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Fort Wellington NEWS crash leaves three dead, three injured AIETEUR

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

Tuesday Edition June 15, 2021 - Vol. 14 No. 24

Online: www.kaieteurnews.com Online Price $80 readership p. yesterday, 2 96,310

Govt. paying US company US$11.5M for boat to protect Guyana from invasion, piracy p.

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“Suicide is not the way out” ...Ministry says more counselling and

The children are our future and they too have joined the fight for a better Guyana.

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support services to be made available

Alleged CH&PA imposter charged Man sets house on p.

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fire to evict tenant

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Disciplinary action for Agri. Caribbean Airlines officials who fail to carry out resumes Miamip. flood relief instructions - Minister to G/T flights 12 p.

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Liza 1 & 2 licences to wipe out over a billion oil-equivalent

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barrels still shrouded in secrecy Bonus money alone could have doubled salaries and changed Guyana

Listen @11:00 AM & 7:20 PM on Kaieteur Radio 99.1/99.5FM

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Fort Wellington crash leaves 3 dead, 3 injured T

By Malisa Playter-Harry

hree persons are now dead following a vehicular accident yesterday on the Fort Wellington public road, West Coast Berbice. The dead persons have been identified as Carlos Edwards Jr., 23, of Lot 39

Stanleytown, New Amsterdam, Berbice; Hookumchand Parmanand, 61, an overseas-based Guyanese, and Shabana Latif, 36, of Brother's Village, East Bank Berbice. The injured are Joycelyn Cole, 27, her six-month old baby Carolyn Edwards, and Lakeram Mangal, 57, of Angoy's Avenue,

The mangled car

Tuesday June 15, 2021

Dead: Shabana Latif Dead: Hookumchand Parmanand New Amsterdam.

Reports suggest that the accident occurred sometime around 05:00 hrs.

Police said Edwards Jr., with the others being passengers, was proceeding west (to Georgetown) along the southern side of the Fort Wellington public road in his car HC 6077 at a fast rate at the time of the accident.

Kaieteur News understands that Edwards Jr. was negotiating a left bend in the road when he lost control of the vehicle causing it to slam into the concrete and mesh fence of the Guyana Elections Commission's office before ploughing into a utility pole and then finally turning turtle in a drain on the side of the road. As a result of

the collision, the driver and passengers sustained injuries about their bodies.

They were all taken to the Fort Wellington Public Hospital where they were seen and examined by a doctor on duty. Edwards Jr. and passengers, Parmanand and Latif, were pronounced dead on arrival.

The other passengers were treated and later transferred to the New Amsterdam Public Hospital for further medical treatment. Mangal, who sustained lacerations about his head, is said to be in a critical condition.

He was transferred to the Georgetown Public Hospital. Cole's condition is regarded as stable, while little Carolyn Edwards' condition is regarded as critical but stable.

Meanwhile at the Brother's

Dead: Carlos Edwards Jr. (the driver) Village, East Bank Berbice home of Latif, her husband, Ramsammy Kisten a hire car driver, said he took his wife to the park at New Amsterdam so that she could access transportation to travel to Georgetown.

Her son, he said, is hospitalised at the Georgetown Public Hospital with a neck injury. Kisten said that she has been going back and forth daily to take meals for her son at the hospital. He added that they are poor people and so it was cheaper for her to take public transportation for the visits.

"I carry she by the park and we wait till the car man pull up and ask (continued on page 16)

Kaieteur News

Tuesday June 15, 2021

PAGE 03

Govt. paying US company US$11.5M for boat to protect Guyana from invasion, piracy I

By Shervin Belgrave

t was revealed yesterday, that the Government has made a down payment of US$3M (G$618M) to an American company called Metal Shark Boats, to build an offshore patrol vessel to protect Guyana should there be a Venezuelan “incursion.”

Guyana is expected to pay a total sum of US$11.5M for the boat.

At least this is according to Minister of Parliamentary Affairs and Governance, Gail Teixeira. She made this revelation during the 29th Sitting of the 12th Parliament held at the Arthur Chung Conference Centre, Liliendaal, Greater Georgetown.

Teixeira was at the time making a case on behalf of the Government for using money from the Contingency Fund to make

the down payment on May 20, 2021. The sum was eventually approved by a majority vote.

While making her case, however, she said, “Mr. Speaker the decision to move to acquire an offshore patrol vessel, a new one, was taught to be an urgent matter, because of some incursions that have taken place in our waters.”

Prior to making that statement, Teixeira had told

the House, “As you would remember, Guyana has a territorial issue with our neighbour (Venezuela) in a matter that is before the ICJ (International Court of Justice).”

The Minister went on to note that Guyana currently has one old vessel, the GDFS Essequibo, which she said, “has not been doing well.”

She said that in order to better protect Guyana's territory, acquiring the new

“Suicide is not the way out” - Ministry reminds

G

overnment through its Human Services and Social Security Ministry is aiming to make available more counselling and support services to members of the public. This was underscored in a joint statement the Ministry issued with its Childcare and Protection Agency (CPA).

The statement was triggered by the death of a teenager, Sarah Narine, by way of suicide. Condolences were extended to the parents, family and friends of the child.

Describing her death as an unfortunate occurrence that must be investigated by the relevant authorities, it was noted in the statement, that a move in this direction was initiated by the Ministry a n d t h e C PA , i n collaboration with the Guyana Police Force (GPF).

B a s e d o n a n investigation conducted by

- says more counselling and support services to be made available

the CPA, which saw its officials speaking with school staff, students and parents, it was deduced that there was an issue at the school involving the child that required special skills and guidance to deal with the matter. “The persons at the school, at the time, apparently tried their best that they knew in the situation,” the statement added.

The CPA, it was noted, will share all its findings with the GPF, which has to give t h e d e f i n i t i v e pronouncement on the cause of death and investigation.

Nevertheless, it was underscored that “suicide is not the way out. It is an unfortunate choice that some resort to, to escape situations/emotions they cannot handle. People who commit suicide should not be judged, as this act is a deep cry for help and may be seen by them as their only way

Man sets house on fire to evict tenant

A

landlord is now in hiding after he reportedly set his house on fire to get rid of his tenant. According to a police report, the suspect has been identified as 56-year-old Mumtaz Ali, of 152 Better Hope, East Coast Demerara.

The report stated that around 19:00 hrs. on Sunday, at Ali's address, he set his room on fire due to a reported conflict he had with his tenant.

This publication understands that Ali had served his female tenant a lawyer's letter to remove

from his premises but she failed to comply.

The tenant reported to the police that she and her children were selling food on the road when they observed smoke coming from the house. It was also reported to the police that the tenant and her children saw the landlord running from the house and into the neighbour's yard.

The police and the Guyana Fire Service (GFS) were summoned and firefighters managed to extinguish the fire, which only caused damage to the house.

out.”

This kind of loss, the statement added, is especially hard on the survivors, who may be haunted with the thoughts of, “Could this have been prevented?” or “Did I miss the signs?” These questions, it was noted, “may never get answered, and they hurt from loss that will never go away.”

It was noted that CPA Director, Ann Greene, also met with the parents of the child, had an in-depth discussion with them and o f f e r e d t h e C PA a n d Ministry's support as they face this difficult loss.

Cognisant that the survivors (family members, classmates and friends) may be experiencing an overwhelming number of complicated emotions and need support and encouragement, the Ministry and the CPA have committed to providing the emotional

support and intense counselling required by the survivors.

“There are many factors that can influence a person's decision to commit suicide, and we are encouraging all involved to be mindful of the blame game, since this would not change what has occurred and has the potential to fuel further damage,” the statement added.

Stressing, “This is a life gone too soon, and u n d e r s t a n d a b l y, t h e survivors (her loved ones, fellow students and teachers) are dealing with the trauma of such a loss,” the statement added, “What is needed now is compassion for the survivors.”

In light of this, it was acknowledged that there is definitely a clear need for more trained counsellors to be readily available to students.

Minister of Parliamentary Affairs and Governance, Gail Teixeira vessel is necessary.

She further posited that the vessel will not only serve to protect the country if there is an incursion in its waters, but will build the Guyana Defence Force's (GDF) coast guards' capacity to deal with piracy, illegal fishing, etc.

The Minister was challenged by the APNU+AFC opposition to

tell the House when the decision was made to acquire the vessel from the American company. Teixeira did not reveal this, but related that consultation was done with five leading ship builders before a contract was signed between the GDF and Metal Shark Boats to construct the vessel.

She pointed out that the vessel will be a custom built one to suit Guyana's need and was designed by the GDF. She explained that the agreement signed in this regard provides for a sixpayment schedule (the first made on May 20, 2021) which will run into 2022.

Teixeira said that the vessel will take a year to complete and the final payment will be made when the vessel is completed and delivered.

Metal Shark Boats is a shipbuilder that specialises in the design and production of boats and ships for military, law enforcement, fire rescue, and a wide spectrum of commercial applications.

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Tuesday June 15, 2021

Kaieteur News

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

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

EDITORIAL

Leadership trash talk when temperance should be standard No! We are not talking of watching how much liquor we drink, whether the hard or softer stuff, or not drinking alcohol at all. We at this paper write today of how we see things in our society in the lack of temperance in our exchanges with each other, the way we use (abuse) the gift of communicating, which we take for granted and handle in ways that are dirty, shabby and ugly.

The concentration of our attention is on those who say they are about leading us forward, except that when there is review, there is so much that is missing.

We have problems in this society, many serious problems on multiple fronts. We can manage them, by confronting them and working to overcome them. But we will only succeed in doing so, if and when we are about what is truthful (the whole of it) and helpful to the greatest many in this nation. We can and will overpower our difficulties, when we are sincere in our commitments (thoroughly and consistently so) to bring about the changes that mean something for the hopeful of this society. And we will give ourselves a chance to flourish when we are truthful (principled) and sincere (genuine) in the deeds that are placed before peers and people, be they supporters or disbelievers.

When our leaders are about these things, then they are about temperance. They can be moderate, because there is the confidence that they have done their best to do right.

That is, right when and as judged by any man, any tribunal, any history, any present or future evaluation. When they do right, to the best of their ability and with their all, then they reek of the mental and emotional temperance that comes from confidence.

