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Friday Edition June 03, 2022 - Vol. 24 No. 25 Online: www.kaieteurnews.com Online Price $100 readership yesterday, 63,630

Production under new Liza 1 permit illegal without full coverage insurance - Fmr. EPA Head Govt. backs away from holding CoI into 2020 elections - Jagdeo claims “riggers’ will not participate

T&T pursuing solar power generation while Guyana chases hydro Bandits grab cash, beat woman during Belle West robbery - police trace getaway car to house in La Parfaite Harmonie

US$50 fine per ton of pollutant an insult to Guyanese - Former EPA boss says it’s cheaper for Exxon to flare gas than to re-inject

Kaieteur News

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Equipment issues increased flaring by the offshore operators

Friday June 03, 2022

US$50 fine per ton of pollutant an insult to Guyanese - Former EPA boss says it’s cheaper for Exxon to flare gas than to re-inject

By Zena Henry

D

espite Guyana increasing its charge for unauthorised flaring onboard the Liza 1 Floating Production Storage and Offloading (FPSO) unit to US$50 in the recently renewed environmental permit, it seems that the paltry penalty is serving as

an incentive more than a deterrent to oil giant, ExxonMobil. What should have been a positive move for the country to prevent unwanted flaring by Esso Exploration and Production Guyana Ltd (EEPGL), is earning the oil company more money as it is cheaper for them to flare than to reinject the gas into the offshore field.

During the Kaieteur Radio Glen Lall Show Wednesday last, former head of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Dr. Vincent Adams informed that Guyana is losing heavily on the financial and environmental sides, while EEPGL, ExxonMobil’s subsidiary, secures massive income from continued flaring. Dr. Adams revealed that while Guyana would be receiving a meagre US$12,000 from its US$50 flare charge, EEPGL would be making about US$500,000 per year from the sale of oil produced through illegal flaring.

Adams simplified that based on the information available, some four million cubic feet of gas is being flared per day onboard the Liza Destiny FPSO. For every barrel of oil that is brought to the surface, he said it brings up 1000 cubic feet of gas. So if the idea is to cut out the four million cubic feet of gas that is flared for that day, then all that is needed is to cut production by 4000 barrel per day. This he said would require the company to bring its production down from 120,000 barrels per day to 116,000B/D. As such, zero flaring could be achieved.

But this is not an avenue the oil company would want to take since it would decrease the income as a result of the cut back, the former EPA head opined.

ExxonMobil does not expect to completely address the issues it faces with its flaring equipment until midyear 2022. Since last year, the company has been facing issues with its equipment. In January last, EEPGL’s Communications Manager, Janelle Persaud had disclosed that the installation of the new gas compressor for the Liza Destiny FPSO could not be implemented that month as the company sought the installation of upgraded equipment “by mid-year (2022).” She had

stated that the third-stage flash gas compressor (FGC) currently on the Liza Destiny FPSO continued to operate steadily in the interim. She had noted then that flare levels were being maintained below 15 million standard cubic feet of gas per day when the Flash Gas Compression system is offline and below 7 million standard cubic feet of gas when the FGC is online.

Adams noted however that flaring could be stopped completely if the company only decided to reduce the amounts of barrels of oil that contribute to the gas to be flared. But again, Adams explained, this would not be in the interest of the company since Exxon would be paying Guyana US$12,000 for the four million cubic feet of gas it flared for the 4000 barrels of oil produced, but at the current market value, profiting some half a million dollars for the sale of the said 4000 barrels of oil. In other words, “They (ExxonMobil) are paying US$12,000 to get half a million dollars”.

In the initial Liza 1 permit, Guyana had no provisions for massive flaring. The Liza 2 Environmental permit then introduced a US$45 charge per tonne of carbon dioxide emitted onboard the Liza Unity FPSO. The recently approved Liza 1 permit includes the flare charge and upped the existing cost by a mere US$5 or G$1000. The former environmental agency head described this act as, “an insult to the Guyanese intelligence,” especially since he claimed that measures he implemented to create a highly skilled team to provide 24/7 monitoring against flaring onboard the FPSO was removed by the current administration. He said too that since the idea was to stop flaring all together as per the rules in the Liza 2 permit, his position during his time at the EPA was that the gas should be injected back into the reservoir.

Additionally, Adams noted, the four million cubic feet of gas being flared is being described as only two or three percent, “and they keep talking about the two percent because it is a small number. Two percent sounds small. But its four million (Continued on page 16)

Kaieteur News

Friday June 03, 2022

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Production under new Liza 1 permit illegal without full coverage insurance - Fmr. EPA Head F

ormer Head of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Dr. Vincent Adams, is of the view that the current production from the Liza I and II Floating Production Storage and Offloading Vessels—Liza Destiny and Unity is illegal.

This is since the operator of the Stabroek Block , within which the two oil fields are located—Esso Exploration and Production Guyana Limited (EEPGL), often times referred to as ExxonMobil Guyana, is yet to secure, unlimited insurance coverage from its parent company, above the US$2.5B that EEPGL had secured and committed.

The permit for the Liza 11 operations was signed a month after Dr. Adams was removed as head of that agency and replaced with the incumbent, Khemraj Parsram. Dr. Adams made the point while appearing as a guest on the ‘Glenn Lall Show’ last Wednesday and lamented the fact that despite the fact that written in the Environmental Permit was that EEPGL shall secure unlimited insurance coverage guaranteed by the p a r e n t company—ExxonMobil Corp—this was not done and government has still allowed the operations to proceed.

In fact, reported in another section of the media yesterday, government has

Former EPA Head, Dr. Vincent Adams already uplifted its first entitlement of one million barrels from the Liza II operations and is slated to collect a second within two weeks. According to Dr. Adams, “we have unlimited liability in the language but you guys not enforcing it,” referencing the clauses already in the permit.

He posited that with the recent resuscitation of talk about an assurance of up to US$2B in insurance, that the oil player was looking to have Guyanese cozy up to that idea after which that language that he had inserted into the permit during his stint there, would be removed.

Dr. Adams was adamant, “they should not have start up Liza II without them showing that they have it

(unlimited insurance and parent company Guarantee, they should not have renewed Liza I until they have it.”

To this end, Dr. Adams suggested that the Liza II operations be challenged in the court since the company failed to meet the requirements in the permit, compounded by the fact that the EPA has failed to enforce the provisions, it would be a slam dunk case.

I n t e r n a t i o n a l L a w y e r, Melinda Janki who has been at the forefront of successful court action against ExxonMobil and the EPA also suggested that in her view, the renewal of the Liza I permit which expired on May 31 (Tuesday) last, in her view is illegal.

She too was at the time a

International Lawyer Melinda Janki guest of the ‘Glenn Lall Show’ and was asked to weigh in on the renewal of the Liza I Permit despite the publicly voiced opposition to such a move by activities, celebrities and technical and financial experts, domestically, regionally and Internationally.

According to Janki, “the EPA has stuck us with an environmental permit that is harmful to Guyana; (and) in my view that renewal is illegal.”

Lamenting the state of affairs, she used the occasion to also recall that back in December 2018 when Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo was then opposition leader, he had said ExxonMobil “is a very smart, big company and it looks out for its shareholders, he said that

T&T pursuing solar power generation while Guyana chases Hydro Trinidad and Tobago’s Minister of Energy and Energy Industries, Stuart Young said on Wednesday that solar projects and even waste-to-power are some of the new initiatives the twin island plans to incorporate into its energy mix, as the State moves towards cleaner sources of energy.

“Trinidad and Tobago has to find the right balance.

We will do our part towards reduction of carbon, methane and harmful emission reduction. But we will do so whilst ensuring the sustainability of our energy sector. I want to put on the record that being a hydrocarbon province should not be seen as a negative. We have been blessed with oil and gas

resources and our challenge is how to ensure its sustainability whilst doing our part towards cleaner energy,” Young explained during the country’s Energy Conference which concluded on Thursday.

Further, to meet climate change objectives, the Minister said that a 112.2MW solar project should undergo construction soon. The project titled ‘Lara’ will not however be the end point for Trinidad and Tobago, as while that development is being carried out, the country intends to invite more Request for Proposals of such energy ventures. “More solar allows us to do our part towards global Green House Gas reduction and allows us

to monetise our valuable natural gas resources,” the Minister explained while adding that T&T will also be exploring the viability of future power generation by combining waste to energy technology and other renewables which would deliver environmental benefits.

In his bid to encourage renewables, he told oil and gas companies represented at the forum that the World Economic Forum has suggested that renewables need to increase from 14 percent of primary energy in 2018 to 75 percent of primary energy by 2050. In this regard, he explained that according to estimates by reputable energy publications, the share of

Trinidad and Tobago’s Minister of Energy and Energy Industries, Stuart Young renewables in the primary energy mix will at the most account for 27 percent of the global primary energy mix in 2050. As he continued to update the stakeholders on the current energy climate, Young cited a report by the (Continued on page 14)

company walked in with maximum demands and our incompetent government trudged in there unprepared and stuck us with a contract that would harm us for decades into the future; Mr. Jagdeo said they sold our patrimony that is what he said in 2018.”

In 2022, however, Janki noted the stark departure from those utterances since government did not adhere to any of the advice proffered and still went ahead and renewed the permit despite the repeated failure on the part of EEPGL to meet the full requirements and that of the EPA in enforcing the relevant provisions of the permit.

According to Dr. Adams, government should have used the renewal of Liza I permit to correct the shortcomings in the Liza II permit especially as it relates to putting in place the unlimited insurance coverage guaranteed by the parent company. “They could have used Liza I and say I am not going to renew until you get the guarantee,” D r. A d a m s s a i d a n d reminded that back in 2020 just prior to his departure, the E PA a n d t h e t h r e e companies’ w3re nearing an agreement on insurance and how the operators would share that obligation.

He said, at the time he was not going to sign the Payara or Yellowtail permits until the insurance was put in place but after his removal from the EPA, these have since been approved.

The EPA on May 31, hours before the expiry of the permit, the EPA announced by way of a public missive that the Environmental Permission to continue production of oil from the

Incumbent EPA Head, Khemraj Parsram Liza I oil Block had been renewed for a period of five years.

In making the announcement, the EPA said, “among the notable conditions, the Permit ensures that EEPGL is held liable for all costs associated with clean up, restoration and compensation for any pollution damage which may occur as a consequence of the project.”

According to the E PA , ” E E P G L i s a l s o required to have Financial Assurance which includes a combination of Insurance which must “cover well control, and/or clean up and third-party liability on terms that are market standard for the type of coverage”, and a Parent Company/Affiliate Guarantee Agreement, which indemnifies and keeps indemnified the EPA and the Government of Guyana in the event EEPGL and its CoVenturers fail to meet their environmental obligations under the Permit.”

The EPA said that the financial assurance provided must be guided by an estimate of the sum of the reasonably credible costs, expenses, and liabilities that may arise from any breaches of this permit” and that “Liabilities are considered to include costs associated with responding to an incident, clean-up and remediation and monitoring.”

Despite pronouncements otherwise, according to the EPA, the renewal of the Liza I permit, is in keeping with the Environmental Protection Act Cap 20:05, and comes following the EPA’s careful consideration of EEPGL’s compliance with the first iteration of the Environmental Permit for the Liza Phase 1 Project.

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Friday June 03, 2022

Kaieteur News

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

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

EDITORIAL

Keith Rowley setting the stage for Guyanese leaders Trinidad and Tobago is determined to get as much as it can from whatever it has got left in its oil and gas sector.

The man leading the way is Keith Rowley (“Trini PM vows to conduct comprehensive review of oil and gas tax regime -wants petroleum profits tax, a supplemental petroleum tax, better royalty for all onshore, shallow water, deepwater projects” KN June 1). Now that is a leader who means business and has signaled all comers to his country that this is what to expect, for this is the way that it is going to be. Take it or leave it, come to Trinidad on our terms, or not at all.

This is the kind of talk, the type of action, we are hoping to hear from our own Guyanese leaders, and then see them commit to the related follow-up action to get the level of returns due to us from the inception of our oil and gas discoveries. The problem is that not one of our leaders in Guyana is manifesting the slightest inclination to go in the direction which the Trini PM is pursuing with vigor and determination.

Our political leaders in Guyana are more excited and energized to continue the squabbling and squalling with one another, while the foreign oil companies run amok in our oilfields and cart away our wealth. They prefer to fight each other over ancient feuds without letup, and waste their energies that would be much better utilized fighting the foreigners to get more for us.

In the meantime, PM Rowley laid out the specifics of his vision this week in his feature address, as to what the future of the oil and gas sector in his twin island republic should be. It is as our headline says and the details of which are in our accompanying strapline. Dr. Rowley is talking about exploration everywhere, and about increased tax regimes under varying scenarios, but which all have one common denominator for citizens of Trinidad and Tobago: more money, which means more benefits for the now strapped twin-island country.

To emphasise where Dr. Rowley is going, we share this extract from his speech: “Unrealized potential is of no value to anyone, not to the resource owners that are the people of Trinidad and Tobago, or to interested investors if that resource remains out of reach, undeveloped or unexploited.”

That was very well said, and we hope that our own leaders are listening, and would be motivated by a kindred CARICOM leaders spirit to take a page out of his book, or kiss goodbye to potential. Only positives could come from such attitudes and visions.

Here, leaders have done things that are detrimental to the interests of Guyanese, and they have done so repeatedly and without any speck of self-respect. As evidence of this posture of ours, we put the Liza-1 Permit renewal before the Guyanese public. It speaks for itself as to how national leaders have misled us by not seizing precious, rare opportunities to level the playing field to some extent in Guyanas favor. When they havent dragged their feet, they have outright deceived the people of this country with one promise after another going unfulfilled.

The leaders in the previous Coalition Administration left us in shambles with what has to be one of the shabbiest oil deals in history, while the leaders in todays PPP/C Government made fiery speeches about Guyana getting the “wrong end of the stick” and of the vital importance of revisiting and “renegotiating” the lopsided oil contract.

They have talked up a streak, which is easy to do because talk is cheap, and something every cheap leader is very good at doing. The devastating result for Guyanese is that leaders in the PPPC Government did the talk, but now they are too feeble and frightened to walk the talk. This is where the foreign oil companies, as led by ExxonMobil, have them.

Even when PPPC Government leaders have a hand that gives them a chance at winning something for Guyana, they throw in their cards in quick, shaky surrender. In Trinidad, Rowley readies to wage war. In Guyana, PPPC Government leaders give up the ghost, run for cover.

Healing and reconciliation shepherds must not be passive DEAR EDITOR, The call coming out from quarters of the Roman Catholic Church of Guyana is for national healing and reconciling. Whether official or otherwise, I support fully.

It would inspire to see other denominations, both within and without Christianity, take a stand for national healing and reconciling. Though it would inspire me, it is also my reading that all entities within the religious sphere are content to tender lip service towards national healing and reconciling, not rank it among their foremost priorities.

In the absence of a credible, substantive middle class, the onus falls on that phantom Guyanese creature called civil society. Since both largely lack the necessary spirit, the posture of principled patriots, I contend that the leadership burdenobligation-duty falls on houses of worship. Leaders in houses of worship (beyond churches) once led the way and found their way for a better way for Guyanese; but that was yesterday, no longer applicable today: too much partisanship, cleverly camouflaged, sometimes open. In sum, the dubious middle-class has no conscience, and compromised civil society struggles for independence, while the religious realm struggles for nonpartisan separation. This is the showstopper because it is what coalesces in public worship spaces; poor

multitudes thicken the toxic stew. Hence, this recipe for the unhealing and unreconciled tragedy that is Guyana. Bluntly, the one common denominator in Guyanese is hatred. Half the country hates the PPP, the other half the PNC. No intellectual capacity should be required to understand its meaning for national healing and reconciling. This is what thrives in our spiritual houses leaving them internally torn, especially the plural, rainbow, constituted ones.

In a long phrase: all the passions and bigotries that grievously wound Guyana are bowed before our altars.

They are few atheists and agnostics. I assert that with such a differentiated presence in our religious bodies-pews and people in power-then there is the languidness towards any unified and viable advocacy of the very teachings that are backbones, essences, and imperatives of most, if not all, denominations. To say more impolitically: there is too much PPP and PNC in our houses of worship, and too little Jesus, Krishna, and Mohamed. It is why our leaders in so-called spiritual sanctuaries are so abundant in blandishments. The passive serves their interests well, be those commercial visions supported, environmental protections abandoned, and social equity left untouched and unvoiced.

