Kaieteur News

K

AIETEUR NEWS

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

Govt. to beg

Thursday Edition December 17, 2020 - Vol. 13 No. 50

for more money

p. Online: www.kaieteurnews.com Online 13 Price $80

to fight COVID-19

readership yesterday, 120,520

Part to help fix Petroleum Commission Bill, new Local Content Policy Another US$34M loan from IDB…

p.

3

Omai strikes gold but nation still clueless about contract terms

p.

12

Pres. Ali urges police West Berbice serial killer force to find ways to gets two life win public’s trust sentences p.

14

p.

11

- announces two weeks bonus; - “there is no mitigating factor housing programme for ranks that goes in your favour” - Judge

Woman killed after car slams into median

p.

11

Something is not adding up!

Four of Guyana’s presidents came together, but something is not adding up. These four Guyanese leaders had a lot to say on a few important things.

BUT ON THE MOST IMPORTANT T H I N G F O R G U YA N A , T H E Y SAID NOTHING! None of the four presidents had time to talk about oil.

President Ali spoke of strengthening Guyana’s electoral system. Not bad!

But he shrinks fearfully from speaking anything about

strengthening the terms of the oil and mineral contracts and regulations.

Neither did our four wise presidents speak of strengthening local content policies or the c o u n t r y ’ s environmental laws.

While we squabble over electoral and constitutional reforms, our oil is being drained off, leaving us anaemic and weak.

This is the state in which all of our presidents have us. It is time for us to say no to this form of captive politics.

Commercial fishermen will lose access to some far out fishing areas due to Payara project p.

19

- But Exxon says impact on livelihoods will be negligible - EIA

Emergency Medicine Specialist promotes Ivermectin in personal COVID-19 prevention plan p.

8

Listen how one of the players who received the Canje oil block for FREE is now working at the Energy dept., looking out for our interest. Hear about it on the Glenn Lall Show ...11:00am today on 99.1/99.5FM Kaieteur Radio

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Kaieteur News

Thursday December 17, 2020

Kaieteur News

Thursday December 17, 2020

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$523.3M in D&I equipment ordered from three companies - Agri Minister threatens to write Tender Board blacklisting underperforming contractors

T

he Ministry of Agriculture has signed six major contracts valued at some $525.3 million to purchase 17 pieces of much-needed equipment to enhance its drainage and irrigation works capacity.

Inked on Tuesday at the Ministry's boardroom, the contracts will cater for the procurement of two new long reach hydraulic excavators for the East Demerara Water Conservancy.

A new-wheeled hydraulic excavator, four new mini hydraulic excavators, eight new hydraulic excavators and three new hydraulic bulldozers will also be purchased for the National Drainage and Irrigation

Minister Zulfikar Mustapha with his officials and representatives of the suppliers Authority (NDIA).

Speaking at the signing ceremony, Minister of

Agriculture, Zulfikar Mustapha, said the equipment would have a

Another US$34M loan from IDB…

Part to help fix Petroleum Commission Bill, new Local Content Policy

W

hile Guyana's request for a US$34M loan from the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) is still in the preparation stage, the financial institution has already made it clear that a portion of it would be used to help the country get its Petroleum Commission Bill and new Local Content Policy in order.

With respect to the Petroleum Commission Bill, the financial institution has noted that Guyana needs to make urgent reforms to the current draft so as to ensure that head of such a crucial body is empowered to act independently and is able to demand that stakeholders obey industry norms.

In relation to the new Local Content Policy being pursued by the People's Progressive Party/ Civic administration, the IDB holds the view that a push towards local content strives to ensure, at the very least, that a company is hiring

local labour and procuring local goods and services from the host country.

Towards this end, the bank said it will help Guyana update its new local content policy to increase the participation of the local companies along the value chain of the oil and gas sector.

Last month, the government had disclosed that it had received the first report on recommendations for the policy from the Local Content Advisory Panel which was chaired by Shyam Nokta.

Even though the document is yet to be released, Kaieteur News understands that it is expected to contain a review of all existing initiatives and policies where local content is concerned and guide the development of a new policy and legislation.

The local content policy currently in place was drafted under the former D a v i d G r a n g e r

administration but was controversial because of a glaring absence of provisions to give Guyana more benefits.

That document was finalized by ExxonMobil a ff i l i a t e , D r. M i c h a e l Warner. Warner is the UK consultant that APNU+AFC used to replace Trinidadian local content expert, Anthony Paul. Paul has been retained by the Irfaan Ali administration to assist with the revision of the policy and the installation of legislation.

The private sector has criticised the current policy as unfit for purpose, and has expressed that it did not heed the recommendations of the business service organizations. Also sharing these sentiments was Opposition Member of Parliament and shadow oil minister, David Patterson.

The AFC Member has since challenged the government to set local content targets for oil companies in its policy.

significant impact on the agriculture sector.

“People are making these requests, and we want to send these machines to various regions, so that we can have a fleet of machines that we can have work done in various regions, rather than to move machines c e n t r a l l y, ” M i n i s t e r Mustapha stated in a Department of Public Information (DPI) statement.

C o m m u n i t i e s countrywide stand to benefit from the use of the miniexcavators for drainage works. The bulldozers will play a critical role in the preparation of dams, particularly for rice crops.

Meanwhile, to

encourage accountability, Minister Mustapha said all unpriced bill of quantities would be published within communities where contractual works are to be executed.

He said this is in response to residents' concerns that contractors have short-changed communities by providing substandard work.

The Minister contended that contractors must comply with the specifications outlined by the Ministry's engineers.

“I want to empower the beneficiaries. They will not stop contracts. They will not go and give any order to the contractor. What they will just do is help us to monitor

the scope of works to ensure that we have quality work and we have value for our money.”

While underscoring the need for a better partnership between contractors and Government, the Minister said action would be taken against delinquent contractors.

“If we are not satisfied with a contractor's performance, we will be writing the Tender Board and advice the Tender Board that we don't want to keep relation with this contractor.”

Minister Mustapha said that this action could negatively impact a contractor's ability to access (continued on page 14)

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Kaieteur News

Thursday December 17, 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

Bribes for big ones in government Where there is the will, a way is usually found and, with practice and time, it is as easy as one, two, three. This is what was revealed in the article titled, “World’s top oil trader paid bribes for years to govts.” (KN December 11).

A couple of things came to light, which should alert Guyanese of the costly troubles and damage that oil brings.

First, there was the world’s biggest oil trading company, Vitol Inc., which admitted to paying millions in bribes to governments in Ecuador, Mexico, and Brazil. We at this paper wish to make something clear right from the start, Vitol Inc. cannot be the only oil trading company that was engaged in this kind of criminal conduct that cheats other companies out of a fair deal, and which robs citizens of the countries when their elected and selected officials fall prey to the rich cash baits dangled before them. And further, we state that Ecuador, Mexico, and Brazil were not the only countries where either Vitol Inc. or other oil traders and oil producing majors participated in this kind of skullduggeries involving deceiving and cheating. The stakes are too rich and irresistible to overcome, to not have others who will do what it takes to stay in the oil game and prosper. It is either that or be content with below average performance, or being forced out altogether.

Our fellow citizens need to be aware that this is the name of the game, and no matter the quantity and quality of laws and regulations, ways are found by the scheming to pull fast ones and get away with doing so. Look at Vitol Inc. and what it did for years. Look at senior government officials in the three countries named and what they partnered for, and how they betrayed the trust of the people, who hoped in them and waited on them to deliver.

Fellow Guyanese, make no mistake, there were robust regulations in place, but the street-smart people at Vitol Inc. were able to go around them, through sly backdoor arrangements and sweet under-the-table dealings with governments, while reassuring everyone that systems in place were working and effective. Determined and resourceful companies are always one, if not several, steps ahead of those who watch and probe them. Such companies and their leaders put paper bags over the heads of their people and cloud their visions, their senses, and their judgements.

They have willing partners from the side of governments with whom they do business.

We would not be surprised if Exxon did not have studies done on each Guyanese leader - political, civic, commercial, media, and so forth - that could wield influence and make decisions with this oil of ours. In fact, we would be shocked if revealing dossiers have not been compiled on the records, weaknesses, and ambitions of Guyanese leaders, with governmental ones being first in line, for the sole purpose of determining which ones are the best of the lot to do business with; a certain kind of shady business that rewards both speaker and listener and, eventually, giver and taker.

As is common knowledge in this country, Guyanese political leaders, with rare exceptions, have a long and sordid history of governance malpractices. This is not limited to any political party and stretches from the PPP to the PNC to the reincarnation that is the APNU. And as for the new political groups, there are many questions about many of them, and how well they positioned themselves to be at the banquet table, where millions in U.S. dollars are available to collaborating players.

We make this broad statement, which we feel is thoroughly justified, since both individual and party postures and records do not inspire confidence. The list of questionable and suspected is too long, and the environment too corrupting.

The Vitol Inc. development is merely the tip of the iceberg, and when we analyze the reluctance of Guyanese political leaders to come clean and tell straight stories on this oil of ours, it is clear that they have much to hide. That they may be in business for themselves, that they have sold us out and taken bribes.

Guyana needs to bond more with bold and brazen journalism Dear Editor, As the world is waking up to a sleeping Donald Trump, America is grasping with the fact that Joe Biden is the next world’s leader, defending democracy and, gasping at the pact that, Trump and a few GOP’s are still litigating election fraud petitions.

Uncomfortable with his allies who are quickly distancing themselves from him, Trump is now claiming that the grapes are sour. For sure, our own David is laughing at this Goliath to see how he is embarrassing himself and putting America to shame in front of the window to the world. Quite a soliloquy must be playing out in David’s room him being cognizant of nescience. As David reminisces with remorse, the urge to surge and splurge a confession is adumbrated only in thoughts but lack the execution by words or deeds.

Willing but weak, his heart is in the wrong place, lacking courage and temerity. He seeks shelter and solace while hiding behind walls, imprisoned by guilt and shame.

What led to the 1972 “Watergate Scandal” in America, was because President Richard Nixon had to resign in 1974. His complicity in the involvement

were publicly disclosed in the “smoking-gun tape” and that avoided a House impeachment process for obstruction of justice, abuse of power and contempt of Congress. Initially, after much cover up, 69 people were indicted and 48 were convicted, including many top officials in Nixon’s administration.

The Watergate Scandal was a deeply seeded political scandal and it involved a spectacle of surreptitious and often illegal activities engaged by the Nixon administration. Inclusive but not limited were: the break-in of the DNC headquarters, the bugging (wire-tapping) of political opponents, people whom the President and officials were suspicious of, executing investigations of activist groups and political figures and using the FBI, CIA and IRS as political weapons.

Sound familiar?

For the past 54 years, Guyanese have suffered immensely since achieving independence, more so, for the 33 years of dictatorship under the reign of the ruthless PNC regime under different guise and names. The UF and AFC have colluded with the PNC and in collaboration with the British and Americans at various stages to usurp the

smooth transitioning from poverty to prosperity. This poisonous injection created a crevice to affect the PPP/C from effectively delivering Guyanese from the shackle of servitude. At the end of the day, all political parties are complicit of aspersive innuendoes and being a contributing factor to the detriment of Guyanese interests, to some degree and in one form or another.

Operating out in Guyana is the sleuth work of the Water Falls paper. As a result, there is an added awakening of consciousness as more and more information is being played and weighed out in the open, thoughts are being flayed, minds are being slayed and people are either strayed or swayed. There is the pain in the neck involvement of the oil saga and then the pain in the butt revelation of the corruption trauma. Every day, there is a sore point producing drama on the high seas or on the low lands.

But it seems as if there is a trend set with crediting limited pace setters creating waves of domino effects. The flow of the pen is faster than the tide of the ocean causing ripples to impact the eroding shores of a vulnerable Guyana. This affront is breaking down a once

irresistible barrier that was a fortress for a storehouse of secrets.

The dissemination of information is to report the undistorted truth in a professional and unbiased manner, as quickly as possible and after careful examination from legitimate source, among other considerations.

Reporting is dependent on variable contingencies, sometimes controlled and other times, uncontrolled.

Exercising diligence on this job performance sometimes exposes the personal safety and imposes the private interference of investigators.

How wary is the public awareness and how tardy can be their appreciation? Is there accommodation with apprehension or satisfaction? Do assimilators easily buy into what is being fed, or do onlookers slowly analyze what is being advocated, or do readers quickly accept what is being written? They say, news, views and interviews can be construed conveniently or misconstrued inadvertently.

Old news is no news and, then again, no news may be good news. Guyana needs to bond more with bold, brave, brash and brazen journalism.

Yours truly, Jai Lall

The planned Guyana Police Force survey is a small step in the wrong direction Dear Editor If you do not know where you are going any road will take you there. This is a quote from Alice in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll published in 1865. It was relevant then. It is appropriate today.

According to a report in the print media, the Ministry of Home Affairs will be conducting a survey for citizens since their views are vital for the force to understand the public and work towards getting citizens be involved in developing policies and improving the practice of the policing. The release stated that the purpose of the survey is to determine how effective the GPF is when dealing with the public, and the stage of trust, confidence and satisfaction of citizens. I am not certain what the methodology will be, who will be targeted, who will be conducting the survey, whether or not it will be country wide and how long it will last. Perhaps, the ideal thing to do is to conduct a Job Task Analysis throughout the country. Such an analysis is painstaking. It

is expensive. It is scientific and it calls for a lot of timemonths, but, the benefits of conducting such an analysis will be colossal. However, the planned survey by the Ministry is a small step in the right direction. Half a loaf is better than no loaf. Green shoots will emerge. They will be fruitful.

