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‘Iron lady', Claudette Singh, Now putting takes control of GECOM together audit

Energy Dept. says...

p.

3

- says priority is free, fair and transparent elections, vows to act according to law SWORN IN: Justice (Ret'd) Claudette Singh, SC, CCH.

unit for Local content reports

Draft Local Content Policy ready in two weeks The Orinduik Block...

Qatar's buy-in to Total's shares not a done deal ExxonMobil relinquishes 20% of Canje oil block GRA, GNBS to play lead roles Homeowners loose dogs in process on GECOM staff during of Guyana's house-to-house registration oil sales

Kaieteur News

PAGE 02

Tuesday July 30, 2019

The Orinduik Block...

Qatar's buy-in to Total's share not a done deal - Energy Dept. Head Q

atar, the most affluent country in the world, has Guyana's oil rich basin on its r a d a r. Ye s t e r d a y, international media reports emerged saying that the state-owned Qatar Petroleum (QP) Company has bought 40 percent of the interest that French Oil Major, Total, has in the Orinduik Block.

But at his press conference, yesterday, Energy Department Head, Dr. Mark Bynoe said that this is not a done deal.

Dr. Bynoe said, “We have received a transaction letter from Total which the government is currently studying but until such time, we (need to) understand the full implications, because this is not a normal farm-in that we would have seen.

And we are not about to pronounce thereon.”

The Energy Department Head added, “What we are finding is QP is seeking to

Guyana acreage that QP wants to farm-into (Map by Qatar Petroleum)

QP's CEO, Saad Sherida Al-Kaabi

Energy Department Head, Dr. Mark Bynoe

buy into the Total Guyana agreement but we can't go further because it is early; we are in discussions with the co-ventures so we can have greater clarity.”

In addition to getting a piece of the action in the Orinduik block, www.offshoreenergytoday.c om reported yesterday that Qatar Petroleum also wants 40% of Total's existing 25% participating interest in the

neighbouring Kanuku block.

Repsol is the operator of the Kanuku block with a 37.5% stake, with Tullow Oil holding the remaining 37.5% interest.

The Orinduik block sits 120 kilometers offshore Guyana. It has a total area of about 1,800 square kilometers, with water depths ranging from 70 metres to 1,400 meters. The Kanuku block is located 100

km offshore Guyana and has a total area of about 5,200 square kilometers, with water depths ranging from 70metres``````````````````````` ```` to 800 meters.

Two explorations are planned for the Orinduik block this year with the Jethro well currently being drilled. One is also set for drilling in the Kanuku block.

Further to this,

Offshoreenergytoday.com said that CEO of Qatar Petroleum, Saad Sherida AlKaabi expressed hope that the exploration efforts are successful.

He said, “I would like to take this opportunity to thank our partners and the government of Guyana for their collaboration in this effort, and we look forward to working together in these blocks. We are pleased to

expand our global exploration footprint into Guyana together with our valuable, long-term partner, Total, in these offshore blocks in this prospective basin.”

Just last week, Qatar Petroleum signed agreements with Eni and Total to acquire a 25 percent stake in three blocks in the frontier areas offshore Kenya.

The company has in the past years acquired rights in the acreage offshore South Africa, Mexico, Morocco, Cyprus, Mozambique, and Oman as well, with partners being Eni, Total, and ExxonMobil.

Kaieteur News

Tuesday July 30, 2019

PAGE 03

'Iron Lady' Claudette Singh takes control of GECOM - says priority is free, fair and transparent elections, vows to act according to law Sworn in: Justice (Ret'd) Claudette Singh, SC, CCH.

Side by side: Opposition Leader, Bharrat Jagdeo, President David Granger after the swearing-in ceremony yesterday.

T

he administration has expressed confidence in Justice (Ret'd) Claudette Singh, 72, who was yesterday sworn in as the new chair for the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM).

In a packed room at the Ministry of the Presidency, Singh, who was the police's legal advisor, swore to perform her duties in accordance with the laws.

It will be a key moment as Guyana prepares for early elections brought on by a shocking no-confidence vote on December 21which was deemed carried by the courts and which triggered the fall of the Coalition Government which was not expecting elections until next year.

Just over a month ago, Justice (Ret'd) James Patterson, resigned from GECOM as the chair after the Caribbean Court of Justice found that his appointment in 2017 by President David Granger was flawed.

President David Granger, who swore in Justice Singh, a Senior Counsel, who has over 40 years in the legal world of Guyana, has said he is depending on a new

chairperson to update him on GECOM's readiness for elections so he can announce a date.

The Opposition has been insisting that elections are due

by September, in keeping with the laws.

However, GECOM has started house-to-house registrations to sanitise a list that they say has thousands of incorrect entries.

The Opposition, however, has stressed that the issues can be fixed with a simply claims and objections period.

Justice Singh would have her work cut out.

She would have to pronounce on GECOM's stance on the ongoing houseto-house registrations.

After her swearing in, she pointed out to reporters that both the President and the Opposition Leader, Bharrat Jagdeo, had reposed their confidence in her and “ask me for the sake of” the country to accept the nomination.

“My priorities will be this- I am endeavoring to have free, fair and transparent elections.

I am also looking forward to meeting with each set of c o m m i s s i o n e r s

separately…the meeting with t h e G o v e r n m e n t commissioners and then the meeting with the Opposition commissioners.

Then I will bring all of them together.”

The GECOM chair noted that she stands strongly behind inclusivity.

She said she believes in “sitting down and hammering out whatever the problem is”, not having it tried in the media.

Singh will be handing over her files to the police before seeking to hit the ground running today at GECOM. Questioned about whether she is intimidated by the fact she is a woman who will hold one of the most powerful positions in the country, Justice Singh said her sex made no difference.

“I have held many positions before. When I was on the bench, I was called 'Iron Lady…I was called the 'Hanging Judge'…so what is the difference? I am just open…I will do something for Guyana because there is only one way- in accordance with the law and nothing else.”

Present at the swearing in (continued on page 19)

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Tuesday July 30, 2019

Kaieteur News

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

Publisher: GLENN LALL Editor: Adam Harris Tel: 225-8465, 225-8491. Fax: 225-8473, 226-8210

EDITORIAL

The dangers of hostile remarks Go back, lock her up, send her back or whatever the local equivalents are it does not matter who said what and where. Whether Guyana or the United States (or Europe and Australia), it does not matter. This is what matters: that is was said; that it was intended to humiliate.

Whether here or there, target audience or sound bite, dialing back or real politick, this is trouble. All of that, though understood to be a part of the political snakebites, come to represent so much more, more that is offensive, more that is dangerous.

Especially here in the cramped political villages, where 83,000 square miles suddenly feels like 83 centimeters. Too close for comfort; too overheated; too intolerable; too unwise; too thoughtless in the tone and temperature.

There was a time when racial slurs were par for the course; when every manner of scandal was fair game for dredging up and brandishing before all who would uncover eyes and unplug ears. That is, if their stomachs could stand the overpowering smell of who had tainted blood in their veins, who was a thief, who was a peccadillo, and who has prostitutes in their checkered, sordid histories.

Yet even in those celebrated times, when the political lunatics delivered tour de force performances for the receptive faithful, there were lines that were not crossed, but considered sacred.

Women and children and family were untouched.

Motherhood was off-limits, by some strange, but warming chemistry. It was a corrosive environment. Words were weapons, ready to be unsheathed.

Today, lethal words are the weapons of choice. The man now waxing wickedly from inside the same house where Abraham (and John and James) lived has made that old saying come to the fullness of irrepressible truth: the pen is mightier than the sword.

Whether with spitting keystroke or slashing diatribe or venomous upraised finger pointed menacingly, more are felled with alarming frequency. It is the demagoguery of the piercing word, the chosen place, the partisan audience.

Might be a converted burial shrine in Berbice: Who is an infidel, an enemy? Who is to be damned and scorched in a flaming pyre of powerful phrases? Phrases that are sure to wound and to decimate, if not incinerate.

Recently, there was talk about readying for war. Bob Marley, it was not.

Because war talk leads to war drums which, in turn, incentivizes war parties and further civil strife. History, both local and elsewhere, has graced with abundant evidence.

People who know better are expected to do better, particularly during a season which tests and stretches a fragile democracy to breaking point even at this early stage.

Guyana is far from a mature democracy, by any measurement.

Cannot be more invitations of: go ahead! Make my day! It as if there is baiting towards conflict. There are no beneficiaries from any local political fight.

This much can be guaranteed: these unthinking examples of schoolboy recklessness will be exhumed to remind supporters as to where things stand and the existential perils faced. Good for rallying waverers.

For those who think otherwise, and would throw caution to the winds, recalling yesterday is recommended. It should be stark, as well as searing as to the horrors unleashed back then.

There were previews of force and counterforce; extrajudicial and contesting phantoms running amok; hapless citizens hitting the ground in search of cover.

It is best refreshed by that now trusted and all-toofamiliar Guyanese refrain: dis time nah lang time.

To put differently, invitations toward civil strife and war begets same; in this small space: there are no winners, even those who believe they will overcome political adversaries; everybody is loaded, packing some heat. This time is different reverberates more strongly today.

Is the facial recognition system a Trojan horse?

DEAR EDITOR, On the weekend, the media reported on a real time facial recognition and facial tracking system to be deployed for 24 hours surveillance in Georgetown and the East Bank of Demerara. It was described by a government official as, “…one of the best developments for our country…”.

This facial recognition technology has been banned in San Francisco. Silicon Valley is where companies have quickly capitalized on the science behind facial recognition, i.e. deep learning, to develop voice recognition and eye disease detection software.

When the government in the region, which survives on taxing the revenues of its companies, is banning facial recognition systems, that sends a strong signal that there are serious concerns of misuse.

Microsoft, the largest technology company in the world, has refused to sell its facial recognition technology to police in California. A Microsoft executive has stated, “…if we move too fast with facial recognition, we may find that people’s fundamental rights are being broken.” When a leading technology company in deep learning technology forgoes profits because of concerns on human rights, then one should question why the Government of Guyana knows better?

There are 2 key ingredients to build a facial recognition system: (1) A large set of photos, usually in the millions, and; (2) Massive amounts of computing resources using specialized computer chips For (1), it would require a

significant amount of time and effort to procure enough pictures of Guyanese to build a large ‘training’ set for the system. An alternative is to use image databases that already exist. This tactic however has flaws, it has been shown in the US that facial recognition software incorrectly recognizes darkskinned females. This is because these databases are usually built from images of people online which generally skews their bias to certain features. Will the wrong folks be arrested by the police?

It is unlikely that the Guyanese facial recognition system was developed in Guyana. It was most likely developed offshore by Huawei. This is because to train the system for facial recognition you need massive amounts of computing power using specialized chips. This raises the question of whether the government sent data of its citizens to an offshore state and if parts of the system exist offshore. The likely answer might be yes, here are the reasons: There are ways to fine tune the facial recognition system to better recognize Guyanese given inherent biases in these systems. One of the most popular techniques is known as ‘transfer’ learning. However, given it is unlikely Guyana has the computing capability, this would mean that images of Guyanese would have to be shipped offshore to tune the system. And since the system will likely need regular tuning, this would mean a continuous stream of images of Guyanese being sent offshore without their consent.

One popular technique used by US law enforcement

is to use driver’s licence pictures to identify images in videos. If the Guyanese system has this capability, then was the driver’s licence information of Guyanese sent offshore to test and tune the system?

If personal information, images and videos are being sent offshore that raises serious concerns about the privacy of Guyanese. Are we ceding control to a foreign power? The media lists a few features of the facial recognition system, but more sophisticated analysis could be performed by a foreign government. Example, they could blackmail our politicians. The images of Guyanese politicians are in the media every day, these images could be used to instrument (program) a system to automatically track politicians and their interactions.

The images and information from one of these facial recognition systems in China was recently exposed to the world because of a lack of passwords. The exposed information allowed anyone to track where people went and for how long. How are these facial recognition systems in Guyana being secured against threats from the Internet?

Over the past year, the Canadian government has been involved in a dispute with China. This was triggered by Canada following the rule of law and arresting a Huawei executive on behalf of America. But this has resulted in repercussions against Canada. Canadians have been detained in China, for unknown reasons, and kept under 24-hour artificial lighting. Canadian exports to China have been banned by the Chinese government over questionable reasons which

has affected key farming regions in Canada. If we have a dispute with China, would the facial recognition system be used against us with far more dire consequences?

There are a number of Chinese laws which mandate that organizations must comply with intelligence work if asked. One has to recall that a Chinese company has a stake in the Stabroek block.

Could Huawei be requested to counter any calls for oil contract renegotiation?

Thus, if we have folks in the streets wearing t-shirts calling for contract renegotiation could China easily recognize and target these folks.

We have to ask if the facial recognition system is a Trojan horse? This would render it one of the worst developments for the citizens of Guyana.

Darshanand Khusial, Master of Computer Engineering References: h t t p s : / / www.nytimes.com/2019/07/ 26/technology/hong-kongprotests-facial-recognitionsurveillance.html h t t p s : / / www.theverge.com/2019/4/ 17/18411757/microsoftfacial-recognition-salesrefused-police-access https://www.cnet.com/ news/why-facialrecognitions-racial-biasproblem-is-so-hard-tocrack/ h t t p s : / / business.financialpost.com/ telecom/huawei-should-bebanned-from-canadas-5grogers-vice-chair-says h t t p s : / / w w w. f t . c o m / content/282f8ca0-3be611e9-b72b-2c7f526ca5d0 https://techcrunch.com/ 2019/05/03/china-smartcity-exposed/

Trust in GECOM, but tie yuh goat tight!

DEAR EDITOR, The national dialogue will no doubt be focused on the suitability of the current National Register of Registrants Database (NRRDB) for extraction of an Electoral List. An examination of National Registration Laws and practice may bring clarity to clouded minds.

Article 42 of the Constitution provides an entitlement for citizens of Guyana to be so registered.

Section 6(4)(b) of the National Registration Act, Chapter 19:08 denotes that it is the responsibility of eligible persons to apply for registration.

The NRRDB was created by a comprehensive Houseto-House exercise in 2008 after the Government of Guyana, Guyana Elections

Commission (GECOM) and the Parliamentary Political Parties agreed on June 14, 2007, to the preparation of a new NRR. Thereafter, a system of Continuous Registration was adopted, with two primary objectives: (1) introducing a system which would ensure that all eligible persons are afforded unlimited opportunities to become registered on the National Register of Registrants Database and; (2), ensuring that GECOM is in a perpetual state of preparedness which would enable it to respond to calls for elections in a timely manner, thus guaranteeing eligible persons their Constitutional right to become registered in accordance with the relevant legal provisions and to cast

their ballots at future General, Regional and Local Government Elections.

Most Guyanese are on the NRRDB, our fingerprints are in the system, they have been cross-matched against every other entry to ensure we are not duplicated in the system; our photos are in the system as are our birthdates and other data such as height and colour of eyes.

This is not an ad hoc Register. Time, energy, thought and scrutiny by all political parties has been part of the creation and continuous update of this Register. It must be a source of pride for anyone associated with GECOM over the last decade.

In any society there are the outliers, in this case, it would be persons who have

neglected or by way of circumstance, missed out on the initial House-to-House (as I did) and also missed the many cycles of Continuous Registration since (I have not). Those persons can be added to the NRRDB during the upcoming Claims and Objections period before Elections 2019.

Persons who will turn 18 and are eligible to vote in a September 18th, 2019 have had seven cycles of Continuous Registration in which to get registered, as that eligibility begins at 14; if however those opportunities were missed, registration is possible during the upcoming Claims and Objections period before Elections 2019.

Those residing overseas (Continued on page 6)

Tuesday July 30, 2019

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Kaieteur News

On the Guyana Fund for Cultural and Creative Industries DEAR EDITOR, I happily note the award of the Guyana Fund for Cultural and Creative Industries (GFCCI) and would like to congratulate this first batch of awardees. I wish to offer just a bit of clarity on the development of the current fund.

When the political administration changed in May of 2015, Barrington Braithwaite, Burchmore Simon and Sonia Noel were at the forefront of a small group of stakeholders, themselves practitioners in various sectors of the creative industries, who lobbied the new government to put in place some sort of financing mechanism for the development of the creative industries.

In part as a result of this lobbying and the proposals submitted, the original concept for the Fund as presently constituted would have been taken to Cabinet for approval by then Minister with portfolio responsibility for Culture, Nicolette Henry, during budgetary preparations of around June 2017, with the intention of the fund being created in the 2018 budget, the original proposed amount being $30 million.

There were three main objectives as envisioned: · To strategically invest public expenditure in the development of the creative

industries. · To stimulate the production of high quality creative work across the sectors covered. · To recognize and reward individuals and entities involved in creative industry development in Guyana.

For whatever reason, the expenditure was pushed back by a year and allocated $20 million.

