products that are in a foreign language, have their expiry date removed or that appear suspicious.

The GA-FDD requested that anyone having additional information or is affected to make contact with the department on telephone number 222-8859.

Just last year, a tug and barge had slammed into the bridge and the owner was ordered to pay $100M to the Government to repair the damaged structure.

That incident happened on September 2, 2019. On that occasion, a tug, Marina Oceanic, and a barge, manned

by Cubans and registered in Panama, crashed into the Demerara Harbour Bridge,

badly damaging the 40year-old structure and leaving hundreds of commuters stranded for several hours. That resulted in the bridge remaining inoperable for almost 36 hours.

Kaieteur News had reported that under the laws, the cost for fixing such damage to the bridge must be covered by the offending parties.

...One suspect nabbed; funeral today From page 16 Gonsalves and reportedly pushed him off his bike and took hold of it. Gonsalves was not giving it up without a fight, eyewitnesses said… he fought back.

Gonsalves’ helmet fell to

Region 10 records 26 COVID-19 cases out of 79 new cases

Images of the expired toothpaste.

...Traffic on Demerara Harbour Bridge From page 13 place and remedial works to the anchorage system of the bridge commenced without obstruction to vehicular traffic yesterday afternoon, the harbour bridge statement said.

The technical team is in the process of calculating the damages and the bridge alignment will be done today, it was disclosed.

Friday December 11, 2020

the ground. One of the bandits drew a weapon and shot the contractor several times.

Eyewitnesses recalled that he stumbled twice before eventually falling face down. The shooter reportedly hopped onto Gonsalves bike, started it and

rode off with his accomplice.

Gonsalves’ worker, Ramlakhan, stood in shock with hands on his head, as he watched his boss drew his last breath. The last rites for Gonsalves is expected to take place today.

...PPP/C, APNU+AFC teamed up to hide expense From page 14 in the glare of publicity,” he added.

While there is excitement surrounding the calls for constitutional and electoral reform, Ram noted, too, that such calls would be far more convincing if the callers would also demand that politicians and political parties do the most basic thing in any country – demand that those entrusted to

enforce the laws do their work and that there is compliance with the laws by political parties.

“We can no longer tolerate such lawlessness,” he said, continuing: “Elections are a necessary ingredient of democracy but unless political parties are held accountable and subject to law as everyone else is, democracy will be no more than an aspiration.”

The Ministry of Health yesterday reported that of the 79 newly recorded COVID-19 cases yesterday, Region 10 (Upper Demerara-Berbice) accounted for 26 of them.

This information was presented in the Ministry’s daily dashboard update, which revealed that the newly

recorded cases have increased the total number of confirmed cases to 5,811.

The dashboard also stated that the COVID-19 death toll remains at 154, while 4,925 persons have recovered.

Six persons are in the COVID-19 Intensive Care

Unit at the Liliendaal Infectious Disease Hospital; 42 in institutional quarantine; 26 are in institutional isolation while 684 persons are in approved home isolation.

Additionally, 33,020 persons have been tested nationally for the virus.

La Grange robber captured, remanded after schoolboy attack A man, who is accused of robbing a schoolboy, was remanded yesterday for a similar matter.

The defendant, Steffon ‘Candyman’ Williams, 23, a labourer of Bagotville, West Bank Demerara (WBD), was read his charge at the Wales Magistrate Court.

The charge as read to him

by Principal Magistrate, Faith McGusty.

It was alleged that on December 4th, 2020, he robbed Narendra Persaud, a resident of Independence Street, La Grange.

He was not required to plead to the charge and is expected to return to court on December 30th, 2020.

Williams had participated in another robbery on

December 8th, police alleged.

He along with three accomplices had attacked and robbed a schoolboy, 14. The robbery took place around 18:45hrs that day at same location where he had robbed Persaud- Independence Street.

According to reports, the schoolboy had walked out to the head of the street to purchase dog food.

Williams and the three pounce on him. The lad told police that Williams snatched his cellphone valued $45,000 and ran away.

This time, Williams was not so lucky.

An alarm was raised and residents of the area responded and captured Williams but the others

Remanded: Steffon Williams escaped. He was beaten before they handed him over to the police.

25

Sussex Street drug bond, SLED Programme, Leguan Stelling targeted 2019 Auditor General's Report handed over to House Speaker ‌

Speaker of the House Manzoor Nadir (left) receives the 2019 Auditor General's Report from Auditor General, Deodat Sharma

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Kaieteur News

Friday December 11, 2020

Friday December 11, 2020

Phelps says world records unlikely in Tokyo

Michael Phelps

Reuters - Michael Phelps said the disruption caused by the COVID-19 pandemic means it is unlikely any swimming world records will fall when the postponed Olympic Games are held in Tokyo next year.

American Phelps, 35, won a record 23 gold medals over four Olympic Games and is widely considered to be the greatest swimmer of all time.

Phelps believes most swimmers are putting in the necessary work but that they are at a big disadvantage given limitations on training and the one-year delay to the Games.

“There are kids out there who are controlling

Friday December 11, 2020 ARIES (Mar. 21–Apr. 19) Regardless of how much the storm seems to be raging out of control, you will be able to handle it. Have confidence in your grounded nature.

