Kaieteur News

Dead: Shazeer Mohamed

Dead: Ryan Boodna

Exxon commences offshore pipeline laying for Gas-to-Energy project

Esso Exploration and Production Guyana Limited (EEPGL) has commenced pipeline laying activities in the country’s Exclusive EconomicZoneforthehighly touted Gas-to-Energy (GTE) project Thisisaccordingtoa Maritime Administration (MARAD) notice, issued by the Harbour Master (ag) on June8,2023

The notice published in

thisnewspaperexplainedthat ‘Stingray’ a shallow water pipeline laying barge will be engaged in pipe laying activities, which will conclude on November 1, 2023

K a i e t e u r N e w s understands that the offshore works for the project commencedonJune1,2023

MARAD said, “The pipe layingareastretchesfromthe

coast to approximately 39 nautical miles (72 2 kilometres offshore of Guyanaandcoversanareaof 65squarenauticalmiles(225 squarekilometres)”

Meanwhile, the vessels that will be involved in this aspectoftheprojectincludes:

VMI Love, Coastal, Challenger, Lead 1, Coastal Vanguard,Kamarina,CotaLa Luz, Lead Marlin, Sayan Polaris, Tamuata, Lead 2, Costal Enterprise, Morag M, Patriot,LeadershipandEllaF

T h e M a r i t i m e Department has warned mariners to operate with cautionwheninthevicinityof theprojectareaandmoreover, tostayclearofthesevessels

A source at ExxonMobil Guyana confirmed that the noticerelatestothenearshore workbeingconductedbyVan Oord, a contractor hired by the operator of the Stabroek Blocktoconducttheworks

But while Exxon steams ahead with this project, with the blessings of the Guyana government, it is presently before the Court for its 12inchpipelinethatwillbeused totransportnaturalgastothe Wales Development site, WestBankDemerara

Two citizens, Elizabeth Deane-Hughes and Vanda Radzikfiledanapplicationon March 27, 2023 in the High Court challenging the permit issued by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to EEPGLforthepipeline

ExxonMobil Guyana had applied to join the matter in whichtheEPAwasthelisted respondent

Thetwocitizensarebeing represented by their lawyers, MelindaJanki,AbiolaWongInnissandJoelRoss,whoare seeking several reliefs inter aliaadeclarationtheprojectis contrarytotheenvironmental laws of Guyana The citizens are seeking an Order of Certiorari to quash the decision made by the EPAto award an Environmental

Permit to EEPGL –ExxonMobil Guyana to undertake the GTE project activities,onthegroundsinter alia that the decision was in breachoftheprovisionsofthe EnvironmentalProtectionAct (Cap 20:05), and more p a r t i c u l a r l y, t h e Environmental Protection (Authorisation)Regulations

The applicants outlined that ExxonMobil Guyana in itsapplicationtotheregulator, dated June 24, 2021 includes details of the project site, the

proposedrouteofthepipeline and the areas to be used and affectedbytheproject,which includes residential properties, commercial properties and state-owned properties

Be that as it may, the applicationdidnotincludeor provide any proof of ownership, a lease or other agreement with the land ownersofthesaidarea

Notwithstanding,theEPA granted EEPGL a Permit to undertake the project on November25,2022

Subsequently, the Minister of Public Works, JuanEdghillinJanuary2023 passed various orders to acquire lands for the purpose oftheproject,pursuanttothe Acquisition of Lands for PublicPurposesAct,Chapter 62:05

The applicants are therefore seeking a declaration that the respondentactedinbreachof theEnvironmentalProtection (Authorisation) Regulations; adeclarationthatthePermitis null, void and of no legal effect with costs and such further order the Court considersjust.

In their application to the High Court, Radzik and Deane-Hughes stated that Pursuant to Regulation 17 ( 2 ) ( c ) ( i i i ) o f t h e Environmental Protection (Authorisation) Regulations, an application for an environmental authorization must contain “proof that the applicant either owns the facilityorhasaleaseorother agreement with the landowner or occupier to enable the applicant to conduct the activity without the consent of the landowner oroccupier”

It was reported that the matter is before Justice Priya Sewnarine Beharry at the GeorgetownHighCourt

The pipeline is a critical component of the GTE project that is intended to reduce the cost of electricity by 50 percent The infrastructureisbeingfunded bytheoilcompanyandwillbe repaid by Guyana via annual payments of US$55 million for 20 years Separately, the GoG is pursuing a Natural GasLiquids(NGL)facilityto treat and separate the gas, along with a 300-megawatt power plant to generate electricity to power the national grid Government intends for the project to startupbytheendofnextyear

CentralGovt.owesCityCouncil over$13billion–MayorNarine

Outgoing Mayor of Georgetown Pandit Ubraj Narine on Tuesday disclosed that the central government owes the Georgetown CityCouncilover$13Binratesandtaxes.

During a press conference at his office, Narineaccusedthegovernmentof“stifling” the work of the Mayor and City Council (M&CC) and dispelled government statementsthatsuggestthattheCouncil’shas mismanageditsresources.

Narine questioned how the Council is expected to function when government agenciesarenotpayingtheirratesandtaxes.

“The PAHO (Pan American Health Organization)buildingthatPAHOishoused onowesCouncil$200andsomethingmillion Guyana dollars. That building comes under theMinistryofHealth,notaxesonPAHObut theministryoughttopaythattaxes,”Mayor Narinesaid.

Hecontinued:“TransportandHarbourat the Ministry of Public Works owe this Council$100andsomethingmilliondollars. Ifwegetoutmoney,theCouncilwillbeable to function. The Council will be able to do muchmoreinthecity.”

In a recent statement, Mayor Narine had saidthatthecurrentadministrationhasbeen stranglingGeorgetown.

According to him, in 2020, the Council got zero subvention while budgetary allocation was $10 million for that year He saidin2021,2022and2023,thesubvention was$30million.

“How can such a paltry, pitiful sum of moneymaintainthiscountry’scapitalcity–a city with a population of some 355,000 residentsandvisitors,inanareaof70square kilometers?”Narinehadquestioned.

The Mayor disclosed that the Guyana Power and Light (GPL) owes the Council about$10billionwhilenotingtoothatithas refusedtoclearitsaccount.

APNU wins all eight constituencies in Linden

…PPP happy about increase in votes

The A Partnership for National Unity (APNU)iscelebratingitslandslidevictoryin its stronghold Linden at the Local Government Elections that were held on Monday Out of a total of 10,466 valid votes cast,theAPNUsecured8002votesallowing thepartytoholdontoalleightconstituencies contestedandsixoutoftheeightFirstPastthe Post seats The contesting People’s Progressive Party (PPP) managed two First PastthePostseatswhichisanincreasetothe currentonethattheyhave.

City Mayor, Ubraj Narine

Also, Narine said the Guyana Water Incorporated(GWI)isamongotheragencies that also owe the Council large sums of money

As a result, the Mayor said, “The Government of Guyana has neglected its responsibility to pay taxes owed to the Council…”

Hehighlightedthattaxesplayavitalrole in sustaining the function and development ofaCity “Therevenuegeneratedfromtaxes is crucial in supporting essential public servicessuchasinfrastructuredevelopment, health care and public safety,” the Mayor continued.

He explained that the non-payment of taxes hampers and stifle the City Council’s abilitytoprovidefundamentalservices.

Moreover, the Mayor highlighted that despite the challenges faced; M&CC was abletosignificantlylowerits$5billiondebt.

InKwakwani,APNUpickedupfourseats while PPP picked up two. There was high celebrationinLindenattheannouncementof the preliminary results given the PPP has campaigned heavily in the town and was boasting of making major inroads.Theparty also attracted large crowds at its campaign events.

Sharma Solomon who is Linden’s mayor hopefulhowever,saidhewasalwaysconfident about the victory Solomon emerged as the candidatewiththemostvoteswith1,980votes in constituency one while Lessa Thorne secured1,399forconstituencyseven

Solomon said the serving council will be driven on addressing the issues facing the people. Residents of Linden have for years expressedconcernaboutthecouncilnot

Continued on page 23

Sharma Solomon

Printed

Publisher: DR. GLENN LALL - TEL: 624-6456

Editor-In-Chief: NIGEL WILLIAMS

Tel: 225-8465, 225-8491. Fax: 225-8473, 226-8210

EDITORIAL

LOANS, LOANS

AND MORE LOANS

Under the PPP/C Government, Guyana has become amongthebestcustomersofbanksacrosstheworld.When thewordloancomesup,Guyana’snameisfrequentlywritten alloverit. ThePPP/CGovernmentisonaborrowingbinge, andveryproudofit. Bankers,whomustberecognizedfor theirutility,arealsonothingifnotsuccessfulpawnbrokers. Theycanalwaysbeapproachedforaloan,oncethecollateral presented possesses rich appeal for the recovery of monies lent, should there be a problem with honouring repayment obligationsinthefuture.

Guyanahasthebestcollateralforallforthedebtsthatit has been incurring recently, its rich natural resources and their seeming abundance. Gold and bauxite have been around for a long time, and now there is the godfather of opulentnaturalresources,billionsofbarrelsofoil.Countries that have high quality oil and in plentiful quantities are preferred customers of bankers, whose motto to the oil producingnationsistheequivalentof‘comeandgetit,there ismoneywaitingforthetaking.’ Thisiswhatthediscovery of oil did for poor countries before, and what it is doing to Guyanatoday

Oilisthegamechanger,whichiswhyeverybankunder theskylinesuptolendthiscountrymoney Thelatestisthe Islamic Bank with a loan for US$150 million, or GY$30 billion. Indeed, the hundreds of millions of American dollars, and the billions upon billions of Guyana dollars owedbythiscountrykeepsaddingup,withoutletup. Before the Saudi loan, the PPP/C Government has been a blur of motionwithborrowingsfromtheChinese,theIndians,and oflatetheAmericans,withmanyothersinbetween.

The underlying projects and programmes, as officially stated,thatnecessitatethesplurgeofborrowingshavetheir merits, and of that, there must be recognition. But there is something else also that must be acknowledged, and it is about borrowing too much too quickly and too recklessly Many experts, who have seen the accelerated levels of borrowingsinshortspansoftimebyotherpoorcountriesthat came into overnight natural resource riches, have sounded repeatedwarningsaboutoverdoingthings,andunthinkingly so. Becausethereisthecaliberofleadershipthatispresent in the current PPP/C Government, all such cautions to slowdown and carefully prioritise and pick projects have fallen on deaf ears. Thus, the approach for more and more loanscontinuesunchecked.

The more loans sought, the more national development andprogressoccurs,andthishasbeenthesellingpointmost favoured by Government leaders as the justification for the continual streams of borrowings. More loans taken mean moreUSmillionsforinfrastructuralprojectsthatareneeded all over this country But there is a steep downside to the flush of cash that makes its way from foreign banks to Guyana to finance such projects. It is what feeds the corruptionbeastthathaschewedandcrippledthiscountry’s governancefordecades.Massivecorruptionisfacilitatedby, hasanearperfectcoverunder,infrastructuralprojects,ashas been lived with by Guyanese taxpayers from one national governmenttoanother

Another downside not talked about to any meaningful degree in this country, now driven to mass ecstasy by ongoingoildiscoveries,isthehistoryofthisprecious,much in demand commodity called oil. Its price on the world markets can be up and down, and lead to both hair-raising andheartbreakingexperiences.Countriesthatdependonits revenues at certain projected levels suddenly find themselves reaching for aspirin because of shortfalls in oil profitsandreceipts. Thebanksstillhavetobepaid,andthey arenotgoodatacceptingexcusesandsadstories;theyhave their own considerations and obligations, so they are unmoving.

This has been the reality of places like Nigeria and Ghana,andGuyanawasonceinthatstatedecadesbeforeoil tookitsprideofplacehere. Historyhasthiscalloushabitof repeating itself, and we either learn from the lessons of history,orbecomethenewestvictimsofitsoonerthanlater Go slow with the loans, pick and select, and be a better countryforit.

GECOM delivered free and fair elections

DEAREDITOR,

In the June 12, 2023, Local Government Election, I ran as an Independent Candidate for Constituency

9 - Zeeburg-De Willem, in Region3,ontheWestCoast Demerara.

I was personally at the pollingstationfrom6AMto 11PM.AlthoughIthrewmy hat in the ring for the first time but did not win the Constituency, I graciously congratulated the winner, Mr Jonas and have nothing but praise for the GECOM Staff and the attending PoliceOfficers.

Their conduct was courteous and professional, ensuring a smooth voting experience.

Firstly,sincethiswasmy

first foray in LGE, it will be remiss of me not to mention

that Mr Kapildeo Chanderban, the Returning Officer (RO) explained, in granulardetails,thenuances and axioms therein, in a courteous and professional manner Though wearing many hats concurrently, and I continuously peppering himwithquestions,notonce did Mr Chanderban exhibit acrimonyorrancour

He displayed intestinal and cerebral fortitude throughout. I am compelled to believe that Mr C h a n d e r b a n i s a n exceptionalGECOMasset.