After all, the heavyweights in the congregations are for the

first, and could care less about the latter two.

Moreover, my perspective is that the fabled separation of church and state is mostly imaginary, since there are little visible and audible differences over the plight of the poor, or brotherhood and fellowship, which the paramount prophets spoke subliminally of during their earthly journeys. Religious leaders have taken easy roads and collaborative attitudes: no boat rocking, no cage rattling. Dont upset vindictive political leaders.

This does not energise healing and reconciling; lends absolutely nothing to social cohesion, manifests zero adherence to the maxims and sacred commandments.

Healing will not result from sweet Sunday speeches in sanctuaries, no matter how good, especially when nonpartisan.

There must be more from the top tiers, middle levels, and all around, and not so much constraining by overlapping and coalescing vested interests. Some are financial, most political, all personal, which prevent reconciling.

It would encourage, therefore, to observe spiritual leaders showing physical solidarity with minimum wage workers, public servants, corruption, forgotten Guyanese. That is, unless those are viewed as the inconvenience of collateral damage in the thrusts of the grand selfenhancing schemes of craven

politicians. Or our men of cloth and scripture dont possess the courage and character that were the endowments of immortal, sacred, and peerless leaders.

My view is that too many spiritual leaders and worshippers have concluded it more constructive to attach themselves to the political gravy train, which favours those who make no waves. In other words, they are silent and subtly supportive.

Considering all this it is incontestable that spiritual leaders have surveyed the environment, and go along to get along. Calling for national healing and reconciling is beautiful, wonderful, and a prayerful mouthful. But without the energetic practical underpinnings (tireless footwork), it is lip service and nothing else.

Thankless work is required, courageous stances demanded, and a pure spiritual ethos priceless. Our men of worship cannot be for both the things of God and the things of man simultaneously.

It fails. Postures and pontifications are shallow, quickly expose. In practice, national healing and reconciling cannot be Christmas tokens, meaning, once a year, or occasional charitable exercises, which bring feel good moments.

Must be a continuous, authentic effort, calling, vision, passion.

Sincerely, GHK Lall

The true nature of the government in hard times DEAR EDITOR, One is not surprised that our government has yet again stepped in when it was necessary to do so. So, it is most welcoming to learn that it has announced that “… close to $2B in relief for mining community…” has been earmarked. As we all know, during times of crisis, governments around the world must act quickly and decisively, even in the face of limited information and resources. All of us are realising the implications of rising food prices, and many governments have already instituted food subsidies, imposed price controls, restricted exports, and cut import duties.

Some governments, like ours, have increased cash transfers to the hungry, and in some cases, there was limited use of feeding and nutrition programmes. This $2B relief package is yet another example of a caring and cognisant government, and it

is just one of a series of government interventions, all aimed at providing necessary relief, in response to the rise in cost of living and cost of production. Also, it is testimony to, and in fulfillment of the PPP/Cs manifesto promise. All adding up to show that the leadership of the country is in good hands.

In terms of this input, it means a couple of important things. These are $2.4B to be spent on upgrading roads in mining areas, a reduction of final tax from 3.5 percent to 2.5 percent, and the removal of Value Added Tax (VAT) on Lubricating Oils. What must be grasped is that “In addition to the benefits to the mining industry, this will have an impact on almost all of the productive sectors of the country.” The Vice President, Dr. Bharrat Jagdeo, who made the disclosure, pointed out that with the “Removal of the 10 percent Tributors Tax, included in the relief measure,

there will be benefits for thousands of workers in the industry, and this will result in about $300 million being returned to them.” One must remember, that in reading the times, the world is going to be in for quite a spell, “Government (in pre-emptive mood), had announced that $5 billion was allocated in Budget 2022 to cushion the effects of the rising cost of living, which is (now) due in part to constant rise in oil prices on the world market and which affects every aspect of life.” I repeat that this is one of the features of a good government and good governance. One can easily remember that, “Since taking office, government has introduced several measures to put more disposable income in the pockets of Guyanese. From the onset, Value Added Tax (VAT) was removed from water and electricity, and there has also been the constant increase in old-age pension and public

assistance, with that alone in 2022, some $2.3 billion and $432 million were placed into the pockets of Guyanese.

One can go on and enumerate many cases of these timely and prudent interventions from the government, and they will all bear the truth, that is, that our land, even amidst trying times, is being well looked after. So, Ill close with what took place in September 2021. As can be remembered, that was when over 5,000 farmers from Region Five received assistance to return to the land, thanks to the largesse of the government. The contribution then was $7.8 billion in a huge flood relief package to farmers who were seriously affected during the recent flooding. One can be assured, that with this kind of acumen and concern, all Guyana will be able to emerge on top when things return to at least a semblance of normalcy.

Yours truly, H. Singh

Friday June 03, 2022

Freddie and Rights Activists should move on DEAR EDITOR, I write in response to Freddie (Jun 2) in which he accuses me and others of viewing Rupert Roopnarine and more favourably in terms of Indianness. He also accuses me and others of penning that he had exhibited self hatred as an Indian and of repeatedly libeling him in our writings. To the best of my recollection, I never questioned Freddie Kissoons Indianness and nothing I penned on or about him would pass the smell test of libel. Analogously, Freddie penned statements or remarks about me which were/are not factual and which are libelous like me being a real estate investor, not being an educator, among others not substantiated by any evidence.

The comments made by Indian rights activists were in response to Freddies direct challenge to them or personal abuses levelled at them. In retrospect, they may have regret as I have.

I have taught for over 40 years and never invested in real estate. So Freddie was wrong about me. I completed three accredited PhDs and left a fourth incomplete. I travelled the globe studying and writing about the Indian and Caribbean diasporas. I have spent all of my life in and outside of Guyana championing Guyanese causes including the long struggle against the PNC dictatorship and the five months attempt to rig the 2020 election. I dont think anyone outside of Guyana territory has spent more time fighting for, promoting, or championing Guyana or Guyanese causes. I have breathed and thought of Guyana for 24 hours a day ever since I left in 1977 for my tertiary studies in a white man country. I dont have business dealings with Guyana. I never made money off Guyana or Guyanese. All of my activities pertaining to Guyana were/are altruistic and Colin. I dont think anyone had/has gone back to Guyana as many times as I did spending so much time and personal financial resources to combat electoral frauds thru 1992 and again in 2020. And from 1992 till now, I would have travelled to

Guyana a hundred trips from NYC on my own expense to perform voluntary service to benefit the nation. My education schooled me to perform altruistic service. Libeling people is not part of my training or character. I was not schooled to attack people personally. But I did respond on occasion when I was attacked not only by Freddie but a few others as well. And Freddie did blast me countless times, more than the number of times he claimed I attacked him. They are all on the web nasty, untruthful.

Like him, I never threatened libel or sought apologies for libelous claims. I am very liberal on free speech and subscribe to the philosophy of a free press. Bad speech is better than no speech. In spite of Freddies attacks on me, I consistently came in his defense when he was physically attacked, when the trench at the side of his house was not cleaned, when KN penalised him, when he was attacked or criticised by Lincoln Lewis, David Hinds, Eusi Kwayana, Tacuma Ogunseye and others, and on so many other occasions. I do not wish to repeat or recall those negative experiences or writings. I did write on several occasions that he was and remains the most read columnist. And I did say I admired his courage for assailing governments of both sides.

I may have written things about Freddie that were severely critical and that came across as offensive. But they would have been measured response (tit for tat, one may say) to the non facts he penned about me. I am not proud of some things I penned.

As an educated person, I should have used better language. I do regret that he felt offended. At any rate, that was the past and attributed to youthful inexperience. We must move on.

Freddie noted that I explained Indianness but not Indian self hatred. He did not ask for the latter definition. At any rate, I do not recollect describing him as such. Self hatred had nothing to do with the politics or party identification; it was the constant

derogating of Indian Guyanese and Indian culture that offended Indian rights activists.

On how I and other Indians view Rupert Roopnarine, I had limited exchange and interaction with him during the student protests on the Corentyne that I co-led and during the 1980s thru 1992.

Rupert, Rodney, Father Rodrigues, Kwayana, etc., supported our protests against injustice at the Corentyne High School. Ravi Dev and I would meet Rupert regularly at Rodney House discussing political strategies against the PNC dictatorship.

I met him alone a few times and our conversations were about the dictatorship. I have not seen any commentaries on how Indians view Rupert.

They are very disappointed.

Regrettably, I did not engage Freddie during the anti dictatorial struggle and I do not recollect interacting with him at Rodney House thru 1992 although I visited there during breaks from school in New York. Contrary to what he may feel, Freddie is very high in the esteem of the Indian community.

Indians have lost respect for Rupert. Freddies several assessments of Rupert during the coalitions tenure and after are spot on. Those of us who engaged Rupert during the anti dictatorial struggle became extremely disappointed in his teaming up with the killers of Rodney and those who rained blows on during the anti dictatorial struggle.

Everyone who knew/ knows Rupert was/is also disappointed with his performance in government. We all felt let down that he did not speak out against the closure of the sugar estates, racism, the rigging attempt of 2020, and so many other matters of governance. The same was also said about Moses Nagamootoo and Khemraj Ramjattan. Freddie is certainly “more Indian than Rupert”.

Freddie should not harp back to unpleasant remembrances of his exchanges with Indian rights activists. We all must move on.

Yours truly, Dr. Vishnu Bisram

The workers are minimised while the rich While the Guyanese busi- ploitation against their workgets richer ness sector cries afoul, I must ers. Editor, it is the workers of DEAR EDITOR, I observed in the media complaints by Private Sector Commission (PSC) over what appears to be a snub by the CPSO. As I read the PSC’s missive, I was reminded of what happens to the ants when the elephants fight.

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Kaieteur News

admit Editor, I cannot, have any sympathy. Its not that I am not patriotic but both organisations are peas from the same pod. Whatever their stripe, members of those organisations, though presenting a noble front, have continually perpetuated ex-

those who make up the private sector that gives them the profits they and their shareholders enjoy. Despite that contribution, their workers are often them treated with little respect and regard.

Right here in Guyana, (Continued on page 6)

You can run but you can’t hide DEAR EDITOR, On May 12th, the British Guardian ran a story, We cant eat a new road, in which fishermen talked about their livelihoods drying up, and linked it to the oil and gas sector in Guyana that is operating and expanding with official blessing and full immunity and impunity. This connection between oil and the decline in fish stocks was repeated by fisherfolk across seven communities from Regions 3, 4, 5, 7 and 8, where grassroots Red Thread women work and live.

The governments response to this increasingly public concern has been to announce, with much fanfare, that fisherfolk will receive a one-off cash grant of $150,000, or just over two times a monthly public sector salary. Line up with your bowls for a handout, while

Guyanese resources, our resources, are being depleted, extracted, destroyed, taken away, and the rich are getting richer. When the one off grant has been used up, what then?

That doesnt bring the fish back. The government quoted an FAO study to argue that the declining fish stocks were not as a result of oil, but while we await the reports publication, the FAO itself later described this as a rapid study based on available data between 20202021. In other words, no such definitive conclusion on a matter of such magnitude can be drawn from such a limited investigation.

A one-off cash grant to buy fisherfolk silence. Are we to be grateful? Meanwhile, the government continues to give the oil industry a free pass. Who are they really accountable to? Whose

Guyanese let us all stand up for what is right DEAR EDITOR, The question on everyone s mind (both locally and in countries globally) today is, why is our VP Bharrat Jagdeo so bent on letting ExxonMobil get their way on a contract everyone knows is shamefully lopsided but regarded by Mr. Jagdeo as sacrosanct. Our Vice President is fully aware what ExxonMobil, (the Goliath of Oil Exploration) has shamelessly done to other countries, especially in Africa, and continues to do to struggling “Davidian” countries like Guyana. The Bible says “the love of money is the root of all evil” and greedy men easily fall prey to such evil deeds.

My fellow Guyanese, let us all stand up for what is

right, not only for ourselves, but for our children and grandchildren. Let us pray for deliverance from our enemies, that God will be on the side of this nation and pour out his blessings on those who stand with us but damn all those who seek to hurt us financially or otherwise.

Sincerely, Gloria Holder

Corruption benefits the rich and powerful at the expense of the poor.

Say no to it.

interests are they really protecting? Peter Toshs “Downpressor Man” is a fitting anthem to what is going on, to the growing gap between our political leaders and the people, between the rich and the poor (one line says you drink your big champagne and laugh), in this era of climate change. The second and third verses in particular are what the fisherfolk have been telling us.

“Downpresser man where you gonna run to?

Downpresser man - where you gonna run to?

Downpresser man - where you gonna run to?

All along that day.

You gonna run to the sea But the sea will be boiling When you run to the sea The sea will be boiling You gonna run to the rocks The rocks will be melting When you run to the rocks The rocks will be melting” When will we listen and finally wake up? Its not a matter of if, but when. As the song instructs: You can run but you can’t hide.

Sincerely, Alissa Trotz

PAGE 6

Owner of car that ‘knocked down’ missing man out on bail - police asked to conduct further investigations A bizarre story of a suspected fatal accident with the victim’s body missing took the nation by storm and is turning out to be a mystery as investigators on the East Coast of Demerara were forced to release the suspect on bail. In a release sent out on Thursday by the Force’s Corporate Communications Unit (CCU), it was stated that after seeking advice on the matter, the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP), Shalimar Ali-Hack instructed that further investigations be done.

According to police, it was reported that the missing victim identified as Reonal Williams, 50, of Lot 5 Enmore North, East Coast Demerara (ECD) was struck down by a car along the Enmore Public Road around 00:20hrs on May 23 last. Police received information from a lone eyewitness who claimed that he was present when the acci-

Friday June 03, 2022

Kaieteur News

Missing, Reonal Williams dent happened.

The eyewitness had alleged that he and Williams were crossing the public road when tragedy struck. He recalled to police that the car was heading east along the northern side of the road and he had stopped in the middle

to let the vehicle drive pass but Williams continued to walk and the car hit him down.

It was further alleged that Williams was picked up in an unconscious state by the driver of the car and placed in the vehicle. Claims were also made that the driver had promised to take the injured victim to the hospital. However, checks were made at hospitals across the city but Williams cannot be found. Relatives of Williams are suspicious that the driver did not take him to the hospital but rather dumped his body somewhere. Police were able to locate the car and had arrested its owner who is currently out on bail. Believing that Williams could be dead by now police, relatives and residents are currently scouring areas along the East Coast to find the body.

Investigations are ongoing.

The case against installing an IMC at the GPSCCU DEAR EDITOR, I have been paying keen interest to the imbroglio in relation to the Guyana Public Service Cooperative Credit Union, and would be grateful for space in your paper to comment on it.

The previous Committee of Management was removed from the Guyana Public Service Cooperative Credit Union (the Credit Union) in May 2018. It was replaced with an Interim Management Committee (IMC) lead by Mr. Trevor Benn.

The factual and legal basis for the Chief Co-operative Development Officer (CCDO)s intervention in the affairs of the Credit Union in 2018 were as follows: 1. The Committee of Management failed to hold Annual General Meeting (AGM) since 2013; 2. The Committee of Management failed to pay members dividends since 2011; 3. The Committee of Management failed to pay Audit and Supervisory Fund contributions; 4. No external audit of the Credit Union was done since 2013; and 5. Overall mismanagement of the Credit Union.

However, since the advent of the IMC and the recent election of a new Committee of Management, all of the above have been rectified and the Credit Union has been on an upward trajectory in all areas of operations.

Please note the following: 1. An AGM was held on April 11, 2021; 2. Over G$280M in interim and final dividends were paid to members; 3. The Credit Union has

paid over $100M to the Audit and Supervisory Fund; 4. The Credit Unions audit is up-to-date, with 2021 audit currently being undertaken; 5. Audit for the period 2013 to 2017 uncovered over $100M missing from the Credit Unions coffers; 6. Overall membership of the Credit Union has increased exponentially, at a rate of over 300 new members per month; 7. The Credit Union has introduced three (3) new loan products: “ Mortgages - up to $15M “ Vehicle loan - up to $5M “ Study loan up to $5M 8. Members can borrow up to $15M, previously the limit was $1M; 9. The Credit Unions Hadfield Street office has been transformed into a modern facility to enable members to conduct their business in relative comfort; 10. A plot of land has been purchased for the construction of a new and larger office complex to cater for the needs of members, such as a medical clinic, pharmacy, dental clinic and supermarket, etc.; 11. Employees salary was increased to livable wages and their conditions of employment improved with the introduction of a medical scheme and pension plan; 12. The first Collective Labour Agreement signed with the CCWU since the 1990s; and 13. The renovation of the Hadfield Street Avenue for the relaxation and enjoyment of members.