TAURUS(Apr.20–May20) Hold on to your hat, Taurus, and be ready for some action. You're coming to a critical point in your emotional cycle when your heart feels heavy.

GEMINI (May 21–June 20) In a string of intense emotional dramas, the last thing you need is one more. Unfortunately, it looks like you're going to get just that.

Once again, an incredible romantic scenario is coming to a head, and your emotions are in turmoil.

CANCER (June 21–July 22) There's a great deal of grounding energy in your world today, which might work to smother your fire.

Whatever happens, don't let the embers burn out.

LEO (July 23–Aug. 22) Take pressing matters to the hilt today, especially when it comes to romantic issues and emotional needs. You have all the data you need to make a valid point. You have a whole battalion of facts to back you up, so fire at will.

VIRGO (Aug. 23–Sept. 22) As you try to express your opinions today, you may have the feeling that someone is kicking sand in your face, Virgo. Like a kid on the beach, you have nothing but the raw elements to use to defend yourself.

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Kaieteur News

LIBRA (Sept. 23–Oct. 22) Your boat is likely to be rocked today, to the point where you and all of your belongings could go overboard. Be prepared to swim ashore. Grounding and stability are the keys to maintaining a healthy attitude.

SCORPIO (Oct. 23–Nov. 21) Calm down and get centered. This is an extremely sensual day that's likely to pique your emotions. You're apt to receive input from each one of your senses.

SAGIT(Nov.22–Dec.21) Today is your day to shine in every way. There's a concentration of energy in your favor, so act boldly and without hesitation.

CAPRI (Dec. 22–Jan. 19) Your heart and emotions are on the same page, Capricorn, but they may not be on the page you want them to be. It could be that you're reminiscing about an event from the past.

AQUARIUS(Jan.20–Feb.18) Let your sensual, nurturing instincts shine through, Aquarius. Rely on your sixth sense. If things start to get rough, remember that you have the ability to keep your cool.

PISCES (Feb. 19–Mar. 20) A solid grounding is apt to be extremely important to you today, Pisces. Hearts may be broken or won, depending on how well you play your cards. Keep in mind that the slow and steady contender is most likely going to win this race.

everything that they can control. They are swimming like they should be, they are lifting,” said Phelps, who set 39 world records during his career.

“But honestly, I think pushing it back by a year throws a bigger loop into it than everybody thinks. “The best of the best will fight back and you’re going to see some fast swims. But world records? I don’t think so.

“With all these pools being shut down, somebody would have to be damn near perfect for the rest of the preparation to have that chance.” Phelps, a longtime champion of mental health issues who has partnered with toothpaste brand Colgate to highlight young people making a positive impact in the world, said the emotional challenges of competing will be daunting.

“The mental approach is going to be disrupted so much. Some people might not be able to get over that,” he said.

...Paolo Rossi: Italy’s 1982 From page 28 lost a friend and an icon of Italian football.

“In spurring the national team on to success in 1982, he had Italians celebrating in squares across the country, both for him and with him. “He indelibly tied his name to the Azzurri and, through his style of play, inspired numerous strikers of future generations.”

European football’s governing body, Uefa, said “a moment of silence” would be held before Thursday’s (yesterday) Europa League matches to honour the player.

A statement from Vicenza, who Rossi helped win promotion to Serie A in 1977, said: “Sometimes there are simply no words to express the pain we are all experiencing.”

Milan, where he played in the 1985-86 season, said Rossi would “forever be in our memory”.

...Jai Hind Jaguars, West Dem Masters favoured From page 30 Chaitram, Lalta Suknanan, David Alert, Manishwar Balgobin, Davindra Ramdihal for good performances.

West Dem Masters will pin their hopes on burly lefthander Elroy Fernandes, Prahalae Singh, Deoram Persaud, Ramesh Thakur, Patrick Khan and Sudesh Persaud, Boodram Sugrim and Steve Haripaul and Khemraj Ramdeen.

Everest’s 195-5 against Sand Pippers on their home ground is the highest total so far in the tournament in which no batsman has managed a three-figure score or any bowler has a five-wicket haul.

Everest big hitter Shaheed Mohammed who played for the Cayman Islands in the Sanford T20 tournament, scored 66 against Sand Pippers which is the highest score in the tournament. Fellow Everest batsman Basil Persaud made 65 in the same game.

Fernandes (West Demerara Masters)Balgobin and Ramcharran (West Demerara Mavericks), Richard Ramdeen (Bel Air Rubis Ultra Tec), Eshwar Singh (Imam Bacchus Bulls) and Sumir and Beharry (Jai Hind Jaguars) have all registered

half-centuries. Beharry’s 61 is the highest score in the Berbice zone.

Bedesse has the best bowling figures when he captured 4-4 against Essequibo side Reliance in the Quarter-Finals at Enmore. Govindra Dindyal took 4-7 for Sarjoo Tigers while General Marines’ pacer Trevor Crawford was the other bowler with a fourwicket haul when he had 48.

Regal Masters’ Anthony Ifill who blasted three sixes in a cameo unbeaten 28 after taking 3-2 against Sand Pippers in the fourth round, has the best all-round performance in a game The tournament which is sponsored by Lalta Gainda and his wife under the Tropical Spring Brand saw the return of cricket in Guyana since March and has been played in accordance with the covid19 regulations.

