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Kaieteur News
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Kaieteur News
Friday December 31, 2021
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Speaker defends passage of new Oil Fund Law …says replica Mace was used, Govt. MPs abided with rules …promises stern consequences for disruptive MPs
The scene inside the chambers as the Finance Minister attempted to make his presentation. Speaker of the National Assembly, Manzoor Nadir yesterday defended as lawful the passage of the People’s Progressive Party Civic (PPP/C’)s Natural Resource Fund Bill 2021, saying that all of the ingredients required for its approval in the House had been met despite the commotion that disrupted the debate and vote on the critical piece of legislation. Nadir in an impromptu press conference yesterday told media operatives that in order for the Bill to be considered approved—with the 33 members of the government voting in favour of the Bill, inclusive of its 47 A r t i c l e s a n d Tw o schedules—there only needed to be a quorum for the sitting and for the Mace to be in place. When Finance Minister, D r. A s h n i S i n g h o n Wednesday evening rose to present the Bill for the Clerk of the National Assembly to read for a second and third time—prefaced by his
arguments seeking support for the proposed legislation—he was met with immediate protestation by the A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) Members of Parliament. He was first surrounded by a vociferous bunch of opposition MPs attempting to drown out his presentation in an attempt to prevent the Minister with responsibility for Finance. As this persisted, his colleague Ministers and MPs eventually came to his assistance physically surrounding him, allowing him to continue with his presentation. Ten minutes in however, an Opposition Member of Parliament—Annette Ferguson—who was among the raucous provocateurs, grabbed the Mace from its position, as Dr. Singh was l a m e n t i n g t h e “unprecedented vulgarity.” The Mace is considered the most significant symbol in the National Assembly and was presented to the
Guyana by the British House of Commons when Guyana gained its Independence in 1966. As such, at that time, the sitting of the National Assembly was technically abruptly halted, as the Sergeant of Arms and other Parliamentary Staff, wrestled away from F e rg u s o n a n d a n o t h e r Member of Parliament, the symbol of the Speakers Authority. Nadir in explaining the unfolding of Wednesday evening’s proceedings told media operatives, that on his ascension to office, he had foreseen the need for a replica Mace, and it was made. He went on to explain that in Parliamentary and other Westminster systems of government, such as in the United Kingdom and Canada, “they have two Maces.” To this end, the Speaker told media operatives, “we have two Maces also” and went on to explain that when
Sergeant of Arms of the Parliament, Speaker and Deputy Clerk each with hands grasping the replica Mace as the proceedings continued.
he ascended to that Office, he had set about exploring preparations for any likely occurrences to be had in the National Assembly. One such decision taken, according to Nadir, “was to have another Mace, in the event the traditional Mace could not be found to put in
Parliamentary Staff, Ean McPherson defending the Mace - the Symbol of the Speaker’s authority in the National Assembly as he is ‘verbally’ abused by Opposition MPs. place whenever parliament sits; we have another Mace.” As such, he said it was the smaller Mace, the replica that had been made which was used during the session in question. According to Nadir, the Mace was in place “shortly
before I put the question on the NRF.” He said too, “I called for members to take their seats, since MPs are only permitted, under the standing orders to vote from their seats in Parliament.” He (Continued on page 22)
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Friday December 31, 2021
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
The future of crime in Guyana Daily dangerous reality furnishes ample evidence that rampaging crime batters citizens relentlessly. Worse, it bodes ill for this society that white-collar crime soars from within government quarters, leaving Guyanese in a frightening vise. This is where we take things today, while focusing on alarming crime throughout society, but hoping that such never develops. It is a given, from perceptions and confirmations, that crime is out of control. We at this publication agree and dispose of it quickly, statistics notwithstanding. They do not reassure, not with real and potential bandits roaming at will on 2-feet, and 2- and 4wheelers; not with dangers feared everywhere. Today, there are intensifying fears in the population, of rogues in law enforcement taking matters into their own hands, for their own benefit, or the interests of political leaders. Citizens are hostages, and agitated at how brazen criminals make killings, without regard for the law. One of the indicators of rampant crime is the silence index/statistic. There is a climate of no seeing, no hearing, no knowing. Self-preservation is the first order of business, with little trust or confidence in the police; especially when it is blocked from pursuing the connected, but is let loose on the little fish. The police, have little going for it, is too often suspected of being a part of criminal schemes, too often a political instrument. That is the mindset of many Guyanese, with another being that skilled police public relations releases are to bolster a false sense of security. Public relations pros struggle with telling the whole truth, fail at nothing but the truth. All this is frightening, plus the many other bigger things. First, when smarter, stronger, and more visionary men look at low-level, run-of-the-mill criminal situations, the police’s position, and the government’s own questionable credibility on crime management, those criminally minded operators can move crime several rungs up (or down) the ladder. In essence, the haunting spectre at which this country stares is; crime deterioration to the point where powerful criminal gangs reign supreme, operate at will, with the Main Street execution speaking for itself. They could carve up the country into criminal fiefdoms which they control, with neither government nor the law in any strong position to upend them, or challenge them powerfully and conclusively. The assertion is that what we face in the not-too-distant future could be circumstances similar to Mexico and Venezuela. We would further assert that this may already be so in Guyana’s hinterlands, where gang law prevails, and security is another name for a ransomed existence. Other areas have only degrees of this presently, due to greater visibility, capital city proximity, and political determination to soothe foreigners about safety and stability. We revisit Mexico, which is a special case. Heavily armed money cartels have infiltrated and compromised many of that troubled, wounded State’s protective layers, institutions, programmes, influential people, all of which are easily discernible. This is what could be in store for Guyana, and unleash the worst, with crime-plagued and vulnerable citizens targeted or caught in the middle in every place. Present crime levels could transform into blanketing fear and killing fields. Now street crime in Guyana increasingly assumes aspects of what is taking place in the big American cities. Most likely, our youthful bandits don’t read newspapers, but watch a lot of foreign television footage, with brutal street crimes featuring prominently. It is where people are mugged from behind, upended, kicked and pummelled with feet and fists. There is always the hidden menace that weapons, knives or guns, could be brought into action without hesitation, regardless of the result. This looks likely to be more of the norm going forward, as we have already seen in the middle of town in the daytime. Unless the police are on the spot, victims are on their own. Onlookers are cowed into retreat, which doesn’t look like changing anytime soon. Said otherwise, the vulnerable have to sort out their own protection, whatever form that takes. COVID-19 restrictions, with particular mention of masks, make the job of the bandits easier, and local crime detection more difficult. It is an altogether grim crime picture, with present crime everywhere, making future crime fears something unbelievable.
Guyana is not merely open for business, but open for sustainable business DEAR EDITOR, On December 9, 2021, the Guyana Chronicle published an article titled ‘Guyana Energy Chamber inks agreement with Ghana Petroleum Commission’. The article further stated that ‘THE Guyana Oil and Gas Energy Chamber (GOGEC), on Tuesday, signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Petroleum Commission of Ghana to initiate co-operation in the area of oil and gas.’ Additionally, the article indicated that, “The objective of this MoU is to provide a framework for co-operation, between the agency and the association, to facilitate a collaboration that will lead to an exchange of information and sharing of resources between the agency and association within the oil and gas sector.” Further the article stated that ‘The signatories to the document were President of GOGEC, Maniram Prashad, and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Ghanaian Petroleum Commission, Egbert Faibille Jnr.’ It was also stated that, ‘Co-operation between the commission and GOGEC is also intended between the wider private sector representatives of Guyana and Ghana.’ According to the article, the three agreements, which were signed between the Governments of Ghana and Guyana; are ‘a Framework Agreement on co-operation between Guyana and Ghana, a MoU between the Ministry of Natural Resources of Guyana, and the Petroleum Commission of Ghana on cooperation in the petroleum sector, and a MoU on mutual co-operation in investment
promotion between the Guyana Office for Investment (Go-Invest) and the Ghana Investment Promotion Center (GIPC)’. While I have no difficulty with the agency engagements on the ‘Framework Agreement on co-operation between Guyana and Ghana’, the ‘MoU between the Ministry of Natural Resources of Guyana and the Petroleum Commission of Ghana on cooperation in the petroleum sector’, and the ‘MoU on mutual co-operation in investment promotion between the Guyana Office for Investment (Go-Invest) and the Ghana Investment Promotion Center (GIPC)’; I take issue with the MOU between the Guyana Oil and Gas Energy Chamber and the Ghana Petroleum Commission. The issue is, that the oil and gas sector/energy sector is an extremely highly sensitive area; from a standpoint of economics, security, investment, marketing, etc., as such, it is important to note that the Ghana Petroleum Commission was established by an Act of Parliament - Act 821 of 2011, and regulates and manages the upstream petroleum sector, the GOGEC on the other hand, is a nonprofit association of businesspeople that promotes trade, investment and knowledge transfers in Guyana’s energy sector. It should be noted that the Ghana Petroleum Commission has constitutional and parliamentary responsibilities to protect Ghana and the people of Ghana, the GOGEC on the other hand, has no constitutional obligations or
parliamentary accountability responsibilities. Another notable party that was absent in these agreements and as a signatory, is the Guyana Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs must not abdicate its responsibilities. The objective this specific MOU states that it will ‘provide a framework for co-operation, between the agency and the association, to facilitate a collaboration that will lead to an exchange of information and sharing of resources between the agency and association within the oil and gas sector.” I would recommend that this MOU reconsidered and be signed between an appropriate agency that is accountable to the Guyana Parliament, as in the case of the Ghana Petroleum Commission. Where is the Guyana Petroleum Commission? This ‘appropriate agency’ can then engage the GOGEC; and therefore, facilitate the intended process of collaboration. The GOGEC is, however, at liberty to sign a MOU with, for e.g., a Chamber of Commerce. I would also encourage that foreign governments with an interest in Guyana’s oil and gas sector/energy sector should insist that agreements and MOUs be signed with counterpart government agencies in Guyana. If the signing agency for a foreign country is a constitutional agency with parliamentary accountability responsibilities, then our Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation must ensure that signing agencies for
Guyana has similar constitutional and parliamentary accountability responsibilities. In cases where this is not done, foreign government agencies should request same to ensure possible longterm validity of the agreements and MOUs. It should be noted that this is particular to the oil and gas industry at this point of the development of the sector in Guyana. Further, a growing matter of concern is that while the Guyana government continues to insist it will not engage with the Leader of the Opposition or the Opposition and refuses to be transparent about information relative to the Guyanese oil and gas sector with its own citizens, one is astounded at the ease with which the government builds new relationships and shares information with foreigners with interests in the oil and gas sector. This behaviour by the Guyanese government is unacceptable, undemocratic, lacks transparency and disregards its responsibility to be accountable to the people of Guyana, as well as lacks respect for established institutional arrangements to facilitate good governance in the country. It is important for foreigners seeking an interest in the Guyanese oil and gas industry to note that while their interests are welcomed, it should be noted that Guyana is not merely open for business but rather it is open for sustainable business. Yours faithfully, Audreyanna Thomas Rule of Law Advisor/Advocate
Will the Natural Resource Fund be a curse? DEAR EDITOR, Yet again, I feel compelled to pen a letter to you given recent developments, particularly with respect to our natural resource wealth management, in this instance. For anyone who has been following the developments with regard to the Natural Resources Fund Act, from its first iteration by the previous government, to this one laid and passed by the current government, there are a few changes that could be concerning and that raise questions which could affect our development as a nation. My hope is that these could be addressed by the authorities in meaningful ways. The removal of the macroeconomic committee My understanding of the macroeconomic committee (MC) in the previous version of the Act is that it served as a check on the spending
power allowable by the Fund. As we all know, inflation triggered by the supply chain disruptions has already translated into a higher cost of living for us in Guyana. Inflation reported by the Bureau of Statistics has been higher this year than probably in more than a decade. Undoubtedly, part of this inflationary effect is also attributable to ramp up government spending. Without a MC, what mechanisms have been put in place in this version of the Act to manage the economic effects of ramped up public spending and the onset of Dutch Disease? At risk also is the competitiveness of our private sector. The replacement of the withdrawal rule I must admit, the new rule is indeed much simpler than the previous one - it is straightforward and can be followed quite easily. How-