With regard to the presumed ‘novelty’ of the fund, the reality is that the $20 million budgeted for the Creative Arts is not new to Guyana and is in fact dwarfed by its predecessor, the annual $100 million Sports and Arts Development Fund which ran for about eight years under the direction of the PPP’s Minister of Culture, Youth and Sport, Dr. Frank Anthony.

The key difference between the two mechanisms has to do with the accountability and transparency governing the allocation.

In a May 2013 white paper, ‘Areas of Inquiry into and Initial Recommendations for Reform of Management of the National Arts Fund’, one I shared with the then Parliamentary Opposition and other stakeholders, I focused on accountability issues as were then associated with the Sports and Arts fund from an arts perspective.

In the Summary Narrative, I noted that “The National Sports and Arts Fund represents an ostensibly generous commitment by government towards the development of both subject areas, sports and arts. However, several factors skew the reality of how the fund is spent and the impact it has as developmental mechanism…Issues of planning, fairness and accountability continue to be raised with regard to the management of the Fund as a whole, with specific regard to several key individual funding areas under its aegis.”

When the political administration changed in 2015, it is little wonder that one of the initial forensic audits commissioned by the new administration focused on the Fund, if only for the years 2012-2014.

As was covered extensively and comprehensively in the media, the audit revealed that over half of the $300 million allocated and expended during the period under audit could not be properly accounted for, and that ‘governance’ of the fund was the responsibility of a triumvirate consisting of the then Minister, the Permanent Secretary and Director of Culture.

In the 2013 white paper, I

Dear Voter, they work for you and not the other way around DEAR EDITOR, The time-worn playbook used by politicians past and present is a work of genius hardly ever needing adjustment.

These individuals can be seen on just about every corner or under every streetlight sprouting the same old empty promises that for the most part, they never keep, or seem to suffer severe memory loss once behind their huge desks and in their opulent offices.

Trying to get an appointment with them to discuss a pressing issue or seeking their assistance in resolving a concern is an exercise in futility, (See Freddie’s column about the Park Service Employees 29th July).

In fairness to these officials, government and opposition, they cannot attend to every complain or concern, but being as inaccessible as they become over the years in office is beyond frustrating for citizens.

Guyana is not the only country infected with this

disease of abject and glaring neglect, so-called first world governments are too. For example, the circus presently on display in America is instructive. How many of the attendees at Trump’s MAGA (Make America Great Again) meetings can point to just one thing he has done for them or their community to date management by crisis and division is his most significant accomplishment so far.

Those in our country versed in this approach are bleeding it for all it’s worth, the losers, as can be expected, are the everyday Guyanese citizens. These people work for you, your vote is responsible for their elevation, hold them accountable, demand results that not only benefit you and your family but your country as well.

Stop being duped by the same old nonsense over and over again. A favourite phrase in America is “What have you done for me lately.” The Guyanese voter should be asking this most profound question of both Government

and Opposition politicians.

Realistically, not everyone will be able to purchase a mansion by the beach or a spanking brand new SUV, but citizens should at least not have to worry about the next meal or shelter for them and their family.

Like with Trump and his politics of division, Guyana has been, and so far successfully, exploited by this age-old rift between Indian and African citizens with the only winners being those selfish so-called politicians whose only goal is personal gain.

Once again dear voter, these guys work for you and not the other way around, you get one chance every four years to make this point, use it for you and your family’s future.

Respectfully, Claudeston G. Massiah

made the observation that, “There are numerous examples available in the public domain with regard to the establishment of functional, policy-based public arts funding in other jurisdictions. The four principle tenets common to those are independence; openness; accountability; proactivity… The NAF therefore should ideally be subject to the sort of planning, scrutiny, and monitoring and evaluation of its programmes as any other area of public expenditure.

Currently, this is a situation that does not prevail and which should be rectified by concrete, decisive measures.”

It should be noted that the revelations of the forensic audit notwithstanding, there has been no censure against any involved party relative to the mismanagement of the Sports and Arts Development Fund.

My initial recommendations in 2013 were as follows: “Decoupling – a separate Arts funding from the current lump sum Sports and Arts configuration creating a budgetary allocation for the National Arts Fund.

Mandate – establish a specific developmental mandate for the Fund, based on the four tenets above, with a strong research component. This should be

in the context of a revised and updated National Cultural Policy.

Legal Establishment/ Semi-Autonomy – establish the Fund as a semiautonomous entity via Act of Parliament, with a model based on established best practices, including the British Council as well as the US National Endowment for the Arts, with specific consideration for Guyana’s heritage preservation and cultural industries development imperatives.”

Of the three steps outlined above, the GFCCI as presently constituted accomplishes two. In the ‘Draft Framework National Cultural Policy’ (February, 2017) a Creative Industries Development Commission is proposed to, inter alia, “Establish a national mechanism for the financing of cultural and creative industries, from the individual artist to sector corporations.”

The next step is establishing precisely such a mechanism, whether under the aegis of a specific, legally constituted independent fund, or as managed by a creative industries development commission or authority.

It is critical to note that while the current fund is a first significant step towards the establishment of a sustainable, accountable and transparent mechanism for arts financing – one that the

administration should be proud of – it is one that took years to initiate. We cannot afford similar glacial movement in taking the next step.

In the two years since the original concept note was submitted to Cabinet, the Caribbean Development Bank has started its own similarly designed Creative Industries Innovation Fund (CIIF) and the region has been engaged in finalizing the modalities that will govern our access to millions of euros under Protocol Three of the EU-CARIFORUM Economic Partnerships Agreement in the next EDF, a negotiation mechanism within which we continue to be underrepresented.

If it is that we do not pay adequate, timely attention to the development of our national capacities in creative industries innovation and infrastructure, we unnecessarily deny ourselves optimum development in a critical area.

By end of year, Guyana should see national consultations on the Draft Framework National Cultural Policy as well as several derivative initiatives/ proposals and I urge, in advance, all stakeholders to be part of the process.

Yours truly, Ruel Johnson Cultural Policy Advisor Government of Guyana

PAGE 6

Urgent need for a neutral Gecom board DEAR EDITOR, Assuming for technical reasons, the elections cannot be held by Sept 18th, this will probably mean the parliament must be called back into session to extend the life of the government for say, one month. This act will require a 2/3 majority vote.

If the 2/3 majority can be provided (needs cooperation of both PPP and PNC), that vote should also be used to reform the Gecom Board to make it a non-political Board.

The political class has got to recognize that party representatives sitting on the Board are there for one purpose only, namely, to seek

out every advantage for their party, and this is not necessarily for a clean, above board elections.

The spectacle of Gecom Commissioners dueling out differences in the media shows the Board is extremely politicized. Conduct of elections should not and must not be a partisan political matter.

The new chairperson, Justice Claudette Singh should be visionary and bold to write both party leaders: ask them to extend the life of the parliament and at the same time use the 2/3 vote to replace party representatives on Gecom’s Board with neutral, experienced and

professional folks.

A failure to rid the Board of party representatives would mean the Chairperson has to vote on almost every issue to break the tie vote. A Chairperson should not be given that burden on every single issue. The great risk for the new Chairperson is that once she starts casting her vote to break ties, she will be perceived as a partisan for one side or the other. And, there goes the credibility of the Elections Commission.

Guyana needs a certifiable neutral Gecom Board.

Politicians have no business to be sitting on that Board.

Mike Persaud

House-to-house registration is the best option for a more accurate list of electors DEAR EDITOR, I support the ongoing house - t o - h o u s e registration as the best option for a more accurate list of electors.

The population census result of 2012 has shown that our population is in decline, from 751,223 to 746,955 persons between 2002 and 2012, but at the same time we are seeing over the last two election cycles that the number of voters are increasing, and this can be attributed to the fact that longstanding residents abroad are still on the list.

For the 2011 elections there were 475,496 voters as against 570,708 voters in

Tuesday July 30, 2019

Kaieteur News

2015.

The population declined, but still the voters increased and continue to increase. The projection is that if the list remains as it is for the upcoming elections, there will be in excess of 600,000 voters.

No other prominent person than the late Cheddi Jagan, founder of the People’s Progressive Party, commented and advocated strongly, years ago, that he expected the list of electors should not have more than one percent overseas residents on it.

My estimate is that there are over 30,000 overseas residents on the

old list – that is 20 percent more than there should be, and this is extremely high, plus not good for a free and fair election, thus this grand democratic process we are on, here in Guyana, and the PPP/C conveniently seems to champion.

A resident Guyanese will be in the best position to vote based on being domiciled here, and having seen the performance of the political parties and presidential candidates in contention. Hence I support the house-tohouse registration that is going on, and hope that it is completed in an accurate and timely manner for us to have the election that could determine our future socioeconomic development or retrogression, even as we expect the oil and gas industry to kick off soon.

Ivelaw Henry

It would seem that the rule of law is only applicable when it suits the PPP/C narrative DEAR EDITOR, It can be clearly seen that the opposition PPP/C and their supporters are contradicting themselves every day. I refer to a letter which was published in the Kaieteur News dated July 25, 2019 by Rudolph Singh titled, “Who is in charge at GECOM?” and states that, “Patterson was squatting at GECOM. After he was pronounced to be illegal, his structures (house-to-house registration) should be demolished”.

Clearly in my understanding, it seems to me as though Mr. Rudolph Singh is very contradictory and confused in what he continues to spew daily in the

letter columns.

Let us take the case of Charrandass Persaud and the No Confidence Motion of December 21, 2018. Even though Persaud was not eligible to be a member of parliament, due to his dual citizenship, the Caribbean Court of Justice still ruled that his vote was validly passed.

Therefore, it means that Retired Justice Patterson’s decisions are still legal and binding, to go ahead with the house-to-house registration.

If the then Chairman’s actions cannot be respected by the opposition in Mr. Singh’s opinion, he (Mr. Singh), should he avail himself with the facts from GECOM’s many public

pronouncements, would know that this decision for house-to-house registration, would have been taken by full agreement of the elections commission, since February 19, 2019, and given effect via Order No. 25 of 2019, June 11, as published in the Official Gazette dated June 11, 2019, which shows that an order was documented for the registration exercise to commence on July 20 and end on October 20, 2019. This is before the CCJ ruling on June 18, 2019.

It would seem to me that the rule of law is only applicable when it suits the PPP/C narrative.

Sincerely yours, Ceion Rollox

A Consensus Candidate: The harbinger of a Good Life for Guyanese - towards a National Government DEAR EDITOR, The selection of Justice Claudette Singh as GECOM Chairwoman is an e x c e p t i o n a l l y good development for all Guyanese. The Government, Opposition and Civil Society should be proud of this achievement. But we should go further and ask our leaders to take the ultimate step towards unity by forming a national government to bridge the political and cultural divide.

This is a moral imperative to save the nation from its enemies both within and on our borders. Those enemies

are not only the nation states that want to seize our territory, they are also those who want to take our anticipated natural resources wealth, including our petroleum wealth. The latter are the ones we need to carefully manage and that can only be accomplished with Guyanese united at home and in the diaspora.

Guyanese are a rich people swimming in poverty… the scorn of ourselves, the political leverage, cultural hatred and all of the sins of humanity.

The question is - can we accomplish a better life to bequeath to our children and grandchildren? Yes, we can.

Justice Singh’s appointment is the light to illuminate the way forward. Now we must boldly take strategic actions to accomplish our motto; One People, One Nation, One

Destiny.

Guyana needs a national Government.

The Government and the Opposition need to go back to negotiations with the aim of creating a national government. This is worthy of our heritage. The Proposed Modality can be as follows: To achieve a national unity Government, President Granger should remain in office for a second term. The Opposition will have the Prime Minister position. This means that both President Granger and former President Jagdeo will have had two terms each.

Both leaders must then ride off into the sunset of Guyanese politics after this new term. Before they leave they must select six candidates for President and (Continued on page 24)

Trust in GECOM, but...

From page 4 cannot be lawfully removed from the list, should any political party wish to propose disenfranchisement of non-resident Guyanese, they should state so openly.

The presence of deceased persons on the list should be of little concern, to quote Chris Ram “dead people can’t vote, the last time they did PNC was in power” The safeguards employed on polling day in Guyana are second to none, I worked as

a polling agent to see for myself in 2015 and I remain satisfied by all that I witnessed that once those procedures and norms are allowed and observed, we are well assured of a credible election. It is up to the Political parties to ensure their polling agents are prepared and in place come Election Day, in other words, Trust in GECOM, but tie yuh goat tight!

Respectfully Robin Singh

Tuesday July 30, 2019

PAGE 7

Kaieteur News

8,475 pieces of drug evidence submitted for testing last year A staggering 8,475 pieces of drug evidence were submitted last year for drug testing, according to the Guyana Drug Information Network 2018 Annual Report.

These were a part of the 480 cases submitted by police divisions ‘A’ through ‘G’ and the Customs AntiNarcotics Unit (CANU). Of the 480 cases, 478 cases were processed and 403 of these were uplifted by the respective agencies.

Overall, 387 returned positive results for cannabis, 82 for cocaine and 17 for ecstasy. Most of the requests for drug analysis came from the Police “A” division with 135, followed by Police “F” division with 89. There were 89 requests from police “B” division. It was noted in the report that police “F” division seems to have a significant number of requests for drug analysis as an interior location.

It accounted for 19 percent of the overall requests made.

In Guyana, a reform of the security sector led to the formation of the Guyana Forensic Science Laboratory that has a mandate to analyze all forensic evidence submitted for police investigation in cases.

With this laboratory functioning, some new data for monitoring and research became available for evidence based decision making at a policy level in Guyana.

This includes the analysis of all drug evidence submitted for investigating persons charged for possession, trafficking or

cultivation of narcotics.

According to the Guyana Drug Information Network 2018 Annual Report, 539 persons were charged last year for drug trafficking, possession and cultivation. Conviction statistics from the Guyana Prison Service show that 110 persons were convicted for trafficking narcotics, while 38 were convicted for possession of narcotics.

Of the number convicted for possession, 14 were found with marijuana, while five were found to be in possession of cocaine.

Seven were convicted for possession of other narcotics, namely ecstasy, heroin and methamphetamine.

Nine persons were convicted for possession of drug utensils.

Meanwhile, of the 110 persons convicted for trafficking narcotics, 89 of them were for marijuana and 21 were for trafficking cocaine.

The report noted that three persons were convicted for cultivation of marijuana and three persons were convicted for smoking of narcotics.

Data for 2018 indicate that the majority of persons, 96 who were convicted for a drug crime were above 25 years old. Two persons were below the age of 20. The two persons were charged with trafficking cocaine and cannabis.

Of the persons between the ages of 20-25, the majority were convicted for trafficking cannabis.

The Guyana Police Force Narcotics Branch made 275 narcotics seizures last year. This translates to 218 seizures for

The Guyana Forensic Science Lab at Turkeyen

cannabis amounting to 504.55 kilograms, and 50 seizures for cocaine totaling 11.09 kilograms.

There were seven seizures of ecstasy yielding 0.47 kilograms. This amounts to a total of 516.11 Kg of narcotics seized by police for 2018.

The Customs AntiNarcotics Unit (CANU), on the other hand, made 59 seizures amounting to 718 kilograms. Of this total, 22 seizures were for cannabis equating to 545.78 kilograms of which 0.16 kilograms were cannabis seeds; 29 seizures were for cocaine totaling 171.58 kilograms.

In addition, CANU made eight seizures for drugs such as 0.304 kilograms of heroin,

Draft Local Content policy to be ready in two weeks-Energy Dept.

Energy Department Head, Dr. Mark Bynoe, revealed yesterday that Guyana’s draft Local Content Policy would be ready in about two weeks. When that time arrives, he said that it would be presented to the private sector and other relevant stakeholders for their commentary.

The Energy Department head noted that the draft strives to better define what can be considered as a local and how local content can be measured.

Dr. Bynoe also said that a frame work is being worked on to capture local content data from all oil companies.

For the last four years, the government has been working on producing a Local Content Policy. The first two drafts were done by Local Content Expert and Chatham House Advisor, Anthony Paul.

But in February, Director General of the Ministry of the Presidency, Joseph Harmon, announced that Oil Consultant, Dr. Michael Warner, was hired to complete

the policy.

The cost of that contract was $22M Kaieteur News had confirmed with former Business Minister, Dominic Gaskin, that this contract was never advertised.

Kaieteur News had also raised several questions about Dr. Warner’s connection to ExxonMobil; the firm which brought him to Guyana in the first place to teach local businesses trying to access the supply chain,

about the requirements and standards of procurement in the oil sector.

Dr. Warner was actually a fixture at Exxon’s Centre for Local Business Development on South Road for this matter.