The games had to be played without spectators, social distancing, masks being worn by players and officials when not on the field and no bars selling alcohol at the venue. The winner will collect $250, 000 while the runners-up takes home $100,000 (Sean Devers)

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Fifa president Gianni Infantino rejects ‘baseless’ private jet claims BBCsport - Calls for Fifa’s president to face a criminal investigation over his use of a private jet are “spurious”, football’s world governing body says. Swiss special prosecutor Stefan Keller says there were “clear signs of criminally reprehensible behaviour” relating to Gianni Infantino’s flight from Suriname to Geneva in 2017.

Keller says he has asked Swiss authorities to investigate the matter. Fifa said Keller’s claims were “baseless”. Keller was appointed in June to look into complaints involving Infantino and others.

Fifa’s own ethics committee has already looked into the allegations and cleared Infantino of violating its rules. But on Thursday

Friday December 11, 2020

Kaieteur News

Dundalk 2-4 Arsenal: Second-string Gunners brush aside Irish minnows

Gianni Infantino’s second term as president began in June 2019 (yesterday) Keller issued a press statement calling for the criminal investigation.

Fifa responded by saying it, and its president, were “shocked by the statement”.

“Neither Fifa nor its president

have ever been informed of these spurious new allegations,” it added, saying the claims were “rejected in the strongest possible terms”. Fifa is based in the Swiss city of Zurich.

The Arsenal forward wheels away in celebration after breaking the deadlock early on.

MailOnline - If only things were this comfortable for Arsenal in the Premier League. After yet more domestic difficulties, this time against Tottenham, Arsenal returned to the competition that has been their safe haven this season.

And just like all that has gone before in the Europa League, another victory totally out of keeping with their league woes – featuring goals and opportunities galore – followed against Irish Cup winners Dundalk.

In contrast to their worst league start since 1981, Arsenal have strolled into the knockout stages, ending as the only side in both European competitions with six wins from six group games.

Now the fun is over, comes a sustained period of the serious stuff starting against Burnley on Sunday.

Between now and the last32 stage in February there will

be no Thursday night football to offer some respite and confidence-boosting opportunities for Arteta’s men.

Somehow he needs to get his Arsenal side firing at home as they have been in Europe.

Arteta said: ‘Now we have to forget about the Europa League until February and focus on the Premier League strongly, the Carabao Cup and FA Cup. ‘We need to start winning football matches immediately.

We know that has to start on Sunday. We cannot sustain the results that we had in the last six to eight weeks.’

In the absence of much genuine competition, Arsenal’s group games have ended up being little more than chances for fringe and young players to give Arteta something to think about.

Nketiah was one who did that in Dublin, netting to

become Arsenal’s five-goal top scorer this season, before Mohamed Elneny added a memorable wonder-strike, Joe Willock made a Europa League contribution again and exciting striker Folarin Balogun gave another glimpse of his clinical finishing.

Nketiah was among Arsenal’s brightest starters at the Aviva Stadium and charged down Dundalk defender Andy Boyle’s clearance before chipping in for 1-0.

In other results: Lech Poznan 0 Rangers 2, Ludogorets 1 LASK 3, Tottenham 2 Royal Antwerp 0, Dinamo Zagreb 3 CSKA Moscow 1, RZ Pellets WAC 1 Feyenoord 0, Slovan Liberec 0 Red Star Belgrade 0, Hoffenheim 4 KAA Gent 1, Leicester 2 AEK Athens 0, Sporting Braga 2 Zorya Luhansk 0, Celtic 3 Lille 2, Sparta Prague 0 AC Milan 1.

World indoor championships in China postponed again until 2023 Reuters - The World Athletics Indoor Championships in Nanjing, China have been pushed back again to March 2023 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the sport’s global governing body said on Thursday (yesterday).

The event was initially scheduled for March 13-15 this year but was postponed for 12 months over fears

related to the spread of the novel coronavirus in China.

Organisers have now agreed to host the Nanjing event a year after the 2022 championships in Belgrade, World Athletics added.

“For the safety of our athletes and technical officials, we must duly consider the risks in bringing a large group of people to

attend the event under the pandemic situation and fully respect and carry out the pandemic prevention policy o f t h e h o s t c o u n t r y, ” World Athletics said in a statement.

“The indoor season for athletics falls within a narrow calendar window (up to the end of March) so it is not possible to extend the event to later in the year.”

Friday December 11, 2020

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Olympics-USOPC will not punish Lewis Hamilton to race at Abu Dhabi Grand Prix on Sunday athletes for protests at Olympics Reuters - The United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee (USOPC) said on Thursday (yesterday) it will not sanction athletes for peacefully and respectfully demonstrating in support of racial and social justice at the Olympic and Paralympic Games.

The USOPC’s decision came in response to recommendations from an athlete-led council seeking change to Rule 50 of the Olympic Charter which prohibits any kind of demonstration or political, religious or racial propaganda.

“The USOPC values the voices of Team USA athletes and believes that their right to advocate for racial and social justice, and be a positive force for change, absolutely aligns with the fundamental values of equality that define Team USA and the Olympic and Paralympic movements,” USOPC chief executive Sarah Hirshland said in a statement.