ever, in its simplicity is an allowance for significant public spending in 2022. If the government so desires, it could withdraw US$500 million or GY$100 billion for public spending. That’s nearly one quarter of 2021 budget! While yes, this could mean investments in much needed assets towards the improvement of public services, what we should not forget is that investment expenditure also generate recurrent costs. Has analysis been done to show how non-NRF revenues are anticipated to grow over the next 5-10 years that will demonstrate an absorptive capacity of the state to meaningfully service the growing recurrent obligations? What I’m saying, Editor, is that we need to make sure that our regular budget, outside of oil revenues, is able to absorb the costs associated with new roads, schools and hos-
pitals that could be built with oil revenues. If we don’t, then we risk going down an unsustainable path which would end up with services being even more poorly maintained than they are now. “Impartiality” of fund management Editor, I see little difference in the grand scheme of things. In the previous version, and in this version, Parliament still needs to approve withdrawals for public spending. At the end of the day, the Parliament comprises our elected representatives and we couldn’t ask for anything better. If the public says they don’t want politicians involved then we’d literally have to throw out our Constitution because it would mean that our democracy holds no value. The Minister of Finance did not and still does not hold unilateral control (Continued on page 6)
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Dharamlall’s attacks on the We are fatigued by the traffic congestion, deplorable judiciary was orchestrated roadways on EBD by the PPP hierarchy DEAR EDITOR, Recent statements uttered by the Minister of Local Government and Regional Development against the Chancellor and the Appeal Court’s Justice regarding the High Court’s decision to proceed with the hearing of the PNC motion to challenge the 2020 election results are offensive, disgusting, and troubling. Minister Nigel Dharamalall had publicly condemned the decision rendered by the Chancellor of the Judiciary (Ag), Yonette CummingsEdwards and Justice of Appeal Dawn Gregory. Not only did he characterised them as ‘politically biased and branded them as PNC activists’ but he also called on them to resign. It is a racist statement designed to demean, humiliate, and debase the Justices and dishonour and degrade the judicial system, which is an independent branch of the government It should be noted that since Minister Dharamalall has labelled two Black justices as PNC activists, by the same token, he has inferred that all Indian Justices in Guyana are PPP activists as well. The mere fact that President Ali did not rebuke the Minister for his dreadful remarks is appalling, inexcusable, and outrageous to say the least. It also suggests that President Ali is on the same page with the bigoted Minis-
ter when it comes to Black justices. It also means that the President and other senior officials in the PPP believed that only Indians and not Blacks are worthy of holding high offices in Guyana. This has and continues to be the motive of the PPP, which had campaigned on change and inclusive government. The fact that Vice President Jagdeo supported the xenophobic, biased, and intolerant statement by the Minister clearly shows that it was orchestrated by the hierarchy in the PPP to belittle the justices and disparage the judicial system. Jagdeo’s disdain, contempt and scorn for Black justices is deep-rooted. He is of the view that the judiciary is inherent partisan against the PPP and that Black justices should not be allowed to preside over PPP cases, political, civil, or criminal. In his defense of Dharamlall, the doctrinaire Jagdeo said that, “the Minister was just expressing his frustration, which was impulsive, very passionate and I am not going to chastise him for expressing his frustration of which I too share.” Such silly and asinine statement could only come
from the ex-president who for twelve years had marginalised Blacks. The VP and his clique have the right to criticise the decision but no one, not even the President has any legal standing to call for their resignation or make personal attacks on them because they are Blacks. It is wrong and Jagdeo who had promised to change his bombastic behaviour should be ashamed. Him and the Minister’s behaviour are disgraceful, reprehensible, and dishonourable. They have no integrity left to govern the country and should do the honorable thing and resign. If not, they should know that the ballot is stronger than the bullet. In the words of the sixteenth American President, Abraham Lincoln, “this country, with its institutions, belongs to the people who inhabit it. Whenever they shall grow weary of the existing government, they can exercise their constitutional right of amending it, or exercise their revolutionary right to overthrow it.” Regards, Leyland Chitlall Roopnaraine
DEAR EDITOR, Commuting on the East Bank of Demerara is quite a challenge and in spite of all the promises to ease the traffic congestion, there seems to be no end in sight. I am encouraged by efforts being made to increase the road network but the process is taking much too long and some of the problems are created not only by road congestions but by those in authority who can make a difference but seem not to care. Take for instance the Haags Bosch Landfill road, this thoroughfare is in a deplorable state and every day, it is getting worse. This road is used by residents and businesses in Herstelling, Providence, Perseverance, Eccles industrial area including the landfill and also serves as a
detour when there is traffic congestion on the East Bank Public Road including the recently opened Diamond the Eccles access yet the Ministry of Public Infrastructure has left it to deteriorate. The increasing number of heavyduty vehicles transporting paraphernalia for the oil sector and other commercial activities is causing these roads to depreciate faster. I am appealing to President Irfaan Ali and the Minister of Public Infrastructure Juan Edghill on behalf of residents and commuters to kindly intervene since we are encouraging investors to Guyana many of whom live in gated communities in these areas as well as new residents who are now occupying the East Bank Schemes at a fast rate. In addition, just over
four months ago, road rehabilitation work was started in Herstelling, Providence and other communities which brought temporary relief to residents since the roads were graded, rolled and a layer of stone place on the roads. However, the rainy season is here and these roads have returned to their usual craters that we as residents are now resigned to. With schools reopening on Monday, can we expect emergency work on the Haags Bosch thoroughfare at least to bring some relief to commuters. We are fatigued by the traffic congestions and the deplorable roadways, which we have to face on a daily basis urgent help is needed. Yours sincerely, Name provided
Robbers of the elderly should be put to shame DEAR EDITOR It should be of great concern to this nation and especially to the Law Enforcement personnel of Guyana that pensioners and elderly women are the latest victims of robbery and abuse by unscrupulous young men.
How depraved can a person be to rob and abuse a frail old lady of the only money, which she may have to buy food for herself for a month. Have these young men no conscience. Instead of sending them to jail and wasting taxpayers money, they
should be put to shame by being paraded through the streets with a microphone so that everyone will know who they are. I bet the robberies of our elderly citizens will soon stop. Regards Gloria Holder
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President Ali should withhold assent to the NRF Bill DEAR EDITOR, Please permit me to make a last-ditch effort to appeal to the President to not sign the NRF Bill. I reference an article published by the Guyana Chronicle “President’s Power to Withhold Assent” https:// guyanachronicle. com/2013/05/13/presidents-power-to-withhold-assent/ where it describes that “The President has a constitutionally endowed jurisdictional freedom to withhold his
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Kaieteur News
assent to Bills if he believes them to be misconceived and wrong in principle.” The President at the time was Donald Ramotar. I write today asking that President Ali withhold his assent on the same principle that his predecessor did. President Ali is in a uniquely advantageous position to listen to the people and organisations who do not support passage of the Bill but ask for further consultation before the Bill is law. LISTEN and HEAR the
people, many of whom voted for you. This is not giving into the opposition; this LISTENING to the people and telling them, “I HEAR you”. Finally, I call on President Ali to show us INTEGRITY. This is the one quality that He explicitly specified that He would require of Board members. Show us what INTEGRITY means to you, President Ali. Sincerely, Surendra Dhanpaul
Stabroek News Page One comment off target DEAR EDITOR, I beg to differ with Stabroek News’ Page One Comment (Thursday, December 30, 2021) because at its core, it failed to acknowledge the normal cause and effect factors and universally acceptable principles. The reactions by Opposition Members of Parliament (MPs) in Parliament, on Wednesday (December 29, 2021), which were derided, did not happen in a vacuum. Many national stakeholders, including the Guyana Trades Union Congress, had called on the Irfaan Ali/Bharrat Jagdeo government to put a pause to the passage of amendments to the National Resource Fund (NRF) Bill to allow for wider consultation and input. These entreaties were ignored. The Opposition parliamentarians, who represent
half of the society, made a similar appeal. This too was ignored. It is of great importance to remind ourselves the ‘Principal political objective’ of our political system is that of forging an “inclusionary democracy” as prescribed in Article 13 in the Constitution of Guyana. President Ali had the opportunity to ensure this by facilitating engagement and benefitting from the input of other stakeholders, including the parliamentary opposition, on how we the people will manage our oil and gas revenue. The removal of the original oversight committee, which had the benefit of a 22member organisation involvement, is a grave travesty. The unilateral excising of this involvement tramples on Article 13 by shutting out significant sections of society
from being involved in this important aspect of the management and decision-making processes of the State that impact our collective well-being. The foundation of this nation was birthed on slavery, later followed by indentureship and colonisation. Our ancestors fought these systems of oppression by all the means available to them. Some condemned those acts ignoring the causes that influenced such actions. SN took a similar approach in its Page One Comment. As a descendant of enslaved ancestors and a trade unionist, it is not lost on me what it means to fight for what is just and fair, and to be treated with respect and dignity. Similarly, it is understood that in the process of doing so, those contemptuous
Let’s work together to develop our country DEAR EDITOR, I woke up this morning (Thursday), still in bewilderment at what I witnessed in the Guyana Parliament. The parliament is a place where laws and legislation are passed to guide and protect our people. The parliament has the government and the opposition so naturally debates ensues which is healthy in a democracy. A bill as sensitive as the Natural Resource Fund where both sides have strong views and feels that their point of view is the right one was placed in the right domain to be presented and challenged…or so we thought. We, the man in the street, are paying close attention to what our leaders and elected representatives are going on with. Protest has many facets...peaceful marches,
boycotts, rallies, advertisements, social media like Glen Tic toking, etc. In the Parliament, years ago on the radio and recently on TV, we would witness heckling when views were not accepted. What we saw last night was bewildering. A well thought out premeditated vulgarity played out. Leaving your seats to disrupt the parliament whilst blowing whistles and to intimidate does not go down well with most sections of our society. It is obvious that the plan to remove the Speaker’s mace was premeditated and then to use that as the reason why a bill cannot be passed is ludicrous. Please bear in mind that I am not downplaying the NRF debate and its pros and cons but the issue is the disgraceful behaviour in our parlia-
ment. Guyana is a very polarised society and this behaviour does not auger well for the future. We all know that it only takes a few votes to swing an election either way and swing voters are not the “die hards”, they sit on the fence and watch on. While we are infighting, the international community and investors are going to creep in “eat our dinner”. We, the electorate, want our elected officials to work in harmony for the good of our people. That’s all we are asking for. We are blessed to have wealth from our natural resources in a huge way. Let’s work together to develop our country and stop fighting with each other. Prayers that 2022 will be peaceful and that progress will continue. Regards, Saudia Ferouz
The government is getting the opposition it deserves Dear Editor, Yesterday’s passage of the Natural Resource Fund Bill 2021 was a missed opportunity that the PPP/C government will come to regret. The fact is that there were areas of compromise that could have offered support for the most consequential piece of legislation to come before the National Assembly in decades since it will determine the spending of revenues that will shortly be multiple times our current na-
tional budget. Appointments to the NRF board needing to be approved by two thirds of the Parliament, along with adjustments to the nine-member oversight committee were not outside the bounds of reasonable politics. But no. It is clear the PPP/ C wants complete control over how much and how it spends what is the people’s patrimony. The board will be its creature, the oversight committee a neutered watchdog. Claiming that all funds
have to be part of the annual budget is meaningless as was seen yesterday when the government rammed through legislation using its one-seat majority. The behaviour of the opposition politicians is just a taste of what is to come and is an indication of PNCR leader Aubrey Norton’s immediate influence. The government is getting the opposition it deserves. Yours sincerely Francis Newton
T N U L B . . . T B N U T L N T B . U . L . L T B . N . U . N U T L N B . U . T . L N T U N B . N U . L U L LUNT. B . T . . T T N N B U B . U . L . L T B . B . . N . . . T U T L N N T U U L N L B U . B . . L . . . T B T . . N . N T U L N LU B U . . L N . T B U . . L N . T B U . . L N . T B U . . L N . NT LUNT...B NT...BLU N U L B . . B . U . . T L . N T B . . U N . L N T B U N . . L . U T L B . . N B . . . T U . L N T B U . . L . UN T B U . . L N . T B U . . L N . T B U . . L N . T B U . . L B U UN .BLUNT. . . L . T B . . N . T U . L N . T B U . . L N . T B U . . L N . T B U . . L N . T B U . . L N . T B U . . L N . LU ...BLUNT LUNT...B NT...BL T B U . . L N . T B BLU T...BLUN BLUNT... UNT...B . . L N . T B U . . L N . T B B U . . L N . T B U . . L N . T B U . . L N . T B BBLU T...BLUN BLUNT... ...BLU . T . N . N T T U L U L N L B U T...BLU U B . L . N . B T . . . N T U N N N L U U U B L . L B T LUNT.. UNT...B BL B Friday December 31, 2021
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With the passing of the NRF Bill, there is the likelihood of greater risks, intensified tensions, and the possibility of flaring confrontation in this society. It is a society that needs only a touch to get out of control, since it is always on edge.