But instead of facing Kaieteur News, the Ministry of the Presidency released a video recording of the Head of the Energy Department, Dr. Mark Bynoe, speaking selectively on issues related to the contract.

ecstasy totaling 0.533 kilogram, and methamphetamine totaling 0.1 kilogram.

Apart from drug testing, the Guyana Forensic Laboratory now has the capability to conduct DNA analysis; testing for comparison, paternity, and family mapping

and testing for gun powder residue.

According to the same report, 539 persons were charged last year for drug trafficking, possession and cultivation.

Conviction statistics from the Guyana Prison Service show that 110 persons

were convicted for trafficking narcotics, while 38 were convicted for possession of narcotics. Meanwhile, of the 110 persons convicted for trafficking narcotics, 89 of them were for marijuana and 21 were for trafficking cocaine.

PAGE 8

Tuesday July 30, 2019

Kaieteur News

Doobay Dialysis Centre aims for self-sufficiency to slash dialysis to $5,000

A section of the 40-unit Doobay Dialysis Centre Unable to find a donor to facilitate a kidney transplant, patients suffering from renal failure are subjected to undergo dialysis for the rest of their lives, or sadly until their finances are depleted.

This of course is after some of them take advantage of the free sessions of dialysis offered at the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation [GPHC]. After that, they are required to be dialysed elsewhere at a cost. One of the facilities where patients head to for dialysis is the not-forprofit Doobay Medical and Research Centre.

The facility was established back in 2011 offering patients dialysis at a subsidised cost, owing to its collaboration with government. Back then patients paid $9,000 per session which was reportedly way below the cost offered at other facilities.

H o w e v e r, a f t e r t h e strategic collaboration came to an end, the Doobay Centre, founded by Canada based Vascular Surgeon, Dr. Budhendra Doobay, had to jack its price up to $15,000 which was still less

than half the cost at some facilities.

Donor support from people the likes of Sattaur a n d A m e e n a G a f o o r, Mohamed Najab, Rooph Persaud of Ganesh Parts, among others, including Demerara Distillers’ Komal Samaroo, have helped the Centre to return its dialysis cost to $9,000.

The donor support has been particularly important since, according to Dr. D o o b a y, “ We h a v e t o subsidise dialysis by US$300,000 per year,” if patients are to continue to benefit from the low cost.

I n f a c t , i t i s D r.

Doobay’s hope that the facility will one day be able to bring the cost even further down to $5,000. He, however, noted, “We can’t keep begging forever...”

When it first opened its doors, the facility had six dialysis machines and two patients but today has 40 machines and 100 patients being dialysed at least three times weekly.

Dialysis is the process of removing excess water and toxins from the blood of people whose kidneys have become impaired.

Several of the 100 patients accessing the dialysis service are unable to pay but are permitted to access the service offered at no cost. “If we don’t do this they will die,” considered Dr. Doobay as he spoke recently of elaborate plans to make the facility self sufficient so that it could continue to cater to the growing number of dialysis patients.

“Our vision is to continue to help the poor people who need dialysis...right now we are the only one in the country that is offering dialysis for $9,000 per session and yet there are some people who can’t pay at all,” said Dr. Doobay.

Moreover, in order to maintain its humanitariandriven service, moves are apace to transform the Annandale, East Coast Demerara facility into a Centre of Excellence

Dr. Budhendra Doobay

offering a number of services which will eventually include even heart surgery that could help offset operational cost.

I n s o d o i n g , D r.

D o o b a y, a M c M a s t e r University alumnus, has been reaching out to colleagues from that institution to lend support.

Among those who are already responded favourably are expert G a s t r o i n t e r o l o g i s t , D r.

Trevor Seaton, and Professor of Medicine and Epidemiology, Dr. Sonia Anand.

Already, the Canadabased Dr. Seaton has made about four visits to the Centre and has been helping to put needed measures in place, including the training of staffers for an Endoscopy Unit which has already been established.

Meanwhile, to the introduction of its E n d o s c o p y U n i t , D r.

Anand was instrumental in conducting research that could help guide, not only the East Coast facility but the health sector, to ward off the scourge of non communicable diseases [NCDs].

A c c o r d i n g t o D r.

D o o b a y, t h e M c M a s t e r Professor has completed a research among 100 local patients who have risk factors for heart attack, stroke, hypertension and diabetes and her findings are expected to help guide the combative efforts of the local health sector.

“So our focus is not only to practice medicine but we are the only facility here doing this type of research work in collaboration with McMaster University,” Dr. Doobay added.

Since dialysis has and will always be the facility’s number one priority, Dr. Doobay said that there have been talks with the Public Health Minister for support to expand its services to places such as Berbice.

“The Minister of Health has promised to help us out as much as possible as we try to expand to Berbice...It aches my heart to see people coming from some far off parts of Berbice and some of them are barely making it,” said an evidently concerned Dr. Doobay.

As he spoke of the plans to expand, he added, “The Guyanese will benefit, not me; they come from so far and they spend so much money just to get dialysed and we are just trying to help save their lives, so we welcome any support to continue to do this.”

Tuesday July 30, 2019

PAGE 9

Kaieteur News

Shotgun parts discovered on Adventure farm During a sting operation on Sunday, police on the Essequibo Coast managed to unearth a number of parts belonging to a disassembled shot gun, along with pellets.

Some time around noon, police acting on information received, visited a farm in Adventure, Essequibo Coast. The farm belongs to a man who was only identified as

Camodeen. A search was conducted on the farm, which is located some 500 meters west of the Adventure public road. Following the search, two shotgun locks were unearthed along with four shotgun choke, one shotgun pistol grip, one mini maglight torchlight; one shotgun chop spanner and a quantity of shotgun pellets. Also in a bucket were two pairs of socks, two hand guards and two knee guards. The items were taken to the Suddie Police station. No arrest has been made.

“The items that were unearthed last Saturday.”

Dem boys seh ...

Dogs got GECOM buying running shoes Dem got wicked and spiteful people in Guyana. Some of dem so wicked and spiteful that people can’t get vex wid dem.

GECOM plan fuh house to house registration. After de chairman resign de notice come out and de exercise start. But GECOM should have been ready to hold elections at short notice.

From de time dem start de house to house registration Jagdeo tell he supporters to ignore dem. Dem boys seh that stricter de government, de wider de population. From de time Jagdeo tell he supporters not to get registered, out comes Ramjattan fuh tell people that dem can go to jail fuh refusing.

De odda day dem boys notice de number of dog food vendors and dem wonder if more people got dogs. Dem find out last weekend.

De registration people most times, does call at de gate. Some of dem does just walk in de yard.

Dem boys see some people run like if dem was training fuh Olympics. Some people see

children coming down de steps and going to de back of de yard. Next thing you know is dogs come running at de GECOM people.

Dem is de people who got an excuse. All dem saying is that dem willing to register but that de dog stop de people from coming in de yard.

And de people who doing de registration look so nice wid dem white T-shirt and blue skirt like if dem is city constables. Of course, dem got to walk when dem doing de job and at these times is not easy. If de rain is falling bucket-a-drop de sun shining down in all its glory.

And as dem boys note, de country now got some cruel people. Dem don’t even offer de registration people a glass of cold swank or even water. That’s why de registration gun tek long. De people getting tired quick.

But is de dogs that mekking some of dem forget how tired, dem tired.

Talk half and watch GECOM place an order fuh track shoes.

Rain affects court sessions in Blairmont

This was the state of the compound of the Blairmont Police Station and Blairmont Magistrate’s Court during heavy rains on Monday during court sessions.

The rains forced persons to wade through the knee deep water to access either building.

Search still on for missing boat captain.

The search is still on for a boat captain who went missing last Sunday, after his boat capsized in the Pomeroon River.

Kaieteur News understands that some time around 02:00hrs last Sunday morning, the boat captain, Kendel Rodriques, 32, and another passenger capsized within the vicinity of Siriki, Upper Pomeroon River.

The second passenger, Joseph Thomas, is believed to be in his late thirties and is presently in police custody.

One resident who spoke to Kaieteur News

said that the duo was returning to Kabakaburi in a boat powered by a 15hp engine, when Rodriques lost control of the vessel, resulting in it capsizing.

Both men were reportedly under the influence of alcohol at the time of the incident.

One resident who was still at the wedding reception, said that he heard someone in the river calling out for help. Upon investigating further, the ma n a n d other residents discovered Joseph on top of the capsized boat, while the boat captain was missing.

“The missing captain, Kendel Rodriques.”

PAGE 10

Tuesday July 30, 2019

Kaieteur News

=== The Freddie Kissoon column ===

New situation in the PNC’s choice of PM candidate The anticipation is that the recent retired head of the army, Brigadier Mark Philips, will be the PPP’s PM candidate in the upcoming general election. Across the divide, the sea is not tranquil. The PNC’s war room has to decide on Nagamootoo or Ramjattan.

The PNC is facing a crushing headache. It has made up its mind that the symbolic value of a PNC partnership with the AFC is a requirement for the election and that is a sealed position. The question facing the PNC is what shape the arrangement must take since 2015 dialectics are not the same in 2019.

Anyone who argues that the AFC in 2011 and 2015 is the original AFC with the same impressive credentials and the third force, multiracial value it possessed in

those years needs to be dragged to the madhouse for treatment.

That there will be a PNCAFC election arrangement is foregone conclusion but no one, even inside the leadership of the PNC, knows who will be the PM candidate.

The consensus in the PNC is not for Ramjattan.

But the PNC cannot take Nagamootoo because AFC leaders are inflexible – in the 2015 covenant with the PNC, the latter must assign the PM slot to the AFC and the AFC had made its recommendation. It has selected Ramjattan.

This situation is creating hard reflections inside the PNC and there seems to be emerging two configurations. The PNC knowing that it cannot take Nagamootoo because the

resulting animosity it will create inside the AFC and having made up its mind on Ramjattan, has come up with a road map.

This columnist has been informed that the PNC is studying two formats. Go with a woman, though not African but not necessarily East Indian. The choice seems to be an Amerindian person. This has not been settled because some PNC strategists feel the convention of selecting an East Indian should be maintained because it is the ethnic reality in Guyana.

The second configuration is to go with an Indian, without gender being the crucial factor, from either the diaspora, civil society in Guyana, or inside the PNC itself. As it stands at the moment, it looks like one of those two roads will be taken.

If the PNC-AFC wins in 2019, there will be no Nagamootoo or Ramjattan as the prime minister.

But there is a colossal ‘but’.

What happens if the AFC insists that it must make the PM nomination? I have been reliably informed that this could be a third pathway but the PNC has said to the AFC that the person must not be African Guyanese because the PNC prefers the multi-racial blueprint - African president/ non- African prime minister.

The PNC hierarchy is inflexible that the AFC just cannot give them a name. It must be someone the PNC trusts implicitly.

There are no such names in the AFC. One of the dilemmas facing the PNC is that if it wins power, its leader is getting on in age and has an illness even though the malady is under control. But with such a medical problem no doctor can guarantee strict eradication over the long years.

The PNC therefore will need to make sure that the PM

candidate will agree in earnest to do a Sam Hinds if President Granger retires while in office.

The exacerbating factor is that the AFC cannot meet the criteria of the PNC. The AFC is a spent force that does not have credible faces that the Guyanese people will embrace. Where are the AFC selectees going to come from?

Given the empty barrel of the AFC, Guyana is likely to see a PM candidate for the APNU+AFC ticket that is not from the AFC. This will be a fait accompli that the AFC will have to accept. For all its boasting about what the Cummingsburg Accord spells out, the AFC knows that its bargaining power has been substantially diminished.

I spoke with one big wig in the PNC who is strategically placed. He spoke these words to me; “Freddie run with this; the PNC is not going with no dead 2015 Cummingsburg Accord; you mean some

Frederick Kissoon other accord. You write that Freddie, I telling you that is a done deal.”

So I am running with it. I am writing what a very important PNC leader told me – the 2015 pact between the PNC and the AFC known as the Cummingsburg Accord will not be the defining document between the two entities for the upcoming election. Remember this article when that happens.

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

Tuesday July 30, 2019

Kaieteur News

PAGE 11

PAGE 12

Tuesday July 30, 2019

Kaieteur News

World Bank team offers technical support to local anti -money laundering committee

A team from the World Bank met Anti-Money Laundering/Combating the Financing of Terrorism coordinating committee Representatives from the World Bank committed support towards strengthening Guyana’s AntiMoney Laundering/ Combating the Financing of Terrorism (AML/CFT) regime.

In a meeting held at the Ministry of Legal Affairs, yesterday, members of the AML/CFT National Coordination Committee and the visiting World Bank Team, discussed the methods of technical and advisory support for strengthening Guyana’s AML/CFT regime.

Key on the agenda was technical assistance to conduct critical updates to

Guyana’s multilateral taskforce (ML/TF) National Risk Assessment (NRA).

Mr. Gulliaume Herve Mathey, Financial Sector Specialist at the World Bank, explained that an updated NRA would be necessary as the World Bank has improved the tool used in Guyana’s last NRA conducted during 20162017.

This was supported by his team member, Mr. Matei Dohotaru, Financial Sector Specialist, of the Financial Stability and Integrity Unit.

As a result, it would be necessary for Guyana to conduct another NRA to reassess all the threats and

vulnerabilities that may exist at a national and/ or sectoral level. Additionally, as Guyana prepares for first oil next year, several new risk factors will have to be considered.

The Wor l d B a n k h a s developed a guide for countries conducting their ML/TF risk assessment.

This guide is in the form of a methodological risk assessment tool. It is an Excel-based model that enables countries to identify the main drivers of their ML/TF risks.

The tool will assist Guyana in conducting a self-assessment of the ML/ TF risk and vulnerabilities locally. This approach is in line with the recommendations of the Financial Action Task Force (FATF). FATF One recommendation requires that countries

identify, assess, and understand the ML/TF risks within their jurisdiction and then implement a risk-based action plan and apply resources to mitigate the identified risks.

Attorney General and Minister of Legal Affairs, Mr.

Basil Williams, noted that the visit was timely, as the AML/ CFT NCC had commenced planning for the country’s next national risk assessment, which must be completed well in advance of Guyana’s next Mutual Evaluation scheduled for 2022.

The World Bank team is currently in Guyana conducting a scoping mission of the country’s AML/CFT Framework and will be meeting with several other stakeholders involved in the AML/CFT regime in Guyana.

Best practices to underpin imminent Petroleum Commission – Dr. Bynoe The Energy Department is taking a proactive approach towards ensuring that the upcoming Petroleum Commission is established using the best possible framework.

Head of the Department of Energy,(DoE) Dr. Mark Bynoe, told a press conference at the Ministry of the P r e s i d e n c y, yesterday, that the DoE is moving forward with the process of hiring a consultant to do a needsbased assessment before any action is taken to set up the Commission.

The Energy Department Head revealed that the hiring of the consultant would occur in the last quarter of this year.

Dr. Bynoe said, too, that the DoE has advertised for the expertise both locally and internationally.

“The department is utilizing a two stage recruitment process to hire the consultant.

We advertised locally and internationally and have received a number of expressions of interest.

“We have since moved towards asking them to submit their request for proposals.”

Further, he noted that the DoE has continually

indicated that what is necessary for the Commission to be in place, is an updated primary legislation.

According to Dr. Bynoe, this translates to the revision and possible repeal/ replacement of the 1986 Petroleum Exploration and Production Act. He explained, “Once that is in place, we will be able to move rapidly towards establishing the other subsidiary entities, legislation and regulations.”

In the interim, Dr. Bynoe said the DoE is examining what are some of the best practices for a Petroleum Commission to be in place.

“What kinds of structures; what kinds of units need to be there and what skill sets we need to be working with.

“So that is what the needs-assessment is expected to do...It is more in terms of setting up an organizational structure for a Petroleum Commission …

“We will go through the requisite consultative process.

The Department is looking to hire an international firm which should be in place early in the fourth quarter of 2019.”

He said, however, that the Commission can only be implemented after the legal

elements have been constructed.

At present, the Petroleum Commission Bill, a key legislation in the process, remains before a Special Select Committee of Parliament.

The Bill was subject to several reviews after Opposition parliamentarians pointed out that proposed law vests too much power in the Minister of Natural Resources and should be adjusted to reflect an apolitical stance of the sector.

That Bill states that the Minister is to appoint the Board of the Petroleum Commission and is empowered to act as the Board in the absence of an active board.

The Board will control the commission and the commission will have the main say in the oil sector.

Therefore, in giving the Minister the power to act as the board, the Bill is giving the Minister Power s t o singly control the sector.

Minister of Natural Resources, Raphael Trotman, later disclosed that the World Bank and Inter American Development Bank had committed to sending experts to help redraft the Petroleum Commission Bill to make it more acceptable.

Kaieteur News

Tuesday July 30, 2019

Mahdia Town Council advertises for new Town Clerk

W

eeks after firing its town clerk, 21year-old Hakeem Wong, the Mahdia Town Council is looking for someone to replace him. This was evident through several notices in the daily newspaper advertising for the post.

