Kaieteur News

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Rodney’s death to be NEWS officially recognised - Attorney as assassination General

Friday Edition

AIETEUR

June 11, 2021 - Vol. 23 No. 24

Online: www.kaieteurnews.com Online Price $80 readership yesterday, 88,709

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

PPP/C destroys Patterson’s motion on special land policy for shorebases p. 21

Distribution of COVID-19 Vaccines Teen arrested Govt. braces Health Minister tells for stealing for more heavy money from House at least 16.8% rainfalls - PM Phillips Region of adult population - Showers to continue through August; fully immunised 29,000 households affected by flooding Nine RDC p.

14

Yuri’s agents/marketers slapped with money laundering charges Taxi driver Pomeroon flood Six months in, charged, released affected residents Linden MTC on $150,000 bail being evacuated to yet to receive for raping teen temporary shelters 2021 subvention

27 questions sent to the leaders for their answers Produced water, flaring adds to high flooding

Listen @11am on Kaieteur Radio 99.1/99.5FM

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Kaieteur News

Friday June 11, 2021

Kaieteur News

Friday June 11, 2021

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27 questions sent to the leaders for their answers

Kaieteur News Publisher, Glenn Lall I, Glenn Lall, Guyanese citizen and publisher of Kaieteur News, invite you, as leaders of this society, to give in-person responses to a series of questions that I have thought of, and the answers to which would be of great interest to all Guyanese citizens.

The invitation is for my Kaieteur Radio programme this Friday, June 11 at 19:20 hrs.

If any of you cannot attend, the answers to the questions below can be presented in writing, which I commit to delivering untouched to the Guyanese public via Kaieteur Radio and Kaieteur News.

I am inviting President, Irfaan Ali; Vice President, Bharrat Jagdeo; Opposition Leader, Joseph Harmon; and Khemraj Ramjattan, as all elected leaders of this land, and in keeping with the vital elements of the democratic process, I would appreciate the courtesy of your duty, through your timely and frank responses.

The questions are: 1. Why don’t we have a ring fencing provision in the Exxon contract to protect us?

2. Why do we have to give Exxon and its partners one month’s notice before we can go to check or audit their books when we have a 50/50 partnership?

3. Why are we paying ExxonMobil’s taxes for them, their contractors and subcontractors?

4. Why do we allow the oil players to dump produced water into our oceans?

President, Irfaan Ali 5. Why are we allowing flaring during full oil production?

6. Why is it that Guyana does not have a local content policy in place six years after oil-discovery?

7. Why is it that we have one of the worst oil contracts on earth in the last 100 years that gives Guyana two percent royalty and yet transportation costs have to come out from that?

8. Why is ballast water being dumped into our oceans by the oil ships?

9. Why does Guyana not have full cover insurance to protect the citizens of our country, our country as a whole and other neighbouring countries when an oil disaster happens out there?

10. Why do we not have any say or control on these billion dollars FDP as a 50/50 partnership?

11. Why does Guyana have no say on the cost of the rentals of supply vessels?

12. Why do we not have control or say on the daily costs or expenses on the oil operations?

13. Why don’t we have

VP, Bharrat Jagdeo anyone checking the barrels of oil that are coming up on a daily basis?

And why are we depending on the figures ExxonMobil and its partners produce to us?

14. Is this how two countries, two companies, two people do 50/50 business, leaders?

15. Why is the nation not given full information about what is going on with the people’s wealth? Gold etc.

1 6 . A s f o r Decommissioning/Cleanup: why is it that funds are being taken out and the nation does not know how much is being taken out, where it is being kept, and who is benefitting?

17. Why does Guyana not have the capabilities to handle the toxic waste product that is being discharged from Liza 1? No one knows who, where and what they are doing with it.

18. What rescue plan is in place in case of an oil well blowout to safeguard the country and its citizens?

19. Why does Guyana not know the interest rate they are paying on the US$20B loan sitting out

Opposition Leader, Joseph Harmon

Former President, David Granger

Khemraj Ramjattan

there for the Liza 1, 2 and Payara?

20. By law no oil company should get more than 60 oil Blocks. Why ExxonMobil was given 600?

Mr. Leaders.

21. Every five (5) years all oil companies have to relinquish 20 percent of their oil blocks. Why did our leaders extend the time for them?

22. Why is it that our leaders, including VP Jagdeo, not asking much less demanding a renegotiation of this one-sided lopsided Exxon contract when it is clear in the PSA that both parties have to agree?

23. Who is selling our oil, at what price and what is the arrangement?

24. Is it the citizens who have to go to court to fight for our renegotiation, when the PSA has the provisions for a renegotiation, tell us Mr. Jagdeo.

25. Let me ask this question, is it that you guys are receiving some personal b en ef its f r o m th e o il companies that is preventing all of you from seeking to renegotiate this oil contract.

26. Imagine a citizen, Melinda Janki, had to go to court to get the 20-year EPA permit issued to ExxonMobil reversed to what the law requires.

Why Jagdeo?

Why Harmon?

Why Ramjattan?

Why did that woman have to spend her money, her

expertise, her time to correct what you guys did when you broke the law to facilitate Exxon?

27. Is it the citizens who have to go to court again to correct the 600 oil blocks given to Exxon, when they are entitled to 60?

Those are only 27 questions for now my friends. See you guys on the Friday programme, 19:20 hrs. sharp.

I promise to publish in full your written and/or recorded answers.

I don’t want any one of you to answer all 27, it’s too much to talk about in one programme, please pick any five or three so we can discuss them Friday on the Kaieteur Radio at 19:20 hrs.

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Friday June 11, 2021

Kaieteur News

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

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

EDITORIAL

Walter Rodney Sunday will make the 41st anniversary of the death of Dr. Walter Anthony Rodney. In the wake of the June 13, 1980 death of Rodney, the poet Martin Carter wrote about what essentially the point of the killing of the great scholar and politician was, the murder of words: “Assassins of conversation They bury the voice They assassinate, in the beloved Grave of the voice, never to be silent.”

There is of course good political poetry and bad political verse. In the middle of the Cold War, one particularly cynical verse gained popularity in the United Kingdom, drawing upon the image of the revolutionary Communist, the Bolshevik (or ‘Bolshie’), a limerick that went: “A Bolshie, the world’s very worst For everyone’s gore was athirst So he set off a bomb With Satanic aplomb And went off, but the bomb went off first” In the wake of Walter Rodney’s assassination, what followed on the morning of June 14th was the distribution of a similar, cynical, mocking piece of ‘literature’, shared via pamphlet around the streets of Georgetown. It read: “Hickory Dickory, Doc Appointment at 8 o’clock We wouldn’t need no bail And this walkie-talkie start talk!

Rockabye Rodney now lives in the past Dispatched to his master so quick and so fast.

T’was never the intention That his fiendish invention Would choose his own lap for the blast.”

It was not enough that Rodney’s death was mis-labeled and propagandised as being his own fault, a result of what was portrayed as both seditious malice and gross incompetence, what would follow was to heap petulant insult upon fatal injury. In addition to the official cause of his death being listed as ‘misadventure’, in what was clearly designed to be the final insult to his memory, his death certificate would also read that the greatest scholar to have emerged out of Guyana - a man whose work is still as relevant today as when it was written, if not more so – as merely ‘unemployed’. It is against this backdrop therefore that the announcement made in Parliament yesterday by Attorney-General, Anil Nandlall has to be considered. The initiative can be summarized simply by stating that after 41 years, the state is going to officially recognize the death of Walter Rodney for what it was, a political assassination carried out by the government of Guyana under the Presidency of Linden Forbes Sampson Burnham, leader of the People’s National Congress reform; and that Rodney’s scholarship will officially be integrated into the national education system.

According to Nandlall, this came about after Rodney’s widow, Dr. Patricia Rodney, reached out to President Irfaan Ali, to bring final closure to one of the most shameful incidents in our political history.

No doubt, the intention of a PPP government will be called into question – after all, four PPP Presidents seemingly had zero interest in correcting the record on Walter Rodney. Between 1992 and 2011, Cheddi Jagan, Sam Hinds, Janet Jagan, and Bharrat Jagdeo had no apparent zeal in holding any sort of inquiry into the truth behind his death. It was only in 2014 that then President Donald Ramotar initiated a Commission of Inquiry, and considering that he was a minority president facing a No Confidence Motion in a lame duck parliament, his motives for what was no doubt a politically sensitive inquiry could be called into question.

That said, no such pressure is facing the Ali administration.

Not only does he have a one-seat Parliamentary majority over the combined opposition but enjoys a comfortable buffer in that the LJP-ANUG-TNM single joinder seat currently occupied by Lenox Shuman is likely to vote in favour of the government. Additionally, we are years away from an election meaning there will be at best fading political capital from the Rodney initiative by the time 2025 rolls around. Walter Rodney was, as every great man is, a flawed man. He was perhaps foolhardy in not recognizing the direct danger the environment entailed. But he deserved more than his assassination and the crude and crass attempt at erasure that was to follow. It is time he received the recognition and consecration he deserves and for his legacy, his life’s work, to be put to the use of the people whose freedom he fought and died for.

I am impressed that there are Guyanese like these DEAR EDITOR, Reference is made to the KN online edition of June 10th and the article headlined, “Over 100 Guyanese challenge Exxon’s Yellowtail Project.” It is why I never give up hope, though there are times when it fades perilously.

There are Guyanese that are genuinely concerned, even outraged at what has been meted out to this country by Exxon and they evidence such with their names and signatures placed in that “list of detailed questions sent to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)” on the

“Yellowtail Project.” Answers wanted.

I always knew that there are Guyanese - young, mature, educated, working up the educational ladder and others - who cared about what was/is happening here between Exxon and Guyana.

More specifically, from my perspective, what is really going on below the radar between Exxon’s leaders and Guyana’s political operators?

Now I am upbeat that the concerned Guyanese that are there, have moved to assert their interests and possible anxieties, in a most public manner; that civil society

activists have lent their pen and voices to add muscle to what could flare (no pun intended) into a mushroom of Guyanese participation.

Guyanese participation that can be cooperative or hostile; Guyanese engagement that can be probing and sustained. And Guyanese stances that brooks no pro forma attitude or action on the part of the hamstrung and impotent local EPA. Like the man once did say: it is time to put up or shove off, meaning that the EPA had better get real and not try any dodgy stratagems. Or in Guyanese idiom, try to sell these

interested Guyana and the nation by extension, a pig in a bag.

In my mind, prolonged citizenship agitation was always the 10-ton gorilla in the room. It worked, through suspect political tactics for parking meters, so I am delighted that this same energy may be stirring for the all-important issue of oil and its safe and sensible (ethical also) management. This is the nuclear fear of America’s Exxon and Guyana’s questionable leaders, while they wreaked havoc with the sinister oil dealings going on (Continued on page 6)

GuySuCo and GWI, different constituencies, different deliveries DEAR EDITOR, I write this letter knowing that for some it will not see the light of day and for others the author will be their focus, however, it would be remiss of me not to address the termination of over 170 GWI workers.

These terminations will impact the lives of far more than 170 persons and exemplifies the duplicity of policies that are applied to different constituencies of our society.

For demonstrative purposes, I will juxtapose the treatment of the GuySuCo workers to that of the GWI workers.

GuySuCo workers work in a company that is profit oriented, while the GWI workers work in the service sector that is non-profit, but service oriented. In the case of GuySuCo, the orientation

of the company: profit, is taken out of the equation in the name of livelihood and the historic contribution of those workers to Guyana’s development.

While, in the case of GWI service delivery is trumped over livelihood. GuySuCo has been and continues to be heavily subsidised many fold more than GWI, but the workers of GWI are retrenched in the interest of acclaimed restructuring and efficiency.

GuySuCo, whose mandate is wealth creation, has now become a mechanism for wealth redistribution and the sustainability of livelihood while GWI, a service organisation whose existence is more akin to wealth redistribution, is being used to curtail both wealth

redistribution and the sustainability of livelihood.

GWI’s management, in Pontius Pilot-like fashion, fingers the Board as being integral to the decision and touts prudence in management as the decisive factor, it also cites due process as the legitimate basis for the terminations. What is patently missing in the equation is the difference in policy as it relates to GuySuCo workers and GWI workers.

In the case of GuySuCo, the workers livelihood is the determining factor. In the case of GWI, cost reduction is the determining factor. The GWI workers are expendable.

Both organisations are state owned, but the Government applies different criteria in determining the future of the undertakings

and that of their workers, in particular. Due process is the excuse for treating the GWI workers different, at the level of governance (decisionmaking), and is being used to cover-up what are discriminatory policies and practices when it comes to the well-being of the GWI workers.

The comparison of GuySuCo and GWI is but one example of the duplicity that has been and is still evident in the conduct of public affairs in Guyana.

My argument here is not in support of GWI workers versus GuySuCo workers. It is about fairness and for the President’s call for ONE GUYANA to be exemplified, indeed, as articulated in words.

Yours sincerely, Vincent Alexander

Questions for the good Doctor VP on flooding measures DEAR EDITOR, In your edition dated June 9, 2021, you published an article “Govt. to seek supplementary $10B to aid in flood relief efforts” on page 18. While it is laudable to know that the present government seeks to fix the multitude of problems caused by the flood, there are serious concerns as it relates to asking the Guyanese people to take on the burden of another loan amounting to $10B. I gather the good Doctor VP, as an economist, has a good sense of opportunity costs rather than refereeing blame games.

The good Doctor VP cited a 2005 report put out by the Economic Commission for Latin American and the Caribbean. That report can be accessed here doing a simple search (https:// www. c e p a l . o rg / e n /

publications/). There are several questions that need to be answered, based on that report. I would like to ask the good Doctor VP the following questions: To what extent is the success of the “implementation of the Mahaica-Mahaicony-Abary water conservancy system and related embankments, discharge channels and control structures?” To what extent did anyone attempt to “identify suitable engineering personnel who could be sent to undertake postgraduate level training in hydraulics and hydrology at a top-level tertiary institution” or any institution sans correspondence courses? To what extent was there “raising of wellheads and critical electrical equipment, and the construction of bunds around the affected well sites?” To what extent was there the “Refurbishment of

the Shelter Belt Water Treatment Plant (WTP) which “provides the majority of Georgetown’s water supply?”