The Team USA Council on Racial and Social Justice said hate speech, racist propaganda and discriminatory remarks aimed at eliminating the rights and dignity of historically marginalised populations do not meet the requirements for ethical speech.

It also called on the International Olympic Committee (IOC)and International Paralympic Committee (IPC) to recognise that protests focused on human rights and social justice initiatives do not qualify as “divisive disruptions” of the Games and should not be met with the same consequences as

BBCsport - Lewis Hamilton will take part in this weekend’s Abu Dhabi Grand Prix after testing negative for Covid-19. The seven-time world champion missed the Sakhir Grand Prix in Bahrain last weekend after contracting coronavirus.

Hamilton, 35, arrived in

File - In this Oct. 16, 1968, file photo, U.S. athletes Tommie Smith, center, and John Carlos extend gloved hands skyward in racial protest during the playing of national anthem. AP hate speech.

“The silencing of athletes during the Games is in stark contrast to the importance of recognizing participants in the Games as humans first and athletes second,” the council said in its statement.

“Prohibiting athletes to freely express their views during the Games, particularly those from historically underrepresented and minoritized groups, contributes to the dehumanization of athletes that is at odds with key Olympic and Paralympic values.”

The postponed Tokyo Olympics are now due to be held from July 23-Aug. 8 next year, while the next Winter Games are scheduled to be hosted in Beijing in 2022. The 44-member Team USA

Council on Racial and Social Justice, is comprised of 23 Team USA athletes, five Team USA alumni, five national governing body members, five USOPC liaisons, and six external members.

Among those on the council is former sprinter John Carlos, who was kicked off the U.S. team and sent home from the 1968 Mexico City Olympics for a raised-fist protest while on a medal podium amid the civil rights movement in the United States. The gesture was rebuked as unpatriotic but Carlos and Tommie Smith, who also stood on the podium with a raised fist, have since received the USOPC’s highest honor as they were inducted onto the organisation’s Hall of Fame last year.

Tricia Fiedtkou to Chair GOA Women in Sport Commission The Guyana Olympic Association (GOA) has appointed seven women as its Women in Sport Commission to chart a way forward for the growth of women in the sport.

Experienced Sports Administrator Mrs. Tricia Fiedtkou who is a well renowned Travel Agent/Manager and of hockey fame has been named the Chairperson of the commission.

The other members are Ms. Cristy Campbell-Editor/ Entrepeneur/Tennis; Ms. Onefa George - CPCE/

Teacher/Physical Education; Mrs. Emily Ramdhani Banker/Badminton; Ms. Britney van Lange - Engineering Psychologist/GDF LT/ Olympian Swimmer; Ms. Runita White - Assistant Manager/Powerlifting; Ms. Tatiana Woodroffe - Entrepreneur/Swimming Coach.

The objective of this Commission is in keeping with that of Panam Sports - To ensure the constant growth of women in both sport and leadership. Some of the work will involve facilitating connections between potential play-

ers and the National Associations/Clubs, raising awareness of gender equality, sexual harassment in sport and anti-doping.

According to the Chairperson, Mrs Fiedtkou - “I am excited to be heading this diverse group of professional, independent and accomplished women and we will do our best to create a strong base to empower our girls and women for the future.”

The first engagement in 2021 will be a Women in Sports Leadership Workshop.

Abu Dhabi on Thursday (yesterday) after completing 10 days of quarantine in Bahrain. Fellow Briton, George Russell, 22, who starred on his Mercedes debut at the Sakhir Grand Prix as Hamilton’s stand-in, will now return to Williams.

Formula 1’s governing

Lewis Hamilton

body the FIA confirmed that Hamilton had returned a “number of negative Covid19 tests” before travelling for the final race of the season.

Mercedes had said it was “possible” they would make the decision as to whether Hamilton raced as late as shortly before Saturday’s (tomorrow) final practice session, which runs for an hour and starts at 10:00 GMT, three hours prior to qualifying.

Hamilton released a video message on social media on Tuesday in which he said he was “feeling great” and had just completed his first physical training session since his positive test. “It has been one of the hardest weeks I’ve had for some time,” he said, adding: “I hope I can get back in the car soon.”

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Friday December 11, 2020

Belgium and Hungary take 2020 Big Bash League: Hobart Hurricanes beat Sydney Sixers in opening game honours

© Getty Images FIFA - A total of 1082 full internationals were played in 2019, the biggest number since the FIFA/Coca-Cola World Ranking was introduced in 1993. By contrast, just 352 matches took place in 2020. Not since 1987 (323 matches), have so few fixtures taken place in a calendar year. And while 2020 has certainly had major disruptions, Belgium still managed to claim the title of FIFA/Coca-Cola World Ranking Team of the Year for the third consecutive time.

Winners of six of their eight matches in 2020, the Red Devils are not the only ones to see their position unchanged.

Their three immediate pursuers – France (2nd), Brazil (3rd) and England (4th) – retain their respective rankings. The only change in the top five compared to 2019

is the appearance of Portugal in 5th place.

Next in the standings are Spain (6th) and Argentina (7th), both of which have improved two places compared to last year.