The vexed question is how does one measure the effectiveness of the GPF and the quality of service its members deliver to the citizens they swore to serve and protect? Ask any regional commander how his/ her division is performing.

The classical answer one will get is that there is minus or plus reports in reported crimes, arrest made, crimes solved and traffic accidents.

This appears to be the main measuring tool for effectiveness.

Many persons including police officers tend to use crime rates, number of arrest and case clearance rates to measure how the police are doing. According to Wayne W Bennett and Karen W Hess such measures have

several problems: Low crime rates do not necessarily mean a police agency is efficient and effective. A high arrest rate does not necessarily show that the police are doing a good job. A high ratio of police to citizens does not necessarily mean high quality police service. Responding quickly to calls for service does not necessarily indicate that a police agency is efficient. There is also the dark figures, crimes not reported and ‘ Ghosting, ‘ falsifying patrol logs to ‘ make the numbers come out right .”

While serving as a member of the force l frequently heard the following words, “ Boy, cock the stats so that we can look good. “ It was done. I do not know if it is now happening in the GPF. Kramer and Fielder (2002) opined that arrest and tickets tabulate only events. They do not measure whether or not the activities were completed efficiently and effectively, and they do not describe what impact the activities had on the community. They suggested that rather than looking at crime rates, number

of arrest and response time, evaluation should assess whether or not the agency is effective in fulfilling its responsibility to the community and might focus on three areas: organisation, technical and personnel.

When evaluating the effectiveness, efficiency and productivity of the entire department managers must focus on their mission statement- in another article l will address the mission statement of the GPF. They must consider what citizens want and expects from their protectors. Most citizens want to live in safe, orderly neighbourhoods.

The police are considered effective when they produce the perception that crime is under control. Reduction of fear is a very important measure. A fear and disorder index allows police to measure citizen’s concern and also sends a clear message to citizens that the department is addressing their fear of crime and neighbourhood disorder.

Citizens approval or (Continued on page 6)

Thursday December 17, 2020

On the CJIA project Dear Editor, On August 2, 2020, the returning PPP/C Administration, as it has declared, indeed hit the ground running. There was every sign of sound preparation and a previous rehearsal of what was to unfold. The returning administration could only perform at that rate, if it had been making “deals” with intending transactors at home and abroad, while out of office. Such deals would be risky, but not perhaps in principle illegal, once they were sufficiently restrained. However, if we are to accept the Hon Attorney General’s recent disclosure about the status of the 2011 contract for the Cheddi Jagan International Airport, we have to admit that the returning administration also hit the ground stumbling and fumbling.

During his very eloquent contribution to the debate on the emergency budget, the Hon Minister for Public Works had given certain assurances to the House and the nation. He then said that he had discovered that the coalition’s minister and a named Guyanese contractor had got together and made substantial alterations in the contract they inherited. According to him, major works originally included in the contract, handed over by the PPP/C to the coalition, had been removed from the contract after the 2015 General Elections. The new minister also claimed that, in spite of the erasure of major works from the original plan, the total amount payable to the party executing the contract remained as it had been originally. The minister further assured the National Assembly and the nation that

he had been able to negotiate with the named Guyanese contractor and to have the original PPP/C contract restored both in the scope of the works to be done and in their quality, without any change in the original value of the contract and without incurring any additional charges to be paid by the present administration.

In the version of the report available to me of the Hon Attorney General’s recent disclosure, that minister revealed that he was charging a Chinese company, probably the principal contractor who, I now presume, had employed the Guyanese sub-contractor, named by the Minister of Works, with what appeared to be breaches of the 2011 contract between the Chinese company and the Guyanese Government of 2011 to 2014.

The returning administration of August 2, 2020 has been proclaiming the encouraging message of transparency and the rule of law. It is now important for someone in authority to explain to the Guyanese public the legitimacy of the assurances given to the National Assembly by the Hon Mr. Edghill during the consideration of the current budget.

The citizens are entitled to know whether a Minister in 2011, 2015, or 2020 can make, or alter a contract involving a consideration of billions of dollars without the clearance of the Permanent Secretary who is the accounting officer and without the previous consent of the Cabinet. The answer to this question will be a source of empowerment for citizens trying to hold their government leaders to account.

Yours truly, Eusi Kwayana

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Kaieteur News

I would really like to see a sufficient enough group that can influence reform Dear Editor, The editions of both SN and KN on December 16th noted the meeting of five leaders less one, past and present, calling for reforms to be ‘people driven.’ I couldn’t agree more. Still, I wonder how that would work.

Editor, I ponder how this ‘people driven’ process would stir, gather steam, and get somewhere with reforms that are imperative. Electoral reforms (scrap and start over).

Racial reforms (look within and determine how sincere are our drivers). Political and governance reforms (who we want out and what we want in). and on and on, including: police reform, judicial reform, prison reform, psychic reform (try that one for size) and the whole range of areas that have fallen into decay in this society. I would also call for religious reform.

But this new code phrase of ‘people driven’ reform, powerful in its implications, traces right back to the people on both sides, who happen to like where things are, when their heroes and cult figures are driving the governance bus. Then, they have neither drive nor the required doggedness for reform of any kind, especially if it holds the possibility of diminishing the power and reach of their own.

I am all for people driven reform, but I do not think that we have the kind of people in the immensity of quantity to bring about the quality reforms needed. Recent history is our best teacher.

I understand our biggest demographic sector is that of youths, the engine that should and could drive change. But in the last national crab dance contestpart mud wrestling,

professional wrestling, and legal and semantic wrestlingthat same youth sector was driving along the same old roads at higher speeds and greater abandon than their racial and political ancestors.

To continue with the driving illustration, if reform was a driving test, and they passed, then the entire Guyana Police Force should be disbanded.

I emphasize that our most promising youth sector, the people power that should drive reform, drove itself into the ground in frenzies of ancient passions and prejudices. They have learned well from the grizzled oldsters, cannot think for themselves, separate from what has devastated, if not destroyed the fabric of this society. When we needed renaissance men and women, from the youth sector, we got repo men. They came and stood for repossession of the used and shabby political goods that litter the racial landscape of this bedeviled place.

For further emphasis, I identify the youthful figures in the new political presences, who made much noise about being different, reformoriented, and for the people, only to end up in the bosom of Mephistopheles. In their muddled minds, that is reform.

Accordingly, my concerns about this code term ‘people driven.’ People drive their own agendas, which has little of the national about them. It is about what drives recognition toward them and for their cheap presences and exploits: for a job, a contract, a regulatory get-out-of-jail card.

If reform is to be ‘people driven’ then it must have this primary objective: breaking the back of racial voting in the

country. Or disincentivizing racial groups and racial political governance. Who wants that? Which group?

Which set of people? I have spotlighted the younger ones, and now move over to the older folks. To be clear: they are not moving anywhere. Not one inch. Not for any damn reform that would defang and denude and derail their respective preferences. And this brings to this ramshackle point: the quantity of people, that necessary nucleus, to make viable reform possible is not around. A viable centrist group, middle class, moderate bloc of stalwart citizens has all jailed themselves contentedly in their respective tribal enclosures.

I look again not for a talented tenth, but an interested and driven few; just a few good men and women. Somebody help me: where are they?

An electoral reform group came into being a few weeks ago, and the reaction was ho hum. That is driver and catalytic converter at work at the level of the people in this

country. It is of reverse reform, as in stay put, which is what astute political leaders know and place before the public, because it assures them of continuity along the same unreformed lines. What I would really like to see develop and gain muscle is a sufficient enough group that can influence reform. We don’t have that among our professional or elites or civil classes. Those who have not been swayed and turned (understand what this really means, please) by oil people, covert people, and the money people-both from the outside and inside-are far from enough in numbers or resources or will to take reform where it must be taken. Parking meters is an example of what can be brought to bear to overwhelm.

Elections were another. One was local, the other foreign backed and domestically peopled.

Thus, the will of the people. We need more than reform. We need reengineered reincarnation followed by long-term rehabilitation.

Yours truly, GHK Lall

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Kaieteur News

Thursday December 17, 2020

Turkey’s Erdogan, EU’s Michel Film productions still being made in Jamaica during discussed EU summit in call COVID-19 pandemic

ANKARA - (Reuters) President Tayyip Erdogan told European Council President Charles Michel in a call that Turkey wants to build its future with the EU, calling for Ankara and the bloc to move on from a “vicious cycle” in ties, the Turkish presidency said late on Tuesday.

At a summit tomorrow, EU leaders agreed to prepare limited sanctions on Turkish individuals over a row with members Greece and Cyprus over hydrocarbon exploration in the eastern Mediterranean, but postponed discussions on any harsher steps until March.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel said after the summit that EU leaders planned to discuss weapons exports to Turkey with NATO allies following a Greek push for an arms

President Tayyip Erdogan embargo on Ankara.

The Turkish presidency said that Erdogan urged Michel to take a more constructive approach toward Turkey.

“During the call, President Erdogan stated that Turkey aimed to build its future with the EU, and that they considered every positive step in Turkey-EU ties as a window of o p p o r t u n i t y, ” the presidency said.

Erdogan also reiterated that Turkey was ready to

launch bilateral talks with Greece on their maritime claims, but accused Athens of “running from talks”. He repeated a call for a regional east Mediterranean conference.

Turkey sent a seismic exploration vessel into waters also claimed by Greece in August, stoking tensions. The EU, led by G e r m a n y, h a s s o u g h t without success to resolve the dispute. Turkey has repeatedly accused the bloc of being biased.

KINGSTON, Jamaica – Film Commissioner at JAMPRO, Renee Robinson, says the Jamaican film industry is proving to be resilient during the COVID-19 pandemic, as 31 productions have taken place between April and November this year.

Robinson noted that while activity has naturally declined, Jamaica is still receiving attention as a viable filming destination, especially since the establishment of the island’s “Safe Return to Set” guidelines.

The guidelines have been key in boosting Jamaica’s image globally as a filming destination, as international productions have expressed confidence in the island’s management of the COVID-19 pandemic, she said.

The local film industry is also mobilising, attending virtual global conferences and events being hosted by the Film Commission and its local partners.

Between April-November 2020, the film industry generated about 954 jobs and an estimated $168+ million (unaudited) in film production expenditure, which is an excellent indicator for Jamaica’s economic recovery and the sector’s overall activity during the pandemic, Robinson said.

This expenditure comes from several international high-profile productions that have taken place in the past few months with personalities such as Shaggy, Usain Bolt, H.E.R, Maluma, Koffee, and the well-loved and highlyworn shoe brand Clarks.

JAMPRO has also met with AMC/Shudder, BBC, Cartoon Network, Hulu, MACRO, Netflix, and Tyler Perry Studios, among others to discuss the production or

Renee Robinson placement of Jamaican content.

“There is an increased interest from our international partners to consider Jamaica as both a responsible destination for filming within the pandemic, and also a source of supply for emerging and diverse content and talent. This has been the time to reflect and prepare for stepping into these opportunities, and the ability to do business meetings online without the cost of international travel has really allowed our local industry to step forward with confidence,” Robinson said.

The Film Commission is now working on several initiatives to support the industry and to capitalise on rising opportunities like the increased demand for culturally specific content and talent; and the increased popularity of video on demand services like Netflix, Hulu and Disney+.

Initiatives such as The Caribbean Cooperation Business Model for Animation Studios Project, which is led by JAMPRO and the Caribbean Development Bank, and the Kingston Creative Best Pitch Forward, are currently ongoing, and aim to support the industry’s growth and the island’s status as a desirable filming location, she said.

Robinson said she was pleased with the progress of these initiatives and the film industry, and that she is optimistic for 2021.

“I couldn’t be prouder of the resilience demonstrated by the Jamaican film industry and the myriad support initiatives that have sprung to life to allow us to adapt and build.

Globally the entertainment industry has experienced a very difficult year, but we are starting to see the silver lining as new opportunities emerge,” she said.

...The planned Guyana Police From page 4 disapproval is generally reflected in letters of criticism or commendation, support for police proposed programmes, cooperation with incidents being investigated, letters to the editor, public reaction to a single police-citizen incident or responses to police-citizen initiated surveys.

One way to assess citizen approval or disapproval is through citizen surveys, which can measure trends and provide positive and negative feedback on public’s impression on law enforcement. Community

surveys are often a win-win situation. Citizens are better served and officers received positive feedback.

Community surveys can also be a key in establishing communication. Citizen surveys might also help set organisational goals and priorities, identify department strengths and weaknesses, identify areas of improvement and needed training and motivate employees.

My gut feeling is that the proposed survey in question is an attempt to make the police effective. However, the trust now is to move from effectiveness to greatness.

Steven R Covey’s book, “ The 8th Habit From Effectiveness to Greatness “ is very instructive.

It is a must read for all police officers. I pray that God will inspire the police to move from effectiveness to greatness.

However, one cannot do effective or great policing without God, no wonder the last four words in the police oath of office are, “so help me God. “ Yours truly, Clinton Conway Assistant Commissioner of Police (Retired)

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L B T LUNT.. UNT...B BL B Thursday December 17, 2020

Kaieteur News

In this modern age, no country can grow without education and information.

