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AIETEUR NEWS

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Sunday Edition January 09, 2022

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Liza 1 & 2 to put Hess Corp. as top tier oil producer...

Cash flow from 2022 will clear off debts, increase profits for their shareholders Coalition split on future leadership in Parliament...

AFC backs Harmon, PNC/R wants Norton p.

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Police accused of Man wanted “dragging foot” on assault of for marrying twice pregnant woman

Speaker defends …calls PNC/R's attack weak honour attempt to defend disorder Coalition wants to know up front if oil monies will fund controversial gas-to-shore project Listen to The Glenn Lall Show @ 11am, 4&7pm on Kaieteur Radio 99.1/99.5FM

Kaieteur News

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Sunday January 09, 2022

Coalition split on future leadership in Parliament...

AFC backs Harmon, PNC/R wants Norton The coalition, A Partnership for National Unity + Alliance for Change (APNU+AFC), which currently has as its substantive Parliamentary Opposition Leader, Joseph Harmon, is split on the way forward as it relates to replacing that Constitutional Office holder, with newly elected Leader of the People’s National Congress Reform (PNC/R), Aubrey Norton.

This position unfolded, f o l l o w i n g N o r t o n ’s announcement that the PNC/R’s Central Executive Committee (CEC)—the party’s highest internal decision making body—had concluded that he be positioned as a sitting Member of Parliament of the PNC/R, replacing Harmon as Opposition Leader.

Harmon lost to Norton who secured the party’s Leadership from David

Granger in a landslide victory during the PNC/R’s recently concluded Biennial Congress. A leadership contest that also included Dr. Richard Van West Charles.

According to the party’s official elections results 1,209 of the 3,000 delegates that were registered to vote, gave Harmon 245 and Norton 900. Dr. Van West Charles secured only 64 votes.

This led to the decision

being taken by the PNC/R’s CEC—since announced by Norton—but has since been met with pushback, with AFC Leader, Khemraj Ramjattan publicly declaring that the nine seats in Parliament for which his party controls are in support of Harmon remaining Opposition Leader.

Ramjattan is quoted in another section of the media confirming this much saying, “my nine members

of parliament have confidence in Harmon at this stage; he has done nothing that we shouldn’t have confidence in him.”

The AFC, one faction of t h e A P N U + A F C Parliamentary opposition, had initially voted in support of Harmon for the position after a new session of Guyana’s Parliament was declared open by President Irfaan Ali in 2020.

According to the AFC Leader, his position is that “whatever the law is and constitutional regime is, I am living the rule of law and the rule of the constitution. If the constitution leads to prescription I am asking for adherence to the prescription.”

The news report contended Ramjattan’s position as, “unless Mr. Harmon wants to resign or just cause is shown why he should be replaced by way of a constitutionally provided no-confidence motion, there is no good reason to call for his removal and he should remain as Opposition Leader for the next five years.”

It should be noted too t h a t d e s p i t e N o r t o n ’s pronouncement that, “The Party Central Executive (Committee) has decided that the Leader of the Opposition and the Leader of the Party should be one person… it is not that it is I who believe that, it is the Central Executive that met, discussed it and arrived at that conclusion.” This is purportedly being met with pushback from some sections of the party.

Harmon in an official statement to the media on Friday reminded that, “the main Parliamentary Opposition is the APNU+AFC coalition and consists of 31 Members of Parliament.”

To this end, he reminded that, “the APNU Partnership has an established structure and if the executive of a party in the partnership has a position and they wish to express that position, they should follow the established procedures.”

Harmon used the occasion to remind publicly that, “the Office of the Leader of the Opposition is a constitutional office and is consequently governed by the constitution.”

This, in addition to an unsigned statement released to the media yesterday purportedly from

Substantive Opposition Leader, Joseph Harmon

AFC Leader, Khemraj Ramjattan

Newly elected Leader of the PNC/R, Aubrey Norton “Members” reminding that “in 2011 at the birth of the APNU a collective decision was made as to who would be head of the list. In 2015 a collective decision was made as to who would be head of the list when the Alliance for Change coalesced with APNU.” I n 2 0 2 0 , t h e APNU+AFC agreed that the head and the deputy head of the list would be David Granger and Khemraj Ramjattan respectively.

The unsigned PNC/R members’ statement released by an R. Critchlow posits, “the members of APNU have had no reason to question the abilities of David Granger and Khemraj Ramjattan as Head and Deputy Head of the list of the APNU+AFC. Continued on page 48

Sunday January 09, 2022

Kaieteur News

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Liza 1 & 2 to put Hess Corp. as top tier oil producer...

Cash flow from 2022 will clear off debts, increase profits for their shareholders

CEO of Hess Corporation, John Hess

By Kiana Wilburg After a mere three years of shrewd mega-investments in Guyana’s oil rich Stabroek Block, Hess Corporation says it is poised to join the top tier group of companies on America’s Standard & Poor’s (S&P) Index which is a stock market that monitors 500 publicly traded companies with outstanding cash flow performance.

Speaking at Goldman Sachs’ Energy Conference last week, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Hess Corporation, John Hess, said 2022 is going to mark the beginning of billion dollar profits for the Stabroek Block partner as the Liza Phase Two Project is on stream for start up in the first quarter. Once this comes into play, the revenue blowout would allow Hess to clear its debt and begin to increase profits for shareholders.

During the conference, the CEO said, “Our strategy has been, and continues to be, to deliver high return resource growth; deliver a low cost of supply and deliver industry leading cash flow growth while keeping industry leadership in ESG (Environment, Social, and Governance). In terms of our resource growth, we do have a differentiated portfolio and we have been very disciplined in allocating capital to the best rocks for the best returns.”

Hess added, “We have been very focused on our portfolio which includes, Deep water Gulf of Mexico, the Bakken, Malaysia and Guyana and all four of those assets are free cash flow generative in 2022.”

In terms of the low cost of supply, Hess said because

of the investments his company has been making, its cash costs are projected to decline by 25 percent to US$9 dollars per barrel of oil equivalent by 2026, while its portfolio breakeven will be one of the lowest in the business, as it will see a decreasing of US$45 per barrel Brent by 2026. “So you know, it really does position us as we go forward and ultimately focuses on cash flow,” he noted.

In terms of delivering industry leading cash flow, the Hess Boss said there are two components to be considered, the first being rate of change and the other, durability. In terms of the former, he said Hess’ cash flow for 2024 compounds at 20 percent a year, which is three times greater in comparison to its peers. He said too that cash flow is expected to compound that 25 percent by 2026. Hess said the growth in cash flow that is poised to come will actually put Hess “in the top five percent of the S&P…and I think that is underappreciated.”

Once this is known, he said it is his hope that the company will begin to generate “generous investors” not just in oil and gas but outside of that industry as Hess is about to become “a cash flow growth story to behold.”

ABOUT THE LIZA TWO PROJECT Once installed, the Liza Unity floating, production, storage and offloading vessel is poised to produce up to 220,000 barrels of oil per day, which is double the current production of the Liza Destiny oil ship.

Kaieteur News had previously reported that

Dutch conglomerate, SBM Offshore, was awarded the front end engineering and design (FEED) contract for the Liza Unity FPSO in July 2018.

The FPSO design is based on SBM Offshore’s F a s t 4 Wa r d , w h i c h incorporates a new build, multipurpose hull combined with several standardised topsides modules.

The FPSO in early September 2021 had sailed from Singapore to Guyana.

Once production kicks

off, Liza Phase Two is expected to develop approximately 600 million barrels of oil. The project is set to cost Guyana approximately US$6 billion. It includes a lease capitalisation cost of approximately US$1.6 billion, for the Liza Unity FPSO vessel, which will be moored in water depth of about 1,600 metres and will be able to store around two million barrels of crude oil from the Stabroek Block which is 6.6 million acres,

or 26,800 square kilometres.

Current discovered recoverable resources are

estimated at more than 5.5 billion barrels of oil equivalent. The more than 20 discoveries on the block to date, have established the

potential for at least 10 FPSO vessels producing more than 1,000,000 barrels of oil per day by 2025.

ExxonMobil subsiduary Esso Exploration and Production Guyana Limited is operator of the Stabroek Block and holds 45 percent interest.

H e s s G u y a n a Exploration Ltd. holds 30 percent interest and CNOOC Petroleum Guyana Limited, a wholly-owned subsidiary of CNOOC Limited, holds 25 percent interest.

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Kaieteur News

Sunday January 09, 2022

Kaieteur News Printed and Published by National Media & Publishing Company Ltd. 24 Saffon Street, Charlestown, Georgetown, Guyana.

Publisher: GLENN LALL-TEL: 624-6456 Editor: Sharmain Grainger Tel: 225-8465, 225-8491. Fax: 225-8473, 226-8210

EDITORIAL

No to oil companies’ offer of support There is a saying from long ago that has the same resonance today. It is: beware of Greeks and the gifts they bear. Guyana is today poised to be on the receiving end of some great giver of gifts, which like the Trojans of yore, there will be endless pain and regret (“Exxon, Hess helping Guyana manage oil resources” - KN January 7). The Guyana Government and their foreign oil partners may think that they are pulling the wool over the eyes of dumb Guyanese, but no matter how the language is well-couched, what is being readied here is as clear as day. It is sinister and does not bode well for this society.

The revelation from CEO John Hess of Hess Corp is that his company and Exxon “are supporting independent work being done by an international group to help Guyana devise a developmental plan for the management of its oil wealth.” We have a few questions and a few suggestions for Mr. Hess and Exxon’s CEO Darren Wood.

First, why this generous offer of “supporting independent work” from Hess and Exxon? Second, why should this sugar-coated offer intended “to help Guyana devise a developmental plan” be acceptable to Guyanese, given where we are with both Hess and Exxon, and how we have been ripped off by the two? Last question, why should Hess and Exxon be anywhere near this country’s business of the “management of its oil wealth?” Fellow Guyanese, we say this is all tricks and traps, no matter how well polished, how innocent and how well-sounding. In sharper wording, this is a loaded gun, and it is pointed at the head of Guyanese by the two companies which, with the enthusiastic collaboration of local leaders and local elites, have torn out our guts. We don’t need Hess and Exxon to support us, or to be involved in this part of our oil business. We don’t trust them, and we don’t have to like them, especially given their ruthless exploitations and the impoverishing results of their handiwork here. It is better that we have nothing more to do with these two companies, beside the contractual. Now for the suggestions mentioned earlier. Exxon and Hess should prioritise being fair with this country’s citizens. Exxon and Hess should find ways to address local content, taxes, and that god-awful contract.

Exxon should support Guyana with comprehensive oil spill insurance. In short, Exxon and Hess should work at lowering our share of those burdensome multibillion dollar (U.S.) expenses, and increasing our income. Leave the rest to us, we will take it from there. Regarding the agencies being engaged, we are impressed by Harvard Business School and Goldman Sachs. We are also impressed by Professor Michael Porter and his expertise in “economics, business strategy, and social causes.” It is of how Guyana can “enhance its human capital through healthcare and education and its infrastructure.” If these entities came through arrangements other than Exxon and Hess, we would have no problem. But because the two companies are the source, we must get our own independent experts to guide Guyana on how to perfect a developmental plan and manage our oil wealth. We will get people we trust, entities and individuals with reputations for independence and reliability. For there is another side to this ‘generous gift horse’ concocted by Exxon and Hess and the PPP/C Government. It is a dark and sinister one that tightens the noose around the necks of the population, while completing the conquest of this backward nation, and establish an unbreakable Exxon monopoly in every aspect of this nation’s oil business. Exxon already controls prospecting, exploring, discovering, producing, and transporting. Stick to those. Because this fancy talk is cover for what the Government needs to keep any viable Opposition in check, identify pockets of resistance, intimidate protesting people into silence, manage objectionable media, fine tune the public relations message and skills of local collaborating politicians and their cronies, and help the Government further cheat poor, hopeful Guyanese.

We recognise a well-dressed up, high-class con. We know about forked tongues from history of other peoples misled and nations devastated. Guyana shouldn’t be having part of this, not with Exxon and Hess involved.

QATAR AND CATAHAR GUYANA DEAR EDITOR, Come November of this year, Guyanese will be watching the World Cup of soccer that will be played in Qatar.

As images of Qatar are shown on television, Guyanese will see a country that looks like a fairytale wonderland, the stadiums built for the matches are so majestic they look out of this world.

The modern, high tech and state of the art, public infrastructure and facilities rivals the best of any other country.

Several years ago I

watched an interview CNN did with the leader of Qatar in which he said, citizens of Qatar will enjoy the best standard of living possible from their oil wealth.

That man has kept his word, today Qataris don’t do unskilled jobs, every government service in Qatar is free, even as it is the best in the world, they pay no taxes, if Qataris choose to study abroad everything gets paid for, and yes, the government pays for all funerals for every citizen, they even have indoor winter parks where

Qataris can enjoy snow in the desert.

As Guyanese will be glued to the television on the excitement of the games, they should reflect that, Guyana could have been better than Qatar. Guyana has more and better quality of oil than Qatar.

Guyana has many more valuable resources other than oil than Qatar. Guyana has food producing lands that Qatar does not.

Guyana was blessed with a natural flora and fauna environment of majestic rain forests, rivers and green

landscape while Qatar is a desert.

Guyana is a democratic country Qatar is not.

Qatar however has something Guyana does not have, that is, Qatar’s leaders put the interest of their people above their own selfish needs, because of the senseless, squandering and selfish leadership of Guyana, added to a population that is reluctant to fight for the wealth that is rightfully theirs, Guyana will become a catahar rather than a Qatar.

R. David

Unfair to omit Hemraj, Bramble and Barnwell from trial matches DEAR EDITOR, I read in the newspapers recently some unfair (in my opinion) comments made by the Guyana Cricket Board’s Chairman of Selectors Ramnaresh Sarwan.

Mr. Sarwan stated that the 35 year old Christopher Barnwell is “being phased out”, another term for drop-

ping him.

He also stated that Chanderpaul Hemraj and Anthony Bramble were omitted from the trial matches because they failed the fitness test.

However, it should be noted that Shimron Hetmeyer, who has repeatedly failed WICB’s fitness tests, is included in the trials.

Are there different yardsticks being used by the GCB and the WICB? West Indies coach Phil Simmons recently said that Hetmeyer keeps letting down himself and his team. The news also stated that Hetmeyer twice failed to reach 40 on the GCB’s yo-yo test, whatever that means. It

seems like some type of a fitness level/barometer.

These three players have done well in the past for our country, and if an unfit Hetmeyer can be included in the trials, Sarwan’s decisions leave a lot to be desired. It seems to be more of a personal than a professional (Continued on page 6)

Sunday January 09, 2022

The function of a Govt. is to put mechanisms in place to ensure the safety and well-being of its citizens DEAR EDITOR, The numbers speak for themselves: the staggering number of reported positive cases of the COVID-19 virus each day is overwhelming.

These are the highest daily numbers ever recorded here in Guyana and is due to the Omicron variant which is highly transmissible and contagious.

The outbreaks at various Ministries and public buildings including the Supreme Court and the Georgetown Hospital does not bode well for what is to come.

Essential staff will be affected and the entire country can grind to a standstill.

The function of a Government is to put mechanisms in place to ensure the safety and well-being of its citizens.

This Government seems to be doing exactly the opposite with its laissez-faire and nonchalant attitude in view of this emergency situation facing the country.

This Government remains uncaring as to the consequences.

A clear demonstration of this was the relaxation of COVID measures on the last night of the year for one night of frivolity to allow for partying at restaurants and bars which is no doubt responsible for these numbers as well.

There should have been immediate emergency measures instituted such as the introduction of a strict 6am to 6pm curfew, closing of restaurants and bars and cinemas, rotation of staff in public offices.

Instead there has been none of this.

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Kaieteur News

Nothing is being done as the numbers of cases increase and deaths will undoubtedly so increase.

Instead the Government continues to seek to justify its ill-advised, preposterous decision to reopen schools for children across the board including children below the age of 12 who have not been vaccinated in Guyana.

How can a decision to reopen for the unvaccinated children possibly be justified?

We do not have the infrastructure in schools to accommodate vast spacing of children, the Guyana Teachers Union has been crying out for the schools to be closed, 65 teachers have tested positive, children have been infected and yet the Government chooses to label these as false claims.

The Minister of Education has not seen it fit to have a press conference to address this and is silent save for daily posting of quotations from various entities in developed countries as to the benefits of face to face learning.

One does not deny that face to face learning is beneficial but one must have regard to the circumstances prevailing at the time.

To have children exposed at a time when the omicron variant is wreaking havoc in a country is reckless, dangerous and ought to be condemned.

There is a call for classes to be done virtually as was done before during this turbulent period until this variant has eased.

In the United States,

schools are being closed and a return to virtual learning put in place.

There are those who will say that the Government cannot be responsible for people and it is the people themselves who have to take the precautions.

I beg to differ.

If persons are not acting responsibly and are not wearing masks either due to ignorance or a lack of concern about others, then the Government MUST institute measures to protect everyone.

They must close the packed bars and restaurants which were, up to last night, filled with persons infecting others.

They must close the creeks and recreational spots.

They must close the cinemas.

They must have a strict curfew.

Come on Government of Guyana, act in the best interest of your people who are losing confidence in you and deal with this situation immediately to curb the spread of this highly infectious variant before it is too late.

Yours faithfully, Stephanie Isaacs

Freddie Kissoon, a friend of Guyana’s soil DEAR EDITOR, Last Friday, I had the distinct pleasure of accompanying a Guyanese from the Diaspora, Ramona Baer Karim, and Mohan, a domiciled Guyanese who is also an ex-deputy headmaster from Zeeburg Secondary High School, to pay an unannounced and impromptu visit to one of Guyana’s leading historian, sociologist, philosopher, political analyst, critique, lecturer, academia, researcher, educationist, writer, columnist, reporter and an achiever in a host of other accomplishments, Freddie Kissoon. Being a poet, play and drama fan, cinema goer, music fanatic, sports enthusiast, an ardent reader, animal lover, gardener and a family oriented person, his love for his humanitarian efforts increases daily as he extends a helping hand as often as possible and a sympathetic ear as frequently as it demands, while personally making official visitations to places seeking remedial assistance on behalf of the weak, meek or those who seek his input. As he treads on this pathway to complete his journey in life, he cannot avoid deliberately and accidentally stepping on many toes, losing friends on the way and also winning foes to encounter wraths of

variable dimension.

Freddie, as he is popularly referred to, is synonymous with the flag of Guyana, easily recognisable, quick to be identified and unhesitatingly pointed out either when strolling on the beach, walking in the garden and park, shopping or attending any function. Freddie stands out as an iconic pillar post for Guyanese who have “been there and done that,” rising from a humble background with parents who had to struggle to make ends meet while maintaining a big family and then, attending universities at home and abroad and becoming qualified with a doctorate

under his belt. Returning home from Canada, he lectured at the University Of Guyana, wrote for many papers, indulged in political party and refuted, rebuked and refused permanent membership after discovering that, “all that glitters is not gold.” His reign incorporated physical abuses and threats to his life, seizing opportunities to broadcast the right to voice his opinion and offend many with his indomitable dominance with truth over falsehood, exposing lies and shutting down so many tongue twisters. His track record is well documented, sometimes (Continued on page 06)

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Kaieteur News

President’s intervention needed to address deteriorating Parika to Hubu Road DEAR EDITOR, Please allow me space in your letters column to highlight the plight of residents using the main road from Parika Junction leading all the way to St. Lawrence, East Bank Essequibo. The road is in a deplorable condition for some time now and the authorities seem unconcerned to address the problem even though many of them use the road to access the resorts and other riverine areas.

Road users, especially motorists are frustrated at the present condition. In some areas, the vehicles look as if they are going down in a trench. Many persons have complained that their vehicles have been badly damaged while navigating the huge

potholes. Pedestrians are also forced to walk in the mud and huge potholes to avoid being in the path of the oncoming traffic.

To date no one has visited the residents or provided any timeline of when the road will be fixed. The visits only happen during elections time and the promises are made by the politicians that they will return and look into the plight of residents, but once the political campaign is over, they hardly ever come back.

I should also mention that these are farming communities and the farmers in this area contribute significantly to feeding the nation.

There are also many loggers and sawmills in this area who contribute to the hous-

ing boom in the country. We believe that the President truly cares about the concerns of Guyanese. We understand that he may not be fully aware of what is happening in every community.

On behalf of all of the residents, I am therefore bringing this matter to his attention with the hope that he will visit our area and get a better understanding of the problems we are facing, such as the road situation.

I am attaching a photograph captured a few days ago so that the authorities and readers in general would have some clarity of the present condition of the road.

Yours sincerely, Robin Salim on behalf of hundreds of residents

A vehicle navigates a huge pothole on the Parika to Hubu Road.

(Photo Credit: Robin Salim)

Sunday January 09, 2022

Freddie Kissoon, a friend...

From page 5 unruly challenged but ultimately acknowledged with the acceptance of satisfaction.

Never one to back down, he is always up to any provocation with his sleeves rolled up and wits on the alert to splash with joy, lash with the whip, bash with his tongue, mash with his pen and wash with diplomacy, but, never to cash for the gains or dash with cold feet between his legs.

Standing tall in simplicity, humility and objectivity, such diversity brings much adversity and controversy.

His ease and composure accentuates his friendly smile and his personality radiates a pleasantness characterising a man of integrity, honour and credibility but not pursuing name or fame from any gain, consciously or unconsciously.

Without pomp but with grace, whole heartedly without reservation, suspicion or connection, Freddie, with conviction and cooperation, beckoned us to enter his unlocked gate and meet him without an invitation, consternation or reservation.

It was a momentous occasion, meeting a stalwart who chooses the company of the man in the street and avoiding the coziness and rosiness of the higher echelon, preferring to discuss state of affairs rather than affairs of estate.

Freddie does not succumb to the reign of influential lassos and the comfort of the rich, rather, he articulates himself with the reality of average sustenance.

While imbibing in many mutual likes, favourite dislikes and tasteful flavours, one of his many principles envelopes in particular, sucking up to no one and has no interest or ambition to be attached to any greasy palm.

Undaunted by the countless negative portraits painted by so many pirates on the high seas plundering for rich booty, he smirks and laughs at the barrage of attacks, knowing that William Camden’s “the proof is in the pudding,” sells trouble but spells how so many easily fumble. This feeble reflection attempts in no way to defend any affliction nor attempts to report or promote any status quo of this store house of knowledge. It simply, honestly and benignly personifies the decency of a friendly figure who showcases the hospitality of Guyanese cordial indulgence, something that is sadly missing from many sensitive quarters and leaves room for improvement and correction.

Freddy wears many caps and on that sunny, bright and warm day, he wore the ambience of compassion, composition and complacency, sharing his time and views overtly and not covertly.

His warmth encompassed the affection, dedication and felicitation of nature’s fragrance and the fruition from that meeting encourages blossoming another season with detached reason. Thank you Sir for your generosity and indulgence. It was a

pleasure exchanging news and views without the scent of an interview. Ramona is a Guyanese living in Switzerland, returning home after some 40 years and spending the festive season with the touch of Guyanese merriment.

She was all excited to meet Guyanese version of Hercules, a human being who only wants to set the records straight by refuting and disputing all the false shenanigans polluting Guyana’s atmosphere, environment and soil from all sources.

Mohan was ecstatic to meet his home grown hero, a columnist he looks forward eagerly to read on a daily basis who sets the records straight. Myself, I thoroughly enjoyed the ease, the comfort and relaxed comradery of a man society needs for his existential efficiency, effectiveness and effervescence. We all wish Freddie and his family the very best for 2022. Guyana remains a better place with such loyal, trust worthy and hard-working Guyanese who remains committed to a genuine cause of breathing decency with the fresh and cool Atlantic Ocean breeze, flowing freely and not obligingly throughout the length and breadth of this nation of many races but embodied as one people, forging a common destiny.

May that Unseen one bless this beautiful country we all share and call home.

Respectfully, Jai Lall

Unfair to omit...

From page 4 decision, more subjective than objective.

It reminds me of the unsavoury stuff Chris Gayle said about Sarwan in a YouTube video not so long ago.

It would have been a fairer decision to have included these players in the trials, and if their performances merited selections, then put them through the fitness grinder.

To tell Barnwell, who just turned 35, that he is “being phased out” due to his age is absurd. He is being put out to pasture, as a thank you, after giving yeoman service

to his country.

Age should never be a factor for dropping someone.

Shiv Chanderpaul played well into his 40’s. Rohan Kanhai played for Warwickshire until he was 47 and was in his 40’s when he starred in the 1975 World Cup Finals.

Colin Cowdrey played Test cricket at 44 against Dennis Lillee and Jeff Thompson - the fastest bowlers at that time, and he (Cowdrey) played for Kent until he was almost 50.

Was Sarwan ever a really fit player?

Rahman Mohammed

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BL TLUNT.. UNT...B BL Sunday January 09, 2022

Kaieteur News

The private sector, it would seem, is in full support of the decisions made by the ruling government.

The PPP to them can do no wrong.

But is the private sector prepared to see our leaders pawn this nation just so they and their cronies can have material gains.

What about the future of this nation?

If only a few people can benefit from our vast resources, then undoubtedly we are already under the spell of the resource curse and no good can come from such a dilemma.

We therefore plead with our leaders: PLEASE PUT THE PEOPLE FIRST AND NOT MERELY YOUR SELFISH DESIRES.

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Kaieteur News

Sunday January 09, 2022

1,016 new COVID-19 cases - over 5,000 in isolation

Guyana has a total of 1,016 new COVID-19 cases.

In addition to the new cases, another person died from the dreaded virus, taking the overall death toll since March 2020 to 1,067.

The latest fatality is a 46year-old unvaccinated man from Region 10 who succumbed on January 07, 2022.

Meanwhile, the new infections have taken Guyana's overall confirmed cases to 44,245 of which 5,152 people are isolated at home after testing positive.

