Kaieteur News

Guyana's borrowing K NEWS ceiling to increase

Sunday Edition

AIETEUR

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

by $1.35 trillion

January 28, 2024 Online: www.kaieteurnews.com

Price $150

Online readership yesterday, 40,503

Govt. revising oil law to withdraw 98% of 2023 oil deposits to support trillion-dollar budget Govt. now Fisherman drowns in releases canal at final PSAs Blairmont

Biscuit roads being built in Hinterland Exxon’s US$2 billion oil spill guarantee is not in place or - David fails to meet the threshold Patterson

- MP Vincent Henry

...as EPA continues to hide key document

PAGE 02

sKaieteur weN ruetNews eiaK

Sunday Monday January May 02, 28, 2022 2024

sKaieteur weN ruetNews eiaK

Sunday Monday January May 02, 28, 2022 2024

PAGE 03

Govt. revising oil law to withdraw

98% support trillion-dollar budget

of 2023 oil deposits to

G

ovt. revising oil account law to withdraw 98% of 2023 deposits to support trillion-dollar budget The government is laying the groundwork to spend a substantial portion, 98% of the oil revenues received in 2023. The stage is being set for this through the proposed revision to the First Schedule of the Natural Resource Fund (NRF) Act, which dictates the formula for calculating the ceiling on annual withdrawals from the fund.

The government tabled the proposal in the Fiscal Enactments (Amendment) Bill 2024 last Friday.

In 2023, Guyana's NRF received US$1.617 billion.

Under the current NRF formula, the maximum allowable withdrawal

amount was calculated to be approximately US$1.154 billion. However, with the proposed new formula, this withdrawal ceiling rises significantly to US$1.586 billion. This adjustment allows the government to utilize 98% of the 2023 oil revenues. US$31 million would be left for savings, representing only 2% of the revenues from 2023.

The government's proposed revision seeks to increase the withdrawal limits significantly. The new formula stipulates 100% withdrawal of the first US$1 billion received last year, 95% of the second US$1 billion, 90% of the third US$1 billion, 85% of the fourth US$1 billion, 50% of the fifth US$1 billion, and 10% of amounts over US$5

billion. This revision is a clear indication of the government's intent to swell its withdrawals from Guyana's NRF, leaving little for savings.

The existing first schedule of the NRF Act also has a withdrawal framework governed by tiers. Vice President Dr. Bharrat Jagdeo defended the decision to

change it recently, saying that it is too conservative. For any fiscal year, it allows 100% withdrawal of the first US$500 million received in the preceding year, 75% of the second US$500 million, 50% of the third US$500 million, 25% of the fourth US$500 million, 5% of the fifth US$500 million, and 3% of amounts exceeding

US$2.5 billion. This formula, while designed to balance spending with savings, has been deemed insufficient by the government.

Looking ahead, projections from the Ministry of Finance indicate that the NRF will receive US$2.46 billion in 2024, US$2.51 billion in 2025, US$2.99 billion in 2026, and US$3.31

billion in 2027. Using the new proposed formula, the maximum allowable withdrawals and the resultant savings for each year were calculated, showing a consistent trend of increased spending capacity. From 2023 to 2027, the total maximum allowable withdrawals amount to US$12.31 billion, with total savings being less than US$600 million.

The 2024 National Budget of Guyana stands at GY$1.146 trillion. In addition to revising the NRF withdrawal ceiling, the government has approached the National Assembly for an increase in the domestic and external debt ceilings. It plans to take on additional debt to meet 40% of budget needs, according to Jagdeo.

Judge throws out application filed to strike out new EAB case High Court Justice Simone Ramlall on Friday threw out an application which was filed to strike out the new case brought against the Environmental Assessment Board (EAB) by rights activist Danuta Radzik. The application was filed on January 15, 2024 by Arud Gossai, attorney on behalf of EAB Board member Mahender Sharma.

Gossai's contention is that Radzik's case breached a mandatory provision of the 2016 Civil Procedures Rules.

In an affidavit to support their application for dismissal, Sharma pointed out that Radzik's application was filed on November 23, 2023.

However, rule 8.04 (20 (a) of 2016 CPR mandates that a Fixed Date Application (FDA) must contain an affidavit in support. It was noted however, that the affidavit in support was sworn to even before the FDA existed.

In making her determination, Justice Ramlall said that it is her view that the case cited by the attorney does not apply to the scenario of the EAB case.

The judge noted that the case cited was in relation to

the old high court rules and as such could not be applied to the circumstances of a document filed under the CPR rules.

She noted nonetheless, that the court is not comfortable with the manner in which the affidavit was filed and instructed that the attorney for Radzik to re-file the document on or before January 27, 2024. The case is expected to continue on March 1, 2024.In his application, Sharma had noted that he was advised by his lawyer that an affidavit under rule 30 of the 2016 CPR is not an originating process and can only be sworn to, in support of an existing originating process.

As such, the EAB member is asking the court to strike out the matter.

Radzik is challenging the EAB's decision to uphold a waiver of an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) for the two gas plants to be constructed at Wales, West Bank Demerara.

The EAB issued a decision in May 2023, upholding a decision of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to exempt the gas facility from an EIA.

Justice Simone Ramlall Radzik is seeking an Order of Certiorari to quash the decision to exempt the gas facility from a thorough impact assessment. She argues that the decision of the EAB is flawed and/or contrary to, or in breach of the law.

In court documents seen

by Kaieteur News, Radzik through her attorney Mohamed Ali, is asking the Court to declare the decision a nullity; is void and of no legal effect; was made without or want of or in excess of jurisdiction; is ultra vires; is unreasonable or i r r a t i o n a l , a r b i t r a r y, capricious or erroneous at law; is illegal;

disproportionate; in defiance of logic; without any legal foundation or basis or authorization or authority; and/or contrary to or in breach of the provisions of the Act and/or the regulations.In addition, the Court is being asked to issue an Order of Mandamus directed to the EAB, that the board reinstate the appeal against the decision of the EPA to exempt the gas facility from an EIA and to hold new hearings in compliance with the Environmental Protection Act. The grounds of Radzik's application outline that the EAB is empowered by

Section 18 of the Environmental Protection Act Cap. 20:05 to conduct hearings into appeals lodged.

The document notes further that the composition and operation of the EAB is set out in the Third Schedule of the Environmental Protection Act, Cap. 20:05.

The application outlined that, “…The disclosure of interest and recusal of any m e m b e r o f t h e Environmental Assessment Board (EAB) is set out in the section 8 of the third schedule of the Environmental Protection Act (EPA) Cap. 20:05…It was via Application for E n v i r o n m e n t a l Authorisation dated the 14th day of November 2022, Guyana Power and Gas Inc., a company incorporated under the Laws of Guyana Companies Act Cap. 89:01, with its registered office at Lot 116-117, Cowan Street, K i n g s t o n , G e o rg e t o w n (hereinafter called the Company), sought an environmental permit from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for the construction and operation of a 300 MW Natural Gas-Fired Power

Plant (the project).”

It noted that, “The project is strategically aimed at utilizing piped natural gas from the Floating Production Storage and Offloading (FPSOs), which will be processed by a Natural Gas Liquids (NGL) facility which will generate lean gas that will be used to fuel a power plant that will generate and deliver electricity into GPL's existing power grid. The completed project is expected to deliver every month 187.56 GWh of electricity into the Demerara Berbice Interconnected System to support Guyana's current and projected economic development.”

Meanwhile, touching on the appointments of members of the EAB, the application seeks to highlight the conflict of interest by its members, i.e., Sharma, current Head of the Guyana Energy Agency and member of the Board of Directors of the Guyana Power and Light Inc. (GPL), Mr. Joslyn McKenzie, Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Natural Resources, and Dr. Garvin Cummings, Chief Meteorological Officer, as a ground for the request.

Kaieteur News

PAGE 04

Kaieteur News

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

Publisher: DR. GLENN LALL - TEL: 624-6456 Editor-In-Chief: NIGEL WILLIAMS Tel: 225-8465, 225-8491. Fax: 225-8473, 226-8210

EDITORIAL

Sunday January 28, 2024

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

Venezuela’s grey zone hybrid war

t h a t h a s l o n g b e e n in what are called “grey gradually sapped in the grey D E , Among the agreements superseded among military z o n e s ” – w h e r e a l l zone as much energy is Dodging Exxon’s b e t w e e n G u y a n a a n d establishments across the instruments of national wasted to keep the war from contained in the w o r l d – i n c l u d i n g power are leveraged to getting kinetic. The premises parent guarantee proof Venezuela achieve the aggressor’s of the hybrid war aggressor Argyle Declaration was that Venezuela.

EAR

The inspiring news is that the US$2 billion parent guarantee proof can be requested from Guyana’s Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). But a ‘formal request’ must be made. Hopefully the red tape is not to blacklist any citizen. The question is why simple things cause such mortal fear in the PPP/C Government and Vice President Jagdeo.

Look at the lengths to which Jagdeo went to dodge and distance himself from the partial guarantee document’s availability and delivery. Guyanese had better hope they are getting the real thing, something that binds ExxonMobil. This matter was straightforwardness itself, the lodging of the evidence of the US$2 billion parent company guarantee from ExxonMobil. Yet its delivery was all over the place. In seeking to pinpoint his true position, there was the strange: Jagdeo shifting, stutter stepping and conditioning his answers on the US$2 billion guarantee, which led to more mysteries than transparencies.

As he said, if it was left to him, the guarantee would be made public. We commend him for speaking with a straight tongue in that role. He, as a national leader, however, couldn’t instruct the EPA to release or withhold the document ordered by the Court.

While there is appreciation for the independence of the EPA, the essence of what Jagdeo said boiled down to the alarming. It is that the EPA is bigger than the government, that the EPA may not have to respond to the court, and that the EPA is a local stronghold that is unapproachable and impregnable. In other words, nobody and no entity, including the Guyana judiciary, cannot direct Guyana’s EPA what to do relative to this US$2 billion ExxonMobil guarantee. There is something fishy about that, definitely smelly. We wonder if Guyana’s EPA is a secret society pretending to be a protective regulatory body. Now, the EPA came clean: the guarantee could be viewed, but apply first.

Regardless of what cover the law gave to the EPA, the principled thing was to release the evidence right away. The concern, per Jagdeo, was that the floodgates would crash down, leading to the inundation of the EPA with such requests. With this being so, clearly Guyana’s EPA is on a collision course with the transparency and accountability promised by President Ali. Guyanese are keenly interested in what they have for protection, as limited as US$2 billion is, in the event of an oil spill. But, due to the fear of an avalanche of similar such requests, the EPA was digging in its heels and saying no to releasing the proof of the guarantee. Commonsense prevailed.

But, of even more relevance and importance, this US$2 billion parent guarantee was a matter between the Guyana Government and ExxonMobil, pursuant to articles 2.4 and 20.2 of the 2016 contract. The government should have been demanding the evidence of the parent guarantee. It was not a matter for the EPA. How could releasing the evidence of the parent company guarantee ever be harmful? Why the initial resistance, and who was behind it? Whose interests took precedence before Guyanese? Why extend the veil of secrecy so common to governance in Guyana to this guarantee? We remind Guyanese that it was Jagdeo who was forever in pain about a full parent company guarantee. He was the one who sprang this US$2 billion number on Guyanese that caused convulsions with proof ordered. Recall Jagdeo’s positions: we are working to get them (ExxonMobil) to acknowledge the US$2 billion coverage.

Then, speak to the EPA, when pressed for an answer on the guarantee. Next, he thought that the US$2 billion was a done deal. More evasions occurred with the Natural Resources Minister dragged into the mix, which led to the dead end of no legal requirement to release. This US$2 billion parent guarantee should not have diminished to a state secret to be rigidly guarded. Guyanese observe again the artfulness that has become an inseparable aspect of this oil wealth. It was Jagdeo who was talking up “better contract management” with this oil. Were early objections to release the evidence of the US$2 billion guarantee part of such improved management? Secrecy, no legal obligation, and acrobatic politicians form part of the DNA of this oil patrimony.

DITOR

they “directly or indirectly, will not threaten or use force against one another in any circumstances (1)” and a commitment to “peaceful coexistence (3).” This has been widely understood to mean that “war” between our countries has been averted and that the subsequent meetings of the Commission of the Foreign Ministers and their teams are meant to move relations towards cooperation in agreed on areas. This understanding, however, assumes a view of “force”, “war” and “peace”

Rather than the old, “absolute, kinetic wars”, today, these establishments discuss, prepare for and engage in “hybrid wars”- the use of a range of different methods to attack an enemy.

These include political, diplomatic, economic, financial initiatives and the spreading of propaganda, criminality, infiltration by fifth columnists or attacking important computer systems. Technology has opened up new ways to conduct hybrid warfare.

Hybrid wars are conducted

aims. Venezuela’s use of PetroCaribe’s debt writeoffs made some of our Caricom fellow members not only undermine our diplomatic strength but gave succor to Maduro in a very personalized manner that subverted decades-long institution building.

In a word, hybrid wars strive to avoid Clausewitz’ kinetic war as “politics by other means” to Sun Tzu’s Art of War where the enemy can be conquered without necessarily fighting. The strength of the adversary is

also become normalized over time as we saw with Russia’s moves against Ukraine and other neighbours including Georgia and now the Baltics.

I have been arguing that Maduro and Venezuela are conducting a hybrid war against us and for them to keep their agreement on peace, they have to retract their hybrid war salvoes to convert the grey zone into a zone of peace. Take, for instance, Venezuela’s refusal to accept the ICJ’s (Continued on page 49)

Kaieteur News

Sunday January 28, 2024

PAGE 05

Kaieteur M@ilbox Kaieteur M@ilbox Doctrine needs explanation We are not borrowing to eat; we’re borrowing to invest

DEAR EDITOR, The term ‘doctrine’ was used by Profs Randy Persaud and Andre Brandli (multiple dates) without a clear and appropriate definition. It is a complex, complicated, concept used in political science that needs a simple explanation for the unsophisticated reader who may not have studied the subject or au fait about the term ‘doctrine’.

It is generally, but not exclusively, used to describe the ‘foreign’ policy of a President or ruler in the conduct of international affairs (relations). Doctrine in politics simply means the principle of a government or its leader mainly in foreign affairs to promote or protect the interests of his nation. It can also be used to describe a leader’s domestic policy but was (is) hardly used by political scientists or other analysts for domestic affairs.

Dr Randy Persaud used it to describe a domestic policy of a very prominent local leader — what he characterized or explained as the ‘nonracialized’ or ‘inclusive politics’ of Bharrat Jagdeo. I don’t recall ever reading the term to describe domestic leadership (not even great American or Indian or

British or Canadian leaders) or the foreign policy of a leader south of USA although one can make a case for a Jagan Doctrine (New International Economic Order) or a Jagdeo Doctrine with reference to climate change (Champion of the Earth Low Carbon Carbon Strategy).

The Jagan’s Doctrine was also non-racialized inclusive policy as the policy of the PPP since its founding in 1950.

Contrary to what Prof Brandli may imply, a leader does not have to publish articles under his name in order for the term to the attached to or affiliated with his name. It is the policy of the leader that creates the doctrine. Thus, one will have the Obama Doctrine, Bush (II) Doctrine, Bush (I) Doctrine, Kennedy Doctrine, Reagan Doctrine, Churchill Doctrine, George Wa s h i n g t o n D o c t r i n e , Margaret Thatcher Doctrine, etc. The focus of doctrines in political science is of American and British leaders. The names of Jagan, B u r n h a m , Wi l l i a m s , Manley, and a few other West Indians did pop up in courses on Caribbean politics but not to any

doctrine affiliated to each.

While there may be a doctrine affiliated to Bharrat Jagdeo, he has not been doctrinaire— meaning slavish to any one policy or ideology. Although educated in Moscow, since 2015 following the removal of the Ramotar administration, Jagdeo has been pragmatic particularly so since Maduro reasserted claim to Guyana’s legitimate territory. Jagdeo recognizes the importance of doctrines of American leaders.

Academics generally pay attention to the doctrine of American Presidents — their foreign policy as USA has dominated the international politics of the globe for much of the 1900s till now. When American Presidents sneeze, the rest of the world, the Americas and Caribbean in particular, catches cold. Their doctrine is significant.

One of the most well known usage of the term is the description of the foreign (Continued on page 49)

DEAR EDITOR, I start with a quotation made by VP Jagdeo who stated “We are not borrowing to eat; we’re borrowing to invest,” and I would add one should not borrow to only spend, but to invest wisely.”

The idea of borrowing or even earning money for that matter, just to indulge in wasteful spending is backward thinking and a practice that would eventually lead to greater poverty.

This fact has been proven time and time again, and I would begin with the foreign examples first. We are all familiar with the Trinidad example of COLA (Cost of Living Allowance) in the early years of their sovereign wealth; a monetary sum given to its citizens gratis. It was a well thought out programme, one which directly targeted those in the lower end of the income bracket. Many grasped on to

that monetary handout, thereby benefitting from its proceeds, however there remains a sizeable group who never raised their standard of living index, instead, they sank even lower on the poverty scale.

The point I’m making is, this was a monetary handout open to all Trinidadians, irrespective of race religion and political affiliation, some succeeded handsomely and went on to lead successful lives, while others sank into poverty. One wonders why some succeed while others fail? And the answer lies in the choices they make, or simply put the uses that money was put into.

The wise Trinidadians invested while others partied and engaged in extravagant spending which left them bereft of the goals COLA was meant to achieve in their lives.

We h a v e b o t h t h e Trinidadian as well as our

own local experiences here in Guyana and I make mention of the gold and diamond seekers of our country. Here we had a group of people who became millionaires overnight, as commonly refer to “They became mud rich in an instant,” yet tragically many died in abject poverty, can you explain why? It is fascinating to know how persons who’ve acquired wealth or even inherited wealth can go on to lose it?

And the answer comes from the stark reality as to what was done with that money. Those of the gold and diamond seekers can be attributed to wasteful spending and a wild obsession with “wine women and song.” There can be no excuse that they were locked out of opportunities and were in any way hindered from living a comfortable life? No not at (Continued on page 06)

Kaieteur News

PAGE 06

Sunday January 28, 2024

Kaieteur M@ilbox Kaieteur M@ilbox Controlled approach to national development is needed DEAR EDITOR, The range of average savings amongst the top ten

countries with the highest savings rates is 44.9% to 64.3% (reference:

Investopedia, 2021). Oil revenues and low taxes have been attributed as key

enablers to allow for increased savings. Guyana currently has these enablers

in place.

These high savings rates allow households and countries to remain financially stable during difficult times.

Building up our National Resource Fund and our reserves will also help increase the buying power of our currency.

The stable pegging of our $G to the $US presents an opportunity for the Government to shift the currency value from $200:$1 to $2:$1.

The removal of the two zeros is an easy adjustment to make and will help improve the perception of the strength of the economy and clarify the inflation rate, but more importantly having a stronger savings rate and increased currency reserves will make imports less expensive for the construction boom underway.

The price of gold reached an all-time high in December 2023 (reference: Channel NewsAsia Singapore, 2024).

Guyana’s gold industry is strong, but falling victim to porous Southern borders.

As the value of the industry increases, it becomes more important to have a military base and stronger border patrol along our border with Brazil. Being able to add more gold reserves will also strengthen our currency’s buying power and allow our citizens to better overcome inflation pressures.

Government spending has become very ambitious in recent years and by reducing the number of major capital projects to an essential few will help reduce the overheating in

the economy.

Increasing the height in the Sea Walls, improving drainage systems, electric grid expansion, upgrading the water distribution system (including water treatment plants) and a new Demerara Bridge are major essential capital projects of significance. Being able to focus on these projects will improve the lives of Guyanese and help move the country forward towards being closer to 2nd world status, while also reducing the risk of overheating the economy. This will help prevent our Nation’s current capabilities from being overwhelmed by too many undertakings and our investments will be better secured from the harms of climate change.

In summary, a controlled approach to national development is one needed going forward.

Our spending will align with what the Ministries can successfully achieve, and allow for an improved balance in our budget.

A stronger currency is beneficial during this expansionary period that is being driven by imports in the construction and adjacent sectors.

Our people will feel the impact of an improved standard of living as clean water, continuous electricity, no flooding, and the ability to cover expenses and save become the new norm. It is imperative that our government focuses on these essential national development achievements.

Best regards, Mr. Jamil Changlee Chairman The Cooperative Republicans of Guyana

We are not borrowing...

From page 05 all, their problem lay in the realm of failure to focus on purposeful futuristic planning. You cannot live for the here and now and shut out your sights on a tomorrow, there must be a tomorrow in one’s planning or else you will fall into the same pit.

Another salient point sounded by The Vice President is, “Citizens should not expect to sit at home, receive a check from government and stop working’” it just wouldn’t happen. I guess he might have borrowed that quote from The Bible which speaks

to laziness in II Thessalonians 3: 10- 13.

The Trinidad experience of this principle, or should I say lack thereof, was seen when able-bodied men left their jobs only to live on COLA. The PPP/C has vowed never to replicate that form of backwardness here in Guyana, instead they are fashioning an economy in the letter and spirit of The Chinese proverb, don’t just give a man a fish, rather, teach him to fish, it is a common guide to progress and prosperity.

Respectfully submitted, Neil Adams

T N U L B . . .

T B N U T L N T B .

U .

L .

L T B .

N .

U .

N U T L N B .

U .

T .

L N T U N B .

N U .

L U L LUNT. B .

T . .

T T N N B U B .

U .

L .

L T B .

B . .

N . . .

T U T L N N Ashni Singh has joined T U U L N L B U .

B . .

L . . .

T B the ‘cuss out’ crew T . .

N .

N T U L N LU B U . .

L N .

T B U . .

L N .

T B U . .

L N .

T B U . .

L N .

T B U . .

L N .

N T B . .

U N .

L T U L B N . .

B .

U . .

T L .

N T B . .

U N .

L N T B U N . .

L .

U T L B . .

N B . . .

T U .

L N T B U . .

L .

UN T B U . .

L N .

T B U . .

L N .

T B U . .

L N .

T B U . .

L B U UN .BLUNT. . .

L .

T B . .

N .

T U .

L N .

T B U . .

L N .

T B U . .

L N .

T B U . .

L N .

T B U . .

L N .

T B U . .

L N .

LU ...BLUNT LUNT...B NT...BL T B U . .

L N .

T B U BL T...BLUN BLUNT... UNT...B . .

L N .

T B U . .

L N .

T B B U . .

L N .

T B U . .

L N .

T B U . .

L N .

T B BBLU T...BLUN BLUNT... ...BLU .

T .

N .

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

L .

N .

B T . . .

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

L B T LUNT.. UNT...B BL B Sunday January 28, 2024

Kaieteur News

The Budget Debates for this year’s trillion-dollar financial plan winded down on Friday in the National Assembly.

Drawing the curtains on the debates was the Minister with responsibility for Finance, Dr. Ashni Singh who government protects through this shameful title that will be addressed at a later date.

Today we focus on this Minister who wasted his time responding to the Opposition Members of Parliament (Mps).

He failed to say anything of substance to the Guyanese people on the Budget and instead cursed the Opposition for elections fraud and their lawless acts carried out during their tenure.

The Minister has wasted the perfect opportunity to drive home the ‘transformation’ Guyanese can expect this year.

He is the newest addition to the PPP’s ‘cuss out’ crew.

PAGE 07

sKaieteur weN ruetNews eiaK

PAGE 08

Sunday Monday January May 02, 28, 2022 2024

Guyana's borrowing ceiling to increase by $1.35 trillion The government is poised to dramatically enhance its debt borrowing capacity by $1.35 trillion, a move outlined in the recently tabled Fiscal Enactments (Amendment) Bill 2024 in the National Assembly. This move, part of a broader f i n a n c i a l s t r a t e g y, i s purposed to increase the nation's capacity to finance its $1.146 trillion 2024 budget, including several large-scale infrastructure projects.

The proposed amendment will affect both external and domestic debt ceilings. The External Loans Act, with the ceiling currently capped at $900 billion, will see an increment

to $1.5 trillion. Similarly, the Public Loan Act (concerning domestic debt) will witness an increase from the existing $750 billion ceiling to the $1.5 trillion. This adjustment in the debt ceilings would represent a total increase of $1.35 trillion in the nation's borrowing potential.

Dr. Bharrat Jagdeo, Vice President of Guyana, has provided a rationale for this decision. He stated, "the debt ceiling is largely raised to facilitate some of these big projects we have because they will temporarily push up the debt, like the Gas-toEnergy project."