But when they play games, when they do wrong, when they mislead, then they have to misinform. When they do so, leaders have no choice: they have to resort to, and shelter under, rising intemperance. It is where anything and everything that is touched by Guyana’s political leaders, most times in government, not much less in opposition, must be covered up by the dissembling, by distracting, by deceiving.

They have tried that before, and they try more of that today. And when pressed with sharp and sharper questions, they lash out with intemperate speech. They cannot be calm, since their exposed world crumbles. They cannot be restrained, since they have hidden so much, and when they sense collapsing walls, they lash out.

They brutalise with savaging words first. Some Guyanese are so retarded, clearly unlearned and ignorant, that they do not understand, so small-brained they are.

Leaders desire a totally passive and thoughtless population, one which drools over their mis-stated words, their misdeeds. So, they insult with the intemperate: only a fool would not understand, those with the minutest of minds could, but not fools. This is how they seek to batter Guyanese into submission, through the leadership curses and condemnations. Our leaders are so full of themselves, so carried away by the sound of their childish furious voices, that they are not content with deceits on the management of the nation’s oil. Thus, they move to manifest that same intemperance of speech with gold and precious minerals, while struggling to draw a veil over the wrongs that they have done, through the partnerships in which they have engaged.

They beat upon and bash down. And because they think they are doing well and getting away with their intemperate standards, the current crop of national leaders extend their barbarous intemperance into the realm of municipal governance, with who did what (or didn’t) about flooding following sustained torrential downpours. The existing standard is to shout down and beat down into silence. To make those who stand in the way see things the way of failed leaders. And if there is insistence on resistance, then get out of the way, for more of the raging intemperance is coming to undermine and upend. This verbal leadership culture could be called political trash talk. We at this paper will take the high road and label it intemperance, an acute and chronic lack of the temperance needed at every level in this society.

June 4 marked the 28th Anniversary of Shane Warne’s historic bowling DEAR EDITOR June 4, 2021 marked 28 years since Shane Keith Warne bowled what is considered by many cricketing analysts as the “Ball of the Century,” “The Ball from Hell,” “The Wonder Ball” or simply, “The Ball.”

It was the first ball bowled

by Warne in a Test match in England. Mike Gatting that stocky and gritty English batsman who several commentators posited would normally eat spinners for breakfast faced the ball. England was cruising at 1 for 80 chasing a small Australian total.

This is how Paul Barry in his book, ‘Spun Out, Shane Warne – The Authorised Biography of a Cricketing Genius,’ described the delivery, “The bare facts of it are that at 3:06pm on 4 June 1993, a leg break from Warne landed outside Gatting’s leg stump at Old Trafford and spun 60 centimeters or roughly 2 feet to the left, clipping the top of the off stump and removing the bail.

But that doesn’t describe how amazing it was. I remember thinking it was impossible for the ball to have spun pass Gatting’s bat and hit the wicket.

And that’s clearly what Gatting thought too. Looking back at the tapes, what immediately strike you is how quickly the ball comes through and how slowly the batsman departs.

The ball drifts, dips, spits off the pitch and wreaks its havoc in about the time it takes to blink twice. Gatting stares at his wicket, then at

the umpire, clearly expecting a reprieve, and stands there for almost 10 seconds.” Finally, Gatting tucked his bat under his arm and trudged off, shaking his head in disbelief.

Ian Botham, England’s hero, later quipped that no one had seen Gatts so crossed since the day someone stole his lunch. I watched the ball live on television and I was amazed. I recently looked at a replay and was equally astonished with what the ball did.

Warne got three other wickets in the innings.

Another four more dismissals in the second innings earned him the Man of the Match. Australia won the match easily. Warne repeated his performance in the next Test with eight wickets, which Australia won.

During the series, he bagged 34 wickets. At the end of the fourth Test with Australia leading 3-0, Gooch resigned as captain. Chairman of selectors, Ted Dexter, at the end of the series fell on his sword, having used 24 different players in a desperate effort to turn things around.

England sacked seven players including Gatting, and had to hold a cocktail party so new ones could get to know each other.

In relation to the ball, Shane Warne wrote in ‘Shane Warne, My Autobiography,’ “In the second or so it took to leave my hand, serve to pitch outside leg stump, fuzz past the batsman’s lunge forward and clip off stump, my life did change.” According to cricket analyst and author,

Paul Barry, apart from Shane Warne’s leg break, he has four others in his box of tricks which are the ones that really cause damage: the flipper - the skidding back spinner that keeps low and stay straight; the zooter - which is like a flipper that runs out of gas. It looks like a leg break but floats out the front of the fingers with some backspin on it and then goes straight on.

Then there is the top spinner, which is bowled with over spin not side spin.

This one loops in the air, drops shorter than you expect and bounces high off the pitch without turning; then there’s the wrong’ un, the one that spins from off to leg as you look at it from the batsman’s point of view.

Also called the googly, it goes the other way to the standard leg break. I may also want to add sledging as a weapon. Batsmen around the world suddenly realised that Shane Warne had a weapon that could pierce any armour.

Some analysts referred to it like an Exocet missile that the British unleashed against Argentina during the Falklands War. In 1992, Shane Warne had an unimpressive entry into Test cricket against India. After 40 overs, he got the wicket of Ravi Shastre caught by Dean Jones for 206. His overall figures in the series were 1 for 228.

He was subsequently dropped from the Test team.

He was later recalled and went on to play 145 Test matches, bowled 40,705 balls, took 705 wickets, best bowling 8 for 71,

best match figures 12 for 128, average 25.42 and an economy rate of 2.65. He bamboozled batsmen across the world. Only Sachin Tendulkar and our own, Brian Charles Lara, the Prince of Port-ofSpain who later became the King of the Cricketing World, on numerous occasions tamed him.

Lara and Warne were fierce competitors on the field of play, but they developed a bromance relationship off the field. In 2000, Warne was named one of Wisden Cricketers of the Century.

He was arguably among the greatest bowlers ever to play the game. He excelled with the ball in all formats of the game. He was a reasonable low order batsman, scoring 3,154 runs.

He is the only batsman to score over 3,000 runs in Test cricket without recording a career century.

He scored 99 in a test match. That significant single eluded him. He retired in 2007, some experts said that it was a little too early.

I believe that this is a good time for me to close my innings.

However, many more titillating facts about the, “Ball of the Century,” “The Ball from Hell,” “The Wonder Ball,” or, “The Ball” and the magnificent achievements of Shane Keith Warne can be gleaned from Crickinfo and ‘Spun Out…’ Yours truly, Clinton Conway Assistant Commissioner of Police (RETIRED)

We have leaders in government (opposition, too) who have demonstrated the vindictive and vicious before DEAR EDITOR, The developments in Washington, DC, did not surprise. I was expecting such from the former American president, since he was so low and dirty. He had no regard for the rights of others, even basic personal decency and the dignity of his office, so it does not shock that opponents would be targeted, through misuse of the powers of office. Some are mean and paranoid enough, like Richard Nixon, to compile an “Enemies List.” I think the last U.S. president was such a man, so monstrously constructed.

Though I am troubled by revelations sourced to the globally ridiculed last White House occupant, I am more concerned by what is believed occurs here. After all, we have leaders in government (opposition, too) who

have demonstrated the vindictive and vicious before. Like the delusional American leader, they see enemies everywhere.

In fact, anyone who dares to disagree with them (or him), goes so far as actually to call out and criticise, runs the high risk of being categorised as a public enemy, an enemy of the state, a subversive most foul. And for that there is hell to pay.

The means are present; they were in the past and have been used illegitimately previously and currently, as I observe and conclude. One word suffices, phantoms. The cold ominous light of day is held in check for now. For those who disagree, I put two things before to consider, one of which is multilayered statement, the other a probing question. The first component has many related ele-

ments, which are tendered, then left to the judgment of fellow citizens. The state security apparatus has been used before, and I believe it is being slyly used today to watch objectors; think domestic intelligence gathering.

The state media has been marshaled, warped a certain way and let loose on those who cross paths and cross swords. The evidence is there, where every situation and moment is a propaganda opportunity, which must be explored with one objective only. That is, to disfigure; if not, diminishment works. And in today’s world of proliferating private media presences, there is yet another friendly umbrella, from under which assaults can be leveled against adversaries. Just like the American president did.

Technologies are present and the cash in hand makes pos-

sible more channels for the fawning, through whom more furies are directed against those standing against. If this sounds eerily like the America that unraveled and the America coming to light today, compliments of a dastardly leader and his willfully blind and dumb Praetorian Guard, then it is.

If words were all, then that would have been that; but words have power, present and future. And for those, there can be no allowance.

Think Crum-Ewing. Before that, national security.

Last, the second point presented is this question: does Guyana not have the kind of leader(s), like Nixon and the last one, who look, sound, think, and behave in the exact same manner, if not worse?

Yours truly, GHK Lall

Tuesday June 15, 2021

PAGE 5

Kaieteur News

We need to tear down the notion On the change of that violence and aggressiveness are cause of death of somehow equated to masculinity Walter Rodney DEAR EDITOR, I have contemplated intensely for quite some time on how to approach such a delicate matter. Apart from a simple Facebook share or two, at the time, I said virtually nothing much relating to the incidents, but now I will share my fully developed thoughts.

Last month, our Nation was shocked by two domestic homicides: Shonnette Dover and Nicola Wilson.

Shonnette was allegedly shot dead by her boyfriend, who then buried her in his backyard. Nicola was stabbed to death by her partner, who killed himself afterwards.

The outrage was justifiable but it has now practically died down.

However, the plague of domestic homicides still affects Guyana. It seems we keep on evading the real issue at hand when it comes to matters like these. So much so that, after details of Shonnette’s boyfriend sur-

faced, the public’s focus shifted to his sexuality and making jokes about it. It seemed like people just forgot that this man is an alleged murderer and started making a slew of homophobic jokes.

I was appalled but not surprised.

Afterwards, two Government ministers spoke out urging victims to leave the abusive relationships. Now, while I understand and recognise that if we can leave an abusive relationship we should, HOWEVER it is far more complex than that. In fact, some may consider those remarks harmful in that we are placing the burden of responsibility on the women to leave and that if they die because they didn’t leave then it’s their fault.

The story of Tiffeney Ageda drives my point home.