The new cases were recorded

across all of the administrative regions: Region One has 3 cases, Region Two has 43 cases, Region Three has 205, Region Four has 566, Region Five has 43, Region Six has 45, Region Seven has 47 cases, Region Eight has1, Region Nine has 32 and Region 10 has 31. There are currently four persons in the Intensive Care Unit, 96 are hospitalised across the country and 16 are in institutional isolation.

To date, 37,930 persons have recovered from the disease.

Bus driver in custody for giving school girls drugs, alcohol Kaieteur News was able to confirm that police on Saturday arrested a bus driver for allegedly giving three school girls marijuana and alcohol causing them to be hospitalised.

According to reports, three female students of the Anna Regina Multilateral School, located in the Region Two district, were found at a

snackette in an intoxicated state.

Teachers of the school were alerted and the girls were rushed to the Suddie Public Hospital where they received medical attention.

The three girls after they recovered said that a bus driver and his conductor had given them the illegal substance and the alcohol.

Sunday January 09, 2022

Kaieteur News

Coalition wants to know up front if oil monies will fund controversial gas-to-shore project Although House Speaker Manzoor Nadir is yet to allow discussions on the controversial gas-to-shore project in the National Assembly, the Coalition Party has noted that it is curious to know whether the oil money in the Natural Resource Fund (NRF) will finance the venture.

Speaking on behalf of the Party, Shadow Oil and Gas Minister, David Patterson yesterday told this newspaper that the government must come clean with this information.

He said, “with the rush, you know how they rushed it (the NRF Bill) to passing and signing the Bill and then of course the very next day Ashni Singh writes to activate the Fund, we know of course that they want to use some of this money or a majority of it to complete the gas-to-shore project.”

The proposed project is pegged at US$900 million and at the end of November 2021, some US$534 million was sitting in the NRF. Patterson, a former Infrastructure Minister, explained that it is very concerning that the Speaker has not yet responded to his Motion, which was submitted since October last year.

“It is quite concerning because normally when you submit a Motion, if it offends anything, the Speaker would tell you and it has been two and a half months that I have been writing and calling and going in and trying to find out why not,” the Member of Parliament (MP) reasoned.

He added, “There’s no ground for him to even refuse it so I can’t see what is (causing) the delay. They haven’t even said a word and then he says that he is a neutral

Shadow Oil and Gas Minister, David Patterson Speaker and I don’t think in my Parliamentary period I have ever heard about a Motion taking 73 days to be approved.”

It must be noted that even though Patterson is contending that the Speaker has not yet approved his Motion, the Speaker had responded to his request for information on the gas-to-shore project.

In fact the Speaker had written to him indicating that several aspects of his Motion were thrown out and that he is not obligated to explain why. One such omitted clause, was seeking discussions on gas leakages and exposures in the marine environment, which have shown to be highly toxic to fish, and living organisms and the ecology, which could devastate the fishing industry.

Another of the omitted clause from the motion had indicated that “whereas determined in a March 2021 United States Bureau of Environmental Enforcement (US Offshore oil

and gas regulator) comprehensive report, that the technology is not matured and reliable enough to ensure the integrity of deep-water pipelines and detection of subsurface leaks.”

Yet another omitted clause, sought discussions on the proposed Wales facility—located at the mouth of the Demerara River, which has a very shallow draft and where 90 percent of the commercial marine traffic operates, as was pointed out by the former Minister of Infrastructure.

Patterson warned that the NRF would be abused if used to fund the “white elephant” project. Moreover, he argued, “There were no (feasibility) studies. We (the Opposition) don’t have any oversight whatsoever. We don’t even know of the ownership… so they will be using the NRF to fund this white elephant project, with their own persons in charge with no oversight whatsoever and it is of (Continued on page 49)

Dem boys seh ...

De Comrade Leader knows best Dem communist and socialist parties in Guyana does try fuh mek people feel dat dem ain’t left wing parties no more.

But internally dem members does still refer to one another as “Comrade”.

De Pee-N-See now calling dem leader “Comrade Leader”. De central committee want dem Comrade Leader fuh be de Comrade Leader of de Opposition and dem want he also fuh be de Comrade Representative of de List.

Dem fuhget dat dem done gat a Representative and a Deputy Representative.

De Comrade Leader does be a powerful man. If he seh yuh can’t eat flour, yuh

can’t eat flour. If he seh nobody can’t eat ice apple, yuh can’t eat ice apple.

If he seh yuh can’t carry more dan US$40 out de country, yuh can’t carry more dan dat. If he decree dat yuh gat fuh get party card fuh wuk, dat becomes de passport fuh public service job.

And if he ask yuh whether yuh want wan increase in salary or hydroelectricity, yuh gat to holler Hydro.

De Vee Pee is also a Comrade.

He nah even bother to ask de people whether dem want hydro or solar. He choose fuh dem.

De greatest of all Comrade leaders was a man named Stalin. One day he bin giving a talk to a large audience and

a man in de middle row sneeze.

Stalin look up and ask, “Who sneezed?” No-one seh anything. Yuh could a hear a pin drop. So Stalin, de Comrade Leader, order dat de people in de first row be taken away and shot.

Again he asked, “Who sneezed?” No-one said anything.

He get de people in de second row taken away by de KGB to be shot.

De man wah sneeze decide he gan confess. He get up and said “Comrade Leader Stalin, I sneezed!” Stalin look at de man and seh, “Bless you.” Talk half and remember one Comrade Leader use to dress like a General!

PAGE 9

Kaieteur News

PAGE 10

Sunday January 09, 2022

BLUNTNESS ON INDECENCY! I

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

I

n 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.

MONDAY It is 2022. Must we

continue to turn a blind eye to the evils that plague this land? We think not!

We at this publication are optimistic that this year will

be one of hope.

We hope for a year in which the people of this nation will stand up and speak out with such alacrity that our leaders will have no choice but to put measures in place to ensure that Guyana reaps all possible benefits so that ALL of our people can benefit, not just a few.

TUESDAY The alarming increase in COVID-19 cases should not come as a surprise.

Wi t h t h e l e v e l o f slackness seen during the past year, this was expected and there are many within the medical fraternity who are worried that the situation will escalate in the coming days.

We are convinced that our leaders do not care about the people of this nation, as much as they do, about growing the economy. Their actions have spoken louder than their words.

Guyanese, with leaders of such ilk, we have no choice but to take responsibility for ourselves, otherwise our population will continue to dwindle until we all expire.

As we all should know by now, COVID-19 is no respecter of one's vaccination status. We are all at risk!

WEDNESDAY President Irfaan Ali has said that Guyana is slated to earn billions from oil and gas.

He has assured too that some of that money will go towards improving the lives of ALL Guyanese.

But can we really take the President at his word?

We at this publication certainly hope that the President is not merely looking to improve the lives of some by offering another $25K cash grant while handing out billions in contracts to others.

We need to see an even playing field; we need to see legitimate improvements in the lives of ALL Guyanese, only then, Mr. President, will we believe that your promise is not an empty one.

THURSDAY

Ye s t e r d a y, t h e Government made it clear that fighting the contagious COVID-19 variant, Omicron, rests entirely in each person's hand.

It is imperative that citizens safeguard themselves; wear your mask, sanitise and whatever else is necessary.

We hope citizens are taking note as this tactical approach which can be applied to other aspects of life including how we safeguard our nation's wealth so that future generations can benefit.

The government will not safeguard your future, so each Guyanese had better wise up, and in a hurry too.

FRIDAY Guyanese should be thankful that there is a Supreme Being who has our best interest at heart. Were our lives dependent on those elected to govern us today, we, without a doubt, would have been doomed.

But thankfully the Creator doesn't sleep! As such, we at this publication are of the firm belief that the people of this nation will not remain in slumber while foreigners plunder our wealth aided by our leaders.

With the life we have in our being, let's fight for our rightful place as citizens of this dear land.

SATURDAY A mother and her child are no more, because their dilapidated house collapsed and killed them.

It is sad that in 2022, we still have citizens living in abject poverty with no hope of a better quality of life.

Are our leaders paying attention?

Pitiful handouts and colourful language will not improve our people's existence, not when our leaders have given up our nation to be plundered from every side.

If managed properly, our nation has enough wealth to ensure that no one has an impoverished existence.

Sunday January 09, 2022

Kaieteur News

PAGE 11

Kaieteur News

PAGE 12

Sunday January 09, 2022

GPF forced to abandon 35 out of 150 Chinese-made vehicles – AG Report

The Chinese-made police vehicles.

T

he Guyana Police Force (GPF) abandoned 35 out of 150 Chinese made vehicles in the year 2020.

The Auditor General report outlined that the vehicles were abandoned after the GPF encountered difficulty sourcing spare parts to fix their mechanical problems.

According to the report, the Force under A Partnership for National Unity + Alliance for Change (APNU+AFC) coalition administration presented a list detailing 35 vehicles that were left at workshops across the country to be repaired for various reasons.

B a s e d o n t h e

observation, the auditors said that 25 vehicles were at the workshop in excess of 18 months while seven were there between nine to 16 months. The remaining four vehicles were proposed to be there longer.

The Force explained that the majority of the vehicles were not repaired because

t h e contract o r s encountered difficulties in sourcing the required spare parts to fix the vehicles.

It was therefore recommended that the vehicles be collected by the transport workshop, in view of having them there for spare parts. The Audit Office noted that a similar situation was observed in 2019 where vehicles were in the workshop in excess of 18 month. According to the report, amounts totalling $139.821M were expended on vehicle spares and services to the Force’s fleet of vehicles.

An analysis carried out

o n maintenance cost for a sample of 147 vehicles, revealed that 66 vehicles incurred high maintenance cost totalling $60.439M. The Force explained that the substitute parts such as engine, gear box, suspension, etc., that are required to maintain the Chinese vehicles were costly.

According to the report, the company that manufactures these vehicles have since closed its operations hence substitute parts that were sourced elsewhere are costly. As such, the Audit Office had recommended that the GPF monitor closely the maintenance of its fleet of motor vehicles and consider whether it is economical to retain or dispose of these vehicles.

The AG report also outlined that Section 29 of the GPF’s Stores Regulations and circularised instructions, requires log books to be maintained for all motor vehicles, plant, machinery and equipment owned/or operated by the Force.

However, while there were 378 serviceable vehicles/equipment owned and controlled by the Force, Log Books were not presented for 128 vehicles.

In addition, there were partial submissions in respect of 121 vehicles.

The GPF explained that instructions were given through the transport officer to have all logs updated and submitted for auditing purposes. The Audit Office had therefore recommended that the Force comply fully with the Stores Regulation.

Kaieteur News

Cintiana Harry

Sunday January 09, 2022

Our featured beauty this week is Miss Earth Guyana 2020, Cintiana Harry. This goddess hails from the Ancient County of Berbice. Her hobbies include cooking, going to the gym, modelling, dancing, reading and writing short stories and poems. Her favourite dish is pumpkin and roti and she’s an avid fan of the colour red. (Credit: Missosology Guyana)

PAGE 13

Kaieteur News

PAGE 14

Sunday January 09, 2022

Helping to transform Guyana's economy one business at a time…

AIC Inc. founder and leading business development coach, Dr. Vishnu Doerga is, a 'Special Person'

Dr. Vishnu Deorga.

By Rehanna Ramsay

I

f you own a business in Guyana or the diaspora, chances are you have heard of Dr. Vishnu Doerga. Dr. Doerga is one of the nation's leading entrepreneurs and business development coaches whose entrepreneurship journey began when he was just 19 years old.

Today, at age 41, Dr. Doerga is the founder of Action Invest Caribbean (AIC) Inc.---Guyana's premier business development/coaching facility and boasts a professional portfolio that exerts his wealth of experience in the entrepreneurial and economic spheres.

Having held prominent roles within the private sector, including President of the Upper Corentyne Chamber of Commerce as well as Head of the Georgetown Chamber of Commerce and Industry (GCCI), this week's 'Special Person' has certainly used his efforts to impact the local business community.

As former Chairman of the Guyana National Bureau of Standards (GNBS) and former Vice-Chair of the Guyana Office for Investment (GOINVEST) he has had a similar influence in the public sector. Combined, Dr. Doerga has in excess of 20 years of experience in roles that provide support to

“I see myself in a role that will allow me to develop Guyana at a faster rate …the ultimate goal is to use my skills to help transform Guyana's economy from a developing country to a first world country one business at a time…”

Guyanese businesses.

Added to his working knowledge, Dr. Doerga is also qualified in his field, holding a Ph.D. in management and specialising in entrepreneurship as well as an MBA and a Diploma in Engineering.

Additionally, he has numerous local and international awards for his role in business leadership, some of which include the BizX 2020 Best Business Speaker and Most Influential Business Guru awards and the GCCI's 2011 Young Business Executive Award.

However, the business development coach regards none of his professional attributes as high as his advocacy and coaching capabilities.

It's these platforms that, he says, offer him the leverage he needs to make a lasting imprint on the business community.

So far, he has done exactly that, ever so often offering advice and pointing his fellow entrepreneurs and his clients in the direction of growth and success.

In fact, many of his clients are successful business owners and have testimonials of how their

Engaging a group of students at a business forum.

businesses have developed and expanded based on the professional coaching capabilities of Dr. Doerga and his expert team at ACI. In his capacity as Chairman of the business development institute, Dr. Doerga is constantly working to help other business people be the best version of themselves.

He told Kaieteur News, “I see myself in a role that will allow me to develop Guyana at a faster rate …the ultimate goal is to use my skills to help transform Guyana's economy from a developing country to a first world country one business at a time…”

While Dr. Doerga is often credited for helping to steer businesses in the direction of success with his professional guidance and advice, he has certainly benefited throughout his career from similar words of wisdom.

He told this publication that while business and education run in his family, he has received some of the best mentorship and advice from his grandparents and uncle, Turhane Doerga.

FAMILY LEGACY Indeed, family is important to Dr. Doerga.

Flanked by his daughter Divya (at left) and his wife Davitri.

This is evident in the love and commitment he shows to his wife of over 20 years, Mrs. Davitri Doerga, and their daughter Divya. The businessman revealed that while building a legacy of his own is important, he comes from a bloodline that created the blueprint for the successes he has attained today.

“I was born in Suriname and grew up there with grandparents from the age of nine years…my paternal grandparents were in the agriculture and trading businesses for over 100 years and on my maternal side, my grandmother was into education, she actually owned a school. I lived above that school in Nickerie, Suriname,” Dr. D o e rg a s h a r e d o f h i s upbringing. He noted that his grandparents mentored him until he was 14 years old then when he moved to Guyana, his uncle, an astute Guyanese businessman, took over that role.

“Uncle Turhane has been my mentor for a very long time. I remember when I first started my engineering company at 19 years old. I didn't have a lot of money to invest and I was seeking a loan and I couldn't get the money to borrow from the banks… he gave me the best piece of advice… he told me 'work on building your credibility; if you commit to something, do it and once you develop and establish yourself as a credible person you wouldn't have to worry about loans again' and he was correct,” explained Dr. Doerga.

He noted too that it was this very uncle that gave him his first job. "On my first day on the job I met my wife, she worked there, her beautiful face was the first face I saw when I opened the door," he said.

G i v e n t h e entrepreneurial heritage, Doerga was not an average teenager. After a short period of working with a local engineering company, the young professional had acquired enough skills to launch out on his own. At the age of 19, he established his first company – Doerga Business Enterprise.

He told Kaieteur News that the business started on February 14, 2000, after he realised that he had the capacity to add a lot more value to those he served. He revealed that after starting the company, his wife quit her job six months later and joined him.

By the age of 27, Dr. Doerga was able to retire as head of the company, leaving it in the capable hands of his wife and business partner.

He went on to focus on his investment role in the private and public sector Reflecting on their achievements, Dr. Doerga said, “Together with our teams, we have achieved my business and personal success. We started as an engineering supply company and evolved into a nationwide distribution company with our own branded products.”

At this juncture of his life, the happily married father of one, said that he finds gratification in strong

family values and taking care of his physical, mental, and spiritual health. He shared that “seeing my daughter grow into her own, a confident, intelligent young professional, who in her own right is achieving great success with her companies at the age of 20, is by far my greatest accomplishment."

He is very passionate about the personal, professional, and organisational development of the numerous organisations he supports.

DREAM TEAM Prior to launching ACI, Dr. Doerga saw the need for a facility that offered business development training. He became intentional about filling the gap and purchased an international franchise from Action Coach—a globally recognised business development coaching brand and went to work.

To date, the company, which started in 2014, offers individuals and entities stepby-step techniques on how to manifest their success goals with the assistance of experienced and accomplished business trainers and coaches.

Under the auspices of Dr. Doerga and his equally dedicated team of over 12 staffers, ActionCOACH Guyana became the only International Organisation for Standardisation (ISO) 9001:2015 certified educational institution and business development company in the nation.

The coaching franchise falls under the umbrella of ACI Inc. which is also ISO (Continued in page 46)

Sunday January 09, 2022

Kaieteur News

PAGE 15

“IT WASN’T WE!” T

he recent PNC/R press conference had a ring of deja vue to it. It was a throwback to an era in which the party remained unrepentant and unapologetic for its actions.

Following the elections of 1997, there were protests launched by the PNC against the elections. Part of the protests involved the hurling of racial epithets against Janet Jagan and the beating and trampling of a white doll in public.

The protests, at times, descended into mayhem resulting in arson, racial attacks, the looting of stores, the destruction of motor vehicles and the robbing and mobbing of innocent civilians.

One such protest turned nasty on January 12th, 1998 following a decision by the High Court which went against the PNC. Groups broke away from the main protest outside of the High

Court. They went on a rampage in the commercial district. The Esso Service Station at King and Regent Street was attacked.

Employees of stores were set upon, beaten and dispossessed of their personal belongings.

President Janet Jagan’s vehicle was stoned when on its way to the ceremonial opening of the National Assembly on Thursday, 26th February, 1998. As was the case with other incidents, the PNC disclaimed that it was its supporters who were engaged in these violent incidents.

This became the standard excuse of the PNC whenever its protests turned violent. It claimed that its protests were infiltrated or invaded. It took no responsibility. Even after a poor bottle-seller was kidnapped and taken to PNC headquarters where he was grilled by no less than Desmond Hoyte, the PNC

refused to accept responsibility. Even after media operative were dispossessed of their equipment and were roughed up while covering a press conference at the PNC’s headquarters at Sophia, the party was unapologetic.

The PNC has never accepted responsibility for its disgraceful, vulgar, criminal or violent conduct during protests. It was always someone else’s fault.

As far as the PNC/R is concerned, it remains blameless.

Following the swearingin of President Irfaan Ali in August of 2020, PNC leaders made inflammatory statements in West Coast Berbice. The PNC/R leadership however never accepted responsibility for what took place.

Nothing has changed with the PNC/R. There may have been a change in the

leadership but nothing has changed when it comes to the PNC/R accepting responsibility for its actions.

It is the same old rigmarole.

Someone else has to be blamed for PNC/R misconduct.

On December 29th, 2021, the National Assembly debated two bills: the Local Content Bill and the Natural R e s o u r c e F u n d (Amendment) Bill. The APNU+AFC were part of the debate for the first Bill. It even submitted 14 amendments; the government side accepted 10 of these.

But the APNU+AFC opted to disrupt and obstruct the proceedings of the debate to the Natural Resource Fund (Amendment) Bill. A ruckus broke out involving mainly PNC/R persons.

There was even an attempt to remove the Speaker’s Mace.

It was an ugly, disorderly and unparliamentarily affair for

which those involved have been publicly censured.

The Stabroek News in a front page comment described the actions of the parliamentary Opposition as a grotesque defiling of parliament. It urged action against the Members of Parliament who took part in such tomfoolery.

The Georgetown Chamber of Commerce and Industry, which had urged the delaying of the debate into the contentious Bill, described the disruptive actions of the parliamentary Opposition as recalcitrant and it said such actions have “no place in a modern society where civil discourse and debate ought to be the underpinnings of the dialectical process which obtains in Parliament.”

The Gold and Diamond Miners Association condemned the Opposition’s ‘unparliamentary’ behaviour. It saw it as a

blatant and vulgar attempt to subvert democracy and said that Guyana cannot continue to be the Caribbean’s parliamentary laughing stock.

But the PNC/R remains immune to such criticisms. It has not changed in the last 24 years. Just as it did in 19971998, it continues to blame others for its own misconduct. And this time, it has, of all persons, blamed the Speaker.

Sometimes you do not know whether to laugh or cry! The more the PNC/R changes, the more it remains the same.

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

Kaieteur News

PAGE 16

Sunday January 09, 2022

Governments must act urgently to end embarrassing UWI spectacle

By Sir Ronald Sanders No individual is greater or more valuable than Institutions.

The University of the West Indies (The UWI) is the longest thriving and most successful institution of the 16 countries of the West Indies – 13 of them being member states of the C ar ib b ean C o mmu n ity (CARICOM). The UWI, established in 1948, is the cradle of West Indian scholarship that rose from being a distant offshoot of the University of London, to its present position among the leading 1 percent of Latin

American and Caribbean Universities. Among 30,000 universities and elite research institutes globally, The UWI is ranked among the top 1.5 percent. To all West Indians, The UWI is more than a University; it is the honoured soul of West Indian scholastic achievement.

This is why the participating Caribbean governments in The UWI must act swiftly to end the embarrassing spectacle that is tarnishing the image of this great West Indian Institution.

Ever since the Report of the Chancellor ’s

Commission on Governance of the UWI was published in July 2020, tales have circulated of the dissatisfaction of the Vice Chancellor, Sir Hilary Beckles. There has even been an unsubstantiated and disgraceful suggestion of racist motivation by the Chancellor, Mr. Robert Bermudez.

However, when, on December 5, 2018, Bermudez established “The Chancellor’s Commission on the Governance of the UWI”, he did nothing more than follow a system, enshrined in the University’s procedures to conduct such a

review approximately every 10 years.

It is most unfortunate, therefore, that our greatest West Indian institution, through whose revered halls have passed West Indians of every colour and ethnicity in our multicoloured society, should be lowered to such an unfounded discourse.

Significantly, all that has been said about UWI’s governance came from the Commission, not Bermudez.

And no one on that Commission could possibly be accused of doing the bidding of Bermudez or any other person, so great is their integrity in public life.

It is well to recall that the Commission’s Chair was Sir Dennis Byron, who held many distinguished posts including the Presidency of the Caribbean Court of Justice. The other members were: Professor Nigel H a r r i s , f o r m e r Vi c e Chancellor of UWI; Sir Elliott Mottley Q.C, a most distinguished Barbadian Attorney-at-Law and C a r i b b e a n J u d g e ; D r.

Didacus Jules, the DirectorGeneral of the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS); Mr. Richard Byles, Governor of the Bank of Jamaica; Ms. Angela Hamel-Smith, Judge of the Industrial Court of Trinidad and Tobago; Dr. Beverley Pereira, Former University Counsel, The UWI; and Ms. Jacqueline Sharp, The UWI Alumni Association.

Apart from their personal standing, the qualifications of the Commission members for carrying out the mission are beyond question.

Additionally, in the course of their work, they carried out a governance survey across four campuses of UWI, involving students, staff and external stakeholders.

Moreover, the Commission reviewed many reports of committees within The UWI, including the 2019 report of the University’s Management Audit department which “identified weaknesses in the University’s corporate governance system, including: (a) potential conflict of interest arising from the chairmanship by the Vice Chancellor at the regional level and Campus Principals at the campus level, of many layers of committees which report ultimately to decisionmaking committees also c h a i r e d b y t h e Vi c e Chancellor and Campus Principals; (b) a weak and under-resourced risk management system; (c) the absence of a whistle-blower policy; and (d) chronic absenteeism at the meetings of key governance bodies such as the Finance and General Purposes Committees (F&GPC) at both the regional and campus levels”.

These observations were sufficiently significant to warrant attention in any Institution. They could not have been ignored by the University’s governing

Sir Ronald Sanders Council, which includes representatives of Caribbean governments, and they should have received the immediate attention of the Vice Chancellor and the Campus Principals.

The issues could not have been brushed aside by a Commission charged with examining “the performance of The UWI in relation to its objects as stated in clause 2(a) and 2(b) of the 1972 Charter, including its Report o f t h e C h a n c e l l o r ’s Commission on the Governance of The UWI July 2020 management practices and its features of transparency and accountability within the University system”.

It was the Commission that concluded, based on the facts before its members, that: “The review of the University’s corporate governance system revealed serious challenges. The University’s own documentation shows that many of these challenges have been discussed over the y e a r s a n d t h a t recommendations have been made to address them.

H o w e v e r , s u c h recommendations, even when accepted and approved, are not always implemented”.

The Commission made various recommendations for improving the governance of the University. In none of the recommendations did the Commission denigrate the role of the Vice Chancellor or promote a greater role for the Chancellor.

It did recommend greater oversight and monitoring functions by the governing Council (largely comprised of government ministers), through the formation of smaller working committees of the Council “suitably composed, conferred with appropriate delegated powers and supported by strong advisory committees”.

There is nothing wrong with that – UWI is in a critical financial situation. For the period 2018-2019, it recorded a deficit of BDS$91.57 million or roughly US$45 million.

Continued on page 48

Kaieteur News

Sunday January 09, 2022

PAGE 17

THE FREDDIE KISSOON COLUMN

E.O. Wilson is dead I

f you ask Guyanese if they ever heard of E.O. Wilson, 99 percent would say they haven't. Edward Wilson died on Boxing Day, December 27, 2021.

I would think that even the person that hates Wilson would not deny he was one of the greatest minds of modern civilisation.

I will never forget Wilson for two reasons.

When I arrived at the University of Toronto in 1980, he was the leading academic superstar in the world.

All the professors were talking about him. Secondly, since his theory of sociobiology was sweeping the scientific world, I wanted to know why this man's theory was so hated yet so admired at the same time.

I went out and bought a copy of the journal, “The Philosophical Forum” (TPF) of Boston University.

