Kaieteur News

K

La Penitence NEWS man wanted for murder of step-son AIETEUR

Guyana’s largest selling daily & New York’s most popular weekly

Satuday Edition January 29, 2022 - Vol. 15 No. 05 Online: www.kaieteurnews.com Online Price $80 readership yesterday, Wanted, 75,405

Shawn Bobb.

US$900M Gas-to-Shore project to now cost in excess of US$1.3B - Govt. pledges US$520M for Power Plant

- Budget 2022

Oil and Gas Chambers presses for accelerated renewable energy prog. …recommends subsidies for solar, electric cars, other initiatives Croal gets additional Attempted murder charge for women $12.4B for Housing who threw corrosive Ministry to fix more roads substance on 'friend'

Govt. allocates $74.4B for education sector - plans to train 1,000 for Oil and Gas sector

! s t c a r t n o c hange the

C

Chinese contractor not financing new - entire $53.7B project bridge being funded by Govt.

- Budget 2022 reveals

Lack of Ring Fencing Provision means Guyana won't realize oil gains before 2030s, if at all! @11:00hrs on Kaieteur Radio 99.1/99.5FM

PAGE 02

Kaieteur News

Saturday January 29, 2022

Kaieteur News

Saturday January 29, 2022

PAGE 03

US$900M Gas-to-Shore project to now cost in excess of US$1.3B - Govt. pledges US$520M for Power Plant

A

lthough the gasto-shore project was first touted as a US$900M project inclusive of a gas pipeline, a gas fired power plant and related processing facilities, Budget 2022 has confirmed this to be untrue and has in fact now confirmed a new price tag in excess of US$1.3B. This is since the Guyana Government has committed to provide some $520M in total, towards the gas fired power plant.

Minister with responsibility for Finance within the Office of the President, Dr. Ashni Singh, in his Budget 2022 presentation on Wednesday confirmed that government has already allocated in excess of US$20M towards the project.

A perusal of the project profile for the capital allocation that falls under the Office of the Prime Minister, points out that the government has in fact pegged the total cost for the power plant and other facilities at some US$520M, of which US$20M has been allocated for use this year.

With ExxonMobil spending in excess of US$800M to conduct surveys and other ancillary works for the project, including the laying of the pipeline, it would mean that the total cost of the project is now pegged in excess of $1.3B. Former Minister with responsibility for the project under the ousted coalition administration David Patterson, had last year condemned the mounting project costs as 'money for the boys.'

Last November, Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo hinted at an increased total cost of the project.

According to the Vice President at the time, when factoring in prevailing global conditions, the prices for key commodities needed for the project have increased.

He specifically pointed to the fact that the price of steel, for example, has been escalating on the world m a r k e t .

Conceding, “…it's a bad time to bid anything,” Dr. Jagdeo was adamant, however, “we can't slow down the

- Budget 2022

Wales Industrial Area Layout

development” and that “we have to proceed,” with the Gas-to-Shore initiative.

Dr. Singh during his Budget presentation on Wednesday said, “the current estimate of the gas reserve is 16 trillion cubic feet (Tcf) with projections from Liza 1 and 2 likely at 50 million standard cubic feet per day (mmscfd), and Payara will

bring an additional 20 mmscfd. This augurs extremely well for the Gasto-Energy Project.”

He told Members of Parliament (MP), “following a public expression of interest in September 2021, Government issued an advertisement for the prequalification of firms interested in the

transformational Gas-toEnergy project, recognising the potential of natural gas as a transition fuel.”

The project, he said, will allow the country to phase out the use of expensive and carbon-intensive heavy fuel oil and is targeted to reduce costs substantially below the current levels.

According to Dr. Singh,

the project encompasses the establishment of a power plant to generate 300MW of power as well as a Natural Gas Liquids (NGL) plant that will cover domestic demand.

The project also entails the construction of a 225 km 12” pipeline to transport the guaranteed minimum of 50 mmscfd of natural gas from (Continued on page 15)

Liza Unity alone was 37% of Guyana's import bill last year Guyana, on its financial books last year, has its total import payments growing over the previous year by 90.8 percent which translates to US$4.8 B, according to Minister with responsibility for Finance, Dr. Ashni Singh.

Notably however, this was primarily attributed to the arrival of Guyana's second Floating Production Storage Offloading (FPSO), Liza Unity, which accounted for US$1.7B or 38.6 percent of total imports for 2021.

As it relates to the export end, Dr. Singh reported that at the end of 2021, total export earnings amounted to US$4,352 million, 68 percent higher than the US$2,590 million earned in 2020. Again, this “was mainly driven by oil exports growing by 179.6 percent” to some US$3B. Non-oil export earnings for last year, according to Dr. Singh, amounted to just about US$1.4B. Updating the House on the operations in the Stabroek Block regarding the FPSOs, Dr. Singh noted that ongoing exploration

The Liza Unity FPSO.

activities have continued to yield positive results, with 28 commercially viable oil discoveries to date in the Stabroek Block and an estimated recoverable resource of over 10 billion oil-

equivalent barrels, a mere six years after first discovery.”

The Stabroek Block, he said, currently has three identified production areas Liza 1, Liza 2, and Payara. Production capacity is

currently 120,000 bpd with the Liza Destiny FPSO in operation.

The coming into operation of the Liza Unity FPSO early in 2022, he said, will raise capacity to 340,000 bpd, and the deployment

of the Liza Prosperity FPSO in 2024 will further raise capacity to 560,000 bpd.

According to Dr. Singh, with the anticipated fourth production area, Yellowtail, estimates are poised to reach 810,000 bpd by 2026/27 and additional developments under consideration could see us reaching six FPSOs producing one million bpd by 2030.

He told the House that as it relates to this year, real Gross Domestic Product is projected to grow by 47.5 percent, a rate of growth which no other country in the world is currently projected to achieve in 2022.

This, he said, reflects the coming into operation of the second FPSO vessel, the Liza Unity, which will significantly ramp up oil production.

The non-oil economy is expected to register growth, currently projected at 7.7 percent this year, driven mainly by rebounds in rice growing and gold mining, and continued expansion in construction activity and wholesale and retail trade and repairs.

PAGE 4

Kaieteur News

Saturday January 29, 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

More security cameras, hopefully more crime solutions

T

here are some provisions, at this pre-debate interval more of proposals, in this year’s massive half a trillion Guyana dollars plus national budget.

A handful of them are encouraging, once the money earmarked is constructively put to work, so that more citizens can benefit. Citizens in locations outside of the Capital City stand to reap some benefits from what is in the budget under the Ministry of Home Affairs, with specific reference to the state’s security sector. Money is to be spent on more surveillance cameras to beef up security for areas outside of Georgetown (“Govt. to put more cameras on the street -$400M allocated to rebuild Brickdam Police Station” KN January 28). Overall, $47.9 billion Guyana dollars is the amount identified “to boost public safety and security” and of which approximately”$2.5B has also been proposed to expand the Safe City Programme outside of the city, with more CCTV cameras to be installed countrywide.” We think that this is a good development, which could instill confidence in citizens, especially those in communities beyond Georgetown. We like it, and we agree with it, but the reality of enhanced security will only come to pass, when those billions are employed to get quality cameras that function when needed the most, viz: during the commission of crimes. To repeat the obvious, they provide indisputable trails of evidence for the Guyana Police Force (GPF) investigators, and on which the courts are sure to rely. But the cameras must function, and the tapes must be available to be tendered (more on this later).

According to the Minister with responsibility for Finance in the Office of the President, Dr. Ashni Singh, the $47.9B allocation for the security sector will be used “towards ensuring the restoration and preservation of law and order at all levels in our society.” We are as one with him and his government on this. But again, the claim of the vision of a return to some semblance of law and order in this society will only be realised if and when those tens of billions of borrowed taxpayers’ dollars are spent in an honest and prudent manner. Hopeful Guyanese have gotten their hands burned repeatedly with the rosy speeches of political figures of the stature of the senior Finance official, only for them to be left with no option but to retreat in anger and disgust.

Most citizens still feel a sense of deep dread and great vulnerability, despite the claims and statistics presented by senior officers of the GPF of substantial decreases in serious crimes. Converse with ordinary Guyanese, and the belief is that the Capital City that now attracts hordes of foreigners is a nest of bandits lurking to pounce, rob, and injure at will. We have reported on foreigners coming to do business of some type being waylaid and robbed right in the crowded capital and in broad daylight. If this can take place in a heavily congested area of Guyana, literally dotted with surveillance cameras, then one can only imagine the fears and anxieties of those residents who live in other communities that, at this time, do not have security cameras.

There is this broad sense of vulnerability and being under siege, to the point where even one’s well barricaded home does not offer the confidence that it should.

We want those security cameras, and we need them to be in place, in order for citizens to go about their lawful business everywhere. We need them on the roads and streets and business establishments without nervous citizens having to be constantly looking over their shoulders and being frightened out of their wits by every passing bicycle, motorcycle, and other types of vehicles that criminals employ in their predatory activities. But like we said, these expensive cameras must be working and delivering all the time, then be available to close out crime on the books. The camera records cannot mysteriously prove to be unavailable or undecipherable at crucial times, such as in the instance of an execution that occurred on Main Street close to the official residence of Guyana’s head of state. When that happens, the billions spent mean nothing, and crime flourishes. When we get real, we get results.

A message to Guyanese men who abuse their partners DEAR EDITOR We are not even 30 days into the new year and we are witnessing the continuation of a disturbing trend of Guyanese men abusing and killing women they shared a relationship with.

Why? Why do men abuse and kill the woman they proclaim to love? Why do men refuse to leave or as we say in local slang, “tek lef?”

A woman or man is within their right to decide who they choose to have a relationship and if they no longer want to be in a relationship.

For all the tough talk, I find that many Guyanese men are more concerned about what their so-called friends and people will think about them if their wife or girlfriend decides she doesn’t want to be in a relationship with them.

Many would not tell you this publically, by it is their perceived embarrassment and illusion that a woman “belongs” to them, as if she is property, similar to slaves were once regarded as property of slave owners.

Men, get over it. There are so many women in the

world, why do you hit or kill your partner, then run and hide until the police locate and imprison you?

In prison, the only woman you will see is the one you use your imagination to make love to.

You will be surrounded by hundreds of other men, living in a room, surrounded by bars.

You will spend at least 10 or more years wishing you did not hit or abuse your partner, during which time you will be without a girlfriend.

Is this what you really want for yourself? I have also

noticed that the majority of men who kill their partners end up killing themselves?

Really men, is it worth it?

For what, because you worry more about what people have to say or think, rather than putting your own wellbeing first?

You want something to w o r r y a b o u t ? Wo r r y about being a happy man, not a jealous man and short-term thinking man who ends up in jail or dead.

Yours truly, Rawle A. Small

Reminiscing on Yesu DEAR EDITOR It was with a sense of great loss, that I learnt of the passing of Dr. Yesu Persaud, a Guyanese icon who had achieved very much in his life, and, one in which I could not help but to reminisce as we celebrate his life.

Until his founding of the Institute of Small Enterprise Development (ISED), Yesu was someone I read about in the news, in the latter half of the 1970s, and into the early1980s. He was an executive of great standing in the Government owned enterprises; someone whose name was associated with sugar and rum, Sandbach-Parker and Jessels, and the Guyana Liquor Corporation. Living and working in Linden in the bauxite sector, I did not think then that we would meet.

The latter half of the 1980s was a time of change - change from the era of nationalization of foreign and locally owned businesses of any significance, which had been ushered in with the nationalization of DEMBA bauxite, where I was working, in 1971, until, it was estimated, that 85% of all economic activities was in the hands of the Government.

There was from the early 1980s a slow, reluctant returning to the multilateral institutions. The World Bank (WB), the International Monetary Fund (IMF), the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) – and in time a reversing of previous nationalizations with privatizations and an acceptance and unshackling of private enterprise both foreign and local. Yesu took a leading role in the reopening of the economy and larger society as a whole, and held the view like a number of other citizens, that there should be a resurgence of local Guyanese private sector, and that this resurgent Guyanese economy should not be dominated by foreign companies.

Two persons working with Yesu in launching ISED, later called IPED, had been friends of mine: Dr. Leslie Chin who had been a sixth former, when I entered highschool in 1955, was at that time one of the leaders of the GPC (Guyana Pharmaceutical Corporation) group; and Mr. Vic Oditt, my link with whom goes back to Mahaicony, and had been at the Guyana Marketing Corporation (GMC) working at various food products with Ms. Vashti Warner.

The launching of ISED/ IPED and a number of subsequent meetings which I attended provided me opportunities for my first meetings with Yesu. In apparent coordination, Stabroek News which itself was launched in those times, carried a daily column commending and giving example of a small business person. ISED/IPED was favorably received by many vendors and other small startup business entrepreneurs and continues to contribute not only to generating new economic activities and jobs but also a degree of social cohesion, establishing bridges between our various peoples, providing real opportunities for small people to become real big people.

The latter half of the 1980s saw new buildings being erected and new techniques being introduced. The construction of two multi-story buildings in Georgetown, Yesu’s DDL head- office in Main Street and the Government owned GuySuCo’s Head Office in Camp street (completed two decades later as the GRA head office) symbolized for some the competition between private and state owned enterprises.

I got to know Yesu more, at the public launch of GUARD (Guyanese Action for Reform and Democracy) held around the 17th of June 1990. My old high-school

friend, Clairmont Lye (of the Coal Pot Restaurant Family and later founder and head of the EAB-Election Assistance Bureau telephoned, informing me about the intended, sameday, public launching of GUARD at the Parade Ground in Georgetown, at Dutchie’s Boat Landing in Linden and at Rose Hall. Yesu would be the lead speaker starting at the Parade Ground, then flying to Linden to lead the speaking there, then flying on to Rose Hall. Clairmont pressed me to be the lead, local supporting speaker in Linden and I yielded. It would be two years of many Guyanese struggling in various and varying alliances for a fair and free election and an election free from fear in October 1992.

As Prime Minister up to 2015, I met with Yesu, often accompanied by our wives, at many occasions marking the rebuilding of our economy, the lifting of sprits and a renewed, induced venturing of citizens into the social and political life of our country. Ever so often, I met with Yesu at his office in the DDL building in Main Street for a pleasant cordial chat with tea and a video-taping session in his TV studio there, (Chris Ram participated in the early sessions) for a programme he hosted on one or other of our then many, many mini-TV stations. Yesu and I differed from little to greatly but always gently on the current policies, programmes and doings of the Government. Those visits often gave me a chance to meet up with fellow high school mate, fellow DEMBA bauxite Scholarship awardee, and alumina plant colleague, Stanley Latchmansingh, who would tell me excitedly about DDL’s EHP vinegar production and a number of DDL’s food products - jams, jellies, cake mixes - in which he had a leading hand.

