Kaieteur News

Outgoing Toshaos K NEWS Council executives boycott conference AIETEUR

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Tuesday Edition July 12, 2022 - Vol. 15 No. 27

Online: www.kaieteurnews.com Online Price $100 readership yesterday, 72,055

Exxon & partners grab $94B in advances from rd oil for 3 Production Ship p.

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OPR probes alleged torture of Annandale teen while in police custody “Refining” of World Bank capacity building loan “almost complete” ...Natural Resource minister

After nine-year wait, Toshaos get $15k raise in stipend

Guyana leads the world in oil exploration - Rystad

Guyana takes Norway money to spend US$2.5M per MW on solar …as world spends five times less for same thing

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Tuesday July 12, 2022

Kaieteur News

More questions than answers ...as GuySuCo defends use of articulated tractors; citing 'independent report' The Guyana Sugar Corporation (GuySuCo) has sought to clarify the process under which the use of articulated tractors was supported in soil preparation for the cultivation of sugar cane over the use of fixed frame machinery.

In a public missive, the sugar company claimed that an independent report by “a team of professional engineers independent of GuySuCo” was conducted, supporting the use articulated tractors for tillage purposes

over the use of the fixed frame machinery.

Kaieteur News had received several internal documents relating to the use of machinery for tillage and had reported that the company was gearing to buy the GAME articulated tracks over John Deere fixed frame tractors despite the objection of senior GuySuCo officials, who based on their experiences, insisted that the John Deere tractors were cheaper and more efficient than the other brand which

was highlighted primarily for the purpose of haulage.

The Sunday newspaper spread said that GuySuCo had assessed its tillage fleet in 2020 and found that it was in need of 27 machines to get the job done. The company's Board of Directors procurement subcommittee recognized the crisis and “ u n a n i m o u s l y recommended” the purchase of six articulated tractors.

The information continued that the GuySuCo executive supported the purchase, but

“an uncorroborated criticism of the recommendation by well-connected minority was circulated, without having an informed understanding of the core issues and its impact on cane yields.” As such the subcommittee decision was set aside and an independent field testing of the two technologies was done.”

Kaieteur News had reported on a 2020 -2021 analysis of the evaluation of the articulated tractors by a named senior estate manager who had presented his

findings stating that the fixed frame machines where better than the articulated machines. It said among other things that “The empirical data in the test results revealed that the John Deere is a better tractor than the articulated tractor when working under the same condition.” It recommended that the John Deere tractor over the articulated “since it is capable of carrying out all the operations in the tillage/mechanization process,” that it's cheaper and more versatile.

GuySuCo said in their Sunday statement that the team of professional engineers independent of GuySuCo, “clearly illustrated that the articulated technology is suitable for fields prepared for mechanical harvesting and that the industry should 'procure for tillage'”. The 2022 report which was seen by this newspaper does not identify the “team of independent professionals” but concludes that “both

fixed frame and articulated tractors can be applied for specific purposes, however, the rationale by GuySuCo and for long term land tillage operations, procuring more of the articulated tractors than fixed frame tractors will be beneficial to the industry.”

Following which, the fixed frame tractors would be phased out when GuySuCo achieves 100percent conversion from Dutch to English beds.

GuySuCo stakeholders are contending however, that while different reports support the tractors, what is important to note is that the GAME Company where the articulated tractors are being sourced speaks of the machine for the purpose of haulage. Kaieteur News had also reported that GAME Equipment, LLC had provided a proposal to GuySuCo earlier this year to provide four more articulated tractors. The proposal spoke specifically to haulage and provided several (Continued on page 9)

Kaieteur News

Tuesday July 12, 2022

Exxon & partners deduct $94B inrd advances from oil for 3 Production Ship

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uyana currently has two Floating Production Storage and Offloading (FPSO) currently producing crude oil from the Stabroek Block—the Liza Destiny and Liza Unity and a third, is currently under construction.

That FPSO named the Prosperity will be used to produce the Payara development and is the largest of the first three production vessels to be put into operation in Guyana with a capacity of 220,000 barrels per day. The FPSO will be spread-moored in water depth of about 1,900 meters and will be able to store around 2 million barrels of crude oil. The project is part of the Payara development, which is the third development within the Stabroek Block, located 200 kilometers offshore Guyana.

According to recent financial statements filed by the oil companies, in excess of $94B has already been deducted as part of the 75 percent cost oil recovery, to repay expenses incurred by the oil companies.

According to statements filed by Hess Guyana Exploration Limited, in

2020 the first year of oil production in Guyana, it t u r n e d o v e r $131,66,534,497 ($13.2B) while the following year a sum of $14,834,549,944 ($14.6B). Collectively it would represent $28,001,084,441 ($28B) over the two years being set aside by Hess for the Prosperity vessel.

The monies are reflected as advances to operator in the company's statement of financial position for the two years.

Under the Financial Notes, accompanying the statements, it was explained that the money “represents cash payments to the operator for support of construction of the prosperity floating production, storage and offloading vessel, which upon completion will be installed at the Payara field.”

The Operator of the Stabroek Block within which the Liza I,II and Payara oil field are located is Esso Exploration and production Guyana L i m i t e d (EEPGL)—ExxonMobil Guyana—which holds a 45 percent working interest.

Hess commands a 30 percent interest while the other

partner in the block CNOOC Petroleum Guyana Limited controls the remaining 25 percent share.

As such, it would mean that EEPGL would be responsible for $42,001,626,662 ($42.1B) while CNOOC would be responsible for $23,334,237,034 ($23.3B).

Collectively the advances for Payara over the two years, based on Hess' filings, would be $93,336,948,137 ($93.4B).

SBM Offshore the Dutch Floater Specialist that secured the contract for the Prosperity, in addition to the Unity and Destiny had disclosed that the vessel which will be used in the Stabroek Block's Payara Project will cost US$1.05B (over GYD $200B). SBM at the time of the announcement had said the financing was secured from a consortium of 11 international banks while adding that it expects to draw the loan in full, phased over the construction period of the Prosperity Vessel.

Kaieteur News understands that the Prosperity FPSO will utilise a d e s i g n t h a t l a rg e l y replicates the design of the

Liza Unity FPSO, which is on its way to Guyana for hook-up in the Liza Phase Two Project. As such, the design is based on SBM Offshore's industry-leading Fast4Ward® programme that incorporates the company's new build, multipurpose hull combined with several standardised topsides modules.

Furthermore, SBM said the FPSO will be designed to produce 220,000 barrels of oil per day, will have associated gas treatment capacity of 400 million cubic feet per day and water injection capacity of 250,000 barrels per day. The converted Very Large Crude Carrier (VLCC) to be converted into the Prosperity FPSO is presently in the Keppel Shipyard in Singapore where its fabrication is being facilitated.

That vessel is expected to come on stream with first oil in 2024 and according to reports is currently ahead of schedule.

Govt. pursuing two-year timeline to complete Amerindian Land Titling - Minister Sukhai …as seven villages receive certificates of title, absolute grants

By Davina Bagot The Ministry of Amerindian Affairs on Monday presented seven Amerindian villages with Certificates of Title and Absolute Grants for their lands and has vowed to complete all Amerindian Land Titling matters in two years.

It was the subject Minister, Pauline Sukhai who gave Toshaos this assurance, as the National Toshaos Council (NTC) Conference kicked off at the Arthur Chung Conference Center, Georgetown. According to Sukhai, “The Ministry is pursuing the approval for two years extension for accomplishing once and for all the completion of titling and demarcation of Amerindian lands.” Earlier in her presentation, she told the Amerindian Village leaders that land titling is paramount on the government's agenda.

To this end, seven communities received titles to protect their traditional lands. Mashabo and Capoey two Region Two villages received Absolute Grants for the extension of 14.5 square miles and 13 square miles, respectively.

Toshao Shameer Khan of Yupukari Village, Region Nine receives a Certificate of Title for extension, from President Irfaan Ali. Also present for the handing over are Prime Minister, Brigadier Ret'd Mark Phillips and Minister of Amerindian Affairs, Pauline Sukhai (Photo credit: DPI) Receiving Certificates of Title for extensions were: Toshaos of St. Monica and Mainstay/Whyaka, along the Essequibo Coast, and Yupukari, Upper Takutu-Upper Essequibo (Region Nine). Additionally, Tassarene and

Kangaruma Villages in Region Seven received Certificates of Title as well.

Successive governments, have for years, been tackling the issue of Amerindian Land Titling. In fact, the (Continued on page 22)

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The VLCC being converted into the Prosperity FPSO for production in the Stabroek Block Payara oil field

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Tuesday July 12, 2022

Kaieteur News

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

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

EDITORIAL

America’s Jan. 6 hearings

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he January 6 hearings continue in the United States Congress, and there has been a slew of revelations on what goes on at the heights, in this instance as driven by the corrupt ambitions of former President, Donald Trump.

On a dazzling note, it is of how men and women, powerful in access to the then President, were handicapped in their efforts to get him to see some little ray of light that he had lost, and that he was going down a terrible road.

And most importantly, it is revealing, and inspiring that some men and women stood up to their leader, insisted that he had it wrong, and that he must throw in the towel, and depart from his high office, with grace and dignity intact.

This is what it takes, as history has confirmed to us from time to time.

When a few good ones draw the line and stand immovably on it, they know that they will pay a heavy price, but they still marshal the courage and the will to make the sacrifice, including the ultimate one. A few hundred Spartans did that at Thermopylae against an overwhelming force knowing that they were all going to go down. Their energy and their character, their whole upbringing and outlook on life, made it impossible for them to think of or go in any other direction.

It is of how some fight for what is ideal, what is right by their standard of justice, regardless of the odds. Mohandas Gandhi did that in colonial India and succeeded; so, too, did Martin Luther King in Jim Crow America; as well as Nelson Mandela in apartheid South Africa. We are all better for the superb examples of these superstars of struggle against forces that embodied the all-conquering, but who come out winning, nevertheless.

For Trump’s own aides and trusted insiders to come out and speak out against him says so much about them, for what it meant was that their actions effectively sealed their fate. He was that kind of man, still remains that controlling for too much of his followers, from all walks of American life.

What has come out so far in the January 6 Congressional Hearings tells us much about human nature. This stretches from the power of cult leaders to inner circles committed to them, and then of something else.

We are privy to observe those who were bold enough to break from the mould and hold of a deranged leader who insisted on piling wrongdoing upon wrongdoing, in illegality after illegality, and dragging them down with him. Some in the White House of Trump were not prepared to allow themselves to be flexible (compromised) to such extents, so they balked. It is why their testimony is so riveting, in that it is remarkably revealing. It is also restoring in that there could be, still is, this kind of human spirit, when it is most needed.

We continue to have our troubles with leaders in Guyana. Like Donald Trump, they demand absolute loyalty, regardless of cost to individual integrity, the assaults on personal standards. It is their way alone in Guyana, and this means total silence here. We are filled with all these lovely stories about the positives that will bring so much prosperity to Guyanese, but of the real stories of leadership failures and corruptions, those are wrapped in concrete and buried in steel.

Unlike Americans close to the seat of power (Brits, too), men and women in this country who are in similar positions clam up and cover-up to protect the wiles and guiles of leaders who make losers out of trusting Guyanese. On our richest prize, this oil of ours, those who speak out fearlessly about possible issues with the management of Guyana’s Oil Fund can be penalised for their honesty. But those who abuse it are exempt by law. Who can find favour with something like that, support such? What leader would think of that protective crookedness? What do we have here in Guyana for leaders, and those around them? It seems too many like that fatally flawed and now exposed former American leader, as resonates from the January 6 Hearings.

No resurrection for the AFC DEAR EDITOR, The Alliance for Change feels that by parting ways with the APNU that it can salvage the damage done to the Guyanese people, especially its former members and supporters. But it is apparent that they want to restore their own damaged image. Some within the AFC realised this and as early as 2021 some of the Party’s Executive had received a 17-page proposal which recommended that the AFC leave the coalition with the APNU. Did this proposal come from the financiers of the Party?

This proposal was put to the AFC’s National Conference this year and at the end of that Conference it was reported that it was agreed by the new Executive body to break the relationship this year end when the Cummingsburg Accord which came to life on Valentine’s Day 2015 would have come to an end. The voice of the financiers had decisively spoken or so it seemed.

According to Mrs. Catherine Hughes, the Chairman of the AFC, there will be no renewal and the Party will focus on rebuilding and walking on its own feet and getting back on the ground, however it will be opened to coalescing with other parties.

I could vividly recall that the AFC had proffered many reasons why the coalescing with the PNC was necessary.

The main reason being the removal of the ‘corrupt’ PPP/ C Government so that Guyana

could achieve its full potential, given its huge natural resources. According to Ramjattan, the PPP/C was siphoning off more than 20 percent from each contract awarded. Guyanese has witnessed that the Coalition during its tenure in Office became the most corrupt government ever and the Reserves, the Consolidated Fund and the Treasury were ruthlessly and repeatedly raped. Corruption became the order of the day and the Auditor General’s Report is replete with factual evidences. The AFC’s Natural Resources Minister, Trotman gave away of our oil patrimony, a ‘legacy’ which the current Government is now bombarded to renegotiate. Where is Trotman? Has he gone back to the PNC - mission accomplished? Where were these voices which are so vociferous now? Was the AFC blind at that time? The AFC presided and gave approval to all of these nefarious acts. The AFC even approved all the constitutional breaches which Granger perpetrated.

I could also distinctly recall that the AFC for a number of years after its formation in 2005, repeatedly lambasted the PNC for rigging the elections from 1968 to 1985 and mentioned volumes of the atrocities committed by the PNC. Ramjattan and Nagamootoo were at their oratory best at public meetings and no one

would have envisaged that a day would come when these two very persons would dumbly stood by and witnessed for five months the barefaced attempts by the PNC to rig the 2020 Elections.

They became part and parcel of what they had condemned: thievery and corruption, cronyism, mismanagement and squandermania, and eventually the rigging of elections. The AFC had become completely consumed by the PNC that they had become one and the same. The AFC leaders never condemned because they knew that if the rigging was successful then they stood to gain, the raping of the Treasury will begin all over again. Ramjattan would probably be the next Prime Minister. It was all about money and power, never the people and the country.

Now that the rigging failed they are now singing a different tune. Guyanese want to hear the AFC condemning this rigging. But this will never happen, they supported it.

Now they want to ‘rebuild’. Is this not an admission that they destroyed their founding principles? The AFC wants to ‘walk on its own feet’. Is this not an admission that they were walking with the ‘feet’ of the PNC? The AFC wants to get ‘back on the ground’.

Is this not an admission that the AFC have lost contact with their membership and support base? Is this not the

ultimate act of betrayal? They enjoyed the corrupt life offered to them by the PNC on a platter completely neglecting the people of this country and nearly plunged this nation into a dictatorship once again and now they are begging for acceptance by the people they trampled on and betrayed. The real Ramjattan and Nagamootoo have been exposed and both being completely pleased with their ignoble acts and omissions, the latter has crept and disappeared into oblivion. They have lost all their ideals and principles which Guyanese had witnessed when they fought the PNC dictatorship.

Those whom they betrayed would like to be given the true reason for the breaking of that unholy alliance with the PNC, but this will never be forthcoming since the main reason is to once again give parliamentary co-operation to the PNC to make this country ungovernable and frustrate the developmental thrust of the PPP/C Government.

History is repeating itself.

This was what transpired after the 2022 Elections and if given that opportunity it will happen again.

The Alliance for Change is not capable of change and it should never be given an opportunity to resurrect. This time the result will be more devastating and catastrophic.

Yours sincerely, Haseef Yusuf

Toshaos encouraged to stand strong in representing the rights of indigenous peoples DEAR EDITOR, As the National Toshaos Conference 2022 gets underway, I write to encourage all Toshaos to represent the interests of their villages and to work together to secure respect for our rights as indigenous peoples.

As the outgoing chair of the National Toshaos Council executive, I expected and hoped to guide the planning of this year’s Conference with my fellow outgoing executive members. Instead, the planning for this Conference has not included us. We as former leaders have been sidelined and the agenda does not allow for the current toshaos to run the Conference themselves.