This is a woman who left the abusive relationship, but her abuser incessantly harasses her leaving her fearful for her life. She said it best

when she said, “They say you got to leave but it’s never that easy.” We need to start recognising that abusive relationships don’t end with the woman leaving. Abusive relationships end with the abusers stopping the abuse. Doing otherwise will burden, stigmatise and demonise women even further.

Moreover, we need to have frank and open discussions on how men react and deal with situations. We need to tear down the notion that violence and aggressiveness are somehow equated to masculinity. That is a load of hogwash. I noted that Shaqwuan Alleyne (Dover’s boyfriend) had a stillborn career as a rap artist.

In his music video, he was seen playing with guns and blades and dealing with enemies through violence.

One needs to ask how many males in our society see this as “masculine” and see this as the right way to respond and resolve disputes.

Toxic masculinity is real and has cultivated negative stereotypes on how men should conform in a society, in terms of behaviour patterns. It is time that we as men start the conversations on how we tear down these oppressive schools of thought and discuss what REALLY constitutes masculinity. And how WE should raise our boys to respond and react in situations.

Our brothers and sons must know that we must not cope with rejection through aggression.

We must not solve a dispute with violence and anger.

We must not suppress our sexuality or be homophobic to somehow be “masculine.”

It starts with us.

I am calling on all of my brothers to shift the tides of society and do the necessary work for us to do better, and for future generations yet unborn.

Yours truly, Nikhil Sankar.

Guyana should not be dependent on autocratic nations DEAR EDITOR, Guyana should not become dependent on autocratic nations like China, India, Russia or Saudi Arabia, because these countries will remain silent when democracy and human rights are trampled upon in Guyana and elsewhere.

While it’s questionable that the United States may have a double standard and should not lecture other nations on democracy and human rights, yet it was the United States, Canada, the UK and the EU that saved democracy when the People’s National Congress (PNC) from March to July 2020 brazenly tried to steal the 2020 election. It was also the US government’s involvement in the restoration of democracy in Guyana in 1992 that was brokered by President, Jimmy Carter.

Also, let’s not forget that it’s Guyanese remittances from the United States that have always buttressed the economy of Guyana. After fleeing the Forbes Burnham brutal and racist dictatorship, many Guyanese fled to Suriname, the Caribbean, United States, Canada and the United Kingdom. Many earn their livelihood in these countries and remit great sums of money to families in Guyana.

Since the Cold War ended, the United States, home to

about 400,000 Guyanese, has been instrumental in pushing the People’s National Congress (PNC), the party of Guyana’s first dictatorship to hold free and fair elections.

The United States, the EU, CARICOM and the OAS have emerged as guarantors of democracy in Guyana. Were it not for the United States sanctioning the rigging cabal of the PNC and staff at GECOM, Guyana would have descended into another dictatorship and India, China, KSA and Russia would not have intervened.

The rise of India’s autocratic and nationalist government has been boldly sanctioning anyone and any country that condemn their human rights atrocities, draconian

laws to imprisoned opponents, stifling the press and stripping citizenship from its minority communities. Further, Mr. Modi has abandoned India’s non-aligned policy and has embraced brutal dictators in the Middle East.

Then there is China, willing to engage in nefarious and sinister business deals and across the world. More atrocious is China genocide against the Uyghurs who have been placed in camps.

Those who escaped are being rounded and deported back due to Beijing bullying.

Putin on the other hand, is engaged in destabilising projects across the world. The opposition leader was poisoned and now languishing in jail.

What can these countries

do for the current government of Guyana? Most of the Chinese projects in Guyana like the international airport is marred in corruption and poor and cheap construction. The airport isn’t completed as yet but it’s falling apart. As a gift, China built a convention centre in Guyana and a building to house the foreign ministry of Suriname. Both buildings decayed and China had to rehabilitate them.

So it comes as no surprise that the new government in Guyana was willing to entertain a Taiwan trade office in Guyana. That did not go too far because of China’s bullying. While Georgetown and Beijing have had a smooth relationship since then, the current government in office is aware of various corrupt (Continued on page 6)

DEAR EDITOR With reference to Ron O. D’Avilar comments, about the intended change to be made on the death certificate of the late Dr. Walter Anthony Rodney from ‘death by misadventure’ to ‘assassination,’ Mr. D’Avilar stated, “Assassination, which is widely defined as murder, is therefore not a cause of death.” While Mr. D’Avilar is technically right, he failed to give the medical terminology for death by a bomb blast. Blast injuries are divided into four classes: primary, secondary, tertiary and quaternary. Total body disruption is the immediate and non-survivable destruction of the body.

1. We don’t know if the intended change from “misadventure” to “assassination” on Dr. Rodney’s death certificate is a direct request by his wife, Dr. Patricia

Rodney and his children Shaka, Kanini, and Asha, to let all Guyana and the world know the truth about Dr. Rodney’s death, and not the cover-up story that was told to us by the PNC administration of 1980.

2. Death by misadventure infers that the deceased in somewhat responsible for his own death and therefore not entitled to any insurance money from the life insurance company upon his death.

Death by assassination would entitle his beneficiaries to the amount of insurance he bought and paid for. How ironic that the two persons directly responsible for Dr. Rodney’s death died in the last stage of cancer for which there is no treatment or cure.

Poetic justice or coincidence?

Yours truly, Gloria Holder

We, hire car drivers are asking for the President’s intervention DEAR EDITOR, We would like to bring to the attention of the President of this country and his ministers that they must not be of the opinion that they own the votes of their supporters. I say this based on the fact that we the short drop hire cars operators have written many letters in the newspaper and no one seems to care.

We have tried to make an appointment with the Vice President through his secretary and upon stating our reason, she said our matter is not for him. She then referred us to the Minster of Public Works. We have made three

appointments to see the minister but after two months, we are unable to see him.

Our matter is very important and clear. We have an officially gazetted hire car park which the previous government took and placed vendors to ply their trade, and gave us a stretch of road to operate on from which we were operating for the past three years now.

In November 2020, a senior police officer from the Brickdam Police Station came with the road marking men and reduced the area by half where only six cars can really (Continued on page 6)

PAGE 6

Tuesday June 15, 2021

Kaieteur News

We have all sinned and come short of the Glory of God DEAR EDITOR, I read the reply to my letter, commemorating the centenary this month of the Tulsa race massacre and riots.

The burdens of my reminder of this event was a plea that all of us, leaders and the led, should learn the lessons from Tulsa and avoid sparks that can lead to explosions in a polarised environment such as what exist in Guyana.

I refer to a letter titled “Hamilton Green failed to exhort us on lessons from his own history,” written by Ryaan Shah and published on Friday’s edition of Kaieteur News. This letter is a combination of bile and distortions and runs counter to my intention for caution and peace.

Shah refers to what she calls the Wismar massacre, where

according to her, “Indian Guyanese homes and businesses were razed to the ground and Indian and Guyanese women were brutally raped and murdered.”

I do not wish to open old wounds, however, since Shah has determined that I have personal knowledge of events of that period, I give below just a few, I repeat, just a few to expose the absurdity of Shah’s statement. First, in the 1960s, my parent’s home at 58 Howes Street, Charlestown, where I lived had firebombs thrown through the front window.

Fortunately, it was about 2:00 am and I was up and because I had a tank of water, sand and other materials, the house suffered only minor damage.

Second, I recall the horrors of the Ishmael family

(Afro-Guyanese) whose home was raised to the ground and the mother raped and murdered at Tain Village on the Corentyne. Shah, these were not Indian homes.

Third, on June 12, 1964, Arthur Abraham and his family of eight had their home in Hadfield Street torched and he and seven children were burnt to death. His wife and one child miraculously escaped. Abraham was the Permanent Secretary in the Premier’s Office. In certain quarters, he was suspected to have passed sensitive information to Peter D’Aguiar.

Official release from the then Government stated that he was promoted to serve as Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Works. No further comment, but, Ms. Shah, Arthur Abraham was not

Indo-Guyanese Fourth, on July 6, 1964, a launch that plied the Georgetown-Wismar, Mc Kenzie route and owned by a known PNC supporter, Mr. Norman Yacoob Chapman, exploded at Hurudaia, in the Demerara River and fifty-three persons were killed.

Ms. Shah, all fifty-three were Afro-Guyanese. A subsequent inquest showed that a gentleman called by the name Mohan or Paddy-man, had earlier loaded a bag, which the launch operator assumed to contain paddy but he left and did not travel that morning.

Inquest also showed that he had been in contact with very high officials at the Robb Street Headquarters of a certain political party. The floating bodies in the WismarChristianburg-Mc Kenzie areas was a spark ignited and turned against the IndoGuyanese brothers who lived in that area.

It was not the first such incident, when news earlier reached the Wismar community that their fathers, uncles and sons were being killed and tossed in the Mahaicony Creek; this again was a spark.

Shah talks about the assault of Indians on the West Coast Berbice, but conveniently ignores the sparks.

The spark was the torture of the Henry’s cousins, at the back of Cotton Three Village, West Coast Berbice.

I have vivid memories of being a spectator, looking down Hadfield Street from Camp Street, seeing the smothering flames of the Abraham’s house and the gruesome discovery of the charred bodies of Arthur Abraham and his loved ones.

I chose not to write about that anniversary last week but to refer to Tulsa, wanting to create neither animosity nor discomfort amongst those who were responsible for this arson and murder.

However, I seem obliged to make reference to the above in response to Shah’s damning letter. But Editor, hers was not the only effort at twisting our history and looking at incidents is a strange myopia.

They say, every story has at least three sides, your side, my side and the side often not told the whole real story. With that wisdom, let us learn from our missteps, our preconceived beliefs, our deep implanted prejudices.

Let us also stop this nonsense and propaganda, which makes one set of us as Saints and the others as Sinners. The truth is as found in one of the Holy Books, let us be reminded of the word found in the New Testament, Romans 3 verse 23, “We have all sinned and come short of the glory of God.” If we are serious about cohesion and the philosophy underlying a One Guyana, our Hindu brothers should be (Continued on page 16)

Guyana should not be dependent...

From page 5 deals that the former APNU/ AFC regime entered with Chinese businesses and individuals.