It might have been a natural thing for Yesu with his local business leadership and international connections to launch the first indigenous bank of our times (records suggest one or more plantation owners started a Bank to serve plantation owners in the early 1800’s). I recall Yesu telling with great satisfaction of the construction of the Demerara Bank branch at Diamond which was built after the two other banks there. He was able with judicious selection and use of local Guyanese professionals, contractors and materials to construct a comparable building at about two-thirds the cost of the two others.

A construction which brought much pleasure to Yesu was in the cultural field, the creation of the Monument gardens at the site of the longabandoned water treatment plant at the end of the Lamaha Canal at Camp and Church Streets. I listened to Yesu speaking at a number of occasions stressing that whilst the Ship sculpture there was to represent the Hespcrus and the Whitby, the Monument should be seen as symbolic of all the ships in which our fore-parents, except for the Amerindians, arrived. We were now all together in the same boat. The Monument Gardens would serve to recall the contribution from India to our One Guyana that inevitably is emerging. I viewed in a similar light the annual presentation of Nytriageet by the Sawh sisters at the Cultural Centre, sponsored by Yesu from its launch in the early 1980s and at which we met over nearly twenty-five years after 1992. Nytriyageet might have prompted the annual presentations of “Naya Zamana” by my friends at the Dharmic Sabha and the “Tribute to Fathers” by Ms. (Continued on page 6)

Saturday January 29, 2022

PAGE 5

Kaieteur News

What about the rushing through Parliament Should we not just tear down the old of important Bills with a slim majority City Hall building and build a new one After some two hours, the DEAR EDITOR, safer and cheaper to tear superintended by a compliant Speaker? people got agitated and voicOver the years, there have

DEAR EDITOR, Sunday, the 30th January marks the Anniversary of the beheading of a British King, Charles I. It is an unusual occurrence for a people that have always shown reverence and affection for the monarchy. Dear Editor, I recount this incident as recorded to remind Citizens and Leaders.

First, that as you are elevated to high positions, we must never ignore rules and the pillars and foundations upon which society is built. I have in mind the trivialization of our Parliament by rushing through the now famous Natural Resources Fund Bill and second, the mistreatment of the Georgetown Municipality and other issues, which have generated apprehension within sections of the populace. The next lesson, of course, is the extreme measures taken when the perception exists that groups of citizens are being pushed to act beyond reason, and I recall the words in Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar “men have lost their reason and fled to brutish beasts.”

Beyond that, and perhaps of significance in today’s Guyana, is when the Statements of our Leaders do not correspond to the experience of ordinary folks. The Budget which was read with such gusto is on the face of it praiseworthy. However, only time will tell if we are going to make a reality of what the Chinese refer to a few years ago, that Guyana will be saturated with the concept of a ‘common prosperity.’ This will mean, the large sums allocated for buildings, bridges,

schools, hospitals, etc., that the communities benefit and not a greedy few. Even when I held Office, more than three decades ago, I observed a decline in standards. As a result I called for a moral and spiritual revival. Today, such a revival is an imperative, if we are to succeed as a people.

‘When Charles was about to have his head removed, he said “ I go from a corruptible to an incorruptible crown, “ his words of consolation, among friends and foes, a decline in our morality, hoping the door for corruption at several levels. Today as in the case of the Mother’s country centuries ago, remains our greatest challenge to achieve.

Throughout history, the human species, all of us, have failed to benefit from the lessons of history- when will we learn, and I say when would we all benefit from the many lessons available to us ?

Charles l - King of England, Scotland and Ireland having been found guilty of high treason and other high crimes, ascended the scaffold outside the Banqueting House in Whitehall, London to face the executioner’s sharpened axe. This kind of regicide, which much of Europe regarded with horror, concluded a reign that had torn the kingdom apart in civil war since 1642. His death would also mean a temporary end to that ‘kingdom,’ for Britain then entered the unchartered waters of eleven (11) years of government without the traditional leadership of a Head of State.

In 1629 Charles dissolved Parliament and ruled it for

eleven (11) years, attempting to raise money by other means. Are there similarities with the way the Natural Resources Fund Bill is to be managed? Conflict in Scotland in 1637 (when Charles attempted to impose Bishops on the Presbyterian Church and later in the North of England and Ireland forced him to recall Parliament. Tensions came to a head in 1642. Is the control of the lives of ordinary Guyanese a nexus in a polarized society where distrust exists? Fleeing the large proParliamentary London, the King raised his standard at Nottingham on 22 August.

The complex civil war, sometimes called the War of the Three Kingdoms (for it played out in Scotland and Ireland too), had begun. Their causes remain much debated.”

In Guyana, the rushing through Parliament of important Bills with a slim majority superintended by a compliant Speaker offers another similarity and lesson. Of interest, Oliver Cromwell who was the first to sign the death warrant for Charles executing what was known as the Republican Commonwealth died on September 3, 1658. As a tit-for-tat philosophy, they exhumed Oliver Cromwell’s body and took off his head. Next lesson is Guyana going through a regime that is wedded to titfor-tat? When would we learn from the experiences of human history and not in an insidious way to take our country down the deep depth of disaster.

Regards Hamilton Green Elder

Will they ever get it right?

DEAR EDITOR On Wednesday, January 26th, I attended a Presentation and Reception at the National Cultural Centre (NCC) celebrating India’s 72nd Republic Anniversary.

An otherwise excellent Presentation was marred by gross mismanagement of stage and sound by the staff of the Cultural Centre. One scene change was more than 5 minutes long. It seemed interminable. The President,

Senior Diplomats and Dignitaries were all present. When the curtains opened, and there are now new green curtains to assist with set changes, the microphone for the singer never came on and, eventually, the artistes apologized for not wanting to waste any more time and exited the stage. Since 1981, I have produced and stage managed over 100+ productions at the Cultural Centre and almost all productions have suffered

from various technical inefficiencies inherent at the Centre.

Tis 2022, 41 years later for me, and things are still the same.

I enjoyed the comfort of the brand new green seats.

Perhaps it’s time to get some brand new technical staff too.

Yours sincerely, Gem MadhooNascimento GEMS Theatre Productions

been continuous efforts to restore City Hall building to its original state.

Whilst there are a lot of reasons for doing so to an historical building, I’ve come to the assumption that the building is being considered a breadbasket to fuel friends and cronies under the guise of restoring the building.

As long as I could recall, extraordinary money is required to do repairs and when finished, the building is still unsafe.

I must say I’m quite surprised to see it will cost sixty million dollars to conduct a feasibility study to decide if the building should be repaired..

Lack of proper maintenance caused that historical building to deteriorate to the state it is in presently all because we don’t know the importance of preserving a historical building.

Looking at the condition of the building it would be

down the building and build a new one.

Editor, on Wednesday I had cause to enter City Hall compound and I looked at the building and wondered what sort of people would allow a historical building like that to reach such a condition, but looking around the compound, I didn’t have to guess.

Approximately two weeks ago, people going to pay their Rates and Taxes got directed to another building in the compound because restoration work commenced on City Hall.

People are directed to sit on chairs that are under the shed and some in the sun.

Two booths are in operation and after four-five customers, the cashier would block her windows for 10-15 minutes.

There’s staff there to monitor the line system, but conveniently they would disappear and someone who is not in the line would walk to the booth and push their paper in and gets look after.

ing their concern, which caused the monitors to go and bring the City Police with the idea of intimidation with threats of locking up.

When the people complained about the slothfulness the cashiers threaten to close their booths and see what they can do.

Finally Editor, the Mayor passed the crowd and just glanced at them, waved his hand and walked away.

One lady called out saying that everyone has to join one line and there’s no provision for elderly or pregnant people.

Surprisingly, the mayor didn’t hear or choose to ignore and continue along his way.

What is sickening is directly behind the chairs, there’s a sewerage tank overflowing and from the condition of it, it must have been in this state for a very long time.

Regards Sahadeo Bates

Reminiscing on...

From page 4 Norma Joseph on Father’s Day each year.

I thank Yesu’s support as a Guyanese national for our Guyana Prize, and his related international association with Warwick University in which David Dahydeen has had a big hand.

I thank also of the Yesu Persaud Clinical Education Centre within the Georgetown Public Hospital grounds, granted by Yesu, offering Post Grad and Primary Health Care Training.

May successful Guyanese continue to leave their names in wood and cement steel and glass.

In these times, with our recently discovered oil and gas, and a new generation coming to the fore in today’s different world, the passing of Yesu, may well fall into the fading away of us colonial boys and girls many become teenagers during World War II, our ambitions sparked, struggling each in his/her own way for improvement, ‘Reaching for The Stars’, eagerly

seeking to show what Guyana’s sons and daughters could be and do.

As happens, we Guyanese intoxicated with Independence took a turn to where the grass seemed greener but soon found ourselves lost in the wilderness for nearly three

decades.

Yesu helped to hold high a light alive, and to help return us to a better path.

Regards Samuel A.A. Hinds Former President and Former Prime Minister

PAGE 6

Saturday January 29, 2022

Kaieteur News

Chinese contractor not financing new bridge - entire $53.7B project being funded by Govt.—Budget 2022 reveals

Government last year in an official statement confirmed it had secured a Chinese firm to build the New Demerara River Bridge under a Design-Build-Finance (DBF) model with financial terms and conditions “which would be no less favourable than those submitted in the preferred bidder ’s price proposals.”

This appears not to be the case as can be gleaned from the National Estimates for 2022 which was presented to the nation on Wednesday by Minister within the Office of the President with responsibility for Finance, Dr. Ashni Singh.

In that presentation, he announced that this year some $21.1B has been

allocated for the project. A perusal of the profile page of the project that falls under the Ministry of Public Works shows however that the financing is not external but rather is being funded by central government.

In fact, according to the profile page, the total cost for the new bridge, some $53.7B, is being funded completely by central government.

This is contrary to the Design-Build-Finance (DBF) model that was touted by government. Confirmation of the contract was originally released on November 1, last, when by way of a public statement, the Ministry of Finance announced that Cabinet granted its noobjection for the Ministry of

Public Works to engage China State Construction Engineering Corporation Ltd. to construct the New Demerara Harbour Bridge (NDHB).

At that time, it was pointed out that the project would be done under the DFB model with financial terms and conditions “which would be no less favourable than those submitted in the preferred bidder’s price proposals.

The proposed location for the New Demerara River Bridge will see the structure being laid between Nandy Park, East Bank Demerara and La Grange on the Western end of the Demerara River.

China’s State Construction Engineering (Continued on page 17)

The aging Demerara Harbour Bridge that is to be replaced

T N U L B . . .

T B N U T L N B T .

U .

L .

L T B . .

N .

U N U T L N B .

U T . .

L N N U T B .

U .

N L U BL BLUNT. B . .

T .

T T N N U .

U L . .

L B .

T B . . . .

N .

T U T N N T U N U L L U B .

L B . . . .

B .

T . .

T .

N N T U N L LU U B .

N L . .

U B T .

L . .

N B T .

U . .

N L T U B .

N L . .

U B T .

L . .

N B T . .

U .

N L T U B .

N L . .

U B .

T L . .

N B T . .

U .

N L T U B .

N L . .

U B T .

L . .

N B .

T .

U .

N L T U B .

N L . .

U B T .

L . .

N B T .

U . .

N L T U B .

N L . .

U B T .

L .

B .

UN .BLUNT. L . .

B T . . .

N T U N L . .

U B T .

L .

B .

UN .BLUNT. L . .

B T . . .

N T U N L . .

U B T .

L . .

N B T .

U . .

N L B T .

U . .

N L T U B .

N L . .

U B T .

L . .

N B T . . .

LU ...BLUN B T . . .

N T U N L U B T .

L . .

N B T .

U . .

N L T .

U B . .

N L T U B .

N L . .

U B T .

L . .

N B T .

U . .

N L T BB T...BLU U N L U B .

L . .

B .

T . .

N N T T L U U N L L U B U T...BLU B L . .

N .

B .

T . .

N T U N N N U L U U B L .

BL TLUNT.. UNT...B BL Saturday January 29, 2022

Kaieteur News

Violence, for too many of our brothers and sisters, is the only solution to many problems, some of which, we believe, can be solved quite amicably if only the art of listening and reasoning is embraced.

Since there will continue to be those among us who choose violence, we remind you of the 'iMatter' App. Download it so that 'if you see something' you can 'say something’ in hopes of helping to save a life.

PAGE 07

PAGE 08

Kaieteur News

Security guard, porter arrested after scuffle A man, who is employed at R. Tularam and Sons Supermarket as a porter, was hospitalised for lacerations to his forehead after being involved in a scuffle with the Supermarket's security guard, 41-year-old Simon Scott on Tuesday. The incident occurred at about 19:30hrs at Malgre Tout, We s t B a n k D e m e r a r a (WBD).

The porter has been identified as 23-year-old Daron Anthony Fields of

Blankenburg, West Coast Demerara (WCD).

Reports revealed that a cashier and Fields were in an argument, and Scott who is attached to the Sheriff Security Service, asked Fields to leave because of his disorderly behaviour. It is alleged that Fields became aggressive and Scott attempted to put him out of the Supermarket when a scuffle ensued during which a round was fired from Scott's concealed firearm

and Fields suffered lacerations to his forehead as a result of the scuffle.

Fields was taken to the West Demerara Regional Hospital (WDRH) where he was examined by a doctor, was treated and sent away in police custody.

Both Scott and Fields were arrested and taken to the Vreed-en-hoop Police Station. Sergeant Scarder and Detective Constable Thornhill are investigating the matter.

Saturday January 29, 2022

4 additional COVID-19 deaths - 375 new cases recorded

F

o u r m o r e residents from Region Four, who tested positive for the novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) disease, have died.

This is according to the Ministry of Health which reported that the latest fatalities are that of an 80year-old woman and three

men – a 57-year-old, a 75year-old and an 82-year-old, who died over a four-day (January 25 to 28)period.

As a result of this, Guyana's COVID-19 death toll has moved to 1,160.

The Ministry in its latest COVID-19 dashboard recoded 375 new infections, taking the total number of

confirmed cases to 58,979.

The dashboard data shows that 18 patients are in the COVID-19 Intensive Care Unit, 218 are in institutional isolation, 10,912 are in home isolation and 16 are in institutional quarantine.

To date, a total of 46,671 persons have recovered.

Saturday January 29, 2022

PAGE 9

Kaieteur News

The government is biting off more than it can chew Two basic questions arise from the reading of the proposed G$550B plus Budget for 2022.

The first is whether the government has the capacity to spend that amount of money and second whether the economy has the capacity to absorb such excessive spending.

Last year’s Budget amounted to G$383B. It means that this year the government proposes to spend an addition G$167B or more than 40 percent more than what was spent in 2021.

While a number of the measures announced amount to wasteful spending and misplaced priorities, it is doubtful whether the government has the means to spend such a massive sum during the remaining 12 months of 2022 It is a well known practice for Ministries to go on a spending spree in the latter part of December. Some of them usually place orders during this month and urge the suppliers to deliver in the New Year.