Plans that are also in the

GROW with GOAL DEAR EDITOR, Once again the government of Guyana has committed to making education free through its new initiative GROW through the Guyana Online Academy of Learning.

The Hon. Sonia Parag continues to deliver on her mandate in collaboration with the Ministry of Education. GOAL thus far has been amazing for many and will continue to enrich the knowledge of Guyanese. This new initiative

GROW allows persons without a secondary education background to really grow!

Guyanese now is your chance to utilise the opportunities that are before you by registering on the online platforms for the two courses offered that is the GED and the SCQF. I cannot stop applauding this government for this specific initiative that continues to enhance the lives of Guyanese.

Tanya Niamatali

pipeline: 1. The introduction of ATM machines so that members can access their funds at any time; 2. The introduction of a mobile app to allow members to check their accounts online; and 3. The building of suboffices in Regions # 3, 6 and 10.

Therefore, it is clear that the current problem facing the Credit Union is an internal one, amongst members of the Committee of Management; a struggle for the hearts of the members, for them to determine who they want to lead their Credit Union.

It is not an operational issue that is affecting the progress and work of the Credit Union, but merely a political one.

Therefore, there exists no factual or legal basis for the intervention of the Chief Cooperative Development Officer to consider installing an IMC. The members have already spoken by way of a petition, signed by more than the statutorily required number of persons, that mandates a Special General Meeting to settle the matter.

What the CCDO can do, is use her good office to ensure that such a meeting, as mandated by Regulation 16 of the Co-operative Societies Regulations, Cap. 88:01 and the members, is held to the satisfaction of the members.

Failing this, the Court could be asked to see to it that the will of the members is adhered to.

The current team led by Mr. Benn has done tremendous work at the Credit Union in just under four (4) years, moving the organization to the point of rivaling any of the smaller commercial banks.

It is right and fitting that the team be allowed to function and execute its vision.

Even the Honourable Ministers of Labour and Tourism acknowledged the performance of the management team in their respective remarks at recent Credit Union events.

Sincerely, Joshua Luke

The workers are minimised while the rich...

From page 5 the national minimum wage remains wo e f u l l y p o o r.

G AW U ’s P r e s i d e n t o n May Day said the wage was now $39000 after accounting for inflation. The PSC said it was supportive

of an increase. Yet several months later, the issue remains a work in progress.

Had there been genuine support, in my view, then the PSC would have also added its voice to the call.

Editor, it is a wake-up

call. Workers remain the lifeblood of business and the largest voting bloc in the country. Yet the workers are minimised while the rich gets richer.

Yours sincerely, Sonya Barakat

T N U L B . . .

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L B T LUNT.. UNT...B BL B Friday June 03, 2022

Kaieteur News

In a country with a trillion dollar oil and gas industry, the erstwhile Vice President, Bharrat Jagdeo has been running around the country offering citizens part-time jobs.

Could you imagine for a moment- part-time jobs at $40,000 (US$200) per month is a major policy initiative by our government so much so that no other than Jagdeo leading its rollout.

We have said here in this column as well as in this newspaper before that our leaders are visionless. They continue to give away billions in taxes to ExxonMobil annually; selling out our gold and timber industries; sticking with a lopsided oil contract that has made us poorer and undertaking mega projects at prices far above market rates. But on the weightier matter of the welfare of citizens, they prefer to line them up across the country offering them part-time jobsmostly drain-cleaning and weeding parapets.

Guyanese, we need leaders with vision and not those who are determined to confine us as beggars, holding on to part-time jobs.

PAGE 07

Kaieteur News

PAGE 08

Friday June 03, 2022

Govt. backs away from holding CoI into 2020 elections

VP Bharrat Jagdeo speaking to reporters some time during the 2020 election events

...Jagdeo claims alleged “riggers” will not participate ...Article 13 says citizens must hear testimonies for themselves

By Zena Henry Following the contentious 2020 General and Regional election, President Irfaan Ali committed to having a Commission of Inquiry (CoI) into the actions that led to accusations of rigging and eventually the prosecuting several persons.

Some two years later, Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo has indicated that this is not the route the government wishes to take at this time. During a press conference at Office of the President last Monday, Jagdeo told the Kaieteur News that the government actually wanted to conduct the CoI, but ran into some difficulty when court cases were filed against “key figures.” He explained that the government was advised by “a lot of people” that those charged for election skullduggery would not want to participate in the CoI by claiming that their responses would incriminate them in court.

He said that those charged for the 2020 events

are some of the central figures in any COI. “And when they are charged, as their defense, they will say I don’t want to appear at the COI, [that] whatever I say there will incriminate me in the court case. So, you may lose the key figures that are in charge of the rigging…,” Jagdeo opined. He submitted that since the possibility of non-participation or noncorporation by the “key figures” exists, it is the government’s rationale for not holding the CoI. On the matter of rigging accusations by both the government and the opposition, Jagdeo said that the governing People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) has already put forward its Statement of Polls (SoPS); while the A Partnership for National Unity + Alliance for Change (APNU+AFC) has not done so.

Jagdeo said nonetheless that it still needs to be proven where (Region 4 Returning Officer (RO), Clairmont) Mingo got the numbers that showed a victory for the Coalition. “But Mingo will

not be able to tell the people at the CoI since he would say he is not coming there because he has a court case filed against him,” Jagdeo assumed. He said, and if Mingo does not say where he got the figures, then it would be unclear how former Health Minister, Volda Lawrence’s signature ended up on the RO report.

Given the number of unanswered questions such as the ones put forward by the Vice President, Article 13 member Dr. Yog Mahadeo has reiterated the serious need for the CoI to be conducted. He told the Kaieteur News that the VP, and by extension the government, “cannot be judge and jury in determining beforehand that persons will not want to speak [at the CoI] for fear of incriminating themselves.”

The civil rights activist submitted that the holding of the CoI would be the only way to truly ascertain what the behaviour of those involved would be. The CoI would also shed some light as to whether those persons still at the Guyana Elections

Commission (GECOM) is fit and proper to hold their offices by virtue of what they say or do not say.

A d d i t i o n a l l y, D r.

Mahadeo noted, legal advice on the particular matter highlights that the VP need n o t m a k e s u c h announcements since the CoI could have persons subpoenaed. “The public deserves better,” where answers into the 2020 fiasco is concerned, Dr. Mahadeo urged. He said that the CoI will provide the answers into an $8B question since that was the amount of money spent on the 2020 polls. He said all that money which derived from taxpayers was

spent on an election that was tampered with, and at this point, citizens must understand what went wrong so that the relevant loops could be exposed and addressed.

Dr. Mahadeo is in full support of the 2020 CoI. He insisted that it should be a government mandate to inform the citizens as to what happened during the election; not to just say the guilty persons will not want to testify. Dr. Mahadeo is currently working on letters to dispatch to the international missions that played an oversight role in the 2020 elections.

“Guardians of democracy”

was the title bestowed on persons the government recognized for preventing the rigging of the 2020 election. Dr. Mahadeo is hoping to have those said missions now raise their voices in support of a CoI into the unwanted events.

GECOM as an independent organisation can commission its own election inquiry. Opposition commissioners alleged that this position was adopted in principle by the Commission but was said to be overtaken by other events within the Commission. Without any commitment however, the VP offered that the CoI could still be pursued.

Local Govt. Commission passes motion to give - Opposition to mount legal chairman, vice chair ‘super powers’ challenge against decision

By Zena Henry The A Partnership for National Unity + Alliance For Change (APNU+AFC) is set to mount a legal challenge against what they believe is the unlawful investment of Local Government Commission (LGC) powers in the body’s chairman, Julius Faerber and deputy chairman, Norman Whittaker.

O p p o s i t i o n parliamentarian Ganesh Mahipaul told the Kaieteur News that the LGC on Wednesday last passed a motion allowing the statutory body’s chairman and deputy chair to independently make decisions that are the responsibility of the Commission as a collective.

In the motion signed by the LGC chairman, it was noted that the LCG was proposing the motion in the interest of administrative

Local Government Commission (LGC), Chairman, Mr. Julius Faerber and Local Government Commission (LGC), Deputy Chairman Mr. Norman Whittaker expediency. It was explained that the motion was being set to lay the “foundation for the full Commission to delegate specific statutory functions to the Commissioners who constitute the in-house Executive Management of the Commission, that is, the chairman and deputy.” “The rationale of the Motion is to ensure the efficient

management of the activities of the various local government organs would not be constrained in any way based on the sole monthly statutory meetings of the commission to approve decisions which are required as a matter of urgency.”

The motion further highlighted that given the immense

magnitude of decisionmaking required to service all of the local government organs around the country, “the once –monthly statutory m e e t i n g o f t h e Commissioners is insufficient to deal with all matters in a manner that is required for the smooth operations of the local organs.”

Mahipaul is adamant however, that any move to improve the efficiency of the Commission should see an increase of meetings if they are inadequate to fulfill the task of the body. Any delegation of responsibilities of the LGC, as noted in the Constitution, should also be given to the local body organ and not any officer of commissioner within the Commission. As such, Mahipaul insisted that the recently passed motion is illegal.

“The laws of Guyana are

Opposition MP Ganesh Mahipaul quite clear,” the Opposition Member of Parliament stated. “The authority lies with the Commission and at no time can that Commission decide by way of a simple majority to give its functions and its authority to single individuals that are holding specific offices within the Commission.” He said that if the issue lies with the fact that the Commission only reaches once per month, “then they can hold more

than one meeting to facilitate the functions of the Commission, rather than d e l e g a t i n g t h e responsibilities of the Commission to specific office holders.”

Mahipaul reiterated that the LGC does not have the authority to delegate and that any handing over of responsibilities must go to a local democratic organ. The danger in the motion, (Continued on page 9)

Friday June 03, 2022

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Kaieteur News

Democracy and the PNC/R are not compatible It is really asking too much for anyone, much less the PPP/C government, to expect the PNC/R to be a responsible opposition. In so far as the PNC/R is concerned, the two responsible and opposition do not intersect.

It is a big task to expect that PNC/R to behave in a democratic manner when for most of its history, it has spurned democratic conduct while in and out of government. The PNC/R has a reputation to uphold as a party, living in a political cocoon which belongs to the distant past when it rigged elections as easy as someone chewing gum.

The PNC/R has a sordid record of electoral malpractice. It rigged the 1968, 1973, 1980 and 1985 elections and attempted to benefit from attempts to rig the 2020 elections.

In each of those successive elections, the rigging became more glaring, brazen and barefaced. Peter DAguiar, a former ally of the PNC, said this about the 1968 elections: “To call it an election is to give it a name it does not deserve; it was a seizure of power by fraud, not election.”

The 1973 elections were

branded as “fairy tale elections”. The British Parliamentary Group of Observers described the 1980 elections as being more “crooked than barbed wire.”

The PNC/R also distorted the 1978 referendum which gave it power to change the Constitution without resort of the people s consent via a referendum. That led to the establishment of an Executive Presidency and the deepening of authoritarian rule which reached its apogee when it was forced to pass a law to overrule a court decision. It also led to a spate of human rights violations.

A section of the PNC attempted to abort the 1992 elections. The supporters of one former PNC strongman attempted to storm the offices of the then Guyana Elections Commission on Croal Street.

They later went on a rampage throughout the city by rioting, looting and committing arson.

And this was even before the official results had been declared.

It went on similar rampages after its loss in 1997, almost bringing the country to its knees and it is no coincidence that politics and criminality came together in a toxic brew after the 2001 elections. Since 1992, the

PNC/R has never conceded in an election, which it lost and it never will. But it did not claim foul play in the 2006 elections which it lost comprehensively.

The PNC/R is not committed to constitutional rule. It only accepts its understanding of the Constitution. Following the no-confidence motion in December of 2018, the PNC/R trampled upon the Constitution, rewrote the Mathematics textbook and gave the world a lesson in how to prevaricate in holding elections.

The PNC/R supported some dubious challenges to the March 2020 elections.

Guyana was turned into an international laughing stock by those who were prepared to hang on to power on the flimsiest of threads.

The PNC/R cannot be reformed. It is beyond political redemption. It had enough time, including five years in office to demonstrate it had put its sordid past behind it.

It failed to do so and in fact, its actions confirmed that it was prepared to be returned to power through electoral skullduggery.

Oil and water do not mix. You do not invite the

Dem boys seh...

De number rising Today dem boys nat mekkin joke. Dem serious today because de situation getting outta control. In one month de active COVID-19 cases jump from less dan 100 to more dan 800. Dat is dread.

Fuh de past two days, dem had more dan 100 cases each day. So de situation nah getting better. And de deaths starting fuh increase again which is nat a good thing.

Just when some people did think dat we seeing de beginning of de end of de COVID, it now looking as if we seeing de end of a low

period of infection and de start of a new wave.

Nuff ah dem country decide dat dem gat to live with de virus. Guyana looks like it doing de same. But we should be mo careful because de trend is dat when cases increase in de USA, it does increase in Guyana. Dis mek dem boys think dem gat a link between outbreaks in de USA and Guyana.

In both countries, de percentage of citizens dat get vaccinated stagnating. Only 66% of de population in Uncle Sam fully vaccinated (2

doses). In Guyana is 54.6%.

No wonder suh much people getting infected and no wonder herd immunity suh elusive.

But vaccine hesitancy is de biggest obstacle. De conspiracy theorists tek win. Dem convince a large section of de population dat dem should not tek de shots and dem convince many others dat de vaccine nat safe. And suh we gat to live with de virus because we might never get to herd immunity given de variants dem dat emerging.

Talk half. Leff half.

Local Govt. Commission passes motion to give...

From page 8 Mahipaul said, is that it will see the Chairman and his deputy making decisions on their own, rather than the Commission doing so a collective body. He said what that means also, is that the chair and his deputy would make their decisions and bring it to the Commission merely for ratification.

Four specific areas where the chair and his deputy can independently decide on matters involve the approval of temporary, acting and general non-permanent appointments to local government organs;

approval of leave for local government officers in situations that require urgency; the approval of administrative leave of local government officers to facilitate disciplinary investigations and the approval of statutory and salary increases for the local government officers which have been approved at the level of the central government and local organs.

The document noted that the motion was duly approved, although Mahipaul said his information is that the motion was not approved by the full Commission.

“On that basis, I signal my intention and the intention of the Coalition to seek the court’s interpretation and guidance on the legality of the motion,” Mahipaul said. He called the situation an “extremely strange” one which seeks to “shatter the guard rails of democracy.”

He said, “I know the law does not permit delegating specific functions to individuals so I am going to support a legal challenge to this resolution and let the court guide us as to whether the move by the commission is proper.”

devil into a church; you do not invite thief men into a police conference. So why would anyone want to have a party, with an established track record of electoral rigging, to participate in democratic elections?

Democracy and the PNC/R simply are not compatible.

The international community, however, sees the need for an Opposition. But the PNC/R cannot be part of that process since it abhors democratic practices. Even in spite of the opinions of the international community that the 2020 general and regional elections were free and fair, the PNC/R still shamelessly peddles the narrative that the elections were marred with

irregularities and that the government is installed.

The PNC/R belongs to the past, a dictatorial and authoritarian past. It will be more comfortable in totalitarian countries such as North Korea where the power is concentrated in the hands of an all-powerful Leviathan.

The PPP/C has to act in accordance with the Constitution. But it must not fuss and fret about the PNC/ R. That party is not going to ever be a responsible Opposition within a democratic framework. It is committed to a style of politics which is completely alien to democratic politics.

The AFC is the PNC/Rs spintwin in the APNU+AFC. It has

been discredited because of its association with the PNC/ R and its complicity in that partys electoral narrative. The AFC should tie nuptials with the PNC/R and become a permanent married couple.

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

Kaieteur News

PAGE 10

Friday June 03, 2022

THE FREDDIE KISSOON COLUMN

I am not going to hide from Winston Jordan because of fear A

ll my editors f r o m t h e C a t h o l i c Standard, Stabroek News and Kaieteur News over a career that is about to reach 34 years have told me umpteen times that you can write about people without getting yourself in trouble.

All of them have said stick to the subject, be careful and avoid libel.

