K
Exxon targeting NEWS ‘sweet spots’ deeper in Stabroek Block- Hess Boss AIETEUR
Guyana’s largest selling daily & New York’s most popular weekly
Wednesday Edition June 08, 2022 - Vol. 17 No. 24 Online: www.kaieteurnews.com Online Price $100 readership yesterday, 78,685
Guyana is a guaranteed cash-cow unmatched anywhere else in the world ExxonMobil’s partners brag…
Amaila hydro a ‘kick-back’ project for the PPP cronies - Opposition Leader
Car owner confesses to dumping victim’s body after Enmore - leads cops to his accident decomposing remains
Lusignan Prison to get $48M security fence - as Home Affairs Ministry signs $760M in contracts KN Publisher, Glenn Lall in the company of like-minded persons continued the protest for a better oil deal at the Square of the Revolution yesterday. The protest continues today.
Appointment of Chancellor, CJ in Govt.’s hands
African Oil Conference in London… - Aubrey Norton
‘White’ protestors call for end to ‘Oil Colonialism’ in Africa …demand cancellation of all debts, compensation for losses and damages
Kaieteur News
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Wednesday June 08, 2022
Amaila hydro a ‘kick-back’ project for the PPP cronies Citing the cheaper options currently available for electricity generation, Leader of the Opposition, Mr. Aubrey Norton is of the firm belief that the 165 Megawatts Amaila Falls Hydropower project will serve solely as an avenue for the People’s Progressive Party (PPP) to benefit. Norton gave this view yesterday in response to a question posed by Kaieteur News during the People’s National Congress Reform
(PNC/R) weekly press conference. The Leader explained that the former A Partnership for National Unity + Alliance For Change (APNU+AFC) government had discontinued the project on the grounds that it was not well conceived and could therefore be no use to the people of Guyana. Only last week, Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo told members of the press that the Chinese Contractor –
- Opposition Leader China Railway First Group – had been unable to secure the finances. According to the Vi c e P r e s i d e n t , t h e contractor had as late as April 22, last, written to the government “saying that they are having a hard time doing the BOOT (Build, Own, Operate Transfer) contract and they want to shift to an EPC (Engineer,
Procure, Construct) plus finance” option instead. According to Norton, however, while the details of the arrangement remain sketchy at the moment, the Coalition believes that the entire project remains “misconceived, ill conceived” and a complete “waste of taxpayers’ money.”
Leader of the Opposition, Aubrey Norton addressing members of the media during his weekly press conference. Norton was keen to note that the APNU+AFC while in government understood the importance of solar power generation, and still believe that this method of electricity generation should be utilised, as this option remains most feasible. “The APNU+AFC while in government, and until now, and I think well articulated by the then Minister David Patterson, believes that there should be an approach that allows us to use all options including solar based on the specifics of the area. For instance, in some areas wind might be a good option because of the level of wind. Some areas solar is a good option or generally in all areas and so we do believe solar has potential, it is cheaper and it should be utilised,” the Leader of the Opposition urged. On the other hand, he told this publication that the present administration is not concerned about a viable option to generate electricity, but rather an avenue to siphon off funds for its cronies. He argued, “You have a government that is interested in getting its cronies rich off of oil and gas and will not look at the options and arrive at the best for Guyana. What they do is choose that which will put more monies in their cronies pocket and so their position is understandable b u t u n a c c e p t a b l e . We believe that there are many areas that solar, wind and other forms of energy, they are relevant and therefore they should be utilized.” Jagdeo in announcing the changes of the Amaila Falls deal with the Chinese noted that under an EPC contract, it would mean that the government would have to secure the finances for the project and that they would be used as the EPC contractor. As such, Jagdeo disclosed that in light of the developments, government may very well have to retender the project. “ We h a v e b e e n i n discussion with the company since November last year,
the discussions, the negotiations are very difficult,” according to Jagdeo, who indicated that “in the negotiations, we are still trying to get them to meet the commitment that they bid.” He told members of the media “…in the last six months or so we have been struggling to reach agreement and so we are now going to have to give a deadline to cancel; if they can’t proceed as the original model so we may have a set back there on that.” Asked to provide further clarity on the contractor’s position during the ongoing negotiations, Jagdeo divulged that it was not a case of the Chinese not being in favour of a BOOT arrangement but rather “they simply can’t raise the financing, because of that.” U n d e r t h e B O O T, arrangement, he said, it “meant they had to build it, own it and supply us with power at a particular price and then 20 years after transfer it to the government for free, because that is what they bid on.” In such an arrangement, Jagdeo said, “…we would not have any debt, there would be no debt associated so that model they are saying they can’t pursue.” It should be noted that under the most recent iteration of the project as presented, Guyana was to stand the majority of the major risks involved in the project. These include those related to political force majeure, payments risks in the event that electricity sold is not sufficient to meet the Power Purchase Agreement demands, and hydrology where Guyana stands the risk associated with the likelihood of there being insufficient water supply, meaning if the Amaila Falls runs dry, among other risks. Senior Minister in the Office of the President, with responsibility for Finance, Dr. Ashni Singh in January last had announced that the Chinese contractor, who was granted approval to Continued on page 3
Kaieteur News
Wednesday June 08, 2022
ExxonMobil’s partners brag…
Guyana is a guaranteed cash-cow unmatched anywhere else in the world
Hess Corporation CEO, John Hess (left) and the Moderator at the 38th Strategic Decisions Conference 2020 -organised by Bernstein Anonymous.
Guyana’s oil sector is a guaranteed cash cow for the companies involved in its production that is unequal anywhere else in the world, with a revenue stream that increases each year as new projects are brought onstream. This was the sentiment expressed by Hess C o r p o r a t i o n ’s C h i e f Executive Officer (CEO), John Hess, during the recently held 38th Strategic Decisions Conference 2022—organised by Bernstein Anonymous. “If you just think about this year we have three liftings in Guyana in the first quarter, a million barrels a ship, the second quarter is about seven liftings, the third
Amaila hydro a ‘kick-back’ project for... From page 2 construct the Amaila Falls Hydropower Project, would commence operations on the mega venture this year. The Finance Minister had explained, “The project will be developed under a buildown operate-transfer (BOOT) arrangement within which the Guyana Power and Light Incorporated (GPL) will purchase power from the operator under a Power Purchase Agreement (PPA). We a n t i c i p a t e t h a t construction will begin in 2022 and be completed by 2027. Once operationalised, the facility will reduce the cost of energy significantly for both businesses and households.”
quarter and fourth quarter, eight liftings.” He elaborated by pointing out that with each lift of one million barrels, and with oil price at over US$100 a barrel, “you are going from US$300M of incremental cash flow from Guyana to US$700M in the second quarter, US$800M in the third, US$800M in the fourth.” The ExxonMobil partner who holds a 30 percent stake in the Stabroek Block bragged, “that’s a rate of change just for this year.” According to Hess, “people use to say why invest in Hess, I will wait for the production to come on in Guyana; it’s on, and that continues to compound at a billion dollars a year of incremental cash flow as each ship comes on.” He added that “our third
ship called Payara comes in second half of 2023, then we have Yellowtail in 2025, a fifth ship (Uaru) will get sanctioned for 2026.” With this in mind, he stressed, “it’s not just rate of change for this year, its rate of change in the years ahead and that’s why it’s a durable cash flow story that is unequaled anywhere in the business.” Lashing back at critics, Hess recalled being criticised about three years ago for investing, saying, “a number of investors said, stop investing just give us the cash back, (and) we said look we have higher returns specifically in Guyana, we are going to benefit from that investment; as we grow the resource, we grow the cash flow.” According to Hess, now Continued on page 24
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Appointment of Chancellor, CJ in Govt.’s hands – Norton
Acting Chief Justice, Roxane George-Wiltshire
Opposition Leader, Aubrey Norton
Acting Chancellor of the Judiciary, Justice Yonnette Cummings-Edwards
Leader of the Opposition, Mr. Aubrey Norton has informed President Irfaan Ali that he agrees to the confirmation of Justice Yonette CummingsEdwards and Justice Roxanne George-Wiltshire, as Chancellor and Chief Justice, respectively. Norton through the People’s National Congress Reform (PNC/R) member a n d a t t o r n e y - a t - l a w, Roysdale Forde, Tuesday morning presented a letter to Minister of Parliamentary Affairs and Governance, Gail Teixeira informing the government of the
Opposition’s support for the appointments of the Chancellor and CJ. In the letter dated June 7, 2022 that was seen by this publication, Forde told the Minister that: “This serves to inform you that the Leader of the Opposition Mr. Aubrey C. Norton wishes to inform you that he is in agreement t h a t J u s t i c e Yo n n e t t e Cummings-Edwards be appointed Chancellor of the Judiciary and Justice Roxanne George-Wiltshire be appointed Chief Justice in keeping with Article 127(1) of the Constitution which states that ‘The Chancellor
and the Chief Justice shall each be appointed by the President, acting after obtaining the agreement of the Leader of the Opposition’.” To this end, Norton told members of the media during his weekly press conference that since the Opposition Leader has already fulfilled his constitutional responsibility, the President is now charged with making the appointment. According to Norton, “I am saving the President the trouble of having to ask for agreement…what I have Continued on page 24
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Wednesday June 08, 2022
KAIETEUR NEWS Printed and Published by National Media & Publishing Company Ltd. 24 Saffon Street, Charlestown, Georgetown, Guyana. Publisher: GLENN LALL-TEL: 624-6456 Editor: SHARMAIN GRAINGER Tel: 225-8465, 225-8491. Fax: 225-8473, 226-8210
EDITORIAL
US$9B Audit Report should be publicised
A
Guyanese is pushing for something that repre sents what many others believe is needed (“US$9B audit report should be subject to Parliamentary scrutiny -Economist” KN June 5). It is a step with which we fully agree, and plan to lend our voice to in the days ahead, when the audit is completed. This would be both sensible and constructive, as it puts to rest whatever doubts the citizens of this country may have about the entire audit exercise, and the integrity of the process itself. We would push to get to the bottom of this strange audit job now in the stages of early preparatory works, and for good reason. There is a single question already on the minds of Guyanese, and lacing the air, which is this: will Guyana get value for its money from this auditing of US$9B in expenses submitted by Exxon? This crucial first question is driven by a few from before; they build on each other, leaving with uncertainty and anxiety regarding what Guyana will get for its US$700,000 fee from our own Guyanese-led consortium, so to speak, of auditors. First, Guyanas Vice President had publicly lamented only a few months ago that we didnt have the kind of skills required to conduct the audit, so how it is, all of a sudden, that he was able to identify this audit team that can deliver a professional audit report that probed deeply and expertly? What is there to say that Guyanese got a clean and credible audit? In other words, did citizens get value for their money? Not so much for the US$700,000 (a pretty penny by itself) contract signed with the audit group, but did this audit team working on behalf of the people of this country get to the nuts and bolts of the US$9B in bills from Exxon? Or was it a pro forma exercise of going through the motions with no overpowering objective of really checking to determine the authenticity, legitimacy, and relevancy of the expenses submitted by Exxon? We at this paper have no faith in the honesty and integrity of the people at Exxon when money is involved, and definitely not when such a huge amount is in the mix. The company has ripped us off and gouged us and taken advantage of us at every turn and opportunity in its relationship with this country. There is no reason to believe, no grounds on which to be confident, that Exxon did deal fairly and squarely with us in those reams of paper handed to Guyana, and the bottom line of which is that it is waiting to collect its US$9B, every single cent of it. As we have shared before on more than one occasion, in a previous bill given to Guyana for slightly under a half billion in American dollars, expert scrutiny detected approximately 20 percent of the billings to be suspicious, hence questionable. They dont reconcile properly with accepted standards. This brings to another rough place for Guyana: if Exxon could have been so bold with a half billion US dollars, what would it not do when 18 times that amount is at play? After all, it gives the company more leeway to pull fast ones in attempts at pulling the wool over the eyes of Guyanese, and robbing them. For all these reasons, it would be wise and practical for the finished product, the audit report, to be placed before Guyanas Parliament. This is so that it can be given the broadest and deepest examination, if only to decide for ourselves that the audit team assembled by the PPP/C Government did justice by us. In fact, we believe that leaders in this PPP/C Government and from the audit team would welcome such a call, and support it, because that then puts to bed any distrusts that hover around the audit itself. There is a lot at stake in this audit of Exxons multi-billion dollar expense claim. Guyana could be on the hook for all of it, if not done competently and professionally. Also, if the audit team does it in an acceptable manner for local political leaders, it stands that much lucrative business could be forthcoming soon enough.