It was the 1981-1982 issue (Vol X111, No. 2-3 and was devoted to the controversial yet fascinating theory of sociobiology. The title the journal gave that edition was, “Sociobiology: The Debate Evolves.”

I have that journal up to this day.

As I am getting on in age,

I would like to part with it and most of my books.

So I would like to give it to someone very much interested in philosophy.

Philosophy is the darkest body of knowledge dealing with dark, subterranean monsters the likes of which Stephen King would be incompetent to handle.

I will always believe that my friend Charles Mills became a different human after he began studying philosophy at the University of Toronto.

We were contemporary West Indian students at the university.

As the years passed on, Charles simply was not the Jamaican I knew in 1980. I believe he was getting too absorbed in the esoteric world of philosophy.

I left the University of To r o n t o t o s e r v e t h e Government of Maurice Bishop of Grenada and lost touch with Charles.

On my return to Guyana years after, I learned that Charles had produced one of the most brilliant, phenomenal texts in modern philosophy titled, “The Racial Contract.”

This book is simply pure genius. If you ask Guyanese who Charles Mills is, 99 percent would say they don't

know. But he may be the profoundest mind West Indian academia has produced and certainly of the brightest scholars Third World academia gave the 21st century.

See my column of Saturday, October 15, 2021, with the title, “Charles Mills who exceeded Walter Rodney is dead.” For a good description of how the darkness in philosophy affects the mind see the wellwritten book: “The Reckless Mind” by Mark Lilla in which he describes philosophy's effect of the following philosophers: Martin Heidegger, Hannah Arendt, Karl Jaspers, Carl Schmitt, Walter Benjamin, Alexander Kojeve, Michael Foucault and Jacques Derrida. Anyway, back to E.O. Wilson.

I simply cannot deceive myself by denying that E.O. Wilson has not had an effect on me.

I don't subscribe to Wilson's presentation of how the mind works but Wilson has been lurking in my mind since I brought that issue of TPF. I don't want to believe Wilson is right.

I don't believe Wilson is right. But I cannot get out of my mind what Wilson was saying.

I like many of the critiques of Wilson, some of which are very compelling in that very issue of TPF. But the socio-biological arguments of Wilson cannot be easily washed away as many Marxists did from the seventies onto this day.

Wilson was essentially a Darwinian biologist. Here are his findings that made him into a global figure.

Insects and animals are fundamentally shaped by evolution through natural selection.

All species are so shaped including Homo sapiens.

There is no such thing as the non-biological human mind.

The mind is a part of human nature.

The contents of the mind are a product of natural selection.

Values such as love, altruism, the incest-taboo,

aggression, xenophobia, art appreciation, etc., are products of evolution through natural selection.

Wilson was taking Darwin in a direction we don't know the founding father of evolution would have gone.

There is a large barrier that prevents the efficacy of Wilson's presentation.

It is the nature versus nurture debate.

Critics of Wilson have consistently used this argument to counter Wilson saying that people become who they are through social interaction.

Wilson did not deny the role of people shaping other people but he argued that this was always an exaggeration in that many of the values the

Frederick Kissoon m ind incorporates are in fact derived from evolution.

When told that his findings can encourage thoughts of eugenics, racism and superiority complex, Wilson fought back by saying, the connection does not have to be there. In other words, the philosophers have interpreted the world.

The point is to change it.

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

PAGE 18

Dear Reader, in light of the economic impact caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, our publisher, with you in mind, has taken the decision to extend our weekly review of some of our major stories in their entirety.

MONDAY GOVT. GEARS UP TO DIVE INTO OILACCOUNT …AS ALI SAYS MONEY TO BE SPENT ON CITIZENS’WELFARE Amid fears that the Natural Resources Fund (NRF) would be abused and misused with no jail time for the offenders, President Irfaan Ali in his New Year’s message has hinted that funds will be transferred from the account to better the lives of Guyanese.

Ali did not give any specifics as to what projects or how the money would be used to better the lives of citizens, but in the said speech he spoke about granting more scholarships for oil and gas studies and also improving housing. “Of course, I know that you – the people of our One Guyana, expect to see benefits from the NRF flow to you, to improve your lives now; to deliver more jobs and better wages. Therefore, it is obvious that some of the money from the NRF, which now stands at approximately US$534 million, must be spent on your welfare and wellbeing,” Ali said.

The objectives of the NRF are to: ensure that volatility in natural resource revenues do not lead to volatile public spending; ensure that natural resource revenues do not lead to a loss of economic competitiveness; fairly transfer natural resource wealth across generations ensuring that future generations benefit from natural resource wealth; and use natural resource wealth to finance national development priorities, including any initiative aimed at realising an inclusive green economy.

Leader of the Alliance For Change (AFC), Khemraj Ramjattan believes that Vice President, Bharrat Jagdeo, intends to use the oil money in a manner that will score him political points. He said, “Jagdeo may very well take it and do as he likes, conveniently to win an election. Buy votes and (to fund) projects that might very well not be in the interest of Guyana, like reopening the Skeldon Estate and all kind of nonsense…”

In fact, he explained that the former APNU+AFC administration was guided by

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Kaieteur News

international best practices when it drafted the Natural Resource Fund Act and it was decided to not have the monies accessible to politicians. In this regard, Ramjattan said, “the politicising of spending of oil monies is an abhorrent act…that is a very retrograde step from what we did and it is a tremendous (sign of) bad governance”.

Ali for his part in his New Year address said that the new legislation, which was hurriedly passed in the National Assembly last week despite warnings from the opposition and civil society, provides a mechanism by which the Parliament will approve the transfer of funds for projects and programmes that the Government has to carry out. Commentators have said Ali’s remarks ring hollow as his government holds a one-seat majority in the Parliament, which it has been using to its advantage to pass bills and undertake other actions without considering the opposition.

The recent passage of the new NRF is an example of this and commentators have argued the same approach would be taken when it comes to withdrawing funds from the NRF account.

The President also said when transfers are made, to what department, for what purpose, and the results of the spending – all have to be made public. “It has to be audited. The audited report has to be presented to the National Assembly and of course the PAC will have a chance to review the Auditor General’s report.”

Ali reminded that the World Bank has projected that, over the life span of oil and gas production, Guyana could earn US$72.8 billion in revenues from the multiple offshore projects that will be operational. “Surely, it is right, that with full and adequate supervision by reputable persons, nominated by parliament and the private sector, a portion of those funds should be spent on improving the lives of the people of Guyana – all of them – and bettering the conditions in which they live.”

“I have said it before, and I say it again now, I do not want a rich Guyana of poor people. Yes, Guyana must be rich so that never again should we be among the poorest in the world; never again should our poor have to be nomads, seeking survival in other parts of the world; never again must we be subjected to insults and contempt. But, our people must share in the benefits of the wealth that is now Guyana’s – and share in it without fear or favour. It is the right of their birth and a right

that has been earned by them and their foreparents who toiled, sweated and sacrificed to make Guyana their beloved homeland.” It must be noted, that although Ali spoke about citizens’ right to benefit from the oil wealth, his government did not consult them on the drafting and passage of the law, from which the benefits will be derived.

Former Government Minister, Ronald Bulkan during a protest against the bill last week contended that the law “violates what is known as the Santiago Principles to which this administration committed to in its manifesto among others.”

He said the Santiago Principles says, among other things, that it is the owners of the resource who have to decide how it will be spent.”

According to Bulkan, the owners of Guyana’s wealth “as we all know is not a government, it is not a political party, it’s not the coalition nor is it the PPP…” $30M WORTH IN EQUIPMENT DESTROYED IN GPHC FIRE Fire broke out at the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC) on Saturday destroying some $30M worth in equipment.According to the Guyana Fire Service, ranks responded to a report of a fire at the hospital sometime around 05:24hrs on New Year’s Day by deploying water tenders from the Central, Campbellville and Albertown Fire Stations.The fire service stated that the fire occur red in the echocardiograph (ECG) room of the hospital causing severe damages. The fire service’s prompt response resulted in the containment of the blaze, preventing it from spreading to other parts of the medical facility. The fire which completely destroyed $30M in equipment also affected a total of 11 patients who had to be relocated. Though it was reported that arson is suspected, Fire Chief Kalamadeen Edoo told the Kaieteur News that they are unable to confirm this. He however noted that at the scene of the fire, investigators discovered some form of unknown substance, which has since been taken to the lab to be tested.

TUESDAY HOW EX-PRESIDENT RAMOTAR & ROBERT PERSAUD ‘ENRICHED FRIENDS’ WITH GUYANA’S CANJE OIL BLOCK Cruising through Guyana’s capital in a black

Toyota Land Cruiser, licence plate PSS1, former president Donald Ramotar said he believes he helped transform the only English-speaking country in South America through deals to extract billions of barrels of crude oil.

Ramotar governed from 2011 until 2015, and in that time signed contracts with giants like ExxonMobil and Total, as well as smaller companies including Canadabased JHI Associates and the Guyanese firm Mid-Atlantic Oil and Gas. Sporting a simple white beard and faded blue jeans, Ramotar is an affable oldschool socialist who lambastes growing inequality and corporate giants — including ExxonMobil. But reflecting on his presidency, when exploration work kicked into gear, Ramotar said it was “a rewarding period.”

The results continue to pay off, he said, as his SUV rolled past cows chewing grass on the side of cracked streets in Georgetown, on the way to an emerging coastal business district of shiny new five-star hotels.

Despite coronavirus lockdowns, Guyana’s economy grew 43.5 percent last year, one of the fastest rates in the world, as an estimated 10 billion barrels of offshore crude started gushing cash.

If all current discoveries are extracted, the government of Guyana is expected to receive around $130 billion US over the next 20 years in oil revenue, said Schreiner Parker, head of Latin America

research for Rystad Energy, a consultancy. For a country of fewer than 800,000 residents, where nearly half the population lives on less than $6 US per day, the results could be breathtaking — but only if the new wealth is managed properly.

To some analysts, the signs so far haven’t been encouraging.

“I am not sure we are capable of handling that large [financial] windfall,” said Thomas Singh, an economist at the University of Guyana.

“It’s difficult to say this bonanza will transform us into a developed country.”

Amid the heady hunt for black gold, JHI Associates, a newly registered Canadian company with no drilling equipment or local office, managed to acquire nearly 20 percent of the Canje oil block, which is located 180 kilometres offshore.

According to Guyanese corporate filings obtained by CBC News, JHI Associates Inc. was registered in Guyana on May 4, 2015 — just one week before the election in which Ramotar’s government was voted out of office.

JHI’s listed address when it was granted the concession: a home in Barrie, Ont. “I didn’t know that was the case,” said Ramotar, when asked why he signed an oil deal with a company registered to the founder’s house. Ramotar insisted all proper procedures were followed in awarding the contract, and that the final decision was made by

government technical experts, not himself or other politicians.

But according to Clive Thomas, the former head of Guyana’s governmentbacked anti-corruption body, the State Assets Recovery Agency (SARA), “these are highly irregular things.”

Thomas had been tasked with investigating the Canje deal — until his organization was disbanded and he was fired last year.

When asked about the firm’s role in the Canje oil field, JHI declined to comment.

“We’re a low-key company; we would appreciate it if you didn’t mention us at all,” said spokesperson Scott Young.

Based on two dozen interviews and hundreds of pages of corporate registry filings from Canada and Guyana, this is the story of how an unknown company managed to get in on the biggest oil boom in the Western Hemisphere.

According to former government officials and transparency campaigners, JHI and the Canje field are also representative of what can happen when a poor country strikes oil — and why climate-changing crude might not improve life for many average Guyanese in the long term.

II. The oil boom Guyana’s Foreign Secretary Robert Persaud, who served as natural resources minister when the Canje deal was signed, echoed Ramotar’s assurance that all the right procedures were followed in assigning the 4,800-square-kilometre concession.

Persaud said the initial agreement for Mid-Atlantic Oil and Gas, JHI’s Guyanese partner on the deal, was first approved in 2013. But it was put on hold because of a territorial dispute with Venezuela.

To supporters, the men who won the Canje concession were savvy, longtime energy industry stalwarts who paid their dues and maintained hope in the country’s potential when others shied away.

“We were known as a high-risk exploration site. We were considered high-risk from a geological standpoint,” said Edris Kamal Dookie, founder and CEO of MidAtlantic Oil and Gas, of his early attempts to secure investment in Guyana’s offshore fields.

Persaud, Ramotar and several independent analysts criticized SARA for engaging in political witch-hunts in the name of transparency and being ineffective in investigating corruption.

(Continued on page 19)

Sunday January 09, 2022

From page 18 “The SARA investigation was vindictive and, in my view, anti-national,” said Dookie, whose firm controls 12.5 percent of the Canje field.

He believes SARA unfairly targeted JHI and Guyanese entrepreneurs like himself.

Dookie said his company never received any formal correspondence from SARA to say they were being investigated; he said he just read in the media that the probe was happening. In June 2019, JHI and MidAtlantic issued a joint statement saying they hadn’t received requests for information from investigators related to the Canje block and denied any wrongdoing.

Thomas disputes this, saying his organization had written to the companies under investigation. “These companies [JHI and MidAtlantic] had no experience, no nothing,” he said.

SARA had been doing good work, Thomas added, but was dissolved by the PPP government of President Irfaan Ali. Critics say the government shut down the probe because it feared what SARA would uncover.

“I personally felt the investigation would have ended up in court,” said Thomas.

Indeed, opposition lawmakers worry the country — which has close ties to Canada through a diaspora of about 200,000 — is priming itself for more graft and a classic oil curse.

“We have had oil contracts signed off to godknows-who for god-knowswhat,” said Deputy National Assembly Speaker Lenox Shuman, who leads Guyana’s third-place political party.

“For all intents and purposes, it’s a banana republic.”

Ramotar said that during his time in office, his

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government was “attacked viciously over corruption.

Most of it was not true.” But transparency advocates said the close relationship between Dookie and senior politicians, including Ramotar and Persaud, is cause for concern.

There was never an open tender where companies could apply for a piece of the Canje block based on their merits, and this contravenes Guyana’s petroleum laws, said Christopher Ram, an attorney in Georgetown and anti-corruption advocate.

“We ignored the legislation. We didn’t go out and advertise applications for blocks,” he said. “They were literally friends and persons with influence who approached the administration [about the Canje field] … Dookie has been playing around [with] politicians in Guyana for a very long time.”

During CBC’s interview with Ramotar in the sleek bar of Georgetown’s new Marriott hotel, Dookie was coincidentally sitting a few tables away, enjoying an afternoon drink with two women. Noticing this, the former president waved him over to chat.

“He’s a visionary,” Dookie said of Ramotar.

The ex-president returned the compliment. “I think he deserves a national award,” Ramotar said of the oil executive. Dookie spent his youth studying at McGill University in Montreal and working on the docks in the Maritimes, and has a reputation as a hard-partying playboy.

Wearing an unbuttoned collared shirt that exposed a gold chain, Dookie seemed to relish the description.

“I have no apologies to make,” he said over cappuccinos and cassava balls. “The same people who

are criticizing me … I saw one at a strip club in Miami. I am not a member of the Rotary Club or the Georgetown Club.

I relate to the common man.”

III. The Canadian connection When it partnered with Dookie’s firm on the Canje block in 2015, JHI was registered to 37 Amelia St. in Barrie, Ont., a grey brick home with a two-car garage. The home belonged to John Cullen, a Canadian financier who was the company’s sole director at the time, according to Guyanese corporate records.

Cullen remains CEO and director of JHI, according to the firm’s website.

JHI’s most recent financial disclosures with Guyana’s government say the company has been inactive. According to filings in Guyana, it hasn’t brought on new directors or sold shares since its founding.

Aside from Cullen, the only individuals mentioned in Guyanese registry documents are a lawyer and accountancy firm.

According to a review of its website, JHI’s only asset is its stake in the Canje block.

Foreign Secretary Persaud acknowledged that no oil has been found in that block yet.

The concession holders, he said, have drilled three exploration wells that came up dry “at significant cost to the investors and zero cost to the government.”

Despite the dry holes in Canje, JHI has been making money internationally. The company reported a pre-tax profit of $43 million US in 2018. The privately held firm, which isn’t traded on stock markets, has been selling stakes to other investors. For example, Eco-Atlantic, another oil company active in Guyana, bought more than six percent of JHI in June.

Westmount Energy Ltd., a U.K.-based investment firm,

holds more than seven percent of JHI, after buying shares earlier this year.

In other words, the company itself doesn’t extract any oil or have the technical ability to do so, but it has still turned a piece of the Canje field into profit. JHI has even moved up from its former Barrie address — it now lists its office as being in a glass skyscraper in Toronto’s financial district.

Right now, Exxon is the main operator of the Canje block. It’s the one doing the heavy lifting when it comes to drilling wells. It controls 35 percent of the field after buying it in 2016. France’s Total holds another 35 percent. Exxon has requested permission from Guyanese environmental regulators to drill 12 new wells there in 2022.

“The bottom line is [JHI and Mid-Atlantic] got licences with no transparency,” said Guyana’s former auditor general Anand Goolsarran. The companies never actually did anything – Exxon operates the field, he said, and the Texas-based company now has near “total control” of the industry in Guyana.

Regardless of Exxon’s role, Goolsarran said, “No major contracts, especially involving natural resources belonging to citizens, ought to be awarded in the run-up to an election. This is wrong.”

Ramotar said he understands why people might see the timing of the Canje deal, one week before he was narrowly voted out of office in 2015, as suspicious.

But he stressed that everything was done by the book.

“I really thought I was going to win that election.”

IV. A racial divide Part of why the People’s Progressive Party (PPP) lost in 2015 — before winning power again five years later

— stems from Guyana’s simmering racial divide.

Enslaved Africans were brought to the area by Dutch colonists in the 1600s to toil on sugarcane plantations.

The British formally took control of the country from other European powers in the early 1800s and abolished slavery by 1834. To fill the ensuing labour shortage on plantations, indentured workers were brought in from the Indian subcontinent.

Their descendants now make up more than 40 percent of Guyana’s population.

The PPP, which is in power today, draws its support primarily from the Indo-Guyanese community.

The opposition People’s National Congress Reform (PNCR) is backed mostly by Black Guyanese.

Those tensions, and the need for more money in government coffers, are on sharp display in Buxton, a primarily Black settlement on the outskirts of Georgetown.

Despite the national wealth promised by the discovery of oil, trash collection doesn’t exist here, so residents are forced to burn their garbage, leaving the acidic smell of charred plastic lingering in the humid evening air. Many houses lack running water.

The village library has been closed permanently.

“Hell no, no benefits are coming to Buxton,” said Marcos Glenn, an unemployed 50-year-old, when asked how the discovery of oil has impacted the community. “Everything we get, we have to fight for it.

Black people own nothing in Guyana. They aren’t creating jobs for nobody here.”

Levon Spencer, who is 26 and also looking for work, echoed those concerns.

“They aren’t training nobody, they are bringing in people from out of the country to do the jobs,” he said of the oil

companies.

While Spencer sat outside a makeshift convenience store, barefoot kids played soccer in a vacant lot nearby, as a little boy chased a herd of goats down a potholed road.

“They’ve got no basketball court, nothing for the kids to play with,” Spencer said. “They should be doing something for the young people.”

V. A question of royalties As residents wait for major changes from the country’s oil wealth, the great expectations have raised questions about how much money Guyana is actually reaping from its crude.

It’s unclear how much money, if any, Guyana lost on the Canje contract. MidAtlantic and its backers have spent about $100 million US on their three dry wells, Dookie said. Their last unsuccessful drilling attempt happened this fall. He said the Canje concession acquired

by Mid-Atlantic and JHI had been given up by Western oil majors prior to 2012.

“A lot of folks told me I shouldn’t take something the white man relinquished,” he joked.

Guyana’s current government defends its record on the Canje field; but it has tougher talk for ExxonMobil.

“In retrospect, things could have been different,” Foreign Secretary Persaud said of Guyana’s production contract with the oil giant.

“Certainly, it may not be the best deal for the country.”

Under the contract, which has been released publicly following pressure, Guyana receives a two percent royalty rate on gross earnings and 50 percent of profits – after Exxon recovers the initial cost of its investment. That last bit is especially irksome to many (Continued on page 20)

PAGE 20

From page 19 Guyanese. Neighbouring Suriname, for example, has a royalty of more than six percent for most of its deals, and critics say even that is low compared to other jurisdictions.

Ramotar thinks two percent is far too little for a royalty rate. Exxon disputes this.

The government will be asking for more royalties and better terms in future contracts, Persaud said, but they can’t reopen the Exxon deal now without undermining investors’ confidence in the country.

Lawyer Christopher Ram said problems with the Exxon deal go far beyond royalty rates or profit-sharing.

Guyana’s government, he said, hasn’t been completing its basic due diligence to audit Exxon’s books and payments, as the country is entitled to do under the agreement.

Exxon defends the deal it signed. The company declined to make a spokesperson available for an interview, but responded to questions via email.

“The terms of the contracts are competitive with other agreements signed in countries at a similar resource-development phase,” said ExxonMobil spokesperson Meghan Macdonald, citing an independent study from the oil research firm Wood Mackenzie.

“Our work and the support of the government of Guyana are the basis of a long-term mutually beneficial relationship that has created significant value for the people of Guyana,” Macdonald said.

The company has employed more than 2,860 Guyanese, she said, and it’s working with local oil services firms to build their capacity.

“Developing the numerous world-class deepwater discoveries offshore Guyana remains an integral part of ExxonMobil’s long-term plans.”

T r a n s p a r e n c y campaigners say the Exxon deal is robbing Guyana of key money, especially from the lucrative Stabroek block. And the people who suffer most will be the working classes who need the revenue for better public services.

Taxi driver Sunil Prahalad, for example, needs a bone marrow transplant for his daughter, Chelsea. Guyana doesn’t have a specialist to do the procedure in its public hospitals, he said, and his family has been crushed by debt and sadness as she suffers.

“For an oil-producing

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Kaieteur News

country, we should be doing better,” he said. “I’m strapped with medical bills, and I haven’t seen any improvement.”

VI. Looking ahead To opposition lawmakers, anger over the terms of Exxon’s contract and questions over the awarding of the Canje field speak to broader problems with how the sector is being managed.

“Guyana’s resources could be a bounty, where people themselves benefit — or we could be the Nigeria of South America,” said Shuman, the Deputy National Assembly Speaker, citing corruption, pollution and inequality in the West African nation. “It seems as though we are already suffering from the oil curse.”

Singh, the University of Guyana economist, sees the same writing on the wall. Oil wealth has led to a boom in construction, he said, and the country’s private sector is becoming more dependent on government contracts rather than manufacturing or innovation.

Rising prices and increased inequality are often symptoms of the oil curse, said Singh. He expects those trends to accelerate in Guyana. Prices are already running hot, especially in the capital.

“The cost of living has gone way up since we started producing oil,” said Mark Lee, a customer sitting with his feet resting in a pink container of soapy water at a makeshift beauty salon in one of Georgetown’s open-air markets. “We haven’t seen any benefits yet. None.”

For many Guyanese, the offshore oil boom can feel like something happening far away. Aside from the construction of large warehouses and other facilities near the capital, as well as new hotels and American Airlines flights packed with burly men wearing oil company jackets, there isn’t much evidence that some of the world’s fastest economic growth is taking place.

The roads still pool with water when it rains due to improper drainage. Couples walk hand in hand along Georgetown’s seaside looking at the ocean on weekends. Young men drink beer on plastic chairs at roadside stalls in the evenings. And it’s not uncommon to see a cow or chickens picking at scrubland on main thoroughfares in the capital.

Buttressed by walls and an internal canal system, most of Georgetown lies below sea level and flooding linked to climate change has become

increasingly devastating in recent years.

As the oil boom intensifies, Singh expects some residents will have more money to spend on bigger houses, flashier cars and other consumer goods. But once the wells run dry, he worries Guyana’s non-oil economy will flatline, and building other industries won’t be possible.

“In 30 years, we will probably be the same as now,” said Singh.

Government officials like Persaud and businessmen like Dookie say that’s pessimistic thinking. The economy is already booming and through the creation of a sovereign wealth fund to invest oil profits in other sectors, Guyana should be able to secure its long-term future, Persaud said.

He expects these investments will keep bringing income to the country, even when oil demand peaks, likely in the next 15 years, due to more efficient renewable technologies and increasing climate change fears.

To Schreiner Parker, the energy consultant, Guyana is “the test case to see what the natural resource story of the 21st century is going to be.”

The history of the extraction of oil in the developing world in the last century has been “less than stellar,” he said, and he hopes things might be different this time around.

“There are more eyes on the situation and that creates more accountability, and accountability is how you make sure the population benefits, rather than the local corrupt politicians and

extractive companies,” said Parker.

Campaigners say that transparency isn’t happening in Guyana today, as evidenced by the Canje deal and similar no-bid contracts for the Kaieteur block signed to companies that don’t have the capacity to actively extract anything. Government officials disagree, noting they have published the contracts for key oil fields for the public to see, along with other antigraft initiatives.

Whatever happens next with Guyana’s oil boom in this, the climate change era, Persaud is already eyeing the next natural bounty as the cycle of extraction continues.

“We see oil and gas as a stimulant for other sectors, including the utilization of our freshwater resources,” Persaud said.

“As water resources are dried up elsewhere, we have it in abundance here. We would want to capitalize on that opportunity.”

(This story was produced in partnership with the Pulitzer Center on Crisis Reporting and published by CBC News — Canada’s publicly owned news and information service – Founded in 1941.)

WEDNESDAY HOURS AFTER OIL LAW PASSED, ASHNI SINGH SIGNED ORDER TO START WITHDRAWING One day after Head of State, President Irfaan Ali, signed into law the Natural Resource Fund Act, Senior Minister within the Office of the President with responsibility for Finance, Dr.

Ashni Singh, signed the official Order, bringing the Act into operation.

The contentious Natural Resource Fund Bill of 2021 was approved during a raucous session of the National Assembly on December 29, last.