The Government, even at this stage, must listen to the concerns of a wide cross-section of this nation. Failure to do so could take Guyana into unknown territory. Please listen President Ali. Please hear Mr. Vice President. Don’t take us to the abyss.
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Grave disorder What occurred in the National Assembly on Wednesday should come as no surprise. This column has long indicated that the APNU+AFC does not have a place in democratic institutions and should not be allowed to participate in democratic processes unless it demonstrates that it understands what such participation entails and seeks redemption for its rouge actions, especially during the five-month impass following the 2020 General and Regional Elections. The APNU+AFC is an utter disgrace to its supporters and to Guyana. It has brought shame and infamy to the politics of this country by its flouting of constitutional rule by its unlawful appointment of the Chairperson of the Guyana Elections Commission, its refusal to resign and following the passage of the no-confidence motion, its shenanigans following the elections of 2nd March 2020 and now its assault on parliamentary elections. It became the first political entity in the country to have had persons associated with its government sanctioned by the United States and to be subject to threats of such sanctions from other western states. Its utterly discredited narrative, about dead and migrant persons voting and about gross irregularities in the elections, even in the face of contrary opinions from international observers, have left it isolated and emasculated from the democratic process. The APNU+AFC has taken up its seats in parliament. But it does not belong there. And last Wednesday’s
assault on parliamentary democracy adds to the sins of the Coalition which has now established, beyond any shadow of doubt, that it is no respecter of electoral democracy and now of parliamentary democracy. The scenes of the unruly ruckus have been beamed around the world. And the APNU+AFC actions would have further scarred its already sordid reputation. There can be no justification whatsoever for its actions in attempting to disrupt and abort the debate on the contentious amendments to the Natural Resource Fund Bill. The actions of the APNU+AFC were in contempt of the parliament. Further, some actions bordered or involved criminal conduct and these are not protected by parliamentary privileges. What makes the conduct of those involved all the more contemptible is that just earlier in the day, the Opposition had been very responsible during the debate on the Local Content Legislation. It had tabled 14 amendments to the Local Content Bill and the government had acceded to 10 of those. In that context, it made no sense to call for the Local Content Bill to be sent to a Select Committee since 10 out of 14 amendments had already been agreed to and there was little hope of the remaining 4 passing muster. The role of the Opposition is to debate and to present alternatives to the government. It is not to attempt to derail the sitting as it tried to do. It had a duty to place on record its objections, but instead it resorted to obstruct-
ing the work of the Assembly. This constitutes contempt. Theatrics has become part of parliamentary culture. But what took place last Wednesday went beyond theatrics. It was terror and an assault on parliamentary democracy. It must not go unpunished. Those errant parliamentarians must pay a high price for their misconduct. The Stabroek News called for those responsible to be placed before the Privileges Committee. But there is no need for this. The facts are already established. What took place was contempt for the Speaker and contempt for the House. Contempt is defined in the Manual of Procedure, Practices and Conventions Used by Parliamentarians in The Conduct of the Business of the National Assembly as: “Any act or omission which obstructs or impedes the Assembly in the performance of its functions, or which obstructs or impedes any Member, or officer of the Assembly in discharge of his/ her duty, or which has a tendency, directly or indirectly, to produce such results may be treated as a contempt, though there be no precedent of the offence.” The Speaker is within his powers to suspend those responsible in accordance with Standing Order 47. The APNU+AFC has squandered an opportunity to establish a stronger relationship with civil society. It had enjoyed some support within civil society over its objections to the National Resource Fund Bill. That support is now likely to evaporate following the ruckus of last Wednesday.
Dem boys seh ...
Old Year’s Night is a good time fuh stay home Today is Old Year’s Day and dat mean dat plenty people gan be preparing fuh greet de New Year. Some people like fuh go to Church and some people does go to Church and den party later. But dem boys seh dat party get ban because ah de COVID but yuh can still go to Church. De best way to spend de Old Year’s Night is fuh stay home and cook yuh pot of cook-up. Mek sure it gat plenty obstacles, just like de year it
gan soon pass. And eat yuh belly full and tek a good drink. And den before daybreak go and ketch yuh bed. But dem boys know dat it gat some people who does be itching fuh guh pon de road. It mek dem boys remember de time, a couple ah years ago, when a guy walk in a bar on Old Year’s Night. He order a drink. As midnight approach he raise he glass in a toast, “Let’s all begin dis year standing beside the person who mek de past year worth living.” De poor bartender was nearly
crushed to death. Try keep off de road tonight because some people does lose de sense of direction fuh de New Year. One time, one old lady call she husband while he driving home. She tell he how she see pon television how deh gat a car going de wrong way pon de same highway he using. “Please be careful!” she tell he. “It’s not just one car, dear,” he answered, “There’s hundreds of them!!!” Talk half and leff half.
But the more fundamental issue at stake is not so much the Bill which was passed amidst the grave disorder. It is now clear that the APNU+AFC cannot operate within a democratic frame-
work and cannot be trusted to ever do so. (The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of this newspaper.)
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Friday December 31, 2021
THE FREDDIE KISSOON COLUMN
A year has gone. Will we learn from it? All columnists look back as the year moves into history on its last day. I will do just that. For now, I end this final 2021 offering on a theme that has bothered me long before I entered UG as a radical freshman many, many moons ago. Guyana should produce, manufacture and industrialise. We must cultivate our own vegetables and fruits and we should support those who sell local stuff once the price is right, once the finished product is good. Do you know my home only uses a dishwashing liquid named Hygenol? It is bottled by Twins Manufacturers. I never knew anyone from that company.
Never saw or met anyone from that company. I was told decades ago that the owner is the head of the Central Islamic Organization of Guyana (CIOG). Here is what I know that is graphically factual. The CIOG does phenomenal charity work. I had seen that two months ago. My friend Timol Huggins’ mother died and the CIOG provided all facilities including bathing the dead. I know this first hand; my wife and I were there. Why if I know this I would buy a dishwashing liquid from a foreign country? But more importantly, it is not an inferior product, comparatively speaking.
This is one of the lessons that we should learn from 2021. There must be a new mentality as we go into 2022. But maybe we are too far gone to adjust. I think one of the things we should take into 2022 is what obtains in all other countries – punish horrible, uncivilised drivers by the use of surveillance cameras. I once described a story on this page maybe about 15 years ago how a deserter from the US army during the Vietnam War was discovered after 20 years living in New Zealand. He was employed to collect coins from the parking machines. The cameras picked him up stealing the money. A check on his personal details revealed who exactly he was. Outfit Guyana with such cameras and at the end of the year, two things will happen. The police force will collect millions of dollars in fines and the police will haul into their net thousands of defaulters. I have done five columns on the two roundabouts that were landscaped at the Kitty
pump station and at Sherriff Street and the Railway Embankment. In all the articles, I argued that I did not see the improvement in traffic behaviour and I lamented the removal of the traffic signals. Since I did the first one in April 2018, I have received dozens of emails from people abroad telling me that ‘roundabouts’ is the way to go. They see them operating smoothly but they think they are not working in Guyana because our drivers are donkeys. They are right. My experience with roundabouts tells me that I prefer traffic lights. So make the roundabouts effective by placing signs that say – “yield.” If drivers don’t, they are in violation and the cameras are the proof. Something happened this year and come 2022 we will be contemptuous of the lesson that should have been learned. An old man soliciting at the junction of Avenue of the Republic and Regent Street was run over. He had four working limbs.
City attorney, K. J u m a n - Ya s s i n wrote a letter lamenting what happened to the poor soul. For over eight Frederick Kissoon years now, two men, each having only one foot, have been soliciting at was 100 years ago that only two of the busiest junctions six categories of persons can in the entire country – Sheriff sign an old age pension form, Street and the Rupert Craig a UG pension form, an NIS Highway and Railway pension form? Do you know a simple Embankment and memorandum from the Conversation Tree. When I saw this eight years ago, I r e s p e c t i v e i n s t i t u t i o n widening the categories of wrote about it. Every president, prime signatories can bring this minister, Cabinet minister horrible backwardness to an police chief, traffic chief end? Long ago, there was a since eight years ago must robbery at the financial have seen the balancing act office at UG. The then financial chief, of these two men. These guys step in and out of the M r . J o h n S e e r a m , traffic and cannot do it with unreasonably demanded ease because they are students pay with a bank physically challenged. Each cheque. UG has to be the time I see them, I just hope it only university in the world is not me that have to spend where this happens. It must end in 2022. hours at the police station. (The views expressed in So 2021 ends today, will this article are those of the we move forward? Will the commercial banks operate a u t h o r a n d d o n o t with commonsense? In necessarily reflect the 2022, will it be the same as it opinions of this newspaper.)
