Sunday February 11, 2018
Kaieteur M@ilbox Who bears the risk – ExxonMobil or GOG? DEAR EDITOR, I have just read an interesting account of Cost Recovery as provided for by the Profit Sharing Agreement between GoG and the Oil Company. (KN Feb. 10th, Pre-contract cost… US$460M seem to have been pulled from an alternate universe - Nigel Hinds). It appears every penny incurred by the Oil Company - including interest cost on loans taken (or not taken) going back to 1999 when the contract was initially signed, and including a slush-fund – was included in the $460 million Cost recovery bill sent to GoG. Let me ask a simple question: Is it not now clear to all Guyanese that even the $18 million signing bonus GoG received will be booked as an expense to be recovered? And, also the cost to fly a GoG delegation to ExxonMobil headquarters in Houston, Texas for a ‘little junket” must be booked as an expense to be recovered? Here we are: a sovereign nation torturing ourselves about whether the signing bonus should be $18 million or $138 million (Prof. Tarron Khemraj says it should be $138 million) – not recognizing or realizing a basic fact that these expenses are all being billed to GoG? What does it matter whether the signing bonus is $1 billion or $18 million or $138 million – it is taken out as billable expenses. All
these expenses must be deducted first, before profits can be computed, but more importantly: to reduce profits to its barest minimum. Then to do a 50-50 split on whatever remains to declare as profit. Guyanese-born Darshanand Khusial, now a financial analyst living in Toronto wrote to the press in Guyana , calling for a release of the contract (shortly thereafter SN published the 1999 contract) – and warned the GoG to renegotiate the contract and make sure it provides for the set-up of a system (an arbitration Court) to settle disputes over expenses. GoG has re-negotiated the Contract in secret, signed it in secret – and then it was left to the Guyanese public to pressure the government to release the contract. Only to discover when the contract was released that the Court to resolve Cost Recovery disputes was never provided for in the Contract. Now the nation is stuck with a $460 million Cost Recovery bill – that is according to Nigel Hinds – which has little breakdown of expense categories and even fewer or no details of these expenses. How do you handle this bill? Is there an arbitrator empowered to arbitrate? This $460 million bill raises other more profound and serious issues about the very nature of this Oil business. (Continued on page 7)
We do not have to be...
From page 4 be authenticated. Our future benefits from oil seems bleak.In July 2016, Minister Trotman had said that Guyana will be dictating its own terms and conditions for the companies which are drilling for oil and was adamant that no one was dictating for the Government. Unfortunately, soon after he said this he became signatory to the worst lopsided oil contract this world has ever
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seen! A contract which has become an affront to all Guyanese, one which was negotiated by a Harvard trained negotiator and his band of ‘oil experts’. All Guyanese should call on the Government to renegotiate this contract which is the mother of all the worse contracts ever signed by any government
at any time. From all indications, Exxon has all the trappings of a state within a state! This new State has a name: Exxon Guyana! Haseef Yusuf RDC Councilor Region 6
Kaieteur M@ilbox Stop disrespecting water consumers in Region 5 DEAR EDITOR, For the past two plus years since I have been residing in Cotton Tree, West Coast Berbice in Region 5, consumers have been suffering from water stoppages at least twice daily, from between 12 noon and 1pm every day for a few hours, then the water cuts off from about 8.30 pm every night for the entire night until 5 am the next day.Once I was told that water had to be conserved during the dry season. But we have not had a dry season here for a very long time, and even during the rainy season Guyana Water Inc. (GWI) still cuts off water to consumers during critical hours of the day. In addition, every time we have a blackout, which is often, the water cuts off until the power returns. This is totally unaccepted. I just called Customer Service at Onverwagt, and the young lady who answered the phone was very much in the dark. She was not aware of any water stoppage in the area. She took my phone number and promised to return my call. I then called the only manager listed for Region 5 on the GWI’s website, Mr Loiden Henry. He was on his way to the office and was not aware that water was cut off from consumers in the Cotton
Tree area. He said he would have to check with the GWI engineer and call me back. When asked why it is necessary to deny consumers the use of water twice daily, he apologetically explained that GWI is now working to provide a 24-hour service in Region 5 similar to what was done recently in New Amsterdam. After a few minutes, he returned my call and explained that GPI was experiencing power outages from GPL, and that they were using their own generators to pump water back into the tanks. Editor, Guyana is a country where the annual rainfall averages 200 centimeters in the Berbice area. There are no other reasons other than incompetence and mismanagement, why the residents of Region 5 should not be getting 24-hour access to potable water from GWI. To borrow a caption from one of Freddie Kissoon’s columns, “Living in Guyana is a living hell.” The quality of service provided by the Guyana Wa-
ter Inc. in Region 5 is very poor, and the Customer Service at Onverwagt is beyond lousy, it is simply nonexistent. If there is a problem in the field as is the case here, the engineer needs to inform customer service, so that a proper explanation could be given to the paying consumer whenever they call in. If the customer service representative is not armed with this information and therefore cannot satisfy the consumer with a proper explanation of the problem, it not only exposes the incompetence of the system, but it also restricts the functions of that employee to answering incoming telephone calls only. It is now 11.00 am on Saturday, 10 February and the water has been turned off since 9.30 am. I’m still awaiting a return call from the Customer Service representative at Onverwagt. Kissoon is right, under the Granger Administration, living in Guyana is a living hell. HARRY GILL PPP/C Member of Parliament
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Kaieteur M@ilbox
This pastor was a bad example to the Christian community
THE SO-CALLED “EDUCATION SYSTEM FROM BRITAIN”
DEAR EDITOR, The recent news captioned: ‘’Rosignol Pastor gets 40 years for raping minor’’ was very shocking and disturbing, since the rise and fall of our so called pope among other religious leaders in the Christian community that reminds me of the Rev.Jim Jones who killed 918 innocent souls in the name of God. The current news of a Pastor getting a 40 years sentence for raping a minor sets a bad example to the Christian community as well as other religiou s communities. Men and women falling into sexual sin is an old disease that plagued the church since the beginning of time. As a Reverend and religious leader myself, I wish to admonish all religious leaders from every religion to be very watchful; also political leaders and leaders of government and private institutions. When I attended Bible College or Seminary I was taught a course called’ Ministerial Ethics’ and over a
dozen courses on the ‘’Principles of leadership.’’ I was taught about the three principles or weapons used by Satan to destroy men are: ‘’Power, Sex, and Money’’ in the Bible. King David, a very powerful man, used his power to take away and seduce a next man’s wife, Bathsheba, when he discovered she was the wife of a soldier in his army. King David used his power to corrupt his own life, but he did not escape the harsh judgement of God. His son Solomon also fell into sexual transgression. We also see many modern day preachers and money hungry con men like Jim Baker and Jimmy Swaggart falling from grace and even going to jail. Now we see them in Guyana like the Pope and many of these guys who have churches bigger than cinemas who just try to deceive and swindle uneducated followers for money, all in the name of Christ and God. Now with this Pastor going to jail for 40 years
brings a very bad name to the churches of Christ. What one Minister does can impact the ministry of many others, even though they may not serve in the same church denomination and that will also include Imams and Pundits from their religions too. From the course I did ‘’Ministerial Ethics’’ I learn that a Minister of Religion should not counsel a woman alone, be alone with a woman in a closed office, have a woman alone in his car, eat with a woman alone at a restaurant and same goes for Female Ministers of Religion. Today we have seen the opposite. One sentence in the Lord’s Payer Jesus said:’ ‘And lead us not into temptation; but deliver us from evil.’’ Ministers of Religion need to set a better example to the church, community, society and nation. Even today we have a lot of ‘’so called’’ Pastors and church leaders who never went through any Ministry training but called themselves Apostles, Prophets, Bishops, many of whom can barely read at a very competent level. Saint Paul told young Timothy:’’ Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth;’’ meaning to study and rightly interpret the Holy Scriptures and Paul himself was a literary scholar and lawyer also an orator and linguist. What is important in ministry and every capacity of leadership is our Morality, Character, Integrity and respect from others. It’s not how nice we dress; it’s (Continued on page 7)
DEAR EDITOR, The 09/02/17 editorial in the Kaieteur News headed “New Learning Philosophy Needed” claimed that “we inherited an education system from Britain that is geared towards producing students to pass examinations but who are unable to demonstrate having learnt a skill or knowledge that can relate to their daily existence”. This kind of comment is not new; I have seen it in our media many times before and every time I see it I ask myself how come the schools I attended and taught at during the heyday of the British rule over ‘British Guiana’ were apparently not subjected to such seemingly inadequate, as reported: “education system from Britain”? I attended the Blairmont Primary School in the 1940’s and I know for a fact that be-
sides the regular ‘academic subjects’ the boys were required to do Gardening, Woodworking and Bookbinding while the girls were required to do Sewing, Knitting, Cooking, Baking and housekeeping in addition to mandatory participation in sports and other physical activities. I still recall the joy and inspiration I got from the first BIG FAT TOMATO I reaped from my ‘school garden’ which was located next to the Estate’s Main Office close to the school. It left such a strong impression on me that ever since, my own kitchen garden has been an integral part of the locations wherever I lived in or out of Guyana, providing the surrounds were compatible for such activities. I attended and subsequently taught at the Berbice Educational Institute in New
Amsterdam where again, while the main focus was the academics in pursuit of passing the secondary school examinations (Cambridge School Certificate and London General College Examination (GCE), there was no deficiency or hindrance to the pursuit and development of personality, sports and life skills. I know of the many agriculturalists, engineers, lawyers, doctors, educators, managers and similar professionals who originally attended the schools, both primary and secondary, which I attended and taught at during the British regime over Guyana, so what’s the big deal about ‘the education system we inherited from the British’? Or, is this another ‘alibi’ for the perceived ‘shortcomings’ of our current educators? Nowrang Persaud
This should be one avenue of local content which should benefit skilled Guyanese DEAR EDITOR, I participated in the just concluded Inaugural Guyana International Petroleum Business Summit and Exhibition, and must congratulate the organizers and participants for making the conference one of meaningful discussion and analysis, and moreover a forum at which pertinent information was shared and burning questions posed. This should provide for a better understanding of the complexities, challenges and opportunities of Guyana’s emerging oil and gas industry . This should allow local businesses to begin their SWAT analyses (strengths,
weaknesses, opportunities, threats) as it relates to their becoming players in the oil and gas industry. For me, one of the more enlightening panels was entitled ‘Doing Business in Oil Field Services, Supply Chain and Facilities Management’. This panel had as its main speakers representatives of three major sub-contractors of Exxon Mobil who outlined some of the skills these companies are looking to source locally, the required qualifications of those who could fill these positions and the processes which potential applicants would have to use to apply for available positions.
In one case, one of the companies disclosed that it had already hired ten University of Guyana graduates who are currently undergoing specialized training in Brazil and will soon be recruiting another 20. During the discussions, skills such as welding were identified as among those required and this led me to pose the following question to the panel: Is there scope for Guyanese tradespeople such as welders, electricians, plumbers and carpenters who are competent at what they do, have years of experience but lack certification? I was happy to hear that all (Continued on page 7)
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President and Opposition Leader need to Who bears the risk ... reach a consensus on these appointments DEAR EDITOR, RISE Guyana wishes to place on record its concerns regarding the recent developments surrounding the appointments of a Chancellor and Chief Justice. Article 127 (1) of the Constitution is unambiguous in its description of the obligations of President and Opposition Leader. However as far back as early 2017 it appears the President had taken a position regarding the appointment of Justice Kenneth Benjamin which suggests a fait accompli, lacking the benefit of the
consultative process with the Leader of the Opposition, a predetermined position with limited scope for disagreement. Where do the parties go from here? Article 127 (2) of the Constitution will now serve to guide our leaders as they deliberate to arrive at a consensual solution. ‘Meaningful consultation’ must now be relied upon to ensure that the fears of unilateral appointments are assuaged. According to Minister Harmon (Stabroek News February 9, 2018) “Mr Jagdeo’s
rejection, as I said, is constitutional. The President’s powers are also constitutional and there is a provision in the law which provides in the event that there cannot be agreement-because the requirement is for agreement – there is a second level which now requires meaningful consultation. I believe that is the next step we will have to go to”... RISE Guyana urges the President and the Leader of the Opposition to use the opportunity for meaningful consultation to reach a consen-
sus which will assure citizens that the democratic process is sacrosanct. No good purpose will be served if leading judges find themselves named in proceedings alleging breaches of the Constitution. RISE Guyana stands ready to assist in moving the process forward. Terrence Campbell Marcel Gaskin Ede Tyrell Nadia Sagar Renata Chuck-a-Sang Luana Falconer Jainarine Singh Wil Campbell
This pastor was a bad example to the Christian... From page 6 how morally upright we are. Good character is the leadership quality that distinguishes great leadership. It is the quality that most people admire. Leaders of good character have integrity, courage and compassion. They are careful and prudent. Humble in their awareness of their own limitations, they seek out the knowledge and counsel of others. They constantly learn and others want to learn from them. Their decisions and ac-
tions inspire employees to think and act in a way that not only improves the bottom line, but that contributes to the well-being of the organization and society. The love of God in our hearts will give us the ability to love our wives, husbands, children and the human race. No amount of wealth can replace the love of God. What we need in Guyana is God’s love, which is the cure for all our social problems. Ministers must see their own daughter in a next man’s
This should be one ... From page 6 three companies had already taken this issue into consideration and have in place a process for identifying such persons with a view to undertaking what they describe as “a gap analysis” to determine what training, if any, would be necessary to make these persons certifiable so as to be engaged in the oil and gas industry. This should be one avenue of local content which should be of benefit to Guyanese men and women who have acquired on the job skills and experience over the years but have not been formally trained. It is my hope that the information and methodology for identifying and accessing these uncertified artisans are widely publicized throughout Guyana so as to provide an opportunity for all that are interested. It seems to me that this is one area where there will be jobs for a significant number of Guyanese. It is clear that the oil and gas industry is one where skills certification in order to be engaged is an absolute must. There can be no issue with this. It brings to mind an experience I had decades ago while I served as the public relations officer of the then Guyana Liquor Corporation
(GLC). As part of an interviewing panel for promoting a distillery supervisor to manager I asked why the alcohol had to be heated to a specific degree. The man knew that the alcohol had to be heated to a specific level but did not know why. He had been working for over 25 years in the distillery. Yesu Persaud, then chairman of GLC said to me after the interview “that man does not have 25 years’ experience, he has had one experience for 25 years. Wesley Kirton
daughter; they must see the mothers, sisters, aunts as their own because they must have the love of God in their hearts and don’t see members of the opposite sex as sex objects and rape objects because we will reap what we sow. Our words contain our life that’s our character and attitude. Life is sowing and reaping. We sow bad seeds by our words. Most marriages ended up in divorce because of one person destroying the other with deplorable words. We must think before we speak because we speak our thoughts; I see a society of very angry and bad cultured people from all walks of life. Our ethics, morality and conduct with each other are extremely poor. Very few people can say: ‘Good morning, thank you very much, excuse me sir or madam’. Ministers and leaders must always think that they
will always be victims too of lies and false accusations it’s because Satan will always try to dethrone them from their positions of authority. ‘’ Abstain from all appearance of evil.’’ 1 Thessalonians 5:22 Ministers of Religion are not angels and no man or woman is perfect and no sin is too big for God to forgive, we can learn from our mistakes. My heart is broken when I read of these bad news in the Press but life must go on and the Church will continue to grow. One man’s sin or failure will never affect the whole body of Christ. I advise all Ministers of Religion and all other leaders to live a life of morality and integrity and above all love your neighbour as yourself. Rev. Gideon Cecil
From page 5 Companies take risk to do exploration, spends $5-10 billion, knowing full well if it comes up empty, it will have to eat the cost. That’s the risk that an Oil Giant takes. If it finds oil, then it is assured of recovering all its expenses – and make a huge profit too, depending on the size of the Reserve. Revenues on 3.2 barrels at $65 a barrel = $208 billion. Sunken cost of $5-10 billion on revenues of $208 billion looks very small. Risk against pay-off is well worth it. And, the $5-10 billion (the full measure of the risk) is something only Oil Giants can bear and undertake. The real question: Why does GoG have to underwrite the full cost of all expenses going back to 1999? The risk was all the Oil Company’s – not GoG’s. Many countries (India is one of them) do not do PSAs, only Revenue Sharing Agreements. I don’t want to know how much you spent on Exploration costs – the risk is yours – but if you find Oil, I need a 50% cut on the revenues after Operating Costs. This sounds very reasonable.
Guyana should have learned from the problems of other countries. Philippines reports it is unable to evaluate these expenses – have no idea whether it was incurred or not – and has no power to reject whole categories of expenses that it thinks is illegitimate. Now Guyana is stuck with this problem. I ask the reader to think of this: Lee Raymond, the previous CEO of ExxonMobil, retired with a $200 million retirement package – this is over and above his other pension and stock benefits. Oil Companies must be making huge profits to be able to send off their CEO with such golden packages. Poor countries like Guyana (per capita income $4,000) is really being cheated out of a fair share of its patrimony by these powerful Oil Giants.If I could be at the negotiating table on behalf of GoG, I would ask the EM folks in a calm, but assertive voice: Who bears the risk for the exploration costs – EM or GoG?And, if it is EM (it was always the Oil Company’s), why are you sending this bill of $460 million to be paid by GoG? Mike Persaud
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Sunday February 11, 2018
Canal # One main road under repairs
For years now, there have been promises. The Canal Number One road, which leads to acres of farmlands, homes and one of the biggest housing schemes- La Parfaite Harmonie- had become a nightmare to traverse, with potholes along the way.
Hundreds of vehicles and residents use the road daily. According to the Ministry of Public Infrastructure’s Project Foreman, Marlon McRae, the project is moving on schedule despite challenges with inclement weather.
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ExxonMobil admits baby steps made on local content The Ministry of Natural Resources and United States oil giant, ExxonMobil, have differing levels of local content at the preparation stage for oil production. Ching Khoo, Project Executive at ExxonMobil repeatedly told the three-day Guyana International Petroleum Business Summit & Exhibition (GIPEX) last week that baby steps are being made to involve Guyanese businesses and workers as part of its overall local content plans. While Exxonmobil believes that more should have been done, the Minister of Natural Resources, Raphael Trotman said that he is pleased with the progress. Khoo explained that preparations are at an advance stage for logistics and infrastructure support for the upcoming drilling and installation campaigns. In the area of work force development, Khoo stated that the number of full-time Guyanese employees in the preparation phase is about 48% of just over 1,000 employees. Local affiliate Esso
…. Trotman sings high praise Exploration and Production Guyana Ltd (EEPG) currently has 64 % locals with three members of the management team being Guyanese. Khoo stated that engineers being hired from the University of Guyana and Guyanese are undergoing training in Brazil “These are really baby steps in terms of local content in terms of numbers. They really are baby steps, but there is potential for these trainees to have rewarding long term careers and there is potential for more hires and trainees by the other contractors for oil and gas as we continue into development. We are hopeful,” Khoo stated. Guyana Shore Base Inc. (GYSBI), which is entering final construction phase of its onshore facility at Houston, is the only tier one company contracted by ExxonMobil. GYSBI is hoping to attract more Guyanese. It should be noted that other important logistics elements such as helicopters,
Minister of Natural Resources Raphael Trotman (left) and ExxonMobil’s Ching Khoo. marine vessels, fuel supply, waste management are close to be procured. Khoo did not elaborate as whether Guyanese will get preferred access.
Dem boys seh... Drinks does mek you get big bills Once you live in Guyana you does drink fuh any and every reason. If somebody sick, people does gather and have a drink to discuss de sickness. If somebody dead people does meet up at de wake and drink fuh talk bout de dead. When people married is more people des meet to drink to de health of de bride and some does drink to de health of de groom. Some does drink in advance of dem getting children and every child is a cause fuh more drinking. If something bad happen, like bandits attack somebody in de village people does meet to talk bout it and at de centre of de talking is drinks. When dem boys ask why dem drinking de answer is that dem drinking to drown dem sorrows. Is two years now since Exxon announce that Guyana got oil. When de oil company mek de announcement dem boys tek a drink and de rest of Guyana follow. Now Guyanese will stay drunk fuh de rest of dem life when it comes to that scampish oil company. Trotty sign a deal wid Exxon and everybody now see that Exxon get de best deal. That happen after Trotty had a good drink. The best deal does come after a good drink Men know that very well. Tek out a woman who would normally give yuh a hard time. She does soften after two glass of wine or a few beers. After then you got a contract that even better than de
one Guyana give Exxon. De profits is more than you can handle. Don’t laugh yaal know exactly wha dem boys talking bout Soulja Bai send a team to Texas and Exxon give dem de time of the world. Some of dem seh dem see the sky and had the best flowery roses to taste. But is de drinks that open dem eyes and weaken dem hand. That was when dem accept US$18 million instead of de US$100 million dem shoulda get. Dem come back home and give poor Soulja Bai a glass of wine, he drunk and push de US$18M in he hand Up to now he still groggy and he still happy from de drink. But one thing bout drinking, de likker does wuk out of de system. It wuk out of Trotty system already. Same way it wuk out of Soulja Bai system and now dem want revise de contract. But dem holding on to de US$18 million. Dem talking bout paying lawyer to fight Venezuela but dem boys know is to buy drinks fuh dem judge at de court. And when dem buying drinks dem get a bill fuh US$460million from Exxon. Drinks mek dem get a big bill. Dem boys seh Guyana tek US$18 million and Exxon asking fuh $460 million. Talk half and watch how you drinking. You does get more than you can handle.