To what extent was there the “Installation of a trunk main at Turkeyen” which is “intended to significantly improve the level of service at Sophia, through the delivery of 200 litres/second from the Turkeyen well?” As noted in the report, this installation would “directly benefit up to 20,000 inhabitants of the area.”

Further, to what extent was there the “Installation of a sludge pre-treatment facility at Tucville” and “that the collected sewage should now be rerouted and pumped directly (along with septage received at Tucville) to the existing Georgetown Sewage Pumping Ring Main?” To what extent was there the purchase of mobile chlorination units as well as the “purchase of two water

bowsers to facilitate the safe supply of temporary water to communities where the distribution service may be out of order?” Has the Government successfully constructed “over 25 new schools and rehabilitate an additional 50” since this report was published? If so, what are the names and locations? To what extent is there an “automatic national response mechanism” or “is there a disaster management plan?” The penultimate question is, do you believe that Guyana should have a non-partisan office of disaster preparedness and mitigation? My final question is, Why should poor people continue to be the debtors for poor leadership? Looking forward to your answers. To be fair, please note that you have an open book option. It’s up to you.

Yours faithfully, Les Archer

Friday June 11, 2021

Dr. Ramdas is right that Exxon not paying taxes DEAR EDITOR, Reference is made to the letter titled, “What qualification does one need to contribute/discuss/debate issues of national importance” by Joel Bhagwandin (June 9).

No formal or credentialed qualification is required to pen or reply to a letter. There are individuals who never went to university but write extremely well; several write in all the media and I don’t wish to identify their names.

They don’t pretend to be university educated. They don’t challenge the competence and skill of those more endowed. They selfstudy and learn from critiques of others more intellectually endowed than them. They seek to master a subject matter with assistance from those more competent in the field.

They are humble.

They are not arrogant. All of those qualities were missing in the retort and rejoinder of Joel Bhagwandin whose writings are replete with arrogance.

The subject of tax is a technical issue as is the contract with Exxon. I am far from being a specialist in the fields although I have some background in both. Dr. Ganga Ramdas is an economist and a foremost tax specialist.

He also has a quantitative background. His doctoral dissertation is on tax; that is his specialisation. His MA also focused on taxation. He worked at the Bank of Guyana and Ministry of Finance and was also appointed to the IMF and World Bank by Dr. Jagan during the early 1990s.

Dr. Ramdas is a foremost authority in taxation.

It is out of Bhagwandin’s league to question or

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derogate Dr. Ramdas background and expertise.

All that Dr. Ramdas penned was that if Exxon were to pay corporate tax for 2020, Guyana would be US$62M richer (probably much more if there is an audit of Exxon’s expense) for 2020. And that amount of taxes would allow each of our pensioners to receive US$2,200 per annum with a lot left over. It is noted that Exxon pays corporate tax to the US (home base) from its earnings in Guyana but no tax to Guyana. Is that fair? A new international agreement is being worked out among the G7 countries in which Exxon would have to pay the US a minimum 15 percent tax in its profits earned in Guyana.

I am no writing scholar.

But on writing skills, Dr. Ramdas is flawless, almost to the point of perfection. This is not coincidental.

He has sound academic training. He completed an undergraduate degree (BA) at a university with sit in classes amongst other students, all of whom learn from one another – a background that is not possible through the on-line medium of instruction.

Like Dr. Ramdas, I too did traditional studies in the US before re-migrating to Guyana. It is the norm in a traditional university setting in the Caribbean to successfully complete between 30 and 40 in class courses that meet between two to six hours a week for 14 weeks to earn a BA degree.

Some colleges in America require more. For the MA, a minimum 10 courses, in class, sit in, are required plus a long paper or a thesis and a comprehensive exam. For the doctorate, an additional 10 courses are mandatory plus comprehensive exams and a

two-year dissertation. Dr. Ramdas educational qualification is rock solid. In addition, he taught Economics for some three decades. Joel Bhagwandin is not competent to assess Dr. Ramdas’s argument, characterising it as weak, that Exxon is not paying taxes.

Bhagwandin did not follow the hard academic training of Dr. Ramdas for earned degrees.

Let us look at Joel Bhagwandin’s educational background. Bhagwandin is yet to reveal where he got his BA degree, a pre-requisite for admission for graduate studies at a traditional university. Is it that he does not have one? He said he did long distance MA at a university in UK. That university admits students based on work experience and life maturity. We don’t know course requirements and examination standards for the MA as in traditional universities. Bhagwandin says he enrolled for the PhD at another college that awards a doctorate based on one’s writings. The number of Guyanese who would qualify for such PhDs would not fit in a book. It is like giving away PhDs. Much credence is not given to those kinds of degrees.

Bhagwandin states that he also attended various other universities like Cambridge, Columbia, etc. He does not say in what capacity.

Students of other universities attend other institutions, but they mean virtually nothing.

I also attended Harvard, Columbia, Princeton, and Oxford.

But I never cite them in my qualifications because they don’t lead to a degree certification from these prestigious institutions.

Yours truly, Shawn Simmons

What are the long-term solutions for flooding disasters?

DEAR EDITOR, The President of the United States once said that climate change is the greatest threat. Without going through the various lists of the changing weather patterns that have occurred from California to the Arctic, to all the other extreme weather patterns of extreme floods to extreme heat never before experienced in various parts of the world; we as citizens should be expecting a long-term solution in anticipation of yearly floods.

The extreme floods happening this year will not be the last. Financial assistance to those affected is temporary. Distribution of food hamper bags is temporary. Placing affected residents in shelters is temporary. Anyone who does not believe that there is a good possibility that a similar flooding situation will happen next year and the year after, is not paying attention to what is happening around the world.

Where are the University degree holders that are able

to consider proper drainage systems in these areas and the nation as a whole? Or maintenance of them? Back again to the lack of basic knowledge of urban development. This is not a negative assessment of Guyana, but it is staring us in the face. Guyana has a lot of virgin land in most regions.

Before they are all allocated to industrial development, of which some will not be in the best interest of the neighbourhoods, why not designate them for housing development with emphasis on development on a higher ground. No one wants to move out of their homes, but at this rate, everyone knows where the flood prone areas are. (Inadequate proper

ground drainage systems being another factor). Why not offer financial incentives to have owners and residents vacate their homes permanently, unless the President and other high officials would prefer to visit these same people year after year.

A permanent solution, not temporary fixes, is needed to fix a problem, which will be a multi-year problem. It’s time for certain officials to swallow their “pride” and bring in the foreign developers who know the basics in urban planning, simple but effective drainage systems and so forth, after all the country is awash in oil revenue.

Yours faithfully, Chi Kansi

Two different takes DEAR EDITOR, On the same day perceived conflicting positions on the national flood situation, allegedly by the agency responsible for national disaster and relief appeared on two online news sites. One site read

‘countrywide flooding now at Level 2...’ (INews June 9), while the other site declared the situation a ‘national crisis’ (News Source June 9).

One national situation with two different takes.

Yours faithfully, Shamshun Mohamed

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Political life at times boils down to judgment DEAR EDITOR, I pen this brief letter to explain my personal position and attitude towards the 2020 elections, and subsequent crisis.

In doing so, I have chosen to simplify the narrative that the average reader would have no difficulty understanding.

As a political practitioner and activist involved in Guyanese politics for many decades, I have learnt over that period that at times one has to make judgments on important national issues, and issues in general without adequate information since the various influences and factors relevant to making the decision may not be fully known. The following are my reasons that have influenced my position and attitude to the elections/crisis: (1) As early as 2019 I was receiving information that the US and its allies were interested in regime change.

This information was coming from sources both at home and aboard. In 2019 an organisation that I am

associated with took the initiative of compiling a list of persons allied to the PPP/C who are involved in corrupt activities, economic and political. This information was provided to a delegation representing Western interest on a visit to Guyana, it was felt that the information would enable them to have a better understanding of the political reality in Guyana as it relates to governance and democracy. Months later we realised that the information we provided was not used for the intended purpose but rather to allow our distinguished guests to develop an alliance with many of these corrupt individuals.

This convinced us that democracy and good governance was not on the US agenda, and the Granger led administration was in danger, and there for the picking.

(2) Going into the elections like most Guyanese I knew that either of the two main parties can win a full majority, so a PPP/C win was not an issue for me since it

...I am impressed that From page 4 here in project after project.

The Yellowtail Project and public Guyanese reaction can be, and must be, the make-orbreak development that paves the way forward for oil and Guyana. It no longer must be left to untrustworthy politicians, who conspire with domestic and foreign elements to hide oil truths from citizens, who depend on naïve supporters to back them, come what may, who take advantage of opposition malaise, and who capitalise on hitherto national indifference relative to this seductive oil wealth. Let this be the groundswell that ripples and crests unceasingly with Guyanese standing up, Guyanese speaking out, and Guyanese letting the corridors of power in Houston and Robb Street (PPP) and Sophia (PNC) that this nonsense has to stop; and that they are mad as hell and not going to take it anymore.

This small beginning of “a

list of detailed questions” for the EPA could be the fateful first step of our long journey to bring some semblance of sincerity (and sanity) to Guyana’s oil that has been lacking from the first hour of the first day. The project’s selected name of ‘Yellowtail’ is fatefully chosen. Like that of a scorpion, it can come back to sting some powerful people into some form of sensible submission. By people, I mean the captains of Exxon’s dangerous and rapacious commerce, and the chieftains of Guyana’s political webs of deceptions and scurrilousness. For whatever it is worth, I give unconditional permission for my name and signature to be attached to that list of questions. My position has always been this: on whatever is nationally worthwhile, I will join with any vision, any presence, any force with objectives for what is better for all.

Sincerely, GHK Lall

was one of the expected out comes. It was the size of the victory announced early in the counting process that raised suspicion and doubt.

Based on my assessment of the elections I had anticipated a very close result mirroring the 2015 elections where a few thousand votes would separate the winner from the loser. Winning by 15,000 plus votes by any party would have been hard for me to accept without question since such a result was not consistent with my expectation based on my sense of the voting patterns in the country.

(3) I was convinced that the PPP/C rigging machine would institute measures to get the votes in the ballot boxes on Election Day taking advantage of the bloated electoral list, which they worked with for many elections.

(4) By midday on Election

Day, I began receiving information that the APNU+AFC election workers in some far-flung areas of the country were not being steadfast in their responsibilities, and the PPP/ C was getting the upper hand in these remote areas.

(5) Before the Region Four crisis the PPP/C and its allies were on social media claiming that they have an unsurpassable lead that the coalition could not undo from their expected votes in Region Four. The lead that the PPP/C was claiming appeared to me questionable and I was not prepared to support this claim of victory.

(6) At some point in the Region Four crisis, I became doubtful of an APNU+AFC victory since what should have been a straightforward count clearly became a questionable count.

(7) As part of the APNU leadership, I felt committed to

supporting the agreement struck between then President David Granger, Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo, GECOM and CARICOM to resolve the crisis.

(8) I was prepared to accept the outcome of the above process. However, this ended with GECOM Chair and Caricom making their decision based on tabulated votes only, reneging on the issue verification of valid votes, which was part of the agreement. This betrayal made it impossible for me to accept the decision since this from my standpoint is a matter of principle and not politics.

(9) After the installation of the PPP/C government, I took the position that after an election court address matters in the election petition and give its ruling, whatever that ruling is, I will find acceptable.

And I stand by that position.

(10) I have stated on

numerous occasions during the crisis and after, that my preference was for a shared governance solution rather than a one-party government coming out of the tainted elections. This remains my conviction.

In closing, the single most important factor that informed my position and attitude to the election/crisis was my reading that Granger would keep his commitment he had given to the nation and reiterated after the agreement with the Opposition Leader, GECOM’s Chair and Caricom that once GECOM makes its decision that he would abide by the decision. In this context for me rigged elections and the APNU+AFC holding on to power was a non-issue. As I said earlier, political life at times boils down to judgment rather than having concrete knowledge and certainty.

Tacuma Ogunseye

Managing flooding in Guyana DEAR EDITOR, Two weeks of flooding has been unbearable.

The flooding will soon abate, and another one will come, even at an accelerated rate due to climate change.

Unfortunately, this natural disaster of unusually high rainfall is coinciding with a high tide worsening the consequences.

Based on some understanding of the flooding in Guyana, this commentary humbly offers some thoughts on the situation, causes, and mitigation.

Water resources e n g i n e e r a n d UG lecturer, Ram Dharamdial, was asked to explain flooding in Guyana in 1982 in a Chronicle article. Mr. Ram Dharamdial said, “when it does not rain, it’s a drought, and when it rains, it’s a flood”. That was 40 years ago, and little has changed in handling water management and planning for flooding.

In a concise way, the problem of flooding is presented after interactions with civil engineers specialised in flood control so that readers without the relevant engineering training and experience understand what is happening.

The coast landscape is such that 90 percent of the population is on a flood prone zone having been reclaimed by the Dutch and other colonisers for mainly sugar cultivation.

Like all floodplain lands, the drainage for these lands is not natural. Hence, a gravity drainage system was constructed that works with the tidal influence, capable of discharging 2 – 3 inches of

rainfall over a 24-hour period.

This functions acceptably good for low intensity high frequency storms (typically, a heavy downpour lasting 3-4 hours. However, the long duration events (over a few days), typically experienced in December-January and May-June periods when as much as 12 inches of rain fall, the natural runoff accumulates on the vulnerable parts of the coastlands. Therefore, even at the highest drainage efficiency and capacity, flooding will occur. A good example of an area that illustrates this is Black Bush Polder , which was built from reclaimed swamp, and the gravity drainage capacity can handle just about 2 inches.

Thus, there must be the following planning and mitigation measures.