His GECOM staff mirrored his demeanour and composure.

Secondly, true to their

promise, the Ethnic Relations Commission’s (ERC) presence was manifested by the entry of ERC’s Commissioner, Ms. Chandrowtie Sarran, to observe whether the LGE Code of Ethics, previously signed, was being adhered to.

Thirdly, the presence of another entity to certify that folks with disabilities were not disenfranchised and that accommodation for their presence at the polls were provided-including GECOM’s transportation to other polling stations - was as refreshing as it was most welcome.

Fourthly, and just as importantwasthesignificant presence of the Guyana

Police Force (GPF) as well as the Community Policing, to guarantee that the voting process was hassle free Thoughthedaywaslongand transitioned into the night ( 1 0 - 11 P M ) , t h e i r unflinching commitment to stand guard and to corroborate the efficacy and accuracy of the ballot counting is a testament of their professional responsibilities and net neutralrole.

In totality, my opinion, though microcosmic, is that the GECOM’s matrix and attending logistics and personnel delivered a free andfairLGE.

Ecomiumallaround!

Sincerely, Mr.SubrianEsq.

Hail the Judiciary-fail the leaders

DEAREDITOR,

The important issue for parent guarantee full coverage insurance, although still not finalised, went in favour of Guyanese and the lawyers fighting for Guyana as per the two judges’rulingssofar

Thereweresomenotable responses to these judges’ rulings, like the internet trolls are now targeting Melinda Jankie with the samevileastheydidtoKN’s Davina Bagot and Kiana Wilburg.

Ihopetrollscansaywhy their party is better than parent guarantee full coverage insurance for Guyana, and can you trolls not see if Guyanese leaders do the right things, they will make more money for themselvesandallGuyanese and walk with their proud heads high? rather than reducing themselves to this current pitiful, pathetic, and spineless excuse for human beings with their sellouts to foreigners.

AsreportedbyDemerara Waves on the Judges’ rulings, ExxonMobil’s Alistair Routledge indicated Exxon and Guyana would suffer significant financial losses.

Mr Routledge added the revenue loss to Exxon and more importantly to Guyana will have serious implicationsanddevastating consequencesintheeventof a permit suspension, since a well blowout or an environmental disaster was unlikely, yes, another vintage Exxon deception speech.Liketrainedanimals, Guyana’sPresident,VP,AG, Chamber of Commerce, and

Private Sector Commission Leaders repeated the words of Exxon’s Routledge as if theywereallgiventhesame scriptwrittenforthem.

Mr Routledge also said Guyana’s EPA could be considered an expert body “which ought to have promptedjudicialrestraint.”, yetifthisEPAwasheadedby Dr Vincent Adams, Routledge would have probably called for the EPA to be restrained by the judiciary or someone else. We can understand Mr. Routledge’s multi-tongue deceptions since he represents ExxonMobil’s shareholderswhowillaward and reward him for fighting for them, but why do Guyana’s political and business leaders chorus his song as if they are also representing ExxonMobil’s shareholders and not Guyanese?

The standard business operating procedure at parliament which includes both opposition and government for foreign companies, is that these companies nor their employees pay no taxes to Guyana, pay no import or export duties, they provide no production data on their operations as they are exemptfromregulationsand monitoring, they have noncompliance with Guyana’s labour, environmental and insurance laws and no compensation provided for other damages perpetuated on Guyanese society from their operations as highlighted by Glenn Lall, likethetrafficcongestion.

Thedeviousnessdoneby MPs for foreign companies

against Guyanese only get exposed by court cases, and if the courts order foreign companies to comply with Guyana’s inadequate and outdated laws, we hear the same excuse of how foreign companies and Guyana will losemoney

T h e s e b u s i n e s s arrangements between MPs andforeigncompaniesgoing on for decades now, have givenGuyanesedebtinstead ofwealth,andthisisobvious based on those business terms mentioned earlier, in this case, if foreign companies don’t want to comply with Guyana’s inadequate and outdated laws, they should carry out their threats to pack up and leaveanddosoimmediately

T h e s e b u s i n e s s arrangements also make ordinary Guyanese victims of inverted, upturned, or bend-overeconomics,where Guyanese wealth of oil and resources are the investment instruments, where Guyanese resource wealth, taxdollarsandincurreddebt provides funding, where Guyanese assumes the risk and losses and where Guyanese suffer the environmental and other consequences of oil and resource operations, while the foreigners and the local leaders take the majority of thegainsandprofits.

The President who said Guyanagotthewrongendof the stick of the oil contract and he will change that, did changeit,tonowGuyanahas lost the grip of even the wrong end and now holding nostick.TheVPwhosaidhe will fight for Guyana’s patrimony and ran around

with election SOPs during the elections shouting he is fightingforGuyaneserights, is now like the emperor without clothes, as the walls ofbrokenpromises,lies,and deceptions are crumbling aroundhim.

If it is true that employeesofGPCandother state entities wanted to buy sharesfromtheseentitiesfor ownership, which the VP gave to private parties instead, along with the new contract terms of oil blocks other than the Stabroek Block clearly shows the VP know exactly what Guyana needs, but doing about turns likeamarchingsoldierwhen it comes to Guyanese interests, this makes him smarter yet more dangerous than dunces as dunces don’t knowbetterunlikehim.

T h e b u s i n e s s associations’ leaders never take Guyana’s oil and resource wealth in their businessplans,makingthem theonlyonesintheworldto dosointheirowncountry In all this, the opposition leaders stay silent like dead animalcarcasseslyingonthe roadside.

Guyana’s protection from exploitation can be given a big boost if only the AttorneyGeneralworkswith the Judiciary to update and e n f o r c e G u y a n a ’s inadequate and outdated laws, instead, the AG’s loyalties are with those exploit Guyana leaving the Judiciary alone fighting for concerned Guyanese, so to this,wemustallsaywithone voice “Hail the JudiciaryFailtheLeaders”.

Regards, R.David.

AMovement to Break the Backbone of Race and Ideology!

DEAREDITOR,

The current LGE 2023 campaign conducted by the PPP/C sends a powerful message that politicians must work hard at the grass rootsleveltowinvotes.

The act of voting is one of the most formidable and inalienable rights accorded to citizens in a democracy Andtheexerciseofthisright should no longer be d e p e n d e n t u p o n consideration of ideology and race but must, at a minimum level, be based upon immediate ‘bread and butter’issues.

A smarter electorate has evolvedoutoftheprevailing technological and mass communication age, including social media, that increasingly wants to embrace reason. Over the past 6 decades up to 2020, the country had not made any significant progress in the reduction of youth unemployment (30%) and thepovertylevel(34%).This traditional approach to politics had also failed to heal the gaping divisions in the country’s racially bifurcatedstate.

Historically, ethnic tensions/conflicts, rivalry, andsometimesviolence,had dominated the political landscape,whilethesalience of issues had been diminished. Despite gallant attempts, previous political leaders had been unable to overcome the divisions resulting from ideology, race, gender, religion, and region. The current PPP/C leadershipbelievesthatthey have produced an answer to thesegapingproblems.

After methodical analysis, they have grabbed theconceptofa21stCentury Movement (21CTMOV) to transcend barriers of ideology, race, religion, gender,andregion.Fromthe 1942 Quit India campaign led by MK Gandhi, they recognize that for a movement to succeed, it

LGE 2023 voting process free, fair and transparent

requires: (i) transcending boundariesofrace,ideology, region, and other differences; (ii) must have a clearly defined objective; (iii) it must have staying power;(iv)itmustbeledby charismatic leader(s) who also have a track record of accomplishments; and (v) it must revolve around a particularphilosophy

A young and energetic leadership recognizes that theimportanceoftraditional approaches to politics had notresultedindemonstrable advance in the quality of living, the narrowing of regionalresourcedisparities, andanysignificantreduction ofpoverty(34%).

Winning state power is not enough. They believe that they must rise above ideology, race, and other barriers to lift Guyana into the21stcenturyandprovide the good life for every Guyanese. And the vehicle for this transformation is 21CTMOV. The PPP/C leadership knows that citizens have been moving away from race-based to issue-based voting as evidencedinthe2006,2011, 2015, and 2020 national polls. For example, in 2006, the new AFC party won 5 seats and in 2011, it won 7 seats. These were at the expenseofthePNCR.

At the 2015 polls, about 10% of traditional PPP/C voterscasttheirfranchisefor thePNCR-ledcoalition.

The PPP/C would have notwinthe2020pollshadit not been for crossover voters These crossovers were influenced by issues. This emerging trend would integrate well within the 21CTMOV and add momentum to it. The force of the 21CTMOV has been resonating well at the PPPC’s LGE 2023 campaign. The proverbial ‘redwave’builtaroundgrass roots governance and mobilization, has been sweeping across the country and shown also on TV and podcast screens in Guyana andinthediaspora.

These powerful signals indicate that Guyana is on the path to break away from the shackles of racism, ideology, and other barriers which have historically tormented citizens and stymied the country’s development This movement finds its full expressioninthephilosophy of ONE GUYANA (where commonalties take precedenceoverdifferences, where race is demystified, and where nationalism is paramount).

The 21st Century Movement is poised to put GuyanaandGuyaneseinthe best socio-economic place theyhaveeverbeen.

And the results of LGE 2023willtesttheefficacyof the21stCenturyMovement.

Sincerely,

Dr TaraSingh

DEAREDITOR, The Ethnic Relations Commission,(ERC),having observed the voting process in five Administrative Regions at over 250 Polling P l a c e s f o r L o c a l Government Elections, found it to be free, fair, transparentandconductedin anatmosphereofpeace.

The Commission would liketocommendPollingDay staffoftheGuyanaElections Commission,(GECOM),for theprofessionalexecutionof theirdutiesandtheresulting efficiencyoftheprocess.

The ERC is thankful for the exemplary conduct displayed by polling agents from all sides, and police officersfortheirsecurityrole

inensuringsmoothpolling.

The Commission also takes this opportunity to commend citizens for their participation in the incidentfreepollandwillcontinueto worktothebestofitsability to aid the promotion of harmonyandgoodrelations.

Asthecountryawaitsthe f i n a l r e s u l t s , t h e Commission, guided by history,remainsmindfulthat these circumstances can heightenanxietiesandhopes theresultswillbeannounced within the shortest possible time,andberespected.

The ERC remains resolute that credible LGE elections is vital for the benefit of citizens and eventual transformation of

communities through local democracy - in the regions, villagesandtowns.

All stakeholders are therefore urged to work assiduously to ensure that communities are developed in the interest of the inhabitants.

The Commission wishes to state that the holding of free, fair and transparent elections is a vital tenet of democracy and for the promotion of unity and peacefulco-existence.

The ERC fielded an observer team of more than 50membersforRegions3,4, 5,6and10.

Regards, Ethnic Relations Commission

Fire prevention at the new Christ Church School

DEAREDITOR, Fire science mandates four fundamental elements topropagateafire.

Theyarefuel-materialto be burnt; oxidizing agentgenerally oxygen in the air; heat-heat energy to initiate t h e r e a c t i o n ; a n d propagation-material to allow the fire to spread beyond the initial fuel Eliminationofanyoneofthe fourforegoingelementswill PREVENT a fire The article headlined, New Christ Church school to include fire prevention system, (Demerara Waves,

Thursday, 8 June 2023) neitheraddressednorrelated to the elimination of any of the four (4) foregoing elements. On the contrary, it mentionedinstallationoffire extinguishers, smoke detectors, and use of some materials that were not highlyflammable.

Those all fit into the categories of fire

extinguishment, fire alarms and notification, and fire suppression, but not FIRE PREVENTION!

I bring this to the attention of the Ministry of Educationinordernottolull the occupants of the school into a false sense of FIRE SAFETY

Yourssincerely, AbrahamDavid

The Guyanese Nation recaptures the unity of 1953

DEAREDITOR, 1953isayearcelebrated in Guyanese History as an annusmirabilis.

It was a time when the nation was overcome with a euphoria generated by the complete racial, religious, social and political unity under the leadership of Dr Cheddi Jagan, Janet Jagan andMr.LFSBurnhamanda numberofothersnotsowell known such as Eusi Kwayana and Jodha Samaroo who presided over theClericalandCommercial WorkersUnion. Peoplelook back to this time with nostalgia.

At the beginning of 1950’s, Guyana was sucked into the Cold War and the

Cold Warriors were bent on the destruction of this GuyaneseUnity

The strategy they used was to subvert the People’s Progressive Party under whose aegis the national unity was consolidated and the tactic they used was to cause defections among the Party’sleadership.

They succeeded all too well and by 1957, the Party wasbroken.

ThemainreasontheCold Warriors succeeded was because the national unity was brought about by the leaders.ThecycleofHistory has again come around and theGuyanesenationisagain beingunifiedbutthistime,it is not a unity brought about

by the leaders, it is a unity broughtaboutbythePeople.