We must fix the problems at D.C. Caesar Fox Secondary School DEAR EDITOR, Incredibly outrageous is a mild description of the treatment meted out to our Indigenous children of Region Seven. There are more than four hundred (400) students of the D. C Caesar Fox Secondary School.Two hundred and twenty one (221) of them are resident students. They are suffering because of the incompetence and uncaring nature of those entrusted with their welfare. The Grade seven and eight students whom the school did not accommodate because of dormitory overcrowding issues must be thanking their lucky stars for being at home. These students come from fifteen very far away villages to Waramadong. They travelled endless miles via canoes and trails to get an education. They come from: Iturungbang, Arau, Kaikan, Paruima, Kamarang, Kako, Quebanang, Jawalla, Imbaimadai, Chinoweing, Wax-Creek, Phillipai, MacawHole, Amakokopai, Partangr to join students from the host village, Waramadong. They left their homes and families behind. They left their organic farm foods, rich hunting grounds and good
fishing. They travelled to Waramadong in search of an education, a tool of enlightenment and a ticket to prosperity. They expect to make new acquaintances, become members of a much larger Indigenous family. They end up in a situation where they feel rejected, disrespected and devalued through inhumane treatment at the hands of those charged with the responsibility of their welfare and wellbeing. From “the future of Guyana” to the “despised, rejected of Guyana”. Would the Ministers of Local Government, Amerindian Affairs or Education boil rice, devoid of any ingredients (save salt) and give that to their children as a meal?Would any of them deliberately do this even once in their lifetime? Would the people at the National Procurement and Tender Administration Board feed their children ‘bare rice’? Our Indigenous children are accustomed to having good organic foods daily. Spare a thought for their families who are at home enjoying quality meals while suffering silently, knowing that their family members have to eat ‘bare rice’ as a main meal
for days. Those in the system know that the vegetables last a maximum of three days. They know that meats last for a maximum of one week. They know that there is only one functioning freezer. They know that in order to adequately store recommended quantities of perishable food items for the dormitory additional cold storage facilities are necessary. So what is the problem? The Regional Education Officer (R.Ed.O) Selestine Bristol LaRose and a team visited the school yesterday 6th June 2022. She reportedly told staff that the problem is the National Tender and Procurement Administration Board (NPTAB)! NPTAB has not yet awarded any contract with respect to dietary supplies – D.C Caesar Fox Secondary School to date. No contract has yet awarded for the supply of fuel either, hence, the generator is without fuel and the school is without electricity for several days. Students are without proper food and have no electricity to prepare their School Based Assignments (SBAs). It does not end there. There is no potable water in the school. Students and
staff alike must use the creek or river for all water based purposes. The administration converted the dining hall to classrooms. Students must use their bunks or a selected spot in the yard to have their meals. It cannot be enough for a minister of government to say “I have seen the posts about D.C Caesar Fox Secondary (Waramadong) and if any of it is true, it is not the service we intend…”. If this were a deliberate attempt to cast blame on the Regional Administration – Region Seven- it has boomeranged. It is not the Regional Administration which has the burden of responsibility in this matter. It is the managers of the system at the national level. They have failed. The managers of the system have caused our innocent children to suffer. I know that we are not discussing Berbice. We must, recognise however, that, our children, regardless of where they hail from, are as important as any other group of citizens, especially because Guyana looks to our children for a secure National future. We must fix the problem. We must fix it now. Yours faithfully, Mervyn Williams
In this country to be unethical is applauded DEAR EDITOR, British PM, Boris Johnson, is politically alive. Barely. Still. It is a tribute to his more principled Conservative party colleagues that he has been brought to the brink of dethronement. I am not surprised because it is my position that there are still a few honourable men and women around in politics. Certainly not in Guyana, please don’t search for them here, and that holds for both PPP and PNC. There, I said it, and I stand by it. In the aftermath of the PM’s no confidence survival, an English politics professor noted that, “Johnson’s such an accomplished escape artist, and his colleagues so cravenly and cowardly that he you can’t rule him out living to fight another day” (NY Times June 6). “Escape artist” and “colleagues so cravenly and cowardly” all have ringing application to Guyana and Guyanese politicians, be they PPP luminaries or PNC ones. I struggle to find exception, and to those I add the great majority of my fellow Guyanese, inclusive of church, media, professionals, and ethicists. I appreciate that I have left out many catego-
ries of locals, but these lay the table, give an inkling. The straw that broke the mulish defensive doggedness of other honourable members of the C o m m o n s w a s n o t M r. Johnson’s vacillations, or his sloth, or his mysteries. It was about rum drinking, of all things. I think that double s t a n d a r d s , h y p o c r i s y, Houdini antics, and incorrigibility. All pushed his presence in British history to the precipice. If he were in Guyana, he would be cheered. For this is a society with politicians (and citizens) mostly lacking in morals, integrity, and basic honesty, even decency. I encourage my fellows, all fine folks, to recall a boy (a man, really) named Su; about leadership lies; about leadership camouflages using the English Language as props; and the pandemic of perversities and profanities, aka corruptions, that is now the central characteristic of both PPP and PNC politicians and their affiliates. In this country to be unethical is applauded; to be a thief is a badge of honour;
and to be a liar and fraud and con artist are allencomia of Olympian virtue. Our political players live all those attributes, almost all of them; this is what passes for governance and leadership. Think of that Integrity Commission that was just appointed; nice people all, I am sure, but a chair with uneven legs, and not four also? I strain to discern what could be expected of such a pantheon of what passes for heroes here. My best regards are tendered, but I forewarn: expectations are a little on the low side. Start out right and there will be light; start with a blight, and there is no fight for what is right. It is how things come full circle. I return to jolly olde England, and the thought comes: imagine that there is a country where rum drinking can nearly dispatch a Prime Minister to the exits! Forget about Brexit and COVID-19, and all the rest. Focus on that one, please, every thinking and still conscientious citizen of this country. Not to forget, this is not a country, so let’s get that idea out of
our silly noggins. Look at this den of make-believe political Spartans (and their gangs), and what we have are those rigging elections, and those rigging governance with bluffs, fluffs, and the stuffs of utter stupidity, total cupidity, and universal culpability. We are so far gone in this country politically that to shake hands is a sin, to extend an invitation is heresy. By the way, I speak not only of a birthday party, but of the party in government and its twoheaded rigmarole. I wonder what they would have done with this monstrosity in ye olde Albion over there. Here the reality is Shakespeare’s (some say Dumas) “one for all and all for one.” It is how cult leaders are made and mythologized. And how one, in turn, ensure that they all help themselves, so that nobody can talk, or dare to vote against. The thought comes of Lord’s and Wimbledon; leave this place to the panjandrums and grand poohbahs prancing about. Sincerely, GHK Lall
Wednesday June 08, 2022
Seditious conspiracy or combative politics? DEAR EDITOR, The use of misinformation as a political strategy is not a new phenomena but what has become apparent over the last election cycle as it relates to the Guyana and US 2020 Presidential elections is its unrestrained and unapologetic use in undermining the electoral system which is the cornerstone of any society that claims to be democratic. It has become unrelenting, aggressive and doctrinaire and has replaced fact, decency and respectful disagreement and debate on issues and policy. The rabid, unsubstantiated and sometimes, bizarre claims of election fraud, even before the elections are held, and the claims of victory before an official declaration is made or even after a defeat is evident, now headlines the playbook of every would-be autocrat and dictator. The success of this strategy is based primarily on two things: 1) judicial failures and a willingness to use legal circumlocutions to justify overturning valid results and sub-
stituting alternative and artfully-contrived results; and 2) a predisposition to employ threats, violence and terrorism to forcefully achieve their objectives. PPP/C spokesperson, Clement J. Rohee, in a letter published in the March 10, 2020 edition of Kaieteur News, detailed decades-long instances of alleged election fraud by APNU+AFC and his conviction that the election, just concluded, was rigged. He then proceeded to menacingly quote Bharrat Jagdeo in 2018 as saying that “there will be no peace if the 2020 election is rigged. There will be consequences if they think they will rig and have the kind of peace we have now, they are wrong”. In the US, Donald Trump had, prior to the assault on the Capitol, had urged his followers to ‘stop the steal’, ‘fight like hell’ and ‘take back your country’. In the aftermath of the January 6, 2020 insurrection, one rioter and several police officers died, many more were seriously injured, members of Congress
and the Vice-President, their families and staff, feared for their lives. Since then the US Justice Department has charged over 750 persons with crimes associated with the insurrection at the Capitol in what has been described as “the largest criminal prosecution in the history of the USA”. A senior member of the Proud Boys militia organization has plead guilty to conspiracy to disrupt the certification of an election, and three senior members of another militia group, the Oath Keepers, have plead guilty to seditious conspiracy to prevent Joseph Biden from assuming the Presidency of the United States, and all are cooperating with the federal authorities in their on-going investigation. The evidence, so far revealed, suggests the militia groups had amassed an arsenal and had stashed weapons at nearby hotels and were prepared to use lethal force against security services and elected representatives.
