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AIETEUR

December 31, 2023

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New oil contract still to be released as Govt. continues negotiations with oil companies Chronicle photographer sent on leave over sexual harassment allegations Construction Ex-cop found worker killed with assault rifle, in Enmore ammo in East La accident Penitence - Police

Prison Service saves $26.8M this year through meat, crop production venture …1520 inmates equipped with skill sets to aid reintegration

Agriculture Ministry records outstanding achievements for 2023 · 60,204 metric tonnes of sugar produced in 2023, a 28% increase over 2022 · Rice earnings approximately $45.2 billion, $3 billion more than 2022 · 17 pump stations under construction; first conservancy completed in Region 10 · $62.1 million spent in the Deep South Rupununi area, benefiting 800 farmers · Hinterland Dept. established to support Toshaos with planting materials and livestock distribution

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Kaieteur News

Sunday December 31, 2023

Sunday December 31, 2023

Kaieteur News

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New oil contract still to be released as Govt. continues negotiations with oil companies

Minister of Natural Resources, Vickram Bharrat

The draft Deepwater and Shallow Water PSAs are available on the Ministry of Natural Resources’ website The new Production Sharing Agreements (PSAs) to govern the deepwater and shallow areas that were recently auctioned is yet to be released by the Government of Guyana (GoG) even as the administration is locked in negotiations with oil companies that participated in the country’s inaugural bid round this year.

The Ministry of Natural Resources (MNR) officially released the PSAs to the public in March this year for a two-week comments period. This was followed by

a review period by the Ministry and subsequent implementation of certain recommendations.

In August, MNR updated its website with the draft oil contracts but there is no sighting of the final agreements. The failure by government to release the final terms of the agreement would spark concerns given the lopsided contract signed with ExxonMobil in 2016.

That agreement was only released to the public two years after it was signed.

This newspaper had made several attempts to

access a copy of the final terms of the PSAs, but requests to the MNR were not met.

Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo had previously indicated that there will no changes to the fiscal terms of the model contracts seen by the public.

On Thursday during his year-end press conference at Freedom House, the General Secretary of the People’s Progressive Party informed that negotiations are still ongoing with the companies who participated in the country’s maiden bid round.

Guyana had auctioned 14 oil blocks offshore but received eight bids from 14 petroleum companies.

Launched in December 2022

by President Irfaan Ali, the auction was lauded a success by the administration.

The companies that participated includes Total Energies EP Guyana B.V, Qatar Energy International E&P LLC, & Petronas E&P Overseas Ventures SDN BHD (Malaysia); Delcorp Inc – Guyana, Watad Energy, Arabian Drillers (Saudia Arabia); Exxon Mobil Guyana Limited, HESS New

Ve n t u r e s E x p l o r a t i o n Limited, and CNOOC Petroleum Guyana Limited; Liberty Petroleum Corporation (USA) and , Cybele Energy Limited (Ghana); Sispro Inc. (Guyana); and lastly International Group Investment Inc. (Guyana), in joint venture with Montego Energy SA (London).

Notably, 11 of the oil blocks auctioned are located in the shallow area and three are in the deepwater zone.

They range between 1000 square kilometres to 3000 square kilometres with the majority of them being close to 2000 square kilometres.

Government has not yet disclosed the details of the bids submitted but pledged to do so after careful evaluation of those documents.

Winners of the new blocks will be expected to pay a 10 percent royalty and a 10 percent corporate tax.

The cost recovery will be

capped at 65 percent in a given year, while profits will be shared 50/50 between the parties.

For shallow water blocks, companies have to pay a minimum of US$10 million while a minimum of US$20 million is set for deep water concessions.

Guyanese had called for mechanisms to be put in place for all comments on the new draft agreements to be made public and for government to produce a plan to report on how public feedback was addressed in the development of the final model agreement.

This suggestion was not taken on board and Guyanese are still clueless as to what changes have been made to the PSAs. Chartered Accountant and prominent Attorney-atLaw, Christopher Ram following the release of the PSAs said major weaknesses in the old contract have been repeated.

Budget for community roads alone this year larger than entire 2019 infrastructure allocation - Edghill Funds allocated by the Ministry of Public Works this year for community roads alone exceed the entire infrastructure budget in 2019.

This was revealed by the Minister of Public Works, Juan Edghill during his end of year press conference on Friday. During his two-hour long interaction with the media at the Ministry’s Wight’s Lane, Kingston, Georgetown office, the subject Minister provided a detailed account of the progress registered this year by the respective agencies under his remit.

In his opening remarks, the Works Minister told members of the press that a total of 87 percent of the total budgetary allocation, inclusive of supplementary funding has been expended.

He said the total budget a m o u n t e d t o $193,430,299,114 this year; a d d i t i o n a l l y, s o m e

$168,489,333,818 in projects have been implemented up to noon of December 29, 2023.

Edghill noted that the majority of the incomplete works are foreign- funded programmes.

The Works Minister said that for the fiscal year 2023, a whopping 2852 projects were managed by the ministry. He did not provide statistics for the previous year but boasted that this year’s budget for community roads alone exceed the entire 2019 budget of the then Ministry of Public Infrastructure.

According to Edghill, “In 2023, the Ministry of Public Works managed 2852 projects…the budget for one item, miscellaneous roads is larger than the entire ministry’s budget in 2019; so the growth of our portfolio here at the Ministry of Public Works is multiplied times over because while the entire budget as of 2019 was about

$38B, this year miscellaneous roads alone was $56 B.” Several agencies, including the Guyana Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA), the Cheddi Jagan International Airport (CJIA), the Demerara Harbour Bridge (DHB), Works Services Group (WSG), Asphalt Plant, Canawaima Ferry Service, Guyana National Shipping Corporation (GNSC), Maritime Administration Department (MARAD), Government Electrical Inspectorate (GEI) and Transport and Harbours are among the major organizations managed by the ministry.

Later in his presentation, Edghill revealed that a total of 359 kilometers (km) of miscellaneous and urban roads, 349.3 km and 9.9 km respectively were done by the government entity.

The Works Minister’s comments on the significant

Minister of Public Works, Juan Edghill

growth in infrastructure budget for road projects come at a time when Guyanese have been complaining of the high cost of living.

Citizens often argue that “roads and bridges” cannot satisfy their hunger, yet the government of Guyana remains committed to a massive infrastructure transformation of the country.

Earlier this month,

Kaieteur News reported that the grass-roots women’s organization Red Thread decried the position taken by government as Guyanese continue to live in poverty despite the revenue earned from the oil and gas sector.

During a radio programme on 99.1/ 99.5 FM, Halima Khan, a senior member of the body said, “Nothing has trickled down

to the poor class people, because all these billions that we are getting yes the roads, the school building, bridges and stuff like that, people can’t eat road, they can’t eat bridges, they can’t eat schools.”

She added, “People are still suffering although we have oil. The country have oil, nah we.”

Currently, ExxonMobil, the operator of the Stabroek Block is producing an average 500,000 barrels per day (bpd) at three oil projects, Liza One, Liza Two and Payara. Production is expected to reach 620,000 bpd in the first quarter of 2024.

To date, Guyana has received just over US$3 billion from the sector since production activities commenced. Meanwhile, the country has so far injected approximately US$1.6B in oil money into the national budget since 2022.

Kaieteur News

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Kaieteur News

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Sunday December 31, 2023

Kaieteur M@ilbox Send your letters to Kaieteur News, 24 Saffon Street, Charlestown, Georgetown or email us kaieteurnews@yahoo.com

Fraudulently obtaining your licence The relinquishment is putting a down payment on future provision injuries, damages and your death EDITORIAL

The Stabroek Block was what was used over two decades ago to sell Guyanese into slavery. When both the PPP/C and the APNU+AFC Coalition Governments should have laid down the law, they looked the other way, and allowed ExxonMobil to continue with its pillaging of Guyana. Government after government used a loophole in the law to let ExxonMobil off the hook. Guyanese now live with the failures of their governments, pay harsh prices for their incompetence, and what increasingly registers as their chronic and costly betrayals.

A standard provision in the law calls for a total of 75% of the Stabroek Block to be relinquished after 7 years, in increments of 50% after the first four years, 25% after the succeeding three. The remaining 25% not subject to a production licence also has to be given back to Guyana (“ExxonMobil should have given up 20% of oil rich Stabroek Block December 10, 2023, but was allowed to hold on to the portion). This should explain why ExxonMobil is in such a hurry to keep expanding its offshore footprint. It is that so it can gobble up more and more acreage of the Stabroek Block under the authority of production licenses, which gives it the inviolable legal protection that is necessary.

The loophole in the law, as identified by Chartered Accountant Christopher Ram some time ago is the discretionary power given to the subject minister allowing for adjustment of the relinquishment arrangements. It is a discretion that has been used most unwisely, heaping abject misery on Guyanese. Ministers acting at the behest of their leaders and governments have done just that to the great disadvantage of Guyanese. This began in 1999 when the then PPP/C Government under Janet Jagan first entered into agreement with ExxonMobil. In 2012, it was worsened and continued by another PPP/C Government, on this occasion by former President Donald Ramotar. In 2016, the APNU+AFC Coalition did the unbelievable and the highly unacceptable, via the 2016 post-discovery agreements and relinquishment provisions, with both former Minister Raphael Trotman and former President David Granger neck-deep in the abomination that is now this albatross that hangs over Guyanese heads.

Every barrel of oil that ExxonMobil drains from that block for its almost exclusive gain is an intolerable pain to every citizen of this country. Let us look again at this gallery of Guyanese oil heroes. From Janet Jagan to Donald Ramotar to David Granger (and certainly not ignoring the powerful role that behind-the-scenes, president Bharat Jagdeo would have played), all of these national leaders have failed Guyanese by not standing up for what is best for Guyanese interests, by not adjusting or not touching in any manner the relinquishment arrangements embedded in the law. In fact, it is accurate to assert that Guyana’s ministers and presidents have bent in the other direction where relinquishment provisions are concerned. They have given ExxonMobil every concession with timing, as well as the percentage of the Stabroek Block to be given up. Worse still, ExxonMobil has made its moves to tie up bigger and bigger swathes of offshore areas within the Stabroek Block under production agreements.

This effectively continues the plunder at will by the American oil company of Guyana’s oil wealth. This has been with the fullest cooperation imaginable by past PPP/C Governments and the present one, and the APNU+AFC Government, as well. More projects are waiting for approval and the issuance of production agreements, and already it is clear that ExxonMobil’s reign of robbery will go on unchecked.

ExxonMobil neutralizes relinquishment provisions by cleverly forcing the hands of our governments into production agreements. And Governments of Guyana have been only too willing to sign on the dotted line, and give away for almost nothing all of our oil riches. What ExxonMobil relinquishes in percentage, Guyana Governments have been glad to give right back to the oil company under production agreements.

DEAR EDITOR, You may think you are cutting corners by not studying for and taking the theory and practical portions of the test to obtain a driver’s license, but in the long-term you might actually be paying for a future regret.

I bought my driver’s license several years ago for GY$ 30,000 using an address on the East Cost of Demerara when I resided in Georgetown. I never took the practical test, never had prior

professional training driving and just guessed my way through the theory test. The arrangement with the police officer from Vigilance Police Station who arranged everything was that for the GY$ 30,000, I would just need to pass the theory part of the test, the driving test was not required. So said, so done, I paid my money and got my driver’s license. If I had paid GY$ $60,000, I would’ve received my driver’s license without

having to pass the theory and practical test which are designed to ensure drivers understand how to use the road, are fit and able to drive and understand road signs, dos and don’ts.

Many of my friends also b o u g h t t h e i r d r i v e r ’s licenses, and including those who do not even live in Guyana. The problem of road rage, all too frequent motor vehicle accidents, injuries and deaths, and failure to observe and follow

traffic rules and regulations is tied right back to the unlawful selling of driver’s licenses.

Not only are road fatalities, motor vehicle accidents and overwhelming traffic violations a direct consequence of buying our “books,” so too are the trauma experienced by those who’ve lost relatives, friends, children, parents and spouses to car accidents.

You cannot expect (Continued on page 05)

Sunday December 31, 2023

Kaieteur News

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Kaieteur M@ilbox Kaieteur M@ilbox We must not allow the PPP to take away our freedoms DEAR EDITOR, Vice President (VP) Bharrat Jagdeo in his recent press conference has revealed his and the Irfaan Ali regime’s intolerance to freedom of information and the right to free speech which are protected in the Constitution of Guyana.

It is clear that the work of political and social activist Rickford Burke, his

fearlessness in confronting the regime and his ability to mobilise Guyanese in the diaspora to gain the attention of the United States (U.S) Capitol and the Congressional Black Caucus is of deep concern to the Ali/Jagdeo regime.

Jagdeo goes as far as accusing those who exercise free speech as trying “to take away our freedoms.” These

freedoms to hold the People’s Progressive Party (PPP) accountable, to free speech which the U.S defends and are hallmarks of any democratic government are according to Jagdeo considered “nonnegotiable” and according to the VP, “We (the PPP) have no apology for fighting these individuals who try to mislead our nation into

Total defense reloaded DEAR EDITOR, If anyone needed convincing that Maduro’s tactic is to browbeat us in bilateral engagements rather than engaging us through international institutional mechanisms in his drive to annex Essequibo, his reaction to the visiting British patrol vessel HMS Tr e n t s h o u l d s u ff i c e .

Denouncing Britain as a “decadent, rotten, exempire”, he warned them “not to mess” with Ve n e z u e l a n s w h o a r e “warriors”.

He then deployed 5682 soldiers; 3 ocean patrol vessels; 7 missile boats; 12 Sukhoi fighter jets and Amphibious vehicles in manoeuvres of their Caribbean coast. He further demanded that Guyana rescind permission for the Trent to conduct its open sea defence training exercises with our coastguard.

Maduro’s intemperate action reinforces our conviction that we have to strategically rejig our military response to make him think twice before rattling his sabres at his whims and fancies.

Presently, he obviously feels there are no costs to his overthe-top reactions.

Last week, we suggested one option in rethinking our military doctrine and force structure: creating a professional irregular force to augment our present conventional forces with one that is specifically selected, organized, educated, trained, equipped, and supported for asymmetrical operations against Venezuela in our jungle terrain. Note that, unlike what some read into my statement, we are not suggesting our present forces be disbanded – but augmented. Coming out of WWII into the Cold War, military doctrine stressed “total defense” against a superior enemy in which conventional military activities were buttressed by

civilian resilience and resistance against external aggression. In Guyana, the PNC of Forbes Burnham purported to implement a “total defense” strategy after Venezuela annexed our half of Ankoko Island in 1966 and later supported insurrectionists in the Rupununi in 1969. He expanded the GDF and GPF, launched the GNS and Peoples Militia to a point where we had a militarycivilian ratio of 1:35.

Unfortunately, he exploited the strategy to prop up his illegal rule and further expanded the ethnic divide when he disbanded the ethnically balanced SSU formed in 1962 by the British Governor as the nucleus of the independent army. As detailed by Prof Ken Danns, he skewed recruitment in favour of African Guyanese.

To its credit, the GDF remained in the barracks after 1992, even though Burnham had explicitly announced that their support for any government other than the PNC – to which officers had to swear fealty – was up to them. The total defense strategy lapsed after 1992 even though the conventional capabilities of the GDF was maintained even as its numbers dwindled. It was revived by David Granger in 2012 in his, “National Defence: A small state in the subordinate system”, after he was elected the leader of the PNC in 2011. But even though he wrote, “Defence policy in the new century must be driven by new thinking and serious planning by competent people who recognize the changes taking place on our frontiers, he merely reiterated the old doctrine and force structure he had grown up with under Burnham’s PNC. As president after 2015, he immediately and explicitly reiterated his

vision of “total national defence” at the GDF Annual Officers Conference. He stressed “reorganization and strengthening of the GDF on five pillars: personnel, readiness, infrastructure, morale and equipment with emphasis on the Air Corps, the Coast Guard and the Engineer Corps.” In terms of personnel, while reintroducing the Peoples Militia as a reserve for the GDF with 50% of its manpower, he spoke of “vertical augmentation and horizontal amalgamation” – but no change in strategy.

The problem with this approach is that with our small population, even though we now have the wherewithal, we would never be able to match, and so deter, Venezuela with conventional forces.

However, in the meantime, the rest of the world have also rejiggled the notion of “total defence,” especially in Europe where neutral states such as Switzerland and the Baltics felt threatened by Russia after it annexed Crimea.

They are already being trained by US Special Operations Forces in competitive strategies one of which I described for our circumstance, last week.

This was to create an irregular force to change Ve n e z u e l a ’s d e c i s i o n making calculus and consequently, their strategic behaviour. Some of the necessary infrastructural preparations would also benefit conventional forces which might even be trained to go underground when an unfavourable outcome is clear.

Finally, the new irregular force should be ethnically representative of our society, if for no other reason than we have to be as one to face the existential Venezuelan threat.

Sincerely, Ravi Dev

doing things or clouding people’s judgement so that they make wrong choices.”

Expressed differences to PPP opinions, daring to share enlightenment of g o v e r n m e n t ’s p o o r performance now represent egregious wrongs and is a criminal offence.

Jagdeo’s statement on the government’s intention to go after social media influencers is an ominous threat this society must not ignore. It speaks of the potential of far worse to come and is Hitlerite in potential and nature. Any person having a difference of opinion to the PPP regime is at risk of being targeted for government persecution and prosecution with periods of unjust incarceration. For a regime associated with wanton criminality and a death squad Guyanese must not be naïve to believe human lives are not at risk.

The PPP has control over government and wide reach through state media and its many affiliated and financially supported media outlets.

They have no restrictions, no hindrances in getting their views and news circulated to the masses in Guyana and other countries to spread their influence. Yet this vicious regime is clearly discontented and fears the voices of dissent who are able to speak out using social media platforms.

Jagdeo is bold- faced enough to threaten Guyanese in the diaspora and local citizens who have maximised on the opportunities and freedoms

of social media platforms, technology and available in countries where democracy is valued and safeguarded from dictators such as Jagdeo and the PPP. Guyanese and all freedom loving peoples must not countenance this unacceptable and morphing dictatorial stance on matters of public freedoms, enshrined in the Constitution of Guyana and upheld by freedom loving and progressive countries and peoples around the world.

Once again, the PPP has exposed its dark side.

The government, as with all governments, that ought to protect citizens’ rights is more interested in fighting citizens, painting the government as a victim of public attack, hence seeing the need to ‘defend’ itself.

We must turn the words of the so-called victim against them.

For clearly, they apply to us as victims of the regime’s oppression and repression.

WE the people of Guyana must find the PPP’s intolerance and efforts to deny us enshrined freedoms, rights, good governance, inclusion and social, economic and political and distributive justice as non – negotiables. Using the VP’s own words, “we must fight them!” WE must not allow the PPP to take away our freedoms!

People of Guyana, far and wide, we must not allow the PPP to mismanage and squander our national patrimony and take advantage of our divisions and superficial, skin-deep

differences. We must raise our voices along and defend ourselves against the brutal and brutish regime that has a stranglehold on the state Guyana.

We must shed some enlightenment to the people of Guyana and point out J a g d e o ’s d i c t a t o r i a l tendency and desire for dictatorship where the people are his minions.

Social media activists and all media houses must embrace what Jagdeo said as a value to the importance of their work. There must be “no apology” fighting for your freedom and the freedoms of others using the media as legitimate outlet.

Jagdeo and his regime have no legitimate right to feel that they must exercise control over 100 per cent of Guyanese thought processes, views and opinions.

Their attempt to so do is cause for us to recognise the obvious dangers of having the PPP in government.

This is sufficient reason for all Guyanese to “fight” against your government’s ugly and authoritarian posturing and place you where you belong, in the Opposition and on the fringes of society like other fallen dictators of this world.

Ali is held equally accountable for all that Jagdeo is allowed to say and do. We the people must hold them accountable for their mismanagement, corruption and attempts to steal our freedom and execute injustices against us.

Yours respectfully, Lincoln Lewis

Fraudulently obtaining your licence...

From page 04 citizens to respect the road when the organization trying to enforce respect of the road is at the root cause of the wanton disrespect for dangerous driving on the same roads. Explain to me how this will work and what will it achieve without addressing the root causes of the problem? My message to the Guyana Police Force is to instruct traffic ranks and other officers to set an example and respect the road first.

The GPF can implement systems where persons have to pay to get their license just like a passport. Use the additional revenue to incentivize performance by traffic ranks or use a portion as part of a

salary top up. I implore President Ali and the government to look into the concerns expressed in this letter and instruct the GPF on the necessary mitigating actions.

This is why we have so many people on our roads who think they can do what they want, and few people

who do understand how to drive.

Sincerely yours, Chris

Kaieteur News

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Sunday December 31, 2023

Kaieteur M@ilbox Kaieteur M@ilbox In Praise to eminent personalities who passed away in 2023 DEAR EDITOR, Guyana lost several prominent personalities during the year 2023 – politicians, ex-politicians, lawyers, judges, business people, artists, musicians, educators, community volunteers or leaders, among other professions. It was a tremendous loss of dozens of people of eminence. They left their mark with their work and contribution. We owe a deep sense of gratitude for their immense contributions in various field to the nation. The list is long and deserved tributes were paid to them in the media after their passing. There are two (Ashton Chase and Dr. Roger Luncheon) who stood out in my list because of their long-lasting political impact on the nation. They dedicated their lives towards developing Guyanese politics and Chase, the trade union movement. Politicians cutting across parties paid tribute to both. I would like to add to their panegyrics that were not in the public domain and with a few anecdotes.

Ashton Chase was the last of the political Mohicans – been around since the 1940s and a comrade in arm with Cheddi, Janet, and others in founding the PAC and PPP. (Hamilton Green is still around from that era but he was not active in party politics in the 1940s with Chase, Jagan, and other pioneers of the anti-colonial

freedom movement). Chase was among the tallest stalwarts in the independence movement.

Chase was warm and friendly towards and worked with everyone regardless of political association (whether PNC, PPP, or UF) or ethnicity. He reached out to people of all political persuasions.

And he was a great trade unionist. He built good camaraderie among everyone. He meshed with his comrades from out of district in Georgetown and whenever he went out to the rural areas, they entertained him. At his personal expense, he entertained friends (Indians and Africans) from outlying areas whenever they came to the city for NAACIE labor conferences or meetings.

The group looked forward for the trip to town.

After their labor conference, they would meet at the now defunct Purple Peanut Bar on Waterloo Street at the Benaab at the back of the building having lunch and drinks on Chase’s tab.

On building and expanding the trade union movement, Chase supported an invitation to Basdeo Panday to address a labor conference in the early 1970s. Other international figures also came to labor conferences at the encouragement of Chase who wanted the workers to

have as wide educational exposure to labor struggle elsewhere.

And Chase was known as a stickler for time; he started meetings and conferences punctually regardless of whether invitees were present or not. He once started a conference on time without Burnham who was chief guest.

Burnham arrived ten minutes late and queried why Chase started the conference without him.

Chase responded he waits for no person regardless of their title or status. Everyone must be on time. Burnham respected him as a trade unionist and a champion of the working class.

Chase was also a great arbitrator with phenomenal negotiating skills; he never lost an arbitration.

And there is one other important fact that was not in the media about Chase.

He delivered some outstanding speeches during his tenure in parliament.

These can be accessed from books on him. He called for ethnic balancing of the armed forces.

