Kaieteur News

Children from schools across the country participated in the annual Children's Costume and Mashramani road parade, which was held for the first time since the COVID-19 pandemic. The children showcased several themes through their colourful costumes ranging from Music, Dance, infrastructure, oil and gas and diversity.

(Photograph courtesy of Tourism Guyana)

Environmentalistflags unsignedEIAsubmittedby ExxonMobilfor5thproject

...urges EPA to restart 60-days public review period

The Environmental ProtectionAgency(EPA)has accepted an Environmental ImpactAssessment(EIA)by oilmajor,ExxonMobilforits fifthStabroekBlockprojectUaru The document howeverhasnotbeensigned by the Consultant, Acorn International, leaving room forpossibleramifications.

Environmentalist Simone Mangal-Joly in a letter to Executive Director of the EPA, Kemraj Parsram onSaturdaynotonlybrought theissuetohisattention,but also urged that the ongoing 60-days review period be restarted as result of the missingsignature.

In her letter to Parsram, Mangal-Joly explained, “On J a n u a r y 8 , 2 0 2 3 , ExxonMobil, and its consultant, Acorn, jointly published a notice as per Section 11 of the Environmental Protection Act advising the public that an Environmental Impact Assessment was submitted f o r E x x o n M o b i l ’s application for an EnvironmentalPermitforits Uaru offshore oil and gas productionfloatingplatform.

This notice advises the public that “the EIA/EIS are available on the EPA’s website for download” and thatthepublichasuntilsixtydaysfromJanuary8,2023,to makewrittensubmissionson the Environmental Impact Assessment as they see appropriate.”

Shenotedthatmorethan two thirds of the 60-day period has elapsed, and the EPA still has not posted the certified EIA on its website forthepublictoinspect.

“Thedocumentpresently labelled in the url link as “UARU EIA” bears no specificdate,nosignedsheet of authorship or ownership, and no clear title page,” the Environmentalist pointed out.

Shewaskeentonotethat the posting of an incomplete and unsigned EIA on the government website is a violationofthepublic’sright to fair consultation and the ruleoflaw

In fact, Mangal-Joly said in her letter, “It raises a serious question about the t r a n s p a r e n c y a n d accountability of the process...thegovernmenthas a responsibility to not only provide complete and

Guyana saddled with US$106M yearly, for 20 years

ByDavinaBagot

For the next 20 years, Guyanawillbesaddledwith an annual debt of US$106 million to pay back costs associated with developing theGas-to-Energyproject. This was revealed on Wednesday during the International Energy Conference and Expo when Project Head, Winston Brassington provided delegates with an update on the project and expected financial gains from the venture.

accurate information to the public in a timely and accessible manner, but also to guarantee that the information contained in an EIA is attested to by the consultant that prepared the EIA as well as the applicant for the permit, so that these parties may not disavow the contentslater.”

As such, she urged that the EPAprovide the full and duly certified EIA on its website and restart the 60day comments period at the newdatetowhichthesigned EIAbecomesavailabletothe public.

It must be noted that this is not the first EIA accepted by the EPA to which the developer’sandConsultant’s signatureswerenotattached.

An EIA forms the foundationforaPermittobe grantedtoadeveloperbythe EPA The document is intended to clearly outline the risks a project can cause and state measures that will be taken to mitigate or respond to such events Given the important nature of the document, project developers are required to affix their signature/s to guarantee that they not only accept the environmental study, but more importantly, its findings and assurances for response activities. By attaching their signatures, it legally ties the company to accept liabilities caused as a result of the listed impacts, likelytobecaused.

However, by refusing to sign these studies, liabilities are transferred to the Consultant that prepared the project,whosesignaturesare attached to the document. This is according to Former Executive Director of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Dr. Vincent Adams. Adams in a previous

interview explained to this publicationthatwhilehewas h e a d i n g t h e E PA , ExxonMobil was mandated to attach its signatures to the EIA, as this is the global practice.

He explained that as Head of the regulator body, ExxonhadsubmittedanEIA which he refused to accept, asitwasnotsigned.

“I packed up the stuff andIsaidIamnotaccepting it without your signature, and what he (Former Country Manager, Rod Henson) told me, he said well you know that’s the way that the EPA does it, which is for Liza One, because I wasn’t there for Liza One So I said I really don’t care how the EPAhas been doing it and I said you know that you can’t do this in the United States for example, and he said yes VinceIknowthat,butthisis thewaythattheywantit,and IsaidthisisnotthewaythatI want it so you better change it.Ipackedupthevolumesin abox,sentitbacktohimand immediately he signed it for Exxon and sent it back,” Dr Adamsshared.

This newspaper was unable to verify that the signatureoftheoilcompany wasattachedtotheLizaTwo EIA; however, the impact study for its third project, Payara, was signed by Exxon’s subsidiary, Esso Exploration and Production Guyana Limited (EEGPL) Country Manager, Alistair RoutledgeinJuly2020.

The issue of the developer’s signature being absent on this critical document was first highlighted by an attorney, Elizabeth Hughes, who had made her views public at a consultation hosted by EEPGLontheproposedGasto-Energyproject.

B a s e d o n h i s presentation,itisunderstood thattheWalesGas-to-Energy project has surpassed the US$2 billion mark, now totaling US$2,120,000 (GYD$424 trillion). This is more than half of the country’s total debt, according to statistics from the end of 2022 These statistics show the country’s total public debt stood at US$3,654.9M at the end of lastyear

Whatwasnotmadeclear

Gas-to-Energy Project Head, Winston Brassington addressing the International Energy Conference and Expo

however is how the country would manage to pay back these expenses should there be an incident that puts the projectoutofoperation,such asanexplosion.

Brassington explained thatGuyanawillberequired to pay back ExxonMobil some US$55 million each yearfor20yearstorepaythe company for its investment inthepipeline.

“That US$55 million is the amortized cost of US$1 billion for 20 years at a

discountrate,”hesaid.

In addition to this, Guyanawillalsobeexpected to repay another US$51 millionannuallyfor20years on a loan the country will take to pay for the Natural GasLiquids(NGL)facility

Continued on page 11

Environmentalist, Simone Mangal-Joly

Charlestown,Georgetown,Guyana.

Publisher:GLENNLALL-TEL:624-6456

Editor-In-Chief:NIGELWILLIAMS

Tel:225-8465,225-8491. Fax:225-8473,226-8210

EDITORIAL

GUYANESE MUST SHOW WHAT THEY ARE MADE OF

Duringthelatterportionofitstimeastheofficial political Opposition in Guyana, the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPPC) tore apart, trampled upon the 2016 Production Sharing Agreement (contract) signed by the APNU+AFC Coalition with ExxonMobil.

ThePPPCrightlyneverhadagoodword,anydecentone, tosayaboutthecontract. NotwhenitwasinOpposition,not when it came back into power inAugust 2020. Any insult imaginablewashurledattheoilcontractintheearlymonths ofthePPPCbyitspublicspeakers,eitherbeforethemedia,or inparliament.

ThelisteningcrowdsofGuyanese,especiallytheparty’s followers, roared their approval, cheered in support, and stompedtheirfeetinwavesofdeliciousjoy.

Today, in 2023, the same 2016 oil contract is back like never before. What is stunning these days is that it is the samePPPCthatisnowthemostenthusiasticcheerleader,the loudestdefender,ofthatuglycontract,thatissodisfiguring toGuyaneseinterests,noworlater

ThemeninthePPPCwhooncewentcrazywheneverthe issue of the 2016 contract came up, are now as docile as lambs, as passive as dogs tamed and groomed by Dog Whisperer, Cesar Milan. Something went wrong with the PPPC’s biggest powerhouses, when renegotiation of that ExxonMobilcontractispushedtocenterstage.

Infact,tospeakoftherenegotiationthattheysoloudly, powerfully, and repeatedly committed to, is to bring down thewrathoffalsegodsonone’sheads.

In the eyes of a furious PPPC Government leadership, anyGuyanesehavingtheaudacitytocallforrenegotiationis an unforgivable enemy, the worst agitators and troublemakers. Further to this astonishing turnaround in attitudeandpoliticalattributes,Guyanesearebeingincitedto turnagainsttheirfellowGuyanesewhopressforabetteroil deal.

Time will tell how this leadership appeal, a raw instigationwouldbemoreaccurate,sitswithGuyanese,who now find themselves trapped between a rock and a hard place. No one envies them the tough choices forced upon them. Becausetochoosethewrongside,tostandagainstthe PPPC’s treacherous call, would transform them into the worstofhypocrites,whenthereisrecallingoftheirshoutsof joy at the time that the contract was stripped naked and mercilesslyfloggedbytheirleaders.

ThetroubleisthatiftheGuyanesebeingurgedtospeak outweretotaketheprincipledpositionthat:1)thecontractis bad, as demonized; 2) it was promised to be renegotiated, meaning,enhanced;and3),therefore,thatmustfollowasa matterofcourse.

First as proof of the PPPC Government’s genuineness; second,andimportantly,asatestamenttothequalityofthe government’sleadershiptruthsandcommitments;and,last, forwhatisgoodforallGuyana.

In this heated environment, Guyanese have the opportunitytoprovewhatcomesfirst:politicalloyaltyabove all(regardlessofthefactsandcircumstances),orthekindof national prosperity that benefits all, and contributes immenselytoahealthier,vigorous,anddignifiednation. We recognize that this is a difficult situation, especially considering our political history, and its damaging fallouts into the social stream, with the inevitable passions and distortionsattheindividuallevel.

Undoubtedly,somehandfulsofGuyanesehavetastedoil benefits through jobs, sectoral education, and commercial opportunities,allprospering.

Thosemustbeappreciated,applauded. Thetruthisthey aretoofew,andtheoilbenefitsnettoonarrow Guyaneseby the thousands (tens, hundreds of them) remain largely unaffected,unimpactedinapositivewaybythepresenceof 11billionbarrelsofoil.

It is our position that this should not be, with proper considerationforcontractinheritance,honoringagreements, fearsaboutconsequences,andsoforth.

Spending US$2 billion for 300 MW of power is simply not good value for money

DEAREDITOR,

The Government has been talking up the big benefits of its GTE project, and that electricity prices will be halved, or more, when it is completed. This sounds good, but the real question to be addressed by ournation,iswhetheritisthe b e s t d e a l f o r u s

Unfortunately, the answer is aresounding:“No”.

The reality of power generationeconomicsacross the world is that US$ 2 billion is far too much to expend to acquire 300 MW of power generation capacity

Rystad Energy, the international energy

consulting firm, estimates that in 2022, new power plantinstallationsintheEU, from solar, were up to ten times cheaper when comparedtonewnaturalgas plants.

A s i m i l a r c o s t relationshipappliestoNorth America where new solar plants are cheaper by

multiples of 5 and more, when compared to new gas firedplants.

The “Mammoth Solar” project in the US, planned without subsidies or tax credits,isslatedtocostUS$ 1.5billionandproduce1,650 MW of power There are evenrecentannouncements

(Continuedonpage6)

Wise renegotiation, courageous political leadership, fair benefits expectations, and the will to make material developments occur are what lifts us out of impoverishment, takesustotheprosperousgroundthatisourbirthright.

Today is the day, the first day, in which Guyanese across his countrygettoarticulatetheirtruevisions,whattheyreally standforandhowmuchtheyareforcountryorparty Thisis notwithstandingleadershipincitementsintheotherdirection.

Kaieteur M@ilbox Kaieteur M@ilbox

It would be comical if money wasn’t being lost

DEAREDITOR,

I was recently reading a letter written on the gas to shore project where the author says that Exxon will befinancingthepipelineand the government will pay them back over 20 years. Then the author goes on to say that it doesn’t matter where the financing is coming from because the government makes all the profit.

This is where I respectfully differ with the author Nooneallowsyouto go into their wallet and take their money, to buy them a meal for which they now havetopayyoubackforwith interest. It was their money to begin with. Who does that?Thisiswhattheauthor is not explaining to the public. It is almost comical whatisbeingallowedtotake

EDITOR,

’

place, but unfortunately it is affecting the national treasury, which in turn can affect all of us No government should be willing to sign up for such a deal.Youdon’tevenhaveto beabletodividetofigureout thatit’sabaddeal. Can you imagine, here comes a guest to our house whosaysletmehelpyouget thefoodwewilleatfromthe store.“Whereisthemoney”, the guest says. We tell the guest, “Oh, it’s over therein our wallet”. The guest then takes the money form our wallet and says, “Ok, I am coming back just now”

Then the guest comes back from the store with the food that they will also eat and says to us, “You owe me money for buying the food. Plus it will cost you another 11%becauseIhadtoborrow

themoneytobuyit”.Wewill obviouslythenasktheguest, “Didn’t I just see you take the money to buy the food outofourwallet?”Theguest thensays,“Yes,butyouhave topaymeforhavingtogofor thefood”.

That is the sort of nonsense that is going on withthispipelineagreement.

We can safely assume that Exxon is using the decommissioning funds, which they are collecting as partofcostoil,tofinancethe pipelineportionofthegasto shoreproject.Theninreturn they are asking the government to pay them back for the financed pipelinecostover20years.I seriouslydoubtthatthisisan interestfreearrangement.

The current structure of the deal has Guyana losing approximately 7% from not

being able to earn interest f r o m l e n d i n g o u r decommissioning funds to Exxon, and losing another 10% if the cost of financing thegaspipelineisatExxon’s estimated weighted average cost of capital That’s approximately 17% if a conservative approach is taken The range is approximately 17% to 21%. That’smoneydownthedrain and into the pipeline that leads to Exxon’s pockets. The decommissioning funds which they are taking via cost oil are not needed until 20yearsfromnow

What a coincidence! Of course where the finances

come from matters. This significantly alters the net present value of the project. Thediscountratecouldhave been3%orevenless,instead of what appears to be closer to 17%. The government should not be in a hurry to losemoney

By better managing the decommissioning costs and taking a better upfront

revenue generating approach,thisprojectwould be more financially sound.

Guyanese have always been stronginfinancewhenthere is objectivity leading the way

We must not allow Exxon to have its cake and

eatittoo.Itistimetosharpen thosepencilsandgetbackto the drawing board on this project to ensure that it is correctly structured to maximize our return on the investment We must do better and we can do better than the current approach being taken. It is time to make the necessary improvementstotheCapital Expenditure(CapEx)project management team that is responsible for the projects ofthismagnitude.

Withconcern, Mr.

JamilChanglee Chairman

T h e C o o p e r a t i v e RepublicansofGuyana

uyana

President, Alistair Routledge, has been widely reportedinthelocalpressas saying that under the StabroekBlockPSA,50%of theprofitgoestothecountry and 50% goes to investors. He noted that an additional 2%fromtheinvestors’share goestowardsthepaymentof royalty which results in Guyanesereceivingatotalof 52% of profit share. Editor, Routledge’s declaration c o n t a i n s a g r a v e Mathematical error · Two percent paid as Royalty representstwobarrelsoutof every 100 produced. · Fifty percentpaidasprofitshareto GoG represents half of 25 barrels–or12.5barrels.

You cannot add 2% of 100 barrels to 50% of 25 barrels and get a result of “52%profit”. They are calculated on two different bases One baseis100barrels,theother is25barrels.

It is like mixing up oranges and apples Mr Routledge has committed violence to the principles of basic Mathematics. I hope the independent presses in Guyanawouldhighlightthis grave Mathematical error in their editorials and call on MrRoutledgetocorrectthis mistake.I would also point outthatthewholeschemeof E x x o n ( a c t i n g i n collaboration with GoG) is to misrepresent what Guyana gets out of this oil

deal.

A better way to educate theGuyanesepeopleistotell them they are really getting 12.5 barrels (as profit share) plus2barrels(asroyalty)for every 100 barrels produced. Exxon’s Billboards should be corrected to reflect this basic truth, namely, Guyana reallygets14.5barrelsoutof every100barrelsproduced.

MikePersaud

WHAT ROUTLEDGE REPRESENTSAS “52% PROFIT SHARE” ISAMATHEMATICALERROR

Kaieteur

Squatting at Good Hope, ECD

DEAREDITOR,

The issue of squatting and violence continues to plague Good Hope, ECD. It seems like these criminal acts are being condoned by the authorities, while law abiding taxpaying citizens are being forced to live in fearwhilesquatterscontinue to take over all the free s p a c e s i n c l u d i n g government reserves in this village. Editor, I understand

the issue of squatting is a complexone,whichisdueto economic issues, such as povertyandinequality,butit seems that more and more persons are now taking a d v a n t a g e o f t h e Government’s sympathetic handling of squatting while legal landowners’rights and protection are being destroyed due to illegal activities.

I am appealing to the

Kaieteur M@ilbox

Cultural obliteration

relevant authorities to investigatethisareaandhelp uscurbthiscriminalactivity, and avoid more killings and robberies especially with a newsecondaryschoolthatis earmarked to open in September2023.

Finally, I appeal to all squatters to seek peaceful and legal means of addressing your housing issues.

Namewithheld

New form of vendetta

DEAREDITOR,

A new form of venting anger is in the making, or so it seems. From torching vehicles to now torching human beings, whetherbyflingingalightedstoveorsetting them alight, this new form of vendetta must

be seen for what it is: an act of terrorisation. The willful setting on fire of a person by another is mind boggling and highlights the failingsandfragilitiesofhumannature. Itisa sadreflectiononusasanation.

ShamshunMohamed

Spending US$2 billion for 300...

Frompage4 of the imminent closure of some natural gas power plants in Texas, the oil and gas hub of the USA, to be replaced by solar plants, a clear indication of the changed economics of powergeneration.

Our Government’s announcement at the recent International Energy Conference was that

EXXON has agreed to receive an annual payment of US$ 55 million for 20 yearstorepaytheirproposed US$1billionexpenditureto buildthepipeline.

This repayment figure amounts to concessional financing,sincetheinherent interestratebeingchargedis

less than one and a half per cent.

This can be compared to EXXON’spubliclydeclared cost of capital of 9.41 per cent, as of February 16, 2023, an interest rate which they apply to their investmentprojects.

The Government’s “wresting” of this concessionoutofEXXONis really a pyrrhic victory, and only gives the veneer of a viableGTEproject.

What is key in the analysis of this huge project iswhetheritisthebestuseof ournationalresources.

We are aware that there areothercriticalareasinour economy in desperate need ofresourcesforthecountry’s

development.

The agriculture sector is starved of adequate funds to provide an effective technology generation system, without which the sector will continue to stagnate.

Our University of Guyana has to receive dramatically increased fundingtobeabletoproduce graduates to make our country “world class” in efficiency and innovation. Editor, a saving of over US$1 5 billion on new powergenerationwouldgoa farwayinassistingtheseand otherprograms,whicharein direneedofassistance.

Yourssincerely,

FitzroyFletcher

DEAREDITOR,

Last night, one of the biggestfestivalsintheHindu c a l e n d a r w a s commemorated – Maha Shivratri–thegreatnightof Shiva. My family stayed up to offer the prescribed oblations to the “Shiva Lingam” (literally the “sign of Shiva”), that signifies his formless existence pervades thecountlessuniverses.And which,afterbillionsofyears, will eventually subside into hisbeinguntilallisprojected into another round of creation, sustenance and dissolution.

But what occupied my mindbetweenthefoursetsof oblations (“praharas”) was how little Hindus know about the significance of theirpractices.Butthisisnot mere happenstance: it is a consequence of Britain’s colonisation of India, from wherewewerebrought.Our “Sanataan Dharma” – or “EternalWayofLife”–was notonlycategorisedbythem asa“religion”,butan“ism”, signifying a mere ideology: “Hinduism”.

Its “Dharmic” practices, teaching that actions upholdingandmaintaininga harmonious society and balance with nature are prescribed, were appraised fromthest andpoint of Christianity This was the emblematic “Religion” that defined “normal” religious beliefs andpractices.

That Hindus had hundreds of sacred texts, countless male and female gods,witheightincarnations of the Divine’s sustaining aspectetc,made“Hinduism” self-evidentlynonsensical.

As conquerors of India, the British had the wherewithal to create a “regime of truth” – with its specific language, symbols, modes of reasoning and conclusionstodeterminenot only whether examined statementsweretrueorfalse but also whether they had any meaning at all! Performatively, these instrumentsortechniquesas a mechanism of control can be seen as “disciplines” giving effect to the analyses in the lives of people – both theruledandtherulers.

Wearenowinaposition to appreciate why, for instance, between 1838 and 1957, the authorities in British Guiana prohibited the Hindu practice of crematingtheirdead.

Their belief that the human body had no permanent nexus with an eternal soul and could thus be hygienically and inexpensively burnt was obviously“madness”sinceit was self-evident that there was going to be a day when all bodies would be resurrected to be reunited with their souls. Cremation, unlikeburial(nevermindthe ensuing decay) would evidently hinder the latter process.Thelawprohibiting cremation was enacted and enforced and burial was compelled: the indentureds imitated the “normal” funerary patterns of the Christianised Creoles down to the institution of the “wake” The Dutch and British, who had brought Africans as slaves since the 17th century, had taken the hegemonization process to its inhuman conclusion,

wherethelatterwerebrutally punished if they engaged in what was dismissed as “obeah”.

The Christian Church –which had justified slavery withtheirstoryofHam-was placed in charge of the “education” of the eventually freed Africans, and taught to valorise the practices of the rulers and deridetheirs.

Hindus entered this “educational”milieuandhad toconverttobeemployedby thestate.

While for the strategic reason of “divide and rule” their “religious practices” were derided but permitted, the plantation regime produced other changes in their“wayoflife”.

Theimmigrantwasgiven one day a week off, Sunday, tofacilitateChristianChurch attendance.

In India, the immigrant knew temples could be visited on any occasions to makeofferingstothedeities. Special observances might necessitateavisittothelocal mandir but more likely was conducted in front of a makeshift shrine in the home. In Guyana, the sixdayworkweekandthedawn to dusk workday– not to mention the lack of privacy inthelogees-impactedallof that Hindus eventually started to construct Mandirs –initiallyshrines,suchasthe Shivalas they had in village India - where individual worship could be performed but very soon these were convertedtolargerstructures forSunday“congregational” worship-alaChristianity

The Purohit, who would havegonetothehomeofthe devotee to conduct the periodic rituals (pujas), because each Hindu had his/heruniqueconceptionof the Divine, now became a “priest” or “Pandit” who led congregations in Sunday “services”.

The philosophy behind the Dharmic practices such as Shivratri were gradually degutted. For instance, one of the Shiv Ratri stories of a hunter who inadvertently offers oblations to a Shiva Linga and achieves salvation, teaches that it is not one’s belief that saves, butone’sactions.

In Guyana, we must all interrogate our imposed Eurocentric biases and valorise suitable alternative traditional practices that empowerus.

Sincerely, RaviDev

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ADVICE FOR POLITICIANS: ANGER IS SELF-DESTRUCTIVE

Epictetus said: anyone who makes you angry becomes your master.

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When politicians are angry over genuine truths, others master them.

Angry politicians are owned by those who speak to truth, only truths.

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A fool who doesn’t listen makes himself a slave of truth tellers.

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Leaders beware of anger, it blinds, it cripples, it destroys in the end.

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Economic development must not trump environmental safety -UGProfessortellsEnergyConference

By Davina Bagot

Guyana on Friday wrapped up its four-day International Energy Conference and Expo, held this year under the theme 'Harnessing Energy for Development'.

The country in 2015 discovered sweet crude in commercial quantities and swiftly moved to production by 2019, half the time that such activities usually take to commence.

As Guyana races to produce its oil and gas resources however, it has been cautioned on multiple occasions to beware of environmental impacts that can result from such operations.

Most recently, Dr PauletteBynoe,DeputyDean of Graduate Studies, University of Guyana (UG) offered her advice on the

i m p o r t a n c e o f Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) during a panel discussion on day two of the Energy Conference (Wednesday).

She zoomed into the theme of this year's event duringherremarksseekingto underscorethepointthat“we are harnessing something thattheenvironmentoffers”.

“Energy is nature's endowment to us for development and energy security is critical- it's a Sustainable Development Goal- but in the process of harnessing the energy, there are issues and so just to reiterate or justify the ESG that we are talking about, we have to put before the development, sustainable,” sheurged.

Dr Bynoe explained that she once completed a report in South Korea titled

'Environmental Impact Assessments (EIAs) and the Private Sector- an Uneasy Alliance. This study, done some 20 years ago, may not be applicable anymore as she impliedthattheprivatesector is now leaning on EIAs to implement measures to protect the biophysical environment.

At the same time, however, Dr Bynoe believes that the impacts on human life must also be considered “because people are critical intheenvironment”.

The UG Professor reasoned, “Once we understand how critical it is for us to pursue ESG and don't think of it as an impediment, it doesn't slow up economic progress because the pillar, the foundation of the economic process is the environment because it is from the

environment ladies and gentlemen that we get all the inputs from any economic activity.”

She was also keen to point out, “When we undermine the components of the environment in an indirect way long-term we are undermining the very processofdevelopment.”

Dr Bynoe explained that the environment provides all oftheinputsfordevelopment but while economic development is key to the overall development of a country, this objective must nottrumpsafety

“Economic development i s a n e c e s s i t y f o r development...but it is not sufficient and that is why we have to think about impactsbiological, chemical, physical and social and if we are going to address those in an effective and efficient

manner we have to talk about governance because it is governance that's the root cause,”sheoutlined.

The environmental safety of ExxonMobil's operations intheprolificStabroekBlock has always been a contention for activists and even politicians who worry that these activities, coupled with scant oversight, regulations and monitoring from the regulatory agencies can resultingravetragedyforthe country

For instance, a good number of Guyanese citizens- inclusive of activists, politicians and those trying to make a livelihood- believe that ExxonMobil has caused the fishingindustrytosimplydry up, as statistics show dwindlingnumbers.

But while the operator in its EIAs submitted to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) continuously warns that this sector could be impacted by reduced water quality among others, the government is adamant that the reduction in fish catch is to be blamed on climate change. In fact, it even said this claim was supported by an independent study conducted by the Food andAgricultureOrganization (FAO)lastyear

Environmentalist, Simone Mangal-Joly had challenged the Minister of Agriculture, Zulfikar

Mustaphatoreleasethestudy conducted and while a commitment to do so was given, the document was nevermadepublic.

On the other hand, the politicalOppositionisfearful that a new clause inserted to the Environmental Permits

granted to Exxon can allow unlimited flaring of natural gas. The EPA had installed a newclausethatallowsExxon to flare as much gas as it needs to, as long as a fine of US$50 per tonne was paid.

According to Shadow Natural Resources Minister, David Patterson this fee does nothing to prevent future generations from being exposedtountolddanger

Just last month it was reported that ExxonMobil paidUS$9millionlastyearto the EPAto flare excess gas at its offshore operations in the Stabroek Block It can therefore be determined that the oil giant made payments on approximately 180,000 tonnes of Carbon Dioxide equivalent (CO2e) flared last year Flaring, as the word suggests, is the process of burning associated gas that is brought up during oil production Notably, this process emits harmful gases into the atmosphere that can, not only affect seabirds and marine creatures, but also climatechange.