The PPP leadership is now sending strong messages that it has learned from the past. One can expect that the PPP Cold War contention with the United States is a thing of the past. PPP Chairman, Dr. Bharrat Jagdeo, realised that his party lost some grassroots supporters and it has prompted him to do some serious self-introspection like a personal autopsy of what went wrong and how to correct it.

Amidst multiple and major oil discoveries that will transform Guyana, to date 20, Mike Pompeo became the first US Secretary of State to visit Guyana and that followed some major military cooperation between the two countries. Further, the establishment of the US Guyana Chamber of Commerce and the US embassy’s role in facilitating investments between the two countries has broadened ties between the two countries.

Military cooperation between the two countries continues to expand.

Just last week, the United States sponsored a multina-

tional military exercise, Tradewinds, aimed at strengthening American security in the Region.

“It’s really related to all sorts of security issues. You know, this is our neighbourhood and we want to make sure it’s secure, not only for oil and gas but for the citizens of these nations and for all kinds of trade that is happening in the Regions, so it’s really giving all of these nations an opportunity to improve their partnerships, improve their capacity, to work together to address the key threats in the Region which include transnational criminal activities, the transportation of illegal goods and things of that nature,” US Ambassador to Guyana, Ms. Sarah-Ann Lynch, told News-Talk Radio Guyana/ Demerara Waves Online News.

For these reasons, one can expect that the ABC plus EU nations will play a big role in Guyana’s oil and gas economy and there will be a shift from dependency on China and Russia to more robust military and investment deals with the United States, Canada and the EU. France is set to become the first EU country to soon

open an embassy in Guyana.

The Irfaan Ali government will find it challenging to confront the PNC’s use of racism to destabilise the country as Guyana moves to prosecute some high profile members of the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM). It can count on the United States, the EU, CARICOM and the OAS for backing. The PPP should not expect support from China, Russia, Saudi Arabia or India.

The Guyanese people are very happy that the U.S. gained an important partner in the new PPP government of Irfaan Ali, and they are wary of Chinese investments and gifts “designed largely to provide vulnerable countries an alternative to predatory Chinese economic projects.”

Guyanese are calling on their leaders to bring more US, EU and Canadian investments to Guyana and less Chinese.

Yours truly, Ray Chickrie

We, hire car drivers are...

From page 5 fit – the remaining cars have to circle several times before entering the park. In doing so, it paved the way for venders to occupy the very stretch of road.

We are asking the Honourable President of the Cooperative Republic of Guyana to read this letter and answer our plea. Please give us back 100 feet of the road so that three more cars can fit. We are looking forward for this re marking of the car park please.

Yours truly, Hire Car Operators

T N U L B . . .

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BL TLUNT.. UNT...B BL Tuesday June 15, 2021

Kaieteur News

The Exxon contract is so lopsided that even the coalition is now against it.

The political group that was behind this world beating one-sided contract is today calling for its renegotiation.

It is the wisest, most patriotic position from the opposition in a long time.

The governing PPP used to blast the Exxon contract when in the opposition trenches. Now it is defending the contract by silence. By not doing anything, such as pressuring Exxon to yield and give some terms that are fair and generous to Guyana.

Why are PPP leaders so stubborn on renegotiating? What hold does Exxon have over them? What terrible betrayals have they done with this oil?

They can't be this unconcerned.

So what is it that silences the top PPP leaders?

PAGE 07

Kaieteur News

PAGE 08

Tuesday June 15, 2021

UG launches Journal of GEOScience - represents part of suite of and Planning initiatives to be implemented A

Journal of GEOScience and Planning (JGSP) was on Tuesday last launched by the University of Guyana's (UG) Department of Geography Faculty of Earth and Environmental Sciences (FEES). The move, UG informed via a release, is in keeping with the Department's Plan of Action for the 2021-2022 Academic Year.

The JGSP, it noted, is the official online and open access Journal of the Department of Geography. It

is intended to create a niche to publish original seminal, theoretical and empirical essays and review articles across a broad spectrum of geography and urban and regional planning subjects including: Informal Settlements and Housing, Disparities in Regional Development, Gender and Wo m e n i n P l a n n i n g , Watershed and River Basin Management, Community Development, Coastal Zone Management, Urban and Regional Planning Information Systems and Urban Safety and Security.

During the virtual launching ceremony which was chaired by Dr. Patrick Williams, Senior Lecturer Department of Geography, remarks were made by the 11th Vice Chancellor, Prof.

Paloma Mohamed-Martin; Deputy Vice Chancellors (DVCs), Drs. Emanuel Cummings (Academic Engagement) and Mellissa Ifill (Institutional Advancement); Dean of the Faculty of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Dr. Te m i t o p e O y e d o t u n ; Advisory Board Member of the Journal, Professor Mark

UG's Vice Chancellor, Prof. Paloma Mohamed-Martin

UG Deputy Vice Chancellor, Dr. Mellissa Ifill

Deputy Vice Chancellor, Dr. Emanuel Cummings

Pelling; Registrar, Dr. Nigel Gravesande; and Head of Geography Department, Ms. Linda Johnson-Bhola, who outlined the development of the Journal.

Other attendees at the launch included Advisory Board Members, Dr. Carol Archer (University of Technology, Jamaica); Dr. Keith Yearwood (University of Maryland) and Dr. Faith Kasim (University of Guyana); Technical Editors, Mr. Alim Hosein and Mr. Mark McGowan, University of Guyana and other staff of the Department of Geography.

Prof. Mohamed-Martin, in her remarks, stated that research and writing are the “lifeblood of academia” adding that the Journal is a really good extension and part of the suite of initiatives that UG is hoping to be able to implement.

She noted that it is “very significant that the Journal is called the Journal of GEOScience and Planning” and alluded to the importance of geosciences and planning for what is likely to happen to the earth in the context of the environment, climate change and sustainability issues. She anticipates that the Journal would have an “applied and practical

purpose.”

In his opening remarks, Dr. Oyedotun commended the Department for the bold step to look for areas of expansion in this academic landscape. He expressed hope that this little step will bring extraordinary growth for the academic base of the Department, the Faculty, the University, the Nation, the Region and the International Community. He urged the department to take the next steps of ensuring that contributions that are made in the Journal are excellent and relevant to the society.

Professor Pelling noted that Geography brings together both a theoretical and an applied interest grounded in real world problems but illuminated by the theory of the day, and that it is a science that is interdisciplinary at its core.

He also observed that there is a lot that the world can learn from Guyana through some of the challenges the country faces, not just with climate change, but rapid land use and social change, the natural resource economy and the changing base of that economy.

He further expressed hope that the Journal will give the younger academics a voice, but also bring that voice to an international

audience, who should be ready to hear.

DVC, Dr. Cummings, stated that the Journal is seen as a catalyst to enhance both research and publication in the field of geography, science, and other related areas by faculty members.

He stressed the importance of improving the knowledge base of academics since this will enable students and lecturers to be involved in what is published in the Journal, create opportunity for the enhancement of knowledge in this particular area, and in turn, improve the quality of education that is delivered to students.

DVC, Dr. Ifill, in her contribution said, “Undoubtedly the Journal will be beneficial to researchers, not only at UG but Guyana and the wider Caribbean Region.” She intimated that it is through publications that persons are made aware of cutting-edge kinds of research that we are doing in our particular field and that the Journal is viewed as “playing a very important role in apprising all of us in the country, the region, the world of some of the important work that is being done at the University of Guyana.”

The Journal is designed to be a reliable scholarly channel for intellectual exchanges among a wide r an g e o f s tak eh o ld er s (including research students) locally, regionally and (continued on page 16)

Kaieteur News

Tuesday June 15, 2021

Guyana is a strange country!

A

man decided to park his car in a yard, his yard.

While he did not live there, he owned the property and therefore had the right to park his vehicle in the space available.

Since he was not living there and therefore could not be around to have a steady eye on the car, he decided to remove the wheels.

Just in case someone decided to steal the car, they would not be able to drive off with it because it had no wheels. Never heard of anyone stealing a car without wheels!

Wrong! It happened. The man turned up at his property one day to find the car missing. The car has mysteriously moved, without wheels at that. This sort of thing can only happen in Guyana and this is why this is such a fascinating country to live in.

Here it is; a man takes all the precautions to prevent his car from being moved, there was no reported tsunami or Great Flood to float away his car and yet it disappeared from where he had parked it. It is believed that the car was disassembled and moved p h y s i c a l l y .

No one saw when his car was removed.

This happened despite the fact that Guyana has a lot of inquisitive persons. If a man decides to bring a female friend into his home when his wife is not there,

Dem

boys seh...

C

orruption deh in all aspects of life.

It does start at de top and trickle down to de bottom. Yuh call it trickledown corruption.

A man tell he girlfriend how he love fuh she is like corruption.

She ask he, “How yuh mean?

He seh, “It gan never done!”

But what is corruption. A lil girl decide fuh ask she daddy dat question. He tell she go and bring a beer fuh me and I gan explain it to

you can bet that some neighbour will see and report the matter to his wife. But in broad daylight someone would come into your yard, climb your genip tree and leave it bare and the same inquisitive neighbours will claim that they did not see a thing.

A man built a few castles, in Republic Park, decades ago. The man eventually died but the castles remained intact just like the monarchy in Britain. Then suddenly parts of one of the man's castle began to disappear.

Nobody saw anything. No one was minding the store and everyone was minding their own business. Only in Guyana, they say! Only in Guyana!

In another story, a lawyer owned a property. Junkies decided that since it was unoccupied, they had a right to use it as a thoroughfare, including to burn insulation off of electrical cables so as to add to their scrap metal collection. In the process, the lawyer's multi-million property was burnt to the ground. No one actually saw how the fire started. That is Guyana.

There was a time when persons were afraid to rent their property because they did not know whether the tenant would pay the rent and then they would be forced to spend years in Court trying to get the nonpaying tenant out of the p r o p e r t y .

People decided that it would

be best to lock-up their houses and keep them empty rather than rent. There are quite a number of absentee landlords.

They had better begin to check on their properties to ensure that they have not been invaded because there is nothing like an empty house to attract unsavoury characters.

Then there is the case of a man found dead in another man's property. It was claimed that the dead man was a thief and was caught in the act and got beaten and succumbed. The dead man's family cannot explain what he was doing on another man's property but they are certain he was not a thief.