Friday December 31, 2021
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Friday December 31, 2021
Law approved to fast-track budget for constitutional agencies The Fiscal Management and Accountability Amendment (FMAA) Bill presented by Senior Minister within the Office of the P r e s i d e n t w i t h Responsibility for Finance, Dr. Ashni Singh, was approved in the National Assembly, late Wednesday night during a sitting of the Twelfth Parliament. The Bill was approved by a majority vote of the ruling People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) and thus was void of input from the members of A Partnership for National Unity +Alliance For Change (APNU + AFC) Coalition who walked out of the House following a ruckus over the Natural Resource Fund Bill. Prior to the vote to approve the new FMAA Bill, Minister Singh made a final
presentation on the Bill which, is expected to strengthen and expedite the budget process for Constitutional Agencies and simultaneously preserve the independence of those agencies. According to Dr. Singh, the FMAA Bill also includes amendments which will ensure accountability and sets out the practice and procedure to which these Constitutional Agencies must conform in the management of their subventions for the efficient discharge of their functions. For example, he said the Bill amends the FMAA Act Chapter 73:02 for the purpose of ‘prescribing the manner in which budgets are approved and withdrawals are made from the Consolidated Fund in
respect of Constitutional Agencies’. It also includes an amendment to Section 15 of the FMAA Act to require that an annual budget be proposed to include a motion in compliance with article 218 and 222 A of the Constitution. Another amendment seeks to amend section 40 e of the Audit Act to provide for the presentation of the Audit Office Budget. In presenting the motion to amend the Bill last month, Dr. Singh emphasised that the proposed alterations to the important legislation will increase the efficiency and effectiveness as it relates to the presentation and consideration of the budget for Constitutional Agencies. In its current amended form, Dr. Singh said that the
FMAA resulted in the budget process being unnecessarily long. According to him, the current method lays out a two-stage process whereby the budget of the constitutional agencies would be brought to the N a t i o n a l A s s e m b l y, considered and approved. In his previous presentation on the Bill, Dr. Singh noted that the 2021 amendment sought to remove the aforementioned two-stage process and replace it with a single, summarised process of submitting and considering b u d g e t s f o r G u y a n a ’s constitutional agencies. In his presentation, Dr. Singh said, that certain fiscal responsibilities are best handled by the Executive. This, he had explained, is appropriately demonstrated in Article 171 of the Constitution, which states that certain matters relating to public finances, including the levying of taxes, can only
Senior Minister within the Office of the President with Responsibility for Finance, Dr. Ashni Singh. be brought before the House signified by a Minister. The amendments were as a consequence of a 2015 amendment to the FMAA by the APNU+AFC during its tenure, whereby constitutional agencies’ budgets were required to be sent to the National Assembly in advance of the
submission of the rest of the National Budget. This two-stage process resulted in a fragmented and inefficient process for consideration of the National Budget and denied the Parliament an opportunity to view and consider the budget in a comprehensive manner.
$40M spent to repair 151 fire hydrants - Fire Chief Of the 235 fire hydrants said to be inoperable around the capital city, a total of 151 were completely repaired at a cost of $40 million.
This is according to Fire Chief, Kalamadeen Edoo, who told Kaieteur News that the sum of $40 million was (Continued on page 13)
Kaieteur News
Friday December 31, 2021
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Dr. Ashni Singh justifies two-week review - says penalties for abuse period for flawed oil fund law covered under other legislation Since tabling the Natural Resource Fund Bill 2021 in the National Assembly two weeks ago, Senior Minister with responsibility for Finance, Dr. Ashni Singh, has faced two major criticisms. Industry stakeholders have sharply criticised the short timeframe for consideration of the Bill thereby inhibiting input from the citizenry; and they have also flagged the absence of explicit penalties for misuse of the revenues. During a press conference yesterday at the Arthur Chung Convention
Centre (ACCC), Dr. Singh addressed both concerns. To the former, Dr. Singh said he believes that the Bill was table in a reasonable time, especially when one considers the fact that it replicates more than 20 of the provisions in the previous legislation that was passed by the Granger government, after the passage of the NoConfidence Motion. He said too that the Bill is not one that is complex. In keeping with what the Standing Order prescribes about the tabling of Bills, he
said the government was in compliance with the timeline and therefore the Bill was in the House for two weeks. He alluded that this was reasonable time for consideration. The Minister said too that if the political opposition which led a chaotic protest to obstruct the Bill’s passage had any valid objections, it could have raised those via the tabling of amendments. Since no compelling arguments or contentions were made, the Minister said there was no reason for the
$40M spent to repair 151 fire hydrants... From page 12 allocated for the repairs of 151 fire hydrants. The repairs, he noted, have been completed and the second phase is expected to begin in January. The repairs, he said, would continue until all 235 of the inoperable hydrants around Georgetown are fully repaired. This publication had previously reported that out of the 600 fire hydrants that are located around Georgetown, 235 were found to be inoperable, during an inspection which
was conducted by the Minister within the Ministry of Local Government, Anand Persaud and the Fire Chief. According to Edoo, the Guyana Fire Service could not afford the repairs through its budget sums and as a result had to resort to a supplementary provision. A total sum of $1.5B was allocated to the Fire Service in the 2021 National budget, and out of this $18M was slated to be used for the maintenance of infrastructures.
Bill to be sent to a Special Select Committee. As for the need for penalties in place, the Finance Minister noted that this is covered in other legislation. Expounding further, he noted that the money from the oil fund has to be transferred by law, to the Consolidated Fund after which, parliamentary approval must be sought for any expenditure of the oil revenues. He noted that if there is any misuse of the money following approval from the House, penalties can be imposed under the Fiscal Management and Accountability Act. The Minister said he was pleased to be able to address this matter as he believes it has been misrepresented in some sections of the media. Since the Bill was tabled on December 16, Kaieteur News has been at the forefront of highlighting some of the key loopholes that could give way to massive corruption, borrowing frenzies, as well
Senior Minister with responsibility for Finance, Dr. Ashni Singh as spending sprees. In the Bill, there are various methods of calculations for the withdrawal of the nation’s oil dollars. But if there is a major natural disaster, the government has the power to override those rules in place and withdraw any amount it deems fit for t h e s a i d e m e r g e n c y. Importantly, there is no provision for any abuse of this “emergency” mechanism. When Guyana pursued
the creation of its first NRF legislation back in 2018, it was warned to have clear penalties or the fund could run the risk of failing to serve current and future generations. This advice was provided by the Natural Resource Governance Institute (NRGI), which also cited numerous examples from around the world of how often Natural Resource Funds become easily mismanaged, and the perpetrators go unpunished. The 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) fund, established in 2009, has proven to be a major source of alleged c o r r u p t i o n a n d mismanagement. Designed to attract investment into Malaysia by forming joint ventures with foreign firms, 1MDB ended up being in over US$11 billion of debt by 2014. Among its more suspect transactions are a US$1 billion investment in a Saudi oil company in 2009 which has gone missing; funds that were diverted in (Continued on page 24)
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Friday December 31, 2021
Civil society group continues call for consultations on NRF legislation The PPP indefensibly forcing the Natural Resource Fund (NRF) Bill through Parliament was done without a consultative process, despite its far-reaching consequences, despite civic opposition and despite having a one-seat majority in Parliament, and the failure to consult on the new Act is the most egregious violation of the expectation for consultation implied in Article 13 of the National Constitution. This is the view of a civil society group, Policy Forum Guyana (PFG), which yesterday scolded the government for not only failing to consult the nation on the approved NRF legislation, but also ignoring a petition it made for a pause in the consideration of the
Natural Resources Act. A Petition to Parliament is a device, or method, by which an individual or collection of citizens can appeal directly to Parliament for redress or action on a matter of concern to them. A procedure is laid down to which such a Petition should conform. If successful in surviving scrutiny by the Clerk of Parliament’s office, the Petition is then passed to the Speaker of Parliament. Such a Petition must also be submitted by a single member of Parliament who so indicates in writing to the Speaker and also identifies which of three options he or she wishes the Speaker to take with respect to the Petition: (i) that it be read in Parliament by the Clerk; (ii) that it be printed and
circulated to all Members of the House; or (iii) that it be sent to a Select Committee. Finally, the Speaker has the power to accept or reject the Petition. Between December 12 and 16, 2021, PFG said it convened a Zoom meeting of member organisations where it drafted and approved the Petition. Some 54 signatures were collected and submitted to Parliament. But between December 20 and 28, petitioners were advised by the Parliament Office of formatting technicalities “which, unlike previous era, are now rigorously enforced” the organisation contended. Nonetheless, it said that the Petition was resubmitted twice, the second time by the Member of
Parliament sponsoring the Petition, Lenox Shuman, and the third time on Tuesday 28 last, when the Speaker required a further hard copy by which time a further 10 signatures had been received. In a public missive, the civil society body argued, “Since assuming office in 2020, avenues for influencing decisionmaking in Guyanese politics have been progressively closed off by the ruling party. Independent voices are being silenced and professionals replaced by compliant camp-followers.” It noted that as a result, institutions such as the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the Guyana Police Force, among others, have become arms of the ruling party. According to PFG, the dismissive Parliamentary treatment of the formal Petition signed by 64 citizens, calling for a pause
in the consideration of the Natural Resources Act of 2021 is a microcosm of what politics in Guyana has become. “An entirely transparent process, making a modest demand for time to consult, was ignored by the ruling p a r t y w i t h o u t explanation…the Petition served to stimulate similar calls for consultation from other civic groups and major business organisations. Resistance to its continuance was sufficiently broad-based that the call in the Petition for the Bill to be sent to a Select Parliamentary Committee would have provided an elegant way out for the ruling party,” the body pointed out. On the other hand, PFG told the media that no article or discussion was permitted by the administration, which would have allowed for the intended legislation to be properly explained and defended. “This silence was
maintained in Parliament since the presentation by the Minister focused entirely on the weaknesses of the Act he was replacing without a single reference to the content with which he was replacing it,” the group added. Furthermore, Policy Forum Guyana noted that the call for consultation in the Petition should be sustained by all Guyanese citizens. In fact, PFG is inviting those citizens who have not yet had the opportunity to sign the original Petition to continue to add their names. “Although it would not serve its original purpose, it would serve to maintain focus on the necessity of consultation on the Act.” Persons wishing to do so may send their names, together with contact mobile/cell number or address to the PFG email address:policyforumgy@gm ail.com or WhatsApp+592654-5323.