Flood management structure There must be a strong institutional structure to coordinate the management, functioning and maintenance of the gravity drainage system. The Drainage and Irrigation Authority, GuySuCo, Ministries of Infrastructure and Agriculture, and the 10 Administrative Regions (operating independently) have to integrate and coordinate their functions under a single comprehensive management structure to create policies, p r o c e s s e s and establish responsibilities, not during the flood but before the floods, i.e. during the six (6) months when those long duration storms do not occur. For a functional

institutional framework, the legal authority, probably a Water Resources Act should be a guiding document.

F l o o d management engineers Flood management is mostly an application of hydrology to estimate the flood volumes, and hydraulics to convey the flows to a safe and adequate outlet. With the volumes and c o n v e y a n c e capacities known, a flood management plan is typically created. The President should work with the Diaspora to create a pool of Guyanese engineers, who have served North American governments well in managing flooding adequately and competently. He should assemble these guys and work on a flood management plan and master drainage plans for each drainage catchment area, and an acceptable h y d r o l o g i c a l / flooding modelling.

Water management policy With policy, the objective is to establish protection and safety rules. Policies on the development of all floodplain lands – coastlands and inlands, and riverain areas should be enforced. For example, for a major housing development, a clear rule should be established as to the level of the first floor for each dwelling. Further, main streets should be constructed above the known maximum flood level. With regards to the riverain areas, farmers/ miners, etc., should be informed that they are trespassing on the floodplain of a river, and how to protect themselves.

Financial support There is a cost to the economy for this current flood, perhaps, in billions of dollars. There is disruption of lives, damage to properties, livelihood, loss of crops, etc. estimated in the billions of dollars. The President recognises this and is promising some investment. The investment ought to be focused on short term and long-term measures.

The national budget ought to identify flood prevention p r o j e c t s .

N o spending should be done without a water management plan. It is known that the present drainage capacity is inadequate. In the short term, the capacities of all the canals, sluices, kokers, outfalls, etc. should be improved to at least the design capacity. Where there is incapacity, the discharge of the rainfall should be supplemented with pumps, temporary ponding, control structures, etc.

As stated above, once rainfall exceeds the maximum drainage capacity of a dysfunctional gravity drainage system, flooding will occur. It may not be possible to eliminate flooding completely, as it takes time for even the most efficient system to drain off excessive floodwater.

However, getting water off the lands in the shortest possible time requires a flood management plan. The thoughts expressed are not meant to disparage anyone, but to find solutions.

Respectfully submitted, Vishnu Bisram, Ram Dharamdial

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BL TLUNT.. UNT...B BL Friday June 11, 2021

Kaieteur News

Dr. Richard Van West-Charles, when exposed by KN’s reports of extravagant spending at the GWI, during his tenure as CEO, said something strange.

As carried in this newspaper on June 9, the former GWI CEO said, “I cannot deny double charging happened, but I had nothing to do with it.”

Dr. Van West-Charles is part of Guyana’s political royalty, and should know that that cop-out is not acceptable and falls flat. What applies to the ordinary business executive also applies to him. He was the CEO, he was in charge, and therefore, he is responsible, whether he “had nothing to do with it” or not.

He ought to have known, had systems place, and the right people to oversee how the financial assets of the GWI were being used. He is not off the hook, and ‘negligence’ could be laid at his feet. He should have known and taken action. This must be the standard for all CEOs.

PAGE 07

Friday June 11, 2021

Kaieteur News

PAGE 08

Yuri’s agents/marketers slapped with money laundering charges Two agents/marketers for alleged Ponzi scheme o p e r a t o r, Yu r i G a r c i a Dominguez, have been slapped with money laundering charges and yesterday made their first appearance in two courts on the East Coast of Demerara, for the offence.

Aubrey Norton and Martina Seepersaud, of Lot 242 Track ‘A’ Coldigen, East Coast Demerara, were slapped with two charges under the Anti-Money Laundering/Countering the Financing of Terrorism (AML/CFT) Act. They were charged by the Special Organised Crime Unit (SOCU), an arm of the Guyana Police Force (GPF).

A c c o r d i n g t o information, the duo lived with Garcia-Dominguez and his wife, Ateeka Ishmael,

Alleged Ponzi scheme operators, Yuri GarciaDominguez and his wife Ateeka Ishmael.

Charged for money laundering, Aubrey Norton and Martina Seepersaud. who are accused of bilking thousands of Guyanese of over $4B. GarciaDominguez and his wife are officials of Accelerated Capital Firm (ACF) Inc., through which they

allegedly solicited millions of dollars from Guyanese.

Norton and Seepersaud not only lived with the couple but also worked for them as agents/marketers. It is alleged that Norton and

Seepersaud collected millions of dollars through the Ponzi scheme operation and used the monies they obtained to purchase properties on the East Coast of Demerara.

The two first appeared in the Vigilance Magistrate’s Court before Senior Magistrate, Fabayo Azore.

They were not required to plea to the indictable charge, which was read to them. That charge alleges that on June 8, 2020, at Coldingen, East Coast Demerara, Norton and Seepersaud entered into an agreement of sale and purchase with vendors to

purchase a property situated at Lot 36 First Street, Montrose, East Coast Demerara, for $60M. It is alleged that they transferred the sum of $50M by paying cash as a down payment on the passing of the transport of the property with the balance of $10M. Senior Magistrate Azore placed both defendants on $300,000 bail each, with the condition attached that they lodge their passports and report every Friday to SOCU. That matter was adjourned to July 8, 2021.

After that matter, Norton and Seepersaud were taken

to the Sparendaam Magistrate’s Court before Magistrate, Rochelle Liverpool, where they were slapped with the second charge.

That charge alleges that Norton and Seepersaud also transferred the sum of $53M to vendors, as part payment for the purchase of a property called Block XIV Parcel located at Lot 86 Fourth Street, La Bonne Intention, East Coast Demerara. They were not required to plea to that charge also and they were placed on $200,000 bail each. Magistrate (Continued on page 20)

Kaieteur News

Friday June 11, 2021

PAGE 09

A FRENCH CUT! The French are now eyeing Guyana. In a recent interview on social media, the French Ambassador to the Guianas – Guyana, Suriname and French Guiana – has said that one of the reasons for France being in the Guiana Shield is because of French Guiana, an overseas territory of France.

But then he expressed an interest in energy cooperation pointing to the possibility of Guyana supplying energy to French Guiana. For all the years that Guyana has had relations with France, such a heightened interest has never, as now, when oil is being produced.

But if French Guiana is interested in procuring energy from Guyana, it is in its interest to support a better deal for the country from the oil companies. A better deal would make the energy deal more possible. Right now, the crumbs that Guyana is receiving will never be sufficient to pursue such a deal.

However, France will not be critical of the oil agreements, which were signed between the Government of Guyana and ExxonMobil, Hess and CNOOC. For despite France eyeing an energy deal with Guyana for its nearby overseas territory, France has vested stakes in Guyana’s oil industry.

After all, a Frenchowned company, TOTAL, has significant interests in the Canje, Orinduik and Kanuku oil blocks. Three years ago, TOTAL reported that it had acquired a 35

percent working interest in the Canje Block. It had acquired then also a 25 percent working interest in the Kanuku Block, and a similar stake in the Orinduik Block.

Interestingly, while French companies are making inroads into the extractive sectors overseas, the French government is aiming to become a global champion of the environment. It was in France in December 2015 that the landmark Paris Agreement was signed. And France is now pushing through an Environmental Bill.

But despite the hallmark Paris Agreement on climate change being signed in France in 2015, do not expect the French to be taking any strident position against the oil companies in Guyana where there is concern over the lack of proper insurance coverage and compensation in the eventuality of an oil spill.

Emanuel Macron, the French Prime Minister, has been pushing for a lowcarbon economy, noting that climate action is necessary since there is no Planet B. He is also said to be supportive of making ecocide – the destruction of ecosystems – a crime under international law.

However, throughout history the French have been notorious for speaking one language at home and another overseas. The French Revolution of 1789 was driven by the cries of l i b e r t y, e q u a l i t y a n d fraternity. But France has also been a colonial power,

which has denied and deprived others, particularly in Africa, of these very ideals.

The French Revolution denied freedom and liberty to Africans in its colonies in the West Indies. As Dr. Walter Rodney detailed in H o w E u r o p e Underdeveloped Africa, how France was among the European colonies, which plundered Africa’s wealth.

That fact was echoed by the late Nigerian economist, Obadiah Mailafia, who said, “The French have been at the forefront in the enslavement, colonisation and raping of [Africa]. They stole our gold, diamonds and other natural resources.”

This is not an Afrocentric opinion. Former French President has conceded that, “Without Africa, France will have no history in the 21st century.”

The Europeans, including the French, no longer need to colonise or invade countries to strip them of their wealth. They do this quite comfortably through their multinational corporations.

French multinationals have left a legacy of underdevelopment in Africa.

They are not there to develop those countries but to plunder them. Not only do these companies extract and export the continent’s raw materials but they also sell them finished products.

The operations of French oil companies have already begun to create problems in East Africa. Late last year there were reports that 12,000 families had lost land in Uganda and Tanzania

De WPA nah boys seh...

Dem

own Rodney

Is high time dat de memory of Dr. Walter Rodney be divorced from de present cabal which calls itself de Working People’s Alliance (WPA)! Burnham used to call dem de Worst Possible Alternative, a most suitable title for de party which did not attempt to separate itself from de rigging wah tek place last year.

Walter Rodney is a hero in Africa. Walter Rodney is a hero in de Caribbean. But is only in Guyana, we gat division over dis brilliant son.

De WPA feel dem own Rodney. So is time de government let de WPA know dat Walter Rodney is not party property; he is a national hero and should be so designated.

De government now changing de death certificate. Dem seh dem gan change Rodney cause of death from misadventure to assassination. But dem boys never hear somebody ever die from misadventure or

assassination. Is like saying dat a man died from murder or accident.

De best way dat de government can honour de memory of Dr. Walter Rodney is to reopen de Commission of Inquiry into he death. Dem gat some witnesses who wan clear dem conscience and who gan be willing fuh expose who involve. Also some new declassified documents come to light, which shine de glare pun two big men from de private sector.

Dem boys seh it gan now be cheaper fuh de government fuh recall de Commission of Inquiry because yuh could have de hearings virtually and all of dem wah nah get fuh give evidence can do suh now. And if de government nah want do dis, den de media should interview dem people wah nah get fuh give evidence fuh clear dem conscience.

Talk half and tell de Worst Possible Alternative: People’s Power. No Dictator!

because of the laying of overland pipelines.

And there has been a dispute as to whether the residents affected have been compensated.

The oil companies say yes but non-government organisations are denying this.

D e s p i t e F r a n c e ’s attempts to become a champion of the environment, that country is pushing ahead with the controversial East Africa Crude Oil Pipeline.

Environmentalists have been critical of the project indicating that it will not pay for itself and that it will contribute to climate change.

But that has not stopped work from proceeding.

Guyana has to be wary of those who appear to be bringing good news. Guyana has to be wary of having other oil companies investing in local oil Blocks, especially when ExxonMobil has a stake in those Blocks and therefore can use its existing agreement to cream off the country’s wealth and leave crumbs for Guyanese.

The French Ambassador should be welcomed to Guyana. But if he really wants to know what the local sentiments are, he should not be speaking only to social media operatives. He should

engage the mainstream media so that he can be grilled about France’s inconsistency between its environmental posture and its support for oil projects, which are harmful to the environment, and so that he can be enlightened as to why Guyanese are not keen in having more oil companies under the present arrangements.

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

Kaieteur News

PAGE 10

Friday June 11, 2021

THE FREDDIE KISSOON COLUMN

Independent minds have to save Guyana from the racial floods The amount of evil fictions being perpetrated by a conspiratorial matrix that is occupied by racially driven mindset in Guyana is incredible for one manifest reason – it is not being confronted by independent minds.

The examples are mountainous so we will have to select a few. When A m a n z a Wa l t o n - D e s i r (AWD) mouthed off her ethnically driven rhetoric, it became one of the greatest ironies in life worldwide, not only in Guyana.

Here is a conspicuous wickedness that should have caused a tsunamic outpouring against AWD but it never happened thus the caption of this column. What AWD said was one of the most incredible manifestations of political horrification. She said that the PPP is fooling East Indians and by being mentally lazy, they accept without questioning the unpalatable diets.

This very lady and her

African political party were deeply involved in the same mind games among African Guyanese that she accused the PPP of playing among Indians. Africans are being misled by AWD that the PNC won the 2020 March elections and they accept that unpalatable diet.

It is this dimension of her racially driven demagoguery that should have caused oceanic denunciations.

Instead a few people replied and with the usual vocabulary accusing her of racism.

A stronger confrontation should have centered on her psychological structure in which she was doing the very unpleasant act that she accused the PPP of. In this regard, independent minds failed to educate the young people in this land and they continue to be silent.

A fellow asked in the newspapers for evidence.

(1) He said that it should take dozens of votes in a noconfidence motion to bring about fresh elections and (2)

he endorsed rigged elections. Only one person, Vishnu Bisram, replied to him and showed him all of his outpourings in support of rigged election. Secondly, all one has to do is go to Demerara Waves for May 1, 2019 and you will see this very gentleman being quoted as saying that it should take about 44 votes to pass an NCM. He got away with his two depravities because only Bisram stepped forward.

The very young population in Guyana needs to see these exposures as Bisram did but where are the independent minds in Guyana?

We come now to Vincent Alexander. This P N C / G E C O M commissioner wrote the newspapers requesting that they fact-check what I write.

Alexander would not get anything published in any newspapers if they do the same for him. This is a man who wrote his fact-checking request after he lost a libel in the High Court for defaming

former Deputy Chief Elections Officer, Vishnu Persaud. The newspaper, the Chronicle, could have protected itself if it had factchecked Alexander.

T h e G E C O M commissioner is in the news again. He is claiming that the PPP wants the GECOM triumvirate (Clairmont Mingo, Roxanne Myers and Keith Lowenfield) dismissed from GECOM because of their race. But Alexander was part of a decision to dismiss an Indian man, Vishnu Persaud, in preference of an African woman, Roxanne Myers. He voted for Persaud’s removal.

The Ethic Relations Commission, headed by an African Guyanese, made a startling pronouncement.