Acting Chancellor and CJ should be given all pay and benefits as if they were confirmed DEAR EDITOR, Given the long impasse in confirming the Chancellor of the Judiciary and the Chief Justice, I suggest that the current holders of these offices and the past acting officers in these offices be given their full rights and retirement benefits as if they were confirmed. It is unfair to
these Judges who served their country well to lose benefits because of political immaturity and pettiness of leaders we are cursed to have. Our top judicial officers became victims deserving of Oscar Awards as “actors” in their positions. Therefore, in addition to the current acting Chancellor
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and CJ, former Chancellor Carl Singh and CJ Ian Chang’s estate should get the back pay and benefits as if they were confirmed office holders. If this requires parliamentary action, then let’s do it the same way the PNC gave that notorious one a lucrative special pension through a (Continued on page 6)
Guyana too experienced a level of politically orchestrated violence after Election Day, though it was not as concentrated or deadly as in the US. GECOM’s Command Centre, which housed the offices of the Returning Officer for Region 4, was stormed by a mob bent on preventing the tabulation and declaration of results for that region. The Commission’s staff had to flee and the Chairperson forced to barricade herself in her office until she was rescued by some international observers. Also, a rioter was killed and police officers and children injured in violent street protests. There have been no investigations here and no one charged for these actions. Nor has there been any public condemnation whatsoever. Predictably, the only response has been to ascribe blame to others and to see “dogs of war” in unlikely places. Sincerely, Oscar Dolphin
City Mayor frowns on Prime Minister Phillips attempts for cheap political points and one-upmanship DEAR EDITOR, The Mayor and Councillors of the City of Georgetown note the recent statements attributed to the Honourable Prime Minister Brigadier (retd) Mark Phillips which was reported in the DPI publication of June 6, 2022. There must be some grave error on behalf of the Prime Minister who possibly was illadvised that it was his turn to attempt the usual smear campaign that has become almost predictable with the Government against the Municipality. Firstly, the Council has expressed no confidence in the City Engineer Colvern Venture following repeated challenges and failures. This decision of the Council has been forwarded to the Local Government Commission, unfortunately, over six months later there can be no
pronouncement. The Honourable Prime Minister could use his good office given his interest in affairs of the city to have this matter addressed. The LGC cannot be derelict in its duty to act on the decisions of the Council to bring relief to the citizens of Georgetown. Secondly, it must be noted that the Council has repeatedly complained about the taxes owed by state agencies which accounts for a significant debt to the city. These resources are vital to ensure consistent service is given to the citizens of Georgetown a city which continues to be pressured owing to outdated laws grappling with a changing landscape as a result of the new oil and gas economy. Thirdly, the Honourable Prime Minister in his (Continued on page 6)
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Wednesday June 08, 2022
Ridiculing ethnic names is offensive DEAR EDITOR, In neighbouring Trinidad and Tobago, there is a brouhaha over ethnic names calling. It is the most talked about personality conflict not only in T&T but in its diaspora as well and in other Caribbean territories including among Guyanese. The ruling PNM Minister Camille RobinsonRegis poked fun at the middle name of Kamla Susheila Persad Bissessar, the former PM and now Opposition Leader. Poking fun at Indian names is offensive towards all Indians. It embodies racism. In sociology, it is called racial micro-aggression, the hurling of negative slights toward people of another group. All must decry such acts of racist behaviour. Indians have lived with racism in the Caribbean and North America over name and faith. Blacks experienced racism over their race. During slavery, their names and faiths were changed. The White
slave owners were wrong to change the names of Africans. Some fittingly have gone back to their original names and faiths that their ancestors brought with them from Africa hundreds of years ago. There is no doubt that Minister Robinson was/is responsible for initiating this uncalled verbal spat. The public feels it was deliberate. What was a Minister, who is also leader of the House, thinking about when she ridiculed Kamla’s authentic traditional Hindu name? Was it deliberate in order to stir up the ethnic base at a time when supporters are losing confidence in government? Why hasn’t her party and the media condemned her and urged her to apologise? In another country, she would have been forced to resign from office. I had spoken with many individuals, Indians, Africans, Mixed, Trinis,
Tobagonians, Guyanese on the Kamla-Camille spat. Almost unanimously, they condemned Camille. Kamla, fittingly did not take it lying down. She ‘giveth’ as she ‘taketh’. She responded though inappropriately. “You have the name of your slave master”. Few blamed Kamla for her response to Camille for poking fun at Kamla’s name. The public viewed Camille’s mis-pronouncement of Kamla’s middle or ‘call name’ as a derogation of not only Kamla’s but Indian peoples’ names in general. If she could not pronounce that simple name, then she should not have said it. And if she can’t pronounce such a simple Indian name, what does that say about her representation of Indians in her constituency or in government or in her Ministry? Hindu names are assigned from the scriptures after parental or family consultation with a pandit although not all
Hindus follow the practice. So Hindus would have a legal name and ‘a call or rassi name’. One must not poke fun at
peoples’ names. Indian names and their faiths (Hinduism and Islam) were historically laughed at ever since they arrived in Trinidad, Guyana,
Jamaica, Grenada, and elsewhere. This caused many to change their names as well as their Hindu (Continued on page 22)
City Mayor frowns on Prime Minister... From page 5 warnings must indicate to Government agencies such as the Ministry of Public Works and the Guyana Revenue Agency that illegal drainage works in the city will only compromise our delicate drainage infrastructure if done without consultation with the municipality. The Council has noted severalillegal construction activities in the city most recently on Camp Street in front of GRA which are being done without even the courtesy of consultation with the engineers of the Municipality. We can only hope that these works do not negatively affect surrounding drains.
Finally, the Municipality will do well if the Prime Minister can assure the citizens of Georgetown that the Government will desist from its adversarial approach to matters of the city and engage in collaboration and consultation. The Council calls on the Prime Minister to warn the Minister of Local Government that, using his words, the “nonchalant approach” to issues of the city and failure to address the policies presented by the Council; to revise the building codes, engage in a reevaluation of the city and the littering bylaws do not “demonstrate a commitment to the development
of the city.” The Council also encourages the Honourable Prime Minister to warn his colleagues that His Excellency’s “One Guyana” initiative can only be realized if all stakeholders are involved in the process. The Mayor and Councillors continue to advocate for meaningful engagement and partnerships for the benefit of the citizens of Georgetown. The Council frowns on attempts for cheap political points and one-upmanship as we work together for a better future for all Guyanese. Regards, Georgetown Mayor, Ubraj Narine
Acting Chancellor and CJ should... From page 5 special Parliamentary Bill. This is the right thing to do! Also, if the current formula is unworkable, the PPP and PNC must agree to change it, so we do not have this gridlock anymore. This Government is good at getting things done that it wants
to get done. Look at the lightning speed with which it renewed the Liza 1 permit before the clock struck midnight. They did Exxon’s bidding, now they need to do the nation’s bidding. Why are they going slow on the Chancellor and CJ appointments? This is simply unacceptable.
What I must say, however, is that I believe the Judges who ruled that 33 seats were not the majority in a 65-member parliament, at a time when the Government was ruling on the basis of 33 seats, may have played politics. This colors my support for those Judges seeking promotion. Judges should not be drawn into politics, and make political judgements, rather than sound judicial judgments. I support the current Chief Justice to be the new Chancellor. She has proven to be very independent and fair-minded, and her judicial wisdom helped save our nation in 2020. Sincerely, Dr. Jerry Jailall
Wednesday June 08, 2022
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Wednesday June 08, 2022
ExxonMobil targeting ‘sweet spots’ deeper in Stabroek Block - Hess Boss
H e s s C o r p o r a t i o n ’s Chief Executive Officer (CEO), John Hess has disclosed that the majority of the oil that has been discovered in Guyana’s Stabroek Block has been at 15,000 feet. But much deeper, at 18,000 feet to be exact, the ExxonMobil-led joint venture is finding more large pools of sweet oil. The CEO made this disclosure during his
participation at the Bernstein’s 38th Annual Strategic Decisions Conference. He noted that at 15,000 ft in the block, geologists refer to this section as the Upper Campanian; the Cretaceous age. In simpler terms, the oil is found in a layer of the earth that spans a timeframe from 83.6 to 72.1 million years ago. “But what we are finding now is at 18,000 feet there are sand channels and those sand channels are actually starting to trap the oil that is also being trapped at 15,000 feet. We have drilled to 18,000 feet but they were never optimally located to drill the biggest prospects,” the Hess Boss said. He added, “This year we luckily drilled a well called Fangtooth that was optimally located at 18,000 feet and we found the material oil deposit that in and of itself could underpin another Floating, Production, Storage and Offloading (FPSO) vessel and it is very high quality oil.” E a r l i e r t h i s y e a r, Guyanese authorities had announced that the Fangtooth-1 well had encountered approximately 164 feet (50 metres) of highquality oil-bearing sandstone reservoirs. The well was drilled in 6,030 feet (1,838 metres) of water and is located approximately 11 miles (18 kilometres) northwest of the Liza field. Now that the partners have correlated the wells which total over 26 in the block, the Hess Boss said the partners are targeting oil not only at 15,000 but 18,000 feet. Hess said the joint venture is starting to find other attractive and deep prospects which can either be used to support and
expand the production of existing projects or developed as a standalone project. “So clearly we are still in the early innings.” The Hess Boss also boasted about the cost to drill wells in Guyana. He noted that it might take 30 days to drill a well but it is cheaper to do it here than in the Deep Water Gulf of Mexico. Kaieteur News understands that it costs about US$30M to US$50M to drill wells in the Stabroek Block. It would be higher for much deeper wells. Hess and its co-venture partners currently have four sanctioned developments on the Stabroek Block. The Liza Phase 1 development, which began production in December 2019 utilising the Liza Destiny floating production, storage and offloading vessel (FPSO) with a production capacity of approximately 120,000 gross barrels of oil per day, recently completed production optimisation work that expanded its production capacity to more than 140,000 gross barrels of oil per day. The Liza Phase 2 development, utilising the Liza Unity FPSO, began production in February 2022 and is expected to reach its production capacity of approximately 220,000 gross barrels of oil per day by the third quarter. The third development at Payara is ahead of schedule and is now expected to come online in late 2023 utilising the Prosperity FPSO with a production capacity of approximately 220,000 gross barrels of oil per day. The fourth development, Yellowtail, is expected to come online in 2025, utilising the ONE GUYANA (Continued on page 9)
Wednesday June 08, 2022
Kaieteur News
Never Last “You are late… again!” said the man with the bright red shirt to his friend who had just entered. “You are a latecomer.” The meeting place was a nice, quiet joint where you could enjoy a drink. The light however was poor, which had its advantages. It allowed you to concentrate on what was being said rather than who was saying this. It allowed for voice recognition and association. It allowed for a certain degree of privacy. “Yeah,” chimed in the third man who was wearing a yellow jersey which looked like it needed laundering. He sounded like an echo, even though he did not repeat what was said. The latecomer dressed modestly in a white cotton shirt buttoned to the sleeves tried to apologise, but the salvoes just kept coming. “You bring your bad habits here,” the first man rebuked the newcomer. “In Guyana, people are hardly punctual, but here time is money. If you are late, you are shown the gate. Time is money and money is time here.” He scratched as if an afterthought. Then placed one of his fingers in his nose and made two semi circles. It was hardly noticeable in the dim light. The second fellow chimed in again, “The only two things that start on time in Guyana is cricket and funerals.” The first man, interjected, “I once saw a Test match start late in Guyana!” “Impossible!” said the second man. “No Test match ever started late in Guyana.” “Yes,” insisted the first man. “This match was two hours late.” “Nah, you are mistaken said his friend. What were the names of the teams? And when did this match take place?” “I cannot remember those details. It was a long time ago.” “So how come you remembered that it was late when you cannot even
remember the teams or when it was played.” “I remember because it started late. There was rain on that day. The toss was spun near to one oclock and the match started half an hour later.” “That is delayed not late.” “Delayed or late is the same thing. It started behind time and that means it started late.” “Why did it start late?” asked the latecomer. “Because there was rain,” said the second. “That is not starting late. That is another thing. Cricket does not start late.” “So, guess what is the second thing in Guyana which always starts on time.” “Political rallies!” “Wrong,” indicated the second man. “Political rallies are always late. They start late and end late. Guess again.” “The newscasts?” “You are close but not near.” “How can someone be close but not near?” “I also know a man who was late for his funeral,” said the first man. “How is that?” said the latecomer finally finding the confidence to speak. “He was not only late. He was absent. The parlour prepared the wrong body. Was one big confusion. First time a funeral that started had to be pushed back.” “Yeah!” said the second
man turning to the newly arrived “You have not told us why you kept us waiting. “One of these days, you are going to be late for your own wedding.” “Weddings are always late in Guyana,” said the latecomer. “Almost always. Hardly a wedding starts on time. So being late for my wedding will not be unusual.” The latecomer said, “but I know of one thing which no Guyanese is ever late for.” “What is that said the first man?” “Guess, “said the latecomer” “The fire service?” “Wrong!” “The police responding to a 911 call?” “Wrong!” “Your flight?” “Wrong, but you are getting closer. This is the one thing that people do not turn up late for. The one thing.” “I give up,” said the first man. “I give up,” said the second man. The latecomer stood up. Raised his head and said. “No Guyanese is ever late for his visa interview.” (The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of this newspaper.)