Friday December 31, 2021
Govt.’s $58 million shrimp ponds nearing completion The Ministry of Agriculture is pursuing 74 ponds to hopefully double the production of shrimp, by 2025, with its $58 million investment. Yesterday, Kaieteur News was told that the project site is located along the Corentyne coast from the Berbice River Bridge to Number 49 Village, in Region Six. Furthermore, it was related that the scope of works included the desilting of drainage and irrigation canals, pond preparation (that is building dams higher), removal of vegetation in the pond and desilting where possible. Tubes were also installed to facilitate drainage and irrigation. The works are being completed by the National Drainage and Irrigation Authority (NDIA), as was related by a credible source. The Ministry said that the project is specifically aimed at boosting the production of brackish water shrimp from 250,000 kilograms to 500,000 kilograms in four years’ time. This is one of the measures the government has pursued amidst complaints of decreased seafood catch, by local fishers. The Fisheries Department has teamed up with the NDIA to construct the 74 ponds for the rearing of brackish water shrimp. According to Wikipedia, ‘brackish water ’, also sometimes termed brack water, is water occurring in a natural environment having more salinity than freshwater, but not as much as seawater. Salt water is the ideal environment for the rearing of shrimp. The subject Minister, Zulfikar Mustapha, recently related that the project is about 85 percent complete. He said, “To date, we’ve been able to complete construction of 63 ponds as part of phase one. The other 11 ponds are about 85 percent complete. For phase one, we are constructing 74.” Mustapha added that persons have since reached out to the government and the Ministry is seeking to assist them with ponds, to further increase the production, as part of phase two of the initiative. “Persons have since
engaged us and we are looking at assisting them with ponds to increase their production as part of the second phase of the project. We are doing the earthworks and installation of tubes to assist with providing sufficient water supply to the ponds. Currently, there are three machines working at d i ff e r e n t l o c a t i o n s t o complete these works as soon as possible,” the minister explained. E a r l i e r t h i s y e a r, Mustapha touted the c o u n t r y ’s p o t e n t i a l t o develop a thriving aquaculture sector, citing the availability of vast resources. He noted, “Aquaculture in Guyana shows strong potential since the country has relatively large acres of flat lands with suitable soil types and access to large quantities and good quality freshwater (water conservancies)… more so, there are existing drainage and irrigation infrastructure in some areas, sub-tropical temperatures for shrimp and fish production and good availability of agriculture, more specifically fisheries by-products for the formulation and manufacturing of aquafeed”. The government, through its updated inland and aquaculture strategy, 2021-2026, outlined its plans to address the challenges plaguing the aquaculture industry while creating an enabling and sustainable environment for investments. It said that the zoning of lands for aquaculture would allow investors to easily identify and access land. Back in July of this year, Mustapha announced that the whopping $58M will be invested to improve the shrimp industry in Region Six. In March, Minister Mustapha had engaged fisher folk and shrimp farmers at the Albion Sports Complex, Corentyne, Berbice, where he had stated that as part of President Irfaan Ali’s master plan for aquaculture, the necessary investments would be made to boost the industry. In light of this, Mustapha stated that the $58M would be expended to enhance and develop shrimp ponds throughout the Region as a means of increasing the annual production.
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The brackish water shrimp ponds developed by the Ministry of Agriculture.
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Friday December 31, 2021
Parliamentary staffer assaulted for protecting Speaker’s Mace, files complaint with ERC A complaint has been lodged with the Ethnic R e lat i o n s C o mmis s i o n (ERC) over the racial and physical assault meted out to Parliamentary staffer and Personal Assistant to the Speaker, Ean McPherson on Wednesday night during the chaos which ensued at the National Assembly ahead of the passage of the controversial Natural Resource Fund Bill. McPherson, a former joint services officer, was dragged out of the House by Opposition Parliamentarians in the National Assembly as he held on to the Speaker’s Mace, which they seized in the middle of the presentation of the Bill. In a video, which was circulated on Facebook shortly after the Mace grabbing incident, McPherson could be seen on the floor of the conference room of the Arthur Chung Convention Centre (ACCC) laying on his back, clasping the Mace tightly to his chest. It was at this point of the recording that an Opposition Parliamentarian who was later identified as Maureen Philadelphia, was seen
A screengrab of the video in which Parliamentary staffer and Personal Assistant to the Speaker, Ean McPherson was seen lying on the floor holding unto to the Speaker’s Mace. standing over him and shouting the derogatory racial slur “house n**ro.” Moments after filing his complaint at the ERC yesterday, McPherson told members of the media that he acted on impulse after he saw opposition Member of Parliament, Annette Ferguson grab the Mace. He said that his intention was to protect the critically symbolic parliamentary device from being stolen. In spite of his good intentions, the Parliamentary staffer was reportedly dragged, kicked and verbally abused. “They throw me on the
ground, they kicked me, they dragged me outside and then (Parliamentarian) Philadelphia started to abuse me with a series of racial words…I prepare a letter and brought it here [ERC] to express my concerns of how I was treated,” McPherson related to the media. At present the ERC which holds the responsibility to investigate racist incidents has only a Secretariat and is without a Commission. However, McPherson expressed hope that his compliant will be investigated and duly dealt with in time.
Kaieteur News
Friday December 31, 2021
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Christmas Eve execution in Albouystown…
Suspect nabbed in Suriname, confesses to crime
T
he suspected killer of 28-yearo l d D e o n Charles, who was killed execution-style on Christmas Eve night in Albouystown, was on Wednesday nabbed by police in Suriname. On Tuesday, the Guyana Police Force (GPF) issued a wanted bulletin for 19-yearold Ezekiel Hawker of Forshaw Street Queenstown, Georgetown, after receiving information that he was involved in the man’s death. Yesterday, Crime Chief Wendell Blanhum in a statement noted that Hawker
has been handed over to local investigators and was placed in police custody. The Crime Chief further revealed that while in custody the allegation of murder made against Hawker was put to him. He admitted to committing the crime. According to the statement, Hawker told investigators that on Christmas Eve night he shot and killed Charles because Charles had previously shot at him on two occasions. It was reported that around 23:50hrs that day on James Street, Charles was gunned down. According to
police reports, Charles was seen standing on the southern side of the street when a white ‘Axio’ motor car came from the eastern direction and stop in front of him. The police were informed that two men exited the car and approached Charles, after which a loud explosion, suspected to be a gunshot, was heard. After this, Charles fell to the ground while the men re-entered the car and drove away. The driver of that same motor car, police stated is in custody and is assisting with the investigations.
Region 3 resident is country’s latest COVID-19 fatality
T
he Ministry of Health yesterday reported that a 69-year-old man from Region Three, who contracted the novel Coronavirus disease (COVID-19), has died. According to the Ministry, the man was an unvaccinated patient who died on
Thursday while receiving treatment at a medical facility. As a result of this, the country’s COVID-19 death toll has moved to 1,052. Meanwhile, in its daily COVID-19 dashboard, the Health Ministry recorded 157 new cases, which brings the total number of confirmed cases in the
country to 39,395. The dashboard also shows that seven persons are in the COVID-19 Intensive Care Unit, 30 are in institutional isolation, 711 in home isolation and five in institutional quarantine. To date, a total of 37,595 persons have recovered from the virus.
Charles, who died on arrival at the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation, was shot to the left side of his head.
Arrested, Ezekiel ‘Alpha’ Hawker.
Dead, Deon Charles.
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Friday December 31, 2021
8 win big in Silvie’s Christmas promotion C
ommencing on November 1, last, where customers of S i l v i e ’s I n d u s t r i a l
Solutions/Silvie’s General Store, were afforded the opportunity to win prizes for their Christmas promotion, eight persons have since
been presented with their first, second and third prizes, in addition to consolation prizes. Customers, with every
$10,000 spent, were afforded the opportunity to fill out a coupon and and drop it in the rotisserie for a chance to win. The 1st prize - a 2600 PSI Pressure Washer, the 2nd prize - a 3000W Generator and 3rd prize - 6 gal. rigid vacuum. In addition to the grand prizes, five customers also won consolation prizes. The drawing which took place on Christmas Eve was hosted by Marketing Coordinator, Naresa Nabby and Human Resources Supervisor, Achasha Harte, along with Guyana’s very own well-known comedian, “Chine-Man”. The drawing was also a i r e d v i a t h e s t o r e ’s Facebook page @Silvie’s Industrial Solutions. The winners of the first, second and third prizes were Adelia Jonas, Jacob Henry and John Beresford r e s p e c t i v e l y, w h i l e consolation prizes went to, Qeona Browne, Trevelyn Wi l s o n , L . K h e m r a j , Desmon, Marcie Grimes, Dexter Leeway, Fitzroy Leacock and Shellon Massiah.
Adelia Jonas uplifts her first prize
Friday December 31, 2021
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No Confidence Motion against Opposition Leader to be thrown out
E
arlier this year, a Motion of NoConfidence was tabled by the People’s Progressive Party C i v i c ( P P P / C ) administration against the Opposition Leader, Joseph Harmon. However, the Speaker of the National Assembly, Manzoor Nadir said that it will be thrown out. During a press conference hosted by the Speaker on Thursday morning in the Public Buildings, Brickdam, Georgetown, he told members of the media in an invited comment that the same process that allowed for the Opposition Leader to be appointed would have to be followed for him to be removed. Against this backdrop, he said that it is likely to be thrown out. “With respect to the Government Motion against the Leader of the Opposition, my position has been that the Constitution is quite clear with respect to how you
appoint the Leader of the Opposition and so the same process should be employed in disappointing (sic) the Leader of the Opposition,” the Speaker pointed out. The Motion was tabled against Harmon by the government, less than 48 hours after he filed a noconfidence motion against two sitting ministers. In this regard, the Speaker of the House told reporters, “The three no confidence motions that were filed, the Clerk has responded. Two of those no confidence motions (are) governed by a High Court case, which says that No Confidence Motions should be brought against the Government and not a particular Minister.” As a consequence the Speaker noted, “So for me, they are not going to go on any order paper.” Meaning, the motions will be thrown out. According to the motion signed by Prime Minister, (ret’d) Brigadier Mark Phillips, against Harmon, the
House expressed its lack of confidence in the Leader of the Opposition for a number of reasons outlined and therefore, calls for his immediate resignation. In the reasons outlined in the motion, inter alia, cites Harmon for his crucial and integral part of the process of undermining democracy. To this end, the motion outlined that Harmon continues, repeatedly and consistently, to misinform the public and the National Assembly, that the A Partnership for National Unity +Alliance For Change (APNU+AFC) Coalition won the 2020 General and Regional Elections. Further to his charge, the Government says that Harmon has continually engaged in the reckless peddling of misinformation as it relates to the efficacy of the COVID-19 vaccine. The no-confidence motion against Harmon came one day after he presented similar motions of no-confidence against Minister of Health, Dr. Frank
Anthony, and Minister of Home Affairs, Robeson Benn, to Clerk of the N a t i o n a l A s s e m b l y, Sherlock Isaacs. President, Irfaan Ali, dismissed the two noconfidence motions, stating that the documents lacked effort and meaningfulness. Since then, the PPP/C Administration has said that it stands ready to defend the performance of Dr. Anthony and Minister Benn in a parliamentary debate. A d d i t i o n a l l y, t h e government said it is confident that the motion will not succeed due to its one-seat majority in the House. This is not the first time a motion of no-confidence was filed against a sitting minister. In 2012 by way of a vote by the opposition majority, a motion of noconfidence to bar former Minister of Home Affairs, Clement Rohee, from speaking or participating in the affairs of the National Assembly was passed. The original motion was to
remove Rohee from his ministerial portfolio but considering that, that could not be legally done, the decision was made by then Speaker, Raphael Trotman, to prevent Rohee from speaking in Parliament. That decision later became the subject of a court case, filed by Attorney General, Anil Nandlall, and in a subsequent ruling, the late Chief Justice (Ag) Ian Chang, overturned the
Opposition Leader, Joseph Harmon
decision to gag the then Minister. In his ruling, Chang noted, among other things, that Parliament could not, through any Bill or Motion be empowered to negate the powers of any member of the National Assembly. Chang had further determined that whenever the Court’s jurisdiction is invoked on any issue, the Court’s decision is final and binding.