Khoo explained that the floating production storage and offloading (FPSO) unit or floating vessel which will extract the oil, will not require a lot of manpower.
The company has stipulated a target of 25% Guyanese on the boat in the first year of operations rising to 75% by year eight. “Where we can use local
contractors and suppliers we already are…Last year we used over 300 Guyanese businesses for goods and services, but we need to be more (Continued on page 72)
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Minister restricted to one audit per year - Must give ExxonMobil three months written notice of intention to audit- Contract Under the Production Sharing Agreement (PSA) that ExxonMobil signed with the Government, Minister of Natural Resources, Raphael Trotman, has the right to audit the company’s books. However, that right was granted along with some very restricting measures. These measures are outlined in Article 23 and Annex C of the contract. Article 23 is limited and defers to annex C of the contract. Annex C goes more in detail of the accounting and auditing measures. Annex C has an “Audit and Inspection Rights of Government” clause. That clause states that the Minister “shall have the right to audit upon ninety (90) days written notice, at his sole cost and expense, accounts and records of the Contractor, maintained hereunder with respect to each Calendar Year within two years from the end of each such year.”` The contract states that the Minister may audit, examine and verify, “at reasonable times during normal business
Minister of Natural Resources, Raphael Trotman and ExxonMobil Vice President, Erik Oswald hours but not more than once per Calendar Year, all charges and credits relating to the Contractor’s activities under the Agreement and all books of accounts, accounting entries, material records and inventories, vouchers, payrolls, invoices and any other docu-
ments., correspondence and records necessary to audit and verify the charges and credits.” During the annual audit, the Minister has the option to review items previously subjected to audit in earlier (Continued on page 15)
Over two years now… Guyana has almost zero capacity to deal with oil and gas - says Gov’t advisor on oil It has been more than two years since the coalition administration took up office and there are serious concerns about the lack of capacity to effectively understand the emerging oil and gas sector, especially as oil production is expected to start in another two years. Dr. Jan Mangal, Petroleum Advisor to President David Granger, underscored the lack of capacity when he discussed the numerous issues circulating that Guyana should extend into oil refinery and should establish a national oil company. “Guyana has almost zero capacity now for dealing with oil and gas,” Dr. Mangal said during a presentation at the University of Guyana last Wednesday. He stated that there are basic things that needed to get done, including the passage of the Petroleum Commission Bill, Sovereig n Wealth Fund and a regulatory framework. “ We n e e d t e c h n i c a l people in the Ministry of Natural Resources, in GRA (Guyana Revenue Authority), Ministry of Finance and they are not appearing. It’s been over two years now go look at the Ministry of Natural Resources how many foreign technical experts are in there. Zero,” Dr. Mangal concluded.
- contends that politicians only think elections to elections
Dr. Jan Mangal, Petroleum Advisor to President David Granger Dr. Mangal’s public statements have so far suggested that the 2% royalty in the Production Sharing Agreement (PSA) between ExxonMobil and the Government is not the international norm. He has also stated that ExxonMobil not paying taxes is also not the international norm. “I am one person. I am one advisor. Guyana can’t rely on one person. Guyana needs to go and pull in a bunch of experts into Government. My
intention when I started was to build a team up, but unfortunately resources were not available. We still aim to do that,” Dr. Mangal noted. In the absence of experts, Dr. Mangal has warned that politicians should not be involved in the management of the oil and gas sector. He stated that politicians think elections to elections. He stated that if Guyana takes the path of civil servants managing the ind u s t r y t h e n changes in Government will not impact the oil industry. “If politicians are managing your industry, then come election time the industry is going to come to a standstill and six months after the elections, there won’t be anyone working in the industry,” Mangal stated. Dr. Mangal is a Guyanese who has spent 18 years in the industry, 13 of them with Chevron working on major oil and gas projects in the United States, West Africa and Asia. He noted that contracts should always be reviewed as new information becomes available. Dr. Jan Mangal has said that the PSA can be renegotiated.
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Civil Society must have a voice in oil and gas matters - Canadian lawyer By Kiana Wilburg At the heart and soul of any well-functioning democracy is civil society; a body of individuals and organizations which defend the rights of the citizenry while ensuring checks and balances against the excessive of the State are always in place. As the nation inches closer to oil production, the role of civil society becomes even more important. And whether the discussions in the next five, 10 or 15 years will be centered on the need for more fiscal reforms or how to address an oil spill, the voice of civil society must be heard. This was essentially the message that was delivered by Attorney-at-Law and 14th Premier of Alberta, Canada, Alison Redford. Guyanese and stakeholders in the oil industry heard this speaker during the inaugural Guyana International Petroleum Business Summit (GIPEX). It was held over three days from February 7 with a number of topical issues in oil and gas being fleshed out by several brilliant local and international minds. Redford was part of the panel which dealt with the effective management of Guyana’s Oil and Gas Resources. For this former politician, it was important to highlight the power of trust among stakeholders; the significance of civil society’s input and the partnership that is needed among Government officials, persons in the industry and the citizenry. The lawyer said, “It is
Attorney-at-Law and former Premier of Canada, Alison Redford very pleasing to see the number of people who are prepared to come to the table to challenge conventional thinking and to talk about what this development will mean for Guyana. Whether we are talking about how to manage those expectations or resources, the one thing that I would like to say is that this is not an exercise in communication.” Redford continued, “During the summit, there were some very interesting com-
ments with respect to the power of communication when it comes to oil and gas and how it is important for citizens to understand the industry. But I will tell you that regardless of whether citizens understand the industry, they will have opinions about how it should be developed.” “So it is very important for Government, industry and civil society to be in the discussion and for the government and industry to be (Continued on page 15)
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Don’t compare yourself to Brazil, Norway; examine nations with weak institutions - World Bank Official By Kiana Wilburg Policy leaders here have assured the citizenry that they are paying attention to the lessons of other nations in the oil and gas industry. But which lessons are they actually paying attention to? Is it Norway’s? If that is the case, would the lessons of Norway and the models they have used, be applicable to Guyana’s circumstances? Not necessarily says World Bank Senior Country Officer, Pierre Nadji. He was one of the eminent minds at the recently concluded Guyana International Petroleum Business Summit (GIPEX). There, Nadji said that there are some fundamentals every nation should know as it enters the oil and gas sector. He said that this includes determining the impact oil revenues would have on the economy, having the right institutions in place, capacity building, and bringing the right external expertise that will put Guyana on the right track. Nadji was careful to note that preparing for an oil industry is no easy task. He said
that there are many countries which can testify to this such as Trinidad and Tobago which had its good and bad years. The World Bank official said that there are cases of institutional building going on in Ghana, Senegal and Kenya. He said that these are countries with challenges both in capacity and weak institutions. He said that Guyana should not necessarily look at the Norway experience, and that of Chile and Brazil which have “solid institutions”. He said however that Guyana should get lessons from countries all around. Nadji said nonetheless that the World Bank is here to support Guyana and they are pleased with the discussions taking place at all levels. ASSURANCE The lack of oversight by Governments along with the blatant misuse of resources, have left many oil rich countries either unable to show a significant improvement in GDP growth or, worse off than
they were before the discovery of oil. Business Minister, Dominic Gaskin, has since assured the citizenry that the Government has paid attention to such lessons around the world. He emphasized that the Government would ensure that Guyana walks a different path; one paved with transparency and accountability. Gaskin said that the Ministry of business is pleased to be associated with this event. The politician believes that once properly organized and instituted, the summit can be of benefit to a number of stakeholders and to the country in general. The Business Minister said, “For us, we see this as a major international event; one that can be used to promote
Guyana as an emerging oil and gas producer. It is an opportunity for the government and the private sector to work together to showcase this country as a pro-business destination; as a place where things are happening; where investors are welcomed and a place with a bright future.” He continued, “It is an excellent networking opportunity for the private sector. But we have had some worry in the sector that Guyana’s inexperience in this industry may lead to it getting the short end of the stick. But I would like to say that I don’t think that is going to happen. There are a number of interventions that are being made and measures that are being put in place to ensure that Guyana and Guyanese are the main beneficiaries of all that
is taking place offshore.” Gaskin added, “And in that regard, we had in the last few years, some amazing results coming out from the exploration offshore and it augers well for our future. Not everyone feels this way but it is happening before our eyes… “We must understand that yes, there are pitfalls in the oil and gas sector. And yes, many countries have not been able to reap the maximum benefits of their natural resources. But I think we have heard a lot about this and we have learnt a lot about this from others. We don’t intend to make those mistakes and I can give that assurance.” RESOURCE CURSE The Business Minister
also reiterated that the Government is working towards ensuring that all of the necessary mechanisms are in place so that Guyana is not plagued by the resource curse. The resource curse is a term that has often been used to describe nations which have an abundance of resources yet there is no real economic growth taking place. In fact, nations plagued by this problem even see worse development outcomes. In his 2018 budget speech, Finance Minister, Winston Jordan, said that while the Government continues to build capacity for effectively managing and regulating the oil and gas sector, it will ensure that systems and regulations are in place to properly and transparently account for, and manage oil revenues. In this regard, he said that an oil and gas unit will also be established within the Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA). The economist said that the Unit will benefit from extensive training in revenue (Continued on page 72)
Sunday February 11, 2018
Minister restricted to one audit... From page 10 years. However, the contract stipulated that the review shall only be carried out in conjunction with the annual audit for any given year. This can happ e n “no sooner than twelve (12) months following the previous audit thereof; and only be for the purposes of verifying a matter arising in a later period, which relates to the earlier year(s) in question or as specified in Section 1.5 (b).” The PSA also states that at the conclusion of each audit, ExxonMobil and the Government shall endeavour to settle outstanding matters and a written report will be issued to the
Contractor within 60 days of the conclusion of such audit. “The report shall include all claims arising from such audit. The Contractor shall reply to the report in writing as soon as possible and in any event not later than sixty (60) days following receipt of the report indicating acceptance or rejection of the audit claim and in the case of a rejection showing explanations thereof.” It was further stipulated that should the Minister consider that reply requires further investigation on any item therein, the “Minister shall have the right to conduct further investigation in rela-
tion to such matter within sixty (60) days of its receipt of Contractor’s reply.” If within 60 days of the Minister’s further investigation, the Parties are unable to agree to the disposition of the Minister’s audit claim, there shall be arbitration in ac c o r d a n c e with the arbitration provisions of the contract. “All adjustments resulting from an audit agreed to by the Contractor and the Minister conducting the audit shall be reflected promptly in the accounts by the Contractor and any consequential adjustments in Crude Oil entitlements shall also be made promptly.”
Civil Society must have a voice in oil... From page 12 prepared to educate the communities. But at the end of the day, this national resource can be developed for the betterment of the nation in partnership with civil society.” The lawyer also commented that one of the many issues which came up during the summit is that without participation; without trust between government, civil society and the industry, it is going to be very hard to move ahead, hence the importance of forums like GIPEX. Redford said, “I would like to deal with two things. One of them is the way the resources come out of the ground and the way in which they are used to develop the country. This will have to be a dialogue between politicians, policy leaders, and civil society and communities. “Be it the Sovereign Wealth Fund (SWF) or miti-
gating environmental problems, these are all issues where dialogue must be something where civil society must have a voice.” “At the end of the day, it is civil society’s opinion that will determine whether the country and government of any political strength, is actually going to be able to develop that resource. As we have this conversation, and you continue to have it for the next 25, 50 or 100 years, the one strategy that will not work is (one that says) it doesn’t matter if civil society doesn’t understand. “It is true, oil and gas matters and environmental matters are very technical. But at the end of the day, whatever civil society does not understand is what they would want to talk about. That is how they would participate in the conversation.” Redford’s next point was;
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at the end of the day, it is important for government and the industry stakeholders to have a strong partnership to develop the resource. Based on her extensive knowledge of the sector, the lawyer said that industry stakeholders would also indicate that it is important for the government to understand that it needs to set incentives, local content laws, environmental management plans etc., that will allow them to develop the resource for the benefit of the country. She commented that given the role of the government as the trustee of the resource, it is important for it to demonstrate that it is managing the resource for the benefit of the people. Based on what she has heard thus far, the former politician said she believes that such an understanding is present.
Ex-cop, women among several arrested (From page 3) chassis numbers had been tampered with. The two crashed cars along with a Toyota Fielder Wagon and a Toyota Allion were seized. James was arrested late last year after he allegedly conspired with others to hijack a car valued $2.1M from Ramesh Ramoutar on December 14, 2017 at Better Hope, East Coast Demerara. James was subsequently charged and placed before the courts. Reports are that James tampered with the stolen vehicle’s chassis number. He reportedly put the chassis number for his crashed car on the stolen car. The crashed vehicle that James left at the mechanic shop was allegedly being used as parts for other stolen cars. It was during interrogation that James led ranks to Herstelling where they discovered two other crashed cars, and on both vehicles the chassis numbers had been tampered with. At the base also, ranks found the two vehicles believed to be stolen cars. Recently, there have been a number of carjacking
with Toyota Allion and Premio motor cars being the most targeted. For last year, 25 vehicles were hijacked, including three Carina 212 and a Toyota Spacio car. In most of these cases, the drivers were held at gunpoint. In light of this, Crime Chief Paul Williams had said that the Guyana Police Force (GPF) will be partnering with the Guyana Revenue Authority and Insurance companies to tackle the culprits behind the crime. Kaieteur News was informed that investigators will be able to determine how many crashed vehicles were sold as “scraps” and where they were sold since there have been reports that stolen cars are stripped and sold as spare parts. GRA will provide the police with information pertaining to the ownership of vehicles and the dates they were imported. Additionally, the Crime Chief said that there are a number of unauthorized workshops throughout the country. The operators of these places will have to provide the cops with details regarding the
origin of spare parts. “We are going to be visiting these places and they have to tell us where they get their parts from,” the Crime Chief said. Williams explained that there are instances where persons report that their vehicles had been stolen, but when checks were made; it was found that the vehicles were actually repossessed by the auto dealers. “We are asking persons, when they come to report that their vehicle was hijacked, to tell us if they have any money outstanding for any auto dealers, because we would have had cases where a person parks and goes into a store. When he comes out, the vehicle is gone but it really was the company using its duplicate key to repossess the vehicle,” Williams said. Asked whether he has received information that there are auto companies that purchase these stolen cars, the Crime Chief said that he has not received such report. Moreover, he indicated that ranks will be examining taxi bases to see if any stolen vehicles are there.
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Sunday February 11, 2018
Petroleum Commission must have independent thinkers- Hughes Prominent Attorney at Law, Nigel Hughes, told those who gathered at the recent oil and gas summit that the best foundation for the Petroleum Commission is for it to be staffed with qualified, professional independent thinkers. Providing answers to a question that was posed in this regard, Hughes said, “The Commission should be filled with appropriate people. The second you start to create criteria that suggests it might be political we begin to lose purpose.” Hughes said that Guyana should strive to have a commission of appropriately qualified people that enjoys the confidence of the entire country; “and not a confidence based on politics but based on capacity and integrity.” The lawyer, who is also a Director of the Guyana Oil and Gas Association (GOGA), said that Guyana needs the regulatory structure and statutory framework that allows the appointment of people for a period of time so as to avoid removal of those who may rub politicians the wrong way. Hughes said, “They should not have the power to change people willy nilly, purely because this ` is a body that requires the best skills available insulated from the political class. So if we draft the appropriate laws to protect the political class from having too much influence then we are ahead of the game.” Since last December, Minister of Natural Resources, Raphael Trotman, is about to make moves that will complement his stated anti-dictatorship position. Trotman said
GOGA Director, Nigel Hughes that he was going to go to Cabinet and ask that it approves the reduction of powers to be vested in him as prescribed by the Petroleum Commission Bill. But nothing happened since. Trotman had told the House that in 2017, both the Petroleum Commission Bill and the Local Content Policy were widely disseminated for public scrutiny and currently, the Bill is before the Select Committee while the Policy is being finalized with stakeholder feedback. Trotman said that the Government chose to pause the implementation of the Petroleum Commission Bill so that it can receive all “fit and proper proposals that may be out there.” He said, “This moment will not come again and how we prepare to manage this resource, in particular, will determine the long-term future of the country so I will recommend to Cabinet that the format is changed from the standard semi-autonomous one to make the Commission more independent and inclusive so that it can enjoy na-
tional support.” The opinions that too much power is to be vested in the Minister of Natural Resources are widespread. Stakeholders have been saying the Petroleum Commission Bill, now before a parliamentary select committee, should be fine-tuned to make way for a Board of Directors with broader powers to eliminate concerns about possible ministerial micro-management. With some 51 clauses, the Bill seeks to provide the framework for the monitoring and regulation of efficient, safe, effective and environmentally responsible exploration, development and production of the resource in Guyana through the setting up of a Petroleum Commission. The Bill currently says that the Minister is to appoint the Board of the Petroleum Commission and is empowered to act as the Board in the absence of an active board. The Board will control the commission and the commission will have the main say in the oil sector. (Continued on page 71)
Sunday February 11, 2018
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Backlog cases ‘reduced by half’ - Diamond to get Magistrates’ Court
Acting Chancellor of the Judiciary: Yonette Cummings-Edwards
Acting Chief Justice: Roxane George
The mindboggling 10,000 backlog of cases is no more. Acting Chief Justice Roxane George, recently disclosed that there is now a maximum of 5,000 pending cases, including those for divorces, civil and full court matters. Referring to the outstanding matters, Justice George, in an interview with the Department of Public Information (DPI), said, “And I do not consider them to be backlog cases as such anymore. I would prefer to classify them as old rule cases.” According to Justice George, the High Court is now operating under the New Civil Procedure Rules (CPR)
introduced in February 2016. The acting Chief Justice disclosed that there are a number of “live matters”, meaning that a trial will be done unless the parties involved arrive at a settlement. Apart from these matters, Justice George explained that there are a number of matters before the court for which a judge has to adjudicate. She explained, too, that these are not active matters and as such will not go to trial. Noting that judges are working assiduously to reduce the backlog, the Chief Justice revealed that there are approximately 1,500 matters before the court which require
a trial or Full Court hearing. The remaining matters, she said, will have to be passed through the court for those matters to be formally closed. Under the new CPR there are Fixed Date Applications and Statement of Claim Matters. Thus far, for 2018, 214 Fixed Date Applications were filed, of which 95 were completed, while 37 Statement of Claim matters were filed, of which four were completed. Last year, 2,063 Fixed Date Applications were filed, of which 1, 452 were completed, while 440 Statement of Claim matters were filed, of which 54 were completed. MAGISTRATES’ COURT FOR DIAMOND Meanwhile, acting Chancellor of the Judiciary
The Baccoo Speaks Car theft was rampant and the authorities knew why. Dealers and spare parts vendors found it easier to have stolen car parts and stolen cars than to use their money to import. But the net is closing in. There will be more arrests, because people will begin to report suspicious activities. However, many people will not be able to identify the parts from their cars because they never marked them. **
A n other report of a missing school child who will leave to attend a Mashramani event will have tongues wagging. It will turn out that the child would simply leave with a
partner who would use another child to lure the susceptible victim. One day later the child will return home. ** The hours of night are not the best time for pedestrians because of errant drivers. This will be borne out by a hit and run in the vicinity of the Brickdam Police Station. However the police would nab this driver, because he would not be able to hide the damaged vehicle.
Yonette Cummings-Edwards, in an interview with DPI, disclosed that a Magistrates’ Court will be constructed at Diamond, East Bank Demerara. In fact, in the coming weeks, the sod will be turned for the construction of the building. “On the East Bank, from Timehri coming all the way to Georgetown, even Agricola is a heavy catchment area and the volume of cases coming out of there is really high. A court is sitting at Providence and after assuming the office of Chancellor, I revisited it
and I realized that the volume was so high we had to have a second building for the court and a second magistrate,” Justice Cummings-Edwards detailed. The idea to establish the new court is not only to provide access to justice but to ensure that citizens are comfortable while their cases are being heard, the acting Chancellor said. According to Justice Cummings-Edwards, “We intend to put lifts for persons with disabilities so they would be able to access the court.
We will have a briefing room for lawyers, a library, rooms for bailiffs, waiting rooms for litigants and members of the public. So that will be very modern.” The land to construct the court was acquired with assistance from the Guyana Police Force. Bids for the construction of the new Magistrates’ Court were opened in last year September at the National Procurement and Tender Administration Board, under the Supreme Court of Judicature.