Former Head of the EPA, Dr Vincent Adams had warned that over 200 pollutants are released in the processofflaring.

He said, “When it goes up, it has to come down, so besides Global warming and climate change and all of that typeofstuff,ithasthingslike nitrogen dioxide and sulphur dioxide, and when those mix with the moisture from the atmosphere it forms an acid, and so that is called acid rain.”

He was keen to note that when the acidic water falls, it enters the ocean and affects fish, farming and the entire ecology

Dr. Paulette Bynoe, Deputy Dean of Graduate Studies, University of Guyana (Photo credit: Caricom Energy)

THE CARBON CREDITS DISPUTE

T h e i n d i g e n o u s communities of Guyana should refuse to accept the payments which are being offered to them by the government from the proceeds of the sale of carbon credits. But they are notlikelytodoso.

The carbon credits scheme is a vulgarity This columnhasexplainedthatis an unethical practice, allowing polluters to buy their way out of meeting their greenhouse gas emissionreductiontargets.

This column has described the carbon credit scheme as environmental prostitution.Howitworksis that companies in the developed world are required to reduce their emissions by a certainlevel. Butinsteadofdoingthisthey canoptforwhatisknownas offsets, that is, they can i n v e s t i n s o m e environmental scheme in developing countries and earncreditsfordoingsoand then use these credits to offset they emission reductiontargets.

This is exactly what the oil companies are doing. They are paying Guyana for carboncreditssothattheydo not have to reduce their emissions. Guyana’s forests captureandstorecarbonand bydoingsothecountryearns credits. Guyana then sells these credits to companies which can trade them or use them to meet their reduced emissionstargets.

The rich countries and their companies can buy their way towards meeting their emission reduction targets rather than actually reducing emissions They can continue to pollute and pay countries such as Guyana to maintain their

forests.

The carbon credits scheme is akin to a man paying another man to lose weight for him. Instead of the first man losing the weight, he pays the second man to lose weight. This is environmental prostitution at its best and is a market mechanism which has been developed to allow emitters toavoidreducingemissions.

T h e i n d i g e n o u s communities should not be part and parcel of this money-making scheme by thePPPCgovernmentwhich is being disguised as an environmental policy The Low Carbon Development Strategy (LCDS) has long been criticized as being a financing scheme rather and anenvironmentalstrategy

One indigenous group is objecting to the payments which they government will make to the more than 200 indigenous communities in Guyana.

But the group is not doing so on ethical considerations.Itisdoingso on the basis that it was not consulted on the process, that the Toshao’s have no mandate to make any decisions on behalf of their indigenouscommunitiesand that the principle of free prior and informed consent has been violated in government’s plans to disbursepayments.

The issue of free prior and informed consent does not arise. This principle appliestopoliciesthataffect thewell-beingofindigenous communities.Freepriorand informed consent is concerned with actions which affect the rights, land and territories of indigenous communities They payments do not affect any

Dem Boys Seh...

of these areas. Free, prior and informed consent is not applicable in this instance. The communities are free to rejectthepayments,butthey will not. And why should they?

The second criticism is that the Tosaho’s to whom the payments will be made arenotempoweredunderthe Amerindian Act to make such decisions – that is to receivethesumsconcerned.

The Village Councils cannot tell the government not to allocate sums to the village The Village Councils can refuse such sums and can instruct the Tosahostodoso.Buttheacts of the government in disbursing or allocating sums to villages are not determined by the Village Councils They have the prerogative to refuse the sumsandtodeterminewhoit is to be spent for the benefit ofthecommunity

Nor do indigenous communities have any right to determine how much the government should earn from the sale of carbon credits The forests of Guyana are part of the national patrimony of the country The forests are owned by all the people and not by the indigenous peoples alone.Theproceeds of the carbon credits therefore belong to all of Guyana and not simply the indigenouspeoples.

They may haggle over the15%whichisallocatedto them After all, they constituteslightlymorethan 10% of the population and aresupposedtobeallocated, in accordance with international conventions, some 17% of Guyana’s territory Since they reside primarily in the forested

Mad people gat more sense dan sane people

De Vee Pee turn psychiatrist. De man know who is a mad man and who is sane. Dem should send he fuh advise de Mental Hospital at Canje seeing he know so much aboutwhoheadnahgoodandwhomentally imbalanced. Sometimes when yuh throw shadeatpeople,itdoesturnaroundpunyou. Demboysrememberdestoryofdemanwho was angry with God because he wife died. He tek on she death so much dat he lose he marbles. One day he burst into de Church andseh,“IwanttoseeGodsothatIcanstab himfortakingmywife.”

De pastor turned to him and said, “My brother,Godisinyourheart!”Onedaythree patients of de Mental Institution decided to

stageabreak-out.Oneofdemenexplainde plan.Hetelldeothershowisasimpleplan: dem gan break down de first door of de asylum,thenbreakdowndeseconddoorand thenbreakdowndethirddoorandescape.

Sodemputdeplanintoaction.Dembruk down de fuss door Den dem bruk down de second door But when de reach de third door,demseeitalreadyopen.

De mastermind of de plan turn to dem andsaid,“Deplanisbroken;wegattoturn back.”

Dem should have asked deVee Pee. He mightoftelldemhowto proceedseeinghe knowsomuchaboutmadpeople.

Talkhalf.Leffhalf!

hinterland, they can make out a strong case of inequitable benefits sharing from the carbon credits scheme. Instead of 15%, theycouldpressforasmuch as 25% of the earnings.And this perhaps is a better tacticalapproach.

Indigenous communities have every right to determine how the sums allocated should be spent. But experience has shown that it would be better if the government in consultation with the various Village Councils determine the spendingpriorities.

Bharrat Jagdeo once

l a u n c h e d a y o u t h empowerment scheme known as the President’s Youth Choice Initiative More than 700 million dollars were allocated to projects determined by the young people. The initiative flopped.

Thesamefatemaybefall the15%whichisgoingtobe allocated to indigenous communities.

While the indigenous peoples have every right to determine on what the sums should be spent on, there is noguaranteethatthemonies willbeleadtoempowerment or improvement in the well-

being of the recipient communities. As was the case with the President’s Youth Choice Initiative, the monies may well end up beingusedtopursueprojects whichwillflop.

(The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions and beliefs of this n e w s p a p e r a n d i t s affiliates.)

Oil Company in Guyana's backyard moves to arbitration to avoid

paying Ghana US$387 million in taxes

The Government of Ghana has found itself in a dispute with British oil producer, Tullow Oil over US$387M of taxes the company is trying to avoid paying How this matter plays out between Tullow and the West African Republic is of critical import forpolicymakersinGuyana.

Tullow Oil has interests in oil blocks offshore Guyana. It is the operator of the Orinduik Block with a 60% interest. It also has a 37.5%interestintheKanuku block, which is operated by Repsol. Ghana's experience

could teach a salient lesson about the extent to which wealthy oil elites will go to deprive the developing jurisdictions in which they operate, of the hundreds of millions in revenues that couldliftcommunitiesoutof poverty

Tullow said recently that its Ghana subsidiary, Tullow Ghana Limited (TGL) has filed requests for arbitration with the International Chamber of Commerce in London with respect to two disputed tax assessments it received from the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA).

Arbitration is a mechanism for resolution of disputes, administered by a private organisation. It is a more efficient mechanism that occurs outside of the judiciary

Tullow said the tax assessments relate to the disallowance of loan interest deductions for the fiscal years 2010 – 2020 and proceeds receivedbyTullow under its corporate Business Interruption Insurance policy Itsaidtherequestsfor arbitration have been filed in accordance with the dispute resolution process set out in

the Petroleum Agreements which govern TGL's activitiesinGhana.

The first assessment:

Tullow said TGL has received a revised corporate income tax assessment for US$190.5M from the GRA relating to the disallowance of loan interest for the fiscal years 2010 - 2020 The British producer said it previously disclosed assessments by the GRA relating to the same issue; but this latest revised assessment received in December 2022 supersedes allpreviousclaims.

The second assessment: TGL also received a new corporate income tax assessment and demand notice for US$196.5M from theGRArelatingtoproceeds received by Tullow during the fiscal years 2016 – 2019 under Tullow's corporate Business Interruption Insurancepolicy.

“Tullow considers that the two disputed tax assessments, which total $387 million plus penalties, breachTGL'srightsunderits Petroleum Agreements,” the company said in a February 14statement.

It said it believes that international arbitration will bring certainty in the best interest of all stakeholders. Notwithstanding this formal step,Tullowsaiditintendsto continue to engage with the Government of Ghana, including the GRA, with the aim of resolving these disputes on a mutually acceptablebasis.

the Amatuk well this year

Thetermsofthedealsetcost recovery at 75% and the profit split gives Guyana between 40% and 60% depending on production levels. The royalty is set at 1%.

The Government of Guyana has said it will renegotiate all deals except those associated with the

Prison

At least three

i m p r o v i s e d weapons and a quantity of cannabis (ganja) were found on Friday during a search of the Timehri Prison located on the East BankofDemerara(EBD).

Tullow positioned itself in Guyana more than a decade ago. In the Orinduik Block that it operates, two heavy discoveries were made at the Jethro and Joe wells, but the company has notdecidedtoproducedueto thequalityoftheoil.Reports indicatethatTullowwilldrill

Stabroek Block. However, Tullow's petroleum agreementincludessimilarly restrictive stability provisions as in the Stabroek block contract Tullow's contract also includes provisions for resort to arbitration as a dispute resolutionmechanism.

Searcheswereconducted between 06:30hrs and 09:00hrs in the prison's dining hall, security block, Sampson Dorm and London Dorm. Some 124 inmates werealsosearched.

Apart from the ganja and

the improvised weapons, prison guards also found a number of prohibited items such as razor blades, five lighters, two spoons and five cellularphones. All of the items were confiscated.

By GHK Lall

GY$32 billion (US$160M) for a n o f f i c e complex for American oil superpower, ExxonMobil, must be making the thrifty founder of this fossil fuel leviathan turn in his grave. Not to worry, John D, we are payingforit.

Withabuildinglikethat, Exxon projects visions of a gloriously domineering oil imperiuminGuyana.

I say why not, since this GuyanaColony,thisGuyana Protectorate (Satellite) must beheldclosetothebosom,if only to ensure that all is in order and all are kept in order I wonder if Guyana's head-of-state is expected to go skipping over to meet with Exxon's Country Head inhisexpensivedigs.

Please don't let that be, Excellency

For the record, I have problems with this building being cost recoverable However, I understand that there are costs to doing business, and this building qualifies. But I disagree with one for US$160M; I could cope with half that figure.

Meanwhile, I hear that Exxon future ramped up

Exxon's new building

production levels, to over a million barrels daily, necessitates the company having this kind of building and accompanying systems. This begs the question about how much it is putting into (or cares about) overall monitoring currently, with hundreds of thousands of daily output offshore Safety, accuracy, integrity of processesconcerns.

To reiterate, I appreciate that Exxon has to setup a proper shop somewhere in keeping with its pride of place in Guyana, but GY$32B is too rich for me; and I am accustomed to suffocating excesses from American corporate anacondas.

This is how the life of weak, wasted Third World countries are sucked out of them, and spat out with unconcernedindifference. It is nothing but the best for Exxon, and all the better because Guyanese are paying every nickel and dimeforit.

Man,ifonlywecouldget leaders with some bone in theirbody,sometestosterone intheirsystems… Inpiteous contrast, we today have a bold local leader who had nothing good to say about the 2016 contract provisions

now falling over himself, andtrippinghistongueinhis haste to support, justify, approve whatever Exxon does,regardlessofthecostto Guyana.

M o r e a n d m o r e Guyanese are watching all this with seething distaste. I discern stirrings in sunny, oily Guyana. Just how oily, other Guyanese have not evenstartedtofathom.

Perhaps they will, when they get around to putting behind them for good the shackles of PPP and PNC, plus discarding those cultures that color our visions, poison our fevered existence.

Weighing this building, I think we have replaced paramountcy of the party with paramountcy of the colony

TheExxonColonythatis being established here right before our eyes. I think that by the time that that oil (and governing) fortress is finished, the US Embassy could abandon its regular haunts in Kingston, and take upresidencethere.

This is because Exxon's corporate stronghold is going to have more electronics than Air Force OneandtheWhiteHouseput together, so secure a site it is

Construction worker murdered at Good Hope, suspect in custody

Police on the East Coast of Demerara (ECD) are currently investigating the circumstances surrounding the death of Surajpaul

Etwaroo, a construction worker who was chopped and stabbed to death on FridayatGoodHope.

According to police reports,theincidentoccurred sometimearound17:30hrsat SidelineRoad,GoodHope.

An eyewitness reported to the police that she was on Sideline Road opposite her home when she saw the suspect, a resident of Stanleytown, West Bank Demerara (WBD) come across a bridge north from where she was sitting on a pedalcycle.

The woman told police that she then saw a man approach the suspect, and in doing so, the suspect went to his pants waist, causing the mantorunaway

The suspect then rode his cycle past her, heading south ontheroad.

According to the woman about four minutes later, she saw the man and Etwaroo on separate pedal cycles, armed

with a baton and cutlass, heading in the suspect's direction.

Shortly after she saw them return, heading north. She reported that the suspect came out from a cross street and headed to Etwaroo's direction where the

confrontedeachother

It is unclear what caused the altercation between them, but the woman reported that Etwaroo and the suspect got off their cycles while the other man ranintoherwoman'syard.

The eyewitness said she saw Etwaroo chopping at the

goingtobe.

I am considering ceasing the use of WhatsApp, encryptionguaranteeandall. May even halt writing; at leastforLent.

Nowitisconfirmedmost unambiguously that Guyana paysforthebuilding.

TheHon.VicePresident did. I am unclear regarding wheretheOppositionstands. Frankly, politicians have no choice, but join the bandwagon of Guyanese cheerleaders.

It seems that all are sewed up, for that great American oilman, Mr Alistair Routledge, is on record as saying that both local political lodestars (PPP and PNC) know of Exxon's building plans. Neither City Council nor Village Council dareobject.

What Exxon wants; Exxon gets -GY$32B for a stupendous American corporate shack. My hangup: why such a costly structure?

Idetectthatthis GY$32B building will be a Tower of Babel.

The Italians have their leaning Pisa, the French theirEiffel,andthe English their own inLondon.

Exxon Towers

are where the

Americans are going to behead,burnatthestake,and draw and quarter rowdy Guyanesewhoobjecttotheir plays,getintheirway Look around, Exxon has already started, with the noise from the craven Guyanese proof. There is the sycophantic set drooling, poor Guyanese robbed of patrimony crying, and a few conscientious objectors making nuisances ofthemselves.

The PPP Government will know who to bring to heel.

By now, it should be clear that that GY$32B building rubs raw I can't

Lall

breathe;andallIamtryingto do is to go home, have a proud, respected homeland. Look at this: the budgeted sum of direct cash relief (pensions, caring, tax) is less than half of Exxon's proposed structural symbol of American imperial hegemonyoverGuyana. Perhaps, those same highpoliticaltitlesidentified (and the people holding them)maywishtosharewith citizens how helpless they are, and how Guyana is being transformed into a full-fledgedExxonColony I am beginning to feel likeaMexican,aFilipino.

suspect with the cutlass while the suspect pulled a knife from his waist and retaliated. The suspect also picked up the baton that the other man had dropped and dealt Etwaroo a lash causing himtodrophiscutlass.

It was reported that the suspect then picked up the cutlass off the ground and dealt Etwaroo several chops to his abdomen. The suspect also used his knife and stabbed Etwaroo several times about his body as he lay motionless on the ground with his intestine protruding fromhisabdomen.

After the attack, the suspect got on his cycle and escaped.

Upon seeing the ordeal, thewomansaidsheraisedan alarm and Etwaroo's brother came and rushed him to the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC), where he succumbed to his injuries while receiving medical attention.

According to the police, the suspect was later apprehended and is in custody assisting with the investigation.

Gang violence couldbereduced by improving the public education system to attain 'real' universal primary and secondary education through the augmentation of attendance, expanding'real'employment and training opportunities for youth, encouraging 'real' social cohesion to promote cooperation and reduce i n e q u a l i t y a m o n g communities, former President David Granger believes.

Granger speaking during his weekly Public Interest programme said that gang violence could also be reduced by reforming the public security system by promoting 'real' community policing; and empowering neighbourhood democratic councils to ensure 'real' inclusionary democracy (Article 13) through the timely conduct of Local Government Elections (LGE).The former Head-ofState warned that gang violence should not be 'normalised' as an inevitable socialcalamity

“It can be curbed by the administration's enlightened enforcement of the National Drug Strategy Master Plan, re-establishment of the National Anti-Narcotics Agency and implementation of the Security Sector Reform Action Plan,” a statement by the former

Presidentsaid.

Granger, a retired

Brigadier, said that Guyanese became familiar with the expressions 'druggang' warfare and 'phantom gangs' from the mouths of People's Progressive Party Civic (PPPC) administration officials to explain the massacres and murders during the 'Troubles' in the early2000s.

The former president recalledthataseniorGuyana Police Force (GPF) official admittedthatthemurderrate was actually reduced only after a notorious narcoticstrafficker and gang m a s t e r m i n d w a s incarcerated in a foreign country

Further, Granger said that narco-trafficking is the root cause of gang violence which plagues the country today

Henotedthatlargegangs are recruited to traffic in illegal narcotics and acquire weapons to expand their business and extend their territory by the use of violenceifnecessary

“Medium-size gangs commit armed robberies, banditry, carjackings and small-scale 'runnings'. Small gangsofafewyouths,armed often with a rented revolver, commit street crimes on small businesses such as petrol stations 'School' gangs are copycats of behaviour exemplified by the 'Gaza vs Gully' rivalry 'dancehall' sub-culture,” Granger said on his programme.

The former President said that current criminal violence is connected to gangs which created a subculture based on guns, drugs –two imported elements of transnationalcrime.

The landings of illegal aircraft at Bisaruni,Issano, Kuruduni, Kwakwani and the 'King Coca' incident at Mahdia in the hinterland over the last thirty months were examples of the narcogangs' geographical,

GHK

Dead: Surajpaul Etwaro

Gang violence can be reduced through improved systems

– former President Granger

Former President, David Granger

Teen dies, sister injured in ECD accident

Seventeen-year-old Bibi Sophia Mohammed is dead while her sister, 16-year-old Maria Mohammed is currently hospitalised after their electric bike collided with a truck on the Coldingen Public Road, East Coast Demerara(ECD).

Reports are that on Friday at around 17:30hrs motor lorry bearing registration numberGRR3130anddrivenbyRickford Beckles of Annandale was traveling north along the western side of the road, when theaccidentoccurred.

The driver reported to police that as he approached the main road, he stopped and

observed the traffic before going onto the access road. Beckles recounted that as he drove off, he felt his lorry 'bump up' and whenhecameouthesawtwogirlslyingon theroadnexttoanelectriccycle.

Uponseeingthis,personsfromthearea rushedtothescene,andpickedupthegirls and rushed them to the Georgetown Public Hospital, where they were seen and examinedbyadoctor

On arrival, Bibi of Lot 366 Non-Pariel Railway Embankment was pronounced dead, while her younger sister is undergoingmedicalattention.

Police said Beckles is in custody

assistingwiththeinvestigation.

On February 11, 2023 Kaieteur News reported that following several engagements, the Guyana Police Force's (GPF) Traffic Department confirmed that electric cycles commonly called electric bikes, must now be registered with the Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA) However,theGuyanaPoliceForceandthe Guyana Revenue Authority are still in discussionsontheissue.

For the year 2022, some seven (7) persons would have lost their lives using the electronic cycles. No electric bike relatedfatalitieswererecordedin2021.

Dead: Bibi Sophia Mohammed

VP Jagdeo signals interest to engage Brazil's controversial state-run company for Guyana oil blocks

Vice President (VP), Dr Bharrat Jagdeo has disclosed that the People's Progressive Party Civic (PPPC) Government is keen on engaging the Brazilian administration as well as its state-run company Petroleo Brasileiro S.A. on exploring Guyana'soilblocks.

This was first reported by Reuters following its exclusive interview with the VP In that report seen by Kaieteur News, the Vice President is quoted as saying that the administration “wants Petrobras to be involved here.” Jagdeo said he is waiting on his old political ally, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, to settle in; having only started his third

terminJanuary

Brazil is part of the list of countries government has been in discussions with for possible government-togovernment partnerships on oil blocks. India, Qatar and the UnitedArab Emirates are part of the star-studded list of oilproducingstates.

Petrobras would be seen as a critical partner for Guyana given its 70 years of experienceintheoilindustry Today, Petrobras stands as Brazil's largest oil and gas company and one of the largest in the world. It is present in 18 countries, has 134 production platforms, 15 refineries with a processing capacity of 2 3 million barrels per day, and some

8,600 service stations throughout Brazil and abroad.

But Petrobras' history is notanexactlysqueaky-clean. The biggest stain on its reputation is Operation Car W a s h a c r i m i n a l investigation that was led by the Federal Police of Brazil's Curitiba branch. It began in March 2014 and was initially headed by investigative judge Sérgio Moro, and in 2019 by Judge Luiz Antônio Bonat. It was considered the l a r g e s t c o r r u p t i o n investigation in the country's history

T h e a i m o f t h e investigationwastoascertain the extent of a money l a u n d e r i n g s c h e m e ,

estimated in 2015 at R $ 6 4 – 4 2 8 b i l l i o n (US$2–13 billion), largely through the embezzlement of Petrobras funds. It became known as "Operation Car Wash" because it was first uncovered at a car wash in Brasília.

It included more than a thousand warrants for search and seizure, temporary and preventive detention, and plea bargaining, against business figures and politicians in numerous parties. At least 11 other countries were involved, mostly in LatinAmerica, and the Brazilian company Odebrecht was deeply implicated.

Investigators had also indicted and jailed some well-known politicians, including former presidents Fernando Collor de Mello, Michel Temer and Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva. Lula, who has maintained his innocence, was ultimately released in November 2019, and went on to win the 2022 Braziliangeneralelection.

M a n y o f t h e investigations into Petrobras' corruption schemes and scandals lasted for years and resultedinmultibilliondollar fines being paid by the companyupto2021.

WhileGuyanaiscourting some of the world's leading oil producing countries, it is simultaneously advancing efforts to attract the wealthiest and most experienced oil companies to participate in its first licencing round of 14 blocks. Natural Resources Minister, Vickram Bharrat was also interviewed by Reuters on this. He disclosed that eight companies, including wellknown oil producers, have paidtoaccessgeologicaldata fortheconcessionsonoffer

Last year December, President Dr Irfaan Ali launchedthelicensinground, noting that it will feature 11 shallow water blocks and three deepwater concessions. There is a minimum signing bonus of US$20M for deepwater blocks and a minimum of US$10M for shallowwater

Successful companies wouldberequiredtopaya10 percent income tax, 0 to 0.75 percent on property tax, 50 percent profit sharing, be subject to a 65 percent cost recovery ceiling, pay an annual rental fee totalling US$1M also an annual training fee amounting to US$1M.

government, shallow water

environmental, technical and financialrequirements.

K a i e t e u r N e w s understands that the stated intent of the tender is to encourage open competition for all 14 blocks; however, Government has said it retains the discretion to limit any award to a maximum of three blocks Companies tendering for more than one block must therefore submit their bids in the order of preference.

blocks have a five-year exploration phase and a 20yearproductionphase,witha possibility of renewal based on negotiated terms with the government Deepwater blocks have a 10-year exploration phase and a 20yearproductionphase,which may be extended for an additional10years.

All blocks will have a relinquishment obligation of 50percentoftheoriginalarea attheendoftheinitialperiod, andafurther50percentatthe end of the first renewal period, excluding areas designatedfordevelopment.

Though the foregoing termsaresignificantlyhigher when compared to what obtains in the lopsided 2016 Stabroek Block Production Sharing Agreement (PSA), Exxon was still lured to participate.

The draft model PSA is expected to be released this month.

The final contract terms are expected to be published on March 8, 2023, with the government taking and evaluatingbidsfromApril14 toMay5,2023.

The tender is open to any company or consortium, irrespective of nationality, that can comply with the stated health, safety,

Thereisalsoamandatory participation fee of US $20,000.00 per block per participating entity, even when participating through a consortium. The deadline to pay the fee is April 7, 2023. Access to the data room for the blocks is conditional on payment of the participation fee.

On May 31, 2023 government said it will announce the award of the licensesfornewblocks.

The Natural Resources Ministry has said that the country's offshore basin has captivatedtheattentionofthe g l o b a l o i l m a r k e t participants. Labelled as “the gateway to the world's fastest-growing super basin over the last four years,” Guyana's offshore is estimated to have potential resources in excess of 25 billion barrels of oil equivalent (boe) and an estimatedreserveinexcessof 11billionboe.

“The licensing round represents an opportunity for international and local companies to access Guyana's offshore acreages forfuturedevelopmentinthis emergingenergymarket.The licensing round importantly allows the government of Guyana to create and administer an improved fiscal and regulatory framework that is driven on good international oil field practices and standards,” the ministrysaid.

Brazil's President, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva

Vice President, Dr. Bharrat Jagdeo

Govt. in discussions with Exxon to reclaim Block for remarketing next year -ReutersReport 20% of unexplored portions of Stabroek

Guyana's Vice P r e s i d e n t Bharrat Jagdeo has revealed to Reuters that the People's Progressive Party Civic (PPPC) Government plans to take back 20 percent of the Stabroek oil block this year and remarket it by 2024.

that it would be illegal for Exxon to sit on portions of the block which have not beenutilized.

Chartered Accountant and Attorney-at-Law, Christopher Ram had previously pointed out that Exxon should actually be relinquishing 75 percent of

years each Expounding further,thelawyersaid,“The standard provision in the Petroleum Act is that on an application for first renewal at the end of the four years, the company is required to give up 50 percent of the block granted and on an application for the second

ExxonMobil would have been expected to follow the foregoing process. Instead, throughtherecklessabuseof theloopholeinthelawwhich obliges that the subject Minister can vary the r e l i n q u i s h m e n t a r r a n g e m e n t s , n o relinquishment is required after four years and only 20 percentaftertheendofseven years, compared with 75 percentinnormalsituations.

He was keen to note that the first person to utilise this loophole was Janet Jagan in the 1999 Pre-discovery Agreement. He said it was made worse under the 2012

model Agreement produced during the time of former President, Donald Ramotar

and former Natural Resources Minister, Robert Persaud The Chartered Accountant reserved his disgust with former Natural Resources Minister, Raphael

Trotman, and former PresidentDavidGranger,the key players in the 2016 postdiscoveryAgreement and its relinquishmentprovisions.