My encounters with Chase was during the 1980s at the height of the struggle for free and fair elections.

He was very friendly and helpful in providing information relating to my research on political history.

He was aware of the critical role overseas Guyanese was playing in the struggle for

free and fair elections in their homeland. He praised those of us from the diaspora who labored for restoration of democratic governance in Guyana. When my passport was misplaced in 1990, Chase prepared the affidavit that enable me to have it replaced at the passport office; the affidavit and the new passport cost quite a bundle then. No, he didn’t do a freebie!

Dr Roger Luncheon was a lifelong PPPite.

When he returned in 1985 from his studies in USA, Dr. Jagan added his name as a candidate for parliament in the December 1985 elections and it was present for every election thereafter. He rose through the ranks to become cabinet secretary and was trusted in that position by every PPP President prior to Irfaan Ali. He also held several other positions in government and was among those who engaged with the PNC for a national coalition government just before the death of Burnham.

His exemplary career in public service would earn respect across the country.

Like Chase, he had great relations with PNC personalities; he built and maintained friendships across the aisle.

He was well liked and he helped people regardless of political affiliation or their politics. His friends were found in every party.

My encounters with Luncheon were at Freedom House during the struggle for free and fair elections. I visited for literature and political exchange and offered donations to the party for its struggle against the dictatorship. He commended those of us who were involved in the struggle and who were conducting opinion polls in Guyana — Dr. Baytoram Ramharack, Ravi Dev, Vassan Ramracha and myself. Luncheon was well aware of the overseas movement championing FFE in Guyana in USA, Canada, and UK. He was praiseworthy of the contributions of the ACG (PPP overseas support group) and other organizations towards the struggle for restoration of democracy in their former homeland.

He was a left winger but not critical of centrist or right of center groups that had their own movement against the dictatorship.

In my meetings in Guyana at Freedom House and at the Presidential Secretariat, Luncheon was most helpful, gracious, kind and hospitable.

We also met several times in Richmond Hill, New York. He, Navin Chanderpal, and other stalwarts visited multiple times addressing political meetings; they were hosted by lawyer Kawal Totaram and businessman Herman

Singh. Herman made available gratis his catering hall for countless PPP meetings and other community events during the 1980s and 1990s.

In an encounter in New York, Mike Persaud and I approached him privately before the start of a public m e e t i n g a t H e r m a n ’s Tropical Hall, why he was not a Presidential candidate, he replied “race”.

Like Chase, he was disciplined in work schedule. He would be at work early and left late.

He made his staff comfortable providing breakfast for technical personnel to lure them to duties before schedule and also provided lunch to keep them working without a break, technical people.

Serious matters discussed but in a fun engagement. He was known by staff to light agarbati daily in his office.

Although he was a PPPite, he got along well with PNC officials and with both Indians and Africans.

The nation is grateful for his attempted role as a political reconciler although national unity was never achieved and not on the horizon.

As we close the year, the nation is mournful for the losses of those who have contributed to help build our nation. May their souls rest in peace!

Yours truly, Vishnu Bisram

We stand tall as a A tribute to Guyana’s heroes who died 12/6/23 nation of unique peace, goodwill, harmony

DEAR EDITOR, Death must not weaken, define or defeat us, Not now, not ever, Our hearts pour out for you, Our fallen heroes, Our tears flow like the mighty Kaieteur Falls, A Nation in crisis mourns, But our collective grief must not overwhelm us, Our Golden Arrowhead salutes you, Resolutely from our half-mast humility, A Nation mourns your loss, For when you cry in Guyana, we mourn in Little Guyana,

The celebration of your lives will lift us up, Lieutenant Colonel Michael Charles, Lieutenant Colonel Michael Shahoud, Retired Brigadier Gary Beaton, Lieutenant Colonel Sean Welcome and Staff Sergeant Jason Khan, Martyrs for a righteous cause, Soldiers for freedom, Heroes of Guyana, Now and forever, Yo u r n a m e s a n d memory will forever be inscribed in history’s glory, Dear comrades, we salute you with pride, and gratitude,

Your immortal glory will be forever remembered, The cause will never die, Long live peace and justice, The right to f r e e d o m , t e r r i t o r ial sovereignty and selfdetermination, The mighty Essequibo roars to say, Emphatically to the world, I am a child of Guyana, and to Guyana I belong, From Independence to Eternity, I am Guyanese, And Guyanese, proudly, I will always remain.

Sincerely, Albert Baldeo

DEAR EDITOR, The Universal Peace Federation Georgetown Guyana in Association with a sister support institution of peace, the Guyana Islamic Federation for Religious Solidarity and Human Development (GUYISFED), wish the most successful and prosperous New Year to the peoples of this most magnificent country of Guyana.

We stand tall as a nation of unique peace, goodwill, harmony with respects for all faiths and all ethnicities in Guyana.

Peace and blessings are also extended to our Excellency, President Dr. Irfaan Ali, VP Jagdeo, Prime Minister Brig. Ret’d Mark Phillips, Cabinet and the Leader of the Opposition, Aubrey Norton.

In this New Year it is our hope that Guyana will grow tremendously to bring prosperity and development nationwide to all citizens. We pray that the Government will find ways to include the Opposition and that the Opposition will display maturity, to create

an ambiance of goodwill and trust for the government of the day.

This way together it will be a tremendous boost for the moral of the people to witness our Government and Opposition working in tandem to enhance the greatness of Guyana and the unity of our people within the framework of the motto created by our President, “One Guyana”.

Guyana has only the upward and forward ways to go, with all of the blessings and gifts of the Universe in the form of resources.

We need political partnership, wisdom, maturity and excellent vision to create a truly unique society with a vibrant dynamic economy.

Sincerely, Hajji Dr. Roshan Khan National ChairmanUPF Guyana/GUYISFED Rev. Dr. Ronald McGarrell, General SecretaryUPF Guyana/Unification Church

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L B T LUNT.. UNT...B BL B Sunday December 31, 2023

Kaieteur News

In 2023, Guyana’s agriculture sector, under Minister Zulfikar Mustapha, saw remarkable progress. The sugar industry received a substantial $8.1 billion investment, leading to a revitalized GuySuCo with a 22% decrease in government funding reliance.

Production soared to 60,204 metric tonnes, a 28% increase.

Additionally, 52% more land was replanted, and 54% of sugar was sold as packaged products. The sector also welcomed the Albion Gem and Demerara Gold brands, with GuySuCo poised to open new packaging plants.

In the rice industry, paddy production increased by 7%, yielding 653,706 metric tonnes and earning $45.2 billion, $3 billion more than in 2022.

Infrastructure developments included the construction of 17 pump stations and the first conservancy in Region 10. The Mahaica Mahaicony Abary-Agricultural Development Authority upgraded its fleet, and the National Drainage and Irrigation Authority enhanced its excavator and dredge capabilities.

Region Five saw significant drainage and irrigation works, benefiting 28,500 acres of land.

In the Hinterland, a rainwater harvesting project was completed, and a Hinterland Department was established to support local communities. Finally, the government distributed 228 farming leases from 2022 to 2023, boosting agricultural productivity.

These accomplishments highlight Guyana’s unwavering commitment to becoming a regional agricultural powerhouse.

PAGE 07

Kaieteur News

PAGE 8 10

Sunday Monday December May 02,31, 2022 2023

Construction worker Chronicle killed in Enmore accident photographer The scene of the accident at Enmore on Friday night.

A 42-year-old construction worker lost his life on Friday night after the motorcycle he was riding collided with a motorcar along the Enmore Public Road, East Coast Demerara (ECD).

Dead is Joshua Savory of Nabaclis Village, ECD. This publication learnt that the accident occurred around 23:25hrs on Friday and involved motorcycle CL7067 and a motorcar bearing registration PAF3878, driven by a

resident of the Essequibo Coast.

Kaieteur News understands that moments before the collision, Savory was heading east on the roadway, while the car was stationery on the northern side of the road. Suddenly, the car reportedly turned onto the roadway into the rider's path. Savory attempted to swerve to avoid hitting the car.

However, he collided with the right front door of the vehicle.

As a result of the collision, Savory

was thrown off his motorcycle and onto the roadway where he sustained injuries about his body.

Emergency Medical Technicians (EMT) who responded to the incident pronounced the motorcyclist dead at the scene.

His body was then taken to the Memorial Funeral Home, where it is awaiting a post-mortem examination.

The driver was taken into custody and is assisting police with investigations.

sent on leave over sexual harassment allegations

A

s e n i o r photographer attached to the Guyana Chronicle was sent on leave by the management of the newspaper after one of his colleagues reported to the Alberttown Police Station that he sexually assaulted her twice in December.

The Guyana National Newspapers Limited (GNNL) in a statement on Saturday, said the alleged incidents, which are reported to have taken place on December 22, 2023, and on December 27, 2023, were brought to the attention of the company's management on the afternoon of Friday, December 29, 2023, - after a police report was made at the Alberttown Police Station.

The lodging of a formal complaint led to the arrest of the male employee, the G N N L s a i d .

On becoming aware, the GNNL said it promptly initiated an internal inquiry.

“Furthermore, the company has fully cooperated with the Guyana Police Force in their investigation.

Additionally, the male employee was immediately sent on administrative leave pending the outcome of the police investigation,” the company said.

It noted that it places the highest priority on the safety and well-being of our employees, and we are dedicated to conducting a comprehensive and equitable investigation into t h i s i s s u e .

The company remains dedicated to nurturing a workplace culture that prioritizes respect, equality, and safety for all employees, the GNNL said adding that it will maintain our commitment of full cooperation with the authorities.

Reports are that the photographer was released on bail on Friday night.

Ex-cop found with assault rifle, ammo in East La Penitence -Police

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ollowing a chase, police on Saturday morning arrested an ex-cop who was seen moments earlier by the lawmen holding an assault rifle in East La Penitence on Saturday morning.

According to the police, around 10:15 hrs. on Saturday, ranks were on mobile patrol on Freeman Street, East La Penitence, when they saw the man standing on a bridge, holding an AR-15 rifle in his hand and a pink and gray haversack on his back.

On seeing the ranks, the

man ran away, the police gave chase and subsequently apprehended him.

The man was found with the assault rifle with a magazine containing 19, live .223 ammunition rounds and one. 223 spent shell.

In the man's haversack was a Glock 9mm pistol with magazine without ammunition. In addition, he had a .32 magazine without ammunition.

The 23-year-old, unemployed man of East La Penitence is presently in custody assisting with investigations, police said.

Sunday December 31, 2023

Kaieteur News

PAGE 09

President Ali has to control what his officials say and do

T

he biggest winner in St Vincent on t h e 1 4 t h December was not Guyana or Venezuela. The “Argyle Declaration for Dialogue and Peace” represented a victory of regionalism demonstrating that Latin America and the Caribbean could take care of its own affairs.

The key figures in that victory were the Prime Minister of St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Dr. Ralph Gonsalves, and the President and Foreign Minister of Brazil. It was they who brokered and acted as interlocutors for the talks, showing that dialogue, rather than a show of force, could ensure peace within the region.

Brazil, however, must now be ruing its involvement in this matter. Following the issuance of the Argyle Declaration, Guyana, in one of the dumbest political decisions ever made has allowed a British warship to undertake a mission into its waters.

This decision amounts to a flagrant violation of the letter and spirit of the Argyle agreement. It has led, naturally, to a complaint by Venezuela and its decision to counter the warship gambit with its own defensive military exercise.

The Argyle agreement which had been so carefully and skillfully negotiated in S t . Vi n c e n t o n 1 4 t h December is now thrown into confusion. Guyana has openly violated its spirit and letter, as has Venezuela’s r e s p o n s e t o G u y a n a ’s

mistake.

The Brazilian Foreign Ministry has been forced to issue a statement diplomatically castigating Guyana. In a tone of exasperation and frustration, Brazil has had to lecture Guyana to the effect that military demonstrations of support – a clear reference to the presence of the British vessel in Guyana – must be avoided so that the ongoing dialogue process, initiated by the Argyle agreement, can produce results.

The statement is a clear indication to Guyana that its actions in permitting the British vessel to come to G u y a n a w a s counterproductive to the decisions taken at Argyle.

Brazil noted that both Guyana and Venezuela had agreed to cooperate to avoid incidents that could lead to an escalation of the situation – a clear reference that the presence of the warship had the potential to escalate tensions.

But in an absolutely arrogant defense of its decision one local Foreign Service official was quoted as saying that only Guyana will determine what it does in its territory. This official misses entirely the point.

No one is questioning Guyana’s sovereign right.

Guyana at all times has the right to excise sovereign decisions as to what happens in its territory. But in so doing, it has to be prudent and not take actions that can aggravate tensions and violate agreements into which it has entered.

Guyana does have the

right to invite any military vessel to its country. But it has to be cognizant that in the context of the present situation and in conformity with the Argyle agreement that the presence of a British warship at this time, and one which it has been reported is here in solidarity with Guyana, can have one effect and one effect only: the escalation of tensions between Guyana and Venezuela.

The exercise of a country’s sovereign rights does not mean that any invitation should be accommodated. Suppose, Russia, a country with which Guyana has relations, asks to send a vessel to Guyana for friendly exercises. Given Guyana’s stance on the use of force in relations between states, would Guyana have allowed that request? It is not in Guyana’s interest to do so, regardless of its right to do so.

F o r t u n a t e l y, t h e President of Guyana has taken a conciliatory tone, no doubt seeking to minimize the damage caused by the presence of the warship. He has indicated that no other country has anything to fear from activities within Guyana. He has said that Guyana eschews aggressive acts against others. And President Ali has even skillfully extended an olive branch by sending greetings to the people of Venezuela.

What President Ali has done is smart statesmanship and shrewd diplomacy, as part of his government’s damage control measures.

What was written by the

Foreign Ministry official belies flattering categorization in diplomatic parlance.

The lesson here, and the lecturing that Guyana has been subjected to, is as a consequence of diplomatic inexperience, and perhaps the manner in which decisions are made within the government. If the government had been more experienced it would have consulted widely before it took the decision to accommodate the British warship’s presence.

The Ali administration has been suckered by western imperialism. The United States and Britain see themselves as the policemen of Caribbean disputes. They want to be able to manipulate relations in the hemisphere.

They do not wish for the region to do what was done

in the run-up to and at Argyle: finds ways of resolving its own disputes.

Brazil took a pro-active stance as soon as Venezuela announced its intended referendum. It rallied its troops to the border with Venezuela thus signaling its concern over a possible invasion of Guyana. It called for both sides not to do anything to inflame tensions.

Through President Lula it sought to diffuse tensions by promoting dialogue. Its efforts have been despoiled

by Guyana’s decision to permit a warship to enter its waters.

Brazil has always been a counterpoint to Venezuela’s aggression against Guyana.

Possibly the only reason why Venezuela has never invaded Guyana is because of the stance that Brazil has always taken in relation to the

territorial dispute between Venezuela and Guyana.

Whether Brazil will continue to play that role f o l l o w i n g G u y a n a ’s thoughtless decision to have a British warship in Guyana at this time, is left to be seen.

The damage has been done and it is left to the President to advise his subordinates to be careful with what they say in the circumstances.

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

PAGE 10

Kaieteur News

Sunday Monday December May 02,31, 2022 2023

Kaieteur News

Sunday December 31, 2023

PAGE 11

BLUNTNESS ON INDECENCY! In case you haven’t heard, please be informed that as part of our continued effort to channel positive changes in our country, our publisher, Mr. Glenn Lall, has dedicated our Page Seven to be “BLUNT” about on-going indecency in our land that should matter, not only to us at this publication, but the entire nation.

SUNDAY – DECEMBER 24, 2023 500,000 barrels per day! A celebration or a wakeup call?

P r e s i d e n t A l i , Vi c e President Jagdeo, Let's cut to the chase.

Your country is making headlines as a rising global oil titan, but let's not kid ourselves – the people on the streets are not experiencing that prestige in their daily grind. 500,000 barrels of oil production per day is a wakeup call, not a cause for celebration. You are sitting on a goldmine, yet many of your citizens are barely scraping by. They probably feel like hungry children, watching their parents throw a lavish party in a mansion while they starve.

Four years of oil flowing do the people have enough to show for it? Development takes time – sure, we know that.

But the people need to feel like they are walking side-by-side with you in this g r o w t h j o u r n e y. T h e y deserve to feel change that satisfies them, to understand why it is taking an eternity for their lives to get better. It is high time you make them a part of this journey, not just bystanders watching their country's wealth pass them by.

MONDAY – DECEMBER 25, 2023 Peace and good tidings to all Christmas is a time of peace and good tidings.

We at Kaieteur News are happy to have patterned with you in bringing to the public's light all of the atrocities of this society.

We cannot begin to count all the wrongs being done to citizens by their leaders, who continue to be aiding and abetting foreign investors.

We hope and pray that this period, recognizing the birth of Jesus which ushered in salvation for men, will be the springboard from which our lives will be changed and our governance improved.

Merry Christmas!

WEDNESDAY – DECEMBER 27, 2023 20 months later…

Exxon yet to update

Stabroek Block resources December 26, 2023 marked 20 months since the ExxonMobil-led consortium has updated the total discovered resources in the Stabroek Block.

ExxonMobil's last resource count update, dated April 26, 2022, declared the recoverable resource for the Stabroek Block at nearly 11 billion oil-equivalent barrels, following discoveries at the Barreleye-1, Patwa-1, and Lukanani-1 wells. However, since then, Exxon has announced seven more significant discoveries, but the resources count remains unchanged.

Many local transparency advocates have reasoned that Exxon as well as the government have shown no interest in making the update known to avoid fuelling calls for a renegotiation of the lopsided Stabroek Block contract.

Time has not only proven this to be true, but also demonstrated once again, that with a spineless government, Exxon has the freedom to dictate how much we get to know about our resources.

THURSDAY – DECEMBER 28, 2023 Benefits of Ring-Fencing “All I want is for the Guyanese Politicians to ringfence each new oil project, starting with the 6th one. If that is done, the trauma, the burden, and hardships, will no longer be on the Guyanese people's backs.

All of Guyana's 83,000 square miles, can be transformed with better wages and increased old age pensions, and the country can also upgrade its water and electricity supply, and assist Guyanese with the combating the high cost of living.

The revenues to be earned by ring-fencing the oil projects, can build and upgrade highways and transform the country's medical facilities,” Kaieteur News Publisher, Glenn Lall FRIDAY – DECEMBER 29, 2023 When Burke takes centre stage Second Vice President, Bharrat Jagdeo yesterday

held an –end-of-year press conference to talk about Rickford Burke. Could you imagine with all the worries and troubles in this country, Burke who comfortably lives in the United States becomes a major topic at the end-ofyear news conference of the Second Vice President?

But then again, we are not all together surprised, after all his government has performed so poorly that there is hardly anything to talk about.

The year is being closed without an independent monitor for the oil sector, although his government boasts about transparency

and accountability. His government is yet to put systems in place to independently verify daily number of barrels being produced.

His government is still to sign a parent company guarantee for oil spills.

No audit has been completed and the reports are being withheld from the public.

Besides, interest rate on Exxon's investments here is still a secret and there is no transparency in the use of the Natural Resources Fund.

When you add that to the chaos in government, no wonder Burke had to take

centre stage at what should have been an occasion for him to report on government's performance.

SATURDAY – DECEMBER 30, 2023 Government must respond to Chris Ram's shocking discovery Chartered Accountant, Christopher Ram has revealed a shocking discovery with respect to Guyana's Natural Resource Fund (NRF).

The NRF, comprising royalties and profit oil sales, is overstated by a staggering $274.8 billion, a result of the

government's failure to adhere to the Stabroek Block Production Sharing Agreement.

Instead of transferring taxes to cover ExxonMobil's obligations to the Guyana Revenue Authority, the funds remained in the NRF. The nation's Audit Office overlooked this in its financial report, giving the fund a misleading clean bill of health.

This financial debacle, unaddressed since at least 2021, highlights the government's dismal management and lack of response to such crucial fiscal matters.

Kaieteur News

PAGE 12

WEEK-IN-REVIEW SUNDAY Govt. shows outstanding courage with Maduro but weak when facing ExxonChris Ram To its credit, the Guyana Government has displayed outstanding courage, bravery and embrace of love of country when countering t h e a b s u r d e ff o r t s o f Ve n e z u e l a n P r e s i d e n t , Nicholas Maduro to seize the Essequibo Region. But when it comes to ExxonMobil, the whole approach is different weak, spineless and an embrace of the oil companies which should be guests of the country and the holders of licences to participate in the development of the patrimony of the people.

This is the essence of arguments recently made by Chartered Accountant, Christopher Ram in his 116th column published by Stabroek News.

In that commentary, Ram e x p r e s s e d h i s disappointment that the I r f a a n A l i - l e d Administration refuses to ring-fence production projects from exploration projects in the Stabroek Block which results in Guyana losing billions of dollars in revenues. Readers would recall that ringfencing is used as a tool to ensure that exploration projects are financed by funds independently provided by the oil companies: that there is no crossing over of revenues from a successful project to cover the exploration expenses of another.

In the absence of ringfencing, Ram showed that Exxon can redirect oil profits from existing projects which should be shared between the oil companies and the Government to exploration and production programmes under licences from the Government. Ram lamented that this is another raw deal for Guyana since the oil companies now benefit from that money without any loss or any return from that type of abuse. According to Ram, Guyana essentially makes itself an investor for Exxon’s projects but has no seat at the table nor does it have any say in decision making for those projects.

Ram expressed distress that top finance experts in the Government do not

recognise that even if exploration is successful, there is a time value of money, and that Guyana should not be financing exploration in the first place.

He also said these experts should recognize that the risks to the oil companies are halved when Guyana’s oil profits repurposed and that the country is still bound to give all kinds of benefits to the oil companies, including paying their taxes. Noting that this amounts to a de facto rearrangement of the contract, Ram asked rhetorically why the government does not correspondingly reduce by 50%, the value of the taxes which it pays out of its share of profits.

Ram also noted the abhorrent effect of the stabilization clause in the Production Sharing Agreement (PSA) that governs the Stabroek Block.

Ram said this PSA essentially strips Parliament, a key vessel of Guyana’s statehood, of its most essential power and function, and that is the power to “make laws for the peace, order and good government of Guyana.”

(Article 65 of the Constitution).

Referencing the said clause, Ram said subArticles .1 and .2 state: “Except as may be expressly provided herein, the G o v er n men t s h all n o t amend, modify, rescind, terminate, declare invalid or unenforceable, require renegotiation of, compel replacement or substitution, or otherwise seek to avoid, alter, or limit this Agreement without the prior written consent of Contractor.

The Agreement further notes, “After the signing of this Agreement and in conformance with Article 15, the Government shall not

increase the economic burdens of Contractor under this Agreement by applying to this Agreement or the operations conducted thereunder any increase of or any new petroleum related fiscal obligation, including, but not limited to, any new taxes whatsoever, any new royalty, duties, fees, charges, value-added tax (VAT) or other imports.”

Ram pointed out that this state of affairs will not only be obtained for one year, five years or 10 years but until 2057 In light of the government’s refusal to make zero changes where the foregoing matters are concerned, Ram said, “The inevitable conclusion is that in standing up to Maduro, the Government has been commendably courageous, demonstrating fortitude and spine. But when it comes to Exxon, this Government is totally supine.”