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Sunday February 11, 2018
A thirst for fast cars and killing By Michael Jordan Taxi drivers claim to have a built-in instinct about danger, but the driver in the burgundy Toyota Carina felt no apprehension when the three boys approached his car. Maybe it had to do with the fact that they didn’t fit the profile of the young men the cops were blaming for the three-year spree of robberies, kidnappings, and murders. So, when they asked, he readily agreed to drop them up the East Coast of Demerara. Some of his buddies at the Demico Park would later say that he was just a bit reckless when it came to picking up strangers. During the journey, the passengers stopped at UG Road, where they picked up some other friends. They then informed their driver that they wanted to go to a night spot at Lusignan. Shortly after nine o’clock on Sunday, October 24, 2004, persons living near the St. Mary the Virgin Anglican Church in Beterverwagting heard screams of ‘Murder!’ and ‘Thief!’ coming from the vicinity of the church. Those who looked outside saw a man stagger from a burgundy car. Still screaming, the man stumbled south along Quamina Road, before collapsing at the roadside. Meanwhile, the car headed in the direction of Georgetown. The older residents went to the scene, where they found a man of mixed ancestry lying there who had literally been stabbed all over his body. He was clearly dead. Detectives eventually arrived, but found no documents on the victim. Finally, one of the detectives suggested that Kaieteur News reporter Dale Andrews, who was also there, photograph the ‘John Doe’ and have the picture published. The slain man’s photo-
Slain taxi driver, Teddy Smith graph appeared in the October 25, 2004 Kaieteur News edition. Because the victim had exited a vehicle, there was speculation that the victim might be a taxi driver. Following that slim lead, I took a copy of the Kaieteur News and headed to the Demico car park. The second driver to whom who I showed the picture said with certainty: “That is Teddy Smith.” It couldn’t be this easy, I thought. But I entered his car and we journeyed over the Demerara Harbour Bridge to Goed Fortuin, West Bank Demerara, where Teddy Smith lived. I rapped at the front door and an attractive young woman, who identified herself as Sonia Garryva, invited me in. With some trepidation and
a sense of guilt, I showed her the newspaper. Sonia Garryva screamed. Yes, the sobbing woman said. The man was Teddy Smith, the father of her three children. Dressed in a white and red jersey, jeans and brown boots, 35-year-old Teddy Smith, called ‘Fine man’, had left home at around 18:00 hrs on Sunday, October 24, 2004. Sonia did not suspect that anything was amiss when Teddy failed to come home the following day, since he often worked until morning. The car he drove was a burgundy vehicle, PGG 9723. At the time, not even the police had this information. I had already completed my story when we were tipped off about an intriguing development.
The night after Teddy Smith was slain, taxi driver Deochand Debidayar was in the Cummings Lodge area when two young men hired him to take them to Ogle. Debidayar had no idea that the occupants of a burgundy car were trailing him. When he arrived at Ogle Airstrip Road, the passengers, who were armed with knives, began to beat Debidayar. But luck was with him that night. A Special Constabulary mobile patrol was traversing the Ogle Airstrip road at the same time and heard his screams. When they arrived at the spot, some of the youths fled from the burgundy car that was trailing Debidayar’s. However, one of them was nabbed in the vehicle. According to the police, the suspect led then to five other accomplices. One of the youths was reportedly hiding in a wardrobe when the cops arrived at his home. Although the licence plates had been removed, detectives quickly confirmed that the burgundy Toyota the suspects had used was the same one that Teddy Smith had driven when he was slain. According to the police, the youths confessed to murdering Smith, while a fingerprint expert lifted their prints from the dead man’s car. Detectives were somewhat disturbed about the cold-blooded nature of the attacks. After all, none of the teens—five from Cummings Lodge and one from Prashad Nagar—was from an impoverished home. The alleged mastermind and four others, all aged 17,
were charged with murder and armed robbery. One 15-year-old lad was also charged with murder, while another 15-year-old was charged with robbery under arms. Eventually, only the alleged mastermind and three other 17-year-olds appeared in the High Court on murder charges. Case closed? Not so. They had caught the accused in Teddy Smith’s car. They had confessions and fingerprints. But the state’s case began to fall apart. The battery of defence attorneys began to pick the State’s case apart and to expose their sloppy preparation. During cross-examination, the police rank who had uplifted the fingerprints from the murdered man’s car admitted that both he and his assistant had omitted to sign the card on which the fingerprints had been mounted. The detective also could not say with certainty which officer he had asked to sign the document and was not in a position to recognize the signature on it. As a result, the Presiding Judge ruled that the fingerprints were inadmissible as evidence. The defence also queried whether the police had forced the ‘confession statements’ out of their clients. The alleged mastermind and one other accused would later claim in unsworn state-
ments from the dock that they had signed blank papers after police ranks beat them in an effort to achieve confessions. The Judge accepted nocase submissions in relation to two other accused and ordered them to be freed. A jury, directed by the Presiding Judge, then found the alleged mastermind and the number two accused not guilty of murder. I suppose it’s impossible to cover the crime beat without taking some cases personally. There are the cases that you feel could have been solved, had some detective shown more diligence. Then there are the times when your gut tells you that you know who the killer is but can’t prove it. But the ones that hit you hardest are those in which the cops seem to have the killers in their grasp—and yet they walk free. I have added the tragic case of Teddy Smith to this list. If you have any information about other unusual cases, please contact Kaieteur News at our Lot 24 Saffon Street, Charlestown location. We can be reached on telephone numbers 2258465, 225-8491 or 225-8473. You need not disclose your identity. You can also contact Michael Jordan at his email a d d r e s s mjdragon@hotmail.com
Sunday February 11, 2018
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Power in 2018; same as 60 years ago The first accusation that comes out of the mouths of politicians who are criticized for wrong use of power is ‘unpatriotic.” It should have come as no surprise to experienced activists and those who study Guyanese politics when two ministers (Jordan and Harmon) used that adjective in response to an unnamed advertisement urging investors to go elsewhere rather than Guyana. The argument here does not centre on the advertisement (whose advocacy I cannot and will not accept, but that it should not have been published is debatable) but rather, on how the two ministers, particularly Harmon, reacted. One of the uneasy and perhaps uncanny faults of Guyanese power holders since Cheddi Jagan won the 1957 elections, is that they are barefaced enough to tell academics and activists when their actions and words are unpatriotic, but they refuse, and stubbornly so, to see their opaque, unaccountable and arrogant use of power is also unpatriotic.
Minister Harmon observed; “I would just want to urge all of those persons who continue to write and speak about the negativity, that they should think positive and see what is good for Guyana.” The impulsive question to ask Harmon is if he feels he alone knows what is good for Guyana. I would also like to ask Harmon what he considers negative statements. About a year ago, I called upon Minister Harmon and the President to apologize to me for a negative statement they published about me and to date they have not. The Office of the President issued a statement accusing me of making mischief in a column in which I repeated a disclosure AFC leader Raphael Trotman made at an AFC press conference. He said that President Granger, on his own, acting outside of the Cummingsburg Accord between APNU and the AFC, appointed three ministers – Trotman himself, the Business Minister and Agriculture Minister. Using a strong accusation
“mischief” was reckless and dangerous. Fanatical supporters of the President could have harmed me. Since the refusal to acknowledge his error, I have diluted my respect and admiration for David Granger. I did not engage in mischief. I reported what Trotman said publicly. Why then accuse me of a wrongdoing and not Trotman? Minister Jordan’s take on the advertisement included the following observation; “We Guyanese seem not to like ourselves. If we have a difference in the family, I am sure we can solve it. But when we bring it nationally so as to bring harm and put our country into disrepute...” This is a loaded statement that reveals the inherent flaws of our rulers over the past sixty years. What exactly does “difference in the family” mean? The President and Harmon did not see a difference in the family when they publicly accused me of creating mischief against President Granger. I could go on to list one hun-
dred examples of “differences in the family” that the power-holders refused to solve. Literally, I don’t know where to start. But I will offer just one – where is the campaign promise to relook at the draconian penalties for possession of small amounts of marijuana. Try telling a crying wife or mother after jailing her son and husband for three years for five grams of marijuana that they must be patriotic. How about solving that difference in the family, Mr. Jordan? Let’s move on to the Minister’s words of “put our country into disrepute.” Every time there is a horrible natural disaster in another country, if you go into the fish market, the bank, the restaurant, the nightclub, the office, you would hear the words; “Guyana does not get natu-
ral disasters, but we get manmade ones.” Ask those who speak those words what they mean. They mean that powerholders are destroying this country and have been doing that the past sixty years. It started with the intransigence of Premier Cheddi Jagan and President Burnham, went into overdrive in that direction, and since then the man-made disasters have continued. This is a country known for unbelievable ironies. Ministers Harmon and Jordan have composed their accusations of unpatriotic attitude in the midst of the oil and gas conference at the Marriott. How ironic! In the middle of a discussion of an oil/petroleum agreement that is unprecedented in the type of concessionary accommoda-
Frederick Kissoon tions a foreign investor got from a home country, two ministers are saying Guyanese bad mouth their country too much. Maybe one can lay a charge of unpatriotic behaviour against the President and his government for that petroleum contract. But here is another dimension to the irony – the oil confabulation took place in a state-owned hotel that this country does not need.
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Guyana’s resources can never be for one group Guyanese woke up to a horror story this week that left many shaking their heads in collective disbelief. There it was, a half-page black and white advertisement in local newspapers, urging investors to take their money elsewhere. “Investors BEWARE, GOINVEST ELSEWHERE” it screamed, appearing on the same day that Guyana’s first oil and gas summit opened at the Marriott Hotel. To many, the people who paid for and worked to ensure that the advertisement was published would have sunk to a new level of un-patriotism that’s rarely seen in this country, despite our age-old race, political and other differences. No one at a time like this, when the country is on the cusp of an unprecedented level of development owing to our emerging gas and oil sector, would urge investors not to spend a dime in Guyana. Many at the Marriott saw the advertisement and murmured, wondering what kind of political divisions could drive anyone to act in such a treasonous and anti-national way, inimical to the interest of Guyana. Who tries to do such harm to their own country? Right-thinking Guyanese would, however, know that there are very serious implications
to call for investors to “go invest elsewhere.” It requires one to think deeply about the agenda of those who had this advertisement published; knowing that if what they are asking for should truly be fulfilled, of course there would be criticism upon criticism and a loud cry by opposing forces for the removal of this government. They would claim that the A Partnership for National Unity–Alliance for Change administration has failed the people; that we have no ideas and we are unable to run this country. This would all work well for one side. And after all their many plots, schemes and unethical behaviour to discredit this government, the only ones to lose in the end would be Guyana and its citizens. Many Guyanese are unable to travel to posh locations abroad for leisure, they can’t send their children to fancy schools abroad and if they do, they work extremely hard. Guyanese do not have loads of money stashed in foreign bank accounts and cannot escape our slice of paradise at times when it is not so nice. Many Guyanese call this land their home. They are born here, grow up here, work, make their kids and die here. It must be stated that in many cases also, some of us love the land too much to even leave.
It is in this vein that it is understood that to call for no investment from our foreign friends spells danger for our people and economy. Every sector would suffer, not that those who publish that anti-investment advertisement in the newspapers care, but this administration does. The airline industry, starred hotels, the mid-rated ones, city, coastal, airport taxi drivers and other transport providers. Not forgetting the Guyanese lady getting in on a catering contract; the vendor offering local cuisine like black pudding and souse which visitors love to sample. Entertainment spots which employ thousands would obviously miss out on the downstreaming and trickle-down effects of and from a lack of investment, security companies winning private contracts, radio, television and newspapers feeling the pinch on reduced advertisement levels. Almost every industry sector one could think of would suffer badly. Investors bring much needed foreign exchange and would recommend their success to others as they travel around the world and promote their businesses on social media and other platforms. Woe the day if that call to boycott our native land becomes a reality. But one thing is clear. That overflowing room full of investors, oil and gas executives at the Marriott spoke to the opposite effect to that treasonous call from those hiding behind that advertisement. They ignored the call and would certainly be coming back in the coming months.
We care that while at this point in the entire process of cleaning up our once drug and money-laundering-infected economy, investment, particularly foreign investment, is essential for so many reasons. Not only does it increase our country’s productivity economic and trading abilities, but it helps to create jobs, since this was a major concern for citizens when this government came into power. Even education, training and professional areas would be affected, too, because many investors use every opportunity to upgrade persons to fill their relevant posts. To openly make an anti-investment call against Guyana is to put the nation’s future at risk, because no investment today will undeniably leave a mark on the future. Five years from now when this government is supposed to be growing our nation, we will be stuck in the same position because some unpatriotic, treasonous lot who believe that Guyana belongs to them would rather see it fail than run by another group. It is obvious that Guyana’s newfound wealth has some persons edging, because they can no longer control, siphon off and enrich themselves with it. They are accustomed to stealing the country’s money and wiring it out of the country using the protection of willing financial institutions. Guyana’s resources can never be for one group. It is the property of all our peoples. It is absurd and truly dangerous when one side believes that our country must fail if they are not in control.
Sunday February 11, 2018
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My column
That oil contract may be rooted in history Most of the conversation these days centres on the oil contract. This contract was made public in December after calls by the society. And from the time the contract was released, people began to pick holes in it. And indeed there are flaws that seem to be to Guyana’s disadvantage. Critics began to pick at these flaws. Now there are calls for the oil company to revisit the contract and make things a bit more meaningful and profitable for Guyana. However, there is a school of thought that Guyana is getting more than it would have got had the oil company not undertaken the exploration. This seems to be a case of half a loaf is better than none. But this argument does not hold water in some quarters. This caused one commentator to recall the attempt by Union Carbide to mine manganese in Guyana’s northwest region. Manganese is an import mineral that is in demand on the world market. There were the negotiations with the Burnham administration. Burnham insisted on more than Union Carbide was prepared to of-
fer, because he felt that the ore was Guyana’s and the country should get maximum benefit. Union Carbide said that it was not prepared to go better than it was offering, and picked up its equipment. It left for Ghana and Guyana was allowed to keep its manganese. We know that to this day the manganese is there and Guyana was no better off. It has its manganese that it can do nothing with. That was about fifty years ago, but in that time Guyana was forced to rely on more foreign aid and could not pay the kind of wages that it should. We come to the oil situation. ExxonMobil came in the 1990s and after negotiations, got concessions offshore. Between 1999 and 2002, ExxonMobil began to explore. From then to 2015, there was the exploration until the discovery. All this while Guyana was silent, probably because it was unaware, or because it had given hope of finding oil. Many companies had been exploring, but they all came up empty. Janet Jagan had given the oil company 600 blocks instead of the sixty, but no one
said anything then. The announcement of oil came in 2015 and suddenly Guyana began to focus. The 600 blocks that Janet Jagan gave to the oil company became a focus. The critics now wanted the present administration to correct this breach of the regulations. Guyana began to get some money from the oil company, but the critics said that it was not getting enough. People began to look at what others got at the same stage and contended that Guyana should be getting the same. This continues to be the cry to this day. Talk about half of a loaf being better than none is not holding water. When I talk to people about ExxonMobil packing up and leaving, they all say that the oil company would not leave because it has spent a lot of money. And besides, it has found one of the largest oil deposits in the world. Meanwhile the price of oil is not what it used to be. At the same time, the United States has reopened production and is shipping large volumes of shale oil to countries like China, India and even some small countries. This is having an impact on global production and ExxonMobil is
monitoring this situation. It is now left for us to see whether this oil company would find its operations in Guyana unproductive. If anything, Minister Raphael Trotman is perhaps the most criticized. He has explained repeatedly that having looked at the existing conditions Guyana did the best it could. There is the Venezuela threat that kept away many oil explorers. ExxonMobil faced this challenge. This is being done, but in the event of anything, Guyana would have to bear the cost. One argument is that if one is prepared to take the chance, then one is doing so at one’s own risk. If one succeeds that, one enjoys the fruits of one’s labour. Where does this leave Guyana? I could see a future without oil and Guyana remaining poor. Yet this does not mean that Guyana must bend over backwards. However, there are Guyanese who are actually happy with the situation. These are the local businesses. They are already beginning to capitalize on what is on offer. Some have already built stockyards. Others are securing transportation contracts, so for them, the bigger picture is not
important. They are the believers in the half a loaf policy. The question at this time is what the effect of the criticism on ExxonMobil is. This oil company is bigger than most governments, so the criticisms from some people in a backwater country would merely irritate, but will not hurt. Yet public opinion has been known to have an impact on everything. Public opinion is that there should be a review of aspects of the contract. It goes without saying that ExxonMobil will make a killing. At the same time, Guyana is going to get more money than it would have got from any source. I can see Guyana not having to rely on foreign aid and donations. To add to the benefits of the country is the agriculture production. Trinidad is in dire straits because the bottom is falling from its once booming oil economy. People are being laid off from the sector to such an extent that crime is climbing. There is nothing to fall back on, so when the country could have imported all that it needed, the time is now that there is simply not enough money. Guyana has a vibrant agriculture sector
Adam Harris A. A. that must be enhanced with whatever money is coming from oil. The world knows that Guyana is going to be rich, even with this flawed contract. I can see many people flocking to this country, because people always follow opportunities. Other oil companies are coming, because they know that they too can cash in on the bonanza. Minister Trotman is assuring that the other oil contracts would not be as lopsided as the ExxonMobil contract. So the promise is that Guyana would eventually get what it deserves, but the critics in the society want that bit more that they say is available and due to the people of the country.
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Sunday February 11, 2018
Reject any attempt to split, segregate, or separate us On January 19, 2018, an important event took place. On that date, the second annual meeting of the National Regional Development Consultative Committee (NRDCC) was held at the Marriott Hotel. One may ask, what exactly is the NRDCC, and why is it important to every citizen, and how will it help to improve our lives? At the last NRDCC meeting, President Granger outlined how Guyana came to be divided into ten regions. His Excellency said, “The colony of British Guiana was divided into three counties – Essequibo, Demerara and Berbice – which adopted the geographical and historical contours of the original Dutch colonies. They were not functional or developmental from an economic or administrative point of view. “These counties, by the middle of the last century, were sub-divided into nine districts . . . which evolved, largely, into the ten administrative ‘regions’ which exist today.” We may therefore, think of the regions as geographic divisions. President Granger said, “A rich country cannot be built on poor regions.” It follows, that regional administrations must co-operate among themselves to ensure that they are working towards common goals. In other words, the ten regions of Guyana, each having diverse resources, must work together to develop themselves and the country as a whole.
There is too, the ethnic division which came about as a result of historical realities. Minister of Communities Ronald Bulkan, who also delivered remarks at the event, spoke about this. He said that this racial divide is ripe for exploitation by politicians, much to the detriment of Guyana’s peoples. The Minister said, “The lack of social cohesion is what has largely contributed to our under-development.” He underscored that the NRDCC, as its name makes clear, is intended to foster regional development, which will naturally, result in national development. A Partnership for National Unity- Alliance for Change (APNU+AFC) administration is committed to Guyana’s development. This development will not be measured by how many tall buildings we have or how many fancy vehicles are on the road. Instead, the administration views development as a personal thing. When we talk about development, we mean the betterment of the quality of life of all citizens. To u s , d e v e l o p m e n t m e a n s t h a t Guyanese are moving forward: having greater access to quality services such as healthcare, education, security, justice, communications, and job options and prospects. Access to the aforementioned and other opportunities must be the same for
everyone, no matter where they live. In other words, there must be equity and equality. If you are from Tiger Pond in the Rupununi or from Orealla in the East Berbice-Corentyne Region, you should have the same chance to live a good life as a person living in Georgetown. This administration sees development as the improvement of the standard of living beginning with each citizen, and expanding to include neighbourhoods, communities, regions, and finally, the whole country. And this is where the NRDCC becomes important, vital, and essential. The goal of the NRDCC is to empower citizens through their regional representatives, to formulate initiatives, develop plans, and implement programmes that will foster better lives for all citizens through regional empowerment within a collaborative framework of a comprehensive national agenda. We are talking now about governance. Good governance is a necessary prerequisite to development. Such governance – locally, regionally, and nationally – is mandated by Guyana’s Constitution. Good governance encompasses such concepts as inclusion, transparency, accountability, planning, co-operation, and collaboration. It is essential, therefore, that elected regional councillors place the interests of their regional constituents ahead of po-
litical affiliation, and co-operate with each other. It is in the interest of citizens to urge regional representatives to participate fully in the work of the NRDCC. A region cannot go it alone. For real national development to take place, each region needs the co-operation of every other region. At the last meeting of the NRDCC, it was noted that several Peoples Progressive Party (PPP) regional councillors participated. It later became known that Mr. Bharrat Jagdeo, Leader of the Opposition, had ordered PPP representatives not to attend the forum. The PPP councillors who came to the meeting, therefore, were brave enough to stand up for the interests of their people in defiance of Mr. Jagdeo. The APNU+AFC welcomes all participants, including the PPP representatives. The coalition applauds their willingness to stand up for what is right, and salutes their rejection of Mr. Jagdeo’s policies of incitement and political division. F u r t h e r, t h e c o a l i t i o n u rg e s a l l Guyanese to put aside differences. We encourage all citizens to reject any attempt to split, segregate, or separate us one from another. Instead, the APNU+AFC encourages all Guyanese to work together in the spirit of unity. We ask that citizens work to heal our nation and endeavour to forge a united national identity. After all, we are all Guyanese.