The NTC is intended to be an institution for indigenous peoples. The NTC Rules of Procedure that had previously been adopted states unambiguously that: “10. The NTC is an independent body

representing the collective voice of the toshaos. The [Executive Committee] and its members shall act accordingly and shall at all times uphold the independence of the NTC.” Myself and my fellow outgoing executive committee members have worked hard to ensure our independence as a body.

However, this independence is undermined by the failure of the Government to ensure that the NTC has the funds to allow us to coordinate and organise the Conference ourselves.

I am not attending the Conference this week because my concerns were not addressed in a timely manner and did not confirm my participation and travel arrangements. I met with Ministry of Amerindian Affairs staff as early as June 24 to raise concerns that the outgoing executive were not being given control over the

planning for the conference and that the draft agenda did not allow for the toshaos to run the meeting themselves. I requested that the outgoing NTC be involved in the planning process for the Conference; that the toshaos run the Conference themselves; that at a minimum the toshaos should be given sufficient time during the Conference to meet and discuss matters amongst themselves; and that indigenous groups should be invited to participate in the meeting. I was informed that my concerns would be relayed to the Minister, but I did not receive any positive response.

On July 9, I enquired if I was allotted a space on the agenda to address the toshaos but the staff of the ministry could not give me a positive answer on my request, but despite calling the Ministry three times that day, I received no

confirmation of my travel. The short notice and lack of information about any travel plans means that today I am home in my village instead of attending the Conference.

I continue to be concerned about the lack of respect for the NTC as an independent representative institution for indigenous peoples. This is manifest in its unwillingness to cede control over the planning of the Conference to the NTC and its refusal to allow our toshaos to run this Conference themselves. I hope that our toshaos will find time to engage and share information and experiences with one another during this week. I encourage our toshaos to stand strong in representing the rights of our people. I urge toshaos to demand answers from the Ministers at this Conference: when will our outstanding land claims be resolved (Continued on page 5)

Tuesday July 12, 2022

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Kaieteur News

Lest the nation be hurled into chaos, the Force Help need, explanation appeal should be given a chance to reinvent itself DEAR EDITOR, The Celestial Chinese came out in full force to make their position absolutely clear about corruption: zero tolerance. The best I can say to that is that I must be at the opera. But there it is, while I am having great difficulty recalling when Communists anywhere have ever spoke to truth, even partial ones.

I regret that my net covers the like of such heroic figures of yore as Cheddi Jagan, Janet Jagan, and those now making the news.

But for the Chinese to step before the public and declare that there are incorruptible, they don’t do business in such sleazy ways, I think distils to a matter of understanding.

Do these good folks really know what incorruptibility is all about?

What is the definition and the wholeness of the arcs that it covers? I have severe doubts, and the best that I can come up with for what the Chinese put on the table about corruption is what our own dear President Ali says where he is on t r a n s p a r e n c y. F o r h i m secrecy is the highest aspiration, reflection, and expression of transparency, and I wonder who has taught whom, who has been the better student, the Chinese or the Guyanese head of state. As should be obvious, I am in the dark here, and some light would help lead me to the same pathways that these fine folks walk.

Similarly, a short while ago, the Hon Minister with responsibility for Finance in the Office of the President (my God! I hope that I have that right) said in the most glowing terms how his PPP Government is totally against corruption, which sounds eerily like ‘zero tolerance’ now the new Maoist mantra of the Chinese.

I have three things to say on this symphony from the good doctor whose bedside manner is so charming that it makes me think of the cat and bird. I know that he knows his numbers, but I didn’t r e a l i s e that his skills included that of a cartoonist.

Clearly, he spent too much time in that den of iniquity in the Pacific called the

Maldives. It was time well spent, since it is not too distant from the South China Sea, which fits all these inspiring public postures about corruption into a neat, closed circle.He learned from the masters of the corruption arts, and now the finance fakir comes to this backward place to make rings around the poor, untutored citizens of this country. Ta l k i n g a b o u t making rings around the gullible, will somebody explain to me why the ring of roses about this minister’s official portfolio and designation?

Why go through all those syntactic loops and hoops? And while at it, why can’t this PPP Government and its leaders face the facts, and tell some truth for once? If they just must go to these lengths, then make it official: Minister with responsibility for Finance in the Office of the Vice President, who himself, miracle of miracles, swears that he, too, is untainted and incorruptible?

Please pardon my naiveté and stupidity in forgetting that the Office of the Vice President is the Office of the President.

N o w, I b e g n o t t o b e dragged into any controversy about de jure and de facto, and so forth.

Now for my point, one final corruption hurrah.

Since all these beautiful people, men of rare honourthe Chinese Embassy and C o m m u n i s t P a r t y, H i s Excellency President Dr. A l i , t h e H o n . Vi c e President, and the Hon. Finance maestro-all attest to unprecedented and u n p a r a l l e l e d incorruptibility, then how is that this lovely country has so much corruption? At every layer? And whether real or perceived? Something is falling apart here, and like I said I really do need help. The problem is that I do not know how much, with so much going on here.

Never forget something: I know corruption and corrupt people when I see them. I can smell them, taste them, recognise them. For that I thank Forbes Burnham and Wall Street hustlers; they were none smoother, slicker than them. Period.

Sincerely, GHK Lall

DEAR EDITOR, In the haste to place ‘our people’ in strategic positions in the Police Force we seem to have jumped the gun tremendously. It appears that statutory and conventional norms have been cast aside on the altar of expediency.

This situation is occurring with greater frequency in these last days. I read on the weekend in one of our dailies a letter from a contributor lamenting the state of personnel relations in the Force. He even harked back to the days of yore when the Force was the Force.

Even as I concur with some of those expressed views I wish to draw the following to public attention.

It is an acknowledged convention that when vacancies occur the next senior in line is appointed. As presently constituted the Force has a substantive Deputy Commissioner who

by all accounts should have been allowed to act in the higher position until the vacancy was properly filled.

One remembers Mr. Ramnarine who was the senior among the then Assistant Commissioners who was allowed to act as Commissioner for quite some time until a substantive Commissioner was appointed.

With respect to senior appointments in the Force the convention is that if any disciplinary matter is facing an officer his elevation is held in abeyance until his name is cleared. He may not be appointed while such matters have not yet been resolved.

There are quite a senior officers who have matters in hand which need to be cleared before they can be actively considered for elevation.

One remembers a slew of litigation which has ensued as a direct result during the

Perhaps it is time for Guyanese in the Guyanese Diaspora to back off?

DEAR EDITOR, We Guyanese in the Guyanese Diaspora left Guyana for a variety of political, economic and social reasons. Yet, some of us are still involved in Guyana’s political, economic and social development mostly through our advocacy.

Perhaps it is time for Guyanese in the Guyanese Diaspora to back off so that

the local Guyanese can have centre stage in Guyana’s development.

They have the oil now so that will resolve Guyana’s problems - maybe.

It is okay to want to help people by giving them a different perspective. But they also need to demonstrate what they have learnt.

Yours Faithfully, Sean Ori

incumbency of a previous Service Commission. One would feel that since our national culture has not been as yet altered that a man facing an allegation would do the proper thing and let the matter be aired and seek his utmost to clear his name. That is, if he has absolutely nothing to hide nor be ashamed of.

Editor in recent times we have seen the shelving on conventional and statutory rules in the appointment of officers in the Force.

It would appear that the desire of the Administration is to ensure a coterie of compliant officers is in place so that peculiar desires can be satisfied. All this does is

to further erode confidence without and within the Force.

Our Police Force must be a unit which serves the best interests of the population and not the partisan interests of a political entity. Many attempts were made in the past by previous Administrations to achieve their own ambitions and this did not quite succeed partly because the calibre of officers at that time was of a superior quality than what we are witnessing today.

It is my hope that the Force will be left alone and be given the chance to reinvent itself lest we continue to send the nation hurtling into chaos.

Regards, Cyril Walk

Toshaos encouraged...

From pagr 4 and all of our traditional lands finally be legally recognised?

When will the government respect our right to FPIC and give us the time and space to properly consider the draft LCDS and proposals in it (such as the carbon markets one), and to submit our own proposals and inputs to it?

How will the government implement the recommendations of international human rights

treaty bodies, especially when it refuses to meet with affected villages to discuss the matter? All of these questions and more demand answers, and I support all toshaos who are brave enough to stand up and ensure that the government actually addresses all of our concerns.

Sincerely, Nicholas Fredericks Outgoing chairperson, National Toshaos Council

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We are all proud to have a President of such wisdom and perspicacity DEAR EDITOR, This is a congratulatory letter to our President, His Excellency Dr. Irfaan Ali. Congratulations are also extended to his Advisors, who I assume advise him on things that matter.

We saw the President bedecked in the Saudi Arabia headdress when he met with the visiting Saudi Arabian delegation.

The link show has just ended and I am sure that to provide citizens with some comic relief to ease the stress of the spiralling cost of living, the President is filling the gap post the humour of the link show.

For one thing, he did not impress the Saudis who must have seen him as a clown from a different cultural background with its sartorial

elegance grounded in their traditions.

I expect that when next my President visit any of our seven Amerindian tribes, he will ensure that his headdress is appropriate and that his derriere has a coat of vaseline to attract one and all as the Amerindia n M e m b e r o f Parliament has done and that when a West African delegation next visits, we expect him to adorn his muscular body with their tradition African headdress and gown, and to complete his ensemble‘, he would walk with a zulu spear and shield.

When an Indian delegation visits, he can identify with any of the caste turban referred to as a pagri made from a red material.

When there is an

American delegation, I can lend him a cowboy hat given to me as a gift when I was in Texas a few years ago.

Of course, if he has a visitor from Madeira or Portugal, he has Tom or Jerry, Harry or Tony, to ensure that he is appropriately dressed.

Of course, the invitation for the function held at the Pegasus Hotel, to mark the 50th Anniversary of ChinaGuyana relations, the invitation was very specific when they said formal dress.

Those who attended would have noted what is now formal in Guyana.

Guyanese, at home and abroad, we are all proud to have a President of such wisdom and perspicacity.

Hamilton Green Elder

People’s power in Sri Lanka DEAR EDITOR, The happenings on Saturday in Sri Lanka forcing both the President and Prime Minister to issue resignations, was a long time coming.

From a regaled position of victor to now a President on

the run and vanquished is a story of how a mighty family has fallen.

Many lessons from the turbulent, chaotic situations in that country which led to the storming of the presidential residence and burning of the PM’s home are

there for the taking.

A week that saw two leaders of governments from different sides of the globe issuing resignations The power of the people must never be underestimated.

Shamshun Mohamed

Providence Post Office complaint DEAR EDITOR, In relation to the matter I had with the Providence Post Office regarding a mail, I must let you know that I received a call on Friday from Ms LORRAINE HAMILTON AREA MANAGER G.P.O.C G/ TOWN apologizing for what transpired. She promised to

Tuesday July 12, 2022

Kaieteur News

visit the post office Monday morning and I am pleased to report that she did. She also paid me a personal visit and brought along the Post Master of Providence. We sorted out the issue which apparently telephone number is only required for registered mail and there was a mix up with “trafficking in person” and “trafficking in

Substance/ drugs)” as requested by the CDC. A phone call would have rectified this situation on Friday.

I really want to thank Ms Hamilton and the Post Master General GPOC for their prompt action in resolving this issue. Much appreciated.

Regards, Saudia Ferouz

New coronavirus mutant raises concerns in India and beyond (APNEWS) - The quickly changing coronavirus has spawned yet another super contagious omicron mutant that’s worrying scientists as it gains ground in India and pops up in numerous other countries, including the United States.

Scientists say the variant – called BA.2.75 – may be able to spread rapidly and get around immunity from vaccines and previous infection. It’s unclear whether it could cause more serious disease than other omicron variants, including the globally prominent BA.5.

“It’s still really early on for us to draw too many conclusions,” said Matthew Binnicker, director of clinical virology at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota.

“But it does look like, especially in India, the rates of transmission are showing

kind of that exponential increase.” Whether it will outcompete BA.5, he said, is yet to be determined.

Still, the fact that it has already been detected in many parts of the world even with lower levels of viral surveillance “is an early indication it is spreading,” said Shishi Luo, head of infectious diseases for Helix, a company that supplies viral sequencing information to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The latest mutant has been spotted in several distant states in India, and appears to be spreading faster than other variants there, said Lipi Thukral, a scientist at the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research-Institute of Genomics and Integrative Biology in New Delhi. It’s also been detected in about 10 other countries, including

Australia, Germany, the United Kingdom and Canada.

Two cases were recently identified on the West Coast of the U.S., and Helix identified a third U.S. case last week.

Fueling experts’ concerns are a large number of mutations separating this new variant from omicron predecessors. Some of those mutations are in areas that relate to the spike protein and could allow the virus to bind onto cells more efficiently, Binnicker said.

Another concern is that the genetic tweaks may make it easier for the virus to skirt past antibodies — protective proteins made by the body in response to a vaccine or infection from an earlier variant.

But experts say vaccines and boosters are still the best defense against severe

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L B TLUNT.. UNT...B BL B Tuesday July 12, 2022

Kaieteur News

Did you notice? 2022 is already more than halfway through.

How have you been spending your time these days?

Gone are the days when we can sit idly by and watch time fly.

With the many eerie unfolding – wars, outbreaks, uprisings – across the world, there is a sense in the atmosphere that something major is imminent.

Ready or not, whatever is coming will!

The time is ripe to make the time you have left count.

Choose your fate today for time waits for no one!

PAGE 07

PAGE 08

Tuesday July 12, 2022

Kaieteur News

Guyana takes Norway money to spend US$2.5M per MW on solar …while world spends five times less for same thing

I

ndia recently secured a US$165M loan from the World Bank, to fund the development of

the installation of some 450 mega watts (MW) of electricity for about US$376,500 per MW.

Guyana on the other hand, is looking to install 33 MW of solar power, spending some US$83.3M or about

US$2.5M per MW. This according to a recent procurement notice issued by the State owned Guyana Power and Light (GPL) Incorporated, for the Guyana Utility Scale Solar Photovoltaic Program (GUYSOL).

In requesting the proposal, Programme Director, Amir Dillawar, indicated that government had secured financing under the Guyana Norway partnership in the amount of US$83.3M representing the balance of the funds owned to the country under its forest pact, for the GUYSOL project.

The financing administration of the programme will be administered by the Inter American Development Bank (IDB), while the project is being executed by GPL. According to the procurement request, part of the financing will be going towards payment for goods, works, related services and consulting services to be procured under the GUYSOL project while bidding for the project will be governed by the IDB. The main procurements to be had under the project, according to GPL, will come under two components, the first being the Engineering, Procurement and Construction (EPC) of 33MW of Solar Photovoltaic Plants with Battery Energy Storage Systems—to be tendered in three lots.

Additionally, the second part of the project involves the installation of automated monitoring systems, remote controls systems for substations, individual consultancy for risk management plan for flood probe sites and training programs for women in solar PV, solar job and workforce development.

This aspect will also include the design and implementation of an apprenticeship program for diversity and inclusion with GPL's Program Executing Unity and other government agencies.

According to the request, the procurement processes of contracts financed with the resources of the program will be conducted in accordance with the policies for procurement of goods and worked financed by the IDP and is open to all eligible bidders as defined by the International Financials

GUYSOL program director Amir Dillawar Intuition's policies.

The main objective of the 33MW solar project, according to GPL, “is to support the diversification of Guyana's energy matrix towards the use of climate resilient renewable energy sources in the electricity generation matrix.”

In that energy matrix of hydro, gas and solar, the country is also in the first stages of the construction of a 250MW gas fired plant to be constructed at the Wales Development Zone, West Bank Demerara with a price tag estimated at in excess of US$1B. The energy matrix also included the construction of a 165W hydro electric plant at the Amaila Falls site on the Kuribrong River, with an estimated price tag, also in excess of US$1B. This publication recently reported that India has secured financing from the World Bank to pursue the development of 450MW more solar power in that country at a cost more than five times less than what Guyana is proposing.

The bank has been supporting the Government of India's programe to generate electricity from rooftop solar since 2017 with the financing of US$648 million for rooftop solar for commercial and industrial establishments.