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Friday December 31, 2021
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Kaieteur News
Painter killed in Grove accident Man in custody for shooting pensioner A 64-year-old pedal cyclist was this morning killed by a truck along the Grove Public Road, East Bank Demerara (EBD). Dead is Budhram Sookhoo of Herstelling, EBD. Abdool Bacchus, a 32year-old truck driver of Soesdyke, EBD, has since been arrested. The accident reportedly occurred at 11:30hrs. Police investigators explained that the truck was proceeding south along the road when the front left side wheel collided with the rear wheel of the pedal cycle that was also travelling in a southerly direction. As a result of the impact, the pedal cyclist fell onto the roadway where the left side rear wheel of the truck ran over him. The reading of a breathalyzer test conducted on Bacchus had a reading of zero. Police sources confirmed yesterday that Bacchus remains in custody assisting with their investigation. According to an eyewitness, the front left side wheel of the vehicle slammed into Sookhoo’s rear bicycle wheel. “Oh rass man how yuh could do duh man duh? All he was going to do is paint a friend’s house couple corner away from me,” the eyewitness said. Sookhoo’s sister, Eulet
A pensioner of 72 Miles Potaro Road, Bartica, Region Seven, was on Christmas night shot by an intoxicated man who has since been arrested. Injured is Agnes Peters, an 80-year-old. Based on information released by police, at around 21:00hrs on the day in question, the victim’s husband observed that the suspect, who was armed with a shot-
portedly apprehended the suspect and confiscated the gun. The couple was then taken to the Bartica Hospital where the woman was admitted in a stable condition. The 44-year-old suspect was placed in custody while the weapon, a 20-gauge single barrel shotgun, was lodged. Investigations are ongoing.
Will the Natural Resource Fund be...
Dead, Budhram Sookhoo Sookhoo, described him as a versatile artisan for many years, adding that during the past five years, he was able to hone his skills as a painter. Eulet explained to this newspaper that she was at home when she received a call from her nephew who told her that her brother was involved in a “catastrophic” car crash. She noted that when she and relatives ventured to the scene to identify her brother, they saw yellow paint, which
he was carrying at the time, splattered on the roadway. Emergency Medical Technicians (EMTs) rushed him, in an unconscious condition, to the Diamond Diagnostic Centre (DDC) where he was pronounced dead on arrival. Sookhoo, said to be a very religious person, was described as a hardworking and jolly fellow. His body is presently at the Memorial Gardens Funeral Home awaiting an autopsy.
Dr. Ashni Singh justifies two-week... From page 13 2012 from an Abu Dhabi state fund to a firm in the British Virgin Islands (a secrecy jurisdiction); and US$4 billion that has been misappropriated from Malaysian state firms. Malaysia, the US, Switzerland, Singapore and the UK are still trying to unravel the web of corruption and money laundering schemes that are related to the fund that robbed current and future generations of their wealth. The Azerbaijani and Iranian funds are other examples of extra-budgetary funds, which have been used to fund the legacy projects of political parties instead of being prudently saved for future
gun, was consuming alcohol. However, approximately 10 minutes after the victim and her husband retired to their camp, they heard three loud explosions. It was soon realised that the sounds were that of gunshots and Peters was shot to her right shoulder. The duo quickly sought refuge away from their camp. According to reports too, the Toshao, Jermin Welcome, re-
generations. In Azerbaijan, for instance, government authorities have used the State Oil Fund (SOFAZ) to directly finance strategic government projects, such as the railway between Azerbaijan, Georgia and Turkey. These expenditure items were not subject to the same reporting or public procurement requirements as those financed through the regular budget process, nor were they subject to as much parliamentary oversight. In Iran, that country’s US$40 billion National Development Fund provided loans to private-sector companies, cooperatives and economic enterprises owned by nongovernmental institutions
through agent banks. While the fund managers did not provide information on the specific investments, news reports revealed where they actually went. Importantly, the executive directly controlled the fund and, therefore, some decisions bypassed normal budgetary and parliamentary procedures. Taking the foregoing examples into account, among other cases of blatant mismanagement, Guyana was urged to have “clear consequences for malfeasance.” The Bill, in spite of these and other concerns being raised, has been passed with numerous loopholes.
From page 4 over the Fund, which is fine. However, I am still concerned at the removal of the Macroeconomic Committee, which was to comprise persons specially qualified in macroeconomics - who wouldn’t want technical specialists to help us ensure our economy is effectively managed?
Additionally, the thinning of the Oversight Committee also raises questions of inclusivity and wider stakeholder participation, which is counter to the principles of democracy and societal involvement. Editor, the warning signs are clear when we examine examples of other coun-
tries. We need to be wary of runaway spending, widening inequalities and rising costs of living. I’m not convinced that this version of the Act safeguards us sufficiently from these things. Sincerely, V. Singh
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Friday December 31, 2021
Guyanese in 3 years paid $22B more in taxes - AG Report Guyana last year budgeted to collect, through its recurrent sources of revenue such as taxes, fees and other such payments, $226.5B. Government last year, however, collected $230.4B in current revenue or some $4B more than it had budgeted to receive. As such, it would mean that various categories of
businesses and individuals doing business in Guyana would have forked over to government some $4B more than it had anticipated. T h i s m u c h i s documented in the Auditor General (AG’s) Report, accounting for spending by government ministries, agencies and regional departments. According to the AG,
this has been a trend continuing over the past three years, with government routinely collecting more than it had anticipated. In 2018, government had estimated collecting some $201.8B but actually collected $217B—some $15B more than anticipated. The following year, 2019, the administration had
projected collecting $238.3B but in fact collected $240.6B more than 2.2B more than anticipated. As such, it would mean that between 2018 and 2020, Guyanese would have paid over to government some $22B more in taxes than was projected by government. According to the Audit Report, “Current Revenue (Continued on page 26)
Auditor General, Deodat Sharma
Friday December 31, 2021
Kaieteur News
PAGE 23
Housing Ministry initiates $4.4B in last-minute contracts
T
he National Procurement and T e n d e r Administration Board (NPTAB’)s office on Wednesday opened some $4,471,460,900 in projects for infrastructural works for communities in Regions Two and Three. The procuring entity for these projects is the Central Housing and Planning Authority (CH&PA) which falls under the purview of the Ministry of Housing and Water which is headed by Minister Collin Croal. The communities scheduled for infrastructure works, when these contracts are awarded,
are St. Joseph, Buxton, Charity and Onderneeming in Region Two and MetenMeer-Zorg, Leonora, De Kindren, De William and Edinburg in Region Three. At the contract signing for the Eccles to Diamond four-lane highway project, Croal, the Housing and Water Minister, mentioned that before the year ends, tenders would be opened for infrastructure works in Onderneeming on the Essequibo Coast to Diamond on the East Bank of Demerara. During the year, the Housing Ministry had allocated a number of house
lots in these communities. “On the 29th and 30th of this month, we will have the opening of tenders for a number of upcoming infrastructure works that are planned for areas where we have allocated this year and those will form part of the budgetary programme for 2022, for which the national budget is expected to be presented,” the Minister said. He added that after these projects would have opened, the evaluators involved in evaluating the bids would only be given a week and a half to complete the process. “They have a week and a half
to complete hundreds of evaluations in time for our presentation, so that will tell
you the amount of work they have coming up,” he had mentioned.
Below are the communities and their bids:
Infrastructure development work - Onderneeming, Essequibo for Lots 1 to 4.
Ministry of Housing and Water - Central Housing and Planning Authority Infrastructure development works in St. Joseph, Buxton and Charity for Lots 1 to 5
Infrastructure development works - Meten-Meer-Zorg.
Continued on page 24
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Friday December 31, 2021
Housing Ministry initiates $4.4B in last-minute contracts... From page 23 Infrastructure development works - Leonora/ Groenveldt for Lots 1 to 6.
Infrastructure development works in De-Kindren for Lots 1 to 6.
Infrastructure development works - De William for Lots 1 to 4.
Infrastructure development works- Leonora for Lots 1 to 3.
Infrastructure development works - Edinburg for Lots 1 to 2.
Infrastructure development works - Leonora for Lots 1 to 2.
Friday December 31, 2021
Kaieteur News
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Kaieteur News
Friday December 31, 2021
Speaker defends passage of new Oil... WANTED
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From page 3 was, as such, insistent that the two ingredients necessary for lawful passage of bills were present — a Mace was in place and that the vote was taken while the government members were in their seats. He elucidated further, “…for the authority to conduct its business and to ensure the business is lawful and legal, two main ingredients must be present, (and) we to have a quorum and two, the authority, (and) the Mace must be in place.” Additionally, he said the only person who is authorised to touch the Mace, is the Sergeant of Arms. He was vehement in his admonishment, “That attack on the Mace cannot go unpunished, I could not find an easier word than punish, those who attack that Mace must face the consequences.” To this end, he reiterated, “only one person touches that Mace and that is the Sergeant of Arms.” It would be apposite to note that after the “the Mace was violently removed” by Ferguson and subsequently wrestled away by the Parliamentary Staff, the replica Mace was in use throughout the remainder of that aspect of the session, remained in the firm grip of the hands of the Sergeant of Arms, the Speaker himself and the Deputy Speaker. Having gone through the motions—with a replica Mace in place, in the hands of the
parliamentary trio—the House was then dissolved into a Select Committee. This is the process between the second and third readings of the National Assembly that allows for the Bill to be scrutinised clause by clause and for opportunities for amendments made. Nadir in resolving the House into a Committee proceeded to take the replica Mace from his desk and placed it in his lap. This, in place of removing the Mace from its standing position while a formal session of the Assembly, and removing to a lowered tier representing the House taking on the form of a Committee, with the Speaker as Chairman of that Committee. Nadir, according to the video footage, can been seen grabbing the Mace and taking it into his lap, before putting all 47 clauses of the Bill and its two schedules for a vote—which given the 33member superior voting strength of the committee, giving the Minister with responsibility for Parliamentary Affairs, the authority to report to the Full House. This was done—using the replica Mace—and as such, the Speaker of the House, in his impromptu press conference yesterday, defended as lawful, the passage of the Natural Resource Bill of 2021 which will now be forwarded to the President for his assent. Once assented to and
published in the Official Gazette, the Bill becomes Law and repeals the legislation that had been similarly named and put in place in 2020 by the then David Granger Administration. According to Nadir, the terrorist like mechanism employed by members of the Opposition against the noble institution—National Assembly—cannot go unpunished. According to Nadir, the Standing Orders provide for repercussions to be had and that “we can’t gloss over what happen; one MP grabbed the Mace out of its place, the standing orders are very clear as to the process of enforcing penalties for gross misconduct in parliament.” He used the occasion to remind, “…we have history of one person touching the Mace who was suspended from speaking.” As such, he concluded that there are a “number of remedies we can consider” but was unable to publicly say at the time “which one or which combination of measures” would be effected or pursued. With regards, the Parliamentary staff, Nadir used the occasion to commend their efforts, executed in a most humble, restrained and professional manner and divulged too that an Opposition MP had even managed to dislodge the cables in the Arthur Chung Convention Centre. In light of what transpired openly in relation to the Bill, Nadir said pointedly, “there
was some concerns about the legality of what happened last night (Wednesday) especially with regard the NRF Bill; I want to make it pellucid that the Bill was passed lawfully, legally in the National Assembly.” He observed nonetheless, “our parliament is a young one but it has seen its trials, its tribulations throughout its short history; emotions and tempers will flare but, again, we have young bright next generationers (sic) who are watching all of this.” To this end, he concluded, “this incident in Parliament ought to strengthen their resolve that going forward this country should not behave in such an uncivilised manner.” Parliament, he reminded, was created to war with words in respectable fashion with dignified rules and “if this country is to blossom to full potential, understanding and playing by the rules must be the order of the day,” as such, Nadir said, “I condemn the behaviour of the Members of Parliament yesterday (Wednesday).” Asked why he pressed ahead with the session in perceived “defiance,” Nadir was quick to point out, “we have a process in the parliament and I was following the process; we met yesterday (Wednesday) to conduct the business of the people, my job is to ensure the business of the people is conducted, this is not defiant; this is my duty.”