I know what libel is.

When it comes to certain persons, you go to extreme lengths to be careful.

Winston Jordan, former Finance Minister is one of the persons I feel is too quick to see libelous flavour in what you write about him. I am speaking from experience.

When it comes to Mr. Jordan, I send the column to three lawyers. Once they advise me there is not a shred of libelous material, I send off the stuff to the editor.

This article here followed that pattern.

I will not stop writing on people who participated in

the shaping of Guyana because I fear libel writs from them.

I believe Guyanese in and out of the land look forward to public intellectuals making sense for them of the complexities of actions in society.

Mr. Jordan has published two long, consecutive letters recently.

One in Kaieteur News of May 30, 2022 in reply to a column by Peeping Tom and the other in the Stabroek News of May 31, 2022 as a reaction to an interview the Stabroek News did with Gerry Gouveia.

I read both outputs and both of them were written by Mr. Jordan in his capacity as former Finance Minister.

I ask the Guyanese people why I cannot respond to the emanations of a former minister of government in my capacity as an opinionmaker without having the fear that I will be threatened with libel.

If I fear such an eventuality then my pen will be silenced in this context.

I am dwelling on one important line of Mr. Jordan’s Kaieteur News missive. Before I do that, I would like to quote a line from Mr. Jordan’s Stabroek News missive: “In this fractious society of ours, one hastens to read anything that recognises the problem and provides credible, workable solutions.” My point on this page since the no-confidence vote (NCV) of December 2018 (and I go on non-stop about it) is that too many times when people write on the problem, they are part of the problem.

Mr. Jordan noted that his response to Gerry Gouveia came about after he read the interview carried under the title, “Catholic Church sees need for national healing amidst divisions.” As soon as our delivery girl dropped off the newspapers and I picked them up and read that article, I immediately sent off my feeling about what was contained in that item.

Please see a published letter by me in the Stabroek

News of Monday, May 30, 2022 titled, “I do not see Mr. Latchmansingh as part of any effort to civilise political discourse in Guyana.” The main ingredient in my missive is that those who rise above the fray and pronounce on the problem are part of the problem.

This is the psychological, sociological and philosophical mess Guyana has been drowning in since the NCV. Now for that important line in Mr. Jordan’s Kaieteur News letter that necessitates a reflection by political analysts and political observers.

Here is my reflection. He wrote these words, “Whither Guyana!” But I wrote that line for five years when Mr. Jordan was part of the government and was one of the more senior holders of authority in that

US embassy dealing with visa application backlog

Thirty-five-year-old Seon Anderson Russell of Aliki Village, Essequibo River is now wanted by the Guyana Police Force (GPF) in relation to the murder of h i s c o - w o r k e r, R o h i t Hansraj.

Hansraj of Wakenaam was fatally shot just after noon on Saturday at Tiger Creek, Essequibo River.

Anyone with information that may lead to the arrest of Seon Russell is asked to make contact with the nearest police station. The police assured all information provided will be treated with the strictest confidence. Kaieteur News had reported that the father of two was killed following an argument, which he had with his co-worker. The men were employed with Toolsie Persaud Logging Company as operators and were very good friends. Police in a statement had reported that around 14:00hrs last Saturday, Hansraj, along with two other workers, was consuming alcohol at the area, when the suspect approached one of the other workers and accused him of “looking” at his wife.

According to police, Hansraj had intervened and managed to get the suspect to return to his cabin. The

The US embassy here is dealing with a backlog in processing the visitor or nonimmigrant visa due to COVI-19 pandemic, Violeta Talandis, the Embassy’s Public Affairs Officer confirmed on Wednesday during an interview on HJ radio.

In the interview which was shared via the US Embassy’s Facebook page, Talandis confirmed that applicants who are looking for a B1 B2 category or visitor’s visa are being made to wait more than a year before they can secure an in person interview.

“At the Embassy, we are aware of this backlog. We are not alone in this, it ‘s actually a global issue that’s happening all over the world, apparently due to the pandemic which had a snowball effect over two years,” she said.

Talandis noted that while this significant delay is affecting the BI/B2 visas, the student, diplomatic and other categories of visas are not affected by lengthy delays.

She explained that visas for emergency such as medical emergencies and, urgent business travel, medical professionals; individuals travelling to the United States as air or sea crew are among the other categories of visas that were not affected by the delay for interviews.

As it relates to persons who were previously granted visitors’ visas, Talandis said they are waivers for persons whose visa expired in the last four years.

She explained that those persons can apply for their renewal and request an

Violeta Talandis, the US Embassy’s Public Affairs Officer.

interview waiver. If the waiver is granted, it means that the renewal applicants will not have to visit the embassy for an appointment.

In the meantime, Talandis reassured the public that “Our staff is working overtime to try to help with this backlog, but it’s just going to take time.”

“We remain committed to safely and efficiently re-introducing appointments for the full range of non-immigrant visas, including for tourism and business travel.

However, there will continue to be extended wait times for appointments for routine travel given the current demand. Applicants are encouraged to plan far in advance,” she said.

government.

Anyone that witnessed a Frederick Kissoon government putting 7000 sugar workers out of bread thus affecting would stop many evenings 42,000 persons connected to and have coconut-water at an the workers had to write Indian vendor directly at the junction of North Road and those two words.

Orange Walk. We came to Anyone who saw how know the vendor well. the Chronicle operated after Today, that vendor’s the APNU+AFC got into power had to write those grandchildren operate the words. Anyone who saw business.

The business supplied how Mr. Jordan’s party the army with coconut water broke with the Carter f o r m u l a f o r G E C O M from the Hoyte government chairmanship had to use to the Ramotar government.

When APNU+AFC came to those two words.

Guyana, it switched to the Anyone who saw a African neighbour of the government that refused to vendor.

His grandchild told hold elections three months me that story with tears in his after a successful opposition eyes.

NCV had to use those words.

(The views expressed in I will conclude by telling Mr. Jordan a story I once this article are those of the published on this page. a u t h o r a n d d o n o t When I was courting my necessarily reflect the future wife in 1978, we opinions of this newspaper.)

Aliki man wanted for murder of co-worker

Wanted, Seon Anderson Russell

Dead, Rohit ‘Master’ Hansraj

suspect, shortly after, returned with a shotgun and he and Hansraj got into a heated argument which then turned deadly. Police revealed that the suspect discharged a round from the firearm, which struck Hansraj to his upper left shoulder area. One of the dead man’s sisters, Lilowti Hansraj had related to this publication that Hansraj’s wife who was at the scene told them that on the day of the shooting, the suspect who was already in an intoxicated state had approached Hansraj to drink with him.

She learnt that Hansraj had refused to drink with the man and had asked him to go to his cabin and sleep. The man continued to ask her brother to drink with him but he still refused. It was because of his refusal, the

suspect became angry at her brother. According to the woman, the man started to curse Hansraj and allegedly threatened to kill him and everyone who was at the scene. She related to this publication that the suspect left and returned shortly after with a handgun pointing it at Hansraj. “He come and point the gun to my brother and said he don’t bluff, and she (Hansraj’s wife) said when he point the gun, she scream and then he fire the shot straight to my brother chest,” Lilowtti related. The police in their report said the suspect allegedly escaped into some nearby bushes with the firearm. As investigation continues, Hansraj, who was described as a very friendly person, leaves to mourn his two-year-old and five-yearold sons and other relatives.

Friday June 03, 2022

Kaieteur News

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Kaieteur News

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Friday June 03, 2022

Bandits grab cash, beat woman during - police trace getaway car to Belle West robbery house in La Parfaite Harmonie

By Shervin Belgrave A family of three, a husband, his wife and son had a nightmarish encounter on Tuesday with two gunmen who invaded a supermarket they had recently opened at Belle West, West Bank Demerara (WBD), Region Three and robbed them of cash, phone cards and cell phones.

In fact, one of gunmen used his weapon to assault the wife, a businesswoman identified as, Shamina Khan, 38, after she was a bit reluctant to open the cash register. Khan and her husband had recently invested in the Dollar Smart Supermarket at Belle West but were not prepared to be a target for bandits.

On Tuesday, around 14:00hrs, they were sitting in their business place with their son when two masked men entered. Kaieteur News was told that Khan was sitting at the cashier booth located just at entrance when one of the bandits

One of the bandits cleaning up the cash register at Dollar Smart Supermarket

pointed a gun at her and instructed that she open the cash register.

Khan reportedly panicked and was a bit reluctant to comply and the man decided to hit her to the head with the weapon as his accomplice roughed them up.

The victims recalled that they were forced to lie on the ground.

One of the men made his way behind the counter, and managed to open the cash register. CCTV footage from within the building captured the criminals cleaning all

of the sales from the cash register.

He was masked, had on a cap and dressed in a white long- sleeved jersey along with a pair of black jeans.

According to the victims, the gunmen “searched them up” and took their cellular phones before grabbing a bag containing some $73,000 in cash and running out of the supermarket. As they were escaping, Khan’s husband got up and ran outside only to see that the bandits were heading to a waiting burgundy coloured car parked a short distance away from the supermarket.

Kaieteur News was told that the man headed to his car, started it and began to drive behind the bandits.

His wife, Khan dialed 911 to report that they had just been robbed; however, the woman related that she was very disappointed at the response she got. Instead of dispatching ranks to back up her husband, she was questioned about what was stolen and advised to

report the matter to the La Grange Police Station.

Nevertheless, her husband reportedly continued the chase alone but decided to give up as the men turned into La Parfaite Harmonie. The victims said that as the bandit’s car was heading into the area, one of the gunmen attempted to shoot at him. After the attempt was made, Khan’s husband decided that it was not wise to continue the chase because he was not acquainted with the La Parfaite Harmonie area.

Speaking with Kaieteur News, R e g i o n T h r e e C o m m a n d e r, Mahendra Siwnarine said that his detectives have since traced the getaway car to a house located in La Parfaite Harmonie. Detectives have showed up at the location twice but no one was home. They however, managed to arrest a man but the individual was able to provide an alibi that he was in Linden at the time of the robbery. Investigations are on ongoing.

Kaieteur News

Friday June 03, 2022

PAGE 13

“Do not try to trick the system!”

- Min. Mustapha tells fisherfolk over cash grant roll out Agriculture Minister Zulfikar Mustapha on Thursday met with groups of fisherfolk from villages along the East Coast of Demerara to discuss the $150,000 one-off relief grant which was recently announced by President Irfaan Ali. The meetings were held with fisherfolk from Annandale, Mon Repos and Montrose. Minister Mustapha noted the many initiatives and direct cash transfers that have been implemented by the administration over the last two years.

“You know with the

Covid-19 pandemic, the cost of many items increased significantly, especially basic food items. We started with the covid grant, then we restarted the school grant for children, and last year that was extended to private school children. We also restored the water subsidy for pensioners and increased old-age pension and public assistance. I am mentioning these things so that you can see all the things we have been doing; all the efforts we’ve been making to put monies back into the pockets of the citizens,” the minister said.

He said government was

aware of the hardships in the sector due to the decline in catches over the last three years and the rising cost of living caused by the pandemic. He said although reports suggest that the catches have been improving, fisherfolk were still finding it difficult to afford basic household items for their families and that the grant will be able to assist with those needs.

The minister, however, cautioned persons not to try to defraud the system given the fact that there were issues with persons receiving monies who were not entitled to during the

CDB says working to accelerate efforts to increase food security

T

he Caribbean Development Bank’s (CDB) Vi c e P r e s i d e n t o f Operations, Mr. Isaac Solomon encouraged the Bank’s member countries to prioritise food security initiatives while accelerating efforts towards the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Speaking at the CDB’s food security seminar held on June 1, 2022, the Vice President expressed a desire for the relay of “tangible and implementable actions, to contribute to the Region’s agenda to achieve food security and reduce its import bill by 25% by 2025" adding that “with less than 8 years left until 2030, it is imperative that the region accelerate all efforts towards the achievement of the SDGS and our development now.”

The webinar which was attended by a cross section of global experts and participants, provided recommendations for coherent approaches to managing logistics and reducing processing and exportation costs of agrifood products within the Caribbean, the CDB said in a press release. Solutions proposed included deepening regional cooperation and integration which alongside the implementation of systems to accommodate seamless cross border trade, the application of digital solutions, simplification of procedures and increasing

the efficiency in trade and logistics processes would positively impact food security stated Senior Trade Facilitation Officer at the International Trade Centre (ITC), Mr. Pierre Bonthonneau.

According to Mr. Bonthonneau, who presented at the seminar, the Caribbean can impact its current food import metrics and the availability of affordable food for citizens by making trade formalities more effective, pursuing greater investment in technology-based initiatives while also embracing trade reforms and robust privatepublic dialogue and engagement.

Several of these solutions are being supported by CDB which is funding projects targeting connectivity, transport, digital interventions for trade and enhancing infrastructure at ports of e n t r y. C r e a t i n g a n appropriate ecosystem to achieve the SDGs, according to the Vice President, requires innovation and responsiveness to address social, financial, environmental, institutional, and economic challenges of regional food security which is embedded in CARICOM’s and CDB’s agenda.

The ITC Senior Trade Facilitation Officer emphasised that both private and public sector entities have a responsibility to institute measures to make the pricing of commodities cost effective given the fact that two thirds of the world’s

population depends on imports to ensure a healthy diet. For the Caribbean region with its high food import bill, he indicated, solutions would revolve around regional coordination, regulatory convergence and leveraging information technology solutions. Beyond this, remedies for building out the agri-food sector should leverage the Word Trade Organisation (WTO) Trade Facilitation Agreement (TFA) which set binding obligations in countries to minimize red tape.

This will allow border agencies to more effectively treat with perishable goods, pre arrival processing, rejected goods and reviewing and simplifying formalities so that the cost of agricultural products can remain affordable.

Easing trade in agrifoods will positively contribute the region’s vision to achieve at least five SDGs – zero hunger, gender equality, climate action, responsible consumption and production and life below water.

Also speaking at the webinar were Mr. Nicholas Zephirin, Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer, Viking Traders Ltd. Saint Lucia; Mr. Stephen Farquharson, Technical Officer – Accreditation and Conformity Assessment at the CARICOM Regional Organisation for Standards and Quality (CROSQ) and Ms. Erica Luke, Managing Director of Eric Hassell Shipping, Barbados.

distribution of the flood relief grants following the 2021 floods.

“When we looked at the fishing sector; and many times, the fisherfolk would ask what relief was available for you. The president and the government have decided that we will give every person working in the industry will receive a $150,000 grant. Let us ensure that this process is done well. Let’s not try to smart the system. We had issues with the flood relief with farmers. I don’t want this thing to happen in the fishing sector. When we have the list, we will return and let you, the fishermen

Agriculture Minister Zulfikar Mustapha on Thursday met with groups of fisherfolk from villages along the East Coast of Demerara. verify the list before we distribute the grants. We have to have a list that is transparent; a list with people who are working in the sector and need the

benefit,” the minister noted.

He told those present that the government will be making the funds available after a verification process (Continued on page 22)

PAGE 14

106 new COVID-19 cases; 3 persons in ICU

T

he Ministry of Health on Thursday said that within the last 24 hours, a total of 106 new cases were recorded across the country.

The new cases, which were recorded from 1,263 COVID-19 tests, have brought the total number of confirmed cases to 65,075.

According to the dashboard data, the new cases were detected in Region Four – 65, Region Three – nine, Region Six – seven, Region Two –13, Region Seven – three, Regions 10 and Five – two each, and Region Nine – five.

The dashboard also shows that three patients are still in the COVID-19 Intensive Care Unit, 24 persons are in institutional isolation, 816 are in home isolation and two are quarantined institutionally.

Additionally, a total of 40 persons have recovered within the last 24 hours.

Kaieteur News

Friday June 03, 2022

T&T pursuing solar power...

From page 3 International Energy Agency (IEA) which estimates oil demand will start to decline in the 2030s for the first time, based on current policy settings. This means that the use of heavy fuel oil for electricity generation could be phased out.

Importantly, he said natural gas plays an important role in the energy value chain in Trinidad and Tobago. The State depends on the production of gas for the fueling of its energy sector and to power its other downstream industries.

A c c o r d i n g t o Yo u n g , “Natural gas is the primary fuel in electricity generation, 99.9 percent of our electricity is generated from natural gas. Gas will remain the predominant source of electricity generation even as we include renewables in our energy mix. Renewables have a part to play”.