People are inexorably moving towards achieving that desired unity and are passing by the daily harangues and calls of a few has-beenpoliticiansthatthey should be racialists. These racists’ dog whistles are ignored as the People move forward to recreate the PPP of1953.

The nation is now moving into First World Statusinitssocial,economic and political life and achievingunbreakableunity, prosperity, peace and Democracy

Yourssincerely P a u l V a l i d u m Ramlochan

CRG extends congratulations to all the LGE participants

DEAREDITOR,

CRG extends its congratulations to all those w h o s u c c e s s f u l l y participated in the Local GovernmentElections.

May their conscience be their guide as they honestly work towards improving the livesofourcitizens.

CRGalsothankstheFirst Familyforthehardworkthat

they have put into making our communities more family-oriented.

It brings back the pleasant memories of when horseback riding was available in the National Park.

A great reminder of the peaceful culture of our country Maybe those days will also return. With the

ushering in of a new leadership period in our communities, comes the opportunity for all of us to furtherparticipateinmaking our neighbourhoods safer and more beautiful for everyone to enjoy the lives wehavebeenblessedwith.

Living peacefully and in harmonywitheachotherisa priceless experience that onlyweasapeoplecanmake possible by working and livingtogethercooperatively asweseektosolveproblems a n d i m p r o v e o u r communities.

May this new period bring our country closer to becoming a people united in asafeandprosperousnation withabeautiful,pleasantand satisfyingdestiny

Bestregards,

Mr.JamilChanglee

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LOW TURNOUT

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Guyanese on Monday largely ignored our politicians at the Local Government Elections with extremely low turnout of voters.

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Preliminary results have shown that just under 40% of voters turned out to stain their fingers for the red and green parties.

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Despite this, they will regale the nation about how well they did and who ain’t win this NDC and that NDC and who ain’t win this town and that town.

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What they will not say is that most Guyanese rejected them.

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Imagine, with all the money they tried to bribe people with, with all the red and green jerseys they handed out, they even used cash grants for schoolchildren as bribes for votes, yet they couldn’t get most Guyanese out to stain their fingers for them.

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AnnaReginarecords37%voterturnoutatLGE

The township ofAnna Regina located in Region Two recorded a 37% voter turnout at Monday’s Local GovernmentElections(LGE).

According to the Guyana Elections Commission’s (GECOM) office in Region Two of the 11,339 eligible voters, only 4,219 persons voted representing 37% of the town’svotingpopulation.

AnnaRegina’sReturningOfficer(RO)RoxanneSmith told Kaieteur News that residents of the Region did not view LGE as important enough. She said many persons described LGE as “small elections” and failed to treat it withequalimportanceasGeneralandRegionalElections.

Notwithstanding,thePeople’sProgressivePartyCivic (PPPC)hasoverwhelminglywonthemunicipalityofAnna Regina.Thepartysecured3,657voteswhileAPartnership forNationalUnity(APNU)secured505votes.

TheAnnaReginaTownCouncilconsistsofeightseats that derive from its eight constituencies; Walton Hall to Three Friends. Of the eight seats, seven have been the PPP/ChaswonsevenwhiletheAPNUwononeseat.

AnnaReginaisconsiderednotonlythecentralpointin the Pomeroon-Supenaam Region but also the economic hub. Over the years, the economic landscape within the Anna Regina town has seen tremendous improvement as theprivatesectorcontinuestopumpfinanceintothelocal economy

The township of Anna Regina, Region Two

BOTH OF THE MAIN PARTIES ACHIEVED THEIR OBJECTIVES

The APNU must not forget its manners. It should immediately dispatch a “thank you” card to Vice PresidentBharratJagdeofor administering the shock therapy which the APNU neededtoreviveitspolitical fortunes.

The PNCR is the only substantive party within the A P N U A s L o c a l Government Elections loomed,thePNCRappeared badlywounded.

Having already suffered the fallout from the attempt to rig the 2020 general and regional elections, the party was further splintered when there was a successful mutiny against the then leader, David Granger, forcing him into political retirement. The party also suffered internal rifts and rowswhichleftitlame.

So badly maimed and weakened was the PNCR that it was unable to field candidates in 55% of the overall number of constituencies. This meant that the PPP/C had effectivelywontheelections even before the people went tothepolls.

The PNCR’s campaign was anemic. It struggled to attract large crowds at most ofitsmeetingsandtherewas general disinterest within its supportbase.

But the PNCR was to be have a miraculous revival thanks to none other than Bharrat Jagdeo, facing a barrage of criticisms and becoming entangled in controversies over its handling of the oil and gas sector and the sale of the Marriott Hotel, the PPP/C

went on a political counteroffensive, seeking to respond to any and every criticism Jagdeo took it upon himself to be the chief whip against anything emanating from the Opposition Leader He becamesoobsessedwiththe Leader of the Opposition that he began hosting onemanpressconferencesevery Thursday simply to respond to whatever the PNCR has saidatitspressconferenceof thesameday Giventhefact thatthePNCRwasanutterly discredited force leading into the local government e l e c t i o n s , J a g d e o unwittinglywasgivingmore attentiontothePNCRthanit deserved.

Insodoing,hebreathed new life into the PNCR’s localgovernmentcampaign. Hedidsointworespects.

First,heplayedrightinto thehandsoftheAPNU.The APNUdecidedthatithadto mobilize its supporters aroundthethemeoftryingto prevent PPPC domination. By his divisive drivel, Jagdeo effectively played right into the fears of the PNCR supporters who were concerned about the PPP/C makingacleansweepofthe elections This helped to galvanize the PNCR’s support base around their APNU.

Second, Jagdeo’s divisive attacks on the Opposition agitated the supporters of the PNCR just as it had done in the 2015 general and regional elections when the PPP/C lost to the APNU+AFC. By being so venomous and divisive against the PNCR,

Dem Boys Seh...

the Vice President actually helped to rally support for theAPNU.

The PPP/C will have to make a decision about just whodeterminesanddictates itscampaigntactics.Thishas t o b e c o l l e c t i v e responsibilityandshouldnot be left or to be perceived as being the responsibility of one-man.You cannot run an election campaign as a onemanshow

Nonetheless, both the PPP/CandtheAPNUshould feel satisfied that they achievedmajorobjectivesin the local government polls. For the APNU, its strategy was to hold on to its strongholds. It concentrated itsresourcesinthisareaand it managed to comfortably retain control of the to the m u n i c i p a l i t i e s o f Georgetown, Linden and NewAmsterdam.

The PNCR however should be concerned about the tie in Bartica and in Mahdia These are also traditionalstrongholdsofthe PNCR which it had previously won in the 2016 and2018LocalGovernment Elections Despite these setbacks and the fact that it lost more than 75% of the local government areas, the APNUachieveditsprincipal objective of going into the elections.

ThePPP/Cdidthesame. It swept the polls winning more than 75% of the local authorityareas.

Every party goes into an election hoping to win. But as Jagdeo mentioned yesterday, the PPP/C had to berealistic.Itcouldnothave expected to have won the

Guyana should return the gift!

In a jaw-dropping display of magnanimity, country, the UAE which is among the richest countries in the world, has given Guyana a donation of G$100Mdollarforaschool fordisabledchildren.Given the cost of some of the schools being built in Guyana – G$253M to rebuild St George’s Secondary School; and G$6888torebuildtheChrist ChurchSecondarySchool–this school for the disabled seems more like a kindergarten school rather thanaspecialneedsschool.

But when a nation’s economic policy revolves around borrowing, begging and bartering, it is not surprising that one of the wealthiest nations on the planet has graciously

bestowedthemeaslysumof US$500,000 upon the country The sheer audacity of this minuscule donation in the face of the UAE’s boundless riches is nothing shortofshameful.

That donation is far less than the profits they would have made by selling us Russian-made vaccines during the early days of the pandemic. It’s as if they found their pocket change beneath their goldencrustedsofacushionsand thought, “Why not toss it at Guyana. It’ll make us look likewecare!”

One can’t help but imagine the leaders of country UAE convening behind closed doors, strategizing their paltry donation. “Let’s make it small enough to be

m u n i c i p a l i t i e s o f Georgetown, Linden and NewAmsterdam. But it had togiveitafairshot,whichit did At this stage, it is difficult to determine stage whether the PPP/C made serious inroads into the PNCR’s strongholds The metric which Jagdeo used wastheincreaseinvotesfor the PPP/C in PNCR strongholds. But in order to better assess the PPP/C’s showing in the PNCR strongholds,onewouldneed to know the comparative increase in votes for the PNCR, the overall voter t u r n o u t a n d t h e constituencies from whence the PPP/C’s votes

originated.

The PNCR however owes a debt of gratitude to two persons. The first is Jagdeo. Had he not become so obsessed with busing-out the Opposition, there would havenotbeenanyrevivalof its fortunes and the PNCR’s base would not have been galvanized. Jagdeo played thewrongcard.

But there was also a last hour intervention which helped the APNU. Former PNCR leader, David Granger, came out with a powerful and well-argued endorsement which detailed the PPPC’s lack of commitment to local democracy The PPP/C had

no answer for this lastminutesalvofromtheretired Brigadier And when the PPP/Cissilenced,youknow that the APNU’s supporters willbealert.

(The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions and beliefs of this n e w s p a p e r a n d i t s affiliates.)

insulting, but big enough to pretend we’re doing something.”

Butletusnotalsobetoo hasty in our judgment Perhaps, in the UAE US$500,000 is simply chump change a trivial sumonemightcasuallytoss awayonawhim.

After all, when you swim in golden pools and dine on diamond-encrusted delicacies, perspective tends to become distorted.

So,letusraiseatoasttothe generosity of the UAE, the epitome of ostentatious wealth and stingy benevolence May their grandiose gestures continue to serve to remind us that true generosity is not measured in pennies but in sincereactsofkindness!

Talkhalf.Leffhalf!

H@RD TRUTHS

GHK LALL

LOCAL GOVT. ELECTIONS - A REFERENDUM 2025

T h o u g h L o c a l Government Elections (LGE) results are still incomplete, some positions can be taken. The PNC did surprisingly well, while the PPP failed to impress Frankly,Ihadconcludedthe opposite since the PPP had so much in its favour, while the PNC was hobbled by so many weaknesses No matter how VP Jagdeo may spin about ‘inroads’ and progress, in the final analysis, it didn’t do squat, forallthePPPhadgoingfor it.

The PPP had limitless money; the PNC counted

pennies The PPP had machinery and unity; the PNC suffered from its internals, disadvantaged by itsnarrowedfocus. ThePPP went everywhere; the PNC stuck to strongholds. The PPPcampaigned with a full house; the PNC was alone, with its main partner missing The PPP, as incumbent, controlled plentiful resources, with the PNClaggingfarbehind. Yet, despite low turnouts, PNC supporters came out, made their votes count. Thefactthatturnouts were low in proven PPP bastionsalsoemphasizethat

therearemanyintheparty’s fold, who are disgruntled, disenchanted, even disillusioned. There is also the fact that the PNC made someprogressinacoupleof known PPP places. What I have warned about repeatedlyhascometopast. Citizensseethroughbrother J a g d e o ’ s v e r b a l smokescreens, his distortions about clean governance, and his palpable contortions with this resource patrimonies. Indeed, it is not only PNC followers who are having it hard; PPP supporters are feeling biting pinches. I

thinkthatOppositionLeader Norton must be given full credit for his strategy (people and palms on the ground), his focus (areas of strength), and his quiet persistence (organize, mobilize)thatissurprisingly triumphant. I congratulate him.

Crossovers were trounced, abundant cash only moved some voters. PPP leadership hustles (chicken, T-shirts, cook-up rice, music and gyrating), and nuanced pressures were mostly met with rejection. Notwithstanding low turnout, LGE 2023 now stands as a referendum for E l e c t i o n s 2 0 2 5

Bottomline:LGEresultsare an expression of Guyanese voter outrage; both from who came out, and those whodidn’t. Linden stayed with the PNC, the birthplace of Corbin and Norton. New Amsterdam has some pushbacks Mahdia is reportedly a tie But conspicuously, some PPP communities leaned towardsthePNC. Whilethe PPP has been visible and active, the PNC’s LGE campaign has been subdued -resource deficits, primarily dogged leadership tactics. What was hostile territory before, the PPP made its presence felt, delivered its

messages The P N C p u s h e d stoicallyaheadinits limitedspheres.

I t w o u l d b e interesting,revealing,how the PPP Government reacts to those places that disappointed. Would those votersthatturnedtheirbacks on the many thrilling appealsbepunishedfortheir stubborn loyalty to the PNC? Would their towns and communities be strangled of money, the oxygen of governmental operations? After all the time and money spent, all the grand speeches made, and all the lavish attention piledbysomeofthetopPPP political performers in PNC fortresses, to come up short will leave bitter tastes. It could also introduce still more political leadership retaliations on citizens and constituencies.

Georgetownisnowatest case. Will the PPP cash squeezescontinue? Willthe circumventingofmayorand council intensify? Will there be a city of two governing apparatuses, one with money doing its own thing (which is not working), and the other without funds, unable to do anything? And, will the residents of Georgetown (and other still standing PNC strongholds)belashed

by PPP wrath for taking its money, for walkingbackon promises,fornotlistening?