The ERC ruled that Persaud was unjustly treated and unjustly lost his job to Roxanne Myers who did not meet the experience, expertise and qualification standards of Persaud.

Simply put – Persaud was the more eligible candidate.

Alexander tried to justify his role and ended up in Jaw’s mouth. He was found guilty by the High court of Frederick Kissoon libeling Persaud. If you r e a d t h e j u d g e ’s i nvolved in live streaming. decision then you would want to believe that Any schoolboy knows what a l l n e w s p a p e r s t h a t live streaming is. You are Alexander publishes letters seeing the action in one in have to begin to fact- c o u n t r y f r o m a n o t h e r check him. Now here is an country millions of miles interesting dimension of the away.

Yet Kwayana wrote that judge’s decision.

H e r u l e d t h a t t h e he was far removed from newspaper and Alexander Guyana to know and see have to pay separately. This what Mingo was doing. means that the Chronicle Alexander says that the PPP will only pay the sum the wants the terrible triumvirate court assigned it to pay removed for racial reasons.

But their actions were shown Persaud.

T h e G E C O M to the entire world.

Those videos are still commissioner will have to fork out millions from his available. But Vincent, like own pocket. The GECOM Kwayana, hasn’t seen them. commissioner reminds me Can someone show both of o f S y d n e y K i n g a k a them?

(The views expressed in Kwayana.

Someone sent me a video this article are those of the clip from the Facebook page a u t h o r a n d d o n o t of Kwayana’s son in which necessarily reflect the Kwayana himself was opinions of this newspaper.)

Friday June 11, 2021

Kaieteur News

PAGE 11

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Friday June 11, 2021

Kaieteur News

Woman placed on $50,000 Two additional COVID-19 deaths, 149 new cases bail for forging a COVID Vaccination card T

A

49-year-old woman was placed on $50,000 station bail for forging a COVID-19 vaccination card for the purpose of travel.

Kaieteur News understands that the incident occurred on the 8th June 2021 at the Williamsburg Health Centre, Corentyne, Berbice.

A nurse attached to the health centre filed a report at the Rose Hall Town Police Outpost and the woman was subsequently arrested on the allegation of forgery.

It is alleged that the woman visited the health centre and reported that her card was misplaced and requested a replacement. She

told the nurse on duty that she received her first dose on May 27, 2021 and was due for her second shot on June 25, 2021, but that she had booked a flight to the USA and was scheduled to depart on the date of the alleged offence.

The nurse reportedly explained to the woman that she is required to start over the process for another Covid-19 Vaccine card and she cooperated but after she received the card, she left the health centre without having the nurse’s signature affixed. She reportedly went home and forged the nurse responsible for administering the Covid-19 Vaccine’s signature on the card.

wo men, who tested positive for the novel Coronavirus (COVID-19), have died. According to the Ministry of Health (MoH), the latest fatalities are that of a 58-year-old and 42-yearold, both from Region Four (Demerara-Mahaica).

Their deaths now move the country’s COVID-19 death toll to 419.

The Health Ministry in its press release stated that

both men died on Wednesday while receiving treatment at a medical facility.

Further, the Ministry in its daily COVID-19 dashboard recorded 149 new COVID-19 cases, taking the total number of confirmed cases to 18,088.

A breakdown of new cases per Region shows that Region Four leads with 44 new cases, Region Nine with 37, Regions Three and

Six with 26 each, Region Five with eight, Region 10 with six, and Regions One and Seven with one each.

The dashboard also shows that 20 patients are in the COVID-19 Intensive Care Unit (ICU), 101 persons are in institutional isolation, 1,506 in home isolation and one person is quarantined institutionally.

To date, a total of 16,042 recoveries have been recorded.

Kaieteur News

Friday June 11, 2021

PAGE 13

Teen arrested for Man shot after approaching security guard with stealing money from broken Guinness bottle Region Nine RDC A security guard attached to a supermarket located at Thirteenth Street, Diamond, East Bank Demerara, on Wednesday night shot a man to his leg, who approached him with a broken Guinness bottle.

The injured man, 22-year-old Flavian James, is reportedly in a critical condition at the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC). He was shot to his left leg above the knee, the bullet having entered the front of the leg and exiting behind the knee.

The security guard, 34-year-old Carlos Pollydore, is presently in police custody assisting with the investigation.

According to what Pollydore told the police, at around 20:15 hrs., he was on duty at Tan Yuan Meng Supermarket, when James, in the company of others arrived at the supermarket and began imbibing.

A

teenaged D i s t r i c t Development Officer for Region Nine Regional Democratic Council (RDC) is now in police custody after embezzling a sum of $867,144 from the Council.

According to a police report, 18-year-old Ishmael Marcello, was handed a sum of $8.2 million along with relevant pay sheets for May 2021 salaries, which was intended to pay Government employees within Aishalton District, Region Nine.

On June 2, the employees within Aishalton District started to complain about not receiving their salaries.

An internal investigation was then conducted and it was revealed that a total of $867,144 could not be accounted for.

Marcello subsequently fled the Aishalton District and a report was made to the

Now in custody, Ishmael Marcello.

police on Tuesday.

He was found by police, arrested and placed into

custody. Statements are currently being taken and an investigation is ongoing.

A police report stated that James was jumping in and out of customers’ vehicles while they were in the supermarket.

Pollydore told the police that as a result of James’ behaviour, he warned him to desist from doing that.

However, the report further stated that James became annoyed and broke a Guinness bottle before he proceeded to advance towards Pollydore. The security guard allegedly warned James several times but he failed to stop and kept advancing towards Pollydore who then shot him to his left leg.

The police were called in and James was escorted to the Diamond Diagnostic Centre.

Pollydore was arrested and taken into custody. The police also lodged an AR rifle, 13 live rounds of ammunitions and one spent shell.

Kaieteur News

PAGE 14

Friday June 11, 2021

Govt. braces for more heavy rainfalls - PM Phillips

- Showers to continue through August; 29,000 households affected by flooding Prime Minister, Brigadier (Retd) Mark Phillips.

President, Irfaan Ali, and team on a recent visit to one of several flood affected areas.

T

he Government of Guyana is bracing for more heavy rainfall in the coming weeks, with showers expected to continue throughout August, Prime Minister, Brigadier (Retd) Mark Phillips, told the National Assembly at the opening of the 28th Sitting of the 12th Parliament, yesterday.

He was at the time giving an update to the House on the

recent rainfall, which resulted in flooding in several Regions of the country. The Prime Minister (PM) also spoke extensively on Government’s response to some 29,000 households in the flood-affected areas.

According to Phillips, the Government led by President, Irfaan Ali, has mobilised support and ventured into the Regions where they helped distribute food and basic cleaning

supplies to the residents.

He noted too that the rainfall in May alone was recorded as the second highest rainfall across the country in the last 40 years.

Further, the PM said that based on meteorological predictions, the Administration is looking to continue to offer support to these communities. “ G u y a n a ’s r a i n f a l l season usually lasts until early June for Region One,

Two, Three, Four, Five and the northern parts of Regions Six, Seven, Eight and Ten, while it continues until early August in Region Nine and the southern parts of Region Six. [But] based on the latest seasonal reports, we can expect above normal levels of rainfall for the entire August in the country…

Flooding will remain a concern for the affected communities for the period of June to July,” Phillips stated.

Brigadier Phillips noted too that based on the recent precipitation, all the major rivers have been flooded, creating similar situations for contiguous farmlands.

“…Food security is now being threatened, especially in Regions Seven, Eight and Nine. To date, Mr. Speaker, these severe weather conditions have affected over 29, 000 households in over 300 communities across all Administrative Regions and have caused damage to homes, distress and loss of livestock and other domestic animals, destruction of crops, farmlands and other forms of livelihood,” he said.

As a result of the severe weather conditions and flooding, the Prime Minister said that over 200 persons were forced to evacuate their homes and seek refuge at

shelters.

At present, he said that the Administration has teamed up with the Civil Defence Commission (CDC) and a host of nongovernmental stakeholders to proactively address the needs of citizens in the flood affected areas.

Under the stewardship of President, Irfaan Ali, Phillips said, the Government was swift in its response to provide support to the people through a multi-stakeholder approach.

“We visited several flood affected areas in our country to conduct flood assessments as well as participate in the (Continued on page 22)

Kaieteur News

Friday June 11, 2021

PAGE 15

East La Penitence man Six months in, Linden MTC yet to receive remanded for Camp 2021 subvention St. killing, robbery

W

A

n East La Penitence man w a s o n Wednesday remanded to prison for the murder of Ronald Omar Smith, who was killed during a robbery on Camp Street, Georgetown, recently.

Allister Naughton, 43, of P h a s e Tw o , E a s t L a Penitence, Georgetown, appeared before Chief Magistrate, Ann McLennan, in the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts, where the indictable charge was read to him. Naughton was not required to plead to the charge, which alleges that on May 28, 2021, at Camp Street, Georgetown, he murdered Smith, a Trans Guyana Airways employee, during the course or furtherance of a robbery.

Chief Magistrate McLennan remanded the defendant to prison and he is expected to make his next court appearance on July 6, 2021.

According to reports, S m i t h , 4 0 , a maintenance/baggage h a n d l e r o f Wa k a p a u , Pomeroon, Essequibo Coast, succumbed at the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC),

Dead, Ronald Omar Smith. moments after he was shot and robbed of $437,000, cash.

This publication had reported that Smith had just finished conducting business around the city in the company of a miner who was driving him in motorcar PZZ 6065.

Smith had reportedly made a sale of some amount of gold, and he placed the money in his haversack and proceeded to visit his girlfriend.

Around 16:25 hrs., on the western half of Camp

Remanded, Allister Naughton.

Street, between Church and Quamina Streets, Georgetown, Smith and his girlfriend were standing in front of the Impeccable Beauty Salon and Spa, when the two suspects rode up on a white XR motorcycle and confronted them.

The pillion rider reportedly got off of the motorcycle and discharged two rounds at Smith.

Smith collapsed and the pillion rider proceeded to r e m o v e t h e v i c t i m ’s haversack, which contained (Continued on page 19)

ith almost half of 2021 b e i n g completed, the Linden Mayor and Town Council (LMTC), is yet to receive the subvention budgeted for since December 2020, for the completion of capital projects within the township during the 2021 budgetary year.

Linden Mayor, Waneka Arrindell, bemoans the holding back of funds at a time that is very critical to the council. The sum of $18M was allocated to the council by central government, but that money has not been released. “We have not received any subvention, six months into the year and this is putting a strain on us, especially now we would like to give support, especially with the flood,” Arrindell said The Mayor claims that the decision to hold back the funds is because the council refused to be bullied into what to spend it on.

Linden Mayor, Waneka Arrindell.

Decisions on capital projects are done following consultations with the various constituencies, and the residents decide what is deemed a priority. These consultations informed the council that the residents believe that more should be done by the LMTC Constabulary Unit to police

the township and to maintain law and order. As such, the purchasing of a vehicle for the security department was included, but the submission of the work plan, which included that purchase and all other capital projects, was not approved by the Ministry of Local Government and Regional Development.

Arrindell said that the ministry wrote back to the council, requesting that the purchase of the security vehicle be substituted with the rehabilitation of three roads; in Speightland, in Nottinghamshire and the access road to the regional PPP party office.

“The purchasing of the vehicle is for our security to do rounds, for better maintenance of the town, we need to police it and so we asked to retain that vehicle for that purpose,” Arrindell explained. The Mayor told Kaieteur News that correspondences were sent (Continued on page 20)

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Friday June 11, 2021

Kaieteur News

Regions Three and Four Residents receive relief supplies

Minister Rodrigues handing out the hampers to the residents.

Communities and residents along the Demerara River, specifically within Region Three and Four, received flood relief supplies from both the Ministry of Housing and Water and the Office of the Prime Minister on Tuesday.

The distribution was carried out by Susan Rodrigues, Minister within The Ministry of Housing & Water, along with Kwame Mc Coy, Minister within the Office of the Prime Minister, for the distribution of relief supplies to the residents.

Residents have been forced to abandon their farmlands due to the heavy rainfall and with farming being their main source of income; it has severely affected their ability to provide for their families, as their farmlands remain inundated. The flooding has also hampered the movement and daily activities of the residents.

Rodrigues told the

residents that the government has recognised their plight and the major economic implications looming, if these issues are not addressed forthwith. Approximately 200 hampers were given as a form of temporary relief. She noted that while the hampers are intended to be short-term relief, the needs assessment being conducted will pave the way for more long-term solutions for the prevention of flooding.

These include the construction and rehabilitation of sluices and the clearing of canals and land where possible in certain communities. Through the Ministry of Agriculture, Central Government is also exploring ways to resuscitate farming activities in floodaffected areas countrywide, with a number of initiatives.

She further highlighted, that the Government will be seeking a $10 billion supplementary budget to (Continued on page 22)

Sleeping barber chopped by drunken friend Police are in pursuit of a man, whose identity they did not release, that reportedly chopped Devon Thompson, a barber, while he was sleeping in his hammock at Black Water Backdam, Cuyuni River.

This publication was told that Thompson and the suspect are well known to each other and did not have any old grievances before the incident occurred.

The 29-year-old barber was attacked in his sleep sometime around 18:30hrs on Tuesday while in his camp.

According to the police, the man was intoxicated at the time when he went to Thompson’s camp and chopped him. Kaieteur News understands that Thompson was awakening when he was chopped to his head. While trying to barricade himself with his hands, the man then fired another chop in his direction which Devon received to his right arm.

Another individual intervene who the suspect tried to chopped.

The injured barber ran away before the suspect fled the scene. Persons who

Currently hospitalised, Devon Thompson. witnessed what had transpired went to Thompson’s aid and rushed him to the Bartica Regional Hospital where he was admitted.

Due to the extent of his injuries, he was later transported to the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC) where he was admitted in the male ward. An investigation into the attack is in progress.

Kaieteur News

Friday June 11, 2021

PAGE 17

Two engines at Anna Regina Power Plant down for overhaul - one operational with backup sets

T

The three engines

The backup generators.

he Anna Regina Power Plant, which was recently commissioned back in 2019, will continue to run the backup Caterpillar sets, for the coming months.