The government is seeking a loan of US$660 million from the United

States Export Import Bank to help fund the project. Jagdeo said funding for projects like this will "temporarily push up the debt" but that this is crucial for the country's economic growth and infrastructure development.

D r. J a g d e o f u r t h e r explained the financing structure of the budget, listing diverse sources of revenue, including the Natural Resource Fund (NRF), the Guyana REDD+ Investment Fund (GRIF), and the recent sale of forest carbon to Hess Corporation.

He said 60% of the budget would be financed from these resources. The government's plan outlines that debt will account for

approximately 40% of the $1.146 trillion budget for 2024, equating to around US$2.2 billion.

Importantly, Dr. Jagdeo addressed concerns regarding the increase in debt ceilings. He assured that raising the ceilings does not reflect the extent to which government intends to borrow. "Even with us raising the debt ceiling, it doesn't mean that we are going to actually borrow that sum to the level of the ceiling," he said.

However, the proposal has not been without criticism. Volda Lawrence, an Opposition Member of Parliament, critiqued the government's continued

pursuit of debt financing, especially in light of the increased liquidity bring provided by oil revenues.

She noted that this would be the third time the government has raised the debt ceilings since taking office between 2021 and 2023.

However, Jagdeo has also argued for a mix of debt financing and oil revenues to form part of the list of sources for budget financing. He said that government projects much more revenues will be available to it in the future from oil production and that this will increase the capacity of the government to service its debts. He has

also explained that the debts being taken on are for projects that will have long term benefit, rather than borrowing for current expenses.

“We see this intense period of build-out of a lot of our infrastructure that are urgently needed to support continued growth in the economy too,” Jagdeo stated. “But once they are completed, you would see a steep fallout in the budget.

The budget would be reduced significantly in the outer years because once you finish building the hospitals, the 12 hospitals and the bridges and the power plant, then you don't need to expend anymore.”

Exxon’s US$2 billion oil spill guarantee is not in place or - David fails to meet the threshold Patterson ...as EPA continues to hide key document

T

he continued reluctance by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to provide proof of the US$2 billion oil spill guarantee reportedly submitted by A m e r i c a n o i l m a j o r, ExxonMobil continues to spark concern among stakeholders.

Former Minister of Public Infrastructure and the Alliance For Change's (AFC's) point-man on the oil and gas sector, David Patterson said this unwillingness of the agency should concern all citizens, especially since the guarantee was ordered to be in place by the Court.

He said, “This can only mean one of two things, either it is not in place or the conditions included in the bond do not meet the required threshold.”

Patterson continued, “By the required threshold, I mean that it may not cover all perils that the people would expect it to. It may have some clauses which can cause outrage that may state "only acceptable accidents" as reported by Exxon Head.”

The former Minister said it is bizarre that the EPA's

Lawyer, Sanjeev Datadin one day insisted that the guarantee is available and can be viewed by the public at the agency's office, but the very next day, he advises that the document be kept under lock and key until a decision is made by the Court.

Patterson reasoned, “What exactly do they have

the Court makes a ruling. It said, “…the matter in question is subjudice, meaning that it is currently under judicial consideration.

Therefore, until a judgment is given by the court, the EPA will not make the said document public.”

It added that the agency continues to be guided by the

to hide? A bond is a simple document; however, maybe the conditions contained in this bond may be vague and unenforceable.”

He said, “It is unfortunate that the government is supporting Exxon and the other operators to leave Guyana exposed and in peril should there be an oil spill.”

The former Minister said the AFC will continue to press for full liability coverage to protect the nation from the financial burdens of oil spills.

On Friday, the EPA via a public statement, said the guarantee lodged by Exxon will not be publicized until

Environmental Protection Act Cap 20:05 as to what information it is mandated to make available to the public.

The statement came following a visit by Kaieteur News on Thursday to the E PA ' s G a n g e s S t r e e t , Sophia, Georgetown office to view the document, following the assurance by Datadin that any citizen can view the document at the agency.

He was at the time responding to the Opposition Member of Parliament (MP), Shurwayne Holder who told the House on Tuesday that no patriotic government would refuse to make Exxon's financial package for oil

Former Minister, David Patterson spills public so that citizens can feel a sense of security.

“They (the EPA) are required to keep a register, a ledger of all those documents submitted and it is available for anyone, including the Honourable Member Mr. Shurwayne Holder to go to their office between normal business hours and he will be allowed to see it,” said Datadin.

Despite this assurance, Kaieteur News was denied access to the document and was instead urged to send a formal request to the agency.

MP Holder had also issued a request to the EPA on Friday morning in a bid to view the guarantee.

This is the latest deadend citizens have met in their efforts to ensure the Court's order was complied with, by the operator of the Stabroek Block.

Two citizens, Frederick Collins and Godfrey Whyte, had filed a summons in December to see the US$2B guarantee following failed attempts to view a copy of the guarantee.

The litigants had filed a

case back in September 2022 so that the EPA can be ordered to secure from Exxon Guyana, unlimited liability coverage for oil spills.

In so doing, Guyana would be fully protected from any hidden costs associated with an unmitigated spill from one or more projects in the Stabroek Block.

On May 3, 2023, High Court Judge, Justice Sandil Kisson ruled in favour of the litigants and ordered the EPA to secure an unlimited parent and/or affiliate company guarantee for oil spills.

To circumvent compliance with that order, Exxon and the EPA through their lawyers, appealed and were successful in staying Justice Kissoon's decision.

Pending the final outcome of the appeal, Justice Persaud ordered Exxon to lodge a US$2 Billion parent and/ or affiliate company guarantee. Since that order was issued on June 8, 2023, the litigants said their lawyers have been unable to secure a copy of the said guarantee for perusal.

Kaieteur News

Sunday January 28, 2024

PAGE 09

The Budget is cheap talk In his Budget speech, the Minister of Finance regurgitated what has been said previously by PPP/C governments. He spoke about a vision of Guyana where government would satisfy a minimum threshold of basic needs for citizens.

But the catch is that he does not want this threshold to be viewed through the narrow and simplistic lens of monetary and fixed income.

In other words, the basic needs threshold should not

be viewed simply in financial terms but through things such as access to housing, nutritious, healthcare, education, water and sanitation and recreational facilities.

This is essentially a vision of a basic needs approach to human development.

This perspective emphasizes the fulfillment of essential requirements for all individuals to lead a dignified and fulfilling life.

Developed by economists like Mahbub ul Haq and Amartya Sen, the basic needs approach posits that human development should be measured not just by economic growth but by the extent to which people’s basic needs are met.

At its core, the basic needs approach identifies several fundamental requirements necessary for human wellbeing, including access to adequate food, clean water, shelter, healthcare, education,

DEM BOYS SEH

De sponger is always around Dem boys gat a friend who is fun to be around.

Meh friend, meh heart does full up wid joy when I see him. Not because he bring laughter and nuff stories, but because like clockwork, he does always be around, when yuh need he. But is only one fault he gat.

He is de master of de free ride. When de time come fuh pay de tab, de man does find an excuse faster than a cat does find a mouse hole.

Every week without fail, de man does come around. Like a mosquito in de rainy season, he persistent and he consistent. But unlike de mosquito, he ain’t bringin’

nothin’ to de party except his appetite for other people’s generosity.

Dis man like a shadow, always lurkin’ nearby. But when it come to buyin’ a round, he vanish like a ghost in de night. It’s a talent, me tell yuh, a real talent. Yuh could bet yuh last dollar, when de bill drop, de man gan suddenly remember he got a pressing appointment or he misplaced he wallet somewhere between de bar and de bathroom.

De excuses does flow like free rum at a government Christmas party!

But as much as de man

does test meh patience, he still part ah de crew. Like a rusty bolt in a well-oiled machine, he’s part of de mechanism dat make up we social circle.

We laugh, we tease, we grumble ‘bout de injustice of it all, but in de end, we still accept de man fuh who he is: de eternal passenger on de gravy train.

So here’s to meh old friend. May you continue to dodge de bill like Mike Tyson dodging a punch. And may you never run outta excuses to avoid buyin’ a round. After all, what’s a boys’ night out with a free loader.

Talk half. Leff half.

and security. These needs are seen as universal and essential for individuals to live healthy, productive lives and participate fully in society. The approach recognizes that without meeting these basic needs, individuals cannot fully realize their potential or contribute effectively to their communities. The chatter about a minimum threshold of benefits is cheap talk. Unless there is an assessment as to what are the precise minimum thresholds to be met and where the country stands in relation to these targets, it is all rhetorical. One of the major challenges of adopting a basic needs approach to human development concerns this very issue of measurement. Measuring progress in meeting basic needs can be challenging, as it requires reliable data and indicators that accurately capture the complex realities of human well-being. Such data does not exist in Guyana. But unless the government had set and outlined certain targets, then this minimum threshold of benefits is just cheap talk.

One of the criticisms of the basic needs approach to development is precisely the fact that it makes no accommodation for a universal basic income.

The basic needs approach focuses on ensuring that all individuals have access to essential goods and services like food, shelter, healthcare, education, and security.

Universal basic income, on the other hand, proposes providing all citizens with regular, unconditional cash payments, regardless of their employment status or income level. While both concepts share the goal of addressing poverty and promoting human wellbeing, they operate through different mechanisms. The basic needs approach typically involves targeted interventions to provide

specific goods and services directly to those in need, aiming to ensure basic standards of living. In contrast, universal basic income offers a more generalized form of support, providing individuals with financial resources that they can use according to their own priorities and preferences.

There is considerable pressure being exerted on the PPP/C government to at least provide a universal basic income to every household. But the government is resisting this, not the least of which is on the grounds that the monies are simply not there to provide any meaningful universal basic income.

But even if a universal basic income is precluded from a basic needs approach to human development, there is no reason why the government cannot increase the minimum wage and eventually allow for its convergence with a living wage. This would hardly be in contradiction to a basic needs approach to human development. The PPP/C government must end the cheap talk. It must set specific targets to meet the minimum threshold it promises. Its failure to do so exemplifies the disconnect between the chatter in the Budget and the policies enunciated within.

If the government is keen on ensuring a minimum level of water and sanitation services will be provided to citizens, then it has to state what the standard to be expected is. The majority of the people do not enjoy treated water. The high iron content is d i s c o l o r i n g p e o p l e ’s bathrooms and toilets. Then there is the issue of water pressure. In many areas, the water pressure is low and water is only supplied for certain hours during the day.

The government needs to set the minimum threshold of the service it desires and it needs to help the poor by providing them with

receptacles such as water tanks to store water for usage. What mechanism does the government have in place to ensure that only the deserving gets house lots? Is there a national housing and property ownership register that the government can refer to ensure that the rich do not hijack the process of house lot allocation? Years ago, an engineer attached to the government obtained house lot for each of his children. Recently, it was revealed that one woman had obtained three house lots.

There are many people who cannot obtain house lots.

You just have to look at some of the mansions going up in government schemes to realise that the wrong persons are receiving house lots. It is also a direct contradiction to the basic needs approach to housing, when the government is building Silica City – which will become an enclave for the bourgeois class.

It is easy to speak about the vision of providing a minimum threshold of services. But without establishing these thresholds, the Budget becomes hollow chatter.

NB: There was an error in Friday’s’ column. It was mentioned that when the PPP/C came in 1992 it claimed that every child born would have had a debt of US$ 300,000. This figure should have been denominated in Guyana dollars.

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

Kaieteur News

PAGE 10

S

UTH

D TR

HAR

HK

BY G

L

LAL

Sunday January 28,2022 2024 Monday May 02,

H@RD TRUTHS

BY GHK LALL

Live in Guyana is now Live in Parliament A

lmost every Guyanese is c l a i m i n g openmouthed surprise, shock even, on developments in the pristine precincts of parliament. Not I. How can I, how can any citizen of this country with a little decency and standard left in them, expect better?

When the ugly foundation and grotesque architecture are made stronger daily, then to be surprised, amounts to more than missing the signals. It is looking the other way, pretending at ignorance, maybe even slyly working to give comrades a pass. Country and Western legend-a Black one-of all callings-Charley Pride came

close: When snakes crawl at night.’

Those are our comrades, the many fellow citizens, with whom we must coexist.

Get this straight: I have no comrades, wish for none.

Upstairs is good enough.

But there is parliament in Guyana. Live in Guyana is now Live in Parliament. It was just a matter of time.

Get this also: I like heckling people; it was part of the culture from early school days, what was called ‘tantalize.’ Give it and take it. Give as good as received, and always try to outdo the other man.

But never beyond the point of no return. Hard and sharp and unsparing the tantalizing

could be. But there were limits, some places to which there was never the thought or impulse to venture in the haste to get even.

There were some elements that were never present, no matter the drive to hit first and hit heavily.

Not the malice of today. Not the venom so loved nowadays.

Not the v e h e m e n c e a n d vituperation, and incomparable vulgarity, that are all now an integral and inseparable feature of local political exchanges. It is not just about stabbing in the back, but ensuring that the knife is coated with the p o i s o n o u s . To t h i s , Guyanese thrill, with the

PPP Government leading the way, and the Opposition no slouch at the dirty games, either. I share a conviction with fellow Guyanese. Why is there the madness and recklessness and obscene discourteousness on local roads, if not drivers, passengers, and other users, doing their best imitation of leaders, high political leaders?

How can there be any element of surprise at what has become part of the standing orders of parliament?

The boorishness, the brutishness, the loutishness, the swinishness, the doggishness, the spitefulness, and the acute,

and now incurable, sickness at many levels.

The children absorb, file away, then act: they have precedents. I dare to say something else also: the children discover role models. Who can knack first, and who can kick lower (anatomy).

Sounds like ‘gangsta glama’ to me, and they learned it from parliament and leaders. This is their education, and they got it from the best practitioners. I advance deeper. When there is encouragement, incitement and instigation, to weaponise social media platforms to crush opponents, then the rawness of conduct in parliament is simply an extension of that mob mentality and mayhem.

This is the law of intended consequences, the symbol of Guyana’s civilisation in its Golden Age of Oil. I can imagine the arriving foreigners: who are these people? I push to the limit: who are these creatures (think of the ‘a’ word), as muttered under their breath, and with a smoothly smiling face?

Parliament has crumpled to this idea: stick it to the other guy (or gal). Stick it deep, and twist it savagely.

Because mentalities and make-ups are perverted, then the sexual transforms into the cherished bludgeon.

Because vocabularies are also so limited, then the anatomy is the only bullseye known, taken aimed at to bring down. By any means.

By any method. By any agent. By any price that has to be paid. I am thinking in my usual naïve (even stupid way) that if only that such instincts are for what is clean and wholesome, constructive and progressive, noble and uplifting, then what a country Guyana could be.

What a reputation Guyanese could claim.

Parliament has to be a leading pacesetter in standards. After all, it is the maker of laws to guide nation and citizens.

Then the makers of laws have to be the first guides, the best ones. There is awareness that brawls have erupted in foreign parliaments, and even in the United States.

Senator Charles Sumner was caned to within an inch of his life, and this in the Senate Chamber itself. I fear we draw closer and closer to such a day. Consider this: political mudslinging is parent and child of politics, and the US has had its share.

What is distinguishing in the thrusts and parries is how the English Language is skillfully engineered to get the most momentum, and longest mileage. From the UK, “he is a man suffering from petrified adolescence” (Aneurin Bevan on Winston Churchill). From the US, “he is ignorant, passionate, hypocritical, corrupt and easily swayed by the basest men who surround him” (Henrry Clay on Andrew Jackson). Presidents and Prime Minister sacked and scorched. And going way back to the time of the Greeks, “You have all the characteristic of a popular politician: a horrible voice, bad breeding, and a vulgar manner” (Aristophanes).

Now somebody tell me, help me, please. Is this not what we have for political figures, some people in parliament?

Right here is our own Guyana?

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

T N U L B . . .

T B N U T L N T B .

U .

L .

L T B .

N .

U .

N U T L N B .

U .

T .

L N T U N B .

N U .

L U L LUNT. B .

T . .

T T N N B U B .

U .

L .

L T B .

B . .

N . . .

T U T L N N Ashni Singh has joined T U U L N L B U .

B . .

L . . .

T B the ‘cuss out’ crew T . .

N .

N T U L N LU B U . .

L N .

T B U . .

L N .

T B U . .

L N .

T B U . .

L N .

T B U . .

L N .

N T B . .

U N .

L T U L B N . .

B .

U . .

T L .

N T B . .

U N .

L N T B U N . .

L .

U T L B . .

N B . . .

T U .

L N T B U . .

L .

UN T B U . .

L N .

T B U . .

L N .

T B U . .

L N .

T B U . .

L B U UN .BLUNT. . .

L .

T B . .

N .

T U .

L N .

T B U . .

L N .

T B U . .

L N .

T B U . .

L N .

T B U . .

L N .

T B U . .

L N .

LU ...BLUNT LUNT...B NT...BL T B U . .

L N .

T B U BL T...BLUN BLUNT... UNT...B . .

L N .

T B U . .

L N .

T B B U . .

L N .

T B U . .

L N .

T B U . .

L N .

T B BBLU T...BLUN BLUNT... ...BLU .

T .

N .

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

L .

N .

B T . . .

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

L B T LUNT.. UNT...B BL B Sunday January 28, 2024

Kaieteur News

The Budget Debates for this year’s trillion-dollar financial plan winded down on Friday in the National Assembly.

Drawing the curtains on the debates was the Minister with responsibility for Finance, Dr. Ashni Singh who government protects through this shameful title that will be addressed at a later date.

Today we focus on this Minister who wasted his time responding to the Opposition Members of Parliament (Mps).

He failed to say anything of substance to the Guyanese people on the Budget and instead cursed the Opposition for elections fraud and their lawless acts carried out during their tenure.

The Minister has wasted the perfect opportunity to drive home the ‘transformation’ Guyanese can expect this year.

He is the newest addition to the PPP’s ‘cuss out’ crew.

PAGE 11

Kaieteur News

PAGE 12

Sunday January 28, 2024

SUNDAY ExxonM and partners to recover full US$10 billion cost for 4th project in 2024 before operation begins ExxonMobil and its partners, Hess and CNOOC, are set to recover US$12.6B in expenses in 2024, one year ahead of delivering the US$10B Yellowtail project, under the lopsided production sharing agreement (PSA) for the Stabroek Block, situated off the coast of Guyana.

Kaieteur News last week noted that the financial arrangement between ExxonMobil, its partners, and the government of Guyana has led to a significant disparity in projected revenue distribution this year.

In 2024, it is expected that these oil giants will generate around US$14.7B in earnings for them from crude oil production. In contrast, Guyana is projected to receive US$2.1B from its share of the crude, totaling US$16.8B in oil exports.

Guyana's entitlement includes 25 out of 202 projected lifts of crude, amounting to 25 million barrels of crude for the year.

Additionally, the country is expected to earn US$320M in royalties, bringing its total earnings from oil production and royalties to about US$2.4B in 2024.

Most of the US$14.7B that Exxon and its partners are earning is categorized as cost oil, representing the recovery of expenses they claim were incurred in exploring and developing the Stabroek Block.

ExxonMobil, having received approval for five offshore oil developments in Guyana, with a sixth to be approved soon, has total development expenses for these projects at approximately US$54B. In 2024, 75% of the crude, amounting to about US$12.6B, is allocated for cost recovery. This is in accordance with the PSA, which allows the oil companies to use 75% of the annual crude production to recover their expenses. The cumulative costs recovered

by ExxonMobil by the end of 2023 are projected to have exceeded US$18B. The US$12.6B expected to be recovered in 2024 exceeds the US$10B development cost of the

Yellowtail project, which was approved in 2022 and is projected to start production in 2025. This means ExxonMobil and its partners will effectively recover the Ye l l o w t a i l p r o j e c t ' s development cost before delivering the project.

This situation underscores the danger of the absence of ring-fencing in the Stabroek Block PSA, a crucial financial safeguard in the oil and gas industry.

Ring-fencing prevents the mixing of funds from different projects and ensures profits from a specific project are used solely for its associated costs. Without ring-fencing, the development expense of the Yellowtail project can be recovered from ongoing production from Liza-1, Liza-2, and Payara.

Vi c e P r e s i d e n t D r.

Bharrat Jagdeo has not pursued ring-fencing provisions in the belief that they might act as a disincentive to investment.

Jagdeo accepts that ringfencing could increase Guyana's immediate benefits from the Stabroek Block’s wealth, yet prefers to allow the companies to recover their expenses more quickly and extensively.

Govt. to fork out $44B to service ballooning debt in 2024 - Jagdeo ...as Ministry of Amerindian Affairs, Culture Youth and Sport receives $9B each The Government of Guyana (GoG) has set aside $44 billion in this year’s budget to service its ballooning debt.

Vice President and former Finance Minister, Dr. Bharrat Jagdeo during his

weekly press conference on Thursday was defending the country’s first trillion-dollar fiscal plan when he announced that portion that will be used for debt servicing.

T h e $ 4 4 B o r approximate US$220M vastly exceeds the sum allocated to various government ministries. For instance, the Ministry of Amerindian Affairs and the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sport have each received about $9 billion to finance their development agenda.

In 2023, some US$177.3 million in revenue went towards debt service, up from US$150.2 million in 2022.

The growing payments to service the country’s debt stems from a conscious decision of policy makers that believe Guyana’s forecast of revenue from the oil and gas sector justifies its borrowing agenda.

The Vice President at his recent media engagement pointed to the expansion of the oil sector and the revenues likely to flow from this stream.

He explained, "Our future revenue, if we forecast based on oil production even for the approved projects and Whiptail which will be approved, if we only factor in production at those levels, at say current oil prices at the volume that we expect to produce from those projects, the revenue for the state in the outer years, that is maybe by 2028- 2030 we could be (receiving) US$5.7 to 6B." The former Head of State noted too that the country is poised to receive US$2.6 billion in oil money this year which exceeds its total external debt.

Opposition Member of

Parliament (MP), Volda Lawrence has posited that while politicians bank on revenues from the oil sector to repay loans to its international creditors, Guyana could find itself in a dangerous trap, quite similar to the one that ensnared oilproducing states like Nigeria and Ghana.

"Sir, the government’s eschewing the use of the burgeoning natural resource funds, in preference to borrowing from any and all sources, on the assumption that oil prices will remain high, thus allowing easy repayment of loans taken today, is falling into the same trap as did Ghana and Nigeria, for example," Lawrence said during the 2023 Budget Debates.

The former Health Minister warned in her presentation that any collapse in oil prices will leave the country dangerously exposed to situations like those that unfolded in Sri Lanka and Uganda. Those nations, deeply indebted are still struggling to reach debt service commitments, leaving the population without access to electricity and other key services.

MONDAY Govt. betting on oil sector to take on hundreds of millions in loans Guyana is playing a dangerous game of taking on loans, with Guyana’s oil sector effectively being used as collateral. While not technically using oil as collateral for loans, Vice President Dr. Bharrat Jagdeo continues to argue that Guyana’s future oil revenues will be enough to service

Guyana’s debt. He also argues that Guyana has one of the best debt records in the world, through indicators like its debt to gross domestic product (GDP) ratio.

The oil sector contributes significantly to Guyana’s gross domestic product. In 2023, the country’s GDP stood at approximately US$16.53B with the crude oil exports contributing an impressive US$11.63B. This clearly demonstrates that oil exports account for approximately 70% of Guyana's GDP. Guyana is therefore placing a lot of stock in one resource.

If Guyana did not have oil, the debt-to-GDP ratio would tell a whole other story. Despite an increase in borrowing, Jagdeo argues that the nation's economic fundamentals remain strong, and that Guyana will make billions more annually from oil in coming years.

According to Finance Ministry projections, oil will earn Guyana US$2.4B in 2024, nearly US$2.5B in 2025, US$2.9B in 2026, and US$3.2B in 2027.

"Right now, our revenue in 2025 is forecast to be about US$2.6B, which is more than the entire external debt," Jagdeo stated last Thursday.

The recent reading of the budget has shed light on the extent of the debt Guyana has taken on and plans to take on. According to Senior Minister in the Office of the P r e s i d e n t w i t h Responsibility for Finance, Dr. Ashni Singh, at the end of 2023, Guyana's total Public and Publicly Guaranteed (PPG) debt stood at

US$4.5B, marking a 23.4 percent increase from the end of 2022. This increase is attributed to new external and domestic borrowing.

Furthermore, the country's external debt amounted to US$1.78B at the end of 2023, up by 13 percent from the end of 2022.

While the government boasts of a low debt-to-GDP ratio and prudent debt management, concerns arise regarding the sustainability and risks associated with such heavy dependence on one sector. This situation is reminiscent of the concept of the "pre-source curse," which refers to the challenges that can arise when a country overly relies on a single resource for its economic growth and debt servicing. The reliance on oil as the primary driver of economic growth and fiscal stability requires careful management to avoid the pitfalls of the resource curse.