I call from now what is feared. Though LGE was smooth,thereisunreadiness to project that the national electionswillbeofthesame tone and temperature. Too muchinvolved,toomuchto lose,toomuchpossible. Itis worthafight,ifonlytobeat the table of decisionmaking.Second,afterallthe PPP leadership has proudly pointed to-multiethnic composition, spending record, and cross-sectional appeal-andwithonlycreep and crawl resulting, then I assert that rebuffing occurred Some soul searching is vital for the PPP: more money or more inequity;whilethePNChas momentum,andwhatissure to inspire its agitated and restlessbase.

Checkout the PNC. It was limited to its own strongholds, limited by funds, and limited by its lesser presence in nontraditional voting areas, butmanaged. Thisiskeyto hopes of electoral progress that may lurk for the PNC come 2025. There are swelling numbers of noncustomaryPNCvoters,who take serious objection to manyofPPPpractices. Sow seeds now; build on LGE results. Guyanesevotersare unhappy

Now brace for some closing kicks. With few exceptions,Guyanesevoters stuck to their own: Indians for PPP, Africans for PNC. This looks bleak for the 2025 election climate Worse still, it houses all the poisons that are killing us slowly, contributing to the continuing impoverishment of the richest people in the world. Despite all the cash spent by the PPP, despite reduced PNC efforts, the blueprint for 2025 is now apparent: the PPP has w a s t e d t i m e a n d opportunity ThePNChasa chance.

(The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions and beliefs of this n e w s p a p e r a n d i t s affiliates.)

PPP claims victory in 66 LAAs

—retainsfivetownships,tiedwithOppositionintwo

Fo l l o w i n g a p r e l i m i n a r y assessment of the results from the 2023 Local Government Elections, PPP General Secretary, Bharrat Jagdeo said yesterday that his party secured a

“landslide” victoryalthough a number of the Local Authority Areas (LAAs) it won were not contestedbytheopposition.

Speaking during a press conference at Freedom House, he said the party

secured 66 out of the 80 Local Authority Areas, retained the five townships that were under its control and tied with the opposition in the municipalities of BarticaandMahdia.Thishe saidleavestheAPartnership

for National Unity (APNU) with outright wins in 14 of the LAAs and three towns namely: New Amsterdam, LindenandGeorgetown.

Jagdeo declared: “this is clearly a wipe out…it is the definition of a massive victory and that is how you decide landslide, not by showing that you win Georgetown or Linden that youhavewonhistorically.”

Jagdeo’s party had invested massively in Georgetown, Linden and New Amsterdam and had raised hopes among its supportersthatitcouldhave taken those municipalities. Several former APNU members- namely PatriciaChase-Green,TriciaRichard and Malcolm Ferreira had defectedtothePPP/Cwhich also energised Freedom House in the lead up to the polls. All three of them lost in the constituencies they contested to APNU candidates.

RETAINING STRONGHOLDS

Drilling into the party’s performance, the General Secretarysaidthedatashow that the party is making significantinroadsacrossthe country He noted that the towns won by PPP outright are: Mabaruma, Anna Regina, Rose Hall, Corriverton, Lethem. With respect to Corriverton, the General Secretary said the party won all of the constituenciesexceptone.“I told you at a previous meetingthatAPNUwillwin one because one of the candidates for the constituencies passed away and you cannot replace a candidate just before the elections. But they really didn’t win because although the guy passed away, he got 333 votes and APNU’s candidate got 116,” the GeneralSecretarysaid.

Jagdeo said this means that the people of Corrivertonwantedtoprove a point; that they prefer to throw their votes behind the dead than a living APNU candidate.

“Thepeoplerejectedhim infavourofacandidatewho passed away because they don’twantAPNU’snegative policies to touch their community Thisisshameful thing,” he said. The PPP/C has traditionally won the townshipbysimilarmargins.

While the APNU maintained its hold on New Amsterdam, Jagdeo said the results are still telling. New

Amsterdamwasalsoanarea where the PPP/C spent a lot of resources Jagdeo highlightedthat in 2018, the APNU got 11 seats and PPP had three seats. In 2023, APNU will be reduced to eight seats and the PPP will havesix.

“So we are almost neck and neck,” the General Secretary added. In these elections as well, he noted that the PPP secured 1314 votes more than in 2018 which represents a 270 percent increase from that period.APNUonlygot1913 votes this year, according to Jagdeo’s count In Mabaruma, he said PPP secured 12 of the 14 seats whileinthepast,itonlyheld eight.“Sowehaveincreased our support base here,” he said.

BATTLE FOR GEORGETOWN

In Georgetown which has predominantly been an APNU stronghold, Jagdeo saidthePPPwonfiveofthe 15 constituencies, up from threein2018.Henotedthata request for recount has been issued for Constituency #6 which includes parts of Cummings Lodge and Sophia.Hesaidthereisonly a four votes’ difference between PPPand theAPNU becauseof154spoiledvotes. The General Secretary said, “So in 2018, the PPP got 6813 votes in Georgetown. In these elections, we got 12,256 votes, nearly doubling our votes in Georgetownsothatismajor by any standard when you can increase votes so significantly. We increased by nearly 6000

To understand this, first of all, we need to see where the increase occurred. Was it in traditional areas like North

Georgetownordidwemake inroadsintootherareas?”

In Kingstown area, which is Constituency #1, Jagdeosaidthepartysawan increase of 500 votes compared to 2018. In the Kitty area which is Constituency#2, he said the partysawanincreaseof400 votes.

In Constituency #5 which is in the heart of Sophia, Jagdeo said the PPP got 528 more votes this elections than 2018. In the Charlestown/Albouystown area,hesaidvotesincreased by 473 votes, thanks to Malcolm Ferreira In Constituency #12 which is the Tucville, North Ruimveldt area where former Georgetown Mayor, Patricia Chase–Green contested, Jagdeo said the PPPsawanincreaseofvotes by528.

In East and West Ruimveldt, he said votes increased by 468 votes Jagdeo said, “So these are sizeable numbers That meansitisevenlyspreadand not just in North Georgetown. If you look at the results, we nearly doubled the number of peoplein2018thatvotedfor us now and for many years, theseweregarrisonareasfor APNUwheretinynumberof votes we got. This is the definition of a wipeout in their strong hold.” Again, Georgetown was PPP/C’s prized target rolling out several campaign meetings and unleashing the APNU crossovers.

LINDEN AND THE PPP/C

Meanwhile, in Linden, wherethepartylostallofthe eight constituencies and securedonlytwo

Continuedonpage23

Vice President, Dr. Bharrat Jagdeo

Opposition hails victory in strongholds as major rebuke to PPP/C

ByShervinBelgrave

Opposition leader, Aubrey Norton

on Tuesday admitted that his party, A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) has lost “a few battles” in Monday’s Local Government Elections,butsaidbeingable to hold onto its strongholds is a major rebuke to the rulingPPP/C.

Despite the minor losses in some areas, Norton is happy that APNU was able to retain almost of all of its strongholds in Linden, New A m s t e r d a m a n d Georgetown, which the PPP/C had targeted with massive campaigning and spending.

“A few battles might havebeenlostbutIalsohave no doubt that we won the war”, Norton told reporters duringpressconferenceheld atCongressPlace.

General Secretary of the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C), Bharrat Jagdeo, while campaigning for his party had statedAPNU is worried over losing its strongholds becausethePPP/Cismaking major inroads. Jagdeo at his party’s press conference on Tuesday maintained that his party did make an impact in APNU’sstrongholdsdespite

losinginthoseareas.

BAD GOVERNANCE

Nortonsaidthatforhim, victory in the strongholds shows that his supporters have rejected the PPP/C for its “bad governance and corruptpractices”.

ThepeopleofGuyanado not want a one-party state…theyhaverejectedthe PPP The people of the Guyana reject the PPP’s attempt at domination and control… So we see it as a victory not only for APNU but for the entire country”, Nortonsaid.

While the PPP/C boasts of winning a “landslide” victory at the polls securing 66outof80localauthorities areas, Norton said this must be put in its correct perspective as his party did not contest in a number of theseareas.

“We said from the inception that we were not contesting all the areas and for him to come with that (landslide) is disingenuous” Nortonrelated.

When asked if he is concernedthatthePPP/Cdid make some inroads in areas that have been traditionally held by APNU, the Opposition Leader said that heisnotworried,adding:“I don’t think that is the issue, whatJagdeoisseekingtodo

is shift the goal post Remember he set the goal posts, we are going to beat the APNU in New Amsterdam;wearegoingto beat them in Georgetown… when you get blows, you now start talking about 66 (the number of local government authorities won bythePPP/C).

One of the towns that PPP/C might have made some inroads might be Bartica, Region Seven APNU has a large support baseinBarticaandalthough it was a close fight, the PPP/C, based on the results uploaded to the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) website, gained 183 more votes than the opposition. TheAPNU won fiveofthenineconstituency seats, with PPP securing four For the proportional representation, the PPP secured five seats, while the opposition received four This has resulted with both parties tied at nine seats each.

Nevertheless, Norton noted that this year’s Local Government Elections (LGE) was just a “dry run” and just the beginning of planstobeatthePPP/Catthe 2025 Regional and General Elections.

“We see this as the beginning of the work

towards the General and Regional Elections and we willcontinuetomobiliseand organise our supporters to ensurethatwhenwecometo thenextgeneralandregional elections, we are going to beat the People’s Progressive Party hands down,”Nortonsaid.

Travis Ellis, a Kaieteur News pressman secured victory at Monday’s Local Government Elections (LGE) in Constituency 10 of the Georgetown Municipality–Albouystown/Charlestown.

Ellis contested as a candidate for A PartnershipforNationalUnity(APNU)and saidthatitwasthefirsttime,heparticipated in the race to become councillor for his community

Askedwhatpromptedhimtocontestthe elections, Ellis said “… Because of the youngpeopleinmycommunity…theylack fairleadershipandIwanttobetheirvoice”.

Tosecuretheirsupport,Ellissaidthathe campaigned by visiting “door-to-door” and letting the residents of his community understand that “party flags do not win elections”.

Nowthathehaswon,Ellisplanstowork overtimetodevelophiscommunitynotonly

K ews’ pressman, Travis Ellis

N

Kews’ pressman wins seat at City Council N

by advocating on behalf of his constituency butalsobynetworkingwithbusinesses.

“Ipromisedtogetbackanightschoolfor schooldropoutsandIpromisethemtorepair a neglected playfield in the community”, EllistoldKaieteurNewsinaninterview

Opposition Leader, Aubrey Norton

Drill ships’ rates to increase from $84M daily to $100M –WoodMackenziereport

A few months ago

KaieteurNewsreportedthat American drilling company, Noble Corporation is being p a i d o v e r $ 8 4 M (US$420,000)dailyforeach of its four drill ships that is beingutilisedintheStabroek Block, by ExxonMobil Guyana.

However, a new report from Wood Mackenzie, global research and consultancy group, has shown that as rig utilization has returned to pre-COVID levels,drivingratesupby40 percentinthepastyear,with anexpectedincreaseof18%.

Wood Mackenzie anticipatesbeforetheendof the year, rates of US$500,000/day or above may return for highlyprized, advantaged ultradeepwater rigs Benign ultra-deepwater rigs have averaged US$420,000/day inthefirsthalfof2023,with utilizationat90%.

“With increasing demand and rates, we are approaching the tipping point for new builds and reactivations,”saidCook.

“We haven’t reached it yet, but for new builds, it’s not a question of if, but when The need for d e c a r b o n i s a t i o n , technological advancement, more efficiencyand,ulti mately, fleet repl ace

mentwilldriveanewcycle. If rig economics remain robustandrigcompaniessee contractual risks abate, this could be sooner rather than later.”

Wood Mackenzie also reportedthatthedemandfor rig utilization is forecast to increase another 20% from 2024-2025.

The report questioned, “Areweatthetippingpoint

of the deepwater rig market?” as active floater utilisation has rebounded fromalowof65%in2018to over 85% in 2023, the number of contracted ultradeepwater (UDW) benign rigs has returned to preCOVID levels and day rates for best-in-class floaters havedoubledinthepasttwo years.

“Highe r oil prices, the

focusonenergysecurityand deepwater’s emissions advantages have supported deepwaterdevelopmentand, to some extent, boosted exploration,” said Leslie Cook, principal analyst for Wood Mackenzie. “Active supply is now more in line with demand and rig cash flows are positive We expectdemand toconti nueto rise.”

Much of this expected growth will come from the “Golden Triangle” of Latin America,NorthAmericaand Africa,aswellaspartsofthe Mediterranean Wood Mackenzie projects that these areas will account for 75% of global floating rig demandthrough2027.

Notably, owing to the 2016 Production Sharing Agreement (PSA) Guyana

signedontowithExxon–all of the company’s expense willberecovered.Underthe deal, Exxon receives profits after75percentiswithdrawn to cover operational expenses.