Sunday February 11, 2018
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Head Injury: How do you know if it’s serious? By Dr. Zulfikar Bux Assistant Professor of Emergency Medicine When you injure your head, there is always a risk of brain injury. Our brain is our main control centre and we cannot function without it. Unfortunately, brain injury is the leading cause of death, disability and seizures in patients with trauma worldwide. Sometimes brain injury is not evident and may be missed, leading to lifelong complications or even death. This is especially true for patients with closed head injury where the effects of the trauma/ hit are more internal than on the outside. A closed head injury happens when a person hits his or her head on a hard surface or when an object hits and hurts the head, but doesn’t go through the skull. Even though the object doesn’t go through the skull, parts of the head can still get damaged. A closed head injury can cause: * A broken bone of the skull or face * Brain injury or swelling * Bleeding in or around the brain The most common causes of a closed head injury are falls, sports injuries, and car and bike accidents. Some closed head injuries are mild. Another word for a mild brain injury is a “concussion.” Closed head injuries can also be severe and life-threatening. Today we will discuss some facts about closed head injury to help you detect some subtle signs that may be present in a closed head injury and are signals of more serious internal injury. WHAT ARE THE SYMPTOMS OF A CLOSED HEAD INJURY?
Symptoms depend on the type of injury a person has and how severe it is. People with a mild closed head injury, such as a bump on the head, might not have any symptoms. When a closed head injury does cause symptoms, it can cause: * A headache * Nausea or vomiting * Swelling, bleeding, or bruising on the scalp * Dizziness * Confusion or memory problems * Feeling tired * Mood or behaviour changes * Trouble walking or talking * Seizures – Seizures are waves of abnormal electrical activity in the brain. They can make you pass out, or move or behave strangely. * Passing out A closed head injury that involves a broken skull or face bone can also cause: * Bruising around the eyes or behind the ear * Blood or clear fluid draining from the nose or ear Symptoms can start right after a closed head injury, or a few hours or days later. Some people have symptoms that last a short time only. Other people have symptoms that cause long-lasting problems. WILL I NEED TESTS? It depends on your injury and symptoms. Your doctor will ask about your symptoms and do an exam. He or she will also ask questions to check your thinking. If your doctor thinks you might have a serious injury, he or she might order an imaging test of your brain, such as a CT or MRI scan. These tests create pictures of your skull and brain. HOW IS A CLOSED HEAD INJURY TREATED? Treatment depends on your injury and how serious it is.
Usually, mild closed head injuries do not need treatment. But your doctor might recommend that someone watch you for 24 hours after your injury. This person should watch for new symptoms or the symptoms listed above, and make sure that you can be woken up after you fall asleep. Severe closed head injuries need to be treated in the hospital. Treatment can include: * Medicines – Some medicines help prevent brain swelling. Others help prevent seizures.
* Surgery – If you have bleeding in or around your brain, or if your brain swells, you might need surgery. WHEN SHOULD I VISIT THE DOCTOR? After your closed head injury, you should be seen by a doctor if the following signs or symptoms are present: * Your headache gets worse or it’s persistent * You vomit repeatedly * Your thinking or behaviour changes and you
appear confused * You can’t walk normally * You have a seizure * You have clear fluids draining from the nose or ears * You have weakness or numbness in fingers and toes * If the person watching you cannot wake you up These may be signs of brain injury that needs further testing or treatment. It is always better to be safe than sorry. Protect your head by wearing a helmet if you are cycling or playing sports where the ball is hard. Avoid being intoxicated, as it’s a common
Dr. Zulfikar Bux reason why people injure their head. In the event you or someone sustains a head injury, look out for the warning signs and do not hesitate to visit a doctor if any is present.
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SUNDAY SPECIAL Minister must give ExxonMobil seven days notice before visiting operations – Oil Contract Even though USA oil giant ExxonMobil is gearing to produce Guyana’s oil by 2020, and a binding contract is in place, it still doesn’t mean that Natural Resources Minister, Raphael Trotman, can visit the entity’s operations whenever he pleases. According to the Production Sharing Agreement (PSA) that he and his Government signed, Trotman must give ExxonMobil seven days notice before his visit. He is also expected to carry out such a visit at his own expense. This is enshrined in Article 9 of the contract which speaks to records, reports and information. Article 9 (e) states: The Minister, through duly appointed representatives, upon providing the contractor with at least seven days notice, shall be entitled to observe the petroleum operations conducted by the contractor at his sole cost and expense and at all reasonable times to inspect all assets, records and data kept by the Contractor relating to such petroleum operations. In the exercise of such rights under this paragraph, the Minister shall not unduly interfere with the Contractor’s petroleum operations under this agreement.” Trotman recently came in for criticisms from several quarters for having signed on to an agreement containing such a clause. Political commentator, Ramon Gaskin recently noted that he finds this cause particularly troubling. He noted, “Generally in this country, if the tax man wants to visit your place, he visits when he is ready. It is therefore beyond comprehension why Guyana’s minister would have to give notice to an operator that is bringing up oil and gas that belongs to the state.” Gaskin also highlighted other
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flaws within the contract. He was quick to point out that the APNU+AFC Government had a golden opportunity to correct a grave wrong that was committed by the PPP Administration in 1999. During the PPP’s time, ExxonMobil was given 600 blocks. This is ten times more than what the law stipulates. The nation’s rules and regulations also specify that at every request for a renewal, the company is expected to relinquish half of the oil blocks it started with. But the PPP made an adjustment to the contract, thereby allowing the company to hold on to the 600 oil blocks. In the new agreement that was signed last year under the Granger Administration with ExxonMobil, Natural Resources Minister, Raphael Trotman failed to address or redress the aforementioned problem. Gaskin is also of the opinion that the Government in missing such an opportunity has allowed ExxonMobil and its affiliates to have control of some of the main oil producing blocks offshore Guyana. MONDAY Bandit guns down money changer– victim shot in head during struggle with robber A gunman in a red hooded sweater shot money changer Shawn Nurse dead at around 10.00 hrs Sunday in front of shocked friends and passersby in the popular business area called America Street. Nurse, known as ‘Fabulous,’ of Apartment 33 Shopping Plaza, South Ruimveldt, Georgetown, was shot in the left side of the face during a struggle with the gunman, who was attempting to relieve him of a large sum of foreign and local currency. The father of three died at the scene, while his killer fled with an undisclosed sum of cash and a quantity of gold jewellery. Police have reportedly identified Nurse’s killer, but were still to apprehend him up to late Sunday.
An eyewitness said he and Nurse were sitting at the corner of America Street and Avenue of Republic where the victim would normally ply his trade. He and Nurse were conversing, but the friend then got up to get something to eat. ”When I was returning with the food I saw a young man approach him from the northern direction and before I reach closer to him I saw him and the youth scuffling after he (the gunman) was trying to pull the money from his (Nurse’s) hand. After about a minute I see the youth pull out a gun from his waist and shoot him and run down the street.” An uncle of the slain moneychanger said that he was conducting business not far from where his nephew was shot. The uncle said at the time of the shooting he was conversing on the telephone with a friend when he heard his nephew call out for him. Trotman stripped GRA of statutory duty to examine imports – Chris Ram Minister of Natural Resources,
Raphael Trotman has effectively stripped the Commissioner General of the Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA) of his lawful duty to examine imports and to take action as he considers necessary. This is what Attorney at Law Christopher Ram has noted based on his examination of the Production Sharing Agreement (PSA) that Trotman signed, on government’s behalf, with ExxonMobil. Ram said that the importation provisions of the 2016 agreement are drastically different from those of the 1999 agreement that was signed by former President the late Janet Jagan. According to Ram, all of the changes are in favour of ExxonMobil. Ram said that “Article 21 dealing with Import duties has been drastically revised and is clearly a touchy issue, having prompted advertisements and statements by Esso Exploration and Production Guyana Limited, and the Government of Guyana defending the most generous provisions available anywhere
in the world.” The attorney said that in the 1999 Agreement, Esso, its affiliated companies and subcontractors engaged in petroleum operations were permitted to import, free of duty or other taxes or imposts, “machinery, equipment, vehicles, materials, supplies, consumable items (other than foodstuffs or alcoholic beverages or fuel), and movable property, where imports in any of the said categories have been certified by the Chief Inspector designated as such under section 3 of the Act to be for use solely in carrying out petroleum operations.” Ram added that this has now been changed in the 2016 agreement, extending to “drillships, platforms, vessels, geophysical tools, communications equipment, explosives, radioactive sources, oilfield supplies and lubricants, as well as all items listed on Annex D” of the PSA. No insurance provision in Oil Contract for destruction of fishing grounds – nothing also for impact on coastal communities, neighbouring countries There are many examples around the world where the governments ensure that oil companies provide insurance which would ensure compensation for any impact on communities and neighbouring countries due to the said operations. Unfortunately, Guyana is not one of those nations. In the Production Sharing Agreement (PSA) signed between the Government of Guyana and USA oil giant, ExxonMobil, there is no provision regarding any adverse impact on fishing grounds and coastal communities or on neighbouring countries. This alarming observation was recently pointed out by Chartered Accountant, Chris Ram and political commentator, Ramon Gaskin. Ram in his recent writings noted that Article 20.2 of Guyana’s 2016 Oil Agreement deals with Insurance in respect of, but not limited to assets, pollution, third parties and employees. The Attorney-at-Law pointed out that the Agreement does not require any loss of production insurance as will apply in the case of any (Continued on page 33)
Sunday February 11, 2018
From page 32 major disruption of production or environmental accidents. He said that while this provision is absent from the 2016 Agreement, the 1999 Agreement which was signed by the Jagan administration, allowed for insurance to be taken out by Esso Exploration and Production Guyana Limited’s affiliate insurance company. Esso is a subsidiary of ExxonMobil. Ram stated, “That requirement has been changed and now allows the Contractor to have the right to self-insure against the risks identified. This is a major concession by (Natural Resources Minister, Raphael) Trotman on an issue that only specialist lawyers know about. What it means in practice, is that anyone seeking to make an insurance claim will have to lodge that claim against Esso, CNOOC/Nexen or Hess, all of which are external companies. Those potential claimants must thank Raphael Trotman for making their chances even more difficult to succeed.” TUESDAY French oil giant, Total, acquires 12,000sq. km stake in Guyana basin With interest high in Guyana’s offshore concessions, a major player in the world’s oil arena Monday announced that it has acquired exploration rights to almost 12,000 square kilometres. The transaction still has to be approved by authorities in Guyana, Total, one of the seven “Super major” oil companies in the world, disclosed that it has signed agreements to acquire interests into two exploration licenses offshore Guyana, the Canje Block and the Kanuku Block. ”These agreements come after entering into an option agreement for the nearby Orinduik Block. Subject to the approval of relevant authorities, Total will thus own exploration rights to an area covering over 12,000 square kilometres in the Guyana Basin.” With high interests and very few areas left to be allocated, exploration companies have been casting their eyes towards the existing concessions already in the hands of a few. Those stakes would be worth millions of US dollars. ”Total is very pleased with this significant entry in the prolific Guyana Basin,” says Arnaud Breuillac, President, Exploration & Production at Total. ”The Canje, Kanuku and Orinduik blocks are located in a very favourable petroleum context, evidenced by the Liza discovery in 2015. Acquiring interests in these highly pro-
spective licences is in line with the new exploration strategy in place since 2015.” Total said it was able to acquire a 35% working interest in the Canje Block, located in water depths of 1,700 meters to 3,000 meters, under the terms of the agreement signed with an affiliate of Canadian company JHI Associates, Inc. and Guyana-based company, Mid-Atlantic Oil & Gas, Inc.These two companies will retain a shared 30% interest alongside operator ExxonMobil (35%). Total also acquired a 25% working interest in the Kanuku Block, located in water depths of 70 meters to 100 meters, under the terms of the agreement signed with operator Repsol (37.5%), and will be a partner alongside Tullow (37.5%). Stricter mechanisms needed to guide use of Natural Resource Fund- IMF -Wants two sets of auditors to have oversight responsibility The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has made some recommendations to the government to guide the administration’s use of Guyana’s intended Sovereign Wealth Fund which has been named the Natural Resource Fund. The international body thinks that some of the measures Guyana has outlined for reporting and auditing purposes, can be more efficient if strengthened. The recommendations are contained in a report titled, “A reform agenda for Petroleum Taxation and Revenue Management.” IMF officials reviewed the draft Bill which the Guyana Government prepared as a guide for the establishment of the Natural Resource Fund. The Natural Resource Fund Act establishes the NRF to “effectively, efficiently and wisely manage natural resource wealth for the benefit of current and future generations of the people of Guyana.” The worthy objectives are to prevent revenue volatility from leading to volatility in public expenditure, prevent a loss of economic competitiveness, fairly transferring natural resource wealth across generations, and use natural resource wealth to finance infrastructure, social development and regional distribution programmes. In its recent report, the IMF noted that there is a reporting requirement of an annual report with the audited financial accounts submitted to parliament. In addition, quarterly reports and financial statements will be submitted to parliament within the year. IMF said that all these reports are required to be posted on
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the Ministry of Finance website. IMF noted that Section 37 of the draft legislation covers only quarterly reports. The IMF pointed out, however, that annual financial statements are not mentioned. Furthermore, IMF said that while one could assume that a fourth quarter report would be an annual report, it is not clear in the Bill. Also, in general, the Fund said that quarterly reports would be less comprehensive.Additionally, the financial organisation stated that Section 40 of the draft Bill requires the Ministry of Finance to submit an annual report which is very detailed. The Fund notes however that it is not clear who is responsible to prepare it. IMF said that all reporting to the Parliament should be prepared by Treasury officials with inputs from Bank of Guyana. The international organisation also stated that the NRF is a part of central government and as such, it is essentially an extra budgetary fund that should be consolidated in central government reports. It said that even if there is a separate report, it needs to be submitted together with budgetary central government reports to the Parliament. WEDNESDAY ExxonMobil directs what responsibilities Minister must maintain Political commentator, Ramon Gaskin is quite perturbed that the Government of Guyana has allowed ExxonMobil to have a say in what responsibilities the Minister of Natural Resources, Raphael Trotman is allowed to delegate and what he cannot. Gaskin recently highlighted several violations of the Petroleum Act contained in the Production Sharing Agreement that Trotman signed with ExxonMobil. He highlighted the violations as he called Professor Clive Thomas out for a “misleading” article he wrote. In his letter, Gaskin noted 11 violations of the Petroleum Act contained in the PSA.
He said that Article Six, that speaks of the Delegation: cooperation between contractor and GGMC is just one of the violations. Gaskin said, “An absurdity of no mean order is set out blatantly in Article 6 of the PSA dealing with delegation of Ministerial responsibility. While the agreement acknowledges the power of the Minister to delegate some of his functions – (why this is Exxon’s business is a mystery) – it goes on to say in Article 6.2 (a) that there are five functions that the Minister may not delegate but “shall” maintain the Authority and responsibility for. Well! Well! This is quite incredible.”Article Six of the contract states, “The Minister may, subject to the provisions of the Act or any other law, delegate any person and or any legal entity to exercise and perform any of his functions under this Agreement and anything done by the delegate in pursuance of the delegation shall have the same validity and effect as it would have if done by the Minister.” It also says that the GGMC, for the time being and until further notice is given, will support the Minister in monitoring the Petroleum Operations carried out by the Contractor, ensuring their compliance with the provisions of this Agreement, the
Chartered Accountant Chris Ram Petroleum Act and the Regulations. However, it was stated that the Minister “shall” maintain the authority and responsibility for certain functions. Too many silent on giveaway of Guyana’s wealth – Nigel Hinds, Chartered Accountant The silence is deafening. It is indeed unfortunate that so many Guyanese are keeping quiet in the face of the glaring atrocities highlighted in the Production Sharing Agreement (PSA) that Minister of Natural Resources, Raphael Trotman signed with ExxonMobil. That is the crux
of comments made by Chartered Accountant, Nigel Hinds. Hinds said that advocates like Christopher Ram, Ramon Gaskin, Anand Goolsarran, Melinda Janki and Annette Arjoon ought to be saluted. Hinds said, “We have too many cowards in our midst; this is no time for capitulators. The enormous oil wealth of Guyana goes beyond party politics; this is about defending Guyana’s wealth versus enabling the oil giants of the world to give us crumbs from oil finds that will likely vault us to number two in the world (Continued on page 34)
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From page 33 on a per capita basis for countries with the largest oil reserves.” Hinds opined that the recent writings of Professor Clive Thomas are disappointing. He said that Professor Thomas’ economic renderings, “reminded me of Schopenhauer’s analysis of Hagel: Castles of abstraction—woven in impressive but vacuous language.” While Thomas has been writing favourably about the PSA, other independent minds, including Hinds have been on the opposite side of the fence. Hinds, Thomas, Ram and Janki want the contract to be renegotiated in order for Guyana to get more. Hinds told Kaieteur News that he thinks the contract is the worst Guyana could have gotten. He said that only a visionless individual could have signed such a contract on Guyana’s behalf. I would have rather an agreement that, at least when you examine it, is respectful of the intellectual capacity of Guyanese. We are not focusing on who might have gotten what benefit under the table. “That does not come into play. It is just that the contract itself is so offensive to your senses. We have people who know better. What caused them to sign on to this contract is baffling.”Hinds said that there are many issues in the contract. He pointed to a few. He noted that litigation is to be included in cost recovery.“You cannot put a value on the fact that we are responsible for litigation. Those are things that are meaningful and could result in losses occurring.” Hinds said that the two percent royalty is “ridiculous” and the
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US$18M signing bonus is “horrendous” The accountant noted the “Stability of Agreement” clause in the contract ensures that even if Guyana modifies its financial laws or introduces more taxes, ExxonMobil will not have to confirm to any of those changes. Unlike Guyana, other nations maintain unrestricted access to contract area In several oil-producing nations like Tanzania, Nigeria, Indonesia and Uganda, the respective Government officials have unrestricted access to the areas in which oil companies are operating. But this is not the case in Guyana. According to the Production Sharing Agreement (PSA) Guyana signed with USA oil giant, ExxonMobil, Guyana’s Natural Resources Minister, Raphael Trotman, must give the oil company seven days notice before he can visit their operations. He is also expected to carry out such a visit at his own expense. This is enshrined in Article 9 of the contract which speaks to records, reports and information. Article 9 (e) states: “The Minister, through duly appointed representatives, upon providing the contractor with at least seven days notice, shall be entitled to observe the petroleum operations conducted by the contractor at his sole cost and expense and at all reasonable times to inspect all assets, records and data kept by the Contractor relating to such petroleum operations. In the exercise of such rights under this paragraph the Minister shall not unduly interfere with the Contractor’s petroleum operations under this agreement.” In 2012, the Government
of Uganda signed a PSA with British operator, Tullow Oil. That entity is also exploring in Guyana’s deep waters. In that PSA, it states that the Government and its duly authorized representatives shall have full and complete access to the Contract Area at all reasonable times with a right to observe Petroleum Operations and shall have the right to inspect all assets, records and Data owned or maintained by Licensee relating to Petroleum Operations and the said Agreement. It continues, “In doing so, the Government and its representatives shall not unduly interfere with Licensee’s Petroleum Operations. Licensee shall provide the Government on a daily basis with copies of any Data acquired in the Petroleum Operations (including geological and geophysical reports, logs and well surveys) and information and final interpretations of such Data in the Licensee’s possession that are acquired during Petroleum Operations. However, the Government and its representatives may make a reasonable number of surveys, drawings, tests and copies for the purpose of implementing this Agreement.” THURSDAY ExxonMobil contract can be renegotiated –says Granger’s advisor on Petroleum…zero taxes, 2% royalty not international norm Advisor to President David Granger on Petroleum, Dr. Jan Mangal, Wednesday said that the ExxonMobil production sharing agreement (PSA) with Government can be renegotiated. He added that zero taxes and two percent royalty in the current
Advisor to President David Granger on Petroleum, Dr. Jan Mangal agreement is not the international norm. Delivering a presentation on the Government of Guyana’s Vision for the Oil and Gas Sector at the University of Guyana, Dr. Mangal said that the current contract must be compared to what obtains internationally. Dr. Mangal is a Guyanese who has spent 18 years in the industry, 13 of them with Chevron working on major oil and gas projects in the United States, West Africa and Asia. He noted that contracts should always be reviewed as new information b e c o m e s available.”Contracts are always changed. A contract is an agreement between two people. Both parties need to be comfortable. If one party becomes really uncomfort-
President David Granger;Attorney General, Basil williams; and Minister of State, Joseph Harmon ‘waiting’ on the Opposition Leader, Bharrat Jagdeo, yesterday at State House
able it will be changed,” Dr. Mangal pointed out. He said that Guyana is a sovereign country and the evidence around the world is that contracts can be renegotiated as the situation changes.”Look at the price for natural gas…people sign contracts for natural gas at a very high price. The price of gas has dropped internationally, people are renegotiating those contracts. A contract is an agreement and people need to be comfortable with it,” Dr. Mangal noted.He stated that the question of renegotiating the contract is one that the people of Guyana must answer. Asked whether he agrees with the feedback so far from the public that the contract should be renegotiated, Dr. Mangal said that the people of Guyana are doing a great job with the information which has been provided to the public. President no show at major oil and gas summit …Uninvited presidential advisor sees need for civil society conference The stage was set for President David Granger to deliver the opening keynote address at Wednesday’s inaugural Guyana International Petroleum Business Summit & Exhibition (GIPEX) at the Guyana Marriot Hotel in Georgetown.The three-day event was advertised to feature 55 national and international exhibitors and more than 400 delegates and a few hundred foreign dignitaries. During the course of the opening session, delegates learned that the President would not be delivering the keynote address to the Summit. Instead, the address was delivered by Minister of For-