Guyanese in 3 years paid $22B more... From page 22 collections for 2020 surpassed the approved estimates by a net amount of $3.907 billion.” It was noted that the categories with higher collections of $12.249 billion cushioned the categories with shortfalls of $8.342 billion. Revenues budgeted to be collected by government include monies to from the Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA), responsible for collecting payments such as Value Added Tax (VAT), Pay as You Earn (PAYE), Corporation Tax, Withholding Tax and Property Taxes, Import Duties, among others. These were in addition to other sources of revenue received under the Ministry of Finance, such as dividends to be collected from public corporations and statutory transfers, among other sources.
The report documented that the Ministry responded saying, central Government current receipts for 2020 surpassed the budgeted amount by $3.907 billion and that the main contributors were internal revenue, miscellaneous receipts, and excise taxes which exceeded the budgeted amount by $6.032 billion, $3.407 billion, and $1.884 billion respectively. The higher collections from internal revenue were derived from the sub-category of private corporation income tax of $3.717 billion, personal income tax of $1.327 billion, self-employed income tax $479.385 million and net property tax of $511.675M. Arrears collected for corporation income tax was $932.2 million, personal income tax was $855.9 million and net property tax was $84.8 million. Revenue collections from corporation income tax sur-
passed the budgeted amount on account of larger remittances from companies within the financial sector and, the oil and gas sector. Miscellaneous receipts increased by $3.407 billion mainly due to closures of bank accounts valued at $2.644 billion, according to the audit report. Excise taxes, the Auditor General said, recorded higherthan-expected revenues of $1.883 billion. The increase resulted from larger collections from petroleum products of $1.186 billion and motor vehicles of $447.111M. According to the Audit Report, “the larger-than anticipated revenue collection from petroleum products were due to higher oil prices and quantities imported during the period August to December 2020.” Capital Revenue collections for 2020 on the other
hand were recorded at below the approved estimate, by a net amount of negative $6.600 billion, meaning there was a 24 percent shortfall. To this end, the AG said, “the negative variances recorded for capital revenue reflected lower disbursements of external grants and loans from the various Multilateral Institutions that may be attributed to challenges caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, delays in realigning programmed activities and poor project implementation.” Four External Grants and External Loans totalling $645.676M were budgeted for in 2020. However, no collections were received during the year under review. These include grants and loans from China, the Islamic Development Bank and the OPEC Fund for International Development (OFID) Project Loan.
Friday December 31, 2021
Kaieteur News
Bangladesh series will... From page 28 but for now I want all my energy and focus to be on preparing and performing for the Blackcaps this summer.” New Zealand coach Gary Stead said that Taylor would finish his career as one of the country’s greats “Ross has always been a hugely respected member of the side and we’re thankful for his contributions to the Blackcaps over an incredible career,” he said. “His skills and temperament as a batsman have been world-class and his ability to perform at such a high level for so long speaks volumes of his longevity and professionalism. “His experience has held the side together on countless occasions and his catching record speaks for itself.
There’s no doubt we’re going to miss him when he’s gone. “Seeing him hit the winning runs in Southampton to help win our first ICC World title is a moment I will never forget and I’m sure it’s the same for many of the fans. “I know Ross is really focused on performing well in these remaining series and going out on the right note.” Williamson, who will miss the Bangladesh series due to his ongoing elbow injury, paid tribute to his long-time team-mate and batting partner. “Ross has been at the core of the side for so long and can be extremely proud of having brought the game in this country to a better place,” he said. “He’s a world class player,
our best with the bat over such a long period of time and personally it’s been a pleasure to be involved in so many partnerships with him across the formats. “We’ve shared some pretty cool moments together - most recently the World Test Championship Final which was obviously really special. As a senior player and a leader in the group he’s been a fantastic support person for me, especially out there in the field being able to tap into his experience. Taylor said he would remain available for Central Districts until the end of the season before making a decision on whether to continue playing domestic cricket.
Friday December 31, 2021 ARIES (Mar. 21–Apr. 19) Your energy and enthusiasm for life should be operating at a very high level today, Aries. TAURUS (Apr. 20–May 20) A chance to make some extra money could come today through someone you know slightly, Taurus, perhaps from a social event you both once attended. GEMINI (May 21–June 20) A social event or group meeting could ignite your enthusiasm about new goals, Gemini. These goals may involve giving you a chance to use your creative talents as well as enjoy the companionship and camaraderie of your fellow group members. CANCER(June21–July22) Today, Cancer, you might begin work on a project that you've wanted to do for a long time. This may be career related or personal, but either way it should advance you in whatever direction that you want to go. LEO (July 23–Aug. 22) Today, Leo, you're expanding your horizons. You and a friend could plan a vacation that you're really excited about. VIRGO (Aug. 23–Sept. 22) Some good news may reach your ears via the grapevine regarding your career. This might involve a raise in salary, Virgo, or it could be new benefits, new profit sharing plans.
LIBRA (Sept. 23–Oct. 22) A new and exciting potential love relationship could pop into your life today, Libra. This is apt to be the kind of instant attraction that sets your nerves tingling and your blood boiling. SCORPIO (Oct. 23–Nov. 21) Today, Scorpio, you should be feeling especially energetic and enthusiastic. Therefore, this is a great day to start a new enterprise. SAGIT(Nov.22–Dec.21) Plans for a party or group gathering of some kind could take up much of your time and energy, Sagittarius. CAPRI(Dec.22–Jan.19) Though you might wake up today feeling a little feverish, Capricorn, as the day progresses you'll be your old self again. AQUARIUS(Jan.20–Feb.18) This is a great day to start any project that concerns writing, acting, or speaking, Aquarius. PISCES (Feb. 19–Mar.20) If you aren't already into real estate, gardening, or interior decorating, Pisces, today you might discover a talent for one or all of these fields and decide to pursue it.
India wrap... From page 32 Bumrah switched to bowling around the wicket and trapped Elgar leg before wicket for 77 when the batsman played around a delivery angled into his stumps. Siraj ended an aggressive innings of 21 by Quinton de Kock when the batsman edged an attempted drive into his stumps and Shami had Wiaan Mulder caught behind with a ball which moved just enough off the seam to take the outside edge of the bat. Marco Jansen was caught behind off Shami in the first over after lunch before Ashwin wrapped up the innings, leaving Temba Bavuma, South Africa’s topscorer in the first innings with 52, stranded on 35. India were in command from the first day, when KL Rahul’s century enabled them to make 272 for three after winning the toss. The entire second day was lost to rain and conditions proved more difficult for batsmen when play resumed on the third day, with fast bowlers of both sides exploiting indentations on the pitch which caused variable bounce. Shami took five for 44 in the first innings to give India a crucial lead of 130 runs. He finished with match figures of eight for 107. The win gave India a 1-0 lead in the three-match World Test Championship series and boosted their chances of winning a series in South Africa for the first time. Scores: India 327 (Rahul 123,Agarwal 60, Ngidi 671) and 174 (Pant 34, Rabada 442, Jansen 4-55) beat South Africa 197 (Bavuma 52, Shami 5-44) and 191 (Elgar 77, Bumrah 3-50, Shami 3-63) by 113 runs.
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Friday December 31, 2021
Ross Taylor announces international retirement...
Bangladesh series will be his last Tests before finishing with ODIs later in the season ESPNcricinfo - Ross Taylor has announced he will retire from international cricket at the end of the current home
season with the upcoming series against Bangladesh being his last Test cricket before he finishes with the ODIs
against Australia and Netherlands. Taylor, 37, currently has 110 Test caps and is New
Zealand’s leading run-scorer in both that format and ODIs. He made his international debut in an ODI against West Indies in March 2006 before playing his first Test against South Africa in November 2007. His top score of 290 came against Australia in Perth. Taylor, who was at the crease alongside Kane Williamson when New Zealand secured the World Test Championship earlier this year, had previously spoken about making the 2023 World Cup but has decided now is the time to call it a day and not be available for the South Africa Tests later in the season. New Zealand are due to tour Australia for three ODIs from late January then play Netherlands back at home. “It’s been an amazing journey and I feel incredibly fortunate to have represented my country for as long as I have,” Taylor said. “It’s been
Ross Taylor and Kane Williamson share a moment after making New Zealand World Test Champions. (Getty Images) such a privilege to play with and against some of the greats of the game and to have created so many memories and friendships along the way. “But all good things must come to an end and the tim-
ing feels right for me. I want to thank my family, friends and all those who have helped me get to this point. “There’ll be plenty of time for more thank-yous and reflections later in the season (Continued on page 27)
Friday December 31, 2021
Kaieteur News
England cricket coach must isolate, will miss 4th Ashes test MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — England cricket coach Chris Silverwood will be absent for the fourth Ashes test against Australia after a COVID-19 outbreak in the England team’s camp grew to seven confirmed cases. Silverwood needs to isolate following a positive test for the coronavirus among a family member of the touring party. There was no indication that Silverwood has the virus. He will have to isolate for 10 days — along with his family — in Melbourne, where the third test was played. The fourth test starts in Sydney on Jan. 5. England lost the third test, and with it the series, as Australia took an unassailable 3-0 lead in the five-match Ashes. England said the positive test for what it termed “one family member” happened on Wednesday. A further round of PCR tests was administered yesterday. England’s touring party has recorded seven positive cases — three support staff
and four family members — since a PCR testing regime was implemented on Monday. Later Thursday, Cricket Australia announced that former Australia player David Boon, scheduled to be the match referee for the Sydney test, had tested positive to Covid-19 and will be replaced by Steve Bernard. CA said it was anticipated that Boon would return to the role for the fifth test in Hobart starting on Jan. 14. He has no symptoms and is fully vaccinated with a booster, a state-
England’s coach Chris Silverwood takes part in a training session at the Gabba ahead of the first Ashes cricket test in Brisbane, Australia, Sunday, Dec. 5, 2021.
ment said. The players are due to fly to Sydney today ahead of the fourth test. Cricket Australia is confident the Sydney test can go ahead as planned, despite rising case numbers in the city and the outbreak in England’s camp. Both teams will fly to Sydney on a chartered flight this morning, and have an entire hotel complex booked out for them in the city’s eastern suburbs to minimize risk of contracting the virus.