Based on initial reports reaching Kaieteur News, two of the power station’s three engines are offline for overhaul. Additional information indicated that the engines – Units One and Two – have been offline for over a month.

These reports were later confirmed by a senior engineer attached to the State-owned power company. That engineer, who opted to remain anonymous, told this publication that G P L’s m e c h a n i c s a r e partnering with mechanics from the Power Producers and Distributors Inc. (PPDI), in an effort to have the two engines up and running.

The engineer told

Kaieteur News that the engines were taken offline for major mechanical overhaul, which was delayed due to COVID-19. He went on to say, “Presently we have mechanics working on the engines and by this Friday, one of the units, Unit One, should be brought up online.

Like I said, the engines are long overdue for an overhaul, the overhaul should’ve started in March. Due to COVID-19 though we had some issues shipping in the spares because the engines are manufactured by a [German company] MAN, spares had to be shipped from Germany and so.”

The Anna Regina Power Station was commissioned in 2019. The station’s three MAN diesel and turbo engines were supplied and ins talled by Turkis h company “iLTEKNO.” The three engines, when (Continued on page 22)

Friday June 11, 2021

Kaieteur News

PAGE 18

Rodney’s death to be officially recognised as assassination A

ttorney General (AG) and Minister of Legal Affairs, Mohabir Anil Nandlall, SC, announced yesterday that Dr. Walter Rodney’s death would be officially recognised as an assassination.

The AG made this disclosure during the 28th Sitting of the 12th Parliament held at the Arthur Chung Conference Centre, Liliendaal, Greater Georgetown.

Nandlall told the members of the House that Rodney’s wife and children requested of the President, Mohamed Irfaan Ali, and his Government to set the record straight surrounding his death and to formally honour his life and legacy.

“His wife, Dr. Patricia Rodney and children, Shaka Rodney, Kanini RodneyPhillips, MD, and Asha T. Rodney, Esq. have requested the assistance of His Excellency, President, Dr. Mohamed Irfaan Ali, and the Government of Guyana to formally honour the life, legacy and contribution of Dr. Rodney to Guyana and to finally set the public record straight in relation to certain matters surrounding his

tragic death,” said the AG. Nandlall continued that Ali and his Government have acceded to the request and labelled the move as part of an historic step of bringing some level of closure to the Rodney family.

Dr. Rodney was the founder and former leader of a political party called the Working People Alliance (WPA).

He was killed at age 38 after a bomb exploded in his car on June 13, 1980, at John S t r e e t , We r k - e n - R u s t , between Hadfield and Bent Streets, less than a 100 metres from the Camp Street Prison.

His brother, Donald Rodney, was in the car with him during the time of the explosion and was injured.

A 1988 inquest into his death which was ordered by former president, Desmond Hoyte, had alleged that he died by “misadventure or accident.”

According to Nandlall yesterday, the then People’s National Congress (PNC) government alleged that Rodney had intended to blow up the Georgetown Prisons but the bomb was accidently detonated.

- Attorney General Dr. Walter Anthony Rodney

Donald Rodney was convicted by a Magistrate Court for being in possession of the explosives that killed him.

That conviction was only earlier in this year set aside by the Court of Appeal The AG related during his statement to the National Assembly yesterday, that the Rodney family “has vehemently and consistently opposed that narrative for 41 long years.”

A Commission of

Inquiry (CoI) was appointed in 2014 by former president, Donald Ramotar, to inquire into and to report on the circumstances surrounding the death of Dr. Rodney.

The Hoyte’s inquest, according to the AG, was reviewed by the 2014 CoI and found to be incredible and flawed, and added that steps will be taken to invalidate or put aside the “perverse findings” of that inquest.

Referring to the 2014 CoI report, Nandlall said, “they state and I quote ‘We have no hesitation in holding that Gregory Smith was responsible for Dr. Walter Rodney’s death on the 13th of June, 1980, and that in so doing, he was acting as an agent of the State having been aided and abetted so to do, by individuals holding positions of leadership in State agencies and committed to carrying out the wishes of the PNC Administration’.”

It had been long speculated that Rodney’s assassination was a set up by Burnham’s PNC government and that Gregory Smith, reportedly a

Guyana Defence Force (GDF) sergeant who had served the army then as an electronics expert was hired to do the job. Reports stated that Smith was sent to French Guiana where he had changed his name to Cyril Johnson and died in 2002 of cancer.

As a result of the 2014 CoI findings and Ali’s agreement to the demands of Rodney’s family to set the record straight, Nandlall detailed that his Government will commit to move a motion sometime soon, seeking approval of the 2014 CoI report by the National Assembly.

He further added that his Government wants a resolution that the recommendations contained in the report to be approved as well.

Apart from the approval of the report, the AG reveled that changes will be made to Rodney’s death certificate, specifically the parts that labeled him as un-employed and gave his cause of death as misadventure.

“This historical wrong will be corrected and the death certificate will be amended to read professor instead of un-employed,” Nandlall told the members of the National Assembly.

“His death certificate will be amended to delete the word misadventure as the cause of death and substitute therefore the word assassination,” he further stated.

For too long, explained Nandlall, Rodney’s death has been the subject irrelevant ‘mis-description.’

“It was not a misadventure, it was an assassination.

A great stain on our republic. This sadistic

Attorney General and Minister of Legal Affairs, Mohabir Anil Nandlall. misrepresentation of Dr. Rodney’s death certificate prevented his family from recovering not a blind cent from his insurance policy,” related the AG. Nandlall also highlighted that Rodney’s gravesite and memorial will be declared national monuments and as a result will fall under the Administration of the National Thrust.

Additionally, the AG further revealed that Rodney’s children’s’ books that celebrate the cultural heritage of Guyanese such as ‘Kofi Badu out of Africa’ and ‘Lakshmi out of India’ would be placed in the national syllabus by the Ministry of Education.

Other major works that Rodney did, detailed Nandlall, which include the history of the Guyana’s WPA, the Guyanese sugar plantation in the late 19th century and ‘How Europe Under-developed Africa,’ will be made available to the library of the University of Guyana (UG).

Nandlall said too, that the Walter Rodney Chair at UG would be re-established.

The AG posited that Rodney’s death has had a life-long and lasting impact on his family, his brother, Donald and Guyana, and as such, his Government will adopt the measures as simply “the right thing to do.”

Woman stabs husband after being assaulted A woman admitted to stabbing her husband two times after he physically abused her while she was drinking.

According to a police report, the woman entered the Sparendaam Police station at 14:00 hrs. on Wednesday.

The woman had reportedly walked into the police station with a knife in her hand

and informed the police that she had just stabbed her reputed husband twice.

According to her, the man started to physically assault her while she was imbibing with friends and she retaliated. He is currently hospitalised in a stable condition, while she is in police custody as investigations proceed.

Kaieteur News

Friday June 11, 2021

PAGE 19

Distribution of COVID-19 Vaccines

Health Minister tells House atleast 16.8% of adult population fully immunised M

inister of Health, Dr. F r a n k Anthony, told the National Assembly yesterday that G u y a n a ’s e f f o r t s t o immunise its population are underway with at least 16.8 percent of the adult population being immunised.

Dr. Anthony was at the time presenting an update on the countrywide immunisation efforts against the deadly COVID-19 virus, at the beginning of the 28th Sitting of the 12th Parliament.

“As of yesterday, we were able to give out 297,490 doses of the first dose of the COVID-19 Vaccines; 81,761 of those have been fully immunised, which is equivalent to about 16.8 percent of the adult population being fullyvaccinated,” the Health Minster said in his presentation.

During his remarks, Dr. Anthony also lauded the health workers for their diligence in ensuring that the population is vaccinated.

He noted however, that Guyana cannot successfully exit the pandemic until every eligible person is

immunised.

“Mr. Speaker unlike other countries, Guyana has secured enough vaccines to immunise its entire adult population…Our main challenge is vaccine hesitancy which is often fuelled by careless and irresponsible talk.

I urge every one of us to be mindful and cautious about the potential harm we can cause by being mindful of those careless remarks,” Minister Anthony said.

He noted vaccines have proven effective in countries in parts of the world, which were able to make headway in their efforts to come out of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“We have made some progress, but Mr. Speaker we still have much ground to cover... While the elderly population, which is the most affected adult category in terms of disease, has stepped up and taken their vaccines, persons between 18-39 age group are still below 40 percent.

We need to encourage our younger persons to come out to get vaccinated since this group represents people who are also severely affected,” Minister Anthony stressed as he made an

appeal for the younger population to join in the vaccination drive.

According to Anthony, 72.4 percent of the population 60 years and above has been vaccinated.

While there has been some delay in delivery of some of the vaccines, the Minister noted that persons who have received their first dose of the vaccine, and are eligible for their second dose, must return for their second shot.

He emphasised that “receiving only one dose of the vaccine would not fully immunise them against the virus.”

Meanwhile in a regional breakdown of vaccination rates, Dr. Anthony noted that some Regions have been lagging behind others.

“Region Six has recorded 51.9 percent of the population receiving at least their first dose of the vaccine, all the rest, most of the other Regions are either in their fifties, or in their forties.

So we would like to see improvement in [Region] 10, and hopefully, we can urge people to come out and get vaccinated,” he expressed.

Taxi driver charged, released on $150,000 bail for raping teen The taxi-driver, who is accused of taking a teenage girl to a location that she did not request, and allegedly raping her, was yesterday charged and released on $150,000 bail.

The defendant, Hector Jhonny of Bartica, made his first appearance in the Bartica Magistrate’s Court before Magistrate Crystal Lambert where the charge was read to him.

Jhonny was not required to plead to the charge which alleges that on May 11, in Bartica, he raped a child under the age of 16.

Magistrate Lambert then placed him on bail and adjourned the matter to June 23.

According to reports, the young girl told police that sometime around 23:00hrs that day, she boarded his car and instead of taking her to the destination she requested, the driver carried her to another location where he committed the act.

A police report was made and the girl was taken to the hospital for a medical examination. Jhonny was apprehended by police the next day but was subsequently released.

East La Penitence man remanded...

From page 15 the cash.

The suspects then escaped north on Camp Street, while Smith was picked up and taken to the GPHC where he died while receiving medical attention.

His body was examined, and three circular

wounds were seen, one to the upper left shoulder, one to the middle region of the belly, and one under the right armpit area.

The police had initially arrested the motorcar driver, but he was subsequently released from custody, and Naughton was arrested and charged for the capital offence.

Coming in second behind Region Six with the vaccination campaign is Region One, which has vaccinated 51 percent of its adult population; followed

by Region Five with 47.8 percent; then Region Four with 45.2 percent; Region Three with 43.8 percent; Region Seven with 43.6 percent; Region Nine with 41.9 percent; Region Two with 41.4 percent, and lastly, Region Eight with 28.3 percent of their adult population vaccinated.

Minister of Health, Dr. Frank Anthony.

PAGE 20

Friday June 11, 2021

Kaieteur News

Pomeroon flood affected residents being evacuated to temporary shelters

I

n light of the recent flooding in the Pomeroon, the Civil Defence Commission [CDC] and the Region Two Regional Democratic Council (RDC), are partnering in evacuating residents to established shelters.

According to the CDC, two temporary shelters have been established in Karawab and St. Monica, within the Lower Pomeroon.

Reports reaching Kaieteur News indicate that ten families have already been evacuated to a shelter in Karawab, called Long House.

This publication was told that this building has the

capacity to facilitate sixteen families. In addition to Long House, Karawab Community Centre can also facilitate a number of families.

Kaieteur News understands that there are some 160 households within Karawab, 55 of which are still affected by floodwater.

While some residents have migrated from the area to relatives in other Regions, some have taken up residency at the shelters.

The CDC, in a bid to make affected residents a bit more convenient, has also dispatched several items to the shelters, including cots, blankets, mosquito nets, pillows, water purification

tablets, face masks and soap, which will meet the immediate needs of affected residents.

T h e R e g i o n a l Vi c e Chairman of Region Two, Humace Oodit, told this publication that while two feet of water have receded from the area, there still remains an additional four feet.

Further reports reaching Kaieteur News reveal that residents have lost their entire livelihood to the flood, as their farms were completely destroyed.

Regional Officials have already predicted severe economic repercussions that will soon follow the flooding disaster.

Yuri’s agents/marketers slapped...

From page 8 Liverpool adjourned the matter to July 22, 2021, for report.For both charges it is alleged that the duo transferred the monies, knowingly or having reasons to believe that the said sums are the proceeds of crime since they had no legitimate source of income that could have generated the funds acquired to enable them to purchase these properties.

Kaieteur News understands that the properties were later resold to purchasers in the United States of America. Norton and Seepersaud are the first to be charged with money laundering, contrary to Section 3 (1) (a) of the AML/CFT Act, Chapter 10:11.

According to the Head of S O C U , S e n i o r Superintendent, Fazil Karimbaksh, an immense investigation was done by SOCU, which led to the firstever money laundering charges being instituted by the Unit since its establishment in 2014.

This publication had recently reported that the GPF in a notice had requested that all marketers/agents of the alleged Ponzi scheme to report to the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) Headquarters, Eve Leary, Georgetown, with their documents receiving and handing over cash to the operators.

This was being done as part of the investigation into several reports that were made at the CID headquarters by agents against Garcia-Dominguez and his wife.

Garcia-Dominguez had alleged that his agents/marketers are withholding the sum of $900M reserves that were set aside to repay investors in c a s e t h e c o m p a n y ’s operations should ever run into issues. The agents/marketers allege that the monies, which they had in their possession, were already returned to GarciaDominguez who in return gave them a small commission.

Garcia-Dominguez is a Cuban national who was granted citizenship in June 2020.

He and his wife, Ishmael, are currently before the court facing 80 plus fraud charges and two charges under the AML/CFT Act. The charges were brought against the couple by SOCU. The duo is currently before three different courts facing charges, which allege that they obtained monies under false pretense. They were released on $30M bail after spending over a month in prison on remand.