The "resource curse" or "paradox of plenty" is a welldocumented phenomenon where countries with abundant natural resources, like oil, fail to achieve sustainable economic growth due to over-reliance on these resources.

This can lead to e c o n o m i c v o l a t i l i t y, corruption, and neglect of other sectors of the economy.

In Guyana's case, the heavy reliance on oil revenues for both current income and as a basis for future economic projections introduces risks associated with fluctuations in global oil prices, changes in demand, or geopolitical events affecting the oil market, of which, there are (Continued no page 13)

Sunday January 28, 2024

From page 12 many. This strategy also assumes a continued and increased rate of oil production and stable or favorable oil prices, in line with the government’s guidance that Exxon should produce as quickly as possible. However, there are potential shifts in the global energy landscape, such as the increasing adoption of renewable energy sources and international policies aimed at reducing carbon emissions, which could affect the longevity of the oil sector.

Very soon, Guyana plans to take on the largest loan in its history, some US$660M from the United States EXIM Bank to support the Gas-to-Energy project.

Guyana’s neighbour, Suriname, caught in economic turmoil, has used its coming oil boom as collateral to restructure debt.

However, unlike Guyana, the only project so far expected to be developed for Suriname has not even been renewed or approved yet.

This means Suriname may very well be pressured to approve an oil project, in spite of regulatory hiccups linked to the equitability of the project and its impact on the environment.

PNC/R to decide on ringfencing after it takes office In the absence of the

required well data from the Government of Guyana ( G o G ) , t h e P e o p l e ’s National Congress Reform (PNC/R), led by Mr. Aubrey Norton said it will wait until it is in office to make a decision regarding ringfencing.

The party did not host its usual media conference on Thursday; as such this newspaper reached out to Norton’s Oil and Gas spokesperson, Elson Low for clarity on whether the Opposition has officially requested the well data from government or how it plans to access the information to make a decision on ringfencing.

A ring-fencing provision will mandate each oil project to pay for itself and would allow Guyana to enjoy 50% of the revenue generated at each project after the costs are repaid.

At its last press conference, the Opposition said it required information on the wells to determine whether ring-fencing would be feasible or deter the investors.

Over the weekend, Low told this publication that numerous requests for information were made through press statements to no avail. To this end, he assured that when the party takes office it will examine the data to make the right decision in that regard.

"We have on more than

Kaieteur News

one occasion requested information, in press releases, from the administration on oil operations, including quarterly reports on expenses and developments.

We want to be clear, however, that in office we will seek appropriate expertise to examine all the data available, so that we can make the best decision. We need to be able to closely examine the costs of wells to determine whether ring fencing will potentially deter or otherwise affect investment into the field," Low explained.

G i v e n t h e p a r t y ’s approach to examine the data after it takes office to make a decision on ring-fencing, Kaieteur News asked if the Opposition will not be taking any further action to get the information it needs.

To this end, Low said, "We will continue to press the government whenever dealing with issues that relate to information access."

Guyana has already approved five projects in the Stabroek Block without this key provision to safeguard its earnings.

In the absence of a ringfencing provision, ExxonMobil has been using the revenues earned from the projects in operation to fund other projects and its exploration activities across the block.

PAGE 13

Shadow Finance Minister, Juretha Fernandes Only last week this newspaper reported that ExxonMobil in its Corporate Plan Update recently informed its shareholders that its capital expenditure is expected to be repaid in less than 10 years.

It said, "The company now anticipates total annual capital expenditures and exploration expense of $23 billion to $25 billion in 2024 and $22 billion to $27 billion annually from 2025 through 2027, generating an average return of approximately 30%." It was keen to note, "Greater than 90% of the capex has payback periods less than 10 years."

The oil company assured its shareholders that its capital allocation approach prioritizes competitively advantaged, high-return, low-cost-of-supply, valueaccretive investments that enable ExxonMobil to lead

the industry now and through the energy transition.

ExxonMobil is the o p e r a t o r o f G u y a n a ’s lucrative Stabroek Block.

The company holds a 45% interest, while Hess Guyana Exploration Ltd. holds 30 percent interest and CNOOC Petroleum Guyana Limited holds 25 percent interest.

Each project has an estimated life of 20 years. In normal circumstances, the repayment of a project would commence after oil production starts, however, ExxonMobil Guyana has been shortening Guyana’s share of profits in order to finance projects in the Stabroek Block before they start oil production.

It was reported in July 2023 that ExxonMobil deducted millions of USdollars in decommissioning costs, to clean up the third and fourth developments in the Stabroek Block, even though these projects were yet to commence oil production.

TUESDAY 2024 Budget adds $1.8 million in debt to every household Opposition Member, Juretha Fernandes Opposition Member of Parliament and Shadow Minister of Finance, Juretha Fernandes on Monday c o n d e m n e d t h e government’s plan to have 40 percent of the substantial $1.146 trillion budget supported by loans.

Fernandes said this amounts to $458.4 billion through borrowing.

Fernandes noted the impact of this decision on individual households and citizens, stating that it would effectively saddle each household with an additional $1.8 million in debt, which translates to around

Shadow Minister of Legal Affairs, Roysdale Forde $588,000 per citizen.

Fernandes’s remarks were part of her scathing response to what she perceives as the g o v e r n m e n t ’s r e c k l e s s financial planning.

She said, "So in an oil rich economy, instead of creating a pathway to sustainable prosperity for Guyanese, the PPP has decided to shackle every man, woman and child with a debt burden, and there seems to be no light at the end of this tunnel."

The Shadow Minister added, "For every child that will receive the $40,000 ‘Because we care cash grant,’ they will also be receiving a ‘because we do not care’ debt burden of more than half a million-dollars, complements of the PPP administration."

Fernandes said having $458B in loans is not to be taken lightly. She recalled that in 2020, the same time the government took office, the external debt ceiling was $400 billion.

"So in this one budget, the PPP is adding almost the same amount of debt to the nation as the total external debt ceiling under the coalition; a ceiling the coalition never met and never saw a need to increase," she said.

To make matters worse, Fernandes expressed alarm that the government plans to return to the House to increase the debt ceiling for a third time as well as revise the Natural Resource Fund’s (NRF) withdrawal rules to spend more of the oil revenues. Fernandes said this does not bode well for the nation’s economic wellbeing.

Sharing similar concerns was her colleague, Shadow Minister of Legal Affairs, Roysdale Forde. During his contributions, Forde questioned whether the $1.146 trillion budget (Continued on page 14)

Kaieteur News

PAGE 14

From page 15 represents a true cost or would government return with supplementary requests.

"I am not being facetious. The records would show that for the past four years, the Government has returned to this August House, again and again, for supplementary funds," said Forde.

In 2023, he said the government returned about six times for funds totaling the more than $900B. When added to the 2023 budget total of $782B, he said this is $1.6T. In the realm of fiscal responsibility, Forde said the g o v er n m en t ’s p en c h an t f o r presenting budgets only to scurry back to Parliament for supplementary funds, marks not only a sign of improper planning, but also, places the legislative process in a precarious position. "…Does the Finance Minister not know that: the reliance on supplementary funds not only signals a failure in accurate forecasting but also unveils a disturbing lack of strategic planning? It reflects a government that may be either oblivious to the true financial needs of the nation or intentionally downplaying them for optics. In either case, it undermines the very essence of responsible governance and prudent financial management," Forde argued.

Overall, Forde said the government is showing a dangerous overreliance on oil revenues. He warned that this is one of the key signs of the dreaded Dutch disease.

Govt. betting on oil to take US billions in loans for 2024 budget Guyana is playing a dangerous game of taking on loans, with Guyana’s oil sector effectively being used as collateral. While not technically using oil as collateral for loans, Vice President Dr. Bharrat Jagdeo continues to argue that Guyana’s future oil revenues will be enough to service Guyana’s debt. He also argues that Guyana has one of the best debt records in the world, through indicators like its debt to gross domestic product (GDP) ratio.

The oil sector contributes significantly to Guyana’s gross domestic product. In 2023, Guyana's GDP stood at approximately US$16.53B with the crude oil exports contributing an impressive US$11.63B. This clearly demonstrates that oil exports account for approximately 70% of Guyana's GDP. Guyana is therefore placing a lot of stock in one resource.

If Guyana did not have oil, the debt-to-GDP ratio would tell a whole other story. Despite an increase in borrowing, Jagdeo argues that the nation's economic fundamentals remain strong, and that Guyana will make billions

more annually from oil in coming years.

According to Finance Ministry projections, oil will earn Guyana US$2.4B in 2024, nearly US$2.5B in 2025, US$2.9B in 2026, and US$3.2B in 2027.

"Right now, our revenue in 2025 is forecast to be about US$2.6B, which is more than the entire external debt," Jagdeo stated last Thursday.

The recent reading of the budget has shed light on the extent of the debt Guyana has taken on and plans to take on. According to Senior Minister in the Office of the President with Responsibility for Finance, Dr. Ashni Singh, at the end of 2023, Guyana's total Public and Publicly Guaranteed (PPG) debt stood at US$4.5B, marking a 23.4 percent increase from the end of 2022. This increase is attributed to new external and domestic borrowing. Furthermore, the country's external debt amounted to US$1.78B at the end of 2023, up by 13 percent from the end of 2022.

While the government boasts of a low debt-to-GDP ratio and prudent debt management, concerns arise regarding the sustainability and risks associated with such heavy dependence on one sector. This situation is reminiscent of the concept of the "pre-source curse," which refers to the challenges that can arise when a country overly relies on a single resource for its economic growth and debt servicing. The reliance on oil as the primary driver of economic growth and fiscal stability requires careful management to avoid the pitfalls of the resource curse.

The "resource curse" or "paradox of plenty" is a welldocumented phenomenon where countries with abundant natural resources, like oil, fail to achieve sustainable economic growth due to over-reliance on these resources.

This can lead to economic volatility, corruption, and neglect of other sectors of the economy. In Guyana's case, the heavy reliance on oil revenues for both current income and as a basis for future economic projections introduces risks associated with fluctuations in global oil prices, changes in demand, or geopolitical events affecting the oil market (of which, there are many.)

This strategy also assumes a continued and increased rate of oil production and stable or favorable oil prices, in line with the government’s guidance that Exxon should produce as quickly as possible. However, there are potential shifts in the global energy landscape, such as the increasing adoption of renewable energy sources and international policies aimed at reducing carbon emissions, which could affect the longevity of the oil sector.

Guyana plans to very soon take

Opposition MP, Vincent Henry on the largest loan in its history, some US$660M from the United States EXIM Bank to support the Gas-to-Energy project.

Guyana’s neighbour, Suriname, caught in economic turmoil, has used its coming oil boom as collateral to restructure debt.

However, unlike Guyana, the only project so far expected to be developed for Suriname has not even been renewed or approved yet. This means Suriname may very well be pressured to approve an oil project, in spite of regulatory hiccups linked to the equitability of the project and its impact on the environment.

WEDNESDAY No patriotic govt. would refuse to show evidence of Exxon’s US$2B guarantee for oil spills - Opposition MP Opposition Member of Parliament, Shurwayne Holder yesterday launched a sharp attack on the government’s mishandling of the oil and gas sector during his contribution to the 2024 budget debates. One of the key issues which Holder expressed grave concern about was the administration’s refusal to show evidence for ExxonMobil’s US$2B parent company guarantee for oil spills in the Stabroek Block.

The issue dates back to September 2022, when two Guyanese, Frederick Collins and Godfrey Whyte filed a case through their Attorneys-at-Law Seenath Jairam, SC, Melinda Janki, and Abiola Wong-Innings. Their aim was to compel the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to obtain from ExxonMobil Guyana, unlimited liability coverage for oil spills, ensuring full protection for Guyana from any unforeseen costs related to spills.

On May 3, 2023, High Court Judge Justice Sandil Kissoon ruled in favor of the litigants, ordering the EPA to secure an unlimited parent and/or affiliate company guarantee. Following an appeal by Exxon and the EPA, the decision

Sunday January 28, 2024

Opposition Member of Parliament, Shurwayne Holder was stayed.

Subsequently, Appellate Court Judge, Justice Persaud mandated Exxon to provide a US$2 billion guarantee by June 8, 2023. The legal teams for Exxon, as well as the EPA, have insisted that the court order was complied with, though the litigants have since struggled to access the document for review.

This forced the citizens to file for a summons on November 1, 2023, so that the EPA and Exxon would produce evidence of the guarantee.

At a recent hearing, the EPA said the court had no jurisdiction to direct that this document be released.

Vice President and chief policymaker for the oil sector, Dr. Bharrat Jagdeo recently expressed no objection in principle to having the document released but noted the EPA’s legal constraints. "I can’t override the institution," he stated, adding that the EPA fears setting a precedent for an avalanche of similar requests across various sectors.

Referencing the foregoing sequence of events, Shadow Minister for the Natural Resources Sector, Shurwayne Holder said the government’s refusal to provide proof of Exxon’s US $2billion parent company guarantee in the event of an oil spill, as first ordered

by Justice Persaud, risks putting the entire country in jeopardy. While the case on full liability coverage is being decided in the Appellate Court, Holder argued that this parent company guarantee serves as one of Guyana’s first defenses in the event of an oil spill.

"More than that, however, what patriotic government would refuse to provide evidence that Guyana is in a safer position, especially after the Court has ordered that this document be established? This demonstrates a lack of respect for the judicial process and a woeful disregard for transparency and accountability," the politician said.

He added, "For Vice President Jagdeo to claim that he has no say in ensuring the EPA provides this documentation, and to take the position that there is no obligation

to provide it in the course of this court case is equally troubling. He claims that his government believes in transparency and accountability, but at every turn they demonstrate that their real loyalty is to secrecy."

Holder also expressed his disappointment with the fact that government joined with Exxon to appeal a decision handed down by Justice Sandil Kissoon that the operator provide full liability coverage.

"We labeled that action what it was—unpatriotic," he said, adding, "We reiterate now, the importance of a parent company guarantee as well as oil spill insurance so that Guyana does not bear the brunt of an oil spill's costs, if we are unfortunate enough to face one."

Holder said this state of affairs is troubling, especially when one considers the fact that government is accelerating oil sector developments at an unprecedented pace.

MP calls for repeal of Petroleum Activities Act ...says law disregards Free Prior Informed Consent of Amerindians for oil and gas activities Member of the Guyana Action Party (GAP), Vincent Henry has called for a repeal of the Petroleum Activities Act, passed in the National Assembly only five months ago.

The legislation, according to Henry disregards the right of Indigenous citizens to free prior informed consent for oil and gas activities that may affect their communities.

The Member of Parliament (MP) made this comment during Day Two of Budget 2024 Debates in the National Assembly.

While raising his concerns on the rights of Indigenous Peoples, he said, "I wish to bring to the nation and all Indigenous Peoples that the Petroleum Activities Bill recently passed by the PPP’s slim majority in Parliament gives the Minister of Natural Resources and by extension, the PPP, supreme powers to identify areas for petroleum exploration, negotiate and allow such exploration and production in any part of Guyana."

He continued, "This act disregards any Free Prior Informed Consent by affected communities.

This act strikes against the fundamental rights of the Indigenous peoples of Guyana."

Henry urged that the Act be repealed as he went on in his presentation to address the revision of the Amerindian Act. The MP pointed out that while monies have been allocated for the review to be conducted, little has been done to see its completion. He said, "As per normal, the Ministry (Continued on page 44)

sKaieteur weN ruetNews eiaK

Sunday 2202 ,20January yaM yad28, no2024 M

PAGE 15

‘Biscuit roads’ being built for billions in Hinterland - MP Vincent Henry L

eader of the Guyana Action Party (GAP), Vincent Henry recently drew the National Assembly's attention to the poor quality of roads being developed in the Hinterland region, despite billions being allocated for the projects.

During his contribution to the 2024 Budget Debates on Tuesday, the Member of Parliament (MP) said, “Years come and go (and), we note that the roads built by the PPP are mainly of biscuit texture. One example of this is the Lethem to South Rupununi roads. At this moment the road is being renovated at an extraordinarily high cost.

Drivers and commuters will enjoy the biscuit roads until the rains arrive.

Then it is back to roads that will make a moderately sick person become very ill before he can get to the hospital.”

T h i s y e a r, t h e government has set aside $5.5 billion to continue to bridge the gap between the Coastal and Hinterland regions.

This year too, the Ministry of Public Works has copped the

Opposition MP, Vincent Henry l a r

gest allocation of the $1.146 trillion Budget, receiving $236.1 billion.

The Opposition MP pointed out that during the Consideration of Estimates for the 2023 Budget, he suggested that government employ innovative strategies for more durable highways in the Hinterland; however, these seem to

have fallen on deaf ears.

He believes that the administration is comfortable with the quality of roads being built, as this would allow for large contracts to be granted to special contractors for their own benefit.

Over the years, commuters who frequent the interior locations have been complaining of the state of the

roadway despite the billions of dollars spent to maintain the roadway.

The travel time from Linden to other Hinterland locations can take as much as two days with the deplorable state of the infrastructure.

This has also been responsible for a number of accidents, many of which are unreported.

While the weather has been a sore factor responsible for the deterioration of the infrastructure, the Opposition member believes better quality of roads should be developed with the sums allocated for the Hinterland roads.

This year, the Opposition heavily criticized the government's infrastructure budget during the week-long debate in Parliament.

They argued that the fiscal plan has failed to allocate resources for public servants and the vulnerable sections of the population that are grappling with high cost of living and poverty.

The Public Works Minister, Juan Edghill has however defended the allocation, pointing out that the sum benefits the ordinary citizen.

The Department of Public Information (DPI) reported that in (Continued on page 48)

sKaieteur weN ruetNews eiaK

PAGE 16

Carlvin Burnett wants to make Berbice proud at Soca Monarch 2024 with 'Handy Man’ P

opularly known for his melodious voice in Guyana, Carlvin Burnett plans to make Berbice proud this year by winning the Coveted Soca Monarch title with his new song 'Handy Man.' The song was produced b y JOEY2KOOLPRODUCTI ONS and has already gained over five thousand views on YouTube within two weeks.

The Soca Monarch finals will take place on February 17, 2024 at the Linden Bus Park in Region 10.

Burnett has performed on the Soca stage but has never competed for the crown. It will be his debut and he plans to steal the show and make Berbice proud, the county where he was born and raised.

As 'Handy Man' continues to trend in the lead up to the Soca Monarch Finals, Burnett during a recent interview with Kaieteur News had high praises for his producer “Joey2Kool”. Joey2Kool's is a local producer and owns a

record label called JOEY2KOOLPROD UCTIONS. His real name is Joel Browne and he recently collaborated with Ibez to produce four of the songs for Jamaican Dancehall Artiste, Dexta Dap's new Album called Trilogy.

According to Burnett, there was a rhythm in “Joey's head” and that is what led to the creation of 'Handy Man.' “Joey called me one night, he was like 'this is wa a hearing in ma head' (mimics sound),” Burnett said, as he recalled brushing off Joey2Kool at first.

The producer called him the next day, but on that occasion, Burnett agreed to make his way down to Joey's studio and listen to the producer's idea.

“The minute he put the instrumental on, it was like

Fisherman drowns in canal at Blairmont

T

he motionless b o d y o f a fisherman was found in a canal on Friday at Blairmont, West Coast, Berbice (WCB) on Friday.

Dead is Tilach Nateram called 'Boy' or 'Rice,' 42, Number Four, Settlement, Blairmont, WCB, Berbice. It is suspected that he drowned in the waterway, sometime between 17:30hrs and 23:45hrs on Friday in the canal.

Investigations disclosed that the deceased was epileptic; he was also said to be an alcoholic.

Nateram was last seen alive in the village around 17:30hrs while he was imbibing.

Around 23:45 on Friday, a sluice attendant was contacted

by another fisherman, who told him that he found the motionless body of Nateram in the canal.

The man was found in the canal close to where the sluice attendant works.

Reports are that the body was observed floating face down in the canal; he was clad in a pair of red short pants. The man's body was taken out and examined by ranks of the Guyana Police Force; no marks of violence was observed on the body.

Persons in the area disclosed that the man would usually set his seine in the canal where he was found.

The man's body was taken to the Bailey's Funeral Parlour, awaiting a postmortem examination.

Investigations continue.

Sunday Monday January May 02, 28, 2022 2024

Guyana's rising star, Carlvin Burnett

the song actually wrote itself…The vibe was so good,” Burnett told Kaieteur News.

Not only was the instrumental “vibing good” but the lyrics Burnett penned for song is very unique and

interesting.

Burnett called it “word-play” that will make music lovers sit and think.

“As a youth growing-up listening to [Mighty] Sparrow, Lord Canary and these guys wordplay was a big thing, I could sing about phone but I don't even mention the phone,” he explained.

'Handy Man,' according Burnett, is a worker who can carry out any kind of job. In the song, he sings about a 'Handy Man'

for hire, but strangely, he only wants to be hired by women.

According to the character's resumé, in the song, he is a good mason to lay down bricks if the mixture is thick or he can be a good plumber to lay down pipes.

He is even a farmer; he can plant seeds in a woman's garden if needed.

The lyrics indeed fit the description of a handyman but could Burnett be singing about something? We may have to sit and think when we listen to his song.

Mason granted bail after shooting man in groin A mason of West Ruimveldt, Georgetown was granted bail in the sum of $150,000 when he appeared at the Georgetown Magistrates' Courts on Friday, where he was charged for discharging a loaded firearm towards a man's groin.

Travis Porter pleaded not guilty to the charge when he appeared before Senior Magistrate Leron Daly. Porter was charged w i t h t h e o ff e n c e o f discharging a loaded firearm, with intent to maim, disable or cause grievous bodily harm.

It is alleged that on December 29, 2023, at Hill Street, Albouystown, Georgetown, Porter d i s c h a rg e d a l o a d e d firearm towards Clive Rodrigues with intent to maim, disable or cause him grievous bodily harm.

Porter was represented

by Attorney-at-law Stacy Gooding. During the court proceedings, Prosecutor Christopher Morris made no objection to bail being granted to the accused.

However, he requested that the court impose reporting requirements.

A d d i t i o n a l l y, t h e prosecutor revealed that the victim sustained an injury to his groin area, subsequent to the shooting.

As such, the magistrate placed Porter on $150,000 bail with the condition that he reports weekly by the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) at the Brickdam Police Station until the conclusion of the court case.

If Porter fails to comply with the court order, bail would be withdrawn, and he will be remanded to prison. Porter is scheduled to appear again before the court on February 16, 2024.

Travis Porter at the Georgetown Magistrates' Court

Sunday January 28, 2024

PAGE 17

Kaieteur News

‘Top Tier’ - Guyanese producer Ridwaan

Shanae Hebe

Guyanese music producer, Ridwaan Razak

Fast-rising dancehall artiste, Jada Kingdom

s l l a f r e t a W The

Razak matched Jada Kingdom's

silky vocals in producing latest hit Guyana's Premier Energy Conference…

President, Dr. Irfaan Ali along with other government officials, stakeholders and Heads of State at the opening of last year's conference

A pioneering platform for showcasing multi-sectoral growth, forging new global partnerships

PAGE 18

Kaieteur News

This week's beauty is the charming Shanae Hebe; the reigning Miss Bartica Regatta.

Shanae is an adventurous nature explorer, who is fond of meeting new people, gaining knowledge, and partaking in women empowerment activities.

This beauty recently completed her Bachelor's Degree in Petroleum Engineering at the University of Guyana and is employed in Guyana's oil and gas sector.

Shanae's passion for women's equity and equality has seen her becoming a member of an all girl's organization called the Girl Build Girl foundation where she has served as the Junior President from 20202021.

Her favourite quote by Jim Carrey is “I feel we're all lighthouses, and my job is to shine my light as brightly as I can to the darkness.”

Sunday January 28, 2024

Shanae Hebe

Sunday January 28, 2024

Kaieteur News

PAGE 19

Red Sea Crisis: Houthi Attacks raising prices worldwide

By Sir Ronald Sanders

(The writer is Antigua and Barbuda’s Ambassador to the United States and the Organization of American States. He is also a Senior Fellow at the Institute of Commonwealth Studies at the University of London and Massey College in the University of Toronto. The views expressed are entirely his own.)

Up until a few weeks ago, the Red Sea and Yemen held little significance for the peoples of Latin America and the Caribbean. However, an unexpected turn of events thrust these regions into the spotlight—the relentless attacks on commercial shipping by a group known as the “Houthis.” Emerging from global obscurity, the Houthis have become central to headline news worldwide.