Uruguay (8th) have regressed but remain in the Top 10, while Mexico and Italy again occupy 9th and 10th place.

The team with the most progress in 2020 were Hungary (40th), after a gain of 44 points and 12 places allowed them to end the year in the top 50. In eight matches played in 2020, the Magyars lost just once (to Russia), a sequence of results that enabled them to secure a berth at UEFA EURO 2020.

Other notable climbers this year were Ecuador (56th, + 41 points compared to December 2019), Malta (176th, + 32 points), Brazil (3rd, + 31 points), and

Equatorial Guinea (134th, + 31 points). Burundi (138th), meanwhile, picked up 29 points and made the most significant move in terms of places, ascending 13 positions.

Just like most of 2020, December saw a low number of games.

Consequently, there is little movement to report other than a one-place rise for Qatar (58th, + 1), host of the next FIFA World Cup™, following their defeat of Bangladesh (186th, - 2) in a delayed AFC qualifying fixture for Qatar 2022.

Ethiopia (146th, + 1), Djibouti (184, + 1) and Dominica (184th, + 1) all advanced one place and will be hoping to build on that progress in 2021. The next FIFA/Coca-Cola World Ranking will be published on 18 February 2021.

Paolo Rossi: Italy’s 1982 World Cup hero dies aged 64 BBCsport - Italy’s 1982 World Cup hero Paolo Rossi has died aged 64, his family says. Rossi became a household name after leading the Azzurri to victory at the tournament in Spain, finishing as top scorer and being named best player.

At club level he first came to prominence as a prolific scorer for Vicenza, earning a move to Juventus and later playing for AC Milan. His death was announced on Thursday (yesterday), following what Italian media report had been a long illness.

Rossi’s wife Federica Cappelletti posted a picture of them together on social media with the words “Per sempre” (“forever”). She did not disclose the cause of his death. Rossi scored 20 goals in 48 appearances for the Italian national side, and more than 100 Serie A goals during spells with Vicenza, Perugia, Juventus, Milan and Verona.

Paolo Rossi shot to global fame after scoring a hat-trick against Brazil in the 1982 World Cup. (Getty Images) Following his performances at the 1982 World Cup, he was awarded the Ballon d’Or which at the time was given to the European footballer of the year. After retiring from football in the late 1980s, Rossi worked as a pundit for Sky, Mediaset and Rai. The Italian football

federation (FIGC) said flags would fly at half-mast at its headquarters in Rome and its technical centre in Florence.

“Pablito’s passing away is another moment of deep pain, a wound to the heart of all fans that is difficult to heal,” said FIGC president Gabriele Gravina. “We’ve (Continued on page 25)

BBCsport - Hobart Hurricanes beat defending champions Sydney Sixers by 16 runs in the opening game of the Big Bash League.

England’s James Vince hit a fluent 67 off 41 balls in the Sixers’ pursuit of 179, but his departure sparked a collapse of five wickets for 37 runs.

James Faulkner claimed 222 and Riley Meredith 2-29 at Bellerive Oval.

The Hurricanes’ 178-8 was built around a 33-ball 58 from Tim David and Colin Ingram’s 55 off 42 deliveries.

They took 19 off the 15th over, bowled by Steve O’Keefe, as the Hurricanes became the first side to use the Power Surge - allowing the batting side to choose when to use the remaining two overs of the powerplay.

That was one of three new rules introduced this season.

The Sixers took a bonus point from the game by claiming the Bash Boost, having scored more than the Hurricanes’ 72 at the 10-over mark. Neither side opted to use one of their two X-Factor substitutes at the halfway stage of the innings.

The match was also notable for a sensational piece of fielding by Jordan Silk, who prevented an

Jordan Silk takes to the air to deny Colin Ingram, who fell three balls later. (GETTY IMAGES) Ingram six when he dived full length over the mid-wicket boundary and clawed the ball back in mid-air.

Vince batted superbly after left-arm seamer Faulkner trapped Josh Philippe lbw in the first over of the Sixers’ chase. He hit eight fours and two sixes - including a glorious drive over wide longoff for six off Nathan Ellis - as he added 116 in 13 overs with Jack Edwards, who made 47 off 39 balls.

However, both fell in the space of five deliveries, Vince pinned in front by Faulkner as

he stepped across his stumps and Edwards cleaned up by the impressive Meredith. The Australia pace bowler conceded only four runs off the 18th over and the Hurricanes just 47 from the final seven as what was shaping up to be a tense finish turned into a comfortable win.

The Sixers have signed Nottinghamshire’s Jake Ball as a replacement for fellow England seamer Tom Curran, who withdrew from the Big Bash this week to spend time with his family.

GFF makes historic payments to players for 2012 Mexico game following independent investigation The Guyana Football Federation has commenced one-off payments of US$500 to national team players and staff assigned to the 2014 FIFA World Cup “home” qualifier against Mexico, following an in-depth, independent investigation into the matter. The move draws a line under a divisive issue that previous administrations had failed to address, despite the longheld concerns of one of the most gifted groups of players and coaches Guyana has produced. “We are pleased to be able to resolve this matter at last, following a transparent and detailed investigation,” said GFF President Wayne Forde.