In Noble’s 2022 results review, the company disclosed that their day rate per rig is low-to-mid US$400,000, which is G$80Mormore.Assuch,for every day that the four drill ships work, Guyana will havetofootthebill.

This is as a result of contractthatExxonawarded to Noble during the fourthquarter of 2022, for an additional 7.4 rig years for ultra-deepwater drill ships Noble Tom Madden, Noble Sam Croft, Noble Don Taylor and Noble Bob Douglas to work in Guyana untilNovember2025.

Noblehadexplainedthat market-based day rates are resenttwiceperyear(March 1, and September 1) to the projected market rate at that time.

Notably,inMaylast,the company announced ExxonMobil Guyana has extended their contract for therentaloffouroftheirdrill ships at an average day rate of about US$420,000 (GYD$84 million) for each. With the new extension by ExxonMobil Guyana, drill ships Noble Sam Croft, Noble Don Taylor, Noble Tom Madden, and Noble BobDouglaswillworkin

LetterKennyfishermandiesafter felledbywoodenpost - relatives

Relatives of Romesh Peters, the 57-year-old fisherman of Letter Kenny Village, Corentyne, Berbice man who died on Monday, June12saidthathediedafter a wooden post fell from a shedhittinghim.

According to Peters’ daughter, Pamela, her father and her brother Vijai were arguing with each other on Monday night when the incident occurred The woman explained that her father was displeased with the manner in which Vijai treatedhiswife.

“Yesterdaymyfatherand brotherhadanargument.The daughter-in-law complained thatmybrotherbehavingbad and my father accept the complaint and he tell my brothertoleavethegirlalone and that he gonna bring the girl out on the street and he gonna have his wife,” Pamelaexplained.

She disclosed that her father told her brother to leave and she then advised her father to return to their yard “and stop fret behind my brother”. Upon Peters’ return to the yard, in the presence of his daughter-inlaw,hereportedlyheldonto a wooden post that was

holdinguptheshedattached to the house and the post reportedly loosened from its positionandfellonhim.

“Me holla for me father andhegoandholdonponthe postunderneaththeshedand suddenly me see the shed loose off with the post and me father fall down on the ground. By the time he call me for a cup of water and I carry the cup of water, he done lie down on the ground,” the distraught womantoldKaieteurNews.

AccordingtothePamela, at no point did her brother physicallyattacktheirfather

“My brother did not lash myfather,Iswearonmyfour children, they did not argue or touch each other more than on the street because

NorthWestmanfatallyshot witharrowduringhuntingtrip

meh brother nah enter this yard here and come in…that mecansayherushmyfather, he deh outside and he deh arguethathewanthewife...” Pamelarecalled.

However, police had detailed that the incident took place on Monday at approximately 19:30hrs at theaforementionedaddress.

It is alleged that the man and his son were engaged in an argument on the street in frontoftheirhome.

At some point, the fisherman left and ventured back into the yard Neighbour’s told police that shortly after Peters entered the yard, they heard a noise andwhenchecksweremade, they saw Peters lying on his back,withinjuriestotheleft sideofhishead.

A wooden 2×4 post that was holding up a shed attached to the house was also found near the fisherman’s body He was picked up and taken to the PortMourantHospitalwhere he was pronounced dead on arrival.

Vijai was taken into custody for questioning in relation to the incident as police continues its probe intotheman’sdeath.

13-year-old child worker crushed to death by canter while ‘hustling’ on Essequibo Coast

A 13-year-old boy child labourer was on Monday crushed to death by his employer’s canter at Adventure,EssequiboCoast, Region Two. Dead is Rovin Mark Williams Kaieteur News understands that the incident occurred at about 18:30hMondayevening.

At the time of his death, Kaieteur News understands

that Williams was working on his employer’s property Reports are that Williams wouldusuallyaidinloading and offloading the businessman’s canter, and was walking behind the canter when suddenly the businessman reportedly reversed The teen was reportedly crushed by the canter and received injuries

tohisupperbody Williams’ 19-year-old sister Rolisha Williams told Kaieteur News that she received news of her brother’s accident while she was at home. She said a neighbour informed her that the lad was taken to the hospital.

“Aneighbourclosetowe

Continuedonpage22

The entrance to the village to Waicarebe in the North West District where the shooting occurred.

AhuntingtripatthevillageofWaicarebe in Barama River, North West District turned fatal last weekend after a man was shot by a fellowhunterinthebacklandsofthevillage.

ReportsarethatFranklinJames,saidtobe in his late 40s, and other villagers were huntingforwildhogsinaremoteareaofthe village called ‘Blackwater’ on Friday last when another hunter aimed his arrow at the animals.

A resident of the area related that James mayhavewalkedintothepathoftheshooter whowasaiminghisarrowatagroupofwild hogs, which the men had cornered. James sustainedadeepwoundfromtheblowtohis leg.

Reportsfromthevillagearethathelosta

considerableamountofbloodwhenthearrow was removed from his leg. The man died as his colleagues prepared to rush him to the village’shealthcentrefortreatment.

Hislifelessbodywaslatertakenouttothe Kumaka District Hospital at Moruca and a post-mortem examination is expected to be performedonhisremainsinthisweek.

Reports from the village are that the victim’s family did not take the news of the shootinglightly

A relative of the victim allegedly threatenedthemanwhofiredthearrowwhich woundedJames.

The shooter has gone into hiding, a relative noted. An investigation into the incidentisongoing.

Two friends die in Long Creek smash-up

DEAD: Shazeer Mohamed DEAD: Ryan Boodna

TwomenlosttheirlivesonMondaynight in an accident along the Long Creek Public Road,Linden/SoesdykeHighway

Dead are 22-year-old Shazeer Mohamed and 26-year-old Ryan Boodna both of Long CreekRedRoad.

According to police, the accident occurredatabout19:00hMondaynightwhile Mohamed was driving a motorcycle and Boodnawasthepillionrider

Theaccidentinvolvedthemotorcycleand amotorcarbearingregistrationnumberPAD 283 driven by 25-year-old Hubert James of Wismar,Linden.

Reports are that Mohamed and Boodna wereonamotorcycleheadingsouthalongthe eastern side of the Long Creek Public Road whilethemotorcarwastravelinginthesame directionbutsomedistancebehind.

Police in a statement said that James claimed that the motorcycle which had no rearlightsswervedwestontheroadway,and upon seeing this, he applied brakes but

because of the short distance between the vehicles,hiscarcollidedintothebackofthe motorcycle.

As a result of the collision, the motorcyclist and the pillion rider were flung onto the roadway where they received injuriestotheirheadsandabouttheirbodies.

Duetotheimpactofthehit,thebackofthe motorcyclewasstucktothefrontofthecar

Theduowaspickedupinanunconscious state and placed into a passing vehicle and transported to the Linden Hospital Complex for medical attention However, upon examination by doctors both Mohamed and Boodnawerepronounceddeadonarrival.

Their bodies were then removed and taken to the Memorial Funeral Home in Georgetown.

Kaieteur News understands that a breathalyzertestwasdoneonthedriverofthe car but no trace of alcohol was found in his system.Thedriverremainsinpolicecustody assistingwiththeinvestigation.

DEAD: Romesh Peters

The canter which reportedly crushed the 13-year-old boy to death

DEAD: Rovin Mark Williams

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Nottingham police say man fatally stabbed 3, stole van and ran down 3 more in English city

AP-Aknife-wieldingassailant stabbed two college students to death in the streets of the English city of Nottingham and then fatally stabbed a middle-aged man, stole his van and ran down three pedestrians in a shocking rampage early Tuesday morning,policesaid.

Policearresteda31-yearoldmanonsuspicionofmurder The Nottinghamshire Policeforcesaidinvestigators believe the perpetrator acted alone and detectives were working with counterterrorism officers to try to establish a motive.

“This is a horrific and tragic incident which has claimed the lives of three people,” Chief Constable Kate Meynell said.

The knife attack on the students occurred around dawn in an area near student housingashortwalkfromthe university’s Jubilee Campus. A caller reported that two stabbingvictimswerelyingin the street.

Police think the attacker then killed a man in his 50s and took his van, Meynell said. His body was found on a different street more than a milefromthefirstcrimescene.

About 90 minutes after the initial attack, witnesses werehorrifiedastheywatched thevanplowintopedestrians and flee.

shaken me up.”

The driver then sped through the city center with police on his tail, she added. Haggittsaidthewounded man appeared to have a head injury but was helped to his feet. The woman was sitting on the curb and appeared to beOK.Athirdpedestrianwas struck on the same street, police said.

Two of the hit-and-run victims had minor injuries, Meynell said.

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A man who was among the people struck in the hitand-run was hospitalized in critical condition. The dead includedtwo19-year-oldstudents from the University of Nottingham.

“We are shocked and devastated by the news,” the school said in an announcement. A graduation ball scheduled for Tuesday evening was canceled.

Lynn Haggitt was on her waytoworkwhenawhitevan pulled up beside her at 5:30 a.m. She saw the driver look inhismirrorandspotapolice car approaching slowly from behindwithoutitsemergency lights on. The driver then accelerated and struck a man andwomanatastreetcorner, she said.

“He went straight into them. He didn’t even bother to turn,” Haggitt told reporters.“Thewomanwentonthe curb, the man went up in the air, there was such a bang, I wishIneversawit.It’sreally

“We believe these three incidents are all linked, and we have a man in custody,” thepolicechiefsaid.“Weare keeping an open mind as we investigate the circumstances surrounding these incidents and are working alongside Counter Terrorism Policingtoestablishthefacts, as we would normally do in these types of circumstances.”

After stopping the van, officers subdued the suspect withaTaserbeforedetaining him. University of Nottingham student Kane Brady said he awoke to loud shoutsof“armedpolice”and heard what sounded like a gunshot outside.

Drill ships rates to increase from $84M...

From page 16 Guyana until second quarter of2027.

The rig market has been experiencing a revival after yearsofdoldrumsandNoble is eyeing a big payday as it expects an increase in the demand for ultra-deepwater rigs of between 12 and 15 unitsaroundtheglobewithin thenext18months,especially in places like Brazil and Guyana. Noble’s operating highlights and backlog revealedthatthecompanymarketed fleet of 16 drilling rigs was 91 percent during the fourthquarterof2022.

Thisincludedsevenultradeepwaterrigsaddedfollowing the merger that ended with Maersk Drilling. It was stated that Tier 1 drill ships area commanding increased dayrates,aroundUS$400,000, and that the company secured since early November 2022,24monthsofadditional workforfoursixthgeneration (6G) and seventh generation (7G) drill ships at an average rate above US$420,000 per day – the company did not mentioninitsreviewifthefour 6G and 7G drill ships are the ones deployed for Exxon’s Guyana operations.

Commenting on Noble’s outlook,thecompany’sChief ExecutiveOfficer(CEO),RobertEiflerhadstated,“Wecontinue to see a very promising fundamentalsetupfortheoffshore drilling business, governed by increasingly tight industry utilisation, robust customer economics and demand growth visibility and, not least, rational capital allocation in our industry As the market improves, weremainfocusedonexecution across all facets of our business, and are committed to returning capital to shareholders.”

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13-year-old child worker crushed...

From page 18 contacted me and said go at the hospital, that my brother at the hospital.

I went and about an hour afterIreach,adoctorcomeout

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andsaid‘he[mybrother]deh bad and they gotta rush he Georgetown.’ before they could’ve rush, he though he already dead at the ICU,” Rolisha said.

Relatives told this publication that the child suffered several severe injuries which includeafracturedskull,dislocated jaw, and a broken righthandandcrushedchest.

Reports are thatWilliams is the youngest of five children, and lived with his mother,AlveenaWilliams,at Onderneeming Sandpit, Essequibo Coast. This publicationwastoldthatthesingle

motherwouldusuallyworkin the interior for months at a time, to support herself and children.Atthetimeoftheincident, the boy’s mother was not at home, and the minor was left in the care of his older siblings, the eldest of whomis21-years-old.

Rolisha, who spoke with Kaieteur News earlier, disclosed that her little brother woulddo‘small-smallhustle,’ which ranged from weeding to loading canter trucks.

Monday’s incident occurred as the world observed World Day against Child Labour

$68M estimated to construct two more teachers’ quarters in Region 7

The Ministry of Education will soon spend approximately $68M to construct and furnish two new teachers’ living quarters in Region Seven. This was disclosed at the recentopeningoftendersat the National Procurement and Tender Administration Boardoffice(NPTAB).

It is estimated that $37.9M has been estimated to construct and furnish the living quarters for Eteringbang Village while $30M is estimated for the teachers’ quarters to be constructedandfurnishedat

Bartica.

Kaieteur News recently reportedthattheMinistryof Education also intends to build and furnish teachers quarters at Campbelltown Village (estimated $18.6 million), Paramakatoi

Village (estimated

$40.2million) and

Chenapou (estimated $20.2 million) all located in RegionEight.