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Friday December 31, 2021
Thompson-Herah named GDF & Western Tigers to play in final AIPS Female Athlete of 2021 GFF-K&S Super 16...
Tournament favourites Guyana Defence Force (GDF) and Western Tigers have both made it to the final of the Guyana Football Federation (GFF)/Kashif & Shanghai (K&S) 2021 Super 16 which is scheduled for tomorrow at the National Track & Field Center (NTFC), Leonora, following Wednesday night’s play at the same venue. Wednesday’s action featured a double header where Western Tigers matched skills with Police FC in the first semifinal that kicked off at 18:00hrs. Police FC were cruising to victory thanks to a 65th minute strike from Jermaine
Junor that saw them lead up until the 85th minute of play when Colin Europe equalised from a well executed set piece. Two minutes later, Western Tigers completed the come from behind victory after Trayon Bobb broke away from the defence and rounded the keeper with a fine finish for the 2-1 victory to Western Tigers. The second semi final between GDF and Den Amstel had the crowd on their feet throughout with GDF; running with the breeze, dominating the first half of play that finished 1-0 in their favour, but squandered opportuni-
ties that could have allowed for a more comfortable lead. Two goals in under ten minutes from Gideon Payne in the second half (51st & 59th minutes) gave the West Demerara unit the lead and nullified Chris Macey’s first half strike for GDF. GDF continued to exhibit their fighting spirit as they did against Milerock in the quarterfinal when Ian Dooker equalised in the 87th minute of the match which sent the game into extra-time. Extra time played out with the matched deadlocked 2-all and GDF won the battle of nerves 3-1 via kicks from the penalty mark.
SportsMax - Jamaica’s treble Tokyo Olympic Games gold medallist Elaine Thompson-Herah has been named the AIPS Best Female Athlete of 2021. This follows a poll by the International Sports Press Association, where a panel of 529 journalists from 114 countries voted for the champions of 2021. Joining ThompsonHerah in receiving the top honour is Polish footballer Robert Lewandowski, who has been named the AIPS Best Male Athlete of 2021. The former Manchester High School student, who was named the World Female Athlete of the Year at the World Athletics Awards 2021 earlier this month, retained her Olympic 100m and 200m titles in Tokyo and added a third gold medal in the 4x100m relay. She also ran world-leading times of 10.54 and 21.53 over 100m and 200m respectively, moving to second on the world all-time lists for each discipline. She topped the AIPS poll with 605 points, ahead of Spanish footballer Alexia
Olympic Games gold medallist Elaine Thompson-Herah Putellas (490 points) and Venezuela’s world triple jump record-holder and Olympic champion Yulimar Rojas (346 points). Other athletics stars joining Thompson-Herah and Rojas in the top 10 are Kenya’s Olympic 1500m champion Faith Kipyegon and Sifan Hassan of the Netherlands, who claimed 5000m and 10,000m titles in Tokyo as well as 1500m bronze. Joining Lewandowski in the top 10 for the men’s award
are Norway’s Karsten Warholm, who was named the World Athletics Male Athlete of the Year, plus his fellow world record-holders and Olympic champions Mondo Duplantis of Sweden and Eliud Kipchoge of Kenya. Thompson-Herah has also been named Athletics Weekly’s Female Athlete of the Year, NACAC Female Athlete of the Year and Diamond League Athletics’ Most Consistent Athlete in women’s sprints for 2021.
Friday December 31, 2021
Kaieteur News
‘Political’ decision to sack Pybus was one of the worst in recent Windies cricket history SportsMax - Cricket West Indies (CWI) Director from Barbados, Calvin Hope, believes the decision to sack the Richard Pybus-led coaching unit just weeks ahead of the 2019 ICC World Cup remains one of the ‘worst decisions made in recent times.’ In 2019, only a few weeks after replacing the Dave Cameron administration, the Ricky Skerritt-led regime controversially decided to sack Pybus and his entire coaching staff, with the ICC tournament less than a month away. The move raised even more eyebrows at the time, because it came after the team had, very much against heavy odds, defeated a higherranked touring England 2-1 in a Test series, only weeks prior and tied top-ranked England 2-2 in a subsequent One Day International series. On the back of several disappointing performances in recent months the decision has, on occasion, come back under the microscope and to
Richard Pybus
the fore for discussion. “It was not even bad, it was one of the worst decisions to have even been made in recent times in West Indies cricket,” Hope told the Mason and Guest radio program. “Here you were, you had just begun to see some green shoots in the performance of a team. It doesn’t matter who was in charge before or any-
thing like that and it was basically a political decision,” he added. The West Indies finished 9th at the ICC World after winning just 2 matches and losing 6. Hope and Guyana’s Anand Sanasie were part of a two-man team that challenged Skerritt and vice-president Kishore Shallow for the leadership of CWI last year.
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GCB ups tempo for CWI Regional 4 Day readiness
T
he Guyana Cricket Board (GCB) in keeping with its promise to play national matches within the three counties, as against the centralized location of Demerara, has scheduled two of the three matches in the GCB Best of the Best Redball 4 Day Tournament. The tournament will involve a pool of earmarked players participating in competitive matches, with the initial match at least being played ahead of the selection of the first national team to participate in the CWI Regional 4 Day Tournament 2022 a release from the GCB informed. President of the GCB, Mr. Bissoondyal Singh opined that though it may appear that the inclement weather has necessitated the need for use of suitable venues outside of Demerara, the consideration is to return Inter County, national trials and practice matches to other counties in keeping with the strategic
Friday December 31, 2021
Kaieteur News
plans of the GCB. President Singh also stated, “We are happy to announce that despite our challenges which have seemingly emanated from previous franchise arrangements, the GCB is going ahead with its planned programmes. Although our funds are limited, we intend to create the competitive environment necessary to provide the players with optimal opportunities for game readiness and match form; and the national 4 Day team with the best chances of winning the CWI Regional 4 Day Tournament 2022.” “The first two matches are scheduled for the Albion Community Centre ground, Berbice, and given the need to have cricket played throughout the counties, the second match scheduled for Albion is subject to change based on weather conditions, while the third and final match is being arranged for the Guyana National Stadium,
GCB’s President Bissoondyal Singh Providence.” The dates for the three GCB Best of the Best Redball 4 Day Tournament are January 5-8, 2022, January 12-15, 2022 and January 18-21, 2022. The two teams for the first match will be announced no later than January 3, 2022.
India wrap up impressive first Test victory over South Africa
Dean Elgar walks back as India celebrate • Dec 29, 2021 © AFP/Getty Images AFP - India completed a convincing 113-run win on the fifth day of the first Test against South Africa at SuperSport Park in Centurion yesterday. Resuming on 94 for four in a chase of 305 to win, South Africa were bowled out for
191, losing their last three wickets in the first two overs after lunch. Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Shami took three wickets each. Fellow fast bowler Mohammed Siraj took two wickets and off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin dis-
missed the last two batsmen off successive deliveries. There was early resistance from South African captain Dean Elgar and Temba Bavuma, with Elgar surviving a caught and bowled chance to Shami when he was on 63. (Continued on page 27)
Friday December 31, 2021
Kaieteur News
PAGE 33
Survival Supermarket backs GFF-K&S Super 16 Cup - Six month supply of groceries for a lucky player A long serving relationship with football was renewed yesterday by the Survival Supermarket chain. In the season of goodwill and cheer, the very popular and household name in Guyana has committed to bring cheer to one player and his family for six months. At their Vlissengen Road location, Co-Director of the Kashif and Shanghai Organisation, Kashif Muhammad which is organizing the tournament in partnership with the Guyana Football Federation collected the voucher which has cemented the commitment. Muhammad in accepting the voucher said that Survival Supermarket has been a long time partner of year end football and the K&S Organisation along with the GFF were elated to
have them continue this level of benevolence. “We are very pleased that you have maintained your long and successful support for year end football. Your prize this year is unique and we know it will bring smiles to the face of the lucky player and his family so on behalf of both the K&S Organisation and the GFF, I would like to extend gratitude to the Management and a Staff here at Survival Supermarket for maintaining your commitment to the sport.” This year’s GFF-K&S Super 16 Cup will climax tomorrow night with the grand finale between semifinal winners, Western Tigers FC and the Guyana Defence Force FC. The Third place clash features the respective semi final losers, Guyana Police Force FC and Den Amstel FC.
Malik Scott: Deontay Wilder’s coach backs Oleksandr Usyk to beat ‘vulnerable’ Tyson Fury
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BC Sport D e o n t a y Wilder’s coach Malik Scott believes Oleksandr Usyk could beat a “vulnerable” Tyson Fury if the heavyweights eventually fight. WBA (Super), WBO and IBF champion Usyk is set for a rematch with Briton Anthony Joshua but, if he wins, could agree a unification contest with WBC champion Fury later in the year. Scott backed Usyk, 34, to upset Fury. “This Tyson Fury is much more vulnerable and easier to hit than any Tyson Fury before,” he said. Wilder drafted in Scott to help train him for his trilogy fight against Fury and Scott believes the British champion’s change to a more aggressive style would suit Usyk. “I believe that the Tyson Fury that fought Wladimir Klitschko and Deontay Wilder the first time, I believe that Tyson Fury gives Usyk all kinds of fits,” he told ES News. “The movement, the reflexes Tyson Fury - I believe this Tyson Fury right now, I believe Usyk would beat. “The heavier Tyson
F u r y t h a t ’s c o m i n g forwards, that wants to take chances and put his weight on people. I think that is a perfect system for Usyk to operate off of. “Because his feet are fast, he turns on angles, he’s a good counter-puncher and his punches are so accurate they come with a bit more sting than they appear. “So if I had to bet on that, I would bet Usyk would beat Tyson Fury.” Fury v Wilder III wins Fight of the Year Fury’s third encounter with Wilder in October has won Ring Magazine’s prestigious Fight of the Year and Round of the Year. The thrilling clash in Las Vegas captivated the boxing world, with Fury on the canvas twice before coming back to stop Wilder in the 11th round to retain his WBC title and Ring magazine belt. Fury, 33, was floored twice in the fourth round before recovering and those enthralling three minutes picked up Round of the Year. “I’d like to give a big shout out to Deontay Wilder, because I needed a dance partner in order to win this award,” Fury told Ring Magazine.
Co-Director of the K&S Organisation Kashif Muhammad receives the voucher from a Representative of Survival Supermarket In the presence of other Staff Members