Wong who was hired although he did not meet the requirements for the post was fired on June 27, last, upon a majority vote by the council at a meeting.

The council had written to Wong telling him that it had lost confidence in his

ability to execute the functions of his office.

T h e M a h d i a To w n Council, nevertheless, is looking for suitably qualified persons to fill the post. The preferred candidate must have a Degree in Public Management or related discipline together with thee years relevant managerial work experience.

The town council will also consider candidates with a Diploma in Public Management, or a related discipline with five years managerial experience.

Wong, who happens to be the stepson of Mahdia

businessman, Roger Hinds, was hired on April 1, last, to be the Town Clerk of that brand-new town. Within days, he was clashing with the council, and with Mayor David Adams.

It was not long before the Local Government Commission was asked to intervene. Wong reportedly claimed that he was targeted because he was young and that he was an East Indian.

The Mayor and Town Councillors of Mahdia, Region Eight, has refuted allegations that race or youth influenced the decision to terminate the services of Wong who has since insisted that he will challenge the decision.

Superbet shop-owners to sue after cop caught planting evidence in yard

T

he proprietors of a S u p e r B e t business in Reliance, East Canje are looking to sue the police after a CID rank attached to the Reliance Police Station was caught on CCTV footage planting evidence in their yard two Saturday's ago.

Maria Pardesi and her husband, Hemraj 'Prem' Pardesi, told Kaieteur News that they are currently looking to employ the services of an attorney to sue

the force. Their actions are coming hot on the heels of an incident where the CID Constable in the company of a uniformed police rank without a name tag entered their premises and indicated that there was information that there was illegal drugs on the premises.

After a brief search, the CID rank picked a blue and white candy wrapper from near the guard hut in the yard and showed it to Maria and her husband. He then said he

found marijuana in their yard.

However, the couple said the substance in the wrapper appeared to be crushed up white candy and not green and leafy as marijuana is.

They are adamant that it was set up by a former employee.

According to Maria, a woman who is a relative of her husband was left in charge of their business while they were overseas but they recently found out that (continued on page 24)

PS Alfred King reassigned to Ministry of the Presidency

M

inister of Indigenous People's Affairs, Sydney Allicock; Minister within the Ministry, Valerie Garrido-Lowe; and staff in the ministry yesterday acknowledged the

contributions made by Permanent Secretary Alfred King who is being reassigned to the Ministry of the Presidency.

King assumed the role since 2017. He was presented with a painting by Anil Roberts.

PAGE 13

Kaieteur News

PAGE 14

Pomeroon canal being cleared after decades - Hackney Village farmers breathe a sigh of relief Community residents

Tuesday July 30, 2019

GRA, GNBS to play lead roles in process for Guyana's oil sale

By Kiana Wilburg

T

S

cores of farmers in t h e L o w e r Pomeroon are breathing a sigh of relief as the National Drainage and Irrigation Agency (NDIA) will soon conduct a canal clearing exercise in the Moruka/Phoenix Park Neighbourhood Democratic Council (NDC).

NDIA will be clearing

Hackney's main drainage canal in the village.

Hackney is a community 11 miles from Charity on the Pomeroon and a 25-minute boat ride from the Charity Stelling.

The clearing of this canal will prove helpful for the residents of the mainly agricultural community.

The announcement came

during a community meeting hosted by Minister of Education, Dr. Nicolette Henry and Finance Minister, Winston Jordan.

One resident of Hackney told the Department of Public Information (DPI) that she has never seen the canal cleared for more than 40 years; her entire lifespan.

The clearing of the canal

comes on the heels of a recent visit by the chief engineer of NDIA. The visit was to get a first-hand glimpse of the work that was needed on several canals in villages along the Pomeroon River.

NDIA has been embarking on a nationwide canal clearing exercise and has also visited Friendship and Akawini, both communities along the Pomeroon River.

The clearing of the canal will begin next week along with the clearing of two drainage canals and an access canal in the Pomeroon.

During the meeting, Education Minister, Dr. Nicolette Henry, reiterated the government's commitment to ensuring a good life for all Guyanese.

She said that the only way to achieve this is to meet the people on the ground; listen and engage them on topical issues they need to have addressed. (DPI)

he Guyana R e v e n u e Authority (GRA) and the Guyana National Bureau of Standards (GNBS) will have key roles to play when it comes to o v e r s e e i n g t h e measurement process for Guyana's share of the crude from the oil-rich Stabroek Block.

Speaking to members of the media at a press conference, yesterday, on this front, Energy Department Head, Dr. Mark Bynoe assured that this is one of the steps being taken to ensure the process for the measurement of Guyana's oil is in place.

The Energy Department Head said, “You would recognize that GNBS has the mandate in terms of measurements and ensuring that the said equipment is calibrated. We have been working with them on ensuring that their capacities are being built. It may be necessary going forward that some amount of third party assistance is provided.”

With respect to GRA, Dr. Bynoe noted that this agency would be responsible for taking care of all customs-related matters. Its immigration department would also be required to ensure anyone coming into Guyana's waters is in compliance with the laws.

Energy Dept. Head, Dr. Mark Bynoe This newspaper asked the Energy Department Head if a decision has been taken on whether Guyana will have a daily or weekly presence on the rig to oversee the process of measuring the oil. To this, Dr. Bynoe said, “We are projecting to do crude lifting every eight to 10 days. A lift can take about 36 hours so we may have to consider if we need to have continuous presence or if it would be necessary for you to be there just for the lift. These are discussion points which the government is now looking at.”

Further to this, Dr. Bynoe said that Guyana's portion of the crude would be sold via Free on Board (FOB). He said this simply means that the crude is sold to the buyer at the exit point of the FPSO and the buyer is responsible for shipping the said crude which will be sold in million barrel cargoes.

The official said, “...I am happy to report that the department has been working with its sister agencies and the operator to ensure that that process is in place and running as efficiently as possible from day one.”

Dr. Bynoe also noted that a tender will be issued in the third or fourth quarter for a consultant with the relevant experience to market Guyana's share of the crude.

In addition, Dr. Bynoe noted that the crude lifting agreement will soon be finalized. He said that the Association of International (continued on page 20)

Kaieteur News

Tuesday July 30, 2019

PAGE 15

Ex-cop sought in Seeta Bar killing A

Turkeyen, Sophia man and father of six reportedly met his death around 2:10 hrs yesterday at Seeta Bar, Station Street, Kitty, Georgetown.

He was attempting to peace in what was described as a scuffle between a man and a woman at the location.

Reports reaching this publication suggest that Kurt Anthony Duncan, of 192 North Sophia, Georgetown attempted to make peace between a male who was mopping the floor and who was engaged in a scuffle with a young lady who was seen earlier gyrating at the bar.

The Station Street, Kitty Seeta Bar where the incident occurred

The accused killer Keon David, who reportedly shot a father of six at Seeta's Bar

The deceased Kurt Anthony Duncan

Reports suggested that Duncan attempted to quieten the situation which resulted in an altercation between himself and the man.

It was during this process that a man seated nearby whipped out a gun and shot Duncan in the region of his right chest.

Police are now on the hunt for 32-year-old Keon David of Sophia, Greater, Georgetown. David is said to be the suspect that reportedly shot Duncan.

The now dead Duncan was rushed to the

Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC) where he was pronounced dead on arrival. According to sources, the accused was seen running from the bar right after the shooting and disappearing into the night.

There are reports that he is an ex-policeman.

Brother of the deceased, Dellon Duncan, said that his brother is normally a quiet individual who attended church regularly and who lived only for his wife and six children.

He has left to grieve his

32-year-old wife, Rebecca Duncan, and six children ages 13, 12, nine, six, five and one.

The brother noted that it is not customary that Duncan will attend bars and must have had to be lured there by colleagues with whom he would normally associate in the city. He said the now deceased Duncan attended a popular Seventh Day Adventist Church in the city and always maintained a positive focus on life.

His sister, Khandasi Duncan, was very tearful.

She said that her brother met his end on a sad note. He was always defending others, and striving to make peace as he is known for in his c o m m u n i t y. S h e t o o expressed surprise that her brother had met his end at a location like Seeta Bar, maintaining that he had to be following, 'bad company'.

Seeta Bar is a popular nightspot that attracts large audiences from different areas around the country and is quite popular for the many fights and brawls that would often break out there.

Kaieteur News

PAGE 16

Tuesday July 30, 2019

Homeowners loose dogs on GECOM staff during house-to-house registration

M

ore than a week after house-tohouse registrations commenced, enumerators of the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) are complaining of difficulties.

In fact, there are complaints that a number of homeowners let their dogs loose when the enumerators came calling.

Speaking to reporters yesterday at the Ministry of the Presidency, GECOM's Chief Elections Officer (CEO), Keith Lowenfield, said that staffers were also told they are participating in an illegal exercise and would not be paid.

Lowenfield made it clear that staffers and enumerators will be paid as monies have been budgeted for houseto-house registrations.

Decision Time: The reconstituted GECOM will have to decide on whether it continues the ongoing countrywide house-to-house registrations He insisted that prospective registrants

must be aware that the registrations are legal. On

the issue of house-to-house registration, the CEO said he

will await directions from the new ly cons tituted commission.

Justice (Ret'd) Claudette Singh was yesterday sworn in as the new chair after Justice (Ret'd) James Patterson resigned over a month ago, following a court ruling that his 2017 unilateral appointment by President David Granger was flawed.

Wi t h t h e P r e s i d e n t awaiting GECOM to advise him on the readiness for early elections brought on by the shock December 21 no-confidence vote by the Opposition that saw the government falling, there have been questions about the house-to-house registration that GECOM commenced across the country without a chair in place.

GECOM staffers themselves have complained that in some areas, more than 25 percent of homes are not cooperating. More than 50,000 persons would have registered over the past week.

Lowenfield said yesterday he will await instructions on the house-tohouse registration. In the meantime, it will continue.

He admitted that the new chairperson will need a short period to familiarize herself.

A c c o r d i n g t o Lowenfield, of course, the chair position is a hot seat.

“She is not coming in at a time when it is downtime.

She is coming at a time when we are on the sprint. Of course she would be under pressure to familiarise herself as quickly as possible, to be knowledgable and to be able to effectively

participate…”

Meanwhile, present for the swearing in ceremony at the Ministry of the Presidency was GECOM's commissioner, Vincent Alexander.

He made it clear that he is not a government commissioner but that he rather regards himself as a C o n s t i t u t i o n a l o ff i c e r exercising an independent mind in relation to his Constitutional function.

“It may be coincidental that those who were nominated by the leaders of the government take the same position, but I back off from any view that I represent a side.”

He said in his own view, house-to-house registration w a s n e e d e d .

“It is not a question of timely elections but a question of credible elections as well.”

The Opposition had objected to the house-tohouse exercise claiming it was a ploy to delay elections by the Coalition Government.

However, GECOM had urged citizens not to heed the calls as it had been agreed since last year to hold house-to-house registration.

In any case it unlawful not t o g e t r e g i s t e r e d when GECOM visits the homes.

Government has said that the current voters' list is e x p i r e d a n d n eeds updating with thousands of persons who have died still being on it. Thousands of first time voters are also not on it.

However, the Opposition said that a simple claims and objections period can fix the issues.

Kaieteur News

Tuesday July 30, 2019

Energy Dept. now putting together audit unit for local content reports

T

he Energy Department is in the process of establishing a Local Content Compliance Unit which is expected to validate the information it receives from oil majors operating offshore Guyana as well as address potential issues or concerns Guyanese suppliers or contractors may have.

This was revealed yesterday at a press conference facilitated by Energy Department Head, Dr. Mark Bynoe. His comments were in response to questions posed by Kaieteur News on the issue of local content.

In his opening statements, Dr. Bynoe said that thus far, more than 1100 Guyanese are working with ExxonMobil's subsidiary, Esso Exploration and Production Guyana Limited (EEPGL) and its subcontractors.

Dr. Bynoe said that this is approximately 50 percent of the workforce in the industry. He added that EEPGL is working with the Council for Technical Vocational Education and Training (TVET) to implement two pilot programmes that would seek to build capacity within the technical institutions.

He also noted that since 2015, over $119M has been expended by EEPGL and its sub-contractors on Guyanese suppliers and service providers.

Kaieteur News challenged Dr. Bynoe to say if these were independently verified or if the data provided by Exxon are just being accepted as gospel.

Dr. Bynoe noted, however, that the Unit is being established to address these concerns. Dr. Bynoe said that granular reporting by the oil companies in their local content reports continues to be a work in progress.

In this regard, the Energy Department Head said, “We have seen an improvement, but this is a dynamic process.

We are still to get more information that we asked the operator to provide to us and this will help us to analyze who is getting what, what is going where, and which regions are benefitting more than others...

“We want to ensure that there is a strategic approach that ensures all are benefitting from the resource.”

The official said that these reports would be released barring any legal impediments.

KFC experiencing shortages in wings and chicken strips

O

ne of Guyana's largest fast food e n t i t i e s , Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC), has put out an advisory via its Facebook page that is sure to send fast food lovers into a panicked f r e n z y. T h e e n t i t y i s experiencing chicken shortage, which has caused its supply of wings and chicken strips to be in short supply hence there would not be a steady flow of the product.

In the advertisement KFC apologised for the inconvenience but thanked its customers for continuing to choose them.

This publication contacted Bounty Farms who claims to be KFC's sole supplier of chicken.

A representative said that the entity is not experiencing a chicken shortage in the

whole.

Supervisor Angelina Lim said, “We are not experiencing chicken shortage but due to the size of the chickens and them fluttering up and breaking their wings, we do not have enough to supply the usual orders.”

She went on to say that these fast food agencies usually order a lot of wings.

Bounty is trying its best to supply at least half of the usual orders at KFC. Also, the size of the chickens' breast is currently very small and Bounty cannot fillet them so that has had an impact in fulfilling orders for chicken tenders and strips.

The issue should be fixed over the next week or so through efforts to have production and fulfilment of orders back to normal.

PAGE 17

Kaieteur News

PAGE 18

Tuesday July 30, 2019

Russian Ambassador tours Thirst Park

Mr. Clifford Reis, Chairman/Managing Director Banks DIH Limited in discussion with Ambassador H.E. Alexander Kurmaz in the Rotunda at Thirst Park in the presence of Mrs. Kurmaz

M

r. Clifford B. Reis, C.C.H, Chairman/Managing Director met with Ambassador of the Russian Federation to Guyana, Alexander Kurmaz, during a visit by the Ambassador to Thirst Park, Corporate Head Office of Banks DIH Limited on Friday. Ambassador Kurmaz was accompanied

by Mrs. Kurmaz and Mr. Dmitry Kornilov, Third Secretary of the Embassy of the Russian Federation.

Mr. Reis and Ambassador Kurmaz held discussions on opportunities of mutual benefit during a working lunch attended by Mr. Michael Pereira - Operations Director, Mr. Andrew Carto - Human Resources Director and Mr. Shabir Hussain - Engineering Services Director.

Ambassador Kurmaz and delegation were also taken on a guided tour of the Rum Factory and Soft Drink Plant by Mr. Reis and Plant Executives Mr. Gregory Garraway and Mr. Wendell Ellis.

Ambassador Alexander Kurmaz and delegation tour the Rum Factory accompanied by Mr. Reis and Mr. Shabir Hussain, Engineering Services Director

Kaieteur News

Tuesday July 30, 2019

PAGE 19

Drug treatment court in three months

I

n approximately three months, Guyana's first-ever Drug Treatment Court will be fully operational.

Ye s t e r d a y, a D r u g Treatment Court Training began for partners and persons who will be working in the new system.

The drug treatment court model was established out of the need to solve the frequent and persistent problems that drug-related cases create for court systems, the jails and society as a whole.

This was explained by the Director of the National Anti-Narcotics Agency (NANA), Retired Major General, Michael Atherly.

“This workshop signals another important phase in cooperation and collaboration between the Organization of American States (OAS) Inter-American Drug Abuse Control Commission (CICAD) and Guyana, intended to support the Implementation of Alternatives to Incarceration, a programme derived from CICAD's Hemispheric Drug Strategy, and with adjustments made by our own National Drug Strategy Master Plan (NDSMP),” Major General Atherly stated.

Also addressing the

- training starts for partners and personnel

Partners and personnel of the Drug Treatment Court at yesterday's opening of a one-week training programme opening of the training, Madame Roxane George, Chief Justice (ag), similarly stated that the treatment of drug users is preferable to incarceration. The reason for a drug treatment court is multi-dimensional, she added.

“The antipodal and empirical evidence strongly indicates that there has been a growing number of persons who interface with the criminal justice system in Guyana and who are substance abusers,” noted the acting Chief Justice.