This year, the Ministry of Education was allocated some$12billiontoimprove educationalfacilitiesacross thecountry

B e l o w a r e t h e companiesandtheirbids:

MinistryofEducation

Constructionandfurnishingofteachers livingquartersatEteringbang,RegionSeven.

Constructionandfurnishingofteachers livingquartersatBartica,RegionSeven.

MinistryofHealth

Professionalengineeringconsultancyservicesforthe masterplanning,designandconstructionsupervision oftheconstructionoftheNewSciencesTrainingComplex.

MinistryofHomeAffairs

CompletionofDivisionalHeadquarters, Mabaruma,RegionOne.

MinistryofPublicWorks

Procurementanddeliveryofmulti-beam sonarwithaccessoriesandsoftware.

PPP claims victory in 66...

Frompage12 proportional representation seats, the General Secretary said the APNU’s votes increased but so too did the PPPwhich moved from 402 in 2018 to 2464 in 2023. It must be noted that the PPP/C’s total votes in Region10atthelastgeneral elections were just over 3000- most of which would have come from Linden while the APNU+AFC receivedover19,000.

People’s National Congress Reform executive member, Mervin Williams told this newspaper on Tuesdaythatgiventheheavy campaigning the PPP/C did, the 2464 votes could not be seen as any gains in Linden forthatparty,althoughvoter turn out at LGEs are generallylow

He reasoned that the votes that party received are whatitwouldnormallygetat the general elections in the regionovertheyears.

However, Jagdeo, comparing the results with the 2018 local government elections said: “this is an over 500 percent increase in Linden.Thisismorethanall

the votes the new party A New and United Guyana (ANUG) got at the last General and Regional elections,”hesaid.

Williamssaidinthe2018 LGE, the PPP/C did little campaigning in Linden as compared with its heavy investment at this year’s polls In Kwakwani, the General Secretary said the party saw a significant increasetoo.

“The difference is small. We won two Proportional Representation seats and increased votes by over 200 percent.”

In Bartica, Jagdeo said thepartywonthemajorityof thevotes,leadingtheAPNU by 183. In 2018, APNU, he said got 1443 votes and the AFCwas470whileandPPP for1144.

“So when you combine them, the APNU+AFC got 1913 In these elections however,APNUfellto1601 and we moved to 1784,” he said.

Overall, the General Secretary said the party madephenomenalinroadsin thecityandotherpartsofthe country

Supplyanddeliveryofwaterambulance.

GeorgetownPublicHospitalCorporation

Procurementofemergencymedicalsupplies.

MinistryofCulture,YouthandSport

RehabilitationofPoolDeckatTheNationalAquaticCentre.

APNU wins all eight constituencies in...

Frompage3 aggressively tackling issues such as garbage collection a n d s o l i d w a s t e management, rehabilitation of municipality roads and drainage. On elections day Solomon said, I have done quite a lot in terms of ensuring we bring representation to the people of Amelia’s Ward and we have advanced many of the causes they may have in terms of seeing Amelia’s Ward as one of the largest communities in the Caribbean,”hesaid.

Relative to all the candidates,Solomonsaidthe APNU candidates are experienced professional and have Linden’s best interestatheart.

Meanwhile APNU Member of Parliament Jermaine Figueira said the victory was a sure one despite being disadvantaged financially compared to the PPP/C. HeaccusedthePPP ofusingtacticsto‘buyvotes with the cash grant

distribution, football promotion and strategic contract distribution to identified communities These were however welcomedhesaidsinceitput food on the table of many households.

“The campaign was executed with some challengesbutthecampaign teammanagedskilfullywith much help and support from a lot of ordinary Lindeners, both home and abroad who assisted the campaign by sharing the information and messagesofthecampaignin t h e i r r e s p e c t i v e communities, social gatherings and on social media platforms The collectiveapproachofmany inwhateverwaycontributed and helped significantly to the overall success of the campaign. Our people are intelligent voters and not political gamesmanship, threats or bullying could not deter them on how to exercise their franchise,” he said.

Meanwhile Bishop Juan Edghill despite the loss said who said it is a monumental victory for the PPP for securing 2464 votes compared to the 402 votes receivedin2018.

Edghill said he is quite happy with the number of persons who showed up and voted for the party This marked a more than 500 percentincreaseinvotes.

“As much as we did not win these elections, we are quitehappywiththeamount ofpersonsthatshowedupfor us, it clearly shows, that the redwaveinLindenwasnota manufactured crowd, it was real people who was participatinginademocratic process to bring about real change,” he told Kaieteur News. Edghill said that the government will continue to supportthemunicipalityand since 2020, visible to the eyes, on a daily basis, were interventions from central government for Linden and wewillcontinuetodoso,”he said Similar sentiments

were shared by leader of the list Dr Shurland Murray who said the council should workwiththegovernmentof the day to see Linden gets whatitdeservesandthatthe town gets the best service, expertise and the developmentitdesires.

Murray also said the massive increase in votes shows ‘trouble’ for the Opposition as it was in their stronghold.

Murraysaidthepartyhas not yet decided who the two representatives will be but whomever is chosen will be those who will fight for the interest and the needs of Linden and the party will focus on development, accountability and effective leadership.

“Weareherenottobuild walls nor to raise resistance but to build bridges and that is what we are doing and as leaderofthelist,Iwillensure we enforce that and we will continue to push to see this townbecomethepearlofthe nation.

Report: Olympic medalist, sprinter Tori

Bowie died due to complications of childbirth

Yahoo Sports - Threetime Olympic medalist Tori Bowiediedlastmonthdueto complications from childbirth, according to USA Today

Bowiewas32.

Bowie was found dead in her Orlando, Florida, area home on May 2, though a cause of death was not initiallygiven.

According to an autopsy report from the Orange County Medical Examiner's Office, Bowie was estimated to be about eight months p r e g n a n t a n d w a s undergoing labor at the time ofherdeath.

It's unclear specifically what led to Bowie's death, but officials said possible

complications included respiratory distress and eclampsia,whichistheonset ofseizuresoracoma,perthe MayoClinic.

Bowie was found in her home by Orange County Sheriff's deputies, who were conducting a welfare check after she had “not been seen or heard from in several days.”

Bowie won three medals at the 2016 Olympics in Rio deJaneiro.

She was the anchor on the gold medal-winning 4x100-meter relay team alongside Tianna Bartoletta, Allyson Felix and English Gardner

Shealsowonsilverinthe 100-meter dash and bronze

inthe200-meterdash.

Bowie also won bronze in the 100-meter dash at the 2015 world championships in Beijing, and won the 100meter dash and 4x100-meter relay at the 2017 World Athletics Championships in London.

Shefinishedfourthinthe long jump at the 2019 World ChampionshipsinQatar

“We've lost a client, dear friend, daughter and sister,” her management company wrote on social media last month.

“Tori was a champion a beacon of light that shined so bright! We're truly heartbroken and our prayers are with the family and friends.”

Wednesday June 14, 2023

ARIES(Mar.21–Apr.19

Emotionally,youshouldfeel goodtoday,Aries,sodon'tlet this confidence go to waste. Do things with your sweetheart and turn the dial uponromance.

TAURUS (Apr. 20–May 20)

Asmuchasyoutrytoexplain things, Taurus, others simply aren't going to see them with your same intensity and door-dieurgency

GEMINI (May 21–June 20)

Feel free to ignite your passion with the help of the people around you, Gemini Join with those who share similardreamsandmakeaplan for accomplishing whatever youchoose.

CANCER (June 21–July 22)

You may get caught up in gossip if you aren't careful, Cancer, and people may find this off-putting.The maturity level of the conversation is apttodropsignificantly

LEO(July23–Aug.22)

Your enthusiasm is contagious, Leo, and you should do what you can to sharethisfeelingwithothers. In matters of the heart, have confidence that you know exactlywhereyoustand.

VIRGO (Aug. 23–Sept. 22)

You may be at a high point right now and feeling very excited about things to come, Virgo. You probably anticipate buthaveonlyavaguenotionof what's just over the horizon.

Doverhailscomposition....

LIBRA(Sept.23–Oct.22)

Let your heart be the reassuring force in your life today if difficult emotional issues come to the surface, Libra.Yourfeelingsareaptto beataclimacticpointinyour month.

SCORPIO (Oct. 23–Nov. 21)

Be open and communicative about your feelings today, Scorpio. Most people find it easytosharefactsorconcrete information.Thechallengeis tosharesomethingfromyour heart.

SAGIT(Nov.22–Dec.21)

When you enter a room, Sagittarius, the dynamic suddenly changes. Your presence has a powerful impactonotherpeople.

CAPRI (Dec. 22–Jan. 19)

When it comes to issues of love and romance, you're likely to be in a tough situation, Capricorn The problem is that it may seem like there's an element of detachmentdeveloping.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20–Feb. 18)

Your self-confidence will get you out of any sort of pickle you might be in today, Aquarius. Try not to get too emotionalaboutanyissue.

PISCES (Feb. 19–Mar. 20)

Trynottogettooworkedupover other people's actions that don't concern you, Pisces Recent events may have triggered responses from others that now haveaseriouseffectonyou.

From page 29 aim is to continue to prepare and try to do their best to get results. He cited Venezuela as an example of a team that was once considered the whipping boys of the South American continent but kept going until they became a formidable force.

If successful against Grenada on June 17, the Golden Jaguars will face the winner between Guadalupe andAntigua and Barbuda for a chance to play in the Main Draw against Canada, Guatemala,andCubainGroup D.

Initially, Guyana would've played the winner between Trinidad and Tobago and Guatemala, but Trinidad and Tobago have since qualified for the 2023 CONCACAF Gold Cup main draw followingaverdictfromFIFA.

The Trinidad and Tobago Football Association won a protestagainstNicaragua,who fielded an ineligible player during the Concacaf Nations League This included the player playing in a 2-1 win over T&T and also topping GroupCinLeagueB.

The Angus Eve-led squad will replace Nicaragua in Group B and be grouped alongside Jamaica, USA and one of the winning teams from theGoldCupPrelims.

Three-time Olympic medalist

Tori Bowie, seen here in 2016, was found dead in her home in Florida last month. She was 32. (Ian MacNicol/Getty Images)

Job done, says Jokic, as Nuggets beat Heat to win first NBA title

(Reuters) - The Denver Nuggets beattheMiamiHeat 94-89 on Monday to bring a first NBA title to Mile High City, with Serbian big man Nikola Jokic scoring 28 points and being named the Most Valuable Player of the Finals.

With a raucous capacity crowd packed into Ball Arena ready to celebrate, the Nuggets ended a 47-year championship wait by taking thebest-of-sevenseries4-1.

Once again the Nuggets wereledbyJokic,whohitfor a double-double of 28 points and 16 rebounds to cap a dominating postseason performance.

"The job is done, we can go home now," said Jokic, whose trophy case also

reboundstotheDenvercause while Canadian Jamal Murray chipped in with 14 points.

Jimmy Butler led Miami with21points.

The eighth-seeded Heat had defied the odds throughout the postseason, taking out the Milwaukee Bucks,NewYorkKnicksand Boston Celtics, but the challenge facing them on Monday was a near impossibleone.

Of the 36 teams that have fallen behind 3-1 in an NBA Finals only one, the 2016

Two.

It was all hands on deck for the Heat with guard Tyler Herro, who had been out of action for nearly two months with a broken right hand, made available for the game butnevergotonthefloor.

Miami started smartly, jumpingahead5-0beforethe Nuggetsshiftedintogearand wentona12-0run,whipping thecrowdintofrenzy

But after a timeout the refocused Heat went on a 112 run of their own to retake leadasawildopeningquarter endedwithMiamiup24-22.

includes two NBA MVP Awards. "It was an amazing effortbytheteam.

"Thatiswhybasketballis a fun sport, it is a live thing, you cannot say this going to happen, there are so many factors.

"I'm just happy we won thegame."

Michael Porter Jr contributed 16 points and 13

Cleveland Cavaliers, came back to claim the Larry O'Brien Championship Trophy

Making the task even more daunting, Ball Arena has been a virtual fortress for theNuggets, who were9-1 at home during the postseason comingintoGameFive.

That one loss, however, coming to Miami in Game

In the second quarter turnovers and poor shooting continued to plague the Nuggets as they went a woeful 1-15 from beyond the arc while the resilient Heat held steady in the BallArena pressure cooker, taking a 5144advantageintothebreak.

The Nuggets came out with urgency in a bruising third quarter that finished with the Heat clinging to a 71-70lead.

Hoping to send the series back to Miami for Game Six, Butler tried to come to the rescue late in the fourth scoring eight consecutive points, two free throws putting the Heat ahead 89-88 with just under two minutes remaining.

But the Nuggets would notbedenied,aBruceBrown lay-upgivingDenvera90-89 leadtheywouldneverletgo.

Standing on the podium c e l e b r a t i n g a f i r s t championship, Nuggets coach Michael Malone took the opportunity to fire up supporters even more, telling them more titles were on the way.