The President a few hours later ‘secretly’ assented to the Bill on December 30, while calling in the press, private sector and other stakeholders to witness the assent of a second Bill, the Local Content Bill, into law on December 31.

On that day too, Dr. Singh, according to the Official Gazette’s publication of Friday December 31, 2021—Old Year’s Day, the final day of the year—signed the Commencement Order No. 34 of 2021 bringing the new law into operation.

According to the Commencement Order signed

by Dr. Singh, “I appoint the 1st Day of January, 2022 as the date on which the Natural Resource Fund Act shall come into operation.

The President, during the public assent of the Local Content Bill on that day, or in his New Year’s address to the nation, did not indicate the bringing into force of the NRF Act in order to access the funds therein currently standing at some US$534M. With the Commencement Order, another hurdle has now been cleared for the government to utilise as much as 100 percent of the funds in the NRF, held in the New York Federal Reserve Bank.

This obtains, even as opposition members continue to publicly lament their perceived illegitimate passage of the Bill in the National Assembly, since the

Mace—the symbol of the Speaker’s authority—was not present in its assigned position, nor were all members of the Government seated during the vote.

This position was dispelled as inaccurate by Speaker of the National Assembly, Manzoor Nadir— who on the day the President signed the Bill into law—at an impromptu press engagement at the public buildings with the Clerk at his side, defended as lawful the passage of the NRF Bill.

He argued his position saying, on his ascension to office, he had foreseen the need for a replica Mace, and it was made.

He went on to explain that in Parliamentary and other Westminster systems of government, such as in the United Kingdom and Canada, “they have two Maces.”

To this end, the Speaker told media operatives, “we have two Maces also” and went on to explain that when he ascended to that office, he had set about exploring preparations for any likely occurrences to be had in the National Assembly.

One such decision taken, according to Nadir, “was to have another Mace, in the event the traditional Mace could not be found to put in place whenever parliament sits; we have another Mace.”

As such, he said it was the smaller Mace, the replica, that had been made, which was used during the session in question.According to Nadir, the Mace was in place “shortly before I put the question on the NRF.” He said too, “I called for members to take their seats, (Continued on page 21)

Sunday January 09, 2022

From page 20 since MPs are only permitted, under the standing orders to vote from their seats in Parliament.”

He was, as such, insistent that the two ingredients necessary for lawful passage of Bills were present — a Mace was in place and that the vote was taken while the government members were in their seats.

The main opposition, the coalition A Partnership for National Unity + Alliance For Change (APNU+AFC) subsequently called on the Speaker, to produce the list of Members of Parliament (MPs) who voted in favour of the new Natural Resource Fund Bill.

In an interview with this publication, attorney-at-law and MP, Roysdale Forde, explained that the Speaker of the House has laid out the grounds for the passage of the Bill to be challenged legally, during his own press conference last Thursday.

Despite this position, the Bill has been assented to, a Commencement Order bringing into Force has been signed, and all have been published in the Official Gazette, meaning, each ingredient has been met for the new law to be used as passed, until a successful challenge can be made, either in the courts or the National Assembly.

EXPLOITATIVE EXXON CONTRACT TORTUROUSLY UNFAIR INT’LLAWYER …ISALREADY MAKING VAST MAJORITY OFGUYANESE POORER, NOT RICHER …BUT THE POLITICIANS ALWAYS DO WELL IN COUNTRIES THAT PRODUCE OIL

The “exploitative” Production Sharing Agreement (PSA) that was signed between Guyana and three small offshore companies, Esso Exploration and Production Guyana Limited (EEPGL)— ExxonMobil Guyana—Hess Guyana Corporation and China National Offshore Oil Company (CNOOC), is in fact already making the vast majority of Guyanese poorer, not richer.

This was the conclusion expressed recently by international attorney-at-law, Melinda Janki, who in a recent online interview on the Oil and Gas Network in Guyana, posited, “…oil is (already) making Guyana poorer, not richer, this isn’t simply my opinion; this is the market.”

To this end, she was adamant that ExxonMobil and their partners are, “making

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money because they are exploiting the people of Guyana. That’s how it’s profitable (for them) but oil is making Guyana poorer and not richer.”

She did posit, “a few will get rich” and cited as example, “politicians always do well in countries that are producing oil and that’s not a controversial statement. Just look at any country that is producing oil and you will see that the politicians have done very well for themselves, Nigeria, Angola, Chad Cameroon, etc; so it is making the vast majority of Guyanese people poorer not richer.”

Qualifying her position further, Janki iterated, “the petroleum agreement in which the three oil companies, ExxonMobil, CNOOC and Hess, not the three big (parent) companies, we talking about three little offshore entities that have an agreement with the government of Guyana to take the oil.”

Under that agreement, she said, “first of all they can take as much free oil as they say they need for the operations.

Then out of what is left, they can claim up to 75 percent every month for their expenses, and you know all the arguments about whether

the expenses are being audited, being accounted for properly and so on. Then what is left, let’s say roughly 25 percent; that’s split.

Guyana gets 12.5 percent of the oil.”

Compounding the situation, Janki reminded that under the PSA, Guyana gets its oil.

“Guyana does not get money, and then Guyana has to sell that on the open market, and as you know, Guyana has no experience in selling oil and has to hire someone to collect it, and to sell it, which is another cost, and then Guyana gets a two percent royalty.”

Additionally, because the government has agreed to pay the taxes for the oil companies, “if you look by the calculations done by the Institute of Energy Economics and Financial Analysis (IEEFA) you will see that, that actually takes Guyana’s share down to about 10 percent.”

As such, she posits, “under this deal, when you take everything into account, Guyana gets roughly 10 percent and Exxon and its two partners get 90 percent. If that isn’t exploitative then I don’t know what is and I think it’s really important that people

should understand that the oil sector is exploiting them.”

According to Janki, Guyanese people must understand “this oil does not belong to the government.

The government doesn’t own anything; all national assets belong to the people and the government is supposed to manage those assets to the benefit of everybody in the country irrespective of party affiliation, irrespective of age, gender, race, everything; it must benefit everybody equally and clearly they are not doing that job.”

Another area of exploitation, according to Janki, lies with the precontract cost, where the then Minister with responsibility for the sector, Raphael Trotman, “agreed that these oil companies could recover what he called, pre-contract costs.”

To this end, the lawyer reminded “…I am unable to find any legal authority to allow him to do that.”

As such, “we have a situation where the rule of law is being undermined by the petroleum sector and that is also exploitative; to have the financial exploitation in the contract. We have the economic exploitation because the oil – the

petroleum – sector is going down. It’s got a limited lifespan and there is an enormous risk that Guyana will be left with stranded assets.”

Stranded assets that the Guyanese people will have to pay for, “not the government.

Government has no money, the only money government has is what they take from Guyanese people in the form of taxes, duties and so on and what they get from managing natural resources in Guyana.”

She used the occasion to quip, “when you see ministers running around handing out a $25,000 here and a $25,000 there, and behaving like they are these generous people, ministers are giving you money that they took from taxpayers. It’s not their money, because at the moment they are discriminating in favour of these foreign oil companies and discriminating against the Guyanese people who are burdened with taxes while the oil companies don’t have to pay any taxes.”

Qualifying her position further, that Guyana’s PSA with the oil companies is in fact exploitative, Janki pointed to the IEEFA—a global energy think tank—where they said ExxonMobil’s corporate jewel off the coast of Guyana “is so loaded with provisions that shortchange the government that a leading industry consultant has called the contract one sided.

And then they said if the Guyana contracts were not so torturously unfair it is doubtful that the project would be sufficiently profitable to warrant such significant investment.”

She pointed too, to world market economists Joseph Stiglitz and Nick Stern who have been “telling us that this contract is really one sided against the people of Guyana.

They are telling us it’s so unfair, they are telling us that actually Exxon couldn’t do this project unless they were exploiting the people of Guyana.”

Elucidating further, she noted that at present in Guyana, “the oil money is pushing up prices. It means the cost of living is going up and oil production is destroying people’s livelihoods; just ask the fishermen what happen to the fish. We are beginning now to look like Nigeria.”

According to Janki, Nigerian fishermen sued ExxonMobil for compensation and in 2010 the senate committee on Environment and Ecology told ExxonMobil to compensate the Nigerian fishermen for the “ruin that the spills have brought to the community. Exxon hasn’t

done it.”

To this end, she said, “we have on the one hand we have no business case for doing this and on the other hand we have the beginnings now of the environmental destruction which carries a cost because the environment is very precious.”

THURSDAY GUYANASTILLIN THE DARK ON OMAI CONTRACT …AS COMPANY BOASTS OF US$3B GOLD FIND Recent appraisal results

by Omai Gold Mines suggest that together with Fennell’s historical mineral resource and other known deposits in the locale, there is great potential to re-build Omai into a multi-million ounce project.

This, according to President and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Omai Gold Mines Guyana Limited, Elaine Ellingham, who on Tuesday last, announced “a very significant milestone for Omai Gold—a Mineral Resource of over 1.6 million ounces of gold.”

The deposit, she said, was found at its Wenot Deposit and, “gives us a very solid base from which to expand the property’s total potential gold resources.”

According to Ellingham, not only is the Wenot Deposit open, along strike and at depth, it is also located approximately 400 metres south of the past producing Fennell open pit that hosts a significant historical gold mineral resource that also remains open at depth.”

To this end, she reminded that Omai Gold Mine produced over 3.7 million ounces of gold between 1993 and 2005. Since it operated and was shut-down during a sub-US$400/oz gold price environment, known extensions to the Wenot and Fennell open pits were not pursued, nor were the many near-mine exploration targets, Ellingham reminded.

As such, “This initial Wenot Mineral Resource attests to the potential to expand the known deposits and together with Fennell’s historical mineral resource, demonstrates the potential to re-build Omai into a multimillion ounce project.”

She said too, “we also see potential elsewhere on the property for additional Wenot-type and Fennell-type deposits.” According to the Omai President and CEO, starting in late November, with the Wenot Mineral (Continued on page 22)

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From page 21 Resource drilling completed, “we shifted our focus to commence exploration for near-surface mineralization that has the potential for additional ounces amenable to open pit mining.”

To this end, she said, “our exploration team is to be especially congratulated for delivering results while safely facing the challenges presented by the COVID-19 pandemic. Their experience and dedication allowed us to complete the Company’s first NI 43-101 Mineral Resource Estimate on the timeline set out at the end of 2020.”

Additionally, “I have great confidence that this team will drive further exploration successes in 2022.” Omai Gold Mines Guyana Limited had in October 2020 announced the discovery of high-grade gold in its abandoned Wenot pit at Cuyuni, Region Seven, with the promised findings originating from unassayed core from a 2012 drilling programme that had been preserved by the Guyana Geology and Mines Commission (GGMC).

Omai said in a release at the time that the assayed results from the first two of these holes drilled, 12WED11 and 12WED13 which were never logged or sampled, indicate that high-grade mineralization extends below the Wenot Pit and there is expansion potential of gold mineralization to new sedimentary targets.

“Visible gold was encountered in hole 12WED11. Highest assay values include 29.19 g/t Au over 1 meter from 460 to 461 meters. Hole 12WED13 intersected 4.5 meters of 2.93 g/t Au from 54 to 58.5 meters to the south of the Wenot Pit in sedimentary rocks, where there has been no previous exploration,” Omai stated.

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

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

Omai Gold Mines Corp., through its wholly owned subsidiary Avalon Gold

Sunday January 09, 2022

Kaieteur News

Exploration Inc., holds a 100% interest in the Omai Prospecting License, covering some 4,590 acres or 18.575 square kilometres including the past producing Omai gold mine, and a 100 percent interest in the adjoining Eastern Flats Mining Permits covering 1,519 acres.

“Once South America’s largest producing gold mine, Omai produced over 3.7 million ounces of gold between 1993 and 2005; Mining ceased at a time when the average price for gold was less than US$400 per ounce, leaving significant drilled mineral resources untapped and prime exploration targets untested.”

According to Omai, the Company’s short-term priorities are to verify and expand the known mineral resources, “while advancing exploration on key targets, providing a solid opportunity to create significant value for all stakeholders.”

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

On August 19, 1995 a man-made environmental disaster occurred in the Omai Mines; the wall of an earthen tailings pond which was constructed to contain cyanide utilized in the gold-mining industry was breached.

More than 400 million gallons of cyanide-laced material spilled into the Omai River and subsequently into the Essequibo, the country’s largest river.

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

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

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

FRIDAY EXXON, HESS HELPING GUYANATO MANAGE OIL RESOURCES Hess Corporation’s Chief Executive Officer (CEO), John

Hess revealed on Thursday that his company and Exxon Mobil Corporation are supporting independent work being done by an international group to help Guyana devise a developmental plan for the management of its oil wealth.

During a recent discussion at Goldman Sachs’ Global Energy and Clean Technology Conference2022, the Hess Boss said the support is being provided to Michael Porter of the Harvard Business School who is part of a team in Georgetown for a project called, the Guyana Development Initiative.

Kaieteur News understands that Porter is an American academic known for his theories on economics, business strategy, and social causes. Furthermore, Porter is the Bishop William Lawrence University Professor at Harvard Business School, and he was one of the founders of the consulting firm The Monitor Group (now part of Deloitte) and FSG, a social impact consultancy. He is also credited for creating Porter’s five forces analysis, which is instrumental in business strategy development today.

Expounding further, Hess said the development plan will help Guyana enhance its human capital through healthcare and education and its infrastructure. Already, Hess disclosed that it is partnering with Exxon, also to provide support to help Guyana build an electric plant using natural gas that has been discovered in the Stabroek Block. “(We will) also look at building their national capital to manage this oil wealth and hopefully, five to 10 years from now, we will be looking at Guyana as a role model for how to develop resources responsibility,” expressed the Hess Boss.

He added: “We as a company believe in social responsibility and want to do our fair share to contribute to that exemplary development that hopefully the government will continue to conduct.

So social responsibility is very important to us and we want to make a positive impact on the communities where we work and Guyana is going to be at the top of that list.”

In the meantime, the Hess Boss said that the Stabroek Block partners remain focused on fully understanding the exploration potential of the offshore resources in the Guyana basin, which he described as having industry leading production costs and world-class reservoirs. He alluded too that the latest discoveries, being

Fangtooth-1 and Lau Lau-1 wells in the Stabroek block are a testimony to the treasure the partners hold in the South American nation. Hess said the discoveries are significant and will add to the estimated 10 billion barrels of recoverable oil equivalent resources in the block.

OIL COMPANIES APPLY TO RECLAIM US$20M FROM GRA - AG REPORT There has been a plethora of commercial activities directly and indirectly related to the nascent Oil and Gas industry in Guyana and as with any other business that attracts the use of the Value Added Tax (VAT) system, this would also apply to operations in the industry.

To this end, the Auditor General, in his most recent audit of government’s financial records found that applications for VAT refunds by companies in the Oil and Gas Sector, to the Guyana Revenue Authority, for the year 2020 amounted to $3.757 billion.

This, the Auditor General said represented claims from 61 companies in the industry.

At 31 December 2020, VAT refunds totalling $673.517 million were paid, VAT Returns totalling $8.018 million were rejected, VAT credits totalling $66.215 million were disallowed and $773.925 million in VAT Refunds were being processed by the Authority.

This would mean that in

addition to the $137B in tax waivers and concessions handed to the industry for the period 2019 to 2020—for the latter year alone - 61 companies made a request to reclaim an additional $4B. Reporting on the very report produced by Auditor General, Deodat Sharma— released late last year—it was noted that tax exemptions for 2020 alone totalled $137B (US$700M) in foregone revenues, representing 62.75 percent of total collections by the authority. This means the $137B forgone by government through tax exemptions for that period, amounts to 62.75 percent of what was actually collected by the revenue authority.

Commissioner General, Godfrey Statia, in the report, was keen to note that the award of tax exemptions is not under the control of that agency. He said, the tax exemption regime is a matter of policy, and therefore only administered by the authority.

In fact, the Commissioner General reiterated that he is on record, as stating his preference for the removal of the concession regime and having it replaced with a system of tax credits, as practised in the developed nations, thereby allowing for improved compliance with the tax laws and the terms of Investment Development Agreements (IDAs).

Statia said, it should be noted that IDAs and conditional and unconditional exemptions are

granted under Item 11 of the First Schedule, Part III B (ii) of the Customs Act. He said the GRA from 2016 onwards, under new strategic directions from the Commissioner General, has undertaken several interventions that saw a significant reduction in the number and value of exemptions granted. Statia id caution that, “significant increase in exemptions is expected in the coming years, owing to the burgeoning Oil and Gas sector, and unless policy changes are effected, exemptions are expected to grow exponentially as the industry develops and matures, and in particular, if the Production Sharing Agreements (PSAs) for other blocks have similar provisions for exemptions.”

GRA was established under Chapter 79:04 of the Laws of Guyana and came into operation on the 27 January 2000 resulting in the transfer of the functions and powers of two departments.

The Customs and Excise Department and the Inland Revenue Department and later, the addition of the VAT The Value-Added Tax Act of 2005 (subsequently renamed ‘The Value-Added Tax Act, Chapter 81:05) came into operation on January 1, 2007,

by Order ¹. 1 of 2006 signed by the Minister of Finance on January 16, 2006 and amended by Act ¹. 6 of 2007 signed by the President on January 25, 2007. The Act (Continued on page 23)

Sunday January 09, 2022

From page 22 provides for the imposition and collection of VAT on goods and services and was levied at the rate of 16 percent on the value of every taxable supply by a taxable person in Guyana and every taxable import of goods or import of services, other than an exempt import.

The rate was reduced to 14 percent by Amendment ¹.

08 of 2016 to the Principal Regulations made under the Act and came into effect on 1 February 2017.

SATURDAY GOVT. INVITES FIRMS TO REVIEW EXXON’S US$9B YELLOWTAILPROJECT - TO BE COMPLETED IN LESS THAN TWO MONTHS

The Ministry of Natural Resources on Thursday issued an invitation for interested consultancy firms to provide their technical and financial proposals by January 20, 2022 to review the Field Development Plan for ExxonMobil’s US$9B Yellowtail Project in the Stabroek Block.

The bid documents state that the firms are required to consider Guyana’s legislative and contractual framework, international best practices and industry standards, and the specific conditions present in Guyana, then proceed to conduct an indepth review of the Yellowtail Field Development Plan (FDP). The government said this review must include all supporting and reference documentation, along with the related environmental and social impact assessments (ESIA) submitted by the Stabroek Block Licensees.

It was further noted that the review must include at minimum, an assessment of the strategy and the development model, as well as the criteria for the choices that have been made by the Licensees including cost effectiveness, and potential alternatives; the engineering, geological and geophysical interpretations, simulations, and estimations including recovery factor efficiency using natural gas injection and available natural gas for export; and the well and reservoir management strategy, taking into consideration the government’s objectives of maximizing the recovery of hydrocarbon resources and having no gas flared.

Interested firms would also be expected to review documents pertaining to the proposed oil and gas surface facilities, the associated financial models, economic

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analyses and cost estimates and reports towards ensuring financial optimization of oil and gas recovery profiles; the Health, Safety, Environment and Social (HSES) impacts and proposed mitigation; the Decommissioning Plan and Budget; the natural gas utilization plan for the field; and the overall risk management strategy.

The government said too that the firms would be required to examine how Exxon and its partners have incorporated the learnings from previous FDPs and related studies, as well as identifying how the Licensees have addressed these findings in the context of a new FDP. Consideration would also have to be given to any revisions needed to ensure deficiencies have been adequately addressed.

Furthermore, Kaieteur News understands that the successful applicant would be required to prepare a report setting out the opinions formed in the evaluation of the FDP and ESIA, addressing, at minimum, compliance or non-compliance with the requirements of the existing legislative and industry standards including any deficiencies, unresolved issues and areas of additional assessments or technical analysis that the government should request before making a determination on the FDP. The government said too that it expects support for the Natural Resources Ministry for engagements and information exchanges with the Licensees as well as the provision of on-thejob training to Guyanese during the FDP evaluation process.

The project documents note that the duration of the assignment is expected to be 50 days, with the possibility of work starting by February 7, 2022, should all go as planned.

TRILLION DOLLAR PROJECT Kaieteur News previously reported that development costs for the Yellowtail project are poised to exceed US$9B or GY$1.8 trillion.

Exxon said the costs are expected to be higher since there would be a greater number of development wells and associated drilling costs when compared to its Payara project which will also cost Guyana $1.8 trillion.

Despite the astronomical costs, Exxon believes that the project should be supported as it would generate benefits for the citizens of Guyana in several ways, which would otherwise not be there in the

absence of the project. It said these benefits include revenue sharing with the Government of Guyana. The oil giant stressed however, that the type and extent of the benefits associated with revenue sharing will depend on how decision-makers in government decide to prioritise and allocate funding for future programmes, which is unknown to the company and outside the scope of the EIA. Apart from the revenue sharing, Exxon said Guyanese stand to benefit from the procurement process that will follow for goods and services from local businesses in alignment with the Petroleum Agreement and the EEPGL Local Content Plan approved by the Ministry of Natural Resources in June 2021.

According to project documents, Yellowtail will consist of drilling approximately 41 to 67 developmen t wells (including production, water injection, and gas reinjection wells); installation and operation of Subsea, Umbilicals, Risers, and Flowlines equipment; installation and the operation of a Floating Production Storage and Offloading (FPSO) vessel in the eastern half of the Stabroek Block; and— ultimately—project decommissioning.

The FPSO will be designed to produce up to 250,000 barrels of oil per day. The initial production is expected to begin by the end of 2025–early 2026, with operations continuing

for at least 20 years.

The project is expected to employ up to 540 persons

during development well drilling, approximately 600 persons at the peak of the

installation stage, and 100 to 140 persons during production operations.

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COVID-19: This is how you survive the Omicron wave

By Dr. Zulfikar Bux Emergency Medicine Specialist We've all seen the drastic rise in COVID-19 case numbers over the past week. Based on worldwide trends, it is obvious that we've started to experience the Omicron wave here.

The Omicron wave will infect many more persons than any other previous wave of COVID-19.

It will occur at a faster rate and January will be the peak period. After that, I believe it will slow down and come to an ease by the end of February 2022.

I am optimistic that this will be the last hurrah and the pandemic will end with us being left with a less severe coronavirus which will cause seasonal “cold like” symptoms. In the meantime, the odds are high that an overwhelming majority of us will be exposed to Omicron.

Today, I will therefore share with you facts that will help

you ride this wave out and be able to withstand the effects of Omicron if you are infected.

Get your booster Evidence has emerged which shows persons who have taken their booster being 40 times less likely to have symptoms if they get exposed to Omicron.

The booster vaccine is a way to prime your immune system so that it has antibodies that are efficient in detecting the virus and eradicating it before it can spread and cause more severe disease.

Those that are not vaccinated or recently vaccinated with two doses will get similar effects once they would have received their 2nd dose within the last three months.

However, the protection from omicron drops below 50 percent for those that had two dose vaccines with their last dose being more than six months ago. But they still

have sufficient protection that will decrease the likelihood of getting a severe infection from Omicron.

The unvaccinated are the persons who are at higher risk of getting severely infected or dying from Omicron.

Optimise your immune system The best way to win a battle is to have a strong offense and defense. Our immune system protects us by being both offensive and defensive against any invading pathogen including the coronavirus.

We should therefore ensure that our immune system is in tip top shape and ready to battle so that it can easily overcome the omicron threat before it can multiply and overwhelm our body.

The following factors have been proven by science to be beneficial to our body against COVID-19: ●Eating healthy ●Getting sufficient rest

● Minimising our stress levels ● Optimal exercise ● Daily required intake of Vitamins C and D, and Zinc Choose where you interact wisely Omicron is airborne and remains in the air longer than any previous variant of the coronavirus.

It is the most infectious form of the coronavirus that has existed thus far.

We can decrease o r chance of being exposed to it by interacting in the following environments where science has shown that the coronavirus will dissipate quickly and not linger around for us to come in contact with it: ● Spaces with good draft/airflow that will quickly dissipate the virus ● Open spaces that will ensure the virus cannot concentrate in large amounts ● Spaces where there is the smallest amount of

persons being together ● Being in a closed space with others for the shortest duration possible.

Masking up saves lives I think we all know by now how important masks are against the spread of the coronavirus.

However, given the large concentrations of Omicron circulating, masks are even more important than previously to ensure you are either not exposed, or you are exposed to the least possible dose of Omicron.

Cloth masks alone are not as effective against Omicron but can be effective when combined with surgical masks. Surgical m a s k s d o o ff e r s o m e protection but the protection levels are higher when everyone around you also has one on.

N95 masks remain the gold standard for protection but they are difficult to have on all day especially if you are not trained to use them.

We have to work together to get past this challenging month where the Omicron wave will be at its peak. I am confident that we will get past what is considered to be the final hurdle of this pandemic.

How successful we are will depend on how effective we are at collectively implementing these measures during this time.

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Sunday January 09, 2022

>>> ENCOURAGING EVENTS, DISTURBING DEVELOPMENTS <<<

COVID sickness, possible leadership sickness, definitely much slackness and weakness I am hoping that Guyana’s President is well, that he is not sick from anything, be it what comes out from below the seabed, or what is airborne, or the heaviness of his office.

Those were the first thoughts that came, because even by his own staggeringly low

leadership standards, he outdid himself with the incredible that made the news on Thursday. It all involved the alarming spiral in COVID-19 cases. We are now in stormy seas, indeed.

The reports were of so many hundreds of positive tests in the span of a couple

of days. Then a pattern set in with 788 new cases recorded in a single day.

Then, another section of the media sharing 1264 infections in two days, of which some 200 health workers could have caught the virus.

At first, I thought I got that wrong; surely

somewhere else, and not here. My second thought was that we have enough diseased leaders and political people now to be visited with what was still unknown, as of midweek.

Are these many hundreds of new cases due to the highly contagious omicron variant?