He was keen to point out however that the access to finance for renewable projects remains limited, natural gas will remain the transition fuel to cleaner sources but “this does not mean that Trinidad and Tobago is not pursuing the use of renewables; we are

doing so,” he urged.

Meanwhile, in Guyana, the government is pursuing a hydropower project that could potentially leave the country in further debts. It was however recently announced that the contractor for the Amaila Hydropower Project is experiencing difficulties with raising financing for the project and now wants the government to take on this aspect.

In light of this development, government may very well have to go back to tender.

On the other hand, Guyana is also pursuing a Gas to Energy Project to supply electricity to the national grid and possibly produce fertilizer for the a g r i c u l t u r e s e c t o r.

Environmentalists have however been clamoring the government to reinject the gas and pursue solar instead as this will deliver not only a stable source of energy, but also one that will have no impacts on the environment. Importantly, it has already been announced that Guyana currently receives enough sunshine every two hours to power the country’s present electricity demand for an entire year.

Kaieteur News

Friday June 03, 2022

PAGE 15

Eight firms submit bids to supervise construction of new Demerara River Bridge A 3D model of the new Demerara Harbour Bridge which was released earlier this year.

T

he financial proposals from the eight firms who had applied to supervise the construction of the new Demerara River Bridge back in March were on Tuesday opened at the National Procurement and Tender Administration Board (NPTAB) office.

The eight bidders are all consortiums firms. The bids are as follow to supervise the construction: Figg Bridge Inspection Inc. in association with E & A Consultant, Dan. B. & AssociatesU S $ 4 5 9 , 4 6 0 , US$7,739,312; RITES Limited in association with CB Associates Inc.U S $ 9 , 4 1 2 , 8 3 0 , US$2,026,804; Dyrock Acuitas ConsortiumU S $ 2 , 6 3 0 , 9 2 5 , US$11,665,806; WSP Del Istmo S:De R.L Infinity Service Inc.- US$6,774,360, US$1,131,976; Egis Group Consortium- US$1,396,503, US$5,236,888; Politenica Ingegneria in association with SRKN’gineering Associates- US$4,400,000, US$440,000; RADISE International in association with CEMCO Inc., Stantec Consulting International LLC- US$2,192,676, US$15,661,973; and Varaya Enterprise Limited in association with BCC Engineering LLCUS$16,458,213.

Earlier in the year, when the Ministry Public Works had issued its public tender, it stated that the main objective of this consultancy is for the consultant to assist the ministry in the design r e v i e w, c o n s t r u c t i o n supervision and general project management of the construction of the New Demerara Harbour River Bridge and contract administration throughout the project implementation process and thereafter during the defects liability period.

The particulars of the notice further noted that the estimated duration of the project is 24 months from the date of contract signing and at least 12 months thereafter for defects liability from a date to be determined.

The contract for the new four-lane bridge which links Region Four and Three was signed last week Wednesday.

The US$260 million was awarded to China Railway Construction Corporation (CRCC) and its partners, China Railway Caribbean Company Limited and China Railway Engineering Bureau

Group Company Limited.

The new bridge which is slated to be completed in two years is said to have a life span of 100 years. Minister within the Public Works Ministry, Deodat Indar at the contract signing ceremony had stated that the length of the bridge is 2.65km and the width of the driving surface is 23.6 meters which is around 77.8 ft. He noted that the bridge is a hybrid design at the navigation span which is also called the high span.

The vertical height at this span he briefed is around 50 meters from the main highest watermark. “That means that a vessel maybe a handymax size vessel can pass freely under the bridge. So that is the kind of traffic that we are accommodating. There are cycle lanes on the bridge and the width of the high span is about 210 meters,” he explained.

The New River Bridge aims to replace the aging Demerara Harbour Bridge.

Kaieteur News had reported that the contract for the new DHB was first given to China State Construction Engineering Corporation Limited last year to the tune of US$256.6 million.

Vice President, Bharrat Jagdeo announced earlier in F e b r u a r y, d u r i n g a n interview with a foreign media house that the contract was pulled from that firm as the cost of financing was too high.

During the interview, the Vice President said, “we have just terminated the negotiations with them (CSCEC) because the cost of financing is too high.”

The Chinese firm had secured the contract to build the new bridge under a Design-Build-Finance (DBF) model. However, according to information provided in the National Estimates of 2022, the financing of the bridge is not external but rather is being funded by central government.

During the reading of the Budget 2022, Senior Minister with responsibility with Finance, Dr. Ashni Singh had announced that this year, some $21.1B has been allocated for the project.

Kaieteur News

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Friday June 03, 2022

Canadians explore deeper to unearth bigger W gold find in Guyana

eeks after announcing a gold find of significant quantity and quality in Guyana, Canadian Gold mining company, Golden Shield Resources, has released the results of additional assays from its exploration activities and confirmed finding even more gold in larger quantities.

The company made the announcement to its shareholders this past week by way of a public statement and said, the new assay results are from the initial seven holes of its 11-hole, 3,100-metre Phase Two drill program at its flagship Marudi Mountain gold project in southwestern Guyana. According to the

company, highlights from the results include 7.58 grams per ton (g/t) gold over 31 metres and 4.95 g/t gold over 10 metres at the Mazoa Hill prospect on the project.

It further noted that one of its boreholes, Hole MH22-21 intersected the ‘Quartz Metachert’ unit approximately 50 metres down dip of the previously released intercept of 58 metres grading 9.10 g/t from 142.5 metres down the hole in MH-21-04, according to a release.

Golden Shield had in its most recent updates, called the 58-metre down dip stepout “significant,” adding that t h e h i g h - g r a d e mineralization remains open to depth.

“Holes MH-22-17 and MH-22-18 were down dip

The Mazao Hill locale where Golden Shield is also conducting operations

step-outs from hole MH-2216, extending mineralization approximately 90 metres down dip, the company added.”

In analysing the results,

the company said the grade appears to increase with depth between the latest two holes with the lowermost intercept of 10 metres grading 4.95 g/t gold from

248 metres down the hole in MH-22-18. The company’s Vice President of Research Dr. Colin Porter, in making the announcement said, “this round of drill results highlights that Mazoa Hill remains open to depth, centered around the highgrade central zone, intercepted in holes MH-2221 and MH-21-04, and confirms Golden Shield’s reinterpretation.”

According to Dr. Porter, “once all results are received, a follow-up program will be designed to drill deeper and explore for lateral extensions.” It was noted that following the completion of the Phase Two drill program, Golden Shield’s geologists and field crews will focus advancing existing prospects to drill stage, if merited, and exploration for additional prospects.

The company said too that additional drilling will be planned at Mazoa Hill

once Phase Two drill results a r e i n . A d d i t i o n a l l y, shareholders were informed that the work programs for Golden Shield’s two other projects, Arakaka and Fish Creek, are being finalized and are expected to start in the second half of 2022. It would be poignant to note that to date the Guyana Government, namely the Ministry of Natural Resources responsible for the sector, is yet to make a formal announcement as it relates to any of the drill results by Golden Shield Resources. This publication last month had Golden Shield is currently drilling the ninth hole of its 3,000metre, 13-hole Phase 2 drill programme at Mazoa Hill, in the Marudi Mountains area.

At the time, the company said drilling of the remaining four holes of the programme is progressing and will be finished before the end of last month, results since released.

US$50 fine per ton of...

From page 2 cubic feet a day; that is the lowest they have gotten,” Adams reported. And this is onboard Liza one alone since the information for Liza 2 is not yet available.

In relation to monitoring, Adams recalled accessing sponsorship from the World Bank to the tune of a million dollars for the verification of flaring amounts. He said the Bank brought in an expert with whom he sat along with a more than 30-man team of highly specialized petroleum and environmental persons, “to be on those ships 24/7”.

This move, he said, was critical to ensure the monitoring of the unhealthy practice.

That is how it is done in the petroleum industry in the US, and Adams said that is how he wanted it done here in Guyana, to have that same type of monitoring.

It is important to be on the ship, Adams continued because the oil companies will say one thing but do another to protect their interest.

But Adams said as soon as he left, the government abandoned the monitoring initiative, “even though the World Bank spent a million dollars to help put together that team, they abandoned that program and said they don’t need that program.”

He said that the World Bank and the EPA both have documentation on the 36man team, their qualifications, experiences, among other information.

The team would have entailed high-powered p e t r o l e u m a n d environmental engineers, some of whom would have come from aboard. All of this was budgeted for at the time, Adams said.

Kaieteur News

Friday June 03, 2022

PAGE 17

Police Force will stand funeral expenses for school girl killed in accident

A

s f a m i l y members try to come to grips with the tragic death of 12year-old Kayla Barnabus, the Guyana Police Force (GPF) has undertaken to stand all the expenses for her wake and funeral arrangements.

Barnabus, a student of t h e We s t D e m e r a r a Secondary School was struck down by a police vehicle on Wednesday afternoon while she was crossing the Goed Fortuin Public Road, West Bank Demerara (WBD). Hours after her death, three government ministers, Minister within the Ministry of Public Infrastructure, D e o d a t I n d a r, P r i y a Manickchand, the Education Minister and the Public Services’ Minister, Sonia Parag, visited the family to offer comfort. GPF also did the same on Thursday and promised a fair and thorough investigation into the accident that took Barnabus’ life.

Among those from the Force who visited the school girl’s residence at School Street Goed Fortuin, was Deputy Commissioner of Police, Calvin Brutus, Region Three Commander, Mahendra Siwnarine, Guyana’s Traffic Chief, Ramesh Ashram and GPF’s Community Relations

Officer, Crystal Robinson.

GPF in a statement sent out by its Corporate Communications Department (CCU) related that, Barnabus was described as a godly child who was brilliant, kind, compassionate and caring.

Barnabus was killed moments after being dropped off by a taxi. She exited the car and was crossing the road when she ended up in the path of the police vehicle that was being driven by a police corporal.

Eyewitnesses related that the police vehicle was speeding at the time.

Speaking with Kaieteur News about the investigation, Commander Siwnarine said that the police vehicle was travelling behind the taxi and when it pulled over to the corner of the road, the corporal reportedly continued to drive but as he was overtaking the parked car, he struck down Barnubus.

He added that his traffic investigators are now looking for the taxi driver to find out if he had put on his hazard light at the time or had used his hand to signal the police vehicle to slow down as the child was crossing the road. In the meantime, the police rank is under close arrest as investigations continue.

Education Minister, Priya Manickchand visiting Barnabus’ parents on Wednesday night.

Killed by a police vehicle, Kayla Barnabus

Deputy Commissioner of Police, Calvin Brutus (centre), GPF’s Community Relations Officer, Crystal Robinson (right) and Kayla Barnabus’ father (left)

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Kaieteur News

Friday June 03, 2022

Friday June 03, 2022

Kaieteur News

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Kaieteur News

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Friday June 03, 2022

Albouystown man freed of South Road grannies murder After spending five years on remand, for the murder of two elderly women: 89-yearold Constance Fraser, and 77-year-old Phyllis Caesar, 28-year-old Phillip Suffrein, of Albouystown, Georgetown, was on Thursday freed of the 2017 murder charge.

In April, Suffrein had denied the charge which

alleged that he murdered the two elderly women between October 2 and 3, 2017, during the course of a robbery at their Lot 243 Albert Street and South Road, Georgetown home.

He was arraigned before Justice Jo-Ann Barlow in the Demerara High Court for the offence. However, after the prosecutors failed to

establish that he was involved in the double murder, Justice Barlow instructed the 12-member jury to return a not guilty verdict and Suffrein was set free. According to reports, the bound and gagged bodies of the two elderly women were found in their home by members of the South Road Full Gospel Assembly on

October 3, 2017. The gruesome discovery was made after the women failed to attend a church service.

Caesar was the church’s caretaker, and had the code for the church alarm. She also kept the keys for a nearby school. It was reported that bandits broke into the pensioners’ home which they ransacked in pursuit of money and other valuables. The bandits then reportedly bind the women’s feet before placing pieces of cloth into their mouths and strangling them.

Autopsy reports revealed that the women both died of asphyxiation, due to suffocation and manual strangulation, compounded by trauma to the head.

In October 2019, Imran

MURDERED: Phyllis Caesar and Constance Fraser.

Khan and Stephen Andrews were sentenced to life in prison for the crimes, with the possibility of parole after serving 35 years. Initially indicted for murder, Khan and Andrews, both of Albouystown, Georgetown,

Freed, Phillip Suffrein. opted to plead guilty to manslaughter after consulting with their counsel. They admitted to killing Fraser and Caesar between October 2 and October 3, 2017 and were sentenced.

Kaieteur News

Friday June 03, 2022

Fisherman killed in bee attack A fisherman is now dead while several others are nursing bee stings after an attack by Africanised bees at No.27 Village, West Coast Berbice.

Kaieteur News was informed that two of the survivors are currently hospitalised at the Fort Wellington Hospital in serious condition. The dead man has been identified as Winston Rigby, 71, a fisherman of No.41 Village, WCB. The other persons who were stung by the bees were also identified as Kenneth Rigby, 72 of El Dorado Village WCB, William Rigby, 44 of Onderneeming WCB (brother’s of the dead man), Basil Davie, 56 of Bushlot Village WCB, Charles Cadogen, 59 of Bel Air WCB, Glenroy Fraser and Leon Bobb, all of whom are fishermen.

Kaieteur News was informed by the brother of the deceased, William Rigby that he was riding out the pump station dam at No.27 Village at approximately

Deceased, WINSTON RIGBY 13:30 hrs while his brothers and the other fishermen were walking ahead of him. He said he noticed the men started running and yelling, then he realised that they were being attacked by bees.

Rigby disclosed that they ran and rode their way to reach the public road, some 600 ft away and at some point, the men jumped into the nearby trench to ward off the bees and their vicious stings.

He added, that when they reached the public road, his brother Winston sat down and mentioned to them that he needed a few minutes. It was not long after that the

effects of the stings took effect and according to Rigby, his brother began “to fight up”. He said he immediately rushed over, stopped a car and rushed him to the Fort Wellington Hospital where he died approximately 15 minutes l a t e r. T h e o t h e r m e n including Rigby also sought medical attention at the said institution but two of his fellow fishermen had to be admitted since they were in a serious condition. He and the others were treated and sent away with medication.

Rigby told Kaieteur News that he had reported to the Regional Democratic Council about the bees about a month ago. He added that the person who he informed was someone that handled the removal of bees, however, that person told him that they tried to locate where the bees were nested but could not find it. The fishermen at the time were on their way to be registered for the Fishermen’s Cash Grant. An investigation is underway.

Trinidad toughens laws against polluters - passes law instructing companies to pay for hazardous waste generation Trinidad and Tobago on Tuesday operationalized a Waste Management Fee that will pave the way for businesses that generate large sums of waste, as well as hazardous substances, to make payments to the State for same.

The Minister of Planning, Penelope Beckles told delegates at the twin island’s Energy Conference that this was one of the steps taken to help the country realise its green goals, while making polluters pay for waste generated as they make millions in profits. The Waste Management Rules aim to establish a legal framework to improve national waste management, including hazardous and non-hazardous waste by requiring generators and handlers of waste to apply for and obtain permits to carry out their waste related activities.

The rules apply to the generation, processing, treatment, packaging, storage, transportation, collection, disposal, recovery, recycling or other activities related to the treatment of waste other than radioactive waste. In addition, the Waste Management Fees will be charged for the application for and renewal of a waste generation permit; annual waste generation; application for and renewal of a waste handling permit; application for the variation of a permit; application to transfer a permit and extracts from the waste management register.

Kaieteur News understands that the regulations are intended to support the control of waste disposal methods while reducing waste pollution in the country.

Waste generators under the regulation are defined as permit holders that produce hazardous waste or waste above the

Minister of Planning, Penelope Beckles r e g u l a t e d q u a n t i t y.

Among the requirements, generators will be obligated to implement measures to reduce the generation of waste, exercise environmentally sound management of waste and segregate hazardous waste from non-hazardous waste.

The new regulation clearly outlines the various formulae that can be used to determine what amount is owed to the state.

For instance, the annual waste generation fee can be calculated by multiplying the compliance monitoring cost by the sum of factors for hazardous wastes generated in a permit year and the sum of factors for nonhazardous wastes generated in a permit year.

The charges will vary according to the size of the company.