ExxonMobil targeting... From page 8 FPSO with a production capacity of approximately 250,000 gross barrels of oil per day. At least six FPSOs with a production capacity of more than one million gross barrels of oil per day are expected to be online on the Stabroek Block in 2027, with the potential for up to 10 FPSOs to develop gross discovered recoverable resources. Guyana’s Stabroek Block is 6.6 million acres (26,800 square kilometres). ExxonMobil affiliate, Esso Exploration and Production Guyana Limited, is the operator and holds 45 percent interest in the Block. Hess Guyana Exploration Ltd. holds 30 percent interest, and CNOOC Petroleum Guyana Limited holds 25 percent interest.
Dem boys seh...
A dog’s life! Dem boys used to feel sorry fuh dem sniffer dogs at de airport. Dem was trained to sniff out illegal narcotics such as cocaine and marijuana. Overseas, dem dog does be very efficient at detecting illegal drugs. But in Guyana we dogs did have less success. But yuh cant blame dem. Dem gat a hard life. Dem dogs use to get training fuh deal with de average travellers. But Guyanese travellers nah average at all. De average overseas traveller usually gat a few pieces of clothing and footwear in he or she luggage. De average Guyanese does walk with a whole supermarket inside he or she suitcase. De Guyanese traveler does pack fish salted, dried, fresh and cooked. Dem does pack gillbacker, snapper, trout and banga mary.
Dem does pack shrimp dried, cooked and fresh. Dem does pack pepper, bajee, ochro, carilla, squash, pumpkin and even eddoes. Dem does pack wild meat, guava, sapodillas, cane and mangoes. Not to forget lavish quantities of high-smelling achar and even pickles. Now imagine a dog having to smell all of those in a suitcase. Imagine day after day having to endure all dese scents from thousands of suitcases. What is going to happen to de dog? Dis is sheer torture to have to smell all dem mouth-watering foods and not be able to get any to eat. Dat will drive dem dog crazy. Suh give we sniffer dogs a break. Dem gat a dogs life. Talk half and leff half.
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Wednesday June 08, 2022
THE FREDDIE KISSOON COLUMN
Pantomime in the AFC in 2019 and 2022
For the readers of this column, I ask you now just to pull out this page and retain it somewhere at work or home so you can retrieve it when the AFC selection (not election) of leaders are announced in a week’s time. The three top spots in the AFC’s hierarchy are – leader, chairperson who is deputy leader and general-secretary who is third in line. Between Khemraj Ramjattan, David Patterson and Catherine Hughes, those slots will be taken up. The press got it badly wrong in saying that Patterson is challenging Ramjattan. That
is to give the appearance that there is some semblance of democracy in the AFC. This is how I think it will play out. Ramjattan is going to “win” the leader slot. Patterson is going to take the chairmanship and Hughes will be general-secretary. If it doesn’t go like this, the big three will still take the three top positions. The pantomime will also have another hilarious dimension. The reason why there will not be a congress where delegates will vote in person is fear of embarrassment of the small number that would have attended.
At the 2017 congress, one of the most amusing absurdities took place. The AFC was in power with six ministers and the Prime Minister. Yet the AFC could not get an election going to elect 75 delegates from Georgetown to attend the congress at Vreed-en-Hoop. Only 67 persons turned up to vote for 75 delegates. They ended up making the 67 persons the delegates themselves. This time with the AFC being dead meat, that congress will have less people than you will find in a cemetery at 3 in the morning. But let’s look at the pantomime at the 2019 congress. I saw a video clip of that congress and onto this day, I will say it is the most hilarious episode in politics that I have ever seen in my life and I have chalked up more than 50 years of political activism. Raphael Trotman went on the stage and announced that he was not interested in any position in the party. What followed next is something you must see if you want to see how unfit
people can run a government or country. Dozens of mature men and women began hitting their chest, banging their hands on the wall, exclaiming: “No, Raphael no, Raphael doan do dis, yuh kyaan do dis.” Trotman with a smile on his face broader than the entire continent of Africa, then told the fools in the room, “if you decide so, then so be it.” He accepted the post of chairman. This was one of the AFC’s leaders that, at the time they were clamouring for him, had signed the renewal of an oil contract that most Guyanese feel is too much in favour of Exxon. This time Trotman is gone. He told the press he wants to concentrate on medical recovery. Gone from that room in 2019 are many of the faces that made the AFC a reality. They have now become ephemeral moments in Guyanese history that no one w i l l r e m e m b e r, e v e r remember. I think of such people as someone you pass on the beach, say hello to, and you will never ever think
of them as long as you live. But no one should shed a tear for them. They were life’s flawed people that deserve to be cast aside into the Frederick Kissoon wilderness of So Trotman, Dominic nothingness. These were the people that told the world G a s k i n a n d M o s e s that they want to replace the Nagamootoo are gone. I PPP leaders with new leaders remember in August 2019, that can take Guyana into the then, Minister of the future. But they took Guyana Presidency, Joseph Harmon into the dark bowels of the at, an APNU rally in Bartica Indian Ocean where the took the hand of Moses missing plane of flight MH Nagamootoo on the podium 370 of Malaysia cannot be and told the audience, “Moses is political royalty.” found. How do people live with So where is the king? As themselves when they s o m e o n e w h o s t u d i e d campaigned so hard to philosophy, I find Macbeth, change a government only to S h a k e s p e a r e ’ s m o s t find that their leaders were absorbing play. Here’s a far more demonic than those quote: “And all of our they replaced? I could never understand why these hard yesterdays have lighted campaigners didn’t try to put fools The way to dusty death the seven AFC members of Out, out, brief candle” the Cabinet onto a leaky ship (The views expressed in and push the ship out to the river at Fort Groyne in this article are those of the Kingston where the author and do not Demerara River meets the necessarily reflect the opinions of this newspaper.) mighty Atlantic Ocean.
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Wednesday June 08, 2022
Pres Ali to lead Guyana’s delegation to Summit of Americas
P
resident Irfaan Ali is leading a delegation to Los A n g e l e s , California, USA, to attend the ninth Summit of the Americas, which is slated for this week. The event is being held under the theme: “Building a Sustainable, Resilient, and Equitable Future”. The Head of State will be
accompanied by First Lady Arya Ali, Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, H u g h To d d , F o r e i g n Secretary, Mr. Robert Persaud and Ambassador George Talbot, the Office of the President announced in a release. Through the summit, leaders from the United States, North, Central and
South America and the Caribbean are expected to explore economic relationships and common goals for the Western Hemisphere. Discussions are slated to cover topics such as democracy, clean energy, digital transformation, climate change, migration, recovery from the coronavirus pandemic, building
resilience, and boosting economic growth. A number of initiatives are expected to be launched in some of these areas. Over the years, the summits have focused on critical cooperation in the Americas. This has allowed countries to work together to promote democracy and human rights, increase economic competitiveness, promote development, improve access to clean energy and communication technology, strengthen regional security, and counter illicit trafficking. In the eighth summit, leaders had committed to fighting the corruption that undermines democratic governance when they met in Lima, Peru, in 2018. The United States is hosting for the first time since the summit began in Miami in 1994 with President Bill Clinton. A packed schedule of events is carded for the week, including plenary and roundtable discussions.
President Irfaan Ali (Office of the President)
Kaieteur News
Wednesday June 08, 2022
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GNBS inspectors trained to verify net content T
he Guyana National Bureau of Standards (GNBS) – the National Measurement Institute (NMI) – is building capacity to commence the verification of Net Content on prepackaged commodities. GNBS in a release noted that in this regard, 25 Inspectors of the Legal Metrology Services Department underwent a training session on net content during May 30- June 4, 2022. The week-long training was facilitated by the Superintendence of Industry and Commerce (SIC) based in Colombia. Net Content is defined as the amount of product contained in a package, as declared on labels in the form of mass, volume, or other units of measurement. Ve r i f i c a t i o n o f t h o s e numbers will ensure consumer protection. Head of the GNBS’ Legal Metrology Department, Mr. Shailendra
Rai noted that the training aimed at developing the competence of the Inspectors through both theoretical and practical training sessions. “Colombia is very advanced in the verification of prepackaged products and this training certainly brings a wealth of experience and knowledge to us here in Guyana. It will help the Inspectors to competently perform the verification of these products at manufacturers’ premises or at the sale outlets,” Mr. Rai said. Coordinator of Legal Metrology at SIC in Colombia, Mr. Pedro Perez Vargas noted that it is important to ensure prepacked products contain the amounts of the items printed on the packets to guarantee that consumers get value for money. In an invited comment, he noted that “it is nice that Guyana has an interest in the verification of prepackaged products because those are
the most important part in an e c o n o m y. Almost everything that you buy is a prepackaged product so for an economy, it should be important that the customers receive what they are paying for.” Based on the training, the GNBS will commence work to acquire the additional equipment needed to commence the verification of net content at sale outlets and manufacturers’ bonds. Once the equipment is acquired, net content verification will commence countrywide. In accordance with the Weights and Measures Act 1981, the Bureau already provides verification services for weighing and measuring devices used in trade and devices used within the health, transportation, manufacturing, and agriculture sectors in Guyana, to ensure equity in trade, consumer protection and safety.
128 new COVID-19 cases recorded On Tuesday, it was reported by the Ministry of Health that within the last assessed 24-hour period, a total of 128 new COVID-19 cases were recorded across the country. The new infections, which have brought the total number of confirmed cases to 65,422, were detected in Region Six – 59, Region Four – 46, Region Five – 15, Region Three – five, Region Nine – two and Region
Two – one. The Ministry’s latest dashboard shows that two patients are still in the COVID-19 Intensive Care Unit, 27 persons are in institutional isolation, 920 are in home isolation and 11 are in institutional quarantine. Additionally, a total of 92 persons have recovered from the virus taking the total number of recoveries to 63,235.
Inspectors undergoing practical training on the Verification on Net Content
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Wednesday June 08, 2022
Lusignan Prison to get $48M security fence - as Home Affairs Ministry signs $760M in contracts
The Lusignan Prison located on the East Coast of Demerara
Minister of Home Affairs, Robeson Ben (center) alongside the contractors and other officials of his Ministry, the Guyana Prison Service, the Guyana Fire Service and the Guyana Police Force on Tuesday. The Ministry of Home Affairs on Tuesday signed nine contracts totalling $760,236,592 for a number of projects as part of its 2022 capital programme. The contracts signed are for a new security fence at the Lusignan Prison, the construction of command
operations centres, a quantity of fire hydrants and a new fire station, just to name a few. Witnessing the simple signing ceremony at the Ministry’s boardroom was Minister of Home Affairs, Robeson Benn, who encouraged the contractors
to deliver timely and quality work. With the scope of work each project entails, contractors were also encouraged to employ young people to equip them with the necessary skills and training. “I want to encourage the successful companies and
o th er s w h o w o u ld b e providing the works for the facilities and the assets which we are acquiring here,
we want our projects to be delivered on time and on specifications, and on quality and we want our
workers, our people who are working on these projects to be maintained and supported (Continued on page 22)
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Car owner confesses to dumping victim’s body after Enmore accident - leads cops to his decomposing remains
The scene where Reonol Williams’ body was found. (Photo Credit: Travis Chase)
Dead: Reonol Williams
Daniel Melbourne, the man who confessed to police.