India added 456 MW of rooftop solar capacity in the first quarter of 2022, a 34 p er cen t y ear- o v er- y ear growth compared to 341 MW registered in the same period in 2021 as that country continues to transition away from fossil based fuels for its power generation.

Despite a global push towards renewable energy, Guyana's Vice President, has stated that solar is simply too expensive for Guyana and as

such the country will have to continue using fossil based fuels such as natural gas as part of an energy matrix.

During a recent press engagement with the Vice President, he had claimed renewable options such as solar, wind and even hydro is “very, very expensive” when compared to the highly touted Gas-to-Energy (GTE) project which is currently being touted over US$1.3B. While Jagdeo claimed that renewable alternatives are too expensive for Guyana, President of the Caribbean Development Bank (CDB), Dr. Hyginus 'Gene' Leon, a few weeks ago underscored the urgent need for the region to accelerate the transition to renewable energy.

His comment comes even as the world is pushing to transition towards renewable energy.

This publication had also reported that earlier this year, the Government of Barbados inked a deal that in the near future will see the country realising some 178 MW of electricity using hydrogen and solar energy at a cost of some US$100M, while in Ethiopia, that country will soon realise 6,500 MW of hydro power electricity at a cost of just over US$600,000 per MW. With the world on a pathway towards reducing carbon emissions as a result of burning fossil fuels primarily for electricity generation and transportation, Barbados is now leading the Caribbean region with the announcement that it will soon be building the largest clean hybrid power plant in the Caribbean, producing base load power for 16,000 Barbadian households from solar and locally produced green hydrogen.

Tuesday July 12, 2022

PAGE 9

Kaieteur News

The cardboard political parties Some overseas observers have questioned the reason why the smaller political parties have not encroached onto the support base of the PNC/R and the AFC given the anti-democratic conduct of those parties following the March 2020 general elections.

Those parties ended up being exposed and shamed for what has been described as the most transparent attempt to distort the results of an election.

The supporters of both of the PNC/R and the AFC were far from impressed by the post-election postures of their leaders. As such, they did not take to the streets to support the dubious narratives which were being pedaled by both the PNC/R and the AFC. The shenanigans led to a fallout for both the PNC/R and the AFC. Large sections of the support base of both parties’ supporters are now alienated from their leadership. The AFC is now politically emaciated. Even if accommodation is made for the effects of the pandemic,

the turnout of delegates at that PNC/R’s virtual congress suggests that there is largescale alienation from the party.

So why then did the smaller political parties, namely: A New and United Guyana (ANUG), The New Movement, Change Guyana, People’s Republic Party, The Citizenship Initiative and the United Republican Party, not moved in to fill the vacuum left by those who have moved away from the PNC/R and the APNU. The primary reason is that all of the aforesaid small parties are essentially cardboard parties. They lack any meaningful following or membership. None of them has a sufficient following which would allow any one of them to host a political rally.

Indeed their perceived support is so thin that they may be even fearful of holding a post-election roadside meeting.

These cardboard parties will either disappear from sight before the next elections or will proceed to signal their

existence through sporadic press releases and social media commentaries by the leaders.

The cardboard parties are financially challenged. It takes money to have an established party bureaucracy with paid staff.

These small parties’ pockets are shallow. Outside of elections, they will hardly attract any financing at all. And without financial resources, these parties have to depend on the media and social media to be visible to the public.

There is an ideological reason why these parties have not been able to capitalise on filling the vacuum left by the loss of support by the PNC/R and the AFC. All of the cardboard parties are petite bourgeois parties. They are not massbased parties. The PNC/R despite its loss of credibility still retains significant massbased support. The AFC on the other hand is a petite bourgeois and middle-class party but its supporters are not going to jump so easily

Dem boys seh...

De traffic police gat to be more professional A video circulating pon social media about a driver with he Dash Cam getting stop by de popo pon de East Coast Public Road. De popo pull he over in de corner and tell he how he driving above de speed limit.

De man tell dem how he gat on he Dash Cam and GPS and he gat evidence fuh show dat he was not driving above de speed limit. He even tell dem dat dem can charge he and he gan produce de evidence in court. Indeed, de Dash Cam show de man GPS

reading which was below de speed limit.

One of de popo was rude to de man. He mek a remark about “Yuh gat evidence eh!”

For dat remark alone de Commissioner should utilise dis rank fuh desk duties. He words arrogant and rude; nat professional!

Den another popo ask de man fuh produce he insurance. De man say he didn’t have to produce dat.

He right and wrang. He gat to produce it but not necessarily immediately.

De popo den ask de man fuh tek out he vehicle sticker.

Some time ago, dem bin tell drivers dat dem suppose to have it visible. Most drivers does paste it on de lower left hand corner of dem windscreen.

But dis popo seh it was not clear and suh he tell de man fuh tek it down. Dat is unnecessary and being difficult because yuh must be able to see through de windscreen. Dat rank should also get desk duties.

Talk half. Leff half.

More questions than answers...

From page 2 recommendation letters which again, all spoke to haulage while GuySuCo's specific requirement in the said document spoke to tillage.

“But the statement didn't answer important questions,” one stakeholder told the newspaper when a comment was sought on the sugar company's centre spread. “Is the GAME tractor suitable for tillage? All the recommendations said it's good for haulage. Guysuco's statement didn't answer that. Also what

about the supplier's financial standing? Why is GuySuCo purchasing from a bankrupted supplier? Do they have the ability to deliver? They have side stepped these important questions deliberately and engaged in misinformation and deception,” the newspaper was told.

When a comment was sought from GuySuCo's Chief Executive Officer Sasenarine Singh regarding the proposal speaking on haulage instead of tillage, he told the newspaper that the GAME tractors

have been used for the last 15 years by the company and is currently being used at Albion for more than a year now. He said that from January, the company has spent some $58M in parts to maintain other (John Deere) equipment. The CEO had stated however that he commits no act without Cabinet's approval. He said he does not act without permission and that, “Whatever Cabinet says, I jump. I don't do anything without written permission,” he told the newspaper.

into bed with cardboard parties.

The supporters of the PNC/R were shamed and embarrassed by the actions of their leaders during the five months between March 2nd and August 2nd 2022.

The whole world saw what took place. The election observers condemned the attempt at electoral fraud which would have allowed for the APNU+AFC victory. The Caribbean Community referred to numerous objections made during the recount by personnel drawn from the APNU+AFC. They described these attempts as a fishing expedition.

The leadership of the PNC/R and the APNU appeared oblivious to the shame and embarrassment which their actions were causing their supporters.

Those supporters were not fooled. They may not have come out and publicly denounced or disassociated themselves from what took

place but they knew the truth.

Many were never going to support the discredited narratives which were being conjured up by the parties’ leaders.

A vacuum of leadership therefore exists within the Opposition camp. And none of the existing cardboard parties can fill that vacuum.

“The usual suspects” have attempted to do so but they too have been rejected.

A significant section of the Opposition base is thus without leadership. The PPP/ C may wish to delude itself into believing that it can poach on the PNC/R’s turf.

But history has shown that the PPP/C does not enjoy much affection within the PNC/R base. People may be respectful and courteous; they may come out to government gatherings. But by no stretch of the imagination must the PPP/C believe that it can win the support of those who are disaffected by the PNC/R.

When it comes to the AFC, the PPP/C has a better chance. The PPP/C is no longer the party of Cheddi Jagan. It is now a bourgeois party and the petite bourgeois elements within the AFC who are estranged from that party will find it easy to gravitate to the PPP/C. This is why the AFC is signalling that it is open to lending support to PPP/C policies which it, the AFC, agrees with.

The disillusioned PNC/R supporters need leadership.

The danger is if they do not find this leadership, they could end up being manipulated by political extremists.

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

Kaieteur News

PAGE 10

Monday Tuesday May July 02,12, 2022 2022

THE FREDDIE KISSOON COLUMN

The reason I am on social media

I have defied my imagination for almost two years about entering social media. I have no explanation why I don't have a smart phone, do not use Facebook, do not participate in social media, etc. I guess humans will always be difficult to understand.

But over those two years, many persons have urged me to go on social media because it is the avenue to reach people in this day and age.

Over those two years, I began to come around to the idea because I saw a changing political and social landscape in Guyana that was completely absent in the age in which my evolution expanded – the seventies.

This new horizon lacked one overriding characteristic that dominated the environment I operated in

during the seventies and eighties. Guyana was a vibrant philosophical society in which humans were committed to understanding both the quintessential and essential role of preserving the fulcrums on which existence and its precious values rest on.

The past two years, since the March 2020 general elections, Guyana has gone in a direction that bears no resemblance to the terrain I operated on in the seventies and eighties. We are talking about the death of one kind of country and the birth of another. The contents of Guyana since 2020 have taken on differences in both form and substance from my time. Guyana 2020 is not the Guyana I knew when my social activism and academic perspectives were deepened

in the seventies and eighties.

I see a deadly parallel between small Guyana and the great superpower USA. See my article of Thursday, January 20, 2022 titled, “Deadly parallel between Guyana and the US in 2022.”

In that column, I quoted world famous journalist, Carl Bernstein who argued that the US is going through frightening times in which its democracy is facing its greatest threat. And it is not coming from an authoritarian government, which is quite democratic but from dangerous sections of American society.

What Bernstein has posited is an enormous departure in traditional and current political theory which argues that a dictatorial government eventually morphs into a fully grown totalitarian system. Political theory adumbrates the breakdown of society when central power becomes repressive.

I am now on social media because I see huge gaps in analytical articulations about what Guyana has become

based on Bernstein's innovative theorising. I hope to plug these large apertures because there is need for such knowledge to be transmitted.

And it is an enormous amount of knowledge to put out.

So I have taken the advice of so many that there is an avenue there that could be used to reclaim a Guyanese society where conscience and humanity are quickly disappearing. The obvious question is; don't I have a forum – my column? A newspaper that belongs to the mainstream media and the role of social media are different institutions.

A mainstream media has a management team that is too busy to be burdened with stupid people that want to threaten libel for any and all types of harmless but justified criticism. What has happened in my 34 years with the Catholic Standard, Stabroek News and Kaieteur News is that people will call and complain.

The editor will ask you to temper what you write or change your column. This is

perfectly logical.

They don't want to upset the organisation or the person or risk a libel writ. Here now is just one personal example Frederick Kissoon o f t h e d i ff e r e n c e b e t w e e n t h e mainstream media and social i s for the company to reply and clarify. I will always media. remember the incident The most tempestuous because Aubrey Retemyer argument I ever had with my editor, Adam Harris at and Dr. Asquith Rose Kaieteur News, was over an intervened.

On social media, I don't article I did on the h a v e to justify my Muneshwers business place.

It was a confrontation in commentary to whoever which the decibels had no calls. I can choose to speak to limits. I had read a letter in them or not. Once there is no the Stabroek News where libel or sordid grammar, I can s o m e s t a f f m e m b e r s repeat what I said the explained that they had to previous day. Leonard bring their own toilet paper Gildarie and I have begun doing the Gildarie-Freddie and hand-washing liquid.

In any country, given the Show on social media from status of the company, last night. It airs Mon, Wed, commentators would want to Fri. I hope to continue my give their take on it. As I was life-long work of seeking to leaving, Adam asked me to change my country for the wait to discuss a complaint better.

(The views expressed in he received from the this article are those of the company. I refused because I a u t hor and do not think that was encroaching on my independence. The necessarily reflect the normal thing in any country opinions of this newspaper.)

Tuesday July 12, 2022

Kaieteur News

PAGE 11

PAGE 12

Tuesday July 12, 2022

Kaieteur News

“Refining” of World Bank capacity building loan “almost complete”

The house that was destroyed by the fire.

- Natural Resource minister

Fire destroys home of Linden couple A

man and his reputed wife suffered heavy losses after an early morning fire on Monday destroyed the home they shared at Moraballi Street, Retrieve, Mackenzie Linden.

The fire erupted around 07:00 hrs. destroying the upper flat of the two-storey property.

The bottom flat which is concrete was saved.

The head of the home Malcolm Archer related to Kaieteur News that he was on his way to Georgetown, while his reputed wife was on her way to work.. “I was

on my way to Georgetown when I get the news and I had to catch a car and come right back to Linden,” the distraught man said. Since the bottom flat remains intact, Archer said he will dwell there to protect the premises.

I done went and buy a hammock, and I will be staying downstairs until I can do better, I don't have light and water, but I will make do,” Archer said. He estimated the losses to be in the millions and claims he has no idea what might have caused the fire.

The upper flat was well

furnished and has all the modern appliances used in a home.

He is thankful however that everything in the lower flat was saved.

“All the clothes on the line, toilet and bath everything down stairs so I will make do, tomorrow I will buy a mattress,” he said.

Neighbours saw smoke coming from the top flat of the home and immediately summoned the fire service.

The fire tender arrived at the scene in a matter of minutes and was able to control the blaze before it destroyed the bottom flat of the home.

Natural Resources Minister Vickram Bharrat has confirmed that work is ongoing to “refine” the US$20M World Bank loan that was secured in 2019 to build capacity within the nascent oil and gas sector.

The Natural Resource Minister did not give a time line but he told the newspaper that work should be completed soon as the relevant agents are actively engaged in bringing the scope of the project in line with the new government's vision.

“We do have the loan from the World Bank and we were doing some changes; restructuring as we would have mentioned; that is almost completed.” the minister informed.

He continued: “We are engaging the World Bank throughout the entire process so they are on par as to what we are doing and what our priorities are and what we want to achieve from the funds that are available there.”

While the Minister did not expound on what the new vision would look like for the

funds, he did say that the ministry's permanent secretary and petroleum team are almost in weekly contact with the World Bank representatives.

“So I know they are in conversation with restructuring which is almost completed.”

Finance Minister Ashni Singh told Kaieteur News that the Natural Resource ministry is the point agency on the World Bank loan and that they are making the adjustments to suit the sector's agenda. When that is done, the information would be transferred to the Finance Ministry for its final look before taking the document further.

The World Bank Guyana Petroleum Resources Governance and Management Project (GPRGMP) loan became a topical issue since its funds had not been accessed since 2019, despite the purpose of the money being to strengthen Guyana's capacity in managing and overseeing its new oil and gas sector.

The World Bank has so

Natural Resource Minister Vickram Bharrat far downgraded Guyana's score on the loan and the implementation of its components from 'Moderately satisfactory' to 'Moderately Unsatisfactory'.

The unused US$20M World Bank loan which seeks to enhance Guyana's ability to manage its oil and gas sector supports among other things, two key areas aimed at protecting oil and gas revenue; cost audits and economic and fiscal modeling that oversees various funds generated from the lucrative sector.

The loan is set to enhance legal and institutional (Continued on page 21)

Court stays hearing Slowe's application to block senior police promotions ...pending outcome of appeal case High Court Justice Gino Persaud took a decision on Monday to postpone hearing an application for an injunction to block the recently announced senior police promotions. The court action was initiated by former chairman of the Police Service Commission (PSC), Paul Slowe.

Slowe who is also a Retired Assistant Commissioner of Police is seeking an injunction against the reconstituted Police Service Commission (PSC) which recently promoted several officers of the Guyana Police Force (GPF).

When the matter came up virtually before Justice Persaud at the Georgetown High Court on Monday, Attorney General Anil Nandlall SC raised an objection to the matter being heard in the face of another application in relation to the same matter at the level at the Appeal court. Nandlall related that an application

had been filed before the Appeal Court over the decision of the Full Court to uphold the ruling to continue hearing Slowe's application challenging President Irfaan Ali's decision to suspend the PSC. The AG explained that the application before the Appeal Court should take precedence given it is a Court of higher jurisdiction. He therefore asked the judge to stay the hearing of the application for an injunction until the hearing and determination of the matter before the Appeal Court.