As time goes by, it is clear that successive governments have withheld both critical education and critical information on the oil industry from Guyanese.

There is no beneďŹ t to deliberate ignorance other than making room for corruption.

Ask yourself why there is no government information site for oil and gas. Ask yourself why information on oil block ownership and details of contracts continue to be withheld.

No responsible government, or opposition, keeps their people in ignorance while foreign companies suck our wealth dry. Demand more from the people you put into power.

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Kaieteur News

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Thursday December 17, 2020

Emergency Medicine Specialist promotes Ivermectin in personal COVID-19 prevention plan W

hile many are anxiously awaiting the arrival of a COVID-19 vaccine in this part of the world, some medical experts are convinced that there are other effective methods that are readily available to help combat the disease.

Embracing this notion is local Emergency Medicine Specialist, Dr. Zulfikar Bux. In his most recent column in this newspaper, Dr. Bux shared his personal plan to ward off the disease pending the arrival of the vaccine.

Since the outbreak of the disease here months ago, Dr. Bux has been in the forefront raising awareness about it; especially how persons can help to safeguard themselves. In fact, he revealed that he has crafted a tactical personal COVID-19 prevention plan. In sharing details of his plan, he said, “it is only prudent that I share this, that others be informed of how simple changes can make such a big impact in our fight against COVID19.”

Included in his plan is the use of a medication called Ivermectin. Around for decades, Ivermectin, is a medication used to treat many types of parasite infestations. It is being

touted as one of the drugs that can help to fight the dreaded COVID-19 disease.

Fully supporting its efficacy, the doctor noted that “Ivermectin is not patented, it is cheap and therefore is not as profitable as many other medications that are recently invented and still have a patent.”

However, the r e a l i t y, h e explained, is that drugs that are cheap, and have lost their patent, are not usually promoted since they can be m a d e b y a n y pharmaceutical company and will therefore have reduced profit margins.

Nevertheless, Dr. Bux said, “I am a firm believer in Ivermectin and its effectiveness against COVID-19. It has been around for decades and has proven anti-viral properties.

Studies are showing its effectiveness against the COVID-19 infection, and what's even more encouraging, are studies coming out from Argentina and India of its benefit in preventing the disease.”

According to him, many

health workers using this medication have not had the disease and a few had the mild form. Those who didn't use it, he found, had

hig her infection rates.

This drug, Dr. Bux stressed, is one of the safest around and is usually mass distributed to help combat filariasis countrywide.

This past weekend the doctor used his first prophylactic (prevention) dose which he said will be followed-up with monthly repeats to protect him from the virus.

Also included in his plan is the use of Vitamins C and D with Zinc. Expounding, he

revealed that these essential nutrients are proven to be vital in helping our bodies to fight off infections. To support his argument, the doctor said that “studies have s h o w n h i g h e r COVID-19 infections and death rates in patients with low Vitamin D levels.

Vitamin C and Zinc have been shown to decrease severity a n d duration in viral illnesses similar to the COVID-19 infection.”

In fact, he quipped, “there is no harm in me getting daily Vitamins and Zinc, so I will ensure my diet

contains these essential nutrients. Eating fish, healthy meat, eggs and dairy should help with my Vitamin D and Zinc while using citrus fruits daily will give me my Vitamin C. I will ensure I expose myself daily to sunlight which is a good back up plan to acquire Vitamin D.” In addition to the foregoing, Dr. Bux stressed the continued importance of wearing a face mask and good hygienic practices.

“Being a health worker, I am now used to having my mask on, keeping my hands clean and not touching my face,” said Dr. Bux as he firmly underscored, “the science is clear that these preventative measures work and I'll keep on doing them as best as I can.”

But according to the Emergency Medicine Specialist since “we are all humans and we have our moments of weakness, the

Emergency Medicine Specialist, Dr. Zulfikar Bux more often we practice these measures, the more likely we will be protected in the event that we are exposed to the virus.”

These measures, the doctor said, must be practiced in conjunction with social distancing as far as possible.

However, since the doctor's plan is personal, it is not mandatory for others to follow it to the letter. He, nevertheless, noted that persons can opt to “use proper evidence to formulate a plan that will keep you safe against this virus until you get vaccinated.”

Intercepted Lethem Commander, - as GRA continues ranks still on duty investigation

R

egion Nine Commander, Keithon King, and the two ranks intercepted on Tuesday with over 30 cases of suspected smuggled liquor are on duty. The Guyana Revenue Authority ( G R A ) , h o w e v e r, i s continuing its investigations into the matter.

This is according to the Guyana Police Force's Public Relations Officer, Royston Andries-Junor.

The GPF also sent out a statement acknowledging that it is aware that one of its vehicles was intercepted with a quantity of suspected smuggled alcohol.

GPF stated too that it is cognizant that King, the Commander of Region Nine, and two others were in the vehicle at the time. It further pointed out that investigations into the matter are ongoing by GRA. King had told Kaieteur News that he left his district

“The items were not smuggled” - Lethem Commander, Keithon King, insists

in the police pick-up and was heading to Georgetown. He said that he was travelling to attend the Commissioner of Police's breakfast, which was scheduled for yesterday

morning.

This newspaper was informed that GRA officers had received a tip-off about smuggling activities and decided to intercept the pickup.

Found inside its tray, covered with a tarpaulin, was 38 cartons of which 30 were Black Stone Whisky and the remaining cases were cologne. GRA officers believe that the necessary taxes were not paid on the items.

King said, however, that the items were not being smuggled. He claimed that they are being sold right in Lethem, which borders with Brazil.

He explained that they were bought by his staffers for family and were being brought out for them. He added that the boxes were labelled with the names of its respective owners.

For a number of years now, GRA has been affixing special stamps onto alcohol imported into Guyana to show that taxes were paid.

Thursday December 17, 2020

Kaieteur News

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Failure to produce your driver's licence is an offence P

hotographs do not lie; but neither do they give the complete picture of a development. Videos on the other hand allow for a greater appreciation of what took place.

A video, which was made public Tuesday evening, laid bare the concocted version of what took place regarding an incident at a police station on the East Coast of Demerara. From the video, the public should be left in no doubt as to who were responsible for the ensuing ruckus.

The Road Traffic Act of Guyana makes it mandatory for a person to produce his or her licence upon demand by the Guyana Police Force. A driver is given time to produce his or her driver's licence. He or she must have the document for production when stopped. Failure to produce the document when asked to do so by the police rank constitutes an offence.

The police rank has to be able to determine the person who is driving the vehicle and whether that person is licenced to do so. The law does not allow for an image to be produced. Once you are stopped and asked to produce your driver's licence and you fail to do so you are guilty of an offence.

The police, in such

circumstances, can arrest you especially if they have no other conclusive proof of your identity. They cannot write a charge for the offence unless they can confirm the identity of the person to be charged and if that person is being charged only for not producing a licence or driving without a licence.

The police are required to give you time, if so needed, to produce your certificate of fitness and insurance. However, when it comes to your driver's licence you are not allowed time to produce it. Failure to produce it immediately constitutes an offence. If the police arrest you and you resist then you can be forcibly arrested and detained or placed on station bail. There is nothing untoward about the police arresting someone for not producing a driver's licence.

Even though it is a 'ticketable' offence, the police have to be able to verify your identity so that they can write the ticket. The police would want to see some ID and proof of address in order to ensure that you are not giving them fake names or addresses. This usually explains the arrest aspect but this is wholly unnecessary since once they can otherwise confirm who you say you are, they can

write a ticket.

Many moons ago, someone was given a ticket for not producing his licence.

The person had forgotten it home. The police rank had stopped the person a mere few houses from where he lived and the driver offered to walk back home to collect the licence. The police rank was not interested in him doing that. As far as the police rank was concerned, there were sufficient grounds for writing a ticket.

The police rank believed that the person was who he said he was and lived where he said he lived and he wrote the ticket.

Regardless of whether you believe that police rank is being harsh or unreasonable, there is no justification for resisting arrest. And you should not in any way abuse or assault an arresting rank. You can make your calls to your friends and your friends can be told to whom they should speak.

But there can be no condoning of resisting arrest or engaging in a ruckus.

This is unacceptable conduct. The police are supposed to uphold the law and if they are seen to be condoning persons assaulting and abusing them, then they will lose credibility.

In recent times, the

A stranger asking boys seh... fuh police statements Dem

D

e b lo w - b l o w human rights organization did call for de forensic apologists‌sorry anthropologists from Argentina to investigate de deaths of dem three youngsters who bin get murder in West Coast Berbice.

Dem boys did wan know wat dem anthropologists would ah do. Dem specialize in digging up bodies not solving crimes. Dem boys seh was a waste of time fuh try bring dem.

But de blow-blow organization determined.

And so dem raise money fuh bring in a man fuh see whether de forensic anthropologists should come. Dem boys bin think

dat de man would do he own investigation and decide whether mo investigation gan be done by the team from Argentina.

But de man shock dem boys. It look like he come hay fuh do a post mortem on de local police. Instead of he doing he own investigation, he want to see wah wuk de police do. And de man presumptuous enough fuh ask fuh all kind of reports as if he is a crime sleuth. Dem boys wan know how come nobody ain't ask he how many murders he solve.

Dem boys wan know in which part of de world, somebody can walk off de road and demand fuh see police reports. Dem boys seh he should do he own

investigation, rather dan demand fuh see wah de police discover.

Dem boys wan tell de police nah fuh give dah busy bee nothing fuh do with de police investigation. If he want forensics reports he cannot get statements and other intelligence. Leh he and he team come and do dem own wuk. Dem boys nah want see de man get any investigation document, not even de statement which de police gat which incriminate a politically-exposed person as telling one of the families fuh lie fuh mek de thing look racial.

Talk half and wait fuh see wah de blow-blow organization gan ask fuh next.

police have come under serious attack from members of the public. There have been incidents in which ranks of the Guyana Defence Force have refused to be arrested or to give information to the police. In one case, a police rank was attacked and one citizen was overheard saying that the attacker was a solider; implying that the police should not be stopping

soldiers.

The police have a right to stop anyone whom they believe is afoul of the law.

No one should feel that they are above the law.

Guyana will be courting problems if every Tom, Dick and Harry is of the belief that he or she can do as he or she pleases when being arrested.

The law does not condone resisting arrest or assaulting a police rank.

The video showed exactly what happened in a police station on Monday.

That video is evidence which can be presented to a magistrate in pursuance of resisting arrest and assault charges.

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

Kaieteur News

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Thursday December 17, 2020

THE FREDDIE KISSOON COLUMN

I paid $3500 for a good, used tyre T

h e m o s t wonderful thing in the world was on the back seat of my car looking out the window, while I listened from the car stereo some wonderful love songs by the Italian phenomenon, Andrea Bocelli, from an album titled, “Amore.”

I had just finished walking my dog and was going home driving along the seawall road yesterday.

A vehicle pulled up on me and someone stared at me through the window. Then a voice yelled out, “oh, Freddie is you, pull over.”

The driver came out and said that he didn't know it was me but he saw the car in front of him with the two front tyres looking really out of shape.

All I know about a car is how to drive it, though I have been driving since Hitler committed suicide in his bunker. He looked at the two front tyres and described them as really bad and said I should change them right away. One was very soft.

There is a vulcanizing service at Cummings Lodge, a two minutes drive from Turkeyen where I live.

There one of the workshop boys just glanced at the tyres and said, “Mr. Kissoon, change those things right away.”

I was advised that the car was badly aligned and that has eaten out the two front tyres.

They suggested a used tyre store up the road – just five minutes drive – and I must immediately align the vehicle. I went and bought two used tyres that are in excellent condition.

After that I drove to Auto Car Accessories at John and Sherriff Streets to get the alignment completed. I asked the owner, Vishal, if the two used tyres are good.

He took a look and said they were indeed. I paid $7000 for two very, workable used tyres.

If David Granger and Winston Jordan were still running Guyana, I would have had to fork out five

times the amount I paid for those two tyres yesterday. I asked Vishal how much he sells a tyre for my car (Vitz – tyre size- 160-70- 14). He told me he sells the Pirelli brand which goes at $15,000 each.

Both Granger and Jordan didn't understand how the industrial world functions.

You can import useful second-hand tyres because of the cultural outlook of people in the industrialized world. They do not drive cars that are more than three, four years old.

They do not have tyres that are two or three years old. To crown it all, their roads are in immaculate condition. Maybe there is not even a hole measuring one inch on any highway in Japan.

Granger and Jordan didn't understand the Guyanese economy too. We are a poor, Third World state.

Our economy cannot sustain the exclusive reliance on brand new, imported tyres.

What was it about the

Guyanese economy that Granger and Jordan didn't understand?

I am not going to comment on Jordan's performance as Minister of Finance because the gentleman has a penchant for wanting to sue and r e a l l y, I c o u l d n ' t b e bothered with how Jordan feels about what I write.

But this is what I am going to say and it is my right to say it – the banning of used tyres was a stupid policy.

It was thousands of policy mistakes like this ban that caused APNU+AFC to lose the election. They were destined to be a one-term government because they lacked the capacity to understand the class composition of the Guyanese nation. All those who shout out from the rooftops about PPP out to mash up African Guyanese were silent when APNU+AFC was mashing up African Guyanese from

2015-2020.