The reason for doing so is that during the fiscal year, many Ministries and government departments are unable to fully spend their allocations and they know that unless they spend what was allocated, they will receive less in the coming year.

As such they try to spend as much as they can, including some unnecessary expenditure during December in order to avoid a shortfall.

They seem unable to accommodate the alternative view that their inability to spend all their allocation could be seen as a form of prudent management of resources. It is doubtful whether the various government Ministries, depart-

ments and agencies have the capacity to spend the massive increases in allocations this year.

Guyana has suffered in the past as a consequence of the poor public sector implementation.

International financial institutions found that poor capacity affected the country’s ability to draw down on external resources.

The Budget makes little attempt to fix the problems of public sector management. In fact the PPP/C appears to give little priority to reforming the public sector which is bloated and which is a drag on public expenditure.

A leaner more efficient public sector would release more resources and improve the economy’s absorptive capacity.

It is also questionable whether the economy can absorb such a massive increase in public expenditure at a time when the government is also hoping to see an increase in private expenditure, inclusive of private direct investment in the economy.

One of the more recent World Bank (WB) reports on Guyana highlighted the dilemma posed by both lack of government capacity and the country’s absorptive capacity.

The World Bank cautioned, “The international experience with newly resource-rich countries highlights the importance of fiscal restraint and respect for the limits of both the expenditure capacity of the public sector and the absorptive capacity of the economy.”

Judging from the size of this year’s Budget, the government appears hell-bent on going on a spending spree rather than placing more attention, as

the WB advised, on strengthening government capacity while enhancing the economy’s ability to absorb public spending.

But it is not only the WB which has cautioned fiscal restraint.

The IDB and the IMF have also expressed concern about fiscal profligacy given the country’s low absorptive capacity.

It is for this reason that on more than one occasion, advice has been given to the government to ensure that the Natural Resource Fund strikes a balance between resource flows and the economy to absorb such flows.

In fact, excessive Budgetary allocations can push government expenditure beyond the capacity of government institutions and the economy’s ability to absorb these expenditures.

This can lead not only to inflationary pressures but result in upending macroeconomic stability.

While the increased allocations for education and health will be welcomed by the population, the World Bank had forewarned that the rates at which these social services can be improved depend on the absorptive capacity of the economy.

Simply throwing money at the social sectors is not a guarantee that there will either be value for money or an improvement in the quality or reach of the services intended.

The government may be forced later in the year to take steps to shrink demand since local production cannot be expected to keep abreast with the increased demand which is expected to be generated from the massive spike in public expen-

Dem boys seh...

De guvament Budget different from yuh pocket Everybody questioning wah de Budget do fuh dem.

But dat is de wrong question. Dem should be asking bout dem own personal Budget and how dem can improve dem circumstances.

De guvament Budget is fuh de guvament.

De guvament gat fuh collect taxes and dem gat fuh spend money fuh provide things fuh de people.

But nah expect guvament fuh put money in yuh pocket.

Dat is not de purpose of de guvament Budget.

De purpose is fuh mek it easier fuh you improve you own Budget.

Lang ago dem Budget use to cause fear in de popu-

lation.

People use to frighten devaluation more dan dem fighten COVID now.

Even after de economy done free up, some businessmen use to get nightmares as to whether de dollar gan devalue and dem gan lose money.

But dem days pass.

Dem boys know a lady wah decide fuh trim she household Budget.

Instead of carrying she clothes to de laundry, she decide fuh wash dem sheself.

She save a few thousand dollars every month by doing dat.

One day she tell she husband, “We are a few hundred dollars richer because I washed this dress by hand.”

De husband tell she, “Excellent, wash it again.”

De wife decide dat she gan teach he a lesson. So she went out and buy wan expensive dress and come home and show it to she husband.

De husband ask she, “I thought we deh pun a Budget.”

“Yes,” de wife say, “but de Devil went shopping with me.”

De husband ask she, “Why? What happen to ‘Get behind me Satan?’”

“I did tell him dat,” said de wife.

“Except that he said that the dress looked even better from behind.”

Talk half. Leff half.

diture.

Budget 2022 is a watershed for Guyana.

It is the first Budget in which oil revenues will be utilised.

But with the government biting off more than it can chew,

the massive Budget may well turn out to be an economic Waterloo.

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

Kaieteur News

PAGE 10

Saturday January 29, 2022

THE FREDDIE KISSOON COLUMN

I have never betrayed Walter Rodney Once again, I stress to people in this country, it is important to reply to depraved fictionalisation of political events from racist people and people with an agenda that is devoid of morality, the values that hold Guyana together and respect for rights and freedoms.

In offering a factual rebuttal to these people, those words become valuable when the next generation searches for the meaning of things in Guyana that went by 50 years ago. In life, people will always seek the meaning of events. Those of us, who have the capacity to explain these occurrences, owe it to subsequent generation to offer our interpretations.

Tacuma Ogunseye has accused me of attacking the politics of Walter Rodney in yesterday's edition of this newspaper. In all seriousness, this has to be the biggest political joke since the three

counties were united into British Guiana.

The material available out there is enormous for anyone to acquire that the closest comrades of Rodney from the 1970s who are alive today have betrayed every strand of the foundations on which Rodney's activism stands on.

That material is obtainable because people have documented that betrayal. This column here is yet another contribution to the annals of exposure of what the comrades of Rodney have become. I hope this brief excursion into the politics of this betrayal is yet another example of explaining the meaning of events in Guyana.

One of the major political controversies of contemporary times in Guyana surrounds the allegations Rodney's wife made against Dr. Rupert

Roopnaraine. The latter had reported to the government that the Rodney family was no longer interested in a commission of inquiry into Walter's assassination. For more on this controversy please see the explanations of Mr. Nandlall, the Attorney General; Mr. Ravi Dev, and others through a Google search. Footnote – in Parliament, Dr. Roopnaraine voted against the release of the report into Walter's death.

There may not be a Guyanese Indian anywhere in this world who would doubt that Mr. Ogunseye is not racist. Yet this man accuses me of attacking Rodney's politics. From 2002, when the mayhem in Buxton started, Ogunseye was a supporter of the gunmen. For a condemnation of Ogunseye's role in Buxton, see the book by Eusi Kwayana titled, “The M o r n i n g A f t e r. ” I n

describing his role in Buxton at the time, Ogunseye sued me and this newspaper for libel which I won.

Read that very book for Kwayana's take on the politics of Ronald Waddell. I regard Waddell as one of the most unadulterated racists this country produced.

Several African Guyanese in the WPA that were close to Walter endorsed Waddell's politics including one who developed a partnership with him.

In 2010, all the surviving members from Walter's days in the 1970s supported a formal alliance with the PNC headed at the time by a former army official, David Granger. Mr. Granger was in the hierarchy of the army at the time when Burnham and Rodney were locked in violent confrontation.

In 2015, these surviving WPA mandarins went into government with the PNC. At the time when Dr. Clive Thomas was chairman of GuySuCo, 7,000 sugar workers, with one swipe of the pen, were made unemployed thus affecting 42,000 family members and

relatives.

Then came the 2020 election in which the comrades of Rodney underwent an incredible transformation – from Frederick Kissoon fighting for free and fair elections from 1973 to 1992, the “heroes” t he end of the letter he from the days of the seventies remarked that if Rodney was became in 2020 barefaced alive, Rodney would have s u p p o r t e r s o f r i g g e d endorsed his action.

There isn't a decent soul elections that were far nastier than any fraudulent poll in in this world today that would see the people who once Guyanese history. stood tall with Rodney in any In September 2020, two p o s i t ive light. I was APNU leaders, of which the WPA was a part of, incited influenced by people like post-election violence in Rodney. He sacrificed his life Region 5 in which Indians so young people like me at were attacked, beaten and the time could be free. I have robbed, with houses and cars always written positively set on fire. No surviving about him since I became a c o m r a d e o f W a l t e r columnist 33 years ago. It condemned their action. Yet, doesn't mean that scholars Mr. Ogunseye says that I s h o u l d n o t u n d e r t a k e have attacked the politics of revisionist research into his politics. I have done that for Rodney.

Jagan and Burnham and will During the election do that for Rodney. rigging, Mr. Desmond (The views expressed in Trotman, in response to Christopher Ram published a this article are those of the long letter justifying the a u t h o r a n d d o n o t positions he took as a necessarily reflect the GECOM commissioner. At opinions of this newspaper.)

Saturday January 29, 2022

Kaieteur News

PAGE 11

PAGE 12

Saturday January 29, 2022

Kaieteur News

Roads and Bridges Budget hikes to $76.7B for 2022

A section of the Soesdyke Linden Highway

…$2.6B set aside to rehabilitate deplorable Linden Highway

T

he Soesdyke Linden Highway will this year see a likely complete rehabilitation with a $2.6 billion allocation being announced to facilitate the much-needed repairs to the main artery into the interior.

This is included in the Ministry of Public Works $76.7 billion allocation to fund the rehabilitation and construction of critical road links and bridges across the country.

According to the Budget documents, part of its allocation will go towards rehabilitating the entire 45miles of the Highway, stretching from Soesdyke to Linden.

The announcements were made on Wednesday last by Minister within the Office of the President with responsibility for Finance, Dr. Ashni Singh, who while presenting the Budget, told the National Assembly that $49.2 billion will be directed to roads, while the remaining $27.5 billion will be spent on bridges.

Commuters have for years been complaining of the deplorable state of sections of the Soesdyke Linden Highway.

Only last year, the

Ministry of Public Works expended $150 million to complete sectional repairs to the Highway, between the First Hill and Kilometre Nine and 10.

That was only a scratch to the surface, as sources confirmed that millions more would have been required to facilitate repairs to the entire road, constructed since the late 1960's.

To this end, this year, according to the Budgetary allocations, the main highway will see several massive infrastructure development projects coming on stream, including the construction of the Linden-Mabura Hill Road to the tune of $6 billion.

According to Dr. Singh, with regard to roads, “key allocations include provisions of: $8.3 billion for the rehabilitation of the Corentyne Main Road from Palmyra to Crabwood Creek; $6 billion for the construction of the LindenMabura Hill Road; $3.4 billion for hinterland roads; $2.6 billion for the rehabilitation of the entire Soesdyke-Linden Highway; $2.3 billion for the East Bank-East Coast Demerara Road Linkage between Ogle and Eccles (and) $1.1 billion

to complete the Sheriff Street – Mandela Road Network and Expansion Project”.

Another $15.2 billion is allocated for the construction and rehabilitation of additional urban and community roads.

The Minister explained that one of the most severe irritants regarding the road network is the congestion on the East Bank Demerara corridor, which will be addressed with the by-pass road, for which construction has already commenced.

In fact, he boasted that government has already operationalised a 3.7 km inter-community road link between Mocha Arcadia and Diamond, on the East Bank of Demerara.

Additionally, a new fourlane highway linking Mandela Avenue to Haags Bosch is currently under construction and is slated to be completed in the first quarter of 2022.

On the other hand, construction of the four-lane Ogle to Haags Bosch road will also commence shortly, thereby creating another road access, which will further reduce the current traffic congestion along the East Bank corridor, as was pointed out by Singh.

He told the National Assembly that his administration also intends to widen and pave the East Bank Highway, from Grove to Timehri, for which $2.1 billion is allocated in 2022.

Meanwhile, preparatory works have also commenced to widen the East Coast highway from Annandale to Mahaica.

Similarly, preparatory works have also been initiated to upgrade the railway embankment from Sheriff Street to Orange Nassau, and the construction o f t h e n e w f o u r- l a n e superhighway from Schoonord to Parika.

Bridges In addition to the $21.1 billion that has been allocated to the New Demerara River Bridge and the $946 million allocation to rehabilitate the existing structure, several other bridges will be constructed and repaired this year with its remaining $27.5 billion

Budget.

According to the Minister $4.1 billion is allocated for the re-construction of several bridges along the Kurupukari to Lethem corridor that will support the phased construction of the Linden to Lethem highway.

“Further, to address the critical needs of bridges across the country, another $173.9 million is budgeted for the construction, rehabilitation and maintenance of bridges in areas including Garden of Eden, Chateau Margot, Beterverwagting, and Cemetery Road,” Dr. Singh pointed out.

He added, “…another extremely important intervention included in Budget 2022 is an allocation of $3.3 billion to finance improvement and enhancement of the aesthetics of the environment across major urban areas in our country, with a particular focus on the capital city.”

Last year, the Ministry of Public Works expended the sum of $27.5 billion on improving roads and bridges.

To this end, works were substantially completed on the four lane highway from Eccles to Mandela Avenue, Sheriff Street-Mandela Avenue Road Network, Number 52, and Number 58 roads, all of which are expected to be completed during the first half of this year.

Meanwhile, under the Hinterland Roads Programme, the sum of $2.6 billion was expended last year.

This programme saw among others, the completion of the rehabilitation of the main access road between Kumaka and Kwebanna Phase I, Mile 5 to Airstrip Bartica Phase IV and Princeville main access road and the commencement of works on the Timehri to Makouria, Parika to Bartica and the Tacama roads.

Illegal procession matter dismissed against Opposition MPs, Coalition supporters

Four of the six APNU+AFC supporters who were charged.

Opposition Member of Parliament, Annette Ferguson.

The illegal procession matter against the Opposition Chief Whip, Christopher Jones; Opposition Member of Parliament, Annette Ferguson and six members of the A Partnership for National Unity + Alliance for Change (APNU+AFC) Coalition supporters, was

Opposition Chief Whip, Christopher Jones.

yesterday dismissed.

The matter was being heard in the Georgetown Magistrates' Courts before Senior Magistrate Leron Daly. The defendants were represented by attorney-atlaw Nigel Hughes and his associates. This publication had reported that the charges

stem from a march outside of the High Court in Georgetown, in April 2021, following the ruling on the elections petition case by Chief Justice (Ag), Roxane George-Wiltshire.

Jones, Ferguson and six Coalition supporters were called in the matter. Those six

supporters are: Mark Griffith, Gary Morris, Malcolm Billison, Travis Ellis, Gordon Lucas and George Halley.

The joint charge alleges that Jones and Ferguson along with the six Coalition supporters on April 26, 2021, at Georgetown, illegally

engaged in procession without permission from the Commissioner of Police.

They were charged under (Continued on page 17)

Kaieteur News

Saturday January 29, 2022

PAGE 13

La Penitence Govt. allocates $74.4B man wanted for for education sector murder of step-son - plans to train 1,000 for Oil and Gas sector

Dead Isaiah Edwards and his mother. [Photo Credit: News Source Guyana] Thirty-year-old Shawn Bobb of East La Penitence, Squatting Area, Georgetown, is wanted by the police in relation to the murder of his 19-year-old step-son.

The dead teen has been identified as Isaiah Edwards, a construction worker, of East La Penitence, Squatting Area Georgetown.