eign Affairs, Carl Greenidge, who is performing the duties of Prime Minister. The move left some attendees baffled as to why the President, if invited, missed an opportunity to deliver the keynote address on Guyana’s emerging oil and gas sector. Ministry of the Presidency spokesman, Mark Archer, told Kaieteur News that there was a clash of two very important events and the President asked the Acting Prime Minister to stand in. Archer did not provide information on what the other important event was that kept the president away from delivering the keynote address at the Summit. Dr. Jan Mangal, Petroleum Advisor to President Granger stated that he was not invited to the conference. Simultaneous with the summit, Dr. Mangal delivered an address at the University of Guyana’s discussion on the ‘Government of Guyana’s vision for the oil and gas sector’.During his presentation, Dr. Mangal lamented the need for more support for civil society.”I was looking at the conference that is going on now; I was thinking how about a civil society conference?” Dr. Mangal questioned.” How about holding a conference just for civil society just around oil and gas so that all the issues that civil society is dealing with including the social issues, educational, TIGI (Transparency International Guyana Inc.) and indigenous groups. You get groups from outside who have gone through the same experience before so people can engage and start talking. There needs to be help from outside for civil society,” the presidential advisor on petroleum noted. Opposition rejects Chancellor, Chief Justice nominees -approves Integrity Commission members Opposition Leader, Bharrat Jagdeo, has rejected the names of Justices Kenneth Benjamin and Yonette Cummings-Edwards as Chancellor of the Judiciary (Continued on page 35)
President David Granger
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From page 34 and Chief Justice respectively. The disclosures were made Wednesday after a reportedly scheduled meeting on the appointments between President David Granger and his team and Jagdeo did not happen. In fact, the Ministry of the Presidency appeared to be upset, posting a photo on Facebook saying that Jagdeo was a no-show at the State House meeting. According to the Ministry of the Presidency, after requesting a month for consideration of several matters, the Leader of the Opposition, Bharrat Jagdeo, failed to show up at a follow-up meeting convened. Waiting on him were President David Granger; Minister of State, Joseph Harmon; and Attorney General, Basil Williams. The meeting was convened to discuss the appointments of the Chancellor and Chief Justice, the Integrity Commission and the Teaching Service Commission, the Ministry said. However, the Office of the Opposition disputed that. ”Our attention was drawn to a bewildering photograph in circulation of President David Granger sandwiched between Attorney-General, Mr. Basil Williams and Minister of State, Mr. Joseph Harmon seated at a table staring pensively at three empty chairs across the table. This odd photograph bears the caption: ‘No Show’. It is accompanied by a brief statement explaining that the Leader of the Opposition did not show up at a meeting with the President which was scheduled a month ago, to take place today.” The Office of the Opposition Leader made it clear that having received no information confirming the meeting for Wednesday, as is the usual practice, the “Leader of the Opposition dispatched three letters which contain his response to issues raised at the last meeting.”Jagdeo’s office claimed that additionally, at or about 16:00 hours Wednesday afternoon, the Leader of the Opposition contacted Minister of State, Mr. Joseph Harmon via telephone and informed him of the three letters to the President which were sent. FRIDAY Oil companies can influence Govts, but not the people – Petroleum advisor Advisor to President David Granger on Petroleum, Dr. Jan Mangal has outlined the power of the people to make their voices heard about what is taking place in the oil and gas sector, especially as
it relates to the 2016 Production Sharing Agreement (PSA) signed between the Government and ExxonMobil. Dr. Mangal made the declaration in response to questions from students of the University of Guyana following an in-depth presentation on the Government of Guyana’s Vision for the Oil and Gas Sector.”What you will find is that oil companies… and this is not looking at Guyana, are very powerful, and experts in everything they do. They know how to influence Governments to a T. However, they can’t influence people. The only thing they are scared of are people. That’s why it is important for Guyanese to have an intelligent debate,” Dr. Mangal stated. Responding to several questions which highlighted a number of shortcomings in the PSA, Mangal stated that a lot of people in Guyana are questioning who negotiated on Guyana’s behalf. The PSA was released in December, and since then there have been daily debates about the provisions of the contract, with growing concern that Guyana did not get a fair deal.”What I would say is, let’s see how the public debate goes on over the next couple of months,” Mangal noted. The Presidential advisor is on record, pointing out that zero taxes on oil and the two percent royalties in the PSA is not the international norm for oil agreements.”We can all sit down and talk about it. The way I would be more happy and you would be more
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happy as well, is if a process was followed and we knew who was involved, and we knew their competencies and their expertise… and they were respected… and that they went out there to bat for Guyana and they did the best they could,” Mangal pointed out. ExxonMobil is a multinational corporation with powerful reach which was run for a number of years by Rex Tillerson, the current United States Secretary of State. Mangal has pointed out that regardless of how powerful the company is, the people’s view will weigh on the decision makers of the country. Ram stumps oil and gas panel with questions about tax giveaways to ExxonMobil Attorney at law and Chartered Accountant, Christopher Ram Thursday stumped a panel at the three-day Oil and Gas Summit being held at the Marriott Hotel. When Ram was given the opportunity to ask a question during the afternoon session, it came with specific instructions from the moderator of the session, Joanna Homer, who is a Legal Officer attached to the Ministry of Natural Resources. She asked that he make his question, quick and straight. Ram acknowledged the request to be “quick and straight” but asked that the facilitators recognize the serious issues being addressed; issues that should not be hurried.Ram followed up on what one of the presenters had to say about taxation. He
said that if consideration is to be given to the question of taxation, “we must realize that we cannot get any tax because we have the perfidious section 51 of the Petroleum Exploration and Production Act. So my question is; is there any plan to repeal Section 51 which grants almost blanket tax exemption, this includes income tax, corporation tax, property tax and capital gains tax?” Ram also asked if there is an intention to remove what he refers to as the strangulation clause of the contact otherwise known as the Stability Clause. He asked, “What happens to the petroleum agreements that we have signed with very restricting stability clauses which state that no new law will apply to the existing agreements?” Ram continued, “We focus a lot on the Petroleum Commission Bill, but we must not forget the regulatory framework which includes the Petroleum Exploration and Production Act and a host of current petroleum agreements that contain very restricting stability clauses.” Homer, who is also an advisor to the Minister of Natural Resources, Raphael Trotman told Ram that there was no one on the panel who could respond to him on the intention of legislative reform as far as Section 51 is concerned.Ram expressed the opinion that Homer, being an advisor, can state whether the intention exists. However, she told him that she was only wearing her hat as a facilitator.
Summit hears… Guyana spending $$$millions on expert advice that it is not taking – Attorney at Law, Nigel Hughes Many of those who are worried about the extent to which Guyana will really benefit from its vast oil wealth are also concerned about the fact that the Government of Guyana seems to be ignoring advice that, if acted upon, can result in the required changes in the country’s current trajectory. This was highlighted Thursday as Guyana’s first official international oil and gas summit continued. Attorney at Law Nigel Hughes was a guest speaker on one of the panels. He spoke briefly on Guyana’s reliance on international advice, since the country has no history of oil and gas, and thus has a deficit of local experts.In the question and answer segment, businesswoman and environmentalist, Annette Arjoon-Martins noted the fact that the Government of Guyana is spending millions of dollars on “experts”, but seems not to be taking much of the good advice being offered. Arjoon noted that Guyana is at the critical stage of building its embryonic oil and gas industry. She said that this is the stage where certain decisions are most important. Arjoon further noted, “I am noticing we have paid for a lot of expert advice, but we are not taking it.”Arjoon asked Hughes for a proposition for the way forward. Hughes responded in acknowledgment that
A cross section of students who attended th discussion with Dr. Jan Mangal
Guyana’s politicians seem to lean towards taking the advice that is not necessarily sound. Hughes said, “Getting politicians to take rational advice is no easy task.” He continued, “The question is how we create an environment in which that advice is known nationally and thus accepted nationally.” Hughes said that national knowledge of the advice offered reduces the options for the political class to ignore. “That is part of the solution.” Hughes said that there must be national discussions, where the paid experts share their opinions.”The opinions must not only be offered to the ministers, but across the country, so the country can understand the consequences of not following the advice. Hughes said that there will then be less scope for political action not consistent with the recommendations offered by the experts. Advisor to President David Granger on Petroleum, Dr. Jan Mangal seems to be one of the good advisors that the Government of Guyana has retained but has refused to listen to. SATURDAY Pre-contract cost… US$460M seems to have been pulled from an alternate universe - Hinds It is simply unheard of for a company to just quote a figure to be paid, whether by another company, a person, or a government, without at least giving a breakdown of the expenses. So said Chartered (Continued on page 36)
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From page 35 Accountant, Nigel Hinds, yesterday as he expressed his concerns about the US$460M pre-contract cost that ExxonMobil wants Guyana to pay. Guyana is now hurrying to put measures in place to monitor and assess cost recovery claims. However, it has already tied itself to the repayment of US$460,237,918. This is according to the 2016 Petroleum Sharing Agreement (PSA) that Minister of Natural Resources, Raphael Trotman, signed with ExxonMobil. Annex C of the PSA deals with Cost Recovery. The list of items to be included in cost recovery is vast. One of the many expenses that Guyana will have to stand is what is referred to as “precontract cost.” The pre-contract cost is referred to in the contract as the “cost incurred by contractor with petroleum cooperation carried out pursuant to the 1999 Petroleum Agreement.”Hinds said, “There seems to be no science in the mathematics used to arrive at these figures; it’s more like numbers sourced from an alternate universe.” The accountant said, too, that he is sure that most right thinking Guyanese would like to see a breakdown of the pre contract cost or have an explanation on how the amount was determined. Government policy is not decided by the advisor -says President Granger on Jan Mangal’s statements President David Granger, on Friday made it clear that policy decisions are made by him as the duly elected Head of State and the Cabinet. While the Government hires and receives advice from advisors and technical officers, the final decision on matters is based on a large number of factors related to policy-making at the national level. The Head of State was at the time responding to questions about comments attributed to Presidential Advisor on Petroleum, Dr. Jan Mangal. “Government Policy is not decided by the Advisor. The Advisor advises me and any decision on policy will come out of the Cabinet,” the Head of State said. This comment followed a
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Guyana and Brazil delegations meeting at State House yesterday statement from the Ministry of the Presidency yesterday, which put on public record that Dr. Mangal is not authorised to speak on behalf of the President or the Government. President Granger said that while he holds Dr. Mangal’s qualifications and over 18 years of international experience within the oil and gas industry in high regard, the advisor does not make the final decision. “The advisor is very experienced in his field as a technical officer but [ultimately] policy comes from me and my Cabinet,” President Granger said. Minister of State, Joseph Harmon, at Thursday’s Post Cabinet press briefings, said that it is the President who has to take into consideration, all the advice he receives, coupled with a number of other factors during the decision making process. “Dr. Mangal is a wellqualified and experienced Guyanese, who is well known internationally… He provides advice to the President. It is up to the President to decide whether he accepts that advice or rejects it. So, it’s not for the Advisor to be making a statement for the President. The President makes his own statements,” he said. Minister Harmon also said that Dr. Mangal’s comments represent only one opinion among many experts and that the Government of Guyana has consulted with a diverse group of experts on the development of the oil and gas sector. Guyana, Brazil to ramp up military cooperation Guyana and Brazil are preparing to review a formal
agreement for military cooperation. Brazil’s Minister of Defence, Raul Jungmann Pinto, on Friday confirmed his country’s support for Guyana which is preparing to approach the International Court of Justice (ICJ) for a peaceful resolution to the border controversy with Venezuela. The neighbouring republic has made increasingly aggressive claims in recent years. Jungmann, who was appointed in 2016, led a visiting
delegation that included Minister of Justice Torquato Lorena Jardim and high-ranking military officials into talks at State House with President David Granger, members of his Cabinet and the Defence Board. Both sides committed to review the September 2012 Joint Communiqué, which followed the official visit to Guyana by Ambassador Celso Amorim, then Minister of Defence of Brazil. The review is intended to update the agreements in that
document and bring them in line with present-day realities, as well as, to deepen defence cooperation. “We would like to review the Joint Communiqué to determine its applicability to present-day circumstances. That agreement contained seven points, which are being implemented but in light of the present situation in the northern coast of South America, we would like to review that agreement… to put greater emphasis on surveillance and our involvement in
the Amazon Surveillance System,” Granger said. To this end, Minister Jungmann informed that Brazil is ready to revisit the terms and provisions of the Communiqué to work out the modalities of how the two countries can cooperate in the areas of defence outlined by the President. “We are willing to review the Communiqué. We will do this through our Military Attaché…who will then refer it to the higher authorities,” he said.
President David Granger bestows the Cacique Crown of Honour on Brazil’s Minister of Defence, Raul Jungmann (Right).
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Kidney failure patient shares.... (From page 22) were: swelling feet, the inability to pass urine, loss of appetite, sleepless nights, and he was constantly nauseated. By the end of 2014, Haridyal had no choice but to start dialysis at the GPHC. But even with dialysis, he disclosed, “I could feel in my body that I was becoming increasingly weak.” At this stage, Haridyal remembered the doctor informing him that his only other option would be to undergo a kidney transplant operation. But in order to do this, he would need someone who was willing to donate one of their two working kidneys to him. At the time, he recalled the only institution performing kidney transplant surgeries was a privately-operated hospital. Desperate to hang on to life, Haridyal enquired about the procedure and learnt that the cost was astronomical. Even with the support of his family members, he couldn’t meet the cost of $7 million. He however wasn’t prepared to give up and die just yet. “I started to raise funds...I got from my family members, went to companies and whoever would give, but I still couldn’t meet the $7 million,” Haridyal recounted. However, just when he was beginning to think that it was a hopeless pursuit, he got word that the GPHC had sent a doctor abroad to be trained as a Kidney Transplant Surgeon who was likely to return shortly with skills on par with that offered at the private hospital. He learnt too that the surgery would be at no cost to him. “I decided I would continue my dialysis and wait until this doctor returned,” Haridyal disclosed. The doctor was Dr. Kishore Persaud, who returned with a wealth of kidney failure knowledge enough to offer pre-trans-
plant, transplant and posttransplant services. Dr. Persaud upon his return conducted a number of tests on Haridyal and also saw that a transplant was his only chance of an extended and improved quality of life. And since Dr. Persaud had informed him that a family member would be the most suitable donor, Haridyal was soon bringing family member after family member to have their blood type tested to determine their suitability. As if his condition was not daunting enough, Haridyal recalled his mother, father and brother undergoing tests which revealed that none of them were suitable candidates to donate an organ to him. Haridyal said this was in light of the fact that, “I am B+ (blood group), my brother is A+, my mother is AB+...my father is O and would have been suitable, but he was a diabetic, so he couldn’t give me a kidney anyway”. His hope was restored when the ex-wife of one of his uncle’s opted to be tested too and was found to have the same blood type as Haridyal. The next step was to have a cross-matching test done to determine the compatibility of the donor and recipient blood. This saw Haridyal returning to very private institution which was already doing transplant surgeries to have this service done. Of course this was at a cost of $1.4 million, but he had already raised enough money through his earlier fundraisers to cover this cost. “They [hospital officials] immediately told me that there was a 50-50 chance of a match because the donor was not a blood relative, and if it didn’t match I can’t do the surgery and I can’t get a refund.. .We hoped and prayed and we did the blood test and when it came back it was a
perfect match,” a beaming Haridyal revealed. Tuesday, September 15, 2015, is a day that Haridyal remembers as easily as his own name, since it was the date allotted to him for surgery. He was one of two patients slated for kidney transplant surgeries on that date. In fact, the two would have been historic procedures for the hospital, since they were the first two to be conducted by a local kidney surgeon. Although Haridyal’s major life-saving procedure was scheduled to be the second of the two, for some reason his was done first on the planned date. He would later learn that the other patient had become too sick and passed away even before he was operated on. Even as he expressed gratitude that he was able to survive and undergo a successful operation, Haridyal revealed, “life after the transplant is 100 percent better than when I was on dialysis. I could eat as normal...I could go about doing things as normal.” Although he still relies on several tablets and regular medical check-ups to keep his system working well and has been urged to be cautious around sick people, and even avoid too much sunlight, Haridyal sees this as a small price to pay for an improved quality of life. Almost three years later, with a profession that keeps him away from direct sunlight, he continues to do well, and is willing to tell any renal failure patient that “it’s a way better life after transplant...” In fact, falling prey to kidney failure has made Haridyal so health conscious that he has employed lifestyle changes to ensure that he could ward off, as far as possible, just about any chronic disease life can present.
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First human eggs grown in laboratory Human eggs have been grown in the laboratory for the first time, say researchers at the University of Edinburgh. The team say the technique could lead to new ways of preserving the fertility of children having cancer treatment. It is also an opportunity to explore how human eggs develop, much of which remains a mystery to science. Experts said it was an exciting breakthrough, but more work was needed before it could be used clinically. Women are born with immature eggs in their ovaries that can develop fully only
after puberty. It has taken decades of work, but scientists can now grow eggs to maturity outside of the ovary. It r e q u i r e s c a r e f u l l y controlling laboratory conditions including oxygen levels, hormones, proteins that simulate growth and the medium in which the eggs are cultured. But while the scientists have shown it is possible, the approach published in the journal Molecular Human Reproduction still needs refinement. It is very inefficient with only 10% of eggs completing their journey to maturity.
And the eggs have not been fertilised, so it is uncertain how viable they are.
Plant-based milk vs. cow’s milk: What’s the difference? Though non-dairy milks have been around for a while, they’ve recently experienced soaring sales and enormous popularity — due, in part, to environmental concerns, dairy issues (from allergies to lactose intolerance), and just general interest in dairy alternatives. From the variety of base ingredients to the assortment of flavors, there have never been more knock-offs to choose from. But if the number of choices has left you udderly confused (see what I did there?), here’s a quick guide to help you navigate the dairy and non-dairy aisle. DAIRY MILK Most non-dairy milks are compared to cow’s milk, which has a strong nutritional package. Cow’s milk contains 8 g of protein — more than a hard boiled egg — along with 300 mg of bone-building calcium and 400 mg of potassium, a nutrient that’s lacking in most Americans’ diets. It’s hard to argue with the spectrum of nutrients in milk, unless of course, you have lactose intolerance (which causes troubling symptoms, such as gas and bloating) or a milk protein allergy. Speaking of lactose, the 12 g of sugar listed on a milk label are all from this natural sugar. SOY MILK In the non-dairy milk wars, soy milk was just declared the winner, according to a new scientific review of four plant-based milks. Unlike its competitors (almond milk, coconut milk, and rice milk), soy packs the same amount of protein as cow’s milk, giving it the edge. Newer plant protein milks (made with pea protein) weren’t included in the study.
For those allergic to soy or who have other soy-related concerns, these milks are a good, protein-rich option. Though there was once a worry that soy foods raise the risk of certain cancers, the most recent evidence doesn’t support the association. PEA PROTEIN MILK With less impact on the land than almond milk and more protein than soy or cow’s milk, milks made from pea protein have a lot to love. For those seeking the hungerbusting power of protein, this drink has 10 grams per cup. NUTRITIONAL NOTES (PER CUP; BASED ON UNSWEETENED BOLTHOUSE FARMS): 90 calories; 5g fat (0.5g sat fat); 10g protein; 1g carbohydrate; 0g sugar; 0g fiber TASTING NOTES: Creamy, smooth, and clean tasting. Related RICE MILK Unlike soy, milk, and nuts, which are among the top eight food allergens, rice is very well tolerated, making rice milk a great option for those whose choices are limited. My family turned to rice milk when my son’s food allergies necessitated it, and I’m thankful products like this exist. That said, though it’s made with brown rice, it’s actually quite weak on nutrition, with nearly twice as many carbs as milk yet hardly any protein. I’m also concerned about arsenic in rice, particularly for infants and pregnant women. Though I still enjoy rice and rice products, the FDA advises varying your grains to limit arsenic exposure. That means if you’re drinking rice milk exclusively, look for crackers, cereals, and side
dishes that have other grains, such as quinoa, oats, or sorghum. NUTRITIONAL NOTES (PER CUP; BASED ON ORIGINAL ENRICHED RICE DREAM): 120 calories; 2.5g fat (0g sat fat); 1g protein; 23g carbohydrate; 10g sugar; 0g fiber TASTING NOTES: Watery and somewhat sweet. OAT MILK Like rice milk, oat milk is generally well tolerated, making it suitable for people with food allergies and intolerances. Unlike other non-dairy contenders, this beverage boasts soluble fiber — the kind that helps lower cholesterol. Still, you get more of these beta glucans in a cup of oats than you do in oat milk. NUTRITIONAL NOTES (PER CUP; BASED ON ORIGINAL OATLY): 120 calories; 5g fat (0.5g sat fat); 2g protein; 6g carbohydrate; 5g sugar; 2g fiber TASTING NOTES: Similar to the milk left over after a bowl of Cheerios—in a good way! ALMOND MILK Almond milk is the darling of the non-dairy milk world, probably because almonds themselves are deserving of nutritional praise. With protein, fiber, calcium, vitamin E, and healthy monounsaturated fats (MUFAs), almonds have a lot going for them. But the milling and processing means that a lot of that goodness doesn’t end up in the drinkable version. Almond milk does not have the healthy fats, protein, and fiber that you’d expect from this nut-based beverage. Plus, it isn’t appropriate for those with nut allergies.