K/News Publisher appeals to politicians to ring-fence all new oil projects The Publisher of Kaieteur News, Mr. Glenn Lall is appealing to Guyanese politicians to ensure future Stabroek Block projects are ringfenced, beginning with the sixth development, Whiptail.

Lall has been on the forefront of calls for a renegotiation of the repulsive agreement Guyana signed with ExxonMobil for several years; however, he urges that such a change can be implemented without touching the contract. In a public comment, Lall said this was his only Christmas wish.

The businessman said, “All I want is for the Guyanese Politicians to ringfence each new oil project,

Chartered Accountant, Chris Ram

Sunday December 31, 2023

the coming year, by fencing every new oil project as a Christmas gift, so we can all breathe and enjoy our oil wealth?”

MONDAY

starting with the 6th one. If that is done, the trauma, the burden, and hardships, will no longer be on the Guyanese people’s backs.”

He reasoned that Guyana’s 83,000 square miles can be transformed with better wages and increased old age pensions and the country can also upgrade its water and electricity supply and assist Guyanese with the combating the high cost of living.

Importantly, Lall pointed out that the revenues to be earned by ring-fencing the oil projects can build and upgrade highways and transform the country’s medical facilities.

Ring-fencing simply means that each oil project must pay for itself. In this manner, Guyana can enjoy 50 percent of all revenue generated at that development after costs have been recovered by Exxon. In the absence of this provision, Guyana has been losing profits to pay for exploration and development costs in the Stabroek Block.

To t h i s e n d t h e newspaper Publisher said, “Fence those new oil projects and our children will have the best quality education, in comfort and style. Fence the oil projects and Guyana will never have to run to foreign banks for loans, Guyana can become lenders rather than borrowers, fence every new oil project and our present and our children’s future is secure and set for generations to come.”

Lall explained that Guyana is presently foregoing over US$4 billion a year in profits to Exxon and will continue to lose more revenue by failing to ringfence the future projects. He questioned the logic for this even as the country struggles to repay its close to US$4B debt. Already, Guyana has granted Permits for five projects, Liza One and Two, Payara, Yellowtail and Uaru,

respectively.

A sixth development, Whiptail, is currently pending the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA’s) approval.

In making his case for the new projects to be ringfenced, the businessman reasoned that the country still does not have independent meters on the three Floating Production Storage and Offloading (FPSO) vessels in operation and has not capped the interest rates being charged on the oil companies’ investments. He also expressed concern that thorough audits are not being conducted on the multibillion US-dollar expenses being incurred by the operator of the Stabroek Block.

Lall said, “They not (thoroughly) reviewing and auditing each project cost, not receiving a cent tax from its oil resources, not verifying or scrutinizing the monthly expenses by the oil companies, not demanding full protection / compensation from an oil spill to this entire region and all its people, but as the Publisher of the Kaieteur News, I am willing to bypass all those misdeeds, and mismanagement of the oil sector.

I am willing to turn a blind eye and a deaf ear to all of the above mentioned. All I am pleading for is to fence all the new oil projects that VP Bharat Jagdeo is about to hand Exxon.”

He pointed out that ringfencing is a key provision that has been implemented by oil producing countries around the world, referencing neighbouring Belize and Suriname as examples.

In his appeal to the Guyanese politicians, Lall said, “Look how everything in this country is dull and dark at this time, all because those five oil projects were not fenced. Could you guys show the nation some light in

Ram exposes Jagdeo’s misleading claims on ring-fencing on oil projects - says VP must seek guidance in understanding Guyana’s oil laws - maintains country is de facto investor for Exxon’s projects There are a series of challenges and weaknesses in the petroleum sector, which if not urgently addressed, will morph into crises with severe consequences for the country and its people. So said Christopher Ram, attorney-at-law and chartered accountant in an extensive interview at the invitation of Kaieteur News to discuss recent comments made by Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo about him at his latest press conference at Freedom House.

Ram made it a condition of the interview that he would not be revisiting that counterproductive road but rather to address the substantive issues dealt with by the Vice President, namely Ram’s assertion that the Government has become a de facto investor in exploration and prospecting activities of the Stabroek block, that the 2016 Petroleum Agreement with ExxonMobil does not permit ringfencing and the PPP/C’s new mantra of sanctity of contract.

Ram identified as grave, the challenge of credibility, which some even consider one of trust and integrity; a challenge of policy; a challenge of execution; a challenge of institutional capacity; a challenge of understanding the basic tenets and principles of the 2016 Petroleum Agreement; a challenge of execution and even a challenge of simple bookkeeping. According to the commentator, his instinct preferred the word “crisis” to “challenge” but opted for the lesser word in order to give the Government both space and early warning to act and avert the inevitable, disastrous and costly consequences which inaction will bring. Ram (Continued on page 13)

Kaieteur News

Sunday December 31, 2023

From page 12 attributed the credibility challenge as stemming from the Government’s and the PPP/C’s complete reversal of its position on renegotiation of the 2016 Petroleum Agreement expressed unequivocally by President Irfaan Ali and his Vice President over the three years 2018 – 2020. First it was Jagdeo in 2018 during the Motion of No Confidence, and again by him in a radio interview December 2019. In fact, Jagdeo mocked the Granger Administration for signing a “zero royalty, no taxes, no ringfencing” contract even after “three billion barrels of proven reserves” had been found. Ram noted that Jagdeo was not speaking in his personal capacity or expressing a personal view, and that no less a person than PPP/C’s presidential candidate and now President, Dr. Irfaan Ali in an interview with the Guyanese Critic in February 2020 was equally unambiguous and convincing. Ram noted that in response to a follow-up question by Critic after he had spoken at some length on his position on renegotiating the contract, Ali concluded with the commitment to “review and renegotiate”. Ram said the evidence is there for the world to see, again and again, and it cannot be wished away or erased.

Ram also expressed disappointment that not only has that pledge to the electorate of the country has not been honoured, but the Government has shown that it could not and would not even meet the lower standard of “better contract administration”. Obsessed with party and political control, Ram said Jagdeo has also reversed himself on an independent, professional Petroleum Commission, preferring loyalists to competence. As a result, Ram said Guyana has run into problems

affecting two successive audits of the petroleum operations, and too many exploitable loopholes in a local content framework which result in periodic foreign exchange shortages.

Ram also addressed Jagdeo’s rejection of his claim that Guyana is a de facto investor in petroleum operations. Jagdeo said he has not seen any borrowing by the government injected into the petroleum sector hence Guyana cannot be considered an investor.

According to Ram, Jagdeo knows as well as anyone that borrowings are only one form of financing of investment. Ram said, “As any company finance executive, or any review of financial statements of Banks DIH or DDL would elucidate for him, there are two other principal methods - raising money from shareholders via equity or preference shares, or retained earnings of the company.”

Ram also claims that the Vice President must be aware that Exxon has been permitted to use and claim as cost recoverable expenses, expenditure on its new head office building at Ogle. He said too that Jagdeo is also aware that Exxon’s participation in the gas to shore project will utilise revenues from petroleum that would otherwise be available as profit oil of which the government would have been entitled to 50%. “It is a logical corollary that by virtue of being a 50% participant in profit oil from the Stabroek block, Guyana is bearing 50% of all cost, contractually or otherwise deemed recoverable,” Ram said.

Ram then turned to Jagdeo’s statement that the Stabroek Block Agreement does not allow for ringfencing. Emphasising that he wanted to be entirely respectful to the Vice President, Ram suggested that Mr. Jagdeo should seek some

guidance on regulation 18 of the Regulations made under the Petroleum Exploration and Production Act of 1986.

Regulation 18 states: “A petroleum prospecting or production license …. shall be in the form of form C or form D, as the case may set out in the Schedule, and shall incorporate the conditions subject to which [the licence] it is granted, and which are subject to such modifications as the Minister may, from time-to-time order.”

Why should any Guyanese not expect that the Vice President who has held and holds such exalted positions in governments not understand that petroleum activities are governed by laws, and it is his duty to understand what those laws are, the lawyer questioned.

In conclusion, Ram said that there has been nothing done over the past three years to make him optimistic about the future management of the sector and that unless there are radical changes in personnel, policy, implementation and execution, the situation will only get worse. All with grave consequences for Guyana.

Five years later: Guyana still to implement IMF advice to collect capital gain tax in mining, petroleum industries …VP not bothered by companies selling stake Five years after the International Monetary Fund (IMF) recommended that Guyana impose taxes on capital gains from the transfer of interests in the mining and petroleum sectors, companies operating within the country can still be selling their stakes without facing taxation.

A recent report by Kaieteur News highlighted a Canadian gold

GPHC

First Lady Mrs. Arya Ali holds a newborn baby on Christmas Day as the proud mom looks on.

PAGE 13

Vice President (VP), Bharrat Jagdeo company’s announcement of its intent to sell an 11.7% stake in its mining project in Guyana to a United States firm for approximately CDN$22 million.

This move comes at a time when the IMF’s recommendations on the taxation of capital gains remain unimplemented.

In its 2019 study titled “Extractive Fiscal Regime Review, Volume Two: Mining Sector,” the IMF addressed the taxation of capital gains arising from interest transfers in the mining and petroleum sectors.

The report discussed the significance of capital gains tax (CGT) application to these transfers and emphasized the inadequacy of taxing rules, particularly for indirect transfers.

The IMF noted that several transactions involving the transfer of mining or petroleum rights have resulted in substantial capital gains.

It was highlighted that the existing Production Sharing Agreements (PSA), which currently exempt gains derived from PSA assignments from both income tax and CGT, regardless of the transferee’s affiliation.

The financial institution said that the issue of whether to tax capital gains on the transfer of mining or petroleum rights raises concerns about government revenue timing and potential implications on future revenues.

The IMF said that taxation could act as an early revenue source, but it might subsequently reduce future income due to deductions by the transferee against future revenues.

Ultimately, the IMF recommends Guyana impose taxes on capital gains from interest transfers to balance these concerns.

Regarding recent developments, G2 Goldfields Inc., a Canadian-based company, disclosed its agreement with AngloGold Ashanti (AGA) to sell an 11.7% stake in its Guyana mining project for CDN$22,050,000. The deal aims to fund exploration activities at G2’s Oko project, subject to customary closing conditions and exchange approvals. The agreement includes provisions granting AGA preemptive and top-up rights for future security issuances by G2. However,

the completion of this strategic investment remains contingent upon the execution of definitive documentation, encompassing customary closing conditions such as approval from the TSX Venture Exchange. The subscription is anticipated to conclude in January 2024, subject to fulfilling these conditions.

The sale of shares to AGA will be conducted through a private placement in the United States, following exemptions from registration requirements under the United States Securities Act of 1933 and Canadian securities laws.

The shares will be subject to a fourmonth hold period in accordance with Canadian securities laws.

Dan Noone, CEO of G2, expressed optimism about AGA’s investment, highlighting its potential to support their projects in Guyana. AGA also expressed confidence in G2’s exploration properties, recognizing Guyana as part of the promising Guiana Shield, renowned for its significant gold reserves.

On Thursday, during his weekly press conference Vice President (VP), Bharrat Jagdeo was asked about what Guyana receives when companies sell shares in their mining projects; to which he responded that it is a regular occurrence of companies selling their mining stakes in the context of global business. He emphasized the significance of these transactions and their adherence to established contracts. “We are not a stone age country…So now, they may sell it.

What we have is the original agreement. The original agreement says for anyone who comes to develop the project, ultimately, they will get x-concessions but they have to be in the corporate tax like in mining, they have to pay corporate tax, and they have pay 8% royalty…” Jagdeo said.

He continued, “So whoever develops the project, have to still give the Government of Guyana their taxes…and pay the royalty from which we get our revenue.”

“So the investor may change.

But that’s a normal thing of business, Global Business. So this happens routinely, routinely,” the Vice President added.

WEDNESDAY Guyana reaches 4th year of oil production – yet to independently verify daily number of barrels being produced – still no signed parent company guarantee for oil spills – no audit completed; reports withheld from public – interest rate on Exxon’s investments still secret – no transparency on use of NRF Kaieteur News – Guyana on (Continued on page 14)

Kaieteur News

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From page 13 December 20, 2023, commemorated its fourth successful year of offshore deep water oil production.

ExxonMobil is the operator of the prolific Stabroek Block where more than 11 billion barrel of oil resources have been discovered since 2015.

Although production activities commenced just over four years ago, the government of Guyana is yet to implement key strategies for the prudent management of the resources and measures that allow for public oversight and accountability.

Guyana’s first Floating Production Storage and Offloading (FPSO) vessel, the Liza Destiny Guyanese have been protesting for changes to the abrasive terms of the contract signed with Exxon and Co-Venturers Hess and CNOOC, however, even without bringing the companies back to the negotiating table, government can implement measures that allow greater governance of the sector which is now the key driver of this country’s economy.

No meters to verify production rates Four years after commencing production activities on the country’s first Floating Production Storage and Offloading (FPSO) vessel Guyana has not implemented systems to verify the daily number of barrels being produced by ExxonMobil.

The country has not only started up two more FPSOs without independent meters to verify production but has also to date sanctioned a total of five projects, with a sixth currently pending approval.

In the meantime, Guyana is dependent on the production statistics reported by the operator of the projects.

No signed parent company guarantee for oil spills Another major gap in the regulatory aspect of the sector is the lack of a signed parent company guarantee to protect the country from bearing the financial burdens of an oil spill.

With an already meagre share of profits from the rapidly developing sector, Guyana can be left to foot the costs of an oil spill that occurs in the Stabroek Block. A spill can affect more than 10 Caribbean

Sunday December 31, 2023

Guyana’s first Floating Production Storage and Offloading (FPSO) vessel, the Liza Destiny

countries; however, the country only has a US$600 million insurance and a US$2 billion guarantee from ExxonMobil, which experts say would not be sufficient to clean up a potentially massive spill.

Two Guyanese had taken the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to Court for failing to secure a signed guarantee from the parent company of ExxonMobil Guyana Limited (EMGL)- formerly Esso Exploration and Production Guyana Limited (EEPGL).

The Court on May 3, 2023, ordered the oil company to provide the signed guarantee to cover costs above the limited insurance, but that ruling has been appealed and is ongoing before the Court. In the meantime, EMGL has reportedly lodged a US$2B guarantee; requests for the document to be made public have been repeatedly ignored by policymakers.

No audit completed; reports withheld from public Since oil was found by Guyana in 2015, only two audits of Exxon’s expenses have commenced. Both processes have not been completed to the disappointment Chief Policy maker for the sector, Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo.

He has repeatedly expressed discontent with the lengthy duration of the review process but maintains that the technical analysis by

the Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA) must not be compromised.

Back in April this year, Jagdeo said, “The criticism about the length of time it is taking is fair, but this audit is being done between GRA and the Ministry of Natural Resources with a minimum o f 2 0 t e c h n i c a l s t a ff (overlooking the process) …”

The first audit was conducted by a British firm, IHS-Markit. The contract was awarded by the Coalition government in September 2019 for the company to review some US$1.6 billion in costs incurred by Exxon during the period 1999 to 2017.

A second audit contract was awarded by the incumbent administration in May 2022 for a local consortium, VHE supported by an overseas company, to undertake a US$7.3B review o f t h e o i l c o m p a n y ’s expenses racked up between 2018 and 2020.

There has been public outcry since both audit reports, though handed over to government have not been shared publicly. The first report was leaked rather than officially shared through government channels. The second report however remains hidden from the public.

Interest rate on Exxon’s equity still secret ExxonMobil for the past four years has been using Guyana’s oil to repay itself and co-venturers for its

equity contribution or investments into the development of the Stabroek Block resources.

These investments, as rightfully pointed out by VP Jagdeo attracts an interest rate. Be that as it may, the chief policy maker for the sector has outrightly refused to disclose the cost of financing for the projects.

At a press conference in June this year, he explained, “Regardless of whether you make the financing in the form of a loan or equity you have to get a rate return.

There is a cost of capital and that is how it is”.

This newspaper in a follow up question to the former Head of State’s remarks queried whether there was a standard rate Guyana is paying. The subject of a standard rate is particularly significant, given that Guyana has already been warned by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) that the country could lose massive revenue by failing to cap the interest rates on the investments for its oil projects.

The IMF said it is an industry norm that the government of the day disallows interests from being recovered on loans.

Even if this is allowed, the administration sets a cap or limit to prevent the full interest amount from being recovered. The IMF pointed out that Guyana not only allows the recovery of the interest but also sets no cap.

However, in response to

the specific question the former President told this newspaper, “We are not paying anything. The Government of Guyana is not paying anything because they have to raise the financing using the best efforts; the cheapest cost of financing that is what they are supposed to do as a company, so this is what can be analyzed even when you look at the cost bank.”

Before further questions could be asked, Jagdeo requested that the press conference “move on”.

No transparency on use of oil money The National Assembly in December 2021 passed a Natural Resources Fund Act to govern the revenue earned from the petroleum industry.

It earmarks specific guidelines for the use of the funds. However, there has been no indication from government as to a single project financed from this revenue stream to date.

The first withdrawal from the account was made in May 2022. Parliamentary approval was granted for the sum of US$607.6 million to be transferred during the fiscal year 2022 and another US$1.002 billion in 2023.

Section 16.2 of the NRF Act explains that “All withdrawals from the Fund shall be deposited into the Consolidated Fund and shall be used only to finance – (a) national development priorities including any initiative aimed at realizing an inclusive green economy;

and (b) essential projects that are directly related to ameliorating the effect of a major natural disaster.”

Government has not identified what are the “national development priorities” being funded by the oil revenue. The country is therefore in the dark regarding the use of the funds.

With little transparency regarding the use of G u y a n a ’s o i l w e a l t h , International Financial Analysts worry that the revenue may not be used to develop the country and improve the lives of its poor citizens.

For instance, Director of Financial Analysis at the Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis (IEEFA), Tom Sanzillo recently pointed out that the government has not been prioritising saving the funds generated from the industry like Norway but has instead embarked on a massive infrastructural and energy development scheme which may very well benefit its partner, ExxonMobil more than the citizens in the country.

He reasoned, “It may work to Exxon’s benefit to put in new roads, it may be Exxon’s benefit to build a new gas plant but they don’t need that kind of electricity system in Guyana and who knows if they actually need the roads that are being built because there is no public process so what you have is a plan and the plan is to use the money to keep the existing political structure in power and that’s what is going to be done.”

Meanwhile, Director of Energy at Americas Market Intelligence, Arthur Deakin, also shared the view that government lacks a clear structure on how the resources from this sector will be used to transform the lives of Guyanese.

He noted that Guyana’s oil sector has been moving at one of the fastest paces known in the industry; however, when it comes to translating that wealth to the population, this has been taking some time. In fact, the specialist pointed out that for the wealth to benefit the population, it would require structural planning by the administration.

To this end, Deakin said, “The government lacks a clear vision, a clear plan on how it’s gonna spend the (Continued on page 44)

Kaieteur News

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Agriculture Ministry records outstanding achievements for 2023

Agriculture Minister, Zulfikar Mustapha

· 60,204 metric tonnes of sugar produced in 2023, a 28% increase over 2022 · Rice earnings approximately $45.2 billion, $3 billion more than 2022 · 17 pump stations under construction; first conservancy completed in Region 10. · $62.1 million spent in the Deep South Rupununi area, benefiting 800 farmers. · Hinterland Dept. established to support Toshaos with planting materials and livestock distribution

By Kiana Wilburg Agriculture Minister, Zulfikar Mustapha was pleased to announce yesterday that a number of outstanding achievements were recorded by the sector in 2023.

Starting with the sugar industry, he noted that there was an investment of $8.1 billion to c o n t i n u e t h e m i n i s t r y ’s revitalization effort.

The minister said, “I made this point two weeks ago in parliament.

We will be seeing less and less dependency (on the Treasury) in terms of bringing back the Guyana Sugar Corporation (GuySuCo) to the where we want it.

“In this regard, we have actually seen a 22 percent decrease of funding we have requested from the government for GuySuCo this year when compared to 2022…”

Even with reduced funding, much was achieved, said Mustapha

as he noted that the Rose Hall estate was reopened on September 20, 2023. He said to date production there has totaled 1,031 metric tonnes. Overall, he said the sugar industry will close 2023 at 60, 204 metric tonnes. He said this is a 28 percent or 13,155 metric tonnes increase when compared to the production of 47,049 metric tonnes in 2022.

The minister said too that 52 percent more land was replanted this year, totaling 4020 hectares compared to 2640 hectares in 2022.

“We have seen a further 54 percent of sugar production was marketed as bagged or packaged sugar in 2023 as compared to 48 percent in 2022. We will continue this aggressively and in the last supplementary we had, I made the point that we are focusing heavily on mechanization across the industry…we will convert over 5000 hectares of land over the next

two years so we can facilitate mechanical harvesting and loading,” the minister said.

Mustapha also shared that GuySuCo commenced the construction of the Albion and Blairmont packaging plant to increase the production of value added packaged sugar, adding that, two new packaged brands were launched. They are the Albion Gem and the Demerara Gold Sugar stick sachet. In terms of employment, he said the sector has seen 4692 new employees since 2020. Kaieteur News understands that the total workforce at the end of 2023 is 8,294.

RICE In 2023, Minister Mustapha said there was a seven percent increase in paddy production which translates to the production of 653,706 metric tonnes. This is 43,111 metric tonne increase in production in 2023 compared to

2022 production of 610,595.

In terms of earnings, Mustapha said the rice sector raked in approximately $45.2 billion. He said this is $3 billion more than 2022.

Minister Mustapha said, “We have new markets in different parts of the world and due to the efforts of our robust research team, we are working on the renovation of our plant breeding labs at the Burma Rice Research Station. We are hoping to do more research so we can bring out more high yielding varieties.”

The minister was also pleased to share that his ministry has ensured eight drying floors have been constructed across the country. In this respect he said the Black Bush Seed Processing Facility has started operations.

“That was down for a number of years and that will produce close to about 6000 bags of paddy for

approximately 600 farmers,” the minister said.

Over the next few years, he said works will continue on the expansion of these types of facilities across the country.

INFRASTRUCTURAL DEVELOPMENTS Minister Mustapha was keen to note that drainage and irrigation saw significant advancements including the works on the construction of 17 pump stations across the country. He was also pleased to share that Region 10 was able to get its first conservancy which is now supporting the production targets many farmers have their eyes on for 2024.

In terms of equipment, Mustapha said the Mahaica Mahaicony Abary - Agricultural Development Authority (MMA/ADA) which had three dilapidated excavators have (Continued on page 43)

Kaieteur News

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Sunday December 31, 2023

Prison Service saves $26.8M this year through meat, crop production venture …1520 inmates equipped with skill sets to aid reintegration As the Guyana Prison Service (GPS) works to sharpen its focus from being a penal to a correctional institution, its agriculture programme has proven to be a sustainable and cost-saving venture, with the total value of crops and meat produced by inmates through the drive being $26.8M for 2023.

Director of Prisons, Nicklon Elliot, while acknowledging the sustainability of the agriculture venture, noted that there is more room for growth and development in the coming years, the Prison Service noted in a post on its Facebook account over the weekend.

It was noted by the prisons that its “Grow More campaign” has inspired the expansion of the agricultural drive, “allowing more inmates to benefit from skills training that can aid their personal productivity both inside and outside of prison, post-release.”

At the moment, inmates at all correctional institutions, except for Camp Street Prison, are engaged in agricultural production, the Prison Service said.