That family is supported by a lot of persons who are vouching that the dead man was no thief.

You could have him in your house all day and he would not take a thing. He did odd jobs but this did not include stealing. But it is still odd that he ended up in another man's yard.

The family and friends say he was no thief. They say that he does only run through people's fruit trees. Now what is this? Is this not stealing? Perhaps there is a difference between raiding a fruit tree and stealing.

This is Guyana. No wonder we are such a mess!

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

Corruption running things in Guyana! yuh.

De lil girl protested, “But mommy said you should stop drinking!”

De father seh, “Well get yourself an ice cream cone while you bring me dat beer!”

A Guyanese man dead and gone to heaven. When he land deh wan angel was waiting fuh he to give he a tour. Dem walk through de Golden Gates and go inside a big, bright building. Deh had hundreds of clocks running at different speeds and de man was puzzled. He asked

de angel about dem. De angel seh, "Those are the clocks of every country.

They measure corruption.

The more corruption in de country, de faster the clock hands rotate."

Amazed, de man wanders around de room but he notices something and asks de angel, "Where is the Guyana clock?"

And de angel seh: "Oh, we using that as a cooling fan!"

Talk half and stop looking at de hands of yuh watch!

PAGE 09

Kaieteur News

PAGE 10

Tuesday June 15, 2021

THE FREDDIE KISSOON COLUMN

The documents have the stamp of Thomas and Roopnaraine T

here are seven persons in Guyana that call themselves the Working People's Alliance. They are Drs. Clive Thomas, Maurice Odle and Rupert Roopnaraine. Two are from Buxton – Kidackie Amsterdam and Deon Abraham. The other two are Ali Majeed and Tacuma Ogunseye.

Dr. David Hinds usually takes over the writing of press statements when he was a constant visitor to Guyana. Because he is out,

he is not part of what the seven persons named above do. The WPA has issued two press releases. One is on welcoming the government's d e c i s i o n t o o ff i c i a l l y recognise the legacy of Rodney. This was published on Saturday. The other was an explanation defending the WPA's decision to stay in the government with the PNC. Looking at the two documents, any analyst who knows Guyanese political society knows that Amsterdam, Abraham, Majeed and Ogunseye could

not write these outputs. I doubt that Dr. Odle had an input. The press releases have the stamp of Clive Thomas and Rupert Roopnaraine.

Yesterday, I fulminated against the depravities in the Saturday release. Today I look at the second statement.

When you examine the glaring political deceit in Sunday's offering then your skin will grow. As I did in yesterday's column, I will quote from the item then give my comment.

Quote – “Foremost on

Rodney's agenda was national reconciliation in the form of a national government. For him there could be no democratic solution outside national unity and reconciliation.”

Comment – The WPA entered a government in which the ruling party won by a mere 4,500 votes and never sought reconciliation with the other half of the population. On the contrary, the PNC/WPA government sought vendetta. It jeopardised the livelihood of 28,000 East Indians on the sugar estate when it dismissed 5,000 sugar workers. And to display sadistic revenge, the PNC/WPA regime refused to pay monies due which the workers had to take them to court for and won. Two of the WPA stalwarts Maurice Odle of NICIL and Clive Thomas of GuySuCo had direct policy control of the sugar industry.

Q u o t e – “Rodney accepted that a PNC embraces Frederick Kissoon free and fair elections as normative and eschews dictatorship must became a sycophant on the b e p a r t o f G u y a n a ' s PNC when the two parties along with the AFC wielded solution.” power.

Comment – But the PPP, Quote – “The WPA left which accepted free and fair e l e c t i o n a n d w h i c h APNU after it was satisfied represented a majority of the that it had exhausted all electorate in 2015, was not available avenues to get the consulted to be part of post-Corbin PNC leadership Guyana's solution. The WPA t o h o n o u r a m u t u a l was happy to be part of a commitment to enlightened g o v e r n m e n t t h a t o n l y coalition politics.”

Comment – This is represented half of the immoral fiction for which population.

Quote – “How can there the Guyanese people should be national reconciliation in banish the seven named Guyana without engaging persons above from the the party that electorally territory of Guyana ASAP. represents one of our major The WPA remained for five e t h n i c g r o u p s a n d years with the post-Corbin approximately half the PNC leadership in which that hegemony violated the population.”

C o m m e n t – W h a t constitution, practiced happened to this thought ethnic discrimination, and process, this sociological f u r t h e r d e p r e s s e d t h e exigency when the WPA got economic elevation of the into government? For five working masses.

The only reason the WPA years, (2015-2020) one-half of the population was locked pulled out of the APNU was out. Furthermore, the WPA when in September 2020, did not only engage the PNC. PNC leader, David Granger, It joined with the PNC and chose the second choice person to sit as a WPA parliamentarian over the first choice individual. If Mr. Granger did not do that, WPA, today, Tuesday June 15, would still be part of APNU. Quote – “WPA remained in the coalition out of respect for those who voted for the coalition. We felt that the voters who cast votes deserved the government for which they voted.”

Comment – In its two press releases the WPA has said the most scandalous things about the current elected PPP administration.

It has referred to the present PPP government as a dictatorship. The WPA operates with contorted logic and continues to pimp Walter Rodney's legacy. The WPA says voters deserved the government they voted for in 2015. Why the voters do not deserve the government they gave their ballots to in 2020?

Is this naked racism by the WPA? When Blacks vote for the PNC, it is alright but when Indians vote for the PPP, it is wrong?

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

Tuesday June 15, 2021

Kaieteur News

PAGE 11

Kaieteur News

PAGE 12

Tuesday June 15, 2021

Caribbean Airlines resumes UG staffers contribute $1M Miami to G/T flights to aid national flood relief

F

rom tomorrow, Wednesday, June 1 6 , 2 0 2 1 , Caribbean Airlines will restart commercial flights between the Miami International Airport and Georgetown, Guyana in South America.

To kick-start the relaunch, all customers who book from now until July 14 will enjoy double miles, according to a release the airline issued yesterday.

The weekly flight, which is conveniently timed to facilitate connections, will operate every Wednesday.

Commenting on the return of the service, Caribbean Airlines CEO, Garvin Medera, stated, “The resumption of this non-stop service between Miami and Guyana is an exciting start to our summer operations.

The flight times were done with our customers' needs top of mind. Now, persons travelling from Miami and beyond can easily fly non-stop to Guyana.

And Miami has long been a popular destination for our valued Guyanese and Caribbean based customers.

We assure all passengers that internationally verified safety protocols are in place for a comfortable travel experience.”

Caribbean Airlines currently boasts the most extensive network in the Region, which it is expanding to provide better connectivity and authentic Caribbean hospitality.

The airline was the first regional carrier to be awarded Platinum certification by APEX Health Safety powered by

SimpliFlying, which means that customers can fly with the added assurance that the airline has met and surpassed global benchmarks for COVID-19 protocols.

Customers are reminded that wearing a mask is mandatory during check-in, while boarding and for the duration of their flight.

Also, passengers can verify the entry requirements and other important travel information for their intended destination using the Caribbean Airlines S h e r p a To o l a t https://apply.joinsherpa.co m / t r a v e l restrictions?affiliateid=cal All flights are open for sale via www.caribbeanairlines.com, the airline's Reservations Sales and Service Centre and Travel Agents.

Caribbean Airlines flight schedule between Guyana and Miami

T

he University of Guyana (UG), which began an internal flood relief drive among staff two Sundays ago, has communicated to the Civil Defence Commission (CDC) that it will donate $1 million toward relief efforts to aid flood-stricken communities across the country.

In a release, UG revealed that the money was raised from staffers who authorised deductions from their June salaries in response to a call f r o m t h e 11 t h Vi c e Chancellor, Professor Paloma Mohamed-Martin, PhD, A.A. According to the release too, a separate activity specifically for UG students, staff, pensioners and alumni

most affected is being managed internally.

Other persons, including Social Work graduate and undergraduate students under the leadership of Social Work Lecturers, Debbie Hopkinson and Shonnel Enoe-Smith within the Department of Sociology, Social Work Unit, will combine their efforts to contribute food hampers, water and care packages.

These packages, the release noted, will include cleaning supplies, masks and sanitising agents to those in need (with special focus on children and the elderly) who can be easily reached by UG. Additionally, the Social Work Unit through PACE UG Cares Hotline Service stands ready to provide

Psychosocial support and referrals to social services for specialised assistance with socio-economic/mental health needs of those affected.

Further, the release noted, student volunteers are eager to provide voluntary service where needed in collaboration with key partners such as the CDC. The University has produced several health fliers and videos reminding persons of how to stay safe under flood hazardous conditions.

These materials can be found free of charge at https://drive.google.com/driv e/folders/1u8RIBwQbRa7ho SHVB8w0C40WQoxurjKj? usp=sharing and are also circulated through email, WhatsApp and social media.

UG Cares Helpline Numbers - powered by GTT are 615-7829, 615-9727, 6162576, 615-9730, 615-9482, 615-9704, 615-9990 or 6384394.

“UG Cares” was set up last year as a rapid response community relief intervention system for faculty and students severely affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. It was then deployed to alumni, civil society organisations and other government agencies that requested psychosocial and technical support as well as scientific inputs into emergency decision-making.

The University of Guyana's faculty, staff and students, the release added, are deeply saddened by the widespread devastation and trauma being experienced by Guyanese whose homes, agricultural fields and livestock were inundated by the recent floods.

As the national University, “UG pledges to do whatever it can to assist in the recovery efforts that will be needed in the coming days.”

Tuesday June 15, 2021

Kaieteur News

PAGE 13

Kaieteur News

PAGE 14

Tuesday June 15, 2021

Disciplinary action for Agri. officials who fail to carry out flood relief instructions - Minister

By Malisa Playter-Harry

W

i t h floodwaters remaining at a high level in several parts of the country, livestock, crops and persons living in residential areas are still in dire need of support. As recent as a few days ago, President, Irfaan Ali, who has visited affected areas to gain a firsthand perspective of the situation, announced that it is now a Level Three disaster based on the advice of the Civil Defence Commission (CDC). This latest classification could see the Administration seeking international help.