Garcia-Dominguez and Ishmael reportedly lured thousands of Guyanese to invest their money and promised them a 40 percent profit on their investment.

The company also encouraged its investors to enlist others in order to earn a 10 percent commission for each person they enlist.

The “investors” included businessmen and church members, with a number of religious leaders accused of playing roles in recruiting unsuspecting Guyanese.

Six months in, Linden MTC...

From page 15 to Minister of Local Government and Regional Development, Nigel Dharamlall, but no response has been given on the subject.

She said that the council explained that it does not construct or do major rehabilitation of roads, but only minor repairs. Since then, the subvention has not been released. The

Mayor explained that the situation has put dire strain on the already cash-strapped council and is calling on the Ministry to release the funds.

She said monies garnered which should specifically to be used to pay staff and meet other monthly expenses, are being used for other purposes, thus putting the council further in debt.

Friday June 11, 2021

PAGE 21

Kaieteur News

PPP/C destroys Patterson’s motion on land policy for shorebases A motion tabled by Shadow Minister of the Petroleum Sector, David Patterson, for there to be a special land policy in place for shorebases, was defeated last night by the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/ C). This was after more than seven hours of consideration.

The motion that was tabled in March proposed that a multi-agency taskforce be formed to examine a land use policy for the oil sector, and mandate that all future shorebases be state-owned, but leased to private operators.

Patterson brought the motion on the premise that there is an enormous and growing need for shorebases to service the needs of the local industry. The former Minister’s motion also highlighted the fact that the Guyana Shore Base Incorporated (GYBSI) located at Plantation ‘A’ Houston, Greater Georgetown, does not have the capacity to handle Guyana’s shorebase needs, and certainly will not be able to handle the growing needs on its own.

ExxonMobil is already producing oil at the Liza Phase One operation, and has three more major projects on

the way. Liza Phase Two and Payara have been approved, and are scheduled for first oil in 2022 and 2024 respectively.

ExxonMobil intends to submit a field development plan (FDP) for the fourth intended development, Yellowtail-1, before the end of the year. It is expected to achieve first oil in 2025.

The former Public Infrastructure Minister said that while additional shorebases are needed, they must be developed as part of a macro-development plan, and not solely driven by the demand forces of the sector.

He is of the view that the Central Housing and Planning Authority (CHPA), the Guyana Lands and Surveys Commission (GLSC), and other relevant agencies should undertake a holistic land use and zoning policy, with key considerations made to facilitate industrial activities of the oil sector.

Patterson’s motion also called for future onshore bases to be in the counties of Berbice and Essequibo to ensure parity in development of the oil and gas industry and the equitable development across Guyana for the benefit of all citizens.

Expounding on the importance of the motion

during his presentation to the House, Patterson was keen to note that GYSBI’s location is particularly problematic given that it causes daily traffic congestion on the East Bank Demerara, while adding that residents have complained about chemical spills and burns and other environmental hazards. While the APNU+AFC regime would have given its blessings for the works and subsequent expansion at GYSBI, Patterson said the consequences surely underscore why there need to be a proper land-use policy for shorebases.

The former Minister said, “These are all noncontentious requests and I can’t see why the Government would not be able to support this. It is calling for a bit of order and for us to have a national development plan and for there to be zoning because right now Guyana is like the Wild West.”

Other Opposition members such as Khemraj Ramjattan and Jermaine Figueira supported the motion and urged the PPP/C to offer their support. But the Government was not at all welcoming of this motion.

In fact, the Government

Shadow Minister for Oil and Gas, David Patterson saw it as just another attempt by the APNU+AFC to derail development in a holistic way while deceiving the Guyanese populace that it cares.

Hammering home this point in particular for the Government’s side was Senior Minister with responsibility for Finance, Dr. Ashni Singh.

The politician called on Guyanese to pay keen attention to the fact that the APNU+AFC during its time in office had no interest in having a land policy.

But now, in its current incarnation, it is painting a picture to the masses that it is genuinely interested in developing key mechanisms for the efficient management

Finance Minister, Dr. Ashni Singh

of the oil sector.

One of the key points raised by the Minister was that a special policy cannot be put together for the oil sector alone. Dr. Singh stressed that a land policy has to be done in a holistic way.

In taking such a lopsided approach, the Minister said, Patterson and his Opposition colleagues by extension have illustrated their incompetence and ineptitude, hence during their time in office, one saw an extravagant excursion of “green frivolity,” where there was an obsession in painting buildings, letterheads and fences green.

Taking the foregoing, among other factors, into

consideration, the Minister said that Patterson’s motion was nothing but rank political opportunism. “And its motive is another flimsy attempt to delude and deceive Guyanese. Its other intention is at the center of APNU+AFC’s explicit plan, which is to delay or derail development,” expressed the Minister.

After these points were made and subsequently echoed by his colleagues, the motion was put to a vote by the Speaker of the House, Manzoor Nadir. After the votes were counted, the score was 31 votes in favour and 33 against. The motion met its death at 11:39 hrs. last night.

U.S. warns Venezuela, Cuba to turn away Iranian ships Caracas is trying to leverage the situation to believed to be carrying arms -gain relief from U.S. sanctions, officials said.

(Politico) - The Biden administration is urging Venezuela and Cuba to turn away two Iranian warships believed to be carrying arms intended for transfer to Caracas, while vowing that the U.S. will take “appropriate measures” to deter what it sees as a “threat” to America’s partners in the Western Hemisphere.

The warnings — some public and some private, according to three people briefed on the situation — come as the vessels have traveled a significant distance across the Atlantic Ocean. A senior Biden administration official said the ships are thought to be carrying weapons to fulfill a deal that Iran and Venezuela made a year ago, noting that it was during the administration of former President Donald Trump.

The official did not specify the types of weapons involved, but last summer there were reports that Venezuela was considering purchasing missiles from Iran, including long-range ones, and aides to Trump repeatedly warned

Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro against such a move.

The intelligence community, meanwhile, has evidence that one of the ships, the Makran, is carrying fastattack boats, likely intended for sale to Venezuela, according to a defense official and another person familiar with the intelligence.

Satellite imagery of the Makran from early May provided by Maxar Technologies showed seven such vessels placed on its deck, but it had been unclear whether those boats were still aboard when the ship began its journey.

“The delivery of such weapons would be a provocative act and understood as a threat to our partners in the Western Hemisphere,” the senior administration official said in a statement to POLITICO. “We would reserve the right to take appropriate measures in coordination with our partners to deter the transit or delivery of such weapons.”

The White House is pressuring Caracas and Havana over diplomatic channels not to allow the

vessels to dock in their countries, said two defense officials and a congressional official, all of whom spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive negotiations. Biden officials are also proactively reaching out to other governments in the region to ensure they will turn away the ships, the congressional official said.

Meanwhile, Caracas is trying to leverage the situation to gain relief from U.S. sanctions imposed by the Trump administration, according to two additional people familiar with the situation. U.S. intermediaries have communicated to Venezuelan officials that letting the ships dock there would make it less likely that the U.S. would provide the country with sanctions relief.

However, Tehran is pushing forward with the journey in the hope of pressuring Caracas to allow the vessels to dock, according to a defense official.

It was not immediately clear if the Biden administration also considered the weapons a threat to the U.S. itself. But if

Venezuela agrees to allow the ships to dock and any weapons deal to go through, it would be a show of defiance toward the U.S. by two adversarial countries that have increased their cooperation as both face U.S. sanctions.

The mere completion of a journey across the Atlantic would be a significant step for Iran’s navy, demonstrating the ships’ capabilities and potentially increasing Tehran’s access to the Western Hemisphere.

The senior Biden official repeatedly pointed to events in the Trump era as a source for today’s troubles. Trump withdrew U.S. recognition of Maduro as Venezuela’s president, arguing he basically stole an election, then heaped sanctions on Caracas. Trump also withdrew the United States from the Iran nuclear deal and reimposed economic sanctions on Tehran.

“The sale of the Iranian weapons happened one year ago under the previous [U.S.] administration and like many situations related to Iran under the previous

administration — including the breakout of Iran’s nuclear program following the Trump administration’s reckless withdrawal from the [Iran nuclear deal] — we are working to resolve it through diplomacy,” the official said.

“But to be clear, Iran sold weapons to Venezuela over a year ago, which we believe was to test the Trump administration’s maximum pressure posture.”

Elliott Abrams, the Trump administration’s special envoy for Iran and Venezuela, dismissed the senior Biden administration official’s comment as “petty, political, and far more interested in blaming predecessors than in protecting U.S .national security.”

“We all hope diplomacy works,” he added. “If it does not, this administration should get ready to act — not ready to blame more and more people for their inaction.”

Representatives for the State Department and Pentagon did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

U.S. officials have been monitoring the ships’

progress over the past two weeks from the Persian Gulf, down the east coast of Africa, around the Cape of Good Hope, and now heading northwest across the Atlantic. The Makran, a former oil tanker converted to a forward staging base, is accompanied by the Sahand, Iran’s newest frigate.

As of Wednesday morning, the ships had completed more than half the journey from Iran to Venezuela, and were steaming slowly northwest more than 1,000 miles from Cape Town, South Africa, according to the second defense official, who was briefed on their position.

This is the first time the Iranian navy has rounded the cape or gotten this far across the Atlantic.

Lawmakers receiving regular briefings on the matter have been publicly pressuring the Biden administration to work to deter the ships.

“This does not look like an oil or fuel cargo delivery,” Senate Intelligence Committee Vice Chair Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) wrote on Twitter.

PAGE 22

Friday June 11, 2021

Kaieteur News

...Govt. braces for more heavy rainfalls

SERVICES Visa Application: U.S.A, Canada & UK; Graphics design, advertisements, Wedding arch rentals. Tel: 626-7040 Customs house brokerage service. For Motor vehicles i n d u s t r i a l equipment,barrels. Registered broker asycuda certified.661-3043.

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From page 14 ongoing relief measures of our people,” he explained adding that the CDC has been excessively active in its shelter management, evacuation and distribution efforts to the flood areas across Guyana.

Phillips said that “To date, the CDC has distributed over 19,000 food hampers and over 17,000 cleaning hampers as a form of emergency relief to families as well as helped evacuate 201 persons and place them in shelters from the

Security officers male and female 18 years and above.

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Maid to cook and clean. Call: 615-9132.

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Neighbourhood Democratic Councils (NDCs) continue to provide monitoring and support to the people in their areas.

Added to this, Phillips said that the Private Sector Commission (PSC), citizens and other private sector entities have also played a role in continuing to hand over supplies and donate to flood affected persons.

To this end, the PM said that over $35M in monetary donations was made towards the flood relief efforts.

In the meantime, he said that “Civil engineers and [National Drainage and Irrigation Authority] NDIA workers are continuing to monitor sluices and pumps, excavators are working around the clock, efforts are made to prevent breaches, repair kokers and clear outfall systems….”

PM Phillips added too that “The Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Agriculture are also monitoring to give response, when needed.”

...Two engines at Anna Regina Power Plant down From page 17 combined, have a total generating capacity of 5.4 megawatts.

Kaieteur News understands that complete overhaul of all three units will reportedly be concluded by September this year. The engineer, who spoke to Kaieteur News, said that this would not interrupt the provision of power on the Essequibo Coast, as several Caterpillar sets are being utilised.

“We expect to finish all engines by September,” he said, “but this doesn’t affect our readiness to supply power, though these two engines are presently out. We have 8.4 megawatts ready to supply, and our demand is 5.8.

And we are making arrangements to have a new unit.”

During the course of 2017 and 2018, residents on the Essequibo Coast had suffered tremendously from continuous blackouts.

VACANCY

VACANCY

communities at Kwakwani, Rockstone, Hurururu and Tapatinga…”

Meanwhile, the PM said that other forms of support are being made through a bank account established for members of the public to donate to the affected communities, while the Caribbean Disaster Management Agency, is among regional and international entities that are providing technical support.

He said that the regional authorities such as the municipalities and

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When the twenty-year-old Wartsila engines outlived their life spans, Caterpillar backup sets were acquired for emergency power genera-

tion.

After continuous pressure, quite a few of the Caterpillar sets eventually suffered mechanical problems,

and before long, the Region was back to its blackout woe, until the commissioning of the Power Plant in April 2019.

...Region Three and Four Residents From page 16 offset some of these systems. Meanwhile, Minister McCoy made a special plea to the residents to play their part in the flood relief efforts by keeping their environ-

ment clean and drains free of debris.

He also mentioned that the country is also still facing the COVID-19 pandemic and encouraged residents to get vaccinated against the virus.

A total of six communities benefitted from the initiative, which were Susannah’s Rust, Dora, Endeavour, Low Wood (Lowood), Sand Hills and Kamuni Creek.

Friday June 11, 2021

Kaieteur News

PAGE 23

Kaieteur News

Friday June 11, 2021

Two men jailed on separate robbery charges Two men, a conductor and a psychiatric patient, were on Wednesday sent to jail after they appeared in the Georgetown Magistrates’ Court on separate robbery charges.

Dwayne Allen, the conductor appeared before Chief Magistrate, Ann McLennan and accepted the charge read to him. The charge states, that between June 4, and June 5, at Chapel Street, Lodge, he stole a quantity of alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages valued $135,000 and a tent valued $40,000, property of Abiola Roberts.

The Police prosecutor told the court that on June 4, the woman secured her items under a tree and when she returned the next day she saw that the items were missing.

A report was made to the police who received information from a taxidriver that led to Allen’s arrest. Allen admitted to the

court that he helped another individual in committing the offence. He added, that he was told by that individual to move the items to a fish shop.

After listening to his explanation, the Chief Magistrate then sentenced him to six months imprisonment. Allen, who is no stranger to the court, was in 2016 sentenced to 36 months imprisonment after he admitted to breaking into the Guyana Public Service U n i o n ( G P S U ) headquarters in Georgetown, and stealing almost one million dollars in goods.

Meanwhile, 21-year-old Nelroy Douglas was remanded to prison by the Chief Magistrate after he was charged with robbery under arms. Douglas, a psychiatric patient, pleaded not guilty to the charge which alleges that on June 5, at Festival City, North Ruimveldt, in the company

of another, and armed with a dangerous weapon, he robbed Tracy Webb of her cell phone valued $195,000, earbuds valued $13,000, a gold chain valued $295,000 and $25,000 worth of cash.