HOUTHI ATTACKS DRIVING UP PRICES FOR GOODS The Houthi assaults severed vital shipping routes by blocking access to the Suez Canal, a critical link connecting the Red Sea to the Mediterranean, representing a staggering 15 percent of global trade.

These attacks have propelled shipping costs to unprecedented levels—data from the London-based Drewry Shipping Consultants reveals that the average global price for a 40foot container has more than doubled in the past month.

Furthermore, the World Trade Organization reported a staggering 40 percent decline in wheat shipments through the Suez Canal in the first half of January.

Faced with this disruption, companies are re-routing fleets away from the Red Sea, opting for the Cape of Good Hope route around South Africa. However, the journey takes 10 days longer, further increasing costs.

NO REGION OF THE WORLD IS IMMUNE While Europe, Africa, and the Middle East directly bear the brunt of trade disruptions from the conflict, the global turmoil poses risks for all, including the Caribbean. Intertwined global transportation, with rising shipping costs, idle warehouses, and disrupted container schedules, initiates a ripple effect, impacting prices universally.

Additionally, the global stock market’s speculative nature further contributes to rising prices. Notably, in mid-January, heightened

risks in the Red Sea led to a surge in oil prices to $80 per barrel.

The Caribbean, already grappling with elevated costs from the COVID-19 pandemic and the RussianUkrainian conflict, is not immune to the recent price hikes. Prolonged disruption by the Houthis, far from a distant concern, directly affects the Caribbean, impacting the pockets of people across the region.

WHO ARE THE HOUTHIS AND WHY ARE THEY ATTACKING SHIPPING The problem is the Houthis have no self-serving interest to stop. The Houthis are a political and military organization in Yemen, a country located in the southern end of the Arabian Peninsula. It is bordered by Saudi Arabia to the north and Oman to the northeast.

Significantly, it overlooks the Red Sea at its narrowest point - a 20-mile strait of water – before it plunges into the Arabian sea. It is from this vantage point that the Houthis have been attacking ships since the conflict between Hamas and Israel in Gaza began in November 2023.

The Houthi Organization controls most parts of Ye m e n , i n c l u d i n g t h e capital. They have been at war with a military coalition, organised and supported by Saudi Arabia for 10 years.

The Organization is supported by the Government of Iran for two reasons. The first is that Iran rivals Saudi Arabia for regional dominance; Yemen is a proxy for the wider competition. The rivalry is exacerbated by religious differences - Iran is largely Shia Muslim, while Saudi Arabia is Sunni Muslim.

The second reason for Iran support of the Houthis is the conflict between Israel and Hamas over Gaza. Israel and Iran are sworn enemies,

and Iran is believed to be financing the Houthis to attack ships serving ports in Israel. But what started out as an attempt to inflict damage on Israel in support of the Palestinian cause, has spread into attacking ships belonging to the US, the UK and other Western nations regarded as allies of Israel.

THE UN RESPONSE On January 10, 2024, the United Nations Security Council attempted to address the issue by passing a resolution, condemning the Houthi attacks on shipping.

But the resolution, while adopted, exposed serious divisions among the 5 vetonations on the Council. The US, UK and France voted in favour, Russia and China abstained.

Both Russia and China linked their abstention to the consequences of Israel’s military operations in Gaza that have now lasted for more than 3 months, resulting in more than 25,000 people being killed.

SITUATION ABOUT TO WORSEN Recent US and UK airstrikes across Yemen, directed at Houthi operations, prompted a Houthi demand for the expulsion of all US and UK, UN and humanitarian staff within a month. Whether this demand hints at further retaliatory actions against the US and UK remains uncertain.

Meanwhile, the Houthis lack an incentive to cease attacks on Western-owned ships, as their actions in Yemen, purportedly in support of Palestine, have bolstered their popularity, diverting attention from the Organization’s failure to provide basic services to the Yemeni people.

Both the US and UK governments are facing general elections this year.

Wars – even small ones –

have the tendency to rally national support behind governments, particularly if they claim that the involvement in conflict is to provide economic benefits or enhance national power.

Thus, the US and UK governments also have domestic political reasons to intensify their military response to the Houthis, in the hope that it will build their political capital.

NO PROSPECTS FOR AN EARLY END The ongoing disruptions underscore the urgency for

nations to unite in diplomatic efforts, prioritizing humanitarian concerns, and seeking enduring solutions to restore stability.

However, given all the vested interests at play, no such thing will happen.

Therefore, the prospect is real of a prolonged disruption of shipping.

Countries around the world need to prepare for higher prices.

And, once again, small

Sir Ronald Sanders states, through no fault of their own, will be the victims of events in which they play no part.

Responses and previous c o m m e n t a r i e s : www.sirronaldsanders.com

PAGE 20

Kaieteur News

Sunday January 28, 2024

BLUNTNESS ON INDECENCY!

Kaieteur News

Sunday January 28, 2024

PAGE 21

No Sugar: Challenge yourself to go without sugar and see what happens in a month Dr. Zulfikar Bux Emergency Medicine Specialist Refined sugar is sugar that has been processed from a natural source so that only the pure sugar remains; like granulated sugar from sugar cane, or corn syrup from corn. These are the sugars that are generally bad for our health and will be the focus of our discussion today.

Excess or persistent use of these sugars trigger an inflammatory response which leads to numerous metabolic derangements and increases our risk for many diseases.

They also promote an addictive effect similar to the cocaine addiction mechanism in our brains which causes dopamine to be released and stimulating pleasure.

I do think that avoiding these sugars may be an important part of the solution to help combat many of the inflammatory conditions that burden our lives.

Decreasing disease burden risk The more sugar we eat, the more insulin is released to break it down. High levels of circulating insulin increase fat storage and inflammatory effects.

Avoiding this process, decrease the risk of having these conditions: - Heart disease - Obesity - Diabetes - High blood pressure - High cholesterol - Chronic inflammation (associated with cancer etc) What other benefits are there to you?

Reducing sugar load in your body, decreases the

inflammatory effects on our brain and body and helps in the following way: Increased energy: Refined sugars tend to cause a surge in blood sugar levels and then cause a crash which makes us feel tired and fatigued most of the time.

We i g h t r e d u c t i o n : Sugar free diet helps to increase metabolism and fat burning thereby leading to weight loss.

Reduced cravings: Reducing sugars, reduces dopamine which decreases cravings for sugars and bad foods.

Better skin: Refined sugars trigger skin inflammation and break down skin proteins leading to wrinkling and sagging of skin.

Improve memory: High sugar levels affect BDNF ( B r a i n - D e r i v e d

Neurotrophic Factor) levels, which is critical in memory and learning.

Decrease anxiety and depression: High sugar l e v e l s t r i g g e r overstimulation of serotonin which leads to mood disorders such as depression and anxiety.

How can you survive without sugar?

The trick is to survive without refined sugars and make use of naturally occurring sugars since your body will need them to perform important functions.

In a nutshell, here are a few tips that should help maintain the right balance for you: - If you absolutely must use a sweetener, consider a sugar substitute like stevia or monk fruit sweetener - Use more whole foods such as fruits, vegetables,

whole grains, dairy products, lean proteins, seafood, nuts and seeds.

- Skip the soda, energy drinks, sweet teas and fruit juices.

- Use whole fruit as a sweetener. Add a mashed banana to oatmeal, or blend dates into a smoothie.

- Avoid foods with added sugars or “disguised sugars” (corn syrup, maltose, dextrose etc) What will happen if you do the 30 day no sugar challenge?

If you are accustomed to a sugary life, this challenge may not be as easy as it sounds. It will take a lot out of you for the first two weeks.

Things will be harder before they get easier.

Initially, you will have to screen everything that you eat and you may quickly

realize how many hidden sugars you are consuming.

The first week and a bit will be the toughest as your body pushes you to crave for sugar and you fight off the withdrawal symptoms.

However, as you come to the end of the second week, you will start to feel much better.

You will feel more energized and start to see positive changes in your skin.

By the last week, you will realize that you are not as bloated and may see some weight loss, and stability in your mood.

At the end, you should see most of the benefits we discussed in today’s article and this may be the boost you need to bring discipline into your health and lifestyle and make the changes that will benefit you for life.

PAGE 22

Kaieteur News

Sunday January 28, 2024

Kaieteur News

Sunday January 28, 2024

2024 Calypso Monarch:

14 to compete for coveted crown

Reigning monarch Roger ‘Young Bil Rogers’ Hinds’ is among 14 crooners who will compete in the finals of the adult format of the 2024 Adult Calypso Monarch.

The finalists were announced by the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sports on Thursday. The event will be held on Friday, February 16 at the Tabatinga Sports Complex in Lethem, Rupununi and ministry noted that the Juniors will also compete at the same venue on the same day.

Hinds, a three time monarch who has been competing as a singer for more than three decades, will have stiff competition from the other finalists this year.

The list include the 2021 and 2022 monarch Faith ‘Lil Canary’ Corrica, granddaughter of the late Malcolm ‘ Lord Canary’

Corrica, who also competed and won the crown multiple times.

This year, the competition boat will be rocked further when the ambitious 2020 Junior Calypso monarch winner, Omaiah Aaliyah Hall takes to the stage.

Other finalists include popular social media personality Quincy ‘Ego’ Lacon who came in second

to Corrica in the 2022 competition.

Others vying for the titles include Osei ‘OKC’ Clark, Kenroy ‘Mighty Believer’ Fraser, Linden ‘The Sniper’ Thomas, Akeem Alexander , Jenel ‘Mrs. Fluffy’ Archer, Jamal Stuart, Pearl Lewis aka ‘ Precious Pearl,’ Karen Bennet aka ‘Queen Bennet,’ Melon McRae and Garfield Campbell aka ‘Mighty Roots.’

PAGE 23

PAGE 24

Kaieteur News

Sunday January 28, 2024

Sunday January 28, 2024

Kaieteur News

PAGE 25

g stin s... e r e e r Int eatu Cr

Crocodiles can grow back teeth

Crocodiles don’t have to worry about caring their teeth or take oral hygiene seriously because these huge reptiles have the unique ability to replace any tooth if it falls out. According to an article published by Learn Direct, a British Education Company, being able to re-grow teeth is one of the most fascinating facts about crocodiles.

“They have a specialized groove in their jaws that allows new teeth to grow to replace the ones they lose. Over their lifetime, they can grow and replace thousands of teeth”, Learn Direct said.

Crocodiles are large semiaquatic reptiles and lethal predators that live throughout the tropics in Africa, Asia, the Americas and Australia and being able to grow back lost teeth is the only thing that is interesting about them.

They are excellent parents. Females build nests and lay eggs, which they guard vigilantly. Once the eggs hatch, the mother carries her offspring to water, protects them, and provides guidance and protection for several months until they become independent.

These animals can also live past 70 years and has the ability to adapt to its environment for survival especially changing its hunting style. Crocodiles are also excellent

swimmers, have a very diverse diet and a unique killing style known as the death roll.

The “death roll” is a technique used by the predator to tear apart and dismember its prey by spinning their bodies in the water.

Last but not least crocs have a Sensorineural Organ on their snout.

On the skin of its snout, they have tiny pits called “integumentary sensory organs.”

These pits are sensitive to pressure changes in the water, allowing the crocodile to detect even the smallest disturbances made by potential prey or threats.

It is important to note too that not only are crocodile fascinating creatures but play a key role in the eco-system of their natural habitat. . As top predators, they regulate prey populations and help maintain the balance of the entire food chain.

Another huge benefit of crocodiles, according to Learn Direct, is their sensitivity to changes in water quality, habitat degradation, and pollution. Therefore added Learn Direct, their presence or absence from an area serves as an indicator of the health of the ecosystem there.

Source of information: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Learndirect https://www.learndirect.com/blog/fascin ating-facts-about-crocodiles

A crocodile basking in the sun

PAGE 26

Kaieteur News

Sunday January 28, 2024

Sunday January 28, 2024

Kaieteur News

PAGE 27

Kaieteur News

PAGE 28

Sunday January 28, 2024

‘Bob Marley One Love’: ...premiere creates major buzz in Jamaica (Loop Jamaica) With the surprise appearance by the Duke of Sussex Prince Harry and his wife Meghan on the red carpet leaving the mouths of nattily attired guests agape, the imposing legacy of reggae legend Bob Marley registered anew with the highly anticipated big-screen biography of his life, 'One Love', making its world premiere at the Carib 5 cinema in Cross Roads, Kingston, on Tuesday night.

The Marley biopic, due to open in cinemas worldwide on February 14, made its debut for a Jamaican audience, with the film's director Reinaldo Marcus Green, lead star Kingsley Ben-Adir, and Paramount Pictures president and chief executive officer Brian Robbins, among the bigwigs in the island for the glitzy premiere.

An impressive turnout of the who's who in Jamaican entertainment, political, business and social circles made the guestlist for the buzzed about affair, which sees scions of the late music superstar Ziggy and Cedella Marley as the film's co-producers, bringing their father's welldocumented life to celluloid posterity.Speaking to Loop Entertainment on the premiere's press line, Ziggy relayed his satisfaction with the road taken for 'One Love' from story concept to movie reality. “It helps to spread the message more in a different medium, so we are very happy we are able to push it to another level,” he said, adding that “me and Neville Garrick, were there to make sure they don't mess it up, we were really involved.”

Asked if he'd seen the biopic more than once, Marley cheerfully

shared: “Yeah man, mi see it nuff time… mi like it, is one of them movie weh you are going to want to watch more than one time.”

Meanwhile, for the man who stepped into character as the music icon, and has faced praise and backlash from opposing sides of the local public who have debated his casting, Ben-Adir told Loop Entertainment that being in Jamaica for the premiere “is beyond special.

“This movie was made for British actor Kingsley BenJamaica, with Bob's family and all Adir, who portrays Bob of the cast, so premiering it here is a Marley in One Love, on the very special moment,” Ben-Adir red carpet at Monday night's said. movie premiere at Carib 5 Asked about his preparation for the role and going through the cinema. (Photo: Marlon Reid) months-long filmed experience, the

English actor said: “It was a journey, and I had the love and support of the Jamaican cast and they really lifted it, they really lifted the whole film.”

The 'Bob Marley: One Love' movie, lensed last year between the

The Duke of Sussex Prince Harry and his wife Meghan on the red carpet, Prime Minister Andrew Holness along with other patrons of Bob Marley's One Love movie Premiere

UK and Jamaica, with shoot locations including Trench Town, the National Stadium, and the Bob Marley Museum, stars Ben-Adir as Bob, Lashana Lynch as Rita Marley, and James Norton as Chris Blackwell.

Jamaicans in the cast include reggae singers Naomi Cowan and Hector Lewis and musician and actor Sheldon Shepherd.

Based on an initial story by Terence Winter and Frank E Flowers, and developed into the screenplay penned by Winter, Flowers, Zach Bryan and the film's director Green, the movie zones in on Bob's prolific career, including events leading up to his attempted assassination in 1976, and the historic One Love concert he headlined the same year, at which he memorably joined the hands of late Prime Minister Michael Manley and Opposition Leader Edward Seaga.

Jamaica's Prime Minister Andrew Holness, talking to American journalists at the premiere, was effusive about both Marley and the movie.

“He appeals to a broad cross section of people all over the world;

his music and his values are universal so he iconic. To the people of Jamaica, he's their hero, he is their voice, poetry and music.

“For a film to be made of him and to premiere here is a great honour for us,” Holness said.

“Paramount Pictures has shown a great respect and culture of Jamaica to have the premiere here.”

In addition to a sizable representation from the local press, a flurry of overseas media was also present at Tuesday night's premiere, including Entertainment Tonight and the show's co-host Kevin Frazier, CBS Sunday Morning and correspondent Seth Doane, and Fantastico Brazil and reporter Hugo Glos.

Doane told Loop Entertainment that his television crew's Jamaica visit to cover the premiere is part of a Ben-Adir profile story set to air on CBS on Sunday, February 4.

By Omar Tomlinson

Reggae singer Ziggy Marley (centre), son of late reggae superstar and co-producer of One Love, speaking on the red carpet with ET co-host Kevin Frazier, as Marley's wife Orly looks on. (Photo: Marlon Reid)

Sunday January 28, 2024

Kaieteur News

PAGE 29

PAGE 30

Kaieteur News

Sunday January 28, 2024

Sunday January 28, 2024

Kaieteur News

PAGE 31

How to Get Rid of Chapped Lips - My 5 Easy Hacks Before

Done by: Dr Sam Bunting W e b s i t e : https://drsambunting.com/bl ogs/sam-bunting/chappedlips-my-5-easy-hacks Our lips go through a lot in a day We breathe through them, we lick them, we stretch and pout with them whilst we eat, talk and (if we’re lucky!), kiss.

And yet they’re one of our most sensitive and aesthetically important features, so when they become dried out, chapped and uncomfortable, they make us look and feel less than fabulous.

So I thought I’d share my 5 quick and easy hacks that really move the needle when it comes to getting your lips into kissable condition this winter!

How Can I Nourish My Lips Correctly?

Lips have a thin stratum corneum that holds onto water less effectively than in other parts of our body. They also lack sebaceous gland, which means they’re even more susceptible to dehydration when exposed to the winter elements.

So the best way to support this delicate barrier is to use ingredients that reduce water evaporating from their surface, or what we call Transepidermal

After

Water Loss (TEWL). Great ingredients to look for include petroleum (it’s in Vaseline), lanolin and shea butter.

These can be combined with humectants - like glycerin or hyaluronic acid but avoid using humectants alone, as these won’t work in

cold low-humidity conditions.

What About Protecting My Lips When I Ski?

It’s very important to include UV protection at altitude as lips are inherently melanin-free, so this, coupled with the thin stratum corneum mean they are highly susceptible to UV damage and ultimately premature ageing. I think the quality of lip balms with spf are getting better - it’s a challenge to create something that offers high protection, is cosmetically elegant but is also hydrating and non-irritating. Paulas Choice and Elta MD are both doing a good job in this space.

Lip Balm Addiction This is such a common complaint - there’s a feeling of initial relief on applying product, but over time they set up a cycle of lip balm addiction, as irritation develops. When you probe

the INCI list of so many lip balms, they’re chock-full of ingredients that serve no purpose beyond the sensorial, and are potentially hazardous, especially when applied to dried-out lips, where ingredients penetrate even further.

The top 3 things to try eliminating if you feel this applies to you are 1)fragrance, 2)flavourings and 3)salicylic acid. Also, it’s worth being conscious of the potential for pigments in lipstick to irritate, an important consideration if product use is making matters deteriorate rapidly.

Humidity and Your Lips Waking up with dry lips is very common in winter.

One of the big contributing factors is that many of us sleep in warm rooms with dry air.

An easy fix that can really help bolster lip hydration is to use a humidifer.

And if you can do this at work, even better. This will really reduce the TEWL from your lips. I like the Stadler Form Humidifers (they actually look quite chic too). Aim for arounf 45-55%.

This really helps if you’re a mouth breather!

Wrap Up Warm A final consideration is to think about is using clothing as an added layer of protection. Much like with sun protection, clothing provides a really valuable and safe way to supplement your spf in extreme conditions + at altitude. So wrap that cashmere scarf around a couple of times and cosset your lips whilst keeping them safe.

PAGE 32

Kaieteur News

Sunday January 28, 2024

Kaieteur News

Sunday January 28, 2024

L

PAGE 33

Country Profile-ICELAND

ast week we took you to the beautiful African country of Rwanda, with its lush forests and wonderful wildlife. This week we’re headed to the cold corner of the world, Iceland.

An island country located in the North Atlantic Ocean, lying on the constantly active geologic border between North America and Europe, Iceland is a land of vivid contrasts of climate, geography, and culture.

Sparkling glaciers, such a s Va t n a G l a c i e r (Vatnajökull), Europe’s largest, lie across its ruggedly beautiful mountain ranges; abundant hot geysers provide heat for many of the c o u n t r y ’s h o m e s a n d buildings and allow for hothouse agriculture yearround; and the offshore Gulf Stream provides a surprisingly mild climate for what is one of the northernmost inhabited places on the planet.

History of Iceland Iceland was founded more than 1,000 years ago during the Viking age of exploration and settled by a mixed Norse and Celtic population.

The early settlement, made up primarily of Norwegian seafarers and adventurers, fostered further excursions to Greenland and the coast of North America (which the Norse called Vi n l a n d ) . D e s p i t e i t s physical isolation some 500 miles (800 km) from Scotland—its nearest E u r o p e a n neighbour—Iceland has remained throughout its history very much a part of European civilization. The Icelandic sagas, most of which recount heroic episodes that took place at the time the island was settled, are regarded as among the finest literary achievements of the Middle Ages, reflecting a European o u t l o o k w h i l e commemorating the history and customs of a people far removed from continental centres of commerce and culture. The capital, Reykjavík (“Bay of Smokes”), is the site of the island’s first farmstead and is a thriving city, handsome in aspect and cosmopolitan in outlook. Other major population centres are Akureyri, on the northc e n t r a l c o a s t ; Hafnarfjördhur, on the southwestern coast; and Selfoss, in the southern lowlands.

Iceland is a Scandinavian

Coat of Arms of Iceland

country, the world’s oldest democracy but modern in nearly every respect.

Unlike most European countries, however, it is ethnically homogeneous, so much so that genetic researchers have used its inhabitants to study hereditary disorders and develop cures for a host of diseases.

Although increasingly integrated into the European mainstream, Icelanders take care to preserve their traditions, customs, and language. The population of Iceland is extremely homogeneous. The inhabitants are descendants of settlers who began arriving in AD 874 and continued in heavy influx for about 60 years thereafter. Historians differ on the exact origin and ethnic composition of the settlers but agree that between 60 and 80 percent of them were of Nordic stock from Norway. The rest, from Scotland and Ireland, were largely of Celtic stock. The dominant language in the period of settlement was Old Norse, the language spoken in Norway at the time.

Through the centuries it has evolved into modern Icelandic, which is used throughout the country.

Modern Icelanders can still read Icelandic sagas in Old Norse without difficulty.

There are no ethnic distinctions. The early Nordic and Celtic stocks have long since merged, and the relatively small number of subsequent immigrants (the largest portion of whom are Poles) has had only a l i m i t e d e ff e c t o n t h e population structure.

Religion The Lutheran faith has been the dominant religion since the mid-16th century.

More than two-thirds of the population belongs to the

state-supported Evangelical Lutheran church. There is freedom of religion.

Constitutional f r a m e w o r k I c e l a n d ’s constitution, which was adopted in 1944, established a parliamentary democracy with a directly elected president as head of state.

The powers of the president are similar to those of other heads of state in western European democracies. Real power rests with the 63member parliament, the Althingi (Althing).

One of the oldest legislative assemblies in the world, it is a unicameral legislature in which members serve four-year terms unless parliament is dissolved and new elections called. The executive branch is headed by a cabinet that must maintain majority support in

parliament—or at least avoid censure—otherwise it must resign. Citizens are guaranteed the civil rights customary in Western democracies. Local governmentLocal government in Iceland is chiefly responsible for primary education, municipal services, and the administration of social programs. The country is divided into 17 provinces (sýslur), which are further subdivided into fewer than 100 municipalities. Since the 1970s their number has decreased by nearly half as a result of consolidation. Each municipality administers local matters through an elected council. Justice The judiciary consists of a supreme court and a system of lower courts, most of which hear both civil and criminal cases.

Cases are heard and decided by appointed judges; there is no jury system. Security With the exception of a small coast guard, Iceland does not have military forces. However, in 1949 it became a charter member of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO).

Iceland joined the United Nations in 1946, a year after its founding. In the postWorld War II period it has based its foreign policy on peaceful international cooperation and participated in joint Western defense efforts. The United States, having assumed responsibility for Iceland’s defense, maintains a naval air station at Keflavík International Airport under

The flag of Iceland

The Hallgrimskirkja

NATO auspices. Health and welfare Iceland, with compulsory health insurance that finances most medical services, has a high standard of public health and one of

the highest life expectancies in the world. Hospital inpatient services are provided entirely without charge, other medical services at low cost.

Kaieteur News

PAGE 34

Sunday January 28, 2024

GNBS IN FOCUS

GNBS maintains oil and gas responsibility to ensure measurement transparency G

uyana’s Oil and Gas sector is rapidly growing.

This is evident in the three new oil discoveries recorded last year along with the projected lifts for 2024.

Revenue generated from this sector, which is mainly from crude volumes extracted and sold, significantly contributes to the progression of the country’s infrastructure and other sectors as the government pushes forward with its development agenda. As a result, the importance of accuracy and transparency cannot be overstated.