Kaieteur News reported that Edwards succumbed at the Infectious Disease Hospital located at Liliendaal, Greater Georgetown on Thursday.

It is alleged that he was stabbed to death by his step-father hile trying to defend his mother. According to police, the incident occurred on Wednesday around 18:30hrs. It was reported that the teen's step-father began assaulting his mother because she had not finished cooking; as such the teen intervened.

This publication understands that Bobb reportedly became annoyed and picked up a knife and attacked the teen and his mother.

This resulted in the teen being stabbed to his right hip. Bobb then fled the scene, while Isaiah and his mother were rushed to the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation by relatives. Tests were conducted on the injured woman and her son. However, only the son's result returned positive for COVID-19. As such, he was transferred to the Liliendaal facility where he subsequently died. His body is presently at the Memorial Gardens

Wanted, Shawn Bobb Funeral Home awaiting a Post-Mortem examination, as his mother remains hospitalised in a stable condition. The Guyana Police Force (GPF) on Thursday night issued a wanted bulletin for Bobb.

Anyone with information that may lead to his arrest is asked to contact the police on telephone numbers: 227-2603, 226-6978, 226-6221, 219-3252, 227-1149, 225-8196, 268-2328, 268-2298/2222, 226-7065, 911 or the nearest police station.

With a promise of delivering a modern and adaptive learning experience for all in Guyana, the Government this year plans to spend a sum of $74.4 billion out of its $552.9 billion budget for 2022, towards improving the country's education sector.

The disclosure was made

by Senior Minister in the Office of the President with the responsibility for Finance, Dr. Ashni Singh, who presented the National Budget for 2022 in the National Assembly on Wednesday.

According to him, in keeping with the President's vision of a world-class education for citizens, the government this year anticipates to reform the curriculum, expand teacher training, construct new schools, and establish robust systems to take advantage of the finite window of opportunity to educate each generation.

Out of the budgeted amount for the sector, Dr. Singh revealed that a sum of $6.6 billion has been dedicated towards the construction, rehabilitation, extension, and maintenance of educational facilities.

This would see the commencement of the construction of the Prospect Secondary School, and the

UG student on $200K bail for allegedly forging driver's licence A University of Guyana (UG) student, Shaquan Caesar, was on Friday last placed on $200,000 bail for allegedly forging his driver's licence.

Caesar appeared before Magistrate Leron Daly, at the Georgetown Magistrates' Court, where he was placed on $100,000 bail for each of the two charges he faced.

The accused was charged with Forgery and Uttering a forged document, contrary to Section 245 (a) of the Criminal Law (offences) act chapter 8:01.

The court heard that last week Tuesday, police ranks while on motorcycle patrol at Brickdam Road Georgetown, observed that Caesar was driving a minibus out of his route.

The rank stopped the minibus and requested that the driver produce his licence, with which he complied. Police Constable Collins, upon examining the licence at the station observed that it did not bear the name of the accused, only his photo.

Further investigations were carried out which revealed that the information on the licence which the accused uttered belonged to Anthony Jacobs. Caesar who was told of the offence, in an oral statement, claimed that he paid someone at the Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA) to have his photograph placed on the licence.

The matter has since been adjourned to March 4, 2022.

Shaquan Caesar

reconstruction of North Ruimveldt and North West Secondary Schools, which were destroyed by fires last year.

Further, the money will go towards the construction of nursery schools at Hydronie, Haslington and Vryheid Lust and primary schools at Bamia, Amelia's Ward, Kaikan, Karabairu, Zeelugt and Oronoque.

He told the Assembly, the Kato and the Linden Te c h n i c a l I n s t i t u t e dormitories will be completed in addition to a number of schools and educational facilities that will be rehabilitated and maintained in 2022.

Meanwhile, in addressing the nutritional intake of the children and improving attentiveness, the government this year plans to expand the national school feeding programme.

To this end, he said, in the education budget, a sum of $2 billion has been allocated to implement this initiative which will benefit a total of 85,773 pupils.

Laptops/Tablets According to Dr. Singh, “the pandemic has reinforced the need to accelerate comprehensive digitalisation of the sector, and in response we will be equipping 300 primary school teachers and 125 w

Minister of Education Hon. Priya Manickchand secondary school teachers with laptops and computing devices.”

With this in mind, he shared that a total of 11,000 tablets and flash drives, loaded with teaching materials will be provided to students at these levels while the number of smart classrooms will be expanded. This initiative, he mentioned is budgeted at a cost of $295.7 million.

In addition to learning materials, a sum of $1.2 billion is earmarked to procure textbooks while over $20 million is budgeted to purchase 2,000 microscience kits for an additional 100 primary schools which will allow for 100 percent primary coverage, for the first time.As it relates to reforming teacher's training, it was revealed that approximately $200 million is allocated to provide financial support to trainee teachers at the Cyril Potter College of Education (CPCE).

Notably, a sum of $3.5B (Continued on page 16)

PAGE 14

Kaieteur News

Saturday January 29, 2022

After two years of trial and error…

ExxonMobil still experiencing design issues - pushes installation date for with gas compressor upgraded equipment to mid-year M e d i a a n d Communications Manager for ExxonMobil's subsidiary, Esso Exploration and Production Guyana Limited (EEPGL), Janelle Persaud disclosed yesterday that the installation of the new gas compressor for the Liza Destiny FPSO will no longer o c c u r i n J a n u a r y, a s

previously stated. Persaud said the upgraded equipment will now be installed by midyear. Persaud said the thirdstage flash gas compressor (FGC) currently on the Liza Destiny FPSO continues to operate steadily in the interim.

In a statement to the press, it was noted that the

redesigned FGC is currently undergoing comprehensive testing in Germany, where EEPGL has determined it will require further enhancements before installation.

Persaud said, “We have adjusted the timeline for its delivery and installation in order to provide the highest

Attempted murder charge for women who threw corrosive substance on 'friend'

assurance of reliable performance.”

Meanwhile, the EEPGL official said ExxonMobil Guyana and the vessel's owner, SBM Offshore, are also progressing several alternate longer-term solutions which include new technology to bypass the second and third stage FGCs, as well as an entirely new centrifugal compressor package to replace the screw design of the current compressors.

Persaud also noted in a brief note to Kaieteur News that flare levels are being maintained below 15 million standard cubic feet of gas per EEPGL's Janelle Persaud day when the Flash Gas Compression system is g l o b a l w a r m i n g . offline and below 7 million It was noted that flaring standard cubic feet of gas releases Carbon Dioxide and when the FGC is online.

Methane, the two major Extensive research greenhouse gases. conducted by Kaieteur News Of these two, Methane is shows that gas flaring actually more harmful than contributes to climate Carbon Dioxide. It is also change, which has serious more prevalent in flares that implications for the human burn at lower efficiency. security and wellbeing Of the greenhouse gases g l o b a l l y. I n f a c t , t h e researched so far, Kaieteur Department of Mechanical News understands that the Engineering at the University global warming potential of a of Ibadan, Ibadan, Nigeria, kilogramme of Methane is outlined in one of its studies, estimated to be 21 times that that gas flaring is actually a of a kilogramme of Carbon major source of greenhouse Dioxide when the effects are gases, which accelerates considered.

The University of Ibadan study also noted that flaring contributes to local and regional environmental problems, such as acid rain with attendant impact on agriculture, forests and other physical infrastructure. The acid rain results in environmental degradation, which includes soil and water contamination and roof erosion.

Furthermore, there have been over 250 identified toxins released from flaring including carcinogens such as benzopyrene, benzene, carbon disulphide (CS2), carbonyl sulphide (COS) and toluene; metals such as m e r c u r y, a r s e n i c a n d chromium; sour gas with Hydrogen Sulfide (H2S) and Sulfur Dioxide (SO2); Nitrogen oxides (NOx); Carbon dioxide (CO2); and methane (CH4) which contributes to the greenhouse gases.

At the moment, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) allows Exxon to flare in exchange for the payment of a US$5 fee per tonne of Carbon Dioxide equivalent.

The agency has since collected over $930M in flaring fees since introducing the arrangement last year.

The four women making their court appearance yesterday.

Four women, who reportedly doused another with a corrosive substance on Friday January 21, received an attempted murder charge yesterday and were remanded to prison until February 25, 2022.

The defendants are Gailann Marks, 21, of 111 West Ruimveldt, Jenifer Va l i d e n , 2 8 , o f 5 2 Albouystown, Latifah Dacost, 26, of 853 Section B Block X 14 Great Diamond, East Bank Demerara (EBD) and Alana Holder, 28, of North East La Penitence.

They appeared at the Georgetown Magistrates' Court before Principal Magistrate Sherdel IsaacsMarcus.

It is alleged that on Friday January 21, 2022, at Princes Street, Georgetown, they doused Renesha Maxwell with a corrosive substance causing grievous bodily harm with the intent to murder her.

The prosecutor in the matter objected to bail, noting that the victim is still hospitalised as a result of the attack. The prosecutor used the facts in the matter to his advantage arguing that the defendants were determined

to harm the victim. According to the facts of the matter, the four women had attempted to douse Maxwell with the substance earlier that day on Leopold Street but someone had warned her and she tried to escape them by jumping into a taxi which drove away.

The defendants reportedly boarded a taxi too and ordered the driver to trail their victim.

When they arrived at Princes Street, the defendants allegedly ordered their taxi driver to block the path of the car that the victim was travelling in. Maxwell reportedly exited and (Continued on page 16)

Central Bank to launch $2000 note

I

n honour of Guyana's 55 years of independence, the Central Bank will soon introduce a $2000 bank note.

It is set to feature the Guyana Flag to reflect the nation's strong sense of identity, the Wai-Wai pattern as a show of respect for the country's indigenous heritage, and six children that represent the inherent ethnic races while

serving as a symbol of President, Irfaan Ali's “One Guyana” vision. Kaieteur News understands that the new denomination will be printed on a substrate called polymer that is already popular around the world for its security features, durability, cleanliness, and low impact on the environment.

Speaking briefly with

this newspaper yesterday, Central Bank Governor, Dr. Gobind Ganga said the $2000 note was chosen for easy integration into the system. He said its features are also in keeping with the Head of State's push for a “One Guyana.”

This newspaper understands that the note goes into circulation next month.

Kaieteur News

Saturday January 29, 2022

PAGE 15

Cop dies Opposition Chief Whip to in Mocha captain Budget Debates accident A

policeman of Perseverance H o u s i n g Scheme, East Bank Demerara lost his life in a fatal accident at Mocha on the East Bank of Demerara Thursday evening. The 27year-old officer has been identified as Faustin Magloire.

According to reports, the police constable, who was stationed at the North Ruimveldt Police Outpost and attached to the General Duty Section, while driving a motor car, crashed into a stationary lorry on the Mocha access road.

Reports state that Donald Osafo Sagon, a 27-year-old man of Lot 65 Hadfield S t r e e t , We r k - e n - R u s t , Georgetown, had parked his motor lorry on the northern side of the Mocha Access Road with its lights on.

Despite this, police revealed that a hire car driven by Warren Prince, a 30-year-old man of Lot 73 Inner Bagotville, West Bank

The mangled vehicle which was driven by police constable Faustin Maglorie. car that was being driven by Magloire was proceeding east along the northern side of the roadway at a fast rate when the front portion of the car collided with the rear of the motor lorry. As a result of the collision the car ended up on the southern side of the

Dead, Police Constable Faustain Maglorie.

Demerara, and the motor car which was driven by Magloire became involved in an accident.

Police said too that the

road where it collided with the right side rear door of Prince's vehicle which was proceeding west along the southern side of the road.

Magloire received injuries about his body and was pronounced dead at the scene by a doctor, a member of national Emergency Medical Service team. The body was taken to the Memorial Gardens Funeral Home where it awaits a post mortem examination.

Traffic Inspector for Regional Police Division 4'B', Maniram Jagananan, and a party of police are conducting investigations and a notice of intended prosecution has been served after breathalyzer tests were conducted on Prince and Sagon. Both drivers showed no trace of alcohol in their systems.

A friend of the deceased, Laured Stewart told Kaieteur News that Magloire was “a very jovial and opinionated individual and you can always count on him for a good laugh and great advice.” Maglorie, he said, “always tried to keep people together and always had something to say to make anyone laugh.”

The Commissioner of Police has since extended condolences to the family, relatives, friends and colleagues of the late Police Constable 23012, Magloire.

US$900M Gas-to-Shore project...

From page 3 offshore Guyana to the Wales Development Zone.

According to Dr. Singh, “ongoing geotechnical and geophysical works for both o ff s h o r e a n d o n s h o r e operations are advancing with portions already

completed.”

He said that an Environmental and Social Impact Assessment is expected to be completed by early second quarter of 2022. To this end, he said, it is expected that the firm selected would be able to

engineer, procure and construct the Power Plant and NGL Plant along with related facilities.

Construction is expected to start in the third quarter of 2022 and will be completed by the fourth quarter of 2024, he said.

Chairman of the People's National Congress Reform (PNC/R), Shurwayne Holder on Friday told a news conference that while the Opposition awaits the appointment of a new Leader, the Opposition Chief Whip, Mr. Christopher Jones is poised to “captain” the Budget Debates on Monday in the National Assembly.

Holder was at the time responding to questions from reporters at the PNC/R's weekly press conference, with regard to the appointment of a new Leader of the Opposition, following Joseph Harmon's formal resignation on Wednesday.

Holder, who led the party's press conference yesterday, in the absence of the PNC/R Leader, Aubrey Norton, said that meetings are being convened internally with party officials, as well as with the other joinder parties that comprise the A Partnership for National Unity + Alliance For Change

Opposition Chief Whip, Christopher Jones (APNU+AFC) Coalition.

He explained that a meeting was in fact slated to take place yesterday with the AFC on the election of the new Opposition Leader, while the other parties are expected to be consulted before the Budget Debates kick off.

When questioned by journalists concerning the reason for meeting with the

Coalition parties with regard to the appointment of a new Opposition Leader, when it is a known fact that Norton would replace a member of the APNU faction, the party's Chairman said that it is important for the largest party to still consult with its partners so as to ensure any decisions made is in the interest of its partners.

Three weeks ago, Norton during a press engagement announced that the PNC/R, the largest faction of the Coalition party, had decided that they want him to lead them in Parliament.

While the parties iron out this development, Holder noted that, “We are still functioning as a political party. We have a leader of our party (and) when we get to the Parliament we will deal with that aspect of it. As I said, we are in discussions….we have a Chief Whip there who is captaining the ship, so to speak, and we will work with that until we arrive at a (Continued on page 17)

Budget 2022 allocates $11.7 billion for Constitutional Agencies Senior Minister with responsibility for Finance, Dr. Ashni Singh recently presented a motion to the National Assembly for approval of recommended lump sum subventions for Constitutional Agencies for 2022. The subventions proposed for the 13 agencies amount to $11,729,840,000 which is charged upon the Consolidated Fund.