Acting Chief Justice, Madame Roxane George

She said many offenders had committed nonviolent offences for which the response of incarceration was not the most beneficial.

“International and regional experience has demonstrated that treatment of substance abusers is a better response than imprisonment,” she charged.

The National Drug Strategy Master Plan calls for all participating agencies and bodies to implement measures and programmes.

These are aimed at offering treatment, rehabilitation,

and recovery support services to drug-dependent offenders, as an alternative to criminal prosecution or imprisonment.

The acting Chief Justice said a team will support the individual during his or her rehabilitation. The team, she said, will comprise the magistrate, a state counsel from the chambers of the Director of Public Prosecution (DPP), and or the Police Prosecutor, a police officer, a social services or probation officer, defense counsel, substance

abuse treatment provider and any other person the team may require.

All of them would be working together to ensure that the offender stays the course of the contract. He or she must voluntarily agree to, in order to successfully graduate from the treatment programme.” CARICOM countries who already have Drug Treatment Courts include; Trinidad and Tobago, Jamaica, Barbados and the Bahamas.

The latest to join this list are Antigua and Barbuda and

'Iron Lady' Claudette Singh takes control of...

From page 3 Opposition Leader, Bharrat Jagdeo; Prime Minister Moses Nagamootoo; several ministers; heads of the army and police; GECOM's commissioners and former Chancellor of the Judiciary, Cecil Kennard, among others.

The PPP Presidential Candidate, Irfaan Ali, was also there.

According to President Granger, the Constitution, Article 161(1)], provides for the establishment of an Elections Commission.

It was explained that the chairperson will be full-time and not engage in any other forms of employment.

Granger also pointed out that elections shall be independently supervised by the Commission, which is also responsible for the registration of electors or the conduct of elections.

The GECOM, the president said in his remarks, has powers to exercise general direction and supervision over the registration of electors and the administrative conduct of all elections of members of the National Assembly and shall issue such instructions and take such

action to ensure impartiality, fairness and compliance with the provisions of the C o n s t i t u t i o n .

“These are exacting duties and responsibilities. Free, fair, credible and timely elections are essential elements of a democratic state.

The Elections Commission is not a plaything. Its independence is a condition for engendering confidence and ensuring public trust in the electoral system and for the efficient execution of elections.”

The president explained that he initiated a consensual process with the Leader of the Opposition to identify a Chairman of the Elections Commission in accordance with the Constitution.

“I received from the Leader of the Opposition a list of six names “not unacceptable” to me, on 26th July 2019. I chose Justice Claudette Singh from that list. The appointment of Justice Claudette Singh means that the Elections Commission has a Chairman again after a hiatus of a bit more than a month.

“It is now properly constituted and can continue

to prepare for the conduct of free, fair, timely and credible elections. It fulfills the Caribbean Court of Justice's ruling, in relation to Article 161(2).”

According to the President, Justice Singh satisfies the criteria prescribed in the Constitution for the appointment of a chair of the GECOM which says that “…the Chairman of the Elections Commission shall be a person who holds or who has held the office as a judge of a court having unlimited jurisdiction in civil and criminal matters in some part of the Commonwealth or a court having jurisdiction in appeals from any such court or who is qualified to be appointed as any such judge…”

Justice Singh is such a person, Granger stressed.

She was called to the Bar in London in 1973 and admitted to the Bar in Guyana in 1976. She served as the Deputy Solicitor General and as a Puisne Judge and a Justice of Appeal.

She led the way for the Modernisation of the Justice Reform Project during her

tenure at the Attorney General's Chambers.

“Justice Singh brings years of legal experience as a jurist and as a practitioner of the law to her appointment.

She is respected widely for her integrity, impartiality

and independence. I thank her for accepting the appointment.

“I am confident that she will discharge her duties in accordance with her oath of office and in compliance with the Constitution and our

election laws.”

The president said that he is recommitting the state to providing assistance to the Commission to enable it to conduct general and regional elections in the shortest time possible.

Kaieteur News

PAGE 20

Tuesday July 30, 2019

PPP councillors boycott Region Six budget meeting APNU/AFC Councillors in 'discussion' with the REO

Y

esterday, at the R e g i o n a l Democratic Council Region Six boardroom, Regional Executive Officer, Kim Williams –Stephens, hosted a 'discussion' on the 2020 regional budget with APNU/AFC Councillors and the engineering department of the region in attendance. However, absent from the activity were all the councillors from the People's Progressive Party/Civic side.

Before the meeting commenced, the REO briefly addressed the persons in attendance and stressed that what was taking place is merely a 'discussion' of the

2020 budget. However, after her address she listed the first set of projects from the budget and asked for a vote either in favour or against the projects.

She asked the councillors, "All in favor?", to which the councillors responded "Aye". This was done although she stressed in the beginning that it was a 'discussion' and pointed out that the opposition was not present.

Usually councillors from both the opposition and government are required to vote but since the ruling of the CCJ, the government was placed in caretaker mode, limiting its powers, including its ability to pass

budgetary allocations.

Williams-Stephens who referred to the meeting as a "proposal meeting" and a "discussion" said, “as you can see the opposition side of

New group to represent issues, rights of Indigenous peoples

A

new group has been launched to represent the rights and interest of indigenous people. Dubbed the Caucus of Indigenous Peoples (CIP), the group has outlined its priority issues which include land rights, governance and Leadership, right to free priori and inform consent (FPIC) of Indigenous Peoples in the developmental framework of Guyana.

Apart from these, the CIP aims to enhance Indigenous women and youth in representation and participation in national decision-making.

An Interim Steering Committee comprising nine representatives of the CIP was e s t a b l i s h e d b y consensus/election and collectively approved at the Workshop with Elections of the CIP to take place at a later date.

The Interim Steering Committee will work to draft an action platform and work plan and refine the roles and functions of the group. It comprises nine representative organizations namely three members of the National Toshao's Council, four representatives of the District Councils and two members of the Indigenous Non Governmental Organizations (NGO).

At the workshop, CIP received support by the Inter-

American Development Bank (IDB) upon request of the NTC. Independent Facilitation was provided by Ms Vanda Radzik, assisted by Ms Aisha Fraites and Rapporteur Services provided

by Ms Jude Da Silva.

This Outcome Statement of the Caucus was presented to the Minister of Indigenous Peoples Affairs, Sydney Allicock, last, Saturday at the closing session of the workshop. Minister Allicock welcomed the establishment of the CIP and urged it to strengthen unity amongst Indigenous Peoples.

Further, the Minister urged the CIP to strengthen the role and work of the National Toshao's Council.

The Caucus was formed out of a two-day consensus-building workshop with the objective of selecting three Indigenous Peoples representatives to serve on the National MultiStakeholder Steering Committee of the Forest Carbon Partnership Facility REDD+ Readiness programme in Guyana.

There was a follow-up Consolidation Workshop on July 26 - 27, 2019 with an expanded membership of fifteen Indigenous Peoples civil society organizations.

The Workshop recommitted to the need of an Indigenous Peoples Caucus (CIP) in Guyana and its consolidation and

formalization.

Discussions were held concerning the CIP vision, mission and purpose, structure, composition and representation of the Indigenous Peoples Caucus (CIP). It is envisioned that the role of the Caucus will be to formulate and enable a common platform for representation of issues and rights of Indigenous Peoples.

The Caucus is currently comprised of: The National Toshao's Council (NTC), Amerindian Peoples Association (APA), Guyanese Organization of Indigenous Peoples (GOIP), Moruca Sub Regional District Council (MSRDC), Upper Mazaruni District Council (UMDC), North Pakaraimas District Council (NPDC), Region Ten Regional Council, North Rupununi District Development Board (NRDDB), Kanuku Mountains Community Representative Group (KMCRG), South Communities Peoples Development Association (SCPDA), South Rupununi District Council (SRDC), National Amerindian Development Foundation (NADF), Indigenous Cultural Movement of Guyana (ICMOG), The Amerindian Action Movement of Guyana (TAAMOG) and Indigenous Peoples Commission.

(Trishan Craig)

the house is absent not withstanding we are going to have our budget discourse".

She noted that the region was in possession of a budget circular sent out by the Ministry of Finance "which spells out to the regional administration what needs to be done in keeping with the financial regulation in order for us to prepare our proposal. Hence you are here this afternoon."

She added, "I needed to say that so that you can all understand that there is nothing illegal with us

preparing a proposed budget for 2020. I need to emphasize that there are two d i s t i n c t f u n c t ions, t h e preparation of the proposed budget, and the actual presenting it to cabinet approval is two distinct functions." The meeting is usually chaired by the Regional Chairman David Armogan, he was absent.

However, PPP/C Regional Councilor, Zamal Hussain, told this publication that the meeting held by the REO should only be a discussion with no

additives (voting). He opined that there should not have even been a circular from the Ministry since they are "a cartaker government.”

“The REO is moving in the wrong direction; this is the work of the RDC. The regional chairman is the sole person in charge of the RDC and I think the RDC is the body that approves any budget f o r the regional democratic c o u n c i l " .

He made it clear that the role of the government is to only act in a caretaker capacity and hold elections.

24-hour crisis hotline to combat mental health issues

A

24-hour service hotline has now been provided to the public to combat mental health issues in societies.

Persons can seek assistance from the service by calling telephone number 6033666.

This was done by the William James College USA, Center for Multicultural and Global Mental Health in collaboration with The American University of Peace Studies, Inc. The team will be hosting a Suicide Prevention Gatekeeper Training over two days from today from 9am to 5pm at the university on 135 Sheriff and Fourth Streets, Campbellville.

The free two-Day Workshop will focus on Understanding and Preventing Suicide in Guyana.

Training will be spearheaded by Dr. Natalie A. Cort, who is a licensed Clinical Psychologist and

Assistant Professor in the Clinical Psychology Department at William James College, USA. The workshop i s seeking to train 40 gatekeepers including students of the university and key stakeholders, equipping them with the knowledge and skills to assist individuals with suicidal ideations, tendencies and persons with mental illnesses.

In turn, these gatekeepers will provide

assistance to individuals in their various communities, workplaces and families.

It was noted that this is an annual initiative amongst William James College, Center for Multicultural and Global Mental Health and The American University of Peace Studies, Inc. so as to help combat and eradicate the various social ills including victims of abuse, suicidal tendencies, and mental illness.

GRA, GNBS to play lead roles in process for Guyana's oil sale From page 14 Petroleum Negotiators' Model Crude Oil Lifting Agreement is being used to support same.

He noted that the document is used throughout the industry and it sets up a mechanism for allocating the schedule of crude cargo lifting based on volume

entitlements which are calculated, taking into account, the cost recovery rules of the petroleum agreement. It also lays out the strict procedures for crude lifting too.

Dr. Bynoe said, “The department continues to be aware of the risk associated with not getting this right.”

Tuesday July 30, 2019

PAGE 21

Kaieteur News

Exxon Mobil relinquishes 20% of Canje oil block —Energy Department in no hurry for reallocation Exxon Mobil has relinquished 20 percent of the Canje oil block which is in keeping with the provisions of the Production Sharing Agreement (PSA) it has with Guyana.

While confirming this with members of the press yesterday, Head of the Department of Energy, (DoE) Dr. Mark Bynoe said however that there is no hurry to reallocate the surrendered acreage. Dr. Bynoe said that the department is keen on having certain mechanisms in place before embarking on that phase According to Dr. Bynoe, the DoE would like to see a revision to the laws first.

“We are not going back to the market with that provisions of the 1986 Act … That Act is fairly silent on mid and downstream activities.

We need to make it a lot more robust in regards to decommissioning as well as how it fits the local content dimensions that we are

elaborating on.”

Dr. Bynoe emphasized that those pieces need to be in place before the block is marketed again.

“We had indicated, previously, that the department is recruiting a firm to complete a 2D/3D multi client– seismic survey.

That is in its later stages of completion. So that we are able to present a package from a position of knowledge.”

At present, Dr. Bynoe noted that the DoE is focused on the collection and processing of the data in relation to blocks before heading to the market phase.

He noted that the 2D/3D multi client seismic survey is likely to be completed in 11 months.

“There is a multiplicity of very sizeable blocks out there that still require exploration. So is there an absolute need for us to go for another marketing round right now? I would say no.

[But] It is important for us to have improvements as we move forward,” Bynoe added.

A map depicting the size and acreage of the Canje blocks

As Doobay Medical and Research Centre expands...

Reduced need for surgery expected with availability of rare gastroenterology technique

Gastroenterologist, Dr. Trevor Seaton Without Endoscopic r e t r o g r a d e cholangiopancreatography, a medical technique which is simply referred to as ERCP, surgery could be the alternative for patients who suffer from a blockage of the bile and have become jaundiced.

But soon availability of this service at the Doobay Medical and Research Centre, patients will have certain access to ERCP simply by making an appointment.

“I don’t believe it is currently available here,” said C a n a d a - b a s e d Gastroenterologist, Dr. Trevor Seaton, during an

interview with this publication.

The ERCP procedure is a procedure that enables the gastroenterologist to examine the pancreatic and bile ducts of a patient with the aid of an endoscope [a bendable, lighted tube about the thickness of an index finger] which is placed through the mouth and into the stomach and first part of the small intestine.

Despite the perceived lack of the technique here, Dr. Seaton asserted that “the need for this is always there [and] when you don’t have it, you have to do a work around to do an alternative.”

This therefore means that patients are sometimes sent aboard to have that problem dealt with surgically.

But according to the veteran Gastroenterologist, surgery for this medical dilemma can almost always be avoided through a “cooperative procedure” executed by surgeons.

Dr. Seaton was invited by founder and head of the expanding Doobay facility, Dr. Budhendra Doobay, to offer his expertise here on a visitation basis as part of efforts to make it into a Centre of Excellence offering a wide array of medical services.

“Ultimately our plan is that we will have a full time Gastrointestinal [GI] practice,” said Dr. Seaton.

In this regard he added, “We are busily recruiting other colleagues and if we can find a trained G u y a n e s e gastroenterologist we are going to do our best to try to recruit that person here full time but we already have a commitment for other people to join the rotation especially for other advanced procedures once we have them established.”

Trained at both the U n i v e r s i t y o f t h e We s t Indies and the University of McMaster where he also served for some time, Dr. Seaton currently has a 20-

year practice in Canada.

The Jamaica-born specialist is among a cadre of professionals who offer gastroenterology service to the Cayman Islands too.

Speaking during an interview about his decision to lend support to Guyana as well, Dr. Seaton s a i d , “ D r. [ B u d h e n d r a ] Doobay is my long time medical school colleague and he was actually a cardiac surgeon at the same hospital where I worked in Canada for many years...

“We know each other even before we went to Canada. I was aware of what was being done here [Doobay Medical and Research Centre] and the remarkable programme in the dialysis centre for chronic renal failure.”

Dr. Seaton said he was enthused by Dr. Doobay’s talk about his vision to expand the facility into a Centre of Excellence that will also incorporate other areas even cardiac care in the future. Of course his interest resides in the idea of a gastroenterology practice and for this Dr. Seaton revealed, “I agreed to come on board.”

Moreover, he shared, “This year we’ve started an Endoscopy Unit and we are starting a Gastrointestinal [GI], endoscopy practice...although I am in a visiting mode.” Currently Dr. Seaton is able to visit every one to two months for a week but, according to him, “our

vision is that eventually someone will be doing GI full time and doing all of the special procedures in GI including upper and lower GI which I know is already available in Guyana but we will also be doing advanced procedural like ERCP.” Dr. Seaton has already started to offer services during his visits for stomach ulcer, colon disease, Crohn’s disease, ulcerative colitis,

hepatitis, liver disease and celiac disease.

The facility has been designed to offer colonoscopy and gastroscopy. “Persons have been slowly accessing the new services because people view this place as a dialysis centre; they don’t view it as a medical centre...so we want to make sure people know that this is a medical centre,” said Dr. Doobay.

PAGE 22

Tuesday July 30, 2019

Kaieteur News

Pastor pleads guilty to impregnating 12-year-old child

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KINGSTON, Jamaica CMC – A 56-year-old pastor will be sentenced on October 18 after he pleaded guilty yesterday to having sex on several occasions with a 12year-old child more than three years ago.

The Gleaner newspaper reported that Pastor Kenneth Blake had for the past two years denied having sex with the child, who gave birth to a boy on November 30, 2017.

He has pleaded guilty to grievous sexual assault, having sex with a person under 16 years old and sexual touching when he appeared in the Home Circuit Court in downtown Kingston.

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In addition, the pastor of the Harvest Temple Apostolic Church had been charged with rape and forcible abduction, but those charges have since been withdrawn.

Blake was arrested and charged in August 2017 by detectives assigned to the Centre for the Investigation of Sexual Offences and Child Abuse and the charges were filed against him after the child gave investigators a detailed statement in which she complained that Blake had sex with her at his when she was 12 years old.