But even if they were not, the numbers were/are sufficiently troubling to say: let us roll u p o u r sleeves, let us get down to the serious business of confronting a still fully unknown viral pandemic.

It was what I expect any serious and responsible leader would do. Instead of that, what Guyanese had to come to grips with was what I think rises to the level of the stupefying. And of all the places and parties for that to emerge from, it came from this country’s head of state.

The way I see it, it boils down to this: there is the dangerous, then there is the duty to rise to the occasion.

The circumstances surrounding the sudden surge(s) in virus numbers demanded the latter, which is rising to the crisis demands of the moment.

This is the worst time to play politics and to pretend there is “control” over the situation; that is thoughtless and of no comfort to anyone at a time like this. The President has a duty to lead, and to do so wisely, no matter how demanding that may be for him. What will it take for leadership in this society? Do people have to die?

Now, when I speak of leadership, it’s not of the usual kneejerk and simpleminded that now is a standard feature of political leadership at the national level. Or the panic-stricken disappearing acts of other frightened leaders.

Because if those numbers do not necessitate urgent action, then what will?

I wish not for Braziliantype leadership recklessness and failure here. What is helpful is to have clearheaded and open minded appreciation of what we are dealing with, what are our vulnerabilities, and how we narrow the gap. That is,

By GHK Lall the gap between what is dangerous, and what could be deadly.

With all of this as backdrop, it boggles the m i n d t h a t G u y a n a ’s President could go public and say schools will remain open. We should all be thankful that he did not hide, make a secret tape recording, and share with friendly, helpful media. What will it take to get action? The schools themselves recorded 65 teachers and 44 students infected.

Where was the always politicking Minister of Education?

As for the Minister of Health, he had to be and must be in the forefront with assurance.

Face it: the President is illequipped and over his head.

To be brutally frank, this is not the time for the usual leadership pussyfooting, which is what I detected in the latter part of the last week.

The one moment of sanity in a sea of insanity came from the unlikeliest of places, with no word of whether it had any infections. It came from the Georgetown High Courts, which made the wise decision to shut down for five days, if only to sanitise and take a deep sounding of the situation. I discern the sensible at work, which I applaud. In this country, I have learned to be thankful for small mercies.

Wishes for a healthy and constructive 2022 to all Guyanese.

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

Sunday January 09, 2022

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Sunday January 09, 2022

The Reid Family: FEARLESSLY PURSUING ENTREPRENEURIAL SUCCESS FOR ALMOST FOUR DECADES

By Kiana Wilburg

I

n business, there are two kinds of people: those who dream of making it big but are inhibited by fear of failure; and those who, governed by a “no-quit mentality,” and embrace the risks and failures, come what may. By any means necessary, the latter individual is determined to be the master of his field through trial and error no matter the pressure.

This is the “magic” that separates the doers from the dreamers. The magic that led Lennox Reid, a father of six, to create L.M. Reid and Sons, a commendable entrepreneurial foundation which his children, Teressa and Rommel in particular, now manage while fearlessly going after adventures of their own.

During an interview with

Socket cap bolts sold at L.M. Reid and Sons Teressa, it was clear that she was not only honoured to have inherited her father’s courage to pursue entrepreneurial success no matter the pitfalls, but she was also proud to share how his approach to business fuels her decision to always keep going. To take on other opportunities as they come and to soak up the invaluable

lessons that follow.

Teressa shared that the Reid Family has three businesses which she has b e e n m a n a g i n g simultaneously: T.S. Reid Sales and Investments; B, R&T Paint Store; and L.M. Reid and Sons.

She noted that L. M Reid and Sons started with bolts and nuts extracted from

crashed cars that were subsequently resold. The businesswoman noted however that very early on, her father who has now retired from the business at the age of 75, faced several challenging waves before landing on a steady current of triumph.

Proudly noting that her father taught her everything she knows about business, Teressa shared, “Before L.M Reid and Sons got off the ground, my dad tried his hands at many things which included the sale of scrap metal, salted fish, wood, and about seven other items. It then moved onto old vehicles which were stripped down, the bolts and nuts retrieved and cleaned then sold. He was doing this since 1986. I can even recall when I was about six-years-old, I used to help dad with this process. I would take a wire brush and using a kerosene mixture, I would clean old bolts to remove the rust. As I got older, I helped out more with the business after school too.”

The entrepreneur shared too that she admired over the years, how her father was never too proud to make a sale on any product or even demonstrate to her that where one man may see waste, he can easily turn it into a money-making opportunity. To prove her case, she recalled that some years ago, her dad had the contract for the disposal of garbage for Georgetown

Some of the paint sold at B, R&T Paint Store

Lennox Reid and his beautiful, devoted wife, Bibi Seafoods, an American company that was later bought over by Fisheries tycoon, Pritipaul Singh Investments. She said her dad, due to the contract, had access to numerous trawler accessories that were discarded such as wire rope.

Expounding further, Teressa said, “After a couple of trips, Georgetown Seafoods would discard wire rope from the trawler and other materials…my dad would check to see what could be salvaged and sold. It was such a profitable move that it gave him more than enough revenue to build our home in Grove.”

W h i l e h e r f a t h e r ’s company may have had a humble beginning selling the bolts and nuts from crashed cars, Teressa was proud to disclose how the capacity of the business has transformed. The company now imports bolts and nuts out of the USA and China. In fact, all sorts of specialty bolts such as socket cap, countersunk and hex in the

highest grade strengths of 8.8, 10.9, and 12.9 are available for customers to procure.

The company also provides hard-to-find inserts, set screws, and threaded rods. Further to this, the young entrepreneur said the company which has come such a long way, is now a major supplier for the Demerara Harbour Bridge, as well as several trucking companies and prominent stakeholders in the fisheries, poultry, and rice industries.

She said this level of success was fuelled by her energies and that of her brother Rommel, who comprise the A-Team for the family businesses.

Teressa shared too that it has been quite the journey maintaining her dad’s legacy while adding that she strives to remain true to the tenets it has been built on, one of which includes, “always try to meet the needs of the customers, no matter the day or time.”

Continued on page 44

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g ts in s... e e er tur t In rea C

Sunday January 09, 2022

Fulgora laternaria

The fulgorid insect Fulgora laternaria (often misspelled “lanternaria”), is a planthopper known by a large variety of common names, among them lantern fly, peanut bug, peanutheaded lanternfly, alligator bug, jequitiranaboia, machaca, chicharra-machacuy, and cocoposa.

Description Fulgora laternaria can reach a length of 85–90 millimetres (3.3–3.5 in), with a wingspan up to 100–150 millimetres (3.9–5.9 in).

This insect has a protuberance at its head as long as 10–15 millimetres

(0.39–0.59 in), looking like a peanut and showing false eyes to resemble that of a lizard or a serpent. The insect was originally and mistakenly - believed to be luminescent. When attacked, it protects itself by displaying large, yellow, fake eyes on its hind wings to frighten the aggressor, and releases a foul-smelling substance.

Adults can be found from June to December. They feed on the sap of plants, mainly from some trees as Hymenaea courbaril, Simarouba amara and Zanthoxylum species. It will generally remain camouflaged on a tree trunk during the day.

It will knock its head on a hollow tree to create vibrations for mates. It will lay its eggs on the Hymenaea courbaril or quapinol tree, and coat them in a waxy substance for protection.

Several very similar species in the genus occur from Central to South America, and many museum and commercial specimens identified as laternaria are actually other species.

Distribution and habitat This species inhabits tropical forests in Mexico, Central America

and South America.

History In the 1970s, a Colombian reporter on a trip to Putumayo Department wrote a chronicle about this insect, and related the folk tale that if it bites you, it would

cause death unless the affected person practiced a sexual act within 24 hours. Although this species is not venomous, the publication of this text in a national magazine gave notoriety to both the author and the claim. (Source: Wikipedia)

Sunday January 09, 2022

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Kaieteur News

Speaker defends honour

…calls PNC/R’s attack weak attempt to defend disorder Speaker of the National Assembly, Manzoor Nadir, has sought to defend his ‘honour’ following what he calls an attempt on the part of the main faction of the opposition coalition, A Partnership for National Unity (APNU), a weak attempt to justify parliamentary disorder.

Nadir in an official statement from the National Assembly said he “frowns upon the attempt by the” PNC/R to bring his speakership of the National Assembly of the Parliament of

Guyana into disrepute.

Qualifying his position, in response to the allegations of bias, Nadir said, “Speakers, from time immemorial, due to the nature of the work, that is, preserving order and

decorum within the Assembly and disciplining members, among other things, have always been accused of biasness.”

As such, he contends, “this allegation is therefore expected.” He added, “I wish to state, that as Speaker of the National Assembly, I have always conducted the business of the House in keeping with the Standing Orders of the Parliament of Guyana and other Parliamentary Procedures and Practices of the

Commonwealth.”

He further contended that persons unfamiliar with Parliamentary Rules of Procedure “would interpret the way I have been approving and disapproving questions and motions, and my rulings on certain matters, (Continued on page 42)

Speaker of the National Assembly, Manzoor Nadir

Kaieteur News

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Sunday January 09, 2022

Man wanted for marrying twice A man who allegedly married twice had his 'second' honeymoon marred by a wanted bulletin that was issued for him by police on Friday last.

The man, Andrew Simon, is a resident of lot 10-10 Cemetery Road, Wo r t m a n v i l l e , G e o r g e t o w n .

According to police, they want to question him about a bigamy offence he allegedly committed last month on December 21, 2021.

Bigamy is the act of entering into a marriage with one person while still legally married to another. A legal or de facto separation of the couple does not alter their marital status as married persons.

Kaieteur News understands that an individual was provided with information that Simon was getting married again although he was still legally married to his wife. The individual was able to confirm that

this was the case. The matter was later reported to the police and an investigation was launched.

As a result, the police force is asking that anyone with information that may lead to Simon's arrest should call any of these telephone numbers 227-2603, 226-6978, 226-6221, 2271149, 225-8196, 268-2328, 2682298/2222, 226-7065, 911 or the nearest police station.

This is not the first time that police

were called in to investigate a bigamy case. Recently an airport ramp attendant, Michael Taylor, 38, of Lot 1 Soesdyke, East Bank Demerara, made headlines after he was found guilty of marrying twice. The court ordered him to pay $100,000 fine or spend 12 months behind bars. During a court appearance, Taylor said that he was not aware that he was still married. He had gotten married to his (Continued on page 48)

Wanted for allegedly marrying twice, Andrew Simon.

Sunday January 09, 2022

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Kaieteur News

UG to graduate over 2200 students in series of virtual graduations from next month

O

ver 2,200 graduands from 50 disciplines are expected to walk the virtual graduation stage as Guyana’s premier tertiary educational institution, the University of Guyana, hosts its second series of online graduation events.

This is the 55th Convocation for the Turkeyen campus and the 20th for the Berbice campus.

The graduations, according to a UG release, will be hosted over two weekends from Friday, February 4, 2022, to Saturday, February 12, 2022.

However, graduates’ profiles for eligible students were approved by the University’s Academic Board in November and December 2021.

As such these are their effective dates for graduation. Students who have met their obligations to the University may now request expedited certificates, Letters of Completion and Official Transcripts by using the request features in their University’s Student Records Management System (SRMS) accounts.

For the second time in UG’s 59-year history, the convocation ceremonies will be held virtually for all campuses.

Graduands from all campuses will be combined by associated disciplines and Faculties.

The graduation dates are as follows: Friday, February 4, 2022 •Faculty of Agriculture and Forestry •Faculty of Engineering and Technology •School of Entrepreneurship & Business Innovation Saturday, February 5, 2022 •College of Medical Sci-

The University of Guyana, Turkeyen Campus.

ences •Behavioural Sciences & Research Friday, February 11, 2022 •Faculty of Social Sciences Saturday, February 12, 2022 •Faculty of Earth and Environmental Sciences •Faculty of Education and Humanities •Institute of Distance and Continuing Education – Degree and Diploma Programmes only This year several new academic programmes will see graduates for the first time.

These include disciplines such as Associate of Science - Petroleum Engineering, Bachelor of Science - Accountancy, Bachelor of Science Entrepreneurship, Bachelor of Science - Marketing, Bachelor of Science - Supply Chain Management and Bachelor of Science - Environmental Science, among several others.

Logistics and details will be shared directly with prospective graduands via UG’s internal SRMS and official graduation website @ https:/

/uog.edu.gy/convocation2021.

However, graduation gowns will be available from Monday January 10 and photography will begin by approved schedule in the same week.

All prospective graduates should continue to liaise with their departments and faculties and to continue to check their SRMS accounts for updates.

UG Help Desk numbers for clarity on any matter relating to the graduation ceremonies are now open as follows: Turkeyen: 623-1941, 6231867, 623-1869, 623-1871, 6231924, 623-1868, 623-1942, 6241943, 623-1944, 623-1945, 6231946, 623-1948; Berbice (Tain): 623-1943 or 623-1949; and IDCE: 642-7009, 6230359, 642-7007, 624-1269.

Also, persons can check the FAQ’s on the University’s website at https://uog.edu.gy/convocation-2021.

UG has graduated upwards of 50,000 graduates in its 58-year existence - many

of whom have gone on to serve at the highest levels nationally and internationally.

The annual graduation exercises are a highlight on

the University’s calendar of institutional events since it provides not only an opportunity for celebrating the efforts of students, lecturers,

families, and supporters, but for stirring graduation speeches from valedictorians and high-profile keynote speakers.

Like the 2020 graduation, events this year will be even more special since the University administration is consistently underscoring that the great resilience displayed by students to complete their degrees in very difficult circumstances of COVID-19 deserves to be richly applauded and celebrated.

A record number of attendees are expected this year since due to the online nature of the event there will be no limit to the number of invitees who can join the proceedings.

Invitations with links to all events will be available from Wednesday, January 5, 2022.

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Kaieteur News

Sunday January 09, 2022

Police accused of “dragging foot” on assault of pregnant woman Ranks at the East Ruimveldt Police Outpost are being accused of ‘dragging their foot’ on an assault of a pregnant woman which occurred on September 5, 2021.

T h e v i c t i m , Tr a c y Andrews, 40, of Lot 9 West Ruimveldt was allegedly assaulted by two men, who live next door to her, over some illegal live electrical cable that they had run through her yard.

Andrews has since given birth to her baby prematurely and the men who had allegedly assaulted her are yet to be charged.

Kaieteur News, however, was able to confirm that the men had been arrested for the offence but were released on station bail pending further investigation.

Shedding some light on what transpired on September 5, 2021, Andrews recalled that she and her mother were angry at the neighbours for running live electrical wires through her yard. “We were concerned about the safety of our children and we had been telling them to remove it but they never did,” Andrews

Tracy Andrews, the woman that was assaulted while pregnant. told Kaieteur News.

As a result, she approached her neighbour’s home that day and demanded that it be removed at once. A female occupant of the home reportedly became angry with Andrews and they started to curse each other.

It soon turned into a scuffle between the two women and it was at this point that the two men came out of the house and

allegedly started to beat Andrews.

Andrews identified them as the woman’s son and husband. She claimed that assault ended after one of her relatives alerted the police.

Everyone, including Andrews, was arrested that same day. She was later taken to the hospital and, according to a medical seen by this newspaper, she suffered abrasion to her body and an injury to her back.

An ultra sound was also conducted on her to see if any harm was caused to her unborn child and it was reportedly advised that they keep her under observation.

Her baby was eventually born prematurely but as it relates to the assault matter, police had only dealt with the scuffle she and the woman had over the illegal electrical wires in her yard.

They were both charged and placed before the court but the two men Andrews claimed had beaten her, were placed on station bail and are yet to be charged. Speaking with this newspaper on Friday, Andrews said that she wants justice because her Continued on page 49

Sunday January 09, 2022

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Kaieteur News

Sunday January 09, 2022

What Are The Physical And Mental Tolls Of Sleep Deprivation?

T

o compete with the pace of life getting faster every year, it seems like we have forgotten to give adequate rest to our mind and body. With work and other responsibilities demanding a lot of our attention and energy, regular and healthy sleep is almost seen as an inconvenience rather than a necessity.

A recent study showed that about 53% of Indians sleep late, preferring to scroll through social media instead of getting an early night and a few others had disturbed sleep through the night. Sleep is involved in physical and mental health and sleep loss can lead to severe negative impacts on both of them.

What are the common causes of Lack of Sleep? The causes of lack of sleep are varied across individuals but a few common themes can be seen. Social media and the internet itself has become a battleground for grabbing and keeping the attention of user’s, whether it’s through algorithms or addictive apps and games. People fall into a routine of winding their day down with social media or YouTube, assuming this helps them relax before bed.

The fact is, these apps and the internet as a whole, stimulates the brain keeping it engaged and not allowing for any mental relaxation to take place. This leads to a delay of sleep, sometimes for

hours on end, which of course leads to several physiological issues. Of course, there are many other causes of lack of sleep and social media/apps/the internet when used appropriately can have many benefits. It isn’t just something negative that you have to avoid all the time.

Having a newborn may also be a sweet cause of sleep loss, while other causes of lack of sleep include insomnia and anxiety, stress, depression or a change of schedule.

Some diseases, medicines, sleep disorders and illnesses may also lead to improper sleep such as sleep apnea, narcolepsy and restless legs syndrome. Ageing may also lead to chronic sleep loss.

How does Sleep Loss impact your health? Sleep Loss on a few occasions typically

does not lead to any drastic effects on your mind or body, except that you might feel tired. However, the effects of sleep deprivation, especially chronically lacking sleep, can be grave and may require treatment. ·Memory loss and trouble focusing – Continued sleep deprivation over a few days may lead to memory loss and an inability to maintain focus.

This is due to the brain being active and functioning all the time and not being able to rest and recover. ·Stress and mood changes – While stress itself can become a cause of sleep loss, the reverse is also true. Sleep deprivation can increase your stress levels, resulting in a feedback loop.

Additionally, you may notice several mood changes in yourself when you go through chronic lack of sleep,

from being easily irritated to depression. ·Increased risk of high BP, diabetes, heart disease – Less than 5 hours of sleep each night significantly increases your risk of developing high blood pressure. Lack of sleep can also cause higher levels of chemicals linked to inflammation. Together with increased blood pressure, this can increase your risk of heart disease. Since sleep loss interferes with the release of Insulin, it may also lead to a high risk of developing diabetes. ·Weight gain or weight loss – Sleep and weight loss or gain are closely intertwined. In some cases, lack of sleep may lead to a loss of appetite or on the opposite end, overeating. ·Weakened immunity – Chronic lack of sleep results in your immune system becoming weaker against common infections (colds, coughs). Without time to rest, the body is unable to recharge and repair, which affects its immune response. ·Poor balance – The physiological process of maintaining balance and coordination, requires concentration and mental effort which usually isn’t something we need to consciously think about.

But sleep deprivation can affect our coordination and balance, making it hard to perform basic executive func-

tions. This increases your risk of accidents and falls and may lead to severe injury. ·Although it is dependent on the causes of lack of sleep, some other effects include low sex drive and inability to perform social tasks (such as missing out on social gatherings). How can Sleep Loss be fixed Despite the issues associated with it, sleep loss can be fixed. Fixing your sleep cycle depends upon the causes of disruption of sleep.

The hopeful fact is that, once your body is trained, a lot of your symptoms and issues will disappear or reduce in intensity. Getting to the point where your body is following a natural rhythm of sleep and being awake requires effort and planning.

Some home remedies include a warm bath before bed to relax you physically and loosen your muscles and joints. Additionally, you should keep your phone away whenever you get into bed, creating a separation between being on your phone and being in bed. This can train your body to accept that when you’re in bed, sleep is the goal.

You can use your phone to play soft, calming music in case it helps, but set the music and leave the phone!

Avoid watching any video or movie that has violent or disturbing content especially before your sleep-time.

Keep your bedroom clean,

ventilated and organised, for a peaceful and relaxing environment that promotes quality sleep. Relaxation techniques and meditation can be of great help too. The temperature in your room also plays an important role in allowing you to fall asleep quickly, when your body is uncomfortable it will be really hard to fall asleep. Figure out what the best temperature for you is and do your best to keep your room within that range. Lastly, you may want to visit a psychologist or psychiatrist, since you may have issues that require expert treatment.

You may be prescribed sleeping medication, apart from any treatment for the underlying causes of your sleep loss. Conclusion From the effects sleep loss has on our body and mind, it’s clear to see that sleep is an essential and vital body function.

When you lay in bed social media may be engaging or your brain may be busy reliving the busy day you’ve just been through- remember that you won’t be able to function fully the next day without a good night’s rest.

If your problems persist for over a week, you should definitely seek professional help, whether a counsellor, a psychiatrist or a sleep specialist. (https://pharmeasy.in/ blog/what-are-the-physicaland-mental-tolls-of-sleepdeprivation/)

What is Third-hand Smoking and What Does it Mean for People Around You? The term passive smoking has become common parlance now, for being in the vicinity of someone who is smoking.

However, there is yet another form of passive smoking known as Third-hand smoke, which involves inhaling residual nicotine left on indoor surfaces. This can be particularly harmful since it can cause damage to the DNA. Moreover, third-hand smoking is dangerous because it often mixes with pollutants and develops into cancer-causing compounds.

Third-hand smoke initially develops from the nicotine that settles and spreads onto several indoor surfaces. Over time, certain harmful chemicals are released from these indoor surfaces and breathing them in can be as harmful as passive second-hand smoking. Who are the most at risk from third-hand smoke?

Since passive secondhand smoke is something that people have become conscious about to some extent, family members are often kept at bay when a person is smoking. However, the concept of third-hand smoke is fairly unknown to most smokers.

Therefore, children and other non-smoking adults within the same closed or partially open indoor space may be at the highest risk of being exposed to such cancer-causing compounds. ·Effect on Infants If there are infants inside the house, third-hand smoke can be even more dangerous. This is because infants who haven’t learnt to walk yet, are usually in high contact with the floor and have their hands touching it most of the time. Nicotine from tobacco smoke settles and clings to such floor surfaces.

Since infants have the habit of putting their hands inside the mouth quite often, this nicotine along with other harmful chemicals can easily enter their bodies. ·Effect on Non-smoking Adults For non-smoking adults, the effect of such cancercausing compounds can be severe on their bodies. The detrimental impacts of passive smoking in non-smoking adults can include cancer of the nasal sinuses, throat and breast cancer, along with short and long-term respiratory symptoms and even the permanent loss of certain lung

functions.

What are the negative effects of third-hand smoke?

Since nicotine is one of the several deadly cancer-causing compounds, it has been identified as the leading cause of several forms of sinus, throat, breast and lung cancer. One study has particularly found that undetected damage to DNA could be one serious consequence of thirdhand smoke in both children and non-smoking adults.

This genetic damage along with the entry of cancerous compounds into the human body can often result in compound health ailments for people of all ages.

Moreover, in several cases, such third-hand smoke tends to remain and even accumulate on the smoker’s skin.

It is also assumed that when a smoker comes in contact with a group of people, the entire group can fall prey to the damaging effects of thirdhand smoke.

The Cleveland Clinic has identified several harmful effects of being exposed to third-hand smoke. Apart from the dangerous effects of cancerous substances like nicotine and damage to DNA, this

type of passive smoking can also cause further damage to the respiratory system of non-smokers. When nicotine from tobacco clings to surfaces like clothes, walls, curtains, furniture, etc, it reacts with the Nitrous acids found in the atmosphere and forms different types of cancercausing compounds.

Moreover, eliminating this nicotine residue is quite impossible since it is not directly visible. This residue can cling to indoor surfaces for several months and even years at a stretch. Ensuring proper ventilation in the room has little effect on this residue and it also evades the action of vacuum cleaners.

The only plausible solution to eliminate this residue from third-hand smoke may be to repaint the walls, replace all curtains and carpets and perform extensive cleaning of the ventilation systems inside the house. The entire process is quite expensive, to say the least and hence it is best to quit smoking in order to prevent the risk of thirdhand smoke in the first place.

Prevention of third-hand smoke Since such cancerous residue cannot be expelled

simply by proper ventilation and can often be carried around the housing via clothing, it may be helpful to take some preventive measures. ·Avoid smoking inside your home or in your car. ·Whenever you have been in the vicinity of a smoker, it is advisable to immediately wash all clothes as soon as you return home. You must ensure that you take a thorough bath first before roaming about inside your house as the residue from your clothes could be transferred to other surfaces inside the house. ·In case you have had a smoker inside your house, it is advisable that you thoroughly wash all bedding and linen, like bed sheets, blankets, pillow covers, curtains, etc. This will ensure that the cancer-causing compounds do not linger on inside your house. ·You can also wet and dry mop all tiled and other hard surfaces like counters, tabletops, floors, walls, etc with potent cleaning solutions. ·If you have children at home, you will usually have childrens’ toys lying around.

The residue from third-hand

smoke can even accumulate on these toys and prove harmful for your child. Therefore, it is recommended that you thoroughly wash and clean these toys as well since they are high-contact surfaces for your child. · Finally, if there is an active smoker in your house, it is beneficial to have them take a bath, wash and change their clothes after smoking, to prevent you or other nonsmokers inside the house from being exposed to thirdhand smoke.

Conclusion Since thirdhand smoke is a relatively new area of research, there is still a lot to be uncovered about its long-term effects on nonsmokers and ways to prevent them. Moreover, lockdown during the pandemic has increased people’s chances of exposure to such cancercausing compounds because of having to be in constant contact with someone at home who smokes.

This can often cause irreparable damage to DNA and the only solution is either for the smoker to quit smoking or refrain from smoking at home to minimise chances of third-hand smoke.

Kaieteur News

Sunday January 09, 2022

PAGE 37

==GNBS IN FOCUS==

Local businesses stand to benefit from use of Made In Guyana mark on their product labels Local manufacturers and producers can now apply to the Guyana National Bureau of Standards (GNBS) to use the Made in Guyana Certification Mark. The coveted Mark, which was unveiled by First Lady Mrs. Arya Ali at the National Quality Awards Ceremony in October 2021, is a signature of quality for authentic Guyanese Products. It is now available for use by local businesses.