Last year, the Minister was able to secure an amendment to the Fiscal Management and Accountability Act (FMAA) to ensure the streamlining of the budget process in relation to constitutional agencies. According to the Finance Minister, the amendment was necessary as it “streamlined the Budget process, particularly in relation to constitutional agencies, while simultaneously ensuring the preservation of the independence of the agencies.”

Arising from the 2015 amendment to the FMAA by the A Partnership for National Unity + Alliance for Change (APNU+AFC), constitutional agencies' budgets were required to be sent to the National assembly in advance of the submission of the rest of the National Budget. Dr. Singh said this two-stage process resulted in a fragmented and inefficient process for consideration of the National Budget and denied the Parliament an opportunity to view and consider the budget in a comprehensive manner.

Due to the successful amendment, all

Finance Minister, Dr. Ashni Singh sums will be considered together. The subventions proposed for the respective agencies are as follows: 1.Parliament Office – $1.8B 2.Audit Office of Guyana – $1B 3.Public and Police Service Commissions – $159M 4.Teaching Service Commission – $124M 5.Guyana Elections Commission – $$4.2B 6.Supreme Court of Judicature – $3.5B 7.Office of Public Prosecutions-$238M 8.Office of the Ombudsman – $56.9M 9.Public Service Appellate Tribunal – $68.3M 10. Ethnic Relations Commission – $171.5M 11. Judicial Service Commission – $10M 12.Rights Commission of Guyana – $130.8M 13.Public Procurement Commission -$199.8M

PAGE 16 VACANCY

Male & Female,age 25-45 yrs.Apply at WB Cleaning & Janitorial Services & washbay,D2 Louisa Row. Tel:503-2502.

FOR RENT

VEHICLE FOR SALE 1 Nissan pathfinder in good condition, CAT 215 used parts.Tel:683-7225/275-0367.

Bush ready Pickup for sale 3.3M negotiable,3RZ engine 4 wheel drive with complete suspension,2002 Tacoma Extra Cab.Tel:630-3750.

Unregistered 2012 Toyota Fielder Wagon (Blue). Tel: 654-1903,222-2381.

1-2 bedroom apt to rent for single person,3 road st C/ Town.Tel:223-9677.

Domestic worker to work at Peter's Hall E.B.D,must be from the E.B.D age 2545yrs.Call:231-0363/226-9492.

Bobby’s Reality,for Sale or rent, good for business– 4.018 acres of prime land in New Amsterdam, Berbice. Reduce Price.Call 679-2497.

One clerk for TSI Eccles Office,English & Maths grade 1 or 2.Call:615-9132 or email application to tech serigy@yahoo.com.

Bobby’s Reality,Large Property with Huge Concrete Bond, Prime Location Cumberland, Canje. Ideal for Business. Sale or rent. Reduce Price.Call 679-2497.

Maid to cook and clean for East Bank areaa.Call:6159132.

WANTED SERVICES Visa Application: U.S.A, Canada & UK; Graphics design, advertisements, Wedding arch rentals. Tel: 626-7040

Porters & Salesgirls.Apply at Best Buy Food Supplies with written application at 1E Dennis C Middleton St Camp bellville Georgetown.

One (1) male able bodied clerk.Tel:231-2029/616-5954.

1 live in babysitter to care for 2yr old.Must be vaccinated & good with kids age 3848,$20,000 wkly.Tel:626-6450/ 646-7142.

FOR SALE Pure breed German Shepherd Pups black & tan and whiteline,vaccinated and dewormed.Contact:665-9140.

Household items.Call:6913467,whatsapp 661-1417.

LAND FOR SALE Transported corner Lot 90 Garnett & Republic St. Tel:622-6000.

KitchenAssistant, Babysitter, Housekeeper & Sales person , must have secondary education.Call:6595559.

Professional Soup cooks and kitchen assistance and professional kichen manager, good pay.Shot hrs.Call:6751509.

Wanted skilled carpenters, mason & labourers to work in G/Town & Linden. Contact:615-7526/602-9469/6606385.

Guesthouse.Cleaners needed 2 PM-8PM. Contact James: 613-7555/225-5606.

One houselot for sale,Lot 48 Cove and John E.C.D. Tel: 664-1856/698-7152.

VACANCY PROPERTY FOR SALE Sale! South Central Hotel. 218 South Road Georgetown 6,710 feet first, second floor.Tel:697-6572,686-0444.

FOR RENT Lower flat for rent @Vigilance North E.C.D. Partially furnished with 3 bedrooms, price $60,000 negotiable.

Tel:630-3750.

Saturday January 29, 2022

Kaieteur News

One salesman,able bodied porters.Experience in writing bills,stocktaking & cashing.

Keyfood Trading,Mc Doom village.

Vacancy for qualified & experienced Grade 2 Teacher.

Contact:623-1615.

Vacancy for experienced Canter & Hauler driver. Apply in person at Alabama Trading,65 Robb St Bourda.

Porters/Bond Clerks.Basic reading and writing skills.To HR dept Survival Shopping Complex,173 Sheriff St. Tel: 609-2995.

Fitter Machinist,Welder fabricator,Mechanic,Apprentice & Male cleaner.Three year’s experience.Call:642-9823 or email: techserigy @yahoo .com.

PACIFIC DEVELOPMENT INC. One Accounts Clerk.

Must have working knowledge of Quickbooks. Tel:6736210 email:pacific. development @yahoo.com.

One office clerk,must be computer literate record keeping.

Send CV to Durban Quarries Inc. Tel:608-2241/608-2240/ 220-0912.

LEGAL NOTICE 2021-HC-DEM-CIV-FD-1468 IN THE HIGH COURT OF THE SUPREME COURT OF JUDICATURE FAMILY, DIVORCE AND MATRIMONIAL JURISDICTION FAMILY DIVISION PETITION NO.: FD-1468 BETWEEN:SINCLAIR (VANESSA) nee GEORGE Petitioner/ Applicant-VSINCLAIR(QUINCY ANTHONY) Respondent TO: QUINCY ANTHONY SINCLAIR (Last Known Address) Lot 67 Section C, Golden Grove, East Bank Demerara, Guyana. TAKE NOTICE that on the 28" day of October, 2021 a Petition for Divorce was filed against you by VANESSA SINCLAIR nee GEORGE, the Petitioner in the Family Division of the High Court in Georgetown, Demerara.

AND FURTHER TAKE NOTICE that as part of an Order made on the 20th day of December, 2021 the Petitioner was directed to effect service of her Petition on you by publication of this Notice in two (2) consecutive Saturday issues of the Kaieteur News Newspapers, a daily Newspaper printed, published and circulated in and around Guyana and on the the Worldwide Web.

LEGAL NOTICE AND FURTHER TAKE NOTICE that if you desire you may appear or attend in person or by your duly authorized agent or Attorney-at-Law at the Registry of the Family Division of the High Court at Georgetown, Demerara where you will be issued with a certified copy of the Petition together with related documents.

AND FURTHER TAKE NOTICE that if you desire to Defend this Divorce, then upon receipt of the certified copy of the Petition, you must file an Acknowledgement of Service, Notice of Intention to Defend (Forms are available at the Registry), an Answer and/or Cross Petition in the Registry of the Family Division of the High Court at Georgetown, Demerara within 35 (thirtyfive) days from the date of the Second and· final publication of this Notice.

TAKE NOTICE that the divorce is fixed for Directions Hearing on Friday the 18th day of March, 2022 at 9:00 am before the Honourable Madam Justice Sandra Kurtzious at the High Court at Georgetown via Zoom Meeting ID:648 772 9256 and Password:5hRiHF. IN DEFAULT of you filing an Acknowledgement of Service/Notice of Intention to Defend, an Answer and/or Cross Petition the Court may proceed in your absence and may make any Order it considers appropriate, including granting the Divorce. The Registry of the Family Divsion of the High Court is located at the Law Courts [Georgetown, Demerara]. The office is open to the public between 8:00 am and 3:30 om Mondays to Thursdays and 8:00am to 2:30pm on Fridays except on public holidays and on such other days as the Registry is closed.

Dated the 22nd day of December,2021.

IN THE HIGH-1 COURT OF THE SUPREME COURT OF JUDICATURE OFGUYANA (COMMERCIAL JURISDICTION) 2021-HCDEM-CIV-FDA-1477 BETWEEN: GUYANA WATER INCORPORATION, a company incorporated in Guyana under the Companies Act 1991 of the Laws of Guyana and having its principal place of

LEGAL NOTICE

Govt. allocates...

business at Vlissengen Road & Church Street, Bel Air, Georgetown Dcmerara.

Applicant -and-ASHMIN STORE Respondent NOTICE TO: ASHMIN STORE 47-48 1-ligh Street Werk-en-Rust Georgetown TAKE NOTICE that a Fixed Date Application, was filed against you on the 29" day of October,2021 in the High Court of the Supreme Court of Judicature of Guyana at Georgetown. Demerara by GUYANA WATER INCORPORATION, a company incorporated in Guyana under the Companies Act 1991 of the Laws of Guyana and having its principal place of business at VIissengen Road & Church Street, Bel Air, Georgetown Demerara, Georgetown, Guyana, in which the Applicant claims: (a)The sum or $173,700.00 (one hundred and seventythree thousand seven hundred dollars), being the sum due, owing and payable by the Respondent to the Applicant; (b)Interest in the said sum at the rate of 6% per annum and 4% thereafter until the full sum is paid;(c)Costs; and/or; (d)Such further or other Order as the Court may deem just. UPON APPLICATION in person to Ms. Anansa Swain, Attorneys-at-Law for the Applicant, whose address for service and place of business is at Clo Guyana Water Incorporated.

Corporate Complex, Vlissengen Road and Church Street, Bel-Air, Georgetown. Guyana. Tele No. 592-225-0471, Ext #: 2300/2302 Email: NigelN@gwi.gy & anansas@gwi.gy or the Supreme Court Registry, copies of the Fixed Date A\application. Filed herein. will be delivered or sent to you. AND TAKE NOTICE if you desire to defend this action you must forthwith within twenty-eight (28) days after the second and final publication of this notice, prepare an Affidavit in Defence in Form I 0C prescribed in the Civil Procedure Rules 2016, serve it on the Applicant’s Attorney-at-Law, Ms. Anansa Swain, Attorneysat-Law for the Applicant. whose address for service and place of business is at C/o Guyana Water Incorporated. Corporate Complex, Vlissengen Road and Church Street, Bel-Air, Georgetown. Guyana. Tele No. 592-225-0471, Ext #: 2300/2302 Email:NigelN@gwi.gy & anansas@gwi.gy and file it with proof of service at the Registry of the Supreme Court at Georgetown, Demerara, not later than 4 days before the date fixed

From page 11 was also allocated to the University of Guyana for the operation of its campuses and expansion of its course offerings for online and in-person classes.

Dr. Singh announced too that the government intends to continue the GOAL scholarship programme and has plugged $1.3 billion to meet the cost of another 4,500 scholarships as well as 2,726 continuing students.

This year, the government will be partnering with the private sector to establish a Guyana Technical Training College with a campus at Port Mourant which will incorporate the renowned GuySuCo Port Mourant Training School, he further explained.

With this coming on stream, it will add new training facilities for oil and gas as well as for the tourism and hospitality sector.

An initial $260 million is budgeted to commence works at this location in 2022, the Minister presented.

According to Dr. Singh, “in order to ensure that we have a pool of Guyanese persons equipped to take up jobs in the oil and gas industry, Budget 2022 allocates $420.5 million to train 1,000 workers in a wide range of areas relevant to the sector. This programme will continue into the medium-term and will see up to 4,500 persons trained over the next four years.”

Attempted...

From page 14 attempted to run away but the defendants allegedly exited too and pursued their victim until they doused her with the corrosive substance.

After listening to the prosecutor's argument, the Magistrate agreed to remanding the four women until their next court appearance.

LEGAL NOTICE for hearing of the application, and you or your Attorney-at-Law must appear at the hearing. AND FURTHER TAKE NOTICE that if you fail to file such affidavit and or if you fail to appear at the hearing, final judgment may be given against you notwithstanding your absence. AND FURTHER TAKE NOTICE that this matter is adjourned for the 21 February, 2022 at I :30 pm before Honourable Mr. Justice Gino Persaud, Zoom ID #: 733 558 9086.

Password:- Court3.

Dated this 20th day of January, 2022

Saturday January 29, 2022

PAGE 17

Kaieteur News

Croal gets additional $12.4B for Housing Ministry to fix more roads

During this past week’s 2022 budget presentation, Senior Minister within the Office of the President with responsibility for Finance, Dr. Ashni Singh, announced that another $12.4B has been budgeted for the Ministry of Housing to fix more roads.

Dr. Singh told the National Assembly that the $12.4B is to continue infrastructure works in housing areas.

These infrastructure works, he said, will include the upgrading of 45.5 km of roads in 31 existing housing schemes across Regions 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 9 and 10. The road upgrade will be complemented with the

construction of drainage structures and the installation of LED (Light Emitting Diode) street lamps.

Additionally, said the Senior Minister, “Government also aims to complete the construction of the electricity distribution networks in existing housing schemes along with procurement of electrical hardware for new housing schemes” According to Dr. Singh’s, a total of $18.7B was expended last year by the Ministry for similar infrastructural works, in 11 existing housing schemes.

These he said, are Great Diamond and Prospect on the

East Bank of Demerara (EBD) and Cummings Lodge on the East Coast of Demerara (ECD) In the past fixing roads has been the sole responsibility of the Ministry of Public Works. However, as of recent, the Central Housing and Planning Authority (CH&PA) a government agency that falls under the Ministry of Housing, has been tasked with rehabilitating, upgrading and constructing road networks within housing schemes across the country.

One of the major road projects that CH&PA recently executed is the Eccles to Diamond four lane highway at a cost of some $1.9 billion.

Illegal procession matter dismissed...

From page 12 Section 12 of the Public Order Act. Section 12, which stipulates, “Any person who holds, organises, forms, speaks at or takes part in any public meeting or public procession at which a noisy instrument is used without the permission of the Chief Officer of Police shall be guilty of an offence.”

The law further outlines that anyone found guilty could

face a fine of $26,000 and be imprisoned for up to four months.

The defendants denied the joint charge after it was read to them and they were released on $20,000 bail each.

The matter went to trial and as the prosecution closed its case, the defence submitted a no-case submission.

In the defence submission, they highlighted that the prosecution failed to prove

key elements of the charge.

Senior Magistrate Daly later ruled upholding the defence submission, resulting in the matter being dismissed.

Additionally, the individual charge against Ferguson, which alleges that on April 26, 2021, she obstructed a peace officer from conducting his duties, was also dismissed based on a nocase submission being made to the court on her behalf.

Chinese contractor not financing...