Where were their voices on the ban on used tyres?

Jordan went to university.

Granger went to university.

When you proclaim a policy it has to be backed by

Frederick Kissoon research .

A commonsensical example should suffice. If your scientists prove that eating papaw seeds gives you oral rash, then you ban vendors from selling papaw seeds.

There was no study done to show a connection between accidents and the use of

second-hand tyres.

Only the fools in the APNU+AFC government believed there were. Only a fool did not know that fatalities on Guyana's roadways have three causes – high speeding, reckless drivers, mini-bus culture. In 2017, the ban was imposed on second-hand tyres. From 2017 until the APNU+AFC demitted office, road fatalities did not decrease.

I never wrote about what I am about to write.

Any government that kills dogs because the owner couldn't prove which country the dog came from is heartless and uncivilized. Guyana Livestock and Development Authority went on a killing spree at the Ogle airport in 2017. President Granger says he listens to classical music. I wonder if he likes dogs.

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

Thursday December 17, 2020

Kaieteur News

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Kaieteur News

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Thursday December 17, 2020

Omai strikes gold but nation still clueless about contract terms O

mai Gold Mines L i m i t e d yesterday announced a massive discovery of high-grade gold in its abandoned Wenot pit at Cuyuni, Region Seven, with the promised findings originating from unassayed core from a 2012 drilling programme that had been preserved by the Guyana Geology and Mines Commission (GGMC).

While this may seem like promising news, Guyanese have no clue what benefits they will reap from this massive find as the contract signed between Omai and the government remains shrouded in secrecy although it should have been made public as part of Guyana's requirements as an Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI) member.

Under the EITI's contractual requirements, Guyana is mandated to publicize all natural

resources contracts and licences that provide the terms attached to the exploitation of oil, gas and minerals.

But to date the contract has not been published.

Nonetheless, Omai in a release on Tuesday announced that the assayed results from the first two of these holes drilled, 12WED11 and 12WED13, which were never logged or sampled, indicate that highgrade mineralization extends below the Wenot Pit and there is expansion potential of gold mineralization to new sedimentary targets. “ Vi s i b l e g o l d w a s encountered in hole 12WED11. Highest assay values include 29.19 g/t Au over 1 meter from 460 to 461 meters. Hole 12WED13 intersected 4.5 meters of 2.93 g/t Au from 54 to 58.5 meters to the south of the Wenot Pit in sedimentary rocks, where there has been no previous exploration,”

File Photo: A pit in the Omai property area, Potaro, Region Seven Omai stated.

Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Omai Gold Mines, Mario Stifano, was quoted as saying, “We are very pleased that the results from these two holes confirm that highgrade gold continues beyond the limits of the Wenot shear and the Wenot Pit to the south within the sedimentary package, and that mineralization from the Wenot Pit continues at least 150 meters below the depth of the historical pit that was mined.”

These results, Stifano added, supports Omai's planned initial 5,000-meter drill programme expected to commence at the beginning of 2020. The company had abandoned operations here but announced its return

back in October.

Though its return was met with high praise, the prospect of huge investments and job creation for Guyanese, Omai over two decades had exploited Guyana and its resources and caused considerable damage to the environment.

On August 19, 1995 a man-made environmental disaster had occurred in the Omai Mines; the walls of an earthen tailings pond, constructed to contain cyanide utilized in the goldmining industry became breached. More than 400 million gallons of cyanidelaced material spilled into the Omai River and subsequently into the Essequibo, the country's largest river.

The spill resulted in severe environmental, ecological, social, economic and political consequences.

Added to that, from 1993 the company commenced actual extraction of gold, and during its 24-year run, the company extracted some 3.7 million ounces of gold but only paid five percent of that in royalties to Guyana.

Had the terms of its contract for the lucrative gold mine entailed more benefits for Guyana, the country would have reaped billions of US dollars. To make matters worse, the company also benefitted from a slew of tax, fuel and v e h i c u l a r concessions—totaling millions of Guyanese dollars.

Kaieteur News

Thursday December 17, 2020

Man gets 15 years for 'Wings and Things' killing

Convicted: Joshua Meredith

J

oshua Meredith was yesterday sentenced to serve 15 years imprisonment for the unlawful killing of Gregory Garraway. Garraway was gunned down on October 2, 2016 at Wings and Things Bar on Mandela Avenue, Georgetown.

Meredith was originally indicted for Garraway's murder, which was committed in the course of a robbery.

However when he was given a chance to plead at the H igh Court, M eredith pleaded not guilty to the murder charge but guilty for t h e l e s s e r o ff e n c e o f m a n s l a u g h t e r.

He apologised for his actions in the Court before the sentence was imposed yesterday.

Added to this, a probation report read out in Court revealed some insight into Meredith's upbringing.

The report noted that persons from his childhood community described him as a “notorious criminal”. The

Killed: Gregory Garraway

report also indicated that he was first convicted for armed robbery at the age of 15 and while in prison he was constantly disrespectful and disorderly. As a result, he was placed in solitary confinement and eventually transferred to the Mazaruni prison.

In a plea of mitigation, attorney Adrian Thompson had previously told the Court that his client came from a troubled background. He asked the court to consider that his client was likely influenced by the negative elements of the community he grew up in.

“He grew up in a single parent home in Warlock, East Ruimveldt, it was not an easy childhood as one would imagine but he is remorseful and plans to change his life,” the lawyer told the Court.

State prosecutor, Nafeeza Baig, had nonetheless asked the court to consider the facts of the case.

She explained that on

October 2, 2016 at about 01:45hrs, Garraway was at Wings and Things Bar on Mandela Avenue; at the time he was wearing two chains around his neck. Garraway had gone into the bar to place an order.

Baig continued, “As he was crossing the street to pick up the said order, Joshua Meredith, the accused, snatched his chains, pulled a gun from his pocket, and fired a shot at Garraway.”

She noted that Meredith was subsequently pointed out during an ID parade by the brother of Garraway who was present at the time and was standing only about five feet away from him as he was shot and robbed.

According to the facts provided by the prosecutor, the autopsy later revealed that there was a gunshot wound on the abdomen of the victim.

“The cause of death was septic shock as a result of gunshot injuries to abdomen,” she said.

PAGE 13

Govt. to beg for more money to fight COVID-19 I

n t e r m s o f international financial assistance that is needed to address the unprecedented financial demands of fighting COVID-19, the Government of Guyana is seeking support from multilateral institutions for a total amount of US$74 million.

This includes a US$20 million budget support from the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) - Fund for International Development (OFIDI) along with several loans from the InterAmerican Development Bank (IDB).

Thus far, the IDB has provided Guyana with more than US$54M in loans to fight the COVID-19 pandemic, with the most recent approval being for US$34M. According to the loan proposal perused by Kaieteur News, the government intends to use the majority of the funds to promote the availability and timely execution of financial, material, and public resources to respond to the effects of the health crisis caused by COVID-19.

To achieve this, the IDB noted that the government will implement in the first operation, the following policies regarding the availability of financial and material resources: establishment of the

National COVID-19 Task Force (NCTF) to enable inter-agency planning and coordination of pandemic preparedness and response actions; development and approval of the COVID-19 Preparedness and Response Plan (P&RP) that covers prevention, preparation and response; and design and establish a webpage providing critical information relating to COVID-19 (health and nonhealth responses) to target messaging to the population most vulnerable to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Additionally, the policy measures to support the timely execution of public resources are: issue a directive to ensure necessary budgetary resources to undertake emergency measures related to the pandemic; use of the Electronic Funds Transfer (EFT) system to pay health sector workers; and establish a record of expenditure made for emergency from the Consolidated Fund to promote transparency.

The Bank was keen to note that it is in continuous communication with the World Bank (WB), the

International Monetary Fund (IMF), the Caribbean Development Bank, the European Commission, Canada, and other partners concerning requests for support from Caribbean countries while exploring potential areas for collaboration.

In Guyana, the financial institution noted that development partners, including bilateral donors, meet monthly for a Donor Coordination meeting to discuss and coordinate work in the country and in the response to the current pandemic.

During the preparation of the latest loan proposal for Guyana, the IDB said it consulted with the IMF, the WB and the United States Department of the Treasury O f f i c e o f Te c h n i c a l Assistance in order to share information and coordinate technical programme support in the country in several areas.

These included public financial management; public investment; public procurement; and (iv) macro fiscal management, in order to avoid duplication of efforts.

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Kaieteur News

Thursday December 17, 2020

President Ali urges police force to find ways to win public's trust - announces two weeks bonus; housing programme for ranks

President Irfaan Ali at yesterday's breakfast meeting with the police

P

resident Irfaan Ali told senior officers of the Guyana Police Force (GPF) that enhanced professionalism within the force will result in notable improvements in the way they are viewed by the citizens of Guyana.

The President was at the time delivering remarks at the Annual Commissioner's Breakfast, which was held yesterday morning at the Officers Mess, Eve Leary.

“For you who serve in the police force, professionalism is the embodiment of everything you do. And I'm

not asking for anything beyond that, beyond that professionalism that would see a remarkable improvement in the way the population views you, views your uniform, and the Government.”

He said this is critical as the force's performance and the Government's performance go hand in hand and are inseparable in the eyes of the population.

He urged the senior officers to build a legacy of success which is marked by teamwork, trust and commitment.

“I ask you, the senior and commanding officers for us to introspect and for us to strategically come up with possible new ways or modified ways in winning that trust, in winning that confidence.”

ENHANCED PERFORMANCE The President assured the officers that their welfare and that of their families are paramount to the Government and that they will see noticeable improvement in their (continued on page 22)

$523.3M in D&I equipment...

From page 3 future Government contracts.

Additionally, Minister Mustapha reiterated Government's commitment to the continued growth of the Agri-sector through initiatives that will attract local, regional and international investors.

The contractors were encouraged to deliver the agricultural equipment within the 14-week deadline for each contract.

Farm Supplies Limited, Guyana Tractor and Equipment and Rudisa Motor Company Guyana Inc. are the contractors

responsible for delivering the 17 pieces of equipment.

Earlier in December, Minister Mustapha and NDIA's Chief Executive Officer, Mr. F r e d r i c k Flatts, said the equipment was part of a strategy to mitigate flooding during the rainy season.

Thursday December 17, 2020

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Commercial fishermen will lose access to some far out fishing areas due to Payara project - But Exxon says impact on livelihoods will be negligible - EIA

P

e t r o l e u m supermajor, ExxonMobil, has a big project coming up in 2024, and it has said in the Environmental and Social Impact Assessment (ESIA) that the operations will cause commercial fishing vessels to lose access to some far out fishing areas that are currently available to them.

Those areas are around the Project Development Area (PDA). However, the company said that it has assessed the significance of the potential impact on commercial fishing livelihoods to be negligible.

Payara is the third intended development in the Stabroek block for ExxonMobil's local subsidiary, Esso Exploration and Production Guyana Limited (EEPGL). It is scheduled to begin production in 2024, with as much as 220,000 barrels of oil coming up per day.

ExxonMobil said that the impact of its operations on the lives of commercial fisherfolk will be negligible because the development area will have a small footprint.

It said that there are a small number of commercial operators participating in deep-sea fishing, and that it will be able to provide information in advance about its operations and marine safety exclusion zones.

The company said that the marine vessel trips that will be generated throughout the life of the project will potentially impact the commercial fishing activity that occurs as far out as the development area, as well as commercial and subsistence fishing activity within a portion of the area of influence connecting the development area to the Georgetown harbour.

There may also be

The Liza Prosperity oil vessel, under construction in Singapore potential impacts on the livelihoods of nearshore artisanal fisherfolk as well as industrial fishing vessel operators in remote offshore areas as a result of Exxon's navigation impacts.

The oil major said that the highest potential for interactions of the project with fisherfolk may be encounters between small artisanal fishers in the areas where oil support vessels transit between the development area and the shorebases in Georgetown, resulting in limited and temporary disruption to fishing activity.

The company admitted that small artisanal fishers fishing along the coast have a limited ability to adapt to potential disruption to their subsistence fishing activity.

This is compounded by the fact that many do not carry radios, use remote ports and/or may not receive notices of increased vessel activity, the company said. Yet, it determined that “the significance of this potential residual adverse impact on artisanal fishing livelihoods” is minor.

The company, despite all of these potential impacts, determined the overall effect of the project to be positive: “Overall, the potential impacts

on employment and livelihoods that will result from Project employment, procurement, and worker spending are considered to be positive.”

The Irfaan Ali administration announced its approval of the Payara project on the last day of September.

Before its approval, two major environmental issues were frequently discussed in the press. One of those which could potentially impact marine ecosystems is the dumping of produced water.

Exxon is already dumping thousands of barrels of produced water at its Liza Phase One operations.

Exxon says that the water will be treated and discharged in line with international standards. The company's country manager, Alistair Routledge, had claimed that the dumping had no adverse impact. However, that judgement could not be conclusive, as no study has been done on the effect of the produced water on the ocean.

Former Head of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Dr. Vincent Adams, said that the produced water has all sorts of minerals in it, which are unknown until it is actually properly studied,

West Berbice serial killer gets...

From page 11 reprehensible.

The judge, referring to the brutality of the crime, stated that “This is as dastardly, brutal and brutish as it could get. Whilst listening to the Post Mortem reports, I thought I was back at school at a biology lesson.”