She said that the first sexual encounter occurred in 2015, when the pastor gave her older sister money to go downtown and “buy some things”. She said after the encounter, the pastor began giving her gifts to keep quiet about their sexual encounters.

But when she became pregnant in August 2017 she confessed to her mother, but Blake denied the accusations, even after two DNA tests found that there was a 99.9 per cent chance he could not be excluded as the father.

The second test was done at a private institution chosen

by Blake after he complained that the first test, conducted at the Government Forensic Laboratory, was “tainted”.

He told the court then that the accusations were part of an extortion attempt by the child’s mother.

Tuesday July 30, 2019

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Kaieteur News

All Saints Presbyterian (Scots) Church launches activity for Bi centennial All Saints ‘Presbyterian (Scots) which is located at the corner of Princess Elizabeth Road and Vryheid Street, New Amsterdam, Berbice will be celebrating 200 years of witness and ministry on April 19,2020.

An anniversary committee has been put in place to plan for this historic achievement.

The committee began planning this month and will continue to April 2020 when the grand occasion will be held.

The Church came to being after Governor Henry William Bentick was petitioned in 1818 by members of the community for the erection of a colony Church in which the Dutch and the English congregations would worship.

Funds were raised through private subscription and the church was completed by April 8, 1820. After the Dutch population started to decline, the Scots began using the church fully.

The building was also used by the Anglicans, who later built their own building.

The Church which is one

of the oldest structures in New Amsterdam has been designated as an historical landmark by the Government of Guyana.

A clock in the tower was donated by Wolfort Katz, a wealthy Berbice sugar planter.

The first minister of the Church was Rev. John Anderson in February 8, 1835. The last minister to come from Scotland was Reverend Gordon Dickson.

The first Guyanese Minister was Reverend John A. Lord who took over in 1959.

The present Minister is the Rev. Dr. Selby Ross, who began her term of service on March 1, 2007.

At present the Church has a number of subsidiaries and outreach arms. There is an outreach ministry to the female inmates of the New Amsterdam Prisons, A Play Group & Day Care started in 2009, and The Developmental Centre (for training skills for Youth), supported by UNICEF. The church has a youth group and participates in other activities including Leadership activities for clergy and lay personnel.

They also contributes to the Presbyterian Women’s organization.

In 1973, a United Service for Maundy Thursday was established between All Saints, and Mission Chapel Congregational Church.

According to the arrangements each Pastor would preach the Homily alternately every year.

The Presbyterian Church is also affiliated to the Caribbean through the “Caribbean And North American Council for Mission” CANACOM. A request was received from the Guyana Government and granted for the use of the Manse, for the purpose of the High Court, during the Government of the late President Forbes Burnham.

The Church Manse was rented for a fee of $375. per month.

The Manse continued to be used until the New Amsterdam High Court was opened opposite the Church.

The Church also received and granted a request from the New Amsterdam Prisons to use a portion of land

Vendor remanded for destroying woman’s windows A vendor was yesterday brought before the courts to answer to a damage to property charge. The court heard that the man allegedly destroyed two windowpanes from his estranged wife’s home.

Mark Sampson, 33, a vendor from Lot 43 Palm Street, Werk-en-Rust, Georgetown, was arraigned before Senior Magistrate Leron Daly in the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts where the charge was read to him.

The woman, Ulanda Sampson, had already secured a restraining order against her husband.

Sampson was represented by attorney-at-law Clyde Forde who told the court that his client was never at the woman’s home. The lawyer said that Sampson is trying his best to stay away from the woman. He then made an application for his client to be released on a reasonable sum of bail.

The defendant denied the charge, which stated that on July 27, 2019, at Block E South Sophia, Georgetown, he unlawfully and maliciously damaged two windowpanes,‘ property of Ulanda Sampson.

Remanded: Mark Sampson Police prosecutor Christopher Morris made strong objections to bail based on the grounds that Sampson was previously charged and on several occasions he was arrested.

The court also heard that

Sampson disobeyed the restraining order that was put out against him to stay away from the virtual complainant’s home. Senior Magistrate Daly denied bail ‘and remanded the defendant to prison until July 31.

All Saints Presbyterian (Scots)Church in New Amsterdam

behind the Manse, for the purpose of farming by the inmates.

Presbyterianism came to Guyana through the Church of Scotland. The laying of the

cornerstone of St. Andrews Kirk was done on August 12, 1811.

In 1964 the Church’s connection with Scotland was severed. In 1967, the

Presbytery received its independence from Scotland. The Church later became known as “The Presbyterian Church of Guyana”.

Kaieteur News Tuesday May 07, 2019

PAGE 24

Tuesday July 30, 2019

Superbet shop-owners to sue after cop caught planting evidence in yard...

From page 13 the woman was stealing money from the business. Over $800,000 was taken from the business when they returned in February.

The matter was reported but was never dealt with, she said.

She added that the woman was fired.

"Apparently the woman told them to plant drugs in my place, thinking that my husband is stupid. But I am not stupid. When I first came back in February, I placed two additional cameras. The woman who worked here was not aware of that.

“The Saturday when the guys came and harassed my husband saying that they got phone calls that there was drugs in the little hut in the yard, I told them there is no drugs here “They said we are gonna have to arrest your husband. So I said 'ok you are gonna have to arrest both of us," Maria said.

She disclosed that the CID rank insisted that she was not involved, only her husband, and that they wanted to search the yard. The woman said she agreed and followed the rank. In a split second he pulled out a wrapper from near the hut.

"I'll never forget. It was a

wrapper; a red, blue, and it had some silver stars and inside it was sort of a white crushed up lifesaver candy. But he said it was weed.

“Now I know weed is green and not white but he was trying to crumple it up and then he took my husband outside and asked him for money or he will lock my husband up," the woman said.

Maria stated that the rank even requested to see the cameras after allegedly demanding money but she refused.

The police eventually left and told her they would return the Monday but never did.

The couple subsequently met with the Officer in Charge of Crime, a Mr. Baird who asked them during questioning, "What are you hoping to get out of this?" While the question caught the couple off-guard they stated that they wanted the police to stop harassing them and that they wanted the rank penalized for his actions since there was no drugs in their yard.

Further, the surveillance cameras showed that the rank placed the object which he later retrieved and said it was weed.

The CID rank is still under close arrest as investigations continue.

The SuperBet location

A Consensus Candidate: The harbinger of a Good Life for Guyanese...

From page 6 Prime Minister. These candidates should be groomed for the next generation of leadership and should hold appointments and policy portfolios within the Office of the President and Prime Minister. The nuance can be worked out, including the need to rotate the Presidency.

As in the current milieu, everyone will be keeping their eyes on the wealth of the nation and looking at which party gets what portfolio. The President must still be responsible for the sovereignty of the nation, Defence, Foreign Affairs and the protection and wellbeing of the Guyanese. His portfolio should include oil and natural r e s o u r c e s , finance, infrastructure development, climate change and the environment.

The Prime Minister should be given his own portfolio which should include economic development, business and entrepreneurship, agriculture, energy and renewable energy development and generation, e l e c t r i f i c a t i o n development and internal security.

The Cabinet and

Ministerial portfolios can be divided equally or based on proportional representation between the main parties candidates, with deputies coming from the opposite party. Both the President and Prime Minister should be designated Cabinet cochairmen and their decisions should be based mainly on consensus.

The economic disparities between cultural groups must be addressed immediately in the areas of land, business opportunities and the creation of wealth.

Affirmative action must be implemented immediately.

Generally, all Guyanese must be given access to the natural resource wealth in some form to eradicate poverty, create a safety net, and to generally build generational wealth. This should be an additional responsibility of the Ethnic Relations Commission. This Commission must also monitor the humility and civility of the nation discourse for the various cultures. In addition, the E t h n i c Relations Commission must now ensure economic parity of the cultural groups, ethnic discrimination is eliminated in

political and socio-economic spheres, and also monitor and evaluate milestones related to national unity.

Extremely competitive politics leads to conflict in Guyana. Recent events show that the Guyanese politician cannot manage chaos. Sun Tzu, the Chinese military philosopher said, ”it is better to take a country whole and intact” than to wage war, thus Elections should be held to win the hearts and minds of Guyanese.

Each party should compete to win seats in the Parliament and for the allocation of Cabinet portfolio positions. While we will have many competing parties, their performance at the polls in our proportional representative system will give them a voice and a vote at the national and regional levels.

Regionally, local democracy must prevail with p e o p l e voting their conscience for their regional government. Decentralization from the national government should be fully implemented. The Parliament can still be based on the party list, but decision and votes will be based on parliamentarians conscience for Cabinet’s Budget Bill and

Members’ Bills.

The Judiciary must remain independent. Guyana must have an Attorney General who will be responsible for the rule of law and protection of Guyanese and their national patrimony. We need a Solicitor General to represent the Government T h e Integrity Commission should have the task of fighting corruption within the public and private sectors.

Public and Private officials who fail to meet the integrity standards should be banned from doing business with the Government for ten years.

Similarly, private businesses which collaborate with corrupted private business should also be banned for doing business with the Government.

Coordination and information sharing between the Attorney General, the Judiciary, Special Organised Crime Unit, State Asset Recovery Agency, Transparency Institute of Guyana and the Integrity Commission must cooperate and collaborate to protect the national wealth.

Heading such coordination bodies should be the role of a minor party contesting the election.

This group should be like Horatius at the Bridge A national Government Commission should be established to monitor, evaluate and propose goals and objectives for national unity and the national Government. This commission should be made up of senior retired statesmen and women, including past Presidents, Prime Ministers and Foreign Ministers, with observer status given to the Ethnic Relations Commission, the Integrity Commission, Private Sector Commission, Transparency Institute and other ethnic entrepreneurs’ groups such as the African Business Roundtable.

This Commission must have subpoena power to bring people before them to report on progress towards national unity and the protection of the national wealth and the well-being of our citizens.

The role of GECOM should be changed to become the body which determines who is a Guyanese citizen. They need to create a virtual citizen, i.e. a digital Avatar, a representational digital image, for every natural citizen, and have the responsibility to maintain an

accurate database of Guyanese citizens.

This is an ”Accord for National Government and Good Governance in Guyana”. Burnham and Jagan started this process with the intent to implement it in 1985. We have lost one generation of Guyanese to the “Ghetto Culture”.

We cannot afford to lose another. We cannot let this objective become as fleeting as the clouds. It is our national imperative. With first oil and the International Court of Justice decision on the border dispute about to become a reality, let us as Guyanese stand up in unity to show the world we are one people, one nation with one destiny.

Finally, the election ballot must have the question to evaluate the support of Guyanese for a national Government. Let the show begin.

Messrs. President and Prime Minister, the ball is in your court; give Guyanese a future. Bet on us and we will win. Have faith and trust in us. We have great expectations.

Regards, Colin Westmoreland Concerned Guyanese

Tuesday July 30, 2019

Kaieteur News

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Kaieteur News

Tuesday July 30, 2019

Tuesday July 30, 2019

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Kaieteur News

Pollard half-century in vain as Bravo’s Hawks sneak last-ball win TORONTO, Canada, CMC – Kieron Pollard blasted a whirlwind half-century but it came in a losing cause as Dwayne Bravo’s Winnipeg pulled off a thrilling run chase to beat Toronto Nationals by three wickets off the last ball in the Global T20 Canada here yesterday.

Sent in at the CAA Centre, Nationals piled up an imposing 216 for seven off their 20 overs with opener Rodrigo Thomas top-scoring with 65 off 46 deliveries.

Pollard punched 52 off just 21 balls while veteran Yuvraj Singh, skippering the side, lashed 45 off 26 deliveries.

Nationals lost Chirag Suri for five in the second over

with the score on 14 but Thomas put on 41 for the second wicket with Heinrich Klaasen (15) and 77 for the third wicket with Yuvraj.

Thomas notched three fours and five sixes while Yuvrah counted four fours and two sixes before falling at the end of the 13th over.

Canadian Thomas was one of two wickets to fall in the 16th over but Pollard arrived to belt three fours and five sixes, in a 51-run sixth wicket partnership off 22 balls with South African Chris Green (11).

Pollard perished to the second ball of the final over in an all-Trinidadian connection, holing out to

fellow countryman Rayad Emrit at long on off medium pacer Dwayne Bravo who finished with four for 39 from his four overs.

In reply, Australian opener Chris Lynn handed Hawks a sensational start, smashing a top score of 89 off 48 balls as he put on 48 for the first wicket with Shaiman Anwar (43) and 117 for the second wicket with Sunny Sohal (58).

But what should have been a simple finish quickly turned dramatic as Bravo was dismissed for one off the first ball of the penultimate over, with Hawks requiring only seven for victory.

Lynn was then run out off the very next ball after hitting

Tuesday July 30, 2019 ARIES (Mar. 21–Apr. 19) A friend from far away could contact you by phone, email, or even in person, Aries. This person might bring great news that suddenly turns your life in a new direction.

TAURUS(Apr.20–May20) You might try to learn a new computer program today, Taurus. You could find it a little confusing at first, but as you continue to learn, you will find that it makes things easier for you.

GEMINI (May 21–June 20) Today you may stumble into an unexpected new friendship, Gemini. This could come as the result of a social event or an introduction by a close friend.

CANCER (June 21–July 22) A group meeting of some sort, perhaps job related, could take place in your home today, Cancer. Whatever business the group has planned should be taken care of quickly LEO (July 23–Aug. 22) A phone call from a close friend or love partner could bring a thrilling surprise your way today, Leo. An event has occurred that you either gave up on long ago or never dreamed of.

VIRGO (Aug. 23–Sept. 22) If you own property, you might discover that its value has increased far beyond anything you dreamed of, Virgo. This might involve real estate, but it could also involve other resources like stocks, bonds, or family heirlooms.

LIBRA (Sept. 23–Oct. 22) A surprising phone call or email could come your way today from a friend you haven't heard from in a long time.

SCORPIO (Oct. 23–Nov. 21) Today you may discover that you have a previously untapped talent for the occult sciences. This might involve astrology, numerology, alchemy, or using oracles. A class or workshop could be involved.

SAGIT(Nov.22–Dec.21) There's someone you've wanted to meet for a long time, Sagittarius, and today you might have the opportunity to introduce yourself.

CAPRI (Dec. 22–Jan. 19) Do you feel helpless in the face of problems with technology? If so, you might surprise yourself today.

Some software that you use a lot could go haywire AQUARIUS(Jan.20–Feb.18) If you've been thinking about studying astrology, numerology, or other occult sciences, Aquarius, this is the day to start. There may be a school or teacher that you've been considering.

PISCES (Feb. 19–Mar. 20) A woman you meet at work might point you in a new direction, Pisces. You should investigate all possible options. This could be a new intellectual interest, a technological skill, or possibly a new and more lucrative source of income. It may involve an unusual field, but don't worry about that.

two fours and 10 sixes, and just two runs came from the next four balls to leave Hawks needing four runs off the last over.

Emrit fell for one off the second ball and with the scores tied, Hamza Tariq perished for three off the fifth but Umair Ghani scrambled a single of the last ball to hand Hawks their second win.

In Sunday’s nightcap, former West Indies batting star Lendl Simmons struck a half-century as Brampton Wolves beat Edmonton Royals by 27 runs at the same venue.

The right-handed Simmons carved out 59 off 34 balls with five fours and five sixes while veteran Pakistani Shahid Afridi slammed a stunning 40-ball unbeaten 81 to lift Wolves to 207 for five off their 20 overs.

Royals were then restricted to 180 for nine off their allotted overs.

Hurdlers, sprinters...

From page 28 all business. He would have to go into Doha as the favorite in the 100.”

Reigning world champion Justin Gatlin also could be a factor, Johnson said.

His gold medal pick in the 200 is Lyles.

“What he has been able to do over 100 and 200, I think he is the dominant 200m runner for sure right now,” the BBC analyst said.

“Lyles is the only American I’ve seen that I believe can surpass 19.32 (Johnson’s U.S. 200m record),” Johnson added on Twitter. “However he’s probably more appropriately focusing on 19.19 (Usain Bolt’s world record).”

In the 400, U.S. champion Fred Kerley and Norman, the year’s fastest, appear headed for a Doha showdown, Johnson said.

“I don’t think there’s anybody else out there that can compete with them,” he said.

“Before this championships, I would have said Norman. He’s been fantastic all season.

“Then you have got Kerley, who is just coming along and reasserting himself as a consistent 43 low 44 (second) 400 metres runner.”

HURDLERS IMPRESS Gold could also be on offer for American high hurdlers Grant Holloway and Daniel Roberts. Holloway won the U.S. collegiate title and runner-up Roberts gained revenge in the U.S. championships.

Circle Tennis programme revival moves to Linden The Hon Minister Dr George Norton and Director of Sport Christopher Jones revival of Our National Game of Circle Tennis in Guyana will now move to Region 10 Linden.