Ram expressed the fear that with little oversight and undisclosed arrangements between ExxonMobil and the Government, the blocks tobegivenupin2023canbe

subject to any form of machination via production licences.

ExxonMobil and its partners he said are pushing for more and more explorations licences so that by the time the first relinquishment is due in 2023, the 20% would be of a considerably reduced portion of the Stabroek Block.

To date,ExxonMobilhas made 43 discoveries in the Stabroek Block. It is also rushing to find more oil discoveries before its relinquishment period is formallyactivated.

Importantly,therelinquished portion would be that which ExxonMobil has not explored or made a discovery

He reportedly told Reutersinarecentreportthat the ExxonMobil-led consortium “missed investment deadlines for portions of the block not under exploration or development.” He said too

the block instead of 20 percent He said the company is able to hold onto a large part of the acreage due to a loophole in the law that was exploited by both the Coalition and the PPPC Governments.

Ram had explained that the initial period of a prospecting licence is four years.Suchlicenceissubject to two renewals of three

renewal, which is at the end of seven years, it is required to give up 25 percent of the remainingconcession.”

He added, “At the end of the 10 years, which brings you to the end of the third renewalperiod,thecompany has to give up all portions of the block not subject to a productionlicence…”

He noted that under normal circumstances,

GDF boat collided with San Martin boat captain causing injuries - Police

The Guyana Police force (GPF) on Saturdaystatedthatitwasnotitsboatthatleft a 35-year-old Vergil Brown, a San Martin Boat Captain, critical but one attached to the GuyanaDefenceForce(GDF).

According to police, the boat crash took place around 09:30hrs in the Cuyuni River nearEteringbangLanding.

The boat was reportedly being captained byaGDFCorporalandwasbeingpoweredby a200HPoutboardengine.

Police reported that the Corporal and some ranks had gone to the Eteringbang Landing to purchase ration and had crashed intoVergil'sboatwhilereturningtotheirbase. Brown was at the time transporting two Brazilian men in his balahoo powered by a 40HP outboard engine across the Cuyuni RiverwhentheGDFboatcrashedintohim.

Family members told Kaieteur News that his boat was completely destroyed. The Brazilianmenescapedwithafewbruisesbut (Continued on page 64)

Map showing the Stabroek Block

A critical Vergil Brown being transported to a Venezuelan Hospital

SUNDAY-Feb12,2023

KEPTINTHEDARK

Public,press, transparencyadvocates havenoaccesstoExxon’s exploration,development costsforsevenyears – Regulators continue to hide oil company’s annual work programme, budget – Two cost recovery audits still pending

Oilcompaniescartedoff almost 90% of the oil produced offshore Guyana last year, due to a 2016 deal described as ‘sh**ty’ by Guyana’sVicePresident,Dr Bharrat Jagdeo. The deal allows ExxonMobil and its partners to recover costs up to a ceiling of 75%, in the form of lifts categorized as costoil.

Many times, when this deal is criticized, Guyanese are told that their take will increase soon, when cost recovery is completed. But the Guyanese people do not know when that day will come.

While the People’s Progressive Party (PPP) Government is regularly furnished with reports on costs by oil companies, the administration has not shed lightonitsprojections.

Thepublic,thepressand transparencyadvocateshave no access to reports that outline neither the costs ExxonMobilissubmittingto the government nor the rate at which they are being recovered, despite countless calls for these details to be madepublic.

So far, the public has beentoldthattheLizaPhase One project had an initial estimated cost of US$4.4B but which later reduced to US$3.6B. After Liza Phase One,thereistheUS$6BLiza Phase Two project, the US$9B Payara project, and the US$10B Yellowtail project.

However, no indication has been given of how the actualcostsoftheseprojects measured up against Exxon’s initial estimates

When the Uaru project is approved, this will add US$12.7B.

Inafewmonths,another tremendous cost estimate will be added to the pile when Exxon reveals a number for the Whiptail project This will all be added to the billions of US dollars being spent to drill exploration wells offshore Guyana The government does not tell the public how many wells have been drilled,nordoesitrevealthe

costs.

To share the crude oil amongst all parties, a lift of oilisnotliterallydividedup based on the calculated takes,becausethiswouldbe impractical Instead, each party (Exxon, Hess, CNOOC and government) receives a number of lifts over an extended period whichshouldenduproughly equivalenttothetakeeachis owed.

For example, in 2023, government expects that out of136lifts(eachcomprising approximately one million barrels), Guyana is owed 17 lifts These 17 million barrels represent Guyana’s profit oil lifts While the Maritime Administration Department (MARAD) puts outanoticewheneachliftis to be transported from the floating production vessels, there is no indication whether the lift has been earmarked for one of the c o m p a n i e s o r t h e government.

There is also no forthcoming formula from the government, which would allow the public to independently determine to whomeachliftisgoing.

As stipulated by the Stabroek Block Production Sharing Agreement (PSA), ExxonMobil’s local subsidiary,EssoExploration and Production Guyana Limited (EEPGL), is requiredtosubmititsannual workprogrammeandbudget to the government Regulatorshavenevermade thesereportspublic.

The government has an implicit obligation to conduct regular audits of these costs as submitted. Guyanatookyearstofinally order its first cost audit for Exxon’spre-contractcostsin 2020.

But various hiccups and delays have resulted in a

great deal of public confusion over the final resultsoftheexaminationof theUS$1.6Bincosts.

The government also issuedacontractin2022for the audit of US$7 3B in additional costs The final report on this audit is expected in March But while promises have been made that the results will be made public, similar promisesofthisnaturebythe government have not been fulfilled.

Exxonofficialtriesto disguise“sh*tty”2016 StabroekBlockdealas sweetforGuyanese –KNPublisherslamsdeal asdevious,economic horrorstory

Vice President, Dr BharratJagdeohasinrecent times, described the 2016 Stabroek Block Production SharingAgreement(PSA)as being a “sh*tty” deal. But officials at ExxonMobil Corporation,oneofthethree companies the agreement

ofthemedia,Routledgesaid the widely publicized view that ExxonMobil, Hess Corporation and CNOOC Petroleum Limited, are walkingawaywiththelion’s share of benefits from the 2016 PSAis untrue. He also s a i d t h a t t a l k s o f renegotiatingthedealtoseek a supposed “rebalancing of terms” would be destructive toinvestorconfidence.

R o u t l e d g e s a i d , “Guyanese are benefitting morethantheinvestorsandit is very clear under the Stabroek Block Production Sharing Agreement that 50 percent of the profit goes to thecountryand50percentto the investors But then in additiontothat,thereisatwo percentroyaltywhichcomes outoftheinvestors’shareof theprofitsfromtheblock.In essence, 52 percent goes to thecountry.”

He added, “Now beyond that, what is incredibly importantforanycountryor any business is the stability andwehavemadenowover U S $ 3 0 B w o r t h o f

country.”

In a brief comment, Kaieteur News Publisher, Glenn Lall said Exxon Guyana’s Head is correct to anextentbutisclearlytrying to deceive Guyanese about the devious nature of the StabroekBlockdeal.

The KN Publisher said Exxon and partners are not telling the citizenry that for every barrel produced, they are snatching 75 percent of the oil first to sell and cover theirinvestments.

The remainder, 25 percent, is called profit oil. Hesaidthisiswhatisshared 50/50.

Lall said, “What he is tryingtodoisnothingbuttie numbers together to paint thisbeautifulstorywhenitis more than a horror movie. Whatheisnotsayingisthat Guyana is receiving 50 percentinprofitoil.

Butwhatheisnotsaying is that you are getting 50 percent of a quarter of a barrel of oil and they are getting the same quarter barrel too. This is what they keep on pushing down the Guyanesethroatsashalfand halfprofitshare.”

The businessman further noted, “To add insult to the horror, they want us to believe that the dutty two percent royalty they are givingGuyanaiscomingout oftheirprofitshare.Inother words,theyaretryingtotell usthatGuyanagettingmore thanthem.

How on earth Guyana cangetmorethanthemwhen they already huff out 75 percentofthebarrelinwhich wedon’tknoworneverhada say on the costs they are takingout.”

Thenewspaperpublisher said this horror story will continuetoplagueGuyanese for the rest of their lives in the absence of ring-fencing provisions Lall said such provisions would have ensured that Exxon cannot taketherevenuesmadefrom theLizaPhaseOneProjectto cover expenses for its other developments.

He said, “Just imagine, we already paid off all the investmentcostsontheLiza One.

MONDAY-Feb13,2023

Conditionsareripefor higherroyalty,ringfencingprovisionin Exxoncontract-Norton …saysGov’t.actinginoil company’sinterestby refusingtochangedeal

With four oil projects already approved, and two presently pending the a p p r o v a l o f t h e Environmental Protection Agency(EPA),theLeaderof the Opposition, Aubrey Norton believes that “conditions are ripe” for Guyana to seek changes to t h e l o p s i d e d 2 0 1 6 Production Sharing Agreement (PSA) the c o u n t r y h a s w i t h ExxonMobil.

H e t o l d a n e w s

was inked with, believes otherwise.

Specifically, Head of ExxonMobil Guyana, Alistair Routledge feels the deal offers Guyanese more benefits than it does for the investors.

t engagement with members

investment commitment to the country based on the contract as it stands. To change the contract when you have already made that level of commitment would be very destructive to investor confidence in the Stabroek Block and I would expect more widely in the

Weshouldbegettingour flush half barrel of oil and profits now Because of the lack of ring-fencing provisions on that project, Guyana will continue to get half of a quarter of a barrel for the rest of the life on all projects…”

Lall said it is sickening that Exxon’s head would try to paint any other picture to right-thinkingGuyanese.

conferenceonThursdaythat any measure that can be taken to plug the abusive loopholesinthecontractwill be supported by the Opposition.

Norton told members of the media that not only shouldGuyanabelookingto cash in on a higher royalty rate from the oil company operating the prolific Stabroek Block, but steps should also be taken to include a ring-fencing provision.

Ring-fencing provision, for those who may not be familiarwiththeterm,serves as a shield and prevents burdensome expenses from being lumped onto one project, thereby shortening profitsreceived.

While responding to a question from this newspaper on whether he believes the leaders should be chasing a higher royalty rate, the Opposition Leader said, “I think that, like I’ve said before, our major objectivehastobetoensure that the people of Guyana benefit as much as possible andanymeasurethatneeds

(Continuedonpage17)

Stabroek Block

KN Publisher, Dr. Glenn Lall

ExxonMobil Guyana Head,Alistair Routledge

Opposition Leader, Aubrey Norton

Frompage16 to be taken to do that I will support.”

He went on to point out, “We have heard the issue aboutring-fencingwhichwe know is needed and therefore that will help in terms of us being able to restrict costs ending up wheretheyshouldn’tbeand we believe all of these measures are needed to ensure that we benefit and I think the conditions are ripe in the World for us to do that.”

Nortonwaskeentopoint out that developed nations suchastheUnitedKingdom as well as the United States of America (USA) have impressed changes to their oil contracts to ensure more benefittoitscitizensevenas petroleum companies continue to enjoy increased profits.

He believes that Guyana has earned its title as oil producing nation which means that there are certain key steps the country must taketoallowforitspeopleto truly enjoy the fruits of the sector

According to him Guyana must implement a Foreign Policy that is structuredtoallowthenation to mobilize support in effecting the much-needed changes to contracts such as theExxondeal.

On this note, he argued thatthePeople’sProgressive Party (PPP) government is clearly working in the interests of ExxonMobil, by refusing to change the lopsidedoilcontract.

“I think the Government of Guyana is working in the interests of its elites, friends and favourites and in that circumstance, the tendency will be for them not to want to hold ExxonMobil accountable and therefore end up working in the interest of ExxonMobil ratherthantheinterestofthe peopleofGuyana,”hesaid.

Head of ExxonMobil Guyana, Alistair Routledge has shut the door on the possibility of giving Guyanese the slightest increaseinroyaltyonanyof its Stabroek Block projects. He also said ring-fencing muststayoutofthecontract to encourage investments in thecountry

Guyana has been repeatedly warned by international energy institutes that the country may never see the promised annual revenues from its oil sector, as the ‘one-sided’oil contract gives ExxonMobil and its partners the benefit,

leaving Guyana and its peopleoutoftheirfairshare ofthewealth.

The contract allows Exxon to deduct 75 percent of the resources each month tocoverexpensestodevelop oil and gas projects The costs that are not covered each month go over to the followingmonth.

In this regard, Exxon believes, “the current mechanism is very effective.”

Presently, Guyana only receives a meagre two percent royalty, as agreed to inthe2016PSA.

This has been described as one of the lowest rates in theWorld.

Royalty is a percentage of total production on any commodity, paid to the owner of the resources and are free and clear from any costswhatsoever

Businessmanburnsto deathinfireafterturning backtosavegrandchild

A b u s i n e s s m a n , Rajendra Mohabir, 60, popularlyknownas‘Slowie’ was killed on Sunday afternoon after going back into his burning house at Seventh Street, Windsor ForestWestCoastDemerara (WCD)tosavehisgrandson he believed, was still in the building.

The child however had already escaped to safety Before family members couldhavestoppedMohabir, he had already entered the burning building and later becametrappedintheflames Mohabir’s two-storey building which housed a grocery store and church on the bottom flat reportedly caughtfirearound14:00hrs.

According to initial reports Mohabir, his wife, grandchild, and daughter wereinthetopflatatthetime and were unaware that the buildingwasonfire.

Church members were the first to run out of the building, while his son, and the pastor of the church, ran upstairs to alert his family. Kaieteur News understands that they had all exited the building safely but amidst the panic and confusion, Mohabircouldnotlocatehis grandson. Believing that the childmightstillbetrappedin the building, he ran back inside to find and save his grandson, but ended being trapped after the entire building quickly became engulfedinflames.

His son and other persons reportedly ran behind him to save him but theywereunabletodosoand reportedly sustained injuries.

In a cell phone recorded video, a woman could be heard weeping and shouting “mehnahseeRajmenahsee Raj(Mohabir)”.

Other persons were heard crying as well while neighbours assisted in savingthefamily’scar

Firefighters had arrived atthesceneshortlyafterand did their best to extinguish the blaze but failed to save Mohabirorthehouse.

Afterhoursofsearching, firefighterseventuallyfound asmallportionofMohabir’s charred remains in the burnt building.

The cause of the fire is not known at this time, but someofthechurchmembers alleged that there was low voltage and a power outage in the area that caused some sparks.

TUESDAY-Feb14,2023

Guyanacouldgetringfencing,capinterestrates, securefullliability coverageetcfromExxon withoutrenegotiatingoil deal–KNPublisher

WHEREISTHE POLITICALWILL?

Even as he maintains thatGuyanacanandmust seek a renegotiation of the lopsided 2016 Stabroek Block deal, Kaieteur News Publisher, Glenn Lall recently proffered that significant financial value can still be clawed back without utilizing that directapproach.

Through the use of addendumstothecontract or inserting provisions within the relevant p r o d u c t i o n permits/licences, Lall asserted that Guyana could firstly place a cap interest rates for loans taken by ExxonMobil and its partners to support

futureventures.

In the absence of a cap or limit of any sort, Lall said the country is at Exxon’s mercy; the oil giant and its partners can therefore utilize various tactics, to lessen the pie to beshared.

The businessman also noted that provisions can be inserted into the environmental permits to bind ExxonMobil, the parent company, to provide full liability coverage. This ensures all oil spill expenses and compensation are handled fullybyExxon.

The businessman opined as well that future projectscanbering-fenced withtheuseoftherequisite provisions in production licences.

This he explained would ensure that the revenues for each project arenotutilizedelsewhere.

Further, Lall said that Guyana does not get a blindcentintermsoftaxes from Exxon on its four projects which have alreadybeenapproved.

“Had we been collecting taxes from ExxonMobil and their partners, Guyana would not have to run to foreign banks for loans to patchroads.

We can make enough moneyontaxesalonetorun this country,” Lall said, adding that he is waiting to see if President, Dr Irfaan Ali will allow this

opportunity to slip through the proverbial cracks on the fifth and sixth Stabroek Blockprojects.

Another reasonable demandhesaidisanincrease on the meager two percent royaltyand50percentprofit split for ExxonMobil’s upcomingprojects.

“We are not asking for blood; we are not wringing Exxon’shandtobreakit.We are demanding what is our rightful share so that this starving nation can really inherit and live the life that the oil companies’ shareholders are enjoying withouroil…whytheymust beeatinglobsterandprawns, and drink fine wine, while we, the owners or the oil, mustsettlefor‘kakabelly’(a species of local fish) and bush rum,” the publisher stated.

Lall said these are but a few of the basic rules that must be in any proper business model for the oil sector

If Ali does these things, the publisher said he would prove that he is a president forthepeople,bythepeople andofthepeople.

Nigeriahitwithanother oilspill …whileGuyanastillto protectitself

Acommunity of oil-rich Nigeriaisbattlingtheeffects ofanoilspillwhichoccurred onFridaylastandwasleft

(Continuedonpage18)

Firefigthers combing through the rubble

President, Dr. IrfaanAli.

File photo: Extent of environmental damage caused by an oil spill in Nigerian

Mohabir’s home on fire

Frompage17 uncappedforthreedays.

According to reports out of Nigeria, the spill came from one of the pipelines belonging to British oil giant, Shell’s Nigerian subsidiary, Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC).

In a statement on Saturday SPDC confirmed anoilspillincidentinEbubu community in the Eleme LocalCouncilofRiverState.

According to Nigerian reports, Michael Adande, a spokespersonforSPDC,ina statementonSaturday,saida government-led joint investigation team is workingtoidentifythecause and impact of the incident. “The Shell Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria Limited (SPDC) confirms an incident within our right of way on the EbubuandOghaleManifold 12 pipeline in Rivers State,” the company said in the statement.

The Guardian Nigeria News reported that communitysourcesrevealed that the spill was as a result ofequipmentfailure.

Importantly, the Ebubu Community was in court with SPDC for about 32 yearsupuntil2021whenthe company was compelled by thecourttopayUS$111Min compensation over an oil spill that occurred on the same Shell’s facility in the late 1960’s during the Nigeria civil war that lasted between1967and1970.

The Executive Director o f Y o u t h s a n d Environmental Advocacy C e n t r e , F y n e f a c e Dumnamene said that some members of the community leadership alerted the centre of the spill, which was confirmed to be true He said: “There is a need to address environmental concerns, seek ecological andenvironmentaljusticeas well as campaign against environmentalpollution.”

Kaieteur News recently reported that over 13,000 Nigerians resorted to file a lawsuit against British oil giant, Shell at the London High Court seeking compensation for the devastating effects of oil spills caused by the oil major’s Nigerian subsidiary, SPDC The lawsuit was filed on February 2, with claimsagainstShelloveroil spills which they say have wrecked their livelihoods, poisoned their wells, and pollutedtheirlandandwater, which means they can no longerfarmorfish.

On the local front, Guyana’s prolific Stabroek Block has over 11 billion proven barrels of oil and Government have been pushingtheoilcompaniesto accelerate their production rate, despite the country is without full liability insurance from the oil and gasmajors.

Guyana’sEnvironmental Protection Agency (EPA) said last year that a US$600M insurance policy isinplacewithAmericanoil giant ExxonMobil’s local subsidiary to cover costs relatedperoilspill.EPAhad also disclosed that a parent guaranteefromExxonMobil Corporation is still in the discussionstage.

With Exxon already in pursuit of its sixth project, set for commencement in 2027 to 2028, several s t a k e h o l d e r s h a v e underscored the need for Guyanatohavefullcoverage insurance from Exxon and itspartners.Theyarealsoof the firm conviction that Environmental Permits should be armed with provisions that close the loophole for insurance costs toberecovered.

WEDNESDAYFeb15,2023

‘Don’treinventthewheel’ …T&TPMoffersup facilitiestohelpGuyana, otherregionalpartnersto cutcostsonnew infrastructure,effectively monetizeoilandgas resources

With Trinidad and Tobago’s (T&T) collection of world-class oil and gas infrastructure, there is no needfornationslikeGuyana

This was the crux of the message delivered by Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago Dr Keith Rowley at yesterday’s opening of the International Energy Conference and Expo –Guyana2023.

Thisyear’sconferenceis themed:“HarnessingEnergy forDevelopment”.

R o w l e y i n h i s presentation was keen to note that his homeland has therelevantinfrastructureto help Guyana and other nations effectively monetize their oil and gas resources, notingthattheinfrastructure isreadilyavailable.

The Trinidadian leader said his country has 10 ammonia plants, seven methanol plants, four Liquefied Natural Gas plants, an iron and steel complex, and an oil refinery which recently produced up to 140,000 barrels of oil per day

“Our current natural gas production averages 2 8 billion cubic feet of gas per dayandwearestillexploring the market for a user of our refinery as mentioned Trinidad and Tobago therefore provides a viable option for those countries that wish to optimize the monetization of their hydrocarbons without incurring substantial capital expenditure and not to m e n t i o n d e l a y i n monetization,”hesaid.

Rowleywaskeentonote the commencement of the coveted Dragon Gas Project whichwasleftinlimbosome years ago Kaieteur News previously reported that the US Office of ForeignAssets Control (OFAC) recently grantedTrinidadandTobago a waiver to explore the Dragon natural gas field in Venezuela.TheUS$1billion deal was initially signed between Trinidad and Tobago and Venezuela in August 2018 Those involved included energy giantShell,Venezuela’sstate oil company PDVSA, and TT’sNationalGasCompany (NGC).

The Dragon deal would have seen T&T developing the field which is estimated to produce approximately 150 million standard cubic feetofgasaday

sanctions on Venezuela in 2019 but was been restarted due to the lifting of the sanctions.

“This is what is possible when there is cooperation among nations,” the PM said, adding that he remains opentodiscussionwithother CARICOM neighbours on the benefits of leveraging each other’s resources and expertise.

Rowley also noted that his country stands ready to assist Guyana in developing programmes to meet the necessary training needs for energypersonnel.

“Trinidad possesses a numberofgovernmentaland non-governmental agencies that have been meeting the h u m a n r e s o u r c e development needs of the energy and industrial sector as well as the emerging oil and gas economies,” PM Rowleysaid.

He said too that regional leaders have a window of opportunity to take a proactive approach in pooling collective knowledge to optimize new opportunitiesgoingforward.

In conclusion, the CARICOMleadersaid,“We must use our energy resources for the benefit of all our people to build resilience and create energy security.”

Dr Rowley said he has every confidence that the spirit of the CARICOM community, which has been keytoitssuccess,willensure the Caribbean is an economic force to be reckonedwith.

BentStreetmandrowns duringcreekouting

A 28-year-old Bent Street, Wortmanville, Georgetown man drowned during an outing at a Soesdyke-Linden Highway

Georgetown.

According to reports, Guilliams and his friends were at a creek where they consumed alcohol. At about 15:30 hrs, Guilliams reportedlylefttoswiminthe water and shortly thereafter, an alarm was raised that someone was encountering difficulties in the water and disappeared.

Public-spirited persons formed a search party, and Guilliams’ motionless body waslaterfoundinthecreek.

The man’s body was removed from the creek and examined, but no marks of violence were seen The body was taken to the Diamond Hospital and pronounced dead by a doctor

The body is presently at the Memorial Gardens Funeral Home, awaiting a post-mortemexamination.

Police in Regional D i v i s i o n 4 B a r e investigating the alleged drowning.

Brazil,Qatar,India, Kuwaitinline-upto benefitfromGuyana’sOil Blocks–Jagdeo

With 14 of Guyana’s Oil Blocks presently up for auction,thegovernmentwill be awarding special spots to countries with particular interest.

Vice President, Bharrat Jagdeo announced on Tuesday,“We’vegoneoutto auction now for 14 blocks and we still have remaining someareaswherewehopeto work through a bilateral arrangement with the governments of Brazil, Qatar,Indiaandthoseothers who have expressed (interest) Kuwait has just expressed some interest in thatregard.”

blocks last November had said the process, “is consistent with the promise w e m a d e w h i l e i n Opposition that future blockswillbegivenoutonly through auction. We are not going to do this directly, except if it’s a state-to-state engagement with the governmentparticipating.”

During his visit, the Guyanese President met with India’s Minister of Petroleum and Natural Gas and Housing and Urban Affairs,theHonourableShri Hardeep S Puri in Delhi, India, where the leaders d i s c u s s e d “ d i r e c t G o v e r n m e n t - t oGovernment cooperation across the oil and gas spectrum, including increased long-term offtake, participation in exploration and production activities in Guyana, technical cooperation in the midstream and downstream sectors, and capacity building, as well as the synergies which exist between the two countries,” a release from the Head of Statedetailed.

Itwasalsonotedthatthe twocountrieshaveagreedto set up technical teams to advancethesediscussions.

to reinvent the wheel by pumping millions of tax dollars into new facilities to refine their oil and gas resources.

They can cut significant costs on infrastructure by utilizing what is already in place in their neighbour’s backyard.

Thegaswassupposedto be imported through a billion-dollar pipeline to the Hibiscus platform off the northwestcoastofT&T The platformisjointlyownedby the T&T government, NGC andShell.

The deal was left in limbo after the US imposed

creek on Sunday last, the Guyana Police Force (GPF) reported.

i s K e s t e r Guilliams, of Lot 61 Bent Steet, Wortmanville,

Last month it was reportedthatVicePresident, Bharrat Jagdeo is soon expectedtoleaveGuyanato tie up agreements with the Government of India for cooperation in the blossominglocaloilandgas industry President Irfaan Ali alongwithahigh-levelteam wereinIndiaforaseven-day trip and entered into several new agreements with the Indianstateforcollaboration in other sectors, inclusive of manufacturing and power generationamongothers.

It is the Vice President, however, who manages the Petroleum sector that will visit India to tie up related arrangements.

Jagdeoinannouncingthe auctionof14ofGuyana’soil

Reuters reported thatAli whenaskedifGuyanawould offer blocks to Indian companies through direct negotiations said, “Apart from the auction, we are discussing Government-toGovernmentpartnershipina number of areas including exploration.”

In October last year, PresidentAlirelatedthathis Government has set aside certain oil blocks which would be used for G o v e r n m e n t - t oGovernmentpartnerships.

The Head of State made thedisclosureduringapress conferencewithBritishHigh Commissioner,JaneMiller Ali refused to divulge further details on which specific blocks were set asideaswellaswhatspecial purposevehiclewouldbe

(Continuedonpage58)

Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago, Dr. Keith Rowley

Dead: Kester Guilliams

Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo

HireCardriverdies,teeninjuredinCorentyneaccident

A 24-year-old Hire Car driver is now dead and anotherinjuredfollowingan accidentalongtheAuchlyne Public Road, East Berbice Corentyne(EBC).

Dead is Ezekiel Kampadoo of Tain Village, EBC Reports are that Kampadoo was driving hire car bearing registration numberHD2939withan18-

year-oldpassengerinthecar whentheaccidentoccurred.