Several of the attorneys who attended the court case agreed with the AG's contentions and raised no objection to his request. As such, the matter has been adjourned until July 22, 2022 for further consideration on the way forward. According to court documents seen by this publication, Attorneysat-Law Selwyn A. Pieter's, Dexter Todd and Dexter Smart filed the motion on

High Court Justice Gino Persaud

Former PSC Chairman, Paul Slowe

behalf of Slowe,. Those listed as the respondents are Secretary of the PSC, Commissioner of Police (Ag) Clifton Hickens, Prime Minister Brigadier (Ret'd) Mark Phillips, and Attorney General (AG) and Minister of Legal Affairs, Anil Nandlall, S.C. According to Slowe's court filing, he is seeking the

injunction to restrain the PSC and the respondents from promoting or publishing a promotions list for members of the GPF, until the substantive matter filed herein is heard, completed and judgment is made and entered by the sitting judge – an order that each party bears his own costs in this Application – and any other

order the court may deem just.

One ground listed for the challenge notes that as part of the duties of the PSC, the previous members had drafted a list of 132 police officers to be promoted to various ranks in the GPF and sent that list to the Secretary of the PSC to have it transmitted to the Commissioner of Police, for the promotions to be effected.

It was further stated that the promotions list was not sent by the Secretary of the PSC and as such the promotion of the Police Officers was not done.

Another listed ground for the application is that the injunction that is being sought will assist in preserving the status quo of the proceedings and that of the GPF. It was stated that should the injunction not be granted and the new PSC be allowed to promote members of the

force, there will be inevitable difficulty at the end of the proceedings. It was also stated “that should this injunction not be granted and the Police Service Commission be allowed to promote members of the Guyana Police Force, and this matter is subsequently completed and the previous promotions on the past list is effected, there will be inevitable issues as to which officers are of a higher rank, than others.”

It was suggested too, that if the promotions were to be backdated then there will be future problems as to who will be entitled to be commanders and even Commissioner. According to the document the granting of the orders sought, will assist in the preserving of the status quo and ensuring that the new PSC do not act in a manner prejudicial to those officers named in the previous promotions list of June 28, 2021.

Kaieteur News

Tuesday July 12, 2022

PAGE 13

GAWU vows to continue blunt assessment GuySuco's management, performance

T

he Guyana Agricultural and General Workers Union (GAWU) is not accepting a statement by the Guyana Sugar Corporation (GuySuCo) insinuating that its representative was directly involved in the controversial selection of “unsuitable” tractors purchased to till soil for sugar cane cultivation.

In a full page centre spread on Sunday, the GuySuCo sought to address various issues facing the company, in particular, the purchase of GAME articulated tractors against John Deere fixed frame machines which is said to be better equipment.

Kaieteur News had reported on several documents highlighting a rift between the sugar company's top brass over the purchase of what is understood to be “unsuitable” machines for the purpose of tillage.

The full page statement titled 'GuySuCo sets the record straight' highlighted specifically that the Executive Management inclusive of the Chief Executive Office, are not part of the Board's procurement subcommittee that made the call to purchase the tractors.

The statement also said that

GAWU's representative played a key role in approving the purchase.

The GAWU has stated however that it is in support of its union representative and is confident that no decision would be supported by its member if it is not to the benefit of Guyanese and Guyana.

The Union is adamant too that to use their representative in such a manner is to give the impression that they were also involved in the purchase.

“In our examination of the statement, we noticed that the Union and its representative on GuySuCo's Board received special attention in relation to procurement and decisionmaking…Our Union has full confidence that any decision made by its member will result in benefit to Guyanese and Guyana.

In addition, the Union said it has always been forthright and honest in its assessment of the sugar company's performance and leadership and will continue to do so without fear or favour.”

G AW U s a i d t h a t a substantial section of GuySuCo's missive focused on procurement of the articulated tractors to

GAWU provides chart highlighting the rise and fall of sugar production from 2017 to 2022

undertake mechanical tillage operations and the touted impact those tractors would have on low production and productivity levels.

The statement pointed out that the Union's representative “played a leading role” in the procurement of tractors.

G AW U s a i d , “ T h i s statement, in our view, is a desperate attempt to create a perception that the Union's representative was directly involved in purchase of articulated tractors, which is now subjected to intense debates.”

In trying to absolve itself from the current debates, the Corporation deliberately

chooses to omit other pertinent facts associated with GuySuCo's Procurement Committee recommendations, the union stated.

They said that they are aware that deliberations of the Corporation's Procurement Committee remain confidential.

“Nonetheless, we understand that the Committee, comprising several board members, extensively and intensively debated purchase of articulated tractors.

These debates eventuated on a course of action that advised on purchase of a small quantity of tractors against a larger quantity

recommended by the Executive Management.”

The Committee's intent, from what is gathered is to allow the type of tractors to be evaluated within Guyana's context before making further decisions on purchase. It appears to us that the Procurement Committee was prudent in its decisionmaking, GAWU said.

The Union continued that the sugar company bemoaned an absence of tillage arising from the absence of a suitable fleet of tillage tractors, while company data supplied paint a different narrative.

It was noted that at Albion, the tillage tractor

fleet was available 72.8 percent of the 46 available opportunity days during the 2021 second crop, but the fleet was only utilized 37.1 percent of the time. “It informs that the fleet though available was not operable for substantial periods of time.”

Despite this, the estate realised 78.4 percent tillage target causing the union to conclude that that if utilization was improved, “tillage target could have been realized and surpassed.”

The same could be said for the other estates, GAWU charged.

“It then begs the question as to whether the adequacy of tillage tractors is really the sole issue for poor production.”

The tractor purchase is a contentious issue because experienced GuySuCo managers have offered the John Deere tractors as cheaper and more efficient than GAME tractors when it comes to tillage.

A report stating this was prepared by a named GuySuCo manager while another report by unnamed “professionals” was also conducted , but supporting the articulated machines.

Kaieteur News is told that (Continued on page 21)

PAGE 14

Tuesday July 12, 2022

Kaieteur News

Outgoing Toshaos Council executives boycott conference T

By Zena Henry

he National Toshaos Council (NTC) conference opened yesterday at the Arthur Chung Convention Centre but an apparent rift between the former NTC executives and the government has seen the majority of the council boycotting the annual meeting between Amerindian leaders, ministers and heads of state entities.

Former NTC Secretary Russian Dorrick told the Kaieteur News that four out of the 20 2018 NTC executives are attending the conference, “only because they were in close proximity” of the event. Dorrick reiterated that apart from not being involved in the preparation of this year's NTC conference, no invitation was extended to council members and so they have decided not to attend.

He explained that it is expected that the Toshao's Council would play an integral role in setting the agenda to address the issues most urgent to the Amerindian people. Given that was not done, he said invitations were supposed to be extended to the outgoing

NTC, but none was forthcoming. “They said they sent the invitation but cannot say where they sent it or to who they sent it,” the former secretary revealed.

According to him, “is a go round come round story; and all kind of things you hearing.”

An initial event programme included no remarks from any of the outgoing NTC executives, inclusive of the chairman, who would usually address the gathering and give an overview as head of the NTC. Yesterday's opening which was attended by President Irfaan Ali, his cabinet and heads of various state agencies, now included the outgoing chairman, Toshao Nicholas Fredericks to deliver remarks, but he was not in attendance. Dorrick said however, that the outgoing NTC will boycott all five days of engagement except for the four members who are reasonably close to where the conference is being held. These included St. Cuthbert's Mission and Mauritaro in Region 10.

Dorrick, who is the Toshao of Yupukuri in Region Nine, said he is only attending the conference because he is currently conducting work

in Georgetown, had it not been for that, he said he too would have boycotted the event.

Derrick John- a former chairman of the NTC nonetheless called for good governance to prevail in ensuring true development of the nation's first Peoples when he delivered the welcome and opening remarks. The Moraikobai Toshao said that the event's theme, 'Good Governance and Fast-Tracking Amerindian Development' sets the tone for the gathering as good governance is the key for development and the process measuring how public institutions conduct public affairs and manage public resources. “I believe that we cannot see development if we as Indigenous leaders and leaders of all scope… do not practice good governance.

Good governance is the catalyst for true development and I believe that that should be the motto for all of us as Toshaos.”

John argued that Toshaos have a limited time in office and thus encouraged them to use the opportunity to practice good governance as they navigated the rest of our tenure in office. “We were

President Irfaan Ali (right-centre) and other Cabinet ministers during the NTC opening. elected just over a year so we have two more years. And I believe all of us have great dreams and great vision for people. Our people have confidence in us and our people have invested in us and as we gather here… let us make full use of this period that we spend here so when we go back with the gospel, the good news… that we can go back and tell them that we have achieved our objective.” John related that there are a lot of issues, some common and others unique based on villages. “Let us be civilized, let us be mature as we dialogue so that we are able to resolve and bring solutions to the problems and the challenges we face as

Indigenous People in our villages,” the Toshao urged.

He told his fellow Toshaos that the government is their greatest partner in developing their communities; and they should count themselves lucky as Guyana, is among the few countries where Indigenous people can sit with their government for five days and relate their issues.

John noted that vast transformation is taking place in the country and appealed to his fellow village heads to ensure that they are part of the “national transformation”. “Let us fashion a pathway that we as Indigenous People we can

truly benefit from the resources that our country has. We have seen already benefits coming into various communities and villages, but we are here because we want to see more “and that's why we have to use this platform as we make proposals, recommendations that we will be able to work with the government and that we can see our dreams being realized.”

Under one roof President Ali told the gathering the NTC was launched to bring Amerindian leaders under one roof to address issues they face, “not to tell them what to do.” He said when the (Continued on page 21)

Kaieteur News

Tuesday July 12, 2022

PAGE 15

Sri Lanka Parliament votes for new leader on July 20 S

r i L a n k a ' s parliament will hold a vote on July 20 to elect a new president, its speaker has said, to replace President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, who has promised to resign by Wednesday.

The statement on Monday comes after protesters stormed the residences of the current president and prime minister, prompting both officials to go into hiding amid an economic meltdown.

The process of electing a new president involves calling for nominations among members of the 225seat parliament, which should be submitted on July 19.

A vote would be held the following day, in keeping with a decision taken at a meeting of political leaders led by parliamentary speaker Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena.

“During the party leaders' meeting held today it was agreed that this was essential to ensure a new all-party government is in place in accordance with the constitution,” Abeywardena said in a statement. “The ruling party has said the prime minister and the cabinet are ready to resign to appoint an all-party government.”

President Rajapaksa had overseen a ruthless crushing of the Tamil Tigers fighters as defence secretary. His brothers and nephew earlier quit as ministers as Sri Lanka began running out of fuel, food and other essentials in the worst crisis since independence from Britain in 1948.

Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe, whose private home was set alight by protesters, has said he will step down.

His office said Rajapaksa had confirmed his resignation plans to the prime minister, adding that the

President Gotabaya Rajapaksa cabinet would resign once a deal was reached to form an all-party government.

Protesters threatened to call an island-wide strike by Thursday if both leaders have not resigned by that point.

Leaders of the protest movement have said crowds will occupy the residences of the president and prime minister in Colombo until they finally quit office.

Over the weekend at the president's house, protesters jumped into the swimming pool, lounged on a fourposter bed, jostled for turns on a treadmill and tried out the sofas. Colombo was calm on Monday as hundreds of people strolled into the president's secretariat and residence and toured the colonial-era buildings.

Police made no attempt to intervene.

Threats to IMF rescue package The political instability could damage negotiations with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) for a rescue package, the central bank governor told the Reuters news agency.

Governor P Nandalal Weerasinghe signalled he would stay on in the job although he had said in May he could resign if there was

A man stands in the swimming pool as people occupy the president's residence [File: Dinuka Liyanawatte/Reuters] no political stability in the island nation of 22 million people.

Rajapaksa and Wickremesinghe were not in their residences when the protesters surged into the buildings and have not been seen in public since Friday.

Rajapaksa's whereabouts were not clear but Wickremesinghe's media team said in a statement he held a meeting with cabinet

ministers at the prime minister's office on Monday.

Wickremesinghe's private home in an affluent Colombo suburb was set on fire on Saturday, and three suspects have been arrested.

Sri Lankans have mainly blamed Rajapaksa for the collapse of the tourismdependent economy, which was hammered badly by the COVID-19 pandemic and a ban on chemical fertilisers

that damaged farm output.

The ban was later reversed.

Government finances were crippled by mounting debt and lavish tax breaks given by the Rajapaksa government. Foreign exchange reserves were quickly depleted as oil prices rose.

The country barely has any dollars left to import fuel, which has been severely rationed, and long lines have

formed in front of shops selling cooking gas.

Headline inflation hit 54.6 percent last month, and the central bank has warned that it could rise to 70 percent in the coming months.

The political instability could damage negotiations with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) for a rescue package, the central bank governor told the (Continued on page 22)

Tuesday July 12, 2022

Kaieteur News

PAGE 16

Nine years later Toshaos get $15k hike in stipend

By Davina Bagot

N

ine years after Toshaos monthly stipend was increased to $30,000, President Ifaan Ali has announced that $15,000 extra will be given to the Amerindian Village leaders, taking their monthly allowance to $45,000.

The President's announcement was made at the opening ceremony of the National Toshaos Conferenc being held at the Arthur Chung Conference Center, Liliendaal, Greater Georgetown.

The five-day conference is being held after a two years hiatus, under the theme 'Good Governance and Fast Tr a c k i n g A m e r i n d i a n Development'.

Ali, in making the announcement pointed out that the $15,000 increase is merely $5,000

short of what was initially requested by the Toshaos, hinting that this request could be met soon.

In addition, the Head of State noted that Deputy Toshaos will receive a 50 percent increase to their monthly stipend, which would see their allowance moving from $20,000 to $30,000. He was keen to note that “in this case it is not the Cabinet that is receiving 50 and 100 percent increases; it is the Toshaos, the leaders of your community.”

Senior Councilors in Amerindian communities will also benefit from a $10,000 increase- moving their allowances from $15,000 to $25,000.

Meanwhile, Regional Councilors' stipend will be increased from $10,000 to $30,000. It was back in 2013 that the former President, Donald Ramoutar announced

an increase in stipend for Toshaos. At the time, the allowance was increased from $20,000 to $30,000.

In November last year, a village Toshao, Vivian Edwards wrote a letter to this newspaper, highlighting the urgency for an increase in the monthly stipends being given by government, through the Ministry of Amerindian Affairs. The Toshao said: “I think Toshaos deserve better than just a stipend. These men and women, work tirelessly for their respective communities. Toshaos wear many caps and do the work of p e a c e o ff i c e r s , p o l i c e officers, councillors, receptionists, negotiators, forest rangers, managers of their respective communities, and the list g o e s o n . T h e Vi l l a g e Councils, which they head, are like an arm of many Ministries of the

Toshaos gathered in the dome of the Arthur Chung Conference Center for the NTC Conference.

Government (Amerindian Affairs, Agriculture, Health), since they are expected to execute many plans of the Government”. He added that these Amerindian Village Leaders should be treated with more respect as $30,000 per month does not suffice to

pay expenses and put food on the table throughout the month.

T h e To s h a o h a d suggested that the stipend be increased to match the minimum wage which, at that time was $70,000.

Meanwhile, the Deputy

Speaker of the National A s s e m b l y, M r. L e n o x Shuman in an invited comment had shared that he supports the call for more resources to be made available to Amerindian Village Leaders to enable (Continued on page 21)

OPR probes alleged torture of Gun-toting rapist gets Annandale teen while in police custody two life sentences

The Police Office of Professional Responsibility (OPR) has launched an investigation into allegations that Jahiem Peters was tortured and burnt by police while at the Vigilance Police Station.

The Police in a report on Sunday stated that around 10:00hrs that day, 17-yearold Peters, called 'Coolie Boy' a fisherman of Annandale, East Coast Demerara was in custody for alleged Robbery under arms.

Police said Peters was alone in the lockups when they heard screams coming from there. “When a rank made checks, he observed the jersey that Peters was wearing was on fire,” the report stated. Shortly after, the Emergency Medical Te c h n i c i a n s f r o m t h e Melanie Fire Station were summoned to the station where they treated an injured Peters.

Police said the young man was questioned about what transpired and he reported to them that he was given a lighter by another person who was in custody (on the bench), and was playing with it when his jersey caught on fire.

Peters was taken to the Georgetown Public Hospital for burns he sustained to his left side ribs and hand.