The judge said that the

accused was lucky that the state accepted a lesser plea for such a heinous crime.

He said that despite the accused early plea and the time spent in jail, he could find no mitigating factor for him. “ Yo u s e e m t o b e overcome by some evil force of unnatural nature and can no longer control yourself.

You relish in causing pain.”

In both cases Justice Reynolds sentenced the accused to life in jail with a possibility for parole after spending 25 years in jail. He stated that the sentences are separate.

The police were commended for the work they did in solving the crimes.

and that it is also very hot, which increases the temperature of the water near the oil vessel by about 38 degrees centigrade.

“So you can't tell me that's not gonna impact the environment,” Dr. Adams had

told Kaieteur Radio.

The Government has charged ExxonMobil to conduct a study early in the new year, to determine the impact of the produced water on the environment.

The Payara impact assessment states that the volume of produced water to be dumped in the ocean would be less than or equal to 300,000 barrels per day.

That is the same amount listed in the Liza Phase Two project, which is scheduled for first oil in 2022, and three times the amount for the Liza Phase One project which is currently producing. By 2024, the three projects will be dumping less than or equal to 700,000 barrels of hot, toxic produced water in the ocean every day.

This is not the only

substance Exxon will be dumping in the ocean.

According to the Payara impact assessment, ExxonMobil would be dumping as many as 1.6 million barrels of cooling water, 265,000 barrels of sulfate removal and potable water processing brines, and 360 barrels of domestic and sanitary wastewater into the ocean, every day. It will also be dumping as many as 1.2 million barrels of ballast water into the ocean at each tanker loading.

Overall, the company determined that the overall effect of these discharges on marine geology to be negligible. It also determined that the magnitude of potential impact on fish to be negligible to small, and the residual impact to some species to be minor.

COVID-19 death toll now at 158

T

he Ministry of Health yesterday announced that two Region Four (DemeraraMahaica) pensioners are Guyana's latest COVID-19 fatalities.

In its update the Ministry revealed that a 93-year-old man and a 72-year-old woman both died while

receiving treatment at a medical facility.

Their deaths have pushed the COVID-19 death toll to 158. Also it was revealed yesterday that there were 43 newly recorded cases.

The Ministry's dashboard shows the new total number of confirmed cases as 6,016.

Further, it says that 630

patients are in home isolation, 36 are in institutional isolation and seven are in the COVID-19 Intensive Care Unit (ICU).

An additional 16 persons are in institutional quarantine and 41 more persons have recovered. The total number of recoveries, according to the Ministry, is 5,185.

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Kaieteur News

Thursday December 17, 2020

Kaieteur News

Thursday December 17, 2020

PAGE 21

West Berbice serial killer gets - “there is no mitigating factor two life sentencesthat goes in your favour” - Judge R

ooplall Abrahim, called Vijai, 28, of McKenzie Street, Rosignol, West Bank Berbice and Bath Settlement, West Coast Berbice, who has been described as a serial killer, has received two sentences of life in prison for his atrocities.

Abrahim, accused of committing murder since he was 16 years old, was facing two trials -- one for a double murder and another. The murders occurred within a seven-day period back in 2016.

He appeared before Justice Brassington Reynolds via zoom at the Berbice High Court where he pleaded guilty to manslaughter on each occasion.

Attorney-at-law Abigail Gibbs presented the cases on behalf of the state.

Abrahim first appeared for the killing of US citizen, Arthur Doodnauth Rajkumar, 81, and his 45year-old reputed wife, Diane Devi Chamanlall. He was accused of committing the act whilst in company with others between Friday, January 8th, and Saturday January 9th, 2016 at the deceased Lot 93 'A' Bush Lot, Middle Dam, West Coast Berbice home.

Two life sentences for Rooplall Abrahim He, in company with others, between Sunday January 3rd 2016 and Monday, January 4th, 2016, was also accused of the murder of Anita Baichan in the course of a furtherance of arson in relation to a dwelling house.

He was represented by state appointed attorneys Ravindra Mohabir in the double murder and Sasha Roberts in the Baichan case.

Prosecutor Gibbs in her presentation referred to a Post Mortem report which gave the cause of death for the couple as shock and

haemorrhage and multiple incised wounds. The couple was badly beaten and chopped and stabbed about their bodies. Some of the wounds were about 17 centimetres long; a number of them caused fractures.

The entire house was ransacked and blood was seen splattered about which indicated that the couple was badly beaten and tortured in the house.

Abrahim in a caution statement admitted to eating chocolates and drinking beers in the couple's home before chopping them. He also confessed to defecating in the house.

In the murder of Baichan, the accused admitted to torching and robbing the woman and her son, Moshin Khan, before setting the house on fire. The son managed to escape the inferno. The bandits, who were armed with a cutlass and knives, had tied and gagged the woman with duct tape and bound her hand and feet.

The Probation Reports which were presented by Probation Officer Tena Rigby detailed how the accused had dropped out of school at an early age and was charged with murder twice before -- once whilst

Woman killed after car slams into median

A

woman was killed on Tuesday after the car which she was travelling in crashed into a median along the McDoom public road, East Bank Demerara (EBD).

Dead is Ameena Sooklall, 33, of Providence, EBD. According to police, the crash took place around 22:45hrs. Injured are the driver of the car identified as a 23-year-old member of the Guyana Defence Force (GDF) and another occupant, Alston Edwards, 26, of Shopping Plaza, South Ruimveldt Gardens, Georgetown.

The car was reportedly heading towards Georgetown along the eastern lane of the western carriageway when the driver lost control of the car and slammed in the concrete median at McDoom.

The driver who is currently hospitalized told police that he was feeling drowsy and his eyes closed for a minute causing him to lose control.

The front of the car was mangled.

Sooklall, who was reportedly sitting in the front passenger seat, along with the driver, were pinned. Other motorists passing by stopped to render assistance. The police were summoned and a seemingly unconscious

Dead: Ameena Sooklall

Sooklall was pulled from the car. The driver and the other occupant were removed from the car as well.

An ambulance arrived shortly after and a doctor pronounced Sooklall dead on the scene while the driver and Edwards were taken to a city hospital.

Edwards was reportedly treated and sent home but the driver was admitted.

MURDERED: Diane Devi Chamanlall he was a teen.

Residents were fearful of him and were not surprised that he was charged with the crime.

Prosecutor Gibbs in her address told the court on both occasions that the sentences should fit the crime. She

MURDERED: Doodnauth Rajkumar

MURDERED: Anita Baichan

referred to the gruesome brutish and tortuous way in which the victims were killed even while in the comfort of their homes. An early plea, she argued, should not be an excuse for a “slap on the wrist sentence”.

Justice Reynolds before

passing sentence on both occasions stated that the punishment for such crimes is life in prison. He stated that in his long years in the judiciary he has not encountered a case where the offence was so (continued on page 19)

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Kaieteur News

Thursday December 17, 2020

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Five persons are now injured after a five-vehicle smash-up at Rising Sun, West Coast Berbice. The accident occurred at around 09:50hrs yesterday.

Rebecca Crossman and Thandie Crossman, ages 52 and 27, respectively, sustained fractured hips.

Odinga Hercules, 23, a police constable, fractured his right leg while Shania Giddings, 15, sustained a fractured right arm. Kellon James also received injuries. They have all been hospitalised.

According to police, Hercules, a traffic rank, was driving his car east along the northern side of the road when the accident occurred.

Giddings was a passenger in that car.

Investigators reported that Hercules was speeding and decided to overtake another car and a minibus travelling in front of him.

However, while doing so he collided with the back of the car which slammed into the minibus.

That car was driven by James who had Rebecca Crossman and Thandie Crossman as passengers.

Hercules reportedly lost control of the vehicle and crashed into two other cars before slamming into a light pole at the side of the road.

The injured were assisted by public-spirited citizens who took them to t h e F o r t We l l i n g t o n hospital.

They were later transferred to the New Amsterdam Hospital.

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this must go in tandem with enhanced performance.

“We expect to see marked improvement in performance.

A lot of professionals believe that we should go on a case outcome basis for incentives in the police force, similar to a production incentive in all the industries. I don't believe this to be the only way forward.

Because we must never give the impression that our only driving force to resolve a case is incentives and rewards.”

The President then reminded the officers that their primary driving force should be their oath, commitment to office and their love for country.

SPECIAL HOUSING PROGRAMME Meanwhile, the President announced that his Government will work on a special housing programme to enhance the lives of all police.

“Part of our programme to ensure we enhance the welfare of not only the senior officers, but all ranks, is to ensure that we work on a special housing programme that will not only see ranks having access to house lots, but

to ensure that we help them to qualify so that they can get loans and grants to build their homes. These are important things that add to performance, that adds to job satisfaction.”

The Head of State noted that capacity building in the force is integral to ensuring that members are equipped to benefit from all of the opportunities to come.

More importantly, the Head of State said that the institutional mechanism will be strengthened to ensure that given the high risk nature of their jobs, ranks will have the confidence in executing their duties knowing that their families will be taken care of and looked after.

“This is critical to job satisfaction… you will have confidence in yourself in going out there, knowing that there is a system that backs you up.”

He reminded them that they, along with all men and women in uniform, will also benefit from two weeks of taxfree bonus before the end of the year.

“We have announced this

and of course, you will benefit from this before the end of the year. We have also announced many initiatives that you are benefiting from in the COVID relief aspect of things .But we're also looking at additional support that can enhance your welfare and improve your living conditions.

As I said when I started, I assure you, your life will be better off, year after year over the next five years.”

In closing the Head of State thanked the members of the GPF for their service and urged them to be proud of their call to duty.

In his remarks, Commissioner of Police (ag), Nigel Hoppie, provided an overview of the GPF's performance over the last year and assured President Ali of the police force's commitment in fulfilling its mandate. He said too, that the force remains committed to learning from their challenges, improving professionalism and enhancing public trust and confidence.

Minister of Home Affairs, Robeson Benn, also attended the annual Commissioner's Breakfast.

Thursday December 17, 2020

Mayor clears air on removal of acting Town Clerk City Mayor Ubraj Narine, at a press conference yesterday, addressed concerns over the removal of the Town Clerk (ag), Candace Nelson.

Labelling the incident which took place at the statutory meeting held last Monday as an embarrassment to this Council, Mayor Narine noted that Nelson was put in the position to act after the acting Town Clerk, Sherry Jerrick, proceeded on vacation.

“For the past two years I’m here as Mayor I never faced something like that…We placed Ms. Candace Nelson to act in the position and at the first meeting we had lots of issues where she said that she is not taking instruction from this Council,” he stated.

According to the Mayor, Nelson then claimed that her supervisory body is the Local Government Commission (LGC). He said that as a result, the Council moved a motion to immediately remove her as acting Town Clerk.

The Mayor said that she was then replaced with the assistant Town Clerk, Julian Orgista. Additionally, Mayor Narine told the press that the Council subsequently instructed that a Human Resource Management committee meeting be held the next day to further rectify the issue.

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Kaieteur News

Battered six-year-old awake and responsive - Police awaiting advice from DPP

On leave: Town Clerk (ag), Sherry Jerrick.

Candace Nelson has been returned to her Substantive Training Officer position.

He said that it was there that a decision was taken to have Nelson, who was previously acting in the capacity of Deputy Town Clerk, return to the position of Training Officer, her substantive post. According to the Mayor, Orgista will carry out Town Clerk duties as outlined by the Municipal and District Council Act Chapter 28:01.

He stressed that Chapter 28:01 clearly states that the Town Clerk or an officer of the Council “who you can report to, who you actually take directions from, who instructs you and all these things that actually goes for all other local government or statutory officers that work for the M&CC.” “So, it was shocking, most of the councillors were surprised at

the behaviour of the Town Clerk,” Mayor Narine added.

The Mayor later noted that the issue was caused by an issue involving a letter to the LGC

by Nelson which was never approved by the Council.

He explained that Nelson failed to carry out instructions regarding the said letter. “I said to her take this letter to Council because Council has to give a direction to the Town Clerk how to address such letter. And she failed to do so. She had done the opposite, instead she instructed the HR manager to carry out the duty of the LGC and you and me know, that there is no commission in place and the secretariat of the commission cannot function without a body, the laws states it clearly,” the Mayor posited.

IDB mobilizes $1 Billion for COVID-19 Vaccine financing in Latin America and the Caribbean IDB - Yesterday, the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) announced that it will mobilize $1 billion to help Latin American and Caribbean countries acquire and distribute COVID-19 vaccines.

The funds will complement $1.2 billion in resources that the IDB has committed in 2020, as well as other funds already programmed for 2021, to help countries save lives through public-health measures, such as more effective testing and tracing, and better clinical management of COVID-19 patients.

“We are expanding our support to help Latin American and Caribbean countries ensure timely access to safe and effective COVID-19 vaccines,” said IDB President Mauricio Claver-Carone. “The coming months will be critical to altering the course of the pandemic and supporting the recovery of our region, which is why we are being bold and proactive.”

The IDB will support countries in three main areas: Ï% The purchase of vaccine doses through multilateral efforts, such as the COVAX Facility; Ï% Institutional strengthening to help countries develop effective vaccine

IDB President Mauricio Claver-Carone deployment mechanisms; and Ï% Investment to build immunization capacity and finance operational costs.