Police Prosecutor objected to bail stating that the man lives in Berbice, but was in Georgetown. On the day in question, the woman was home when two men entered her premises through the front door.

They robbed her of her valuables while pointing a knife at her. They escaped through the same door, but she immediately raised an alarm with her neighbours who managed to apprehend Douglas. He was handed over to the police and the earbuds were found in his possession. He was taken into custody at the East Ruimveldt Police Outpost.

After remanding him to prison, the Chief Magistrate then adjourned the matter to June 16.

PAGE 24

Friday June 11, 2021

Kaieteur News

PAGE 25

NBA play-offs: Phoenix Suns’ Chris Paul stars in 123-98 victory over Denver Nuggets

Paul scored 17 points to go with his 15 assists.

Friday June 11, 2021 ARIES (Mar. 21–Apr. 19) The day ahead will suit you, but you mustn't expect miracles.

Now is a time of healing. In the weeks ahead you will restore harmony to your energies and regain your fitness with improved diet and lifestyle.

TAURUS(Apr.20–May20) Yes, Taurus, you haven't finished all the cleaning up that remains in many areas.

You're going to have to get your papers in order, pay off old debts, face physical or moral obligations, and fix technical problems.

GEMINI (May 21–June 20) The astral energy says there's a time for everything.

We tend to repeat certain tasks we like doing, while those we dislike we try to get out of the way as quickly as possible.

CANCER (June 21–July 22) Reality isn't always as exciting as you'd like it to be, Cancer. But isn't this because you interpret reality in a particular way?

LIBRA (Sept. 23–Oct. 22) Why do you find relationships difficult? You know interactions with others help you learn and grow. This is the case for everyone.

SCORPIO (Oct. 23–Nov. 21) The end of one cycle signals the beginning of a new one.

Today, you will embark on a new period of understanding that harmonizes your energies.

SAGIT(Nov.22–Dec.21) Have you noticed a certain strain on your emotions?

You're resilient, but even you have found all the recent intensity a bit too much. You can relax now. The next few weeks promise to be calmer.

CAPRI (Dec. 22–Jan. 19) The past few weeks may have seemed Earth shattering. You may still be trembling slightly as you head into the coming weeks. Fortunately, the current astral configuration promises to be calmer, although not necessarily less intense.

LEO (July 23–Aug. 22) The planetary energies are encouraging you to make some adjustments regarding your social ambitions. You may desire to change professions or your circle of friends.

AQUARIUS(Jan.20–Feb.18) You may be sensitive, Aquarius, but you're also persistent. The waves you've surfed in the past few weeks have only strengthened your resolve.

VIRGO (Aug. 23–Sept. 22) This planetary energy is going to test your recurring desire to go to the other side of the world or have a ready exit in any relationship. You do this so you won't feel trapped and, above all, so you won't be dependent.

PISCES (Feb. 19–Mar. 20) Perhaps the last few weeks impressed you as one of the most intense periods yet in this year. You will certainly admit that anything related to affairs of the heart was endowed with profound and lasting meaning.

BBC Sport - Point guard Chris Paul scored 17 points and set an NBA play-off record as he helped the Phoenix Suns to a 123-98 victory over the Denver Nuggets. Paul, 36, became the first player to rack up three play-off games with 15 assists and no turnovers.

An emphatic win gave the Suns a 2-0 lead in the best-ofseven Western Conference semi-finals series.

It was the Nuggets’ heaviest defeat of the season, with head coach Michael Malone calling it “embarrassing”.

Devin Booker scored a team-best 18 points for the Suns, who have now won five consecutive post-season games. Every Suns starter scored double figures, and Paul said: “It was a team effort, once again.”

Denver’s Nikola Jokic, who was announced on Wednesday as the NBA’s Most Valuable Player, was the visitors’ most influential player with 24 points, 13 rebounds and six assists more than his side’s other starters combined - despite sitting out the entire fourth quarter.

“This was just an embarrassing performance all the way around, from top to bottom,” said head coach Malone.

“I saw one team that wanted to be here, played with purpose and urgency, and one team that did not want to be here and played with no urgency.”

Game three will be played in Denver today.

Defensive award for Gobert Elsewhere, the NBA announced that Utah Jazz’s Rudy Gobert is the 2020-21 Defensive Player of the Year.

It is the third time the 7ft 1in Frenchman has won the award, this time earning 84 of 100 first-place votes.

“When I started basketball as I kid, if somebody would have told me that I was going to be defensive player of the year [once], let alone three times, I would have never believed them,” he said after picking up his award.

...David Warner, Marcus Stoinis From page 27 particularly with the ICC Women’s World Cup due to be held in her native New Zealand in February,” according an ECB release.

Rachael Haynes and Jess Jonassen have already withdrawn, and further Australia players may pull out in order to rest and prepare for their home series against India, which starts on September 19.

Rudy Gobert, who has a 7ft 9in wingspan, becomes only the fourth player in NBA history to win DPOY award three times.

Kaieteur News

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Friday June 11, 2021

Diageo pulls out of sponsoring Joe Salisbury ends British Copa America soccer tournament trophy drought at French A bartender takes a bottle of Johnnie Walker Open with mixed doubles title whisky in Almaty, Kazakhstan June 22, 2017.

The Telegraph - Putney’s Joe Salisbury ended almost 40 years of hurt for British players at Roland Garros as he lifted the mixed-doubles final trophy with his American partner Desirae Krawczyk.

The last time a British player picked up one of these titles was when John Lloyd achieved the same honour with Australia’s Wendy Turnbull, all the way back in 1982.

There was an odd coda to this rare triumph, however.

At the post-match press conference, it emerged that Salisbury and Krawczyk won’t be playing together at Wimbledon in just over a fortnight’s time.

Fear not: this was not the outcome of some awful oncourt meltdown. If anyone was going to have one of those, it was their Russian opponents Elena Vesnina and Aslan Karatsev, who switched from dominating the first set to barely finding the court as they went down by a 2-6, 6-4, 10-5 margin.

No, the issue was one of nationality. As Salisbury explained, “A couple months ago I said that I was probably

going to play with a Brit for Wimbledon. So, yeah, unfortunately I ditched her [Krawczyk] for that. But I’m sure we’ll team back up again after.”

Instead, Salisbury has settled on Harriet Dart – who reached the semi-finals of Wimbledon’s mixed doubles in 2018 – as his partner in SW19. “Maybe we’ll play you in the first round,” said Krawczyk with a smile.

Mixed-doubles partnerships usually have an ad hoc element. Indeed, Karatsev was making his first appearance in any such event, having been too lowranked to earn a main-draw place at the slams until this spring. (The four grand slams, and the Olympics, are the only tournaments to feature a mixed draw.)

Salisbury and Krawczyk only needed two wins to reach the trophy match, thanks to the decision of Giuliana Olmos and Juan Sebastian Cabal to withdraw from Tuesday’s semi-final (the latter still being involved in the more prestigious men’s doubles event).

Yet any suggestion that

this was a hit-and-giggle match should have been dispelled by the heated argument between Salisbury and chair umpire Carlos Ramos towards the end of the second set. Salisbury thought he had hit an ace to clinch the set, and moved back to his chair, only for the serve to be ruled out. He then double-faulted in frustration, but still managed to regather himself in time to avoid being broken.

“It was good it was 40Love and not 40-30, because we lost the next two points,” said Salisbury, who had previously won the men’s doubles at last year ’s Australian Open with another American partner in Rajeev Ram. “I just didn’t understand his point of view, because the mark was at a completely different angle to where the serve was coming from. I’m not sure how he thought that that was the mark. Yeah, I had to try and compose myself after that.

“But all week we have just gone into it kind of relaxed, enjoying ourselves, and seeing what happens.

We have come out with a grand slam title.”

(REUTERS/Shamil Zhumatov/File Photo)

R

e u t e r s Alcoholic b e v e r a g e company Diageo Plc yesterday joined other major sponsors pulling out of the Copa America after players criticized organizers for moving the soccer tournament to Brazil despite one of the world’s worst COVID-19 outbreaks.

The spirits makers said it was withdrawing its brand names as sponsors of the 10nation South American tournament “before the current Brazilian health situation and out of respect for this moment of the COVID-19 pandemic”.

Mastercard Inc and drinks company Ambev backed away from the Copa America on Wednesday.

Diageo Brasil said in a statement the sponsorship had been agreed for the event

when it was to be co-hosted

by Colombia and Argentina.

Last week, the South American Football Confederation unexpectedly relocated the tournament, which starts on Sunday, after Colombia was dropped because of civil unrest and Argentina withdrew after a surge in coronavirus infections.

Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro, who has played down the severity of the coronavirus and fought against lockdowns, threw his support behind the move.

But public health experts, Supreme Court justices and footballers questioned the wisdom of hosting the tournament with a pandemic raging.

More than 479,000 Brazilians have died from COVID-19, the world’s worst official death toll

outside the United States, and experts warn of a third wave approaching along with winter in the southern hemisphere.

The Brazilian soccer team cited “humanitarian” concerns in a statement criticizing the organization of the Copa America on We d n e s d a y, b u t t h e y committed to participating in the tournament after rumors of a potential boycott.

Mastercard Inc said it decided not to “activate” its sponsorship of Copa America in Brazil, meaning it will temporarily remove its branding from the event it has sponsored since 1992.

Ambev SA, a unit of brewer AB InBev sponsoring both the tournament and the Brazilian national team, said “its brands will not be present at the Copa America.”

Kaieteur News

Friday June 11, 2021

PAGE 27 David Warner sets his field. (BCCI/IPL)

David Warner, Marcus Stoinis and Sophie Devine pull out of the Hundred ESPNcricinfo - David Warner, Marcus Stoinis and Sophie Devine have pulled out of the inaugural season of the Hundred, with the ECB bracing for further withdrawals amid clashes with international tours and restrictions on overseas travel.

Warner and Stoinis were both contracted by the Southern Brave on deals worth £100,000 and £80,000 respectively, but have opted to withdraw from the competition. Both players have been named in Australia’s preliminary squad for white-ball tours to the Caribbean and Bangladesh, which overlap with the Hundred’s window from July 21-August 21, but are expected to withdraw in order to spend time with their families.

Trevor Hohns, Australia’s national selector, added six players to the preliminary squad for those tours following discussions with those initially named.

“During the course of those discussions, it has become clear that recent experiences abroad, including but not limited to extended periods in bio-secure hubs and hard quarantine, have had an impact on the health and wellbeing of some players and their families,” he said.

“CA has maintained that the wellbeing of players, staff and officials is a top priority, and never more so than during the Covid-19 pandemic given the extraordinary challenges it has placed upon international athletes and sporting teams.”

“It is obviously disappointing to lose players

with the ability of David and Marcus, but the realities of Covid mean there are p r ac tic al i t i es t h a t a r e difficult for some overseas players to overcome,” the ECB said in a statement to E S P N c r i c i n f o .

“Replacement overseas players will be signed by Southern Brave, and we look forward to the Hundred showcasing world-class cricket this summer.”

T h e i r t h i r d m e n ’s overseas player, Andre Russell, is likely to miss the first half of the tournament’s group stage on international duty, during West Indies’ home T20I series against Australia and Pakistan, but the Brave hope he will be available for their first three or four games plus the knockouts. They are lining up a temporary replacement for the start of the Hundred, likely to be an overseas player in the Vitality Blast.

This is the second time that Warner has pulled out of the Hundred, after he initially did so in March 2020 citing “family and personal reasons”. Stoinis was lined up as his replacement before the tournament was postponed to 2021 and was then retained before February’s draft, in which Warner was re-signed as a first-round pick.

Seven other Australian men’s players - Glenn Maxwell, Jhye Richardson, Adam Zampa, Aaron Finch, Chris Lynn, D’Arcy Short and Nathan Coulter-Nile are contracted for the tournament. Lynn and Coulter-Nile are expected to fulfil their deals at Northern Superchargers and Trent

Rockets respectively after missing out on Australia’s enlarged squad, while Short is also likely to spend the full season with the Rockets following his stint with Hampshire in the T20 Blast, but the availability of the other four players is also in doubt.

Shaheen Afridi is also set to withdraw from his Birmingham Phoenix deal after being named in Pakistan’s T20I and Test squad for their tour to the Caribbean, while Shadab Khan - named in the T20I squad - will miss at least the first half of the group stage for Manchester Originals.

The nine New Zealand players involved in the T20 Blast are expected to attract interest as potential replacement players in the Hundred, with Lockie Ferguson understood to have agreed a deal. Finn Allen, who made his Lancashire debut on Wednesday, said earlier this week: “Hopefully I can slide in as a replacement player. I’ve heard a few players might potentially be pulling out from different countries, so hopefully an opportunity pops up.”

The ECB confirmed on Friday that five India women’s players - Shafali Ve r m a ( B i r m i n g h a m Phoenix), Deepti Sharma (London Spirit), Harmanpreet Kaur (Manchester Originals), Smriti Mandhana (Southern Brave) and Jemimah Rodrigues (Northern Superchargers) - will stay on to play in the competition following their multi-format series against England, as revealed by ESPNcricinfo.

Team Daniels coaching education continues to grow

T

eam Daniels c o a c h i n g education continues to grow as young cricketers continue to grace the sessions. Recently, a number of young cricketers turned out on Zorg beach, Essequibo Coast in their numbers.

The interest shown by the young must be commended as they encouraged the coaches to work on Sundays as well.

Coach Anthony Adams is in charge of the 15 and over group and overall fitness of

the players, while Forbes Daniels works with the 7 to 15 years. On Sunday they were assisted by Ryan De Costa, Secretary of the South Essequibo Cricket committee and South Essequibo Cricket Committee Member Daniel Stoll. According the former Essequibo senior captain Royan Fredericks, the feedback is encouraging more so from our delinquent population. He said that multiple Sports Development is needed and plans to engage the regional

executive officer in this regard are in the making of plans.