Before that police report was released, Peters' family had released a video on Facebook where the young man was alleging that it was the ranks at the station that burnt him.

A burnt Peters who can

Screen grab from the video of Peters at the hospital.

be seen with his handcuffs on at the hospital stated in the video that the police wanted to beat him while questioning him about a firearm.

“He de want knack me and talk about some gun and me tell them me ain't know about no gun and me and he start scuffle.

After then he get up to get the lighter and light me cause he didn't know it woulda end up and come so bad. I tek off me jersey and run outside and dash it inside the water.

And then they end up saying anytime when the ambulance come tell them that I burnt me self and they video me that I saying duh… They end up beating me to seh duh when the ambulance come,” Peters explained in the video.

Following that report about the incident, the police in another report yesterday stated that Peters told investigators that while he was detained, two of his friends were also brought into custody. They were (Continued on page 21)

Thirty-four-year-old Ronald Armstrong called “Sargie” who was convicted on rape and burglary charges was on Monday handed two life sentences.

Back in 2013, Armstrong had broken into a young woman's home, pointed a gun to her and her six-month-old baby and raped her until she became unconscious.

In June, a mixed 12-member jury unanimously found Armstrong guilty of sexually penetrating the then 20-year-old woman without her consent on January 22, 2013. He was also found guilty of using a gun to rob the young woman of a quantity of gold jewellery, two laptop computers and two television sets.

On Monday, Armstrong sentence was handed down by Justice Priya SewnarineBeharry in Sexual Offences Court of the High Court in Demerara.

Kaieteur News had reported that on a previous hearing of the matter, Dr. Menawattie Rajkumar a forensic psychiatrist had told the court that Armstrong showed no remorse for his action and after evaluating him; she found that he has a personality trait where manipulation stands out.

The victim impact statement was also read on a previous hearing. According to that statement, the victim blamed herself for years for what Armstrong had done to her. The victim noted in her statement that a piece of her died that night.

It was stated that the woman recalled the night she was raped when Armstrong broke into her home robbed her and then proceeded to rape her, pointing a gun at her baby. The victim noted that she is thankful that her child was too young to remember what occurred that night.

According to the State's case, on the day in question the victim was at home with her baby, and sister, who were sleeping, while she was in the bathroom.

While there she felt a cold object on her neck and upon turning around she came face-to-face with Armstrong who was armed with a gun and in the company of

Ronald Armstrong called “Sargie”

two other men.

The court heard that Armstrong demanded gold from the woman and threatened to harm her baby if she did not comply. The woman handed over several pieces of gold jewellery which she was wearing at the time, along with some which were stored in a cabinet.

Armstrong then led the woman into her bedroom where he ordered her to lie on her bed before raping her. Armstrong placed his penis into the woman's mouth, anus and then into her vagina. He raped her until she became unconscious.

After raping the woman, Armstrong and the other men escaped with the gold jewellery, a television set and laptop computers.

Armstrong was represented by Everton Singh-Lammy and representing the state in this matter is: prosecutors Cicelia Corbin, Caressa Henry and Paneeta Persaud.

Notably, Armstrong was granted high court bail after he was charged for the 2013 crime.

However, while on bail he committed an armed robbery and is currently serving a four year sentence for that crime. Justice SewnarineBeharry ordered that upon completion of serving his current sentence, the two life sentences which will run concurrently will commence.

Kaieteur News

Tuesday July 12, 2022

PAGE 17

Guyana leads the world in oil exploration

By Renay Sambach South America has taken the exploration crown for discovered volumes of crude oil and the continent is set to remain a global exploration hot spot for the next two years, with Guyana taking the lead with a plethora of oil and gas resources already proven and drilling campaigns underway.

This is according to Rystad Energy, a Norwegian independent energy research and business intelligence company that provides data, tools, analytics, and consultancy services to the global energy industry.

Reporting on Latin America's Regional Insights for June 2022, Rystad documented that South

America's position is driven primarily by activity in Guyana, Brazil, Suriname, and Colombia.

Additionally, the increase in the offshore well count in the region is expected to be led by Guyana, followed by Brazil and Colombia, while onshore exploration, which has taken a back seat in the past two years, is on track for a comeback this year and in 2023.

Following the slump as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, which took hold in early 2020 and sent oil demand and prices tumbling, the region has seen a recovery in activity this year.

According to Rystad, an analysis of the period from 2017 to 2022 revealed that South America takes the top

- Rystad spot among all continents in terms of discovered hydrocarbons.

The positioning is mainly attributed to Guyana which takes the top spot in the region due to the plethora of finds by American oil giant, ExxonMobil subsidiary, Esso Exploration and Production Guyana Limited (EEPGL), on the prolific Stabroek Block which spans more than six million acres in the country's Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ).

EEPGL is the operator of the country's richest oil block which is estimated to hold nearly 11 billion barrels of equivalent of oil (beo). The block is being developed by

Summary of discoveries of South America, 2017- YTD Discoveries resources by hydrocarbon type (million beo) 3,500 3,000 2,500 2,000 1,500 1,000 500 0

Discoveries resources split by country

Gas Liquids

14.5 billion beo

2017

2018

2019

2020

2021

2022

Discoveries resources split by reservoir period

Discoveries resources split water-depth

14.5 billion beo

14.5 billion beo

YTD: Year to date Source: Rystad Energy Ecube: Rystad Energy reserch and analysis

EEPGL which holds a 45 percent stake, Hess Guyana Exploration Limited with a 30 percent share, and CNOOC Petroleum Guyana Limited holding the remaining 25 percent.

According to Rystad, the Region has already seen close to 14.5 billion barrels of discovered resources in the 2017 to 2022 period, of which Guyana accounts for 65 per cent, followed by Suriname with 15 per cent.

Moreover, the GuyanaSuriname Basin continues to be an exploration hot spot in the region and has taken center stage since the breakthrough 2015 Liza discovery on the Stabroek Block, which de-risked the basin. Notably, since 2021, 86 per cent of all the discovered resources in the region lie in Guyana and Suriname.

It was highlighted that in less than six months of 2022, the region has already

discovered hydrocarbon volumes close to the total unearthed during the whole of 2021.

Some of the major discoveries in the region include the Whiptail, Cataback and Pinktail find on Stabroek, which together added 1 billion barrels of reserves – other major discoveries in the region in 2021 were Keskesi East, discovered by Total Energies off Suriname, and the Urissane discovery made by Petrobras off Brazil.

Guyana's made five discoveries for 2022 in the Stabroek Block, which allowed the country to garner another title. As Russia takes the lead for the largest discovered volumes of oil and gas resources since 2015, positioning second is Guyana, which is followed by the United States of America (USA).

Presently, Exxon is (Continued on page 21)

Five injured in Kuru Kururu smash-up Scenes from the accident at Kuru Kuru.

Five persons including two children have been injured following a twovehicle accident on the Soesdyke-Linden Highway, East Bank of Demerara Monday morning.

The accident which occurred around 07:00hrs involved motorcar PYY 6026 driven by 22-year-old Takeal Johnson, with occupants Denika Washington, 22 and one-year-old Jaiel Johnson all of Half Mile Linden; and motor car PSS 6927, owned and driven by 30-year-old Clifern Wilson, with one other occupant six-yearold Javier Washington, both of Obama Drive, Linden.

Police in a report stated that moments before the accident occurred, motorcar PYY 6026 was heading north along the western side of the road when the driver reported that he drove into a pool of water and lost control of his vehicle, and collided with motor car PSS 6927 which

was heading south along the eastern side of the road.

As a result of the collision, both vehicles were damaged and the drivers and occupants sustained injuries about their bodies.

It was reported that Jaiel Johnson was taken out of the vehicle by public-spirited citizens and escorted to the Linden Hospital, where he was admitted. Clifern Wilson, Javier Washington, Takeal Johnson and Denika Washington were all taken to the Diamond Diagnostic Center where they were seen and examined by doctors on duty. Police said Denika Washington was subsequently transferred to the Georgetown Public Hospital in an unconscious condition suffering from head injuries, while the others remained at Diamond.

An investigation has since been launched into the accident.

Tuesday July 12, 2022

Kaieteur News

PAGE 18

$435M worth of cocaine found on foreign aircraft The Cessna that landed illegally at Mahdia on Sunday.

...Colombian, Brazilian in custody

T

he Guyana Police Force (GPF) on Monday reported that the cocaine that was discovered in the Cessna aircraft loaded with cocaine illegally landed at the airstrip in Mahdia, Region Eight, is valued at $435, 380,640.

O n S u n d a y, p o l i c e detained the pilot and copilot of the airplane. Police identified the pilot as a Colombian national, Rodriguez Estiven, 43, while the other, 23-year-old Mateus Vinicius Alberto, is believed to be a law-enforcement officer of neighbouring Brazil; however police are yet to confirm if the claim is true.

The tail number (registration number) of the plane is N5470Z and according to investigators it landed around 14:20hrs.

Inside the aircraft, investigators found 10 parcels of suspected cocaine

and eight were labeled “king Cocoa 30”. A parcel of cannabis was also part of the plane's cargo along with one satellite phone, two GPS devices, and one radio set.

The foreign nationals were escorted to the Guyana Police Force (GPF) Criminal Investigations Department (CID) at Eve Leary where the parcels were weighed in their presence and which amounted to 290.2 kilogram of cocaine and cannabis which amounted to 54.6 kilogram.

The street value of the cocaine is $435, 380,640 and the street value for the cannabis is $49,171,680.

Kaieteur News had reported that some background checks suggest that it could be possible that the aircraft might be carrying an i n c o r r e c t t a i l n u m b e r.

H o w e v e r, t h e r e i s a registered 1972 model Cessna plane N5470 that

might be linked to Brazil.

In recent years, such planes have been using Guyana's airspace to traffic cocaine.

At least five airplanes have landed illegally in the hinterland locations from 2020 to present.

Two planes, a Cessna with three foreign nationals onboard and a Beechcraft laden with kilos of cocaine and a body were found at Issano, Region Seven, in 2020. Another craft, a burnt out Cessna was found abandoned along a trail in Kwakwani in June 2021. A fourth plane, a Beechcraft with more drugs and two Brazilian nationals onboard was forced to land at Orealla, Region Six in May 2021, because of mechanical issues.

Some of the foreign nationals have already been prosecuted and jailed while others are still on trial.

Adventists launch major skills-training programme in Linden

From left, Labour Minister, Joseph Hamilton; Chief Executive Officer of Board of Industrial Training, Mr. Richard Maughn; Executive Secretary, Pastor, Jumoul Sancho and Men's Ministry Director, Pastor Mr. Dennis Hamilton of the Guyana Conference of Seventh-day Adventists.

The Ministry of Labour, Board of Industrial Training and the Guyana Conference of Seventh-day Adventists on Sunday signed a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) to deliver Technical and Vocational Education a n d Tr a i n i n g ( T V E T ) through the Linden Entrepreneurial Network of Seventh-day Adventists (L.E.N.S.A.) training programme.

The LENSA programme was launched at the Seventh Day Adventist Church at Amelia's Ward, Linden, with the attendance of approximately two hundred persons, including Senior Technical Officer with responsibility of Region Ten,

Mr. Leon Greaves, the Board of Industrial Training said in a release. The MOA was signed by Executive Secretary, Pastor, Jumoul Sancho and Men's Ministry Director, Pastor Mr. Dennis Hamilton for the Guyana Conference of Seventh-day Adventists, Chief Executive Officer of Board of Industrial Training, Mr. Richard Maughn and Joseph Hamilton, Minister of Labour.

The initiative will provide opportunities in various TVET occupational areas annually that will lead to sustainable economic development and employment for the residents of region ten. The

partnership will target training and skills development, through competency-based training, that will produce the enhancement of interpersonal and professional skills needed to increase efficiency in services that will lead to employment and reduction of crime within communities and build human capacity.

The Board of Industrial Training and the Guyana Conference of Seventh-day Adventists, going forward will work closely to identify prospective facilities to carry our training, recruiting qualified individuals to train persons desirous of learning (Continued on page 22)

Columbian National, Rodrigues

Brazilian National, Mateus Vicinius

$210M more estimated to continue rehabilitation of Canal No. 1 & 2 roads

T

he Ministry of Public Works is preparing to spend some $210 million more to continue the rehabilitation of Canal No. 1 and 2 main access roads.

According to a recent invitation for bids issued by the ministry, rehabilitation of the road in Canal No. 1 is pegged at $105,000,000 while the same was pegged for the main access road in Canal No. 2. Bidding for the project which will be conducted through the National Competitive Bidding procedures specified in the Procurement Act 2003, is slated to open on August 2 at the National Procurement and Tender Administration Board office.

The government's move to upgrade the main roads in these two farming communities began last year,

when phase one of the projects started was awarded back in September.

As part of efforts to continue the upgrade of the

access roads this year, two more contracts worth $192, 181,710 were awarded to complete phase (Continued on page 22)

Rehabilitation works on going for phase 2 of Canal No. 2 access road.

Rehabilitation works on going for phase 2 of Canal No. 2 access road.

Tuesday July 12, 2022

Kaieteur News

PAGE 19

PAGE 20

Kaieteur News

Tuesday July 12, 2022

PAGE 22

Tuesday July 12, 2022

Kaieteur News

31 more new COVID-19 Govt. pursuing two-year...

From page 3 of time to ensure the project's People's Progressive Party completion. Some villagers cases recorded (PPP) upon its return to of- had also claimed that there

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was heavy mismanagement of the funds, although this was never proven.

Before demitting office former Minister of Indigenous Affairs, Sydney Allicock had announced that the project would be prolonged once more up to 2021.

According to Allicock, that would have given ample time to complete the project. According to the Minister, the project was a very 'ambitious' one, where it was expected that within three years, over 60 villages would have been titled and demarcated. He added that the process of land titling is “tedious”, and it was impossible to finish the process in such a short period.

Yesterday, Minister Sukhai announced, “Land Titling remains paramount on our government's agenda and today will evidence that in less than eight months titles for two land extensions and five certificates of title will be delivered to the village leaders. This speaks volume of the effort to address land titling and demarcation of lands to Amerindians across our country.”

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fice expressed the determination to resume the Amerindian Land Titling (ALT) Project.

The project that commenced in 2013 sought to have land titles issued and demarcation processes completed in all Amerindian villages that submitted requests. It also served to provide mechanisms for identifying and resolving land issues within Amerindian communities and revised communication strategy.

The project ended in 2016, one year into the A Partnership for National Unity+ Alliance for Change Coalition (APNU+AFC) administration; however, many communities were not selected for their land titling. The APNU+ AFC government had sought to extend the initiative, and $165 million was then designated to ensuring the remaining villages received their land titling.

However, by the end of 2019 many of the remaining villages still did not receive their titles.

Additionally, many villagers had protested the long wait for their land titles and lamented that the government had had a reasonable amount

From page 18 two of the projects.

These two new contracts, when calculated showed that already half a billion dollar, $535,926,357, is being spent by the Public Works Ministry to do rehabilitative works on the roads.

The award of the projects was revealed by the NPTAB on April 19, last. R&B Investment Inc. who won the bid to

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execute works on Canal No.1 road for $99,000,300 and Navin & Son Construction who won the bid to do Canal No. 2 road to the tune of $93,181,410.

As previously reported, already $343,794,647 was spent on the first phase of these roads.

In September last year, two contractors, Japarts Construction Inc. and Aronco Services Inc. were awarded contracts to upgrade the first phase of the roads. Reports are that Japarts was awarded $173,131,854 to work on Canal No. 1 and Aronco to work on Canal No. 2 main access road for the sum of $170,612,793. These projects would form part of the $15.2 billion that was allocated in this year's budget for the construction and rehabilitation of urban and community roads across the country.

From page 18 a skill, provide technical assistance for specialized training geared towards building professional skills and make materials and basic tools available for each course, among others. Speaking at the event, Minister Hamilton assured the region that government will continue to support every initiative that seeks to ensure citizens become productive and contribute to the development of the country.

Meanwhile, in delivering remarks, Sancho said residents of Region 10 would be glad to know this is the first time an initiative of this nature is getting off the ground and it is happening in the mining town of Linden, the second largest town in Guyana. “Under the auspices of ASI and other stakeholders, Linden will be the place for this pilot project because we are planning to take this imitative to the rest of the Guyana Conference constituency.”