The car owner, who initially denied hitting 50-year-old Reonol Williams along the Enmore Public Road, East Coast Demerara (ECD) with his vehicle on May 23, last, has led Major Crime investigators to Williams’ remains. The car owner has been identified by police as 53-year-old Daniel Melbourne of Ann’s Grove, ECD. He confessed that he was initially lying to police and was indeed the driver who fatally struck Williams with his car and then dumped his body in a trench. Williams’ decomposing remains were found close to midday on Tuesday in a trench at Coldingen, ECD, a near 4.5 kilometres drive from where the vehicle struck him. According to investigators, the breakthrough came after ranks from the Major Crime Unit (MCU) re-arrested
Melbourne for questioning. He was released on $300,000 station bail after the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP), Shalimar Ali Hack, SC, advised that more investigation had to be done into the matter. Williams was reportedly struck by the man’s car around 00:20hrs on May 23 in the presence of a friend while crossing the Enmore public road. The friend told police that the driver promised to take a severely injured and unconscious Williams to a hospital. He was picked-up and reportedly placed in the trunk of the car before it drove off. But Williams never made it to a hospital and was missing since then. Investigators had later found the car abandoned at a location on the East Coast and arrested Melbourne after a lone eyewitness identified him as the man at the scene of the accident. He had, however, initially claimed that he was the not the driver of the car at the time of the fatal incident. He claimed that a cousin called “Boy” had been driving the car but investigators were unable to locate the individual. Major Crimes took over the investigation and after re-arresting Melbourne, he cracked under interrogation and told police that “Boy” never existed and that his initial story was a lie. Melbourne not only confessed to being
the driver when the vehicle fatally struck Williams but also to dumping his body at Coldigen. He told police that while driving he looked back and saw that Williams was motionless. Presuming that the man was dead, he stopped his car at a bridge at
Coldigen and dumped him in the trench. Melbourne said that he then abandoned the vehicle and when he arrived home, he told his mother that his car was missing. To further embellish his lie, he even asked her to file a report with police that his car was missing.
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African Oil Conference in London…
‘White’ protestors call for end to ‘Oil Colonialism’ in Africa …demand cancellation of all debts, compensation for losses and damages
Two members of the group were seen lying down inside the hotel in central London beside a suitcase saying ‘Just for Africa’ (Photo Credit: XR)
Two weeks ago, the African Energy Conference was hosted at the Mayfair Hotel in London, England, where delegates were met by vociferous protest demonstration against the oil companies represented there along with the leaders of at least 12 African nations. The group of primarily C a u c a s i a n protestors—against the economic and other exploitation of African citizens in the oil producing regions—were calling for four primary objectives to be met, namely the cancellation of the debts of those countries, for oil companies to pay compensation for damage caused over the years, greater investments in renewable energy and the
departure of those companies from the African shores. During the protest activity it was pointed out that the conference is being held in that country and not Africa because 60 percent of the oil and gas producers operating in Africa are from the global North. Additionally, of that 60 percent of African oil being produced by Northern companies it was pointed out that four companies control half of this production. Those are ExxonMobil, Total, Shell and ENI. Chanting slogans such as ‘Justice for Africa’ and ‘end oil colonialism’ the protestors managed to prevent at times, delegates from entering the venue.
The group has also unfurled a banner with ‘End Oil Colonialism’ across of the front of the May Fair Hotel on Stratton Street. (Photo Credit: DailyMail)
Some of the protestors subsequently made their way into the lobby the hotel in a bid to state their case. Some, having gained entry into the five-star central London hotel, secured themselves together in the lobby and sprayed black paint across the front in fresh anti-oil protests. They were later evicted from the premises and the hotel later used makeshift shutters to prevent them from seeing into the hotel through the glass window panes. Some of the protestors even managed to make their way onto the entrance of the hotel’s canopy where a “end oil colonialism’ banner was strung. Organised by Extinction
Extinction Rebellion protestors demonstrating at the May Fair Hotel in London (Photo Credit: DailyMail) Rebellion, the protest saw presentations by a number of stakeholders, including some from the affected communities in Africa who had been adversely affected by the operations of oil oligarchs on the continent. According to organisers, failing to reach the demands could see as many as 700 million people on the
continent at risk of being displaced as refugees as a result of the impacts of climate change. One such stakeholder on the protest line remarked that at present “Africa is a world where the strong do what they can and the weak suffer what they must” in reference to discriminatory practices perpetrated on the poor and
vulnerable on the continent. One of the organisers, Cathy Allen, from Extinction Rebellion said, “what’s happening here is unregulated oil companies signing exploitative new oil deals with debt-burdened African nations. This is not a conference, it is a crime scene disguised as a party.” Continued on page 22
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on ‘Shine rice’ served to students in Regi
7 dorms…
Food supplies sent but Tender Board yet to award contract for more relief Days after a teacher at the Desrey Caesar-Fox Secondary School in Wa r a m a d o n g , R e g i o n Seven, took to Facebook to highlight that a food scarcity at the school had led to the students being served “shine rice” for several days, the school on Monday night received food supplies. The post of the teacher, John Adams, who is currently holding the position of Senior Assistant Master (SAM), which went viral gained the attention of the Minister of Education, Priya Manickchand. In his post, Adams explained that “plain rice/shine rice” has been the food being fed to the dormitory students at the school for lunch or dinner on a daily basis. Minister Manickchand in a statement on her Facebook page had said an investigation will be conducted into the
The minister blamed lack of timely communication as the cause for the students being fed “shine rice.” He continued, “Far as I’m aware, food has [since] been sent in to the village. It’s a system where the head teacher would make the request of the RDC for procurement, and up to Friday last, the head teacher did not make any request [for
Minister of Local Government and Regional Development, Nigel Dharamlall
allegations. “I have seen the posts about [D.C Fox Secondary, Waramadong] and if any of it is true, it is not the service we intend, provide funding for or will tolerate.” The minister had explained that the schools in Region Seven fall under the direct management of the Regional Democratic Council of Region Seven which is supervised by
Ministers of Local Government and Regional Development, Nigel Dharamlall and Anand Persaud. Notably, during an interview with The Guyana Chronicle, Minister Dharamlall stated that supplies for the school were not requested, and that the situation had since been rectified.
The food the students of D.C Caesar Fox Secondary School are being fed. [Photo credit, John Adams]
anything] except flour.” Notwithstanding the minister’s comment, the teacher had first highlighted the issue in a post on April 1, 2022. In fact, with a picture attached to his post, Adams stated that this has been the food being given to the students after one week in a month of having meat as part of the menu. According to the teacher,
since school reopened in October 2021, the food scarcity has been the problem at the dormitory. In that post he had stated too, that the food services supervisor at the school had explained to him that many food items requested do not reach to the school. Following his first post, a team of government officials Continued on page 18
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Wednesday June 08, 2022
M.V. Sabanto ferry has worked beyond daily operating schedule – T&HD
The MV Sabanto has worked beyond schedule as it is currently the lone vessel ferrying passengers and vehicles on the Essequibo River between Parika and Supenaam since the M.V. Kanawan ferry is currently undergoing maintenance. While the Transport and Harbour Department (T&HD) has confirmed that this is the state of affairs, there has been no mention of plans to bring on stream another vessel despite such a recommendation being
made by the Essequibo business community. The Essequibo Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ECCI), via a release, recently pointed out that the constraints of a single ferry plying the route has resulted in the delay of goods and services entering and leaving the region. But according to the T&HD in a statement dated June 6, 2022, the M.V. Sabanto ferry has worked beyond its usual daily operating schedule twice in the past few days.
The transport department went on to state that the ferry departed Parika after 9pm on one occasion, and on another occasion after midnight. These modifications, the department said, are specifically geared at alleviating traffic congestion at both Parika and Supenaam. In fact, the department made it clear that businesses were not greatly affected by the recent modifications. Kaieteur News had
The M.V. Sabanto, the only working ferry traversing the Parika to Supenaam route.
reported on May 28, last that the M.V. Kanawan ferry will be dry docked for rehabilitative works from June 1 and will not be in operation for five weeks, leaving the M.V Sabanto alone to offer ferrying services. But a few days after the process started, the business community and residents began voicing concerns. The situation, some claimed, forced them to wait for hours in massive traffic congestion at the Parika and Supenaam Stellings. The ECCI in weighing-in on the matter had advised government in a release that
there should be a back-up ferry for such situations because the M.V. Sabanto alone cannot take off the massive flow of traffic to the Essequibo Coast on a daily basis. ECCI in its release stated, “Since there is one ferry working, we recognise the constraints and pressure this one ferry will have to undergo while its sister vessel is on dry d o c k … R e g i o n Tw o i s undergoing major transformation and such setbacks will hinder timely deliverance of goods and services to all sectors. By June 2, we would’ve already
recognised the build-up of traffic at both ports Parika and Good Hope and we are hereby requesting the assistance of another ferry to assist in the backlog.” Apart from delays in the supply of essential goods to the Region, ECCI also called for proper scheduling, as it relates to departure times, to be put in place to assist in reducing the congestion at the respective ports. In making its case, ECCI pointed out that the Parika to Supenaam route is of pivotal importance because it bridges trade between Regions Two, Three and Four.
Trucks parked in a line at Supenaam.
Food supplies sent but Tender... From page 17 had visited the school and conducted a survey. After determining that the school was indeed facing food scarcity, the team of officials had promised to look into the matter. However, after no improvements were made, this led to the teacher making a second post. In a post on Saturday last, Adams said, “This week the cooks at the dormitory kitchen have been getting trouble in preparing good meals because there is shortage of food stuff. They had no option but to cook what is available in the kitchen.” In giving an update on the matter, the teacher stated that on Monday afternoon the Regional Education Officer (REO) and District Education Officer (DEO) arrived at their school after a visit to Georgetown
earlier in the day. He related that the REO and DEO explained that the National Procurement and Tender Administration Board (NPTAB) has not yet awarded the contract to anyone to supply food stuff to the school dormitory. However, he stated that the team brought in food stuff to the dormitory which resulted in the students being served better food. “We got a little relieve, we got a little relieve but the issue is not properly solved…” Adams noted. Moreover, as it relates to the shortage of fuel for the generator, which supplies the school compound with electricity, the teacher revealed that the school received one drum of diesel, so they currently have electricity at the school.
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Man gets 17 years for stabbing villager over “talk name” issue Samuel Stewart called ‘Sammy’ was on Tuesday sentenced to 17 years imprisonment for the fatal stabbing of his Limlair Vi l l a g e , E a s t B e r b i c e Corentyne villager, 25-yearold Patrick Raynol called ‘Boy.’ Stewart was on trial at the Berbice High Court before Justice Simone MorrisRamlall for the capital offence. On May 17, following t h e j u r y ’s t w o - h o u r deliberation, Stewart was found not guilty of murder but guilty of the lesser count, killing Raynol on June 16, 2019, at Limlair Village. On Tuesday, Justice Morris-Ramlall told Stewart that he showed no remorse for his actions, and added that he was a mature adult w ho is able to make decisions for himself while being aware of the repercussions. As such, she sentenced
Dead, Patrick Raynol Stewart to 17 years imprisonment and ordered prison authorities to deduct the time he spent on remand. According to reports, there was an argument between Raynol and the suspect at a liquor shop in the village when the accused whipped out a knife and stabbed Raynol to the right side stomach. The incident reportedly stemmed from the suspect accusing a cousin of Raynol of “talking his name”.