As the National Measurement Institute (NMI), the Guyana National Bureau of Standards (GNBS) pursuant of Article

6 of the Petroleum Agreement is delegated to perform the functions of the Minister as set out under Regulation 12 of the Petroleum (Exploration and Production) Regulations.

Hence, the GNBS is tasked with the monitoring of the custody transfer process to ensure there is accurate measurement during the lifting of crude from the Floating Production Storage and Offloading (FPSO) vessels offshore Guyana. In 2023, one new production platform was operationalised on the Stabroek Block moving the total to three. Inspectors of the GNBS’ Oil and Gas Department travelled offshore to the FPSO Vessels - Liza Destiny, Liza Unity and Prosperity – where they

conducted gauging of storage tanks and proving/calibration of flow meters used during the custody transfers of crude.

In addition, the Bureau Inspectors collected samples of crude and witnessed the Laboratory Analysis to determine quality of the crude offloaded.

I m p o r t a n t l y, G N B S performs these monitoring activities in accordance with the American Petroleum Institute (API) Standards, which are recognized globally. In 2021, the GNBS signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with API to strengthen knowledge and cooperation on safety guidelines and requirements for the industry.

Through the MoU, the

GNBS has adopted a list of API Standards as National Standards, has access API training opportunities based on the needs of the Bureau and the local industry, and benefits from information regarding updates to applicable regulations in the industry.

Further, the GNBS has increased capacity to conduct testing of crude oil to determine the API gravity, density, salt content, H2S (Hydrogen Sulphide) and the amount of sediment and water. Looking forward, with the gas to energy project expected to come on stream shortly, the GNBS also will be monitoring of the metering process to support reliable measurements of this byproduct from the drilling for crude.

C o n s e q u e n t l y, t o effectively discharge its responsibilities in the petroleum sector, the GNBS is consistently working to increase its human resources and build capacity to monitor

the sector which will ensure the country receives value for its resources.

The GNBS, with support from the Government of Guyana and other partners in Standardisation, has pledged to provide quality measurement and other services in the oil and gas

sector—both onshore and offshore—in the interest of the people of Guyana.

For more details on this and other services offered by the GNBS, contact the Bureau on telephone numbers: 219-0064 or 2190065 or WhatsApp us on 692-4627.

Kaieteur News

Sunday January 28, 2024

PAGE 35

CONSUMER CONCERN

Ensuring safety and standards of all hostels for young people

By Pat Dial On 19th January, the Report of the Commission of Inquiry on Mahdia Dormitory Fire was presented to the President.

Major General (Retd) Joe Singh was appointed Chairman of the Commission whose main terms of reference were to investigate and report on the events leading up to the dormitory fire as well as its causes.

Major General Singh pointed out the though the fire was caused by an act of arson, it could be attributed to “an unfortunate outcome of several other factors.”

Singh is one of the most able and versatile Guyanese who has willingly and successfully undertaken challenges and tasks of national importance over the years and his work has invariably been of the highest quality.

The fire occurred on 21st May,2023 at the one flat hostel which housed 57 children from distant Amerindian villages who had gone to Mahdia to be able to attend school. In the fire, 19 school children and the 5-year old child of the house parents perished. This is one of the greatest tragedies which had occurred in Guyanese history and both the population and main politicians were deeply saddened and demanded a Commission of Inquiry (CoI) which was duly appointed and was able to complete taking its evidence i n S e p t e m b e r. T h e Commission inquired into the building, safety concerns, teachers, children,

house parents and community and made their recommendations. Among the more important of these were:The hostel buildings countrywide should be equipped with modern amenities with sports and socialization areas.

The windows of the Mahdia dormitory were all heavily grilled to prevent children from leaving the hostel without knowledge or authorization of the house parents.

The CoI recommended that there should be secured fencing and security cameras monitoring the entry and exit of all persons instead of grills on the windows and doors of hostel buildings.

A National Inspectorate should be appointed which should regularly visit the various hostels to ensure that the buildings were in conformance with standards of hygiene, comfort, safety, socialization spaces, gendersensitive, food and general discipline and to address complaints and suggestions from the children and house parents. Fire-fighting and emergency evacuation drills should be regularly scheduled in the schools and dormitories and should be unfailingly enforced. The fire services would be able to assist in this.

House parents and supervisors generally have no training for the tasks and responsibilities with which they are entrusted and this could sometimes cause the children to take advantage of them. They should therefore be exposed to continuous training.

Such training would have many of the

elements of formal Diploma in Education such as Child Psychology.

Children in dormitories, especially from the Interior Regions, need mentoring and monitoring since it is often traumatic for them when they have to leave their communities and families.

Efforts should be made to incorporate their social and cultural values in the schools and dormitories and to imbue in them a sense of

self-management, team work and social cohesiveness. Adolescent children going through life changing experiences and emotions need close attention, according to the Report’s recommendations, since they could be drawn into indulging in experimentation with drugs such as marijuana and vape and because of their vulnerability to the lure of money and grooming by

unscrupulous adults.

The memory of the tragedy should not be allowed to die but should be kept alive as a reminder that such a tragedy should never again be permitted to happen and the Commission recommended that a permanent memorial be established.

Although Home Affairs Minister Robeson Benn ‘s recent recommendation during the Budget debate was not part

of the Commission’s Report, it is apposite that we mention it: He proposed that ‘Fire Victims Awareness Day be commemorated every year in remembrance of the victims of the Mahdia fire and to raise awareness of fire prevention and safety’.

The recommendations made by the Commission s h o u l d b e e ff e c t u a t e d without much delay since they will have quick positive results.

Kaieteur News

PAGE 36

Sunday January 28, 2024

TEEN TIME Uncle Roy is encouraging all our youths to join together and advocate for play parks in their community The ongoing works that are now in progress to provide park facilities at the Joe Vieira Park near the Demerara Harbour Bridge West Bank terminal must remind us that children's playgrounds are a necessity in every town and village.

It is therefore vital for the authorities in every community to be reminded and encouraged to start the operation to provide these.

The absence of this in most of our areas means that either the authorities have not considered this important, or that they did not possess the funds and other things necessary to create this.

Uncle Roy is now asking all our teenagers to join together and start a movement in your area to

To build Guyana

By Rosina Ragobeer To build Guyana, for it to be better, We have to treat it as a serious matter To build Guyana it needs cooperation, So we need to introduce specialisation.

It's like when I read you will write, In this way there will be no fight.

I can till while you weed, Another dig, and the next plant the seed, Some will have to take their education, While others work on the plantation; Some must for minerals dive, As others in the dangerous rivers drive; To build Guyana I must work to my maximum, For it's not fair to my brothers facing the sun.

Working with this idea and strong management, We can all enjoy our money and ensure it's well-spent; Some must fetch the loads and fill the crates, While some in the ocean are setting baits; Many in the fields will be working late, Thus no man will be able to dominate.

To build Guyana, all must play a part, Sharing work evenly right from the start, Planting roots of pine, cashew and banana, With this simple advice, we can all build Guyana.

make representation to the proper authorities, village or town councils, to get the projects online to get these facilities seen as a necessity and worked on early.

As I mentioned, it will be necessary to first get together and hold some meetings to work out the strategy that you will employ to put your ideas to the persons who are in c h a r g e o f t h e administration of your area.

At these gatherings, you will need to make a

serious effort to decide on the suggestions you will be offering to them on the construction of the park, e.g. the place where it can be positioned, the facilities which you would like to see included, and what you as a unit would be willing to do to get the project accomplished.

I will be grateful if each organisation you start can send the information on any progress you are making, so that I can publish this as an encouragement to others to do the same.

Diagonal Troix The finished puzzle should be filled with Xs, Os, and Is. Rows, columns, and diagonals should never contain three-in-a-row of any one symbol. Each row and column should contain an equal number of each symbol. There is a unique solution.

Big thanks to Jared McComb, who suggested this puzzle design, and aided in its development.

Each of us must see ourself as a citizen who must help to build our community, and see what we can do every day in this effort.

Solutions to last week’s

BRIDGES

Sunday January 28, 2024

Kaieteur News

PAGE 37

Princess Robyn and the Dragon Junior page

A brave girl called Robyn decides to investigate when a dragon is terrorising a village.

Once upon a time, not so long ago, there lived a brave girl called Robyn. Robyn was a princess, and lived in a castle in the village of Witsworth, with her parents (who were King and Queen but rarely used their royal titles), her brother (Prince Noah), and Nacho, her best friend and ginger cat sidekick.Bedtime stories Princess Robyn and the Dragon short stories for kidsOne morning Princess

Robyn was helping Nacho with his breakfast.

“Would you like biscuits Nacho?” Nacho meowed loudly, meaning yes, and wrapped himself around Robyn's legs. Breakfast was Nacho's favourite meal of the day, and by coincidence, it was also Robyn's.

As Robyn poured the biscuits into Nacho's fishshaped dish, she caught a whiff of them. They smelled delicious! She licked her lips and reached for one of them, but Nacho nudged her with his paw and meowed again.

Robyn glanced at him.

He was right, they were his snacks, and Nacho never took her food.

“Okay Nacho, here you go!” she said brightly, and watched Nacho tuck into his tasty meal.

Once they had both eaten, it was time to get dressed. Nacho sat beside Robyn as she chose her outfit for the day.

They had big plans – first, they were going to go to the park and ride on the slide, and then they were going to stop by the local stables to feed the horses some carrots.

Just as Robyn reached for a pair of mustard leggings, she heard a huge ROAAARRRR!

The castle shook a little and Nacho ran and hid under the bed. Princess Robyn frowned and pulled on her leggings, then marched to the window to look out.

What on earth was that noise?

Immediately she saw the culprit. There, in the misty morning sun, sat a dragon, overlooking the village. He roared again, and the townspeople scattered into their houses, hiding.

Robyn put her hands on her hips and frowned. A dragon would ruin all of her plans for the day! She had

been so looking forward to seeing the horses at the stables. This would not do!

“Nacho! Are you going to come and talk to this dragon with me?”

Nacho let out a short, sharp meow that sounded very much like a 'No'.

“Okay,” said Princess Robyn, nodding. “I can see that you're scared. I'm scared too – but I'm not going to let a dragon ruin everyone's day.”

Robyn pulled on her boots and walked out of her room, through the castle, and out of the front door.

As soon as she stepped outside she felt the hot breath of the dragon on her skin.

There he was, roaring loudly into the sky, the noise shaking the windows of all of the houses. There was absolutely nobody to be seen – everyone was hiding apart from Princess Robyn. ​ “Excuse me!” Robyn shouted, walking toward the dragon with purpose. He stopped mid roar and stared at her in surprise.

“Are you talking to me?” he said, glancing around him.Bedtime stories dragon illustration fairy tale 2“Yes!” said Princess Robyn crossly.

“Why are you making so much noise?

You've

frightened everyone away!”

The dragon blinked at her, and then looked around him at the village. Then, Robyn noticed something different about the dragon…he was crying. A long, wet, tear dropped from the corner of his eye and landed in a huge puddle beneath him.

Robyn stepped closer to him. “Are you okay?” she asked.

The dragon sniffed loudly, and shook his gigantic scaly head. “No. I didn't get any sleep last night. I have a terrible

toothache and I was hoping that someone in the village might be able to help me, but everyone is afraid of me… except you.”Bedtime stories dragon illustration fairy tale 1Robyn smiled kindly.

“Well, that's just because of the noise you were making. I can organise a dentist to help you, but you must understand that people don't like big noises.”

The dragon sniffed again an d n o d d ed s ad l y. “ I understand. Thank you for being smart enough to see that I was only in pain, and brave enough to come and talk to me.” Robyn nodded, and strode over to the dragon, patting him on one of his large toes.

“Don't worry. We'll fetch some ladders and the dentist, and you'll be back to your usual self in no time at all.”

Princess Robyn did just that. She visited all the local hardware shops and encouraged the owners to come out with their ladders.

Then, she visited the dentist, and asked for help with the dragon's tooth.

The townspeople were very nervous at first, but Robyn explained to them kindly that the dragon was only grumpy because he was in pain, and that everyone

needed help sometimes, regardless of size.

The townspeople listened to her and pulled back their shoulders, doing their best to be as brave as the princess.

Together, they encouraged the dragon to lie down. Once the ladders were secured, the dentist was able to climb up them and hop into the dragon's mouth to see what the problem was.

It was a large piece of hedge stuck between two of his huge teeth! The dentist popped her head out of the dragon's mouth and

shrugged.

“I'm afraid that I don't have any equipment big enough to remove this!” she said.

Robyn thought for a moment, and then had a bright idea.

“Somebody fetch the fire service! They have hoses that are big and powerful, and they'll have no problem spraying the hedge out of the dragon's teeth!”

Princess Robyn was quite right, and the hose did just the trick. Once the hedge had been removed, and everyone was back on the ground, the dragon sat up and purred with delight. His purr sounded just like Nacho's!

“Thank you so much Princess Robyn,” said the dragon in relief, “I can't tell you what a difference you've made. The village of Witsworth is lucky to have a princess as thoughtful, brave, and smart as you.”

Robyn smiled. She was just relieved that the dragon was feeling better, and that the townspeople were able to go on enjoying their day.

And that of course, included her. Now she could visit the horses in the stable yard, and feed them carrots for dinner.

Tissue Paper Sunflower

Image credit: kidsactivitiesblog.com Have your kids create a beautiful piece of sunflower art to brighten your home.

Not only is it fun for them, but you get a decorative statement. To start with, you'll need the following: · A glue stick · Scissors · Cardstock · A pencil ·And tissue paper

(yellow, brown, green, blue, and black) Step 1: Sketch your template of a sunflower.

Step 2: Then, scrunch up small pieces of colored tissue paper and glue them in the appropriate places, as pictured above. Choose a colour for: · the background · the flower petals · the leaves and stalk · the seeds

FUN WITH POETRY

Help the bully

By Uncle Roy School for me is a great place, To learn and be with friends, But sometimes things do happen, That can bring this to an end.

Some children like to bully, And make fun of fellow students, And sometimes even cause them harm, That leaves so much discontent.

I wonder why they act so badly, They surely must have problems; The answer may be to help them, By showing them you can be their friend.

PAGE 38

Kaieteur News

Sunday January 28, 2024

Kaieteur News

Sunday January 28, 2024

Dularie Sookhoo cleaning the base of the new measuring scale (Photo: GNBS)

The Red Equal Arm scales are among the most common types of measuring instruments used in trade.

Commonly found in markets and shops across the country, the instrument is used by many vendors and shopkeepers to sell groceries, fruits, vegetables, meats and more.

The Guyana National Bureau of Standards (GNBS) currently works along with two local manufacturers who supply the local market with the red equal arm scales along with their three complementary masses. Ms. Dularie Sookhoo is one of those manufacturers, and she started her trade twenty-six (26) years ago on the Essequibo Coast, Region Two (PomeroonSupenaam). Now residing in Parfaite Harmonie on the West Bank of Demerara (WBD), she recalled that she learnt the skill from an older man from whom she purchased metal pots and pans for resale.

"There was a man who I bought items from but even after paying an advance, the items would not be available, so I began looking at what he does and eventually learnt to make the products myself," she said.

Using the ancient sand moulding technique for metal casting, the businesswoman first started making ‘Karahis’ and ‘Tawas’ used to make roti before making the Red Equal Arm scales. "We fabricated some designs and commenced making the scales since there was a market for them (scales).

Back then, we used to make the pound (imperial) scales before we were informed that we need to produce scales in metric units of measurement, and this was started," she said.

Guyana adopted the Metric System as the legal system of measurement in 2002 conforming to the International System (SI) of

For 26 years Dularie Sookhoo has been popular for making the Red Equal Arm scales Units and the GNBS as the National Measurement Institute (NMI) is responsible for the promotion of the system.

With the assistance from one of her sons, Dularie purchase scrap metals from citizens across the country which she then melts to produce the scales. The metal is melted over a fireplace and then poured into a mould made from sand. The sand moulding technique is commonly used for smallscale production since it is cost effective and can be done in a short period of time with reusable patterns.

The mould comprises of a wooden box rammed with sand. It has two parts – the top half called the ‘cope’ and the bottom half called the ‘drag’. The process entails placing a standard of the intended design into the ‘drag’ after which the sand is rammed around it to leave an imprint. Water is poured to cement the design in place.

The cope is placed on top of the design to acquire the imprint from the top of the design after which that is removed to allow for the removal of the standard parts leaving the exterior contours in the sand. The melted metal is poured into holes at the top of the mould and left to solidify to form the new parts.

However, given the method used, defects are unavoidable and require cleaning before assembling to ensure that they comply with the National Standard GYS 180: 1998 – "Specification for Equal Arm scales (4Kg)" which specifies that the scales shall have a smooth finish while the base must rest solidly on a flat level surface without any shake or pivot.

The Red Equal Arm scales are completed by assembling different parts.

These are the arm or pan rest made up of four sprangs to support the pan, a balance (Continued on page 40)

PAGE 39

A Red Equal Arm Scale in use at a market (Photo: GNBS)

Kaieteur News

PAGE 40

Sunday January 28, 2024

‘Top Tier’- Guyanese producer Ridwaan Razak matched Jada Kingdom’s silky vocals in producing latest hit

Guyanese music producer, Ridwaan Razak

Since its release ten days ago, ‘Top Tier’ a catchy hit with buttery lyrics by fastrising Jamaican dancehall artiste Jada Kingdom, has pulled-in almost 500,000 views.

But while Jada’s fans are gravitating to the hit, Guyanese producer Ridwaan Razak is smiling in content, having worked on the production of the track by employing "creative freedom with the tone and direction," he wanted to explore.

Diplomat’s Records, Slingerz Records and Razaak collaborated on the production of the single.

Razaak, who has worked with multiple dancehall artistes over the years, pointed out that ‘Top Tier’ already had a draft done with vocals from Jada. "So I had creative freedom with the tone and direction I wanted to go.

I wanted a slow melody vibes with smooth dancehall

Fast-rising dancehall artiste, Jada Kingdom drums mixed with my own style to match her silky vocals."

He pointed out that ‘Top Tier’ isn’t the first song he worked on with Jada ; he produced a song for her and Jahvillani called "Dangerous" a few years back.

As regards working with Slingerz Records, Razaak said he has a close relationship with Kevin and Troy of the local records company. "We collaborate frequently because we believe in each other and share a common goal. We recently did a song on

Popcaans album "Best Mood", the song is called "Always Welcomed" and in the lyrics he shouts out and praises Berbice and Georgetown girls," Razaak said.

Looking ahead, the USbased producer said he is "very optimistic about" music he has planned for 2024.

“I’m collaborating with many new artists and producers," he said.

On February 2, heavyhitting Jamaican dancehall star Tee Jay will drop his album "I AM CHIPPY. Razaak produced Track 9 on the album.

The producer said he also has music in the works with artistes such as Malie Donn, Valiant, Byron Messiah and more.

He is adamant that he has lots of music in store to bring to the dancehall genre this year. "I look forward to keep doing bigger and bigger projects in 2024," he said.

For 26 years Dularie Sookhoo has been popular for making...

From page 39 indicator, the base, the bushing or pivot support, chassis, the cup, which is a hollow section below the platform, a draw bar with graduation from 0-500 grams with increments of 10g, forks, knives and the masses.

To ensure there is compliance with the National Standard, the business premise is inspected on an annual basis by the GNBS for compliance with quality requirements before a license is issued to operate. The businesswoman pointed out that working with the GNBS has been a pleasant experience. She said the Inspectors are always accommodating and helps her to comply with the standard, adding confidence in the final product manufactured.

Dularie produces ten (10) to fifteen (15) scales per month. Thereafter, all new scales and masses are verified and stamped by the GNBS before they are

offered for sale to ensure they are accurate and reliable measurements. After being put into use for the first time, all scales and masses must be subsequently verified by the GNBS during the verification periods.

The GNBS conducts this exercise twice yearly (during the periods January – March and July – September).

For this year, verification exercise commenced on January 16 and comes to an end on March 31.

Thereafter, surveillance inspections will then commence.

In 2023, a total of 7,757Scales and 11,584 Masses were verified. The Bureau encourages vendors and shop keepers to get their measuring instruments verified for the first half of 2024. For more information, please visit the gnbsgy.org website or contact GNBS on telephone numbers: 219-0064-66, the GNBS hotline number 219-0069 or WhatsApp us on 692-4627.

The standard parts of the Red Equal Arm scales used to make the moulds (Photo: GNBS)

sKaieteur weN ruetNews eiaK

Sunday 2202 ,20January yaM yad28, no2024 M

PAGE 41

Guyana's Premier Energy Conference…

A pioneering platform for showcasing multi-sectoral growth, forging new global partnerships

By Kiana Wilburg

T

he Guyana Energy Conference & Supply Chain Expo, set to take place at the Marriott Hotel from February 19 to 22, represents more than just a showcase of Guyana's strategic approach to leveraging its significant resources in the ExxonMobiloperated Stabroek Block. This flagship event has evolved to embody a broader vision, illustrating how those resources can be used to underpin growth across various sectors.

These include agriculture, construction, healthcare, and education. Furthermore, it serves as a pivotal platform for fostering essential symbiotic partnerships with global partners while encouraging collaborations across multiple industries.

Now in its third iteration, Kurt Baboolall, the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Guyana Energy Conference & Supply Chain Expo, shared key insights about the event with The Waterfalls Magazine. In a recent interview, he highlighted the dynamic nature of the conference, energized by the expanding offshore oil and gas developments. He was also keen to note that the conference and what it represents today, positions it as a premier event in the region,

potentially ranking as the most significant.

Expounding on the importance of the Conference and Supply Chain Expo, Baboolall said, “It's a platform that not only connect persons; it connects businesses to businesses, and businesses to governments…This for me is key because of the trajectory Guyana is on with respect to accelerated growth.”

The CEO said he holds the view that Guyana is well positioned to be a global leader regarding the prudent use of its oil resources which also fuels growth in other sectors. He said key

CEO of the Guyana Energy Conference and Supply Chain Expo, Kurt Baboolall

lessons on the Guyana experience which can be shared with other interested stakeholders include its accelerated pathway in moving to gas, which is outlined in the Low Carbon Development Strategy (LCDS) 2030.That document also outlines Guyana's pathway in using renewable energy through projects like the Amaila Falls Hydro Project and other solar farm initiatives which are set up in strategic locations across the country.

While energy has been the focus of the conference for the past two years, Baboolall said the brand has been expanded to focus on other sectors, hence the name change to Guyana Energy Conference and Supply Chain Expo with the theme, “Fueling transformation and modernization.”

“We have chosen to broaden our scope or to illustrate the different sectors because the energy sector cannot operate in a silo. It depends on various sectors to help move it along in an optimum way to achieve its own milestones,” the CEO said.

Baboolall further explained that the oil and gas sector has increased the demand for hotels with the hospitality and tourism industry responding accordingly.

Senior Minister with responsibility for Finance, Dr. Ashni Singh recently noted in the

President, Dr. Irfaan Ali and Anthony Whyte, Chairman of the Guyana Energy Conference and Suply Chain Expo at last year's event 2024 budget totalling $1.146 Trillion that hotel room capacity is indeed poised for a significant increase, thereby addressing concerns about the availability and cost of international standard rooms.

In this regard, Dr. Singh said Government has actively worked to attract private investment in the industry. “I am happy to report that over 1,000 world class rooms will be added to the stock by the end of 2024,” the minister said, adding that many of these are from internationally recognized chains such as Hyatt and Sheraton.

Baboolall also referenced the

President, Dr. Irfaan Ali along with other government officials, stakeholders and Heads of State at the opening of last year's conference

effect of the oil and gas sector on the recruitment agencies and even training institutions, noting that this bigger picture is what the conference hopes to capture.

Towards this end, Baboolall shared that the exhibition for the conference will feature 12 Industries at minimum. These include agriculture, the health i n d u s t r y, I n f o r m a t i o n a n d communication technology (ICT), logistics, marine infrastructure, and certification entities.

Speaking to other preparations, Baboolall shared that there are 155 exhibitors on board, 26 sponsors, and 300 registrants. “Tickets are currently available at the Marriott Hotel and will soon be accessible at other locations,” the CEO said.

The Waterfalls understands that the agenda of the conference boasts over 66 distinguished speakers, including numerous world leaders who have confirmed their participation.

These notable figures include Qatar's Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani; Suriname's President, Chandrikapersad Santokhi; Trinidad and Tobago's Prime Minister, Keith Rowley; and The Bahamas' Prime Minister, Phillip Davis.