Areas in Regions Five and Six have been among the hardest hit resulting in hundreds of livestock being trapped in the flooded areas.

A ministerial visit to the Abary Conservancy and Mahaicony in Region Five on Saturday, revealed the extent of the damage caused by the floodwaters there.

During that visit, Minister of Agriculture, Zulfikar Mustapha, and a team of officials from his Ministry, along with regional officials, were able to inspect and assess the integrity of the Abary Conservancy.

The visit was also intended to ascertain whether several instructions that were given during a previous visit were implemented.

The Minister had given instructions to officers from the various agricultural

agencies, including the Guyana Livestock Development Authority (GLDA), to visit all floodaffected farmers in the Abary Creek area, distribute feed and treat animals. However, some farmers revealed that the officers are yet to visit them, a development that Minister Mustapha wants investigated.

"I have instructed the deputy CEO of GLDA to launch an investigation and I am hoping to get a report…and I will ask that disciplinary action be taken against those officers who have not implemented the instructions that were given.

Even the President instructed right across the country that we look at the animals, and look at the livestock because if our livestock industry suffers losses, the entire country will be suffering losses," the Minister said.

He also expressed concern over the fact that "there are a number of animals in the water (in the conservancy) and that in itself will pose a challenge for us because those are wild animals and it is challenging to get them to go to dry land."

He added that a decision has been made to have a pontoon available for 24 hours to bring out the animals with the assistance of the GLDA officers. A few areas have been identified to relocate the animals.

According to the Minister, across the country, including at areas like

The Daageraad Spill weir

Kookrit Savannah, Mahaicony/Mahaica/Abary, among others, where cattle roam and graze, there is a huge challenge to get the cattle to higher ground. He noted however, that efforts are being made to do so despite the challenges.

Conservancy and spill weir At the Daageraad spill weir, a 5,000 ft. long concrete structure in the Abary Conservancy has reinforced the integrity of the structure, according to Minister Mustapha. With the water level presently at 64.2 GD (Georgetown Datum), excess water is being spilled into the Berbice River.

Currently, the water is 14 inches above the level of the spill weir but the minister noted that he was pleased, based on his assessment of the structure.

"I am very satisfied that the integrity of the dam is there. There are no breaches on the dam and all the excess

Aunty Kunti of Mahaicony shows what she has been enduring for weeks

water is being spilled into the Berbice River.

The spill weir is very clean, there is no vegetation blocking the spill weir, so I am happy to note that there is no water from the conservancy that is leaking into the farming areas, housing area and cultivation area. The water is coming from the high-land that

passes through and drains into the Atlantic Ocean," he said.

The Minister, while at the Abary Conservancy, noted that the situation is likely to remain the same for a number of days, due to the high volume of water in the backdams that have been passing through the housing area, the creeks, etc.

In addition to keeping the spill weir clear, the mouth of the Abary Creek has been cleaned and shortly, "as soon as we finish Mahaicony, we will bring back the excavator with the pontoon to clear the Abary Creek inland, but since we have cleared the mouth, the water is flowing at a rapid speed. If the (continued on page 16)

A resort in the Abary area that has been affected by floodwaters

Agriculture Minister, Zulfikar Mustapha, on the ground at Wash Clothes, Mahaicony, on Saturday

Kaieteur News

Tuesday June 15, 2021

PAGE 15

Ministry records 4 more Starr Computer aids flood COVID-19 deaths, 60 new cases relief, COVID response

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First Lady, Mrs. Arya Ali (right), Penny Francis, Sales and Marketing Manager, and Raydon Samaroo, Operations Manager.

he country's COVID-19 death toll has moved to 430 following the death of four more persons.

According to information released by the Ministry of Health, the deaths were recorded over a two-day period June 12 - 13, 2021.

The patients, it was revealed, were admitted with COVID-19-like symptoms but died while receiving care at public medical institutions.

Samples were taken at the time of admission, which subsequently returned positive results.

Based on the details provided by the Ministry, the deaths are that of a

78-year-old man from East BerbiceCorentyne (Region Six) who passed away on June 12; two other men, a 39year-old from Upper DemeraraBerbice (Region 10) and a 54-year old from East Berbice-Corentyne (Region Six) as well as a 76-year-old woman from Demerara-Mahaica (Region Four), who died on June 13.

The Ministry in its dashboard update reported that there are 60 new cases, which have brought the total number of cases to 18,446. There are currently 21 persons in the Intensive Care Unit and, according to the Ministry, to date there have been 16,313 recoveries.

Alleged CH&PA imposter charged

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n response to the flood disaster across the rural areas of Guyana, STARR Computers, made a donation of 200 cases of drinking water and is set to follow-up shortly with 1,000 double layer facemasks, which are being air-shipped to Guyana. In addition, the company noted in a release, “we will be

distributing another 2,000 facemasks from our Bio Safety Department at Starr Computer.”

The company is also continuing its advocacy for vaccine uptake noting, “STARR Computers would like to take this opportunity to encourage everyone to take their COVID-19 vaccines, and to share with all that

after vaccination, you become eligible to enter our free Starr Computer monthly raffle to win a Lenovo Laptop along with printer, desk, chair, etc.”

Persons can visit the company's website at www.starrcomputers.com for more information and registration process.

woman who pretended she was employed at the Central Housing and Planning Authority (CH&PA) in order to sell a plot of land located on the East Coast of Demerara (ECD), yesterday made her first court appearance for the offence.

The defendant, 21-year-old Sudarshanie Ramsingh, of Gordon Street, Kitty, Georgetown, appeared in the Georgetown Magistrates' Courts before Principal Magistrate, Sherdel Isaacs-Marcus.

She was not required to plead to the charge, which alleges that on September 4, 2019, at Gordon Street,

Kitty, with intent to defraud $1,250,000 from Talesh Carsotam, she falsely pretended that she was employed by CH&PA and in a position to sell a plot of land located at Cummings Lodge, ECD. The police prosecutor objected to bail being granted to Ramsingh since she has other pending matters.

Ramsingh's lawyer told the court that her client was not aware of the charge until last Friday when she attended court for another matter.

Principal Magistrate IsaacsMarcus granted the defendant bail in the sum of $75,000 and the matter was adjourned to June 28, 2021.

Tuesday June 15, 2021

Kaieteur News

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Liza 1 & 2 licences to wipe out over a billion oil-equivalent barrels still shrouded in secrecy The Irfaan Ali administration still has not published all oil development production licences granted to ExxonMobil, despite Vice President, Dr. Bharrat Jagdeo, committing to do so on October 2, 2020.

Notably, it was Jagdeo who had encouraged media operatives to read all of the permits, so they could verify his claim that the Payara permits from the current administration are superior to the permits granted by the David Granger administration for Liza Phases One and Two. ”So look at the petroleum licence for Liza that Trotman signed, and do a comparison with the petroleum licence for Payara that we signed,” he had said, during a press conference at the Arthur Chung

Tuesday June 15, 2021

Kaieteur News

Conference Centre, “and therein, you will see the massive improvements and how we have moved to protect our patrimony.”

Dr. Jagdeo had also said that the improvements are there to ensure that the Payara development would be executed in a more environmentally safe manner, among other critical considerations.

When informed that the media did not receive these documents, the Vice President said that he would ensure they do.

So far, Kaieteur News is in possession of the environmental permits for Liza Phases One and Two, and Payara.

This newspaper also has the Payara production licence released by the Ali administration when it announced the

approval, last September.

Kaieteur News understands that the Vice President has to give the approval to subordinates to release the remaining documents for Liza Phase One and Liza Phase Two. The Government rode into office on one promise, among many, that it would be more transparent than the administration before it.

The Granger government never released the production licences for the Liza Phases One and Two projects, which collectively allow ExxonMobil the right to wipe out over a billion oil-equivalent barrels.

It had released the Stabroek Block production sharing licence (PSA), and came under harsh criticism for the industry-low revenue share and other poor terms.

220,997 persons administered first dose of COVID-19 vaccine - Health Minister - says country unable to access Pfizer and Moderna vaccines until 2022

By Neermala Ramsaywack Minister of Health, Dr. Frank Anthony, in providing an update on the national COVID-19 immunisation campaign yesterday, revealed that a total of 220,997 persons have been administered their first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine while 265,799 persons are yet to be vaccinated.

The Minister, who was speaking during the 29th Sitting of the National Assembly at the Arthur Chung Conference Centre (ACCC), said that a total of 9,684 persons have received their first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine in Region One (Barima-Waini). He said that a total of 8,332 persons are yet to be vaccinated there.

The vaccination target in that Region is 18,016. In Region Two (Pomeroon-Supenaam), 12,817 persons have received their first dose too and a total of 17,688 are yet to be vaccinated. The vaccination target there, the Minister said, is 30,505.

Turning his attention to Region Three (Essequibo Islands-West Demerara), the Minister informed that a total of 31,495 persons have received their first dose of the vaccine and a further 38,750 persons are yet to be vaccinated. The vaccination target for Region Three, he said, is 70,245. In Region Four (Demerara-Mahaica), a total of 95,802 received their first dose and a total of 107,244 are yet to be vaccinated. The vaccination target is 203,046 for Region Four.

In Region Five (Mahaica

Minister of Health, Dr. Frank Anthony.

Berbice), a total of 15,767 received their first dose, the Minister said, even as he revealed that 16,707 of the 32,474 target are yet to be vaccinated.

He went on to note that a total of 37,842 have received their first dose in Region Six (East Berbice-Corentyne) and a total of 33,617 are yet to be vaccinated. The target for Region Six, the Minister said, is 71,459. He said that in Region Seven (CuyuniMazaruni), a total of 5,279 have received their COVID-19 vaccines and a total of 6,697 of the 11,979 target are yet to be vaccinated.

In Region Eight (PotaroSiparuni), a total of 2,061 have received their first dose of COVID-19 vaccines and a total of 5,159 are yet to be vaccinated. The target there, the Minister said, is 7,220.

In Region Nine (Upper Takutu-Essequibo), a total of 6,712 have received their first

dose of COVID-19 vaccines and a total of 9,086 are yet to be vaccinated. The vaccination target is 15,798 in that region. In Region 10 (Upper Demerara-Berbice), a total of 3,538 received their first dose of the vaccine and a total of 22,525 are yet to be vaccinated from a target of 26,063 persons.