The Bank will work closely with other institutions, including the Pan-American Health Organization.

In addition, the IDB is reiterating its call for Latin American and Caribbean governments to redouble efforts to prepare national deployment and vaccination plans.

The IDB stands ready to help ensure their successful implementation throughout the region.

By Malisa Playter-Harry Still in custody is the woman who battered her sixyear-old daughter until she was unconscious, before leaving her under a mango tree. This was confirmed by Regional Commander, Jairam Ramlakhan. He also disclosed that a file was prepared and sent to the Office of the Director of Public Prosecution (DPP) for advice.

Meanwhile, Kaieteur News was informed that the toddler has since regained consciousness and is responsive at the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation.

Father of the child, Steve Ramsarran, disclosed that while his daughter is awake, she is unable to eat and is speaking very little. He added that he also has another daughter with the suspect, and that child lives with him in Georgetown. Ramsarran said that it aches him to see his daughter in such a condition and he is mentally and physically exhausted, but he is staying strong for his daughter.

Ramsarran said that he is still baffled as to what may have spurred his ex-wife to assault their daughter to the extent where she was left unconscious. He added that during the time they lived together in the past, the suspect never handled their

children in a violent manner.

An image circulating on Facebook shows the toddler with swollen, black and blue eyes being embraced by a relative.

The mother of the toddler confessed to beating her daughter with a piece of wood until she was unconscious, and then leaving her in a swampy area under a mango tree in Geod Bananen Land, East Canje, Berbice. That confession sent shockwaves throughout the country with many giving their opinion about the events surrounding the incident.

The suspect claimed that on Sunday she took her toddler for a walk a short distance away from their home at Geod Bananen Village and her daughter “was playing in some bushes.” She told investigators that she yelled at the child to stop playing in the bushes, but after she did not heed to her demands she grabbed a piece of wood and dealt the toddler several lashes about her body.

She said she beat her daughter until she became unconscious and then left her daughter under a mango tree.

She then returned and reported to her parents, who live in the same yard but in a different house that her daughter was missing.

A written statement was

provided to the police.

It was on Sunday that the father was scheduled to spend quality time with his daughter and had made contact with the mother sometime around 08:00 hrs. to indicate that he will be picking up the child. According to the mother, she prepared the child for her father to pick her up and left her in the yard playing.

At the time, the child’s grandmother was at her home doing chores and last saw her about 11:30 hrs. However ,at about 12:30 hrs. when the grandfather made checks for her he did not find her.

A search party was immediately formed by relatives and friends. It was during the search that the child’s grandfather found her submerged in a swampy area, about 500 feet away from the house covered in mud. She had cuts about her face and body.

She was picked up in an unconscious state and rushed to the New Amsterdam Public Hospital, where she was seen and examined by a doctor on duty, who admitted her but later referred her to the Georgetown Public Hospital, where she is presently admitted and is undergoing treatment. Her condition is listed as stable.

11½ years for Plastic City man who stabbed step-daughter to death Justice Navindra Singh yesterday imposed an 11 and half years sentence on 70 year old Randolph Fitzroy Josiah after he pleaded guilty to killing his step-daughter.

Josiah was initially indicted for murdering his 14year- old step-daughter, Fenella Samuels, at Plastic City, Vreed- en-Hoop, West Coast Demerara on April 24, 2013.

He pleaded guilty to the lesser offence of manslaughter when his case came up at the High Court in Georgetown.

According to media reports, Samuels, a student of Vreed-en-Hoop Secondary, was stabbed at least 21 times with a kitchen knife after he cornered her in a room at her mother’s home.

The reports claimed that police in a statement said that the teen was fatally stabbed by her step-father during a family misunderstanding.

According to the report, Mildred Rose, the mother of the dead teen said that the incident happened when Fenella came home and told

Randolph Fitzroy Josiah.

Fenella Samuels.

her that a boy had snatched her phone.

The woman said that she accompanied her daughter and small son to the Vreeden-Hoop Police Station. Rose said that she returned home and she attempted to comfort her still upset daughter.

“I tell her ‘don’t fret, you will get back your phone,’ and he (the step-father) start

arguing and calling her ‘whore and cross.’

The mother said that her daughter retorted by telling the suspect that he was a murderer. To this, Fenella’s step-father reportedly said, ‘I gun show you what murder is’. He subsequently attacked the teen with a knife and stabbed her multiple times about her body.

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Kaieteur News

Thursday December 17, 2020

Thursday December 17, 2020

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Kaieteur News

Golovkin warns De La Hoya over comeback talk AFP - Gennady Golovkin issued a deadly warning to Oscar De La Hoya on Tuesday after the US boxing legend said he wanted to fight the middleweight world champion when he makes his improbable return to boxing.

The 47-year-old De Le Hoya, who announced in August he plans to come out of retirement after a 12-year absence from the ring, said recently he wants to fight IBF world champion Golovkin on his return.

“You know how easy GGG would be for me? Oh, my gosh,” De La Hoya told the Boxing Scene website last month.

“I always took a good shot and I always took apart fighters like him. In my mind it would be that easy.”

But Golovkin, who is preparing for a mandatory defence of his title against Poland’s unbeaten Kamil Szeremeta in Florida on Friday, brushed off De La Hoya’s trash talk.

“You know Oscar, you know how dirty his mouth is,” Golovkin, 38, told AFP through a translator when asked if he took De La H o y a ’s challenge seriously.

“Everything involving Gennady Golovkin for him is a nightmare. He can say whatever. But let me put it this way - If I got an opportunity to legally kill a person in the ring, I might seize it.”

De La Hoya has not fought since being dismantled by Manny Pacquiao in eight one-sided

rounds in 2008.

However, De La Hoya is adamant that he is serious about a comeback, telling ESPN in August he was ready to fight “any top guy” available.

De La Hoya ventured into promotion after his fighting career and was heavily involved in the acrimonious build-up to Golovkin’s two fights with Saul “Canelo” Alvarez in 2017 and 2018.

Golovkin, meanwhile, told AFP on Tuesday he was relishing returning to fight on Friday more than a year after his last ring outing, a unanimous decision win over Sergiy Derevyanchenko.

“It was a long pause,” Golovkin said. “There was enough time to miss boxing and forget certain things. The

Thursday December 17, 2020 ARIES (Mar. 21–Apr. 19) Demands made by friends, children, or the special person in your life might have you feeling like you're moving in a dozen different directions at once.

TAURUS(Apr.20–May20) A number of deliveries, service people, emails, or phone calls might keep you jumping today, Taurus, right when you're in the mood for a quiet day.

GEMINI (May 21–June 20) A close friend might pass along some seemingly harmless but nonetheless untrue gossip. Don't accept anything you hear today until you check the facts for yourself.

CANCER (June 21–July 22) You don't normally tend toward frugality, Cancer, but today you could go overboard with your spending.

LEO (July 23–Aug. 22) Some failures that you may have experienced over the past few days could have you beating yourself up today, Leo. Perhaps you feel that you were too hasty or too sloppy and could have done things better.

VIRGO (Aug. 23–Sept. 22) Today you might be able to tune in to the thoughts and feelings of others, Virgo, but you aren't likely to know exactly how to handle the situation. Should you say something or just tailor your own behavior to suit the moods of others?

LIBRA (Sept. 23–Oct. 22) Group activities are probably very much on your agenda today, Libra. You could attend an online meeting or lecture and later participate in a group chat with a bunch of friends.

SCORPIO (Oct. 23–Nov. 21) Too much pressure on the job could have you feeling like chucking it all and going somewhere by yours e l f . Yo u m i g h t b e tempted to go on a spending spree or overindulge in food or drink.

SAGIT(Nov.22–Dec.21) Inner conflict regarding spiritual matters might have you questioning your and others' beliefs. You might doubt just about everything CAPRI (Dec. 22–Jan. 19) Although your financial situation appears to be on the upswing, you still might be feeling pessimistic and indifferent about money and life in general.

AQUARIUS(Jan.20–Feb.18) A minor and rather silly quarrel with a friend or romantic partner could have you down in the dumps. This is an overreaction, Aquarius.

PISCES (Feb. 19–Mar. 20) Pressures on the job may be mounting. You might feel so disgruntled that you want to chuck it all and run away.

Foreign countries and distant states may suddenly seem far more appealing than usual.

training was good. I went through my standard training and it went well and I’m ready.”

Golovkin added that he had little immediate interest in pursuing lucrative fights against YouTube personalities such as Logan Paul.

“Right now I’m in my professional boxing career and I don’t see the need for that myself. But in future if there is a demand and an interest, then why not?” he said.

Golovkin also played down the possibility of a third fight with Mexico’s Alvarez who defeated the Kazakh with a controversial majority decision in 2018 after their first bout ended in a draw.

“I don’t think about this because I’m tired of thinking about it,” he said. “It’s been over two years that we’ve been throwing this around.

...Barcelona fight back From page 27 Real Madrid coach Zinedine Zidane hailed Karim Benzema as the best centre-forward in French history after his match-winning double against Athletic Bilbao put them into third place, level on points with Atletico and Sociedad.

Bilbao’s Ander Capa had cancelled out Toni Kroos’s thumping strike before Benzema, 32, struck twice late on, heading home a cross with 16 minutes remaining and finishing clinically in stoppage time from Luka Modric’s pass.

Afterwards Zidane had no hesitation in declaring Benzema as France’s best ever centre-forward, putting him at the top of a list that includes Thierry H e n r y, K y l i a n Mbappe, Jean-Pierre Papin and Just Fontaine.

“For me, he’s the best — it’s very clear,” said Zidane, the French midfield legend who won the 1998 World Cup and Euro 2000 with Les Bleus.

“He’s proved it — he’s played at Real Madrid for a very long time, he has more than 500 appearances, all his goals... his record, all he’s accomplished here speaks for itself,” Zidane added.

Gennady Golovkin has warned Oscar De La Hoya against seeking a fight with him when he makes his return to boxing.

It’s not my fault that this fight has not taken place.

“Currently, it’s too early

to say, but there is a possibility this fight might never happen.”

Kaieteur News

PAGE 26

Thursday December 17, 2020

America’s Cup crews Concussion substitutions to race for 1st time in be trialled in January 2021 powerful new boats AP - Delayed eight months due to COVID-19, four America’s Cup crews finally get to face off against each other in their fantasticallooking boats that fly across the tops of the waves on hydrofoils.

Defending champion Emirates Te a m N e w Z e a l a n d a n d challengers American Magic, INEOS Team UK and Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli Team of Italy will race in the America’s Cup World Series Auckland and the Prada Christmas Race today through Sunday, New Zealand time, on the Hauraki Gulf.

It will be the only warmup regatta prior to the start of the 36th America’s Cup in January. The Prada Cup for challengers will run Jan. 15-Feb. 22, with the winner advancing to face Team New Zealand in the America’s Cup match March 6-21.

The teams should have had plenty of racing experience by now in their 75-foot foiling monohulls, but two ACWS regattas scheduled in the spring in Europe were canceled after the outbreak of the coronavirus.

The teams continued to train at their home bases before the challengers relocated to Auckland and went through quarantine. All four teams are now sailing their second-generation boats.

The teams have only recently faced off against each other in practice sessions.

Losing the earlier ACWS regattas was a setback, but the teams have responded well, said Terry Hutchinson, skipper and executive director of American Magic, which is backed by the New York Yacht Club.

“From a sailing perspective and a racing perspective, it’s impressive to see all four teams really straightaway sailing at a high level,” Hutchinson said at a pre-regatta news conference. “So you can see the work that’s been done behind the scenes coming to fruition even though the boats haven’t been on the water.”

New Zealand’s government was able to get a handle on the pandemic via strict measures.

“Obviously we feel lucky to be here in New Zealand,” Hutchinson said. “As a team we were incredibly appreciative to the work and the efforts that went on behind the scenes when we put all of our gear on a boat in Pensacola, Florida, with really no guarantees to get into the country. And as it all played out, it all worked to a certain degree, and having come through the managed isolation, having come through to this point, you couldn’t have come across nicer people to help you through a

really difficult time.”

The first three days of racing will be a double round robin, with four races per day. On the fourth day, the Christmas Race will be made up of two knockout stages.

The pairing of the Christmas Race semifinals will be decided by the results of the ACWS double round robin.

The opening pairings on Thursday are Emirates Team New Zealand against Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli Team, and American Magic vs. INEOS Team UK. This will be a visual America’s Cup. The AC75s blend the tradition of monohulls with the modern advancement of foiling, which is all the rage in sailing. The boats use twin canting T-foils to lift the hull completely out of the water in order to increase speed. In the normal sailing mode, the AC75 will skim above the waves on the leeward foil and rudder, with the windward foil arm raised out of the water to reduce drag.

From some angles, the AC75s look like giant nautical insects or beasts as they speed across the water, with the foil arms raising and lowering during tacks and jibes.

With each of the teams interpreting the AC75 design rule differently, there are marked differences between the four boats and an anticipation to see them race for the first time.

“They’re certainly not the kind of boat that you take people out for a joyride,” said Sir Ben Ainslie, a former America’s Cup champion and four-time Olympic gold medalist who is the team principal and skipper of INEOS Team UK. “They’re full on. They are incredibly exciting. I think for a very privileged few, and for us as sailors who get to sail on these boats day in, day out, it is an amazing experience.”