From page 6 Corporation Ltd, the company that had secured the contract was sued for fraud in the Bahamas.

The company reportedly submitted ‘sham billings’ and diverted monies to other projects and was subsequently disbarred by the World Bank.

According to the Ministry of Finance, the proposal by China State Construction Engineering Corporation Ltd, under the DBF model was the lowest amongst all bidders. It was

noted that initially, the Government of Guyana, through the MoPW, prequalified nine firms to submit bids for the construction of a two-lane dual carriageway (four-lanes) hybrid CableStayed centre span bridge, with Concrete Box/T Beam Girder approach bridge structure.

Features to be included on the new bridge would be collision protection, navigation span to accommodate Handymax vessel Navigation aids, lighting, signage, and all

other ancillary works, access road with a minimum of 50 metres up to abutments and toll collection buildings and ancillary buildings on the West Bank of the Demerara River (WBD).

The construction of the new bridge is expected to conclude within two years and will be built with the lifespan of 50 years.

It wil l n o t r e q u i r e opening or retraction to allow for the passage of vessels, as is the arrangement with the existing structure.

Opposition Chief Whip to captain...

From page 15 solution that we think is in the best interest of our party and of the Coalition partners.”

He added, “I don't believe it's the first time.

Even as we came into the Parliament there were a few sittings before we actually had the election of the Leader of the Opposition, so this is not unprecedented. We have a Party Leader, we have a Chief Whip in Parliament and

so we don't anticipate any problem there.”

He assured that the PNC/ R is seeking to resolve the matter in the quickest possible time.

Harmon on Wednesday submitted his resignation to the Speaker of the National Assembly, Manzoor Nadir, after holding on to the post of Leader of the Opposition for more than two weeks, even after members of the PNC/R

publicly stated that they preferred Norton, the newly elected Leader of the Party, over him.

So far, Lenox Shuman, the Deputy Speaker and Leader of the Liberty and Justice Party (LJP), who also represents the A New and United Guyana (ANUG) and The New Movement (TNM), said he will not participate in the election of a new Leader of the Opposition.

Kaieteur News earlier this month reported that Ministry of Housing will be spending some US$7M to “patch” the Eccles dumpsite road.

It had put out a tender for the road works and some five firms had reportedly applied to execute the works.

It was also reported that the ministry is currently constructing a $147M roundabout that will connect the Sheriff/Mandela road to the new bypass road to Eccles.

Dr. Ashni Singh

Minister of Housing and Water, Collin Croal.

PAGE 18

Saturday January 29, 2022

Kaieteur News

US Supreme Court: The women in the running to replace Stephen Breyer (BBC NEWS) US President Joe Biden has affirmed that he will appoint a black woman to the top US court for the first time in history.

The eventual nominee will take up a seat to be vacated by liberal Justice Stephen Breyer, who will retire in June.

Appearing with Mr Breyer on Thursday, Mr Biden promised

a replacement with the “experience and integrity” needed for the role.

He said he’ll announce his pick by the end of February.

Three judges are considered top contenders.

Ketanji Brown Jackson Ketanji Brown Jackson, 51, is widely believed to be the top contender to replace

Justice Breyer. Born in Washington DC and raised in Miami, Ms Jackson currently serves on the influential US Court of Appeals for the DC circuit. Three current justices previously served on the court.

“Presidents are not kings,” she wrote in a 2019 ruling compelling a former aide

to President Trump to testify in the Russia meddling probe.

“They do not have subjects, bound by loyalty or blood, whose destiny they are entitled to control.”

The jurist has two degrees from Harvard University, which she attended as an undergraduate and as a law student, once serving as editor of the Harvard Law Review.

During her time at Harvard, she led protests against a student who draped a Confederate flag from his dorm window. Her parents are both graduates of historically black colleges who began their careers are teachers. Ms Jackson has also clerked for three federal judges in the past, most notably Justice Breyer himself from 19992000.

In January 2021, she was among President Biden’s very first judicial picks, to fill the court seat vacated by his current Attorney General Merrick Garland. At that confirmation hearing, former House Speaker and ex-Republican vice-presidential candidate Paul Ryan introduced her; Mr Ryan is a relative by marriage.

“Our politics may differ, but my praise for Ketanji’s intellect, for her character, for her integrity, it is unequivocal,” he said. Ms Jackson’s husband is a surgeon and she has two children. Leondra Kruger Leondra Kruger, 45, is in her eighth year on the California Supreme Court. Born to a Jamaican immigrant mother and a Jewish father, the Pasadena native is a graduate of Harvard University and Yale Law School, where she was the first black woman to serve as editor of the Yale Law Journal. In 2016, she became the first California Supreme Court judge to give birth while serving on the bench.

Ms Kruger previously worked at the Obama Department of Justice, from 2007-13.

During her tenure, she argued 12 cases before the US Supreme Court as deputy to the Solicitor General, the official who represents the government before the high court.

She reportedly twice turned down offers to serve as the Solicitor General. The jurist also once clerked for late Supreme Court Justice John Paul Stevens. Her husband is a

Ketanji Brown Jackson Leondra Kruger

Julianna Michelle Childs (left) and Jim Clyburn (right)

lawyer and she has two young children.

J Michelle Childs Julianna Michelle Childs, 55, has served on the federal bench in South Carolina since 2010.

She also previously served as a circuit court judge in the state. Unlike Ms Jackson and Ms Kruger, Ms Childs did not attend an Ivy League school, instead going to the University of South Carolina Law School. In private practice, she was the first black female partner at a major law firm in the state. Congressman Jim Clyburn, an influential black politician in the state whose endorsement of Mr Biden is widely credited with saving his 2020 campaign, has advocated for Ms Childs to be nominated because of her unorthodox resume. Most recently, Mr Biden nominated Ms Childs to the DC Circuit Court of Appeals. Why it matters Black women make up only about three percent of the federal judiciary, accord-

ing to data from the Federal Judicial Center, the court system’s research arm.

Dr Taneisha Means, a political science professor at Vassar College, who researches race and judicial politics, says that a history of racism, sexism and elitism in the legal profession contributes to the scarcity. Black law students are often left on the outside looking in because they did not go to an Ivy League university, or because they never clerked for a federal judge, said Dr Means, meaning few ever become eligible for the high court. Ms Means added that a gruelling confirmation process in the US Senate likely makes federal judgeships even less palatable. Recent analysis indicates non-white nominees often face much longer waits than their white counterparts to be confirmed by the mostly white chamber.

Strengthening the diversity of the judicial branch has been a key priority for the Biden administration.

Kaieteur News

Saturday January 29, 2022

PAGE 19

Oil and Gas Chambers presses for accelerated renewable energy prog. …recommends subsidies for solar, electric cars, other initiatives The Guyana Oil and Gas Energy Chamber (GOGEC), in welcoming the provisions outlined in relation to the sector by the administration, has posed for future consideration greater engagement to better leverage private sector participation in the accelerated diffusion of renewable energy technologies, including emobility solutions.

GOGEC made public its position in a missive yesterday and pointed to initiatives such as implementation of Electric Vehicle (EV) charging as excellent and sets an example for the shift to a more sustainable and environmentally friendly country. It noted however, that it is recommended that the Solar EV charging stations be implemented across all government buildings and for Government vehicles to lead the shift to a fully electric vehicle fleet.

Additionally, GOGEC suggested government

should consider a reduced tax rate for hybrid and plug-in hybrid vehicles.

“This will encourage customers to purchase more environmentally friendly cars, therefore, reducing the emission of CO2.”

Additionally, GOGEC said, “to further expand the ecosystem of enabling policies, the Government may consider subsidies for installing the Solar PV configurations for residential EV charging.”

The chambers said, too, measures should be extended to the complete solution, which includes: panels, inverters, transformers, and batteries.

To this end, GOGEC said it “looks forward to advocating for the equitable development of all energy resources and the households and industries that rely on them. In this manner, GOGEC continues to applaud proactive policies set out in the National Budget and the Low Carbon Development Strategy.”

A d d i t i o n a l l y, t h e

chambers noted that the small scale hydro projects at Kumu, Moco Moco, and Kato, and off-grid solar projects, will significantly improve access to affordable energy services with highquality standards to develop the communities in the interior.

According to GOGEC, since the commencement of oil production in December 2019, the amendment and operationalisation of the Natural Resource Fund (NRF) Act 2021 paved the way for the first drawdown from the fund to finance the national Budget 2022.

To this end, it was noted in Dr. Singh's speech, “we are pleased to see critical facets of the revised Low Carbon Development Strategy (LCDS) slated for implementation over the year.”

The oil and gas sector, it said, will continue to drive strong double-digit growth over the medium term.

In 2022, production capacity is expected to increase to 340,000 barrels

One of the world's famous Tesla EVs per day (bpd) from 120,000 bpd, with Liza Unity FPSO coming on stream in early 2022. The current estimate of the gas reserve is 16 trillion cubic feet (Tcf), with projections from Liza 1 and 2 likely at 50 million standard cubic feet per day (mmscfd).

Payara will bring an additional 20 mmscfd.

GOGEC in its missive also pointed out that in the third quarter of this year, the Government will hold its first-ever competitive bidding rounds for available acreages of offshore blocks and called this a critical step towards enhancing the value capture from available blocks transparently and

o p t i m a l l y. B a s e d o n projections of oil production, oil revenues are expected to reach US$958M by the end of 2022 and US$1.8B by the end of 2025.

Additionally, the entity in its missive took note of announced measures to reduce the fiscal disparity between local and foreign companies operating along its value chain.

“These measures will further accelerate the participation of local firms in the sector,” GOGEC said.

According to the chambers, the revised Local Content Act will support the convergence of national and foreign interests in our finite

resources' equitable and sustainable development for generations to come.

“Greater support to small businesses in the Budget will continue to nurture start-ups and position young Guyanese in the pathways for partnerships and knowledge transfer with foreign partners.”As such, GOGEC said it encourages continued investment by both Government and private sector in prioritising ISO certifications to comply with globally recognised standards in services essential to harness the immense forward and backward linkages afforded by the oil and gas sector.

The apartment building on fire.

(Photo credits to Jean Chu)

12 homeless after Cross Street fire The scene at Cross Street yesterday.

An apartment building located at Lot 59 Cross S t r e e t , We r k - e n - R u s t , Georgetown went up in flames on Thursday around 19:00hrs leaving 12 people homeless.

Sixty-two-year-old Gary Westmaas, a tenant who has been renting an apartment in the building for over a decade said, “they does charge a 'junkie' a room for a thousand dollar a week at de back here right…they say he does overdose so he probably drop to sleep and the candle or mosquito coil he been burning caused the fire.” The apartment building is reportedly owned by 74-year-old Jone Bowman who occupied the top floor, along with three

Victim, Gary Westmaas others. The bottom floor which consisted of two apartments was occupied by a total of eight persons.

Westmaas noted that within 15 minutes the two-

storey, wooden building was completely on fire. He said that fire started at approximately 19:00hrs.

According to a Guyana Fire Service (GFS) report, the Fire Service received a call at 20:55hrs on Thursday about the incident. It was revealed that water tenders 102 from Central Fire Station, 107 from West Ruimveldt Fire Station and 112 from the Alberttown Fire Station were immediately dispatched to the location.

The purported cause of the conflagration, according to the Fire Service, was an unattended lighted candle which fell and ignited nearby combustible materials.

PAGE 20

Kaieteur News

Saturday January 29, 2022

Saturday January 29, 2022

Doping test numbers up by 60 per cent in 2021 but still not at pre-pandemic levels, WADA figures showa Insidethegames - The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) has revealed that global testing managed to stay close to normal levels throughout last year despite the challenges posed by the covid-19 pandemic, although the number of samples collected fell short of the 2019 total. New figures released

by WADA show that 274,254 doping control samples were collected by 256 Anti-Doping Organisations (ADOs) in 2021, compared to 168,256 by 207 in 2020 and 305,881 by 253 in 2019.

Fewer events taking place last year has been cited by WADA as the reason why the level of in-competition testing remains lower than in pre-pandemic times, with 102,503 samples registered in comparison to 142,814 in 2019. However, WADA high-

lights that the number of outof-competition samples collected in the past 12 months is more than in 2019, with 171,751 logged in 2021 - 8,684 more than the figure posted two years ago. ”The latest testing figures show that the anti-doping community has managed to maintain high levels of testing despite a return of severe restrictions in many parts of the world due to Omicron and other variants of the virus,” said WADA President Witold Bañka. ”This demonstrates great resilience, collaboration and innovation as we continue to protect athletes in the build-up to next month’s Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games in Beijing.”

WADA has called also on all ADOs to utilise the long-term sample storage system set up by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) when col-

lecting samples from athletes in the build-up to the Winter Olympics here in Beijing.

Samples can be stored securely and without cost to ADOs at the International Testing Agency’s (ITA) storage facility in Switzerland.

The samples are expected to be used in the future for further analysis as new scientific and analytical methods are continually being developed.

WADA says it is “very supportive” of the implementation of the long-term sample storage programme - delivered by the ITA on behalf of the IOC. Bañka also urged AGOs to make sure athletes are “properly tested” prior to leaving for the Winter Olympics, scheduled to start on February 4, and they implement the testing recommendations received from the ITA-led PreGames Expert Group.

Saturday January 29, 2022 ARIES (Mar. 21–Apr. 19) Love and romance are first and foremost on your agenda for today, Aries. You and your romantic partner may leave a gathering of friends to be alone together and talk.

TAURUS(Apr.20–May20) A festive event takes place in your home today, Taurus.

Is it a family member's birthday? A lot of lighthearted banter takes place alongside.

GEMINI (May 21–June 20) Your neighborhood is a busy place today, Gemini. Perhaps a public gathering of some kind is happening, maybe social, political, or humanitarian in nature.

CANCER (June 21–July 22) Financially, things seem to be going great for you right now, Cancer, and therefore you could plan to make an investment in your home.

LEO (July 23–Aug. 22) At this time, Leo, most of your focus is on either a group you're affiliated with or an intellectual subject in which you have an intense interest, or perhaps both.

VIRGO (Aug. 23–Sept. 22) Today you might decide to spend much of your day alone at home, Virgo, perhaps working on a creative project of some kind.

PAGE 21

Kaieteur News

LIBRA (Sept. 23–Oct. 22) Expect to be surrounded by genuine love and affection today, Libra. Friends, family members, and a very special romantic partner could pay you far more attention than usual.

SCORPIO (Oct. 23–Nov. 21) Idealistic love could come your way today, Scorpio.

This might involve a colleague or possibly someone in a group with which you're affiliated.

SAGIT(Nov.22–Dec.21) Travel by air, perhaps in the company of some friends, could well be in the works for you, Sagittarius. A group with which you're affiliated might want to take a trip together, perhaps to a place associated with artistic or spiritual traditions.