The Prison Service said it is putting strategies in place to increase the quantity of

Vegetables harvested by inmates through the Guyana Prison Service agriculture programme. (Photo: Guyana Prison Service)

output from farming activities, and management continues to collaborate with specialist agencies to improve farming operations and yields.

Meanwhile, the Prison Service noted that for 2023, a total of 1520 inmates across the country have completed

training in a number of technical and vocational skills, in keeping with the entity’s aim of promoting a smooth reintegration into society.

Ta s s a M c G a r r e l l , Prisoners’ Welfare and C o r r e c t i o n a l O f f i c e r, highlighted that throughout

2023, inmates were engaged holistically in training programmes based on need after a thorough assessment was conducted by the Sentence Planning Unit at each location, followed by concurrence with the Sentence Management Board.

During the execution of the programmes, inmates are carefully assessed and recommended for the Fresh Start Kit, the Prison Service said. According to McGarrell, the department is cognizant of a need basis, and as such, incorporated programmes in order to meet inmates at his/her level.

It was noted that the training programmes were executed through collaborative efforts from various ministries, internal and external facilitators. In addition, throughout the year, a number of programmes were done simultaneously at each prison location with the aim of preparation for reintegration.

Emphasis was placed on specific areas including literacy, family reconciliation, anger management, culinary art, food and nutrition, domestic violence, Men on Mission (MOM) sessions,

citizenship, carpentry and joinery, welding, masonry, plumbing, as well as animal and crop husbandry.

According to Elliot the training, which is aimed at promoting the social reintegration of prisoners, is part of the implementation of the national strategy of demilitarization of prisons in Guyana.

Elliott also noted that, as the Prison Service transitions from penal to correctional, the focus is being placed on forming partnerships with the private sector to offer inmates the opportunity to meet the growing demand for labour.

Inmates with a bountiful harvest of carambola fruits. (Photo: Guyana Prison Service)

Sunday December 31, 2023

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s l l a f r e t a W The

CoronetI

...an immigrant story of starting a business while navigating cultural differences

Some of the creative pieces done by the talented Angela.

Young Entrepreneur, Angela Caroline Devera-Persaud

Guyana Animation Network (Inc) and GAN Studios launch screenwriters database

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Kaieteur News

Sunday December 31, 2023

a n a u Sheq older H a h Akes

Captivating Guyanese beauty, Shequana Akesha Holder hails from Queenstown, Essequibo Coast. Shequana’s goal is to become a successful entrepreneur. She hopes to one day have her very own modeling agency and to do her part in helping to empower young people in society. This beauty is currently pursuing a Bachelor of Science Degree in Business Management at the University of Guyana. Her other interests include singing, dancing, and modeling. Shequana’s favourite quote is by Tim Mc Graw, “Chase your dreams, but always know the road that will lead to your home again”.

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Kaieteur News

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Outfit ideas for every New Year’s Eve event Love it or loathe it, New Year’s Eve is coming and bringing with it a whole host of sartorial dilemmas.

Whether you’re welcoming in 2019 by drinking overpriced plonk in a bustling bar, attending a civilised gathering with friends or lounging in front of the TV sipping on prosecco, your outfit is key.

No matter what your plans, your ensemble can make or break your night; if you’re heading out until the wee hours, comfy heels are a must, while a house party calls for a lowkey glittering ensemble.

Luckily, we’ve got all the outfit inspiration you need to get the new year started in style.

Staying in If you’re planning on a cosy night in with the family, nibbling on left over mince pies and tuning in to Jools Holland’s Hootenanny then comfort should be your main priority.

Here, you are ultimately left with two choices; slum it in sweats or slip into something sparkly.

Of course, the former is entirely acceptable when dodging the world of triple-priced taxis but there’s no reason you can’t zhoozh up an otherwise mundane experience by dressing up a little.

When embarking on a more subdued celebration, we suggest

opting for a comfy pair of wide-leg trousers and a sparkly top teamed with heeled mules that can be slipped on and off at your leisure.

Simply turn up the heating, fill up your glass and watch the bells ring in 2019.

Dinner date If you’re welcoming in the new year at a fancy restaurant, chances

are you’ll be dressing to impress but it’s important to think practically too.

For full-on festive twinkle, a dress might be your go-to, but to strike the perfect balance between dressed up and comfortable, we suggest wearing a glitzy skirt with a lightweight turtleneck sweater and court shoes.

This way, your outfit will be ritzy without going OTT. Top tip: wear a dark colour up top in case of wine or food spillages and opt for a showstopping eye look rather than lipstick so you can enjoy your meal smudge-free.

Grown-up house party House parties are without a doubt one of the best ways to

celebrate New Year’s Eve. You’ve got all your friends under one roof, limitless booze and the freedom to whip off your heels should the mood strike.

When it comes to what to wear, you can get away with wearing something a bit more revealing as you’ll be indoors all evening, but you want to be comfy too.

In this case, a failsafe strappy jumpsuit is king. It’s an option that can be as gaudy or understated as you like, and sequins never go amiss – but if you’d prefer to invest in a black number that will see you through to midnight and beyond, add a little sparkle with accessories instead.

Out on the town Heading out with the girls for a night on the tiles? Then you’re going to need an impressive party outfit because if you can’t go all out for new year, when can you?

Unsurprisingly, sequins and velvet are taking centre stage this year but if you’re feeling a little fed up with the festive fabrics, opt for equally striking metallics instead.

Your carte blanche for dialling up the glam and gleam, we suggest ditching the mini dress in favour of a power suit, which should be worn with stiletto heels and heaps of attitude.

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New Year’s Resolutions to add to your list

Cook more of your meals

By Davina Bagot

A

s the year winds down, we often find ourselves drafting resolutions to make the year ahead more progressive.

A key element of New Year’s resolutions that is often left out is reflection of the past year.

Reflecting on what you have achieved as well as some bad choices made and the overall turnout of the 12 months you had to reach certain goals, is critical to planning your year ahead.

Some people are reluctant to set goals or even resolutions, but the truth is that, failing to prepare is preparing to fail! After reflecting on the past year, I’m certain you would have at least three things you want to add to your New Year’s Resolution list. Here are a few you may consider adding to your list: 1. Visit somewhere you have never visited Traveling helps to ease tension and helps one to relax, especially if you are fond of the outdoors.

Guyana is full of breathtaking scenery and beautiful resorts across the country. In the New Year aim to visit new places.

2. Drink more water A good investment for the year ahead is an attractive water bottle, the ones with the measurement that helps you keep track of the water you consume.

Water is more important to our

bodies than we know, especially in today’s world where the climate is heating up. In 2024, try to use more water!

3. Invest or save a portion of each pay cheque In Guyana we like to say, “save up a little for the rainy days”.

Saving part of your monthly, weekly or fortnightly cheques or investing same can help you prepare for a bigger goal, like purchasing a new car or buying a house.

Drink more water

The small deposit into a puzzling cup can amount to more than you might even know.

4. Try not to buy stuff you don’t need Adults usually find themselves shopping for items that may not be necessarily needed. By trying to avoid this in the year ahead, you can focus more on funding the priority areas such as grocery or rent, or even savings!

5. Visit the dentist regularly A very important part of hygiene is oral health. In the year ahead prioritize regular visits to the dentist to ensure you take care of your teeth by brushing and flossing daily and using mouth wash.

6. Let go of hurt and grudges Sometimes letting go of the hurt caused by loved ones can be difficult and takes time. In the new year make a conscious decision to let go of hurts and grudges with family, friends, work mates or school colleagues.

Keep in touch with people that matter Life can be busy, full of unexpected events, chores and responsibilities. We all know a

An exciting in-country travel awaits. This is an aerial view of the breathtaking Sakaika Falls (Source: President Irfaan Ali Facebook page) person or two who only call when they need something.

Many of us lost dear ones this year; try to stay in touch to avoid living with regrets.

7. Find a new hobby Tired of the same list of hobbies? Try new things, and challenge yourself to get out of your comfort zone and add a new hobby to your list.

8. Make more meals at home In the year ahead, try to cook more of your meals at home. Not only can you make sure it’s safer for consumption and would avoid food poisoning, but you would also save a pretty penny.

9. Avoid people with negative energy Our environment can sometimes be clogged with negative energy emanating from people who are bitter towards life and find a reason to complain about everything!

Visit the dentist

Make the bed every morning

This can affect your mental health and drain your energy as you try to share a word of encouragement.

If you find yourself feeling down after an emotional movie or television series, try to keep away from those and reach for the comedy or action genre instead.

10. Make your bed every morning A simple every morning chore that can transform the look of your entire bedroom, is simply making the bed. Be sure to add this to your list of New Year’s resolutions for 2024!

11. Make time for yourself at least once a month At least once a month, do something that makes you happy.

Go to the movies, take yourself to dinner, get a haircut or your nails done.

Remember to take care of you because no one else truly can!

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Kaieteur News

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Kaieteur News

Sunday December 31, 2023

g tin s... s e er re Int eatu Cr

The Naked Mole Rat

According to National Geographic, there are many different kinds of mole rats.

However, the best known of them all is probably the naked mole rat.

This creature’s hairless, tubular, wrinkled body makes it appear a bit like a tiny walrus—or perhaps a bratwurst with teeth.

Naked mole rats are rodents, but they live in communities like those of many insects, National Geographic noted. Several dozen rats live together in colonies led by one dominant rat—the queen. As in some insect species, it was noted that the queen is the only naked mole rat female to breed and bear

young.

Worker animals dig the burrows that the whole clan inhabits, using their prominent teeth and snouts.

They also gather the roots and bulbs for the colony to eat. Other rats tend to the queen.

Researchers have found that the rodent is native to the Horn of Africa and parts of Kenya, notably in Somali regions. It is closely related to the blesmols and is the only species in the genus Heterocephalus.

Typical individual rats are 3 to 4 inches long and weigh 30 to 35 grams . Queens are larger and may weigh well over 50 grams , the

Singer Paula Abdul

Paula Abdul sues ‘American Idol’ executive producer for sexual assault Paula Abdul is suing Nigel Lythgoe over claims that the former ‘American Idol’ and ‘So You Think You Can Dance’ producer sexually assaulted her while she was filming the competition television shows.

The singer-dancer claims in the lawsuit, filed in Los Angeles County Superior Court on Friday (Dec. 29) and obtained by Billboard, that Lythgoe sexually assaulted her on two occasions. The first instance allegedly occurred during one of the early seasons of ‘American Idol’ and the second took place in 2014 when she was in talks to judge ‘So You Think You Can Dance’.

Abdul, 61, alleges in the suit that Lythgoe, 74, first sexually assaulted her in an elevator of a hotel where they were both staying while traveling for one of Idol’s “initial seasons.”

It does not state a specific year the alleged incident occurred.

“Lythgoe shoved Abdul against the wall, then grabbed her private parts and breasts, and began shoving his tongue down her throat,” according to court documents. “Abdul attempted to push Lythgoe away from her and let him know his behavior was not acceptable. When the doors to the elevator for her floor opened, Abdul ran out of the elevator and to her hotel room. In tears, Abdul quickly called one of her representatives to inform them of the assault, but ultimately decided not to take action for fear that Lythgoe would have her fired from ‘American Idol’.”

Abdul’s complaint claims that Lythgoe sexually assaulted Abdul again in 2014 when she was approached for a judging position on ‘So You Think You Can Dance’. The alleged incident took place during a dinner at his home where the two (Continued on page 32)

largest reaching 80 grams.

They are well adapted to their underground existence. Their eyes are quite small, and their visual acuity is poor. Their legs are thin and short; however, they are highly adept at moving underground and can move backward as fast as they can move forward. Their large, protruding teeth are used to dig and their lips are sealed just behind the teeth, preventing soil from filling their mouths while digging.

Naked mole rats are primarily preyed upon by snakes—especially the Rufous beaked snake and Kenyan sand boa—as well as various raptors.

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Sunday December 31, 2023

Ring in 2024 with a Spectacular Bash at Yoruba Singers’ New Year’s Night Ball

The Yoruba Singers

This is your chance to twirl, dip, and dance into the New Year with your special someone or a group of friends. Don’t miss out on the opportunity to secure your spot at this must-attend event. Advance tickets are available now for just $1200 - a steal for an evening of this

caliber. Or, if you decide last minute, tickets at the door are a mere $1500.

So, dress to impress, bring your dance moves, and prepare to be part of a night that will be talked about all year. Let’s kick off 2024 in spectacular style!

Ladies and gentlemen, get ready to experience an unforgettable night of glamour, rhythm, and revelry as the Yoruba Singers host their Grand New Year’s Night Ball on January 1, 2024. This is not just any event; it’s a mesmerizing celebration at the

iconic Transport Sports Club, Thomas Lands, where the air will be electric, and the music will transport you through time.

Imagine stepping into a world where the hypnotic sounds of yesteryear reign supreme. The Yoruba Singers, renowned for their

soul-stirring melodies, are set to headline this dazzling event, promising a night filled with enchanting tunes and heartpounding beats. And adding to the sonic spectacle is the dynamic Mad Max, ready to amp up the energy as the clock strikes 9 pm.

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Sunday December 31, 2023

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This week in History Haiti officially WHO officially uncovers gain independence COVID virus in China from France

December 31 An outbreak of 2019nCoV pneumonia was first identified in Wuhan, Hubei province, China on December 31 2019. With the spread of the new coronavirus accelerating, person-to-person transmission in family homes or hospitals, and intercity spread of 2019nCoV occurred. At least 40,261 cases confirmed, 23,589 cases suspected 909 cases death and 3444 cases cured in China and worldwide 24 countries confirmed 383 cases being diagnosed, 1 case death in February 10th 2020.

At present, the mortality of 2019-nCoV in China is 2.3%, compared with 9.6% of SARS and 34.4% of MERS reported by WHO. It seems the new virus is not as

fatal as many people thought. Chinese authorities improved surveillance network, made the laboratory be able to recognize the outbreak within a few weeks and announced the virus genome that provide efficient epidemiological control.

More comprehensive

information is required to understand 2019-nCoV feature, the epidemiology of origin and spreading, and the clinical phenomina.

According to the current status, blocking transmission, isolation, protection, and alternative medication are the urgent management strategies against 2019-nCoV.

US handed over control of the Panama Canal to Panama

The Panama canal is a waterway in Panama that connects the Atlantic Ocean with the Pacific Ocean and is a conduit for maritime trade December 31 On December 31, 1999, the United States officially handed the Panama Canal over to Panama’s government, ending a long saga that had started a century and a half earlier.

The Panama Canal (Spanish: Canal de Panamá) is an artificial 82-kilometre (51mile) waterway in Panama that connects the Atlantic Ocean with the Pacific Ocean, cutting across the Isthmus of Panama, and is a conduit for maritime trade.

American dominance over the Canal started to wane in 1978, when the United States and Panama approved the TorrijosCarter Treaties. The Panama treaty talks were initiated in the Nixon administration and

supported by President Gerald Ford. Jimmy Carter changed his public stance against the treaties after becoming President, leading efforts to gain Senate approval in 1978.

The treaties specified that the Canal would be turned over to Panama on December 31, 1999, but the United States had the right to defend the Canal’s neutrality, if needed.

Plans for a trans-Isthmus canal had their roots in the 1850s, when the U.S. and Great Britain negotiated the Clayton-Bulwer Treaty for a canal through Nicaragua. French attempts to build a canal failed in the 1880s, with an estimated 20,000 lives lost in the effort.

Haitian Revolution (1791-1804) January 1 On January 1, 1804, the entire island was declared independent under the Arawakderived name of Haiti.

Many European powers and their Caribbean surrogates ostracized Haiti, fearing the spread of slave revolts, whereas reaction in the United States was mixed; slave-owning states did all they could to suppress news of the rebellion, but merchants in the free states hoped to trade with Haiti rather than with European powers. More

important, nearly the entire population was utterly destitute—a legacy of slavery that has continued to have a profound impact on Haitian history.

In October 1804 Dessalines assumed the title of Emperor Jacques I, but in October 1806 he was killed while trying to suppress a mulatto revolt, and Henry Christophe took control of the kingdom from his capital in the north. Civil war then broke out between Christophe and Sabès Pétion, who was based at Port-au-Prince in the south.

Lord of the Rings author, JRR Tolkien was born January 3 J.R.R. Tolkien was born January 3, 1892, Bloemfontein, South Africa—died September 2, 1973, Bournemouth, Hampshire, England) English writer and scholar who achieved fame with his children’s book The Hobbit (1937) and his richly inventive epic fantasy The Lord of the Rings (1954–55).

At age four Tolkien, with his mother and younger brother, settled near Birmingham, England, after his father, a bank manager, died in South Africa. In 1900 his mother converted to Roman Catholicism, a faith her elder son also practiced devoutly. On her death in 1904, her boys became wards of a Catholic priest.

Four years later, Tolkien fell in love with another orphan, Edith Bratt, who would inspire his fictional character Lúthien Tinúviel.

His guardian, however, disapproved, and it was not until his 21st birthday could Tolkien ask Edith to marry him. In the meantime, he attended King Edward’s

South African Scholar and Author, JRR Tolkien

School in Birmingham and Exeter College, Oxford (B.A., 1915; M.A., 1919). During World War I he saw action in the Somme.

After the Armistice he was briefly on the staff of The Oxford English Dictionary (then called The New English Dictionary).

PAGE 32

Dancers celebrate at the unveiling of the new Shakira statue in Barranquilla on 26 December

Kaieteur News

Sunday December 31, 2023

Huge Shakira statue unveiled in her hometown of Barranquilla A bronze statue of Colombian singer Shakira has been unveiled in her hometown of Barranquilla.

The 6.5m-tall (21.3ft) bronze shows her swivelling her hips in the dance move which featured heavily in her popular Hips Don’t Lie video.

The artist shared photos of her parents in front of the statue on her Instagram account.

Shakira was among the names most searched on Google, according to figures released by the company.

Before the unveiling of the new statue, Shakira hit the news several times this year - most notably when she released a song about her former partner, ex-footballer Gerard Piqué, which broke YouTube records in Latin America.

And again when she settled a tax fraud case brought against her in Spain

by paying a €7.5m (£6.5m) fine.

The unveiling of the statue on Tuesday was attended by Shakira’s parents, William Mebarak and Nidia Ripoll, as well as by the mayor of Barranquilla.

A plaque at the foot of the statue praises the artist for her “hips that do not lie, a unique talent, a voice that moves masses”. It also refers to her charity work through a foundation she created called “Pies descalzos”, Spanish for “bare feet”, which promotes early childhood development.

Shakira thanked the sculptor, Yino Márquez, and his students for the “enormous artistic talent” they had demonstrated by creating the bronze.

The year 2023 was a successful one for the singer, who swept up three Latin Grammy awards, one of them with fellow Colombian artist Karol G.

Paula Abdul sues ‘American Idol’... Diddy Says He Needs More From page 25 were supposed to discuss her professional opportunities, according to the lawsuit.

“Toward the end of the evening, however, Lythgoe forced himself on top of Abdul while she was seated on his couch and attempted to kiss her while proclaiming that the two would make an excellent ‘power couple’,” the complaint states.

“Abdul pushed Lythgoe off of her, explaining that she was not interested in his advances, and immediately left Lythgoe’s home.”

The suit also alleges that Abdul witnessed Lythgoe sexually assault one of her assistants while filming ‘So You Think You Can Dance’ in 2015. Lythgoe allegedly

“pressed himself” against the woman and “began to grope her” without consent, court document states.

The “Straight Up” hitmaker’s suit further claims that Lythgoe taunted her on the phone about his alleged assaults and states that he “clearly knew that his assaults of Abdul were not just wrong but that he held the power to keep her silent.”

In addition to Lythgoe, the shows’ production companies ‘American Idol Productions’, ‘Dance Nation Productions’, ‘19 Entertainment and Fremantlemedia, North America’ are also listed as defendants.

Abdul is suing the defendants for sexual assault/battery, sexual harassment, gender violence and negligence.

Time To Respond To Jane Doe’s Gang Rape Lawsuit Singer Sean P Diddy

S

inger Sean P Diddy and his legal team have reportedly requested an additional three weeks to reply to a Jane Doe’s gang rape lawsuit. He says confidential circumstances beyond his control have made him unable to formulate an adequate response.

His lawyer, Jonathan Davis, explained the request in a court filing obtained by AllHipHop. “Due to circumstances beyond the control of the Combs Defendants, which circumstances are of a confidential nature, we respectfully request that the Court modify the Motion Schedule to extend Defendants’ time to file their opposition to the Motion

from December 27, 2023 to January 17, 2024, and extend Plaintiff’s time to file a reply, if any, from January 8, 2024 to January 31, 2024,” Davis wrote.

The case stems from an alleged incident in 2003 at Diddy’s recording studio.

Jane Doe says she met former Bad Boy Entertainment president Harve Pierre in Michigan when she was 17. Soon after, he forced her to perform oral sex on him while he did drugs.

Pierre then flew her out to New York where she was gang-raped at the studio.

Both Diddy and Pierre have challenged the victim’s right to remain anonymous. Her lawyer, Douglas H. Wigdor, has used her age at the time

of the attack as well as Diddy and Pierre’s celebrity as reasons his client’s identity must remain private The various allegations against Diddy began with Cassie suing him, last month.

The two reached a settlement within 24 hours, but several more alleged victims came forward afterward.

Diddy finally broke his silence on the matter in a statement on social media, on December 6. “Enough is enough,” he wrote. “For the last couple of weeks, I have sat silently and watched people try to assassinate my c h a r a c t e r, d e s t r o y m y reputation and my legacy.

Sickening allegations have been made against me by Individuals looking for a quick payday.”

Sunday December 31, 2023

Kaieteur News

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CONSUMER CONCERNS

New Year Greetings

By Pat Dial May the New Year be the harbinger of peace, prosperity and achievement of aspirations to us all!!

The departure of the Old Year and the arrival of the New Year has always been commemorated in all Civilizations, no matter whether they used the solar or lunar calendar. The lunar New Year falls mostly in March/April while the solar is always on 1st January but whatever calendar they used, human beings, over the millennia, responded in essentially the same way to the passing away of the Old Year and the arrival of the New. There is therefore something inscrutable, something mysterious, in respect of these anniversaries which are explained by the symbolism of the various myths and traditions which have become attached to them over the millennia. Guyana, being a Western country, we share, at this time, essentially the same traditions as other Western countries.

Old Year’s Day is treated as no other day in the year. It is treated nostalgically as the end of an era of one’s existence and this feeling of finality calls upon us to have our accounts closed and all the various facets of our lives brought into orderliness.

Homes are again cleaned and household furniture and equipment are renewed or refurbished as had been done

for Xmas and the Xmas decorations are still kept, but now with new meaning as they move into the New Year and must continue to stand for twelve days until Twelfth Night.

A n o t h e r O l d Ye a r superstition or tradition is that on the last night of the year, demons and evil forces make a last ditch attempt to overcome human beings but are driven away by loud noises and this accounts for the noisiness of Old Year night growing into an explosive crescendo at midnight. In the past, many churches had midnight mass on Old Year’s Night so that the faithful welcomed the New Year in the presence of God. Probably, the most enduring tradition of Old Year’s night is the balls and dances which erupt into loud noise at midnight followed by the singing of the Scottish song Auld Lang Syne to welcome the arrival of the New Year.