Reports are that sometime around 02:00 hrs Kampadoo crashed into a Guyana Power and Light

Incorporated (GPL) utility pole before ending up in the nearby trench. The hire car driver was reportedly traveling west along the southern drive lane at a fast rate when he failed to negotiate the turn at Auchlyne.

As a result he crashed and the car flipped into the waterway located on the southern side of the public road.

Kampadoo and the 18year-old passenger were picked up by residents and taken to the Port Mourant Hospital The teen was admitted while Kampadoo was transferred to the New Amsterdam Hospital where hesuccumbedtohisinjuries.

Dead:EzekielKampadoo

The destroyed utility pole

The car Ezekiel Kampadoo was driving at the time of the accident

Zashrose Sweets

Zashrose Sweets

authentic treats

authentic treats

(left) Guyanese Artist presents his gold-style portrait to Guyana-born movie star, Letitia Wright

Here is the beautiful and talented Olivia Stephens, delegate number one of the

Teen with Purpose pageant. Her ambition in life is to transform the way society views young people, in order to make leaders of tomorrow

She is an aspiring entrepreneur who is on the path to obtaining her Bachelor's Degree in Business Management. Her favorite quote is, "Be the change you wish to see in the world" by Mahatma Gandhi.

Miss Guyana

End sexual violence against women in the interest of mankind

By Sir Ronald Sanders

rapes, torture, kidnappings in Sierra Leone 60,000 Russia has described reports percent)diedatthe andkillings. women were raped during ofrapeaslies. h a n d s o f a n

(The writer is Antigua Tragic stories have the civil war (1991-2002); in Wars and conflicts create intimate partner or and Barbuda’s Ambassador emergedofschoolgirlsbeing Liberia,40,000womenwere refugees who are forced into a family member to the United States and the captured, gang raped and raped and mutilated (1989- camps with little protection This latter figure Organization of American becoming pregnant; their 2003); in Bosnia in Europe, from predators – in some equates to a woman or States. He is also a Senior lives stripped of dignity or 60,000 women were raped cases, officials who manage girl being killed every 11 Fellow at the Institute of choice. (1992-1995); in Democratic thecamps. minutes in their home. In 58 deliver the strong measures Commonwealth Studies at In the war in Ukraine, RepublicoftheCongo,more In such vulnerable per cent of all killings, thatareclearlyrequired. the University of London rape is also used as a than 200,000 women were situations, women again perpetrated by intimate In truth, many of the and Massey College in the deliberate weapon of terror, rapedinadecadeofconflict. becomevictims. partners or other family existing Conventions have University of Toronto. The or by soldiers taking None of this takes Unacceptable and members, the victim was a serious gaps that have views expressed are entirely advantageoftheirpositionto account of rapes that wrongful as is rape of womanorgirl. allowed governments to his own) rape women in the absence certainly occurred during women in wars and their While these figures are s i d e s t e p t h e i r Rape,andotherformsof ofanydeterrent. conflicts in Central and aftermath, it is in daily life deeply disturbing, the silent responsibilities. And, even sexual violence against U.N. findings suggest SouthAmerica. that violence against acceptance of the situation is where Conventions have not women in war and conflict, that the incidents of rape are Rapeisprohibited,under women, including rape, is worse, condemning all b e e n s t r o n g , s o m e represent one of the great underreported in Ukraine. t h e R u l e s o f Wa r, most despicable and societies in which such governments have not silences and suppressed Similarly, the number of particularly the “Geneva inexcusable. toleranceprevails. agreed to them. The global issues in modern-day rapes,reportedinHaiti,isfar Convention Relative to the The situation cries out Againstthisbackground, treaty seeks to remedy the history less than accounts given by Protection of Civilian for action to end it. U.N. an international coalition of obvious weaknesses and

Yet, women remain the victims, who either have no Persons in Time of War figurespaintagrimpicture. 2,100 women’s rights g a p s i n e x i s t i n g greatest victims of war and means of making an official (1949)”, and its 1977 Globally, an estimated advocates in 128 nations Conventions. other forms of conflict in reportoraretoofrightenedto protocol.

736millionwomen—almost called ‘Every Woman’, is ThegovernmentofCosta many parts of the world. doso.

H o w e v e r , t h i s one in three have been proposing the adoption of a Rica, which has an Recently, in Haiti, rape has Women have been a prohibitionisnotadeterrent, subjected to physical and/or global treaty to eradicate outstanding record in become a weapon for target of war wherever it has since the governments, that sexual intimate partner violence against women and advocatingforhumanrights, members of the 200 gangs occurred. send their soldiers into war, violence, or both at least girls. has already endorsed the which now control 60 per U.N.statisticsshowthat, have not made rape, onceintheirlife. It is a treaty whose concept of a Global Treaty, cent of the Capital, Port-au- in Rwanda, up to 500,000 committed during conflicts, More than 640 million creationandadoptionshould recognizing that much more Prince. women were raped during acriminaloffence. women aged 15 and older befullysupported. has to be done to protect

Women and girls are the 1994 genocide, in acts

Indeed, as has happened have been subjected to The treaty will not cause women from violence deliberately targeted for known as ‘genocidal rape’; in the war against Ukraine, intimatepartnerviolence. violence against women to Caribbean governments and

During the COVID-19 endovernight,butitwillbea civil society should not pandemic, violence against potent international hesitate to join in the treaty’s w o m e n i n c r e a s e d instrument that would bind promoti o n dramatically governments to take the Evenwiththebestwillin

It is significant that, necessary legislative, the world, a global treaty globally, violence against preventative and protective cannot be negotiated, agreed women disproportionately measures to save millions of and ratified with the affects low- and lower- women from the killings and swiftnessitdeserves. middle-income countries violencethatnowexist. It could take years, by andregions. The urgency for a global which time many more

Thirty-seven per cent of treaty is driven by the fact millions of women –women aged 15 to 49, living that, although several mothers, daughters, and in “least developed” conventions have been sisters – will die or be countries, have been subject adopted globally, and legal seriously injured as victims to physical and/or sexual frameworks have been ofviolence. intimate partner violence in established nationally, As the advocates of the theirlives. violence against women has treaty argue, “It’s time to Globally 81,000 women persisted. come together to outpace the andgirlswerekilledin2020, T h e e x i s t i n g violence with a concrete, around 47,000 of them (58 frameworks have failed to clear and actionable solution. Women and girls arewaiting.

They are asking that we dobetter”.

Women are restricted to contributing only 37 percent of global production even though they are 50 per cent of the world’s population. Yet, a McKinsey Global Institute report finds that, by advancing women’s equality, US$12 trillion could be added to global outputby2025.

The global circulation of that money would make a huge difference to the economic wellbeing of all countries.

Ending violence against womenisintheinterestofall mankind.

Responses and previous

Sir Ronald Sanders

First Stream: New music from Skrillex, Pink, Janelle Monáe, Niall Horan and more

working with a range of collaborators, from Max Martin to Chris Stapleton to FredAgain..toFirstAidKit, the pop superstar presents herself as a woman, wife, mother and industry veteran capableofdancingawayher troubles and pleading for understanding on the same collection of sometimes uptempo, often emotional songs.

JanelleMonáeSeunKuti andEgypt80,“Float”

Check out the must hear releasesthisweek

(Billboard) Billboard’s First Stream serves as a handy guide to this Friday’s mostessentialreleases—the keymusicthateveryonewill be talking about today, and that will be dominating playlists this weekend and beyond.

This week, Skrillex ends a long album drought, P!nk takes us on a journey, and bothJanelleMonáeandNiall Horan return with splashy newsingles.Checkoutallof this week’s First Stream picksbelow:

Skrillex,QuestforFire

Casual Skrillex fans might be shocked to learn that Quest for Fire is only his second album after all, the 35-year-old was a defining figure of the EDM boom during the 2010s, a prolific producer and collaborator over the pastdecade,andoneofthe moreexhilaratingpresences at the many festivals he playedacrossseveralyears.

Quest for Fire is his first album in nine years, but perhaps Skrillex was

simply winding up for this moment: the long-awaited follow-up to 2014’s Recess sounds just as vital in its dance visions as his best work, and r i o t o u s l y diverse, with a s o n g l i k e

“RATATA,” in which Missy Elliottstopsbyto breathe new life into a “Work It” refrain,leadinginto“Tears,” a slam-bang showcase for dubstepkingJoker

Pink, Trusfall In a r e c e n t c h a t w i t h

Billboard about new album Trustfall, P!nk explained why her ninth studio LP is a “f–king journey” that can’t be contained by one mood

“This album could have easily been, Side

A is Roller Skate Time, and Side B is No Sharp Objects in the KitchenTime!”shesaid.

“But that’s not life. Life is messy and beautiful and messyagain.” AndTrustfall is true to P!nk’s reality:

JanelleMonáelivesupto the title of her new single: “Float”isallabouthovering over muddled discourse and rising above petty details, being able to leave earthly trappings and find grace in artistry.

It’s a skill that the multi-

talented Monáe has flaunted over the course of her breathtaking career, and “Float,” created with Seun KutiandEgypt80,givesher a chance to bask in her achievements over simmering trap drums and a boisterous mid-tempo piece of production; “Float” may introduce a new body of work, but even if it doesn’t, Monáehasearnedthechance to levitate above the naysayers.

NiallHoran,“Heaven”

When boy band members disperse, they o f t e n l e a p i n t o establishing a solo presence to keep the public’s attention, then gradually settle into a sound for themselves.

Such has been the case with the members of One Direction since they went on hiatus, and particularly with Niall Horan, who has found a warm poprock niche and strengthened his songwriting since debuting with solo hits like “This Town” and “Slow H a n d s . ”

“Heaven,” which previews third album The Show, reaches for eternal love with a vocal elasticity and guitar chug that play off each other with ease.

Polo G feat Future, “No Time Wasted”

“I know you waitin’ / Gettin’fed up, you runnin’ out of patience,” Polo G declares to open the chorus of “No Time Wasted”; he could be addressing his ravenous fan base, which didn’t get a new album from the Chicago rap star in 2022 after three straight years of doing so, but Polo spends the rest of the new single demonstrating that,

when he does return, his storytelling instincts will besharperthanever

Guest star Future slides onto Polo G’s contemplative level here, simultaneouslybraggingand commiserating about the trappings of fame, but Polo ownsthetrackbymullinghis fears, memories and nightmares in evocative detail. Omar Apollo, “3 Boys” Fresh off of a breakthrough year and a best new artist Grammy nod, Omar Apollo has returned with “3 Boys,” a smoky synthesis of doowopinwhichheconcludes that a multiplication of romantic partners would be the only way to overcome a bitter heartbreak The new s i n g l e s m a r t l y showcases the multifaceted enormity of Apollo’s voice his ability to deliver ghostly harmonies, ethereal falsetto and desperate, full-throated cries and becomes another winner for the risingstarbecauseofit

Niall Horan, Heaven

Pink, Trustfall

Skrillex

OmarApollo

Janelle Monáe Seun Kuti and Egypt 80, Float

Almost 13 years after Sarjou disappeared, and years after her skeletal remains were found buried near reputed husband backyard, the man and the hit man he hired to kill Sarjou were on last Thursday jailed for the crime.

Justice Simone Morris-Ramlall handed down a 22 ½ years jail sentence to 45-year-old Shradhanand Narine, called ‘Anand’ for the 2010murderofhisreputed wife, and a 18 ½ years sentence to the hit-man, year-old Daral Ponto, ‘Yankee.’

Narine formerly of Lot 51 Seaforth Street, Campbellville, Georgetown,hadpleadedguiltyto the capital offence and had even admitted that he paid Ponto formerly of Lot 54 Broad Street, Charlestown, Georgetown, $100,000 to murder Sarjou, the motherofhisson.

According to reports, in October 2010, Narine and Ponto met at D’Urban and Hardina Streets, Georgetown, where they plotted to kill Sarjou On November 4, 2010, Narine and Ponto executed their plan. They first lured Sarjou to the National Cultural Centre, located on H o mes tr etch Av en u e, Georgetown.

When she arrived, Narine, his then 4-year-old son along with PontoweresittinginNarine’scar According to Narine’s confession statement, Narine tricked Sarjou intogettingintothevehiclebefore he grabbed his son and left her in hisvehiclealongwithPonto.

It was disclosed that Narine told Ponto to honk the car horn when he was finished killing his wife. Ponto reportedly strangled thewomanbeforeusingablanket tocoverherbodyinthebackseat. They then drove to Narine’s Seaforth Street, Campbellville home where they later placed her body in a hole that was dug near Narine’s backyard. Narine and relativesofSarjouhadreportedto the police that the woman had disappeared on November 4, 2010.Sarjouwasreportedmissing until May 22, 2016, when Crime Chief Wendell Blanhum and a team of detectives were able to crack the case.After digging near Narine’s backyard for hours, detectives recovered skeletal remains which were later determined to be Sarjou’s

Babita Sarjou killers jailed

sinterest towards him,” Dhurjonsaid.

should be noted that the lawyer also mentioned that arine and Sarjou had separated for 15 months prior to the woman’s murder He pointed out that while his client was not the executioner of the murder, he was the en co u r ag er an d facilitator Dhurjon added that his client is remorsefulforhisactions.

him.

As it relates to Ponto, one of hislawyers,ShawnShewram,ina plea of mitigation for his client told the court that that Ponto has no previous antecedents and that he is remorseful for the crime he committed when he was 28years-old. InPonto’saddressto thecourthesaid,“Iamaskingthis court to forgive me, I am a different person. Ms. Seonarine (Sarjou’s mother) please find it in yourhearttoforgiveme,please.”

RULING

By Renay Sambach

followingDNAtesting.Whenthe matter was called before Justice Morris-Ramlall at the Demerara High Court – Narine and Ponto –had denied the offence and a jury wasempanelled.However,before the trial commenced both men indicated that they would like to changetheirpleasandadmittedto thecrime.

SENTENCINGHEARING

At the sentencing hearing on Thursday, Sarjou’s mother, Chompa Seonarine in her address to the court stated that she is heartbroken by the loss of her daughter “I am heartbroken and inpain…Imissmydaughteralot, shedidnotdeservetodielikethat. The only thing remaining is memory of my daughter… I am verymuchhurtandIwillmissmy daughter forever,” the woman continued. Seonarine added that shehashadmanysleeplessnights andshehopesjusticeisservedfor herdaughter Thecourtheardthat Narine and Sarjou were together since the deceased was the age of 16. The two got married a few years later and they welcomed theirson.Itwasdisclosedtoothat the couple had marital issues whichhadledtothemseparating.

Narine’slawyer,SiandDhurjonin a plea of mitigation told the court thatthecouple’srelationshipwasa toxiconebutpositedthathisclient neverphysicallyassaultedSarjou. He continued that his client’s biggesttriggerswerewhenSarjou started to constantly pressure him and threatened to kill him for insurancemoney

“Mr Narine always emotionally and psychologically struggledwithsensitivitytowards neglect, disloyalty, abandonment and these frailties were triggered by the deceased unfaithfulness

The lawyer pleaded withthecourtthatimposing lengthy prison sentence ld affect his client’s relationship with his 16-year-old had with Sarjou and his 9year-old daughter whom he fatheredwithhiscurrentwife.

In his address to the court Narine said, “There is no amount of words that could express how sorry I am. I was wrong, I was wrong I made a mistake, the mistake that caused a life.” He continued, “My foolish actions didn’t only cause my only son to growupwithoutamotherbutalso cause numerous suffering….Your honor I’m begging please have some mercy on me, if I had a chancetorelivemylife‘toreverse the hands in time I would have showedthishonorablecourtthatif Ihadtakencontrolovermyanger and jealousy none of us would have been here today.” Narine begged the court to have leniency on him and pleaded with Sarjou’s relativeswhowerepresentincourt to find it in their hearts to forgive

In handing down the sentences,JusticeMorris-Ramlall highlighted that Narine orchestrated a plan to kill his reputedwifeandthenconcealher body.

Thejudgestatedthattherewas nothing impulsive about Narine’s actionsandnotedthathenotonly breached the trust of his reputed wife but he executed his plan to killhiswifeinthepresenceofhis 4-year-oldson.

“The deceased’s life was not only snuffed out through the commissionofthismurderbuther body was unceremoniously conveyedintoaconcretegravefor several years,” the judge said. JusticeMorris-Ramlalladdedthat she has considered the victim impact statement, the probation report, the nature and prevalence of violence against women, adding that there is absolutely no mitigating circumstance that will beconsidered.

“Women are not chattel, men donotownthem,”JusticeMorrisRamlallsaid.AsitrelatestoPonto,

she stated that she considered the nature of the offence and added that while he shares no personal relationshipwiththedeceasedhis motive is nothing but financial. The judge started Narine’s sentenceat25years,thenadded5 yearsinrelationtotheprevalence of violence against women. No deduction from the sentence was m a d e f o r m i t i g a t i o n circumstances, but 7 ½ years was deductedforNarine’searlyguilty plealeavinghimwitha22½years jailsentence.

JusticeMorris-Ramlallstarted Ponto’s sentence at 20 years but added5yearsforthenatureofthe offence. Like Narine’s sentence she made no deduction for mitigating factors but deducted 6 ½ years for his early guilty plea –leaving Ponto with an 18 ½ years jailsentence.

Importantly, the prosecution had asked for the judge to send a strongmessagetolikemindedmen in society As such, following the judge’s ruling a prosecutor informed the court of the State’s intentiontoappeal.

To share any useful information you can contact me v i a e m a i l : naesambach@gmail.com

Jailed: Shradhanand Narine, called “Anand” (left) and Daral Ponto called ‘Yankee’

Murdered, Babita Sarjou

Mash in Guyana

Thursday, February 23 is Mashramani Day; a national holiday we celebrate in Guyana with much excitement and enjoyment. Thursday will be a demonstration of true Guyanese love, unity and harmony, as the roads in the capital city, Georgetown, become a melding pot of Guyanese culture. It is always a pleasant sight to see

Guyanese from all walks of life, race, status and political ideology, mixingandmashingasonepeople; Guyanese people Mashramani truly is a brilliant showcase of the diversityoftheGuyanesepeoplein livingcolour

Abrief history of Mashramani

The festival of Mashramani was conceptualised in 1970 to

commemorate Guyana achieving RepublicstatusafterIndependence in1966.ThewordMashramanihas its origin in indigenous language and means “celebration after cooperativeorhardwork.”

A festival which originated in Linden, Region 10, Mashramani has since become a national celebration, that involves the participationofallethnicgroups. Mashramani in its current form

The Mash season as it is commonly referred to, involves a variety of cultural events. Each region does something special for Mashramani and showcases their respective interpretations of the festival. Centrally, in Georgetown, there are a variety of competitions rangingfromsteelpan'spanorama, to the calypso chutney and soca monarchs, as well as the children's costume parades. There are also cultural symposiums and exhibitions. On February 23, is the spectacular parade of the bands, when the National Costume and Float Parade move through the streets of Georgetown. Mash Day is day of revel and celebration. It is a day to showcase our Guyanese diversity in vivid colour and high energy

Mixing and Mashing as 'One Guyana' in 2023

The theme chosen for Mash 23 is: “Mixing and Mashing as One Guyana ” The relevance and timeliness of this year's theme cannot be overstated, as it is right in-line with His Excellency's President. Dr Irfaan Ali's 'One

Guyana' concept. Though we may be from different ethnic, religious, political and societal backgrounds, we are all Guyanese. Out of many racesweareonepeople.

The significance of national unity in a modern Guyana is fairly obvious; it makes the arrival at a national consensus much easier and much faster, which in turn will accelerate the rate of development ofthenation.

Living united allows for leaders to harvest citizens' commitment and contributions to

nation-building and national development. More can be accomplished when we work together than working separately The acronym TEAM sums it up nicely: Together Each Achieves More.

AswecelebrateMash2023,let us truly celebrate in line with this year's theme. Mashramani brings people together. It is an excellent opportunity for Guyanese to show the world something different as wemixandmashasoneGuyanain 2023.

Lessons from a Lashpreneur !!!

DISPELLING FEARS ABOUT LASH EXTENSIONS AND ALLERGIC REACTIONS

ByLatoyaZephyr

If you’ve always wanted to get beautiful, lush lashes, you may think about booking an appointment for extensions.

However, are they really safe? What if you were allergic? I get you. At Lift and Lashes, we take measures to minimise the risks of clients having an allergicreactionorirritation. In this article though, I’ll dispel some of your lashrelated fears by answering some of your most frequentlyaskedquestions.

ALLERGIC REACTIONS

Firstly, allergic reactions due to lash extensions are extremely rare Common symptoms of allergic reactionscouldbeanyofthe following: swollen eyes or eyelids, redness of the cornea,andordiscomfortor itchiness around the eye area.Thesesymptomsmight also occur 48 hours or more after lash application and likely won’t subside over time.Clientsmaybeallergic to the lash glue itself due to its base ingredient:

cyanoacrylate If you’re allergic to this compound, f u l l r e m o v a l i s recommended to prevent furthercomplications.Some salonswilldoapatchtestto with a drop of glue on a sensitive area of skin like behind your ear, but we’ve foundthatinmanycasesthis can lead to a ‘false-positive’

recommend that if you’ve hadareactioninthepast,just don’tgetlashextensions.We knowyou’dlovethem,butif you’re allergic, you’ll probablyalwaysbeallergic. Having an allergic reaction on only one eye is highlyunlikely,butyoumay experience irritation on just oneeyeforotherreasons.

reaction, but irritation will subside once the adhesive properlycures.Irritationcan also occur over a longer periodoftime,whenbacteria build up. When lashes are worn for a long time, bacteria can accumulate either on the glue or on the lashes themselves. If this happens,makesurethatyou

go to your eye doctor immediately Irritationcan b e t r e a t e d w i t h medication, so there’s no need to worry too much aboutit.Atliftandlashes,we work in a well-ventilated room.Weutilisetape,aswell as quick-drying glue that driesinsecondstominimise fumes, and therefore reduce

ByLatoyaZephyr

theriskofirritation.Wealso make sure to explain lash aftercare to our clients, new or regular, all to ensure that you can enjoy your lashes and be beautifully worryfree.

E-Net’s Dream TV packed with captivating shows

FromFebruary4to11,E-Net’sDreamTV will feature a suite of entertaining shows for theweekend.Besuretochecktheguideand gather with friends and families for your favourite shows See programme guide attachedformoredetails.

result where the client doesn’t react and then assumes she’s in the clear –then after extensions are applied it becomes apparent that she actually is allergic and needs to get a full removal. That’s why we don’t patch test and

IRRITATIONS

While lash extensions are considered low-risk when done by skilled technicians, there is still a riskforirritation.Thiscanbe induced by the adhesive fumes Symptoms are similar to that of an allergic

Legendary Yoruba Singers and Friends Concert billed for Georgetown Club

grab your significant

other,relativesorfriendsfor a night of soul stirring night of authentic Guyanese entertainment. Tickets cost $2000.

Gates open from 5pm with showtime at 6pm. See youthere!

DIETARY TIPS FOR PEOPLE WITH PSORIASIS

An autoimmune disorder, psoriasis is a disease in which the body attacks its own tissue. The body starts to overproduce skin cells, creating red and scaly patches, known as plaques,ontheskin.

Itchyandpainfulplaques a r e t r i g g e r e d b y environmental factors like infections and stress

Psoriasis not just affects the skin but also affects joints, eyes and mental health Therefore, one must consult a doctor for diagnosis and treatmentforthiscondition.

There is no scientific evidencethatsupportsacure for psoriasis with diet, but experts suggest a positive correlation between a healthy diet and lifestyle with reduced severity of psoriasis. Experts say that there is a close link between psoriasis and diet, as there are many food groups that can cause inflammation throughoutthebody

For some people, these food items can worsen the effectsofpsoriasis. Sufferingfrompsoriasis? Readaheadtolearnmore abouttherightdiet.

FOODS TO AVOID

Worsening the effects of psoriasis, these are some of the beverages and foods to avoidwithpsoriasis:

· Alcohol: Consumption of excessive amounts of alcohol overworks the liver, causing long-term

inflammation. Additionally, alcohol damages good b a c t e r i a , c a u s i n g inflammation in the colon andintestines.

· Dairy: Dairy products are rich in fat. Cow’s milk contains a protein called casein, which can cause digestive problems in some people. Studies show that psoriasis conditions have improvedbycuttinghigh-fat dairyfromthediet.

R e f i n e d carbohydrates: Refined carbohydratesarecountedas foods that trigger psoriasis.

These items include white bread, white rice, pasta, breakfast cereals and some pastries. These food items have no fibre and whole grains and can contain a lot ofsugar

· Saturated and trans fats:Redmeat,cheese,fried food, margarine and fast food are known foods that trigger inflammation and worsenpsoriasis.

· Added sugar: Natural sugar in food like fruits is a partofthepsoriasisdietplan. However, added sugar in fruit juices, candy, soda and

sweets is bad and the body produces excessive insulin to process the sugar These foods increase the levels of cytokines,whichisaprotein thatcausesinflammation.

· Gluten: People who suffer from psoriasis may also have Celiac disease, which is an autoimmune disease. Gluten is a protein that is found in wheat and other grains and an intolerance to gluten causes the body to attack the small intestine’s tissue Cutting down gluten from the diet hasbeenshowntoreducethe

effectsofpsoriasisinpeople withglutenintolerance.

FOOD TO EAT

The food items which combat and reduce inflammationinthebodyare known to be beneficial for people with psoriasis and they may help reduce flareups,reducingthesymptoms. Followingahealthydietalso reduces the risks of type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular diseasesandcertaintypesof cancer The best food items to include in the diet for psoriasisare:

Whole Fruits and

vegetables Cherries and berries are good fruits for psoriasis, as are green leafy vegetables Consume 2-3 portions of fresh seasonal fruitsandveggieseveryday Include plant-based proteins like tofu, lean proteinandfishinthediet.

·Herbslikethyme,sage, ginger and cumin are rich in antioxidants.

·Legumeslikebeansand certaintypesoflentils

· A fist full of nuts and seeds- walnuts, flaxseeds andalmondsarerichsources ofomegathreefattyacids.

·Wholegrains

Consult a dietician to come up with an effective psoriasisdietplanadjunctto your prescribed treatment. Obesity can worsen the effects of psoriasis and you might want to work towards losing weight as well. In addition to a healthy diet, make some lifestyle changes. Get ample rest, adequate sleep, regular exercise and reduce stress levels.Ifyousmoke,quit.

Making changes in the dietisthebestandtheeasiest waytocombattheeffectsof autoimmune disorders like psoriasis and to reduce inflammation.