Prof Evelyn Telfer, one of the researchers, told the BBC: “It’s very exciting to obtain proof of principle that it’s possible to reach this stage in human tissue. “But that has to be tempered by the whole lot of work needed to improve the culture conditions and test the quality of the oocytes [eggs]. “But apart from any clinical applications, this is a big breakthrough in improving understanding of human egg development.” The process is very tightly controlled and timed in the human body - some eggs will mature during the teenage years, others more than two decades later. An egg needs to lose half its genetic material during de-
velopment, otherwise there would be too much DNA when it was fertilised by a sperm. This excess is cast off into a miniature cell called a polar body, but in the study the polar bodies were abnormally large.“This is a concern,” said Prof Telfer. But it is one she thinks can be addressed by improving the technology. Work on mouse eggs, which was nailed 20 years ago, showed the technology could be used to produce live animals. Matching this achievement in human tissue could eventually be used to help children having cancer treatment. Chemotherapy and radiotherapy risks making y o u s t e r i l e . Wo m e n c a n freeze matured eggs, or even embryos if they are fertilised with a partner’s sperm, before starting treatment - but this is not possible for girls with childhood cancers. At the moment they can have ovarian tissue frozen before treatment, which is then put back in to mature years later if the patient wants children of their own. But if there are any abnormalities in the frozen sample then doctors will think it is too risky.
Being able to make eggs in the lab would be a safer option for those patients. Mr Stuart Lavery, a consultant gynaecologist at Hammersmith Hospital, said: “This work represents a genuine step forward in our understanding. “Although still in small numbers and requiring optimisation, this preliminary work offers hope for patients.” It would be legal to fertilise one of the lab-made eggs to create an embryo for research purposes in the UK. But the team in Edinburgh do not have a licence to carry out the experiment. They are discussing whether to apply to the embryo authority for one, or collaborate with a centre that already has one. Prof Azim Surani, the director of germline research at University of Cambridge’s Gurdon Institute, said: “Molecular characterisation and chromosomal analysis is needed to show how these egg cells compare with normal eggs. “It might be of interest to test the developmental potential of these eggs in culture to blastocyst stage, by attempting IVF.” http:// www.bbc.com/news/health42976858.
Food may influence cancer spread There is mounting evidence the food on your plate can alter cancer’s growth and spread, say Cambridge scientists. Animal research, published in the journal Nature, showed breast tumours struggled without the dietary nutrient asparagine. It is found in the foodies’ favourite asparagus, as well as poultry, seafood and many other foods. In the future, scientists hope to take advantage of cancer’s “culinary addictions” to improve treatment. Asparagine is an amino acid - a building block of protein - and takes its name from asparagus. The study, conducted at the Cancer Research UK Cambridge Institute, took place on mice with an aggressive form of breast cancer. Normally they would die in a couple of weeks as the tumour spread throughout the body. But when the mice were given a low-asparagine diet or drugs to block asparagine then the tumour struggled to spread. “It was a really huge change, [the cancers] were very difficult to find,” said
Prof Greg Hannon. Last year, the University of Glasgow showed cutting out the amino acids serine and glycine slowed the development of lymphoma and intestinal cancers. Prof Hannon told the BBC: “We’re seeing increasing evidence that specific cancers are addicted to specific components of our diet. “In the future, by modifying a patient’s diet or by using drugs that change the way that tumour cells can access these nutrients we hope to improve outcomes in therapy.” § Fruit and veg: For a longer life eat 10-a-day § Controlled amino acid diet ‘could help cancer treatment’ An initial tumour is rarely deadly. It is when the cancer spreads throughout the body - or metastasises - that it can become fatal.A cancerous cell must go through huge changes in order to spread it must learn to break off the main tumour, survive in the bloodstream and thrive elsewhere in the body. It is this process for which researchers think asparagine is necessary.
But fear not asparagus lovers, these findings still need to be confirmed in people and asparagine is hard to avoid in the diet anyway. In the long run, scientists think patients would be put on special drinks that are nutritionally balanced, but lack asparagine. Prof Charles Swanton, Cancer Research UK’s chief clinician, said: “Interestingly, the drug L-asparaginase is used to treat acute lymphoblastic leukaemia, which is dependent on asparagine. “It’s possible that in future, this drug could be repurposed to help treat breast cancer patients.” Further trials are still necessary. Baroness Delyth Morgan, the chief executive at Breast Cancer Now, said patients should not go on drastic diets on the back of this study. She said: “We don’t recommend patients totally exclude any specific food group from their diet without speaking to their doctors. “We’d also encourage all patients to follow a healthy and varied diet.” http:// www.bbc.com/news/health42976851.
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Kim Cattrall Slams Sex and the City Co-Star Sarah Jessica Parke Kim Cattrall wishes someone from the Sex and the City franchise would leave her alone. Close to four months after news broke that Sex and the City 3 would officially not be happening, controversy continues to surround two of the stars. In a new Instagram posted Saturday morning, Kim had a strong message for Sarah Jessica Parker. “My Mom asked me today ‘When will that @sarahjessicaparker, that hypocrite, leave you alone?’ Your continuous reaching out is a painful reminder of how cruel you really were then and now,” Kim wrote in her caption. “Let me make this VERY clear. (If I haven’t already) You are not my family. You are not my friend.” She added, “So I’m writing to tell you one last time to stop exploiting our tragedy in order to restore your ‘nice girl’ persona.” The Instagram also included a link to a New York Post story from October 2017 with the headline “Inside the mean-girls culture that destroyed Sex and the City.” Sarah has not commented and fans are speculating as to what propelled Kim to speak out once again. Many, however, are pointing to a recent comment on Instagram after Kim’s brother Christopher Cattrall passed away. “Dearest Kim, my love and condolences to
you and yours and Godspeed to your beloved brother. Xx,” Sarah wrote. Earlier this week, E! News asked Sarah her thoughts on the third movie and she told fans to never give up hope. “I feel like I’ve been saying the same thing for so long because we were going to do [Sex and the City 3] and then we didn’t and that’s perfectly alright,” she explained to us. “And I have to say there has been no substantive conversation since it was determined that we didn’t.” “But I also know [director and writer] Michael Patrick King and I know what a brilliant storyteller he is and magnificent, magical writer he is so I would never put it to rest because his brain works in
wonderful, surprising ways,” Sarah added. Back in October, DailyMailTV reported that Warner Bros. Pictures canceled plans to begin production on a third movie. The outlet claimed that the studio refused to meet an ultimatum allegedly posed by Kim. Kim would deny such speculation on Twitter by writing, “Woke 2 a @MailOnline [poop emoji] storm! The only ‘DEMAND’ I ever made was that I didn’t want to do a 3rd film....& that was back in 2016.” The actress, known to fans as Samantha Jones, went on to tell Piers Morgan that she wishes some people from the franchise—including Sarah—could have been nicer.www.eonline.com.
Surprise! Idris Elba Is Engaged to Sabrina Dhowre The Valentine’s Day celebrations have started a bit early for one Hollywood couple. Idris Elba is engaged to girlfriend Sabrina Dhowre after popping the big question at a movie theatre in London. “Another @riocinema first!” the venue shared on Twitter when confirming the news Saturday morning. “Still 5 days to Valentine’s Day but @idriselba went down on one knee and proposed to his girlfriend live on stage this morning before a preview of his film #Yardie.” The venue added, “She said yes and there was much clapping and cheering.” Other guests attending the screening would also share their congratulations on social media. One even captured the romantic moment on video. Back in September of 2017, Idris and former Miss Vancouver made their red carpet debut at the Toronto In-
ternational Film Festival. The pair posed for photos together before attending the premiere of Molly’s Game. And while the two tried to keep their romance private, some may be surprised to find out Idris made such a big step in the relationship. “Am I ever gonna get re-
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married? I don’t think so,” the actor told Essence magazine in July. “Yeah, I don’t think so. Marriage is an institution of sorts. And I’ve done it. It’s not for everybody. It’s not my life’s calling.” Perhaps someone has had a change of heart.www.eonline.com.
The Biggest Scandals in Olympic Figure Skating History
Show us a sport and we’ll show you a scandal. There is no such thing as competition without controversy, and when you add millions of dollars; massive egos; years of blood, sweat and tears; and international tension, sometimes between countries that don’t much like each other even on a good day, you’ve got controversy on steroids. Sometimes literally. And though it’s beautiful to look at and the inevitable stories of triumphing over adversity are heartwarming, figure skating has had its share of issues. We know the first one that comes to mind, in no small part due to the Oscar-nominated I, Tonya currently in theaters, so we’ll start with that: Nancy Kerrigan getting whacked on the knee in an otherwise hapless attack arranged by Tonya Harding’s ex-husband Jeff Gillooly 24 years ago. Kerrigan was traumatized but physically OK enough to win a silver medal a month and a half later at the 1994 Winter Olympics in Lillehammer, where Harding finished eighth after having a meltdown over a broken skate lace. Gillooly spent six months in prison after pleading guilty to racketeering for his role in what proved to be a careerkilling PR debacle for Harding. The athlete herself pleaded guilty to hindering prosecution in March 1994, though it was only this year that she admitted she figured out what had happened after the fact— even before she was filled in—but didn’t tell authorities. She was banned for life from the United States Figure Skating Association and stripped of the national title she won two days after Kerrigan was attacked. “You are a prime example of how ruthless ambition and raw greed can disrupt, de-
grade and disfigure a sport of grace even to the height of the Olympics,” Circuit Judge Donald Londer told Gillooly at sentencing. “All that will be recalled is a band of thugs from Portland, Ore., tried to rig the national figure skating association championships and the Olympics by stealth and violence.” As I, Tonya intended, it’s impossible to watch the film and not come away with the sinking feeling that Harding was competing against the odds all her life and was more of an innocent bystander in her own rather tragic story than the villain the tabloids made her out to be 24 years ago. “I knew that this would be with me for the rest of my life,” Harding told the New York Times recently—and she wasn’t talking about the fact that she was the first American woman to land a triple axel in competition. She also admitted that the public perception of her (wild remembrances of the incident have ranged from people thinking she personally arranged the attack to thinking she clubbed Kerrigan herself) still gets to her sometimes. “I do care. I mean, I care, but I don’t care,” Harding told ABC News in December. “The most important people are my family and my closest friends. Everybody else’s opinions don’t matter. So my motto is, ‘Take care of me, so I can take care of my family.’”
She recalled, “The media had me convicted of doing something wrong before I had even done anything at all, before I had talked to anyone, before I get out of bed. I’m always the bad person.” While that act of violence in the name of competition turned out to be an isolated event in figure skating, a different kind of controversy emerged in its wake. Eight years later in Salt Lake City, the pairs figureskating competition at the 2002 Winter Olympics was allegedly fixed—you know, no big deal—and the debacle prompted an overhaul of the age-old scoring system. Which in turn, according to critics, made the scoring even more incomprehensible. Gone was the old way where skaters were judged out of 6 on technical merit and artistry, and in came different possible high scores for each skater based on the difficulty of the tricks they planned to execute and how well they did so, plus overall presentation. “Of course, the drama of a perfect mark has been taken away, but things had to evolve,” Canadian figure skater David Pelletier told CBC Sports last month. “People watch figure skating for the athleticism and emotion that it can bring more than for the marks the athletes c a n receive.”www.eonline.com.
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Enact modern laws and crime fighting measures -- CGID NEW YORK: The Caribbean Guyana Institute for Democracy (CGID) is concerned about the inability of Guyana’s law enforcement authorities to arrest violent crime. Murders, shootings, armed robberies; domestic violence, rape, carjacking, felonious assaults and other serious crimes are pervasive. Sections of the population live in fear. Guyanese abroad fear being robbed when visiting Guyana. Pervasive violent crime prompted the US State Department on November 25, 2017, to warn US citizens to “exercise increased caution in Guyana due to crime. Violent crime, such as armed robbery and murder, is common. Local police lack the resources to respond effectively to serious criminal incidents.” The brazen robbery and shooting to death of America Street money-changer, Shawn Nurse (aka “Fabulous”), on the morning of Sunday, February 4, 2018, while doing business in the busy Georgetown commercial district, and other murders, demonstrate that criminals are unafraid to strike at any time. Their bravery is driven by an insufficient deployment of security assets in strategic areas of Guyana. Daily press reports of overseas visitors or senior citizens, business owners and ordinary citizens being robbed at gunpoint and/or killed are damaging to Guyana’s image. They will also hinder Guyana’s nascent ecotourism industry and deters foreign investment. Currently, residents in the hinterland/ forest communities are being terrorized by the murderous, Venezuelan gang, ‘Sindicato’. Villagers, gold miners and business owners in Hosororo, White Water and communities in the Amakuru River, in Region One, and Arau, Mango Landing and surrounding Amerindian communities in Region Seven, have detailed ordeals of Venezuelan gang members crossing the border into Guyana, unrestricted. They engage in shoot-outs, demand taxes, cash, gold, house hold items and store inventories,
with impunity. The gang has ostensibly slaughtered several Guyanese miners working in border areas in Venezuela. In January, they reportedly beheaded a young Guyanese miner. The killing was photographed, videotaped and allegedly released on social media. Residents report no increased security or capture of gang members to restore public safety. The borders remain, open, lawless and dangerous. Veteran Jamaican journalist, Tony Best, interviewing Rickford Burke of the Guyana Coalition of Institute for Democracy, heard that crime fighting measures by the coalition government have been inadequate or ineffective. Burke added that for a government that is dominated by former security officials, its dismal record on security as well as the lack of accountability for the numerous public safety failures, is astounding and unfortunate. Burke said that while the Guyanese society is advancing, the nation’s security infrastructure; including laws, assets, resources and the criminal justice system, remained relatively stagnant and antiquated.” “These are challenging times for Guyana. High levels of crime and the Venezuela border issue pose significant threats to stability and national security. Simultaneous with these threats to national security is increased world focus on Guyana. “Our international profile has been elevated because of imminent oil production. Hence, while the border issue is being addressed at the International Court of Justice (ICJ), the government needs to aggressively tackle crime which has had a destabilizing effect.” “Apart from recruiting, training and deploying thousands more law enforcement and defense officers, the government also needs to acquire about 1000% additional security resources and assets. The national treasury cannot be the only funding source for such acquisitions.
“The government has to be able to mobilize resources from the international community and sympathetic countries. Our diplomats around the world should be tasked with this responsibility,” the CGID head said. He also called for Guyana’s criminal codes to be updated and existing penalties severely toughened to protect the nation from modern
crimes and new criminal techniques. “Security services must dramatically increase patrols on the border and coastal waterways; as well as in the city and other population centers throughout the country. These and other measures will give citizens confidence that the government is competent and deserving of their support,” Burke asserted.
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Kaieteur News
STANDARDS IN FOCUS
Calibrate for measurement accuracy and traceability There is a significant increase in the demand for calibration services by industry. Companies and laboratories are submitting their measuring instruments to the Guyana National Bureau of Standards (GNBS) for regular comparisons with traceable standards, which are in the custody of the GNBS. Calibration is a complex scientific process that allows for traceability in measurements. Simply put, it is comparing the accuracy of an instrument or a piece of equipment with a known and proven standard. As the National Metrology Institute (NMI), the GNBS under its Laboratories Services Department has over the years built capacity to offer reliable calibration services. Today, the Bureau is at the forefront of calibration, significantly expanding its range of services annually with support from Government. As a result, clients can now access calibration locally in the areas of Mass, Dimension, Volume, Pressure and Temperature. When compared with 2016, the number of instruments calibrated in 2017 almost doubled. Approximately, one thousand weighing and measuring instruments were calibrated in 2017 by the GNBS. These instruments included balances, measuring cylinders, liquid in glass thermometers, gauge blocks, pressure gauges and measuring tapes. To industry, calibration is important. Knowing the accuracy of instruments they are working with, gives companies the
confidence that they are putting the right amounts of ingredients into products they are manufacturing, which maintains consistency of product quality. The use of calibrated devices also ensures that key parameters such as temperature conditions are maintained to preserve raw materials and prevent spoilage of perishable finished products. Meanwhile, the use of inaccurate pressure gauges can result in major incidents such as explosions, which can be dangerous to life and limbs and can cause major spillage of products and damages to equipment. Companies that are certified to international standards such as the ISO 9001 Quality Management System Standard are required to have their measuring instruments calibrated. As the GNBS promotes its calibration services, more and more of these companies are submitting their instruments to the Laboratory Services Department for calibration; at a fraction of the cost paid overseas. As industry demands calibration in higher ranges and new areas, the GNBS will continue to develop the competence of its Laboratory Technicians through training and acquire the necessary equipment to ensure measurement and calibration needs are met. For further information, please contact the GNBS on telephone numbers: 219-0065, 219-0066 or visit the GNBS Website: www.gnbsgy.org
“Grey Boy” for court tomorrow Thirty-nine-year-old Regan Rodrigues, also known as ‘Grey Boy’, is expected to appear in the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts tomorrow, before Principal Magistrate Judy Latchman for her to commit him to stand trial in the High Court for the murder of political activist Courtney Crum-Ewing. This comes weeks after the Magistrate was told by Justice Dawn Gregory, an appeal judge that she will have to comply with the order of the Director of Public Prosecution (DPP) and commit him for the murder. Despite Magistrate Latchman having to comply with the order of the DPP, the matter which has been appealed by the Magistrate is still ongoing in the Appeal Court and Rodrigues’s committal will not affect her appeal. Her reason was that there was insufficient evidence to commit. The Magistrate is contending that any law which seems to give the DPP that power is clearly an interference with the independence of the judiciary and such law ought to be declared null and void. She is being represented by Attorney-at-law Arud Gossai. The lawyer in an interview with this publication stated that the Court of Appeal agrees that the issues raised by the Magistrate in her
Regan ‘Grey Boy’ Rodrigues appeal are extremely important and will be given a full hearing. Particulars of the charge against Rodrigues are that on March 10, 2015 at Diamond, East Bank Demerara, he murdered Crum-Ewing. The lawyer disagrees with the ruling of the Judge as they believe that a direction from the DPP to the Magistrate to commit an accused person to stand trial is a clear interference with the independence of the judiciary. Article 122 of the Constitution is extremely clear on this point of interference with the judiciary. The lawyer argues that the DPP cannot interfere in the judicial determination of the Magistrate. Attorney Gossai added that the DPP herself failed to follow the procedure set out
in section 72 of the Criminal Law Procedure Act as she did not request the notes from the Magistrate as she was required to do under the said section 72. The DPP did request the notes after the first discharge but she did not request the notes after further evidence was taken. During the Preliminary Inquiry (PI), Magistrate Latchman ruled that while the court was satisfied that CrumEwing was shot with a gun retrieved from a house at Riverview, Ruimveldt which was occupied by Rodrigues, there was no evidence that Rodrigues “used the gun, pulled the trigger and shot Crum-Ewing.” Crum-Ewing died as a result of haemorrhage and shock due to multiple gunshot wounds. This was supported by the evidence of Government Pathologist Dr. Nehaul Singh who testified that CrumEwing received five gunshot wounds- one of which was at close range. The Magistrate said that the court believed that CrumEwing died as a result of gunshot wounds. Fourteen oral statements given to police by Rodrigues were admitted to form part and parcel of evidence in the matter by Magistrate Latchman. However, the Magistrate ruled that these oral statements did not implicate Rodrigues in the murder.