American Magic’s helmsman is Auckland native Dean Barker.

He sailed for Team New Zealand in four regattas, including a soulcrushing loss in 2013, when the Kiwis blew an 8-1 lead and lost to Oracle Team USA. Luna Rossa plans to have twotime America’s Cup winner Jimmy Spithill, an Australian who has a primary residence in San Diego, share the helm with Italian Francesco Bruni.

Emirates Team New Zealand remains in the hands of skipper Peter Burling and flight controller Blair Tuke. They led the Kiwis to a rout of Oracle Team USA in the 2017 America’s Cup and together have won Olympic gold and silver medals in the 49er class.

Football’s lawmaking body IFAB announced on Wednesday the planned trials were approved.

SportsMax - Concussion substitutions in football are to be trialled in January 2021.

Football’s lawmaking body IFAB announced yesterday the planned trials were approved after “less than a year of detailed consultation with relevant stakeholders, medical concussion experts, team doctors, player representatives, coaches, competition organisers, refereeing and Laws of the Game experts”.

Under the proposed protocols, players with an actual or suspected concussion will be “permanently removed from the match to protect their welfare”, with the team allowed to bring on a replacement.

IFAB hopes the approach will reduce the risk of players sustaining multiple head injuries in a single

match but also ensure teams are not put at a disadvantage should a player be told to leave the pitch.

It said the planned protocols send “a strong message that, if in doubt, the player is withdrawn but there is no numerical or tactical disadvantage by prioritising the player’s welfare”.

Concerns around head injuries have risen in recent weeks after some high-profile incidents in Europe’s elite leagues.

In the Premier League, there was controversy when Arsenal defender David Luiz was allowed to continue only to be substituted at half-time after a clash of heads with Raul Jimenez that left the Wolves striker with a fractured skull.

The Football Association (FA) tweeted to confirm head injury

substitutions would be trialled “at the earliest practical opportunity” in the FA Cup, the Women’s Super League, Women’s FA Cup and Women’s Championship.

Separately, the IFAB board also approved the extension of the law that allows competitions the option of granting up to five substitutions in a single game.

Domestic competitions can now use the rule until December 31, 2021, with the extension applying to international competitions until July 31, 2022.

IFAB also agreed that “further clarification” over the interpretation of handball incidents should be discussed at the Annual General Meeting in March, as officiating has “not always been consistent”.

FIBA confident NBA’s best players will be at Tokyo Games BERLIN (Reuters) - The NBA’s best players will feature at next year’s Tokyo Olympics even though the season could end just days before the Games get under way, FIBA Secretary General Andreas Zagklis said yesterday.

The new NBA season will start next week, on Dec. 22, with the regular season wrapping up on May 16 before the playoffs between May 22 and July 22.

The Tokyo Olympics, which were postponed by a year to 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, kick off on July 23, with the basketball preliminaries starting two days later.

“Looking at the late finish of the Orlando bubble (last season’s playoffs) and the following season, we had requested an in-depth discussion with the NBA and the NBA players association,” Zagklis said. “We explained what the repercussions are on the Olympic

The Olympic rings are pictured in front of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) in Lausanne, Switzerland, December 7, 2020. (REUTERS/ Denis Balibouse) qualifying tournaments and the Olympic Games,” he told a virtual round table.

He said the Olympic qualifying tournaments had been delayed by a week to late June following talks with the IOC to accommodate the late NBA season.

“I believe this means we will have at the Olympic qualifiers more than 85 percent of the NBA players available and all teams will have finished in time for the Games,” he said.

“I think we will have the best players available at the Olympic

Games and FIBA are satisfied with that.”

Since professional players were allowed to compete at the Olympics, beginning with the 1992 Games in Barcelona, the United States have won six out of seven gold medals with star-studded squads made up primarily of NBA players.

With more than 100 international players in the NBA, other countries also have concerns over availability for Olympic qualifiers and the Games themselves.

Kaieteur News

Thursday December 17, 2020

PAGE 27

Arsenal end losing run despite Gabriel red card against Southampton - Leeds and Everton also come out winners Only Robin van Persie (46) and Olivier Giroud (40) have more Premier League goals at Emirates Stadium than Theo Walcott (38). (Getty Images)

Patrick Bamford has scored 34 league goals for Leeds - 13 more than any other player at the club since August 2018. (PA Media)

BBC Sport - Ten-man Arsenal earned a point against Southampton to bring their three-match losing streak in the Premier League to an end.

Theo Walcott had opened the scoring on his return to his former club with a delightful dink over onrushing goalkeeper Bernd Leno.

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang finished smartly after the break to level as Arsenal ended a run

of 797 minutes in the Premier League without a goal from open play.

But the Gunners’ illdiscipline cost them once again as Gabriel was sent off after being booked twice in four minutes.

Substitute Nathan Redmond struck the crossbar soon after as Southampton pressed for a winner that would have moved them briefly top of the league.

The visitors could not make their pressure pay,

h o w e v e r, a n d a l m o s t conceded at the other end late on when Rob Holding’s header rattled the woodwork.

The draw lifts Southampton above Leicester City into third.

Mikel Arteta’s side remain 15th in what is Arsenal’s worst start to a topflight campaign since the 1974-75 season.

Meanwhile, a dominant Leeds scored three late goals against Newcastle as they

African badminton champion Kate Foo Kune handed two-year doping ban

Kate Foo Kune became 2020 African Women’s Singles champion in February. (Getty Images)

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BC Sport - African badminton champion Kate Foo Kune has been handed a two-year doping ban after failing to prove her drink was spiked.

Foo Kune, who carried the Mauritian flag at the 2016 Rio Olympics, tested positive for a banned steroid at the 2019 African Badminton Championships.

The Court of Arbitration for Sport (Cas) found there was no evidence to back up her claims.

The 27-year-old’s ban from competition begins from 15 December.

The Badminton World Federation initially accepted that “an ill-intentioned individual” had sabotaged Foo Kune’s water

and she “bore no fault or negligence”.

However, the case was appealed to Cas and a panel concluded there was no evidence of foul play, with the four-time African champion handed the ban.

As the ban begins this week she will not be stripped of her 2020 African Championships title, but will miss the Tokyo Olympics.

“The Cas panel found the athlete’s assertion of intentional spiking during the 2 0 1 9 A f r i c a n B a d m i n t o n Wo r l d Championships devoid of supporting evidence,” said a statement from Cas. Foo Kune, ranked 105th in the world, previously trained at the Leeds Badminton Performance Centre.

secured only their second Premier League win in seven games.

The home side had created 20 efforts on target after 76 minutes, but found themselves level at 2-2 before right-back Stuart Dallas stole in at the far post to convert Mateusz Klich’s ball from the left in the 77th minute.

Newcastle adopted their usual counter-attacking tactic during the contest, but in searching for an equaliser were twice given a taste of their own medicine when Ezgjan Alioski fired in from substitute Pablo Hernandez’s pass after a swift break before Jack Harrison thumped home a brilliant fifth on the run from 25 yards.

Newcastle went ahead when Jeff Hendrick converted from close range before Patrick Bamford’s header levelled matters.

Rodrigo’s brilliant stooping

header gave the advantage to the home side, but Newcastle hit back through Ciaran Clark’s header.

However, unlike many recent matches the valiant exertions of Marcelo Bielsa’s side were rewarded with the late flurry of goals, and the win moves them up to 13th, level on 17 points with Newcastle in 14th.

And Everton scored in each half to beat fellow Champions League hopefuls Leicester and move back into the top five of the Premier League.

The visitors took the lead as Richarlison cut in from the left before beating Kasper Schmeichel with a low strike for his second Premier League goal of the season.

Moments later Jamie Vardy headed straight at Robin Olsen, making his second appearance of the season after Everton boss Carlo Ancelotti again rotated his goalkeepers, dropping

England keeper Jordan Pickford to the bench.

T h e To f f e e s l o s t impressive midfielder Allan to what looked a hamstring injury just before the interval and Leicester pressed for an equaliser early in the second half.

But the early-season leaders doubled their advantage from a corner, with Schmeichel making a fine double-save only for defender Mason Holgate to stab in the rebound for his first Everton goal.

Leicester were then awarded a penalty for an Andre Gomes foul on fellow substitute Ayoze Perez but referee Lee Mason reversed his decision after viewing the pitchside monitor.

Perez then had a goal disallowed for offside as Leicester missed the chance to go top of the table before joint-leaders Liverpool and Tottenham face each other at Anfield.

Barcelona fight back to reignite title bid AFP - Barcelona reignited their La Liga title push yesterday when they came back from a goal down to defeat Real Sociedad 2-1.

The win allowed Barcelona to move six points off the top of the table whereas defeat meant Sociedad lost their place as leaders to be replaced by Atletico Madrid.

However, Barca did it the hard way.

Sociedad, without a point at Barcelona in 25 years, took the lead through Willian Jose in the 26th minute.

Jordi Alba levelled four minutes later with Frenkie de Jong adding the second just

before the break.

Under-siege Barca coach Ronald Koeman played in the team which last yielded a home point to Sociedad in 1995.

The Dutchman was fearing the worst when Willian Jose scored with his right foot from close range after a Portu corner.

Alba’s equaliser arrived on the half-hour mark after a fine interchange of passes between Antoine Griezmann and Pedri.

French star Griezmann hit the bar six minutes later after taking the ball past Sociedad keeper Alex Remiro.

De Jong then gave Barca a 42nd-minute lead with a right-foot drive for his first goal since February.

The goal, however, was only allowed after a VAR consultation for a possible offside.

Griezmann had back-toback chances to increase the lead early in the second period.

Lionel Messi required treatment on a calf injury as the second half wound down before Barca goalkeeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen denied Willian Jose from long range and then Alexander Isak. On Tuesday, (Continued on page 25)

Kaieteur News

PAGE 28

Thursday December 17, 2020

Several sponsors team with RHTYSC for Female Football - Bakewell, Ministry of Natural Resources, Metro, tourney on East Bank Demerara Bounty Farm Ltd, Toucan Industries among them A representative of WR Enterprise hands over donation to RHTYSC Vice President Mark Papannah.

Natasha Bhikhan of Bakewell hands over sponsorship to RHTYSC Mark Papannah and Ravindranauth Kissoonlall.

T

he ten cricket teams of the Rose Hall Town Youth and Sports Club, MS continues to offer support to the East Bank Football Association.

The teams handed over three trophies, eight medals and funds for two bicycles towards the hosting of a female football tournament to Past President of the association Franklin Wilson.

Foster, stated that the RHTYSC was proud to assist in the development of football as it plays a part in keeping youths away from crime and drugs. Wilson, expressed gratitude for the support and stated that the tournament would be well organised as in the past.

The club has been supporting the tournament for a while now and has

pledged to continue doing so in the future. Foster disclosed that every year the RHTYSC co-sponsors over fifty sports events across the county in several sporting disciplines including football, cricket, basketball, volleyball and cycling among others.

Meanwhile, the ten teams continue to attract support for their ongoing Christmas Outreach programme which started on Sunday 6th of December.

The teams- Poonai Pharmacy Under 12 and Under 13, Farfan and Mendes Under 15, Bakewell Under 17 and Second Division, Pepsi Under 19 and Intermediate, Metro Female, Namilco Thunderbolt Flour Under 21 and First Division intends to share out one thousand food

hampers worth about $4000 each, five thousand toys, five hundred special Christmas packages and provide Christmas breakfast to hundreds of senior citizens.

Additionally, the teams have also been sharing out footwear, clothing, educational and school materials as part of their largest Christmas Outreach Programme ever, since the club was founded in 1990.

The Ministry of Natural Resources and Minister Vickram Bharrat, Fitzroy Mcleod, Jennifer Cipriani, Donna Todd, Leon Johnson, Bakewell, Metro, Christopher Barnwell, and Farfan and Mendes Ltd m a d e f i n a n c i a l contributions. The club also received toys, stationery and food products from Ansa

Mcal, Baekwell, De Sinco Trading, National Milling Company (Namilco), Bounty Farm Ltd, Edward B Beharry, Toucan Industries, China Trading, Factory Price, Regal Stationery, WR Enterprise, Survival Supermarket (Duncan Street), Demerara Distillers Ltd, Guyana Lottery, Mattai Supermarket, T&R Construction among others.

Club Secretary/CEO Hilbert Foster stated that to date over seven hundred food hampers has been distributed in the first week of the programme.

According to the long serving Club executive, the

RHTYSC has touched the entire Berbice coastline by using the Church system to reach those most in need.

Over forty churches, NGO’S and Orphanages have so far benefited from the programme including Deeper Life Assembly, St. Agnes Anglican Church, St. Francis Xavier Roman Catholic, Rose Hall Wesleyan, Elohim Adventist and No71 Living Water Assembly.

Over twenty cricket clubs have also receive donations of food hampers for distribution to their memberships. The team also donated a plaque with the

names of all the Catholic Priests who have served the St. Francis Xavier Church during the period 1897 to 2020.

On Sunday 13th of December, the club hosted hundreds of children to their annual Christmas Party at the Area H Ground. Each child received a bag of confectionery and biscuits, educational materials, a box of food and a Christmas toy.

The programme would conclude with the hosting of the annual Christmas village in the compound of the Rose Hall Town Primary School from the 22nd to 24th of December.