If you suspect that a particular food item is triggering the effects of psoriasis, consult your doctor (https://pharmeasyin/bl og/dietary-tips-for-peoplewith-psoriasis/)

10 Amazing Health Benefits of Skipping Rope

Can’t go to the gym due to COVID-19 lockdown? Well, it might look difficult to manage workout without a gym but skipping rope is one of the superconvenient, easy and effective home exercises. Skipping is great cardio, aerobic exercise. Skipping rope helps to tone your calves, tighten your core, build stamina and improve your lung capacity Skippingropealonewon’thelpyou toreduceweightlossskippingrope can be a part of a diet and exercise routine which boosts your metabolism.

Howmanycalories burninskipping?

Surprisingly, skipping ropes canburn10caloriesinaminuteand also strengthen your legs, butt, shoulders, belly, and arms. On average,youcanburn200calories in 10 minutes sessions each day It is more effective than brisk walking.

Benefitsofskippingrope

There are multiple benefits of

skippingropefromlosingweightto reducing the chances of cancer

Skipping rope is a great calorieburner and improves the cardiovascularsystem.

1:Improveshearthealth

Skippingropeisthebestcardio exercise as it increases the heart rate. This will significantly reduce theriskofheartdiseasesandstroke.

2:Increasesconcentration

Every cardio exercise will help you to focus on your goal and skipping is one of them. Skipping rope can calm your body and increaseyourconcentration.

3:Improvescoordination

Skippingconsistentlyimproves yourcoordinationandstamina.

4:Increasesstamina andgetsridoffatigue

By continuous work you may feel tired or loss of stamina

Skipping can help you to improve yourstamina.

The more you do skipping regularly the more your stamina increases A consistent skipping

range practice can help get rid of fatigue.

5:Increases bodyflexibility

Skippingropemakesyourbody calm and flexible. Jumping gives great strength to the muscles and relaxes them. That’s why it is included in an athlete’s workout regime.

6:Boostmentalhealth

Skipping rope at a moderate

intensity can reduce anxiety and depression. Exercise can increase blood circulation to your body and brain.

7:Decreasesbellyfat

It is one of the main obstacles while losing weight. But skipping rope can help you with that. Highintensity interval training (HIIT) exercises helps to reduce belly fat without diet and strengthen your abdominalmuscles.

8:Strengthening yourbones

Skippingropewillgivestrengthto your bones and increase bone density, thus reduces the chances ofosteoporosis.

9:Glowsyourskin

Post-workout glow is one of the best glow one can get Exercises like skipping will always give you healthy, blushing andglowingskin.

10:Improve pulmonaryfunction

Skipping ropes improves blood circulation and breathing which ultimately enhances your lung capacity.

Benefitsofskipping ropeforweightloss

There are numerous ways to loseweight,skippingropeisoneof the effective methods for it However, skipping rope alone is notenoughtoloseweightbutalsoit requiresaplanneddiet,weightloss goals, commitment, and high activitylevel.

GNBS PROVIDES TESTING OF CONCRETE STRUCTURES, CUBES AND BLOCKS TO SUPPORT BOOMING CONSTRUCTION SECTOR

For just over two years, theGuyanaNationalBureau of Standards (GNBS) has beenprovidingthetestingof concrete hollow blocks to smallblockmakersandlarge manufacturers who distribute their products for use within the construction sector This has resulted in severalofthesestakeholders becoming aware of the quality of the blocks they manufacture,andatthesame time increased the quality consciousness of consumers regarding this widely used buildingmaterial.

In 2023, with the a c q u i s i t i o n o f a Rebound/Schmidt Hammer, the GNBS Industrial Metrology and Testing Department has further expandeditsscopeoftesting in relation to construction materials and now offers Non-Destructive Testing (NDT) of concrete structures.

The Non-Destructive Testing (NDT) of concrete structures is a useful service to homeowners concerned about the quality of their concretefloors,walls,posts, fence, bridges etc ; or contractors and engineers who are involved in the construction or the approval ofnewstructures.Thisthirdparty testing offers an independent determination astowhetherstructureswere built to expectations or requirements.

The new piece of testing equipment can be used for non-destructive testing of hardened concrete by the rebound method, and it provides a convenient and rapid indication of the compressive strength of the concrete structure. Once the strength of the concrete is determined, a certificate is preparedandprovidedbythe GNBS to clients, and it can beusedasafirmbasisforthe acceptance or rejection of a structure.

The Rebound Hammer Test is used to differentiate the acceptable and questionable parts of a

structure or to compare different structures based on strength The amount of reboundofthemassdepends on the hardness of concrete surface Hence, the equipment can also determine the hardness of concrete used to make concrete electrical poles, columns, foundations, etc. with a range from 0 - 8400 Pounds per Square Inch (PSI) or 0 - 58 Megapascals (MPa).

B a s e d o n t h e specification of the ASTM Standard C805/C805M-18

“StandardTestMethodfor Rebound Number of Hardened Concrete”, the quality of concrete for respective average rebound numbers is as follows; more than 40Megapascals being very good, 30 to 40 Megapascalsbeinggood,20 to30Megapascalsbeingfair, less than 20 Megapascals being poor, and zero Megapascals being delaminated.

Testing of concrete structures by the GNBS is very affordable and our trained Laboratory

Technicians are prepared to do onsite visits to provide this vital service, which could be the difference between ensuring a quality long lasting structure and one which prematurely collapses.

Meanwhile, the Bureau continues to provide testing of concrete hollow blocks (size three, four or six inches), cubes and cylinders in accordance with the respective national and international standards Samples of these items can be submitted to the GNBS’

Flat 15, Sophia Exhibition Complex, Georgetown location and subsequently a testcertificateisprovided.

F o r f u r t h e r

information,pleasecontact

t h e G N B S I M T

Department on telephone numbers: 219-0064-66 or visit the GNBS website: www.gnbsgy.org or

WhatsApp:692-4627

DDL CREATIVELY FUSES COMPANY’S AND NATIONAL INTERESTS AND ASPIRATIONS

By:PATDIAL

Whenever a new product, especially a good quality food product which issoldatanaffordableprice

announces its advent in the market, consumers feel a sense of pleasure and welcomeit. Inthisoffering, wewillbeaddressingsucha

product - Fresh cow’s milk. Demerara Distillers Ltd (DDL)’ssubsidiary,TOPCO and an Israeli company, LR Group, have come to an

agreement to launch a modern Dairy Industry in Guyana. Thelead figure on the Guyana side is Mr Komal Samaroo, who has provedhimselfaveryfitting successortothelategreatDr Yesu Persaud. The first products will come on the market in 2024, but consumers are so enthused that they would like to express their appreciation andwelcomenow

From the 1850’s until after Independence in the 1960’s, Guyana was selfsufficient in fresh cow’s milk. TheIndianindentured immigrants kept cows and alwayshadasurplusofmilk whichfounditswayintothe distribution chain. By the 1870’s, a number of bigger dairy farmers emerged, especially in the Mahaicony area. The milkmen on their bicycles with two large cans ofmilkwereacommonsight on the roads in the early hoursofthemorningandthe late hours of the afternoon, delivering milk to regular customers and selling milk to those who called out to them. There grew a large corpus of stories of the milkman’s trade, many of them humourous; diluting their milk with water, was a common accusation of the milkvendors.

The State employed a number of inspectors who were empowered to test any vendor’s milk, to ascertain whetherornotitwasdiluted. Selling diluted milk was a criminal offence and the Magistrate courts frequently heardsuchcharges.

In the 1950’s the State establishedamilkmarketing corporationheadquarteredat Kingston, which collected milk countrywide and sold fresh milk as well as pasteurized milk in bottles. Though the milk produced wasofgoodqualityandwas popular, the business failed, largely because of poor management and political interference from the governmentoftheday

Theotherindustrialstyle dairyproducerwasamodest operation established at Bel Air by Bookers; a conglomerate which controlled most of the country’seconomy Though the Bookers dairy produced milk of a good quality and middle-class Georgetown residents bought their milk there, the dairy was not

meant to be a full commercial venture, but rather to supply milk to the Bookers’ staff, many of whom were expatriates With the nationalization of the Bookers holdings after the country became independent,theirdairyfarm wasdiscontinued.

In the 1960’s, until after Independencein 1966, there were widespread political disturbances,whichresulted in the disruption of farming and all other areas of the economy, along with pervasive emigration which inevitably disrupted the diaryindustry

From 1970 to the mideighties, both fresh milk as well as imported milk becameunobtainable,owing to foreign exchange shortage, which meant that verylittlecouldbeimported. It was only after the middle of the 1980’s, with the advent of the Free Market, that dairy products were againimported.

M i l k p o w d e r s , condensed milk and canned evaporated milk dominated themarket. Suchmilkswere imported from various countriesincludingHolland, New Zealand, Ireland, Germany and Belgium and fresh cow’s milk could only be obtained in farming communities which reared cattle DDL’s desire to resuscitate the production and sale of fresh milk is thereforeamuchneededand timelyaction.

Asmentionedearlier,the company, through its subsidiary TOPCO, has come to an agreement with an Israeli company LR Group, to rebuild a Guyana

D a i r y I n d u s t r y Negotiations with LR had begun in 2021, but owing to the aftermath of Covid and other circumstances, it is only now that substantive movementhascommenced.

TheGuyanasideisledby Mr Komal Samaroo, Chairman and CEO of DDL who is known to be one of Guyana’smostthoroughand astutebusinessmen.

Hedoesfullresearchand investigations into any venture his company enters.

DDL and LR have collaborated on a feasibility study which explored areas such as land selection, market research, financial and technical analysis and the examination of the

protocols related to international standards for freshmilkproduction.

Inkeepingwiththesame trend,Mr Samarooandteam visited Israel and were able to observe dairy farms and related operations such as the drip irrigation technology which could be employed to produce fodder for the cows at all seasons. LRinsimilarmannervisited the International Food Security Conference and Expo held last year, and embarked on a number of field visits and discussions with relevant agencies includingLandsandSurveys Commission, Guyana Livestock Development Authority, NAREI and CARICOM and were also accorded an audience with His Excellency, the PresidentDrIrfaanAli.

The Project, a state-ofthe art Dairy Farm, will be located at Moblissa, Soesdyke, Linden Highway, andwillcostUS$16million. Agreements have been reachedonthefinaldesignof the farm, the expenditure of financial resources, procurement of the first batch of animals as well as the equipment, the shareholdingstructureofthe company Demerara Dairy Inc., and the research that would facilitate the manufacture of value added products. The Project will bring many advantages to the country It will once againprovidethepopulation withwholesomefreshcow’s milk at affordable prices; it will in time make available by-products such as ghee, butter, cheese and yogurt; allow for important import substitution; strengthen the foodsecurityofGuyanaand theCaribbean; anditwould be able to share in the US$6 billion CARICOM foodimportmarket.

This Dairy Farm Project is not only in the interest of DDLand its subsidiary DDI and the Consumers, but also in the interest of the Nation as a whole and we look forward to the State’s assistance so that it could quickly grow and contribute tonationaldevelopment.

(The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions and beliefs of this n e w s p a p e r a n d i t s affiliates.)

Secrets Your Body Language Reveals About You

(Reader’s Digest) Body language is a form of nonverbal communication, and whether you (or they!) know it, other people are always reading your body language for secret clues about you. Learn about how to read body language and find out what your gestures and movements are saying with theseexpertinsights.

Bodylanguage:

Crossed arms

Crossing your arms?

Others may read crossed armstomeanyou’redistant, insecure,anxious,defensive, or stubborn, according to Barbara and Allen Pease in ‘TheDefinitiveBookofBody Language’

But crossed arms have their pluses, too Driver points out that this pose can make someone better at sticking to a difficult task, citing a study that found adults who crossed their arms and then were asked hardmathquestionswere30 percent more likely to keep trying to solve them than those who kept their hands onatable.

“Theactofcrossingyour arms utilizes both your left and right brain, creating higher cognitive function,” saysDriver In a 2019 Wired video, former FBI agent, Joe Navarro even calls armcrossing a “self-soothing” gesture, meant to comfort yourself rather than to “block” others. So the next time you confront someone with a tough question and they cross their arms, don’t assume you’ve made them mad;thecrossedarmsmight just mean they’re trying to come up with an answer

Learning to speak body language and control body language is important not only in casual interactions, butalsointheworkplace.

Bodylanguage:

Eye contact

If you want your body language or non-verbal communication to show you’re listening to another person, make eye contact.

But limit it: An overly aggressive eye lock can be readasthreatening.

“When you give more than 80 percent, the person youarecommunicatingwith will feel uncomfortable,” explains Janine Driver, authoroftheNewYorkTimes bestseller, ‘You Can’t Lie to Me’ Give too little (40 percentorless)anditcanbe asignofdeceit.

So, what is the magic number? The answer is 60 percent or a little more than half.“Givethemeyecontact, and then slightly glance away ” Tracking eye movements is also a great waytotellsomeoneislying.

Bodylanguage:

Sitting with legs spread

Driversayswhenyousit likethisyou’remarkingyour territory and exuding dominance “People with power are seen to take up morespace,”shesays.

Bodylanguage:

Sitting cross-legged

If you sit with your legs crossed, ankle over knee, you’re confident and dominate, says Driver. Known as “figure four” in body language circles,

communication could mean you’re holding back, uncertain,orfearful,making it common in interview situations.

Andladies,ifyouwantto appeal to a man, cross your legs at the knees.According tothePeases,menvotedthis their favorite position for seatedwomen.

Bodylanguage: Standing with hands on hips

forearms, and now we reach for just the palm someone’s hand B there are importan thoughts to consider before going in for

t h e g r a b

Handshakes are a sign of trust and

w e l c o m e , according to the Peases, so reaching first means that you

Driver says when you sit in this position you’re opening upyour“powerzone,”orthe netherregion.

“We have three areas on our body where we open up when we are stress-free and relaxed: the neck dimple, belly button, and ‘naughty bits,’” she says It’s a predominantly male movement but Driver says women are beginning to sit likethismoreandmore.

Crossingyourlegsatthe ankleswhileseatedisknown as the “ankle lock.” This bodylanguageornon-verbal

You might think the “Superman pose” is nonverbal communication that shows off your confident side, but beware because Driver says this stance can oftencomeoffasaggressive. That’sbecauseyou’retaking up more space and “threatening” with your pointed elbows, preventing others from getting by you.

“ We b e c o m e v e r y territorial,” when we do this pose, Navarro explains Evenproppingjustonehand on your hip can give off an intimidating vibe, say the Peases.Makesureyounever make these body language mistakes during a job interview

Bodylanguage: Reaching for a handshake

The custom of shaking someone’s hand goes as far backastheAncientRomans.

At first, people would hold onto each other’s

b e l i e v e y o u ’ welcomed by the other personandtheyarehappy to meet you. Imitating a handshake to someone who mightnotbesowelcomedto meet you could result in

negative feelings towards you.

Bodylanguage: Smiling often

Making a habit out of smiling and laughing during

conversations and interactions with other people can result in positive outcomes. When smiling at another person, you can

increasingly improve relationships “Evidence shows the conclusively that smilesandlaughterbuildthe immune system, defend the body against illness and disease, medicate the body, sell ideas, teach better, attract more friends, and extendlife,”saythePeases.

In their book, they say thatthisispartofthereason

being funny or having the ability to make others laugh canbefoundattractivebyso many people. Smiling can help spread positivity, and you can also use other body language tricks to do almost anything.

Bodylanguage:

Interlacing fingers

Withanotherperson,this is a romantic gesture, but whenyouinterlaceyourown fingers, this could be a sign of stress or discomfort

AccordingtoNavarro,thisis anotherself-soothingmotion that signifies discontent “When something’s troubling us, we tend to stiffen our fingers, interlace them,and…moveourhands backandforthveryslowly,” he says in the video; he furthers his discussion of body language and nonverbalcommunicationin hisbook,‘The Dictionary of BodyLanguage’.

CrossedArms

Eye Contact

Sitting cross-legged

Sitting with legs spread

Standing with hands on hips

Smiling often

Reaching for a handshake

Interlacing fingers

An old man lived in the village. He was one of the most unfortunate people in theworld.Thewholevillage was tired of him; he was a l w a y s g l o o m y, h e constantly complained and wasalwaysinabadmood.

The longer he lived, the more bile he was becoming and the more poisonous were his words People avoided him, because his m i s f o r t u n e b e c a m e contagious It was even

An Old Man Lived in the Village

unnatural and insulting to be happynexttohim.

He created the feeling of unhappinessinothers.

But one day, when he turned , eighty years old a n i n c r e d i b l e t h i n g happened Instantly everyone started hearing the rumour:

“An Old Man is happy today, he doesn't complain about anything, smiles, and even his face is freshened up.”

Feathery Mask for Mardi Gras

Supplies

· Paper plate

· Feathers in various colors

· Green sequins

· 12 " wooden dowel

· Glittery pipe cleaner: 1 each gold purple and green

· Duct tape

· White craft glue

FUNWITHPOETRY

The whole village gathered together The old manwasasked: Villager:Whathappened to you? “Nothing special. Eighty years I've been chasing happiness, and it was useless And then I decided to live without happiness and just enjoy life. That's why I'm happy now.”

–An Old Man Moralofthestory: Don't chase happiness Enjoyyourlife.

· Scissors

Instructions

1. Fold a paper plate in half and cut along the crease. You only need one half, but can save the other half for another project, or make two masks! Fold the halfplate in half and cut out almond shapes for eye holes.

2. Trim around the top and bottom edges of the plate to create a more shapely mask.

3. Pipe white craft glue around the eye holes.

4. Place sequins in the glue, lining them

up right next to each other Repeat for the other eye.

5. Use glue to attach feathers all over the front of the mask. Start with larger feathers first, gluing them to the top, adding smaller and smaller feathers as you work your way to the bottom of the mask. Use very small feathers in the center

6. Wrap the wooden dowel with the three pipe cleaners, coiling them around the dowel one at a time.

7. Turn the mask over and to reinforce the center of the mask, helping it to be a bit stronger, glue a piece of cardboard or scrap of paper plate between the two eye holes.

8. Finally, use a piece of duct tape to secure the dowel to the back right side of the mask (or the left side if child is left handed).

9. These fancy, feathery masks are easy to make and perfect as photo booth props! Celebrate Mardi Gras in colorful style.

Magic square puzzles

Let's Mash together

by Uncle Roy

Of all the holidays in Guyana, More than all the rest, We must agree that Mashramani Is in many ways the best.

It is the special time of the year, When all Guyanese come together, To celebrate as one great people Our republic status and power

There will be so many celebrations All over our beautiful country, That everyone will find some way To take part in this festivity

So let us all join our hands, As we enjoy this great occasion, And determine to strive for peace and progress To fulfil our national aspiration.

Follow these tips, and you will certainly benefit in all areas of your life

Be a great teammate

Whether you are interacting with others at home, at school or at a workplace, you should always see that itisimportantforyoutorealisethatyou arepartofateam.

Makesureyoudoyourshareofthe work at home, which includes keeping theplacecleanandingoodorder,along withalltheotherthingsthatareneeded. In your class, you should cooperate with your teacher and classmates so that everyone gets the most out of the timespentthere.

If you are working, it would be much appreciated by your employer if you can see yourself as part of the whole group, and work with all others to get the goods and services you deal with produced and delivered efficiently

Do the right thing and do not let others stray you from your long-term goals

Once you have identified what you want from your life on the long term, do not let others dissuade you from the path that would lead you to

Mash in Guyana

achieving this. It is granted that you willhavetodevotesomeofyourtimeto entertainment and other socialising with friends, but you will need to make sure that these do not hamper your progressinthereallyseriousthingsthat youneedtomovetowardsafruitfullife later You will also have to appreciate that you need to act according to what your conscience dictates as right in all situationsinwhichyouinteract,soasto alwaysbefairtoothers,andontheright pathinyourownlife.

Take time to enjoy the things of nature

With all the gadgets that tend to take up so much of our time, like the television, electronic games and cellphones, we sometimes do not bother to look around us to check out the things that can really add joy and comfort to our lives. Take the time to admire and absorb the beauty and calmness that surround you wherever we go in our country, and you will find a source of upliftment and peace that will help you to concentrate more deeply in your other activities, and live a more peacefulandhappierlife.

Slitherlink

Mash in Guyana is celebrated by all, The young, the old, the large, the small; It is usually commemorated by all types and races, On Mash day you see all manner of faces, Mash is enjoyed by all Guyanese, So fighting, stealing, murder must all cease, And we as God's people are begging for peace, For it will bring blessings and give us great ease.

We have great love and respect for Mash, While others are thinking to burn others to ash; Some wish Mash was celebrated in the month of May, Then all of us would have a more enjoyable day

However, we are all prepared to join in the fun, Make sure you are there, don't be left out; All you country folks come down to Georgetown, And show the G.T. people how to enjoy clean fun.

UNCLEROY Tellitto

Hello,readers,

UncleRoyisagainaskingallofyoutotryinsomeway tomakeacontributiontothispage,andthustothewelfareof you and your fellow readers. This contribution can take any formthatyoufeelwouldbevaluable–anaccountofwhatis going on in your community and country, any advice you would like to pass on to your fellow teen readers and, on a broader level, any comment or recommendation you would liketomaketoyourfellowGuyanese.

Please remit same to my email –roypaul2002@yahoo com, and be assured that your worthwhile contribution will have a prominent place on our page.

Solutions to last week’s Valentine day

In a Slitherlink Puzzle, you

connect horizontally or verticallyadjacentdotstoform a meandering path that forms a single loop, without crossing itself, or branching.

The numbers indicate how many lines surround each cell. Empty cells may be surrounded by any number of lines(from0to3).

There is one unique solution, and you should be able to find it without

guessing.

You may find it helpful to make small x's between dots that cannot be connected.

Need some solving help? Visit krazydad.com/slitherlink

Mashramani is a perfect occasion to develop the “One Guyana” concept of unity in our country.

How to Apply Glitter Eye Makeup

Do you want to make your eyes sparkle? Wearing eye makeup that contains glitter is a great way to increase your glam factor. Glitter is a fun way to dress up your everyday look. You can choose to make the look subtle, or use it as the focal point of your whole makeup scheme. Take care to learn to properly apply glitter eye makeup.

Choose the right product. Creating a smoky eye using glitter shadow is a great way to create a sultry, dramatic look. There is a wide array of glittery eye-shadows from which you can choose. One of the most important things to consider is which color of shadow you want. For example, if you are trying to create a more subtle look, try a shadow that closely matches your natural skin tone. This method will make your eyes appear to sparkle.

Keep in mind that you will need 3 shades of the same color for a smoky eye look. For example, you could use a cream, a light brown, and glittery dark brown.

If you want to highlight your eye color, glitter eyeshadow can help you do that. To make brown eyes pop, use a cream shade. To make green eyes glow, try a shadow with a reddish tint. If you have blue eyes, try a sparkling gold or copper color

Any of these color palettes can be used to create a smoky eye. Gray is also great for smoky eyes, and works well on many skin tones. For warm skin tones, opt for a brown eyeshadow.

Glitter eye makeup comes in many different forms. You can buy eyeshadow pencils, powders, or gels.If this is your first time using glitter, try purchasing an eyeshadow palette. This will let you experiment with multiple shades.

Gather your supplies. Once you have chosen the right glitter shadow, it is time to achieve the look you want. Take a couple of minutes to make sure that you have everything you need. To start with, you'll need the shadow and a tool to help you apply it.[1]

You can apply eye shadow using your finger, a sponge, a brush, or a Q-tip. Many people prefer using a silicone brush as it is sturdier and can better handle the weight of a glitter shadow

Have tissues nearby to help you clean up any stray glitter

Make sure that you have a gentle eye-makeup remover handy in case you need to remove the shadow and start over

Use primer Aprimer is a base that you apply before putting on your actual makeup. It will typically be a clear liquid, but is sometimes in powder or gel form. Using your finger, apply a small amount of shadow primer to each of your eyelids. This will create a smooth palette for your shadow and make it last longer.[2]

You can purchase eyeshadow primer at any drugstore or department store. Remember, a little goes a long way

Apply the base shadow. Once your eyes and your tools are ready, it is time to put the glitter shadow on your eyes. Try using several different shades to create a dramatic effect. Begin by applying a charcoal gray shadow. Use a medium brush to cover your lid with shadow

5. Use a slightly darker shade to color the outer corner of your eyes. This will help to create a contour Then, dab a bit of the lighter shade onto the inner corner of your eyelid to highlight it. If you want your eyes to look smaller, bring the darker shade further out onto your eyelid.

Add color to your crease. Different shades are what create the smoky look. Next, you want to apply the darkest of your shadows, which is the same color you applied to your outer eyelid. Using a brush, apply a thin line of dark shadow across the crease of your eyelid. This will help create the smoky effect. Remember, it is easier to add more shadow than to take it away. Start with less than you think you might need. You can always apply more.

Blend the colors. Blending the complimentary colors will help create a softer, yet still dramatic, look. For this step, you can use either your finger or a brush. Lightly smudge each of the colors together so that they are no longer sharply defined. Color the bottom lid. To create a true smoky eye, you need to focus on your lower lid, too. Use a gunmetal shade for this step. Use a small, firm brush and press shadow along your lower lid line To keep the look from being too severe, use a light silver shadow to lighten the overall effect.

https://www.wikihow.com/Get-Glitter-Eye-Shadow-to-Stick

Woman Entrepreneur , on a mission to Michelle A. Nicholas empower other women entrepreneurs

By Vanessa Braithwaite-Moore

Award winning f e m a l e entrepreneur, Michelle Nicholas, who is a Lindener by birth, has taken h e r j o u r n e y a s a n entrepreneur to not only empower herself, but to be a vessel in the lives of others whoaretryingtodothesame but may not have the same advantages, opportunities or knowledgeasshedoes.

Nicholas who lives in

New York and owns the NICO Consulting Firm which is a Business, Public Relations and NGO Management Company, recently copped two prestigious awards in New York: She was featured by 914 Inc. magazine in their Women in Business spread in acknowledgement of her outstanding achievements, in the November/December issue of the magazine. Ms. Nicholas was named as one of 24 Women in Business in

Westchester County and she was accorded the prestige of being featured on the magazine's cover, becoming the first Guyanese to grace the cover of the magazine as thesolofeature.Onthesame day, she was also awarded with the IDEA (Inclusion, Diversity, Equity and Access)ChampionAwardby t h e A s s o c i a t i o n o f

Fundraising Professionals, Mid-HudsonValley While she is no stranger toaccolades,shesaidshefelt

very honoured to be a recipientofthesetwoawards as they reminded her of her mandatetoserve.“Iamtruly honoured to be selected for these honours – and particularly for doing what I love - making a difference in people's lives. Every award, every recognition tells a story and always serve as a reminder of my focus, people, culture and community,”shesaid. Her deep sense of community building was

inspiredbyherfatherandthe way he started his construction company After serving as a security guard foryears,hemadeadecision to start his own business without the funds or the know-how, but allowed his dream, determination and the needed skills to pivot him “After migrating, working and saving for a long time, he launched his c o m p a n y , N i c o Construction A one-man construction company, that grew into an employer of many fellow Guyanese in St. Maarten. Through it all, my father remained focused on b u i l d i n g r e s p e c t e d relationshipswithhisclients. This is why creating sustainable partnerships is not just the tagline of my company, The NICO Consulting, Inc. It is at the core of who we are,” she said.