Sancho said LENSA will spearhead: the screening, training and certification of church members and commu-

nity residents. Among the courses being offered he said are: Bio-Gas Production; Electrical Installation; Block Making; Computer Repairs; Auto Mechanic; General Construction and Garment Making; Food preparation.

Sancho said as a registered business and training organization, LENSA will aid in the registration of at least seven new small businesses in Linden by December 15, 2022. These new businesses include A viable construction company; a sustainable bio gas production plant; a competitive computer repairs store; a small engine repairs shop; a seamstress shop that sews the neatest clothing at affordable process; a tailor shop and a restaurant that prepares nutritious and tasty meals.

Pic save as training From left, Labour Minister, Joseph Hamilton; Chief Executive Officer of Board of Industrial Training, Mr. Richard Maughn; Executive Secretary, Pastor, Jumoul Sancho and Men's Ministry Director, Pastor Mr. Dennis Hamilton of the Guyana Conference of Seventh-day Adventists.

Sri Lanka Parliament votes for new...

From page 15 Reuters news agency.

Governor P Nandalal Weerasinghe signalled he would stay on in the job although he had said in May he could resign if there was no political stability in the

island nation of 22 million people.

Rajapaksa and Wickremesinghe were not in their residences when the protesters surged into the buildings and have not been seen in public since Fri-

day.

Rajapaksa's whereabouts were not clear but Wickremesinghe's media team said in a statement he held a meeting with cabinet ministers at the prime minister's office on Monday.

Tuesday July 12, 2022

Kaieteur News

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Tuesday July 12, 2022

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China crushes mass protest by bank depositors demanding their life savings back HONG KONG (CNN) Chinese authorities on Sunday violently dispersed a peaceful protest by hundreds of depositors, who sought in vain to demand their life savings back from banks that have run into a deepening cash crisis.

Since April, four rural banks in China’s central Henan province have frozen millions of dollars worth of deposits, threatening the livelihoods of hundreds of thousands of customers in an economy already battered by draconian Covid lockdowns.

Anguished depositors have staged several demonstrations in the city of Zhengzhou, the provincial capital of Henan, over the past two months, but their demands have invariably fallen on deaf ears.

On Sunday, more than 1,000 depositors from across China gathered outside the Zhengzhou branch of the country’s central bank, the People’s Bank of China, to launch their largest protest yet, more than half a dozen protesters told CNN. The demonstration is among the largest China has seen since the pandemic, with domestic travel limited by various Covid restrictions on movement. Last month, Zhengzhou authorities even resorted to tampering with the country’s digital Covid health-code system to restrict

the movements of depositors and thwart their planned protest, sparking a nationwide outcry.

This time, most protesters arrived outside the bank before dawn — some as early as 4 a.m. — to avoid being intercepted by authorities.

The crowd, which included the elderly and children, occupied a flight of imposing stairs outside the bank, chanting slogans and holding up banners.

“Henan banks, return my savings!” they shouted in unison, many waving Chinese flags, in videos shared with CNN by two protesters.

Using national flags to display patriotism is a common strategy for protesters in China, where dissent is strictly suppressed. The tactic is meant to show that their grievances are only against local governments, and that they support and rely on the central government to seek redress.

“Against the corruption and violence of the Henan government,” a banner written in English read.

A large portrait of late Chinese leader Mao Zedong was pasted on a pillar at the entrance of the bank.

Across the street, hundreds of police and security personnel — some in uniforms and others in plain

clothes — assembled and surrounded the site, as protesters shouted “gangsters” at them.

Violent crackdown The face-off lasted for several hours until after 11 a.m., when rows of security officers suddenly charged up the stairs and clashed with protesters, who threw bottles and other small objects at them.

The scene quickly descended into chaos, as security officers dragged protesters down the stairs and beat those who resisted, including women and the elderly, according to witnesses and social media videos.

One woman from eastern Shandong province told CNN she was pushed to the ground by two security guards, who twisted and injured her arm. A 27-year-old man from the southern city of Shenzhen, surnamed Sun, said he was kicked by seven or eight guards on the ground before being carried away. A 45-yearold man from the central city of Wuhan said his shirt was completely torn at the back during the scuffle.

Many said they were shocked by the sudden burst of violence by the security forces.

“I did not expect them to be so violent and shameless this time. There was no communication, no warning

before they brutally dispersed us,” said one depositor from a metropolis outside Henan who had protested in Zhengzhou previously, and who requested CNN conceal his name due to security concerns.

“Why would government employees beat us up? We’re only ordinary people asking for our deposits back, we did nothing wrong,” the Shandong woman said.

The protesters were hurled onto dozens of buses and sent to makeshift detention sites across the city — from hotels and schools to factories, according to people taken there. Some injured were escorted to hospitals; many were released from detention by the late afternoon, the people said.

CNN has reached out to the Henan provincial government for comment.

The Zhengzhou Business District Police S t ation — which has jurisdiction over the protest site — hung up on CNN’s call requesting comment.

Late on Sunday night, the Henan banking regulator issued a terse statement, saying “relevant departments” were speeding up efforts to verify information on customer funds at the four rural banks.

“(Authorities) are coming up with a plan to deal with the issue, which will be announced in the near future,” the statement said.

Police in Xuchang, a city neighboring Zhengzhou, said in a statement late Sunday they recently arrested members of an alleged “criminal gang,” who were accused of e f f e c t i v e l y taking control over the Henan rural banks starting from 2011 — by leveraging their shareholdings and “manipulating banks executives.”

The suspects were also accused of illegally transferring funds through fictitious loans, the police said, adding that some of their funds and assets had been seized and frozen.

Shattered lives The protest comes at a politically sensitive time for the ruling Communist Party, just months before its leader Xi Jinping is expected to seek an unprecedented third term at a key meeting this fall.

L a r g e - s c a l e demonstrations over lost savings and ruined livelihoods could be perceived as a political embarrassment for Xi, who has promoted a nationalistic vision of leading the country to “great rejuvenation.”

Henan authorities are under tremendous pressure

to stop the protests. But depositors remain undeterred.

As the issue drags on, many have become ever more desperate to recover their savings.

Huang, the depositor from Wuhan, lost his job in the medical cosmetology industry this year, as businesses struggled in the pandemic.

Yet he is unable to withdraw any of his life savings — of over 500,000 yuan ($75,000) — from a rural bank in Henan.

“Being unemployed, all I can live on is my past savings. But I can’t even do that now — how am I supposed to (support my family)?” said Huang, whose son is in high school.

Sun, from Shenzhen, is struggling to keep his machine factory from bankruptcy after losing his deposit of 4 million yuan ($597,000) to a Henan bank.

He can’t even pay his more than 40 employees without the funds.

Sun said he was covered in bruises and had a swollen lower back after being repeatedly stomped by security guards at the protest.

“The incident completely overturned my perception of the government. I’ve lived all my life placing so much faith in the government. After today, I’ll never trust it again,” he said.

Ukraine war: Germany fears Russia gas cut may become permanent (BBC) - Russian natural gas supplies to Germany via the Baltic Sea pipeline Nord Stream 1 have been halted for 10 days for annual maintenance work.

But German Economy Minister Robert Habeck warned that EU countries had to be prepared in case gas shipments did not resume.

He has accused the Kremlin of using gas “as a weapon” in response to EU sanctions over the war in Ukraine. Mr Habeck admitted Germany had become too dependent on Russian gas.

He described that as “a grave political mistake as we can see today, which we are trying to remedy as quickly as we possibly can”.

He said two floating terminals for deliveries of liquefied natural gas (LNG) would be ready by the end of the year.

In mid-June Russia’s state gas firm Gazprom cut gas flows through Nord Stream 1 to just 40% of the pipeline’s

capacity. It blamed a delay in the return of equipment being serviced by Germany’s Siemens Energy. The Canadian government says it will now return a repaired Siemens turbine to Germany for the pipeline. That move angered the Ukrainian government, which accused Canada of adjusting the sanctions imposed on Moscow “to the whims of Russia”.

Canada says it is granting Siemens Canada a “timelimited and revocable permit” to send repaired turbines back to Germany, despite the sanctions.

Germany’s government is worried that gas supplies could be reduced or cut permanently.

Pipeline maintenance is normal every summer, when gas demand is lower than in winter, but the worry is that Russia may not turn the taps back on.

The pipeline shutdown is also affecting Italy, where energy group Eni said it

would receive about a third less gas from Russia’s Gazprom on Monday compared with average volumes supplied over the past few days.

The head of the International Energy Agency, Fatih Birol, has warned that Russia may cut off gas supplies to Europe entirely and that Europe needs to prepare now.

Russia has already cut gas supplies to Poland, Bulgaria, the Netherlands, Denmark and Finland over their refusal to comply with a new payment scheme.

Austria and the Czech Republic get some gas from Nord Stream 1, but Russian gas also flows to them via a Ukraine pipeline.

Visiting Prague, Mr Habeck signed an agreement with the Czech Republic pledging mutual help in the event of a sharp drop in Russian gas supplies.

Since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February, Germany

has reduced its dependence on Russian gas from 55% to 35% and wants to stop using gas from Russia altogether.

Last year the other main suppliers of natural gas to Germany were Norway (31%) and the Netherlands (13%).

Germany is now getting more gas from them, since reducing imports from Russia.

The government has also given the go-ahead for Germany’s first LNG terminal to be built, at Wilhelmshaven.

Another undersea Baltic pipeline from Russia, Nord Stream 2, has been built, but plans to pump gas through it are now on hold because of the war. If Russian supplies were suddenly cut overnight, this could tip Germany into a major recession, because entire industries rely on gas and most German homes use it for heating. A leading energy market analyst, Henning Gloystein of Eurasia Group, warned that “if Nord Stream 1 doesn’t come back

on at all, let’s say by early August, we think that the German government will have to raise its gas alert level to the third level, which is the maximum level”.

“That would be suspending the wholesale gas market and the government and regulator stepping in as the distributor of natural gas.

So that will effectively mean rationing next winter. What happens in Germany, sadly, will spread over to the rest of Europe if it gets bad, because

of the geographical location in the middle of the EU,” he told the BBC. Germany’s gas storage facilities are currently about 64% full, German broadcaster ZDF reports.

Industry experts quoted

by German media say the chemicals sector would be hardest hit by a gas shortage.

It accounts for 15% of Germany’s gas consumption, and disruption could lead to shortages of goods such as fertiliser, pharmaceuticals, detergent and cosmetics.

Kaieteur News

Tuesday July 12, 2022

PAGE 25

Region 10 RDC calls for appointment of LEN, LHC boards urgently Regional Chairman Deron Adams has made an impassioned call at the statutory meeting of the Council on Monday for the installation of the Board of Directors at the Linden Hospital Complex and the Linden Enterprise Network.

Stating emphatically that the health of the people of the Region is paramount, the Chairman queried why the government would want to delay the appointment of

such an important board, one that is expected to speak to the determination of policies that would ensure that the level of service available to residents of the Region is at a premium at the Linden Hospital Complex, the RDC said in a release.

According to the RDC, Councilor Coretta Braithwaite-Walton joined the Chairman in highlighting the importance of the establishment of the LEN

Board. She said that as a former employee of the LEAP programme, she understands the importance of the availability of a revolving fund in the absence of a bank that would provide the type of empowerment funding to push private sector development in Region 10.

With other Councilors expressing their support for these calls, Councilor Mark Goring also championed the establishment of the LEN

Regional Chairman, Deron Adams

Board to enable the acquisition of business development funding to f u r t h e r t h e e ff o r t s o f entrepreneurs in the Region.

He spoke of the short notice provided to persons to be able to access the cash grants that were made available to assist farmers who faced difficult circumstances, where due diligence checks and structured financing could have been made available over a longer period through

the LEN office, since that entity is equipped with the skills necessary to evaluate the eligibility of persons to access these finances.

The Regional Chairman shared his resolve to continue to push for the appointment of these Boards and the utilization of structured, transparent and accountable means of providing assistance to the people who need it most in a truly equitable manner.

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Kaieteur News

Tuesday July 12, 2022

Thursday July 12, 2022

PAGE 27

Kaieteur News

Local cricket Journalists rates GCB’s...

From page 32 Trinidad & Tobago Cricket Board Facebook…they post things on a regular basis, they get traction,” stated Greene.

“Key example…I will answer it in this way.

The Minister of Cult u r e , Yo u t h a n d S p o r t Charles Ramson, during the pandemic would go live a lot and you would see the

amount of traction their page has now because of constant posting of Photos or Videos of their events,” Greene pointed out.

He said he had a conversation with someone at the Board and they were telling him how key social media is.

They had so many Camps this year.

They could have gone live on their Facebook page and

say we are live at the Women’s camp.

“That gets traction and creates interactions with the fans. But that could be time consuming and they might have had to hire someone to do that.

I know Claude Raphael is the head of the PRO department of the Board and it is what should be done.

I don’t know if he has the

capability to do that. It’s just about being modern and having Facebook, Twitter as Brandon would have mentioned,” Greene posited.

“But there needs to be more regular interactions since this could clear up a lot of controversy easier, there would no longer be rumours that are spewing which could bring division to any sport,” Greene opined.

St Lucia boxers in England preparing for 2022...

From page 28 including the Repton Gym, where they’re getting their required amount of sparring

and strength and conditioning with a special coach.

They’re getting pad work, working on their shape and

balance, and nutrition.”

The boxers will leave their training camp on July 23 for Birmingham prior to the open-

Tuesday July 12, 2022 ARIES (Mar. 21–Apr. 19) Today you'll find that you're the missing puzzle piece that people need in every situation, Aries. Engage in light conversation in social arenas and feel free to turn your charm up full blast.

TAURUS(Apr.20–May20) You may find that people want to do a great deal of talking but not a great deal of feeling today, Taurus. Go ahead and put your emotions on the back burner and let your mind take over.

GEMINI (May 21–June 20) You should be able to evaluate your emotions from a very neutral, detached perspective today, Gemini. Use this opportunity to take action based on what you feel.

CANCER (June 21–July 22) If you're talking about another person today, Cancer, make sure you aren't saying anything that would be upsetting if they were standing right there. Gossip may be running rampant.

LIBRA (Sept. 23–Oct. 22) It's important for you to get outside and feel the wind blowing, Libra. Reconnect with nature and be aware of the four elements. Take deep breaths and fill your lungs with this energizing life force.

SCORPIO (Oct. 23–Nov. 21) Make practical use of the thoughts you have synthesized over the last few days, Scorpio. Stretch your boundaries and extend your wisdom to the people around you. This is a day to take action. .

SAGIT(Nov.22–Dec.21) This is an important day for you to make valuable connections with others, Sagittarius. You'll find yourself engaged in fastpaced, witty conversations and debates from which you can learn.

CAPRI (Dec. 22–Jan. 19) = It could be hard for you to get a handle on things today, Capricorn, as your focus seems to jump from one subject to the next without finding resolution for any.

LEO (July 23–Aug. 22) You might find yourself a bit unfocused and confused about which way to go, Virgo. The baffled look on your face isn't helping anyone else figure out how to help you.

AQUARIUS(Jan.20–Feb.18) You might come across strong opposition today from someone who seems to want to cut straight through to your heart, Aquarius. In reality,

VIRGO (Aug. 23–Se pt. 22) You might find yourself a bit unfocused and confused about which way to go, Virgo. The baffled look on your face isn't helping anyone else figure out how to help you.

PISCES (Feb. 19–Mar. 20) Act on your instincts today, Pisces, and you won't go wrong. You may need to give up a bit of control and put logical thinking aside for the day. Let the wind take you where it wants you to go.

ing ceremony of the Commonwealth Games.

Christopher thanked the Ministry of Youth Development and Sports, National Lotteries Authority, and St. Lucia Olympic Committee (SLOC) Inc. for supporting the boxers’ training camp.

PAGE 28

Thursday July 12, 2022

Kaieteur News

St Lucia boxers in England preparing for 2022 Commonwealth Games SportsMax - Three St Lucia boxers preparing for the Commonwealth Games left the island recently for England for a training camp that is expected to get them in top shape for the Games.