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CONSUMER CONCERNS
Preservation of Amerindian Languages by PAT DIAL
In the 19th century and until about mid-20th century, Guyana was still a
multilingual country. The Portuguese language was still heard and at the turn of the 19th century, Portuguese language newspapers were
published in Guyana. HindiUrdu was heard all over the Coastlands and was the language of the temples and mosques. And remnants of
the Yoruba language survived in certain pockets. The Amerindian languages were spoken all over the Interior. From about the 1950’s, Hindi-Urdu and Portuguese began to be fast displaced by English and its Creolese version. There are many reasons for this trend, but the most important were the heavy emigration from among the Portuguese and Indian communities, the spread of secondary Education which was done through the medium of English and the economic imperative that one had to speak and write good English before being employed in the Public Service and in Business. These same trends affected the small number of Chinese language speakers who even more quickly disappeared. The Amerindian languages were less affected in these years and continued to be the main local language in the Interior of Guyana. By 2000, however, these languages were affected by the same trends which had earlier affected Hindi-Urdu, Portuguese and Chinese. The only difference was that the earlier emigration was to foreign countries while the Amerindian emigration was from the Interior to the Coast and especially to Georgetown and its environs. Today with cultural and economic relations with Brazil growing stronger, several thousands have been learning Portuguese as a second language. Hindi-Urdu has likewise had a similar revival with many people learning the language as a cultural imperative. This is supported by the popularity of Indian films, particularly the Indian soaps on Television. Indian film music is also popular. On the local radio, only two languages are heard-
English and Hindi-Urdu. The Amerindian languages have had no such revival as Portuguese and Hindi-Urdu. In fact, the numbers of speakers of Amerindian languages have had a steady decline. Urgent action needs to be taken to save these languages from disappearing from Guyana. Preserving the Amerindian languages is maintaining an essential aspect of the Guyanese identity. The existence of the Amerindian languages helps to define the Guyanese identity as against others and is an enrichment of the National Culture. Every language encapsulates a unique Worldview and allows someone who learns the language to have an insight into a new cast of mind and new values. Learning a new language would help to make one’s personality more rounded. Another national benefit the Amerindian languages have is, they could form the basis of friendlier relations with the neighboring countries who all have Amerindian populations which are contiguous with ours. The Government, the Ministry of Education, the Churches which operate in the Amerindian regions and the Ministry of Indigenous Peoples’ Affairs must, with empathy and understanding, work to keep the Amerindian languages alive and expanding. The University of Guyana used to have an Amerindian Research Centre which was not very well funded. When Dr. Desrey Fox, an Amerindian lecturer whose first language was one of the Amerindian languages, the Centre did show much activity, especially in the area of language. After Dr. Fox’s tragic death in a traffic accident, the Centre became dormant.
The University should again revive the Centre and develop strong and relevant links with foreign institutions which may have the talent to help to revive and maintain the Amerindian languages. Such specialist help is necessary to work in tandem with the Ministry of Education and the Indigenous Peoples’ Ministry. The Ministry of Education has to take a policy decision to introduce the Amerindian languages in schools in those regions with large Amerindian populations. There are a number of Amerindian teachers who are capable of teaching the languages while others could be trained. Such teachers should enjoy higher pay to attract them to such jobs. Simultaneously with these efforts, a settled orthography has to be worked out; the most populous of the seven languages should be used as the lingua franca. Other such arrangements could be worked out with the help of the foreign specialists. The Regional Administrations should also begin to give preference to employing workers who speak the Amerindian languages or who may have some certification when the schools begin to teach the languages. The Government of Guyana through its Ministry of Indigenous Peoples’ Affairs is committed to all policies which would preserve and expand the Amerindian languages. In Minister Allicock’s words: “If our Indigenous people do not know their language, they are not complete. Language is the identity. Language helps us to understand the Laws of Nature which allows us to have an environment test that has a healthy ecosystem.”
Bandits take over $1M in cash, stocks in attack on boat vendor A businessman who plies his trade in the Berbice River with his family was pounced on by five armed bandits. Randy Gladstone, a businessman who sells groceries and clothing on his boat to persons living along the Berbice River, was docked at Henry Tata Village, Berbice River when the men pulled up with a speedboat and boarded the vessel. Gladstone’s daughter, Rushell Gladstone, told reporters that on Friday morning at approximately 03:00 hrs she got up and heard her father talking. “I heard my father saying ‘bandits, bandits’ and then he call for me. Then I run upstairs the boat. When he was trying to open the boat door he see
them and close it back”. According to her, the men, earlier, had approached them saying they wanted to buy fuel. The men then entered the boat and began to search the vessel. They reportedly took with them, batteries, money, diesel, cutlass, cell phones, gas, mixing oil, torchlight and other items. At the time, Rushell stated that they were in the boat selling groceries at Henry Tata Village. The men, she recounted, were all armed. Divisional Commander Lyndon Alves confirmed that approximately $250,000 in cash was stolen. A source further added that close to $1.1 M in total cash and items were taken from the vessel.
Rushell Gladstone Investigating ranks are expected to head to the area today to continue their investigations. No one has since been arrested.
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Long-serving remand prisoner gets 12 years for manslaughter
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VACANCY Experience bartenders and cleaners. Call: 225-8572 between 7 am to 9 am Hair station & Barber station rental, New market street #6381106. Experienced persons preferable. Cashier (shift work 7am-3pm & 3pm-11pm) Submit application to: Shell Service Station Providence E.B.D or e m a i l : Shellramsburg@gmail.com Kitchen assistant for interior location. Job entails assisting cooks and generally cleaning. Call: 618-2020. 1- Office clerk, 1- Cashier 5 CXC subjects (Math & English incl) Computer literate (Microsoft word & excel) Telles Steel #231-3265, 2266771, 226-4537 We l d e r / f a b r i c a t o r , machinist,mechanic,store keeper, female cleaner. Must have technical back ground and 3 years’ experience. Call:233-2745 Log truck drivers. Tel: 6646062. Accounts clerk (knowledge of NIS, PAYE, VAT and quickbooks). Call: 614-4358 Hydraulic hose technician, Inventory clerk (must have technical background). Call: 233-2745 PROPERTY FOR SALE 3- Storey commercial buliding, land size- 120ft x 60ft, building size- 62ft x 30ft, location- Lot 1486 Plot B, Herstelling East Bank Demerara. Contact: #6093777/697-4557 Riumveldt Public Rd (opp Massey) (6) bedroom house on double lot. (2) Apartments with all utilities- parking, fenced. Call: 225-8427/6097766 House and land available @ La Parfaite Harmonie, Providence, Etc. Financing assistance available. Contact Pacific Development: 2236035/ 604-4909 Lot 15 Public Road, #2 Village, W.C.B. 49ft x 10,314ft $20M Negotiable Contact 648-7109/686-4818 Newly built @ Craig E.B.D land size 91x50 feet; house 40x28, 3 rooms, 1 self contained. Call: 718-2136496/617-7691 Property for sale at 97 Sugarcane street S/Rvldt Gardens. Price US 1.5M neg. Tel: 695-1356 & 687-8445 (1) 2 storey building, 1 Flat concrete on transported land 36ft x 180ft @ Lot 91 Triump Side line dam, Agriculture road $50M neg. Tel:220-7228
The man who was incarcerated since 2011 on a charge of murder has been jailed for 12 years after pleading guilty to the lesser county of manslaughter. Narvin Sugrim Andrews, called “Navin Sugrim”, or “Pumpkin” of Rahaman Street, Number 78 Village, Corentyne, Berbice, appeared before Justice Sandil Kissoon in the Berbice High Court on a charge of murder. He was accused of murdering his neighbour, Hilton Ward, a pensioner of Lot 194 Rahaman Street, Number 78 Village, Corentyne, Berbice. The incident occurred on March 27, 2011 at the elderly man’s residence. Sugrim Andrews was one of two persons who had earlier indicated his willingness to plead to the lesser count of manslaughter. Before the matter began the man maintained his earlier willingness to plead guilty to the lesser count. This was accepted by the Prosecution. Prosecuting the case was Attorney at Law Tuanna Hardy. On the day in question, the deceased was in his yard, at Lot 194 Rahaman Street, Number 78 Village, Corentyne. Subsequently the accused and the deceased became embroiled in an argument over money in the victim’s yard. The argument got heated and Sugrim Andrews subsequently stabbed Ward. The man collapsed and was picked up and rushed to the hospital where he remained warded for 12 days following which he succumbed. The autopsy revealed that the man died due to acute peritonitis. (Peritonitis is inflammation of the peritoneum, the lining of the inner wall of the abdomen and cover of the abdominal organs). Andrews was subsequently sentenced to 12 years in jail. Justice Kissoon taking into account that he had pleaded guilty and had not wasted the courts time. Attorney at law Sasha Roberts of the Legal Aid Clinic had pleaded Ward’s case. SALON Make-up Courses with Mac, Bare Minerals, etc. -CosmetologyCourses:$90,000 Nail Technician Course: $35,000. Call: 647-1773/688-0009 PROPERTY FOR SALE One top and bottom three bedroom house at Block 12 Non-Pariel, ECD. Tel: 6924881, 229-6236 New building with two apartment downstairs for sale.10 minutes from Georgetown .Call:675-1510/ 613-7964
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Kaieteur News
Sunday February 11, 2018
Millionaire’s bribery case... From page 66 prosecuted under the act. “Let them clean up their own act, we shouldn’t be cleaning up their act for them,” he told CNBC in 2012. The prosecution of Ho, among others, seems to signal a change of heart for the president. In November 2017, the US Department of Justice formalized a new anti-corruption policy prioritizing bringing cases against individuals rather than corporations. Heavy fines against companies, it said, only penalized shareholders. If the emails and reports obtained by the FBI and presented in a court affidavit are to believed, Ho and Gadio took remarkably few steps to cover their tracks. The pair documented their alleged plan so clearly it reads like a how to guide for bribing an African official. The Environmental Investigation Agency claimed that in 2013, 76% of all global timber exports from Mozambique were illegally cut in excess of reported harvests — and the vast majority of them went to China. The Mozambique government did not reply to a CNN email asking how it was combating this problem.
Sunday February 11, 2018
Kaieteur News
Petroleum Commission must have... From page 16 Therefore, in giving the Minister the power to act as the board, the Bill is giving the Minister Powers to singly control the sector. When it was being debated, before being sent to the Special Select Committee, the opposition argued that it vests too much power in the Minister of Natural Resources, and should be adjusted to reflect a apolitical stance of the sector. �When we examine Section Eight which deals with the Power of the Minister to give directions to the Commission, it is clear that the Commission will hardly be able to work without the direction and control of the Minister. According to Section Eight, the Minister is not only allowed to provide policy guid-
ance, but also give direction to the Commission regarding, size of the establishment, the employment of staff and the terms and conditions of employment, the provision of equipment and use of funds, reorganization or such works of development as to involve a substantial outlay on capital account, training, education and research, the disposal of capital assets; the application of the proceeds of such disposals,� PPP/C MP Irfaan Ali argued at the time. Thus, the Minister is literally empowered to dictate inter alia, how many persons an independent Commission should employ, what should be the terms and conditions of employment for the staff of the Commission, how an independent Commission should use its funds.
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Sunday February 11, 2018
Don’t compare yourself... Kim Jong Un invites South Korean president for summit - South Korea EOUL/PYEONGCHANG, South Korea (Reuters) North Korean leader Kim Jong Un invited South Korean President Moon Jae-in for talks in Pyongyang, South Korean officials said on Saturday, setting the stage for the first meeting of Korean leaders in more than 10 years. Any meeting would represent a diplomatic coup for Moon, who swept to power last year on a policy of engaging more with the reclusive North and has pushed for a diplomatic solution to the standoff over North Korea’s nuclear and missile programme.The recent detente, anchored by South Korea’s hosting of the Winter Olympic Games that began on Friday, came despite an acceleration in the North’s weapons programmes last year and pressure from Seoul’s allies in Washington.The personal invitation from Kim was delivered verbally by his younger sister, Kim Yo Jong, during talks and a lunch Moon hosted at the presidential Blue House in Seoul.Kim Jong Un wanted to meet Moon “in the near future” and would like for him to visit North Korea “at his earliest convenience”, his sister told Moon, who had said “let’s create the environment for that to be able to happen,” Blue House
Kim Jong Un,
Moon Jae-in
spokesman Kim Eui-kyeom told a news briefing.A Blue House official said Moon “practically accepted” the invitation. “We would like to see you at an early date in Pyongyang”, Kim Yo Jong told Moon during the lunch, and also delivered her brother’s personal letter that expressed his “desire to improve inter-Korean relations,” the Blue House said. The prospect of two-way talks between the Koreas, however, may not be welcomed by the United States. Washington has pursued a strategy of exerting maximum pressure on Pyongyang through tough sanctions and harsh rhetoric, demanding it give up its pursuit of nuclear weapons first for any dialogue to occur.“This is the stron-
gest action yet by North Korea to drive a wedge between the South and the United States,” said Kim Sung-han, a former South Korean vice foreign minister and now a professor at Korea University in Seoul.Moon asked the North Korean delegation during Saturday’s meeting to more actively seek dialogue with the United States, saying that “early resumption of dialogue (between the two) is absolutely necessary for developments in the inter-Korean relations as well,” the South said.It said the two sides held “a comprehensive discussion ... on the inter-Korean relations and various issues on the Korean peninsula in an amicable atmosphere,” but did not say whether the North’s weapons programme was mentioned.
From page 14 administration within the context of Production Sharing Agreements. The Finance Minister stated that the prudent management of these revenues, in addition to a well-thought out development plan, will help to guard against the resource curse. According to GRA’s Commissioner General, Godfrey Statia, training for the Oil and Gas Unit is set to commence in March 2018 with the staff being identified prior to this date. Statia said that the majority of the staff will be external and applications will be invited this month. The tax chief said it should be noted that this unit will initially be under the Large Taxpayers’ Unit and later spinoff as activity increases. MISTAKES Last year, Kaieteur News carried several articles highlighting how the governments and the citizenry of quite a few nations paid greatly for mistakes made with oil and gas. Take Chad for example. This Central African nation is considered to be one of the poorest and most corrupt countries in the world. When news surfaced in the early 2000s that it had struck oil, everyone thought that this should have been an instant blessing. In spite of being landlocked and dirt poor, the kind and compassionate ExxonMobil expressed interest in Chad and demonstrated this to a great extent. So great were the contributions that
Chad’s President, Idriss Déby, threw out two other oil companies that were operating in the country at the time and decided that Exxon was to be dealt with solely. In the beginning, oil seemed to be a tremendous economic turning point for the Central African nation. The country earned billions of dollars in revenue; about US$9B to be exact. But with all that money in its pocket, Chad it seemed, ended up in a situation of ‘more money more problems’. Instead of oil revenues being used to increase poverty alleviation and improve public services like education, infrastructure, and healthcare—It brought instead, more corruption, pollution, and the misuse of natural resources.
According to the 2004 Corruption Perception Index (CPI), Chad was ranked as the third most corrupt out 142 countries. The next year, it was ranked as the most corrupt out of 158 nations. Ten years later, Chad placed among the top 20 most corrupt nations on the CPI. Additionally, the World Bank in one of its reports on this nation found that Chad’s oil failed to reduce poverty, but instead became associated with increased civil conflict and a worsening of governance. In short, Chad is worse off than it started. To read more in this regard, follow this link: h t t p s : / / www.kaieteurnewsonline.com/ category/what-guyananeeds-to-know-aboutexxonmobil/
ExxonMobil admits... From page 9 organically to grow the supply and capability of local companies,” Khoo stated. EEPG noted that the centre for local business development opened last July to assist small and mediumsized businesses. It has assisted over 600 companies. He maintained that this was also a baby step. A local content policy is still to be produced by the Government. Nonetheless, the Minister of Natural Resources, Raphael Trotman,
has said he was pleased with the benefits being derived by Guyanese workforce and business sector. He noted that the Ministry is working assiduously to finalise its local content policy for the petroleum sector. “This policy is built on the objectives of maximizing benefits for the Guyanese people and value retention from Guyana’s petroleum resources through capacity development, local content and value addition,” Trotman stated.
Argentina defends ties with China, Russia despite U.S. objection BUENOS AIRES (Reuters) - Argentina said last week that a good trade relationship with Russia and China “does not generate a conflict,” days after the United States warned against the growing influence of those countries on Latin America. Before starting a tour of the region, U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said last week that Russia’s growing presence in Latin America was “alarming.” He said the region did not need “new imperial powers,” in reference to its fluid commercial relations with both Russia and China. “There is an increase in interest (in China and Russia) and we encourage it because it seems very positive, it does not generate a conflict,” Argentina’s Secretary of International Economic Relations Horacio Reyser told Reuters. China is Argentina No. 2 trade partner after Brazil, and it is the top buyer of Argentina’s main cash crop, soybeans. Reyser called for more trade with Russia. “Today we
have trade with Russia of $900 million, which is really very low. We believe that this can double,” he said in a telephone interview. “There may be some opportunity to grow trade with Russia, just as we can improve our trade with China and also receive investments from Russia and China,” Reyser said. He said this would not imply a concentration of trade with the two countries. “On the contrary, we seek diversification,” he said. Tillerson raised eyebrows last week when he said the 1823 Monroe Doctrine, which has been linked to U.S. armed intervention in Latin America, was “as relevant today as it was the day it was written.” Peru’s trade minister Eduardo Ferreyros defended China as a good trade partner on Tuesday. He said Peru’s 2010 trade liberalization deal with China had allowed the Andean nation of about 30 million people to post a $2.74 billion trade surplus with Beijing last year. “We’re happy with the results of the trade agreement,” he said.
Sunday February 11, 2018
Kaieteur News
China says international community should play constructive role in Maldives BEIJING (Reuters) - The international community should play a constructive role in promoting stability in the Maldives, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi told a visiting envoy from the troubled Indian Ocean island state, China’s Foreign Ministry said. The Maldives’ embattled President Abdulla Yameen has sent envoys to friendly nations such as China, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia to brief them on a political crisis that prompted him to impose a state of emergency on the tiny Indian Ocean archipelago, best known for its luxury hotels and dive resorts. Regional power India has joined Britain, the United States and the United Nations in calling for the lifting of the emergency and the freeing of two Supreme Court judges who had sparked the crisis by ruling last week that imprisoned opponents of Yameen should be released. Meeting in Beijing on Thursday, Wang told economic development minister Mohamed Saeed that China believes the Maldives government and people have the “wisdom and ability to appropriately handle the issue facing them and return the country to normal order in accordance with the law”, China’s Foreign Ministry said in a
Abdulla Yameen statement.“China does not interfere in the Maldives internal affairs, which is also an important criterion of the rules of the United Nations charter,” Wang said. China supports the Maldives government to resolve differences via dialogue and consultation with all relevant sides, to protect the country’s independence and sovereignty, he added. “The international community should play a constructive role in promoting the Maldives’ stability and development on the basis of respecting the Maldives’ wishes,” Wang said. China has provided selfless aid to the Maldives, he added.The ministry cited
Saeed as saying that the Maldives was committed to resolving the current problem themselves. Rivalry between India and China for influence in the Maldives became more evident after President Yameen signed up to Beijing’s Belt and Road initiative to build trade and transport links across Asia and beyond.India, which has had longstanding political and security ties to the islands about 400 km (250 miles) away, has sought to push back against China’s expanding presence in overwhelmingly Muslim country of 400,000 people. Maldivian opposition leaders have urged New Delhi to intervene in the crisis.
Israel seeks peace but will defend itself against Iran – Netanyahu
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (C), Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman (R), and Chief of Staff Lieutenant-General Gadi Eizenkot meet in Tel Aviv, Israel yesterday. Israel Defence Ministry/Handout via REUTERS JERUSALEM (Reuters) Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Saturday Israel sought peace but would continue to defend itself against Iran. Earlier in the day, antiaircraft fire downed an Israeli warplane returning from a bombing raid on Iranbacked positions in Syria in the most serious confronta-
tions yet between Israel and Iranian-backed forces based across the border. Netanyahu said he had spoken with Russian President Vladimir Putin. “I reiterated to him our obligation and right to defend ourselves against attacks from Syrian territory. We agreed coordination between our armies would
continue,” Netanyahu said in a televised statement. Netanyahu added that he had spoken with U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson. “Israel seeks peace, but we will continue to defend ourselves s t eadfastly against any attack against us or any attempt by Iran to establish itself against us in Syria,” Netanyahu said.
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Kaieteur News
Sunday February 11, 2018
Police Force, Benschop Foundation reward 7-yr-old heroine for bravery The Guyana Police Force and the Benschop Foundation have rewarded seven-year-old Kissan Henry for her brave act in saving her brother from a fire at their Glasgow Housing Scheme, New Amsterdam. Yesterday, Kissan was presented with a plaque, books and a bottle of perfume on behalf of the Commissioner of Police, Seelall Persaud, Crime ChiefAssistant Commissioner, Paul Williams and other members of the Force. “We have recognized her bravery, and brilliant thinking from a humanitarian standpoint at such a tender age,” a release from the police force stated. “The Crime Chief Paul Williams arrived at the initiatives and partnered with the Mark Benschcop Foundation who will be honoring Ms Henry today with other key stakeholders.” When a fire broke out at their home last Monday, Kissan used a bed-sheet to
Deputy Crime Chief Michael Kindston (left) and Crime Chief Paul Williams present Kissan with a plaque. lower her four-year-old brother to safety through a window, before also jumping from the building. She suffered a broken leg.