Irrespective of her client's budget, social status or magnitude of the project, she believes that each one should be given the same respect as she believes lasting relationships are the lifeblood of a business

NICO Consulting provides knowledge and expertise on various areas including diversity, equity and inclusion, strategy, operations, marketing and public relations as well as nonprofitmanagement.

Despite building a successful company, doing so as a woman, was no easy task for Nicolas, but she rose above every stereotype and systematic sexism to prove that women can achieve greatness in the corporate world as well. While facing external mountains, she also had to face the internal fears

and had to water daily her ability to believe in herself.

“That was one of the first steps for me. It is wonderful to have others believe in you but it really starts with you believing in yourself and being kind to yourself. We are our worst critic, and though self-examination is essential, we must take time to smile with ourselves,” she said.

Believing in herself has led her to hold several roles andledorganizationstoward s u c c e s s i n g r o w t h , development, revenue, community, people and culture. Being a successful woman entrepreneur and seeinghowbeingrecognised for same has positively impacted her, inspired her to recognize other women l o c a l l y f o r t h e i r c o n t r i b u t i o n s t o entrepreneurship.

She collaborated with Lyndell Danzie-Black, Managing Director, Cerulean Inc, to execute the 25 Influential Women Leaders Award (25ILWA), which is an annual award aimed at championing women for their talents, achievements, values and contributions Since launching in 2019, 75 women leaders have been awarded “This year, being our fourth year, we are looking forward to honouring another 25 womenleaders,onJune10at the Pegasus Suites, marking the honoring of one hundred Women Leaders across Guyana.”

Additionally, the two creatorshavealsocreatedthe Women's Leadership Programme in 2022, which aimstosupportwomenatall

(Continued on page 64)

Founder of NICO Consulting, Michelle Nicolas

By RehannaRamsay

Armed with a few paintbrushes, an empty canvas, and a dab of colours, Guyanese artist/painter, Compton Babb Jnr can createamasterpiecewithina coupleofweeks.

For Babb, no painting is complete without a touch of gold.Theartistewouldhave it no other way; that’s his standard,Gold.

Hetoldthe Waterfall that his unique pro-gold portrait style paintings have earned himrecognitionfromseveral prominent Guyanese and esteemed international publicfiguressomeofwhom visitedtheseshores.

His work encompasses portraits of the likes of His Excellency the President of Guyana Dr Irfaan Ali, First Lady Mrs.AryaAli, Former MayorofNewYork.BillDe Blasio, and his wife, Chirlane McCray, and Guyana-born movie star, Letitia Wright, all of whom he has presented with paintings at various juncturesofhiscareers.

This week’s Special Person is no stranger to the public as his work has been filtered throughout various social media platforms, gaining high praises from recipients and admirers alike Babb rose to prominence in 2018 and since then, he has not stoppedchurningout,almost annually, masterpiece after masterpiece.

He tells the Waterfalls that while art runs in his

Creatingauniquelineofgold-brandedportraits...

GuyaneseArtistandPainter ,

isa‘SpecialPerson’

overtheyearsandthethings heachievedandthethingshe has done for the family’s wellbeing.” Hisdad’sinfluenceisnot onlyevidentinhischaracter but vocational choices as well. Babb reminisced that he started following in his dad’sartfootstepsveryearly on. He said as soon as he could doodle on paper, he was attempting to draw his favouritecartooncharacters. At first, the drawings would not turn out quite as he imaginedthembuthekeptat it.

“Honestly,Ibelieveartis

blood by virtue of his biological father, Compton Desmond Babb who is also an artist, he continues to worktirelesslytonurturethe skill that his Creator has blessedhimwith.Hisgoalis toleavealegacyofwhichhis family, children, and the countrywouldbeproud.

He said, “I am certainly blessed. I have always been surrounded by art because my father is an artist and I have always loved doing it so for me, to work to better my skills as I go along this journeyisbasicallymylabor oflove,becausemyultimate thing is to produce an excellentlastingproductthat people can admire for possiblyhundredsofyearsto come.”

BIRTHRIGHT

Intheearlieststageofhis life, Babb recalled that his family moved around a lot. Hespenthisformativeyears in Martin Street, East RuimveldtHousingScheme,

Georgetown, but later the family moved to Versailles, West Bank Demerara, then to Non-Pariel, East Coast Demerara.

“That is just to name a fewplaceswherewelived,” Babb the eldest child of JenniferandComptonBabb, related.

He noted too that growing up in a humble household, taught him very earlyhowtobepunctualand disciplined And he also learned the determination to achievegoalsinlifewithhis dadashisrolemodel.

He added, “That impacted me because I have seen the sacrifices he made

my birthright ”Babb declaredunapologetically

He continued “As soon asIcouldhaveheldacrayon properly I was trying to createsomethingspecialout of my drawing. When I was young maybe in primary

school I started drawing cartoon figures like Daffy Duckandsoon.Ifyoucheck my old school books you willalwaysfinddrawingsat thebackofthem”

Theartistdidnotcreate

Continuedonpage55

GuyaneseArtist and Painter, Compton Babb

GuyaneseArtist presents his gold-style portrait to Guyana-born movie star, Letitia Wright

Babb shares a picture of his painting titled, ‘an orphan boy’s dream’

Compton Babb stands alongside his father who is also his mentor

Cuisine Culture

AuthenticTreats Zashrose Sweets

ByRenaySambach hirty-three-year-Told Roseann

Skeete-Ally, a former teacher and now a stay at home mom of two boys,launchedherbusiness, ‘Zashrose Sweets’, which offers a variety of decorated sugar cookies, donut holes, cupcakes,pansizechocolate chip cookies, small cakes andmore.

Duringaninterviewwith The Waterfalls, Roseann sharedthatbeforeshestarted a family she always had a passion for cooking and baking.Thisshesaid,ledher toherattendingclassesatthe Carnegie School of Home Economics and certifying herselfinhomeeconomics.

She explained that her main calling was being a teacher, which she absolutely loved. However, she later left the profession to stay at home and care for hertwosons.

“Being at home and being someone who likes doing any and every thing I decidedtostartmybusiness. Decorating sugar cookies is somethingItotallyenjoy,so, itwasasurething. Thisgave me the opportunity to care for my boys and still be independentwhileachieving my own dream,” Roseann said.

The stay at home mom and businesswoman added that her inspiration for starting my business came from her parents, who are businessowners.

She stated that while growing up assisting her parentsintheshopservedas a stepping stone and motivated her to establish herownbusiness.

She disclosed that her

decorated sugar cookies are themostpopularitemonthe menu.Infact,shestatedthat when she started her business on May 26, 2021, the decorated sugar cookies were the very first item on themenu.

She explained that the name of her business, ‘Zashrose Sweets’ is a combinationofthenamesof eachmemberofherfamily

Roseann added that her business have since catered for birthday parties, weddings, baby gender reveal parties, henna nights, and special holiday events, promotion parties, and anniversaries and many otherevents.

‘Zashrose Sweets’ is a home-based business which is located in Enmore, on the EastCoastofDemerara.

According to Roseann, the business offers delivery or pickup in Georgetown. Thebusinessisopeneddaily fromMondaytoSaturday

“Mylongtermgoalisto make my business bigger and to continue being a successbutI’mtakingitone step at a time and enjoying the journey I’ve been lucky to meet so many interesting people along the way I love beingateacherandIhopeto returnbacktoworkwhenmy boys are older, however, having this business is a dream come through,” Roseannsaid.

TocontactRoseann,you can visit her business on Facebook at ‘Zashrose Sweets’ or call/WhatsApp +592686-2535.

To share any useful information you can contact

isa‘SpecialPerson’

Frompage53 hisfirstsolidpieceuntil2018when he presented the painting to the then Mayor of New York, Bill De Blasio and his wife, Chirlane McCray

Hesaid,“Itwasatthatmoment thatIknewthatIdon’thavetobea suffering artist any longer I can actually make this a career So for me,artisnotahobbyit’sacareer “

And though he has done some remarkable work since, Babb admits that he is still not yet in the primeofhiscareer

“Iwasbornin1981,sothereare still lots more to do, learn and accomplish. I am committed to advancing myself as an artist, trying new things to just make the workIproducethebestofitskind,” he added with a streak of determination in his voice. That drive, he shared is one he developedwhilefacingsomeinitial challenges in the pursuit of his dreamtobeoneofthebestartistsin theCaribbean.

WILLPOWER

Babb revealed that while he is no doubt equipped as an artist, he was forced to make some undesirable choices in pursuit of hiscareerandhappiness.

“Almosteveryonewouldagree with me when I say that the structure of our current education system does not support the creative person and sobecauseIknewthekindofcareer I wanted, I did not graduate high schoolbutleftandwentstraightfor artschool,’ Babbsaid

Heexplainedthathewasjust17 years old when he joined, the BurrowesSchoolofArt.

Babbsaid,“Myintentionwasto completetheartworkinfouryears. There were various courses to complete including drawing, painting, ceramics, sculpting, textile and design, 2-D designs, graphics, and so on but some administrative issues led to me droppingoutofArtSchoolforfour years. It was a difficult decision to makebutIdiditformyowngood.”

“So I don’t know what it feels like to wear a graduation gown,” the artist revealed adding nevertheless that he made a decision within himself

that day that if he had to leave school again, he would be the best non-graduating student, the Caribbeanhaseverseen.

“Ihavenevertoldanybodythis but it has become my inner fuel,” Babbstated.

GOLDSTANDARD

It is due to these initial challenges that Babb decided that he would create his own brand of paintings. Heexplainedthathehas alwayslovedthegoldconceptsoit was one he adopted as part of his brand.

“Goldelementhasbeenevident throughout my life Gold represents the highest level of achievement: The gold standard. I rememberhearingthevoiceofGod onthetrain…aboutthemeaningof gold. Thescripturesspeaktogold representingroyaltyandmajesty I

wantmypaintingstospeakofthose highstandards.

Drawing his inspiration from global figures like Kobe Bryant, Pablo Picasso, and Steve Jobs, the artistadaptsamentalfortitudeand innovative capabilities that allow him abilities to reinvent himself to stayaheadofsociety

He said, “Most of all, my son CorneliusBabbprovidesthefuelto keepmegoingonadailybasis,not onlyformebutforhim.”

Heemphasizedthateverypiece isspecialinitsuniquewaythereis no perfect artwork, and each piece is a perfect representation of the value.

Babb noted “My price range varies based on these components; the size, concept, composition, time, and most of all, the artist’s creative input

toexecutethedesiredresults.Each artworkhasitsownuniqueconcept which causes a variation in the price. One consistent challenge I encounter is having people not understand and appreciate the valueofart.”

The artist’s work does not stop at earnings. He has donated many ofhispieces.

“WhileIamaphilanthropist and I try to provide my servicetomaketheworld a better place, my work is not only my passion but mypurpose a n d car

eer that provides an income to sustain myself and my family,’he explained.

The artist said too that his motivationcomesfromthereaction of others who are inspired by his work and also anticipating the unknown result of the finished product.

He asserted “There are moments when I have to dig deep and be inspired by God who is greater than I am So, the motivation comes from unlocking the unknown and trying to figure outwhatGodhasinstorenext.”

According to Babb having a supportivefamilywhounderstands his work requirements makes it easy Finding balance can sometimesbechallengingbut,itis importanttonotonlyrelyonone’s own strength but the strength of God who guides me through this all.

As such, Babb shared that his ultimategoalasanartististocreate art that speaks to hope, value, and self-worthtohelpothersfindtheir purposethroughhispaintings.

“So it’s no longer about whoIwishtopaintbutrather thehigherconceptwhichis helping to discover the Gold in others,” he said.

‘PRAGZ22’ AND ‘PRAGZ CATER TOO’

byHadiyahClarke

ByRenaySambach

Ha r d w o r k i n g determined a motivated are words which best describe 25-year businesswoman and model Clarke.

It was her love for business discipline that ushered in businesses, making Hadiya ‘Pragz22’and‘PragzCaterToo’.

Hadiyah recently graduated from the University of Guyana(UG)withadegreeinBusinessManagement.

During an interview with The Waterfalls, she said, “I enjoy managing my businesses, planning, organizing, modeling,fashion,musicandentertainmentingeneral.”

Theyoungbusinesswomanadded,“Mygoalistooneday catertorestaurants,hotelsandtoemployGuyanesemenand women while continuously perfecting the art of creating appealingfood.”

Tomarkthesecondanniversaryoftheopeningofherfirst business,‘Pragz22’,Hadiyahwillbehostingananniversary celebration ‘Runway & Brunch’ at located at Movietowne, Rupert Craig February19.

Just two years ago, Hadiyah launched business venture ‘Pragz22’, which providing quality and chic fema However, Hadiyah is set to launch clothingline.

Her event packed anniver celebration will have male and female models strutting the runway dressed infashionableoutfits.Therearealso threeotherboutique’sinvolvedinthe event: Frances & Co , La Ro Boutique,andBeyondtheAlleyBoutique.

The event is set to combine Hadiyah’ modelingexperienceandloveforfashion, incorporatingherclothesandfoodbusinesses. themeofhereventis“highfashion”and fashionshowtherewillbeabrunchand

The tickets for the event cost $10,000 thefashionshow,brunchandtheafterparty

During , Hadiyah explained t h a t ‘Pragz Cater Too’ is a charcuterie caterings e r v i c e businessofferingcharcuterieboardsandboxes.

“We have both charcuterie boards and boxes that can be customized for our customers. On our menu we offer Vegetarian and Meat options. Each order can include; fruit, nuts,crackers,chocolates,cheese,jams,honey,dips,cooked meat,”theyoungbusinesswomansaid.

Shesharedthatthefirsteventherbusinesscateredforwas thebirthdaypartyofawell-knownbusinessman.

placed hours in advance.

“I was inspired by the art of food. I believe food should always look appealing and I found that charcuterie allowedforfoodtobedisplayedinvariouscreativeways. I often would ensure my food is plated in the right crockery, that it’s positioned properly before capturing the perfect picture.SowhenIdiscoveredcharcuterie,Iwasleddownthe pathofcreatingabusinessventureusingthat,”sheshared.

The young businesswoman advises aspiring business ownerstohaveagreatsupportsystem,remainfocusedandbe sureonwhattheywanttopursue.

To contact Hadiyah you can visit her business pages on Facebook/Instagram@’Pragz22’and ‘Pragz Cater Too’ or +592

naesambach@gmail.com

Excel Guyana expanding local capacity, building strategic partnerships

Excel Guyana Inc , a 100 percent Guyanese owned company has succeeded to expand its local capacity through building strategic partnerships with multinational firms.

During an interview with company's Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Kris Sammy, at the second International Conference and Energy Expo, he shared that the companywasregisteredin2019but has been around since 2012 under a differentname.

“The company continues building local content through strategic relationships and joint ventures that align with Guyana's development plans in the oil & gas industry, agriculture, construction andminingsectors”Sammysaid.

He added that Excel has built an exceptional team that allows us to continually provide our clients and partnerswithworldclassservice.

“We are market leaders in recruiting and employer of record services and our other divisions including customs brokerage, procurement & logistics, marine & offshore services are growing fast,” theCEOcontinued.

Sammy added that in July 2022, ExcelGuyanabecamethefirstlocal company to achieve its Integrated Management Systems (IMS) CertificationfromSGS,throughthe certification of the company's activities to the ISO 9001:2015 Quality Management System, the ISO 45001:2018 Occupational Health and Safety Management System, and the ISO 14001:2015 Environmental Management Systems.

“Now is the time to raise local standards in conducting business. Our team is well trained in these international standards,” Sammy said.The company's executive team has over 30 years of local

experience and a strong network of high-quality, local partners to launch and sustain operations in Guyana.

Importantly, in support to the Local Content Act of 2021 which highlights the need to give top priority to local employment and businesses in the oil and gas industry, Excel and its affiliate companies, Excel Logistics & Management Services (Guyana) Inc. and Excel Construction Inc., arefullyregisteredandapprovedby the Local Content Secretariat, and has received its Local Content CertificateofRegistration.

It was stated too that there are opportunities for every Guyanese business owner to expand and also benefit from the oil and gas sector driving the explosive growth in Guyana'seconomy

“Thousands of jobs will be opening up over the next two years. Ourrecruitingandhumanresources division is helping companies develop a diverse and skilled workforce. We provide recruiting services, employer of record services, as well as job relocation assistance,”theCEOsaid.

According to him, Excel's procurement division has

established networks in various countries like: Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Canada, China, India, the United States of America (USA), Mexico, and Venezuela. He added that the company was able to direct-source materials for new developments onshore and offshore.

Among the major highlights of the company's Marine and Offshore Division includes unmatched industry experience and technical competencies, quality ship and rig suppliers, competent project managementskills,highlyqualified andtrainedQHSEEpersonnel.

Through the business construction division, they are building large infrastructure projects with internationally recognized engineering and developmentfirms.

The CEO added that the company announced partnerships this week with with DURAFLEX Solutions a global leader in soil stabilization, and the Inver Group a regional leader in prefabricated steel structures and engineering, adding, “The relationships we forged and products we distribute are strategic to the development of Guyana”.

Treasury to pick up $9.2 billion shortfall in BoG's General Reserve

The Bank of Guyana (BoG) in its most recent declaration of the nation's Statement of Assets and Liabilitieshasrevealedadisturbing occurrence indicating that the bank has in fact not been making sufficientprofitsinrecentyears.

In the most recent statement published in the Official Gazette, it is documented that the General Reserve held at Bank of Guyana wasinfactminus$9.2B.

Under the Laws of Guyana establishing that account the Bank of Guyana Act—the BoG shall establish a general reserve into which it would deposit 50 percentofthenetprofitmadebythe bankforeachfinancialyear

The other half of net profits earnedbytheBoG,accordingtothe Act, would then be transferred to the Consolidated Fund through the

AccountantGeneral.

According to the most recent publication of BoG, that account stands at -$9,223,246, 431, dated February8,last.

It was noted that net profit for BoG, is calculated by deducting from gross income all expenses, together with allowance for depreciation of assets, contribution to staff benefit funds, provision for bad and doubtful debts, and such othercontingenciesandaccounting provisions as are usually made by banks.

Additionally,theBOGActdoes provide for instances where if, the General Reserve Fund is in any year insufficient to cover any net loss of the bank recorded in its profit and loss account, an amount similar to the deficiency will be appropriatedandshallbedebitedto

the account of the Govt. with the bank.“Such debit shall be made in the form of shall be made in the form of a transfer from the Consolidated Fund or interest bearing marketable obligations issuedbyGovernment.”

Assuch,itwouldmeanthatitis ultimately the nation's treasury that willhavetopickuptheshortfall.

Minister within the Office of the President with responsibility for Finance Dr Ashni Singh, in presenting the National Estimates for this year, did reflect on Guyana's reserve while not specifically naming the state of the GeneralReserves.

According to Dr Singh at the time, total reserves deposited with BoG, in line with the expansive credit by commercial banks and increased stock of money, declined

by an estimated 6.7 percent to $109 5B over the review period—2022.

He noted that “of this amount, excess reserves are estimated to account for $33.2 billion, 44.8 percentbelowthe$60.2Battheend of2021.”

He further noted that the required statutory reserves, however, are projected to grow by 33.4percentto$76.3Bthisyear

Additionally, he said total liquid assets of commercial banks are forecasted to contract by 5.2 percent to $244.2B over the review period, primarily underpinned by the mentioned 44.8 percent fall in excessreserves.

As it relates to the most recent statementofassetsandliabilities,it is documented that in relation to its foreign assets, there is in excess of

$48Binadditiontoothercategories such as Capital Market Securities heldoverseastotalingsome$138B, altogether accounting for just over $189Bintotalforeignassets.

As it relates to those held locally, BoG reported Government of Guyana Securities and Treasury Billsamountingtoalmost$300B.

With regards to the listed Capital and Liabilities, BoG reported that there is in circulation over $1.2B in coins in the country while there is some $204B in bank notesincirculation.

Public deposits account for just over $82B while Bankers deposits withBoGaccountfor$129.8B.

Altogether, the nation's Total Capital and Liabilities registered at Bank of Guyana for the period ending February 8, 2023 was $585.2B.

Excel Guyana Inc. team at the International Conference and Energy Expo

Frompage18 used to represent the State’s interests in such matters. He didpledgehowevertodistill such details at the appropriatetime.

The President said this development followed engagements that were held earlier in the year with former UK Prime Minister, Boris Johnson as regards energysecurity

THURSDAYFeb16,2023

GuyanatopayExxon US$55Mannually for20yearstoclear pipelinedebt …costtogeneratepower nowpeggedatUS4.2 cents/KWh

The Government of Guyana (GoG) will be paying American oil major ExxonMobil US$55 million annuallyfor20yearstoclear the costs associated with developing a 12- inch pipeline that will be used to transport natural gas from the Liza Fields offshore to theWalesdevelopmentsite.

The pipeline is a component of the Gas-toEnergy (GTE) project being developed by government and Exxon, through its subsidiary,EssoExploration and Production Guyana Limited(EEPGL).

While the oil company will be funding the investment costs of the pipeline, the GoG will be building a Natural Gas Liquids (NGL) facility to treat and separate the resource, as well as a 300 megawatts (MW) power plant to generate electricity topowerthenationalgrid.

Head of the Gas-toEnergy (GTE) project, Winston Brassington on Wednesday gave an update on the venture during day two of the International Energy Conference, being hosted at the Marriott Hotel inGeorgetown.

Theeventisbeinghosted this year under the theme ‘Harnessing Energy for Development’.

Itwasonlylastweekthat thePresidentofExxonMobil Guyana, Alistair Routledge saidthatthefinalcostofthe pipeline has not yet been determined; however, Brassingtontolddelegatesof the conference that the pipelinecostwillbeUS$1B. He explained that when the US$1billionisrepaidovera period of 20 years, this amounts to a US$55M debt forthecountryeachyear

Brassington even sought

tosharetheformulausedby thestatetoarriveatthiscost. He explained, “That US$55 millionistheamortizedcost of US$1 billion for 20 years at a discount rate. When we convertthattoanequivalent price of gas, so that conversion, we took the 50 million, we took $2.40 per mmbtu by 365 days by 1.26 which is the conversion of themmbtutomcfkandthat’s how we came up with the US$55million.”

Generatingcost

A c c o r d i n g t o Brassington, the project will generate electricity for the country at a mere US4.2 cents. This new estimate is lower than US5 cents Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo had initially estimated. The GTE Project Head said in 2022, Guyana generated its electricity through Heavy FuelOil(HFO).

The cost to do this however was pegged at just under US20 cents per Kilowatt hour (KWh) He said the cost to generate

cost of generation would be less than US5 cents. Well, here it is broken down. We now know firmly what the EPC (Engineering, P r o c u r e m e n t a n d Construction)costwouldbe, weknowwhatwearepaying Exxon, we convert that so the equivalent fuel cost basedonwhatwearepaying Exxon for the 50 million (cubicfeetofgasperday)is alittleunderUS2cents.”

He added, “The O&M cost (operation and maintenance)weestimateat .8 of one cent and the capex recovery 1.4 cents so 4.2 cents per KWh for generation versus a little under US20 cents for last year.”

Expectedsavings

Brassingtonsaidin2022 G P L e x p e n d e d approximately US15 cents on HFOs to generate 1KWh ofelectricity

He said if one were to consider the 300-megawatt output from the power plant usinggas,ifgovernmenthad to pay for fuel to generate electricity, this would have costalmostUS$400million.

Additionally, he also pointedoutthatGuyanawill benefitfromtheNaturalGas Liquids that will be produced In 2021, the average price to import propane and butane- the gases used for cooking- was pegged at US$100 million. This however increased to US$150 million in 2022 he said,pointingtothebenefits Guyanacanenjoy

ManfreedinGuyanafor supplyingfakeHIV testingkits,isnow chargedinUSforthe samecrime –allegedlydivertedand soldHIVtestingkitsfrom KenyatoGuyana’s MinistryofHealth

Davendra Rampersaud of Caribbean Medical Supplies (CMS) the man whowasMaylastyearfreed onchargesofsupplyingfake HIV testing kits to the Ministry of Health—was on January 19 last, arrested based on a warrant issued in relation to the same kits supplied to Guyana, money laundering and other charges.

Rampersaud along with others, have since been slapped with a number of charges after his arrest in Florida and the matter has since been transferred to another District, South Carolina.Hewasreleasedon

programmes in 100 countries including Kenya. As such, it was further outlined that USAID is part of the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS relief (PEPFAR) as part of thecountry’sresponse.

Among the beneficiaries of that PEPFAR programme is Kenya, and is organised under the Kenyan Medical Supplies Authority (KEMSA) that falls under that country’s Ministry of Health and is provided monthly with vouchers for the operations, including for thesupplyofHIVtestingkits andothersupplies.

T h e u n n a m e d manufacturer, according to the court documents seen, authorises specific companies as distributors of its products in order to protecttheirintegrity

InGuyana,theprovision of the HIV testing kits had been supplied by an authorised dealer for the Caribbean, a practice that hadbeeninplaceforseveral years.

other healthcare supplies which was then found to be divertedtootherdestinations including in Guyana, which Rampersaud with others supplied to the Guyana Government It was noted that between November 2015 and December 2019, RampersaudandCMSmade payments to the other allegedconspiratorsandthat the payment was for “medical commodities which had been diverted from Kenya and other countriestoGuyana.

The court documents reiterated that some of the productshadbeenfundedby USAID with the money being transferred to Kenya fromtheUS.

In June 2015, CMS through Rampersaud solicited HIV testing kits from the manufacturer indicating that the incumbent supplier for the Caribbean at the time was “no good” and that he was looking to secure some 30,000 such kits The f o l l o w i n g m o n t h , Rampersaud reportedly provided the manufacturer with a fraudulent letter of authorityforCMStooperate as the distributor for the Caribbean.

power with HFOs last year was US15 8 cents This however was not the final cost to distribute the electricity as the Guyana Power and Light Inc. (GPL) also factored in its operational and capital expenses recovery which pushed the cost to US20 centsperKWh.

“Our actual selling price lastyear(or)whatcustomers paid is about 24 or 25 cents but our real cost because G P L t o d a y i s subsidized…our real cost is aboutUS30centssoit’svery important to fix this problem,” he insisted while hailing the GTE project as thesolution.

To this end, Brassington said, “Should we look at what our projected cost for generationin2026wouldbe, we are looking at an all-in costofaboutUS4.2centsfor kwh.