Light middleweight Kyghan Mortley, middleweight Arthur Langellier and super heavyweight Leran Regis were accompanied by National Head Boxing Coach, Conrad Fredericks.

The trio, from the Vigie Boxing Gym, are the most senior and experienced boxers and are set to compete at the Games to be held in Birmingham, England, from July 28 – August 8.

Prior to their departure, the boxers and coach received

a courtesy call at the gym by Minister for Youth Development and Sport, the Honourable Kenson Casimir, Resident British Commissioner Lesley M. Saunderson, Joyce Huxley, Chef de Mission for the 2022 Birmingham Games and Irwin Jean, Vice-President of the St. Lucia Boxing Association (SLBA).

Minister Casimir commended the boxers for their determination as they were able to continue their training through the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. He also congratulated them for making the team to the Commonwealth Games, imploring them to make the most of the opportunity.

The St Lucia boxers and officials take a photo op.

“I’m very proud of their level of preparation and where they are right now and, of course, Saint Lucia will be proud that they will give a good account of themselves,”

the minister said.

“It really speaks volumes of their character and their love for country, so I just want to encourage them to do their best.”

The minister also praised the efforts of the St. Lucia Boxing Association in preparing the boxers for the Games, noting that not enough credit is given to administrators.

“We must really remedy it as a nation, not just as a Ministry. I think we need to continue to commend and encourage those who volunteer their time and energies. So hats off to the St. Lucia Boxing Association for getting them prepared,” he said.

Meanwhile, President of the St Lucia Boxing Association David Christopher said the boxers have been making good progress with their training in England.

“I think this is the best preparation any boxing team in the history of Saint Lucia has ever gotten,” Christopher said.

“They’re presently training at two gyms in England, (Continued on page 257

Thursday July 12, 2022

PAGE 29

Kaieteur News

Former Formula One supremo Geraint Thomas admits Tour de France leader Tadej Ecclestone charged with UK tax fraud Pogacar is ‘a level above’ Bernie Ecclestone.

(REUTERS/Maxim Shemetov/File Photo)

Pogacar took the yellow jersey after winning stage six in Longwy on Thursday. (Daniel Cole/AP) PA Media - Geraint Thomas underlined the challenge facing the Ineos Grenadiers and virtually every other team in the Tour de France as he described race leader Tadej Pogacar as being “a level above” the champions of recent years.

Thomas reached yesterday’s rest day third overall, 77 seconds behind two-time defending champion Pogacar with Jonas Vingegaard second, 39 seconds down.

Pogacar, still only 23, is on course for a third title in a row after two stage victories in an opening week which also saw him mix it on the cobbles around Roubaix to gain time.

Such have been Pogacar’s performances since he exploded onto the scene in 2019 that the Slovenian is already seen as a rider who can rewrite the record books.

Chris Froome and Alberto Contador were able to dominate Grand Tours in recent years, both winning seven each in seven-year periods.

But Pogacar has instead been drawing comparisons to the greatest of them all – Eddy Merckx – who won 11 Grand Tours between 1968 and 1974 while also gobbling up just about every other major race that mattered.

“I think he’s just a level above,” Thomas said of the Slovenian. “(Vincenzo) Nibali and Contador were great

climbers and Contador improved his time trialling a lot.

‘Froomey’ could do both really well. But Pogacar, he’s got everything else (as well).

“You saw his sprint in the Tour of Flanders – he was the strongest guy in the race in Flanders. He can ride on the cobbles, he can do everything. He’s phenomenal.

“A lot of people have praised people in the past and said: ‘This guy will go on to win X,’ but I can’t see how (Pogacar) won’t continue to be the biggest favourite in the next five or six years.”

Merckx has himself endorsed Pogacar, who shows the same ruthless approach as ‘The Cannibal’, not content to simply pick up time but also chasing stage victories as he did into Longwy on Thursday.

“Who doesn’t always want to win?” Pogacar said yesterday. “But I don’t see myself as a cannibal.”

Thomas is not conceding defeat in this Tour just yet – the Welshman knows from experience how quickly fortunes can change in the race.

But a rider who won the Tour in 2018 and came second 12 months later is clear a podium finish would be a major achievement against the younger generation.

“I would still be proud to be on the podium, especially

after the last couple of years, to prove a few people wrong,” the 36-year-old said.

“I’ve won it, I’ve come second. To make the podium would be an achievement. I definitely want to try to win the race. The main thing is having no regrets, to know come Paris that I tried everything I could and the team could to win the race.”

One hurdle that had to be cleared on Monday was a full round of Covid-19 tests for all remaining riders after three were forced out by the virus in the opening week.

All 165 tests came back negative, although Thomas missed out on spending some down time with his young son Macs who has himself tested positive.

The Tour continues with today’s stage to Megeve, though the bigger challenges come tomorrow, Wednesday – to the Col du Granon via the Galibier – and Thursday’s race up Alpe d’Huez, where rivals must hope there is some sort of crack in Pogacar’s considerable armour.

“In the Tour it is always better to be one step ahead than one step back,” the UAE Team Emirates rider said.

“We are in pole position now. We can control things and it’s a little bit easier for me and the team. It’s nice to have the yellow jersey and now I hope I can keep it all the way.”

LONDON, (Reuters) Former Formula One supremo Bernie Ecclestone has been charged with fraud over a failure to declare more than 400 million pounds ($477 million) of overseas assets to the British tax authority, prosecutors said yesterday.

The Crown Prosecution Service said Ecclestone, 91, faced one count of fraud by false representation.

“This follows a complex and worldwide criminal investigation by HMRC’s Fraud Investigation Service,” said Simon York, Director at the Fraud Investigation Service of Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs (HMRC). The first hearing in his case is due to be held on Aug. 22 at London’s Westminster Magistrates Court. Contacted

by Reuters in Ibiza, Ecclestone said he was yet to see the details. “I haven’t seen that so I don’t know so I can’t comment,” he said when the statement was read to him.

The British billionaire indicated it had not come out of the blue, however.

“It’s something that has been talked about happening, but not in the way you said, something a little bit different to that, quite a while ago,” he said. “They’ve probably got all excited again. Let’s see what happens.”

In 2015, Ecclestone faced a demand from HMRC for payment of more than 1 billion pounds ($1.19 billion) in relation to a family trust.

He said then that HMRC had not respected an agreement made in 2008 over the ‘Bambino Trust’, set up for the benefit of his ex-wife Slavica and daughters Tamara and Petra, and he was taking legal action. The Briton was ousted as Formula One supremo in 2017 when U.S.based Liberty Media took over the sport’s commercial rights. He maintains an office in London but now spends most of his time abroad, with residences in Switzerland and Ibiza as well as a farm in Brazil. He has continued to make

headlines however, and in May Brazilian police said they had arrested him after finding a handgun in his luggage as he was trying to leave the country. Ecclestone acknowledged owning it but said he was unaware it was in his luggage. He was freed to leave after paying bail.

The businessman, who has a history of controversial comments, caused offence and drew condemnation in June when he defended Russian President Vladimir Putin in a television interview as a “first class person” he would “take a bullet” for. He apologised in a video released on Saturday, saying he was not defending the Russian invasion of Ukraine. ($1 = 0.8402 pounds)

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Thursday July 12, 2022

Kaieteur News

Sri Lanka level series after Jacobs returns to 100m limelight against hungry Jayasuriya, Chandimal heroics Americans on home soil (Reuters) - A reigning Olympic champion rediscovering his form, a defending world champion with a point to prove and the fastest man in 2022 will headline a packed 100 metres field when the World Championships get underway at Hayward Field in Eugene on Friday.

Olympic gold medallist Lamont Marcell Jacobs returns to the 100m big stage after muscle injuries ruled him out of several Diamond League meets and the Italian has been far from his best this season.

Having stunned the world with a European record time of 9.80 seconds in Tokyo, Jacobs has since been out of the limelight and has not run a sub-10 second race — without wind assistance — this year despite winning his fifth national title last month.

“If it were up to me I would compete at every opportunity, but this is what sport is all about. We are human beings, not machines,” Jacobs said before he headed to Eugene early to “test the waters”.

The Italian is up against stiff competition with a group of American sprinters vying for the title and ensuring the gold returns to the U.S. for a third consecutive time — none more so than Christian Coleman.

The 26-year-old beat former champion Justin Gatlin to win gold at the worlds two

Italy’s Lamont Marcell Jacobs celebrates winning the men’s 60m final. (REUTERS/ Aleksandra Szmigiel/File Photo) years ago in Doha but an 18month suspension for breaching anti-doping whereabouts rules prevented him from a shot at Olympic glory.

Since his return, Coleman warmed up with two sub-10 second finishes last month at the New York Grand Prix and the USA Track & Field (USATF) Championships — also held at Hayward Field.

Coleman has had his eye firmly set on defending his world title since the day it was confirmed he would miss the Tokyo Games. Although he did not run in the USATF championships final, he has a wildcard entry for the worlds.

Both Jacobs and Coleman will be wary of Olympic silver medallist Fred Kerley — the American who ran the fastest 100m this season in 9.76 sec-

onds last month.

Kerley has displayed incredible versatility to switch from the 400m to focus on the shorter distances to become the sixth-fastest man in history.

He underlined his credentials when he beat both Marvin Bracy-Williams and Trayvon Bromell — who won Diamond League gold at Eugene — by a huge margin to win at the USATF championships where all seven finalists ran in under 10 seconds.

“I’m producing consistent times and a bomb will drop eventually,” Kerley had said after the race, adding that he was eyeing Usain Bolt’s world record of 9.58 seconds.

“I put the work in and I actually expected something faster, but I’ll wait until the World Championships.”

Rockaway Group of Companies supports Police FC Rockaway Group of Companies has continued with its generous c o n t r i b u t i o n towards the development of sports in Guyana.

Recently, Chief Executive Officer of the entity Hafeez Ali presented two sets of uniforms to the Guyana Police Force football teams.

Ali encouraged the players to take sports seriously and reminded about the importance of discipline.

Ali is the owner of Rockaway cricket teams and also a member of the Everest Cricket Club Masters team.

Over the years, he has lent support to players and clubs across Guyana. Commissioner of Police Clifton Hicken expressed gratitude to Ali and said they are happy for the contribution.

Commissioner of Police Clifton Hicken accepts the uniforms from Hafeez Ali.

COLOMBO, (Reuters) Prabath Jayasuriya claimed 12 wickets in his dream debut and Dinesh Chandimal smashed his maiden double hundred to secure Sri Lanka’s memorable series-levelling victory in the second test against Australia yesterday.

Chandimal smashed 206 not out, first double hundred by a Sri Lanka batter against Australia, providing the bedrock for the team’s imposing 554 in reply to Australia’s 364 in the first innings.

Possessing a handy 190run cushion, Sri Lanka unleashed their three-pronged spin attack and Jayasuriya routed Australia for 151 in their second innings claiming 6-59 at the Galle International Stadium.

Sri Lanka’s victory by an innings and 39 runs, which came in four days, is also the first time they have inflicted an innings defeat on Australia.

“Our boys bounced back really well after losing the first match and the debutants did an amazing job,” Sri Lanka skipper Dimuth Karunaratne said.

“I knew from the beginning that Prabath would be key for us, he did a great job for us.”

J a y a s u r i y a ’s m a t c h haul of 12-177, which earned him the man-of-thematch award, is the best figures on a test debut for Sri Lanka.

It was a stunning display by the 30-year-old who would not have played the match but for a spate of COVID-19 cases that forced Sri Lanka to field three debutant s .

T h e h o s t s e v e n had to substitute opener Pathum Nissanka after the first innings as the opener tested positive for the virus.

While wicketkeeper Alex Carey missed a couple of stumpings, Australia paid heavily for casually wasting all their reviews on Sunday.

They were particularly stung when Chandimal, then on 30, edged Mitchell Starc but Australia had run out of reviews and could not challenge the not-out decision. “ We h a d plenty of chances over the last couple of days and d i d n ’ t q u i t e grab them,” Australia captain Pat Cummins said after having to share the Warne-Muralitharan trophy.

Job done! Prabath Jayasuriya picked up his 12th wicket of the match to finish the game off. (Getty Images)

Dinesh Chandimal made Sri Lanka’s highest individual score against Australia. (Getty Images) “Unfortunately Sri Lanka were too good.”

After Sri Lanka resumed on 431-6, Chandimal, who bagged the man-of-the-series award, mounted a spectacular late charge.

Having reached 185, Chandimal smashed Starc for a boundary and followed it with back-to-back sixes to bring up his double hundred.

Five of Sri Lanka’s top six batsmen registered 50-plus scores to put the hosts in a commanding position.

Australia began their second innings briskly with David Warner and Usman Khawaja playing their shots.

Wa r n e r f e l l i n t h e penultimate over before tea but wheels came off Australia’s innings when the returned after the break.

Jayasuriya rocked them with a two-wicket over to get rid off Khawaja (29) and

Steve Smith, who was dismissed lbw for a duck.

Australia slumped from 49 for no loss to 74-4 when Ramesh Mendis removed Travis Head for five.

Jayasuriya sent back Marnus Labuschagne (32) to break Australia’s back and effectively sealed the match removing Cameron Green and Mitchell Starc in the same over. Australia had won the T20 series, while Sri Lanka prevailed in the one-dayers preceding the test matches.

Scores: Sri Lanka 554 (Chandimal 206*, Karunaratne 86, Kusal Mendis 85, Starc 4-89, Swepson 3-103) beat Australia 364 (Smith 145, Labuschagne 104, Jayasuriya 6-118) and 151 (Labuschagne 32, Jayasuriya 6-59, Theekshana 2-28, Ramesh Mendis 2-47) by an innings and 39 runs.

Thursday July 12, 2022

“I feel like we’re still going to win this series,” says Pooran after six wicket loss to Bangladesh in first ODI SportsMax - Bangladesh secured a comfortable sixwicket win over the West Indies at Providence in Guyana on Sunday to take a 1-0 lead in their three-match One-Day International series.

The win was Bangladesh’s first win on their tour having lost both the Test and T20 International series 2-0.

The win also means that Bangladesh have now won their last six ODIs against the hosts, a fact that West Indies captain Nicholas Pooran says the team is well aware of.

“We know Bangladesh has had us in the last couple series but that’s ok. I feel like we’re still going to win this series. We’re 1-0 down but we can come again on Wednesday with better plans and punch back,” said Pooran in a post-match interview.

The skipper lamented the team’s lack of runs on the board in the 41 overs-per-side game, being restricted to a subpar 149-9.

“We definitely didn’t have enough runs on the board. If we had got close to 175 or 200 on that wicket, it’d be interesting to see how the game would have turned out.

We also could’ve bowled a

PAGE 31

Kaieteur News

West Indies captain Nicholas Pooran says despite the opening game loss they will win the series. bit better in the powerplay. It’s going to be a challenge for us but we just need to keep figuring out ways to win cricket games, especially in the ODI format,” Pooran said.

On the other hand, “Fantastic,” was how Pooran described debutant Gudakesh Motie’s performance with the ball.

Motie took his first international wicket on the way to a tidy 1-18 off nine overs.

“He got his opportunity in front of his home crowd and delivered. Unfortunately, he was on the losing side but the

way he bowled nine overs for 18 runs is fabulous and we’re expecting him to continue to bowl like this, not just in this series but in the future as well,” he added.

The 27-year-old Motie, who also made his Test debut on this tour, got his chance in the ODI format on the back of a stellar campaign in the 2021 Super 50 Cup which saw him finish as the competition’s leading wicket-taker with 17 wickets in seven matches as Guyana got all the way to the final, losing to Trinidad & Tobago.

West Indies and England O50s record their first blood in the Marlborough Cup Windies Masters record their first win on tour when it really mattered during the first round matches of the Quadrangular Marlborough Cup. Skipper Zamin Amin won the toss and opted to take first strike. WI ratted up a decent 267/8 off their allotted overs with Ishwar Maraj hitting a splendid undefeated hundred opening the batting. Maraj batted the entire innings for 113 off 129 deliveries with 11 boundaries and 3 sixes. Sudesh & Sunil Dhaniram both had useful contributions of 41 off 53 deliveries with 8 boundaries and 25 off 23 deliveries with 4 boundaries respectively. There were a few cameos from Narine Bidhesi, Anthony Sahadeo & Mohan Harihar with 19, 12 & 18 respectively. Chris Hudson form Wales was the pick of the bowlers with 3 for 40.