The arrival of the New Year is always regarded as the opening of a new era of existence when human beings are presented with a new opportunity of correcting the failings and omissions of the past and moving forward into greater creativity. Accordingly, this is manifested in the making of New Year Resolutions which are really an attempt at New Year planning. Such planning could include the re-establishing contact with friends and relatives who could be lost forever if this is

not done as Auld Lang Syne reminds us; make the effort of grappling with and eliminating the various things which we have kept putting off over the months and years and which will disastrously overwhelm us except they are brought under control.

The technique of doing this is by, Living in the Present, that is do not dwell on the Past or Future since they do not exist; it is the illusion of the Past and Future which overwhelms us. This is one of the messages of Lord Buddha

and is elucidated by the wisdom teacher Echart Tolle whose offerings could be heard on the Internet.

This method is reinforced by the Stoic teaching of Marcus Aurelius who tells us in his “Meditations” to live every day as if it were the last day of our life.

T h e s e N e w Ye a r resolutions we have mentioned so far are purely personal but our homeland is in a very singular position unlike any other country in the world: it has suddenly become an Oil-rich country which is working to fend off

the Resource-Curse syndrome and at the same time it faces an existential threat from Venezuela where Guyanese nationality could be extinguished in a few days and these two happenings though strictly national are so closely intermeshed with the personal existence of every Guyanese citizen that they have imperceptibly become subjects for personal resolutions of which we give two examples: “We resolve to enlighten ourselves fully with all aspects of the G u y a n a / Ve n e z u e l a controversy and never to

give succour, wittingly or unwittingly, to the enemy and to lend our unstinting support to those who are confronting the enemy”.

And secondly, “we commit ourselves to learn about the workings of the Oil economy and the activities which are being used to fend off the Resource Curse and the Dutch Disease and to critically examine them”.

Guyanese have an interesting New Year to live through with the surety that the wishes and aspirations of Peace and Prosperity will materialize in their lives.

Kaieteur News

PAGE 34

Sunday December 31, 2023

Twins a day apart to woman pregnant in each of her two uteruses

CNN - An Alabama woman with the rare condition of two uteruses, and who became pregnant in each uterus earlier this year, gave birth to twins last week a day apart.

After a combined 20 hours of labor, Kelsey Hatcher gave birth to her third and fourth children, a set of rare twins, on Tuesday and Wednesday of last week, according to a news release from the University of Alabama at Birmingham Hospital.

Hatcher was induced at 39 weeks and throughout labor had twice the

monitoring and twice the charting and was assigned two labor and delivery nurses, the release says.

Baby A, named Roxi, was born vaginally at 7:45 p.m. on December 19.

“There was a cheer from everyone in the room when the first baby was delivered, but there was another baby left,” Dr. Shweta Patel, Hatcher’s obstetrician, said in the news release. “Kelsey was essentially laboring in the left uterus while simultaneously undergoing the postpartum process in the right.”

W h i l e h a v i n g

contractions with Baby B, Hatcher was already breastfeeding Baby A, Patel noted.

And nearly 10 hours later, Baby B, named Rebel, was delivered by Cesarean section at 6:10 a.m. on December 20.

“After such a long and crazy journey, it meant the world to see both of my girls together for the first time,” Hatcher said.

Kelsey Hatcher gave birth to two girls after becoming pregnant in her rare double uteri earlier this year.

According to doctors, the girls are technically twins despite having two different birthdays and being in two wombs during pregnancy.

“I think it is safe to call the girls fraternal twins,” said Richard O. Davis, professor in the UAB Division of Maternal-Fetal Medicine and a doctor who c o - m a n a g e d H a t c h e r ’s pregnancy.

“At the end of the day, it was two babies in one belly at the same time. They just had different apartments,” Davis added.

Case studies estimate the chances of pregnancy like this – a woman with two uteruses carrying a baby in each one at the same time – at around 1 in 2 billion in the general population, though it’s impossible to know for sure with something this infrequent.

“Never in our wildest dreams could we have planned a pregnancy and birth like this, but bringing our two healthy baby girls into this world safely was always the goal, and UAB helped us accomplish that,” Hatcher said, “It seems appropriate that they had two birthdays, though. They both had their own ‘houses,’ and now both have their own unique birth stories.”

Hatcher, who spoke to

Kelsey Hatcher gave birth to two girls after becoming pregnant in both of her two uteruses earlier this year.

Kelsey holds Roxi on the left and Rebel on the right.

CNN earlier this year, was born with two uteruses, a condition called uterine didelphys.

At her first ultrasound appointment, about eight weeks into pregnancy, things took an unexpected turn. The ultrasound technician quickly found the baby and told Hatcher everything looked perfect. The baby was healthy.

Then Hatcher remembered to tell the tech that her anatomy was a little different.

An Alabama mom is pregnant in each of her two uteruses in an extremely rare case of twins “So if you’re scanning and maybe catch a glimpse of it or something, don’t think it’s just something random or there’s something wrong. There is a totally separate uterus there,” said Hatcher.

Hatcher said the ultrasound tech thanked her for letting her know and said she would just take a quick peek at the second uterus to make sure everything looked good. “And as soon as she moved the ultrasound wand over to the other side of my belly, I said, ‘Oh, my gosh!

There’s another one.’”

Hatcher didn’t even need to be told there was another baby. She could see it herself.

“The nurse practitioner that I met with that day, she was just blown away. She said, ‘I’m not even sure what the statistics of this are,’ “ Hatcher recalled.

Hatcher says she got lucky, in a way, because some women with uterine didelphys have only one working uterus; the other can’t support a pregnancy.

But her medical records show that she has carried babies in both of hers, just never before at the same time. The unusual anatomy also had a visual difference.

In certain positions, she had not just one baby bump but two, she said.

When she lied in her recliner in the evening, “the girls will separate, almost, and you can see vividly the two separate wombs, because there’s a big gap in my stomach where they fall to one side or the other.”

The long, long odds The odds are mindboggling. About 3.6 million babies were born in the US last year, but only about 114,000 of those births were twins, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In other words, about three sets of twins are born for every 200 live births, according to the CDC, and two of those sets are likely to be fraternal, which means

they come from two separate fertilized eggs.

Hatcher’s condition is rare, too: About 1 in 2,000 women is born with uterine didelphys.

Scientists may have found the cause of morning sickness and see hope for treatment In order for her to become pregnant in both of her uteruses at the same time, two eggs had to be fertilized, one in each uterus. Like most women, Hatcher has two ovaries, the glands that store and release eggs. Each of her ovaries feeds a single uterus.

Typically, ovaries take turns releasing eggs, sending one into the uterus each cycle for a chance at being fertilized.

Occasionally, however, an ovary may release more than one egg during each cycle, a phenomenon called hyperovulation.

Hyperovulation hasn’t been extensively researched, but one 2006 study of 500 women found that about 1 in 5 of them was able to hyperovulate. But even for those women, it doesn’t happen each cycle. When it does, sometimes a single ovary may release two eggs.

And even more infrequently, both ovaries will release a single egg at the same time, which is what happened in Hatcher’s case.

Hatcher was about seven times more likely to win a Powerball jackpot and about 131,000 times more likely to get hit by lightning at some point in her life.

Kaieteur News

Sunday December 31, 2023

PAGE 35

‘One Life to Live’ star Kamar de los Reyes Dead at 56 ‘One Life to Live’ star Kamar de los Reyes died on Sunday in Los Angeles shortly after being diagnosed with cancer, a representative for his family confirmed to PEOPLE. He was best known for playing villain Antonio Vega on the ABC soap opera from 1995 to 2009.

De los Reyes also starred in Sleepy Hollow and most recently appeared in seven episodes of the hit CW show All American as Coach Montes from 2022 to 2023.

He also voiced the character of Raul Menendez in the popular video game franchise Call Of Duty and had a stint on the hit ABC show The Rookie.

According to a statement issued by representatives for

his family, De los Reyes was born November 8, 1967 in San Juan, Puerto Rico and grew up in Las Vegas loving to sing and dance. He came to Los Angeles in the ’80s to fulfill his dream of being an entertainer.

In 1994 de los Reyes originated the role of Pedro Quinn in the criticallyacclaimed off-Broadway play, Blade to the Heat. Next, he played Ferdinand a Shakespeare in the Park production of The Tempest.

Over the years, he also added films including Nixon and Salt to his resume.

De los Reyes is survived by his wife, actress Sherri Saum, and his sons Caylen, 26, from a previous relationship, and twins Michael and John, 9, whom

he shared with Saum. He also is survived by brothers Daniel and Walfredo, Jr., sisters Lily and Ilde and parents Matilde and Walfredo.

In his most recent Instagram post, de los Reyes was a proud dad, celebrating his eldest son’s most recent milestone.

“Always knew you’d do great things - never dreamed how great. My pride to have you as my son overwhelms me,” he wrote.

At the time of his death, de los Reyes was filming All American and had shot roles in Hulu’s upcoming limited series Washington Black, starring Sterling K. Brown.

He also had a role in M a r v e l ’s u p c o m i n g Daredevil series.

‘One Life to Live’ star Kamar de los Reyes

The Color Purple has surpassed $25 million at the box office, outgrossing several other major 2023 releases The movie is based on the 2005 Broadway musical inspired by the 1982 novel

by Alice Walker. Based on the novel by Alice Walker, ‘The Color Purple’ is a drama-musical film by director Blitz Bazawule.

The film centers on Celie, a young African American woman living through the tumultuous era of the early 1900s in the South who finds her independence through a budding sisterhood that she cultivates over decades.

It took only two days for it to reach this box office milestone. ‘The Color Purple’ has already passed a major box office milestone.

The new movie is based on the Broadway musical of the same name by Brenda Russell, Allee Willis, and Stephen Bray, which was in turn based on the 1982 novel

by Alice Walker. The movie, which is set in the American South during the early 20th

A scene from the movie, The Color Purple century, follows a woman named Celie (Fantasia Barrino), who finds strength from her connections with the women in her life, including her stepdaughterin-law Sofia (Danielle Brooks) and nightclub singer Shug Avery (Taraji P.

Henson).

As Per Variety, ‘the Color Purple’ box office has added an additional $7.1 to its gross in North America on the post-Christmas Tuesday.

This has brought its cumulative total to $25 million, meeting that

important benchmark in just two days. The movie has already outgrossed the complete runs of several major 2023 titles, including Strays ($23.9 million), Renfield ($17.3 million), Expend4bles ($16.7 million), and The Last

Voyage of the Demeter ($13.6 million).

It remains to be seen how quickly ‘The Color Purple’ release will climb up the annual domestic chart for the year as its run extends into early 2023. However, its 2day total is more or less unprecedented for modernday December musicals. The most recent comparable title is likely 2017’s The Greatest Showman’, but that sleeper hit didn’t earn $25 million until the beginning of its second week in theaters.

Check out ‘The Color Purple’s’ total compared with other recent major December musicals below: Currently, domestic projections for ‘The Color Purple’ musical are seeing it leg out to a total around $100 million.

This estimate is based on the rule of thumb that holiday releases like this tend to eventually earn about ten times their opening day

total. However, given the scale that previous musical hits reached in the late 2010s, it’s possible that its domestic total could eventually climb to $170 million or more.

Even if it only crests $100 million, the new musical will reach a m i l e s t o n e o n l y accomplished by 23 other movies this year so far.

If ‘The Color Purple’ reached that titanic box office total, it would become one of the highest-grossing movies of the year. At the time of writing, only 13 movies have grossed more than $170 million in North America, ranging from Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part One at $172.1 million to Barbie at $636.2 million. However, even if it only crests $100 million, the new musical will reach a milestone only accomplished by 23 other movies this year so far.

Kaieteur News

PAGE 36

Sunday December 31, 2023

The New Year's Gift Junior page

By Manjari Shukla New Year's Eve Little Johnny was very happy today. It was because he was going to market with his father on New Year's Eve to purchase various things, he is sure to like. The market was quite lively, and all the shops were decorated with light bulbs of different shades. Just then, Johnny noticed a shop where a good number of birds were kept in a cage. They were repeatedly hitting their beak on the cage trying to get out. Many of them seemed to be in discomfort.

Johnny felt pity for those birds. When he could not control himself any longer, he went over to the shopkeeper. “Why have you trapped these innocent birds?” he asked him. “Why don't you let them free? It is not fair to restrict anyone's freedom.” “I don't enjoy this,” the shopkeeper replied, “but I don't have any other source of livelihood. I also need money to feed my

Crafts – Party Hats

family.” Johnny looked at his father who put his hand inside his pocket. “What about all those things which you had planned to purchase, Johnny?” he asked. Johnny felt puzzled for a moment, but he had decided that the freedom of those birds was more important than any celebration. He reached out and held his father's hand.

“Dad,” he said, “I can enjoy New Year's Eve with my friends, but these birds will

RY

OET FUN WITH P

Prepare for the New Year

By Uncle Roy Christmas time has come and gone, With much fun and happiness; Now we prepare for the New Year, And we have to get a little serious.

We have to think of different ways To make ourselves better, To do our best in everything, To make our lives become greater.

We will need to help more at home, And work to improve at our lessons, But most of all we have to try To make ourselves better persons.

enjoy it better in the free sky.” His father handed over the money to the shopkeeper, “You can set these birds free,” he said to him, “and from tomorrow onwards, you can join me at the shop. I will convince the owner to give you a respectable job.”

The shopkeeper felt happy and handed over the cage to Johnny, who opened the bolted cage door. All the birds started flying out one after another. Johnny started clapping. “Dad, now they will also enjoy the new year with their family and friends.

I am thankful to you, there could not have been a better gift for New Year's,” said Johnny, relieved. “You deserved that my dear,” said his father as he hugged him.

Materials: · Cardstock: White, Gold (Colours of your choice) ·Printer: to print hat templates · Paint · Scissors ·Trimmings, glitter, c r a f t y p i p e cleaners/decorative wires Instructions: Lay out piles of white, pink, and gold card stock and let everyone decide which colour they want their hats to be.

Print party hat templates on paper, same number of hats you wish to make and trace template onto cardstock. Then set out several decorative trimmings, glitter puff paints, markers, etc. and let guests go at it. First let them Make the hat base by using the template to cut cardstock and apply painted lettering or draw art.

Next adhere the bottom trimmings at base. Use fabric trimmings or pom-poms at the top. Twirl and add crafty pipe cleaners to the top as well.

Connect elastic or decorative strings to the bottom opposite to each other so that the hat will stay

in place when on head. Each person can measure the length of string that is suitable for them.

If you wish to decorate the hat with confetti, you can cut pieces of colourful paper

in triangles, circles and rectangles and apply on the hat.

If you wish you can add the year “2024” to make it more festive.

Happy New Year!

Sunday December 31, 2023

Kaieteur News

PAGE 37

TEEN TIME Make sure you have included the most beneficial resolutions in your New Year list I expect that most people have by now decided, and started working with, the resolutions you have chosen to improve your life in this new year. Anyway, here are some suggestions that you may well consider for adding to those: 1. Start eating healthier food, and less food overall: Along with exercise, switching to a healthier diet is essential for achieving your best physical condition.

This can be very tricky when we are surrounded by cheap junk food.

However, with a good amount of determination and some basic tips, you can slowly develop healthier eating habits. Learn to control eating just because you like fast food, and

choose a diet that is good for your health.

2. Watch less TV: The average person wastes a lot of time in front of the TV, time that could have been better spent developing skills, learning or keeping your body active. Once you manage to cut down on TV time, you will realise just how long and productive a day can really be.

3. Read more: Books are an excellent way to gain a lot of knowledge on a huge variety of topics, and are also a great exercise for your brain. It's not that difficult to go through 20 or more books in a year – you only need to make it a habit, discover your type of booksand find a bit of time for reading

regularly, if not daily.

4. Become tidier: There are a lot of slobs out there who cannot really get their stuff organised, and a cluttered desk or chaotic home will negatively affect your productivity and even your mood. It therefore helps to clear the clutter, clean your house and lead a tidier and consequently a more organised life.

5. Pick up useful skills or fun hobbies: Just sitting around all day would not get you anywhere. It is much better to use your free time in a constructive manner and pick up new skills, while having fun at the same time.

The Future-Youwill be glad that you did. Apart from your present interests, make an attempt to learn new skills and hobbiesin a short time.

6. Manage your time more efficiently: It doesnot matter how much time you have on your hands - if you can't manage it properly, you will just spend most of the day running around aimlessly.

When you start and go through each day in an organisedmanner, there will suddenly be more time to spare and things will start falling into place. Make it a habit,and you will have more time to do what is important, as well as enjoy your newly found leisuretime.

Happy New Year to all Another year has come to a close, We can forget our past troubles and woes; For many, that year was hard and tough, It brought many emotions, tearful and rough.

Now another year is moving fast, Let's hope with love and health it will be a blast; ,May all of your dreams come true And you find peace and love in all that you do.

May this world know the gentle sound of a hush, May it be calm and slow its pace from the rush; May we all always hear the sound of joy, And push away all that hurts, that destroys.

The New Year I hope will be good to us all, Care and calm, a helping hand when we fall; Listen more, slow down, and often say I love you, Stop for a moment; take a breath, take in the view.

Appreciate your family; tell them you care., Do something exciting, a thrill or a dare; Enjoy all that the New Year may give, We have but one life, so let's learn to live.

It's a New Year, a brand new start, Always remember, live and love from your heart; Wishing each and every one a year to behold, And may it be full of wonders for you to unfold.

Plentiful love, hugs, and kisses too, A very happy New Year from me to you.

The New Year always gives us the opportunity to renew our efforts in all we want to achieve

Solutions to last week’s Kakuro

Circle 9 Puzzles Circle one of each digit 1–9, such that each row, column, and 3×3 block contains a single circled number

Spread Christmas Cheer

PAGE 38

9 Top Makeup Trends of 2024, According to Makeup Artists

By Wendy Rose Gould Glowing Natural Skin We've seen a strong pushback against the Instagram-glam look for several years in a row now, with glowing skin iterations ranting from “dewy dumpling” to “glazed donut.”

That natural glowy skin aesthetic will remain strong through 2024, says celebrity makeup artist Sarah Egan, ambassador for Hi Beautiful You. “This year I really saw a shift away from heavier foundations that hid natural skin tone,” Egan says. “Clients want to embrace their skin, so skin tints have really been my go-to choice for almost every makeup look, from natural to glam.”

Naked Lips The perfect complement to fresh and glowing skin is supple, lightly moisturized nude lips, says professional makeup artist Jordan Plath, head of education at Kryolan. For this, the key is to prioritize lip care via gentle scrubs and balms, and to reach for barely-there glosses and lip tints that let your natural lip color shine through.

Girlish Vibes On the coattails of a serious year for Barbie, our experts predict a continuation of that super feminine energy. The 2024 spin is all about “coquette” makeup, which is super flirty and girlish. Think rosy cheeks, glossy bitten lips, doll-like lashes and lined eyes, and soft, feathery brows.

Silver Shimmer Prepare yourself for a megadose of silver shimmer on lids and lips in 2024. It's a perfect high-key way to glam up your look for special occasions. “Beyonce brought this back with her Renaissance tour, and I expect this beauty trend to continue on and evolve in 2024,” says celebrity makeup artist Emily Gray.

Peachy Blush “Warm and peachy blush colors will be prominent in 2024, generously applied to the apples of the cheeks and blended out over a larger area with additional touches of blush subtly added to the eyelids, nose, chin, and forehead creating a warm, radiant glow,” Plath says. You can thank Pantone's color of the year, Peach Fuzz, for this juicy 2024 makeup trend.

Blue Bonanza Alongside peaches and pinks, get ready to dive into a pool of cool tones! One hue that's enjoying a major spotlight is blue, and it's being applied in inventive ways. “This color is being worn via colored mascara, liner, and eyeshadow,” she says. “I love it, and think it looks especially great on those with brown eyes.”

Soft Grunge Speaking of the '90s, this beauty trend is holding on steadfastly and is poised to get even bigger in 2024. The decade's famous “grunge” style is particularly popular, though it has a softer, modern twist.

“We can expect to see a messier application of soft lip gloss in sheer peaches, light berries and pinks, slightly blended out beyond the lip line for a blurred effect,” Plath says. “Smudged eyeliner and softly applied, solid eye shadow in bold colors—reaching from the lash line to the brow—will contribute to this edgy aesthetic, as well as 'brush stroke,' asymmetrical eye shadow in light blues and teals.”

Graphic Eye Makeup You don't have to fancy yourself a skilled artist to get in on the graphic eye action trend that's surging in 2024. Egan says it can be as simple as a double cat eye, an extended liner, or opting for a bright liquid liner over brown or black.

“Some of my favorite colors to play with around the eye are blues, greens, and oranges—they really make the eyes pop and stand out. I think it's a nice segue from the 90s trending makeup that we've seen become all the rage in 2023. For 2024 it feels a bit more futuristic. Almost like outer space.”

Vibrant Pops of Color “I'm really loving the vibrant pops of color models wore on the runway this year for Spring 2024, especially around the eyes,” says Egan.

“You can easily incorporate this look by doing a bright lip or a bold, bright eyeliner, or even a rosy, strawberry cheek.

The pop of color will be the first place that people look, so go with a feature you love to accentuate.”

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Sunday December 31, 2023

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Guyana Animation Network (Inc) and GAN Studios launch screenwriters database

Jubilanté Cutting, Creator of the Guyana Animated Network (GAN)

Screenwriter, Amelia Clover

Guyanese Screenwriter, Xarielle Gittens

Guyana Animation Network GAN (Inc.) teams up with its affiliate studios, GAN Studios, to launch a Caribbean and Guyanese film, TV and animation screenwriters’ database.

The database aims to create a source of Caribbean and Guyanese talent for hire or exposure on both national and international projects as well as a network among Caribbean creators themselves.

The idea to launch the GAN screenwriters’ database was cocreated by Amelia Clover and Xarielle Gittens, both screenwriters and past students of GAN’s

Scriptwriting for Animation Workshops in 2022 and 2023.

Both Clover and Gittens also recently participated in the Animae Caribe Animation and Digital Media Festival 2023 in Trinidad and Tobago as part of the GAN Contingent. At the festival, both writers had the opportunity to meet like-minded creators and engage with industry professionals including producers, directors and TV networks looking for screenwriting talent.

“I was part of a small team representing GAN at the 2023 Animae Caribe Festival and we

were amazed and impressed by the amount of Caribbean and Guyanese talent there,” says Clover, an animation writer and voice-over actor from the United States.

Gittens, a Guyanese screenwriter, added, “We thought, ‘Everyone should be able to work with these people!’ So Amelia and I created this database to help showrunners, executives, and GAN itself cast talent from a wider net.”

Jubilanté Cutting, the founder and CEO of GAN Studios said, “We’re hoping to discover animation writers with a variety of backgrounds/experience... to bring

exposure to writers from the Caribbean and to provide more economic and/or collaborative opportunities for writers to work on diverse projects together.”

The initiative will run from 1st December, 2023 through 12th January, 2024. The Guyana Animation Network (Inc.) is a nonprofit organization based in Guyana with a focus on leading, contributing and activating change

in Guyana’s animation and new media industries.

The current aims of GAN are to provide upskilling and workforce development opportunities for creators in Guyana and the Caribbean. For more information, contact Guyana Animation Network (Inc.) and GAN Studios through their website at https://animateguyana.com/ganwri tersdatabase.