Raynol intervened in the matter and was attacked. Mother of the dead man, Camilla Surujmohan, 53, had stated that she received a call from another son informing her that Raynol was involved in a fight that resulted in him being stabbed. “Around 11 last night [the night of the incident] I get the call saying he get bore up (stab) but I had to ask if is joke he mekkin’ because I was shocked. He seh get a car and come fuh he now. And he seh he serious suh by time we rush out deh with de car he almost done dead,” she had related to this publication. According to the woman, her son was crouched on the ground a short distance from the liquor shop where he was stabbed. Raynol had reportedly run after the suspect but he collapsed. Surujmohan had related to this newspaper that when (Continued on page 22)
Kaieteur News
Wednesday June 08, 2022
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Over 3000 vulnerable women expected to - as Human Services Ministry host benefit from WIIN 2022 massive outreaches in Regions 5 and 6
Minister of Human Services and Social Security, Dr. Vindhya Persaud handed over several assistive aids to persons living with disabilities The Ministry of Human Services and Social Security, through theWomen Innovation and Investment Network (WIIN) is set to upskill over 3000 vulnerable women across Guyana as courses roll out for 2022. This is according to a release the Ministry issued on Monday. It noted that registration for seven, free and internationally accredited courses in both introductory and intermediate
levels, officially got underway on Friday as the Ministry hosted two massive outreaches in Regions Five and Six. Minister of Human Services and Social Security, Dr. Vindhya Persaud, who conceptualised WIIN in 2021 which has seen over 2000 women trained since its inception, noted that the value of this training is unequivocal. According to the Minister, “This free training programme has
Minister of Human Services and Social Security, Dr. Vindhya Persaud addresses a large crowd in Region Five an excellent plus, which is, that you don’t need anything to access the programme. In other words, you don’t need CSEC you don’t need anything to get into the programme. All I ask you is to start it and finish it, nothing else. So don’t come one day and drop off the next day, stay for the entirety. We are catering for over 3000 persons this year.” Minister Persaud outlined that
the Ministry is one that follows through in getting you from an idea to a sustainable business with every aspect catered for under the programme. “I’ve never believed in training people and not thinking what will happen to the persons who have been trained…So, what do I mean by that? What do you do with your training? We want to teach you to
create opportunities. We want to teach you how to become entrepreneurs. We want to teach you how to start your own business, how to grow your own business and how you can sustain your own business, age, no barrier, everyone is welcome.” Minister Persaud said. From there, persons can access (Continued on page 22)
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Kaieteur News
Wednesday June 08, 2022
‘White’ protestors call for end to ‘Oil Colonialism’...
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From page 16 According to the event’s website, the summit aims to ‘bring together Africa’s upstream industry for a unique WANTED event shaped for companies Skilled carpenters,masons active in Africa’s oil and enand labourers. Call: 602-9469, ergy game’. 615-7526, 660-6385,625-7642. Kitchen Assistant, Salesperson & Babysitter needed. C a l l : 6 5 9 - 5 5 5 9 . From page 6 One male able bodied clerk. (and Islamic) faith. That was Tel:231-2029,616-5954. a bygone era and urban Indi1 cleaner & 1 cashier. Tel:602- ans, now familiar with their 8 0 6 7 / 6 7 7 - 7 0 1 1 . great ancestral civilization, have expressed regret at One body work technician. laughing at rural Indians over T e l : 6 7 5 - 9 9 8 8 . their Hindu or Islamic names, Rebar workers & carpenters their cuisine, and their faiths. needed at China Railway The dominant White ChrisFirst Group.Tel:609-8866/ tianized culture shaped 6 8 1 - 1 8 5 8 . peoples’ behavior and directed them towards self-hate. 1 female for general domestic/cooking,residing on W.B. It is unfortunate, that a Caribbean Minister of government D or W.C.D age 25 to 45yrs. C a l l : 6 2 4 - 0 2 3 9 . mock at people on account of
Representatives from a dozen African governments attended the event, while speakers included Somalian resources minister, Mohamed Hashi Arabey Abdi, President and Chief Executive Officer of Africa Oil Corp, Keith Hill,
and representatives from oil giant Shell. US energy giant ExxonMobil and French petrol firm Total Energies are listed as sponsors for the summit, which had cost as much as £500 to watch remotely with
an online ticket. Police taped-off an area a r o u n d t h e h o t e l ’s e n trance during the protest, with Scotland Yard and the Met Police later reporting that six persons were arrested.
Ridiculing ethnic names is offensive...
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their name. It is regrettable that the Minister should still hold a colonial mindset sixty years after independence to ridicule Indians. We must eschew such behaviour. It is no laughing matter to ridicule Indian names or those Blacks who have African names. I am proud of my ancestral name and so should everyone else. Blacks have accepted the names assigned to them by the slave owners of their ancestors. Indians and others
must not condemn them for it. Indian, like African (from Africa) and Asian names are heritage linked. African names are beautiful — such as Kwame, Oheene, Kwayana, Mbutu, Ogunseye, Apata, Obama, etc. They should return to their ancestral heritage. Almost everyone I spoke with – from both sides of the political divide in T&T — condemn the Minister. I am most disappointed by Camille’s behaviour; she is among the most liked within
her party and seen as a potential successor to Dr. Rowley should he not seek a third term as PM. That she would debase her public standing and roll in the gutter shocks many including myself. While Kamla is historically accurate to say that Camille has a slave name, it is inappropriate to say someone has retained the name of a slave master. Yours truly, Vishnu Bisram
Man gets 17 years for stabbing villager over “talk name” issue... From page 20 she inquired about what took place she was told that “a bai bore (stab) he. Who is the bai? I don’t know. All wah dem seh
is dat another cousin had an argument and de boy go to bore de cousin and de cousin run away suh me son [Raynol] turn up and seh dat how you
can’t fight my cousin and de boy brace he up and start cuff he and bore he.” Surujmohan had stated too that for the entire Sunday he was at home
“drinking a red wine” but left to go out that night. “I never saw my son back until I see he lie down deh with blood all over.”
Lusignan Prison to get $48M security fence...
From page 14 in a safe manner. We don’t want industrial accidents, we want timely delivery and we want quality delivery,” he stated. The Minister noted that currently works are ongoing on a number of 2021 projects, and despite challenges and delays, the contractors may have faced due to the COVID19 pandemic, he is fairly satisfied with the status of these. At the Ministry’s boardVACANCY room, the Guyana Police One Porter. Apply at: Lens Force (GPF) signed four con136 Sheriff Street next to tracts totalling $129,573,450 Buddys/Pizzahut. Call: 2272486 or 226-3750 VACANCY Cook,Baker & Servicemen for interior location. Appli- Western Union CSRS.173 cants must be experienced. Sheriff St,Campbelville C a l l : 2 3 1 - 2 2 5 0 . Georgetown,tel:609-2995,e Clerical assistants live-in ac- m a i l : s u r v i v a l . h u m a n commodation available for r e s o u r c e s @ g m a i l . c o m . out of town applicants covid Drivers License(with motor vaccinated persons only. 223- lorry & van).Tel:609-2995,e 7500. mail:survival.human Room attendant,billing recep- r e s o u r c e s @ g m a i l . c o m . tionist,25-50 years.233 South Accounts Clerk.Along with Road Lacytown, tel:225-0198. passport size picture, tel:609Store/Shop Attendants. 2 9 9 5 , e m a i l : s u r v i v a l . Send application to manager humanresources@gmail.com. @ Vlissengen Road, George Inventory Clerks.173 Sheriff town or email:lowsss@ St,Campbelville Georgetown, s h e l l b a p . c o m . tel:609-2995, email: survival. Counter Staff at People's h u m a n r e s o u r c e s @ Choice Mobile.Tel:679-9449. g m a i l . c o m . Maid to cook and clean for Delivery Clerk.Apply at: East Bank area.Call:615-9132. Lens 136 Sheriff Street,C/Vill next to buddys/pizza. Tel:227Female Cleaner for office. 2 4 8 6 / 2 2 6 - 3 7 5 0 . C a l l : 6 4 2 - 9 8 2 3 . One live in domestic,must be One clerk for TSI Eccles of- over age 30yrs.Call: 603-1300. fice English & Math, grade 1 or 2.Call:615-9132 or email Male & Female to work inteapplication to techserigy@ rior location,must be over age y a h o o . c o m 18.Call:603-1300.
for the construction of command centres in Regions Two, Five, Six and 10. NK Engineering Services signed a contract worth $32,453,846 to build a centre in Region Two, ACE Construction Service and Investment signed a $41,777,190 contract to build the one in Region Five, Brick and Mortar Construction Service signed a $21,177,692 contract for the one in Region Six and Ele’s Trading and Hardware is to build the one in Region 10 for $34,164,722. The Guyana Prison Service (GPS) signed two contracts totalling $145,033,088 – one with Singh and Son Con-
struction worth $96,230,253 for the construction of senior officer living quarters at the Lusignan Prison and the other with Advanced Engineering for $48,802,835 to construct a new security fence at the same facility. The Guyana Fire Service (GFS) on Tuesday too signed three contracts worth a total of $485,630,054. One of the contracts was awarded to AYN Construction for $69,080,354 to build a fire station in Wales on the West Bank of Demerara. “Other than paying attention to some of the needs at Wales itself, we are cognisant of the impending construc-
tion of an industrial estate there, the gas-to-shore project and the resulting manufacturing and power engineering projects which will be at that footprint, so we want to be ahead of Wales,” the Minister explained. The Fire Service also s i g n e d a c ontract worth $99,900,000 with Comprass Industrial Services for the procurement of 148 fire hydrants. Also awarded was the largest contract of $316,649,700 to ANGLOCO for the procurement of five firefighting vehicles for the GFS.
Over 3000 vulnerable women expected to... From page 21 the Business incubator for step-by-step assistance, free marketing with the WIIN app and even access to funding. To register, simply follow the link on the Ministry’s website (MHSSS.gov.gy) or the Ministry’s Facebook page. For more information contact 229-2751 or 229-2842. Meanwhile, Minister Persaud was also flocked by over 700 residents in the two Regions who offered words of gratitude for the work she and her team have been doing throughout the country and asked questions that were pertinent to them. The Ministry rolled out a vital exercise targeting persons with disabilities who benefitted from several assistive aids including wheelchairs, walking sticks
and hearing aids while also getting valuable information on accessing funding and training. The Minister told the gatherings, “We’re here for persons living with disabilities. We’ve not left anyone out. In addition to what we are providing in terms of support aids, we’re also providing training to persons who are living with disabilities. We would have started this initiative late last year and are continuing it. Why? Because persons living with disabilities have dreams, they want to have jobs, they want to be a part of everything else. We are providing the same opportunity that parallels the WIIN programme, not only the assistive aids and the training. There is a revolving fund
for people living with disabilities who would like to start their own businesses.” The Ministry also had officers from the different departments including Childcare and Protection Agency, Public Assistance, Old Age Pension, Domestic Violence Unit and Gender Affairs Bureau to offer support to citizens who had questions. “This morning we are here for many reasons and the significant thing is that the ministry has always been one which reaches out to people outside of the office, outside of the confines of structures and institutions, because it is my personal belief that we need to take services to all the people of Guyana. We have started with you, Region Six…” Minister Persaud said.