PAGE 21

Man gets life sentence for murdering Soesdyke re-migrant

T

wenty-five-yearold Keino Corbin on Wednesday received a life sentence after being found guilty for the murder of remigrant, Agriculturalist Anthony Breedy, whose lifeless body was discovered in his Hill Foot, Soesdyke residence in 2016.

In April Corbin pleaded guilty to the charge which stated that between March 12 and March 14, 2016 at the Lot 67 Hill Foot, Soesdyke residence, he murdered Breedy during the course of a robbery. Corbin’s sentencing was deferred to May 9, 2022 at 13:15hrs.

As such, on Wednesday, he was sentenced to life imprisonment by Justice JoAnn Barlow in the Demerara High Court. Justice Barlow told Corbin that he would become eligible for parole after serving 11 years, nine months and 20 days of his sentence.

Dead, Anthony Breedy

Jailed, Keino Corbin.

However, she explained that that does not mean he would be automatically be released from prison when that period elapses, but, in actuality, he has to convince the Parole Board that he is ready for reintegration into society.

According to reports, between the date mentioned in the charge, Breedy was murdered during a robbery.

The body of 60-year-old Breedy was found in the lower flat of his two-storey house, with multiple injuries

to his head.

It was reported that his hands and feet were also bound. Breedy’s Sports Utility Vehicle (SUV) and other belongings including a n A u t o m a t e d Te l l e r Machine (ATM) card were stolen after he was murdered.

Corbin was charged jointly with, ex-convict Paul Goriah of Grove Squatting Area, East Bank Demerara and Donnel Trapp called ‘Short man’ for the murder of Breedy.

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Friday June 03, 2022

Kaieteur News

Bids open for annex building at Queens College During the recent opening of tenders, six contractors submitted bids to construct an annex building at the Queens College compound.

The project which is being undertaken by the Minis-

VEHICLE FOR SALE One Honda CRV,fully loaded immaculate condition, low mileage 3.3M negotiable & 1 new super custom Hiace Bus 2.5M .Contact:649-0956.

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1 foreign used Komatsu PC55 5.5Ton & PC 128 12Ton, affordable price.Call/whats app 677-8104/640-5008.

SERVICES Visa Application: U.S.A, Canada & UK; Graphics design,Advertisements, Wedding decorations & Elderly grooming: Hair,Nail etc.Tel:626-7040.

Specialized repairs/service refrigerator, washing machine, pressure pump, stove, treadmill, dryer, filteration system, deepfryer. Call: 6949733.

Glasgow's Executive Cleaning Service.We offer residential and commercial cleaning & maid services. Call: 6503133/672-6935.

Drawing of Building plans and Estimate, K.Lakeram buil ding contractor.Tel:216-0671/ 692-8464 whatsapp 622-0267.

WANTED Driver salesman & porters, attractive salary. Call:6611000.

One experienced female Sales Clerk. Tel: 225-2313, 226-1497 One head cook,one assistant cook.Tel: 687-8709. Email: thepizzaboy @gmail. com 1 live in companion, age 30 & above light housework.

C a l l : 6 9 5 - 0 3 3 1 .

Dredge Workers.Call:6969854&223-7165.

Security Officers & Drivers for car & van.S&S Security Service Ruimveldt.Call:6916081/611-8370.

Skilled carpenters,masons and labourers. Call: 602-9469, 615-7526, 660-6385,625-7642.

Kitchen Assistant, Salesperson & Babysitter needed.

C a l l : 6 5 9 - 5 5 5 9 .

Water truck driver on West Bank Demerara. Tel:686-9296.

Experienced Joiner,6000 per day.Call:600-4927/500-5447.

One male able bodied clerk.

Tel:231-2029,616-5954.

1 cleaner & 1 cashier. Tel:6028067/677-7011.

One experience sewing machine operator.Tel:266-2700.

Babysitter needed in South Ruimveldt Park, MondaySaturday. Call: 678-5764 or 6 4 8 - 7 8 6 8 .

1 cook to work in Charity Essequibo.Contact:2235273/223-5274.

PENPAL Male seeks female, age 1838 for a relationship.Call: 6 0 3 - 9 0 8 5 .

FOR RENT One fully furnish house to rent, located in Diamond.

Contact:699-7870.

FOR SALE 100m3 locust logs US$250 per m3.Contact:617-9656.

One Agro Processing Business. Serious inquiries, price 150 mil. Tel:672-5912 or email: gimpex@gmail.comfor f u r t h e r d e t a i l s .

VACANCY Maid to cook and clean for East Bank area.Call:615-9132 For a Receptionist, Hotel Attendant. Tel: 231-0951, 2277714, 640-0673.

One Porter. Apply at: Lens 136 Sheriff Street next to Buddys/Pizzahut. Call: 2272486 or 226-3750 Female Cleaner for office.

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Clerical assistants live-in accommodation available for out of town applicants covid vaccinated persons only. 2237500.

Female Cleaner.Apply in person at Alabama Trading,65 Robb St Bourda.

try of Education is estimated to cost $106 million. One of the contractors, A.Orgasein & Sons bid $18 million lower than the engineers cost while C. Baboolal Construction bid $151 million to do the job. As

Ministry of Education Construction of annex building at Queens College School compound.

was earlier reported, the education sector this year was allocated the sum of $6.6 billion to facilitate the construction, rehabilitation, extension, and maintenance of educational facilities across the

country.

Bids were also opened for the construction of a Guyana Revenue Authority living quarters at Moleson Creek, Region Six. Below are the companies and the bids:

Ministry of Tourism, Industry and Commerce Market Representation Services in German speaking markets (Germany, Switzerland, Austria).

Market Representation Services in the United Kingdom & Benelux markets.

Guyana Revenue Authority Construction of Living quarters, Moleson Creek, Region Six. Market Representation Services in North America.

“Do not try to trick the system!”

From page 13 which is expected to commence by the end of the week.

Minister Mustapha also said the process of having boats licensed would also assist with the verification process but some persons do not license their boats.

“When we ask that the boats be licensed, some of you do not want to do that even though we would’ve reduced the licensing fees.

When your boats are licensed, we’ll have that data-

VACANCY Store/Shop Attendants. Send application to manager @ Vlissengen Road, George town or email:lowsss@ s h e l l b a p . c o m .

Customer Service Rep/Dispatcher to work at a reputable organisation,familiarity of G/ Town.Contact:621-9356.

Room attendant,billing receptionist,25-50 years.233 South Road Lacytown, tel:225-0198.

base and that would make this process easier,” Minister Mustapha said that the government was making funds available to assist farmers with developing the industry.

“This year, we are looking to increase production and because of the high cost of fertilizer, farmers are finding it very difficult to go back to the land. The government will be making $1 billion available to purchase fertilizers that will be given to farmers and this is for both cash crop and rice farmers. We’ve also removed the taxes that were imposed on certain sectors like the fishing industry. All the VAT that was placed on fishing materials and agriculture machinery,” he noted.

Why the foot dragging?

DEAR EDITOR, It is baffling, members of the long awaited constitutional PPC have not been sworn in, even though names have been approved. Why

the foot dragging on this important body? It is high time this body comes into being and function or it will be seen as sinister.

Shamshun Mohamed

How about creating apprenticeship programmes?

DEAR EDITOR, Since the democratically elected PPP/C won the 2020 elections, it has embarked on the path of giving cash handouts to citizens.

While this brings a welcome relief to some, the vast majority are still looking forward to the 50,000 jobs prom-

ised by Irfaan Ali during his election campaign.

Has the Government thought about creating apprenticeship programmes as this will not only give people money but will also give them skills?

Yours faithfully, Sean Ori

Kaieteur News

Friday June 03, 2022

PAGE 23

Police Association welcomes appointment of new PSC The Executive Members of the Guyana Police Association, (GPA) has welcomed the appointment of the Police Service Commission.

In a statement, the body noted that it is its view that if the President of Guyana triggers any constitutional process at any time, then all parties who are required to be a part of the process must make this a priority. “We believe any constitutional process takes precedence over any other duties since constitutional matters are of national importance.

Emanating from this, we support President Irfaan Ali’s appointment of the PSC and view any challenge(s) of it as a direct attack on the welfare of ranks of the Guyana Police Force and all of Guyana,” the GPA said in the release.

Further, the association said that after the P a r l i a m e n t a r y subcommittee of Appointments would have unanimously approved the names of nominees for the PSC, it was subsequently sent to the National Assembly where it was unanimously approved once again. The association added, “as a result, the said list was sent to the President.

It must be noted that throughout that process, the Government and Opposition Members would have been actively involved in the scrutiny of the nominees before the approval.”

With that being said, the association noted that meaningful consultation was executed between President Ali and Leader of the Opposition Aubrey Norton, as prescribed by the Constitution of Guyana, when they met on Friday 13th May 2022. The statement continued, “It is reasonable to assume that both the Opposition and Government Members of Parliament would have reported their findings to their leaders, before the approval of the nominees.”

In addition, the association noted that Leader of the Opposition Aubrey Norton did not attend the meeting which was schedule for Monday 30th May 2022, with President Ali to be testimony that meaningful consultation was done in the previous meeting (May 13th 2022), as prescribed by the Constitution on. “If the President of Guyana triggers any constitutional process at any time, then all parties who are required to be a part of

the process must make this a priority,” the GPA said adding that emanating from this, the Association supports the appointment of the PSC and view any challenges of it as a direct attack on the welfare of the ranks of the Guyana Police Force.

President Irfaan Ali and other ministers pose with the members of the Police Service Commission

PAGE 24

Kaieteur News

Friday June 03, 2022

Friday June 03, 2022

PAGE 25

Kaieteur News

Ukraine beat Scotland to keep World Cup dream alive GLASGOW, Scotland, (Reuters) - Ukraine kept alive their dream of reaching the World Cup finals by beating Scotland 3-1 in their playoff at Hampden Park on Wednesday in their first game since the Russian invasion of their country.

Ukraine will now face Wales on Sunday in Cardiff with the winner taking a place at November’s finals in Qatar.

The loss means Scotland remain without an appearance at a World Cup since 1998.

Goals from Andriy Yarmolenko and Roman Yaremchuk had put a confident and dominant Ukraine 20 up before Callum McGregor pulled a goal back for the Scots in the 79th minute.

The goal injected some

belief into Scotland who applied some late pressure but deep into stoppage time substitute Artem Dovbyk finished off a counter-attack to secure the victory.

An emotionally drained Ukraine coach Oleksandr Petrakov said his team had been playing for all those struggling back home.

“We played for them, for those who fight with their last drop of blood, for those who suffer every day,” he said.

“We took baby steps towards our great aim, we have the Wales game to come and we will do everything people expect us to do,” he said.

Ukraine’s travelling support, who had come from across the United Kingdom and from as far away as Aus-

Ukraine celebrate and applaud their fans after the match. (Action Images via Reuters/Lee Smith)

tralia and the United States to cheer on their team, were jubilant with many no doubt now planning to extend their trip to a weekend in South Wales.

Whether they will be planning trips to Doha after

Friday June 03, 2022 ARIES (Mar. 21–Apr. 19) Today your brain is supercharged, Aries. If you've been thinking about doing some writing or have put off analyzing a particularly tricky problem, this would be the perfect day to get started.

LIBRA (Sept. 23–Oct. 22) The celestial energy signals a pleasant change for you today, Libra. Finally, the overpowering emotions that have been surging from your relationships will subside.

You are now beginning a more contemplative phase.

TAURUS(Apr.20–May20) With today's planetary energy, you'll find yourself a little more extraverted than usual, Taurus. You'll finally be able to say what you really think about things.

GEMINI (May 21–June 20) Today you're unstoppable!

You're a very hard worker by nature, and with the current planetary alignment you'll be able to accomplish even more than usual.

SCORPIO (Oct. 23–Nov. 21) This is a good day to devote time and thought to spiritual pursuits, Scorpio. Do something inspirational that instills a sense of wonder deep in your soul. .

SAGIT(Nov.22–Dec.21) A new phase in your life is beginning, Sagittarius. The previous phase could be interpreted as having taught you to be serious and devoted to professional responsibilities.

CANCER (June 21–July 22) Discard those items from the past for which you really no longer have use. As much as you like to surround yourself with objects of sentimental value.

CAPRI (Dec. 22–Jan. 19) Today's aspects might clear up some rather sketchy ideas about your professional future, Capricorn. If you long for a change, such as daring to undertake a more artistic pursuit.

LEO (July 23–Aug. 22) Intimacy will be in the air over the next few days.

Loved ones suddenly want to spend more time with you, and you'll want to invite friends over every night! By all means, do.

AQUARIUS(Jan.20–Feb.18) You have acquired some sound confidence in yourself, Aquarius. Now it is time for you to show everyone else by actually putting it to use in your life.

VIRGO (Aug. 23–Se pt. 22) Feeling unusually adventurous, Virgo? You're often motivated by your idealistic expectations, and the planetary configurations today .

PISCES (Feb. 19–Mar. 20) Today's planetary energy should compel you to commit certain acts of self-affirmation that are needed to define your territory and protect your rights.

Sunday’s game remains to be seen but they will certainly have plenty of belief after an impressive display.

Ukraine’s domestic competition was halted after the invasion and the country’s home-based players have not played competitive football since December but they were quick out of the blocks and caused Scotland problems from the outset.

Home keeper Craig Gordon had to make three saves in the opening 25 minutes to keep the game scoreless with Ukraine’s smooth passing and movement too much for a hesitant Scottish defence.

The goal finally came in the 33rd when Yarmolenko sprung the offside trap and latched on to a ball over the top from Ruslan Malinovskyi and lobbed the advancing Gordon.

Ukraine were full value for their halftime lead and extended their advantage four minutes after the break when Yaremchuk beat two Scottish defenders to reach a cross from Oleksandr Karavaev and head into the far corner.

With the home crowd turning against their team and sloppy passing undermining attempts to gain any sort of momentum, Scotland looked beaten but they found a way back into the game.

Ukraine keeper Georgiy Bushchan punched the ball out in a crowded box and

Essequibians Hussain...

From page 28 both stated that want to continue their winning ways and are prepared to work hard to achieve their goals.

Hussain said he worked hard for the win and is looking forward to compete again this year end. He expressed gratitude to trainer Vijay Rahim, members of Roy’s gym and his family.

Bridgemohan stated that she was confident of doing well and said discipline played an important role in her success. He credited gym members and family.

McGregor struck it goalwards and although Taras Stepanenko looked to have cleared, the ball was ruled to have crossed the line and a goal awarded.

Hampden was awakened and with Ukraine tiring, Scotland pushed forward in numbers in search of a way to take

the game into extra time.

But after wasting a couple of chances on the break, with the final kick of the match, Dovbyk put the game to bed and set off emotional celebrations.

It was a deserved win for Ukraine and one which came more from their quality football than their expected spirit.

For Scotland it was a bitter end to their hopes of a first World Cup appearance in 24 years.

“It’s a disappointing night. You have to be honest, the best team on the night won,” said coach Steve Clarke.

“Now is a night to suffer, we’ll suffer together. It’s going to take at least 48 hours just to move on. When you lose a game of this magnitude it hurts,” he added.

PAGE 26

Friday June 03, 2022

Kaieteur News

England v New Zealand: Hosts make chaotic start to new era as 17 wickets fall on day one Debutant Matthew Potts produced figures of 4 for 13. (PA Images/Getty)

BBC Sport - England’s new era under captain Ben Stokes and coach Brendon McCullum got off to a chaotic start as 17 wickets fell on the first day of the first Test against New Zealand at Lord’s.

New Zealand were bowled out for 132, only for England to slump to 116-7 in reply. For as brilliant as England were with the ball and in the field, they were as poor with the bat as they have been in a run that has seen them win only one of their past 17 Tests. Though New Zealand won the toss, the conditions offered movement to the home side that debutant Matthew Potts and the recalled James Anderson exploited with four wickets apiece.

However, Colin de Grandhomme’s 42 not out dragged the Black Caps from 45-7, with the last three wickets adding 87 runs. Still, England were in strong positions at 59-0 and 92-2, only to lose five wickets for eight runs in a blur of inexplicable strokes. All this on a day when Jack Leach had to be withdrawn from the match with concussion after landing awkwardly while trying to save a boundary in just the sixth over. Leach has been replaced

by Lancashire leg-spinner Matt Parkinson, who started the day in Manchester and ended it on the verge of batting in his Test debut. Actionpacked start to new era If the expectation was that the new management would bring an all-action style to the England team, it was fulfilled on a barely believable day at Lord’s, when the two sides competed to see who could put in the worse batting performance.