Meanwhile, the Minister informed the National Assembly that the Government might not be able to obtain Pfizer and Moderna vaccines until 2022. He said, “We have had discussions with Pfizer to try to acquire vaccines for Guyana. Unfortunately, Pfizer told us that they would not be able to give us vaccines until 2022. We have also had discussions with Moderna to try to source vaccines for Guyana. We got a similar answer. And therefore, we would not be able to get Moderna until 2022,” he added.

Tuesday June 15, 2021

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Kaieteur News

NBA play-offs: Phoenix Suns reach Western Conference finals for first time in 11 years

Chris Paul top-scored for the Phoenix Suns. (Getty Images)

Tuesday June 15 , 2021 ARIES (Mar. 21–Apr. 19) It's certainly clear that you have faith in your actions, Aries! You feel no fear or doubt as you progress toward your g oals at a fast clip, cruising along on calm seas under clear skies.

TAURUS (Apr. 20–May 20) This is a moment to start being creative and stop worrying that you don't have talent, Taurus. Who's to say what "talent" is? In the romance department, the love of your life might be right under your nose.

GEMINI (May 21–June 20) You may be a bit unclear about your professional direction today, Gemini. Your motivation has disappeared without warning.

CANCER(June21–July22) You could be seeing mirages at the moment, Cancer, most notably in the environment around you. You may have the impression that people are lying to you or that they're hiding something from you.

LEO (July 23–Aug. 22) Hold on to your wallet, Leo, because you may have some strange {though noble) impulses to give away your money or spend a large amount on something useless.

VIRGO (Aug. 23–Sept. 22) Today isn't a good day to sign contracts or make any substantial purchases, Virgo. Go to the grocery store, by all means, but buy hamburger, not tenderloin. Keep your money at home and safeguard your reserves. Don't negotiate about anything.

LIBRA (Sept. 23–Oct. 22) Are you certain you can't modify your current situation, Libra? Are you a prisoner of a lifestyle that isn't of your own making or is a throwback to the past?

SCORPIO (Oct.23–Nov. 21) The forecast for you is excellent, Scorpio. You can rely on today's aspects to restore your selfconfidence, which has been sorely tried during the past few days.

SAGIT(Nov.22–Dec.21) You may have some trouble communicating today, Sagittarius. It's as though something is distorting your perception. Don't be surprised if once evening comes you feel like forgetting about everything and traveling to the other side of the world.

CAPRI(Dec.22–Jan.19) You are radiant and glowing with happiness today, Capricorn! This is a refreshing change after the gloom of the past few weeks.

AQUARIUS(Jan.20–Feb.18) Here is just the kind of day artists dream about, Aquarius. After yet another lukewarm reception of your artwork, an influential agent shows up and offers to place your paintings in one of the most prestigious museums in the world!

PISCES (Feb. 19–Mar. 20) You're in splendid shape today, Pisces! Did a fairy godmother brandish a magic wand to dispel all the little difficulties of the past few weeks?

BBC Sport - The Phoenix Suns reached the Western Conference finals for the first time in 11 years with a 125118 win over the Denver Nuggets - sweeping their best-of-seven series 4-0.

Chris Paul top-scored for the Suns with 37 points while team-mate Devin Booker added 34 points and 11 rebounds.

The game was marred by the ejection of NBA Most Valuable Player (MVP) Nikola Jokic late in the third quarter.

He recklessly swiped for the ball but struck Cameron Payne in the face.

Serbian Jokic and the Suns’ Booker had to be sepa-

rated by players, coaches and officials after squaring up to each other in the aftermath.

Jokic finished with 22 points and 11 rebounds as team-mate Will Barton led the Nuggets on 25 points.

The Suns, who last reached the conference finals in the 2009-10 season, will play either the Utah Jazz or the Los Angeles Clippers.

The Jazz currently lead that semi-final series 2-1.

Elsewhere on Sunday night, the Milwaukee Bucks levelled their Eastern Conference semi-final series against the Brooklyn Nets at 2-2 with a 107-96 win.

Giannis Antetokounmpo made 34 points and 12 rebounds for the Bucks, matching his play-off high score.

The Nets lost All-Star guard Kyrie Irving to a sprained ankle after he awkwardly stood on Antetokounmpo’s foot on a lay-up.

Choreographed move gives...

From page 25 Queiroz was fired as head coach after that heavy defeat.

Sunday’s win was the second in three matches for Rueda, who replaced Queiroz.

The win against Ecuador was a further boost for Rueda, who has made some contention decisions early in his tenure, including the call to leave star midfielder James Rodriguez out of the Copa America squad.

The result also eases some of the tension in the squad after Colombia’s soccer federation on Sunday said two members of the coaching staff had tested positive for COVID-19. Technical assistant Pablo Román and physiotherapist Carlos Entrena are in good health, the national team said in a statement.

Colombia shares the Group B lead with Brazil, although the tournament host and defending champions are ahead on goal difference.

Colombia’s next match is against Venezuela at the Olimpico stadium in Goiania on Thursday. Ecuador has a week until it plays Venezuela at the Nilton Santos stadium in Rio de Janeiro.

Kaieteur News

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Tuesday June 15, 2021

Concacaf World Cup Qualifying for Qatar 2022

El Salvador with room to spare against St. Kitts & Nevis Miami, Florida – El Salvador are 90 minutes away from reaching the final round of Concacaf World Cup Qualifying for Qatar 2022 heading into Tuesday’s (today) second leg of their second round series against Saint Kitts and Nevis at the Estadio Cuscatlan in San Salvador.

The Central Americans could not have asked for a better outing in the first leg in the Caribbean. David Rugamas scored a brace to lead the way in a 4-0 win, which leaves El Salvador plenty of room to spare heading into today’s fixture.

Still, Head Coach Hugo Perez will be keen to see another strong performance at both ends of the field to help set the tone for the final round of qualifying, which begins in the fall (September).

Rugamas has eight goals thus far in WCQ, while the El Salvador defense has kept an impressive four clean sheets in five matches. While Saint Kitts and Nevis face a very tall comeback task, a positive result on Salvadoran soil would be strong way to end what has been a very solid WCQ campaign.

The Sugar Boyz did keep the El Salvador defence on their toes at certain points during

Saturday’s first leg and no doubt the visiting islanders are more than capable of picking up a result today.

Canada out to lock things down against hungry Haiti - Canada will look to hold up their first leg advantage when they meet Haiti in the second leg of the second round of Concacaf World Cup Qualifying for Qatar 2022 tonight at SeatGeek Stadium in Bridgeview, Illinois.

The Canadians emerged from Saturday’s first leg in Haiti with a 1-0 win thanks to a first half goal from Cyle Larin, and now the Canadians will be aiming to reach the Final Round of CWCQ for the first time since France 1998.

Haiti had no shortage of scoring opportunities though, particularly in a thrilling second half that saw the Canadian defense aptly turn away the Haiti attack.

Nevertheless, the Caribbean side will be looking to evoke memories of their famous 32 comeback win over the Canadians in the 2019 Concacaf Gold Cup quarterfinals when they rallied from a 2-0 halftime deficit to win.

Canada have definitely taken a shine to SeatGeek Stadium, in particular FW Jonathan

David Rugamas # 16 scored a brace to lead the way for El Salvador against Saint Kitts & Nevis in a 4-0 win on June 2021. (FIFA) David, who scored a hat trick in last week’s 4-0 win over Suriname in Bridgeview.

David, along with the everdangerous Alphonso Davies, give Canada a one-two punch that is capable of landing a knockout blow to t h e H a i t i a n s .

Curacao-Panama on knife’s edge heading into second leg - The margins are razor thin for both Panama and Curacao, who will resume their second round

series of Concacaf World Cup Qualifying for Qatar 2022 tonight at the Ergilio Hato Stadium in Willemstad, Curacao.

The Canaleros looked to be in control with a 2-0 advantage deep into the second half of the first leg at home in Panama, but a late Curacao goal from Rangelo Janga resulted in a 2-1 final to completely change the scope of the two-legged series.

Now with a 1-0 win on home soil, Curacao would advance to the final round of CWCQ for the first time in their history, while a draw or win would be enough to keep Panama’s hopes alive of a second straight FIFA World Cup qualification.

The Central American visitors will once again be relying on the playmaking of players like Alberto Quintero and Michael Murillo, the former scoring

an outstanding goal to open the scoring on Saturday and the latter making a great slaloming run into the Curacao area to s et up Panama’s second.

A s for Curacao, they know that any touch for J anga in the area could lead to a goal, w hile Leandro Bacuna i s a m i d f i e l d orchestrator who can either help find a goal or maintain a lead.

Kaieteur News

Tuesday June 15, 2021

PAGE 23

Brazil opens Copa America with 3-0 win over Venezuela SAO PAULO (AP) — Brazil kicked off a Copa America tournament that has been opposed by some members of its own team with a 3-0 win over Venezuela on Sunday.

Marquinhos, Neymar and Gabriel Barbosa scored in the opener at Mané Garrincha stadium in Brasilia, less than a day after several Venezuelan players tested positive for COVID19.

South American soccer’s governing body, CONMEBOL, chose Brazil as host less than two weeks ago, despite its alarming COVID-19 figures, after Argentina and Colombia were dropped as co-hosts.

Despite his opposition to staging the tournament in his home country, Brazil captain Casemiro said the defending champions intended to retain their trophy.

“It could be a friendly, Copa America, World Cup qualifiers, we play it to win,” he said. “Venezuela had the idea of defending, they wanted a draw. But we were focused and we were aggressive in the last third of the pitch.”

Venezuela summoned 15 new players at short notice after eight squad members tested positive for COVID19 on Saturday, and the disruption showed on the field. The Seleção wasted opportunities but faced little

resistance from Venezuela.

Brazil opened the scoring in the 23rd minute after a corner kick ended with Marquinhos striking from close range.

Brazil coach Tite — who also opposed holding the tournament — took Lucas Paquetá off at halftime, but kept Roberto Firmino on the bench. Instead, Everton Ribeiro went on and provided more dynamism on the right flank.

Ribeiro found Danilo on the right edge of the box, and the Brazilian was pushed to the ground. Neymar calmly scored from the spot in the 63rd to make it 2-0. He looked to the right of Venezuelan goalkeeper Joel Graterol, but took his shot to the left.