We said last year when we had the signing of the HeadsofAgreementthatthe

A c c o r d i n g t o Brassington, “it is an extremelygooddeal.”

He said Guyana will payingUS$55millionandat the same time is poised to receivevalueabout10times greater “Even if we were to use lower prices for the NGLs and for the fuel, we still (are) getting multiple returns from this and of course the transformational impact this can have on G u y a n a c a n n o t b e understated,”hesaid.

Recoveryofcapital

Offering a financial breakdown on how the various aspects of the GTE project will be repaid, Brassington in his half hour presentation explained that the country will pay an additional US$51 million annually for 20 years to repayfortheNGLandpower plantinfrastructure.

He said that the US$759 million for the two facilities willberepaidovera20years period at a three percent interestrate.

This amounts to US$51

bailonMonday

According to US Court documents seen by this publication, Rampersaud along with his unnamed accomplices allegedly e n g a g e d i n m o n e y laundering, aiding and abetting a crime, theft from the US Government, Conspiracy, stealing or converting/unauthorised selling/unlawful receipt and theft in relation to Health Caresupplies.

Accordingtotherecords, Rampersaud during one of his initial appearances had waived his rights to an identity hearing or a preliminary hearing in addition to other legal procedures which was granted by US Judge Jacqueline Becerra In the superseding indictment against Rampersaud, the US prosecutorsoutlinedthatthe United States Agency for International Development (USAID,) is a US federal agency that provides economic development and humanitarian assistance around the world with missionsin80countriesand

According to the court documents seen by this publication,CMSheadedby Rampersaud is not an authorised supplier of the manufacturers’productsand as such, was and is not permitted to provide the company’s products to the Guyana Government’s MinistryofHealth.

To this end, the documents allege that CMS, Rampersaud and others, knowinglyconspiredto,and agreed to commit a number of offences against the US Government.

Theseincludeknowingly stealing and converting to theirthingsofvaluefromthe USGovernment,namelythe supplies provided under the USAID programs to their own use and gains Additionally, the alleged perpetrators,knowinglysold the items without authority as well as willfully stealing and converting to their own usethingsofvalueoftheUS Govt.

It was noted that

KEMSA through the US authorities had received in 2014HIVtestingkitsamong

By November 2015, under the stewardship of then Health Minister Volda Lawrence, CMS was awarded a sole source contractforthesupplyofthe testing kits from the manufacturer It has since beenfoundthatbetweenthat time and 2020, Rampersaud through CMS had been wiringmoniestohisalleged conspirators, as payment for the HIV testing kits, a number of which was diverted from Kenya that hadalreadybeenpaidforby USAID.

The court documents noted that in 2016, Rampersaud was informed thathewasnotauthorisedto sell the manufacturers products The matter was raised again in March the following year, when the manufacturer wrote to Rampersaud’s partners, indicating that the actions involving Rampersaud were unlawful. This however did not prevent Rampersaud or his partners from persisting with the unlawful practice, thecourtpapersread.

In January 2020, it was discovered that 400 HIV rapid testing kits for Kenya hadbeendivertedtoGuyana and supplied to the Ministry of Health In Guyana, Rampersaudhaddenied (Continuedonpage59)

Gas-to-Energy Project Head, Winston Brassington

Davendra Rampersaud

Frompage58 charges which alleged that on January 16, 2020, Caribbean Medical Supplies Inc allegedly sold and supplied 400 units (20 packs)ofUni-goldHIVTest Kits, Batch #HIV7120026, w i t h m i s l e a d i n g representation,aviolationof the Food and Drugs Act of 1971.Accordingtoreports,a quantity of the testing kits was seized by the GA-FDD from the Materials Management Unit of the MinistryofPublicHealth,at Diamond, East Bank Demerara, and from local hospitals and laboratories

Theprobewaslaunchedinto the fake HIV testing kits after an Irish manufacturer last January wrote to the former Minister of Public Health, Volda Lawrence, warning that it is aware that there are counterfeit UniGold HIV test kits in Guyana.

The Irish company supplied photographic evidence, which indicated clearly that the kits expired inJulythepreviousyear The company,TrinityBiotech,in its complaint, named CMS. A c c o r d i n g t o t h e manufacturer,thefakeboxes were created with expiry datesextendedby17months and the kits repacked in t h e m . T h e I r i s h pharmaceutical company said that the products were already six months out of date when it was brought to Guyana.TrinityBiotechalso claimed that its Trinidadbasedauthorizeddistributor, Transcontinental Medical ProductsLimited,istheonly authorizeddistributorforthe Uni-GoldkitstoGuyanaand it had not participated in the transaction.

In fact, Trinity called on Lawrence to remove the expired kits from testing centres immediately as they posed health risks to patients.

In May last year,

Magistrate Zameena AliSeepaul freed Rampersaud, after he had been charged with supplying the Ministry of Health (MOH) with expired HIV test kits. The case against Rampersaud was dismissed as the court u p h e l d a n o - c a s e submission, agreeing that the prosecution failed to prove essential elements of theoffence.Thedefencealso contended that the prosecution failed to obtain sufficient evidence to show that Rampersaud imported the test kits and they also failed to establish that the

courthadjurisdictiontohear thematter

FRIDAY-Feb17,2023

‘Guyanainbetterposition totakemoreloans’FinanceMinister

Finance Minister, Dr Ashni Singh on Wednesday told investors at the

International Energy Conference that Guyana’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) has tripled in the last three years, placing the country in a greater position totakemoreloans.

Dr Singh said Guyana has been able to prudently manage and reduce the debt toGDPratiooverthepast30 years. He explained, “Those of you who have been following Guyana for long enough, would know that therewasaperiodjustabout

point out however, that the government recognises the importance of carefully managing the debt and are therefore selective and careful of new loans contracted. These loans he saidmustreachthecriteriaof investment into strategic options with competitive paybackterms.

He said, “We are extremely mindful of the complicated and difficult times that Guyana was once in and how important it is nowtoavoidareturntothat p e r i o d a n d s o notwithstanding the emphasis on investment and infrastructure, etecera we are doing all of this in a contextwherewemaintaina truly disciplined fiscal stance.”

Earlier on in his presentation, the Finance Minister offered an overview of the Guyana economy, boasting that the country’sGDPhastripledin sizeoverthepastthreeyears.

He explained, “We have been able to achieve worldbeating real economic growth and expansion and notonlyinasingleyear-you have heard that last year we were the fastest growing economy in the world with over62%ingrowth-notonly last year but in fact starting from2020.”

approach the United States ExportImport(EXIM)Bank to finance a Natural Gas Liquids (NGL) facility and the 300 megawatt power plant that forms part of the Gas-to-Energy (GTE) project. They are looking to borrow another US$646 millioninthisregard.

This year, Guyana will also be tasked with an additionalUS$1billiondebt to ExxonMobil for its investmentinthenaturalgas pipeline- the third aspect of the GTE project. These are just a few of the projects being financed through loans. It must be noted that thereareotherroadprojects, health and education initiatives being funded throughloansthisyear

OutofUS$750Mcarbon creditpayoutGovt.gives US$23MtoAmerindians …Oppositioncallsitan insultandbreachof consultativeprocess

People’s National Congress Reform (PNCR) and A Partnership for NationalUnity+Alliancefor Change (APNU+AFC) Member, Mervin Williams has joined the calls for a revision of the process by

Wednesday that a total of $4 6B (US$23M), which represents 15 percent of Hess’paymentforGuyana’s carbon credits, will be disbursed in the various communities He said the 2 4 0 A m e r i n d i a n communities are set to receivebetween$10million and$35millionfromcarbon credit sales commencing nextweek.

However, Williams is among those who believe that the communities are being short-changed by the Governmentgiventhevalue of their forests The oppositionmemberholdsthe view that the consultative processwasnotdoneingood faith and keeping with the UN declarations on the rightsofIndigenousPeoples for free, prior and informed consent.

of2006identifiestheVillage General Meeting as the decision-making body for indigenouscommunitiesand as such, villages should be afforded the opportunity to properly scrutinise policies, agreements and other decisions before signing on tothem,”theAPAsaid.

TheAPAsaid it is aware of the move by the government to summon Toshaos to Georgetown and informingthevillageleaders to walk with documents to create bank accounts to facilitate the transfer of monies from the carbon creditsagreement.

maybe 30 years ago when Guyana’spublicdebttoGDP exceeded six times the size of the economy. In 1991/ 1992thepublicdebttoGDP ratio exceeded 600% we havebeenableovertheyears to bring public debt down and today Guyana’s public debt to GDP ratio stands at 24.6percent.”

The Finance Minister pausedhispresentationashe received a resounding applausefortheprogressthe countrymadeinloweringits debt to GDP rate down. He however went straight into his point that this means Guyana is now in a better position to take more loans.

“I didn’t put a chart up with international comparators but if you, I mean many of you are familiar with these numbers around the World. You will no doubt recognise thatthedebttoGDPratioof 24.6%infactplacesGuyana ahead of almost every economy, certainly in this hemisphere and puts us in a position where we actually have fairly significant head roomtoborrow,”heshared.

Theministerwaskeento

He pointed out that this growthwasasaresultofthe nation commencing oil production in December 2019.Thisupwardtrend,Dr Singh projects, will remain favourable in 2023 and extend to the next three to fouryears.Thisyear,GDPis expected to grow by 25.1%, this sustained growth is expected to overlap throughout 2024 to 2027 with over 25% increase expected.

Dr.Singhsaidthatwhile oil and gas will be the main driver of this growth, the non-oil sector too is expected to record growth. While presenting the 2023 Budget, the Finance Minister pointed out that at the end of 2022, the country’s public debt increased by 16%, now standing at US$3,654 9M This year, the country’s public debt is expected to further increase as several loans are already lined up to finance large infrastructure projects For instance, the new Demerara Harbour Bridge is being funded throughaloanfromChinato thetuneofUS$172million. Government has also s

whichcarboncreditschemes are made available to the indigenous peoples of Guyana.

Williams’ comments come one day after Vice President (VP) Bharrat Jagdeo met with over 240 representatives of Amerindian Communities and announced the various sums that would be disbursedtothemasaresult of an agreement that indigenous communities would get 15 percent pay from the US$750M carbon creditearningsitreceivedas result as a result of the historic Hess Corporation deal, Guyana got for its forests.

Jagdeotoldthegathering of Amerindian leaders on

He told Kaieteur News: “what they have gotten is a pittance Its really taking what is rightfully theirs as they have been keeping the forests and giving them a something that is minuscule in comparison to what they should have gotten to drive development in those communities… The UN declarations on the rights of Indigenous Peoples dictate free, prior and informed consent. The consultation which occurred was nowhere close to those standards, ” Williams contended.

T h e A P N U + A F C member noted too that even for small communities $10 millioncannotdriveanyreal development. As a result he believes: “it’s just a charade an attempt to put on a show for the Amerindian people and the government is using the Toshoa from these villages to make it look like the Amerindian people are satisfied with what has happenedbutifyoumeetthe actual residents of those communities you will hear the real stories of the people,” Williams a former Member of Parliament related.

In addition to Williams, the Amerindian People’s Association (APA) had issuedastatementreiterating its call for the government “toupholdthetenetsoffree, prior and informed consent [FPIC] when engaging indigenous communities ” “We have noted numerous instances of the violation of FPIC standards by the government with the latest being the consultation processforthesaleofcarbon credits. the Amerindian Act

“The Toshaos were not informed of the amount of moneytheywillbereceiving and how that will be governed.Again,theactions of the government indicate thatthereisverylittleregard fortheFPICprocesswhichis a slap in the face of indigenous peoples in Guyana,” the APA said, while noting that it welcomes assistance to the indigenous communities as they are in need of better infrastructure for health, educationandotherservices.

“However,wearecalling onthegovernmenttoengage indigenouspeoplesinamore structured way and not foist its decisions on them. We reiterate that the APA is not blocking villages from accessing governmental support but is callingfor the administrationtorespectthe FPIC principles,” the APA saidreiteratingitscallforthe M i n i s t e r o f L o c a l Government to desist from “ c a m p a i g n o f misinformation on the organisation”.

SATURDAYFeb18,2023

ENDTHESILENCE& SECRECY!!!

LawyerchallengesGovt. tocomecleanonsuiteof legislation,institutional systemsinplacefor US$2Bgas-to-energy project

Attorney-at-Law, ElizabethDeane-Hughes,on behalf of herself and other concernedcitizens,isurging the People’s Progressive Party Civic (PPP/C) Administration to cut the arrogance and opacity and submit the US$2B gas-toenergy project to greater scrutiny

In a letter addressed to President, Dr Irfaan Ali; NaturalResourcesMinister, (Continuedonpage60)

Finance Minister, Dr.Ashni Singh

APNU+AFC Executive Member, Mervin Williams

Frompage59

Vickram Bharrat; Head of the Gas-to-Energy Taskforce, Winston Brassington; as well as Exxon’s subsidiary, Esso Exploration and Production Guyana Limited (EEPGL) and its Stabroek Block partners, Hughes said there ismuchabouttheprojectthat isyettobeclear

Her list of almost 30 questions to the officials sought to ascertain for example, under which national legislation and regulatory institutions will theupcominggasprocessing sector be regulated She contended that it is critical thatcitizensbetoldofwhich exis ting s tatutory regulations will govern the gas processing industry in Guyana within the proposed Wales Development Zone andenvirons.

The lawyer also demanded answers regarding the existing statutory regulations that willgovernthegaspipeline.

Thelawyeralsocalledon government authorities to saywhatinternationalcodes

The lawyer also called for the government to say what formula and/or methodology was used to determine costs/debts/loans andownershiparrangements forthepipeline.Shesaidtoo that the government has a duty to state how soon the public would be able to see thegassalesagreement.

Thelawyerremindedthe government of its duty to subject itself to public

gas being piped from the Stabroek Block to onshore facilities which include a Natural Gas Liquids (NGL) facility to treat and separate the gas and a power plant to generate 300 megawatts of electricity Exxon’s pipeline so far is expected to cost US$1 3 billion, while the other two aspects to be developed by government are now pegged at US$759M.

Felicia Lewis, a mother of two of Mora Camp, Bartica and 26-year-old David Hugginsof1/2MileBarticaPotaro Road, her reputed husband.

According to the police, the accident occurred sometime around 15:50hrs and involved motorcar bearing registration number PRR5669ownedanddriven by 66-year-old Byron Pearson, a Taxi Driver of

and fell onto the roadway, where they received injuries to their heads and bodies. They were picked up by residents in the area in an unconscious state and taken to the Bartica Regional Hospital.

There,policestatedthata doctor pronounced Lewis deadonarrival.Hugginswas admitted as a patient in a criticalconditionintheMale Surgical Ward. He suffered from head trauma and lacerationsabouthisbody

The injured man was subsequently air dashed to Georgetown by the Guyana Defence Force (GDF) Air Corps for further treatment. However, police reported that he died around noon on Friday while receiving treatment.

Meanwhile, the police saidthatthedriverofthecar wasgivenabreathalyzertest andtheresultswererecorded at .000 BAC. He remains in custody assisting with investigations.

Cattlefarmersetonfire forhelpingPoliceduring Hopetownprotest

accident.

“ The boy come and stopandtellmyfatherthat“I hear you seh you gon burst up me head”, so my father turn and ask him where he got that news from and he told my father wait right there and that he coming back,”McAlmontsaidwhile addingthatherfatherdidnot take what the man said seriously and remained wherehewas.

Shortly after the suspect returned with a bottle containing a liquid and a stick that was lit with fire. The suspect then doused Jameer with the liquid from the bottle and used the lit sticktosethimonfire.

“…He had a bottle with something like gasoline insideandhethrowitonhim and he had a stick light with fireandhejustpushthestick to the man and he catch on fire, ” McAlmont told reporters.

and standards would be adopted to ensure the safety of design, manufacturing, c o n s t r u c t i o n , commissioning and operation of offshore and onshorepipelinesystems.

Significantly, she said Guyaneseoughttobetoldif the government will establish a hydrocarbon pipeline inspectorate before theintendedexecutionofthe project to ensure the installation of any proposed pipelines are aligned with national regulations and internationalstandards.

scrutiny, adding that the deafening silence and arrogance to questions from thepubliciscontradictoryto the principles that ought to be obtained in a democratic society. She called on the government to be more transparent and bring much needed clarity to the governance structure for the project.

The Wales GTE project is being developed between theGuyanaGovernmentand

Government will be taking a blend of loans, budgetary allocations and other financial streams to payofffortheproject.

Barticacouplediesafter motorcyclecrashesinto car

A couple lost their lives on Thursday afternoon after the motorcycle they were traveling on crashed into a motorcar on Fourth Avenue and Fifth Street, Bartica, RegionSeven. Dead are 23-year-old

MongrippaHill,Bartica.

Police revealed that based on information received, the car was travelling south along the eastern side of Fourth Avenue, at a speed of 20 KmPh and failed to stop at the ‘stop sign’ on Fifth Street, while the motorcycle was proceeding east along the northern side of Fifth Street at a fast speed and collided with the right-side frontportionofthemotorcar

As a result of the collision, the couple was flung from the motorcycle

A 51-year-old cattle farmer, Trevor Jameer, was on Friday set on fire by a fellow villager for allegedly assisting the police during protest actions on February 5, 2023 at Hopetown, Berbice,RegionFive.

Hopetown residents had reportedly blocked the road and set a car on fire after a businessman’s son lost control of the vehicle and knockeddowntwovillagers.

Speaking with reporters, Jameer’s daughter, Travene McAlmont alleged that her fatherwasattackedandburnt Friday morning by a “boy” and claimed that it might be because he (her father) helped police to remove the car from the trench after the

Theattackerthenleftthe scene while, residents closeby rushed to assist Jameer by extinguishing the flames that engulfed his body Jameer rushed to the New Amsterdam Hospital where he was admitted with burnstohisface,neck,back, legs,armandside.

“Thisincidentstemfrom an incident from last month. The police ask my father to helppulloutthecarfromthe trench and they say that is betrayal, ” McAlmont alleged noting that the protestors were angry with her father for assisting the police. In fact, the woman said that her father has been labeleda‘traitor’.

Additionally, the woman alleged that one of the personswhocalledherfather a traitor threatened him on Thursday

Investigations are ongoing.

Dead: Felicia Lewis

Dead: David Huggins

Trevor Jameer is nursing burn wounds at the NewAmsterdam Hospital

Argentina reports new cases of bird flu in its territory

Reuters - Argentina confirmed on Saturday two new cases of bird flu detected in wild birds, three days after reporting the first findings of the diseaseintheSouthAmericanregion.

"We have detected a second case in two wild ducks found dead in the province of Cordoba," the Argentine National Service of Health and Agrifood Quality (SENASA) of the southerncountrysaidonTwitter Argentina, along with Uruguaytwo important international agricultural producers - this week

APA maintains political neutrality despite Govt. accusing body of being in bed with Opposition

due to the first cases reported last Wednesday

Officialsinbothcountriessaidthey reinforced controls at borders and internally as a result of the ongoing problem.Avian flu, which has reached new corners of the globe, has become endemic for the first time in some wild birds that transmit the virus to poultry, experts said.The virus has spurred import bans in some countries and pushed egg prices to record highs in some parts of the world.Brazil, the world's biggest chicken exporter, has

The Amerindians Peoples Association (APA) on Friday maintained that it is a politically neutral body despite statements made by both Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo and Minister of Local Government and Regional Development Nigel Dharamlall tothecontrary

On Friday, theAPAin a press release said that it has taken keen note of the attack on the organisation by Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo while addressing theToshaosandotherIndigenous Leaders at the Arthur Chung Convention Centre (ACCC) on Wednesday

The organisation said that the Vice President's vilification of the APA is a continuation of the attacks by Minister of Local Government and Regional Development Nigel Dharamlall but it however remains resolute in its objective of ensuring that indigenous peoples' rights are protectedandrespectedbyall.

According to APA, VP Jagdeo, like his Cabinet colleague Minister Dharamlall,

repeatedly accused the APA of being in bed with the APNU (A Partnership for National Unity) and again, “we reiterate that the APA is a politically neutral organisation.”

The APA said that it has consistently encouraged support for the indigenous peoples of Guyana but remains firm that the principles of free, prior and informed consent [FPIC] must apply when engaging indigenous communities.

“In this regard, we observed that VP Jagdeo has recognised APA's consistent calls for FPIC, and we encourage him to heed thosecalls.Additionally,theAPA wishes to remind the Vice President that all of its suggestions at the level of the Low Carbon Development Strategy's Multi-Stakeholder Group (MSG) were shot down,” theAPAsaid.

On Wednesday, APA said it's President Toshao Lemmel Thomas, took the Vice President to task and asked him to provide information on how the 15% of

the carbon credit finance was decided upon, by whom and whether the 241 communities wereinvolved.

Additionally,ToshaoThomas said that the indigenous peoples of Guyana are the protectors of theforest,andthereforedeservea larger share of the profits from thesaleofcarboncredits.

“We note that, in his usual style, VP Jagdeo dodged the questions asked by Toshao Thomas and continued his attack on theAPAinferring that its only objective is to criticise the PPPC government,”APAnoted.

As the organisation calls on the government to desist from spreading misinformation, it wishes to remind the Vice President that the organisation has a responsibility to monitor the policies and decisions that particularly affect the lives of indigenous peoples in Guyana and that it will continue to ensure that indigenous peoples are accurately informed of their rights and that such rights are respected.

File photo. Photo: AFP

Bartender arrested for illegal possession of firearm

A bartender was on Friday arrested at the Pouderoyen Tarmac, West Bank Demerara (WBD) for having an illegal gun in his possession.

Police identified the bartender as 21-year-old Marville Barker called 'Kellon' of Tuschen, East Bank Essequibo (EBE). Ranks reportedly showed up at the Tarmac around 22:10hrsandoneofthem, aSergeantapproachedthe bartender and told him that they wanted to conducta search.

According to police,

the ranks had received information that Barker was carrying a gun on him.

T h e b a r t e n d e r reportedly did not object tothesearchandtheranks found a nine millimeter pistol in his pants waist loaded with nine live rounds.

He was asked if he was licensed firearm holder and when he said no, the ranks cautioned andarrestedhim.

The gun has been confiscated and Barker is inpolicecustodypending charges.

The illegal gun found in the Bartender's possession.

Arrested Bartender, Marville Barker

-SaysGuyanawouldhavetopaycompanys legalfeesifGovt.challengesoilcontract

Pres. Ali renews defence of lopsided Exxon contract after weighing options

Amidst all the criticism of the Stabroek block production sharing agreement (PSA) and calls for it to be revamped, President Irfaan Ali has a d m i t t e d t h a t t h e governmentatleastseriously examineditsoptions.

The President discussed thematterataGuyanaShore Base Inc (GYSBI) ceremonyrecently,wherehe said “We looked at it, we analysed it, we weighed the options.”

Indoingso,thePresident asked what Guyana would do about the “protracted international legal action” that could occur if Guyana challengesthecontract.

“Exxons economy is strong. They can afford the best law firms. The country wouldhavehadtoincurthat cost,”Alisaid.

The cost the President is talking about relates to provisions in the very PSA

that is being criticised. As part of a list of expenses ExxonMobil, Hess and CNOOC are allowed to recover, the contract states:

“All costs and expenses of litigationandlegalorrelated services necessary or expedient for the procuring, perfecting, retention and protection of the Contract Area and in defending prosecuting lawsuits involving the Contract Area or any third party claim arisingoutofactivitiesunder theAgreement or sums paid in respect of legal services necessary or expedient for the protection of the interest of the Parties are recoverable.”

It goes on to state that if the legal services are rendered by the companies salariedorregularlyretained lawyers,orlawyersworking for their affiliated c o m p a n i e s , s u c h compensationisalsocatered for.

President Ali said in addition to this, that the government factored considerations such as investorconfidence.Hesaid a government should have a level of predictability that supports investors confidence Though the government is not proud of

Police find shotgun, ammo in abandoned mining camp

Region seven Police ranks on Friday found a 12 gauge shot gun and ammunitioninanabandoned mining camp at Barakat Backdam,CuyuniRiver

Rankswereconductinga search at the camp around 11:00hrs when they found the weapon and matching cartridges wrapped in a salt bagandstashedinafourinch PVCpipe.

According to police the serial number and the maker’snamewereremoved fromthegun.

The ranks have since taken possession of the weapon and are conducting investigations to find out who the owner might be. Police observed that there were signs of recent activity atthecamp.

Investigations are ongoing.

Shotgun and ammo found at Barakat Backdam, Cuyuni River

the contract, Ali said it was an inheritance from another administration and the current government is obligatedtohonourit.

Ali said calls for the renegotiation of the deal have evolved into an “obsessive and paranoid” debate,andthathewouldnot

want Guyana to have a replay of the Amaila Falls situation.

The hydropower project was stalled in 2013 after the Opposition-controlled National Assembly refused to pass key environmental legislation required for the I n t e r - A m e r i c a n DevelopmentBank(IDB)to approve part of the required financing.

The Peoples Progressive Party Civic (PPPC) had planned to source funding fromNorway,Chinaandthe IDB.However,aNorwegian Ethics Council had raised questions about the involvement of the Chinese firm, China Railway Group Limited, in a significant corruption case While serious questions of feasibility and transparency had lingered about that arrangement, President Ali said recently that it was political immaturity that caused the Amaila Falls

project to fail. He also said that if the project was brought to fruition, Guyana would have been enjoying electricityathalfthecost.

Multiple government officials have recently renewed their defence of ExxonMobils Stabroek B l o c k a g r e e m e n t ExxonMobil country President,AlistairRoutledge also said that Exxon would not consider increasing the royalty to Guyana for future Stabroek block projects. He has also argued against ringfencingthoseprojects.

The deal gives Guyana an industry-low 2% royalty It also allows Exxon, Hess and CNOOC to take the advantageofacostrecovery ceilingof75%oftheoilthey produce from the blocks, then split the profits 50/50 between them and the government. Vice President Dr Bharrat Jagdeo has describedthearrangementas sh*tty.

Jamaica: ‘We did nothing wrong’

Under-fire Integrity Commission defends its handling of allegations against PM

JamaicaObserver-The Integrity Commission has rejected allegations of misstep, if not bungling, in itsdecisiontotableareport in Parliament which stated thatPrimeMinisterAndrew Holness could face corruption charges, while beingawarethatitsdirector of corruption prosecution hadruledthatheshouldnot becharged.

With commentators and the general public slating the body since news broke on Thursday that it had allowed the tabling of a report from i t s d i r e c t o r o f investigation accusing Holness of a possible conflict of interest over contracts issued to a friend of his, more than a decade ago, while being aware that he had been cleared, the five directors o f t h e I n t e g r i t y Commission on Friday firedback

“There has been strict compliance with the law Adverse comments in respect of the commission or its director of

ceived, ” the directorssaidinareleaseas

the commission faced calls forheadstoroll.