For years, businesses have been calling for the establishment of a local programme, which provides a mark that differentiates their products based on key quality and other criteria.

Supported by its legislation, the GNBS has heeded the call at a time in the economy when businesses are

grappling to demonstrate quality and remain competitive. The Standards Act No. 11 of 1984 authorises the GNBS to use its Made in Guyana Mark on products with set criteria once they comply with the terms and conditions of the Programme.

The Made in Guyana Mark is a registered mark that aims to provide recognition of locally manufactured products on the local and international markets.

Through its use, the focus is on creating national competitiveness for authentic Guyanese products certified under the Programme, while also creating and promoting brand recognition and market advantage for participating businesses.

The Certification Programme also provides a framework for the development of quality systems to enhance our local content, pushing Guyanese businesses to the forefront of quality on a national, regional, and international level and at an affordable cost.The Made in Guyana Programme, which is voluntary, is opened to applications from all manufacturers and producers of local products regardless of size or product type. Under the programme, only products meeting the established criteria as outlined by the National Standards Body will be certified to use the Made in Guyana Mark.

In terms of criteria, products will be certified

based on the quantity of local raw materials used in their production, and the number of Guyanese staff employed by establishments (at least 70 percent). It must be noted, that while companies are allowed to import 80 percent of their raw materials, the products must be assembled or processed in Guyana.

To e n s u r e t h a t t h e requirements of the Made in Guyana Mark Programme are favourable to local businesses, the draft requirements were exposed to a period of public consultations to allow for stakeholders' input and

consensus. These inputs were considered and requirements were finalised.

The new Certification Programme became active at the beginning of January 2022 and local companies can now apply to the GNBS to use the Made in Guyana Mark. The period of certification is one year and surveillances and a renewal of assessment will be conducted during the certification period to ensure continued conformance to the established criteria.

The Certification Services Department of the GNBS stands ready to offer

the requisite guidance to all sizes of businesses that are considering applying for this M a r k o f q u a l i t y. T h e application form along with the detailed requirements of the Programme and the process of acquiring the Made in Guyana Certification Mark can be found on the GNBS website h t t p s : https://gnbsgy.org/certificati on/made-in-guyanacertification/ For further information, please contact the GNBS on telephone numbers: 2190064-66 or WhatsApp: 6924627.

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Kaieteur News

Sunday January 09, 2022

Sunday January 09, 2022

Kaieteur News

PAGE 39

TEEN TIME

At the start of a New Year see the need to develop concrete plans for achieving your goals As we are about to enter into a new phase of life, all young people should see the need to make a concerted effort to clarify the dreams and ambitions they have set as their life goals. This will not only make your life more meaningful but will move you closer to fulfilling that special purpose for which you have been born.

The next step is for you to develop the most efficient means by which you will attain your goals.

You will be aware that if you just try to work in the broad areas that these cover, you are apt to encounter difficulties in the steps that you need to take to attain them. It must be clear then that you will have to break down these goals into simple steps, so that it will be easier to move forward, and also you will readily recognise when you are on the right track, and when you take some wrong

direction. In the latter case, you can then adjust so as to keep you firmly moving forward.

An example of this breakdown can be:Suppose your big ambition is to be an architect. You will decide on the things you need to do to get there from where you are now. You have to fill the gap between your present educational qualification

and what is needed to enter the technical institute or the university. You will have to determine what resources will be required to do so, i.e. what classes you have to attend, when and where, and the finances and other things that will enable you to do so.

When you are serious about fulfilling your ambition, then you will try to solve all the problems

you foresee in each of these steps in advance, so that the path to your goal will be smoother and easier to traverse.

You will also have to bear in mind that this path can be blocked by many distractions that are becoming more common in the modern world. Wasting your time and energy by indulging in bad habits, like drinking, idling, watching too much TV and keeping the wrong company can all hamper your chances for ultimate success, and you have from the inception to examine these and make up your mind to get rid of any type of behaviour that would disturb your progress.

At this crossroad in your life, you have to make the choices that will help you to achieve your goals.

Plan ahead well and you are certain to fulfil that special purpose that is yours and yours alone.

It's okay, my friend

by Bibi Fazeela Khan Life is a test, it's not easy at all, Sometimes we slip, and sometimes we fall; But it is okay, my friend, to err is naturally human, So look to the future, and do the best you can.

Sometimes we see the need to reach out a helping hand, Sometimes we want to, but we just can't; When “Sorry” isn't quite enough to say, Then it's okay to just get on your knees and pray.

He knows us by our number and name, He knows we're imperfect, and that's no shame; He judges the sincerity of our prayers, Grants us our needs, and removes our cares.

It matters not what THEY say, May times they just want to ruin your day; Gossip and slander is their only way, But what goes around comes around, what may.

So, it's okay, my friend, don't be afraid to try, The goals you seek will be attained by and by; The falls you suffer should be taken with a smile, They only make it sweeter as you run the last mile.

Start the New Year right by clarifying your ambitions to make the most of the time.

FUN WITH POETRY

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

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

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

by Uncle Roy

PAGE 40

5 MINUTE DETOX WATER

What is Detox Water?

Detox water is known to help remove toxins, aid in weight loss and boost the immune system. Natural vitamins, minerals and antioxidants are found in fruit that create this perfect combination. All these things are huge health benefits that will slowly increase the bodies way of life. Water is the best source of nutrition for the body. Drinking more water is only benefiting and rewarding. Skin, hair and internal organs crave water and need it to survive. This detox water only compliments those benefits as well as taste amazing while doing it!

Detox Water Ingredients: Most all of the ingredients in this detox water contain vitamin C and other health benefits that make these detox so strong and powerful. Seeing results that you want are key and using this detox water can help clean your system on the inside and out.

Each of these ingredients are a benefit to the body and digestive track. Combined there are so many health benefits that all work together creating a flavorful and healthy water for your body. · Oranges: Contain Vitamin C that aid in growth, development and repair of all body tissues. · Limes: These limes contain a citrus juice that helps with digestion and relives bloating on the belly. · Lemons: Aid in weight loss and reduce anemia and other digestive enzymes. · Strawberries: Helps with heart health and blood sugar control in the body. · Mint for Garnish: Mint is known to help with digestion and is a belly enhancing garnish that improves the metabolism. · Cold Water: This is the most important part of the detox water. It is healthy and the best thing for our bodies.

How to make Detox Water: It is a simple combination that works together so well.

Slice and cut up all the fruits leaving the skin or peeling on.

Place all the ingredients into a pitcher or large container. Fill the pitcher with filtered, cold water. It is best to enjoy this water at least an hour later from making it. This will allow the fruit and mint garnish to absorb the water and fill the cold water with more flavoring.

1. Add all ingredients together: In a large pitcher add the oranges, limes, lemons, strawberries, and mint. Fill the pitcher with the water.

2. Steep the water: Let sit in the refrigerator 1 hour or overnight to let it steep and flavors blend.

Variations of Detox Water: Berries are full of vitamins, dietary fibers and healthy benefits. These benefits help maintain a healthy weight, reduce the risk of diabetes, decreases the chances of heart disease and can lower the chances of getting certain types of cancers. All in all, drinking water is a lifestyle choice that benefits in several different ways. Creating a water to help aid in all these benefits is simple with minimum amount of ingredients. Try substituting or adding in more fruits and/or herbs to the water for even more flavorful ways of drinking water.

Blueberries Raspberries Pineapple Mango CucumbersGinger

Lavender

Kaieteur News

Sunday January 09, 2022

Sunday January 09, 2022

==CONSUMER CONCERNS== Way open to join Oil and Gas Industry workforce or become a supplier of goods and services

By Pat Dial The advent of Oil and Gas Industries in developing countries has always been accompanied by positive and negative impacts. The main positive impact is that those societies for the first time in their history would have earned quantities of wealth never before imagined. The negatives are many - the new wealth is squandered in aimless consumption and the economic base of the country is neglected. When the oil reserves are exhausted, the country is again afflicted with poverty. Or, the new oil wealth engenders corruption among government personnel including politicians. Or, it could fuel inflation bringing hardship to the citizenry. Or, the oil companies could unfairly exploit the country.

If however, a country has the will it could limit and eliminate these negative impacts.

One of the most important of such negatives is the characteristic of oil companies and their subcontractors to use only foreign goods and services and a foreign workforce, thus depriving Guyanese of involvement in the industry and a source of income. The State, rather belatedly, has taken measures to ensure that the oil companies engage Guyanese workers and source goods and services locally by the Local Content Act. All the political parties are agreed on this goal though they differ in methodology. The fundamental reason for this difference is that they are being inspired by different models.

Lawmakers in Guyana are aware that Local Content legislation is something new to the Guyanese experience and so have thoroughly studied the laws and experience of a large number of jurisdictions and have engaged foreign expertise to advise on the formulation of the Local Content Law. But since there could be no absolute certainty with the full efficacy of any model, the Law makes provision for easy amendments and for the participation of all stakeholders including the political Opposition.

A Local Content Secretariat has been established with responsibility for two Registers. The first Register will cater for individuals seeking employment in the Oil and Gas Industry and the

second will detail businesses interested in providing goods and services for the sector.

Excerpts from the Master and Annual plans of the oil companies will be made and these will guide young people who may wish to make careers in the industry, as well as Guyanese companies, to gear themselves to meet the goods and services requirements of the companies.

These Registers and Excerpts will be placed on the website of the Ministry of Natural Resources.

The Law reserves just over 40 activities of the Industry where there must be Guyanese participation ranging from 100 percent downwards.

Such activities will include rentals of accommodation, legal services, insurances, accounting, procurement of food supplies, the hiring of tradesmen such as welders, masons, carpenters and so on.

Guyanese companies would be able to link up with foreign companies so as to access technology which is not available in Guyana. The Law also prevents foreign companies from trying to pass themselves as locals.

Employment in the industry is reserved for Guyanese citizens and their offsprings and this allows Guyanese in the diaspora to participate in the industry.

Though it is well known that the oil companies would prefer to employ whom they wish and source goods and services from foreign suppliers, the Local Content Law inhibits this and the companies know they will have to act within the parametres of the Law. The recent remarks by Mr. Alistair Routledge, President of ExxonMobil Guyana, show that the positions of the oil companies and Guyana now coincide. "I am a firm believer - as is the position of ExxonMobil - that Guyanese should not only benefit from revenues which come from oil and gas, but should play an active role in the development of the resource as well. As the company advances its operations and explores new projects, it views the involvement of the Guyanese workforce and suppliers of goods and services as crucial".

Mr. Routledge then gave a word of advice to Guyanese: "Local suppliers need to enhance their skills and capacity by forming small partnerships with foreign companies which will transfer (Continued on page 48 )

Kaieteur News

PAGE 41

PAGE 42

Kaieteur News

Sunday January 09, 2022

All workers are entitled to equal respect and protection under the law

DEAR EDITOR, It is once again noticed Minister of Labour Joe Hamilton has moved with haste to seek resolution into the wages/salaries grievances with workers employed

by GPL who are represented

by NAACIE. Whereas as a trade unionist I am encouraged by the Ministry moving with alacrity to conciliate in grievance matters it cannot

help but be noted such action is only applicable to some trade unions.

Hamilton is playing a dangerous game in dividing the working class by selectively applying the Labour Laws and actively trampling on the rights of some workers. And whereas the Ali/Jagdeo regime is hell-bent on pursuing a divided society Hamilton should be advising against

same.

The laws are very clear on industrial relations matters and Hamilton has the responsibility to ensure a stable and harmonious industrial relations climate.

Where in our society labour is concentrated in some sectors and areas based on ethnicity and political persuasion, the Minister of Labour should never be seen

as providing preferential treatment to any group when the law protects all.

Under the law, GAWU and NAACIE are not superior to other trade unions. They may be considered friendly or aligned unions to the PPP/C but that does not make them superior.

Thus, when the government moves to address the grievances of these unions and ignore those of others they confirm their biases and discriminatory practices.

There are so many other unions apart from GAWU and NAACIE who have grievances unattended and lying

at the Ministry of Labour and the Minister is ignoring them.

For instance, the Guyana Bauxite and General Workers Union (GB&GWU) has laid before the Minister, more than a year ago, outstanding grievances. To date, he has refused to address them. One such matter is the incorrect calculation of Termination Benefits for workers employed at the Bauxite Company Guyana Inc. (BCGI).

What would move a minister, government and supporters of this injustice to consider such discriminatory practice acceptable? How could they, with honesty and

conviction, speak of ‘One Guyana’ when their policies, programmes and actions are perpetuating the marginalisation of some and a divided Guyana.

Today I publicly call on Minister Hamilton to stop the divisive enforcement of the Labour Laws and attend to the outstanding grievances languishing in the Ministry of Labour and on his desk.

The workers of Guyana, irrespective of ethnicity, trade union representation or perceived political persuasion, are entitled to equal respect and protection under the law.

Lincoln Lewis

Traffic wardens much needed in the town of Lethem

DEAR EDITOR, Accidents in Lethem have been on the increase in recent times.

Sometime last year, the former divisional commander and other police ranks met with residents of St. Ignatius

village in an effort to offer better service and protection to the citizens of the bordering town in Lethem and neighbouring St. Ignatius village, in the Rupununi.

This was a welcome gesture by the villagers, since the interaction with the public would have created a good relationship with the police and the public at large.

One of my concerns that I shared at that meeting was the increase in traffic and careless road users, especially motorcyclist that are a threat to the lives of pedestrians.

Hence, there is an urgent need for traffic wardens to be trained and placed on the streets in Lethem to assist the traffic ranks at Lethem.

I am 100 percent certain that my suggestion would be supported by other concern citizens in the town of Lethem and St. Ignatius village.

I am making a special appeal to the traffic chief of the Guyana Police Force, so he can make some intervention

into this matter.

I also wish to commend the staff of the Lethem regional hospital for their prompt response to these accidents in recent times.

However, the medical staff dispatched to render

assistance at these accidents need to be accompanied by a doctor who can make an assessment in order to take precautionary measures to the severity of injuries received by persons

before they are placed onto the stretcher, hence into the ambulance.

Sincerely yours, Mark Anthony Rodrigues

Speaker defends...

From page 31 (and) would claim that I am bias.” To this end, he said “it is my firm opinion” that the PNC/R’s public jaunt was “a weak attempt to justify the unparliamentary behaviour of the Members of Parliament who created grave disorder during the last Sitting of the National Assembly, with a view to prevent the passing of the Natural Resource Fund Bill No. 20 of 2021.”

According to Nadir, “It must be noted that the gross disorderly conduct of some of the members during the last Sitting of the National Assembly will not be condoned.

Further, it is my duty as Speaker of the National Assembly to ensure that the business of the National Assembly is conducted in a fair, transparent, and orderly manner and this I will do until the end of my tenure.”

Nadir on the evening of Wednesday 29, December last, had presided over a raucous session of the National Assembly, where during a 20-minute ‘melee’ that resulted in the successful

passage of the Natural Resource Bill of 2021.

That Bill was assented to

by President Irfaan Ali the following day, December 30, with Minister within the Office of the President, with responsibility for Finance, Dr. Ashni Kumar Singh, signing the commencement Order to access the oil fund the following day on December 31 – Old Year’s Day. During the Debate in the House, APNU Members of Parliament through various, boisterous and physical efforts, attempted to disrupt the passage of the Bill, even removing the Mace—the Symbol of the Speaker ’s Authority in the House.

Nadir, the following day, defended as lawful the passage of the NRF Bill—by then an Act—saying that the key ingredients had been met, namely the ‘replica’ Mace, being in place and government MPs being seated at the time of the vote.

Newly elected leader of the PNC/R on Friday during a press engagement lambasted the Speaker as biased and incapable saying, “…the

Speaker of the National Assembly has no moral authority to lecture anyone about propriety.

He has been, and continues to be complicit in making the National Assembly a tool of oppression.”

According to Norton, the Speaker “has demonstrated from the inception of the life of this 12th Parliament, that he is biased and incapable of managing the affairs of the National Assembly in a fair and transparent manner.”

The Speaker, he said, colluded with the PPP/C government to rush the Natural Resource Fund Bill through the National Assembly, “once again demonstrating his willingness to sacrifice the well-being of the people of Guyana…”The PNCR leader continued, “…we lay the blame squarely at the feet of the corrupt PPP/C regime and a biased Speaker, for creating the conditions which correctly resulted in protest action in the National Assembly. It is the Speaker who should be disciplined.”

Sunday January 09, 2022

Kaieteur News

PAGE 43

COVID-19 cases increased by more than 3,000 in first week of 2022 - 12 deaths already recorded After battling COVID19 for two straight years, the nation glided into 2022, with some level of optimism since our number of fatalities amounted to only 1,054, with cases trickling in. But that state of affairs took a drastic turn, within days of the new year, when the rate of infection started increasing at an unprecedented rate.

While, based on the Ministry of Health records, there were a total of 39,779 infections by the end of the first seven days of the month, the cases had increased by more than 3,000 bringing the national total to over 43,000.

According to the Health Minister, Dr. Frank Anthony, on Friday, there are currently 4,295 active cases in the country. A breakdown of the active cases in the country shows that 29 are in Region One, 74 in Region Two, 351 in Region Three, 2,789 in Region Four, 89 in Region Five, 438 in Region Six, 113 in Region Seven, one in Region Eight, 208 in Region Nine and 203 in Region 10.

Of course, deaths have been constant with 12 already recorded for this year, bringing the grand total at the time of writing this article to 1066. Although the death rate is currently not alarming (though we can all agree that even one death per day is far too many), it is worrying that people, even at this juncture, are resistant to taking the vaccine which has thus far proven to be effective. The Ministry’s records reveal that half of the fatalities for this year were unvaccinated – four women (a 79-year-old and 62-yearold from Region 6 - East Berbice-Corentyne, a 69year-old from Region 9 U p p e r Ta k u t u - U p p e r Essequibo, and a 60-yearold from Region 3 Essequibo Islands-West Demerara) and two men (a 62-year-old from Region 2 Pomeroon-Supenaam and a 66-year-old from Region 7 Cuyuni-Mazaruni).

Of the remaining fatalities four were fully vaccinated men (a 60-yearold from Region Four Demerara-Mahaica, a 38year-old, a 47-year-old and a 70-year-old from Region 6 East Berbice- Corentyne), a fully vaccinated 48-year-old woman and a partially vaccinated 42-year-old man, both from Region Four.

As mentioned before, the increase in cases has been alarming and this translated

during the past week to 206 recorded on January 1, 281 on January 2, 94 on January 3, 485 on January 4, 779 on January 5, 967 on January 6, and 844 on January 7. Based on information released by the Ministry, the alarming numbers, which started on January 4, were recorded within a 24-hour period.

The staggering increase in cases has raised suspicions that the Omicron COVID-19 variant is here, which, according to Emergency Medicine Specialist attached to the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation, Dr. Zulfikar Bux, has, thus far, proven to be especially contagious but not as life threatening as the Delta variant.

His belief was embraced by the Health Minister at a press conference during the past week where they shared the spotlight with President Irfaan Ali and other top medical officials in the country. According to Minister Anthony, “based on the current epidemiology, what we are seeing, we believe strongly that Omicron is here. From the 28 of December right onto now, we have seen a doubling of the cases, so on the 28 of December we had about 40 cases and as of today (Wednesday last) we have had (over 700) cases within the last 24 hours.

These numbers are going to go up. Fortunately, most of the people that tested positive have mild symptoms, some of them are asymptomatic and we have not seen an explosion of hospitalisation.”

The President also sought to reassure the nation that his government has not only the capacity, but capabilities needed to deal with the situation as it emerges even as he encouraged hesitant persons to get vaccinated.

“What we’ve learnt so far from the science and experiences is that vaccination with booster minimises the impact of this new variant… We don’t have control over the new variant and how it will operate but we have control over our own actions,” the President asserted.

Although the remainder of this month is likely to be a challenge for health o ff i c i a l s , D r. B u x i s convinced that with two years of dealing with COVID-19 under their belts, there should be no need to Continued on page 48

Kaieteur News

PAGE 44

Sunday January 09, 2022

The Reid Family: - aiming for groundbreaking achievements in 2022 & beyond

Other bolts that can be procured at L.M. Reid and Sons

Businesswoman, Teressa S. Reid

From page 28 She said this is premised on the fact that her dad would always go out of his way to make new customers who became loyal supporters, feel and see his deep sense of gratitude for them choosing his business in the earlies.

Along with the experience that came with managing and growing up in his company, literally, Teressa shared that she branched out and created her own venture called T.S. Reid Sales and Investments which deals with accessories for the forestry industry such as plastic straps, metal straps, nail

plates, lumber chalk, and strapping bands. This business has been in full operation for five years though registered in 2008.

Under B, R&T Paint Store, “Tess”, as she is fondly referred to by her friends, sells an assortment of paint and special rollers for high-quality applications. Kaieteur News understands that she has been working in the paint market for two decades. The business which started in the ‘mistint’ market is now heavily focused on providing hand-mixed colours since 2005. Tess is not only the head of custommixing for the company but she has successfully produced hundreds of colours to date for customers c o u n t r y w i d e . Te r e s s a categorically stated that she tries not to replicate customised colours, which assures customers that only they are in possession of that unique colour.

T h e s h r e w d businesswoman said she intends to enhance her production of high-quality residential and industrial paint with specialised machines that were imported and will soon be operationalised in the next

The A-Team of the Reid Family Business, Teressa and her brother Rommel few months.

TRIAL AND ERROR Like her father, Teressa boldly shared that she is no stranger to her fair share of trial and error. In 2013 for example, she took the decision to partner with a friend who also comes from a business family. They decided to start selling garlic. The young business started to turn over profits quickly but much to her dismay, her partner got ensnared by selfishness and greed. He wanted more money and so the partnership failed.

“I have no regrets about it, because it hammered home to me, a sage piece of advice my dad always gave me and that is: ‘A partnership is a leaky ship and it will always sink.’ I always remember that.”

That didn’t deter her from trying her hand at another venture. Teressa’s next entrepreneurial quest saw her making a $3 million investment in the importation of black and white striped plastic bags. “…This time around, I thought I considered everything: the quality, size, thickness, etc. I paid a company in China to test the bags and make sure it is of proper quality. I paid them to ensure the bags can fetch 20 lbs. They did and told me it was holding… I proceeded to bring in a 40ft container of the bags. When I provided the bags to supermarkets which put different items into them, they punctured because they turned out to be thin.

I later learned that it was 20 lbs of corn kernels and not corn on the cob that was put

to test the bag…In the end, I suffered a terrible loss. But it was a learning experience.

No matter the failure, it equals a wealth of experience…”

Teressa who possesses a “no-quit mentality” reiterated that all the credit for her success, and overall approach to business opportunities, must be given to her father. “It is all him.

My drive, the dream, the vision, the wisdom, and my reason for wanting to be the best entrepreneur possible, is because of him.”

She also extended gratitude to her brother Rommel, and her mom, Bibi, who she described as being indomitable pillars in her life.

LOCAL CONTENT LAW While the COVID-19 pandemic has affected businesses countrywide, Te r e s s a s a i d s h e i s particularly excited about securing groundbreaking achievements over the next five years with her family businesses, especially when one considers the recent passage of the Local Content Legislation.

She believes that this law is crucial to ensuring Guyanese are given more access to opportunities for employment since the government has demanded that certain sectors receive between 90 to 100 percent participation from locals by year-end.

Overall, Teressa said she is thrilled at the prospects ahead, and will continue to d e d i c a t e h e r e n e rg i e s towards the preservation of her father’s legacy while simultaneously building new entrepreneurial inroads of her own.

Kaieteur News

Sunday January 09, 2022

PAGE 45

Local and overseas-based Guyanese partner to launch Uitvlugt outdoor Library

By Davina Bagot It was the fictional character Dr. Seuss who said, “The more that you read, the more things you will know…”

This famous quote is what led to neighbourhood enthusiast Charlene Garraway teaming up with some United States based Guyanese to promote reading in the West Coast

Demerara (WCD) community of Uitvlugt.

A five-year friendship between Garraway and Ms. Kay Ramdat of New York, gave birth to the venture which seeks to mould the US-based Guyanese founders of the Library Ms. Kay Ramdat is photographed with Mr. Sohan Seavcharran and Pandit Khemraj Singh. minds of at least 300 children in the community.

Along with Ramdat, the initiative has been supported

by Mr. Sohan Seavcharran from Florida and Pandit Khemraj Singh, along with persons in the business community on the WCD. Ms. Ramdat, in an

Ms. Charlene Garraway and other supporters of the initiative is surrounded by children during the launch.

The little Outdoor Library

interview with Kaieteur News said that even though she has no children of her own, she has always had a passion for kids.

She explained that back in New York, she started a foundation with the help of her friends. The foundation, SoFloLove, was founded in

2000 by the group of humanitarians who have been regularly assisting elderly citizens overseas with care packages and food hampers.

In addition to this, Ramdat noted that the foundation would usually Continued on page 48

Sunday January 09, 2022

Kaieteur News

PAGE 46

AIC Inc. founder and leading business...

From page 14 9001:2015 certified and provides quality mentorship and training to over 500 local business owners, executives, managers and staff, offering them the insight and training they need to achieve their set goals.The company, which is headquartered at Parade Street, Kingston, Georgetown, also offers similar services to NonG o v e r n m e n t a l Organisations (NGOs) and governmental agencies.

Among its host of services, ActionCOACH offers leadership development, corporate training, and behavioural assessment reports for personal and business growth.

According to Dr. Doerga, the company has been helping to drive the local economy by being directly or indirectly responsible for the pursuit of innovative ideas and business strategies, which help to create new jobs in Guyana.

Via its website, the company displays testimonials of individuals in the micro, medium, and large-scale companies that have experienced the positive impact and growth using its service.