Representing Guyana will be President, Dr. Irfaan Ali; VicePresident, Dr. Bharrat Jagdeo; Natural Resources Minister, Vickram Bharrat; Senior Finance Minister, Dr. Ashni Singh; and Prime Minister Brigadier (Ret'd) Mark Phillips.

Highlighting the international business community's involvement, the CEO announced that Pulitzer prize-winning author (Continued on page 48)

Kaieteur News

PAGE 42

Sunday January 28, 2024

Some of the delectable cookies 'Caavia's Crumbz' have to offer.

for tasty treats to satisfy your sweet tooth

By Allyiah Allicock “ W e w a nted to create a busine ss that could provide a meaningful impact on the community,” was pretty much the inspiration that led two women, Samantha and Rachel, to launch their business called 'Caavia's Crumbz.'

Caavia's Crumbz, a business which specializes in the art of baking and crafting an array of delectable treats with a focus on cookies, was birthed in January 2023.

In a recent interview with this magazine, Samantha said what also inspired the duo to form the venture was that they wanted to

create products that were not only delicious but also healthy.

“When we began our journey, we initially offered a diverse range of baked goods catering to a café and a school. Our original lineup included cookies, mini donuts, cinnamon rolls, pizzas, bakes & salt fish, egg balls, and muffins,” she shared.

She said however, that after evaluating their business model and recognizing that their profit margins were not optimal with such a wide array, they then decided to specialize and focus primarily on cookies.

Despite this she said, the team still continues to offer unique items for special orders, which include donut cups, cookie cups, gender reveal cookies, and custom cookies for special occasions. Samantha said they

offer these products to ensure that they cater to the varied needs of customers while maintaining their business' efficiency.

She added that offering mostly cookies through their venture, they are dedicated to delivering both exceptional quality in baked goods and outstanding customer service.

Having started off the business approximately a year ago, the young businesswoman related that over the months their customer base has been growing steadily. “We have been lucky to have received a lot of positive feedback from customers.

Currently, we have two spots and we are looking to expand to other collab spaces,” she commented.

Samantha said that getting to the level they are at was no easy walk in the park as one of the primary challenges they encountered in their business was sourcing affordable, high-quality ingredients consistently.

She explained that they often found that supermarkets would stock the necessary ingredients only intermittently, and this inconsistency in availability meant that they sometimes faced difficulties in maintaining a steady supply of key components for their baked goods. She added that navigating this fluctuating market required adaptability and resourcefulness to ensure that they could continue producing treats without compromising on quality.

When asked how the business dealt with the challenges, she shared that they adopted a strategy of importing what they needed in bulk. This approach not only ensured a steady and reliable supply of high-quality ingredients

but also proved to be more cost-effective in the long run, she mentioned. “By securing our key ingredients in larger quantities, we were able to minimize the impact of market fluctuations and maintain the consistent production of our baked goods, thus upholding our standard of quality,” she disclosed.

Turning to the attention of the long-term goals for 'Caavia's Crumbz,' Samantha revealed that one of the aims of the team is to create delightful experiences for their customers through each bite of carefully prepared treats.

She mentioned too that, “Our long-term vision for our business is to achieve significant growth and recognition.

We aim to expand our presence by establishing multiple outlets across various locations, with the ultimate goal of evolving into a nationally acclaimed brand.”

A key aspect of this expansion, the young woman detailed, is their commitment to the community. They aspire to create numerous employment opportunities for local residents, contributing positively to the economic and social fabric of the areas they serve.

With a vision to not only impact the local society but open opportunity for others, Samantha is of the view that young entrepreneurs are catalysts for change and economic growth in society. “Young entrepreneurs are catalysts for change, driving innovation, economic growth, and societal progress. Their energy, creativity, and vision not only shape industries but also

c ont ribute to addressing some of the most pressing challenges of our times,” she expressed.

To help shape and boost small businesses in our society, our featured entrepreneur is also of the view that more education on how to run a small business, can help in a great way.

“Incubator and acceleration programmes, customized local solutions - recognizing the unique challenges and opportunities in each locality and tailoring solutions to fit these specific needs can make support measures more effective,” she stated.

She added too that collaboration with educational institutions can provide businesses with access to research, interns, and collaboration opportunities, while also enriching the educational experience of students. Access to markets and distribution channels, she suggested is another way that can be a game-changer for small businesses looking to expand.

Persons desirous of utilizing 'Caavia's Crumbz' services can reach out to them on Facebook and Instagram, or by following t h e i r T i k To k p a g e @caaviascrumbz. Interested persons can also contact them via telephone number 592- 6397774.

Sunday January 28, 2024

Kaieteur News

PAGE 43

Government now releases final PSAs The Ministry of Natural Resources (MNR) has finally published the final Production Sharing Agreements (PSA) that will govern the deepwater and shallow areas that were recently auctioned.

On Friday, the Ministry said the documents have been published on its Petroleum Management website, see links attached. https://petroleum.gov.gy/do cuments/ministry-naturalresources-modelproduction-sharingagreement-deepwater-areas https://petroleum.gov.gy /documents/ministrynatural-resources-modelproduction-sharingagreement-shallow-waterareas The government’s failure to release the agreements had raised concerns among stakeholders in light of the lopsided terms included in the 2016 contract signed with ExxonMobil. That agreement was only released to the public two years after it was signed. It contains clauses that both sides of the political divide have condemned; however, the incumbent government maintains that there will be no renegotiation of the deal.

The model agreements were released in March of last year for the public to

give their comments and recommendations. This was followed by a review period by the Ministry and subsequent implementation of certain recommendations.

Guyanese had called for mechanisms to be put in place for all comments on the draft agreements to be made public and for government to produce a plan to report on how public feedback was addressed in the development of the final model agreement; however, there was no response to those appeals.

Public queries directed to the Ministry on whether a statement or press conference will be issued or convened to inform of the changes to the document were not answered.

In the meantime, the government is still in the negotiations phase with the participants of the country’s first oil blocks auction.

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

Launched in December 2022 by President Irfaan Ali, the auction was lauded a success by the administration.

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

Georgetown Magistrates’ Court round-up

By Christal Yong Below are several court cases which were heard at the at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Court between January 22, 2024 and January 26, 2024.

Monday On Monday, Keon Narine, 22, was granted bail in the sum of $350,000 after he appeared at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Court, before Senior Magistrate Dylon Bess and was charged with the possession of a firearm without being a licensed firearm holder and two counts of possession of ammunitions without being the holder of a firearm licence.

The accused is scheduled to appear before the court on February 13, 2024.

Twenty-nine-year-old Joel Gaemon, a Venezuelan National, was remanded to prison after he appeared at the city court on Monday, before Senior Magistrate Bess, to answer to an unlawful and malicious damage to property charge.

He allegedly damaged a total of $1,209,680 in valuables belonging to Linden Hipson and Micheal Johnson.

Gaemon’s next court date is set for February 13, 2024 for statements and disclosure.

Tuesday On Tuesday, 19-year-old Justin Ollivierre was remanded to prison by Acting Chief Magistrate Sherdel Isaacs- Marcus, when he appeared at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Court, where he was charged with robbery under arms. It is alleged, that he robbed two men of their (Continued on page 48)

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

The oil companies will be expected to pay a 10

percent royalty and a 10 percent corporate tax. The cost recovery will be capped at 65 percent in a given year, while profits will be shared 50/50 between the parties.

For shallow water blocks,

companies have to pay a minimum of US$10 million while a minimum of US$20 million is set for deep water concessions. Government had said these fiscal terms were non-negotiable.

Following the release of the PSAs, Chartered Accountant and prominent Attorney-at-Law, Christopher Ram said major weaknesses in the old contract have been repeated.

Kaieteur News

PAGE 44

From page 14 of Amerindian Affairs feels that only they should manage the process and do so without the involvement of key Indigenous groups."

Still on the point of Indigenous rights in the mining sector, the Opposition Parliamentarian said the original owners of the land have been left off of the Protected Areas Commission. Henry contends that this constitutes a glaring deficiency in the management of the body.

"Mr. Speaker, there is no Indigenous Peoples’ representative on the management board of the Protected Areas Commission. If this injustice cannot be corrected by this installed government then the next Coalition Government will correct this on behalf of the Indigenous Peoples of Guyana," Henry stated in the National Assembly.

The Minister of Natural Resources under the legislation has significant authority over a spectrum of activities related to petroleum — from exploration and production to transportation and storage, encompassing even the geological storage of carbon dioxide.

During the debate in the N ational A s s embly in August last year before the law was passed, subject Minister Vickram Bharrat acknowledged the powers granted to him.

He said, "The Bill gives the minister the power to grant geological and geophysical survey permits such as those that would be needed for the Gas-toEnergy Project." He lauded the Bill as being a comprehensive document that touches on several aspects of the growing industry.

The law says the minister shall be empowered to administer the licensing of petroleum exploration, production, storage and transportation operations; cooperate with the relevant government agencies regarding environmental and safety aspects of petroleum operations; and oversee the conduct of petroleum operations to ensure compliance with the new law, and the terms of the respective licences and petroleum agreements.

The minister is also empowered to inspect petroleum operations, seek

Sunday January 28, 2024

APNU AFC MP Tabitha Sarabo-Halley

Senior Minister within the Office of the President with Responsibility for Finance, Dr. Ashni Singh corrective action, and impose sanctions for noncompliance, develop terms of reference and qualification criteria for the grant of exploration and production rights, and grant geological storage licences for natural gas and long-term storage of carbon dioxide.

THURSDAY Finance Minister warns mounting interest rates will be a severe challenge on Guyana to service debts ...but govt increasing debt ceiling to borrow more Senior Minister with responsibility for Finance, Dr. Ashni Singh during his budget speech last Monday warned that increasing interest rates will "continue to have severe implications for countries like Guyana" but still announced that his government wants to further increase the debt ceiling to borrow more in 2024.

Singh during his speech noted global commodity is likely to remain volatile in 2024 (likely to change suddenly and unexpectedly) and because this loan pricings are going up. "Mr. Speaker on the subject of commodity and other prices, it is apposite to note that the monetary policy response to global inflationary pressures has seen a significant increase in the pricing of credit, interest rates…"

Singh told the National Assembly.

He added that interest rates have risen substantially since early 2022 as governments and central banks attempt to combat stubbornly high levels inflation in many places.

Singh continued: "In particular the US Effective Federal Funds Rate stood at

5.3 percent at the end of last year." According to Singh that is way above the 1.7 percent average rate in 2022.

The finance minister further explained: "similarly, the benchmark secured overnight financing rate averaged five percent in 2023", a significant increase from 1.6 percent in 2022. "This has had, and will continue to have, very severe implications for country’s like Guyana who raise external financing that is priced on the basis of these benchmarks", Singh said.

Meanwhile, eben though the government has acknowledged that the mounting interest rates will be a challenge on Guyana to service its debts, the government is still seeking to raise the debt ceiling yet again for a third consecutive year.

This year’s Budget is $1.146 trillion (US$5.4B) – some 46.6% greater than last year’s fiscal plan- and 40% of it is to be financed by loans.

To m e e t t h i s astronomical spending plan, Minister Singh revealed that government will be approaching the National Assembly for an increase in the domestic and external debt ceilings.

He said this will provide the flexibility needed to optimise on the financing mix while at the same time safeguarding debt sustainability. In January 2 0 2 1 , t h e P e o p l e ’s Progressive Party/Civic Government had tabled two Orders at the National Assembly to raise the country’s debt ceiling.

The orders proposed that the domestic debt ceiling be increased to $500 billion from $150 billion and a new external borrowing ceiling

of $650 billion from $400 billion. Both of these increases reflect a 233.3% and 65% increase, respectively. Both orders were passed, following debates by the government and the opposition.

As a result Guyana’s debt increased significantly in recent years. At the end of 2022 the country’s debt stood at US$3.6 billion and by the end of 2023 it increased to US$4.5 billion plunging Guyana some 23 percent deeper in debts.

Vice President, Bharrat Jagdeo at a news conference last Thursday sought to justify his government’s position to borrow more despite the risks, especially mounting interest rates.

The Vice President said Guyana is not worsening its global debt profile. Jagdeo said he has repeatedly explained that the country’s debt to Gross Domestic Product (GDP) ratio is among the lowest in the Region.

Moreover, he pointed out that only US$1.8B of the US$4.5B is external debt.

In defense of his government’s excessive borrowing, he explained, "In 1990, our gross domestic product was approximately US$300M and we owed US$2.1B external debt at that time…we have a US$22B economy today and our debt is US$1.8B. It’s lower, external debt is lower than the debt in the 90s when our economy was 60 odd times smaller…"

Consequently, the VP said, "In spite of our borrowing over this period, our stock of debt to the external world is less than in 1990 when APNU was in office.”

Jagdeo also argued that Guyana’s future oil revenues will be enough to service

Guyana’s debt.

Public servants fleeing fastest growing economy to seek employment in greener pastures - Opposition MP says Govt failing to pay livable wages and salaries Despite being touted as the fastest growing economy in the world Guyanese public servants have been leaving this country in the droves to seek employment in other countries as government fails to pay them livable wages and salaries, Opposition spokesperson on public service, Tabitha Sarabo-Halley has said.

This position was taken by the former Minister of Public Service and A Partnership for National Unity Alliance for Change (APNU AFC) Member of Parliament (MP) during her presentation in the budget debates at the Arthur Chung Conference Centre Liliendaal, Georgetown on Tuesday.

Sarabo-Halley’s expressed the view that budget 2024 is devoid of any substance for those in the public service as she suggested that government should make considerations to retain many of these public servants, if they would just give them an income that they and their families can comfortably live on. "This is a country with the fasting growing economy in the world, yet we have to say to foreigners …. You are taking our nurses; you are taking our teachers, why are you taking them. Why don’t you train your own?" The Opposition MP said. "It should be an indictment upon us that our professional public servants, our nurses, teachers, doctors and police officers are either

leaving the country or choosing to leave the public service to find better employment in the private sector…" she continued.

The Opposition MP expressed the view that government appears comfortable with allowing trained and up-skilled public servants to leave these shores. "The reality is Mr. Speaker is that people are leaving because the PPP government is choosing not to treat them as human beings. They are leaving because the PPP government does not think they deserve a livable wage…" SaraboHalley added.

The former Minister of Public Service said that the government should therefore have an honest conversation with stakeholders on how to train and retain its workers.

She noted however that the administration continues to put its head in the sand and ignore the plight of its most valuable asset – the human capital. "It does not matter how many public schools, hospitals and police stations you build if you do not have the capital to adequately manage it they will fall to naught." "It is an abysmal look for the Ministry of Public Service, the Ministry of Health and in fact the entire public that we can sit and be comfortable with the fact that so many public servants are leaving if we are to effectively and efficiently develop as a country, we need to build capacity and retain our public servants," Sarabo- Halley continued.

"Imagine Mr. Speaker all these ministers had no time telling the people of Guyana how they plan to spend the billions of dollars allocated to them under a trilliondollar budget but they come here regurgitating the same lines from the 2023, 2022, 2021 and 2020 budget speeches…" "I would like to say to our public servants, who work in every county, every region, and every town that we hear your concerns…. To those public servants who have chosen to leave our shores with all of their skills because they have to choose how to better take care of their families over love of country we want them to know that we see them, we understand your struggle…."

Sarabo-Halley’s contentions were nevertheless promptly rejected by Minister Sonia (Continued on page 45)

Kaieteur News

Sunday January 28, 2024

From page 44 Parag who up to last month occupied the post Public Service Minister. Parag noted that "Budget 2024 comprises: allocations totaling $121.4 billion for wages and salaries for central government employees including a salary increase that will be announced later in the year; an allocation of $40.7 billion for old age pensioners and public assistance beneficiaries; an allocation of $135.2 billion for our education system to ensure every single child receives a good education, Minister Parag who now holds the office of Senior Minister of Local Government spoke to the allocation that is pegged for development of the democratic organs. "Over $103 billion allocated this year will ensure all local democratic organs nationwide receive their subvention to further drive development across the nation.""In addition to that we are not leaving the hinterland communities out as well with the particular allocation given to the region and we plan to do so much in all of the region to develop drainage, irrigation and to ensure that the daily life of our people is made easier and there is relief brought to the communities," Minister Parag said.

The minister believes the interventions outlined in the fiscal package are comprehensive and peoplecentred, and demonstrate the administration’s drive to meaningfully increase Guyana’s economic growth.

"I am proud to stand here in defense of yet another bold, people-centred budget. And of course, I cannot stand here without commending my colleague the Honorable Dr Ashni Singh, Minister of Finance and now Public Service for once again presenting such an incredible financial plan.

One that supports and maintains our standing as the world’s fastest-growing economy," Parag said.

FRIDAY EPA now wants formal request from citizens to see Exxon’s US$2B guarantee for oil spill ...one day after lawyer says anyone can walk in and see it Although the nation was

EPA Head, Kemraj Parsram

informed that any citizen can view ExxonMobil’s US$2 billion guarantee at the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the regulator has informed that a request must first be submitted.

On Thursday, Kaieteur News visited the EPA’s Ganges Street, Sophia, Georgetown office to view the document, following the assurance by the EPA’s Lawyer, Sanjeev Datadin.

Datadin had informed members of the National Assembly on Wednesday, during day three of the Budget 2024 Debates, that any citizen can view the document at the agency. He was at the time responding to the Opposition Member of Parliament (MP),

ExxonMobil Guyana President, Alistair Routledge

Shurwayne Holder who told the House on Tuesday that no patriotic government would refuse to make Exxon’s financial package for oil spills public so that citizens can feel a sense of security.

"They (the EPA) are required to keep a register, a ledger of all those documents submitted and it is available for anyone, including the Honourable Member Mr. Shurwayne Holder to go to their office between normal business hours and he will be allowed to see it," said Datadin.

Even though he gave this assurance, the EPA informed Kaieteur News yesterday that there was a "process" in place to view such documents. Kaieteur News

PAGE 45

Attorney-at-Law, Sanjeev Datadin

spoke with the Agency’s Receptionist on Thursday who explained that the head of the Legal Department had just left the building. She then referred this newspaper to a Communications Officer who explained the process required to view a copy of the document. She said that the request had to be made so that the officers would have enough time to locate the file. The officer assured that it would be made available for viewing following the request.

"Any bit of information that is of a project, we usually ask persons to send a request. The reason for that is to eliminate the waiting time. These are physical documents that we have to go and look for and then give...if you want to sit and wait that’s completely up to you but it’s still a request you’d have to make," the officer related.

Kaieteur News has since formally requested to view a copy of the US$2 billion guarantee that has been provided to the EPA. It was reported that litigants Frederick Collins and Godfrey Whyte had made a number of requests to the Agency to see the guarantee reportedly submitted by the operator of the Stabroek Block but have been unsuccessful in their bid. In fact, this forced the citizens to seek the Court’s assistance to ensure the company had complied with an Order dated June 8, 2023.

On May 3, 2023, High Court Judge Justice Sandil Kissoon ruled in favour of the litigants, ordering the EPA to secure an unlimited parent and/or affiliate company guarantee.

However, Exxon and the EPA appealed this decision.

Pending the outcome of the case, Appellate Court Judge, Justice Persaud mandated Exxon to provide a US$2

billion guarantee. Only last week, the EPA’s lawyer argued that the Court has no jurisdiction to order the release of Exxon’s US$2B g u a r a n t e e . T h e Environmental Protection Act requires the EPA to make its registers available to the public at its office during normal office hours. There is no requirement for a letter of request, but rather a small fee for the requested copies.

This means citizens can freely view information during normal business hours.

Debt servicing a growing challenge to countries - repayments straining budgets, curtailing spending on essential services, job creation The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has cautioned that high debt servicing costs is a growing challenge for low-income countries, noting that financing pressures due to relatively high interest payments and the pace at which the countries need to repay debt are straining budgets.

The Government of Guyana (GoG) has set aside $44 billion in this year’s budget to service its ballooning debt. The $44B or approximate US$220M vastly exceeds the sum allocated to various government ministries. For instance, the Ministry of Amerindian Affairs and the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sport have each received about $9 billion to finance their development agenda. In 2023, some US$177.3 million in revenue went towards debt service, up from US$150.2 million in 2022. The growing payments to service the country’s debt stems from a conscious decision of policy makers that believe

G u y a n a ’s f o r e c a s t o f revenue from the oil and gas sector justifies its borrowing agenda.

Meanwhile, the IMF in an article titled: "How to Ease Rising External DebtService Pressures in LowIncome Countries" said that the high interest payments have been preventing lowincome countries from spending more on essential services or the critical investment needed to attract business, create jobs, improve prosperity, and build climate resilience.

"One important metric is the share of revenues the government collects from its population through taxes and other fees that goes to pay its foreign creditors. While the scale of the burden differs greatly across countries, it’s generally about two and a half times higher than a decade earlier. This means for a typical low-income borrower the share has risen to about 14 percent, from about 6 percent, and as much as 25 percent, from about 9 percent in some economies.

This is one of the key indicators used in the framework for assessing debt sustainability that signals a country might be at risk of needing financial support from the IMF or of missing a debt payment," the IMF said in the article written by Allison Holland and Ceyla Pazarbasioglu.

The IMF said too those low-income countries also have significant debt repayments falling due in the next two years. "They need to refinance about US$60 billion of external debt each year, about three times the average in the decade through 2020. But with many competing demands for financing, including from advanced and emerging market economies that are also trying to adapt to (Continued on page 46)

Kaieteur News

PAGE 46

From page 45 climate change, there’s a significant risk of a liquidity crunch—failure to raise sufficient financing at an affordable cost. That could in turn lead to a destabilizing debt crisis. To address this financing challenge, we must understand why it’s happening and what affected countries and the broader international community can do to help."

According to the IMF, one factor was higher government borrowing and deficits to mitigate the impact of the pandemic and other external economic shocks.

This has increased the level of debt and consequently the cost of servicing it. The IMF said it’s encouraging that this trend is reversing as countries bring primary deficits back in line with pre-pandemic levels.

In addition, the IMF said central banks have significantly raised borrowing costs to tame inflation. "That makes it costlier for governments to raise new debt or refinance existing debt. While central banks may be done raising rates, it is not clear when they will start to cut, and this uncertainty may be reflected in volatile financial market conditions.

Low-income countries have also increasingly borrowed from the private sector—with about one third of financing coming from private creditors in the last decade compared with about one fifth in the previous decade.

This reflected a slowdown in financing from multilateral development banks (MDBs) in the earlier part of the decade and through official development assistance (ODA) agencies over 202022 compared to borrowing needs.

This shift has increased both financing costs and vulnerability to global financial shocks."

Avoiding a costly debt crisis Building resilience in the face of these trends requires countries to act. Some countries have made progress— for instance, A n g o l a , T h e Gambia,Nigeria, and Zambia have taken steps to implement significant energy subsidy reforms to create space for development spending.

But many are lagging

behind, especially in efforts to increase revenues, such as broadening the tax base, reducing tax exemptions, and increasing the efficiency of tax administration. For instance, the typical SubSaharan African country raised only 13 percent of gross domestic product in revenues in 2022, compared with 18 percent in other emerging economies and developing countries and 27 percent in advanced economies.

And those with high debt vulnerabilities can’t afford to wait.

Policy reforms are needed to boost growth and capture more revenue from that growth, for instance, through tax reforms.

This will directly improve countries’ key debt metrics and ensure they can avoid a costly debt crisis.

Only this week, Opposition Member of Parliament and Shadow Minister of Finance, Juretha Fernandes condemned the government’s plan to have 40 percent of the substantial $1.146 trillion budget supported by loans.

Fernandes said this amounts to $458.4 billion through borrowing.

Fernandes noted the impact of this decision on individual households and citizens, stating that it would effectively saddle each household with an additional $1.8 million in debt, which translates to around $588,000 per citizen.

Fernandes’s remarks were part of her scathing response to what she perceives as the g o v e r n m e n t ’s r e c k l e s s financial planning.

She said, "So in an oil rich economy, instead of creating a pathway to sustainable prosperity for Guyanese, the PPP has decided to shackle every man, woman and child with a debt burden, and there seems to be no light at the end of this tunnel."

The Shadow Minister added, "For every child that will receive the $40,000 ‘Because we care cash grant,’ they will also be receiving a ‘because we do not care’ debt burden of more than half a million-dollars, complements of the PPP administration."

Fernandes said having $458B in loans is not to be taken lightly. She recalled that in 2020, the same time the government took office, the external debt ceiling was $400 billion. "So in this one

budget, the PPP is adding almost the same amount of debt to the nation as the total external debt ceiling under the coalition; a ceiling the coalition never met and never saw a need to increase," she said.