Fredericks encouraged the young cricketers to follow covid guidelines and to encourage adults to get vaccinated.

Te a m D a n i e l s i s encouraging cricket stakeholders and lovers for their assistance in obtaining cricket gear for 7 to 15 years group. Persons to contact are Debra Daniels 683-7807, Anthony Adams 673-9049 and Ryan Fredericks 663-3136.

Verma is a replacement for Devine, the New Zealand allrounder, who has pulled out “in order to be in the best position to prepare for international cricket, (Continued on page 25)

Kaieteur News

PAGE 28

Powell replaces Bonner as concussion substitute in 1st Betway Test Match against SA GROS ISLET, Saint Lucia – West Indies batsman Nkrumah Bonner has been ruled out of the remainder of the first Betway Test match against South Africa after sustaining a concussion. He has been replaced by lefthanded batsman Kieran Powell.

The right-handed Bonner was struck on the helmet whilst batting in the West Indies first innings yesterday and passed the on-field concussion assessment. He subsequently underwent

further medical assessments under the CWI concussion protocols when he came off the field.

Following these medical examinations, he was diagnosed as having a concussion and ICC Match Referee Sir Richie Richardson approved West Indies request for Powell to come into the match as a concussion substitute. As per the ICC match regulations, Powell will be permitted to bat in the West Indies second innings.

Friday June 11, 2021

Patient Pavlyuchenkova reaches major final at 52nd attempt PA R I S ( R e u t e r s ) Russian Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova held steady to beat an erratic Tamara Zidansek in straight sets yesterday and reach the French Open final at her 52nd Grand Slam tournament.

The 29-year-old’s 7-5 63 win made her the woman with the most attempts ever needed to reach the final of one of the sport’s four majors.

It was reward for her patience throughout a career that has earned her 12 titles but none on the biggest of stages, and for her calmness against a player who blew hot and cold.

Pavlyuchenkova, the oldest of the four first-time semi-finalists here, will play 17th seed Maria Sakkari of Greece or the unseeded Czech Barbora Krejcikova in Saturday’s final.

“I am so tired and so happy, it is very emotional,” Pavlyuchenkova said on a sunlit Court Philippe

Chatrier.

“It was difficult, I tried to fight very hard and to work on the tactical side. It is important to stay focused and in the right zone for the final on Saturday.”

While 31st seed Pavlyuchenkova had reached the quarter-finals at six Grand Slams, Zidansek had only managed three match wins at Grand Slams before arriving in Paris.

Yet the 23-year-old Slovenian has flourished after knocking out former U.S. Open champion Bianca Andreescu in round one.

Her destructive forehand worked well initially and she broke Pavlyuchenkova’s opening service game before holding to love. But she missed a smash at 2-1 as the Russian got back on level terms and then broke for a 53 lead. Zidansek produced an incredible improvised lob volley and crunching forehand winners to break back and was 15-40 when Pavlyuchenkova served at 5-

5 but could not convert the chance.

Pavlyuchenkova calmly absorbed Zidansek’s best shots and was gifted the first set with a double-fault.

ATTEMPTED COMEBACK The Russian forged 4-1 ahead in the second set and snuffed out an attempted Zidansek comeback, clinching victory when her opponent blazed a backhand wide, her 33rd unforced error.

There was little by way of celebration for Pavlyuchenkova who looked relived more than anything as she became the first woman to require 50 or more attempts to reach a Grand Slam final and the first Russian woman to make one since Maria Sharapova lost to Serena Williams at the 2015 Australian Open.

“Definitely, trying to soak this in and enjoy as much as possible this very special moment for me,” Pavlyuchenkova, who took

six more Grand Slam appearances to reach a final than previous record holder Roberta Vinci (who reached the U.S. Open final in her 44th in 2015), told reporters.

“I didn’t feel great today.

I actually felt I was a bit negative on myself because I thought I expected myself playing better. I just didn’t feel like I was playing good.”

Frenchwoman Marion Bartoli, who won her first Slam at Wimbledon in 2013, a g e d 2 8 , s a i d Pavlyuchenkova would be a worthy champion if she can triumph tomorrow.

“Not everyone can win their first Grand Slam at 19 or 20 years of age. If she can grab the moment and make that title hers she will deserve it entirely,” she told ITV Sport.

Zidansek was left to rue missed opportunities.

“The fact that I managed to play this well, got this far, just shows me that I can play on the big stage,” she said.

Friday June 11, 2021

Kaieteur News

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Lungi Ngidi, Anrich Nortje set the quicks agenda on 14-wicket first day - Jayden Seales hits back on debut after Windies are rolled aside for 97

ESPNcricinfo - Fourteen wickets fell on an eventful first day at St Lucia, where South Africa inched in front after dismissing West Indies for their lowest total against South Africa.

Aiden Markram and Rassie van der Dussen put their team in the lead after Anrich Nortje saw West Indies shot out for 97. The visitors, touring the Caribbean for the first time in 11 years, adjusted well to conditions that suited their pace pack.

West Indies were left to rue their decision to bat first, especially as their attack were unable to cause the same problems as South Africa’s on a pitch that appeared to flatten as the day wore on. Although the bounce remained true and the carry good, West Indies’ attack did not generate the same seam movement as South Africa’s, neither did they bowl with the same militaristic discipline, but they took four of the top six with debutant seamer Jayden Seales responsible for three of those wickets.

Seales, playing in just his second first-class game, was the most impressive of the home pack on a day for the quicks that belonged to South Africa’s fast men.

They impressed with accuracy and aggression and condemned West Indies to only their second sub-100 total since 2004. No West Indies batsman scored more than 20 and no partnership was worth more than 24 in a reflection on South Africa’s incisiveness and solid slip catching.

Kagiso Rabada set the tone and looked back to his menacing best when he beat Kraigg Brathwaite with the new ball on several occasions but did not find the edge. Instead, it was Nortje who struck at the other end.

He bowled Shai Hope in the perfect fast bowler’s fashion as the ball angled away and hit the top of off stump to break a 24-run opening stand.

Nortje could have had a second wicket off the next ball when he greeted Nkrumah Bonner with a menacing short ball that Bonner appeared to top-edge onto his badge. South Africa reviewed while Bonner had a concussion test. The former was unsuccessful and showed no bat involved and though he was deemed fit to continue, he was reassessed

Anrich Nortje celebrates a wicket with Dean Elgar. (AFP/Getty Images) at the end of the innings, and duly replaced by Kieran Powell for the remainder of the contest.

Three balls after Bonner ’s helmet blow, Nortje bowled Brathwaite with a delivery that jagged back into the West Indian captain and onto the outside of the off stump. While Bonner and Roston Chase spent 65 balls together trying to rebuild, but accumulated just 14 runs. Chase took 25 deliveries to get off the mark, and the pressure told. Bonner was squared up by Rabada and edged to Quinton de Kock before new batter Kyle Mayers tried to pull a Nortje length ball but gifted Rassie van der Dussen a catch at extra cover in the next over on the stroke of lunch.

At that stage, Ngidi had bowled seven overs for 10 runs and had not taken a wicket, but he made up for it after the break. After Jermaine Blackwood played the poorest stroke of the lineup when he hung his bat out to a back-of-a-length Nortje delivery and was caught at gully, Ngidi had success with his first ball of the second chase.

He generated extra bounce to have Roston Chase caught at second slip and four balls later had Joshua da Silva caught low at third slip, after edging a ball that moved away. Four overs later, Rahkeem Cornwall tried to smash Ngidi over the slip cordon but miscued and Markram took the catch running from first slip towards third man. In his next over, Ngidi had Roach caught behind and four overs after that, finished the innings off when Holder pushed at a ball outside off and was caught at second slip.

South Africa’s reply started inauspiciously when Dean Elgar recorded a duck in his first innings as permanent Test captain.

Elgar left the first four deliveries of South Africa’s reply alone but was drawn into playing at the fifth which Kemar Roach pitched fuller than the rest and closer to the off stump. The ball took the outside edge and Blackwood took a good catch at third slip, diving to his left.

Roach had hopes of another in his next over when Markram withdrew from his stroke and edged between the wicketkeeper and Cornwall at first slip.

Markram also had an appeal for lbw against him, off Roach, turned down; Replays showed an inside edge. At the other end, Keegan Petersen impressed with his tight technique and confident defence and the pair took South Africa to tea.

Petersen only lasted three balls after the break and fell to the first one he faced off fellow newcomer Seales.

The teenager, playing in just his second first-class match, started off with good pace and plenty of energy and took the splice of Petersen’s bat with the last ball of his first over. Jason Holder took the catch at second slip to give Seales his first Test wicket.

Seales could have had another two overs later when Rassie van der Dussen was given out lbw for 5 but reviewed. Replays showed the ball was missing leg stump by some distance and van der Dussen survived, only to slash Seales through the gully before a more confident pull off Holder.

Markram knuckled down and showed rare glimpses of positive stroke play, such as the backfoot drive off Mayers and the slap through the covers off Cornwall, but it was only when he pulled Seales in front of square to level the scores that he looked properly in control.

He brought up his fifty off 99 balls and seemed set to take

South Africa to the close but Seales had another burst to come. He forced Markram to play at a ball on fourth stump which took the edge on its way to Joshua da Silva.

Markram departed for 60.

That brought another debutant, Kyle Verreynne, to the middle but he could not keep van der Dussen company to the close. Seales got his third when Verreynne flashed at a short ball and got a thick outside edge for da Silva to collect.

South Africa did not send in a nightwatchman but stuck to their usual batting line-up and Quinton de Kock accompanied van der Dussen to the close. With only allrounder Wiaan Mulder to come before the tail, West Indies will be hopeful of keeping South Africa’s lead from ballooning beyond their reach and staying competitive in the Test.

Play began with West Indies, as they have done for the last 11 months, taking a knee in support of antiracism. For the first time since the athlete activist movement began, South Africa opted to give their players individual choice over their gesture after their collective decision last year not to take a knee but to wear armbands and raise a fist instead.

Rabada, Ngidi, Keshav Maharaj, Keegan Petersen, Rassie van der Dussen and Kyle Verreynne took a knee.

Elgar, Markram, Mulder and Nortje raised a fist while de Kock stood. On the sidelines, South Africa’s entire support staff took a knee while one reserve player raised a fist and another stood.

“We come from a diverse country. Everyone is entitled to their own choice,” Ngidi said at the close. “I have been very clear on my stance.

Everyone is happy for everyone. We play for South Africa and that’s all we are trying to do as players.”

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Friday June 11, 2021

Kaieteur News

Friday June 11, 2021

PAGE 31

Reds marks 50 years as a Test Faye Joseph to be - World’s oldest Test Cricket CommentatorMatch Commentator at 82 laid to rest today

J

oseph ‘Reds’ Perreira, who celebrated his 82nd birthday last Month, is behind the microphone for 146th time in a Test match; marking 50 years of commentating on Test cricket on Radio since making his Test debut in 1971 when West Indies opposed India at Bourda.

Now the World’s oldest Test Cricket Commentator, Reds, was on the Radio panel yesterday describing the action in the first Test of the 2-Test series between West Indies and South Africa in his adopted home St Lucia.

During his 50 years behind the Mike describing Test matches for Radio, Reds has worked with all great commentators of the past and most of the young generation.

Pairing with the late great Tony Cozier, (the only West Indian to do more Tests than Reds) they ensured that West Indian voices were heard around the globe.

Dicky Rutnagur, Jim Maxwell, Richard Benaud, Henry Blofeld, Christopher Martin Jenkins, Brian Johnston, John Arlott and Alan David McGilvray are a few of the great Radio Commentators Reds said he worked with.

“Some of better young West Indian

Commentator Reds Perriera Radio Commentators to do Test cricket are Simon Crosskill, Andrew Mason, Fazeer Mohamed and Sean Devers and I have worked with all of them,” stated the Guyanese broadcasting Icon who was born in Pomeroon, Essequibo.

Among his most cherished memories in his long and illustrious life is Commentating in the 1975 in World Cup Final at Lords when along with Tony Cosier, Brian Johnson and John Arlott were the Commentators.

Meeting Fidel Castro and Sir Donald Bradman were also among his

most memorable moments.

The son of a farmer, who could not complete a sentence without stammering; Reds overcame that and other daunting challenges, including a severe stroke in Australia, to become Guyana’s most illustrious sports commentator.

“Radio was big in those days (1950s) …you had the BBC coming through all the time, and on short wave you could catch Radio Australia…TV only came in the late 1970s.

I would lie in bed and broadcast an imaginary Test match… imaginary football, with Brazil playing England, and imaginary World title boxing. My mother wondered if I was going mad,” remembered Reds, who said he watched his first Test match in 1953 when West Indies opposed India.

Despite television, ‘Reds’ thinks radio still has a role to play in developing sports, especially in the rural areas, and he urges young commentators to do intensive research and know the players and venues, the veteran advised.

Naming the Media Centre at the Stadium after him would be a fitting thank you to a special person who proved that where there is a will there is always a way. (Sean Devers)

Former President of the Georgetown Dominoes Association, former President of the Guyana National Dominoes Federation (GNDF) and former executive member of the World Council of Dominoes Federation (WCDF), Faye Joseph will be laid to rest today.

Joseph died on Friday last.

Faye Joseph served the dominoes fraternity with excellence and the news of her passing sent shock waves throughout the dominoes fraternity in and out of Guyana.

Faye represented Guyana at the World Council Tournament held in 2012 in Orlando and also turned out for her country in 2014.

She took over the presidency of the Georgetown Dominoes Association (GDA) in 2013 following the passing of her husband Orin Joseph who served at the helm of that body for a number of years.

Faye Joseph During her tenure at the helm of the GDA, Faye sponsored many tournaments including the traditional mother’s and father’s day competitions and the game grew tremendously.

When news of her sudden demise reached the fraternity, there was an outpouring of sadness and grief as fellow domino captains, players, supporters and family members pledged support to keep her legacy alive.

Faye Joseph is survived by her five sons and two daughters.

A viewing of her remains will take place at Transport Sports Club from 12:00hrs to 13:00hrs.