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Appointment of Chancellor, CJ now in... Guyana is a guaranteed cash-cow unmatched... From page 3 done is to remove any barrier whatsoever. I’ve made it clear through the representative in his letter that I am in agreement once it is the appointment of the Chancellor and the Chief Justice. There is no stumbling block left…it is now out there; a formal letter stating that the President can go ahead removing (the need) of him having to engage me to say I am appointing the two. He can just go ahead because the society seems to agree that the two learned women are equipped, they have served, ruled in different directions so I don’t think that they can be accused of being partisan to one political party or the other.” The Opposition explained that when he received the first letter to consult with the President, he responded
pointing to the grave importance of the appointments, since the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) in addition to civil society was calling for the confirmations. “I said in that letter I found it strange that it wasn’t on the agenda and placed it on the agenda. The President responded by saying he had the exclusive authority and when he feels to engage he will engage,” Norton posited. Back in April, President of the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ), Adrian Saunders decried the lack of substantive appointments for the post of Chancellor and CJ of the Judiciary in Guyana, stating empathically that it is time to appoint permanent holders of the office. The call for immediate appointment of the Chancellor
and CJ came days after President of the Bar Association of Guyana, Pauline Chase and Attorney General (AG), Anil Nandlall, SC, spoke of the impact, which the non-appointment of the two has had on the state of governance. Both Chase and Nandlall have called for the formula used to appoint the officers to be reviewed and changed. The former acting Chancellor of the Judiciary and Justice of the Court of Appeal, Carl Singh, retired in 2017 after serving 12 years. Justice Yonnette Cummings-Edwards has been acting since then. Similarly, Justice Ian Chung served as acting Chief Justice, from 2010 to 2016 and was never confirmed. Following his retirement, Justice Roxane GeorgeWiltshire was appointed to serve as acting Chief Justice.
From page 3 that “we have a second ship on, every ship at US$65 Brent adds US$1B a year…as a consequence, our cash flow, because we have these low cost developments coming on every year, our cash flow growth is 25 percent a year, compounded each year for the next five years, and quite frankly with more ships it can actually go out to 2030.” Part of the success story for Hess, he said, is the downward curve in the costs associated with production. He explained further saying, “our cash cost per barrel goes down 25 percent to US$9 per barrel of oil 2026, our breakeven as a company will be US$45 Brent for 2026 and at the end of the day that cash flow growth is going to compound, where we grow in in-
trinsic value but also start to return cash alone way as well.” According to Hess, as a result of its investments in Guyana, the company has not only managed to increase its dividends paid to shareholders by 40 percent but also managed to pay off some $500M on a US$1B loan “we needed to get through the cycle to continue to the Guyana investment and then as we go forward we are going to continue to grow our dividend.” With two FPSO vessels in production this year, Senior Minister with responsibility for Finance, Dr. Ashni Singh had said during the reading of budget 2022 that there will be 94 lifts from the Stabroek Block, 13 of which will be Government lifts. From this,
it is estimated that deposits into the Natural Resource Fund for 2022 will total US$957.6 million, comprising some US$857.1 million earned from the Government lifts of profit oil, and an additional US$100.5 million from royalties. By Kaieteur News’ calculations, Exxon’s subsidiary and operator of the Stabroek Block, Esso Exploration and Production Guyana Limited (EEPGL), is poised to walk away with US$3.9B while CNOOC will get US$2.2B this year. It therefore means that Exxon and partners will walk away with tax-free US$8.7B profit in 2022. Meanwhile, Guyana must pay the company’s share of income taxes for 2022 from its projected US$957.6 million revenue.
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Wednesday June 08, 2022
GCF rewards players for outstanding performances... From page 33 Guyana. Taffin Khan received his trophy for his second place win with Anthony Drayton - 3rd, Frankie Farley - 4th and Roberto Neto coming in 5th place. Prizes were presented at the Park Vue Hotel by President of the GCF, Frankie Farley and Tournament Director Irshad Mohamed who commended the players on their exceptional performances and participation. Due to the time constraint for naming the O l y m p i a d Te a m f o r Chennai, India, the GCF hosted back to back tournaments over the last 3 months where FIDE arbiters John Lee and Anand
Raghunauth worked tirelessly to make these tournaments successful and the GCF is extremely grateful to them. The Guyana Chess Federation extends its heartfelt gratitude and appreciation to DeSinco Ltd who sponsored the Junior Nationals, KFC Guyana for sponsoring the Women’s Tournaments and Gaico for sponsoring the National Open Tournaments. Special thanks to Mohamed Khan of Arrowten Incorporated for sponsoring the venue and to Raul Couchman of Artistic Marketing for taking the photographs of the award ceremony.
Kaieteur News
ISKF holds successful... From page 33 at the tournament were: Chief Judge Christopher Chaves, Ring Arbitrator Shermon Best, Referee Marlon George, Judges Storm Katchay, Alex Rodrigues, Kristian Chaves, Kristalia Chaves. The tournament doctor was Dr. Angela Binda.The main sponsors of the awards were Mr. Andron & Mrs. Melisa Alphonso. The preliminary events commenced at 3:30pm and ran simultaneously. Thereafter, the final events were consolidated and ran off at 4:30pm. Outstanding competitors (who attained 1st place in both Kata & Kumite contest) were Gia McPherson, Messiah Fiedtkou, Chelsea Harrison, Aiden Persaud,
Wednesday June 08, 2022 ARIES (Mar. 21–Apr. 19) You'll have to use a cunning strategy today. The day will be tense and delicate. Some of your friends may try to put some pressure on you to obtain certain things.
LIBRA (Sept. 23–Oct. 22) You shouldn't work as hard as you do. You might have a lot of energy, but your body needs to rest from time to time. There is more to life than work.
TAURUS(Apr.20–May20) Today, Taurus, you'll become quite introspective and reflect on your life. You probably heard some discouraging news concerning someone close to you, and it could leave you feeling blue.
SCORPIO (Oct. 23–Nov. 21) You'll be lost in your thoughts today. The celestial atmosphere is right for enabling you to ponder a frustrating aspect of your life.
GEMINI (May 21–June 20) Have your friends ever told you that you could be a great teacher? At home, you're the one who's talking all the time. You're almost compelled to make others listen to you. . CANCER (June 21–July 22) You've been working hard lately and giving a lot of your energy to others, Cancer. Today you're feeling tired. There will be tension in the air throughout the day. LEO (July 23–Aug. 22) Today, Leo, you'll undoubtedly ask yourself a lot of questions. You tend to be rather introverted, and you typically need a great deal of freedom. VIRGO (Aug. 23–Sept. 22) You'll be the savior of the day. Your wisdom and patience will be your best assets today, Virgo. You'll be of great help to those around you. You'll counsel them and be able to guide them toward better days.
SAGIT(Nov.22–Dec.21) People around you might have been expecting a bit more cooperation on your part. You could be nicer and more concerned about their needs. It seems that you've been ill-tempered recently. CAPRI (Dec. 22–Jan. 19) If it were up to you, you'd rather stay in bed reading than confront the world. Deep inside, however, you know you need to reach out to others. You feel that you can't be left out of society. AQUARIUS(Jan.20–Feb.18) Generosity is one of your best qualities, Aquarius. You have the uncanny ability to give without expecting anything in return, and you gain a great deal of power and light from this generosity. PISCES (Feb. 19–Mar. 20) Every once in a while, everyone must analyze his or her life. But you tend to be too pessimistic when you ponder yours. You get easily carried away, and you often exaggerate.
Leia Pugsley, Kian Shiwsankar and Tempest Katchay. ISKF-Guyana committee would like to express their gratitude by extending special thanks to parents, awards sponsors: Mr. Andron Alphonso & Mrs. Melisa Alphonso, Sr. Marie Harper, OSU, Principal of Marian Academy for use of the venue, and Dr. Angela Binda who functioned as the tournament doctor. Notable upcoming events for 2022: August 8-10, International grading and judges exam by Master Peter Warren of Barbados November 17-22nd, International Camp & Goodwill Tournament in Philadelphia, USA.
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Wednesday June 08, 2022
CG Insurance T20 blaze
Defending Champs beat Guyana by 7 runs By Sean Devers at Providence In bright sunshine, a day after rain had many places in the City under water, defending Champions Barbados opened their campaign with a seven-run win in this year’s CG Insurance t20 Blaze women’s cricket tournament
against host Guyana yesterday at Providence. Set 87 to win, Guyana started badly when Katana Mentore (4) was LBW to Shanika Bruce at 9-1 after colliding into Mandy Mangru, forcing her to be taken off the field on a stretcher before she had scored. Skipper Shemaine
Campbell and Vice-Captain Shabika Gajnabi came together and they took the score to 54 before Gajnabi (14) was caught behind off Aaliyah Alleyne to trigger a dramatic collapse. Sherry-Ann Fraser (0) was taken by the Keeper off Alleyne without addition to the score, while Sheneta Grimmond (0) was bowled
by Skipper Hayley Matthew 55-4 before Alleyne struck again when she removed Campbell for 33 from 38 balls with five fours at 59-5. But after that only Tremayne Smartt (13) of the remaining batters reached double figures before she was removed in the last over by Selman who had 3-26 and got support from Alleyne
who finished with 3-18. Earlier, Barbados, who won the toss and with their superstar Deandra Dottin, were all out for 86 in 19.2 overs with Matthews who made 35 from 44 balls with two boundaries and Kyshona Knights (17) reaching double figures. Pacer Sherry Ann Fraser took 3-11 from 3.2 overs to
end the innings on a hat-trick while Ashmini Munisar, Mangru and Kaycia Shultz had two wickets each for Guyana. In the earlier game, the Windward Islands, led by 21 from Rosalie Dolaballie and Jenisen Richards’ 3-7 beat the Leeward Islands by four wickets as they reached 576.
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AG President becomes Guyana’s first certified Continental Archery Judge Archery Guyana wishes to congratulate its President, Mohamed Gamal Khan, on successfully completing the World Archery America’s C o n t i n e n t a l J u d g e ’s Training Seminar where he was one of three to graduate and be certified as a Continental Judge. Khan’s achievement is especially impressive since he has achieved this elevation a mere two years after being trained as a National Judge. This training seminar offered a unique opportunity to the 5 (five) persons, who
a t t e n d e d t h e Tr a i n i n g Seminar from across the Western Hemisphere, to secure this highly desirable certification. The programme was i n t e n s i v e a n d comprehensive resulting in Khan being one of three persons to successfully complete and receive the coveted certification. He is now uniquely placed to assist with the advancement and development of the d is cip lin e in G u y an a. Archery Guyana is especially pleased since it
has in its ranks a World Archery Americas Certified Continental Judge given that Continental Judges are held in high esteem and depending on their personal commitment this can also open a pathway into becoming an International Judge on the World Archery roster of Judges. This, therefore, has the possibility of providing a very meaningful experience for the dedicated and diligent Judge. In this regard, the Secretary-General of Archery Guyana, Vidushi
Persaud-McKinnon, congratulates Khan for successfully completing the course. She also expressed great delight in this next phase of advancement for Archery G u y a n a a s s h e acknowledges what this means for Guyana moving forward with the hosting of National, Regional and International Competitions.
AG President, Mohamed Gamal Khan.