To make matters worse, Fernandes expressed alarm that the government plans to return to the House to increase the debt ceiling for a third time as well as revise the Natural Resource Fund’s (NRF) withdrawal rules to spend more of the oil revenues.

Fernandes said this does not bode well for the nation’s economic wellbeing.

Sharing similar concerns was her colleague, Shadow Minister of Legal Affairs, Roysdale Forde. During his contributions, Forde questioned whether the $1.146 trillion budget represents a true cost or would government return with supplementary requests.

SATURDAY Another excuse!

Public will not see Exxon’s US$2B guarantee until Court rules - EPA The US$2 billion oil spill guarantee reportedly submitted by ExxonMobil Guyana Limited (EMGL) continues to be a mystery.

After directing citizens to send a request to view the guarantee, the agency has now made it clear that the document will not be shared until the Court makes a decision on the matter.

In a statement on Friday, the agency stated, "...the matter in question is subjudice, meaning that it is currently under judicial consideration.

Sunday January 28, 2024

Executive Director of the EPA, Kemraj Parsram Therefore, until a judgment is given by the court, the EPA will not make the said document public."

It added that the agency continues to be guided by the Environmental Protection Act Cap 20:05 as to what information it is mandated to make available to the public.

On Thursday, Kaieteur News visited the EPA’s Ganges Street, Sophia, Georgetown office to view the document, following the assurance by EPA’s Lawyer, Sanjeev Datadin.

Datadin had informed members of the National Assembly on Wednesday, during day three of the Budget 2024 Debates, that any citizen can view the document at the agency.

He was at the time responding to the Opposition Member of Parliament (MP), Shurwayne Holder who told the House on Tuesday that no

Leader of the Liberty and Justice Party (LJP), Lenox Shuman

patriotic government would refuse to make Exxon’s financial package for oil spills public so that citizens can feel a sense of security.

"They (the EPA) are required to keep a register, a ledger of all those documents submitted and it is available for anyone, including the Honourable Member Mr. Shurwayne Holder to go to their office between normal business hours and he will be allowed to see it," said Datadin.

Despite this assurance, Kaieteur News was directed to send an official request to the Agency to view the document, as reported in Friday’s edition.

Following the publication of that article MP Holder also issued a request to the EPA on Friday morning in a bid to view the guarantee.

This is the latest deadend citizens have been met in their efforts to ensure the Court’s order was complied with, by the operator of the Stabroek Block.

Two citizens, Frederick Collins and Godfrey Whyte had filed a summons in December to see the US$2B guarantee following failed attempts to view a copy of the guarantee.

The litigants had filed a case back in September 2022 so that the EPA can be ordered to secure from Exxon Guyana, unlimited liability coverage for oil spills.

In so doing, Guyana would be fully protected from any hidden costs associated with an unmitigated spill from one or

more projects in the Stabroek Block.

On May 3, 2023, High Court Judge, Justice Sandil Kisson ruled in favour of the litigants and ordered the EPA to secure an unlimited parent and/or affiliate company guarantee for oil spills. To circumvent compliance with that order, Exxon and the EPA through their lawyers, appealed and were successful in staying Justice Kissoon’s decision.

Pending the final outcome of the appeal, Justice Persaud ordered Exxon to lodge a US$2 Billion parent and/ or affiliate company guarantee.

Since that order was issued on June 8, 2023, the litigants said their lawyers have been unable to secure a copy of the said guarantee for perusal.

Shuman resigns as Govt.’s aviation advisor, set to launch own airline Leader of the Liberty Justice Party (LJP) Lenox Shuman, who served as the Aviation Advisor to the Government of Guyana, has submitted his resignation to President Irfaan Ali. Shuman’s departure is linked to his endeavor to establish a Guyanese airline, El’Dorado Airlines Inc. In a letter addressed to President Ali dated December 1, 2023, Shuman expressed gratitude for the opportunity to serve the people of Guyana and acknowledged the honor of his position in the government.

The resignation is effective from January 9, 2024, paving the way for Shuman to fully concentrate on the establishment of El’Dorado Airlines Inc. "I have noted several clarion calls by Your E x c e l l e n c y, a n d a corresponding echo from the travelling Guyanese public for the establishment of a Guyanese Airline," Shuman said.

Citing these calls, Shuman has decided to step down, acknowledging that maintaining his role as Aviation Advisor while pursuing his airline venture would present a conflict of interest.

The anticipated launch date for El’Dorado Airlines Inc. is set for August 20, 2024. Shuman expressed optimism about the venture and extended a request for the government’s support in this new endeavor.

Kaieteur News

Sunday January 28, 2024

PAGE 47

Health Ministry accuses Deputy Speaker of misrepresenting facts on working hours of doctors The Ministry of Health has accused Deputy Speaker, D r. A s h a K i s s o o n o f misrepresenting the facts on the working hours of doctors within the public health sector.

In a statement issued over the weekend, the ministry said that the Deputy Speaker is "telling only part of the story. On Friday, during the 2024 budget debate, Kissoon told the National Assembly that doctors have been working for as much as 26 hours continually without overtime.

The Ministry of Health accused Kissoon of "clearly misrepresenting the facts," adding, "which we hope is an oversight."

The ministry said that in the event of a specific emergency such as the Mahdia fire, the agency is not aware of doctors working the hours mentioned by Kissoon, without being compensated for it. The ministry said some doctors are assigned to cover periods that may extend the designated 8-hour shift, amounting to 16, 24 or 26hour shifts. It said they are not physically present in the wards or clinics for the entire time. "MP Kissoon is obviously referring to on-

Minister of Health Dr. Frank Anthony call assignments. In the case of GPHC (Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation), multiple doctors per department, often as many as 5 to 7, are assigned per department for on-call duties. In some regions, for logistic reasons, the doctors remain in the hospital compound but only respond to see a patient if called out. Because in some settings, the doctor may live on campus, they are at home and called if needed. At GPHC and several other hospitals, doctors are at home during on-calls," the Health Ministry said.

These on-call duties may be on a doctor’s off day or after a shift and the ministry said it means that the doctors

make themselves available in the event an emergency comes up and that they are required to report to the hospital. The compensation is from $4,000 to $5,500 for an on-call assignment, the ministry said. The timings are often from 16:00hrs to 08:00hrs and in most cases, doctors are hardly ever called out, the ministry added. "Even for a regular eight-hour shift, many doctors are away from their place of work. MP Kissoon spoke giving the impression that doctors are requested routinely to work beyond their shifts by physically being present and not being remunerated. This is not the case and, therefore, MP Kissoon who knows this as a

fact is deliberately misrepresenting the facts by not telling the whole story," the Ministry noted.

The ministry said it is aware that there’s vast room for improvement within the sector, and it noted there is always an opportunity to be able to serve Guyana and its citizens better. This it noted, is being done as the ministry works daily to fix the weaknesses and also reduce challenges that the health sector faces worldwide.

"We are not oblivious to the fact that among the challenges we face are working conditions for health workers in Guyana.

As part of working conditions, health workers' salaries and benefits are a prime consideration."

"The Ministry of Health under the PPP Government has always been conscious that aggressive efforts must be made to improve working conditions for health workers, including the remuneration for doctors, nurses, and other allied health workers, for example, medical technologists, pharmacists, etc.," the statement said.

On Friday, Kissoon told the House that the salaries being paid to healthcare workers in Guyana is not

Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly, Dr. Asha Kissoon competitive with that of the Caribbean and doctors have made several pleas to have this amended, all of which appeared to fall on deaf ears.

Noting that the health sector’s budget will benefit citizens, she asked for the recommendations made to be taken into consideration.

"The health sector is one of the most important sectors in this country, but let us not be ignorant of the fact that most of our medical professionals are leaving.

Our nurses, our doctors and I say this from firsthand experience as a doctor with colleagues who have left. It is not simply because there is better opportunity outside most of the time Mr. Speaker, it is because when

they make a plea for the minimum to be done for them, it is met with deaf ears," she stressed During a telephone interview with this publication, Kissoon clarified that doctors within the public health sector are not paid overtime.

"Doctors are not paid any overtime fee at all; they are paid a fixed on-call allowance which is $4500 at GPHC and $3000 at outlying hospitals. So even though the law says that public servants must be paid over time at a fixed rate, doctors are not and that is the issue I was bringing awareness to."

She added that the oncall fee is also subject to taxation.

British High Commission launches fund to support marine projects The British High Commission launched the Blue Social Challenge Fund on Thursday, a pilot project which is geared at supporting countries in protecting their marine environment, whilst improving prosperity.

Launching the pilot was British High Commissioner (ag) Greg Quinn who said that the Blue Social Challenge Fund is one of the four components of the UK’s Sustainable Blue Economy Programme. The Fund is said to support nongovernmental organisations, civil society organisations, non-state actors, local authorities, and others that operate locally to build resilience of vulnerable communities in small island developing states (SIDS) to the impacts of climate change.

At the pilot launch on T h u r s d a y, t w o l o c a l companies were the first to receive grants to the tune of €49,000 for the continued enhancement of their

operations. These two o rg a n i z a t i o n s a r e t h e G u y a n a M a r i n e Conservation Society (GMCS) and the EMC Foundation Inc. Delivering brief remarks, the High Commissioner Quinn said, "We believe that Challenge Funds are an effective way to incentivise innovation. If done right, they can solve problems, bring diverse stakeholders together, and help funders support the most agile solutions for challenges faced at the community level."

Quinn continued that what he is keen to see happen through this pilot fund is for communities to unlock the potential of their blue/ocean economy with a spotlight on conservation, all with the goal of improving the resilience of livelihoods. He noted through conservation efforts communities are also able to ensure reduced climate vulnerability.

"The Fund aims to ensure the potential benefits of a

nation’s growing blue economy sectors can be equitably accessed and shared by all. This is done by addressing key development issues of marginal coastal and marine communities and vulnerable groups within those communities," he explained.

Having the GMCS on board, the British High Commissioner said that this would help to continue the work the entity is undertaking in the Barima Mora Passage in Region One. Through this venture, the organisation will be working to train women and girls in drone use which would help strengthen its monitoring capacity of Barima Mora Passage communities to support research, and gain awareness and knowledge to help improve the blue economy through conservation of critical marine and mangrove ecosystems and to build climate resilience.

Meanwhile, the EMC

British High Commissioner (ag) alongside GMCS’ President, Annette Arjoon and EMC Foundation Inc. Director, Shyam Nokta at the launch on Thursday.

Foundation Inc would be looking at a campaign to bring about awareness of critical marine ecosystems together with the Wetlands ecosystem in the Mahaica River.

According to Quinn, "What we have noted is that

many Guyanese are not aware of the benefits and importance of preserving their blue economy resources. Through this project, we will work with the Foundation to cultivate awareness and a collective commitment towards the

preservation and sustainable conservation of the Mahaica Wetland and Mangrove ecosystems."

The Challenge Fund Pilot ends in March this year, and would see the official launch of the Fund later this year.

PAGE 48

Sunday January 28, 2024

Kaieteur News

Georgetown Magistrates’ Court round-up...

WANTED

VACANCY

SERVICES

Welder needed. Living accommodation provided. Call: 627-5043/ 639-1315.

Driver must be able to assist in workshop at Eccles, Car/ Van licence. Call: 615-9132 or 645-8443.

Business/ residential PFSGYD$58M, Visa Application, advertisements, graphics design, passport application forms & i130 application.

Call: 626-7040.

2 Porters needed in grocery store. $5000 per day. Call: 223-9677.

Drivers, Porters and Salesman needed, experience will be an asset, Attractive salary offered. Call: 673-7373.

General Manager Needed for the Interior at 6th Dredge.

Call: 696-9854 or 223-7165.

We are looking for part-time: Serving staff, Bartenders, Janitor & Full time: Handyman, Handy woman. Call: 227-5536/ 651-9793.

Experienced Jet and Marack men to work in the Interior.

Call: 677-2385.

Drivers needed. Must have licence for Car, Van & Minibus. Call: 623-6383/ 227-1964.

Wanted Cleaners, Bartenders, Servers and prep Cook for restaurant. Call: 226-7392 Mon-Fri between 9am-4pm.

Wanted! Male & Female workers preferably from WBD, for packaging pasta and chowmein. $4100 per day. Call: 611-7839.

Workers to work on cash crop farm. Salary $6000 per day. Call: 679-7552.

One Painter needed. Call: 615-9132.

FOR RENT Place to rent for business at Vreed-en-Hoop junction.

Suitable for church, lessons, storage bond, office & other.

Call: 603-6400.

Land development Hyundai R140 long reach excavator & 1.5 sack ransom cement mixer.

Call: 657-9237/ 615-5669.

One furnished 2 bedroom apartment for rent. Call: 6732484.

One Clerk for TSI Eccles office. English & Mathematics.

Email: techserigy@ yahoo.com or Call: 615-9132.

Maid needed to clean at East Bank area. Call: 615-9132.

Male Cleaner for Eccles. Call: 615-9132/ 645-8443.

Kitchen assistant, chef, Salesperson and housekeeper needed. Call: 659-5559.

Experienced Salesperson, knowledge in writing bills, stocktaking and cashing & 1 General Domestic. Apply at Keyfood Mc. Doom Village.

Live-in Housekeeper needed to cook, clean and do laundry in Virgina, USA. Free room and boarding offered.

Call: 845-325-8241.

Receptionist and Hotel Attendant needed at Hick's Ville Hotel. Email: info@ vegeworld.net or Call: 2310951/ 231-0952.

Male seeking a female pen friend, 40 years & older. Call: 667-6396.

FOR SALE Tundra for sale, GKK5670.

1.8 Mil neg. Call: 668-5034.

House lots for sale in gated community, no down payment. $50,000 monthly. Call: 622-1957.

House lots & commercial plot for sale available at Blankenburg W.C.D. Call: 652-0251/ 650-0402.

One Bodywork man needed.

Call: 675-9988.

Farm Manager to oversee and manage a farm on the East Bank, accommodations available. Call: 227-0373/ 223-9888.

One Accounts Clerk, must have experience and be able to function in a fast paced environment. Call: 227-0373/ 223-9888.

Vacancy exist for a Graphic Designer, Pharmacy technician & Billing Clerk. Email: globalhealthsuppliesinc @gmail

VEHICLES FOR SALE 1 Honda CRV, includes TV, music system, alarm, reverse camera, sproiler, crashbar, low mileage PTT Series (first owner). Contact: 649-0956.

1 Toyota Allion, Pioneer DVD, CD & USB deck, reverse camera, alarm, low milage. Excellect condition.

Call: 649-0956.

Pharmacy Technician needed at Essential Care Pharmacy and Supercentre. Email: essentialcarepharmacy @yahoo.com 1 Janitor, Handyman and Farmer needed to work at Hujjatul Ulama, # 74 Village, Corentyne, Berbice. Call: 335-3749.

LAND FOR SALE PEN PAL

Elevate your brand with our professional Graphic design services. Call: 619-0007, 6295526.

44X80 located at Policeman Street, Dairy. 2 minutes away from Harbour Bridge, $11 mil neg. Call: 677-4286.

FOR SALE/RENT All sizes loaders, excavators & rollers, concrete pump & mixer trucks, mobile crane and Howo 30 ton dump trucks.

Call: 650-0402/652-0251 1 Lexus SUV, forklifts 3.5 tons diesel truck weigh scales -(60 tons,40 ft) Low bed trailers60 tons,triple axle. Call: 6653880.

PROPERTY FOR SALE Parfaite Harmonie, transferable with foundation. Price $6.7 mil. Call 670-8788.

From page 43 phones and cash at knifepoint at the Kitty seawalls. He is scheduled to appear before the court on February 14, 2024. Friday Case On Friday, two unemployed youths, Daniel Bodley and Shaquane George, were granted bail in the sum of $60,000 each, after they appeared at the city court before Senior Magistrate Leron Daly, and were charged with armed robbery.

The charge which was read by the magistrate alleged

that at Commerce Street, Georgetown, whilst in company of others and being armed with a dangerous weapon, that being a knife, the men robbed Michael Versasa of $10,000. The duo is scheduled to appear before the court on March 1, 2024.

On Friday, Krishna Dindial, appeared at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts before Senior Magistrate Leron Daly and was fined $80,000 after he admitted to stealing a mobile phone after pretending that he

wanted to make a call. He was required to pay the fine and if he failed to pay the fine imposed by the court; he would be sentenced to four months imprisonment.

On Friday, Travis Porter, a mason of West Ruimveldt was granted bail by Senior Magistrate Daly, after he was charged with discharging a loaded firearm towards Clive Rodrigues, with intent to maim, disable or cause him grievous bodily harm. His next scheduled court date is set for February 16, 2024.

‘Biscuit roads’ being built for billions...

From page 15 the budget under ‘transport,’ the minister said the man who rents taxis, buses, and hiring of boats, among others in this category will also benefit from a $2 billion allocation.

The minister highlighted also a series of measures and initiatives that target the needs of the regular

Guyanese citizens. For instance, he disclosed that 72,000 pensioners will benefit from more than $43 billion while some $2 billion was allocated for vehicle spares and maintenance.

“You know what that means? All the vulcanizing shops, tire shops, mechanic shops, the man who got to sell

the car parts, and so on [will have these] opportunities for them in the budget,” he outlined. Also, approximately $12.1 billion was allocated for security. The minister was adamant that this will see thousands of Guyanese benefitting especially women, as they are more engaged in this line of work.

A pioneering platform for showcasing...

From page 41 and renowned energy and economic expert, Daniel Yergin, will also be attending.

The conference also promises a series of thoughtprovoking panel discussions alongside enlightening presentations from oil companies and a special segment dedicated to youth engagement.

One of the key highlights is the panel discussion titled “Shaping the Future of Energy: Trends and Challenges.” This session features a diverse group of experts, including Mark Oberstoetter from Wood Mackenzie, Theodore Khan of Control Risks, Schlumberger( SLB) Guyana’s Carlos Sarmiento, and Dr. Michal Pawinski from The University of the West Indies. Their combined expertise in upstream research, risk management, diversity and inclusion, and international relations is set to offer a multifaceted view on the evolving energy landscape.

In a similar vein, the panel on “Balancing Economic Growth with Environmental Sustainability” is expected to draw considerable attention.

With Shyam Nokta of Environmental Management Consultants, Sunaina Ocalan from Hess Corp., Pradeepa

DRESSMAKING Learn to cut & sew at Enid's Dressmaking certificate classes located 66 Sixth St. Albertown. All sewing done here! Call: 643-7966/ 2239106.

Bholanath representing Guyana’s Ministry of Natural Resources, and moderated by the UK High Commissioner to Guyana, Jane Miller, this discussion promises to delve deep into the complexities of sustainable development.

The focus then shifts to logistics and infrastructure in the “Building Resilient Supply Chains in the Face of Disruptions” panel. Brent Patterson of Blue Water Shipping, Pepe Zhang from the Adrienne Arsht Latin America Centre, and moderator Dr. Rosh Khan of ACE Consulting Group are set to share insights on maintaining efficient and robust supply chains amidst global uncertainties. Further enriching the conference’s offerings is the “Developing a Workforce for the Future” panel, where U.S. Ambassador to Guyana, Nicole Theriot, Patrick Spaulding, and SLB’s Sharlene Seegoolam will discuss strategies for nurturing talent and skills essential for the future labor market. Investment opportunities in Guyana will take center stage in the panel titled “Investing in Guyana: Growing Opportunities.” This session boasts a lineup of notable government officials, including Ministers Zulfikar Mustapha, Oneidge Walrond, Hugh Todd, and Guyana’s Chief Investment Officer at Go-Invest, Dr. Peter Ramsaroop, who will outline

the burgeoning investment landscape in the region.

Complementing these panels, the conference will feature updates from the oil and gas sector by prominent figures like Alistair Routledge of ExxonMobil Guyana, Professor Suresh Narine from CGX Energy Inc, and Clarence Nelson Drake of LINDSAYCA Inc Petronas Staatsolie. Their presentations are expected to provide valuable insights into current activities and future prospects in the sector. Last but not least, the conference will shine a spotlight on the future generation with a Youth Engagement Session. Here, young entrepreneurs Nicholas Deygoo, Joel Bhagwandin, and Faizal Khan will showcase their entrepreneurial ventures, underscoring the role of youth in shaping the future of the energy and supply chain industries.

With its expanded focus encompassing various sectors and its impressive lineup of global leaders, industry experts, and influential speakers, the conference is poised to set new benchmarks in discussing and shaping the future of energy and economic growth. It stands as a testament to Guyana’s commitment to leveraging its natural resources responsibly and its strategic vision in fostering a sustainable and diverse economic future.

Kaieteur News

Sunday January 28, 2024

Venezuela’s grey...

From page 04 interpretation of the Geneva Agreement to assume jurisdiction over the border controversy.

This cannot stand.

We must expose this for what it is: an act of hybrid war by Venezuela that encouraged them to escalate their aggression to an announcement of their “annexation” of our entire Essequibo Region.

If this was not an act of w a r, t h e n w h a t i s ?

Maduro’s appointment of a Governor of the region with the “authority” to award or deny licenses c o n t i n u e s t h e normalization of Essequibo as Venezuela’s so that the final physical occupation – as with Russia in Eastern Ukraine – becomes a fait accompli.

The Venezuelan people’s historic grievance of being taken advantage of by Britain was once again emotionally aroused after the Argyle Declaration by the exhumation of General Sifones’ body and his installation in the Venezuelan pantheon of heroes on par with Simon Bolivar for “expelling the British from the Cuyuni Basin.

Maduro made it clear that this expulsion was to be extended in the present and he left no doubt about the means to accomplish this with his mobilization of one q u a r t e r o f t h e c o n v e n t i o n a l Ve n e z u e l a n a r m e d Forces to counter the visit of the 30-man HMS Trent.

M a d u r o ’s a c t i o n s illustrate how subversive war in the grey zone is to the international rulesbased order. And our acceptance of the several acts of aggression against our national interests such as discouraging FDI into Essequibo because of the “dispute” as not “warfare” makes us complicit in their international brigandry.

We can expect such actions to continue to be escalated until one day we will wake up as Ukraine did, to have enemy forces occupying our Essequibo.

In a positive development, however, our government has evidently accepted the need to buttress our security to possibly fight Venezuela’s grey zone war.

T h i s c a n b e discerned in our acceptance of members of the US 1st Security Forces Assistance Brigade (SFAB) working with our GDF. The SFAB’s are a US Army innovation to deal with the reality of hybrid wars in the grey zone that used to be handled by their Special Operations Forces.

They organize, train, equip and advise foreign security forces like ours to face threats by wanna-be regional hegemons like Ve n e z u e l a . We a g a i n reiterate the need to establish a base in our Essequibo Region to which our US ally can have access.

Sincerely, Ravi Dev

Doctrine needs explanation...

From page 5 policy of President Monroe (of US, 1817-25) — the so called Monroe Doctrine during his tenure and after and till now — a reference to involvement of any external power in the political affairs of the Americas and the Caribbean, considered America’s backyard, will be viewed as a hostile act and America will respond accordingly.

That policy has been consistently enforced by all American Presidents till this day. Governments that closely engaged with external powers, considered unfriendly with USA, were removed from office in America’s backyard going back the early 1800s.

The list is long and included the PPP governments of

1953 and 1964 during the height of the Cold War. It is best not to mess with the Americans or to engage in alliances or fraternal relationships with external powers considered as hostile to USA. That would be a violation of the Monroe Doctrine.

On a separate note, there was a grammatical error in usage of ‘rational’ in retort penned by Prof Brandli (Jan 23).

He asked in question 7, “Is there a rational formulated in the Jagdeo Doctrine”. It should be ‘rationale’.

Rational and/ or rationale refer to reason.

Rational was used as a verb.

The noun rationale was needed in the question.

Yours truly, Vishnu Bisram

PAGE 49

Kaieteur News

PAGE 50

Palestine Red Crescent Society says hospital and its workers in southern Gaza are besieged by Israeli forces (CNN) - The Palestine Red Crescent Society (PRCS) says its medical workers are living in a “state of terror and panic,” and has once again accused Israel of besieging its headquarters and a southern Gaza hospital. The PRCS condemned the “siege and targeting” of Al-Amal Hospital in Khan Younis “for the sixth consecutive day” in a statement released Saturday, calling on the

international community to shield its aid workers.

The aid group called the situation part of a “series of systematic attacks” on the organization and medical facilities in the Gaza Strip.

The PRCS has previously said its headquarters and the hospital are “under siege” by Israel.

CNN has reached out to the Israel Defense Forces for a response to the latest claims. It has previously

claimed Hamas was operating in the area from inside the Al-Amal and Nasser hospitals.