The Denver Nuggets celebrate after center Nikola Jokic (15) was awarded the Bill Russell NBA Finals MVP Award after winning the 2023 NBA Finals against the Miami Heat at Ball Arena. (Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports)

Mahaica, Dynamics and Buxton Stars cop latest wins in Namilco U17 tournament – EDA leg

The East Demerara

A s s o c i a t i o n (EDA) leg of the NAMILCO Thunderbolt 'Flour Power' Under -17

Football tournament continued on Sunday with three exciting matches. As the competition progresses a number of promising young talents are emerging

However, Sunday as they battled it out on the field saw Mahaica FC, Dynamics FC and Buxton Stars FC becoming the latest winners in the EDA leg of the competition.

Match 1: BV FC 0 - 1

MahaicaFC

Thefirstmatchoftheday saw a closely contested e n c o u n t e r b e t w e e n

Beterverwagting (BV) FC andMahaicaFC.Bothteams displayed excellent defence in first fifteen minutes of the clash.However,MahaicaFC managed to later secure a narrow victory with a single goal from striker Trevon Poter

Poter's precision strike in the 16th minute left the BV FC defence helpless. The goal did not only give MahaicaFCtheleadbutalso b o o s t e d t h e t e a m ' s confidencefortheremainder ofthegame.

Match 2: Dynamics FC

4-0HaslingtonFC

The second match featured Dynamics FC and Haslington FC, a contest which turned out to be a dominant performance by Dynamics FC boys Mahaica's victory was decorated with a brilliant hat trick from Bryan Wharton. Theteamwasattackingfrom the first whistle; netting an impressive four goals to shut their opponents out of the game. Joshua Holder set the

tone in the 9th minute; breaking the deadlock with a well-executed goal His strike injected enormous energy into his team. Shortly after, Wharton further extended Dynamics FC's lead with three clinical finishesinthe24th,51st,and

FC1-0Ann'sGroveFC

T h e f i n a l m a t c h witnessed a tightly contested affair between Buxton Stars FC and Ann's Grove FC. Both teams exhibited good patience throughout the match, vying for a crucial win. However, in the 27th

64th minutes to push the Haslington side on the back foot.Hisgoal-scoringability was on full display on Sunday evening, as the Haslington FC defenders struggled to contain him. D y n a m i c s F C ' s comprehensive victory secured them a valuable threepointsmovingforward.

Match 3: Buxton Stars

minute of the game, Buxton Stars FC's Andrew Collins proved to be the differencemaker as he found the back of the net to secure the only goal of the match. Despite Ann'sGroveFC'sbestefforts to mount a comeback, the Buxton Stars FC defence held firm, ensuring a clean sheet and the important victory

Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce celebrating her 100m victory at the 2022 World Championships in Eugene.

Fraser-Pryce says motivation motiv is still there to compete

SportsMax - Normally at 36-years-old, Track & Field athletes are way past theirprimeandgettingready towalkawayfromthesport. Shelly-Ann FraserPryce, however, is not normal.

The three-time Olympic Champion is coming off the bestseasonofhercareerand, quite possibly, the best individual season any sprinter, male or female, has had in the history of the sport.

TheJamaicanwon11out of the 12 100m races she competed in and her times were as follows: 10 67, 10.67, 10.70, 10.87, 10.93, 10.67, 10.66, 10.67, 10.62, 10.74 and 10.65. The third 10.67performancewasdone to win her fifth World Championship title at the E u g e n e W o r l d Championships last July where she also ran 21.81 for 200msilver

For her exploits, the legendary sprinter was named the Laureus Sportswoman of the Year at theprestigious2023Laureus Sports Awards in Paris in

May

With all that in mind, why would someone want to walk away from a sport at theirbestbecauseofage?

Fraser-Pryce has that samequestion.

“Ageism is something that we should talk about because I hate the fact that a basketball player or a footballplayercanplaysport at 40, a Nascar driver or an F1 driver is 42 or 50 and he gets to continue but why can't I continue?” FraserPryce said in an interview withAthleticsWeekly

“It's my job and as long as I'm showing up healthy, I'm going to re-write the books and I'm excited about that,”sheadded.

Fraser-Pryce says she hopes to keep inspiring athletes of all generations by showing them that anyone, no matter your age, can achieve great things if they puttheirmindtoit.

“I'm hoping that I can continue not just to inspire other athletes but myself because my coach tells me every day 'you know you're 36, right?' and I'm like 'yeah

Djokovic returns to world number one, Nadal out of top 100

(Reuters) - Novak Djokovic reclaimed the world number one ranking from Carlos Alcaraz after winning his men's record 23rd Grand Slam title at the French Open, while Rafa Nadal dropped out of the top 100 forthefirsttimein20years.

Djokovic, 36, began his recordextending388thweekatthesummiton Monday, jumping two places in the standings after his victory in Paris at theweekend.

He beat Spaniard Alcaraz in the semi-finalsofthetournament.

Alcaraz dropped to second place while Daniil Medvedev, who crashed out in the first round, also slid one place down to third. Roland Garros

runner-up Casper Ruud remained in fourthplace.

Nadal, a 14-times French Open champion, has endured an injuryplagued season and not played since January because of a hip injury sustainedduringtheAustralianOpen.

The 37-year-old has dropped from 15thto136thintherankingsduetohis continued absence from the tour He underwent earlier this month surgery and is expected to be out for five months.

In the women's rankings, Iga Swiatek retained top spot after defending her French Open title. She has held the ranking since April 2022, moving to the summit following Ash

Barty'sretirement.

Aryna Sabalenka, who won the Australian Open in January, had the chance to overtake Swiatek but lost to Karolina Muchova in the semi-finals and remained in second place. French Open finalist Muchova climbed from 43rdtoacareer-high16th.

Reigning Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina, who withdrew before her third-round match in Paris due to illness,climbeduponeplacetothird.

Jessica Pegula dropped two places to fifth, while Beatriz Haddad Maia became the first Brazilian woman to reach the top 10 following her dream run to the semi-finals of the French Open.

that's crazy!' Gone are the days where, at 36, most athletes would have been retired at home doing somethingelseathome,”she said.

“I still feel good; I still feel hungry and it's just amazing to see what I've beenabletoaccomplishover the years and the body of work. I think, at this stage, it's really about impact and showing female athletes, or athletes overall, what you can do if you really have that conviction, and, the things that we tell ourselves, if we continue to work at that then greatness is possible from that.

For me, it's getting up every morning feeling rejuvenated; still feeling like there is something I'm chasingthatisrightthereand I'm almost touching it, I just need a little more push,” Fraser-Pryceadded.

S h e i s c u r r e n t l y recovering from a knee injury she sustained just a day before she was set to open her season at the Kip Keino Classic in Nairobi on May13.

Serbia's Novak Djokovic kisses the trophy in front of the Eiffel Tower after winning the men's singles French Open title. (REUTERS/Clodagh Kilcoyne)

- “I still feel good; I still feel hungry”

Dynamics FC goalscorers Joshua Holder and Bryan Wharton.

GCB announces strong under-19 team for CWI Rising Star Regional under-19 in St. Vincent

The Guyana Cricket Board (GCB) has announced a strong National under-19 team to participate in this year's Cricket West Indies (CWI) Rising Stars Regional under-19 tournament to be played in St Vincent and the GrenadinesfromJuly2,2023.

The Junior Selection Panel led by Chairman Andre Percival, has named a 14-man squad with ten (10) players returning from last year's regional tournament where Guyana finished in third place in thethree-daytournament.

Last year's tournament did not featureaSuper50format.

The regional tournament this year welcomes the return of the Super50 format which gives players an extended opportunity to showcasetheirtalent.

Outstanding performances during the tournament can ensure players stake a claim for selection in the West Indies under-19 team thatwillbeselectedtoparticipatein nextyear'sYouthWorldCup.

Talented batsman Mavindra Dindyalhasbeenappointedcaptain of the team this year with Jonathan Rampersaudashisdeputy

The squad also includes gifted o p e n i n g b a t s m a n R a m p e r t abRamnauthwhohas already scored centuries for Guyana at the under-15, under-17, andunder-19levels.

Express West Indies under-19 pacer Isai Thorn e i s a l s o in the squad along with Shamar Yearwood who scored a Senior

Inter-County four-day century earlierthisyear Yearwoodwasalso theleadingrunscorerforGuyanaat lastyear'sRegional.

The four (4) newcomers are wicketkeeper batsman Sahid Vieira, fast-bowler Joash Charles, left-armspinnerAryanPersaudand batting all-rounder Thaddeus Lovell.

Percival will return as the Head Coach as well as Budhesh Chatterpaul returning as the Manager.The team will commence encampmentshortly

The full squad reads: Rampertab Ramnauth, Shaahid Vieira (WK), Mavindra Dindyal (Captain),AlvinMohabir,Jonathan Rampersaud (Vice-Captain),

Zachary Jodah, Thaddeus Lovell, Aryan Persaud, Joash Charles, Zeynul Ramsammy, Shamar Yearwood,JeremySandia,Rivaldo PhillipsandIsaiThorne.

The reserves are Myheim Khan, Chanderpaul Ramraj, Ezekiel Wilson, Kevin Kisten, Nityanand Mathura, Krishna Singh,andSachinBalgobin.

Ramnauth, Rampersaud shine in BCB/Arjune Nandu grassroots tourney

The Berbice Cricket Board (BCB) hosted an exciting one-day grass root tournament sponsored by excricketer Arjune Nandu, featuring teams; Port Mourant Cricket Club, Whim, Tain Block Four and the University of Guyana Tain Campus.

In the opening round played this past weekend, PMCC defeated Tain Block four while University got past Whim after national youth batsman Jonathan Rampersaud hit abrilliant92.

In the final which were played in front of a large and vocal crowd, UG amassed 127 for 9 from 15

overs.G.Seenarine43,N.Khan29 and A. Ramsammy 15, the main scorers. M. Budram took 3 for 21 andJoshuaRamsammy2for12. Inreply,PortMourantachieved victory with one ball to go as fans celebrated when they reached 128 for 6, thanks to the cool hands of national player and skipper

Rampertab Ramnauth, who led the waywith66.

For their efforts, the winning team received $40,000 while the runner-up, pocketed GYD$20,000 twentythousanddollars.

BCB president Hilbert Foster expressed congratulations to the t e a m s f o r o u t s t a n d i n g

performances during the day and alsothankedNandu.

The former Guyana allrounder, who hails from Port Mourant, played just a handful of games for his country during the late 80's into the early 90's and has been keen on giving back to his county

The victorious PMCC team

Isai Thorne

Mavindra Dindyal Rampertab Ramnauth

Dover hails composition of Golden Jaguars 23-man squad

-GuyanatofaceGrenadaonSaturdayatCONCACAFGoldCupPrelims

By Rawle Toney

G

g e a r i n g u p f o r t h e

CONCACAF

Gold Cup

Preliminary round, with Head Coach Jamaal Shabazz and his assistant, Wayne Dover, announcing the 23man squad that will be taking onGrenadaonJune17.

Guyana is making its third appearance at the Gold Cup, but has only once played in the tournament's Main Draw which came in 2019,whilebowingoutatthe preliminaryroundin2021.

The Golden Jaguars will roar into action against the menfromtheSpiceIsleatthe DRV PNK Stadium in Fort Lauderdale, Florida from 9:00pm on Saturday, and prior to the team's selection, Dover had lamented that the best-possible players will make the cut when the time comes.

Dover and Shabazz leaned on Samuel Cox, Liam Gordon, Emery Welshman,

Akel Clarke, Kai McKenzieLyle, Elliot Bonds, Kadel

Daniel, Neil Danns, Stephen Duke-McKenna, Trayon Bobb, Omari Glasgow, Curtez Kellman and Daniel Wilson, given the fact that they were part of the team that played against

Guatemala in the last outing of the Gold Cup, in the

uyana's Senior Men's National Football Team isWayne Dover will lead the Golden Jaguars into battle in the absence of head coach Jamaal Shabazz.

preliminaryround.

Jonathan Grant, Jalen Jones, Marcus Simmons, Tre Mitford,DeonMoore,Renell McKenzie-Lyle, Leo Lovell and Daniel Wilson will be having their first taste of the CONCACAFshowpiece.

Following the team's selection, Dover hailed the composition of the team,

pointing out, “as we started our preparation, we've seen somesteadyprogressthatwe will continue to build towards the game. We have our players back, up and running on four cylinders. We are confident that we have the skillset to compete andgiveagoodresult.”

Guyanaisranked170and Grenada 166 in the FIFA Men's World Ranking, while CONCACAF ranks Guyana at18andGrenadaat25.

The Golden Jaguars qualified for the Concacaf Gold Cup Prelims following a second place finish in Group C of League B in the 2022–23 Concacaf Nations

League.

Dover will be deputizing for Shabazz who is unable to travel with the team for the important engagement in Florida.

However, this is not new territory for Dover, who has previously served as the country's Senior Men's NationalTeamHeadcoachin 2009–2010andthenagainin 2017.