Among those featured, is the charismatic proprietor of private school, Camille's Academy, Ms. Camille Deokie. The teacher-turned entrepreneur spoke of her concerns about how her institute would survive when the COVID-19 pandemic caused the closure of businesses and schools in 2020.However, with the intellectual capacity and networking support ActionCOACH brought to the table, her business was able to achieve in one year what was planned for three years – in spite of the pandemic.

“The things we accomplished in a short period of time – growth, systemising the business, time management, goal setting, working towards ISO certification – justified

the partnership with ActionCOACH,” Deokie said.The private school Director is now the owner of an academy that boasts four locations including the first (digitised) SMART school on the West Coast of Demerara.

She is now more confident than ever that Camille Academy will have a key role in offering training and educational opportunities as Guyana's oil and gas industry booms.

Much like Camille's Academy, ActionCoach boasts thousands of individuals who have been directly impacted by its services, resulting in clarity and growth.According to its website, through its business coaching, chief executive officers (CEOs), managers and those in leadership positions can get the freedom and lifestyle they sought when they first went into business for themselves.

Dr. Doerga said that ACI is focused on becoming the Caribbean's solution to professional and o rg a n i s a t i o n a l g r o w t h through its action-oriented team delivering targeted business development services to entrepreneurial individuals and organisations.“We also pursued an international

Dr. Vishnu Deorga with his business training class during a workshop earlier last year. joint venture in 2018 thereby establishing NSB Omega Guyana, a global technical staffing and recruiting company which now serves the major operator and dozens of other medium and large companies operating here,” he added.

WHO'S WHO Apart from building a legacy with his ActionCoach team, Dr. Doerga has had a chief role in helping to develop and promote several other ventures which provide skills training and other entrepreneurial opportunities.

One of which includes the HERVenture mobile learning app which provides

free on-the-go training to help female entrepreneurs in Guyana grow their businesses.

The app, which was founded by the UK-based Cherie Blair Foundation, launched in Guyana last September and has moved rapidly towards its target of reaching 3000 Guyanese women in business. Another o n e o f D r. D o e r g a ' s initiatives is the publication of the Who's Who in Business Directory—a first of its kind in Guyana--which offers local and international investors a glimpse of what Guyanese businesses have to offer, opening the door for their

potential partnerships, growth, and expansion.

The third edition of the Who's Who in Business Directory was launched last November.

The 138-page magazine features over 70 businesses from 14 key sectors and has over 10,000 hard copies which will be distributed as well as an online platform www.whoswho.gy, where featured businesses showcase their products and services. He said the idea is one way of promoting local content.

“The idea for this came about in 2007 when we were looking for ways to tell the story of the business.

The launch of Who's Who: From left to right: Minister of Natural Resources, Vickram Bharrat; Executive Chairman of ActionINVEST, Vishnu Doerga; British High Commissioner, Jane Miller; Minister of Tourism, Industry and Commerce, Oneidge Walrond; Minister of Public Works, Bishop Juan Edghill, and Britain's Deputy Trade Commissioner (HMDTC) for Latin America and the Caribbean, Spencer Mahoney, display copies of the directory.

Dream Team: Dr. Vishnu Deorga (at far right) is joined by members and clients of ACI.

I remember when I worked in Trinidad where they have their own Who's Who publication, I really liked the concept… So I bought the franchise to ensure Guyanese businesses have a database and platform to be seen,” he explained.While he is constantly exploring ways to grow business in Guyana, the development specialist also seeks to share his knowledge with the next generation of potential entrepreneurs and professionals.

To this end, Dr. Doerga and his ACI team have dedicated some time and resources to supporting 'The Youth In Entrepreneurship', a g l o b a l y o u t h entrepreneurship cause, by training children, youth entrepreneurs at no cost.

He said, “We have been doing so by delivering free monthly training sessions for the past seven years and have trained thousands of youths over time.”

When he is not working or focusing on his projects, Dr. Doerga enjoys spending quality time with his family.

He shared, “I love going to dinner with my family as we are working on building an environment that will cause us to enjoy our short journey on this planet optimally.

I also enjoy playing a game of pool, basketball, or tennis.”

Sunday January 09, 2022

Kaieteur News

PAGE 47

>>>Young Entrepreneur on the Move<<<

‘Skylines Architecture’ for that modernise design

By Allyiah Allicock

B

orn and raised in North Rupununi, Region Nine, it was always Sunny Kissoon’s dream to one day own his own company. Now that he is much older, he is not only fulfilling that dream but he is doing something that he feels most passionate about; architecture.

This 26-year-old entrepreneur is the proud owner of ‘Skylines Architecture’, a business he started in August, last year.

During a recent interview with Kaieteur News, Kissoon shared, “My inspiration

“I realised that my work is extremely good and it brought me great satisfaction to see my work come to life; this realisation inspired me to start my own company and to continue designing dream buildings,” he said.

His business has been off to a good start owing to the unwavering support from his family and friends. According to Kissoon, he is very grateful for the clients he has been getting. “The support that I receive is what keeps me and my company driven,” he added.

With business prospering, he is

Young Entrepreneur, Sunny Kissoon

ung urage yo f o c n e d l sel “I wou s like my r u e n e r p d entre cused an nt now have a solid team to execute the o f y a t s to works,” he confessed. e consiste b o t , d e t a Another thing he shared was that iv r t o o m usiness b personally, had no sort of experience in ir e h t .” h g the businesshefield in wit u s r u p and so getting together r they’re e v e t the right tools for his business for it to a h w

Two of his latest architectural designs.

came from the mere fact that I have always wanted to own a company.” After pursing the Architecture programme at the University of Guyana and at Tianjin University in China, he noted that it was something he would like to take further and to do for the rest of his life.

currently eying taking his company to higher heights. The young man’s goal is to take ‘Skylines Architecture” to an international level and to one-day see it ranked the number one architectural business in the world, providing unique services and modernising designs.

Kissoon, who kicked started this business venture amid the global pandemic, revealed that one notable challenge he faced was putting together the right team to do the job. “Not often we find persons who are dedicated to their job and so finding a solid team was a challenge. Nevertheless, I

function professionally was a bit of a hurdle that he has now resolved.

Having found ways to overcome his challenges, our featured entrepreneur had this to say, “I would encourage young entrepreneurs like myself to stay focused and motivated, to be consistent with their business or whatever they’re pursuing.”

To this end, Kissoon is of the firm belief that young business owners play a pivotal role in society today by contributing new and innovative ideas. “Every day the world is evolving and every day we find businesses are being established by young people to make our everyday lives easier,” he pointed out.

This is why, he noted, the relevant authorities should do a lot for young people in business. Moreover, he advocates for a reduction in taxes as well as for grants to be made available for emerging young entrepreneurs.

Persons desirous of utilising his company’s services can contact him on telephone number (592)647-1500 or by visiting his Facebook page @ Skylines Architecture or on Instagram at Skylinesarchitecture. Persons can also v i s i t h i s w e b s i t e @skylinesarchitecture.com.

PAGE 48 WANTED

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Sunday January 09, 2022

Kaieteur News

Vegetarian Gardens Accounts Clerk & Porter. Tel:6400673,231-0951,227-7714,2233448,email: info@vgiworld. com.

AFC backs Harmon, PNC/R wants Norton From page 2 We have had no reason to question the leadership of Joseph Harmon as Leader of the Opposition and we have had no reasons to question the abilities of any Member

From page 32 first wife in 2015 and after five years they broke up and he went to live with his girlfriend.

According to Taylor, his

From page 16 In the midst of all this, despite reports which suggested that the representatives of the Governments of Jamaica and Trinidad and Tobago objected, Sir Hilary’s contract as Vice Chancellor was renewed in April last year.

The appointing authority is the University Council.

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Wanted Machinist.Tel:2235273/621-5907.

A cook for family of three, light house keeping.Tel:6548839.

One male able bodied clerk.

Tel:231-2029/616-5954.

One female domestic worker.

Age 35-45 yrs old.Contact: 226-7766,call between the hrs of 11-4pm.

Live-indomestic, Georgetown.Male & Female for the interior.Tel:632-5459/ 687-7638.

Sales Attendant, Cashiers, Porters.Apply with application/CV and passport photo to Survival 16 Vlissengen rd,Newtown Kitty.

Vacancy exist for Security Officers,male & female 18yrs & above. Contact: 223-4172/ 632-0099.

Vacancy for two experienced Pastry Maker @ Humphrey's Bakery & Farm Products,38 Ketly St Charlestown.Tel:2257864/227-8607.

One clerk for TSI Eccles Office,English & Maths grade 1 or 2.Call:615-9132 or email application to tech serigy@yahoo.com.

Maid to cook and clean for East Bank areaa.Call:6159132.

PACIFIC DEVELOPMENT: Accountant/Office Manager.

Vat, PAYE, NIS, maintain accounting needs.Tel:223-6035/ 673-6210.

Cashier to work at Superbet.

Tel:618-3575.

wife had promised him a divorce so he thought he had already been divorced and decided to marry his new girlfriend in January 2020. As it turned out no divorce was

filed and Taylor ended up committing Bigamy.

His wife had found out about his illegal marriage and lodged a report against him with police.

Governments must act urgently to...

Vacancy exist for carpenters, porters and apprentice. Contact:624-9506,624-9504,2255818.

Driver & Cleaner.Apply with application/CV and passport photo to Survival 16 Vlissengen rd,Newtown Kitty.

with the second argument being “that it provides for better coordination and control of the activities of the Party and for better strategising to ensure efficacy.”

Man wanted for marrying twice...

African Guyanese male seeks a loving female companion( 30 and above) to live with. Call:603-9085.

VACANCY

of Parliament.”

Norton in espousing the PNC/R’s position on Friday explained that one of the arguments made by the PNC/ R’s Central Executive is that it has been the convention

Cook/Baker/Pitmen and Hauler Operator for interior location. Applicants must be experienced.Call:618-2020 or 231-2250.

One office assistant,must be computer literate between 2540 years. Contact:6238078,220-2034.

Time Clerk,Cleaner,Office Assistant,Labours,Maintenance Workers to work with P.S.G.C.S.Call:621-6969/6157784.

Vacancy exists for male worker to work shift + one female cashier @Del Ice co.Call:231-1408/642-9191.

PM shift Cashiers, Accounts Clerk,Porters & Bond Clerks,Western Union CSRS. Tel:609-2995 email: survival.h umanresources @gmail.com.

Driver/Office Assistant.Call or email: 223-4172, elite protectionservicesgy@gmail.com.

One salesman,able bodied porters.Experience in writing bills,stocktaking & cashing.

Keyfood Trading,Mc Doom village.

Nonetheless, in a curious development, Sir Hilary has established a Committee, comprising of employees of the UWI (his subordinates) to report to him, to investigate the part played by Mr. Bermudez in the circumstances under which his contract was renewed.

In effect, the Committee is investigating the actions of the governing council of the UWI. Remarkably, it is now in the regional press that the Committee has posed several questions to the Chancellor and given him a deadline to answer.

This behaviour contrasts sharply and troublingly with the conduct of former Vice Chancellors of The UWI, and the relationships they established with their Chancellors

and the University Council, which have contributed to the University achieving the great reputation that it now enjoys.

Caribbean governments need to act swiftly to end this haemorrhaging of The UWI’s standing and to stop it from hurting the University irreparably. The Council must put machinery in place to repair this damage and such action must be taken now.

(The writer is Antigua and Barbuda’s Ambassador to the US and the OAS. He is also Senior Fellow at the Institute of Commonwealth Studies, University of London and Massey College in the University of Toronto.

The views expressed are his own) Responses and previous commentaries: www.sirronaldsanders.com

Way open to join Oil and Gas...

From page 41 critical skills and technology… This needs to be a winwin dynamic for local and international companies. International companies need to feel welcome and be able to generate some value for their investment in technology and knowledge transfer . . . Just as other countries with large or growing energy sectors, Guyana will need stable rules that facilitate large scale investments and set priorities and outline achievable targets for the industry".

Guyanese should seize with alacrity the opportunities rolled out by the Local Content Law since the companies are beginning to recruit workers and procuring goods and services in an increasing crescendo. If anyone finds difficulty with the computer and website, he/she could approach the Ministry of Natural Resources for help.

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

COVID-19 cases increased by...

From page 43 panic. But health officials cannot do it alone. As such Dr. Bux too, is encouraging not only vaccine uptake but uptake of booster shots as well for those who are eligible, as announced by the Health Ministry.

Towards the end of last year, the Ministry announced the start of its booster shot campaign and had only identified a select group of people, including persons 50 years and older, frontline workers and persons with co-morbidity, as eligible. However, with the advent of the infectious Omicron variant, the Minister had noted that this could be revised.

While there may be quite a few persons now opting to be vaccinated, Dr. Bux made it clear that the effects of vac-

cines are usually not realised until two weeks after.

In the meantime, though, he said that since the most transmissible Omicron variant appears to infect the upper respiratory tract, a tactical way of decreasing the viral load is to wear a mask. This, according to the medical professional, will help to prevent persons from developing severe symptoms. Mask wearing and other measures such as sanitising and social distancing, complemented by “foods high in Vitamins such as Vitamin C, D and Zinc or supplements”, Dr. Bux said, can help to prevent the worst form of the disease, thereby reducing the need for hospitalisation and by extension easing the pressure on those within the healthcare system.

Sunday January 09, 2022

Local and overseas-based Guyanese partner to launch Uitvlugt outdoor Library Humanitarian Kay Ramdat preparing for the official opening of the Outdoor Library

From page 45 host a year-end party for the seniors, but were restricted due to the pandemic.

In this regard, she said that the group’s efforts were channelled to their homeland Guyana, where they believe the children were in much more need.

“For two years now we have been focusing on Guyana.

We have been reaching out to the government for a plot of land to construct a Church and an Orphanage,” she said.

In the meantime, the humanitarian pointed out that it is her love for children that pushed her towards supporting Garraway on the community project, which they hope to expand in the coming months.

Garraway, a Councillor on the Neighbourhood Democratic Council in Uitvlugt, told this newspaper, “When my children had just finished school, the neighbours and so on would approach us to borrow text books and we never had a problem.

In fact, we would lend it to the children who would return them so that others could benefit as well.”

Situated just a few steps away from the public road where the Uitvlugt Estate is located, the founders believe that the little outdoor library will undoubtedly play a major role in the lives of the children in the village and others nearby.

Already, several local and overseas residents have supported the library, through the provision of finances to aid in construction materials, as well as the main ingredient, books.

For this, the founders said they must thank all the supporters.

For now, the Councillor said that children between the ages of five to 15 years can access the books – fiction and non-fiction – to both read at the location and borrow to take home.

The Outdoor Library will be opened on Mondays, Thursday and Fridays from 15:00hrs to 18:00hrs.

FUTURE PLANS In the near future, the team is looking to expand the Library to not only benefit children, but also adults.

Another section will soon be added to house books for adult reading.

“The goal is to have some form of leisure for the parents too who will be bringing their kids.

So while their child or children might be learning to read, they too can indulge in a good book,” Garraway explained.

But even more importantly, the organisation is hoping to launch yet another project to help students.

This time, Ms. Ramdat said, “we are hoping to soon build a computer lab for the children which will assist

them in completing their assignments or even facilitating research for their studies.”

SUPPORT Given the vision of the group, they are seeking the support of locals to partner with them in achieving their objective of moldings the minds of children.

Ms. Ramdat said that while Ms. Garraway has been kind enough to volunteer her plot of land for the library, it is their intent to also help the children to read, which will require a few hours of time from persons willing to ‘give back’.

“We are looking for a few people who would be willing to give back by helping us to teach the little ones to read. It doesn’t have to be for very long. Just a few hours in the week,” she appealed.

Given that they are looking to embark on a reading club, the team is also hopeful that a generous soul would aid in the provision of occasional snacks for the children.

The team said they would also appreciate a few additional benches as well as building materials and labour to construct a shed, which will shelter the children from the harsh weather.

Persons who are interested in supporting the Uitvlugt Outdoor Library can contact Ms. Charlene Garraway on 592-660-9112 or Ms. Kay Ramdat on +1 (718) 551-8489.

Police accused of “dragging foot”...

From page 34 assailants would taunt her and this would fill her with rage every day. According to the woman she would often molest the investigating officer at the East Ruimveldt police outpost for a follow up on the investigation but would get no positive answer.

“First he used to say that

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Kaieteur News

they are not finding any witness of the assault and then he started saying that them (the alleged assailants) already get put before the court but when we go and find out there, the court would say that these persons never get charged here for no offence,” the woman said. Frustrated that ranks at the outpost might be dragging their feet on the

case, the woman recently visited the Police’s Office of Professional Responsibility (OPR) to file a complaint.

They reportedly took her report but to date, the woman said, she has not received any feedback. With the suspects’ continuous taunts, Andrews said that she decided to make the matter public via the media.

Coalition wants to know...

From page 9 great concern to us.”

Patterson on Saturday wrote the Speaker, requesting an update on the Motion submitted by him.

In the document seen by this publication, the former Minister said, “I am seeking an update on my Motion on the gas-to-shore Project, which was submitted to the Parliament since October 27, 2021. Seventy-three (73) days after submission, this Motion is yet to obtain your approval or disapproval.”

He reminded the Speaker of his own words which were, “it is my duty as Speaker of the National Assembly to ensure that the business of the National Assembly is conducted in a fair, transparent, and orderly manner and this I will do to the end of my tenure.” In this regard, the Opposition MP stated his expectation of the motion being approved in the shortest possible time, in accordance with the principles of fairness, transparency, and good order.

The Opposition and as civil society members have publicly denounced the US$900 million energy project, which government claims will not only add electricity to national grid, but also reduce the associated costs, among others things.

Analysts had called for a

feasibility study to be conducted but Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo has already concluded it’s a “no-brainer”.

Financial feasibility studies are considered crucial elements when one is considering a large-scale business venture. A feasibility study examines how much start-up capital is needed, sources of capital, returns on investment, and other financial considerations, while also examining how much cash is required, where it will come from, how it will be spent and potential obstacles that may impede its operations.

Yet for Guyana’s intended gas-to-shore project, no such study is being conducted.

This newspaper understands that some 30 companies have already expressed interest in the project, which has been dubbed as one of the largest infrastructural venture to date.Under the revised scope of works, the government says it intends to build, “combined cycle turbines, multiple fuel consumption (including rich and lean natural gas

[per specification to be provided upon request], Natural gas liquids and diesel) Power Plant to generate up to 300MW of power with a net 250MW delivered into the Guyana Power and Light grid at a substation located on the East Bank of Demerara.”

Additionally, the project will include 230 Kilo Volt (KV) substation and back up fuel capacity.As it relates to the NGL Plant, this is expected, under the revised scope of works, to be able to process 60 million cubic feet of natural gas per day in the first phase and up to 250 million cubic feet of gas in the second phase.

Additionally, the plant must be capable of conditioning the gas (dehydration and mercury removal) and removing heavier hydrocarbons (propane, butane, pentane plus) in liquid form.

The project, according to the Ministry, will be located at Hermitage, identified as part of the Wales Development Zone with some 150 acres of land allocated for its purpose.

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Sunday January 09, 2022

Kaieteur News

Lessons from a lashpreneur!!!

New year New service Alert!

By Latoya Zephyr Hey lash babes, it’s our first column for 2022 and what better way to start things off than by introducing a new service that will be offered, let’s talk Brow lamination.

From the pencil-thin brows donned by actresses back in the roaring ’20s, to the short and perfectly manicured look made popular by models in the ’60s, eyebrows have taken on a variety of shapes, sizes, and thicknesses over the years.

More recently though, eyebrows have circled back to a more natural-looking version of themselves.

Eyebrow lamination results in ‘80’s bushy brows’, but reimagined as sleek and modern.

What is eyebrow lamination?

Eyebrow lamination is the latest professional beauty treatment.

And the best part? It doesn’t matter if your brow hairs are thin and sparse, or thick and unruly.

This is a beauty treatment for everyone!

It’s colloquially referred to as a ‘perm for your eyebrows’, but in reality, the lamination process has the opposite effect. Instead of creating a curl in your brow hairs, lamination works to smooth, straighten and soften them for a fuller, more defined look.

If you like the look of microbladed brows but you’re terrified of needles, then eyebrow lamination is for you.

Plus, you’ll be able to skip having to style your brows with a styling gel or fill in any

gaps with a brow pencil for a while, as the treatment is a semi-permanent one.

How does it work?

Brow hairs are painted with a lifting cream that breaks down their bonds in order for them to be re-set into the desired shape.

The hairs are then brushed upwards and outwards to make them look both thicker and longer with a neutralising lotion to set them in place.

After this a moisturising oil or cream is applied to calm the skin and then any necessary tweezing or waxing will take place with the option of tinting your brows, should you wish to give them extra definition.

It takes about 60-minutes or less lasts between 6 and 8 weeks.

Sunday January 09, 2022

Kaieteur News

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Kaieteur News

Sunday January 09, 2022

Sunday January 09, 2022

Lady Jags striker Annalisa Vincent wins scholarship to...

From page 53 Women’s Soccer Programme Head Coach Ozzie White.

“Graceland University Women’s Soccer Programme is delighted and excited to continue the relationship with the Guyana Football Federation and announce the signing of Annalisa Vincent to the team,” White said. “Annalisa is the first female indigenous footballer to ever receive a four-year scholarship to a college in the United States. She has natural ability and so much undiscovered potential that I can’t wait to start working with Annalisa. She will succeed in the classroom and on

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Kaieteur News

the pitch.” GNWFA President Andrea Johnson also congratulated Vincent on her achievements. “This is truly an auspicious moment, not only for Annalisa but for her parents and community,” Johnson said. “With Annalisa being the first Amerindian female player to receive a sports scholarship in the US, I would say this is undoubtedly amazing. I know that she will do her best at Graceland University. On behalf of the executive of the Guyana National Women’s Football Association, I extend congratulations to Annalisa.”

West Indies beat Ireland by 24 runs in first ODI at Sabina Park SportsMax - The West Indies secured a 24-run win over Ireland in the first of their three ODIs at Sabina Park yesterday.

In pursuit of 270 for victory, captain Andrew Balbirnie and William Porterfield strode to the crease to begin Ireland’s reply.

Their chase got off to the worst possible start as experienced opener Porterfield was dismissed for a duck by Akeal Hosein in the second over to leave them at 1-1.

Andrew McBrine joined

Sunday January 09, 2022 ARIES (Mar. 21–Apr. 19) Overindulgence in food or drink could have you feeling a little under the weather today, Aries. Therefore it will be difficult to focus on anything that needs your attention.

TAURUS(Apr.20–May20) A love partner may be away, Taurus, causing you to have to put your passions and desires - not to mention the need for your friend's company - on hold.

GEMINI (May 21–June 20) Today you might be feeling a little out of sorts, Gemini, and most likely will want to stay home. Crashing in front of the TV seems a lot more tempting than going out socializing.

CANCER (June 21–July 22) A close friend or love partner might be feeling a little blue, Cancer, and could therefore ring you up wanting a sympathetic shoulder to cry on.

LEO (July 23–Aug. 22) Are you going out shopping today, Leo? If so, expect at some point to be confronted with a wonderful luxury item you'd give your eyeteeth for but can't really justify purchasing.

VIRGO (Aug. 23–Sept. 22) Are you expecting visitors, Virgo? If so, you might go into a panic because your house isn't as spotless and beautiful as you would like it to be. You might be tempted to take broom, mop, and pail and whip through the place like a cyclone!

LIBRA (Sept. 23–Oct. 22) You're probably looking pretty good, Libra, but emotionally you might not feel very attractive. This could be one of those days when you look in the mirror and think you're seeing Frankenstein's monster.

SCORPIO (Oct. 23–Nov. 21) Intellectual or spiritual concepts that you're trying to grasp may seem a little elusive, Scorpio. Don't try to push yourself too hard to understand them today; you'll only confuse yourself that much more.

SAGIT(Nov.22–Dec.21) If you're involved in a creative project, Sagittarius, your imagination might seem to have deserted you.

You might rack your brain trying to think up new ideas but draw a blank every time.

CAPRI (Dec. 22–Jan. 19) A friend may ask for your assistance with regard to finances in some way. It's nothing major, but it might involve a choice that your friend needs to make.

AQUARIUS(Jan.20–Feb.18) A close friend or love partner may not be returning your calls, Aquarius, and your insecurities could well get the best of you, causing you to think your friend doesn't care anymore.

PISCES (Feb. 19–Mar. 20) Do you have a date tonight with someone special, Pisces? If so, expect some delays. You might get tied up with doing your daily errands.

Balbirnie at the crease and the pair carefully carried the score to 30-1 after 10 overs.

McBrine, unfortunately, had to leave the field at the end of the 17th over, on 34 from 50 balls, after being struck on the helmet by Odean Smith with the score on 62-1. Harry Tector came to the crease to join Balbirnie and the two brought the score to 74-1 at the end of 20 overs with Balbirnie on 31 and Tector on three.

Ireland brought up their hundred with only one wicket down in the 25th over with Balbirnie and Tector on 46 and 12, respectively.

Balbirnie brought up his 13th ODI 50 off 74 balls in the 27th over. After 30 overs, Ireland was cruising at 134-1 with Balbirnie on 60 and Tector on 32. Balbirnie (66) and Tector (42) continued scoring freely to bring up Ireland’s 150 in the 33rd over.

Tector brought up his fifth ODI 50 off 62 balls in the 35th over. At the start of the 36th over, Balbirnie and Tector brought up their 100partnership.

The West Indies finally got the breakthrough they were looking for when Romario Shepherd removed Balbirnie for 71 off 94 balls in the 37th over to leave Ireland 165-2.

West Indies fans to...