Johnson Charles and the Jaffna Stallions are 2020 LPL champions SportsMax - Johnson Charles and the Jaffna Stallions are the 2020 champions of the Lankan Premier League following their emphatic 53-run victory over the Galle Gladiators at Hambantota yesterday. Charles scored 26 runs in 15 balls in a 44-run opening partnership with Avishka Fernando (27) in just 21 balls that set the tone for the Stallions, who won the toss and chose to bat, to make 188 for 6 from their allotment of 20 overs. ”It always feels so grateful when you win a championship. I’m just glad we made it over the line. It’s a very great feeling,” Charles said after. “With our bowlers and the skill they have we were definitely pleased with the score we had.”

Johnson Charles

Charles was the first wicket to fall off the fourth ball of the fifth over when he tried to heave a slower ball from Dhananjaya Lakshan

over long-on but mistimed the shot and was caught by Gunathilaka, who 20 yards before diving to take the catch inches from the

ground.

His was the first Lakshan’s three wickets. The Stallions lost two more wickets in the next four overs

stumbling to 70 for 3 midw a y t h e n i n t h o v e r.

However, the champions regained some momentum in the middle overs through a fourth wicket partnership between Shoaib Mailk, who was the top scorer with 46 and Dhananjaya de Silva who had a 20-ball 33.

The innings got some late lift from Thisara Perara, who smashed five fours and two sixes in his 39 that came off just 14 balls as the Stallions raced towards their match-winning total.

Lakshan was the Gladiators’ best bowler with 3 for 36.Needing to score at over nine runs and over to a c h i e v e v i c t o r y, t h e Gladiators were in early trouble at 7 for 3 inside the first two overs.

However, thanks to

Bhanuka Rajapaksa, who raced to 40 from just 17 balls during which he struck three fours and four sixes, the Gladiators got back in the hunt with 62 runs on the board by the middle of the ninth over when he was caught behind by the St Lucian off the bowling of Usman Shinwari, who finished with figures of 2 for 20 from his four overs.

Azam Khan tried to rally his team with a 17-ball 36 but the Gladiators lost wickets regularly and eventually ran out of time and balls at 135 for 9.

Malik was the best the bowlers with 2 for 13.

Scores: Jaffna Stallions 188/6; Galle Gladiators (20 ov, target 189) 135/9 Result: Stallions won by 53 runs

Kaieteur News

Thursday December 17, 2020

PAGE 29

Demerara Inter Association cricket

Mohabir follows up 72 with 5-7 as GT beat E/Coast - W/Dem, E/Bank contest ends in no-result

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five-wicket haul from Alvin Mohabir to follow up his delightful undefeated 72 in the opening round and an unbeaten 36 from Jaden Campbell spearheaded Georgetown to an emphatic nine-wicket over East Coast at Enmore, while East Bank and West Demerara rain affected game at Everest ended in no-result in second round action of the Demerara 50-over InterAssociation U-19 tournament yesterday.

At the Enmore Community Centre ground on the East Coast of Demerara, Mohabir spun webs around the East Coast batsmen on a slow ‘turner’ to capture 5-7 from miserly overs in a mesmerizing spell.

He good got good support from Bryon Bowen who had 2-16 as the home team catapulted to 65 all out in 26 overs before Campbell reached the boundary five

times and cleared it once in a confident unbeaten 36.

Campbell shared in an unfinished 64-run second wicket stand with Shamar Yearwood who made 26 not out with three fours and a six.

Brandon Jaikaran (3) was the lone wicket to fall when he was LBW to Chaitram Balgobin at 3-1 but the demise of Balgobin set the stage for the entertaining second wicket partnership which eased their team to their paltry target without much worry.

Earlier, East Coast opted to bat and lost their first wicket at 17 in the ninth over when Bowen removed Anthony Khan, while two runs later Dwain Dick got rid of Lakeram Ramkisoon for 10.

It was soon 27-3 when Andrew Samaroo (4) fell to Bowen but Davenanand Khemraj (5) and Romel Datterdeen steadied the ship somewhat by taking the score to 40 before Khemraj

had his stumps disturbed by Marlon Boele.

However, when Datterdeen was run out for 15, which included three boundaries, East Coast were 54-5 and Datterdeen’s departure began the Mohabir show.

The wily spinner befuddled the hapless batsman as the last five wickets tumbled for 11 runs as Mohabir, who decimated the West Demerara bowlers on Monday at Everest, continues to have a wonderful tournament by dismantling the last half of the innings in quick time.

At Everest, in a game reduced to 20 overs due to overnight and morning rain, We s t D e m e r a r a w e r e dismissed for 88 in 19. 5 overs as only Ushendra Balgobin (24), Andre Seepersaud (14) and Natuendra Mathura (25) reached double figures on the heavy outfield.

Movindra Dindyal was

New Amsterdam Mayor recognises outstanding cyclist Mayor of New Amsterdam Her Worship Winifred Haywood has been an ardent sports personality and fan for most of her life and continues to show support and assist where ever possible.

On Wednesday she took time out of her busy schedule to recognize the outstanding performance of young cyclist Balram Narine by presenting him with a large trophy.

Narine, a member of the Flying Ace Cycling Club (FACC), reward came as a result of his outstanding performance in the recently concluded three stage time trial cycle road race.

The event, which was held by the Guyana Cycling Federation (GCF) in Georgetown, Linden and Berbice, saw Narine placing 5th overall.

He was among the first six cyclists that were rewarded by the GCF. The presentation, which was done in the Mayors Chambers, saw her taking the opportunity to encourage Narine to continue being disciplined and striving for excellence. She is confident

Cyclist Balram Narine displays the trophy presented by Mayor Winifred Haywood.

that he will go far in the sport.

Narine thanked Mayor Haywood and his coach, Randolph Roberts, for all the support that he has gotten over the years and vowed to continue doing his best to

make everyone proud. He plans to go professional soon. He is also encouraging others to following in the footsteps of Mayor Haywood and recognise and assist the talents of young athletes. (Samuel Whyte)

Movindra Dindyal was again among the wickets with another 3-Wkt haul yesterday. again among the wickets with 3-11 and along with Matthew Nandu who had 220, did the damage with the ball for East Bank who were 60-7 after 17.1 overs when the contest came to a premature end. Balgobin took three wickets and Vishal Persaud two.

The next round is set for Friday at Everest and Enmore as both games are scheduled to commence at 09: 30hrs. (Sean Devers)

Matthew Nandu followed up his 40 3-19 with 2-20 yesterday.

Kaieteur News

PAGE 30

Letter to the Sports Editor

Ramson is wrong Dear Editor, As we approach Christmas I find some time to slow down a bit from my usual routine and read some social media posts, mostly the hilarious type.

The Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sports has an interesting logo attached to its press releases however, the content of two recent releases cannot be considered appropriate as they lack clarity and comes over as childish. One reporter and social commentator even suggested that an English teacher be employed by the ministry.

I follow Sports in General and am no politician but thinks generally the current government, given some time, would do well for the benefit of the Guyanese people. On the other hand it must be understood, especially by Mr. Ramson, that sporting organizations must maintain their autonomy for some simple reasons.

One of those being, to ensure that as governments change and political parties of different persuasions come to power, the policies of sporting organizations, answering to international umbrella bodies for proper r e g u l a t i o n a n d administration, are not

caught up in the toxic political environment, especially as we experience here in Guyana.

It has now become clear that Minister Ramson intends to exert pressure on Sports organizations in Guyana to go through him for approval of events, or at least he can authorize events as he sees fit.

I stand corrected to the interpretations as the releases, from the ministry, are not clear enough.

It is important to note that the government of Guyana through different administrations, never paid subventions to sports Associations/Federations nor have they paid athletes, in any discipline. In countries, such as Trinidad, where sports is a lucrative business and associations are financed by the government, autonomy of their sport entities is preserved.

In one missive, the minister seems to be seeking to educate Guyanese on the meaning of the words “advisable” and “required”.

While we can all look the words up in the dictionary, most athletes would Google it; it is alarming that the contents of that particular release seem petty. Mr. Ramson, if President Irfan Alli advised that you report to him in Leonora at 3:00am

in the morning, the word “advise” in the Oxford dictionary would have a different meaning.

I took some time to reflect, unlike some, before penning this letter, hoping to come up with an excuse for M r. R a m s o n ’s s u d d e n releases in the matter of approval of sports events.

Does it have to do with his pending sports policy?

Do we now have to apply to the minister, instead of GFF to play a football game?

Would the Minister be receiving every athlete with a complaint against his sporting body?

Would the minister seek to grant approval to every breakaway group to host events? Only one word describes where we are heading, CHAOS! We must not let ego and dictatorial tendencies cloud our judgment. We must be cognizant that sporting bodies must be neutral, not be used for political paybacks.

It is the same old nonsense all over again, we must not forget the fiasco of the cricket administration act. But then again, the cricket administrators are quiet. Why? Have they accepted the bullying? Let’s hear your voices.

Yours Sincerely, Rafzia Shaheed.

Thursday December 17, 2020

King and Queen Dominoes set for Sunday at Turning Point

Exciting dominoes action is set for Sunday at Turning Point.

A number of the top local players are expected to be in action on Sunday at Turning Point Sports Club when the Twin Towers King and Queen Dominoes competition gets underway at 14:00hrs.

Entrance fee is $2,000 and players will battle for over $100,000 in cash prizes. There

will also be a prize for the best female player.

The competition is being sponsored by HJ 94.1 FM, DeSinco Trading, Big Boss, Royal Castle and 5Js. Interested players contact Clair Benjamin on 641-1069 or Barbara Marshall on 6638280.

Russia appeal verdict against four-year ban revealed on Thursday

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BC Sport Russia’s appeal against a fouryear ban from all major sporting events will be decided today. The World Anti-Doping Agency (Wada) reinstated Russia in 2018 after a three-year ban for a doping scandal.

But in December 2019, Wada declared Russia’s antidoping agency noncompliant with its code.

If upheld by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (Cas), there would be no Russia team at the Tokyo Olympic

and Paralympic Games or the 2022 World Cup. Russia has been banned from competing as a nation in athletics since 2015.

The Cas ruling will be binding and if they decide not to lift the ban, only athletes who can prove they are clean competitors would be permitted to compete in Tokyo next year and would have to do so as so-called “neutral” athletes.

A total of 168 Russian athletes competed under a neutral flag at the 2018 Wi n t e r O l y m p i c s i n

Pyeongchang.

Wa d a ’ s e x e c u t i v e committee made the unanimous decision to impose the ban on Russia last year after Russia’s AntiDoping Agency (Rusada) was declared non-compliant for manipulating laboratory data handed over to investigators in January 2019.

It had to hand over data to Wada as a condition of its reinstatement in 2018 after a three-year suspension for its vast state-sponsored doping scandal.

Kaieteur News

Thursday December 17, 2020

Munroe says preparations almost complete for GTTA ‘restart’ tournament T h e G u y a n a Ta b l e Tennis Association (GTTA) had earmarked today for the commencement of the ‘Restart’ tournament since the Covid-19 outbreak but after a couple hiccups, they are about 90% set to serve off this Sunday or Monday at the Malteenoes Sports Club (MSC) on Thomas Lands, according to GTTA head; Godfrey Munroe.

In an invited comment with Kaieteur Sport, Munroe shared that though the tournament has been rescheduled a few times before, his association remains committed to ensuring that the players get some well-deserved competition.

He mentioned that there was a problem with the lighting at the facility which will be rectified by this weekend and apart from that, all systems are a go for t h e t o u r n a m e n t commencement.

As stated before, the ‘restart’ tourney will have special rules of engagement and will follow strict Covid-

Table tennis resumes this weekend

19 protocols. And, although table tennis tournaments usually last a weekend, this event will be longer since fewer matches will be able to be contested at the venue due to not only space but because the amount of participants and persons in general at the MSC will be limited.

Some of the protocols for this tournament will include: social distancing, use of Personal Protective Equipment, wiping of balls, before every session and match, sanitising of the area, temperature checks, and asking players not to use public transportation.

The format will feature a

best 16 followed by individual events where players will only show up at the venue for their matches based on their draw.

Ta b l e Te n n i s i s considered non-contact, players were allowed to resume training in small groups since August but Sports was allowed to resumed since November 1.

Munroe noted that it is important for the players to get back into action as soon as possible since there are few important tournaments schedule for next year including the Caribbean Senior Championships, slated for Cuba in April.

PAGE 31

Alvin Mohabir followed up his 72 with 5-7 yesterday.

rt o p S RHTYSC Secretary/CEO Hilbert Foster hands over sponsorship to EBFA Past President Franklin Wilson.

Several sponsors team with Demerara Inter Association cricket RHTYSC for Female Football Mohabir follows up 72 tourney on East Bank Demerara - Bakewell, Ministry of Natural Resources, Metro, Bounty Farm Ltd, Toucan Industries among them A moment of celebration for Jaffna Stallions as Shoaib Malik strikes again. (Getty Images)

Johnson Charles and the Jaffna Stallions are 2020 LPL champions

with 5-7 as GT beat E/Coast - W/Dem, E/Bank contest ends in no-result

New Amsterdam Mayor recognises outstanding cyclist

Her Worship Mayor Winifred Haywood presents the trophy to Balran marine as Coach Randolph Roberts relish the moment.

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