In fact, Dover was at the helm of the Golden Jaguars' last outing against Grenada –an International Friendly in 2017attheGrenadaNational Stadium, St George's –wheretheylost1-0.

Despite their confidence

and preparation, Dover is managing expectations and notmakinganyguaranteesof victory, only stating, “the gamewillbecompetitive;the team that plays well, makes the least mistakes and score their chances will mostlikelycomeoutthewinner.”

“Internally, the players know what they're preparing for and they're confident as well in our approach to the game and we know collectivelywecandoagood job, so there's no hype amongst the staff. We know there's a process in how we go about the game,” Dover added.Doverstatedthattheir (Continued on page 25)

CPL and Saint Lucia Kings partner in new Schools' Tournament

The Republic Bank Caribbean Premier League (CPL) and the Saint Lucia Kings have partnered with the Saint Lucian Ministry of Youth Development and Sports to createanewUnder19sschoolsT20 cricket tournament that will take place from Monday 26 June to Friday7July2023.

The Under-19s Schools T20 Xplosion will see the best cricketing talent from across Saint Lucia competeinT20matchesattheGros Islet and La Ressource playing fields.Thetournamentwillprovide an invaluable opportunity for the youngpeopleofSaintLuciatoplay competitivecricketinafriendlyyet professionalenvironment.

There will be eight teams, each one representing one of the educational districts across the country The teams will be picked via draft from a list of players provided by PE teachers and coaches with each squad having 15 players.

The eight teams will be split into two groups of four with the top two teams from each group reachingtheknockoutstages.

The Honourable Kenson Casimir, Minister for Youth Development and Sports said:“I amvery happy as the Minister for Youth Development and Sports for Saint Lucia that CPL has seen it fit to have a T20 cricket competition amongst our schools in SaintLucia.”

“I am very elated that Saint Lucia will be the first Caribbean island to host this competition. I think it will auger well for the development of the sport. The Ministry continues to provide support through coaching and equipment to our schools. So I am looking forward to a very exciting tournament right hereinSaintLucia.”

Pete Russell, CEO of the Caribbean Premier League, said:

best

cketing talent across the Caribbean and it is vital that all stakeholders play their part in developing these young players and in doing so create a lifelong love of our wonderful sport. We wish all the young cricketers taking part all the ”

SatishMenon,CEOoftheSaint Lucia Kings, said: “It's our privilege to partner with the CPL and the Ministry of Youth Development and Sports for this tournament. We at the Saint Lucia

Kings areexcitedtoprovideaplatformfor the incredible cricket talent here. Hopefully, this will provide a springboard for the young cricketers to take it to the next level.” (CPL)

Veteran Neil Danns was named in the Golden Jaguars 23-man squad for the CONCACAF Gold Cup

Hope and Shepherd score fifties, Cariah stars with the ball as West Indies beat Scotland by 91 runs

SportsMax - Yannic Cariah claimed four wickets while captain, Shai Hope, and Romario Shepherd both hit fifties as the West Indies defeated Scotland by 91 runs yesterday in their first warm-up game before the ICC World Cup Qualifiers inZimbabwe.

The Scots won the toss andputtheWestIndiansin to bat at the Harare Sports Club.

Hope top scored with a 65-ball 57 while Shepherd provided some valuable lower-order hitting with a brisk 34-ball 53 as the Windiesposted264in48.4 overs.Hope's knock contained six fours while Shepherdhitfivefoursand threesixes.

Chris Sole took 4-50 from his 10 overs while Jack Jarvis and Chris Greaves each claimed threewicketsforScotland.

The West Indies then successfully defended the total, needing only 33.5 overstobowltheScotsout for173.

Cariah produced an excellent spell of bowling toclaim4-46innineovers while Roston Chase took 3-43from5.5overs.

Brandon McMullen and Matthew Cross were the chief scorers for Scotland with 38 and 35, respectively

The West Indies next warm-up match will take placeatthesamevenueon Thursday against the UAE.

Scores: West Indies 264 (48.4 overs) Hope 57, Shepherd 53, Carty 32, Chase 30; Sole 4-50, Jarvis 3-25, Greaves 3-49 beat Scotland 178 (33.5 overs) McMullen 38, Cross 35, Sole 25, Evans 24; Cariah 4-46, Chase 343 by 91 runs.

Shai Hope also scored a half-century.

Images)

Jawalla makes impressive start - Semis on today, Finale tomorrow

MANCHESTER, England

(AP) — Kylian Mbappe has told ParisSaint-Germainhewillnottake up the option of a 12-month extension on his contract, which expiresattheendofnextseason.

The France superstar confirmed his decision in a letter to PSG, a person with knowledge of the correspondence told The Associated Press on Monday The person spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorizedtocommentpublicly

ThepersonalsosaidPSGwould not allow Mbappe to leave as a free agent, raising the possibility of an immediate bidding war by other clubs and potential transfer this summer.The French club, which is ownedbyQatarSportsInvestments, hasalreadyseenLionelMessileave for nothing in return, with the Argentine great making a stunning movetoMLSteamInterMiami.

There is also uncertainty about the future of another PSG star — BrazilinternationalNeymar

But the potential departure of the 24-year-old Mbappe would be the greatest loss to PSG, given that he is a national icon and widely

considered one of the few players capable of taking over from Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo as soccer's biggeststar Mbappe had until July 31 to trigger a one-year extension to his contract. He has been at the club since 2017 after signing from Monaco in a transfer worth a reported$190million.

In 2021, PSG turned down a bid of $190 million from Real Madrid fortheWorldCup-winningforward, who went on to sign his current contract.MbappehopedtohelpPSG winitsfirstChampionsLeaguetitle, but the team suffered another disappointment in European soccer's top competition, which Manchester City went on to win by beating Inter Milan 1-0 in the final onSaturday

The young striker is likely to be

linked with a move to Madrid, particularly after Karim Benzema left the Spanish giant for Saudi ArabianteamAl-Ittihad.

Madrid has already agreed to a deal for England midfielder Jude Bellingham The potential acquisition of Mbappe would be a major statement of intent after it relinquished its Spanish league and ChampionsLeaguetitlesthisyear

PSG was planning a change of strategy after moves for the biggest stars failed to bring success in Europe.Thenewfocuswouldbeon young, French talent. Mbappe was expected to be at the heart of that shiftandithadbeenhopedhewould signalonger-termcontract.

Mbappe has won five French league titles with PSG and was a World Cup winner with France in 2018.

Mazaruni Under-18 Male FootballTournamentcommenced on Sunday and has seen three consecutive days of competition between the six teams at the EdwinUnitedSportsClub.

After the first two days, Jawalla was the only team with two consecutive victories while Waramadong (D C Fox Secondary), Kaikanand Kamarang were the other undefeated sides as Paruima and Kakoeachconcededaloss.

Yesterday - the third day, Paruima were billed to face Kaikan while Kako and Kamarang were fixed to battle in the second match of the doubleheader. The results of these matches will be published in tomorrow's issue.Tuesday's matches marked the end of the Groupstage,whichmeansthetop two teams from the two Groups will advance to the semi-final round.Thesemistakeplacetoday with the finale and third-place playofffixedforThursday,bothat thesamevenue.

On Sunday when the tournament sponsored by the Petra Organisation with support from Trophy Stall and MVP Sports began, Jawalla was able to secure a 1 - 0 result over

Kamarang while Kaikan and Waramadong played to a goalless draw In Jawalla's victory, Rickenson Jacobs' ninth-minute goal was all that separated the sidesattheregulationwhistle.

On Monday, Waramadong had a better day at the office as theyprevailed,2-1,overParuima while Jawalla let loose to dismantleKako,7-1.

The opening match on the second day saw Paruima draw first blood through Mansiz Chambersinthe13thminutethen gifted Waramadong with an own goalinthe50thminute.

The 2022 KFC Goodwill Champions, Waramadong, persevered and were rewarded with the lead when Carrinton Isaacsfoundthebackofthenetin the 67th minute - a lead that was notsquandered.

In the match that followed, Jawalla were led by doubles from Deon Williams (16' & 33') and Lebron Hunter (18' & 21') as a goal each came from Didan Hunter (40'), Bevon Jones (41') and Anthonio Isaacs (55') while Kako's consolation scorer was EurlRoland(57').

This tournament is organised by the Desrey Caesar-Fox Secondary

Kylian Mbappe informs PSG he will not trigger contract extension, AP source says

French footballer Kylian Mbappe walks through the paddock before the start of the Spanish Formula One Grand Prix at the Barcelona Catalunya racetrack in Montmelo, Spain, Sunday, June 4, 2023.

(AP

Photo/Joan Monfort)

Upper Mazaruni U-18 Male Football Tournament…

Yannic Cariah captured four wickets. (AFP/Getty Images)

(AFP/Getty

PGA/LIV golf merger could benefit Guyana in the future says GGA president

Following the global reveal that long-time rivals Professional Golf Tours (PGA) and Saudi-backed rival group, LIV Golf merger to createoneunifiedworldgolfentity, president of the Guyana Golf Association(GGA)AleemHussain believes the move could one day helpboostthefraternitylocally

According to Hussain, the GGA/Nexgen Golf has been actively involved in discussions to create a specialized partnership with several world golf organizations that will place Guyana on the map when it comes togolftourism.

"Over the past few months, we have been engaged in serious talks with these groups that are designed tobringworld-classgolfeventsand massive influx of tourism revenue to Guyana. We are very excited about thisAgreement that emerged todayandhopefullywillbemaking a s i m i l a r l y s i g n i f i c a n t announcement in the near future," saidGGAhead.

Guyana has risen to capture attention in the world of golf with theamazinggrowthofthesportina very short time due to the GGA's partnership with the Ministry of Education /Unit of Allied Arts, especially in the area of developing youthsandwomen.

Despite limited access to golf facilities, Guyana has excelled in CSEC Golf with several hundred students taking golf as a Physical

Education elective, citing Hussain to say that an international merger ofsuchmagnitudecouldeventually create a ripple-effect which will benefit all golf-playing nations in the future, with Guyana being one ofthehubsforthesportregionally He also believed that should Guyanahappentobenefitfromany major external entity, the sport will reach unimaginable heights, with regardtodevelopment,specifically the opening of golf courses across the country while more access to

overseas competitions and invitationalwillbecomesabitmore feasible with Guyanese golfers gettingtheopportunitytoshowcase skillsabroad.

Another huge plus according to Hussain, who is also one of Guyana'stopgolfers,isthemassive influx of talent which will be floodingthelocalscene, s h o u l d i n t e r n a t i o n a l relationships be forged following thisgroundbreakingmove.

He wrapped up by saying that the country has already been used to hosting hundreds of golfers as

The recent LIV/PGA merger could benefit the sport globally, Guyana included, says GG president Aleem Hussain.

part of the annual Guyana Open Cup Tournament and any outside impetus will only allow the fraternity to further grow, as Guyana has been a major hub for golfers from around the globe, for morethanadecade.

Meanwhile, the new agreement betweenthetwoentitieswillseethe PGA Tour's and LIV Golf's commercial businesses and rights being combined into a new, yet-tobe-named for-profit company The agreement includes the DP World Tour, also known as the PGA EuropeanTour

CLSS Samurais, GCC Challengers excite at Oceaneering U14 Indoor Hockey League

In a thrilling evening of indoor hockey, the Oceaneering U14 league witnessed some exciting matches in both the boys' and girls' divisions.

The CLSS Samurais, led by hattricks from Elizabeth Seedhan and Sarysha Phillips, clinched two impressive victories in the girls' division, defeating Hikers Junior Jetsby3-1andMultiby3-0.

The GCC Challengers also put up a dominant display, led by Kadence Belony and Hannah Percival,astheyrecordedthelargest victory margin in the girls' division with a 6-0 win over CLSS Scouts. Belony scored four goals, while Percival scored twice, leading their teamtoaresoundingvictory

The RISS Top Shelf Titans roundedoutthegirls'matcheswitha 3-0 victory over Multi, as theTitans put up a solid performance, with their defense holding strong against Multi'sattacks.

Intheboys'division,YMCAOld Fort continued their unbeaten run

with a convincing 8-0 win over Multi.

Leeman Mohabir was once again the top scorer for Old Fort, securing a hat-trick. Micah Smith and Richard Marques both scored doubles, while Alex Sealey completed the scoring for Old Fort withhisfirstgoalofthetournament.

The most exciting match of the evening was between the GCC Pitbulls and RISS Blade Running. ThematchsawRISSBladeRunning surge ahead with three unanswered goals, before GCC eventually sprung to life through the skilful exploitsofEganBulkan.

With Bulkan and Shawn King each scoring early in the second half, and the score tilted 3-1 in favour of Blade Running, Bulkan would close out the game with two more goals to draw the Pitbulls withinone.However,timewouldbe the nemesis of the Pitbulls and Bulkan as RISS Blade Running would enjoy a 4-3 victory at full time.

GG president Aleem Hussai

Sports)

Curtez Kellman will be pivotal in the midfield for Guyana against Grenada