From page 54 January 8: 1st CG Insurance ODI (9:30am local time/ 10:30am Eastern Caribbean) January 11: 2nd CG Insurance ODI (9:30am local time/ 10:30am Eastern Caribbean) January 14: 3rd CG Insurance ODI (9:30am local time/ 10:30am Eastern Caribbean) January 16: CG Insurance T20I (4pm local time/5pm Eastern Caribbean) Betway T20I Series, West Indies vs England (4pm local time/3pm Jamaica Time) January 22: 1st Betway T20I at Kensington Oval January 23: 2nd Betway T20I at Kensington Oval January 26: 3rd Betway T20I at Kensington Oval January 29: 4th Betway T20I at Kensington Oval January 30: 5th Betway T20I at Kensington Oval England Test Series (10am local time/9am Jamaica Time) March 8-12: 1st Test at Sir Vivian Richards Stadium, Antigua March 16-20: 2nd Test at Kensington Oval, Barbados March 24-28: 3rd Test at Grenada National Stadium, Grenada

Odean Smith got his first ODI wicket in the 38th over by removing Harry Tector for 53 to leave the tourists 173-3 needing 97 more to win from 75 balls.

Curtis Campher then became Shepherd’s second wicket when he was dismissed for six in the 39th over to leave Ireland 173-4.

After 40 overs, Ireland was 178-4 needing 92 from 60 balls to win with Lorcan Tucker on 3 and George Dockrell on 2. Tucker was next to go, bowled by Alzarri Joseph for 9 in the 42nd over, to leave the score at 186-5. Joseph then bowled a perfect yorker to dismiss Gareth Delaney in the 44th over for his second wicket to leave Ireland on 194-6 needing 76 from 37 balls to win.

Neil Rock came in as a concussion substitute for McBrine and helped Ireland bring up their 200 in the 45th over with four wickets in hand.

After a promising partnership with Dockrell, Rock was dismissed by Jason Holder in the 47th over for five to leave Ireland 222-7 needing 48 from 20 balls to win. Dockrell gave the West Indies something to think about late on with some big shots but was eventually dismissed by Joseph in the 48th over for 30 from 25 balls to leave Ireland on

237-8, needing 33 from 14 to win.

Shepherd then got his third wicket of the innings, removing Craig Young for a duck in the 49th over to leave the score at 239-9.

The win was secured when Nicholas Pooran took a brilliant diving catch on the boundary off Odean Smith to dismiss Josh Little and secure a 24-run victory.

Alzarri Joseph and Romario Shepherd took three wickets each for the West Indies and they were supported by debutant Odean Smith who got two.

Earlier, Ireland won the toss and put the West Indies in to bat.

Shamarh Brooks (93) and captain Kieron Pollard (69) were the chief destroyers as the West Indies finished 269 all out off 48.5 overs, against three-wicket hauls from Mark Adair and Craig Young.

Brooks was voted Player of the Match.

Scores: West Indies 269 all out (48.5 overs), Kieron Pollard 69, Shamarh Brooks 93, Shai Hope 29; Mark Adair 3-38 and Craig Young 3-56: beat Ireland 245 (49.1 overs), Andy Balbirnie 71, Harry Tector 53, Andy McBrine 34 and George Dockrell 30; Alzarri Joseph 3-55, Romario Shepard 3-50, Odean Smith 2-26 by 24 runs.

Kaieteur News

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Sunday January 09, 2022

Kieron Pollard: The most I could do is try to make the guys understand the importance of fitness. (AFP/ Getty Images)

Kieron Pollard comes down hard on WI players’ approach to fitness “It’s an individual thing, they are supposed to pride themselves on being fit”

West Indies face Ireland over a series of three ODIs and one T20Is starting yesterday. (ICC via Getty) ESPNcricinfo - West Indies limited-overs captain Kieron Pollard is unimpressed with his teammates’ commitment to keeping up their fitness levels.

The 34-year old is himself coming out of a hamstring injury that forced him into the sidelines for a good five-six weeks. He says he is feeling fit and fine once more, but he will be leading a team that has been shorn of at least one quality matchwinner: Shimron Hetmyer was yet again dropped because he couldn’t meet the fitness standards set by Cricket West Indies.

“It has been an issue that has been plaguing us for the last couple of years,” Pollard said ahead of West Indies’ first ODI against Ireland yesterday. “One way to look at it is, the selection policy, the fitness policies are there.

Guys know exactly what is

needed to represent the West Indian team. Sometimes, as individuals, we take it for granted. Yes, sometimes it hinders the process of selecting the best players at the given available time.

“Things happened during the pandemic - security reasons - all these played a factor. But fitness has been one issue that has affected us in terms of trying to put our best team and sometimes, it’s frustrating because you don’t have the guys fit and available to represent the team.

“I will also say that it’s an individual thing, they are supposed to pride themselves on being fit, performing and doing what is necessary for the team.

When these things tend to happen, as an individual, I am sure it doesn’t bode well to us too. Again, this is something I take very personally - fitness - and me being not able to participate

because of injury - because that doesn’t go too well with myself. Hence I got an opportunity to detour and recover and hopefully, I can stay with the team because I pride myself on that.”

Sunil Narine’s exclusion from West Indies’ T20 World Cup squad was also attributed to a lack of fitness.

“For me, as an individual, the most I could do is try to make the guys understand the importance of fitness,” Pollard said.

“When we are on tour, I can safely say there is no issue as to when the guys have to do their stuff in terms of what is required for the team and when they have to train in schedules.

We tend to have these conversations, but I think the difficult part is when the guys leave from tour with responsibilities and with instructions and, sometimes, they don’t follow it. And

Afcon 2021: Covid-hit teams must play with just 11 players and no keeper BBC Sport - Countries suffering Covid outbreaks will have to play their Africa Cup of Nations matches even if they have only 11 players available. New guidelines from the Confederation of African Football (Caf) state matches will still go ahead even if none of the 11 players is a goalkeeper.

Any nation unable to fulfil a fixture will forfeit the game 2-0. The guidance has been issued after several nations reported Covid cases before the tournament starts today.

Caf said that in “exceptional cases” the tournament’s organising committee “will take the appropriate decision”.

On Friday Egypt delayed their departure for the tournament, which is taking place in Cameroon, and were forced to cancel training after coronavirus cases were reported in their

camp. The Pharaohs, who have won the competition a record seven times, eventually flew to Cameroon yesterday.

Arsenal striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang was among two players to test positive in the Gabon squad on Thursday.

Guinea were forced to leave behind defender Mikael Dyrestam, midfielder Morlaye Sylla and striker Seydouba Soumah at their training base in Rwanda.

Cape Verde and debutants Gambia were hit by several positive tests last week, while Tunisia have also reported cases from their pre-tournament camp. The Nations Cup starts today and Egypt will face Nigeria in their first Group D match on Tuesday (16:00 GMT) - a game which will be televised by the BBC in the UK.

then they come back on tour and they start from ground zero.

“From my perspective, I can send a message and get it posted in a group. We are supposed to be professionals and we are supposed to be adults, and supposed to pride ourselves on that.”

West Indies will face Ireland over a series of three ODIs and one T20I starting Saturday, and while he was looking forward to it, Pollard did note that his team was in a slightly strange situation.

“The sad reality is that I don’t believe that if we win these games - this might be taken out of context but that’s not what I’m saying - if we were to win all three games, it’s something that people will expect us to do. But if we

were to lose, then that brings a different perspective.” he said. “There’s a no-win situation there. “But hopefully, we can still hit the ground running and improve in the areas we need to.

Small, small areas: running between the wickets, communication, rotation of strike, and continue to get better as cricketers. These are some of the things we’ve identified and want to execute. And from a bowling perspective, in the back-end of the innings, nailing our yorkers and on improving our skillsets as cricketers.”

West Indies have slowly been building for the future and Pollard has one simple message for the new players that are coming in.

“Belief. You are here for a reason. Obviously you

would have played a lot of cricket before that.

Nothing much changes.

Just the name and the level and maybe the consistency of the bowlers and stuff like that,” he said. “You just need to believe in yourself, you just need to go out there with a free mind and not think about anything and carry any sort of baggage from wherever and just focus on, when you’re batting, focus on that ball, focus on what the team requires, focus on your skillset and just have a free mind.

“At the end of it, all the other things become irrelevant when you’re out there in battle. Some guys will be nervous, there’s no doubt, but the faster that nervousness gets out, the easier it will be.”

GCB congratulates new West Indies Cricket team selectors In an official release, The President, Executive and Members of the Guyana Cricket Board are extending congratulations to Dr. Desmond Haynes and Mr. Ramnaresh Sarwan on their respective appointments of chairman and selector of CWI Senior Selection panel.

These prominent positions are befitting the two distinguished gentlemen who have served West Indies cricket with distinction.

The 65 years old and new lead selector Desmond Haynes played 116 test matches, aggregated 7487 runs at an average of 42.29 with a highest score of 184.

In One-Day Internationals (ODI) Haynes totaled 8648

runs at an average of 41.37 with a highest score of 152.

Ramnaresh Sarwan now age of 41, who has also been appointed as a selector to the CWI Junior Selection panel has amassed 5842 runs from 87 test matches at an average of 40.01 and a highest score of 291.

In ODIs Sarwan has also surpassed the 5000 runs mark, scoring 5804 at an average of 42.67 and a highest score of 120 not out.

His first-class record of 13405 runs at an average of 38.52 is clearly exceptional and projects Sarwan as a suitable candidate for the role of selector.

The GCB believes that both Sarwan and Haynes will

rise to the occasion and select the best teams capable of competing at the international level, thereby r e t u r n i n g We s t I n d i e s Cricket its renowned dominance of the 1980’s andearly 1990’s.

The GCB wishes Desmond Haynes and Ramnaresh Sarwan every success in the undertaking of this important service to West Indies Cricket.

Sunday January 09, 2022

Kaieteur News

PAGE 55

Lady Jags striker Annalisa Vincent wins Second Khawaja ton leaves England scholarship to Graceland University in the US batting to save test Australia’s Usman Khawaja plays a shot.

(Dan Himbrechts/AAP Image via REUTERS)

SYDNEY, (Reuters) Usman Khawaja scored his second century of the match to help Australia to 265 for six declared on the fourth day of the fourth Ashes test yesterday, handing England an unlikely victory target of 388.

England, whose hopes of avoiding going 4-0 down in the series would seem to rest on obdurate batting and the weather, will resume on the final day on 30 without loss after Haseeb Hameed and Zak Crawley survived 11 overs before stumps.

The day again belonged to Khawaja, who returned to test cricket after 2-1/2 years as a makeshift replacement for Travis Head when the middle order batsman tested positive for COVID-19.

The 35-year-old once again oozed class as he reenergised the Australian innings in a 179-run partnership with all-rounder Cameron Green after England had stalled their march towards a second declaration of the match.

Unflappable and stylish, Khawaja added a 101 not out to the 137 he scored in the first innings, punching two runs down the ground to reach the milestone for the 10th time.

“Surreal moment,” said Khawaja, who now has three centuries against England at the Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG).

“I’ve never got back-toback hundreds in first class cricket, let alone test cricket.

“It’s a nice one to tick off and to put the team in a situation where we can hopefully win a test match t o m o r r o w, ” h e a d d e d .

“Pretty special.”

He was only the third batsman to score centuries in both innings in a test match at the ground, joining compatriots Doug Walters against West Indies in 1969 and Ricky Ponting against South Africa in 2006.

After being dismissed for 294 in the first 40 minutes of the day, England had made a decent fist of bowling at Australia and removed the top four at the cost of only 86 runs.

That only brought Khawaja and Green together, however, and they were closing on giving Australia a 400-run lead when the latter holed out to Jack Leach for 74 to finally break the partnership.

Leach (4-84) then had Alex Carey caught behind off the next ball but Australia Pat Cummins denied the spinner a hat-trick opportunity, declining to pad up and calling Khawaja back to the dressing room with the declaration.

Four of the Australian wickets were taken behind

by Ollie Pope, who was keeping wickets in place of the injured Jos Buttler and Jonny Bairstow. read more Bairstow, who scored England’s only century of the series in the first innings, Buttler and all-rounder Ben Stokes had scans on injuries before play but all will bat on Sunday.

“I’m sure the lads will take whatever they need to take tomorrow,” said acting England coach Graham Thorpe. “They’ll all bat and I’m sure they’ll all do well.”

The weather might yet have something to say about that with storms sweeping down the Pacific coast but if they miss Sydney’s Eastern Suburbs, England’s task looks imposing.

The highest successful fourth-innings run chase in 140 years of test cricket at the SCG came when Australia’s overhauled a target of 287 against South Africa in 2006.

Scores: England 294 & 0 for 30 (Crawley 22*, Hameed 8*) trail Australia 8 for 416 dec & 6 for 265 dec (Khawaja 101*, Green 74, Leach 4-84) by 357 runs.

GT Panthers forward Annalisa Vincent will make history as the first indigenous Guyanese female player to study at a US college on a four-year scholarship, which has been facilitated by the Guyana Football Federation (GFF) International Supporters Group and the GFF administration.

Vincent, a full international and most valuable player at the recently concluded GFFGuyana N a t i o n a l Wo m e n ’s Football Association Women’s Super 16 Festival 2021, will follow in the footsteps of Lady Jags goalkeeper Natalie Nedd, who was the first player to benefit from the GFF ISG-enabled programme.

Vincent, who hails from Moruca in Region 1, will study for an undergraduate degree in accounting at Graceland University in Iowa, United States, while also representing the Graceland Yellowjackets female soccer team in the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics’ Heart of America Athletic Conference.

“I am grateful for the opportunity. It’s exciting for me as a lot of work has been put into this and it’s finally here,” Vincent said. “For me, it’s a new journey. I would like to extend my gratitude and thanks to the ISG, the GFF and everyone who played a part in making this possible for me.”

GFF ISG President Rebecca Vaughan said one of the primary goals of the ISG was to provide “higher education opportunities for women footballers in Guyana”.

“The hard work by the ISG team has been recognised and validated by securing a four-year scholarship opportunity for Annalisa to attend Graceland University in Iowa,” Vaughan said.

“Annalisa, an outstanding member of the Guyana Senior Women’s National Team, will be furthering her education in accounting while playing football for the college.”

“The ISG has established relationships with colleges in the United States and is currently coordinating with deserving young women from Guyana, who are interested in furthering their

education through sport,” she continued. “The ISG would like to engage members of the business community within the diaspora in partnerships, along with the GFF, to support these deserving young women.”

Rising star Vincent scored her first international goal for the senior Lady Jags team in a friendly against Puerto Rico in 2021. GFF President Wayne Forde said he had been extremely impressed with her consistently outstanding form, professional mindset and commitment at both club and national level in recent years.

“I would like to congratulate Annalisa for preparing for this moment.

When opportunity meets a person who is prepared, the result is success,” said GFF President Wayne Forde. “I am so proud of Annalisa’s performances on the field of play and I have no doubt she will excel in her studies at Graceland University. The G F F, u n d e r m y administration, has always emphasized the importance of education and we hope to see the numbers grow in this programme. This is a historic

moment for the GFF, women’s football and our hinterland communities in which Annalisa will become the first female indigenous player to attend college in the US under a scholarship.”

GFF Director of Women’s Programmes Paul Beresford said Vincent had “demonstrated an unwavering commitment to becoming a better footballer and a fierce determination to further her education”.

“With this next important step in her life, Annalisa has proven that hard work and perseverance will be rewarded,” Beresford said.

“She is a history maker and I am confident that she will represent her family, the indigenous community, and the Guyana Senior Women’s National Team well as she begins her college career. Her example will serve as an inspiration to all young women footballers across Guyana.”

Vincent would be a “pioneer for future indigenous student athletes to realise their full potential”, according to Graceland University (Continued on page 51)

Kaieteur News

PAGE 56

Sunday January 09, 2022

DVA league spikes off on January 20th The Demerara Volleyball Association (DVA) senior league that was initially scheduled to hit off this Monday at the Cliff Anderson Sports Hall (CASH) has been pushed back a week and play is now set to commence on January 18th.

The DVA league is sanctioned by the Guyana Volleyball Federation (GVF) and it kicked off proceedings in the 2021 season for the federation. This year’s competition will see a total of four teams battling for supremacy. Those teams include newcomers Guyana Defence Force (GDF), Eagles, Young Achievers and Castrol Strikers.

Last season, Eagles solidified their position as one of the top volleyball teams in Guyana, after winning the first two games of their three-match final against Young Achievers in straight sets the CASH. GVF, competitions committee member; Kristoff Shepherd, in an invited comment with this publication, explained that he is very excited for not only this competition but this season, since the associations have a lot in store for the players.

And, with head of the GVF, Levi Nedd already confirming that Guyana should be fielding teams at a few international tournaments this year, national select and fringe players will be relishing the opportunity to get on the court and get valuable match practice.

The DVA league returns on Monday, January 18th.

Barty dismantles Swiatek in Adelaide semi-finals

AFP - Australia’s Ashleigh Barty continued her excellent form this week when she dismantled fifth seed Iga Swiatek in the semi-finals of the season-opening Adelaide International yesterday.

Barty, the world number one, dominated her Polish opponent to win 6-2, 6-4 and show why she will go into this month’s Australian Open as a firm favourite.

She will take on Kazakhstan’s Elena Rybakina in the final after the seventh seed beat Japanese player Misaki Doi 6-4, 6-3 in the first match on centre court.

Barty has had a tough draw this week — facing three players inside the top 25 — but has gotten better each match. She had pulled out of all tennis following September’s US Open because of the pandemic.

Barty came back from a set and a break down to rising American teenage star Coco Gauff in the second round, then demolished former Australian Open champion Sofia Kenin in the quarter-finals.

“This tournament was exceptionally tough right the way through,” Barty said.

“There were certainly no easy matches, but I love to test myself against the best in the world and tonight was no different.

“I felt like each match I’ve got progressively better and hopefully I’ve got a little bit left in the tank for tomorrow.”

Barty broke Swiatek twice in the first set and once in the second, taking advantage of 31 unforced errors from her opponent.

She served beautifully once again — Swiatek only had two break points opportunities in the match, once in each set.

But Barty also tormented Swiatek with her range of shots, the world number nine particularly struggling with the Australian’s slice backhand.

- Rybakina into final In the first semi-final, Rybakina started slowly but had too much firepower for Doi, winning 6-4, 6-3 in 83 minutes.

She served nine aces and hit 22 winners in the straight-sets win to book her place in the final.

The 22-year-old, who stands 1.84 metres

World number one Barty dominated her Polish opponent. (AFP/ Michael Errey)

(6 feet) tall, went into the tournament ranked 14th in the world.

Reaching the final will see her rise to 12th, and if she beats Barty she will end the week as world number 11.

Against Doi, Rybakina looked sluggish early and dropped her first service game.

But in a match of few long rallies, she broke straight back and then again at 5-4 to take the first set in 40 minutes.

She found her range and was never troubled on serve, while Doi came under increasing pressure from her opponent’s powerful hitting.

Rybakina broke at 3-3 in the second, then again at 5-3 to claim a comfortable win.

In the men’s semi-finals, second-seeded Russian Karen Khachanov ousted the bigserving Marin Cilic 7-6 (7/3), 6-3.

Khachanov played more consistently than his Croatian opponent, whose forehand began to misfire in the first set tiebreak and during the second set.

Khachanov, who reached the sixth final of his career with the win, will now play topseeded Frenchman Gael Monfils, who beat Australian wildcard Thanasi Kokkinakis 7-5, 6-0.

West Indies fans to experience all 2022 West Indies home series action exclusively live on ESPN

ST JOHN’S, Antigua – Cricket West Indies (CWI) Friday announced a new broadcast partnership for the region with ESPN and its Caribbean Networks to become the exclusive broadcast partner for all West Indies live home international and regional cricket for the 2022 season.

The new exclusive live broadcast partnership means that CWI and ESPN will ensure more Caribbean fans than ever will have the chance to access live coverage of the West Indies home international matches.

Fans across the region will be able to see West Indies home internationals live and exclusively on ESPN Caribbean and the ESPN app starting yesterday January 8 with the first game of the three-match CG Insurance One Day International (ODI) Series between the West Indies Men and Ireland at Sabina Park, Jamaica to be followed by the one-off CG Insurance T20 International (T20I) between West Indies and Ireland on January 16.

CWI’s partnership with the world’s biggest sports broadcaster will then see

ESPN Caribbean airing the England Betway T20I Series and the England Test tour of the West Indies – the five match Betway T20I series at Kensington Oval in Barbados from January 2230. This will be followed by the eagerly-anticipated three-Test series in Antigua, Barbados and Grenada in March, which will be contested for the recentlyminted Richards-Botham trophy.

Later this year, ESPN Caribbean and the ESPN app will also feature West Indies Men’s home series against Bangladesh, India and New Zealand, as well as continued coverage of the CG Insurance Super50 Cup – CWI’s marquee regional 50over tournament. These match schedules will be made available at a later date.

T h e e x t e n d e d partnership will mean that the ESPN Caribbean channels and ESPN app will provide fans with a full live schedule of all West Indies home international matches, every ICC international tournament match featuring the West Indies, as well as the CG Insurance Super50 Cup.

Johnny Grave, CEO of CWI said: “We are delighted to grow our partnership with ESPN to include our home Internationals in the Caribbean, bringing the region’s favourite sports team, the West Indies, into millions of homes and mobile devices. This new addition to our long-standing partnership with the world’s pre-eminent sports broadcaster is providing greater access to more live West Indies international and regional cricket than ever before to fans across the region. Making it easier for our fans to watch and follow West Indies live cricket is a crucial part of CWI’s strategy and this exclusive agreement is equally significant to help engage and energise the next generation of fans and players.”

FULL MATCH SECHDULE CG Insurance ODI and T20I Series, West Indies v Ireland at Sabina Park, Jamaica (Continued on page 51)

Sunday January 09, 2022

Guyana Harpy Eagles 1st trial match ends in draw

Kaieteur News

Tagenarine Chanderpaul made 52 at Albion yesterday.

- Fifties from Chanderpaul, Savory highlights last day action

C

a r e f u l l y constructed halfcenturies from 25-year-olds Tagenarine Chanderpaul and Wi c k e t - K e e p e r K e m o l Savory for Leon Johnson’s X1 highlighted the final of the GCB trial 4-day match against Kemo Paul’s X1 which ended in a draw yesterday at Albion in Berbice.

Chanderpaul, with two First-Class tons from 43 games, faced 154 balls and spent three hours and 13 minutes at crease, while reaching the boundary twice and cleared it once.

Savory’s 54 came from 189 balls, 238 minutes and was decorated with three fours and a six.

Leon Johnson’s X1 began the fourth and final day on eight without loss with Tagenarine Chanderpaul (4) and Raymond Perez (4) and together took the score 17 before Perez was bowled by West Indies left-arm spinner Veerasammy Permaul for 10.

Chanderpaul and Kemol Savory joined forces on a track which provided more turn for the spinners as the game progressed and with sensible batting took the score to Lunch at 77-1.

At the interval, Chanderpaul, who played the role of Larry Gomes in the Bollywood Movie 83, was unbeaten on 33 from 109 balls, 118 minutes and included a four and a six, while Savory was a bit more aggressive and his 31 took 76 balls, 98 minutes with two boundaries which included a six on the large Albion sward on another sunny day in East Berbice.

A f t e r L u n c h , Chanderpaul and Savory carried the score to 113 before Chanderpaul, who again played circumspectly and showed great temperament to follow his 27 in the first innings with 52 before he was run out.

Tagenarine, the son of West Indies’ second highest Test run scorer, Shiv Chanderpaul, only worry was his inability to rotate the strike regularly.

The left handed Savory added 96 with Chanderpaul and reached his half-century just before Tea. But like Chanderpaul, Savory, failed to rotate the strike in the partnership;

facing 141 dot balls by Tea in his 51 with three fours and a six.

And along with Skipper Johnson (2) saw their team to 119-2 at the break.

In the final session, Johnson’s X1 lost Savory for 54 when he was removed by left arm spinner Ashmead Nedd leaving the score on 141-3.

Johnson was unbeaten on 32 with four boundaries and with him was fellow Test left-hander Vishaul Singh on 10.

The next game will be played at the same venue from next Wednesday to Saturday from 10 am to 5pm each day. (Sean Devers)

PAGE 57

DeSinco Trading U-12 chess tourney on this Saturday The Guyana Chess Federation (GCF) is scheduled to host an under-12 one-day competition next week with sponsorship for DeSinco Trading Limited. The tournament is titled the National under-12 Rapid Championships and will be held online on tornelo.com on Saturday, January, 15 from 14:00hrs.

The championship will see players battling in an open division and a girls’ division.

Prizes will be presented to the first, second and third-placed finishers in both categories; the best under-10 player and the best under-8 player.

Under the federation’s rules, under-12s are classified as players born after January 1, 2010.

Some of the big names expected for next week’s championship include: Mahir Rajkumar, Anaya Lall, Nicholas and Alexander Zhang, Arysh Raghunauth and Omar Shariff.

Junior chess has exploded online since the pandemic started. The drive has been orchestrated and continues to be executed well by the likes of Anand Raghunauth,

Alexander Zhang is one of the top players that will participate in the tourney.

Marcia Lee, John Lee, Loris Nathoo, Taffin Khan and Davion Mars.

As in previous tournaments, it is also expected that new talent will be discovered.

Volleyball boost for Fyrish Players

Kemol Savory celebrates at Albion.

Players of the Fyrish Volleyball Club of Corentyne Berbice pose with the donated items.

V

olleyball players in the Fyrish Corentyne, East Berbice, Region 6 area will have a chance to display their skills after they received some volleyball equipment to foster their trade.

Volleyball is one of the top sports in the County of Berbice and Guyana in general.

Despite the many challenges of the Covid 19 pandemic, the game was still being played on a reduced basis.

Recently Volleyball players in the Fyrish

area were presented with some volleyball equipment including net and ball to continue to boost their skills.

The equipment was presented by Vice Chairman Zamal Hussain on behalf of the Ministry of Youth Sports and Culture.

Reports are that the equipment was donated through the instrumentality of Minister of Agriculture Zulfikar Mustapha who is one of the Parliamentary Representatives of the Region. (Samuel Whyte)