The children were left alone at home. Their mother, Kimilia Henry, has since been charged with neglect and placed on $50,000 bail.
Sunday February 11, 2018
Kaieteur News
Trinidadian immigrant rights activist granted stay of deportation NEW YORK - CMC – Trinidadian immigrant rights activist Ravi Ragbir, whose detention sparked several protests last month, will be able to stay in the United States for the time being, according to a court order issued here on Friday. Ragbir was detained January 11 after a routine check-in with US Immigrant and Customs Enforcement (ICE), a move that sparked protests throughout the city from supporters who called Ragbir a pillar of the community. While Ragbir was released from ICE detention at the end of January, ICE then ordered him to report for deportation on yesterday. Ragbir, the executive director of the New York-based New Sanctuary Coalition, and several organisations supporting him filed a lawsuit against ICE, the US Department of Homeland Security and the US Department of Justice, alleging that he was targeted because of his activism. He was granted a stay of deportation to allow for the briefing and consideration of the suit.“Like so many people who are living in this country under the threat of deportation, I know how important it is to raise our voices against the injustices in the system,” Ragbir said in a statement. “This lawsuit is not just about me, it is about all of the members of our community who are speaking out in our struggle for immigrant rights.” Lawyers defending Ragbir said the US government has
Ravi Ragbir (centre) following his release last January agreed to stay Ragbir’s deportation temporarily. “Justice was restored today, at least temporarily, as Mr. Ragbir is now able to remain in the United States and free until the Court reviews his constitutional claims,” said attorney Stanton Jones. “If the First Amendment means anything, it means the government can’t silence immigrant-rights activists like Mr. Ragbir by deporting them. We look forward to presenting these grave constitutional claims to the Court,” he added. The lawsuit seeks a preliminary and permanent injunction, restraining the government from taking further action to force a deportation order against Ragbir. It also seeks a preliminary and permanent injunction “restraining the government from selectively enforcing immigration laws against individuals based on protected political speech.” “ICE’s targeting of immi-
grant-rights activists based on their protected speech and political advocacy plainly violates the First Amendment,” said attorney Sally Pei, adding “we intend to put an end to this vindictive practice.”But ICE has denied targeting immigrants based on their advocacy work or comments, saying “any suggestion to the contrary is irresponsible, speculative and inaccurate.“ICE focuses its enforcement resources on individuals who pose a threat to national security, public safety and border security,” said the immigration agency in a statement. “That being said, as ICE leadership has made clear, ICE will no longer exempt classes or categories of removable aliens from potential enforcement. All of those in violation of the immigration laws may be subject to immigration arrest, detention and — if found removable by final order — removal from the United States.”
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Sunday February 11, 2018
Sunday February 11, 2018
Jaguars suffer 2nd consecutive... From page 82 Bell-Drummond edged one that left him from Shepherd and was well taken by Johnson at deep gully with no addition to the score. Five runs later Denly (7) was caught behind as Shepherd struck again and all of a sudden Jaguars were given renewed hope and sneaking back into the game.However, Sean Dickson who got off the mark with six off of a Shepherd free-hit before on driving Paul for four and along with Blake, who stroked Shepherd for two successive fours, ensured the runs were coming fast and furious in unusually cold conditions. Dickson pivoted and deposited Bishoo for a massive six as both he and Permaul struggled for control as the batsmen scored at will. But once Blake (25) was removed by Permaul at 113-5, Bishoo bowling an excellent second spell after a ragged start, trapped Adam Rouse (0) LBW without addition to the score before having Stewart (4) caught at the wicket at 1277.
GFF and... From page 83 players wearing shocks, shin pads and no arm-less clothing; since implementing some of the rules, Lancaster said he has seen some improvement in an on-going tournament. Petra’s Co-Director, Troy Mendonca, expressed that assistance is part of a founding mandate to develop the sport. Mendonca hopes the course can help create a product that is marketable, which can hopefully take Guyana into the FIFA domain of futsal. First Vice-president of the Guyana Futsal Association (GFA), Mark Younge, posited that, “We have a chance to show what football is all about and we hope it doesn’t stop here as our referees can go forward and be FIFA referees.” More so, Executive Member and head of the National Referees Council Dion Inniss asked the participants to fully absorb the information being imparted. Inniss also thanked Petra for their support and envisioned programmes like these will encourage more tournaments countrywide.Ten futsal referees from Georgetown, Upper Demerara, West Demerara and Berbice Football Association are practicing in the course which concludes today.
And the pendulum has swung in Guyana’s favour once again and the pressure was back on the Englishmen, while the crowd which had increased as night progressed were on its feet as 33 were needed with three wickets in hand. With pulsating music coming from the part mound and Bishoo’s spell completed, Johnson bowled a single over of leg-spin which cost seven runs. Paul was brought but the 19-year-old was hammered to the point boundary with seven to win. Gidman then scored the winning run off
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Paul to give Kent one foot in the play-offs. The Jaguars will now need to go back to the drawing board as they battle with Jamaica Scorpions for a semifinal spot. Guyana’s next match is scheduled for tomorrow. Scores: JAGUARS 158 off 47.1 overs (Chris Barnwell 36, Romario Shepherd 30 not out, Veerasammy Permaul 24; Will Gidman 4-20, Stewart Grant 316). KENT 162 for seven off 37 overs (Will Gidman 29 not out, Zak Crawley 28, Alex Blake 25; Devendra Bishoo 4-35, Romario Shepherd 2-30).
Sunday February 11 , 2018 ARIES (Mar. 21–Apr. 19) Today you're likely to be longing for a little break from your daily routine, Aries, and for an evening alone with a love partner. You're feeling sensual and passionate TAURUS (Apr. 20–May 20) Some welcome visitors from far away could come to see you today and cause temporary chaos in your home. You'll be glad to see them GEMINI(May 21–June 20) News could come your way, perhaps through local magazines or newspapers, about possible renovations occurring in your community. These changes could be rather controversia CANCER (June 21–July 22) If you've been striving for success in the field of writing, speaking, or publishing, Cancer, you have the chance for a real breakthrough today. A large sum of money or an opportunity to earn it LEO (July 23–Aug. 22) Success and good fortune might be in the wind for you today, Leo. Whatever it is will probably have you feeling especially elated and satisfied with your accomplishments. VIRGO (Aug. 23–Sept. 22) Successes have been coming your way continually for a while, Virgo. The downside is that excessive celebrating
LIBRA (Sept. 23–Oct. 22) Upheavals within a group with which you're affiliated, perhaps professionally, might cause you to alter your goals slightly, Libra. SCORPIO (Oct. 23–Nov. 21) A number of people in interesting fields, such as law, education, or writing and publishing, could cross your path today, Scorpio. SAGIT(Nov.22–Dec.21) A chance to take a long journey, perhaps to a distant state or foreign country, could suddenly present itself to you today, Sagittarius. This trip is apt to be far more significant than a simple vacation.. CAPRI(Dec.22–Jan.19) Some traumas, phobias, or hang-ups from the past that have been limiting you in some way could suddenly come to the surface today, Capricorn. You might get the most insight by analyzing your dreams. AQUARIUS(Jan.20–Feb.18) Today you long to schedule a romantic evening alone with a love partner, Aquarius. Other social obligations could get in your way. PISCES (Feb. 19–Mar. 20) Both immediate and longterm goals should be easy to achieve while your energy is strong today. Begin working on them; don't put them off. This high level of motivation should continue for a while.
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From page 35 78.8816 (Glock 17), Terry Milling 67.2490 (Shadow 2), Dr. Johan DaSilva 56.7680 (Shadow 2) and Leslie Lewis 33.9382 (Glock 17).Similarly, in the Standard Division, Mohamed Qualander also garnered a 100% score with his Glock 35 and was followed by Harold Hopkinson 81.6220 (Akai STI 2011), Azaad Hassan 75.7796 (Glock 17), Surujbali Persaud 67.5275 (Glock 17) and Vidushi Persaud-McKinnon 65.9857 (Glock 17) the lone female on show.The organisers are expressing thanks to the following sponsors for making the event a success; Queensway Group of Companies, Osric Hacker, Regional Director Harold Hopkinson and Secure Innovations and Concepts Inc.
GMRSC’s King of the Strip Drag Race meetRecord holder Team Mohamed’s looks to maintain their dominance All systems are in place for the Guyana Motor Racing & Sports Club’s (GMRSC) first drag race meet of the year, the “King of the Strip” meet which will see local and Surinamese dragtsers going head to head at the South Dakota Circuit today. Over 60 entries were registered by Friday evening and it was noted that the final fig-
Kaieteur News
ure could be significantly higher as entries were coming in quickly. One of the latest teams to confirm their participation is Team Mohamed’s, the current holders of the strip record. Team Mohamed’s are powered by the sleek unstoppable pair of Nissan GT-R Nismo sports cars. The GT-R, nicknamed “Goliath” blew away the opposition during GMRSC drag meet dubbed “Reaction” last year March, to etch a seemingly unbeatable record time of 7.5 seconds. Speaking to Kaieteur Sport, a representative of Team Mohamed’s noted that they are confident of making light work of all the competitors in the unlimited class. The representative further noted that Shawn Persaud (Toyota Caldina), an eight time second class winner who recently upped to the unlimited class is one of the top challengers to get pass their “Goliath” but even though he has registered the third best strip time of 8.33 seconds, he is almost a second off the record of 7.5 seconds. Team Mohamed’s are unfazed by the Challengers and some exciting races can be expected today when the “King of the Strip” speeds off. The event is also confirmed to attract a host of Surinamese competitors. Entrance fees are $1,000 for adults, $500 for children. The rent-a-tent VIP will be available for $3,000.
Sunday February 11, 2018
The GUMDAC Annual Open Doubles Badminton Tournament concludes The GUMDAC Annual Open Doubles Badminton Tournament concluded at the National Gymnasium. In its fifth year the tournament is sponsored by Mr. Darrell Carpenay, Managing Director of GUMDAC. The Events played were Open Men & Ladies Doubles and Mixed Doubles. This tournament opened the first GBA Local Events for the Year 2018. The Final evening saw intense matches in the Finals of the Men Doubles where the youngsters Jonathan Mangra & Ronald Chang Yuen defeated the seasoned senior players Marlon Chung & Darrell Carpenay in a thrilling three games play off. Third place went to William Holder & Haymant Ramdhani who gained a walkover from Javid Rahaman & Ernesto Choo-A-Fat. In the Mixed Doubles Finals Priyanna Ramdhani & Ronald Chang Yuen defeated Marlon Chung & Shivannie Persaud in straight sets: 2119, 21-16.Third Place went to Darrell Carpenay & Ayanna Wickham-Watson who defeated youngsters Akili Haynes & Jayde DaSilva: 2220, 21-9.
NAMILCO on board again for Petra’s 3rd
Ryan McKinnon receives his award from Vice Captain, Gordon Richards.
Annual Futsal tourney The National Milling Company of Guyana (NAMILCO) is on board again with the Petra Organisation for the entity’s Third Annual Fustal tournament which is set for kickoff on February 24th at the National Gymnasium. This was announced at a press briefing at the Company’s, Agricola East Bank Demerara, office. At the simple ceremony, NAMILCO’s Finance Executive Fitzroy McLeod expressed pleasure on being able to support the venture. “NAMILCO is con-
cerned that young Guyanese citizens should always have options which allows them to make positive choices and pursue healthy and productive pathways.” The company has committed to cover the first and second prizes of the competition to the tune of $750,000. Co-Director of the Petra Organisation Troy Mendonca, expressed appreciation for the support by NAMILCO. This tournament is expected to feature teams the likes of Alpha Warriors, Pro Kleaners-Campbellville, Showstoppers, Mocha, Agricola, Plaisance, Sparta
Boss, Ol Skool Ballers, Leopold Street, Albouystown, Kingstown, North East La Penitence, Back Circle, West Front Road, North Ruimveldt, Tiger Bay, Broad Street, Channel 9, Bent Street, Tucvllle, Alexander Village, Future Stars, NK Ballers and Sophia. Meanwhile, as an incentive for teams in the group stage, the top finishers will get an additional $40,000, second-place $30 000, third-place $20,000 and fourth-place $10,000. In addition, the MVP of the tournament as well as a lucky fan will ride away with one motorbike each.
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Kaieteur Sport takes a look back at some of the main local events that took place in sport. Andrea Foster recognised by Essex County College on NGWSD Guyanese middle distance runner, Andrea Foster, who is on scholarship at the Essex County College and aiming to graduate in June with an Associate’s Degree in General Science, continues to shine bright. Having been named the Cross Country of the Year athlete for 2016 and picking up a plaque as the Essex County College Women’s Cross Country Most Valuable Runner for the 2016/2017 season, Foster has now been recognised for her exploits in athletics and academics as part of the Annual National Girls & Women in Sports Day (NGWSD). During halftime of a basketball match at Seaton Hall University, the 20-year-old Foster, one of the honorees, was recognised. During last year, Foster was also awarded a plaque for being Essex’ 2016/2017 Women’s Cross Country Academic Scholar for her overall GPA of 3.85. She was also rewarded by way of another plaque from the US Track and Field Cross Country Coaches Association as an All American (NJCAA) National Junior College Athletic Association Track and Field 800M stand out for the 2017 Indoor Track and Field Season. February 7, 2018 marks the 32nd Annual National Girls & Women in Sports Day (NGWSD). The 2018 theme is “Play Fair, Play IX.” NGWSD is a time to celebrate the extraordinary achievements in girls and women’s sports and the positive influence athletic participation brings to their lives.
Drayton wins National Senior Chess Qualifier The seven-round National Senior Chess qualifier concluded and the top seven players have been confirmed to compete for the title of National Senior Chess champion later this year. Anthony Drayton, the top ranked FIDE (World Chess Federation) player in the qualifier, will lead the group into the tournament after having played unbeaten in the event, which was hosted by the Guyana Chess Federation at the National Aquatic Centre, Lilliendaal. Candidate Master Drayton, with a FIDE rating of 1945, accumulated 6.5
points, inclusive of six victories and a draw against former national champion Taffin Khan. Khan who has a FIDE rating of 1928 finished second overall with five points but suffered a huge loss to Ronuel Greenidge, who has a rating of 1688. The lone female, Maria Varona-Thomas, also ended with five points. The other four qualifying players were all locked on 4.5 points, enough to secure their passage to the main championship. Those players are Greenidge, Saeed Anwar Ali, Glenford Corlette and Loris Nathoo.
GAPLF Novices/ Juniors Championships 69 year-old Cummings, White, Oudit, Taharally set new records The Guyana Amateur Powerlifting Federation (GAPLF) ran off another successful Novices and Juniors Championships at the Cliff Anderson Sports Hall where a number of records were set whilst new prospects came to the fore watched by a sizable crowd.The elder statesman of the championships, 69-year old Noel Cummings of Buddy’s Gym, who is also a bodybuilder and Trainer at Buddy’s Gym, competing in the 66kg Masters 4 category set a new National RAW Squat Record of 115kg along with new records in the Bench of 85kg, Deadlift of 140kg and RAW Total of 340kg. Cummings is oldest competitor in Guyana in this sport and second oldest competitor overall for Guyana behind USA based Nairjanjan Singh who is 74 years old. Other National Records were set by Runita White (Buddy’s Gym) in the Female Open RAW and Female Junior RAW 84+kg in the Deadlift of 175kg; Lisa Oudit (Buddy’s Gym) in the Female Open RAW 84kg Deadlift 142.5kg, Benchpress 61kg and Total of 328.5kg. Nadina Taharally also of Buddy’s Gym contesting the Female Open Raw and Female Master 1 RAW 72kg set a new Squat record 123kg, Benchpress of 65.5kg, Deadlift of 157.5kg and Total of 346kg. The Overall winners were Runita White (Female RAW Novice Overall and Female Equipped Novice Overall, Female Raw Junior Overall Winner), Timothy Bagla (Overall Male Novice Equipped) and Bjorn Williams (Overall Male Novice RAW).
GAWA still aiming to keep muscles flexible
despite challenges President of the Guyana Amateur Weightlifting Association (GAWA) Frank Tucker and his Technical Director Deion Nurse are in sync when it comes to the forward thrust of the association as regards its continued fight to keep the sport alive. Speaking with Kaieteur Sport on its plans for the year while looking back at what transpired in 2017, Tucker and Nurse are in agreement that attracting young people to the sport continues to be one of their biggest hurdles. They noted that migration, the quest to get better jobs and the extra lesson syndrome are some of the reasons why youths are not being attracted to the sport despite the association trying its utmost.Notwithstanding these challenges, the GAWA has been out and about locally and on the international scene trying to keep the sport in the spotlight.The association has put together a very ambitious budget of $17.5M which would cover expenses associated with its 2018 Calender of Activities. Some of the activities include attendance at the Pan American Weightlifting Federation Congress in Santo Domingo (Feb 23-25 $300,000); National Development Meet (March 25 $100,000); Manuel Suarez Tournament in Cuba (March 12-17 - $946,000); Commonwealth Games in Australia (April 4-15 - $1,320.000); 78th Anniversary Celebrations (May - $400,000); Pan American Senior Championships in the Dominican Republic (May - $1,485,000); South American Games in Bolivia (June - $990,000), Pan American Masters in Canada (June - $$1,320,000); National Open Championships (June $200,000); IWF World Junior Championships in Uzbekistan (July - $1,950,000); Central American and Caribbean Games in Colombia (July-August - $990,000); IWF World Masters in Spain (August - $1,890,000); Pan American Junior Championships in Ecuador (September - $1,500,000); Youth Olympic Games in Argentina (October - $1,350,000); IWF World Championships in Turkmenistan (November $$1,950,000) and the Caribbean Championships in Barbados (November - $800,000). The association has also scheduled fund raising activities for April, June and August as a means to help itself in offsetting some of the forecasted expenses. The body continues to
host training sessions at the Michael Parris Fitness Center located in the National Park and is encouraging persons interested in joining the sport to visit them there. The annual General Meeting is slated for the Guyana Olympic Headquarters on February 24, next. (Franklin Wilson)
GuyanaNRA/IPSC Level 2 Shoot Ryan McKinnon, Mohamed Qualander are Production and Standard Division top shots When the dust from the multiplicity of shots was finally settled last Sunday afternoon at the Timehri Rifle Ranges following intense competition in the Guyana National Rifle Association (GuyanaNRA)/ Smallbore Section/IPSC Level 2, Six-Stage Shoot, emerging as the Overall c h a m p i o n s w e r e Ry a n McKinnon (Box Production) and Mohamed Qualander in the Standard Pistol Division.International Practical Shooting Confederation (IPSC) Regional Director for Guyana Harold ‘Top
Andrea Foster displays her awards in the presence of the new Athletics Director, Michael Doughtie Gun’ Hopkinson carried out the mandate of bringing off this Level 2 competition which was a big step from the Level 1 Shoots held in the previous years. Over 2000 rounds were expended at the competition as the day was punctuated by constant reverberating gun fire from the 9mm’s, Glocks,
CZ Shadow 2s and the lone Shay Akai Custom, STI 2011, Edge in 40 calibers. Limited modifications were allowed in the two categories. In winning the Production category, Ryan McKinnon secured a 100% with his Shadow 2 and was followed by Rajiv Latchana (Continued on page 74)
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Sanjay’s Golf Tournament rescheduled to today from 8:30am Due to the continued rain from midnight Friday into midday yesterday, Grounds Superintendent Mike Gayadin determined a postponement of yesterday’s Sanjay’s Golf tournament to today from 8:30am would be better for all concerned. Grounds are in fine condition and apart from a few low spots here and there, it is playable. As long as the rain holds after midnight, a keen competition may be expected today.
Sunday February 11, 2018
Kaieteur News
Bolt wouldn’t fancy bobsleigh PYEONGCHANG, South Korea (AFP) — Usain Bolt may have swept all before him in track and field — but he probably couldn’t cut it in a bobsleigh, Jamaica said at the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics. The lanky superstar dominated sprinting for three straight Summer Olympics, claiming a ‘triple-triple’ before
being stripped of 2008 relay gold when Nesta Carter failed a drugs test. However, Jamaica’s chef de mission Leo Campbell said Bolt, who limped out of his final race at last year’s world championships, wouldn’t last long in bobsleigh. ”This is a painful sport. Right now, for someone as accomplished as Bolt, he’s quite comfortable, if you will,” said Campbell. ”It would be really nice to have Usain on the back of a bobsleigh, but we’re not so confident he can manage more than two races because
it’s a really tough and long season. And he’s retired and wants to relax now,” he added.Jamaica’s men’s bobsleigh team of 1988 were immortalised in the comedy film “Cool Runnings”, but the country is still making history in winter sports.In Pyeongchang, a women’s bobsleigh team will become Jamaica’s first female Winter Olympians, while Anthony Watson will become the country’s inaugural skeleton competitor.”If Usain comes into skeleton, I’m out of a job. That man will take every start record and race on the track.
Usain Bolt That’d be exciting,” Watson said.”I grew up watching the ‘Cool Runnings’ movie,” he added.”Just to be here with these people is an honour that you really can’t put into words.