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Kaieteur News
Wednesday June 08, 2022
Wildfiya beat Phoenix XI as ORSCA/Adana Homes competition bowls off
Rajendra Nauth Wildfiya surged to a comprehensive eight-wicket triumph over Phoenix XI on Saturday at the Marvin Heights Public School ground in Mississauga where the 2022 Ontario Round Arm Softball Cricket A s s o c i a t i o n (ORSCA)/Adana Homes ten-ten knockout competition got cracking. On a sun-drenched day, Wildfiya invited Phoenix X1 to take first strike and they only made an insufficient 104-3 from the allotment of 10-overs. Wildfiya chased down the target with consummate ease with 11 balls remaining, thanks to an entertaining 49 from Canada-based Guyanese Rajendra Nauth who clobbered seven sixes and a four. The belligerent, righthanded Nauth also shared a solid and progressive 48-run first-wicket stand with Neilson Williams who contributed 17 not out while Vivian Pollard also batted with a great degree of flamboyance to slam three sixes and two fours in his undefeated 31. In Phoenix XI’s innings, opener Steve Ganesh raced to a top-score of 38 laced with three sixes and similar number of fours while Kunauth Harry hit a cameo 35 and Rupan Ram chipped in with 15. The experienced Armogan Gopaul picked up one wicket for 16 runs from his maximum two overs, while Pollard proved his allround capability by snapping up a wicket also but conceded 19 runs in his twoover show. In the other match slated
for the same day at Chinguacousy Secondary School ground in Brampton between Brampton Rangers and Guycan Tridents was called off after the latter failed to field a team. Brampton Rangers therefore will advance to the next round joining Wildfiya. June 18th the competition is set to continue with a number of matches while the quarter-final fixture is billed for June 25th. The semi-finals and final will be played on June 26th at Hanover Public School ground in Brampton. Meanwhile, President of the ORSCA Mitch Bacchus expressed satisfaction with proceedings at the commencement of this y e a r ’s e d i t i o n . H e i s expecting to see more exciting matches in the subsequent fixtures. The leader also reserved special praise for Canad-based Guyanese Satishwar Persaud, the Managing Director of Adana Homes, A Canadian Real Inc. Brokerage. Notably, this is the second year in succession Adana Homes sponsoring the competition. Bacchus explained that he is also grateful to the teams for their continued participation while he shouted out to his fellow executives for working tirelessly behind the scene to run the affairs of the game. Last year, Sunshine defeated Masters in the championship game. Sunshine will be in action on June 18th facing up against Wildfiya at the Robert Lee School facility, Brampton.
Wednesday June 08, 2022
Kaieteur News
Concacaf Nations League 2022/2023…
Guyana holds off Bermuda 2-1 to maintain Group lead G u y a n a ’s S e n i o r Football Team, the Golden Jaguars, produced an excellent performance against Bermuda yesterday to secure their second consecutive victory of the Concacaf Nations League 2022/2023. Playing in League B at the Leonora Track and Field Facility, Jaguars won 2 – 1 against the visitors to climb to six points on the table and maintain the lead in Group B. Second place is currently occupied by the mighty Haitians, who defeated Montserrat, 3 – 2, yesterday, to move on to four points. Bermuda sits in third with a point while Montserrat is yet to score. At Leonora, a goal each from Trayon Bobb and Omari Glasgow for the host team overshadowed the lone goal scored by Bermuda’s Dante Leverock. In the first half of the showdown, Guyana were the more dominant side with a firm handle on ball possession. Bobb, who often won the break away from defender Reece Jones Jr., eventually drew first blood for Guyana after steaming down the left flank and scoring past the custodian, Dale Eve. Bermuda were now faced by a boosted Jaguars unit after the goal that was backed by a supportive crowd, but did well to level the scores.
A lobbed bicycle kick from Bermuda’s Dante Leverock just on top of Guyana’s 18-yard box was enough to beat goalkeeper, Quillan Roberts, who mistimed his jump in an effort to pull off a save. On the brink of half time, a probing Omari Glasgow was soon rewarded for his efforts when he sent one screaming past Eve to give Guyana the lead once again. Glasgow scored in the second minute of injuries and stoppages time (45’+2’) which took his goal tally to three in two matches. The second 45 minutes saw the teams toil toward the regulation time whistle with heavy legs and painstaking near misses for both sides. Among the most eventful plays in second half was the red card dealt by referee Reon Radix to Bermuda’s Oliver Harvey, who was sent off for an unfair tackle on Stephen Duke-McKenna. Added to that, Glasgow had the easiest of opportunities presented to him with the time about to expire; left alone with a surrendered custodian, Glasgow pulled his shot way left and squandered the chance. The most commendable performance was put forth by Guyanese defender Quincy Adams who was integral in keeping the defensive line together. When the final whistle was sounded, the host nation
Stephen Duke-McKenna’s pace caused a lot of trouble for the Bermuda defence.
did enough to keep the visitors at bay and deservingly take the three points. Guyana now turns their attention to the Haitians that are billed to invade Leonora on Saturday, June 11, from 16:00 hrs.
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Guyana’s Quincy Adams (19) was resolute in defense against the Bermuda Team.
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Kaieteur News
Wednesday June 08, 2022
Police walks away with top prize in EPA’s World Environment Day Green Walk Assistant Commissioner of Police Simon Mc Bean, right, Deputy Commissioner Acting Ravindra Budram, Supt Cristol Robinson among other officials as they pose with the winning Police Scout group team at the walk.
The Guyana Police Force led from in front as they copped the top prize in the World Environmental Day Green Walk, hosted by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and had among the participants
President Dr. Mohamed Irfaan Ali. The walk, which was held on Sunday last, began at the Umana Yana in Kingston, Georgetown and culminated at the National Park. It was held jointly under this year’s Global Theme ‘Only One Earth’, and the EPA’s theme, ‘Celebrating Only One Earth as One Guyana’. Hundreds led by the President and several Government Ministers, heads of agencies and prominent figures gathering at the National Park Tarmac for activities that followed which climaxed with an exhibition and fun day. Apart from the winning Guyana Police Force and its scout groups, hundreds of others drawn from the various ministries, schools in the capital city and other agencies and citizens participated. The Police contingent which also included the well
decked out scout group was led by Acting Deputy Commissioner ‘Operations’ Ravindradat Budhram; Commander of Regional Division 4’A’, Assistant Commissioner Simon McBean and Head of the F o r c e ’s C o m m u n i t y R elatio n s D ep ar tmen t, Superintendent Crystal Robinson among others. The Guyana Police Force was well poised from the beginning and easily ran away with the ‘Best Banner’ award. In addition, the GPF Scout Groups for their outstanding showing received a special monetary award of G$100,000. Among others that received awards were the Ministry of Home Affairs and the Guyana Energy Agency. The walk was aimed at emphasizing the importance of caring for our environment, our forest and animals. (Samuel Whyte)
Keemo Paul added to ODI squad for West Indies tour of Pakistan SportsMax - The Cricket West Indies (CWI) Selection Panel has added allrounder Keemo Paul to the squad for the upcoming One-Day International Series in Pakistan. The West Indies arrived in Multan on M o n d a y, a f t e r t h e impressive 3-0 series win in The Netherlands. They will now prepare to face Pakistan at the Multan International Cricket Stadium on June 8, 10 and 12. “Keemo Paul has been kept out in the recent past due to injury and we view the management of his body as paramount to his success, not only when on West Indies duty but also when he is with his regional franchise. We have watched him perform in the recent West Indies Championship Four-Day Competition for the Guyana Harpy Eagles and we think he is ready to
come back into the fold,” said CWI Lead Selector, the M o s t H o n o r a b l e D r. Desmond Haynes. During the first-class tournament Paul was the leading fast bowler and second highest wicket-taker overall. He ended the five matches with 20 wickets at an average of 22.8 runs per wicket. He had best figures of 6-50. He was also among the leading allrounders with 169 runs including a highest score of 73. The West Indies tour of Pakistan will bowl off today Wednesday, June 8. First ball is 4pm PKT time (7am Eastern Caribbean/6am Jamaica). The series will also form part of the ICC ODI Super League where the teams will have the chance to earn points as they try to secure automatic qualification to the 2023 ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup in India.
Wednesday June 08, 2022
Kaieteur News
ISKF holds successful Guyana 2022 National Independence Karate Tournament In anticipation of ISKFGuyana’s international attendance in Philadelphia this November, the best of the best will make the roster, representing Guyana at the annual International Shotokan Karate Federation (ISKF) Camp & Goodwill tournament at the Marriott Hotel Old City, Philadelphia, PA , U S A . A s s u c h , International Shotokan Karate Federation (ISKF)Guyana hosted its annual Independence Tournament Saturday, May 28th at The M a r i a n ’s A c a d e m y auditorium. At this year’s tournament opening remarks were done by ISKF-Guyana Secretary
and Referee Marlon George. Tempest Katchay took the competitor’s oath and the tournament kicked off. More than Fifty (50) competitors took part in this year’s tournament, looking to outshine their previous year’s performance and new entrants looking to make their mark. This year’s tournament (like preceding years) was well run and pushed ISKF-Guyana to the front for having the most organized, orderly, and revered karate tournament. This year was also the first openly kept tournament since the pandemic in 2020. The committee was instrumental in being
creative in the setup to consider health protocols, notwithstanding the ongoing Covid-19 presence. The committee indicated that with the world reopening, and; all things being equal, their attendance at this year’s International ISKF Camp & Goodwill tournament at Marriott Hotel Old City, Philadelphia, PA, USA, will hold significance. Mainly, because they would be participating in the memorial service of ISKF’s founder of Shotokan karate in the western world - Master Teriyuki Okazaki, who passed away in late 2020. Members who officiated (Continued on page 25)
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The awardees took a photo op at the end of the Award Ceremony.
GCF rewards players for outstanding performances The Guyana Chess Federation (GCF) held its award ceremony on Sunday, June 5, where players were given prizes for their outstanding performances in the sport over the past few months. This encompasses a total of five major tournaments: the Junior National Chess Championship, the National Women’s Qualifiers, the Women’s Championship, the National Open Qualifiers and the National Championship for 2022. In the Junior National Chess Championship, 17year-old Ricardo Narine was presented with his Championship trophy for earning the title of Junior National Champion 2022. Other players rewarded with trophies from the Junior Nationals are 2nd place Ethan Lee, 3rd place - Rajiv Lee, 4th place - Kyle Couchman, 5th place Keron Sandiford and 6th to
10th place going to Ronan Lee, Sasha Shariff, Matthew Singh, Jessica Callender and Mayas Khan, respectively. In the Women’s Chess Qualifiers, the top 9 females received medals with Jessica Callender receiving her firstplace medal, 2nd place went to Pooja Lam, 3rd place Anaya Lall, while 4th to 9th place went to Nellisha Johnson, Adia Alphonso, Maliha Rajkumar, Waveney Johnson, Angel Rahim and Elizabeth McRae, respectively. Lam received her Championship trophy for her win at the Women’s National Tournament. She became the youngest National Women’s Champion at the tender age of 14 years in Guyana’s history. The Women’s Nationals were first held in 2018 when WFM Maria Varona Thomas won the inaugural title. The m o s t r e c e n t Wo m e n ’s Champion was 18-year-old
National Champion Meusa received his prize from Irshad Mohamed.
Sasha Shariff, who came s e c o n d i n t h i s y e a r ’s tournament. She held the title since the Championship was last staged in 2020 and had won at 16 years old. Other players awarded trophies from the Women’s Nationals are 3rd place - Johnson, 4th place Callender and 5th place Lall. In the National Open C h e s s Q u a l i f i e r, F M Anthony Drayton was rewarded for his win with Wendell Muesa coming in 2nd, Roberto Neto - 3rd , Loris Nathoo - 4th, with 5th to 9th places going to Frankie Farley, Ethan Lee, Rashad Hussain, Justino DaSilva and Rai Sharma, respectively. They all received medals. National Chess Champion for 2022, Wendell Meusa was presented with his trophy making this his eight National Title in (Continued on page 25)
Concacaf Nations League 2022/2023…
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Guyana’s Omari Glasgow (2nd right) follows through on his brilliant shot that gave his team the lead.
Guyana holds off Bermuda 2-1 to maintain Group lead ISKF holds successful Guyana 2022 National Independence Karate Tournament
Top performers and officials take a photo after the event.
Keemo Paul added to ODI squad for West Indies tour of Pakistan
Defending Champs beat Guyana by 7 runs CG Insurance T20 blaze
GCF rewards players for outstanding performances
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