As everything went England’s way in the morning, new skipper Stokes had few decisions to make. It may be that his most important act was to lose the toss, but there were some glimpses of an attacking intent with as many as six catchers posted in the slips. England utilised the conditions with a full length and caught everything Jonny Bairstow held on to three at third slip, including two stunners. Amid the carnage, Leach was hurt, and the game was also stopped after 23 overs for applause in tribute to late Australia legend Shane Warne. For as much as England looked reinvigorated with the ball and in the field, their batting was depressingly feeble, the rash shots all too familiar. The late clatter of

wickets was enough to drag New Zealand back into a contest that they could already have been out of.

England collapse leaves Test in balance Perhaps the biggest crime of England’s collapse was that New Zealand looked flattened, offering little threat, until they were given a way back into the match. It started when Zak Crawley fell in characteristic fashion, edging a booming drive off Kyle Jamieson after playing nicely for 43. Though new number three Ollie Pope was drawn into a poke at Jamieson for only seven, all seemed calm while former captain Joe Root, who was given a rapturous reception, was at the crease.

But when Root pushed Tim Southee to gully for 11, England lost the plot. Lefthander Alex Lees was lbw getting too far across his stumps and Stokes edged an ambitious drive, before Boult had Bairstow play on and bounced out Potts.

England had lost five wickets in the space of 28 balls, and needed Ben Foakes and Stuart Broad to drag them to the close without sustaining further damage. Anderson and Potts combine to skittle Kiwis For a while, New

Zealand looked a shadow of the side that won a series here 1-0 last year on the way to being crowned world Test champions - their tentative batters were preyed on by the artistry of Anderson and the energy of Potts. Anderson needed only seven balls to take Will Young’s edge, with Bairstow taking a stunning grab low to his left. When Tom Latham nicked in the same direction, Bairstow’s reaction to hold a catch he initially dropped was just as impressive. Bairstow’s third came when Broad drew Devon Conway into playing away from his body, before Potts got in on the act. He took the edge of New Zealand captain Kane Williamson with his fifth ball, got Daryl Mitchell to play on and

bowled Tom Blundell when he offered no shot. With De Grandhomme marshalling the tail, Anderson took some punishment but still had both Jamieson and Southee caught on the boundary. Potts trapped Ajaz Patel lbw for his fourth wicket but had to leave the field with cramp, allowing Stokes to dismiss last man Boult. England were in control, only for the evening collapse to turn the match on its head. A ‘baffling’ yet ‘familiar’ collapse - reaction Former England captain Michael Vaughan on Test Match Special: “It was decent bowling, very good bowling at times, but the batting has been poor for both sides. “That was the worst possible start from the England batting line-up be-

cause we are now talking about what has happened over the last year or so. “You can give them all the excuses in the world, but ultimately that amount of talent in the dressing room has failed to deliver.” BBC cricket correspondent Jonathan Agnew: “England’s collapse is baffling and still in some ways rather familiar.” England debutant Matthew Potts, who took 4-13: “I’ve had an absolutely wonderful day and enjoyed every second of being here. “I just tried to translate what I have been doing for Durham, which is to hit the pitch hard with a wobbled seam.” Scores: England 116 for 7 (Foakes 6*, Broad 4*) trail New Zealand 132 (de Grandhomme 42*, Potts 4-13, Anderson 4-66) by 16 runs.

Friday June 03, 2022

Doctor in tow, Rafael Nadal heads to French Open semifinals PARIS (AP) — Rafael Nadal showed up at Roland Garros with his personal doctor along for the trip, hoping to get some help with the chronic pain in his left foot that’s been an off-and-on problem for years.

Nadal, as is his wont, has downplayed his chances at a 14th French Open trophy and 22nd Grand Slam title overall — both of those numbers would add to records he already holds — and repeatedly said he has no idea whether each match might be the last of his career in Paris.

Still, he sure looked just fine from up-close, playing with his usual resilience and joie de vivre all the while.

Never more so than during the victory over No. 1 seed and defending champion Novak Djokovic that moved Nadal into the semifinals today — the Spaniard’s 36th birthday — at the clay-court major tournament that he has lorded over for so long. At the 1:15 a.m. conclusion of that 6-2, 4-6, 6-2, 7-6 (4) triumph as the calendar flipped from Tuesday to Wednesday, Nadal turned toward his guest box in the stands and smiled quite a wide smile, then covered his face with his taped-up fingers.

“I (was) emotional because, of course, the last three months and a half for me ... haven’t been easy,” Nadal said, referring to both a rib injury and the foot issue that limited both his number of matches and his hours on a practice court.

A victory over No. 3 seed Alexander Zverev of Germany today would allow Nadal to continue on the path to another championship at the French Open. And if he also were to go on to win Sunday’s final against either 2014 U.S. Open champion Marin Cilic of Croatia or No. 8 Casper Ruud of Norway, who meet in Friday’s other semifinal, there also would be this to consider: Nadal would own the first two legs of a calendar-year Grand Slam for the first time.

Hard to believe, maybe, but Nadal never has managed to get halfway there. His lone Australian Open title before this January came in 2009, the year he lost at Roland Garros for the first time, eliminated in the fourth round by Robin Soderling.

Nadal’s French Open record is 110-3 (two of the defeats came against Djokovic, in 2015 and a year ago) and he is into his 15th semifinal there.

The prospect of how

PAGE 27

Kaieteur News

Spain’s Rafael Nadal reacts after defeating Serbia’s Novak Djokovic in their quarterfinal match of the French Open tennis tournament at the Roland Garros stadium. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus) many more contests he might have left has been something he has addressed more than once in recent days.

Asked after defeating Djokovic how much the raucous crowd support he received in Court Philippe Chatrier helped, Nadal said: “Probably, they know that I’m not going to be here for a lot more times.”

Moments later, after mentioning his doctor’s presence, Nadal said: “I am putting everything that I have to try to play this tournament with the best conditions possible, no?

I don’t know what can happen after, honestly.”

When a reporter wanted to know how thoughts about his future affect him, Nadal replied: “I don’t know what’s going to happen after here. I mean, I have what I have there in the foot, so if we are not able to find an improvement or a small solution on that, then it’s becoming super difficult for me.”

Nonetheless, he managed to win two matches that each lasted more than four hours, against No. 9 Felix AugerAliassime in the fourth round, then against Djokovic.

“I’m not surprised at all,” Djokovic said. “It’s not the first time that he is able, a few days after he’s injured and barely walking, to come out 100% physically fit.”

Nadal’s opponent, Zverev, was the runner-up at the 2020 U.S. Open and a gold medalist at the Tokyo Olympics. The 25-year-old, who is under investigation by the ATP after being accused of abuse by a former girlfriend, is playing in the Roland Garros semifinals for the second consecutive year.

Zverev owns a single victory in 12 Slam matches against opponents ranked in the top 10; that came Tuesday when he eliminated No. 6 Carlos Alcaraz.

Cilic, 33, and Ruud, 23, are

making their semifinal debuts in Paris. For Ruud, it’s his first appearance in the final four at any major. For Cilic, it completes a set of at least one semifinal at each major.

“He won a Grand Slam before, (been in) several finals, so he has more experience than me,” Ruud said about Cilic, “so I have everything to win and nothing to lose.”

While the other semifinalists have combined for one major title, Nadal can increase his lead to two over Djokovic and Roger Federer in the career Grand Slam count. They are both at 20.

“There is always a conversation about the player who finished with more Slams or who is the best (in) history, but from my perspective, doesn’t matter that much,” Nadal said. “We achieve our dreams. We make history in this sport, because we did things that didn’t happen before.”

Coco Gauff, 18, to face No. 1 Iga Swiatek in final at French PARIS (AP) — Coco Gauff sat plain-faced in her French Open changeover chair after moving one set away from her first Grand Slam final at 18 — just 18! — and calmly snacked on some cut-up pieces of pineapple and other fruit, seemingly without a care in the world.

Her opponent in yesterday’s semifinals at Roland Garros, Martina Trevisan, was taking a medical timeout so her right thigh could be treated and taped by a trainer. It was the sort of delay that might rattle some players, might make them cool off, relinquish momentum, think too much about what was at stake.

Not Gauff. Not on this sunny, breezy afternoon at Court Philippe Chatrier.

When the American arrived in Paris, she celebrated her recent high school graduation by posing for capand-gown photos near the Eiffel Tower while holding her diploma. After wrapping up a 6-3, 6-1 victory over the 59th-ranked Trevisan, Gauff will be back in that stadium on Saturday to face No. 1 Iga Swiatek for the championship.

The 18th-seeded Gauff, who turned 18 in March, is the youngest finalist at the clay-court major tournament since 2001, when Kim Clijsters was the runner-up a day after her 18th birthday.

Gauff has won all 12 sets she has played over the past two weeks. She did not need to navigate the most arduous path to

Coco Gauff of the U.S.celebrates scoring a point as she plays Italy’s Martina Trevisan during their semifinal match of the French Open tennis tournament at the Roland Garros stadium Thursday, June 2, 2022 in Paris. (AP Photo/Jean-Francois Badias) get this far: Because of all manner of surprising results and early exits by top players from the bracket, she has faced only one seeded foe so far, No. 31 Elise Mertens.

Now comes someone who will present a much tougher test and will require a higher level of quality.

Swiatek is not only already a Grand Slam champion — she w o n t h e French Open in 2020 — but is unbeaten in her past 34 matches after eliminating No. 20 Daria Kasatkina 6-2, 6-1 yesterday.

The men’s semifinals are today, with 13-time French Open champion Rafael Nadal playing No. 3 seed Alexander Zverev, and

2014 U.S. Open champion Marin Cilic facing No. 8 Casper Ruud.

Swiatek has won her past five tournaments, last losing in February, against 2017 French O p e n c h a m p i o n Jelena Ostapenko.

The only Polish player to win a major singles title in tennis is now on a winning streak that equals one Serena Williams had in 2013.

The only longer run this century was a 35-match unbeaten stretch by Venus Williams in 2000.

Swiatek and Kasatkina were even at 2-all.

But Swiatek claimed 10 of the last 11 games.

Gauff and Trevisan were even at 3-all. But Gauff claimed nine of the last 10 games.

PAGE 28

Friday June 03, 2022

Kaieteur News

NSC/Archery Guyana’s Independence Indoor Open Shoot 2022

Persaud takes gold in Men’s Recurve & Barebow, Duncan and Boodhoo win in Women Divisions

Archery Guyana’s inaugural Open Competition sponsored by the National Sports Commission (NSC) came to its climax on May 28 at the Muslim Youth Organisation (MYO) in the final night of the Barebow Division.

The week-long competition commenced on Monday 23, 2022 with the ranking rounds for the Barebow Division where all participants from Archery Guyana and The Archery Guild shot to achieve their best scores.

Competing in the Youth Men’s category: Antuwan Lamazon; Youth Women’s category: Amara Nandan; Barebow Women’s category: Lisa Khan, Roshini Boodhoo and Tifanny Ramdayal; and in the Barebow Men’s were Sean Duncan, Jeewanram Persaud, Saeed Karim, Fabian Ramdatt and Kenrick Cheeks were the standouts.

The youths, Lamazon and Nandan automatically medalled since they were the only ones in their respective categories. For the Women, Lisa Khan came out on top against Roshini Boodhoo followed by Tifanny Ramdayal. And Sean Duncan topped off the Men followed by Persaud, Khan, Ramdatt and Cheeks. Action continued on Tuesday with the Men and Women Recurve ranking rounds.

Sean Duncan again topped the rankings with Jeewanram Persaud just 17 points behind him.

Umasankar Madray followed up with Ruel

Douglas and Fabian Ramdatt trailing behind.

Only 2 Women recurve competitors shot: Samira Duncan who topped the ranking against Roshini Boodhoo. Duncan took gold and Boodhoo automatically claimed silver.

In the men’s eliminations matches, Sean Duncan gained a bye straight to the gold medal match from his ranking scores leaving the other men to battle it out to the final.

Persaud beat Karim 6-3 out of 5 sets in Match 1, while Madray beat Ramdatt 6-0 in 3 straight sets in Match 2. Persaud and Madray then battled in the bronze medal match as Persaud defeated Madray in 3 straight sets of 6-0 to go on to the gold medal match against Duncan, as Madray gained bronze. It was a tense match between Duncan and Persaud with the family and friends cheering them on, but Duncan succumbed to the pressure as Persaud eventually gained the upper hand with a 6-2 victory in 4 sets.

On Saturday, the Barebow finals brought the competition to its close with the Women’s and Men’s Barebow medal matches.

The ladies started off the shooting with Roshini Boodhoo and Tifanny Ramdayal.

Boodhoo made quick work of Ramdayal in 3 straight sets to win 6-0 and moved on to the gold medal match against Lisa Khan whose ranking points put her through to the final,

Some of the action from the ranking rounds of the first day of competition.

but Boodhoo who seemed determined to take the gold, made quick work of Khan with another 3 straight sets of 6-0, leaving Khan with the silver and Ramdayal with bronze. The men were up next and it was Persaud and Ramdatt in Match 1. Persaud quickly shot a straight 6point win against Ramdatt, while Karim went up against Cheeks in the 2nd Match also shooting 6 straight points to beat Cheeks, moving on to the bronze medal match against Persaud, but the younger Karim seemed no match for Persaud who beat him 6-0 to go up against Duncan for the gold medal. The final match was much more exciting as Duncan and Persaud battled it out shooting 5 sets. Duncan took the first set and seemed confident, but then Persaud took the next 2 sets. Duncan then won the 4th but didn’t seem to be in control of his mental game, while Persaud was determined and took the 5th set to gain the first 6 points and the win. The Presentation Ceremony was then hosted, at which time, National Judge Ryan McKinnon announced the winners and gave remarks. Congratulations were expressed on behalf of the Director of Sport, Steve Ninvalle, on the hosting of this inaugural event and all Archers were congratulated for their participation. The Judges for the competition were: Director of Shooting Nicholas Hing, Line Judge Ryan McKinnon and Target Judge Dr Ricardo Stuart.

The archers score each other under the watchful eyes of the target judges.

Archery Guyana wishes to thank the Muslim Youth Organisation (MYO) for their generosity in allowing the use of their facility, the NSC for their sponsorship, Guyana Beverages Inc., International Business Services, and all those who came and supported.

Essequibians Hussain, Bridgemohan aim for continuous success Essequibians Wazeer Hussain and Lalita Bridgemohan are both looking forward to maintain their dominance on the powerlifting stage and have set their sights on winning more titles. Hussain of Roy’s gym, Essequibo Coast, won the male open overall title, while Lalita Bridgemohan of Seemangal gym of Essequibo Coast, was the best lifter in the female Masters classic division when the Guyana Amateur Powerlifting federation staged its Intermediates/Masters championships at St. Stanislaus Auditorium on May 15.

Hussain also established records in the 83kg Men’s Junior Raw with a Total of 570.0kg/ 1256.635 lbs and in the (83kg) Men’s Junior Raw Deadlift with 240kg/529.110 lbs. They (Continued on page 25)

Wazeer Hussain and Lalita Bridgemohan.

(Zaheer Mohamed photo)

Friday June 03, 2022

PAGE 29

Kaieteur News

Team Mohamed’s lends Madholall all-round performance support to GCF for FIDE leads Reliance Hustlers to victory Chess Olympiad in India - Fundraiser dinner set for June 25 Team Mohamed’s, through its principal Azruddin Mohamed, recently showed their dedication towards supporting sport across Guyana by sponsoring Guyana’s chess players on their journey to India.

Mohamed handed over a monetary donation to the Guyana Chess Federation’s President Frankie Farley and his team.

This funding will support a 12-member contingent to participate in the 44th edition of the FIDE chess Olympiad which will be held in Chennai, India from July 28th to August 10th. The Olympiad is the biggest chess event in the world.

It was initially slated to be held in Russia but was relocated in the aftermath of the country’s invasion of Ukraine. Guyana is currently ranked at 143 out of 201 countries within the International Federation.

The funding from Team Mohamed’s will offset expenses for a fund-raising dinner that will be held later this month. The proceeds from

GCF President, Frankie Farley, and Team Mohamed’s Principal, Azruddin Mohamed. that event will go toward airfare and ground travel expenses for the team members.

GCF President Farley expressed gratitude to Mr. Mohamed for the timely and generous donation while stating that it will go a long way in affording Guyana’s team the opportunity to participate in the Chess Olympiad.