“The investigation showed that it is right for the GFF to make this one-off payment now as a gesture of goodwill to some of Guyanese football’s greatest servants.” “We hope that this payment will go some way to repairing the disappointment that many of our national heroes have rightly felt due

to this matter, especially after years of loyal service to the Golden Arrowhead.”

The Golden Jaguars had lost 3-1 to Mexico at the Azteca Stadium in June 2012 in the third round of Concacaf ’s qualification process for the biggest prize in football and were due to play a blockbuster home tie as part of the group round robin in October.

However, the GFF leadership at the time sold the hosting rights for the match, which ultimately took place in Houston, Texas in October 2012. Guyana lost 5-0 and finished bottom of the group.

At the time, there were claims that the team had been offered a cut of the hosting rights deal, and players have lobbied for recognition since.

The current Forde-led Executive Committee, which took office in 2015, pledged to resolve the issue and appointed an independent consultant to investigate the matter. “This generation of footballers was a credit to the nation and it has been a source

of shame that this issue remained unresolved under previous administrations,” said Charles ‘Lily’ Pollard, amember of 2012 squad, former national captain and current Senior Men’s Team Assistant Coach.

“I would like to thank the current GFF leadership for taking this issue seriously and for working diligently to investigate and resolve it. I hope we can all now close the door on this chapter and I look forward to working with the GFF to create a new generation of heroes.”

Gregory ‘Jackie Chan’ Richardson, also part of the squad in 2012, said: “I am grateful for the actions of the GFF and the Executive Committee in finding a workable solution for the Mexico payment.

For many of the players, it was always more about the principle than the money – we wanted our voices to be heard and for a fair solution to be found. I’m glad we can now move on and focus on the future of our football.”

Friday December 11, 2020

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Concacaf to launch new senior women’s national team competitions to benefit entire Confederation Miami, FL - Concacaf has announced the structure of a new senior women’s national teams football calendar which will begin in 2021 and include major centralized summer tournaments in 2022 and 2024.

The Concacaf Council yesterday approved this structure of new competitions with the aim of transforming women’s national team football across the entire confederation. The new calendar prioritizes providing more official match dates for all Concacaf region women’s senior national teams and ensuring there is elite competition to showcase the highest level of women’s international football.

Through this new calendar, Concacaf will more than double the number of official senior women’s national team matches compared with the current cycle of competitions. This major development for the women’s game follows the launch in June 2019 of Concacaf W – the Confederation’s women’s football strategy – which has focused on working with Concacaf Member Associations (MAs) to grow all aspects of women’s football in North and Central America and the Caribbean.

The structure of how the new competitions will be organized, and the formats, are as follows: Concacaf Women’s National Team Competition 2021/22 - FIFA World Cup Qualification Group Stage – FIFA Windows of November 2021 and April 2022 Concacaf women’s national teams ranked 3 and below in the FIFA Rankings

Lady Panthers FC - GFF-ALWAYS ‘Super 6’ Cup Finalist will be drawn into six groups of five*; Each team will play a total of four matches (two at home and two away); At the end of the group stage, the six group winners will qualify for a centralized Finals event The top two Concacaf nations in the FIFA Rankings from August 2020, USA and Canada, will not compete in the group stage and will receive a bye straight to the Finals; *Should more than 30 Concacaf MAs participate in this competition, a Play-In would be organized ahead of the group stage.

Centralized Finals Event – July 2022 The six group winners will be joined by the top two Concacaf ranked nations (USA and Canada);

The eight nations will be split into two groups of four; After single round-robin play, the two group winners will qualify for the knockout rounds; The final event will qualify Concacaf teams into the FIFA Women’s World Cup Australia and New Zealand 2023.

Concacaf Women’s National Team Competition 2023/24 – Women’s Concacaf Nations League Group Stage – FIFA windows of September, October, November 2023 (and April 2024 Play-In) Concacaf national teams* will be split into groups within three leagues; Home and away matches will be played within league groups; The three top league group winners will qualify

directly to the Finals event in Summer 2024; The second league group winners and runners-up from the top league will have an opportunity to compete in a Play-In to qualify for the Finals; *The Concacaf women’s national teams which compete in the Summer 2024 Olympic Games will not compete in the group stage and will receive a bye directly to the Finals.

Centralized Finals Event – June 2024 The Finals of the 2023/24 Concacaf women’s national team competition will consist of 12 teams split into three groups of four, including: The two Concacaf national teams which compete in the 2024 Olympic Games (they receive a bye directly to the Finals of

this competition); Six Concacaf national teams which qualify through the Group Stage and Play-In; Four guest national teams from other Confederations; After single round-robin p l a y, t h e t h r e e g r o u p winners, the three group runners-up and the two best third-place finishers will qualify for the knock-out stage which will consist of quarterfinals, semi-finals and a final.

The qualification of Concacaf women’s national teams to the 2024 Summer Olympic Games will be structured through this new calendar of competitions.

Further information on how Olympic qualification will be determined will be communicated in due course.

“This is a milestone moment for our Concacaf W strategy, and I am hugely excited by the prospect of launching these new Concacaf women’s national team competitions. I strongly believe they will provide a development pathway for all of our Member Associations, while at the same time creating strong and competitive finals events to showcase the very best of women’s national team football in our region,” said Concacaf President and FIFA Vice President, Victor Montagliani.