The one day programme will be held on Sunday August 4, with the venue to be announced.

Similar programmes were also organised in Region 6 &

3. Teams from Region 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, Georgetown along with the teams in Linden will be in action.

Format of the one day mixed team programme will be known during the opening.

Trophies and other prizes are at stake in this National Sports Commission Sponsored Our National Game of Circle Tennis Emancipation Programme.

Start of sale of CPL 2019 tickets postponed CPL OPCO wishes to advise that the sale of tickets for the Guyana Amazon Warriors home matches of the 2019 Hero CPL which was due to commence Sunday, has been postponed to a date to be announced.

A Media Release will be issued soon advising of the new start date of ticket sales.

CPL OPCO apologizes to all our fans and especially to our overseas supporters for any inconvenience caused.

PAGE 28

Tuesday July 30, 2019

Kaieteur News

Ben Stokes proud to be England Test vice-captain again

England’s Ben Stokes was man-of-the-match in the 2019 World Cup final. (AFP/File / Glyn Kirk) AFP - Ben Stokes has revealed the pride he felt after being reinstated as England’s Test vice-captain ahead of the Ashes series starting this week.

Stokes was stripped of the role in 2017 following a latenight brawl in Bristol but was restored as Joe Root’s deputy ahead of the five-Test series against Australia, which begins in Birmingham on Thursday.

Jos Buttler had been acting as Root’s right-hand man but was happy to pass the baton back after England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) director of men’s cricket Ashley Giles and chief executive Tom Harrison recommended Stokes’s restoration.

Speaking on a weekend visit to his old club in

Cumbria, the 28-year-old said: “I love having that responsibility and it is something that I thoroughly enjoy doing. I take pride in being vice-captain. Being part of that think-tank is pretty cool.

“I am very good friends with Joe as well, off the field, and as much as I can do to help him through his career, not just as a captain but as a player as well, I am really looking forward to that challenge.

“I think it would have been just as exciting anyway.

Playing in an Ashes series is always special and they don’t come around that often but being named vice-captain again was very good words to hear when I got the call.”

Stokes missed the last series against Australia in

2017/18 after he was stood down by the ECB following events in Bristol.

He will start the Ashes campaign buoyed by his manof-the-match performance in the World Cup final but is now switching focus.

“Everything is sort of on the Ashes now,” he said.

“We have had that time to let everything sink in and reflect on that amazing seven weeks we have had in the World Cup, but the World Cup was half of the journey that we wanted to achieve this summer and the other half is winning the Ashes.

“Everything has been focused on what we are going to do to beat the Australians.

It is going to be a busy six weeks.

Five Test matches against Australia isn’t easy.”

Sick Hamilton aims to sleep off Hockenheim disappointment HOCKENHEIM, Germany (Reuters) - Formula One leader Lewis Hamilton is planning to get plenty of rest over the next few days as he seeks to shake off the sickness that laid him low in Sunday’s German Grand Prix.

The Mercedes driver, who has little time to recover before the next race in Hungary this weekend, left no doubt that Hockenheim had been an ordeal. “(I) never felt this sick and this has been the hardest race weekend of my life,” the Briton said in a social media post after a chaotic grand prix.

“I’ve canceled everything I have for the next few days so I’m going home probably just to sleep the next few days and try and get over this bug,” the jet-setting champion told reporters on Sunday evening.

Hamilton had complained of a sore throat on Saturday, revealing after taking pole position that Mercedes had put French reserve Esteban Ocon on standby in case the five-times champion felt too unwell to drive.

While he led the early stages of a mentally-taxing rain-hit race, his afternoon unraveled with a smashed front wing, a penalty for a pitlane offense and a wild spin.

He took the chequered flag in 11th place, which stood as his worst finish since the 2013 Spanish Grand Prix, until penalties for Alfa Romeo’s Kimi Raikkonen and Antonio Giovinazzi moved him up two places.

“It was probably the worst day I’ve had in the office for a long, long time,”

Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton after qualifying in pole position for the German Grand Prix at Hockenheimring. (REUTERS/Ralph Orlowski) he said of a race won by Red Bull’s Max Verstappen, who will also be a strong contender for victory in Hungary.

“Things are going to be thrown at you on days like this, but it felt like one domino after another, like snakes and ladders, and I kept hitting the snakes today.”

Hamilton said his condition was “not really improving massively” but hoped he would be back to as close to full fitness as possible for Budapest, the last race before the August break. Hamilton leads team mate Valtteri Bottas, who failed to finish on Sunday, by 41 points after winning seven of 11 races so far.

Hamilton, who has a diverse range of interests outside Formula One including music and fashion, has often been criticized for

his globe-trotting lifestyle but has never allowed that to get in the way of his on-track performance.

Two titles and 11 wins shy of Michael Schumacher’s alltime record tally, the Briton’s error-riddled display on Sunday was uncharacteristic for a driver considered one of the sport’s all-time greats.

“I’m only human,” said Hamilton. ”It was a mistake and mistakes happen.”

His team boss Toto Wolff said it was only to be expected that Hamilton would not be on top of his game in the circumstances.

“Many of us wouldn’t have considered being in a race car but he did,” the Austrian said on Sunday.

“He did feel better today but you can’t be physically in your best game when you’ve been ill for a few days.”

Former Man United defender Evra announces retirement (Reuters) Former Manchester United left back Patrice Evra announced his retirement from soccer yesterday, bringing a trophyladen 20-year career to an end.

Evra played for United

between 2006 and 2014 and won nine major trophies, including five Premier League titles and the Champions League. He made more than 700 club appearances in total and also earned 81 caps with the France national team.

The 38-year-old also won two Serie A titles with Juventus after leaving United and said he will now move into coaching.

“My playing career is officially over,” Evra said in an interview to Gazzetta dello Sport.

“I started training for the UEFA B Coaching License in 2013, now I want to finish it and then go on to get the UEFA A license.

“In a year and a half, if

everything goes well, I’ll be ready to lead a team.”

Following his stint with Juve, he was with French side Olympique Marseille but left by mutual consent in 2017 after kicking a fan before a Europa League match which led to a ban from European competitions by UEFA for the rest of the season.

Evra last played professionally in 2018 for Premier League side We s t H a m U n i t e d , w h e r e h e signed a short-term contract.

The Frenchman also posted a video montage of his career h i g h l i g h t s o n Tw i t t e r a n d Instagram with the caption: “Thank you, goodbye.”

Rio Ferdinand and Patrice Evra (R) - Manchester United with Premier League Trophy during the victory parade.

(Action Images / Craig Brough/File Photo)

Tuesday July 30, 2019

PAGE 29

Kaieteur News

Western Union Malteenoes Academy starts - GCA President Roger Harper gives opening remarks

Angeline George was in charge of Registration, while the Media was present (background) at MSC yesterday.

By Sean Devers The Malteenoes Sports Club was formed in 1902 to facilitate young people from the lower end of the economic strata to hone their sporting talent.

Since then the Thomas Road, Thomas Lands club has produced West Indian players such as Charlie Jones, Glendon Gibbs, Rex Collymore, Barrington Brown, Colin Stuart, Kenneth Wong and female Test player Indomattie Goordial, while Test Players John Trim and Clayton Lambert from Berbice have also played for Malteenoes.

But it was not until 1983, under the Presidency of Claude Raphael, that the club started a Youth section with motto being ‘Our Youth Our Future’.

The youth arm was formed by tapping into the resources of students from

the Schools in Thomas Lands under a vibrant programme led by Collymore, who at that time was employed by the Sports Ministry as a Coach.

The MSC began playing in the U-16 and U-19 levels and in 1986 won every youth tournament in Demerara and a year later their players took up half of the places on the 14-member Squad that traveled to Jamaica for the 1987 Regional U-19 three-day cricket tournament.

In 1992, the first ever Cricket Academy in the Caribbean was launched with the understanding the GCB, under Chetram Singh, would have taken it over in two years, but despite this never materializing, the Academy continued to be the feeding ground for youths to develop their skills and over 150 Girls and Boys joined from all over Guyana with those from Berbice and out of ‘town’

The adverse weather has stalled work on the all weather practice facility at the MSC ground. being housed on the upper level of the Club for the sixweek duration of the Academy which produced several National youth and Senior players with Ramnaresh Sarwan, Colin Stuart, Ryan Ramdass and Goordial going on to play Test cricket.

But although MSC’s Steven Jacobs Captained the West Indies U-19 side, the Academy, mainly due to the lack of funding and interest was shelved for a while before being resurrected on a much smaller scale two years ago.

As MSC’s barren run in producing National U-19 players (Steven Sankar was the last MSC player to play for Guyana since 2013) continues, Western Union, the home of Grace Kennedy

The eager faces of Generation next at the Western Union Malteenoes Cricket Academy yesterday.

Remittance Services, has come on board this year as title sponsor for the Western Union Malteenoes Cricket Academy.

Yesterday at the launching of the 2019 Academy, Vice President of MSC, former National U-19 batsman Shawn Holder provided a brief history of the club and the Academy, while President of the Georgetown Cricket Association (GCA), former West Indies offspinner Roger Harper, told the eager looking participants, decked out bright yellow Western Union T-shirts, of the importance of the Academy to their development and said he hoped the weather worked in partnership with the Academy.

Grace Kennedy’s

Marketing Assistant, Denis Haywood, explained he was present yesterday in his personal Capacity as someone who had passed through the Academy and in his professional duties representing Western Union ‘the fastest way to send and receive money’ worldwide “We at Grace Kenney know the importance of sports to the nation and it is our corporate duty to give back and help develop the bodies and minds of our generation next and this Academy should give these youngsters plenty of life skills,” Haywood added.

The activities are not just focused on the cricket, but on personal and educational development which are also equally important.

Building on previous

Marketing Assistant Grace Kennedy Denis Haywood making his speech yesterday at the Western Union Malteenoes Academy.

years’ success, activities and training sessions anticipated for 2019’s event are: Etiquette Training, Public Speaking, Anti-Drug Awareness and Interactive and critical thinking sessions.

These are a few of the events that will be administered by Guyana’s finest personnel coupled with cricket development skills from the best coaches and former Guyana players.

During the morning session the ground, which had taken a battering from the rain, was being cut while work was being done on the club’s all-weather Practice facility which has also been affected by the bad weather.

The Academy will conclude on August 9 and runs from Monday to Friday from 09:00hrs to 15:00hrs and caters for males and female between the ages 6-18 years old.

There will be a 15-minute break from 10:00hrs for refreshments and a Lunch break of an hour from noon when Lunch (which is included in the registration fee) will be served.

Registration fees for Girls between the ages 6-12 years cost G$2000, Boys age 6-12 years G$3000, Girls age 12-18 G$3000 and Boys age 12-18 years G$4000.

Dress Code is long track pants and white Tee-Shirts and 70% White Sneakers.

There are still a few spaces available and application Forms are available at Malteenoes Sports Club, Thomas Lands, between the hours 09:00hrs and 18:00hrs daily.

PAGE 30

Tuesday July 30, 2019

Kaieteur News

Dressel emerges with Phelps aura after scandal-hit world swim

Australia’s Cate Campbell won two relay golds during an eventful world championships. (AFP/Manan Vatsyayana) AFP - American superstar Caeleb Dressel has invited comparisons to Olympic legend Michael Phelps after lighting up a world swimming championships plagued by doping rows, a sexual harassment arrest and a fatal nightclub accident.

Dressel came away from Gwangju with six gold medals and two silvers, winning all four of his individual events and obliterating Phelps’s 10year-old 100 metres butterfly world record for good measure.

But even the heroics of swimming’s tattooed golden boy were often overshadowed by an explosive doping controversy, which was looming even before Chinese giant Sun Yang set foot in South Korea.

Following bombshell allegations in a FINA doping panel report, claiming the triple Olympic champion had allowed blood vials to be smashed with a hammer after being visited by testers, several swimmers made their feelings very clear.

Australia’s Mack Horton and Briton Duncan Scott

refused to shake Sun’s hand after losing to the hulking Chinese swimmer, provoking a furious reaction from Sun, who yelled at Scott: “You’re a loser!”

Sun, who retained his 200 and 400m freestyle world titles, insisted he was “protecting each and every athlete” by refusing to let what he called “unlicensed” testers take his blood.

“He’s not a drug cheat,” Sun’s coach Denis Cotterell told AFP, adding that Chinese swimming has taken “meticulous care” to clean up its act since the statesponsored doping of the 1990s.

“It’s absolutely critical for the athletes, the association, for the whole sake of China’s respect on a world stage that they’re well and truly distanced from that past,” said the Australian, claiming that Sun was one of the most tested athletes in swimming.

“He’s tested year in, year out. You can’t have the performances he’s had over the years without doing the work.”

- ‘Dangerous’ at Olympics Above the fray, Dressel

China’s Sun Yang was snubbed on the podium by two different swimmers. (AFP / Oli Scarff) repeated in the 50 and 100m freestyle, as well as the 100m butterfly — but not before setting an eye-popping new world best of 49.50 seconds to eclipse Phelps’s old bodysuit mark by 0.32.

Inevitably, talk turned t o n e x t y e a r ’s To k y o Olympics and whether Dressel can emulate Phelps, who racked up a record eight gold medals at the 2008 Beijing Games.

But Dressel revealed he had been feeling the strain.

“I’ve got pimples on my face, I’m losing some hair,” said the 22-year-old, who swept to seven gold medals at the 2017 world championships in Budapest.

“This is a lot of stress but I’m not sitting in my room flipping through my medals. I won less than seven, that doesn’t bug me one bit.

“If this is where we’re at heading to Tokyo, we’ll be very dangerous next year,” added Dressel, after the United States once again topped the medals table with 14 golds — nine more than nearest rivals Australia.

Dressel said he had been “absolutely devastated” to

Hurdlers, sprinters have U.S. ready for big world champs run DES MOINES, Iowa (Reuters) - The United States, loaded with talented hurdlers and top men’s sprinters, will head to September’s world athletics championships with another powerhouse team.

The Americans, with a number of impressive performances in their national championships, showed they could again top 30 medals in the global meeting.

None was bigger than Olympic champion Dalilah Muhammad’s stunning 400 metres hurdles world record.

“It’s a strong team,” BBC analyst and former

double record holder Michael Johnson told Reuters before Muhammad smashed Russian Yuliya Pechonkina’s 16-year-old record by more than a tenth of a second with her run of 52.20 seconds.

“The men’s side certainly looks much, much better (than the women). There are some really good women who are outside the U.S.,” said the former world 200 and 400 metres record holder who still has the American marks in both events.

The Americans will be sending eight men who currently have yearly leading performances, and could claim sprint titles in the 100,

200 and 400 metres, win the 110m hurdles and possibly the 400m hurdles and add gold medals in pole vault, triple jump, shot put and both relays.

TOP SPRINTERS Johnson was impressed with all three sprint leaders Christian Coleman (100m), Noah Lyles (200m) and Michael Norman (400m).

“Christian has shown himself to be a really consistent, a fantastic sprinter,” Johnson said of Coleman, the U.S. champion in the 100m and runner-up in the 200. “There doesn’t seem like to be any fluff there. He’s (Continued on page 25)

hear that two people had died and several athletes injured when a balcony inside a Gwangju nightclub collapsed at the weekend.

- ‘Days of Our Lives’ Australian officials subsequently announced relay star Shayna Jack had tested positive for a banned substance before the championships — an opportunity for schadenfreude for the Chinese — before Hungarian swimmer Tamas Kenderesi was arrested on charges of sexual harassment after an

Caeleb Dressel won six gold medals in South Korea, inviting comparisons to the great Michael Phelps. (AFP / Oli Scarff) alleged incident at a nightclub.

“The scriptwriters for ‘Days of Our Lives’ couldn’t have written a better script for this world championships,” said Australia’s Cate Campbell, who won two relay golds and took silver behind American Simone Manuel in the women’s 100m free. “It’s thrown a bit of everything at us.”

In the pool, nine world records tumbled in Korea, Hungarian teenager Kristof Milak pulverising Phelps’s 200m butterfly mark by a

whopping 0.78 seconds in arguably the pick of them.

But with Sun facing a September hearing before the Court of Arbitration for Sport, the spectre of doping was never far away.

Asked about athletes vilifying China’s sporting hero, Russia’s Yulia Efimova took a long pause.

“Of course it’s not good,” said the former doping offender. “It was really hard for me, just a girl against the world when everyone hates me. I hope it will not happen again.”

Inaugural Divine Entertainment Summer Super Cup

Botafago edge Rockers in sudden death, Eagles romp past Capital FC to set final clash After a grueling affair Botafago nudged out Net Rockers on sudden death kicks, but Eagles United wasted no time in dismissing Capital FC 3-0 behind a hattrick from Colwyn Drakes when the semifinals of the first ever Divine Entertainment Summer Super Cup football competition was played Sunday night at the Mackenzie Sports Club Ground.