Wales in reply were always in the hunt throughout the innings with quite a healthy run rate but fell short at the end by 9 runs.

Wales finished with 258/9 when the overs ran out. Skipper John Jones top scored with an undefeated 50 and was ably supported by John Bussey 42, Grant Peisley 40, Michael Cann 38 & Andi Price with 26. Wales batted quite sensibly and kept up with the required run rate until the 42nd over when they lost a clump of wickets putting paid to their run chase.

Zamin Amin had 2 for 31 and Fareed Hosein had 2 for 44.

In the England/ India encounter, England batted first and racked up 359/5 off their allotted overs. They had 2 centurions- Giles Ecclestone 111 and Jonathan Wileman 137.

India in reply could only muster 180-9 off their

Ishwar Maraj

allotted overs.

West India then face India today with England facing up Wales in their encounter.

Canada-based Guyanese Balram (118*) spurs Leguan Warriors to victory in OMSCC’s tournament Canada-based Guyanese Vishaul Balram struck a belligerent, unbeaten 118 to spur Leguan Warriors to a convincing 105-run win over AllStars on Sunday at St. Joan of Arc Catholic Academy ground in Scarborough in the continuation of the 2022 Ontario Masters Softball Cricket Clubs (OMSCC) Over40, 20-overs competition.

The right-handed Balram clobbered 12 sixes and four fours as Leguan Warriors piled up a formidable 212-3 from the 20-overs, while AllStars only replied with 107-5 when the 20-overs ran out.

Balram also shared a steady and captivating 110run second-wicket partnership with experienced player Richie Sukhram who contributed an attacking 39 laced with three sixes and two fours after the fall of skipper and former Essequibo Under-19 player Andy Monasar (06).

There was one wicket each for captain Subhas Seelochand, Charlie Yakub and Wayne Barret. When AllStars batted, Surendra Persaud made 20 and 17 from Yakub. Balram returned with the ball to take 2-17 from his maximum three overs to display his all-round capability, while Ashtaq Mohamed

Vishaul Balram claimed 2-18 off three overs and Naresh Bodo had a wicket.

Details from the other matches in the 8-team competition were not available but the competition is set to continue on Sunday with a bunch of matches across the Greater

Toronto Area.

Meanwhile, Balram expressed ecstasy with his outstanding batting performance. Balram, who hails from Canal Number 1, West Bank Demerara, stated that he was thrilled to register a century as well.

GFF/Blue Water Female U-15 Tournament…

Chase Determinators, East Ruimveldt take full points

Chase Determinators and East Ruimveldt Empress pulled off contrasting wins when play in the GFF/Blue Water Female U-15 Tournament, organised by the Guyan a National Wo m e n ’s F o o t b a l l A s s ociation (GNWFA) continued Saturday last at the GFF National Train i n g Centre, Providence, EBD. Chase Determinators s q u e e z e d p a st Tutorial Thunders by the narrowest of margins, 4-3 in a pulsating encounter.

Martha Cha n c e a c counted for three of the winning goals with the other scored by Angela Perez.

Tutorial Thunders got their goals from Ceryah Pearson with a double and Shenelle La F l e u r.

East Ruimveldt Empress were in royal form as they waltzed to a comfortable 30 triumph over

Chase Determinators dictating the flow of the game against Tutorial Thunders.

C a m p b e l l ville United on account o f a b r a c e f r o m Dellana Small, her

t e a m m a t e , Miranda Cox backed u p w e l l with the other goal.

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Thursday July 12, 2022

Kaieteur News

ExxonMobil National School Basketball Festival

Kwakwani girls, President’s College U-16 Boys and Aroaima U-18 Boys win titles Berbice River area teams of Kwakwani Girls and Aroaima Boys Under-18’s and President’s College Under-16 Boys emerged winners of the ExxonMobil National School Basketball Festival played at the Cliff Anderson Sports Hall.

In the Girls D final, Kwakwani defeated Queens College 46 points to 17 with the Half-time scores 27 points to 4 points in favour of Kwakwani.

Shania Sears poured in a game high 26 pts and pulled 10 rebounds, while support came from Natalya Clarke with 10 points, 9 rebounds, and 11 steals. The two veteran players turned up the heat for a resurging Kwakwani dynasty and were too much for the rest of the competition.

Cianna Barkoye led Queens College with 6 points and 9 rebounds.

Shania Sears of Kwakwani

took home the Most Valuable Player and Best scorer awards, while Natalya Clarke was the best defender, and had most assists.

Over in the Boys U-16 department, President’s College beat KidRock Academy 65 points to 54 after enjoying a slim Half-time score of 24 points to 21.

DeJaun Grant with 26 points, 6 rebounds, Aiden Semple 16 points, 5 rebounds, and Abeil Ward 7 points, 17 rebounds were the standouts for the winning President’s College unit.

Elisah Robertson with 18 points, 4 rebounds, 5 steals and Stephen George 9 points, 9 rebounds led the fight for KidRock.

DeJaun Grant (PC) received the Most Valuable Player, Best Scorer, and Standout player Awards.

The Boys U-18 finals resulted in Aroaima

Girls Champions Kwakwani receive their prize from Mike Ryan ExxonMobil Guyana Production Manager. pummeling President’s College 103 points to 52, leading at the Half-time 59 points to 19.

The first-timers, Aroaima, were in a class of their own as they dismantled a wellcoached President’s College team, who came into the tournament as the defending senior champion.

Aroaima also defeated 6

times champion Kwakwani, and 5 times champion Linden Technical Institute on their way to winning their maiden championship.

Kasim English (third-best player for Aroaima) topscored with 37 points, 14 rebounds, Kemol Grimmond (national 3 x 3 Caribbean Games Bronze Medalist) 28 points, 8 assist, 15 rebounds,

Adi Donald 19 points and Kelon Phillips 14 points turned on the style for the champions.

Kemol Mentore for PC had 24 points, and 13 rebounds, DeJaun Grant (U16 MVP) had 10 points, and 11 rebounds.

Kelon Phillips won tournament MVP and best scorer awards, while Kemol Grimmond won finals MVP

and most assist award. Other Awards (Special) that were presented: Best Emerging Team - Christ Church Secondary Best Uniformed Team The Bishops’ High School Best Fan Support President’s College Sportsmanship Team President’s College Sportsmanship Individual - Ronoko Vaughn (PC) Senior Class - Ronoko Vaughn (PC) Standout Players Kassidy Woolford (GT Academy Girls), DeJaun Grant (PC U16), and Demitri Rankin (Christ Church U18) Best Coach - Wi l l o n C a m e r o n , P r e s i d e n t ’s College ExxonMobil Guyana is the major sponsor of this year ’s tournament with support also coming from the National Sports Commission, G-Boat Guyana, Edward B. Beharry & Company Ltd, and Banks DIH Ltd.

Local cricket Journalists rates GCB’s Media relations & marketing ‘disappointing’

By Sean Devers The saga that has plagued Guyana’s cricket for close to a decade seemed to be finally over as Bissondyal Singh was elected unopposed in March 2021 as the New President of the Guyana Cricket Board for the next two years.

The last time the GCB held a press conference was on December 5, 2021at the Grand Coastal Hotel on the East Coach of Demerara.

This was the first press conference since April when the youthful and hardworking Minister of Culture, Youth and Sport, Charles Ramson Jr. played a pivotal role ensuring that proper elections were held and then eventually the previous Administration which spent 10 years in power, was defeated.

Speaking on last Tuesday’s ‘Sean Devers Sports Watch’ on Kaieteur Radio, leading local Cricket Journalists Akeem Greene of Newsroom, Brandon Corlette of Guyana Times and host of the programme Sean Devers of Kaieteur News agreed that the Media relations and the marketing of the GCB programmes and events leaves much to be desired.

Greene, who covered the last regional First-Class tournament in Trinidad, said he was disappointed with the marketing of the ongoing

Bangladesh series in Guyana.

“Look they knew of the schedule for quite some time.

I was informed that there were a few logistical problems with the sales of tickets. But that does not take away the fact that could have marketed these matches long in advance.

Greene added that it was reported by the media that cricket was coming to Guyana and the dates.

“I have mentioned it some conferences with the Ministry of Culture or GOA…that you can’t depend on the mainstream media to promote activities…when I say mainstream media I mean us as Journalists. Sporting Bodies have marketing departments to get out ads.”

Greene said he saw a Facebook post that the person did not know there was cricket in Guyana.

Devers, who also covered the First-Class matches in Trinidad for Kaieteur News and for the CWI YouTube channel as a commentator, interjected that he said he hoped it did not rain and the taxi driver, who is a cricket fan, asked why?

When he said because it would affect the cricket, the taxi driver said he was not aware that there was cricket here.

Greene added that he felt

the GCB could have done a way better job in marketing the matches.

“I saw something on Facebook a few days but they knew of the schedule long in advance since CWI sent it over a month ago with the summer of cricket. They could have let the public know of the matches in Guyana and even played up the weekend games,” Greene continued.

“I can tell you not a lot of people know that there are matches in Guyana. A lot of people don’t read the papers on a daily basis or sit down and listen to a newscast.

Many times people are on the road and listen to various Radio shows.

That is where you could have gotten a plug about the cost for tickets. People are calling to ask where tickets are being sold. I only know about the cricket board. In the past they would be sold in Essequibo and Berbice and I think early advertising could have increased the capacity at the Stadium.”

Devers opined that for CPL you will see a massive difference in the promotion of the Event with commercials being sent to the music stations because it will be a different organisation doing it who understands Marketing Events.

“As soon as this series is

Akeem Greene

Sean Devers

finished you will see massive advertisements of the cricket Carnival because they know how important it is to the Country. We already know that the sale of tickets for the Guyana will start as soon as the Bangladesh series is over,” Devers said.

“Look, CPL already has a list of Events for the Cricket Carnival on social media since cricket is now a business. If you want to make money, if you have to invest money.

I know the Board is operating under financial constraints but you could get financial partners to sponsor the promotion campaign,” Greene suggested.

Corlette, who covered the games in Trinidad for TV and newspapers, said there was not enough Marketing of the matches in Guyana.

“When you look at some of the other Boards

pages…social media is a big thing today. We know it’s the digital era and not a lot of people will read the daily newspaper or watch the Newscasts. You must cater for all audiences, the young people will be on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. The GCB has to do more when it comes to Marketing on the Social networks,” added Corlette, who owns theCricnation592website.

Speaking from Berbice, Corlette said no tickets are being sold in there and those from Berbice have to go all the way to Georgetown to purchase tickets from the Board Office while most of them are not able to buy them on-line.

Devers said since the GCB was formed in 1946 there have been 12 Presidents and informed that his research showed that this is the worse cricket Board when it comes

to dealing with the media and getting what they are doing out to the public.

Devers added that when it comes to Marketing and disseminating information on what the BCB is doing BCB President Hilbert Foster is brilliant.

Corlette agreed with Devers but said this Board would say that there was Covid and the past Administration left them to do a lot of cleaning up.

“It’s actually a norm these days when you try to ask certain questions or try to access this transparent GCB…it’s not easy.

You can’t have one press conference in such a long time and make a whole lot of promises and not delivering,” continued Corlette.

However, Corlette noted that you have to factor in lots of issues including Covid.

Greene said while he did not know the GCB views on these issues, he would say yes, they need to face the Media officially more.

“They had a grand press conference back in December but there were a few…a few times, that we interacted with them.

But overall if you are talking about getting more information and clarity on issues from the Board, it goes back to having a good PR team…look at the Barbados Cricket Association and (Continued on page 27)

Kaieteur News

Tuesday July 12, 2022

PAGE 33

Santos storm back from a goal and 2 players down to beat Bartica All-Stars GFF/DBU/UEFA Assist/Women Development League

C

ontesting the feature game of a double header in the Guyana Football F e d e r a t i o n / Wo m e n Development League sponsored by the Danish Football Union and UEFA Assist, on Saturday last at the Bartica Community Centre Ground, City side Santos showed some determination and grit when they upstaged home team Bartica All-Stars 2-1 after finding themselves playing with nine (9) from the 35th minute.

In testing conditions, and having to deal with the boisterous fans, Bartica AllStars took the lead on the half-hour when they were awarded a penalty.

The shot was originally blocked by Santos' goalkeeper, but the alert Ohara Oselmo pounced on the rebound to slot the ball h o m e .

The reaction of some of the Santos players did not go down well with the Referee as they were not in favour of the kick from the penalty mark and the subsequent jostling with the goalie and Oselmo.

This resulted in the Referee having to issue a straight red card to Santos' Afena Baptiste for violent conduct.

Baptiste's exit brought initial pressure on the team and if that was not enough, five (5) minutes later, another Santos player, A k e e l a h Va n c o o t e n , arguably their best player was given marching orders.

However, despite being on the back foot for the remainder of the half, Santos were able to weather the storm.

They {Santos} came out with renewed vigour in the second half, and while they were two players less, it was the Bartica All-Stars which lacked the energy to stave off the resurgent City ladies.

Fresh players were introduced by the Santos Technical staff, and it brought the desired results.

Otalia Thompson knotted the score in the 51st minute at the end of one of the many early runs into the home team's final third.

Capitalising on that momentum was the Santos side as a mere three minutes later, they took the lead for

the first time in the match when Rayanna Harris rocked the back of the nets with a well-taken shot.

The lead was never relinquished even at the Bartica All-Stars tried their utmost to salvage another goal in the final moments of the match.

At the final whistle, it was sheer delight for the Santos girls and even as they left the ground to join the speed boat back to the city, they were still rejoicing.

In the first mat c

Santos and the Bartica All-Star players in battle on Saturday last at the Bartica Community Centre Ground.

Demerara, the Guyana Defence Force got past Orealla Falcons, which fought well against the more experienced GDF team. 4-0.

The consistent Abiose Heywood netted a hat-trick with the other goal coming off the boot of Anastasia

Horsham.

In the other match at the NTC, New A m s t e r d a m United and Coomaka United of Linden battled to an exciting 1-1 stalemate. Sasha L o o b r o k e t h e deadlock for New A m s t e r d a m U n i t e d in the 18th minute, but their joy

was curtailed one minute later when Coommaka United's Jade Simmons found the back of the nets.

Neither side did not trouble the score again.

T h i s G F F / Wo m e n Development League is supported by Danish Football Union (DBU) and UEFA Assist.

Following are the latest Points Standing GDF scorers Abiose Heywood and Anastasia Horsham h, it was another easy triumph for Fruta Conquerors which trounced Potaro Strikers, 10-1. For the Conquering Conquerors, Sandra Johnson led with a hat-trick (13th, 59th, 60th), there was a brace each for Jessica Teasdale (11th, 41st) and Nikisa Wayne (12th, 58th).

One goal each was recorded

by Shennel Daniels (10th), Shanic Thornhill (24th) and Nikasi St. Jules in the 82nd

minute. Potaro Strikers got their consolation goal from Jonell Pollard in the 46th minute.

Also on Saturday, up at the St. Cuthbert's Mission Ground, home team Pakuri Jaguars romped to their first win of the League with a 7-0 triumph over the visiting Essequibo All-Stars.

Over at the GFF National Training Centre, Providence, East Bank

Fruta Conquerors' Nikasi St. Jules (#6) powered her way past these Potro Strikers players to score her side's final goal in their 10-1 win on Saturday last.

ExxonMobil National School Basketball Festival...

U-18 champs Aroaima along with Reps of the sponsors and organisers display their accolades.

Spor

ts

Kwakwani girls, President's College U-16 Boys and Aroaima U-18 Boys win titles Girls Champions Kwakwani receive their prize from Mike Ryan ExxonMobil Guyana Production Manager.

Santos storm back from a goal and 2 players down to beat Bartica All-Stars GFF/DBU/UEFA Assist/Women Development League

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