“These new competitions will help us further harness the growth in women’s football that we have seen in this region as a result of the last two FIFA Women’s World Cups. I am confident they will have a very positive impact on the women’s game at all levels in Concacaf,” added Montagliani.

“As a former international player who is now on the administrative side driving forward the Concacaf W strategy I am truly excited by this development for women’s football in the region,” said Concacaf Head of Women’s Football, Karina LeBlanc.

“These new competitions will be transformative for the confederation by providing a consistent structure of matches for all Member Associations.

They will accelerate the growth of the women’s game in Concacaf and I can’t wait for them to get started next year”, added LeBlanc.

The names and brands of the new Concacaf women’s senior national team competitions are still to be determined and will be communicated in 2021.

GFF, UEFA and Concacaf discuss ‘Bounce Back’ Programme

By Calvin Chapman “I can say we are better prepared to lead the GFF out of this difficult period and into a better 2021,” President Wayne Forde.

Yesterday, the Guyana Football Federation (GFF), UEFA and Concacaf held a joint zoom Press Conference with local media to give an update on the 100-day ‘return to play’ action plan which is part of the ‘Bounce Back’ programme which will help pave the way for the resumption of football competitions and development.

Present at the meeting were Howard McIntosh, Senior Project Manager at

Concacaf, Eva Pasquier; Head of International Relations at UEFA, Stewart Regan; Consultant attached to the UEFA and Wayne Forde; President of the GFF. During his remarks, McInstosh, who is no stranger to Guyana, noted that, “The GFF continues to demonstrate great methods and are reaping the benefits of strategic planning which has been witnessed over the past four years both on and off the pitch from the work and leadership from their executive.”

These sentiments were made in relation to the GFF undertaking another positive initiative and McIntosh

added that, “I think the GFF is a great example of what can be done and achieved with great leadership.”

Pasquier revealed that, “The UEFA Assist Programme was created four years ago with the vision of having all of the football world working together and sharing expertise.”

Bounce Back (an extension of the assist programme) was called to life following the pandemic because football had stop and we wanted it to continue even though we know that it wouldn’t be under normal circumstances. It was a real pleasure working with the GFF, getting everything

coordinated.”

Regan’s key input highlighted that, “We (UEFA and GFF) are trying to think how we recover from the pandemic and how we operate as federations when the world returns to normal.”

“Football is much more than kicking the ball around, it’s a business. At the heart of it all, it requires leadership and we are glad that Wayne Forde stepped forward to help introduce the Bounce Back programme.

We’ve taken the best practices from across Europe and around the world in order to help implement an action plan for the safe return to play.”

Forde expressed gratitude to everyone that has been lending a helping hand in developing the 100-day play.

He posited that, “Over the past weeks we have worked diligently with the UEFA team who brings a wealth of experience and we were able to share the unique circumstances affecting Guyana as a country. We have benefited greatly from the experts which continue even now.”

A strong emphasis was to be able to listen to our community of stake holders and we have been very clear that safety for our players, staff and partners is paramount.”

We have a detailed action plan with specific deliverables that will be attended by our staff and I can say we are better prepared to lead the GFF out of this difficult period and into a better 2021.”

PAGE 32

Friday December 11, 2020

Kaieteur News

Contributions made to Clubs, NGOs, Churches and Less Fortunate Families - RHTY&SC Berbice Christmas Charity Programme

West Indies female player Shemaine Campbelle (left) hands over donation to a representative of Dream For Kids Inc. The ten (10) cricket teams of the Rose Hall Town Youth and Sports Club (RHTY&SC) on Sunday last launched their largest ever Berbice Christmas Charity Programme. Under the supervision of Assistant Secretary/CEO Simon Naidu, the club teams intend to share out one thousand food hampers, five thousands Christmas toys along with clothing, footwear, educational materials and school bags to less fortunate families across the Ancient County from December 7th 24th.

The teams would also be distributing hundreds of special packages to single parent households and Christmas breakfast to senior citizens. Club Secretary/CEO Hilbert Foster stated that the Covid-19 pandemic was the factor behind the increase of activities in this year

programme as the teams were aware that the lives of many have been affected.

The teams in a joint partnership with the Berbice Cricket Board (BCB) from April to November have distributed over six thousand food hampers, thousands of facemasks, published an educational covid poster and distributeed cleaning items to dozens of public institutions.

On Sunday last, the teams shared out over dozens of food hampers to cricket clubs across the county. Among those receiving were Paradise, Blairmont, Achievers, Tucber Park, Rose Hall Canje, Albion, Port Mourant, Whim and Young Warriors.

The entire membership of the club also received hampers along with single parent households in the Lower Corentyne area. Over 350 hampers have been

Members of the Metro Female Team hands over toys to the Camal Children’s Home. handed out to date along with hundreds of toys.

Donations of toys have been made to over 15 organisations, orphanages and churches including the Rose Hall Town Wesleyan Church, St. Francis Xavier Roman Catholic Church, Camal Children Home, Canaan Children Home, Alpha Children Home, Dream for Kids Inc., Feed The Children Foundation Inc. and Corriveton Anglican Church among others. The St. Francis Church also benefitted from a contribution of special gifts that would be used in their weekly birthday project for members. The Canaan Children Home also received a donation while the Dream for Kids Inc. located in the Upper Corentyne area also received a donation.