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Sunday December 31, 2023

Young Entrepreneur, Angela Caroline Devera-Persaud

...an immigrant story of starting a business while navigating cultural differences

By Allyiah Allicock

F

“Our role is important to encourage other young ones to follow their dreams and conquer it once they trust and believe in themselves.”

rom a young age, Angela Caroline Devera-Persaud always had an eye for all things artistic. Not letting her love for art go to waste, back in 2019 she took the bold step of opening up her own arts and crafts business.

Angela originally hails from neighbouring Venezuela before migrating with her family to Guyana who are Guyanese migrated some years ago.

Her business called ‘Angie’s Designs Gy’ offers arts and crafts items/services such as hand painted t-shirts and baby onesies, canvas, crocs, cups, necklaces, bracelets, keychains, makeup brushes, makeup bag and face painting services just to mention a few.

In 2019, when the business launched, Angela said she started off with items like handmade painted t-shirts banners and bags and then as time went by, she expanded into creating other products.

Over the four years of being in operation, the 26-year-old explained that the support for her work has been high and low, due to the

fact most of the products are made only by her. She said she is grateful for the support even though she endured the language barrier of having to learn English.

The young woman said being in the place she is in today and having seen her business blossom, was not an easy one at all. She related that for starters it was difficult since she was the only one working and had to fulfill different tasks. She added that another challenge is the “barrier of culture and language, whereas some people do not understand the hard work that artist have and for that reason, it’s hard for them to pay the price of the items.”

Angela said having dealt with that she tried to stay focus and motivate herself in achieving her targets. She noted briefly too that the COVID-19 pandemic which hit in 2020 indeed affected her operations, because at that time persons were not making any purchases. “I was affected just as many other businesses. After that I had to start over from scratch,” she recalled.

Working on expanding and improving her business as the days go by, Angela commented that “the long-term goal really is to one day be able to own a store,” which she said she would properly get to showcase her works.

On the path of fulfilling her own dreams, Angela is of the view that young entrepreneurs have a role in society whereby through their innovation and business ideas, they encourage younger ones to do the same.

“Our role is important to encourage other young ones to follow their dreams and conquer it once they trust and believe in themselves,” she said.

When asked what she thinks can be done locally to put the spotlight on small businesses, she mentioned that there should be events hosted at least monthly where entrepreneurs can go and showcase their works.

Anyone interested in utilizing Angela’s services can reach out to her via telephone numbers (592) 622-5117/612-6522.

Some of the creative pieces done by the talented Angela.

neur

pre Young Entre

Sunday December 31, 2023

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Kaieteur News

Sunday December 31, 2023

Phase Two of the Mazaruni Prison project

Phase Two of Mazaruni Prison rehabilitation project almost completed O

ngoing construction works on phase two of the Mazaruni Prison rehabilitation project will conclude shortly as works on the new structure are 85 percent completed.

This is according to the Guyana Prison Service (GPS), which noted that the project forms part of one of its major developments for the year 2023.

The Prison Service on Saturday stated that the Government of Guyana has taken a serious approach to address the long-term needs of the security sector in terms of modernising correctional facilities and implementing programmes aimed at transforming the lives of inmates. The agency noted that this year, the government allocated $5.5 billion to prisons and that the allocation forms part of the government’s vision of creating a safe and conducive environment for the prison service staff and inmates.

According to the GPS, during the course of the year, out of its five prisons locations, the Lusignan, New Amsterdam and Mazaruni Prisons benefited Upgrades being done at the Lusignan Prison significantly as it relates to building upgrades.

Highlighting some of these upgrades, the Prison Service said rehabilitation of the Mazaruni Prison is a pivotal project aimed at enhancing the correctional infrastructure and that this project has reached 85 percent completion. The works undertaken on this phase of the project costs over $700 million.

At the Mazaruni Prison, works have been ongoing on the extension of ten living quarters dedicated to the prison officers, valued at over G$89 million and currently this more than 95 percent of this project is completed. The Prison Service noted that the construction of the prison’s fence is currently at 95 percent completed and this is being done at a cost of over G$66 million.

With regard to the New Amsterdam Prison, the GPS highlighted that some $‘.7 billion has been injected to enhance the facility to improve living conditions for inmates.

The Prison Service noted that the multi-billiondollar project is divided into ten lots with significant works commenced on Lots two, four, and five.

Briefly, the Prison Service detailed that Lot 2 involves the construction of male and female living quarters and this stands at a cost of over $114 million, Lot 4 is the reconstruction of the Officer’s Sports Club which cost over $50 million, Lot 5 it noted, focuses on the construction of the Reception Building, with a budget of over $413 million.

Notably, Lot 1 of the project involves the construction of a Senior Officers’ Living Quarters and this work is in the mobilisation phase, Lot 3 involves Continued on page 50

Works ongoing at the New Amsterdam Prison

Sunday December 31, 2023

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Venezuela says troops will stay deployed until British military vessel leaves waters off Guyana (AP) — Venezuela said on Saturday it will continue to deploy nearly 6,000 troops until a British military vessel sent to neighboring Guyana leaves the waters off the coast of the two South American nations.

In a video posted to X, Ve n e z u e l a n D e f e n s e Minister Vladimir Padrino appeared surrounded by military officers in front of a marked-up map of Venezuela and Guyana, a former British colony.

Padrdino said the forces are “safeguarding our national sovereignty.”

“Armed forces have been deployed not just in the east of the country, but across the entire territory,” he said.

“They will be there until this British imperialist boat leaves the disputed waters between Venezuela and Guyana.”

The Defense Ministry confirmed to The Associated Press that the video was made at a military base in Venezuela's capital, Caracas.

The video comes after weeks of tensions between the two countries over Venezuela's renewed claim to a region in Guyana known as Essequibo, a sparsely populated stretch of land roughly the size of Florida that is rich in oil and minerals.

Operations generate some $1 billion a year for the impoverished country of nearly 800,000 people that saw its economy expand by nearly 60% in the first half of this year.

Venezuela has long

argued it was cheated out of the territory when Europeans and the U.S. set the border.

Guyana, which has controlled the zone for decades, says the original agreement was legally binding and the dispute should be decided by the International Court of Justice in the Netherlands.

The century-old dispute was recently reignited with the discovery of oil in Guyana, and has escalated since Venezuela reported that its citizens voted in a Dec. 3 referendum to claim Essequibo, which makes up two-thirds of its smaller neighbor.

Critics of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro say the socialist leader is using the tensions to distract from internal turmoil and stoke nationalism in the lead up to presidential elections next year.

In recent weeks, the leaders of Guyana and Venezuela promised in a tense meeting that neither side would use threats or force against the other, but failed to reach agreement on how to address the bitter dispute.

Tensions came to another head with Friday's arrival in Guyana of the Royal Navy patrol ship HMS Trent, which officials said had been taking part in an operation combatting drug smuggling in the Caribbean near the coast of Guyana.

Most recently used to intercept pirates and drug smugglers off Africa, the ship is equipped with

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro cannons and a landing pad for helicopters and drones and can carry around 50 marines.

Maduro said the ship's deployment violates the

shaky agreement between Venezuela and Guyana, calling its presence a threat to his country. In response, Maduro ordered Venezuela's military — including air and

naval forces — to conduct exercises near the disputed a r e a . “ We b e l i e v e i n diplomacy, in dialogue and in peace, but no one is going to threaten Venezuela,” Maduro said.

“This is an unacceptable threat to any sovereign country in Latin America.”

Guyana's government rejected Maduro's c laims, with officials saying that the visit was a planned activity aimed at improving the nation's defense capabilities and that the ship's visit would continue as scheduled.During talks e a r l i e r i n D e c e m b e r, Guyan ese President Irfaan

Ali said his nation reserved its right to work with partners to ensure the defense of his country.

Guyana has a military of only 3,000 soldiers, 200 sailors and four small patrol boats known as Barracudas, while Ve n e z u e l a h a s a b o u t 235,000 active military personnel in its army, air force, navy and national guard.

“Nothing that we do or have done is threatening Venezuela,” Guyana's vice president, Bharrat Jagdeo, told reporters in Georgetown, the nation's capital.

Malaysia anticorruption body probes ex-finance minister for abuse of power (AL JAZEERA)- Malaysia's anticorruption agency has said it was investigating Daim Zainuddin, a former finance minister and key ally of former Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad, under the country's abuse of power and money laundering laws.

In a statement issued on Saturday, the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) confirmed media reports this month that it had seized Ilham Tower, a 60-storey building in Malaysia's capital Kuala Lumpur, as part of its investigation into Daim.Daim, 85, said in a statement on Thursday that he denied all wrongdoing and said he was not informed what offence he had allegedly committed despite repeated queries to the MACC. He also described the probe against him as a “political witch-hunt” driven

Malaysia's former finance minister Daim Zainuddin, shown here in his office, is being investigated for abuse of power [File: Reuters]

by the anticorruption agency and Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim.Anwar, who came to power last year, has promised to weed out high-level corruption. In

March this year, he promised to tackle corruption “without fear or favour“.

But he has also faced accusations by (Continued on page 50 )

Agriculture Ministry records outstanding...

From page 15 upgraded its feel to six functioning ones.

At the National Drainage and Irrigation Authority (NDIA), he said, “We have a pontoon with two excavators in the Pomeroon and we are now building another pontoon with two more excavators. We also have cutter edge dredges which are capable of going into the banks of the outfalls because we have tremendous siltation across the country and we are hoping to have this resolved.”

He added, “We also have long reach, medium reach and mini-excavators being

procured by NDIA. We want to increase that fleet and make it more effective for the rainy season.”

In another two weeks, Minister Mustapha said works will begin on the construction of the canals in Regions Six and Five which are similar to the Hope Canal, located in Guyana's Demerara-Mahaica region.

Minister Mustapha said, “Before the end of February 2024 you will see works commencing on these megastructures and a number of other supporting projects like pump stations and sluices…we will have approximately three in

Region Six and five in Region Five.

I am hoping this will help us in alleviating flooding across the region.”

In Region Five, Minister Mustapha said drainage and irrigation works were done to benefit 28500 acres of land, of which 15,000 acres is new land in the Herstelling, Berbice area.

Turning his attention to the Pomeroon area in Region Two, Minister Mustapha said farmers normally suffer from severe flooding.

To address these issues, he said block drainage is being done. “We are also lifting the beds of these cash

crop farmers to approximately 1.5 meters so they would not be easily flooded out during high tide or heavy rainfall. Over 550 farmers will benefit from this and $1.87 billion will be expended on this,” the minister said.

HINTERLAND PRODUCTIVITY In the Hinterland Region, Minister Mustapha said works have increased with $62.1million spent on completing a rainwater harvesting project in Deep South Rupununi where approximately 800 farmers are spread across 20 villages.

The minister said a

Hinterland Department was also established with the aim of working very closely with To s h a o s a c r o s s communities.

“We are supporting them with planting material and a number of livestock have been distributed. We are now looking to procure machinery for them like excavators and we have already given large tractors to Regions One and Nine to assist with land preparation,” the minister said.

LEASES During the 2015 to 2020 period, the minister said a number of farmers' leases were revoked by the former

administration.

This was reversed by the current regime as Mustapha said 128 leases were distributed in 2022 and 100 were given out in 2023. “So farmers can use these leases as collateral to get loans from the banking sector to increase production levels,” he said.

Overall, Minister Mustapha said these achievements are a testament that the agriculture sector will remain a critical part of Guyana's economy and will no doubt aid in the realization of this nation becoming the breadbasket of the region.

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From page 14 money it’s receiving from the oil revenue, so I think there is a lot of room for improvement.”

Guyana will suffer from resource curse given Govt.’s inaction on proper depletion policy, other issues – Chris Ram Kaieteur News – Chartered Accountant and Attorney-at-Law, Christopher Ram is of the firm conviction that Guyana is facing near-crisis challenges that prevent the efficient utilization of benefits from the oil and gas sector. Among the key challenges he noted, pertains to weak policies over which Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo appears to have sole and exclusive powers.

In an invited comment over the holiday season, Ram said he has long advocated for a depletion policy. Such a document would dictate how fast or slow a nation produces its oil resources. Ram said this weakness was also recently identified by the International Monetary Fund and highlighted in their report following an Article IV Consultation.

Ram also alluded to a report from the Inter-American Development Bank on the country’s capacity constraints, given the size of our population, the skills set available and the poor state of the sector’s legal and regulatory framework. Ram and many others are in favour of a policy that takes a strategically slower approach in producing the 11 billion barrels of proven oil reserves which according to Ram

and others is understated. These reserves have all been in the oil equivalent resources in the ExxonMobil-operated Stabroek Block.

Vice President and exclusive policymaker for the oil sector, Dr. Bharrat Jagdeo has opted for the opposite. Over the years, he has contended that the rest of the world is turning away from hydrocarbons as the main source of energy. He had said Guyana therefore has a small window within which to position itself as a key supplier of advantaged barrels. He has insisted that Guyana must produce as many barrels of oil as quickly as possible before the international community and the availability of alternative energy sources hasten the phasing out of fossil fuel.

While Jagdeo has dictated that this is the depletion policy, it should be noted that there is no actual document on this matter, nor was there nationwide consultation.

According to Ram, it seems that the only persons with whom Jagdeo consults are those from Exxon, with whom the country appears to be developing a symbiotic relationship. Nonetheless, Vice President Jagdeo has said the government has received expert advice from leading authorities such as IHS Markit on these matters, noting that this will be the way forward for the country.

Ram said however that people like IHS Markit and Rystad Energy are interested in securing consultancies and will tell the policymakers and oil companies what they think they want to hear.

According to Ram, former Natural

Sunday December 31, 2023

reflects grave weaknesses in the country’s institutional architecture for the regulation of this sector.

THURSDAY With ring-fencing...

Guyana would have been receiving full 50% today from three oil projects

Chartered Accountant, Chris Ram Resources Minister Raphael Trotman also said that he received expert advice from world class experts that resulted in perhaps the most abominable petroleum contract in the last half century.

Ram asked ironically, “Where have those experts led us?”

Ram also connected the depletion policy to an education and training policy so that Guyanese can land the sector’s high paying jobs. He also advocated for an immigration policy which gives different levels of access to varying categories of persons and nationalities. He said this would ensure the country has the absorptive capacity to transition to a full-fledged petroleum economy without the great risk of the Dutch disease.

By ignoring calls for these various policies, Ram said the government is making it almost inevitable that in addition to the Dutch Disease, the country will suffer at the mercy of its sinister sibling, the resource curse. For readers unfamiliar with the term, the resource curse, also known as the paradox of plenty, refers to a phenomenon where countries rich in natural resources, like oil or minerals, often experience poorer economic growth and worse development outcomes than countries with fewer natural resources. This can happen due to mismanagement, corruption, and neglect of other sectors.

On the matter of execution, Ram claims that the PPP/C administration suffers from the ailment of loyalty over competence and gave as one of his examples, the US$214M audit fiasco involving Senior Petroleum Coordinator at the Natural Resources Ministry, Bobby Gossai. Readers would recall that British company, IHS Markit was hired in 2019 by the Guyana Government to audit ExxonMobil’s expenses in the Stabroek Block from 1999 to 2017, totaling US$1.7B. IHS Markit identified US$214M in questionable sums, which received no objection from the Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA).

D e s p i t e G R A’ s recommendation to conclude the audit at that sum, Gossai continued to negotiate with Exxon for a reduced amount. It was later found

by Kaieteur News that the sum was reduced from US$214M to US$3M. Following public outcry and an investigation on the instruction of President Irfaan Ali, Gossai was found culpable and let off with a warning and fined 15 days’ pay.

Ram also pointed out that the Ministry of Natural Resources is yet to provide strict guidelines on the exercise of discretion over allowable recoverable expenses.

Overall, Ram said the foregoing

Since oil production activities commenced in Guyana, the operator of the Stabroek BlockExxonMobil has deducted more than US$19 billion in revenue earned to cover its investments into the development activities across the massive 26,800 square kilometers block.

In the absence of a key provision known to the sector as ring-fencing, Exxon has spent the earnings from the operational projects for exploration works and to finance projects that are in the pipeline. Had Guyana ring-fenced each project, the country could have already paid off the costs for the three projects that are in operation today.

A ring-fencing provision allows for each project to pay for itself. It would also allow each party to benefit from 50 percent of the revenue from each project after the development costs have been repaid. The first project in the Stabroek Block, Liza One, is pegged at US$3.5B and Liza Two, US$6B. The third project, Payara, costs another US$9B. Together the three projects amount to US$18.5B. Given that Exxon has already deducted US$19B in costs from Guyana’s oil, the three projects could have already been cleared had Guyana implemented a ringfencing provision. This means the country could have already been positioned to benefit from 50 percent of all revenue generated at each of the projects. Despite repeated calls from stakeholders, local and abroad, for the government to ring-fence each Stabroek Block project, the administration has been reluctant to include such a requirement in the new Environmental Permits.

So far, five projects in the Stabroek Block have been approved without this critical governance mechanism. A sixth project application is before the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) awaiting approval. Calls have been made for all future projects in the Stabroek Block to be ring-fenced, however these have since fallen on deaf ears.

In the meantime, Exxon has been utilising resources that should be in Guyana’s purse to finance the Stabroek Block activities. Vice President and chief policy maker for the sector, Bharrat Jagdeo had previously explained that Guyana is foregoing revenue now to gain (Continued on page 45)

Sunday December 31, 2023

From page 44 massive profits in the future.

He said, “We admitted that we are foregoing revenue now in exchange for massive future income because it’s going into new projects that will increase production, and so even with the same share of the 50/50, plus the two percent royalty that the future income, because of the bigger scale will be massive in Guyana’s case and we are deliberately foregoing that in this period for that purpose and then trying to grab this bone now could cause you to lose all the bones, the bigger bones too in the future.”

Even though the country is essentially acting as a coinvestor in the offshore oil activities by funding the development projects, the country does not receive any additional benefits on its “foregone” profits. While the VP is comfortable waiting on the revenue to come in later, the country is faced with the real risk of losing billions, since oil prices are likely to drop in the future as the world transitions to renewable energy.

Cost Recovery It was reported that during the period 2018 to 2020, Exxon racked up some US$7.3 billion in expenses for the petroleum activities in the Stabroek Block.

Meanwhile, in 2021, the company spent another US$610 million, according to its financial statement. In its 2022 Annual Report, ExxonMobil indicated that

US$7.4 billion was deducted to cover its investments in the Stabroek Block.

Additionally, the Bank of Guyana (BoG) in its Half Year Report also revealed that some US$4B was already recovered during the first six months of 2023. This means that between 2018 and June 2023, ExxonMobil and partners recovered a whopping US$19B in costs.

Meanwhile, since oil production commenced, Guyana merely earned US$3,057,571,695.52 (inclusive of profit oil and royalty payments) as at September 20, 2023.

Guyana Post Office still to account for over 300M in old age pension transactions—AG report The Guyana Post Office Corporation (GPOC) has failed to account for $314.872 million in old age pension vouchers for last year, the 2022 Auditor General (AG) report has revealed.

The audit office initially found sum of $516.261 million was owed by GPOC to the Ministry of Human Services and Social Security— which is responsible for the old age pension disbursement.

However, further examination by auditors of the reconciliation statement received from GPOC for the month of December 2022 revealed that GPOC was actually indebted to the Ministry in the sum of $314.872 million leaving a

Kaieteur News

difference of $201.389M between the Cash Book summary and the GPOC Reconciliation Statement.

According the 2022 report, the Head of Budget Agency discovered there is a variation in the amount indebted by the GPOC as recorded by the Ministry and the statement received from GPOC due to the transit time for vouchers to be received by the Ministry from the GPOC. “It should be noted that December coupons are received in January of the following year and recorded at that time in the Ministry’s Cash Book,” the report added.

According to the document an additional $10.360M has not been resolved since the GPOC is claiming that the coupons were submitted to the Ministry but the Ministry has no record of this and it is not reflected in the Ministry’s C a s h B o o k a n d Reconciliation Statement.

The Audit Office recommended that the Head of Budget Agency continues to reconcile the Old Age Pension Account with a view of having the unreconciled difference cleared and ascertain GPOC’s indebtedness to the Ministry.

In addition, the report pointed to an unreconciled difference of $115.931M, an amount was mentioned in the 2019 to 2021 Reports. At the time of reporting in September 2023, the difference remained the same.

The $115.931 million

PAGE 45

Vice President, Bharrat Jagdeo that was previously handed over to the GPOC for the encashment of old-age pension vouchers still remain unaccounted for, and will most likely have to be written off as unrecoverable since the Audit Office has deemed the reconciliation practically impossible.

According to the Audit Report, at the end of December 2019, records showed that the GPOC owed the ministry $944.367 m i l l i o n ; h o w e v e r, t h e c o r p o r a t i o n ’s r e c o r d s showed its balance as owing $732.684 million, a difference of $211.683 million.

Included in the $211.683 million was a recurring balance of $115.931 million deemed an unreconciled difference, and used as a b alan cin g f ig u r e. Th e unaccounted sum was

among several issues dealt with when the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) resumed meetings in May of this year.

The committee deliberated on matters in the 2019 Audit Report under the former Ministry of Human Services and Social Security.

Permanent Secretary of the M i n i s t r y, S h a n n i e l l e H o o s e i n - O u t a r acknowledged that there were lots of errors with the ministry’s cash books, and going back for a number of years, the books were not balanced or prepared properly.

However, she affirmed that the books are being balanced correctly from month to month. The ministry currently has a total of 72,441 pensioners in its system, with old-age pension currently being $33,000 per month. A former Chairman of the GPOC, PAC member and Minister of Public Works, Juan Edghill gave a reminder that some years ago a decision was taken to close the Ministry ongoing accounts and effectively draw a red line and restart the ministry’s books to ensure transparent accounting, going forward.

He questioned how the ministry could still continue to be plagued with issues in its transactions with the GPOC. FRIDAY ‘FEAR NOT MADURO’ -Guyana Govt. says British war ship deployed here no threat to Venezuela -vessel will not be used for offensive actions

The main office of GPOC in Georgetown

In response to statements made by Venezuela in relation to the British

warship en route to Guyana, Vice President (VP) Bharrat Jagdeo underscored Guyana’s support for the December 14 Argyle ‘Peace’ Declaration, emphasising the country’s commitment to non-interference with Venezuela.

“We don’t have any plan to take offensive actions a g a i n s t Ve n e z u e l a … ” Jagdeo said during his press conference on Thursday.

Jagdeo explained that the HMS Trent – an offshore patrol vessel, is part of Guyana building its d e f e n s i v e c a p a b i l i t y.

“Whatever we do here is routine and it has been long planned…not necessarily to fight wars but to police better our exclusive economic zone and our territorial integrity and sovereignty. So we respect the Argyle declaration and President (Nicolas) Maduró needs to understand this,” the Vice President continued.

Bloomberg reported that Venezuela has decided to deploy more than 5,000 soldiers on its eastern Caribbean coast following the announcement that Guyana is receiving a warship from the United Kingdom. “Venezuela has the right to defend itself, to tranquility, to peace,” Maduro said Thursday on state TV, while accusing Guyana of violating an agreement signed two weeks ago to continue talks over the oil-rich territory without the use of arms. “We do not accept provocations, threats from anything or anyone.”

President Maduro said, “I have ordered the activation of a joint action of the entire Bolivarian National Military Armed Force on the eastern Caribbean of Venezuela, on the Atlantic Facade, a joint action of a defensive nature in response to the provocation and threat of the United Kingdom against the peace and sovereignty of our country.”