Mohamed extended best wishes to the team and encouraged them to perform to the best of their abilities.

The fundraising dinner is set for 7pm on June 25th at Tower Suites Inc. Poolside.

The event features an evening of 80’s and 90’s music paired with entertainment and a 3-course meal.

Anyone who would like to support the team’s journey to India can reach out to the Guyana Chess Federation on guyanachess@gmail.com or any executive member of the GCF to purchase tickets. Tickets cost $10,000 each.

Narindra Madholall produced an excellent all-round performance to lead Reliance Hustlers to a commanding 105-run win over Cotton Field in an invitational 20-over match last Sunday at Reliance ground, Essequibo Coast, Region Two. The game was sponsored by ex-Essequibo Inter-County opening batsman Ramcharran Singh.

The left-handed Madholall clobbered four fours and six sixes as Reliance Hustlers rattled up a sufficient 149-8 from the reduced 17-overs, while Cotton Field were all out for 44 in the 14th over. The reduction of the overs was due to rain.

Madholall got good support from Nathan Persaud who hit a quick 34.

Off-spinner Singh grabbed 4-28 off six overs while Nissan Benni collected 2-30.

When Cotton Field batted, Singh offered a fight with 12 as Madholall snatched 5-9 from four off-spin overs.

Madholall copped the manof-the-match prize, while he was awarded the best batsman and best bowler. He received trophies from Singh.

Meanwhile, in an over-40 15-over game, Invaders Masters defeated Cotton Field/

Narindra Madholall, left, receives one of his trophies from Ramcharran Singh.

Reliance Select X1 at the same venue later in the day. Invaders Masters reached a respectable 140-6 from the 15overs and then limited Cotton Field/Reliance Select X1 to 935 when the overs ran out. Kurt Jones hit a top-score of 78 for Invaders Masters, while Ramesh Narine scored a useful, unbeaten 33. Off-spinner Trevis Simon took three wickets for 19 runs from his three overs while Dhaniram Benny supported with 2-34.

In Cotton Field/Reliance Select X1 innings, Mahendra

Bennett made 34. Jones was named player of the match, while he was also given the best batsman prize. Simon was adjudged the best bowler and both received a trophy each.

This match was played in memory of Sarjoo Jainarine and Dharam Rajah, both were Cotton Field teammates of Singh.

The games were organised by Simon, while USA-based Guyanese Singh stated that he will make it an annual event.

King 91*, Hosein four-for seal series for West Indies ESPNcricinfo - Brandon King and Keacy Carty’s career-best efforts of 91 not out and 43 not out, respectively, in an unbeaten 118-run stand for the sixth wicket, rescued West Indies from 99 for 5 and led them to a series win against Netherlands in Amstelveen.

King backed up his unbeaten 51-ball 58* from the first ODI with another halfcentury, and found excellent company in Carty as the duo chased down a target of 215 with five wickets in hand.

West Indies would have hoped for a much easier chase after Akeal Hosein’s career-best 4 for 39 helped bring about a Netherlands collapse of 10 for 113. However, fast bowlers Logan van Beek and Bas de Leede fashioned a collapse of their own to threaten an upset in the second ODI. King and Carty, though, resurrected the chase well.

While King was more adventurous in his shot-making, Carty, playing just his second ODI, took his time to settle in before opening up his shoulders as the visi-

tors eventually cruised home with 27 balls to spare.

Earlier, opting to bat first, Netherlands openers Vikramjit Singh and Max O’Dowd laid a solid platform in a 101-run opening stand.

Both batters went toe-totoe with each other in their run-making.

Vikramjit got the boundary counter running for the hosts as he ramped Alzarri Joseph over the slip cordon in the fourth over before driving the same bowler through mid-off.

O’Dowd, initially sedate, picked Kyle Mayers through the backward square leg region for a four and then drove him down the ground in his next over.

It didn’t help that West Indies dropped both openers thrice inside the first 15 overs as Netherlands kept a steady run-rate going.

Netherlands brought up their 100 in the 21st over, but it all went downhill for them thereon.

As was the case in the first ODI, the spinners, Hayden Walsh and Hosein, brought about their downfall.

Vikramjit was the first to

Akeal Hosein bowls.

(BCCI/file photo)

depart when he pushed an innocuous, tossed-up ball straight back at Hosein for 46.

While O’Dowd reached his fourth ODI half-century, he was soon undone by a shortof-a-length Hosein delivery that crept very low to bowl him.

With both set batters dismissed, Netherlands lost their way.

Hosein sent back de Leede for 0 before Nkrumah Bonner claimed Musa Ahmed

for 7.

Hosein then claimed his fourth wicket, getting rid of Teja Nidamanuru for 4, with Netherlands suddenly finding themselves 159 for 5.

Scott Edwards, batting at No. 3, did his best to take his side to a respectable total but did not get much support.

He struck 68 off 89 balls and was the last wicket to fall as the hosts failed to bat out their 50 overs.

For West Indies, Hosein was the pick of the bowlers, while Joseph picked up two wickets at the end.

West Indies’ chase got off on the wrong foot with Shamarh Brooks and Shai Hope falling inside the first ten overs.

While van Beek had Brooks caught at first slip for 6, de Leede left Hope’s stumps in a mess with a stunning in-dipper for 18. de Leede then struck

again, trapping Bonner for 15, while Nicholas Pooran dragged Aryan Dutt back onto his stumps, having hit him for a six a few deliveries earlier.

King and Mayers forged a bit of a fightback for the visitors, but once the latter fell on 22, with the team score on 99, Netherlands would have a sniffed an upset. King, though, made sure he did not lose focus.

At no stage did he let the Netherlands bowlers bowl too many dot balls, and even when Carty failed to rotate the strike, King kept the boundaries flowing.

Netherlands fluffed a couple of run-out attempts, but apart from that, there was little the two West Indies batters offered in terms of chances.

King, who smashed nine fours and three sixes during his knock, was named Player of the Match for his effort.

Scores: West Indies 217 for 5 (King 91*, Carty 43*, de Leede 2-46) beat Netherlands 214 (Edwards 68, O’Dowd 51, Hosein 4-39) by five wickets.

PAGE 30

Friday June 03, 2022

Kaieteur News

Grill Masters City Stars crowned Fitness Combat set for June 11 and 12 at Soesdyke GCOS anniversary softball champions Athletes will test their fitness in the inaugural combat competition at Soesdyke.

Athletes will test their fitness on June 11 and 12 at Soesdyke when Videsh Sookram host a fitness combat competition, the first of its kind that will be held in the area.

Four gyms, Unity Gym, Exodus Fitness, Total Fitness and B Fitness gym are slated to take part in the event which will kick off with a walk from the ‘I love you Guyana’ sign at Timehri and finishes at Grill

King bar-be-cue stand, Soesdyke junction.

Athletes will be placed in groups of 13 and will be competing in a series of fitness events while there will also be a 5-a-side female team.

Babar Azam hopeful Pakistan can beat the heat and West Indies ESPNcricinfo - Babar Azam, the Pakistan captain, understands that weather conditions during the ODI series against West Indies will be challenging but he is confident of his side acclimating to the heat. The temperature in Multan, the venue for the three ODIs, is expected to touch 45 degrees centigrade during the day, and despite the matches starting at 4pm, is unlikely to give players much respite.

The three-match series, initially slated to be played in December 2021, had to be postponed due to a Covid-19 outbreak in the West Indies camp. While Babar agreed that playing the matches in sweltering conditions was not ideal, he was confident the players were well-prepared to deal with the heat.

“Unfortunately the series could not be completed earlier in the original slot (in December),” Babar said during a press conference held in Lahore. “Obviously both boards have had their discussions and decided about this series on agreement. It’s a challenging scenario but now it has been decided and we are preparing for it.

“Definitely it is hot, but we are having a conditioning camp and acclimatising to the weather. We started our training camp earlier in the day from 2:30pm so that we could feel the heat and get ourselves ready for the matches.

“The temperate here (in Lahore) is similar to what we are going to experience in Multan, maybe one or two degrees more. We are already having our camps here and training in and out to get used to it. As a professional, you have to handle these situa-

tions. We do go out to other countries to play, and even during our time in the UAE, we used to face similar temperatures. I think it won’t be a problem and we will try to finish this series on a high note.”

The PCB has been assisting its team to counter the heat in Multan. The board will be providing ice collars, vests, and extra water breaks to keep the players hydrated.

While Babar conceded that it may take the visitors a little time to get used to the extreme heat, he expected West Indies put up a proper fight. “It won’t be a problem for them (West Indies) either, but yes, they will take a day to adjust to the time zone and weather. Every team comes with their plans and how they would execute them. So it won’t give us an edge because the weather is the same as in the West Indies. When we go there, we also get severe hot conditions.”

Multan wasn’t the preferred venue for the ODIs initially, but the PCB was forced to relocate from Rawalpindi in light of political uncertainty in nearby Islamabad. The series carries significance as it is part of the World Cup Super League, which is why the selectors refrained from tinkering with a settled combination. First-choice spinner Shadab Khan returned to the side after recovering from injury, while there was a call-up for top-order batter Abdullah Shafique.

Babar, though, wants Imam ul Haq and Fakhar Zaman to keep opening the batting, emphasising the need to give players a longer rope.

“We already have openers who are doing well and

they are the priority and you always make your best ones your priority,” Babar responded to a question on Shafique getting a chance in the starting XI. “These games are crucial for us and to build a team, you have to give players consistent chances. Yes, there are margins of bad performances, but you never drop players with the whip because teams are not lifted like this. You have to be consistent with your selection. There is a margin of one or two changes due to injuries but not more than that.

“With Shadab and [Mohammad] Nawaz coming back into the team, I got my confidence because, with them, I have completed my batting and bowling in the given combination. Shadab bats up in the order in PSL and we have an edge to utilise him and then we are fully covered with 5, 6 and 7, with Nawaz as a finisher.” Pakistan recently beat Australia 2-1 in an ODI series at home, and had also blanked West Indies 3-0 in the three-match T20I series back in December, last year.

On the upcoming games against West Indies, Babar said: “As a team, as a captain, you go into the series thinking about a clean sweep, whoever the opponent is. We went with the same thought against Australia, to play tough cricket and dominate. The intent is the same against West Indies, but it’s not like we are underestimating them. They also have the capacity to give you a tough time as on the day, they are a dangerous team. You can’t take them easy.” The three ODIs will be played on June 8, 10 and 12, In Multan.

Players from the top four teams display their prizes at the conclusion of the championship.

The Guyana Committee of Services (GCOS), as part of its sixth anniversary, wrapped up its nationwide 11-a-side softball cricket competition last weekend, with Grill Masters City Stars emerging champions.

In the championship game at Togetherness Park at Lilliendaal, Speedboat made 103 from their allotted 10 overs and Grill Masters City Stars knocked off the target in 8.2 overs.

For the victory, Grill Masters City Stars of New Amsterdam, Berbice, copped the championship trophy and G$100,000, compliments of Vitality Inc., while West Demerara-based team Speedboat collected the runner-up trophy and G$50,000, sponsored by Rockaway Roti Shop of New York and the GCOS. In the third place playoff, Savannah Stars of Canal Number Two scored 82 from their quota of five overs and then restricted Hydro Pure of Success, East Coast

Roy Jafarally (left) of Grill Masters City Stars of New Amsterdam, Berbice, receives the championship trophy and cash prize from Rajan Tiwari of the Guyana Committee of Services.

Demerara, to 74 to win by eight runs.

Savannah Stars received a trophy and G$25,000, put up

by Amanda’s Bridal and Costume Jewellery, while Hydro Pure took home the fourth place trophy.

GCOS member Rajan Tiwari said the competition was a resounding success, as he thanked all the teams for showcasing their talent as part of the anniversary

activities. He noted the contributions of the many corporate partners who played their part in ensuring the tournament came off the ground.

Tiwari expressed appreciation to Payless Variety Store, Vitality Inc., Rockaway Roti Shop, Amanda’s Bridal and Costume Jewellery, Smart Choice Variety Store and Team Sankar.

GFF opens transfer window The Guyana Football Federation (GFF) has opened the 2022/2023 p r e - s e a s o n transfer window, effective from June 1 to midnight on July 31.

All transfers must be conducted in accordance with the FIFA regulations on the status and transfer of players, which can b e f o u n d o n t h e F I FA website.

As the current transfer window falls during the regional association senior men’s leagues, the following provisions apply: • All legitimate transfers that fulfil the legal transfer criteria will be accepted and finalised by the Transfer Management System (TMS) manager of the GFF.

• A legitimate transfer can be considered as a tripartite agreement between two clubs and one player. Appropriate signatories of all parties, or an intervention by the regional association or GFF where appropriate, are necessary to complete the transfer.

• All transfer documenta-

tion must be submitted to the respective regional associations’ secretaries in cases of regional clubs, or to the GFF Secretariat in cases involving an Elite League club, prior to the close of the transfer period.

• Each participating club within the respective r e g i o n a l a s s o c i a t i o n ’s league must register a maximum of 25 players for the duration of the league.

• The submitted squad list for each team can only be adjusted with a maximum of five (5) players for the duration of the league.

If club officials have any further questions, please contact the GFF Secretariat.

Kaieteur News

Friday June 03, 2022

CWI Regional First-Class C/Ships

Rain washes out day 2 of 5th & final round Crandon pleased with team’s showing since restart

Rain overnight and yesterday ensured the covers were kept on and no play was possible.

By Sean Devers in Trinidad In association with WD Hotel & Mall Charity& Dave’s West Indies Imports

D

espite 72 from J e r e m y Solozano and 68 by Jason Mohamed, Trinidad & Tobago Red Force were well placed in the last session of the opening day the fifth and final round of the CWI Regional First-Class Championships, on 178-2 before losing seven for 21 runs to end the day on 2039.

Kemo Paul picked up four quick wickets to finish with 5-41, while left-arm spinner Gudakesh Motie had 2-35.

This was after pacer Demetri Cameron (1-38) had triggered the colossal collapse when he had Mohammed caught at first slip by Skipper Leon Johnson at 178-3.

However, heavy overnight rain, which continued all day yesterday, forced umpires Butler and Jonathan Blades to call off the day’s play without a ball being bowled just after Lunch as the covers were never removed.

“The entire team is disappointed that we didn’t get any play today, we understand that the rain is beyond our control and we accept that,” said Guyana Harpy Eagles Head Coach Esuan Crandon.

The former Berbice and Guyana fast bowler told Kaieteur Sports that the plans for yesterday was to get the one wicket as quickly as possible and bat out the rest of the day.

Tagenarine Chanderpaul has had a brilliant two matches since the tournament has restarted and

has so far amassed 414, only behind West Indies Captain Kraigg Braithwaite and level with Leewards’ batter Devon Thomas.

Two of his four FirstClass centuries were scored in the last two games, while the only time he was dismissed after scoring a hundred was in the last game against Jamaica, when with Guyana hunting runs to declare, Chanderpaul was caught at mid-wicket for 184.

Motie, with a shots-filled 110 and Vishal Singh are the only other Guyanese with a century as 17 centuries were scored by 15 batters so far.

Despite not going on to get hundreds, Chanderpaul Hemraj (who missed this match due a strained muscle in his leg), Tevin Imlach (twice), and Leon Johnson have reached fifties in the last two matches.

“It’s always important for the batters to score big, it’s something we spoke about in our team meeting and the guys are eager to continue to produce big scores for the team.

It’s just for individuals to take care of their business and control the things they c a n , ” t h e 4 0 - y e a r- o l d Crandon continued.

Asked what he is most pleased about despite now having no chance getting a 13th title this year, Crandon, who was first appointed Guyana Coach in 2012, said he was pleased with the way we played thus far as a team, since the restart of this competition.

“The batters were determined to bat long and score big. The bowlers worked very hard for wickets on the batsmen friendly wickets,” added Crandon, who has taken 90 wickets and scored one halfcentury from 38 First-Class matches.

PAGE 31

rts Spo Akeal Hosein bowls. (BCCI/ file photo)

King 91*, Hosein four-for seal series for Windies

Brandon King made his career-best score in ODIs, batting out of his preferred opening spot. (Getty Images)

NSC/Archery Guyana’s Independence Indoor Open Shoot 2022

Persaud takes gold in Men’s Recurve & Barebow, Duncan and Boodhoo win in Women Divisions

The winners and officials after the medal ceremony.

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