The teams also visited the

homes of two Upper Corentyne cricketers to hand over food hampers and educational materials. One of the cricketers died following an accident while the other was badly injured during an argument.

Foster who is also the President of the BCB has pledged to assist the families as much as possible until all of the children complete their educational careers.

He also committed to providing a cricket bat and a pair of batting gloves to one of the children who requested assistance to fulfill his dream of playing for the West Indies.

The teams would continue their programme with the distribution of toys to less fortunate children on Sunday at the Area ‘H’ Ground. Another seven hundred food hampers would

be shared out during the course of the next two weeks while school bags, clothing and footwear would also be handed out to families in depressed areas. A new feature this year would be the sharing out of 500 special Christmas bags consisting of confectionery, apples, grapes, wall nuts and biscuits to single parent households.

At least three hundred senior citizens would receive a Christmas Breakfast from the teams. Two homeless persons would also be surprised with a special makeover which would include new clothes, haircut and pampering.

The programme would conclude with the hosting of the annual Christmas Village in the compound of the Rose Hall Town Primary School from December 22-24. The National covid-19 Task Force

has granted permission for the village with some restrictions.

The club would not be allowed to use the traditional bouncy castle, trampoline or host the popular horror house. Foster stated that the village would be held under very strict covid guidelines and only forty persons would be allowed at one time.

Among the popular attractions shall be inflatable Christmas Characters, the Nativity Scene, Christmas Tree, Christmas Star, Family Bridge, Christmas Chimney, Children games and the Christmas home. The ten teams of the club are the Farfan and Mendes U-15, Poonai U-12 and 13, Bakewell U-17 and Second Division, Pepsi U-19 and Intermediate, Metro Female, Namilco Thunder Bolt Flour U-21 and First Division.

Jai Hind Jaguars, West Dem Masters favoured for finals - GCB/Tropical Spring 0-40 T20 Cricket Semis on today The much anticipated semi-finals of the inaugural National over-40 T20 cricket tournament is scheduled for today with a double header at Everest. However, if the rain spoils the party in the City then the Guyana Cricket Board (GCB) has a back-up plan with the Enmore Community Centre ground on the East Coast of Demerara ready as the alternative venue.

According to the GCB if tomorrow’s Final is washed out then Sunday has been named as the reserve day.

Today from 09:30hrs, West Demerara Masters plays West Demerara Marevicks in a battle of the teams from the West Side while the 13:30hrs encounter pits Berbice side Jai Hind Jaguars the only unbeaten team in the

Basil Persaud

Elroy Fernandes

tournament against Regal Masters.

In the quarter-finals, West Demerara Masters beat Imam Bacchus Bulls of Essequibo by 90 runs, West Demerara Mavericks defeated Reliance by 24 runs, Regal Masters got past West Berbice by nine wickets and Jai Hind Jaguars too care of Bel Air Rubis Ultra

Tec by four wickets.

On paper, Jai Hind Jaguars which has won all of their games in the Berbice zone and West Demerara Masters are favoured to qualify for tomorrow’s final.

However, cricket is not played on the paper but on the field and on what is anticipated to be a slow track

Anthony Ifill

Anil Beharry

Manishwar Balgobin

and heavy outfield, the game between Jai Hind Jaguars and Regal Masters whose team includes a few players who still plays competitive cricket, should be a ‘hum dinger’.

The Corentyne unit includes former Guyana FirstClass off-spinner Michael Chinsammy, ex-Berbice 50overs Inter-County lefthander Anil Beharry and former Berbice U-19 batsman

Deopraksh Ramdat. Jai Hind Jaguars will also depend on Khemraj Sumair, Zahir Moakan, Narine Deonarine and Rajin Moonsammy.

Regal will have in their lineup ex-Berbice batsman Eion Abel, GNIC’s first division batsman Shawn DeSousa, Ejaz Mohammed, former Essequibo Inter-County player Mahendra Hardyal, Roy Persaud, Chien Gittens

and Conrad Boele.

The morning encounter sees the two West Side teams go at each other in what should a keenly contested affair as the players aim to turn back the clock. West Demerara Maravicks who has lost just one of their eight games will look to Sohan Bedesse, Chabbiraj Ramcharran, Mohan (Continued on page 25)

Friday December 11, 2020

Kaieteur News

PAGE 33

Tricia Fiedtkou to Chair GOA Women in Sport Commission

Runita White

Tricia Fiedtkou

t r o Sp

GFF, UEFA and Concacaf discuss ‘Bounce Back’ Programme

GFF President, Wayne Forde

Howard McIntosh Senior Project Manager, Concacaf

Eva Pasquier Head of International Relations, UEFA

Emily Ramdhani

Cristy Campbell

Jai Hind Jaguars, West Dem Masters favoured for finals GCB/Tropical Spring 0-40 T20 Cricket Semis on today

Britney van Lange

Onefa George

GFF makes historic Hamilton payments to players to race at for 2012 Mexico game following Abu Dhabi independent Grand Prix investigation on Sunday

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