Responding to the statements coming out of Venezuela, Jagdeo said that, “Nothing that we do or will do have threatened Venezuela, we don’t plan on i n v a d i n g Ve n e z u e l a , President Maduró knows this and he needs not to have any worry about that and he has had that assurance given to him in St Vincent and the Grenadines.”

Jagdeo underscored that Guyana has never done (Continued on page 46)

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From page 45 anything in the past or any of its future actions is to harm or affect Venezuela and the territory of Venezuela.

President Irfaan Ali on Thursday evening echoed J a g d e o ’s s e n t i m e n t , e x p r e s s i n g G u y a n a ’s dedication to peaceful relations and denying any territorial ambitions beyond its borders.

Ali said, “Neither Venezuela nor any other State has anything to fear from activities within Guyana’s sovereign territory or waters. I have reiterated before that we harbor no ambitions or intentions to covet what does not belong to us. We are fully committed to peaceful relations with our neighbors and all countries in our Region. Guyana remains fully steadfast in promoting and advancing peace whilst pursuing national development.”

President Ali said too that Guyana has long been engaged in partnerships with regional and international states aimed at enhancing internal security.

“These partnerships pose a threat to no one and are in no way intended to be aggressive or constitute an offensive act against any State. I wish to renew my best wishes to the people of Venezuela, our neighbours,” Ali added.

The UK Ministry of Defence confirmed that the HMS Trent would take part in joint exercises after Christmas in Guyana. HMS Trent had been deployed to the Caribbean to search for drug smugglers but was retasked after Venezuela’s government threatened to annex the Essequibo region of Guyana earlier this month – BBC reported.

A Ministry of Defence spokesperson told the BBC: “HMS Trent will visit regional ally and Commonwealth partner Guyana later this month as part of a series of engagements in the region during her Atlantic Patrol Task deployment.”

In a statement on Thursday, the Venezuelan Government condemned the arrival of HMS Trent in Guyana waters, terming it a hostile provocation and a b r e a c h o f t h e A rg y l e Declaration, urging Guyana to withdraw the vessel.

S t . Vi n c e n t Ti m e s reported that Prime Minister Ralph Gonsalves said during a radio program, “I was in

Sunday December 31, 2023

HMS Trent, an offshore patrol vessel, will take part in exercises off the coast of Guyana (Getty Images)

President Irfaan Ali

Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo touch with the president of Guyana and the president of Venezuela, with assurances given from either side of commitment to peace and continued dialogue.”

He explained that he read Ve n e z u e l a ’s s t a t e m e n t regarding the UK warship, adding, “They consider this an act of provocation…”

Gonsalves expressed optimism that there will be less activities that could be viewed as provocation.

“What I’m hoping for is that there will be fewer acts, which may be open to the interpretation of provocation or threat, but I’m not expressing a view because I’ve been asked to continue the role of interlocutor.” The prime minister said what transpired at Argyle on December 14 was historic, and he hopes it will continue in that spirit.

303 moms had near-death experience at GPHC —10 died while giving birth, 54 stillbirths recorded For the year thus far, the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC) recorded a total of 10 maternal death cases, signaling a significant decrease from the previous years.

This is according to Head

of the Obstetrics and Gynaecology Department at the GPHC, Dr. Rafi Rozan who made the disclosure during an end-of-the-year press conference hosted by the hospital on Thursday. Dr. Rozan was at the time delivering a brief overview o f h i s d e p a r t m e n t ’s achievements for the year 2023, when he shared the figures. It was noted that last year, 16 maternal death cases were recorded while in 2021, 17 cases were recorded.

In his presentation, he said that seven of 10 deaths were “direct deaths”, another two were “indirect deaths” and one was yet to be classified. According to the Head of Department, direct obstetric deaths are basically due to complication of pregnancy, complication in childbirth, and complication a r i s i n g f r o m mismanagement, whereas an indirect death is basically caused by the pregnancy interfering or worsening an existing condition.

He noted that the majority of the 10 cases were referred to the GPHC from other hospitals including private institutions. “With regards to the maternal deaths for 2023, seven of these deaths were referred to GPHC and of these referrals, six of those referrals were deemed critical. Critical is

being defined as the need for intensive care and admission, so 6 of the seven were basically critical and one was non critical,” he stated. This publication learnt that of the six critical patients, four came to the hospital intubated.

Dr. Rozan went on to explain that of the 10 deaths, three of the women died of ectopic pregnancies, three cases were because of respiratory disorders, another three were because of hypertensive diseases during pregnancy and one was because of hypovolemic shock after a caesarean section (C-Section) operation.

Apart from the 10 cases of maternal deaths, he mentioned that this year they started accounting for “maternal near miss”. He said this is referred to the situation in which a pregnant mother experiences a severe complication during pregnancy, childbirth or within 42 days after delivery once they survive. He shared that maternal near miss is basically an important indicator for the quality of maternal healthcare services and can be used to identify areas of improvement in any healthcare system.

The Head of Department elaborated that for the year so far, they have had 303 patients who were classified as a maternal near miss. “We have identified 303 patients that eventually could have died but survived,” he added.

In his presentation also, Dr. Rozan shared that for the y e a r, t h e d e p a r t m e n t reported 4,860 baby deliveries. Of which 1,569 persons were C-section and 3,291 were through normal delivery. “With regards to still birth we know that the

World Health Organisation (WHO) defines stillbirth as a baby that dies after 28 weeks of pregnancy but before or during birth,” he briefed.

With this, he said that in 2023, a total of 54 stillbirths were recorded and this encompasses both “macerated stillbirth” and “fresh stillbirths.”

Dr. Rozan went on to state that the World Health Assembly endorsed every new birth action plan which is known as ENAP. This plan he mentioned is basically that by 2030 most countries should have lesser than 12 stillbirths per 1,000 deliveries. He noted that with regard to this year, GPHC would have had 11 stillbirths occurred in 1,000 deliveries reaching that ENAP goal. “So this basically happen because of more strategies that were implemented, and basically the staffing in our outpatient clinic,” he pointed out.

SATURDAY Ram finds Guyana’s oil account holding $274B in taxes yet to be transferred to GRA for Exxon & partners -Slams Office of the President, Ministries of Finance and Natural Resources, Central Bank, Audit Office, GRA, NRF Board, National Assembly, the AG’s Chambers and others for fiasco Chartered Accountant a n d A t t o r n e y - a t - L a w, Christopher Ram, has often lamented that Guyana’s Natural Resource Fund (NRF), which comprises royalties and profit oil sales, is overstated by tens of billions of dollars. It is bloated because Guyanese

authorities have failed to comply with the provisions of the Stabroek Block Production Sharing Agreement (PSA).

That lopsided deal says Guyanese authorities will pay the Guyana Revenue Authority money to cover the tax obligations of ExxonMobil and its partners.

Where exactly would Guyana get the money to do this? The very agreement states that the authorities must use a portion of the revenues made from the sale of its portion of oil from the Stabroek Block (also known as profit oil). Instead of transferring the taxes per the stipulations of the PSA, they remain in the Natural Resource Fund.

Arising from his investigative efforts, Ram outlined a bombshell discovery in his 118th. oil and gas column published in the Stabroek News yesterday. Ram found that as at June 30, 2023, the Fund held $274.8 billion in taxes, which should have been paid over to GRA on behalf of the Exxon-headed contractor group.

In providing a further breakdown of the transfers that should have occurred, Ram said $4.1 billion should have been received by GRA for 2020, $45.6 billion for 2021, and $225.1 billion for 2022.

According to Ram, what did surprise him even more was that the nation’s Auditor General completely glossed over this fact in his 2022 financial report on the fund as he gave it a clean bill of health. Ram said, “The (2022 financial) statements said the value of the Fund at that date was G$298 billion.

With taxes payable (Continued on page 47)

Sunday December 31, 2023

From page 46 amounting to $49.7B for the years 2020 and 2021 to be financed out of Guyana’s share of profit oil, the correct value of the Fund at 31st.

December 2022 should have been G$248.4B, the difference representing an overstatement of 20%. A similar overstatement for 2023 alone, amounted to a further G$225.1B, hence the cumulative overstatement of $274.8 billion.”

In a further comment to Kaieteur News, Ram also questioned the quality of the reports coming out of the International Monetary Fund ( I M F ) a n d t h e I n t e rAmerican Development Bank (IDB) which only months ago reviewed the NRF but completely overlooked such a grave error of omission. In his 117th column had Ram made a veiled criticism of international organisations which seek to maintain an ongoing relationship with host governments.

Ram also slammed several government agencies, including the Office of the President; the Ministry of Finance, including the Budget Office; the Ministry of Natural Resources; the Bank of Guyana; the Guyana Revenue Authority; the NRF Board; the National Assembly and the Attorney General’s Chambers for failing to discharge their respective responsibilities to avoid this fiasco. Ram found it quite appalling that this situation has existed since at

Kaieteur News

Chartered Accountant, Chris Ram

least 2021, without detection or correction.

Based on his findings, Ram said it is clear no payment for taxes on behalf of Exxon, Hess and CNOOC was made from NRF, nor was any such money accounted for in the Estimates of Receipts and Payments and paid into the Consolidated Fund. “This omission reflects poorly on the Budget Office. The irrefutable but uncomfortable conclusion is that no money was paid to or received by the Guyana Revenue Authority. This is obviously a matter for the statutory auditors (the Auditor General) and the relevant government agencies, including the Natural Resource Fund Board,” said Ram. He added that the NRF Board headed by Major General (Ret’d) Joe Singh

needs a better understanding of the funds at its disposal to assure citizens that it is capable of defending and protecting the legitimacy, accuracy and integrity of the Fund.

‘UK vessel poses no risk to any neighbouring country’- Public Works Minister The British patrol vessel deployed to Guyana poses no risk to any neighbouring country.

This assurance was signaled by Minister of Public Works, Juan Edghill during his end of year press conference hosted at the Ministry’s Wight’s Lane, Kingston, Georgetown office on Friday.

According to him, “The UK (United Kingdom) Patrol or the UK vessel visiting and in Guyana’s

waters is no risk to any mariner, any neighbouring country or anyone operating in the EEZ (Exclusive Economic Zone).”

Edghill explained that the vessel’s presence in Guyana is nothing more than the “normal country-tocountry collaboration”.

In fact, he said Guyana has had similar interactions with countries such as Chile, Mexico, the United States of America (USA) and the French in the past. To this end, Edghill pointed out that permission has been granted by “the executive” arm in Guyana for the vessel to grace these shores. The Minister’s comments come on the heels of concerns stemming from the vessel’s deployment to Guyana amid a border dispute with neighbouring Venezuela.

The country is claiming two thirds of this country’s mineral-rich territory known as Essequibo. The matter is pending resolution by the International Court of Justice (ICJ).

On December 24, this newspaper reported that the UK is preparing to send a warship to Guyana in a show of diplomatic and military support for the former British colony.

Subsequently,

PAGE 47

Bloomberg reported that Venezuela has decided to deploy more than 5,000 soldiers on its eastern Caribbean coast.

“Venezuela has the right to defend itself, to tranquility, to peace,” the President, Nicolás Maduro said Thursday on state TV, while accusing Guyana of violating an agreement signed two weeks ago to continue talks over the oilrich territory without the use of arms. “We do not accept provocations, threats from anything or anyone.”

President Maduro said, “I have ordered the activation of a joint action of the entire Bolivarian National Military Armed Force on the eastern Caribbean of Venezuela, on the Atlantic Facade, a joint action of a defensive nature in response to the provocation and threat of the United Kingdom against the peace and sovereignty of our country.”

O n T h u r s d a y, Vi c e President Bharrat Jagdeo also commented that Guyana has no hostile intentions towards the country. In fact, he underscored Guyana’s support for the December 14 Argyle ‘Peace’ Declaration, emphasising the country’s commitment to non-

interference with Venezuela.

“We don’t have any plan to take offensive actions a g a i n s t Ve n e z u e l a … ” Jagdeo said during his press conference on Thursday.

Jagdeo explained that the HMS Trent – an offshore patrol vessel, is part of Guyana building its d e f e n s i v e c a p a b i l i t y.

“Whatever we do here is routine and it has been long planned…not necessarily to fight wars but to police better our exclusive economic zone and our territorial integrity and sovereignty. So we respect the Argyle declaration and President (Nicolás) Maduró needs to understand this,” the Vice President continued.

While in St. Vincent and the Grenadines, both countries signed a joint declaration in which they, among other things, agreed that they will not, directly or indirectly threaten or use force against one another in any circumstances, including those consequential to any existing controversies between the two States.

They also committed to the pursuance of good neighbourliness, peaceful coexistence, and the unity of Latin America and the Caribbean.

Kaieteur News

PAGE 48

Sunday December 31, 2023

Govt. to spend $132M to build mortuaries at Fort Wellington, West Demerara hospitals The Ministry of Local Government and Regional Development has set aside some $132 million to construct mortuaries at the Fort Wellington Hospital in Region Five and at the West Demerara Regional Hospital in Region Three.

The projects were revealed at a recent opening of bids at the National Procurement and Tender Administration Board (NPTAB) office where it was disclosed that the works slated for Fort Wellington is estimated to cost $59,512,504, while at West Demerara it is pegged at

$$72,901,794.

At an end of the year press conference on Friday, Minister of Health Dr. Frank Anthony said this year the ministry undertook upgrading works at a number of regional hospital mortuaries due to their deplorable condition.

“So we have upgraded mortuaries in Regions 1, 2, 3, 5, 8 and 10 and so this is a program we have to upgrade these facilities and not only the mortuaries but if we need to do post mortems at these facilities we would now be able to do those,” he had mentioned.

Construction of mortuary at West Demerara Regional Hospital

Ministry of Home Affairs Completion of Ruimveldt wharf, Region Four

Below are the companies and their bids: Ministry of Public Works Consultancy services for construction, supervision of the Mabaruma and Morawhanna Stellings (Lot 2).

Ministry of Agriculture The supply and delivery of water pumps for the Onverwagt Prawn Project

Ministry of Local Government and Regional Development Construction of mortuary at Fort Wellington Hospital

Supply, delivery and installation of an Endoscopy Machine

Guyana Energy Agency Supply and delivery of Solar PV equipment, standalone LED street lamps & electrical items for GEA - Lots 1-7.

Sunday December 31, 2023

Kaieteur News

PAGE 49

PAGE 50

Kaieteur News

Sunday December 31, 2023

Argentina formally announces it won’t join the BRICS alliance in Milei’s latest policy shift WANTED

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From page 42 the construction of the kitchen and a storage bond, while Lots 6, 7, 8, and 9 encompass critical aspects such as the infirmary annex, an overhead storage tank, a treatment plant, reconstruction of solitary and cell blocks, and a training facility

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President-elect Javier Milei

nounced that he would not maintain diplomatic relations with them despite growing Chinese investment in South America.

However, in the letter addressed to his counterpart Luiz Inácio Lula Da Silva in neighboring Brazil and the rest of the leaders of full BRICS members — Xi Jinping

of China, Narenda Mondi of India, Vladimir Putin of Russia and Matamela Ramaphosa of South Africa — Milei proposed to “intensify bilateral ties” and increase “trade and investment flows.”

Milei also expressed his readiness to hold meetings with each of the five leaders.

for inmates in Lot 10. These works are currently in its mobilization stage, the agency mentioned.

As it related to the Lusignan Prison, the GPS shared that the government has made provisions to further expand the Lusignan prison to ensure greater capacity.

In 2022, more than $3 Bil-

lion was spent on the Lusignan prison facility to allow upgrades and expansions which are also ongoing.

Upgrades to the facility include six new state-of-theart prisons, and three of those facilities have been completed which now accommodate close to 1000 inmates.

Also the works at the Lusignan Prison includes a

vocational school where inmates will undergo training to mitigate recidivism and upscale skill sets.

Importantly, upgrades to the facility also include a female prison, living quarters for staff, Infirmary Annex, a new headquarters building and the construction of the outer perimeter fence.

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former center-left president Alberto Fernandez, endorsed joining the alliance as an opportunity to reach new markets. The BRICS currently account for about 40% of the world’s population and more than a quarter of the world’s GDP. But economic turmoil left many in Argentina eager for change, ushering chainsawwielding political outsider Milei into the presidency.

Milei, who defines himself as an “anarcho-capitalist” — a current within liberalism that aspires to eliminate the state — has implemented a series of measures to deregulate the economy, which in recent decades has been marked by strong state interventionism.

In foreign policy, he has proclaimed full alignment with the “free nations of the West,” especially the United States and Israel.

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(AP) — Argentina formally announced Friday that it won’t join the BRICS bloc of developing economies, the latest in a dramatic shift in foreign and economic policy

by Argentina’s new far-right populist President Javier Milei.

In a letter addressed to the leaders of Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa — all members of the alliance — Milei said the moment was not “opportune” for Argentina to join as a full member.

The letter was dated a week ago, Dec. 22, but released by the Argentine government on Friday, the last working day of 2023.

Argentina was among six countries invited in August to join the bloc made up of Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa to make an 11nation bloc. Argentina was set to join Jan. 1, 2024.

The move comes as Argentina has been left reeling by deepening economic crisis.

Milei’s predecessor,

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From page 43 some critics of targeting political rivals.

The MACC asserted that it had acted independently according to the law and that it had opened investigations against Daim in February based on information contained in the Pandora Papers – a massive leak of financial records in 2021 which revealed offshore assets held by politicians and public figures worldwide.

In it, Daim, his associates and family members were reported to have held assets worth at least 25 million

pounds ($31.82m).

The MACC said it had asked Daim to declare his assets in June and granted five extensions to the former minister to do so – the latest on November 14.

It added that “he has every opportunity to clear his name if the case is brought to the court of law”.

Daim held the finance portfolio twice: between 1984 and 1991, when he was succeeded by Anwar; and from 1999 to 2001 after Anwar was sacked by then-PM Mahathir for alleged corruption and sodomy.

Though retired from active politics, Daim remains an influential figure.

In 2018, when Mahathir came out of retirement and returned as prime minister, he appointed Daim to lead a government advisory council tasked with scrutinising everything from government policies to the management of state-linked firms.

Daim also led talks to renegotiate several deals with China, including the East Coast Rail Link project, part of Beijing’s Belt and Road Initiative.

Sunday December 31, 2023

Kaieteur News

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Biden administration bypasses Congress on weapons sales to Israel (AL JAZEERA) - The administration of United States President Joe Biden has once again bypassed Congress to greenlight an emergency weapons sale to Israel, which has only intensified and broadened its attacks on the Gaza Strip despite growing international outrage.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken told Congress that he had made a second emergency determination in less than a month, covering a $147.5m sale of equipment to Israel, the State Department said on Friday.

“Given the urgency of Israel’s defensive needs, the secretary notified Congress that he had exercised his delegated authority to determine an emergency existed necessitating the immediate approval of the transfer,” it said. “The United States is committed to the security of Israel, and it is vital to US national interests to ensure Israel is able to defend itself against the threats it faces.”

The package includes ancillary items, including fuses, charges and primers that Israel would require to make the 155mm shells that it had previously purchased, f u n c t i o n . F r i d a y ’s emergency determination, which is rare but has been used by at least four previous US administrations, means that a requirement for a potentially lengthy congressional review for foreign military sales will be bypassed.

Reporting from Wa s h i n g t o n , D C , A l Jazeera’s Patty Culhane said it was important to point out the broader context of the messaging.

“We’ve been hearing from all the top Biden administration officials for weeks that it is time for Israel to move to a lower-intensity conflict. In essence, stop the mass bombing. Stop the mass deaths of civilians,” she said. “So, in that context – knowing that is what they say they want – they are now selling to Israel the exaction munitions they need to continue a high-intensity campaign.” ‘Morally scandalous’ Israel will also be purchasing 155mm M107 projectiles, which are artillery shells that will cause widespread destruction in a densely populated area such as Gaza, Culhane reported.

“They didn’t say exactly how many [shells] were going to be in this $147.5m package. But, in previous packages, it really does mean that thousands and thousands of bombs will be going to Israel.”

Ensuring Israel gets weapons to continue its intense phase of the war, while also urging it to lower the intensity of fighting, is “strategically selfdefeating” for Washington, according to Al Jazeera’s senior political analyst Marwan Bishara, who called Friday’s decision “astounding”.

“One really has to look deep to see if there is any meaningful explanation for

w h y t h e B i d e n administration wants to bypass Congress in order to expedite weapons to a country that is involved in war crimes,” he said on Saturday.

The move was “morally scandalous” given that the war has caused record damage and killed tens of thousands of Palestinian civilians, Bishara said, but it is also “politically suspect in the sense that why would you want to bypass Congress twice in the same month?

What is the urgency to bypass your own guidelines?”

On December 9, the Biden administration made another emergency determination to approve the sale to Israel of nearly 14,000 rounds of tank ammunition worth more than $106m.

Basem Naim, a senior Hamas official, criticised the US’s role in the war, saying: “While these crimes have been committed with Israeli hands, they were sponsored and backed up by the US administration.”

In a televised statement on Saturday, he added that the group holds the Biden administration “accountable for their direct role in sponsoring and orchestrating this ongoing genocide against our people”. ‘Record’ devastation The move to expedite more weapons comes as Biden’s request for an enormous $106bn package that includes aid for Ukraine, Israel and other

President Joe Biden’s administration has continued weapons sales to Israel despite international criticism of the continuing carnage in Gaza [File: Evan Vucci/AP Photo] perceived national security needs has yet to pass Congress, as it is entangled in a debate over US immigration and border security policies. The Biden administration has tried to counter criticism over the mounting death toll in Gaza and continued US arms sales to Israel by saying it constantly maintains contact with Israel to stress the importance of minimising civilian casualties.

H o w e v e r, L u c i a n a Zaccara, an associate professor in Gulf politics at Qatar University, told Al Jazeera it was pursuing a “dual-track” approach when it comes to the war.

“On the one hand they are trying to convince the public opinion that the US is really concerned about civilian casualties but also they keep sustaining Israel (militarily),” he said.

“It is totally contradicting … it is hard to understand how this is in the

national interest.”

The policy was especially perplexing in light of “mounting pressure” in the US, including among Democrats, against the war as civilian casualties in Gaza continue to rise, Zaccara said.

The Wall Street Journal reported on Saturday that the war “is generating destruction comparable in scale to the most devastating warfare in the modern record”.

By mid-December, Israel had dropped 29,000 bombs, munitions and shells on Gaza, destroying or damaging nearly 70 percent of homes, the report said.

Some Democratic lawmakers have suggested further significant aid to Israel should be contingent on concrete promises by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government to curb civilian casualties in Gaza.

More than 21,000

Palestinians have now been killed in the besieged enclave since October 7, most of them children and women, in what has been widely described as collective punishment.

Thousands more are missing.

Philippe Lazzarini, the head of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA), said on Saturday that Israeli authorities continue to impose “severe restrictions” on humanitarian access despite deliveries of aid from Egypt and through the Rafah crossing.

He also said they are “creating a stream of baseless misinformation” to accuse aid agencies over gaps in deliveries.

Meanwhile, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres warned again that the conflict could spread to the wider region if not halted immediately.

Pakistan poll body rejects ex-PM Imran Khan’s nomination for 2024 elections (AL JAZEERA)Pakistan’s election body has rejected former Prime Minister Imran Khan’s nomination to contest the 2024 parliamentary elections, with Khan’s Pakistan Tahreek-e Insaf (PTI) party accusing authorities of stopping most of its candidates from participating in the elections due in February.