PRCS disputed those claims Saturday as “false,” and said the IDF has not made efforts to communicate with hospital administration. CNN cannot independently verify either side’s claims about the situation at the hospital due t o t h e d i ff i c u l t i e s o f reporting from the war zone.

Sunday January 28, 2024

Sunday January 28, 2024

Kaieteur News

PAGE 51

PAGE 52

Kaieteur News

Sunday January 28, 2024

Sunday January 28, 2024

Smith in control as Aussies navigate...

From page 56 nowhere and were left to rue four of their top six batters scoring between 29 and 41 but not kicking on.

No. 3 Kirk McKenzie, who drove well during his stay, top-scored with 41 and along with Alick Athanaze played attractively and threatened substantial scores before they both fell to Nathan Lyon either side of the dinner break.

Australia’s attack toiled in oppressive conditions, but managed to conjure breakthroughs at crucial junctures much like they did when challenged against Pakistan earlier in the summer.

With the quicks feeling the effects of the hot and humid weather, Lyon was relied upon and he threatened on a ground he has a terrific record at. Bowling quicker than

PAGE 53

Kaieteur News

usual, Lyon produced sharp turn and bounce to finish with 3 for 42 from 22 overs.

After a frenetic day two, the match returned to normalcy as the surface settled and West Indies eyed batting long. Resuming at 13 for 1, West Indies needed to survive the new ball onslaught and reached the 25-over mark, after which batting has proven easier, relatively unscathed. But the surface did not offer as much zip as it did late on day two when Australia had declared 22 runs behind and Josh Hazlewood had sent back Tagenarine Chanderpaul. McKenzie motored along to thwart Australia’s pace attack. In contrast, skipper Kraigg Brathwaite was anchored to the crease and scored just six runs off his first 33 balls be-

fore whacking Starc uppishly through the covers for his first boundary of the innings.

The batters defied probing hard-length bowling from Pat Cummins and notched a half-century stand before Brathwaite chipped Green to cover.

McKenzie slowed down and on his 50th delivery, he missed an attempted sweep to be trapped lbw on Lyon’s second delivery. McKenzie decided to review, having been hit high on his back leg, but ball tracking showed it to be clipping the off bail and the decision was upheld.

Athanaze, who has had limited impact in the series, showed glimpses of why he is highly rated with several attractive strokes and combined well with Hodge after dinner to rattle Australia.

Australia’s frustrations boiled over when Mitchell Marsh made a hash of a fielding attempt leading to Lyon, the bowler, gesticulating in annoyance. But Lyon’s mood soon brightened when he dismissed Athanaze on 35 after tossing up a delivery that was edged to slip, where Smith took a sharp catch.

It was a relief for Smith, who had earlier in the innings dropped Athanaze and Brathwaite, as West Indies fell away before their late fightback left the match delicately poised.

Match details: Stumps Australia 289 for 9 dec and 60 for 2 (Smith 33*, Green 9*, Joseph 1-19) trail West Indies 311 and 193 (McKenzie 41, Athanaze 35, Greaves 33, Hazlewood 3-23, Lyon 3-42) by 155 runs

Police boxing gym tops...

Sunday January 28, 2024 ARIES (Mar. 21–Apr. 19) Drastic shifts in your emotions might be causing you to doubt certain instincts or feelings you have, Aries. Instead of getting frustrated by your inability to make rational sense of these emotions.

TAURUS(Apr.20–May20) Today is one of those days in which you just want to lie on your back on the ground and look up at the clouds, Taurus.

GEMINI (May 21–June 20) You're most likely going to be very drawn to the things that you can't have, Gemini.

Instead of getting upset and frustrated by the fact that you aren't getting what you want.

CANCER (June 21–July 22) You may find yourself staring at a blank page for what seems like hours on end while you try to get down on paper what you really want to say.

LEO (July 23–Aug. 22) If you find yourself needing to do something in order to escape your life for a while, Leo, then maybe you need to examine your life more closely.

VIRGO (Aug. 23–Se pt. 22) Feeling unusually adventurous, Virgo? You're often motivated by your idealistic expectations, and the planetary configurations today.

LIBRA (Sept. 23–Oct. 22) Your emotions are likely to deceive you today, so be careful about making a judgment about something, Libra.

Make sure that you take your time and gather all the necessary facts SCORPIO (Oct. 23–Nov. 21) Make your time spent with others much richer by contrasting it with time spent absolutely alone, Scorpio.

You'll find that the more energy you can focus on yourself and your own thoughts for a while. .

SAGIT(Nov.22–Dec.21) Attend a lecture or some sort of intellectual discussion in which people are actively expressing their ideas and strong opinions, Sagittarius.

CAPRI (Dec. 22–Jan. 19) Your imagination is in all likelihood drawing you to faraway places, Capricorn, and you may find yourself daydreaming constantly.

AQUARIUS(Jan.20–Feb.18) Remember that there is a spirit in everything around you, Aquarius. Just because we can't perceive something with our eyes, ears, nose, mouth, or fingers doesn't mean that it doesn't exist.

PISCES (Feb. 19–Mar. 20) Share more of your passion, love, and happiness with the people around you, Pisces.

Put your energy toward a group project and work to co-create something much more magical.

From page 55 unable to continue, conceded the match in the second round, resulting in Isaacs winning the Bantamweight 52-54 kg semi-final in 2 minutes and 35 seconds of round #2.

In the 64-67 kg Welterweight division, Patrick Harvey of the Forgotten Youth Foundation (FYF) Boxing gym encountered a formidable opponent, Emmanuel Sancho of Police. Despite Harvey’s resilience in the second round, Sancho’s relentless assault of punches led to his victory via judges’ scorecards. Mark Crawford (FYF) demonstrated his prowess as a senior boxer in the Light Middleweight 68-71 kg category, facing GDF’s Colin Hinds. Crawford secured an easy win 1 minute and 15 seconds into the second round.

Hinds sustained an injury from a powerful uppercut by Crawford, hindering his recovery and allowing Crawford to advance to the Welterweight finals. The action continued with the Cruiserweight semi-final clash (81-86 kg) between Brian Harris (FYF) and Hullman Bovel (POL) and the Super Heavyweight +92 kg clash between Troy Glasgow (GDF) and Zidan Wray, also from GDF Boxing gym. Both Bovel and Glasgow secured victories by way of RSC, with Bovel claiming his win one minute into round two, and Wray throwing in the towel at the end of the second round, resulting in Glasgow’s triumph in the Super Heavyweight division.

The championship continued yesterday at the same venue, with detailed coverage of the second night will be provided in Monday’s edition.

GASA enthusiastic of Budget...

From page 56 equipment, strategically through development of coaches and with the development of programs that includes learn to swim and similar initiatives. Further efforts contributed to GASA participation at the Carifta Games, the CAC Games, World Aquatic Games, and the InterGuyana games. These participations help to raise the profiles of the national swimmers and officials. We have had stellar performances at the CAC games and the interGuyana games last year and look to further improvements in 2024.

The 2024 budget allocations will allow us not only to drive the continuity of these

programs, but for the implementation of additional initiatives that will push further development of sport throughout the nation.

The Guyana Amateur Swimming Association would like to commend the Government of Guyana, the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sport and the National Sports Commission for pushing these allocations and driving the efforts behind the initiatives.

We look forward to continued collaboration with the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sport and the National Sports Commission for the growth and improvement of aquatic sports but more importantly all sports in this great nation.

Jockey Patrick upbeat ahead...

From page 57 fillies 108LB. -1,100M W.I. BRED Colts 126 fillies 123.

Guy Bred colts 111, fillies and mares 108. Purse: $656,250. 1st: $350,000 – 2nd: $175,000 – 3rd: $87,500 – 4th: $43,750 Entry fee: $40,688.

Late Entry Fee: $54,250 RACE 6: J3 & Lower horses — 1400M- Purse; $609,375. 1st: $325,000 – 2nd: $162,500 – 3rd: $81,250 – 4th: $40,625 Entry fee: $37,780.

Late Entry Fee: $50,375 RACE 7: L class horses &

open to J3 first-time starters1400M – Purse: $562,500. 1st: $300,000 – 2nd: $150,000 – 3rd: $75,000 – 4th: $37,500. Entry fee: $34,875 Late Entry Fee: $46,500 RACE 8: L class non-earners of $200,000 or L class horses who have not earned since August 2023 & also open to J3 first-time starters – 1400M- Purse: $375,000. 1st: $200,000 – 2nd: $100,000 – 3rd: $50,000 – 4th: $25,000 Entry Fee: $23,250 Late Entry Fee: $31,000

Kaieteur News

PAGE 54

Sunday January 28, 2024

Harpy Eagles announce strong squad ahead of title defense …Kevlon Anderson named 4-Day Captain Star batsman Kevlon Anderson will make his debut as Captain of the Guyana Harpy Eagles 4-Day team ahead of the upcoming CWI Regional 4-Day Championships.

The Guyana Cricket Board (GCB) named a strong unit led by the former West Indies Under-19 batsman and consists of a few familiar faces along with a new crop of players.

Spinner Steven Sankar will be among the new faces in the team, following a breakthrough year with the

ball at domestic level.

Opener Raymon Perez, following his immaculate batting form which rolled over from 2023, will get his chance to play at the senior level. In-form fast-bowling a l l - r o u n d e r, R o n a l d o Alimohamed is the third fresh face in the Harpy Eagles side, having played 50-Over cricket for Guyana at the senior level.

Alimohamed, Perez and Sankar will likely make their debut while middle-order batsman Akshaya Persaud makes a return to the Harpy

Eagles unit, following his return to form across all formats.

Young batting sensation Matthew Nandu will be Anderson’s deputy as they lead a well-balanced side featuring a few veterans among the new faces.

First-Class cricket’s leading spinner Veerasammy Permaul, Anthony Adams and West Indies latest Test player, Kevin Sinclair will run the spinner’s show for Eagles.

Fast-bowler Ronsford Beaton, Nial Smith and Alimohamed will make up the front-line seam

unit, which adds to their starstudded batch of spin bowlers.

Test opener Tagenarine Chanderpaul, Nandu, Sinclair, Perez, Anderson, Persaud will look to carry the Eagles batting unit. Kemol Savory will be the wicket-keeper for the first two rounds until Tevin Imlach returns from West Indies duties. Savory is also expected to play a key role in the batting department.

The Harpy Eagles Head is Ryan Hercules and Assistant Coach Garvin Nedd will have Ryerson

Bhagoo as their Analyst and Albert Clements as Manager. Meanwhile, this year’s 4-Day Championship will have a significant increase in prize money as the winning team will pocket the US$250,000 first place prize , while the runner’s up will receive US$100,000.

The GHE commence their title defense when the West Indies Championship bowls off in St Kitts on February 7. GHE is set to face Trinidad and Tobago Red Force at Conaree Cricket Centre in round 1.

Guyana Harpy Eagles 4Day team - Kevlon Anderson (Cpt), Matthew Nandu (VC), Nial Smith, Veerasammy Permaul, Anthony Adams, Kevin Sinclair, Ronsford B e a t o n , Ta g e n a r i n e Chanderpaul, Akshaya Persaud, Raymon Perez, Ronaldo Alimohamed, Steven Sankar, Kemol Savory.

Under the new Cricket West Indies ‘Player Movement Policy’ each territory is required to name six Priority players. The GHE’s six priority players will be announced shortly.

Kaieteur News

Sunday January 28, 2024

PAGE 55

Final leg unravels at Port Mourant GBA Senior Development Boxing Championship…

Police boxing gym tops Community Centre today GT Beer 5-overs Tapeball Cricket Competition…

All systems are in place and an action pack day is anticipated when the top eight teams clash for championship honours in the Banks DIH Limited GT Beer 5 overs 7-a-side Tapeball cricket competition.

The venue is the Port Mourant Country Centre, Corentyne. The teams making it through are Sip and P l a y, T i t a n s , R o y a l s , Crabwood Creek, East Bank Berbice, City Stars, University of Guyana and Canje Spartans.

The drawing will take place before the start of play.

However, according to their placing in the preliminary round of matches, their opponents will be known.

Matches were played the proceeding two Sundays at Skeldon on the Corentyne and Rose Hall Community Centre

in Canje. Today’s action starts at 10:00 hrs, with quarter-final matches which will be followed by the semifinals.

The two winners will then clash in the final which will be played under lights.

Apart from cricket action on the ground, Banks DIH Limited has organised several other activities that will cater to the entire family. There will be trampolines for the kids, bouncy castles and face painting among other funfilled activities.

There will be plenty of food available, a well-stocked bar and lots of Banks DIH promotions. The quarterfinals, semifinals, third-place playoff and final will be played on Sunday 28th at The Port Mourant Community Centre. The final will be played under lights. Over

$400,000 in cash trophies and other incentives will be up for grabs. The winning team will walk away with $200,000 and the coveted Banks DIH trophy.

There will also be cash and other incentives available for other top-placed teams.

Outstanding individual performers are also expected to be rewarded.

Banks DIH Berbice Branch Manager Nandram Basdeo, GT Beer Brand Manager Dwayne Bristol and other staff are expected to be in attendance. They will also help with the distribution of prizes at the end of the competition.

The winning team is expected to participate in a nationwide $1M competition to be played l a t e r d u r i n g t h e y e a r.

(Samuel Whyte)

card on opening night

The Guyana Boxing Association (GBA) initiated its Senior Boxing Development programme at the National Gymnasium located along Mandela Avenue on Friday, presenting an exhilarating array of matches to launch the senior boxing season. These matches served as a preparatory card for pugilists aiming to qualify for the upcoming 2024 Paris Games.

The evening commenced with three youth matches, followed by five elite bouts across the Bantamweight, We l t e r w e i g h t , L i g h t M i d d l e w e i g h t , Cruiserweight, and Super Heavyweight divisions.

The excitement unfolded as Fidel Persaud, Travis

Emmanuel Sancho punishes Patrick Harvey (FYF) during the Welterweight 64-67ksg semi final clash on Friday Sancho, and Leon Albert secured victories in the youth finals within the respective 46-48 kg, 49-51 kg, and 55-57 kg categories.

Subsequently, Melroy McPherson from the Guyana Defence Force (GDF) Boxing gym faced off

against Kevin Isaacs of the Police (POL) Boxing gym in the first elite matchup of the night. Isaacs dominated from the start, subjecting McPherson to two 8-count stands in the latter part of the first round. McPherson, (Continued on page 53 )

Kaieteur News

PAGE 56

West Indies Tour of Australia 2024…

Sunday January 28, 2024

2024 Concacaf W Gold Cup Preliminary Rosters announced

Smith in control as Aussies …Lady Jags to face Dominica Republic on February 17 navigate 216-run chase (ESPN Cricinfo) Steven Smith made a positive start to Australia’s chase of 216, but a shorthanded West Indies attack hit back late on day three to breathe life anew into the second Test at the Gabba. Australia reached stumps at 60 for 2 and need a further 156 runs to claim a sweep of the home Test summer. But this unpredictable contest may have more twists and turns with heavy showers forecast on days four and five due to the after-effects of Cyclone Kirrily.

New-ball bowlers Kemar Roach and Alzarri Joseph started sluggishly and failed to make the most of favourable conditions under lights. Australia rattled off 24 runs before opener Usman Khawaja tickled Alzarri Joseph down the leg side.

West Indies’ hopes of ending a two-decade Test drought against Australia were further raised when Justin Greaves squared up Marnus Labuschagne, whose edge was brilliantly snaffled by Kevin Sinclair in the slips. Sinclair - not for the first time in his debut Te s t - c e l e b r a t e d b y crossing his arms after he rose from the turf.

Smith and Cameron Green survived a probing examination before stumps.

Green was all at sea and struck on the pads by Greaves, but West Indies were unsuccessful in their review. He then edged the next delivery in front of second slip.

In contrast, Smith looked technically sound and hit the ball crisply to finish unbeaten on 33 from 56 balls.

It was a resilient effort

from West Indies, who were without quick Shamar Joseph after he was struck on the toe on his right foot by an inswinging yorker from Mitchell Starc. It was initially given out lbw but Starc had overstepped. He had to retire hurt to end a West Indies second innings that fell away.

They had moved to 148 for 4, with a lead of 170, when the in-form Kavem Hodge hit to Travis Head at forward short-leg and took a couple of steps forward with the stroke, and Head quickly flicked the ball at the stumps. A desperate Hodge dove back but his bat was in the air when the ball hit the stumps in what might prove a match-turning moment.

It followed a trend where West Indies lost wickets almost out of (Continued on page 55)

(Concacaf) – The 15 national teams participating in the 2024 Concacaf W Gold Cup have submitted their preliminary rosters ahead of the start of the competition on February 17.

The inaugural edition of the region’s new flagship competition for women’s national teams will be played between February 17 – March 10, 2024, across four venues in three US metropolitan areas and includes the participation of Concacaf ’s and C O N M E B O L’ s b e s t women’s national teams and some of the world’s top players.

To be eligible to play in the 2024 W Gold Cup, all players are subject to and must fully comply with the criteria stipulated in the applicable FIFA player eligibility regulations.

The 2024 Concacaf W Gold Cup will begin with the Prelims at Dignity Health Sports Park Track and Field Stadium on February 17, 2024. After single-match e l i m i n a t i o n p l a y, t h e winning team in each match will advance to the Group Stage.

The pairings for the Preliminary Round (Prelims) were determined based on Concacaf Women’s Rankings as of December

Otesha Charles (left) netted a double in Guyana’s 5-0 win against Dominica.

2023 (highest-ranked teams versus the lowest-ranked teams). P1 will feature Haiti (1) vs Puerto Rico; P2 will see El Salvador (2) vs Guatemala (5) while P3 features Guyana (3) vs Dominican Republic (4).

A 12-national team Group Stage will be played between February 20-28, 2024, at Dignity Health Sports Park (Group A), Snapdragon Stadium (Group B), and Shell Energy Stadium (Group C). After round-robin play, the group winners, runners-up, and the two best third-place finishers will advance to the competition’s Quarterfinals.

In the competition’s official draw, the teams participating in the group stage were divided into three groups of four as follows: Group A - United States, Mexico, Argentina and Prelims Winner 3, Group B Brazil, Panama, Colombia and Prelims Winner 1, Group C - Canada, Costa Rica, Paraguay, and Prelims Winner 2.

The Knockout Stage will commence with the Quarterfinals at BMO Stadium on March 2 and 3, followed by the Semifinals and Final at Snapdragon Stadium on March 6 and 10, respectively.

GASA enthusiastic of Budget Allocation to Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sport

T

he allocations in the budget read for the year 2024 should create great enthusiasm by all the national sporting disciplines.

This is due to the work we have witnessed coming from the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sport and the National Sports Commission over the last 12 months. We have witnessed a tremendous volume of works and projects initiated by the Ministry and this will support the completions of these initiatives. More importantly though, the allocations will help in the development of new projects to help with further the development of Sport in Guyana.

The budget allocations are indicative of the vision of the Minister and his team for

GASA President Dwayne Scott (Photo: Guyana Times Sport) the development of Sport in Guyana, but it also indicates the commitment of the Government of the day to accelerate this development to meet regional and global objectives.

The Guyana Amateur Swimming Association has a vision to expand the sport beyond the major towns in Guyana.

We a l s o s e e t h e opportunity to host regional, continental, and international events here in Guyana. These visions can only be realized with improved infrastructure and facilities. The Ministry, The National Sports Commission and GASA share these visions and are in constant talks on the realization of these plans and the impact it can have on the country be it economic, social and/or cultural.

On a domestic level, this group has been working toward systematic improvements through the procurement of tools and (Continued on page 55)

Kaieteur News

Sunday January 28, 2024

Jockey Patrick upbeat ahead of Jumbo Jet’s Mashramni horse race Jockey Nicholas Patrick is in full preparation mode for the Jumbo Jet Thoroughbred Racing Committee grand Mashramani horse-race meet at Rising Sun Turf Club, West Coast Berbice.

Eight races are on the cards for the February 25 race day and close to GY$10,000,000 will be up for grabs.

The feature of the event will be open to all imported and locally bred horses, running at a distance of 1600 meters. The top horse of the feature event will bag GY$ 2,000,000.

While Jockey Patrick is excited to get going, he also welcomed the forward movement of the legislation in Guyana’s horse racing. He believes that legislation will further enhance the sport in Guyana.

“That is going to be perfect, when the legislation passes and the game goes up, you will get more horses and the stakes is going to go up.

More people will go into racing,” Patrick said about the prospective introduction of the legislation.

As it relates to preparation,

Jockey Nicholas Patrick rocking the Guyana colours at a recent racing event

Patrick expressed his readiness for the February 25 race meet.

“We have been taking it light so far. We were preparing for the January 28 race but that was canceled, but we are ready for the next race,” the jockey said. Reflecting on 2023, Patrick said: “If I have to rate myself, as it relates to fitness and feeling; I would say I am 80% there.

Last year was not a bad year for me.

I had fun last year, I rode couple of winners for the big races, especially Bossalina and Amazing Grace. She gave me a couple of wins as well, and I must say thank you to the owners and trainers.” See below the full provisional programme for the Mashramani race meet RACE 1: OPEN to all imported & locally bred horses — 1600M- Purse: $3,750,000: 1st: $2,000,000 – 2nd: $1,000,000 – 3rd: $500,000 – 4th: $250,000 Entry fee: $232, 500 Late Entry Fee: $310,000 RACE 2: West Indian-bred 4 Y.O & W. I . 3 - y r o l d h o r s e s –1600M- Purse: $1,875,000 1st: $1,000,000 - 2nd: $500,000 – 3rd: $250,000 –

Archery Guyana represented at 20th Lancaster Archery Classic

T

4th: $125,000. Entry fee: $116,250 Late Entry Fee: $155,000 RACE 3: Three-year-old Guyana-bred non-winners of two races — 1400M- Purse: $1,125,000 1st: $600,000 – 2nd: $300,000 – 3rd: $150,000 – 4th: $75,000 Entry fee: $69,750 Late Entry Fee: $93,000 RACE 4: G Class Horses. Open to F3. & also F1 & F2 non-earners in their last start horses — 1400MN O RT H A M E R I C A IMPORTED 3YR & UP COLTS 126LB, FILLIES 123LB. W.I. & LOCALLY BRED COLTS & FILLIES 1 5 L B A L L O WA N C E .

Purse: $750,000 1st: $400,000 – 2nd: $200,000 – 3rd: $100,000 – 4th: $50,000 Entry fee: $46,500 Late Entry Fee: $62,000 RACE 5: i-Class Horses & Open to First-time starter – West Indian-bred 3 Y.O & Also open to H3 non-earners in last two starts, or h3 horses who have not earned since August 2023.

W.I. bred colts 126lb, fillies 123. W.I. Bred 3yr old colts 121LB, fillies 119.

Locally Bred colts 111LB, (Continued on page 53)

PAGE 57

wo of Archery G u y a n a ’ s m e m b e r s , Jeewanram Persaud and Mehandra Chatargum are in the USA competing in the 20 th edition of the Lancaster Archery Classic 2024 hosted at the Spooky Nook Sports Complex in Manheim, Pennsylvania, the largest indoor sports complex in the United States just outside of Lancaster.

The Classic attracts archers from all over the world every year during the winter season.

P e r s a u d a n d Chatargum are shooting in the Men’s Barebow Division against some of t h e w o r l d ’s b i g g e s t names in barebow and have been meeting and making friends with some of them.

Shooting for a top score of 660, Persaud shot his ranking score of 515 on Thursday 25 th J a n u a r y, 2 0 2 4 w h i l e Chatargum shot his ranking score of 502 on Friday 26 th January, 2024.

Persaud came in at #48 making it into the

Jeewanram Persaud with Senior Men’s Barebow champ Lee Wilkins

eliminations bracket, while Chatargum came in at #72 just outside of the elimination which ends at Archer Number 64.

The elimination rounds on Saturday saw Persaud go up against John Dawson of the USA, with Dawson gaining just 2 points to win 100-98. The Classic

continued with the shoot-up finals on Saturday and today (Sunday).

The Board of Directors of Archery Guyana conveys its congratulations to both Archers for their participation and is proud of our 2 barebow archers who represented the country at this huge event and wish them safe travels back home.

Marnus Labuschagne made just 3 and 5 in the match (Getty Images)

Spo

rts

West Indies Tour of Australia 2024… Smith in control

as Aussies navigate 216-run chase Harpy Eagles announce strong squad ahead of title defense …Kevlon Anderson named 4-Day Captain Kevlon Anderson

The Lady Jags were very impressive in the Qualifiers stage.

2024 Concacaf W Gold Cup Preliminary Rosters announced …Lady Jags to face Dominica Republic on February 17 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.