CAPRI (Dec. 22–Jan. 19) A lucky break could put you into a higher financial bracket than you were two days ago, Capricorn. Career matters, perhaps those concerning the arts, could be involved in some way.

AQUARIUS(Jan.20–Feb.18) A social event could bring a fascinating new someone, perhaps from a different culture, into your life, Aquarius.

PISCES (Feb. 19–Mar. 20) Are you falling for someone you know on the job, Pisces? If so, you might find out that your feelings are reciprocated.

Austin's ton lands Reliance...

From page 23 stranded at 167-9 when the overs expired. Austin got support from Keeran Boodhram who hit an enterprising 52 not out while exEssequibo senior InterCounty player Ramesh Narine also entertained with 51.

When Reliance batted, opener Kumar Dass struck 58 as Narine returned to take 2-19 from his four overs. Thanka Persaud also claimed two wickets for 21 runs, delivering three overs.

In the Over-40, 20-overs softball game, preceding the second match for the Seeram Madholall trophy, Reliance Sports Club (RSC) humbled Reliance Hustlers by 30 runs.

RSC reached 178-5 from the 20-overs and then bowled out

Hustlers to 148 in the penultimate over. Dass led the way for RSC with 46 while Ravendra Madholall supported with 37 not out, Sugrim Ahiram made 35 and Bridgelall Lall 21 not out.

Narine grabbed two wickets for 17 runs in his four-over outing. In Hustlers' innings, Mahase Lall and his brother Dashnie Lall scored 41 and 26 respectively to put up a fight.

There were two wickets each for Madholall, Elroy Stephney and Dhanny Benny. In the open category, Austin was named player-ofthe-match while Madholall copped the prize in the over40 division. At the presentation, the winning and runnerup teams received a trophy each. Trophies were donated

by former national youth player Rovendra Mandolall, the eldest brother of Shivanandan who also represented Guyana at the youth level. Shivanandan passed away in 2013 at the age of 30 due to Malaria. Ravendra thanked the teams for their participation. He acknowledged the support of Rovendra and their sister Momzo while Stephney took the opportunity to reflect on Shivanandan's life and his contribution to the game.

Travis Simon, the skipper of Hustlers also spoke glowingly of Shivanandan since theywouldhaveplayedclubcricket for many years. Other team captains Premnauth Persaud (RSC) and BridgelallLall(Reliance)echoedsimilar sentiments.

STR Wood Inc. sponsors GCF National...

From page 23 receive a trophy. The tournament is expected to attract 40 plus players, including current Senior Champion CM Taffin Khan, former Senior Champion FM Anthony Drayton, AFM Davion Mars,

Irshad Mohamed, Loris Nathoo, Frankie Farley, Sherlyta Campayne, Justino Da Silva and Roberto Neto among others.

Junior players Ricardo Narine, Kyle Couchman, Jaden Taylor, Kishan Puran,

Jessica Callender, and current Junior Champion, Keron Sandiford are also expected to compete.

The online tournament will be monitored by FIDE arbiters John Lee and Anand Raghunauth.

Australia beat...

From page 24 Papua New Guinea never really got going in reply, slumping to 88 all out inside 20 overs.

Uganda looked in trouble at 20 for three after electing to bat first, but it was at that point that Kakuru joined his skipper Pascal Murungi. The captain chipped in with 16, the only other man to make double figures and while John Kariko (5-19) caused chaos, Kakuru motored along to a half-century. He eventually fell caught and bowled to Kariko for 65 off 59 balls with 11 boundaries.

But the reply never really got going, Juma Miyagi (4-29) and Joseph Baguma (3-30) combining to tear through the top order and reduce PNG to 27 for six. There was no way back from there, despite 26 from Junior Morea as PNG fell well short in reply. Uganda will now take on Scotland in the play-off for 13th.

Meanwhile, three UAE players and one India player have received positive PCR test results for COVID-19 through the official event testing programme. The players are currently self-isolating and are being monitored and cared for by the medical team.

Today’s matches: Super League - Semi-Final - India v Bangladesh; Sir Vivian Richards Cricket Ground, Antigua and Barbuda Plate League - Play-Off SemiFinal - Ireland v Zimbabwe; Queens Park Oval, Trinidad and Tobago.

PAGE 22

Saturday January 29, 2022

Kaieteur News

David’s wondergoal highlights Canada triumph in Honduras Concacaf Men’s World Cup Qualifying San Pedro Sula, Honduras - Canada secured its first win in Honduras since 1985, staying atop the table in the final round of FIFA World Cup qualification in the Concacaf region with a 2-0 win on Thursday.

Goals on either side of the half, including a wondergoal from FW Jonathan David in the second stanza, pushed John Herdman’s squad to the first win for Canada since George Pakos scored in Tegucigalpa on the way to the 1986 World Cup in Mexico.

Tajon Buchanan helped Canada go up early, getting down the wing and sending in a ball that Honduras DF Denil Maldonado tried to deal with, but instead headed into his own net to give the visitors the 1-0 advantage just 11 minutes in.

With the score still 1-0, Canada GK Milan Borjan was called into action in the 71st minute, diving to stop a Kervin Arriaga header on a set piece that was whipped in from the wing. Moments later, Liam Fraser blasted a wellmeasured pass forward for David, who took his first touch in the midfield circle and headed forward with his second, before using his third touch to send the shot past Honduras GK Luis “Buba” Lopez to double the advantage, 2-0.

Canada now heads home for a first-place versus secondplace clash with the United States, while Honduras has another contest in the Estadio Olimpico Metropolitano, welcoming El Salvador.

Robinson goal enough to

Jonathan David of Canada celebrates after scoring against Honduras. edge U.S. past El Salvador Columbus, Ohio - The United States extended its undefeated run in the final round of FIFA World Cup qualification in the Concacaf region to four games with a 1-0 victory over El Salvador on Thursday at Lower.com Field in Columbus, Ohio.

The U.S. almost scored in the first half when Jesus Ferreira had a pair of near-misses in the first 20 minutes and Timothy Weah had his shot deflected in the 40th minute, sending the proceedings into the half with the match still scoreless.

El Salvador also had their best look during the opening stanza when an Alex Roldan effort skipped just wide.

Antonee Robinson opened

the scoring early in the second half in what proved to be the game’s lone goal. El Salvador GK Mario Gonzalez rejected Weah’s initial effort, but Ferreira headed the rebound toward Robinson, who used a left-footed shot to give the U.S. the 1-0 advantage in the 52nd minute.

With the victory, the U.S. takes its tally to 18 points though nine matches with five wins, three draws and a defeat. El Salvador, meanwhile, sits on six points and will be eager to get back in action in a quest to sneak into the fourth spot in the table to earn the region’s place in the intercontinental playoff. The U.S. now travels to Canada for tomorrow’s qualification contest, while El Salvador stays on the road,

meeting Honduras in San Pedro Sula.

Martin, Vega strike late to secure Mexico win at Jamaica Kingston, Jamaica - A late flurry from Mexico led to the country’s 10th World Cup qualification win over Jamaica and denied the Reggae Boyz their first win over El Tricolor in WCQ since 2008 with a 2-1 victory on Thursday night at the National Stadium in Kingston. Mexico repeated goal scorers from September’s 2-1 victory at the Estadio Azteca with Henry Martin and Alexis Vega finding the back of the net.

A key moment took place toward the end of the first half, with referee Ismael Cornejo working with Video Assistant Referee Allen Chapman, the first time in Concacaf World Cup qualification a referee went to the VAR. Cornejo determined that Jamaica DF Damion Lowe had committed a red-card infraction on a tackle where he made contact with Mexico MF Andres Guardado’s ankle, which sent Guardado to the turf for several minutes.

That meant Jamaica was left to defend with 10 men after a first half in which Mexico had enjoyed better opportunities, but lacked the finishing touch. Despite the disadvantage, it was the Reggae Boyz able to celebrate the first goal, with Daniel Johnson sweeping home after Mexico failed to clear a corner kick in the 50th minute.

Mexico trailed until the 82nd minute when Vega put a header on target, only for Ja-

maica GK Andre Blake to make the save, but the rebound fell to Martin, who deflected it in. A minute later, Vega finished off a cross from Carlos Rodriguez to snap Mexico’s losing skid in World Cup qualification at two matches and give Mexico all three points.

Jamaica now hits the road for a critical match in Panama, while Mexico heads home for a pair of matches, hosting Costa Rica and Panama at the Estadio Azteca.

Meanwhile, in the other match played, Costa Rica secured a tight win over a regional rival on Thursday at the Estadio Nacional in San Jose, topping

Panama 1-0 thanks to a goal from veteran captain Bryan Ruiz.

The win means Costa Rica’s streak of never losing to Panama at home in World Cup qualification stays intact, moving to seven victories and a pair of draws. The victory moves Costa Rica to 12 points through nine matches, two behind Panama which sits in fourth place — the slot that would put a team in the intercontinental playoff against the OFC champion.

Costa Rica heads to Mexico for its next match tomorrow, while Panama will play Jamaica at home.

Two ICC U19 Men’s CWC Plate matches cancelled due to covid-19 Two Plate competition matches at the ICC Under19 Men’s Cricket World Cup have been cancelled after nine Canadian players tested positive for covid-19. The players will now undergo a period of isolation where their welfare will be monitored by the event medical team. As a consequence, the Canadian team has insufficient available players to be able to take any further part in the event. Canada’s Plate play-off semi final with Scotland today is cancelled and in accordance with the playing conditions, Scotland will progress to the 13th/14th play-off as a result of having a better net-run-rate than Canada from all matches played in the event.

The 15th/16th play-off that would have featured Canada against either Uganda or PNG will also not take place.

The cancelled matches are as follows: 29 January -

Canada v Scotland, Brian Lara Cricket Academy, Trinidad and Tobago 30 January - 15th/16 Play-Off, Brian Lara Cricket Academy, Trinidad and Tobago ICC Head of Events, Chris Tetley said: “We are incredibly disappointed to have to cancel two ICC U19 Men’s Cricket World Cup games due to covid-19 at this stage of the event. We were expecting to see some positive cases throughout the event and to date these have been managed in accordance with our bio safety plan without impacting on fixtures.

However with so many players from the Canadian team testing positive it will not be possible to stage these games.

“The players are now self-isolating and will receive full support from the event medical team under the guidance of the Bio-Safety Advisory Group.”

Kristina Mladenovic and Ivan Dodig win mixed doubles title

BBCsport - Kristina Mladenovic and Ivan Dodig beat Jaimee Fourlis and Jason Kubler to win the Australian Open mixed doubles.

The French-Croatian fifth seeds claimed a 6-3 6-4 victory over the Australians.

The experienced players saved three of the five break points they faced and won

71% of points behind their first serves.

It is Mladenovic’s second mixed doubles title at Melbourne Park, having won alongside Canada’s Daniel Nestor in 2014, and Dodig’s first.

It is also Dodig’s fourth career mixed doubles trophy and Mladenovic’s third.

Saturday January 29, 2022

PAGE 23

Kaieteur News

NBA: Joel Embiid helps Ansa McAl & Hennessy transforms Burnham Court Philadelphia 76ers to win Plaisance Guardians won the mini tourney, pocketing $100,000

over Los Angeles Lakers Joel Embiid (centre) has now scored at least 25 points in 16 successive matches

Burnham Court, the ‘Mecca’ of basketball locally, was officially adopted by Hennessy on Thursday evening during a red carpet event. The Middle and Carmichael Streets affair was well attended and had esteemed guests including Minister of Culture, Youth and Sport, Charles Ramson Jr. who delivered the keynote address, Mayor of Georgetown; His Worship Ubraj Narine, and Santiago

Frusto; the Market Manager for South America at Moet Hennessy.

The event ushered in a transformational chapter for the iconic venue and Hennessy’s long term adoption of the 65-year old Burnham Court entailed the installation of new lights, refurbishing of the officials’ tables, players areas and the patron stand. Painting and design of a mural on court and the establishment of a mobile

VIP. At the event where Hennessy, the world’s most prestigious cognac was sipped responsibly, there was also a 3x3 mini basketball tournament to commemorate the occasion. The winning team, Plaisance Guardians, pocketed $100,000, medals and bragging rights.

Ansa McAl and Hennessy, the spirit of the NBA, have announced that they look forward to having more partnerships with sports in Guyana.

Australian Open: Rafael Nadal to face Daniil Medvedev in Melbourne final BBCsport - Rafael Nadal moved one win away from a record 21st Grand Slam men’s title after a dominant start enabled him to beat Italy’s Matteo Berrettini in the Australian Open semi-finals. Seventh seed Berrettini eventually turned the match into a contest, but Nadal completed a 6-3 6-2 3-6 6-3 win.

The 35-year-old Spaniard is level on 20 major titles with long-time rivals Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer.

Nadal plays Daniil Medvedev, who beat Stefanos Tsitsipas, in tomorrow’s final. ”The first two sets were some of the best I’ve played for a long time,” said Nadal, who won his only Melbourne title in 2009. “Against a difficult opponent, a great opponent, one of the best of the world, I was able to play I think at a very high level for a long time.

“I had to suffer and I had to fight but it means a lot to be in the final again.”

BBCsport - Joel Embiid scored 26 points as the Philadelphia 76ers eased to a 10587 win over the Los Angeles Lakers, who were without the injured LeBron James. Embiid also added nine rebounds and seven assists, though it meant his four-game run of scoring at least 35 points and 10 rebounds ended. ”I was not very good, so I was happy my team-mates were able to pick me up,” said Embiid. Anthony Davis topscored with 31 points for the Lakers. Davis was playing his second game following a lengthy absence with a knee injury but with James now nursing a knee problem of his own, coach Frank Vogel admitted it is frustrating to be unable to get both players on the court at the same time. ”This is what every team in the league goes through,” Vogel said. “We have to play better.” Two 76ers fans were escorted from the arena late

in the game after comments directed at Lakers reserve Carmelo Anthony, who was then involved in a heated exchange with a third courtside fan. “Some things were said.

Unacceptable,” Anthony said after the game.

Elsewhere, Stephen Curry top-scored with 29 points in the Golden State Warriors’ 124-115 victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves. Curry scored just eight points in the first half but finished with six three-pointers from 10 attempts, while Klay Thompson added 23 points.

Karl-Anthony Towns scored 31 points and 12 rebounds in reply for the Timberwolves, who have lost 11 straight games on the road against the Warriors.

All Star team named - Lakers superstar James has been voted Western Conference captain for next month’s NBA All-Star Game, for the fifth successive season. James has

now made 18 All-Star teams to move to second on the alltime list alongside Kobe Bryant and just one behind the legendary Kareem AbdulJabbar.

Warriors duo Curry and Andrew Wiggins are also in the West line-up, along with the NBA’s Most Valuable Player Nikola Jokic and Memphis Grizzlies guard Ja Morant. Brooklyn Nets’ Kevin Durant has been named captain of the East despite having a knee injury and being a doubt for the game in Cleveland on 20 February.

Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo, 76ers centre Embiid, Chicago Bulls guard DeMar DeRozan and Atlanta Hawks guard Trae Young will start for the East.

The All-Star reserves will be selected by the coaches in both conferences on Thursday, 3 February.

Home favourite Ashleigh Barty faces Danielle Collins in final

Medvedev faces Nadal in his fourth Grand Slam final Nadal’s achievement in reaching a 29th Grand Slam final comes only a few months after he thought a foot injury could end his illustrious career. Russian second seed Medvedev edged a highquality battle with Greek fourth seed Tsitsipas, winning 7-6 (7-5) 4-6 6-4 6-1 in Friday’s second men’s semifinal. Medvedev, 25, is aiming

for his second successive Grand Slam title after winning the maiden major of his career at the US Open in September. He is also looking to go one step further in Melbourne after losing in last year’s final to Djokovic, who did not play this year after being deported from Australia in a visa row related to him being unvaccinated.

BBCsport - Ashleigh Barty will bid to become the first home Australian Open singles champion for 44 years when she takes on Danielle Collins in today’s final.

Christine O’Neil was the last Australian of either gender to win the singles tournament in 1978.

World number one Barty has been in ominous form,

having not dropped a set on her way to the final.

American Collins is competing in her first Grand Slam final less than a year after having surgery for endometriosis.

Barty won her maiden Grand Slam title at the 2019 French Open and went on to win Wimbledon last year.

She has lost just 21 games

on her way to the Melbourne Park final and enters it on a 10-match unbeaten streak.

Barty leads the head-to-head 3-1 over Collins, but Collins won their last meeting in Adelaide in 2021.

Crowd capacity has been increased to 80% for the final after the Victorian government accepted a request by Tennis Australia.

PAGE 24

Kaieteur News

Saturday January 29, 2022

Australia beat Pakistan to reach Super League Semi-Final UAE beat West Indies to reach Plate Final; Uganda overcome PNG in the Plate semi-finala Australia became the third side to advance to the ICC Under-19 Men’s Cricket World Cup 2022 Super League semi-finals with a comprehensive win over Pakistan. They joined England and Afghanistan in the final four with a 119-run success on a day where batting first was the order of the day.

The United Arab Emirates set a target beyond hosts West Indies on their way to a Plate semi-final success, while

Uganda were 35-run winners in the Plate play-off semi-finals against Papua New Guinea. Top order batting sends Australia through.

Australia booked their place in the ICC Under 19 Men’s Cricket World Cup 2022 Super League semi-finals with a 119-run win over Pakistan thanks to some fine top-order batting. Half-centuries for Teague Wylie and Corey Miller, as well as 47 from Campbell Kellaway, helped

Australia to 276 for 7 from their 50 overs and that proved far too much for Pakistan in Antigua.

Barring a 50-run partnership for the third wicket, Pakistan were always behind in their chase and eventually crumbled to 157 all out with the wickets shared among the Australian bowlers. Pakistan won the toss and elected to field, but soon regretted that decision as Kellaway and Wylie (71) put on 86 for the

first wicket.

Kellaway was stumped off the bowling of Qasim Akram (340), but that just brought Miller to the crease and he accelerated the run-rate on his way to 64. Their stand of 101 was brought to an end by Awais Ali, who had Wylie bowled, with Miller following soon after to leave Australia 203 for three with just under ten overs remaining.

Skipper Cooper Connolly chipped in with 33 and Will-

iam Salzmann cracked a quickfire 25 off 14 balls from No.7 to set a competitive target. It soon became clear that it would be well beyond Pakistan, with Muhammad Shehzad and Haseebullah Khan both caught behind to leave their side 27 for two in the fifth over.

Abdul Faseeh (28) and Irfan Khan (27) started to rebuild before the latter was bowled

by Salzmann (3-37), and the wickets fell at regular intervals from then on. Australia will now face the winner of the final Super League quarter-final between India and defending champions Bangladesh today.

UAE stun the hosts A sensational knock from Aayan Afzal Khan helped UAE to one of the greatest results in their history as they beat the West Indies by 82 runs in the Plate semi-finals in Trinidad. After edging past Uganda by a wicket, UAE endured a torrid start when Shiva Shankar (3-31) struck early and often to leave the visitors scrambling at 26 for four.

It was at that point that Aayan entered the fray, and his 93 turned the game on its head. While initially wickets continued to tumble, his 103-

run partnership with Shival Bawa (51) for the seventh wicket ensured that the Asian would have something to defend.

He was the last man to fall in a first innings effort of 224 for nine, a target that proved far too much for the Windies.

Jash Giyanani (3-21) made the early inroads, with the home side quickly finding themselves 32 for four. And unlike the UAE, they had no Aayan to save the day, as Dhruv Parashar (4-30) picked up the baton with the ball.

In fact the most resistance from the West Indies came from the final pair, Nathan Edward hitting an unbeaten 51 as he and No.11 Isai Thorne put on 70 for the final wicket before fittingly Aayan sealed the win.

UAE will now take on the winner of Ireland against Zimbabwe in the Plate final, while the West Indies take on the loser in the play-off for 11th.

Kakuru fires Uganda past PNG Cyrus Kakuru inspired Uganda to a 35-run victory over Papua New Guinea in the Plate play-off semi-finals in Trinidad. His 65 was the foundation of Uganda’s 123 all out in a low-scoring affair and (Continued on page 21)

Rain dampens Dottin’s fireworks as 1st ODI abandoned Johannesburg, South Africa - Rain forced the abandonment of the first One Day International between the West Indies Women and South Africa Women at the Imperial Wanderers Stadium in Johannesburg. West Indies Women scored 234-3 in 45.3 overs when there rain came, South Africa ended the match on 87/5 chasing the Duckworth/Lewis/Stern (DLS) revised target of 204 from 29 overs.

Deandra Dottin struck her career best of 150 not out, which included 18-fours and 4-sixes as she helped take the West Indies Women to a competitive total. Not to be outdone with the bat, Hayley Matthews struck her sixth ODI half-century on her way to 51.

The pair added a West Indies Women’s ODI record of 153-run partnership for the third wicket.

Earlier in the match, Captain Stafanie Taylor had to retire hurt on 12, after being struck on the arm at the nonstriker’s end, from a return shot from Deandra Dottin.

When asked about her bat-

ting, Dottin said, “The plan wasn’t specifically to score 150 but it was just to be consistent and continue where I left off last year. The weather is not something we can control and we have more games ahead, so it’s only up from here.

Batting with Hayley is easy because she bats her natural game… I just wished she had stayed around longer.I’m looking forward to the same performance and better (for the remainder of matches).”

West Indies Women and South Africa Women will face-off for the second One Day International at the Imperial Wanderers Stadium on Monday 31. It is a day fixture with first ball at 10:00am (4:00 am Eastern Caribbean/ 3:00am Jamaica).

West Indies Women 234/ 3 (45.3 overs) Deandra Dottin 150* Hayley Matthews 51. South Africa Women Target 204 from 29 overs (DLS method) 87/5 (17.4 overs) Tazmin Brits 32 Mignon Du Preez 19*, Karishma Ramharack 2-18, Hayley Matthews 2-27.

Saturday January 29, 2022

Kaieteur News

PAGE 25

Harpy Eagles 4-day trial game…

Motie (5-28), Paul (4-48) & Permaul (3-51) highlight 3rd day as Paul's X1 beat Johnson's X1 by 28 runs

By Sean Devers Another sun-kissed day at Providence produced a dismal batting performance yesterday with Tagenarine Chanderpaul's 39 being the highest score on a day in which 16 wickets tumbled in just over two sessions, the third day, as Keemo Paul' X1 beat Leon Johnson's X1 by 28 runs in third and final Trial match.

The batsmen's lack of temperament and application must be a major worry for the Selectors as the Harpy Eagles leaves on February 6 for Trinidad where they will play the Windwards and Leewards in their first two games.

Scores: Paul's X1 (182 & 174), Johnson's X1 (150 &

179).Paul's X1 resumed the penultimate day on 112-6 with an overall lead of 144 and the skipper and Joshua Persaud carried the score to 136 before Paul missed a sweep at left-arm spinner Gudakesh Motie and was bowled behind his back for 11.

Kevin Sinclair (1) caught behind off his cousin, Junior Sinclair at 146-8 while Permaul (3) was LBW to Motie, who also had Persaud caught at slip for 39 which was decorated with six fours and a six.The 26-year-old Motie finished with 5-28 while pacer Demetri Cameron supported with 222. Chasing 207 to win, Johnson's X1 were 41-2 at Lunch with Chanderpaul

Hemraj being dismissed for six and Tevin Imlach (0), both removed by Keon Joseph with the score on 31.

Vishaul Singh (28) chipped Veerasammy Permaul to short mid-wicket to break his 44-run partnership with Chanderpaul and leave the score on 75-3. Permaul soon got rid of Chanderpaul at 844 before Anthony Bramble and first innings top scorer Chis Barnwell joined forces to take the score to 123 before Bramble fell to Permaul while Paul removed Barnwell for 29 to follow-up his 66 in the first innings and Johnson's X1 were 131-6.

Barnwell, who looked the most positive of the batsmen here, missed the first two trials since Chairman of

GBA Coach Daniels visits Linden this weekend to conduct sessions and talent spotting Association moves to decentralize the sport National Boxing Coach, Lennox Daniels, will travel to Linden this weekend for the first in a series of Coaching programmes and talent spotting throughout the country. Following his visit to the Bauxite Mining Town, Daniels will head to Region # 6 (Feb 5Masters – 9), along Suriname football w i t h team R e gcollects i o n #the9trophy .

A c c o r d after i n g winning t o G B the A President, Steve Ninvalle, return game in Guyana.

Daniels' journey forms part of governing body's plans to decentralize the sport with a view of ensuring that every Steve Ninvalle – GBA President aspiring boxer is given a chance to develop their talent and be exposed. Championships which is set for the Elite Continental Ninvalle explained that for Guayaquil, Ecuador. t o u r n a m e n t . unlike his visit to Regions # 6 O l y m p i a n a n d Yo u t h Ninvalle said that the GBA and 10, while in Region 9, Commonwealth Games expects Daniels to, “Bring Daniels will spend more than silver medallist, Keevin his unique style of coaching two days. This, Ninvalle Allicock will lead the bunch, to the team's preparation, said, is to ensure that the which includes the Jackman and we at the Executive level National Coach is given a sisters – Abiola and Alesha, expect to see a marked chance to traverse as many Mark Crawford, Richard difference in the way in areas as possible in the Howard, Patrick Harvey, which our fighters are U p p e r Ta k u t u - U p p e r Travis Inverary, Jamal prepared.”

The medallists in each of E s s e q u i b o a r e a . Eastman, Joel Williamson, Meanwhile, Ninvalle said Desmond Amsterdam, Colin the 13-man and 12-woman the GBA, with Daniels at the Lewis, Julius Kesney, Quacy weight categories, according forefront will begin to Abrams, Emanuel Pompey, to the AMBC, will receive intensify preparations for the Delroy Fordyce, Renaldo prize money – US$10 000 M a r c h 2 2 – A p r i l 2 , Niles, Aluko Bess and for first place, US$5 000 for A m e r i c a n B o x i n g Richard Subraty are the 18 second and US$2 500 for Confederation (AMBC) boxers currently in training third place.

Selectors Ramnaresh Sarwan had said that since Paul and Shepherd played similar roles and were younger, Barnwell would no longer be considered for First-Class cricket but could play a key role in the 50-over format.

Skipper Johnson, who was drooped at short cover off Kevin Sinclair and Sachin Singh, took their team to 1446 at Tea. After the break, Paul

Gudakesh Motie had 5-28 at Providence yesterday (Sean Devers photo)

struck twice in quick succession before empty stands when Singh (4) was bowled and Clinton Pestano (0) was LBW as two wickets fell without addition to the Tea time score.

Johnson was joined by Junior Sinclair who had featured in 99-run ninth wicket stand in the first innings with Barnwell, but could not repeat his first

innings heroics and was bowled by Paul at 173-9 before Johnson was removed

by Anthony Adams in his only over to finish the contest 37 minutes after Tea. Paul (4-48), Permaul (351) and Joseph (2-8) were the main wicket-takers. The GCB have decided to use the remainder of the scheduled for this match for practice in a match scenario.

Austin's ton lands Reliance Scheme Shivanandan Madholall Memorial trophy A belligerent century from Mark Austin guided Reliance Scheme to an 85run win over defending champions Reliance when the teams collided in the 9th edition of the Shivanandan Madholall Memorial match which was played on Sunday last at Reliance Sports Ground, Essequibo Coast.

Former Essequibo Under-19 opening batsman Austin slammed 10 sixes and five fours in an unbeaten 107 as Reliance Scheme amassed a formidable 252-5 from the allotted 20-overs while Reliance, in reply, were left (Continued on page 21)

Player-of-the-match Mark Austin receives his trophy from Samantha Narine

STR Wood Inc. sponsors GCF National Online Blitz Championship The Guyana Chess Federation (GCF) is set to host the National Blitz Championship next month with the assistance of its sponsor, STR Wood Inc. which donated GYD$100,000 towards cash prizes and trophy.

This championship will be hosted online on the Tornelo.com platform on Saturday February 5th, with games beginning from 14:00hrs sharp. The Open tournament features 9 rounds, Swiss format games, with a time control of 5 minutes with one second added to the clock after each move.

Interested competitors are asked to fill out the compulsory registration form on

guyanachess.org on or before Thursday February 3rd. Registration fees will be waived for paid members of the GCF while a registration fee of $2000 is required for nonm e m b e r s .

A top prize of $40,000 will be awarded to the player who earns the title of National Blitz Champion for 2022. This will be the first National Blitz championship since 2020. The second and third place winners will receive $25,000 and $ 1 5 , 0 0 0 , r e s p e c t i v e l y.

The best female player will be awarded $20,000 while the best junior player will (Continued on page 21)

Deandra Dottin reaches her century CSA/Gallo Images.

An aerial view of the now refurbished Burnham Hard Court. Mural done by Nigel Butler and Team

Ansa McAl & Hennessy Rain transforms dampens rt Spo Burnham Court Dottin's fireworks as 1st ODI abandoned

Ansa McAl's Troy Cadogan (left), Minister Charles Ramson Jr. and Santiago Frusto-Hennessy Regional Manager.

Hayley Matthews acknowledges reaching 50 CSA/Gallo Images.

GBA Coach Daniels visits Linden this weekend to conduct sessions and talent spotting Association moves to decentralize the sport

Flashback! Coach Lennox Daniels teaches young boxers some moves in July 2019 at the National Gymnasium.

Printed and published by National Media & Publishing Company Ltd., 24 Saffon Street, Charlestown, Georgetown. Tel: 225-8458, 225-8465, 225-8491 or Fax: 225-8473/226-8210.