“ T h e I n t e g r i t y Commission wishes to assure the public that it takes its task seriously It rejects any assertion that there has been any misstep intheproceedings.

Inallmattersunderthe commission’s purview every effort is made to followtheprovisionsofthe law strictly The ruling of the director of corruption prosecutioninamatterdoes not change the content of the report of the director of investigation.

They are independent in their operations,” the releasesaid

“The director of investigation and the director of corruption prosecution are given separate and distinct roles under the Integrity CommissionAct.

One investigates, r e p o r t s , a n d recommends; the other rules on what is recommended

The commissioners reviewed the director of investigation’s report and saw no reason to distance ourselvesfromit

of

investigation was saying thatoffencesmayhavebeen committed based on the evidence that he had seen.

As he was required by the law to do, he referred it to the director of corruption prosecution for her to consider whether offences were in fact committed. It wasamatterforthedirector ofcorruptionprosecutionto decide, and she decided.

Notwithstanding that decision, the law required that the report be sent to Parliament and be tabled before anything could be said about the report,” addedthecommissioners.

They pointed to the Integrity Commission Act which requires that where, in a report to the commission, the director of investigation is satisfied that there are reasonable grounds for suspecting that there has beenabreachofacodeof conduct by a public o f f i c e r o r parliamentarian, or where there is suspicion that an act of corruption or an offence under the Act has been committed, the commission shall submit the report to Parliamentfortabling

President, Dr. IrfaanAli

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Peru Congress moves to allow corruption charge of ex-President Castillo

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Reuters - Peru’s Congress passed a constitutional complaint on Friday against ousted former President Pedro Castillo for alleged corruption, a step towards a formal judicial charge.

Castillo has been held in pre-trial detention in Lima since his abrupt Dec. 7 ouster and arrest after he tried to illegally shutter Congress to avoid impeachment over the corruption accusations, which he denies.

The political storm has sparked Peru’s worst unrest in decades. Dozens of people

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that he wanted to participate in person. Pachas only reiterated Castillo’s denial of corruption and denial of the charge that he belonged to a criminal organization.

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Friday’s complaint allows Attorney General Patricia Benavides to formally accuse Castillo before Peru’s judiciary.

During the congressional debate, Castillo, via his lawyer Eduardo Pachas, declined to present a defense, saying

Congress also approved complaints against two former Castillo ministers accused of involvement in bribery related to the construction of a bridge and in the purchase of fuel for stateowned oil company Petroperu (PETROBC1.LM).

GDF boat collided with San Martin...

From page 15 Brown was severely injured.

According to the Brazilian men the GDF boat was speeding and it appeared as if the captain did not see them.

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Black puddings, pastries, cakes at No. 1 Canal W.B.D. Call Karen: 687-6177.

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Brown is presently battling for his life at a Venezuelan Hospital in the city of Bolivar with a fractured skull and jaw. His family said that

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They are demanding justice and are calling on the force to conduct an impartial investigation into the matter.

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Peru’s President Pedro Castillo

BLUNTNESS ON INDECENCY!

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

Guyana saddled with US$106 million...

Frompage3 and the 300 megawatts powerplant.

Brassington explained, “Thegovernmentisfunding thepowerplantandtheNGL plant and the EPC contract price, which is a lump sum fixed price is US$759 million(or)US$760million. We allocated this based on the pricing at about 63 percent of US$477 million to the power plant and US$282 million to the NGL facility.”

“Now if we were to amortize the US$759 million over a 20 years period at three percent, that annual payment would be about US$51 million,” he added.

These costs are not the final investment for the project however as the Government of Guyana (GoG) is gearing to pay out $400milliontolandowners who would be affected by the12-inchpipelinethatwill be used to transport the naturalgas.

According to him, “We had 75 acres of land from about 56 persons acquired. We’ve set aside over $400 million to pay these

persons.”

Even as works have commencedforthepipeline, government is still to produce an updated feasibility study for the project.

A Guyanese Engineer, Fitzroy Fletcher, with over 50 years of expertise has so farchallengedeachaspectof the project, insisting that its viabilityissimplynolonger relevant owing to the mammothincreaseincost.

He explained, “The pipelinecostshaveescalated toomuchandhavemadethe project no longer feasible. Clearlyweshouldgobackto the drawing board and rethink the whole project. It is certainly not beyond our ingenuity to find a solution, with the help of carefully selected international experts.”

The project entails three major aspects, that is, the pipeline to transport the gas to Wales, the NGL facility that will treat and separate the gas, and the power plant togeneratetheelectricity So far,Guyanesehavebeentold that the pipeline aspect, which is being pursued by Exxon, will cost around

US$1.3 billion. Even this is expected to increase when Exxon closes critical contractsforsame.

Back in 2018, the InterAmerican Development Bank (IDB) had partnered with the State to conduct a feasibility study of the plannednaturalgaspipeline. Theprimaryobjectiveofthe study, which was executed by Energy Narrative for U S $ 7 0 , 0 0 0 a n international entity that provides strategic market analyses and advice was to determine the overall feasibility of transporting natural gas from offshore Guyana, building a NGL separation plant and a Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) production plant to market the liquids from the naturalgasstream,aswellas building a new electricity generation station to use the remainingdrynaturalgas.

Notably,atablewasused in that report that was sourced from ExxonMobil in which the oil company said the project would cost US$478 million. Four years later, the project is now pegged at over US$2 1 billion.

Fund Raising Horserace meet set for March 5th at Nand Persaud Sprint Classic Turf Club

The Nand Persaud Group of Companies (NPGC), through its Sky Plus Incorporated Promotion Group, has organized a fund raising horserace meet set for Sunday March 5th.

The purpose of this activity is to raise fund to help in the rehabilitation of the once popular Brighton Park race Sports Facility which is located at the Brighton Corentyne Berbice.

The event which will be a sprint classic will be held at the club, s race track, No36 Village, Macedonia Estate,

Corentyne, Berbice.

According to organizers at the moment works are ongoing to rehabilitate the once popular Brighton Park facilities. The efforts are being spearheaded by the Nand Persaud group of Companies (NPGC).

The NPGC also has the complete package which includes racing track, promotional group, race horses, and stables. In this regard the company has made its facilities available to host a horse race meet and Gymkhana on the above date.

Sunday February 19, 2023

ARIES (Mar. 21–Apr. 19)

A message could come today from a business or romantic partner that brings some welcome news, Aries. Action on an enterprise of some kind, perhaps involving writing or speaking.

TAURUS(Apr.20–May20)

Today you can expect to have a highly interesting conversation with someone, Taurus. The person you will be talking to is going to provide you with.

GEMINI (May 21–June 20)

Your physical and mental energy are exceptionally strong right now, Gemini. If you're creative, you will want to put that energy into a project that means a lot to you. If you're athletic.

CANCER (June 21–July 22)

A delivery could come to your house that you find very emotionally moving, Cancer. Perhaps you've received a gift that represents a big sacrifice to the giver.

LEO (July 23–Aug. 22)

A friend might drop by and want you to keep them company while they runs errands, Leo. This might be a good idea, not only for the diversion from routine but also because something.

VIRGO (Aug. 23–Se pt. 22)

Paperwork regarding money might take up a lot of your time today, Virgo. This can be tedious, but it's something that can make a very positive difference to you.

LIBRA (Sept. 23–Oct. 22)

A subject that fascinates you could occupy much of your time today, Libra. Questions may arise about this subject that you want answered now.

SCORPIO (Oct. 23–Nov. 21)

Emotions, impressions, and memories could come up from your subconscious today, Scorpio. This may preoccupy you and keep you from other matters. This is a positive development.

SAGIT(Nov.22–Dec.21)

Social events or group activities could prove more stimulating than usual, Sagittarius. Discussions of every subject imaginable could take place around you,

CAPRI (Dec. 22–Jan. 19)

Your writing, speaking, and communicating skills are enhanced today, Capricorn. Therefore, you can expect to impress a lot of people around you who will change their opinion about you.

AQUARIUS(Jan.20–Feb.18)

Correspondence with someone who lives far away could appear to lead to something more than friendship, Aquarius. This person seems to be in total accord with you about nearly everything,

PISCES (Feb. 19–Mar. 20)

A quick survey of the financial news might reveal that your investments, particularly those involving property, might be worth far more than you thought, Pisces.

As was stated before the companys track is the only one in Guyana where the horse runs in a straight line with the races usually being 880 yards and 660 yards.

According to Coordinator Mohendra “Mohin” Persaud the days activity will be a fun filled one for the entire family. He said that a number of horse racing and other novelty events including games for adults and kids will be held during the day. He also stated that on the day a number of initiatives will be in place including a slow-motion replay photo finish cameras and Big Screen.

Patrons are being urged to support the days event which is in aid of a worthy cause. Prizes will be up for grabs for winners and other outstanding performers. (Samuel Whyte)

General Manager of the Nand Persaud Group of Companies Mr. Mohindra Persaud and an assistant inspects ongoing works at the Brighton Park Facilities.

Works ongoing at the Brighton Race Track

Lyons 5 wickets help bowl out India for 262 on day 2

NEW DEHLI (AP)

SpinnerNathanLyontook567 to help dismiss India for 262, one run less than Australia’sfirstinningstotal on day two yesterday of the second test. India was a precarious139-7whenAxar Patel counterattacked with 74runsoff115ballsinakey stand of 114 with

Ravichandran Ashwin, who made 37 At stumps, Australia was 61-1 and leading by 62. Travis Head

was unbeaten on 39 and Marnus Labuschagne on 16 notout.

“There is more bounce herethaninNagpur,whichis somethingItriedtoexploit,” Lyonsaid.“ButIhaveaneye onthewholetestoveralland my role in the second innings ” The morning session was a hectic one.

Lyon picked up all four wickets to rock India’s top order India lost Lokesh Rahul (17) and Rohit

Sharma (32) within the first hour,despiteAustralialosing allofitsreviews CheteshwarPujarafellfor aseven-ballduckinhis100th test, the eighth cricketer ever todoso ShreyasIyeralsofell before lunch when Peter Handscomb held a sharp catchthatbouncedoffhisarm and leg India resumed after lunch on 88-4, and Ravindra Jadeja was trapped on 26 by ToddMurphytoenda59-run stand with Virat Kohli India

lost two more wickets in the nextfourovers,includingKohli on44,andwas139-7 Australia debutantMatthewKuhnemann gothismaidentestwicketwhen hetrappedKohli Thedecision was debatable with the ball hitting both bat and pad simultaneously Kohli walked off unhappy even as the review stayed in favor of Australia Lyon completed his five-wicket haul after Srikar Bharat edged to slip Lyon’s 5-67 in 29 overs was

his second test five-for, after taking 7-94 in New Delhi in 2013 Patel and Ashwin, 37 from71balls,pulledofftheir rescueact Patelhitninefours and three sixes. Australia began its reply without opening batsman David Warner, who was substituted out of the test owing to concussion suffered on Friday Warnerwashitonthe helmet in the 10th over by Mohammed Siraj and didn’t takethefieldlateinthethird

session Warner also had a suspected hairline fracture fromanelbowhitinthesame inningsandcouldbeindoubt fortheremainderofthefourmatch series Matt Renshaw replacedhimandopenedwith Usman Khawaja, who was caughtbyIyeratleggullyon 6 off Jadeja Head attacked Jadejaandhitfivefoursand a six. Scores: Australia 263 and 61 for 1 lead India 262 (Axar 74, Lyon 5-67) by 62 runs.

North Soesdyke, North Ruimveldt and Herstelling B record wins

North Soesdyke, North RuimveldtandHerstellingB recorded victories when the EastBankDemeraraCricket Association SD T20 tournament continued recently At Farm, North Soesdyke made 164-7 in 20 overs. Leroy Primo scored 53off32ballswithonefour and six sixes while S. John made 49 off 22 balls includingtwofoursandfive

sixes. KishanSinghclaimed 3-42andDamionSam2-11. Demolition scored 109 all outin17.1oversinreply

Teekram George and Riaz Mohamed made 23 each.GavinSinghbagged513 and Mark Ramsammy 315.

NorthRuimveldtbatted first and managed 153-7

Ershaad Ali made 40 with two fours and two sixes

while Danny Narayan 28 R Sattaur captured 3-8 Sandpipers responded with 128-7. K Persaud scored 23 and V Rampersaud 21 Nicholas Bollers took 222 Herstelling A chose to bat and posted 185-5 Rickey Sargeant scored 48 with one four and six sixes and Anand Bharat 36 not out M Dhanpaul made 36 as Quazim Yusuf captured

2-38.

Herstelling B scored 189-6 in 19 2 in reply

Jermain Ramroop struck 108notoutwhichincluded 10 fours and six sixes and M Parks44withfourfours andthreesixes D. Williams took 2-27. The competition continued yesterday

Leroy Primo Gavin Singh

Broad fires England to verge of first Test win over New Zealand

AFP-StuartBroadrazed New Zealand’s top order with a destructive opening spell yesterday to put England on the verge of winning the first Test at MountMaunganui.

Broad claimed four wickets under lights — all clean bowled — to reduce the Black Caps’ second inningsto63-5atstumpson day three, with hopes of reachingtheirwinningtarget of394allbutextinguished.

England have two full days to claim the remaining fivewicketsattheBayOval and go one-up in the twomatchseries—completinga 10thwinintheirlast11Tests intheprocess.

In a match largely dominated by aggressive

batting, Broad got the pink ball to zip sideways to devastatingeffect,removing arguably New Zealand’s four best batsmen to take 421off10unrelentingovers.

Openers Devon Conway (2) and Tom Latham (15) both had their off-stumps disturbed while a scoreless Kane Williamson couldn’t defendhismiddlestump.

Ollie Robinson had Henry Nicholls (7) caught behind before first-innings centurionTomBlundellwas also cleaned out by Broad, forone.

Daryl Mitchell will resume on 13 and Michael Bracewellon25today

A d d i n g t o t h e celebrations for Broad, he and long-time new-ball

partner James Anderson became the most prolific bowling partnership in Test cricket. The evergreen pair have taken 1,004 scalps between them in 133 Tests played together, surpassing the 1,001 shared by Australia’s Glenn McGrath and Shane Warne in 104 gamestogether

With fine weather forecastforthelasttwodays, England should march to their first win on New Zealand soil since 2008, having drawn five and lost twoofthesevenTestssince.

Resuming at 79-2, England plundered 158 runs in the first two hours before wicketkeeper Ben Foakes’ controlled 51 later steered theirsecondinningsto374.

Ollie Pope scored 49, Joe Root 57 and Harry Brook 54, all unfurling the sort of fearless batting that has become an England hallmark under the “Bazball”attackingmethods adopted when coach

Brendon McCullum and captain Ben Stokes took chargelastyear Stokes contributed a lusty 31, in the process overtaking McCullum as the outright record holder for the most sixes struck in Test cricket.

Stokes hoisted the 108th six of his career when he hooked seamer Scott Kuggeleijnoverfineleg. He hit one more before

being stumped off spinner Michael Bracewell (3-68), typically trying to force the pace.

Most other England wickets fell when taking risks, with Root’s dismissal the most blatant. He was caught in the slips after mistiming a reverse sweep for the second time in the match. New Zealand’s Neil Wagner was targeted ruthlessly, at one stage recording figures of 2-104 the most runs any bowler has conceded from their first 11 overs of an inningsinTesthistory

Wagner paid a heavy price for persisting with short-pitched bowling, conceding 12 fours and six sixes, the vast majority

throughcross-battedshots

One over from the leftarmer cost 18 runs as Brook opened his stance and used a baseball technique to swat the 36y e a r- o l d f o r f o u r boundaries Brook and Root put on 81 for the fifth wicket in less than 11 overs before Brook was caught behind off seamer Blair Tickner (3-55), who finished with fourwicketsondebutTest. Scores: New Zealand

306 (Blundell 138, Conway 77, Robinson 454) and 63 for 5 (Broad 421) need another 331 runs to beat England 325 for 9 dec and 374 (Root 57, Brook 54, Foakes 51, Tickner3-55).

PlayintheTigerRentals U-13 football league will continuenextSaturdayatthe NTC Field at Providence withfourscheduledmatches starting at 10:30am. The fixtures show: from 10:30amattheNTC Field1, Bartica will take on Upper

Demerara,whileatthesame timeonField2,Georgetown tanglewithWestBerbice.

Continuingat12noonon NTC Field 1, East Bank DemeraraplayEastBerbice, while at the same time on NTC Field 2, East Coast DemerarafaceoffwithWest

Demerara. The points table for the Tiger Rentals U13 2023leaguesofarshow:

PM places moved GP games played W wins D drawsL lossesGF goalsfor GA goals against GD goal differenceNM nomove

Stuart Broad celebrates a wicket.

BCBrestartactionfilledcricketseasonlastweekend...

Rose Hall Canje Arborsmarts, Upper Corentyne, notched up wins in Rondhall Lewis Under 15 Tournament

The Berbice Cricket Board kicked off its 2023 season last weekend with Under15 action as it aims to host a wide range of tournaments this year at the inter-school, inter-club and inter-zone level Guyana

Under15 all-rounder Adrian Hetmyer, highlighted the weekend scoring a mammoth double century while Guyana Under 13 allrounder Richard Ramdeholl and Anthony Persaud grabbed5wicketshauls.

At the Rose Hall Canje Community Centre: Rose Hall Canje Arborsmart defeatedMountSainiby357 runs.Afterwinningthetoss, the home team Rose Hall Canje, who decided to take first strike on a sunny day, scored 387 all out in 40.3 overs Skipper Adrian

Hetmyerblasted218off122 balls (11x6 13x4) before he was run out, he was supportedbyLakeramSingh 61 and Richard Ramdeholl 30 Bowling for Mount Sinai;Anthony Persaud was the pick of the bowlers returning with figures of 5 for55off9.3overs.

In reply Mount Sinai were blown away for 30 in 19 2 overs No batsman reached double figures with Lemuel Dejonge scoring 4. Extras contributed 19

Bowling for Rose Hall Canje; Luke Amsterdam grabbed 3 for 7 off 5 over, while Lakeram Singh, Aarush Hemraj and Jade Campbell accounted for 2 wicketsapiece.

Upper Corentyne

CricketAssociationdefeated Radha Krishna Foundation

by 98 runs at No72 Cut and Load Ground. Batting first UpperCorentynescored151 all out in 23 overs, with Trevor Reynold scoring a patient 32, Kevin Alfred 29 and Aryan Ramoutar 20. Bowling for Radha Krishna Foundation; Aryan Singh and Gavin Thakurdin grabbed4wicketsfor40and 26 respectively In reply Radha Krishna Foundation was bowled out for 49 off 16.3 overs. Sean Asphalt 3 for 8 off 3.3 overs, while Marlon Barnwell grabbed 3 for11off5overs.

Played at the Rose Hall Canje Community Centre; RoseHallCanjeArborsmart triumphed overTucber Park by 10 wickets. Tucber Park whowonthetossandelected to bat first and were bowled out for 33 off 17.3 overs.

Ballerz Empire conquers West Side Guinness Greatest of the Streets

Ballerz Empire took the Guinness Greatest of the Streets East Bank/West Demerara title on Friday evening after defeating Showstoppers 2-1 at the PouderoyenTarmac.

Viewed by a mammoth crowd, Solomon Austin opened the scoring in the seventhminute,intercepting apassdownthecentreofthe field before dribbling the final defender and slotting the ball into the back of the net However, Dexroy Adamsequalisedinthe13th minute after Ballerz Empire accumulatedtheirthirdfoul, which resulted in a penalty kick. Adams made no mistakefromthedistanceas heslotteddownthecentreof the net. The score remained unchanged at 1 1 heading intotheextratimeinterval.

Nevertheless, Samuel Garnett recorded the winner in the 34th minute, slamming his first-time effort into the right corner from the right side of the field,whichturnedouttobe the winning moment for the tournaments eventual champions. With the win, BallerzEmpirewalkedaway with $250,000, the championship trophy, while also sealing an automatic berth to the national championshiplaterthisyear

On the other, the loser received $150,000 and the runner-up trophy In the third-place playoff, Jetty GunnersriddledBagotstown Warriors 4-0 to receive $100,000andatrophy

The loser walked away with $70,000 and a trophy

Michael Newland scored 6, while extras scored 18 Bowling for Rose Hall Canje; Richard Ramdeholl grabbed 5 for 1 off 4 overs with 3 maidens, Ahill Hemraj 2 for 10 off 5 overs and Lakeram Singh 2 for 4 off 3 overs. In reply Rose Hall Canje reached 35 withoutlossoff4overswith Adrian Hetmyer scoring 26 notout.

Action in the ongoing Rondhall Lewis Under15 tournament was set to continuethisweekend.

copped $60,000 and a

trophy In the earlier semifinalround,BallerzEmpire edged Bagotstown Warriors 1-0 on penalty kicks after regulation time ended goalless Also, Showstoppers downed Jetty Gunners 3-0 In the earlier Plate semi-final section, Pouderoyen Brothers defeated Team Antisocial 1-0, while Ramsay Clan edged Red Triangle by an identical score

Richard Ramdeholl (left) Adrian Hetmyer (right)

Part of the action in the Guinness Greatest of the Streets West Side final between Showstoppers and Ballerz Empire.

Boxers read as Patrick Forde Memorial boxing championship weigh-in held last evening

The weigh-in process of the Patrick Forde Memorial Boxing Championship promoted by the McDonald Promotion and the National Sports Commission (NSC) was held last evening at the Mirage Lounge Alberttown, Georgetown.

The process went smoothly with all athletes eagertoheadintotheringto represent both country and self Unfortunately the Surinamese contingent was unable to come to our shore for this competition due to thecivilunresthappeningin the country at present. As a

resultofthat,furtherchanges were made to the card;

instead of eleven

internationalboutsofficially scheduled to happen, the Guyana Boxing Association (GBA) Technical Director TerrancePoolehasnarrowed i t d o w n t o s e v e n international bouts with three females along with the four schoolboys bouts. On the brighter side of things, Guyanese such as Mark Crawford, Toolsie Persaud and others were included to the card. Meanwhile, the Technical Director Terrance Poole MS promises there

willbealotofactiondespite the minor shift to the card due to unforeseen logistical issues.Fanscancomeoutto witnesspunchesinbunches; a great card is set for the night.

T h i s o n e - d a y tournament promises to be fistic fury between some of the most prominent boxers fromacrosstheCaribbean.

The Patrick Forde International Boxing championship happens today at the National Gymnasium, Mandela Avenue starting time 18:00hrs.

Bounty Farms 2023 Mash Handicap Squash

Over at the Georgetown Club Courts (GTC) saw Day Three of the 2023 MashramaniHandicapSquashtournamentas it draw closer to the final day of the competition.AlexArjoon, Jason-Ray Khalil andDanielIncecontinuedingoodform,the trio picked up mid-stage wins of the competition on Friday with only two days before the end of this year’s Bounty Farm MashHandicapSquashtournament.

Justin Ten Pow, Malia Maikoo and Taylor Fernandes also showed their worth delivering some good performances on the third day of play However,intheCategoryAmatches:Jnae SinghdefeatedEmilyFung-A-Fat15-5and156,whileNoahRahamandefeatedKayleeLowe 15-10 and 15-10, as Raylee Rodrigues held BrennoDaSilvatwogames-to-love(15-9,156),EthanBulkandefeatedZoeyMcDonald(1513, 15-11), as Justin Ten Pow quieted Blake Edwards in a 2-0 win (15-4, 15-11), Malia Maikoocommandedthefirsttwogamesinher encounterwithAvianWadetowin15-13and1512. In the Open category: Javid Rahaman defeated Dennis Dias 2-1 despite Dennis’ excellent second game showing, Javid winning 15-13, 0-15, 15-13, while Taylor Fernandes rose to the occasion to take an impressive win over Deje Dias, Fernandes winning 2-1(15-14, 13-15, 15-12). Shiloh AsregadoandKirstenGomesgotthebetterof their seniors, defeating Lydia Fraser and Lloyd Fung-A-Fat respectively Fortunately for Jonathan Antczak, he defeated the flamboyantJoshVerwey,afterVerweywould have had an excellent performance the day before.Antczakwon15-13,15-9.

AlexArjoonshowedthatexperiencecomes beforeyouthasheeasedtoatwogames-to-love finish against Louis Da Silva (15-10, 15-6), while Daniel Ince defeated stroke-maker NicholasNarain2-1;comingfrombehindtoput together an excellent finish, Ince winning the contest12-15,15-3and15-4 Thefinalmatchof the evening on Day Three between siblings Jason-RayandAshleyKhalil,Jason-Raycame outontoptoclaima2-0victoryoverthe2022 WomensSingleschampionAshleyKhalil(1513, 15-11); to conclude another fine night of squashattheGeorgetownClub

Day Four action continued yesterday at thesamevenuefrom13:00hrsandconcludes today The tournament is sponsored by The BountyFarmLimited.

-ArjoonandKhalilpoisedtosetnewrecordsonfinaldayofcompetition

MuhammadAli spars with the late Patrick Forde during his visit to Guyana in the late 1970’s.

AlexArjoon in action at GTC

Jason-Ray Khalil

Sarwan returns as Chairman of Senior Selectors of the GCB

Ramnaresh Sarwan has replacedtheChairmanofthe Senior Selection Committee oftheGuyanaCricketBoard (GCB), Ravindranauth Seeram.

Sarwan had earlier signaled to the GCB his intention to once again s e r v e i n c r i c k e t a d m i n i s t r a t i o n Consequently, Seeram has been reassigned to the Cricket Development Unit oftheGCB.

This decision was made at the GCBs Executive Meeting held yesterday Saturday, February18,2023

Ramnaresh Sarwan, during his previous tenure as Chairman of the Senior Selection Committee of the GCB, relinquished his role as he was promoted to theSeniorSelectionPanelof CricketWestIndies.

Sarwan brings with h i m a w e a l t h o f experience having amassed 5842 runs from 87 test matches at an average of 40 01 and a highest score of 291

In ODIs Sarwan had also surpassed the 5000 runs mark, scoring 5804 at an average of 42 67 and a highest score of 120 not out

These statistics along with his first-class record of 13,405runsatanaverageof 38 52 and his stint as National captain and West Indies captain are clearly exceptional.

The GCB expects that Sarwan will continue to build on the positive steps taken during his last tenure as Chairman of the Senior Selection CommitteeoftheGCB.

Ramnaresh Sarwan

Ballerz Empire conquers West Side Guinness Greatest of the Streets

Boxers read as Patrick Forde Memorial boxing championship weigh-in held last evening evening

Olympian KeevinAllicock (right) squares off with Trinidad’sAnthony Joseph (left).

Abiola Jackman (right) and her opponent Kemara Stewart size each other at last evening’s weigh in.

Jeoff Clement, Guinness Brand Manager handing over the championship trophy to Ballerz Empire after winning the Guinness Greatest of the Streets West Side zone