The first game was a dingdong encounter and the tie breaker sudden death is ample proof of that match. It summed up what was displayed as the Rockers were able to take the initiative after a penalty came their way in the 15th minute after a dangerous foul on one of their players.

Deshawn Joseph was calm in sending the Rockers ahead 1-0 and Shane Luckie, who would get a double in this game, nailed his first from a squared ball in the 13th minute. Botafgao countered somewhat and were able to get their first goal off a drive from Duquan Hercules in the

Colwyn Drakes 24th minute.

Botafago would then get the equaliser through Trevon Archibald who scored from close range after a mistake by the Net Rockers goalkeeper in the 69th minute.

Later, Luckie ensured his team got the lead with a spot kick in the 85th minute before Botafago’s Jamal Haynes would level the scores through an 88th minute strike, as the game would end 3-3 when the regulation period ended.

An additional 15 minutes of play could not find a winner and then the mandatory five penalties failed to determine who would reach the final.

It therefore would go to sudden death kicks and first were the Botafago side which scored but the Rockers first shooter failed to find the back of the net and so Botafago took their place into the final.

The second game failed to be an even affair and Eagles United did not show any respect for their opponents in a dominant display led by an in form forward named Drakes.

He first sent is team u in the 28th minute and as Capital FC, who had played tough games over the past two days, could not muster enough energy to make a competitive game out of it.

Drakes would then run through the defenders to score in the 72nd and 80th minutes against a tired Capital FC side, as that game ended 3-0 for Eagles who now take on Botafago in the final on Saturday at the tournament venue.

Tuesday July 30, 2019

PAGE 31

Kaieteur News

Concacaf Boys’ U-15 Championship

GFF names 20-man squad, engaged in training matches The 20-man shortlisted National U15 Boys’ team, in its final leg of preparation for the upcoming Concacaf Boys’ U15 Championship at the IMG Academy, Bradenton, Florida, USA from August 4 – 11, is engaged in a series of training matches as the team seeks to represent the Golden Arrowhead with distinction.

The team played against the Pouderoyen FC U20 team on Saturday and is scheduled to play two more matches against Santos FC today and Buxton United FC tomorrow prior to departure on Saturday, August 3. Both matches are scheduled for 11:00hrs. A c c o r d i n g t o appointed Head Coach Bryan Joseph, there are three objectives to the matches, which are open for public viewing: “First, we’re trying to simulate the playing times and conditions we will be faced with in Florida to see how the boys cope with the high temperature and work out how we can best utilize the players without burnout.

Second, we want to play gainst teams in which the style or method of preparation is unknown and try to impose our style of play and dominate and third, we want to play against tougher, stronger opposition…and to place the players in situations where they have to be motivated and driven to work hard as a group to compete.”

Commenting on the team’s

performance in the first match, Joseph said that while “Pouderoyen did not come as strong as we had expected them to, we would have achieved probably 70% 80% of what we would have wanted the team to achieve.”

Meanwhile, a 20-man squad has been shortlisted and engaged from an initial 40-man roster. It includes two Goalkeepers, four Defenders, 10 Midfielders and four Forwards with one international-based player in the form of Midfielder Joshua Kesney from Trinidad and Tobago.

The Head Coach said the six-week preparation, which has been rewarding to date, focused on the playing philosophy and style of play to be engaged in the tournament and also sought to identify the best available talent from across Guyana.

He said the core group is made up of players who have participated in the 2018 CFU U14 Boys’ Challenge Trophy.

However, he noted, only 18 will travel.

Guyana has been placed in Group E with Nicaragua, Cayman Islands and The Bahamas and the match schedule is as follows: Monday, August 5 @ 09:00hrs – Nicaragua vs Guyana; Tuesday, August 7 @ 11:00hrs – The Bahamas vs Guyana and Thursday, August 8 @ 09:00hrs – Guyana vs Cayman Islands.

According to Concacaf, the tournament will be played in two rounds as follows: “For the first round group phase, the 42 participating teams have been divided into three divisions according to the Concacaf Men’s Under-17 Ranking as of 2019, ensuring sporting balance and a minimum number of four matches for each team.

Division One will be made up by the top 14 ranked Concacaf teams, as well as Slovenia and Portugal. The 16 teams have been divided into four groups of four teams each (Groups A-D).

After round robin play, the four group winners and the four second place finishers will advance to the quarterfinals to play for the Championship.

The third and fourth place finishers will play an additional match to determine their final position in the division.

Division Two will be made up by the next 15 best ranked Concacaf teams and Israel.

The 16 teams have been divided into four groups of four teams each (Groups E-H).

After round robin play, the four group winners will advance to the semifinals to play for the divisional championship. The second, third and fourth place finishers will play an additional match to determine their final position in the division.

Division Three will be

KRCA of T&T begins Guyana tour against Enmore today The K. Rampat Cricket Academy (KRCA) begins its cricket tour to this country today at 11:00am at the Enmore Cricket Ground in a 40-Over match against the Enmore under-14 team.

The renowned cricket academy will play five games all of which are 40 Overs engagements in a cross country endeavour.

Two games will be played in Parika and Zeeburg where Vibert Johnson and Dhanpaul will respectively manage the home teams.

One game will be played at Everest and another two at Lusignan and Enmore as mentioned above.

The team is managed by Surren Ramsingh of Canada, while Tour manager is former CWI Territorial Development Officer for Trinidad and Tobago Kumar Rampat.

Coach is Krishan Vasu Rampat who is

head coach of the KRCA and an Australian Level 3 coach. The Academy will also enlist the services of local Guyanese coach Ryan Hercules.

The objectives of this tour are two-fold.

Firstly the aim is to give the young players an opportunity to expand and develop their cricketing and social skills and secondly to gain a sense of geography of a neighboring country.

Both parents and children are excited and eager about this tour and are looking forward to bright sunny weather.

Attached is a team list: Keron Ramouter, Sean Maraj, Ubaidullah Abdoel, Bradley Jaggernauth, Adam Spencer Sant, Ethan Lalla, Nikhil Ramtahal, Darius Deonarine, Daniel Holder, Alon Roy, Aadian Racha, Krishan Vasu Rampat (Coach), Kumar Rampat (Manager).

made up by the lowest 10 ranked Concacaf teams. The teams have been divided into two groups of five teams each

(Groups I and J).

After round robin play, the group winners will advance to the divisional

final, while the remaining teams will play an additional match to determine their final position in the division.”

National U15 Boys’ Team Last Name First Club ATC Position 1 Bess Dwayne Marian Academy East Bank Goalkeeper 2 Hernandez Shavid Tabatinga FC Rupununi FA Goalkeeper 3 Flatts Zakeel Corriverton Lynx Berbice FA Defender 4 Mullin Kevin Santos FC Georgetown FA Defender 5 Brumell Tyquan Dartmouth FC Essequibo FA Defender 6 Dennis Tyrice BV Triumph Utd East Coast FA Defender 7 Garnett Samuel B.V Triumph Utd East Demerara Midfielder 8 Archer Oswin Crane Rovers FC West Demerara Midfielder 9 Medas Romel Eagles FC West Demerara Midfielder 10 Solomon Brandon Eastveldt FC Georgetown FA Midfielder 11 Lowe Daniel Georgetown FC Georgetown FA Midfielder 12 Padmore Devon Grove Hi-Tec East Bank Midfielder 13 Ramdeholl Rajan Milerock FC Upper Demerara Midfielder 14 Kesney Joshua Moruga FC Trinidad Midfielder 15 Vasconcellos Antwone Eastveldt FC Georgetown FA Midfielder 16 Sue Sealon GFC FC Georgetown FA Midfielder 17 James Shoran Herstelling Raiders East Bank Forward 18 Tudor Marcus Milerock FC Upper Demerara Forward 19 Henriques Colin Paradise FC East Demerara Forward 20 Winter Ofancy Rush Saints FC Rupununi FA Forward TECHNICALSTAFF: 1 Team Manager Sasha Gouveia 2 Head Coach Bryan Joseph 3 Assistant Coach Devnon Winter 4 Goalkeeping Coach Travis Bess 5 Physiotherapist Pablino Cupido 6 Physical Trainer Wilson Toledo

Rain curtails round one of rising stars West Indies Under-19 Championship Kingstown, St. Vincent - Significant rain prevented any significant play in round one of the Rising Stars, West Indies Under-19 Championship at venues around St. Vincent and The Grenadines.

The feature game at Arnos Vale Sports complex between defending Under-19 50-over champions Guyana and hosts Windward Islands was a no result, after only 10.1 overs were bowled after three rain intervals that halted the game throughout the day.

While both the matches at Cumberland (Jamaica versus Leeward Islands) and Park Hill ((Trinidad and Tobago versus Barbados) playing fields were abandoned without a ball bowled.

Guyana Under-19 Coach Julian Moore said:”Obviously we were frustrated at the stop start nature of the game, but we can take many

positives going into the upcoming matches.

We wanted to bowl first regardless of the weather, since we depend heavily on our pacers.

Even after the game was reduced to 27 overs, our game plan was not altered much.”

Windward Islands Under-19 Coach Clifford Thomas noted: ”The major positive for us was our captain and opener Kimani Melius, who was the leading run scorer in last year’s tournament.

He was basically looking like he was picking up from where he left off, during his short innings before he got out and that’s a good sign for us, in remainder of the competition.”

In today’s second round, the Windwards face Leewards at Cumberland, Guyana take on Barbados at Arnos Vale, while T&T clash with Jamaica at Park Hill.

Guyana in action against the Leewards before the weather intervened. (KB Pixels)

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Tuesday July 30, 2019

Kaieteur News

Pan Am games 2019

Keevin Allicock robbed of medal!

Keevin Allicock (left) and Coach Terrence Poole M.S. are optimistic going forwarded after clearly being victims of biased judges at the Boxing segment of the 2019 Pan American games being held in Peru.

By Calvin Chapman in Peru Guyana’s Golden boy Keevin Allicock was robbed of a definite medal at the 18th Pan American games that is being hosted in Lima, Peru.

Allicock, entered the ring at 18:45hrs against a familiar foe in Uruguayan Lucas Fernandes, who he had a victory against in 2018.

With all of Guyana and members of the Guyana contingent at the Games behind him, Allicock was aggressive and oozed confidence from the first bell and had the Uruguayan running from the get go.

When it was announced that Keevin lost the threeround fight and Fernandes’ arm was raised by the referee, the entire stadium groaned in unison.

The judges ruled in favour of the Spanish speaking boxer 3-2.

An optimistic looking but disappointed Allicock shared with this publication after the fight that, “I feel bad but you can’t change it because the judges’ decision is final.

Every round he (Fernandes) was getting hurt because I was pressuring him. I really wanted to bring back the gold

Priyanna Ramdhani had a tough match against Costa Rican Villalobos who she lost to 2-0. medal for my country (Guyana) but I can’t let this keep me down, I have to keep moving forward.”

“My plan was to keep pressuring him and that is what I did and I thought it worked but the judges didn’t.

Even the crowd thought I won, I just got to put my best foot forward and keep at it”, Allicock further posited.

When quizzed on what he believed Keevin did wrong, Allicock’s Coach, Terrence Poole M.S. didn’t hold back his tongue noting that, “The

Narayan Ramdhani (black) lost a tough 2-0 game to Samuel Rickets of Jamaica in the Badminton men’s singles yesterday in Videna, Peru.

judges went against Keevin because they had wanted to.

They were probably in a different arena watching a different fight because Keevin clearly won the fight, from round one to three. He was holding onto Keevin throughout the fight because he couldn’t keep up with the pressure.”

Unfortunately, the result cannot be appealed since appeals will be in effect after world championship later this year in Russia and Coach Poole shed light on the

current corruption scandal of the International Boxing Association (AIBA) which has prompted the International Olympic Committee to look at taking over Amateur Boxing: “The judges and most of the officials here (Lima Games), this will be the last outing that they will be having fun because I am sure the IOC (International Olympic Committee) will disband them (AIBA) after the World Championships due the massive corruption within

which was proven here today (Keevin’s loss).”

Earlier in the day before Allicock baffling loss, Guyana’s women’s squash team registered their first win in the tournament after sweeping local ladies Peru 30.

Meanwhile, Badminton duo Narayan and Priyana Ramdhani lost two hard fought games as they both each went down 2-0 in the women’s and men’s singles respectively. They also lost the mixed doubles to Cuba.

Allicock and Fernandes exchange blows during the fight which many felt the Guyanese clearly won.

Kaieteur News

Tuesday July 30, 2019

PAGE 33

15th annual Reagan Rodrigues Memorial cycle race set for Sunday

Flashback! The family of Reagan Rodrigues, founder of Ricks and Sari, officials and winners of the 14th annual Reagan Rodrigues Memorial Road Race yesterday.

F

or the 15th consecutive year, the family of Reagan Rodrigues, founder of Ricks and Sari, will host a 46-mile road race on the West Bank of Demerara this Sunday in honour of the late racer.

The event, organized by Hassan

Mohammed, will begin at 08.30 hours with riders taking to the starting line at Schoonard where they will then make their way to Bushy Park and back to the starting line in pursuit of the checkered flag.

According to Mohammed, up for grabs will be eight prime prizes

along the route, while the top six seniors will all receive prizes along with the top three riders in the Mountain Bike, Juniors, Veterans and female divisions.

The defending champion is Coco’s wheelsman, Jamaul John who retained his title in one hour,

41 minutes and 38 seconds, shaving off 15 minutes from his time in 2017.

The juniors division was won

by Adealie Hodge, while Paul Choo-wee-nam secured the veterans title and Julio Melville claimed the Mountain Bike

accolade.

Rodrigues was born on February 21, 1948 and passed away on August 4, 2004. During his lifetime he served as the President of Carlton Wheelers Cycling Club and was also a champion race car driver.

iBet Supreme onboard Guyana Cup 2019

A

iBetSupreme’s Business Development Manager and Marketing Coordinator Dustanni Barrow hands over the sponsorship cheque to Jumbo Jet’s Gaitree Tulsidas.

l r e a d y anticipated to be the biggest Guyana Cup in history, the 2019 edition of the popular horserace meet, which is set for August 18 at the Rising Sun Turf Club, has gained the sponsorship of betting company iBet supreme.

In a statement to the media, the entity revealed; “iBET is proud to sponsor this event since horseracing is an important past time in Guyana and at iBet, we’re looking for all avenues to further build the sport of horseracing in Guyana.

(The parent company of iBet Supreme which is Supreme Ventures, also owns the Caymanas Park Track in Jamaica and is responsible for the resurgence of horse racing in Jamaica)”.

It further read; “iBET Supreme will also have our other products on display so that turfites can also enjoy them as well. As part of our promotion for this event, punters who bet on racing in the United Kingdom at our Stabroek location will win tickets when they bet over a

certain amount.”

Meanwhile, Chairman of the Jumbo Jet Thoroughbred Racing Committee, organisers of the event, Nazrudeen Mohamed Jnr. noted that he is looking forward to building a bigger and better partnership with iBet Supreme.

The iBet Supreme stake race will see the horses and their jockeys vying for supremacy over 1400m.

In terms of the Guyana Cup itself, Mohamed pointed out that he expects this year to be bigger and better than any of the previous editions with a concert to be staged after the day of racing. Thus far 8 international artistes have been confirmed along with a number of local acts.

The feature race (C Class and Lower One Mile) will see the winner pocketing $2million, while the three-year-old Guyana bred race will see the winner running away with $1million.

The prize money for the races are as follows: – C Class and lower

feature race over a distance of one mile for – $2million, – Three-year-old Guyana Bred – $1million – G3 and lower – $400,000 – L3 and lower (open to non-winners from Trinidad & Tobago) – $350,000 – Two-year-old Guyana bred over – $300,000.

– J3 and lower over seven furlongs – $300,000.

– L Class for Colts – $250,000 – L Class Philly and Mare – $250,000 Some of the top horses that will clash on race day will include Just Call Me Bass, Crown the King (Jamaica), Doublin Fashion (USA), Chameli (Jamaica), Safara (Jamaica), Southern Express (T&T), Silver & Things (T&T), Sitarr (T&T), Kentucky Woman (T&T), Super Easy (T&T) and She’s a Princess.

t r o Sp Allicock backs up Fernandes during their bout last night.

Allicock plants a right hook on Fernandes (left) of Uruguay.

Pan Am games 2019

Team Guyana (right) made light work of local side Peru during their second match of the women’s team squash yesterday.

Keevin Allicock robbed of medal!

Concacaf Boys’ U-15 Championship

GFF names 20-man squad, engaged in training matches

National U-15 Boys’ Team for the Concacaf U-15 Boys’ Championship take time out for a photo.

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