The 71-year-old former cricket star, who is serving a three-year prison sentence for corruption, was barred

from politics for five years by the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP). But he still filed nomination papers on Friday.

Election officials d i s a l l o w e d K h a n ’s candidacy because of his conviction and what they said was his disqualification under the Constitution, according to documents seen by the AP. They also rejected the candidacies of former members of his cabinet.

The ECP released a list

of rejected nominees from Lahore on Saturday, which also contained Khan’s name.

It said the former prime minister could not become a nominee because he is not a registered voter of the constituency and due to him being “convicted by the court of law”.

The cricketer-turnedpolitician’s nomination bid was also rejected in his hometown of Mianwali in Punjab province, according to his media team.

Khan has not been seen

publicly since his incarceration in August in the corruption case in which he was accused of unlawfully selling state gifts while in office.

Last week, the Supreme Court granted him bail in a case alleging he leaked state secrets, but he is continuing to fight a barrage of legal cases that have dogged him since being removed from office last year.

Most popular leader Khan, who is widely seen as the country’s most

popular leader, has alleged that Pakistan’s powerful military is colluding with traditional parties to destroy his political party and prevent him from running for office again.

The military has historically played a major role in the country’s politics and has directly ruled for decades since independence in 1947 from British rule.

The 71-year-old leader has also alleged that the Pakistani military and the

United States government conspired to topple his administration after he visited Moscow just before Russia invaded Ukraine.

Wa s h i n g t o n a n d Pakistan’s military have denied the accusations.

H o w e v e r, t h e U S based news site The Intercept published in August what it claims to be the details of a secret diplomatic cable that suggested the US administration wanted to remove Khan from power.

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Kaieteur News

Sunday December 31, 2023

Mendis replaces Shanaka as Sri Lanka’s ODI captain - Hasaranga to lead in T20Is (ESPN Cricinfo) - Dasun Shanaka’s reign as Sri Lanka’s white-ball captain has come to an end as Sri Lanka’s new selection committee appointed Kusal Mendis and Wanindu Hasaranga to lead the ODI and T20I sides, respectively. With Dimuth Karunaratne currently leading the Test side, this is the first time Sri Lanka have three different captains in the three formats.

Shanaka first captained Sri Lanka in 2019, on the team’s first tour to Pakistan since the 2009 Lahore attack, but it was not until 2021 that he became their regular captain. Under him, Sri Lanka won 23 out of 41 ODIs and 22 out of 48 T20Is. The highlight

of his tenure was the 2022 T20 Asia Cup victory in the UAE where Sri Lanka beat Pakistan in the final.

Also notable were ODI series wins against South Africa and Australia, and a T20I series win against India at home, all at home. Shanaka also oversaw Sri Lanka’s unbeaten run through the 2023 World Cup Qualifier. But all these achievements were interspersed with poor showings in the 2021 and 2022 T20 World Cups as well as the 2023 ODI World Cup. However, it was his poor form with the bat, primarily in ODIs, that put him under the most scrutiny and made people question his place in the side. As such, it was

widely expected that the new selection committee would look elsewhere in terms of the captaincy.

His replacements, Mendis and Hasaranga, both have recent experience in leadership roles. Mendis is a former Under-19 captain and the current skipper of Dambulla Aura in the LPL. Midway through the 2023 ODI World Cup, he took over the reins from Shanaka when the latter got injured.

Hasaranga, who is currently recovering from a hamstring surgery, had earlier this year led B-Love Kandy to their inaugural LPL title.

Shanaka may still play a role in Sri Lanka’s white-ball set-ups after he was named

Sunday December 31, 2023 ARIES (Mar. 21–Apr. 19) Today your brain is supercharged, Aries. If you've been thinking about doing some writing or have put off analyzing a particularly tricky problem, this would be the perfect day to get started.

LIBRA (Sept. 23–Oct. 22) The celestial energy signals a pleasant change for you today, Libra. Finally, the overpowering emotions that have been surging from your relationships will subside.

You are now beginning a more contemplative phase.

TAURUS(Apr.20–May20) With today's planetary energy, you'll find yourself a little more extraverted than usual, Taurus. You'll finally be able to say what you really think about things.

GEMINI (May 21–June 20) Today you're unstoppable!

You're a very hard worker by nature, and with the current planetary alignment you'll be able to accomplish even more than usual.

SCORPIO (Oct. 23–Nov. 21) This is a good day to devote time and thought to spiritual pursuits, Scorpio. Do something inspirational that instills a sense of wonder deep in your soul. .

SAGIT(Nov.22–Dec.21) A new phase in your life is beginning, Sagittarius. The previous phase could be interpreted as having taught you to be serious and devoted to professional responsibilities.

CANCER (June 21–July 22) Discard those items from the past for which you really no longer have use. As much as you like to surround yourself with objects of sentimental value.

CAPRI (Dec. 22–Jan. 19) Today's aspects might clear up some rather sketchy ideas about your professional future, Capricorn. If you long for a change, such as daring to undertake a more artistic pursuit.

LEO (July 23–Aug. 22) Intimacy will be in the air over the next few days.

Loved ones suddenly want to spend more time with you, and you'll want to invite friends over every night! By all means, do.

AQUARIUS(Jan.20–Feb.18) You have acquired some sound confidence in yourself, Aquarius. Now it is time for you to show everyone else by actually putting it to use in your life.

VIRGO (Aug. 23–Se pt. 22) Feeling unusually adventurous, Virgo? You're often motivated by your idealistic expectations, and the planetary configurations today .

PISCES (Feb. 19–Mar. 20) Today's planetary energy should compel you to commit certain acts of self-affirmation that are needed to define your territory and protect your rights.

in the preliminary squads for the limited-overs series against Zimbabwe at home in January.

Sunday December 31, 2023

Kaieteur News

PAGE 53

Kathmandu court finds Fraser-Pryce thankful after 16th annual Christmas Lamichhane guilty of rape (ESPN Cricinfo) - A single-judge bench of the Kathmandu District Court has found Sandeep Lamichhane guilty of raping an 18-year-old woman and has fixed January 10 for sentencing, according to Reuters.

The court, however, has concluded that the victim was not a minor at the time of the incident, as had been reported earlier.

The next hearing on the matter will determine Lamichhane’s sentence. He is currently out on bail.

Lamichhane could face up to 10 years in jail. His lawyers said he would appeal the verdict to a higher court.

“We did not expect this judgement... we are frustrated,” lawyer Sabita Bhandari Baral told Reuters about Friday’s verdict by the Kathmandu district court.

“We’ll definitely appeal.”

On Friday, the day of his conviction, Lamichhane had led PARSA Club XI to a win over Nepal Army Club in a Nepal Pro Club Championship match in Birgunj.

In early September last year, Lamichhane, then the Nepal captain, was suspended by the Cricket Association of Nepal (CAN)

treat in Waterhouse

Sandeep Lamichhane is currently out on bail.

(Associated Press)

after an arrest warrant was issued against him in Kathmandu over the matter.

It followed the news that a complaint against Lamichhane had been lodged in a Kathmandu police station. At the time, Lamichhane was in the West Indies with Jamaica Tallawahs taking part in CPL 2022. The club announced that Lamichhane would be leaving the tournament with immediate effect.

Upon landing at the airport in Kathmandu in early October, he had been taken into custody.

Shortly before being arrested, Lamichhane had written on Facebook that he would “fully cooperate in all stages of the investigation and will fight a legal battle to

Shelly Ann Fraser-Pryce is pictured handing out presents to members of the community of Waterhouse

prove my innocence” and called it a “conspiracy and wrongful allegation”.

He returned to the Nepal side in February this year amid protests from rights groups at home - for a Cricket World Cup League 2 tri-series at home, against Namibia and Scotland, where no player from the opposition teams shook his hand at any stage.

Subsequently, he was not considered for Nepal’s squad for the Cricket World Cup League 2 tri-series in Dubai in early 2023, but joined the team later as an injury replacement.

He has continued to turn out for Nepal since, including at the ODI World Cup qualifier in Zimbabwe and the ODI Asia Cup.

(SportsMax) - Iconic Jamaican sprinter Shelly Ann Fraser-Pryce brought some festive cheer to her community of Waterhouse with her second Christmas Treat of the month on Boxing Day and her 16th overall.

Her first treat was held at t h e Wi n d a l c o S p o r t s Complex in Ewarton a week earlier.

On Boxing Day, children at the Fesco Field, children i n t h e Wa t e r h o u s e community were treated to a

mixture of toys, rides, food and face painting to name a few.

Sponsors for the treat were Nike, Digicel Jamaica, Grace Foods, XLCR Jamaica and Toyota Jamaica Limited.

“The best Birthday gift I can ever receive is having a successful Treat each year,” said Fraser-Pryce who also celebrated her 37th birthday on Wednesday.

“Nothing more, nothing less. Thank you to our amazing sponsors and

volunteers,” added the threetime Olympic and 10-time World Champion.

Fraser-Pryce only competed in five 100m races in 2023 due to a nagging knee injury.

Despite those concerns, she was still able to perform when it counted with 100m b r o n z e a t t h e Wo r l d Championships in Budapest in August.

Her time (10.77) was a season’s best in her last race of the season.

Premier League: Villa edge 10-man Burnley to move level with Liverpool (BBC Sport) - Aston Villa moved level with Premier League leaders Liverpool as a late Douglas Luiz penalty secured victory against 10-man Burnley.

The Brazil midfielder converted from the penalty spot in the 89th minute after Jhon Duran was fouled by former Villa player Aaron Ramsey.

Burnley had twice come from behind in the game, with Lyle Foster scoring their second equaliser despite the visitors being reduced to 10 men following Sander Berge’s second yellow card.

Moussa Diaby put Villa ahead again on 42 minutes after Leon Bailey’s opener for Villa had been cancelled out by an almost immediate equaliser by Zeki Amdouni.

The victory moves Villa

onto 42 points and behind Liverpool only on goal difference, with the Reds set to host Newcastle United on New Year’s Day. Despite the battling p e r f o r m a n c e Vi n c e n t Kompany’s Burnley stay five points from safety.

Villa set club record with late win Villa opened the scoring on 29 minutes when Bailey picked up Ollie Watkins’ pass across the box, cut in from the right and fired into the roof of the net via a deflection.

Burnley equalised almost immediately when a high free-kick from the left was headed back across goal

by Dara O’Shea, allowing Amdouni to acrobatically volley in from close range.

Villa went back in front with Watkins - narrowly

judged onside by the video assistant referee - again the provider as the England striker pulled the ball back for Diaby to finish.

Burnley’s hopes of another comeback were dented in the second half when midfielder Berge received a second booking for pulling Luiz’s shirt.

But after Villa missed several chances, Foster streaked clear of their defence and beat Emiliano Martinez at the near post.

It was Foster’s first goal since October, following a two-month break to look after his mental health, and it looked to have earned Burnley a point from a losing position for the first time in the Premier League this season.

But Ramsey - a Villa academy product who

joined Burnley in the summer, and whose brother Jacob started for the hosts clipped Duran in the area to allow Luiz the opportunity to win the game from the spot.

T h e m i d f i e l d e r ’s penalty twice struck the bar - hitting the woodwork then bouncing up from the grass and off it again before crossing the line - but it was enough to earn Villa a 32nd victory in league and cup matches this calendar y e a r, s u r p a s s i n g t h e previous club record set in 1977.

Man City beat Blades to close gap at the top Manchester City ended a stellar year on a high note by beating a battling Sheffield United side to move within two

points of Premier League leaders Liverpool.

Rodri gave the defending champions an early breakthrough when he latched on to Phil Foden’s neat pass and fired into the bottom corner of the net from the edge of the area.

The Blades’ packed defence meant City had to wait to add a second but Foden was the provider again when it arrived midway through the second half, with his low cross despatched by Julian Alvarez.

City, who were crowned Fifa Club World Cup winners before Christmas, displayed all five of the major trophies they have won in 2023 on the pitch before kick-off.

It was a reminder to their

rivals that they remain the team to beat this season, and so was the sight of Kevin de Bruyne in their squad after more than four months out with a hamstring injury.

T h e B e l g i u m midfielder did not make it on to the pitch this time, but the sight of him warming up on the touchline in the second half brought huge cheers from the home fans.

In contrast, the Sheffield United fans had little to get excited about, as their side offered little in attack other than a flurry of chances just before the break.

Defeat felt inevitable as soon as City scored their second goal, and Chris Wilder’s side remain bottom of the table, and without an away win this season.

Kaieteur News

PAGE 54

Sunday December 31, 2023

New Doctor’s Clinic backs MCYS/NSC to distribute “Essequibo is we own” assistance packages Wakenaam Day of Sports to core sports

New Doctor’s Clinic has thrown its suppport the Wa k e n a a m C r i c k e t Academy Day of Sports which is slated for this weekend at the Wakenaam Community Centre ground in Good Success.

CEO of the entity, Mr. Satyendra Khemraj has always shown the willingness to support and encourage such activities that will benefit the people of Guyana.

Mr. Khemraj made a monetary contribution to the organisers yesterday and said he is looking forward to a competitive and successful event. The event is being held under the theme ‘Essequibo is we own”.

The proceedings commenced yesterday with a T10 cricket tournament and a dominoes competition followed by volleyball and a football 7-a-side tournament.

Proceeds from the event will go towards the development of cricket in Wakenaam.

Te a m s C r i c k e t -

T

CEO of New Doctor’s Clinic Satyendra Khemraj (left) makes a donation to Trevor Pierre

Wa k e n a a m A c a d e m y Golcharran Chulai, Gladewin Henry, Shahid Mohamed, Nazaam Mohamed, Trivel Evans, Tomesh Persaud, Justin Dowlin, Bomesh Lall, Kumesh Sudin, Jerry Melvile, Dennis Courtman, Aarav Sukram and Devendra Hansraj.

Wakenaam MastersMustak Mohamed, Siddiq Mohamed, Navishaul Pooran, Wazir Khan, Imran

Khan, Vijay Persaud, Ajay Ghansam, Ronnie Gangaram, Oyono Sampson, Tom Singh, Khemraj Surujpaul and Abdool Salim.

Wakenaam Allstars S e o n Ve n t u r e , C l e o n Ve n t u r e , J a g g e r n a u t h Manbodh, Beesham Moses, Varounie Sasepaul, Varun Pooran, Heera Sukram, Mahase Ramnarine, Saif Hussain, David Chalittar and Bradley Whyte.

Khan’s Enterprise supports Wakenaam Cricket Academy - Cost Cutter Supermarket, Discount Store on board

C

EO of Khan’s Enterprise Saeed Khan (Rocky) has supported the Wa k e n a a m C r i c k e t Academy Day of Sports which is slated for this weekend at the Wakenaam Community Centre ground in Good Success.

Mr Khan, one of the main contractors in region three has always shown a positive and willingness to encourage and support any activity that will benefit the people of the island amongst other ventures that support the people of Guyana in all.

M r. K h a n m a d e a monetary contribution to the organisers yesterday. He said that he is happy to be part of the event which was held under the theme ‘Essequibo is we own”.

The proceedings commenced with a T10

Saif Hussain (right) presents the contribution on behalf of Khan’s Enterprise to organiser Zaheer Mohamed in support of the Wakenaam Day of Sports.

cricket tournament and a dominoes competition followed by volleyball and a football 7-a-side tournament.

Cost Cutter Supermarket and Discount Store have also thrown their support behind the event. Representatives of

both entities have expressed their gratitude for being part of the event.

Proceedings from the event will go towards the development of cricket in Wa k e n a a m . O rg a n i s e r Zaheer Mohamed expressed gratitude to the sponsors.

en of the 12 core sports in Guyana will be the recipients of a financial assistance package for the acquisition of equipment from the Ministry of Culture, Youth, and Sport in collaboration with the National Sports Commission, in an effort to improve the quality of the National Sports Academy Each sport will receive a sum of $500,000 – a financial assistance mechanism, which was conceptualised by the Minister of Culture, Youth, and Sport Charles Ramson Jr., is a first in local history and will assist the disciplines of athletics, badminton, basketball, hockey, lawn tennis, rugby, squash, swimming, table tennis, and volleyball.

Cricket and football, the two largest sports on the local landscape, were excluded from this grant, as they are the recipients of annual financial aid from their respective global and regional governing entities.

Director of Sports Steve Ninvalle said, “This initiative is a novel approach to the development of sports and is the brainchild of the honourable Minister of

Director of Sport, Steve Ninvalle

Culture, Youth, and Sport Charles Ramson Jr. It is a direct consequence and result of the discourse between the associations of the core sports and the Ministry of Culture, Youth, and Sport and the National Sports Commission and highlights the importance of communication, cooperation, and collaboration between sports organisations and government agencies and bodies.”

“This programme illustrates that the Ministry of Culture, Youth, and Sport and the National Sports Commission understand what is required in the developmental process and are committed to ensuring that sports continue its

upward trajectory and growth.”

Ninvalle added, “The associations are very supportive of this gesture and welcome this initiative, which will certainly improve and evolve in the future. By the same token, additional a s s i s t a n c e a n d collaborations between the Ministry of Culture, Youth, and Sport, the National Sports Commission, and the sports fraternity will be a reoccurring theme as we strive to enhance our sporting culture and landscape.”

The Sports disciplines to benefit from the grants are: Athletics, Badminton, Basketball, Hockey, Rugby, Swimming, Tennis, Table Tennis and Volleyball.

FIFA suspends new agent rules worldwide until case in Europe settled (Reuters) - FIFA has temporarily suspended its new agent regulations (FFAR) worldwide until the European Court of Justice gives its decision following injunctions against implementing some of the new rules, world soccer’s governing body said on Saturday.

Agents have been at loggerheads with FIFA after they lost an appeal in July to block new regulations that would cap their transfer commissions and introduce exams that agents must pass to secure a licence.

However, courts in Germany and Spain issued temporary injunctions against implementing some

of the regulations in domestic transfers earlier this year.

FIFA has initiated appeal proceedings against the injunction in Germany and a decision is expected early in 2024. To comply with the injunction FIFA said it would suspend the implementation of FFAR for any transfer which has a link to the European Union. But it has made the suspension global to ensure a level playing field and avoid problems with international transfers to or from the continent.

“On 30 December 2023 the Bureau of the Council approved the worldwide temporary suspension of the FFAR rules... until the

European Court of Justice renders a final decision in the pending procedures concerning the FFAR,” FIFA said in a circular to member associations.

The mid-season transfer window in Europe opens on Jan. 1. Earlier this month, an English FA tribunal also ruled that the proposed regulations were incompatible with British competition law.

The tribunal was set up in June when agencies CAA Base, Wasserman, Stellar and ARETE challenged the implementation of FIFA’s new regulations in the National Football Agent Regulations (NFAR) for English domestic transfers.

Kaieteur News

Sunday December 31, 2023

PAGE 55

KFC Elite League Promotional Playoffs…

Monedderlust FC to face unbeaten Slingerz FC for League ticket - Tournament to conclude January 6

U

ndefeated S l i n g e r z Football Club (FC) dominated their way into the KFC Elite League Promotional Playoff final after an impressive 3-0 triumph over Winners Connection FC at Eve Leary ground.

Simeon Moore emerged as the hero on Friday evening, scoring twice to secure the first spot for the Vergenoegen-based team.

M e a n w h i l e , Monedderlust Connection FC showcased their strength by defeating Georgetown’s Beacon FC 4-1, finalising the teams for the championship clash.

The semi-final between Slingerz FC and Winners Connection turned into a one-sided affair, with Moore stealing the spotlight with two exceptional goals in the

first half. His strikes in the 26th and 45+3 minutes established Slingerz’ dominance. Bryan Wharton added to the scoreline, seizing an opportunity on the left wing and delivering a sensational goal, sealing a 30 victory for Vergenoegen’s side.

Despite several attempts, Slingerz defenders held firm, earning a welldeserved win.

In another thrilling encounter, table-toppers Beacon FC (Georgetown) faced a fierce challenge from Monedderlust Connection, marred by goalkeeper Simon Emanuel’s controversial exit in the 30th minute due to a handling offense within the box, resulting in the referee having to issue him a red card.

The deadlock broke with Anthony ‘Awo’ Abrams

Slingerz striker put forth another comprehensive performance in the semifinal round against Winners Connection netting the first goal for Beacon FC in the 33rd minute. Kevin Cottoy quickly equalized five minutes later. Dominic Nelson’s own-goal shifted the lead to Monedderlust at

GGA continues development programs as 2024 draws near

A

s 2023 draws to a close, golf continues to make great strides with the Ministry of Education Unit of Allied Arts Priority Programme and Nexgen Golf Academy pushes to advance sport as one of the Five Priority areas in Regions 3, 6, 7 and 10.

Master Coach Aleem Hussain was in Region Six on Thursday to train coaches and several senior members of the Education Department took advantage of his presence to learn the game.

What has been a fantastic year for golf in Guyana became even better when, in October the program was rolled out in Regions 2, 4, 5 and Georgetown, thereby giving thousands of students access to golf on a weekly basis during scheduled PE classes. According to Mr. Saeed Zameen who heads up the Priority Programme, “The response emanating from all schools and districts in which we implemented golf has surprised me, in a pleasant way! We are on track to have golf as a sport offered in over 70 schools by end of next term, thanks to the incredible efforts and support from Mr. Aleem and the Nexgen Golf Academy team.”

Golf has also caught the attention of the Regional Education District Officers, Head Teachers and faculty all around the country and challenges have been issued by various regions to determine the top schools in 2024.

Mr. Hussain, who is also president of the Guyana Golf Association and designer/builder of the Westside Golf Course in Vreed-en-hoop which will open to the public fully in January said, “Golf is no longer the unknown sport, inaccessible to the average Guyanese - we’ve changed that! Our

REDO region 6 Satesh Oditt mission is that every person will have access to play the game without worrying about equipment or membership fees.”

With hundreds of students set to take golf as a PE elective at CSEC in 2024, Guyana continues to lead the region in several key categories and Hussain hopes that this will translate into success at junior international tournaments in 2024.

The Nexgen Golf Academy on Woolford Avenue is the nation’s only golf driving range and is certified as an LPGA/USGA Girls Site which allows young women to access training, cash grants and scholarships to top universities worldwide.

2-1, but Terrence Lewis of Monedderlust FC netted the third goal in the 53rd minute.

The lead mounted further to 4-1 with Teron Delph’s

stunning goal, securing Monedderlust’s place in the finals.

The GFF Promotional Playoff will culminate on

January 6 at the same venue, determining the team advancing directly to the esteemed 2024 Elite League Season Six championship.

KFC Elite League Promotional Playoffs… rts Spo

Monedderlust FC

to face unbeaten Slingerz FC for League ticket - Tournament to conclude January 6 Monedderlust’s semi-final clash with Beacon United was a high intensity battle in the opening minutes.

MCYS/NSC to distribute assistance packages to core sports

Saif Hussain (right) presents the contribution on behalf of Khan's Enterprise to organiser Zaheer Mohamed in support of the Wakenaam Day of Sports.

Minister of Sport, Charles Ramson Jr

Khan's Enterprise supports Wakenaam Cricket Academy -Cost Cutter Supermarket, Discount Store on board Printed and published by National Media & Publishing Company Ltd., 24 Saffon Street, Charlestown, Georgetown. Tel: 225-8458, 225-8465, 225-8491 or Fax: 225-8473/226-8210.