Neymar dribbled past Graterol and crossed for Barbosa to chest the ball into the empty net in the 89th. A flop at Inter Milan and Benfica, Barbosa is a hero at Brazilian club Flamengo, which wants him on the national team more often.

Tite said he’s experimenting with combinations, thinking ahead to the World Cup in Qatar next year.

“I am seeking tactical alternatives, positional alternatives. But operating on different functions,” the Brazil coach said. “The idea is not to lose our character, otherwise you break the

Advantage New...

From page 24 Birmingham on Sunday.

India’s players staged an intra-squad practice game on Friday and Saturday at the Ageas Bowl in Southampton after undergoing quarantine both at home and in England.

“When it comes to finals we will give our best and we know that our team has the potential to do well and win the Championship,” Pujara said.

Pujara, who has played county cricket in England, said acclimatising to the fickle weather conditions will be key to India’s success in the final.

“Playing in different conditions in a single day here is the most challenging part for a batsman because if it rains you go off the field and then suddenly it stops raining and you start again,” said Pujara.

“So there are breaks in between and this is where you need to understand and accept the challenge.

Mentally you have to be strong; your concentration needs to be up to the mark.”

India’s star spinner Ravichandran Ashwin is expecting the best from an upbeat New Zealand side that has performed well under the testing English conditions.

“I expect a very wellplanned and well-knit New Zealand team to come at us,” Ashwin said.

“Having played two Tests, they will definitely come in with an advantage.

So we have to adapt to that.”

India’s vice-captain Ajinkya Rahane said they will give it their best shot and treat the final as “just another game”.

India booked their place in the final after a 3-1 series win over England in March.

Kane Williamson’s side secured their spot when Australia’s tour of South Africa was postponed this year due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Brazil’s Neymar, right, and Venezuela’s Richard Celis greet each other with social distance at the end of a Copa America soccer match at the National Stadium in Brasilia, Brazil, Sunday, June 13, 2021.

(AP Photo/Eraldo Peres)

links, the connections, you remove confidence from the athletes.”Venezuela coach José Peseiro said he was impressed by his players overcoming so many difficulties.

“We could have done more, but I am proud of these boys.

Some had their debuts for the national team. It was

an important day, we wanted to dignify Copa America and the national team,” Peseiro said. “It is obvious that it (the COVID-19 outbreak) had an impact, but that doesn’t stop me from being happy for their will, their effort.”

Brazil and Venezuela are in Group B with Colombia, Ecuador and Peru. Brazil and Colombia lead with three

points each, but the defending champion is ahead by goal difference after Colombia’s 1-0 win against Ecuador.

The four best teams in each group advance to the knockout stage.

Brazil’s second match will be against Peru on Thursday at the Nilton Santos stadium in Rio de

Janeiro. Venezuela will face Colombia on the same day at the Olimpico stadium in Goiania.

The final of the South American championship will be on July 10 at the historic Maracanã stadium in Rio, which also hosted the final two years ago when Brazil beat Peru 3-1 to win its ninth title.

Lloyd becomes oldest scorer for US women’s team BBCsport - Carli Lloyd became the oldest woman to score for the United States as her side thrashed Jamaica in a friendly in Houston.

At 38 years and 332 days, Lloyd’s strike just 24 seconds into the match beats the record previously held by Kristine Lilly (38 years, 264 days).

It marked her 125th international goal in 303 appearances.

The US - the world’s top-ranked team - are now 41 matches unbeaten, the third-longest streak in the team’s history.

After Lloyd’s opener, Lindsey Horan scored a penalty in the seventh

minute to double the lead after Christen Press was brought down in the box.

Midge P u r c e a d d e d a n o t h e r midway through the first h a l f f o r h e r s e c o n d international goal, before A l e x M o r g a n ’ s 9 1st-minute strike wrapped up the win.

Carli Lloyd scores her 125th international goal. (Getty Images)

Kaieteur News

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Tuesday June 15, 2021

Chelsea Edghill is Malteenoes’ first Olympian Since it was formed in 1902 by Bajan Tailor Ferdinand Archer, the Malteenoes Sports Club on Thomas Road, Thomas Lands, eight cricketers who represented MSC have played International cricket for the West Indies including Test players Charles Jones, John Trim, Glendon Gibbs, Clayton Lambert, Colin Stuart and Women’s player Indomattie Gordial.

The Club which is presently doing work on their two-story pavilion, their all Weather practice facility and has upgraded its fence among other things, has also produced a Test Cricket Radio Commentator and three West Indies youth Captains; Andre Percival, Steven Jacobs and Kwame Cross.

The Club now has its first Olympian in National Table Tennis Player Chelsea Edghill who is a member of Malteenoes and presently trains on the second story of the building which has been earmarked for Table Tennis.

The 23-year-old Edghill, Guyana’s highest-ranked female player reached the quarterfinals of the Olympic qualifiers in Argentina and was granted a ‘Wild Card’ to participate in the Tokyo Olympics scheduled from July 23 to August 8.

Edghill becomes the first Table Tennis player to represent Guyana at Olympic Games.

Guyana has won a single Olympic Medal when Boxer Mike Parris won Bronze in 1980 Moscow Olympics, 41 years ago.

MSC President Deborah McNichols, the first female President of any club that plays First division cricket in Guyana and the Caribbean, said the club was proud of the hard-working, dedicated and talented lass.

“As you embark on your journey to the Olympics as the first Table Tennis player to represent this Country at this Event, remember you are an Ambassador for your f a m i l y, C o m m u n i t y, Malteenoes and Guyana. It is a great honour to be an Olympian,” Mc Nichols stressed.

The four times Junior Sports Woman of the year and 2018 National Sportswoman-of-the-Year, informed that she should be leaving next week for a training Camp in Portugal.

“The Camp is the National Training Centre for Portugal. I got there through the GTTA and my current Coach from Portugal. It will be there for about six weeks and the Guyana Olympic Association will be funding

First Guyanese Table Tennis player to go to the Olympics Edghill is Smalta Brand Ambassador.

it,” said the former Caribbean U-23 Champion.

Edghill disclosed that the six-week Camp will benefit her since she would be able to spar with some of the best players in Europe and added she is satisfied with the preparation she should get ahead of Olympics.

Edghill has become the first ever table tennis player to represent Guyana in the

GAPLF AGM & Elections set for July 10 The Guyana Amateur Powerlifting Federation (GAPLF) has officially set a date for the hosting of its Annual General Meeting (AGM) and Elections, Saturday July 10, 2021, next.

An AGM notice was sent via email to the media by PRO/Organising Secretary, Ms Runita White which states that all covid-19 stipulations would be adhered to strictly.

The AGM which is constitutionally due in the first quarter of each year did not come off within that time frame and while no reason (s) was officially stated in the notice for the non-adherence, this newspapers was informed that the main reason for the AGM not being held was the challenge presented by the global pandemic, covid-19.

Pulling off the Novice and Junior championships on April 24th, held under strict covid-19 restrictions and guidelines including no spectators was another reason why the entity, led by Ed Caesar could not have hosted the AGM. Their was some level of agitation amongst athletes (members) as a result of the noncompliance but that seems now to be under control as this newspapers was also informed that there was an athlete’s meeting held on Saturday last.

The Novice and Junior championships had also served as qualifiers for the 18th Annual

North American Regional Powerlifting Championships (NAPF) set for Orlando, Florida, USA from August 17 – 21. To date, the Federation has not released the names of the athletes who would be travelling to Orlando.

It has not been confirmed if Caesar would be seeking a sixth consecutive term as President. The last AGM was held on February 8th, 2020 when the entire Executive Committee was returned, enblock, similarly to previous years.

The full executive committee reads: Ed Caesar (President), Nadina Taharally (Vice President), Colin Austin (Treasurer), Andrea Smith (General Secretary), Runita White (Public Relations Officer/Organising Secretary), David Gomes, Martin Webster and Erwyn Smith are the Committee Members.

The full agenda for the July 10, AGM is as follows: Time: 10:00hrs – 12:00hrs 1. Renewal of Affiliation 2. Review of 2019 AGM Minutes 3. President’s Report for 2020 – Present 4. General Secretary’s Report for 2020Present 5. Treasurer’s Report for 2020 – Present 6. Election of 2021 Office Bearers.

7. Any Other Business.

Olympics not by luck but hard work both on and off the Tennis Table, coupled by her consistent impressive performances in several high-level tournaments and is an inspiration to young girls who play Table Tennis.

Guyana’s Women’s team of Edghill, Trenace Lowe, Natalie Cummings, Jody Ann Blake and Priscila Greaves’ qualification to the Wo r l d T a b l e T e n n i s Championships in South Korea which was cancelled due to the covid-19 pandemic would have also helped in her selection for Tokyo.

“It means the world to

me. Ever since I was young it’s been a dream of mine to go to the Olympics and it’s an opportunity that I will make the most of.

“I didn’t think I would have made it, but I must thank God. Hard work pays off. I want to be able to compete and want to leave a mark for my country and this will require a lot of hard work,” added Edghill, whose aim is to be ranked in the top 100 or better yet 50 players in the world.

Edghill signed a longterm contract with Smalta as its newest Brand Ambassador on June 7, 2021; ahead of her Olympic

trip to Japan.

The contract will not just be for the Olympics but will also last until 2022 as Smalta aims to foster a significant partnership with the rising star.

The Lindenwood University graduate said that she is very grateful to Smalta for bestowing her with such an accolade.

The gifted young woman thanked her parents, Sydney Christophe, Coaches including Edi Lewis and Lisa Lewis, friends and the GTTA as well as all those who have supported her and aims to repay them by playing her best Tennis in Tokyo.

Advantage New Zealand but India ‘not worried’, says Pujara AFP - India’s players are positive ahead of the World Test Championship final against a New Zealand side primed for the encounter after a successful series in England, said batsman Cheteshwar Pujara.

F r i d a y ’s f i n a l i n Southampton comes after two years of Test series to determine the world’s top two teams.

The Blackcaps are coming off a confidenceboosting 1-0 Test series win over hosts England while Virat Kohli’s men played their last competitive match at the end of March.

“We are not worried about that,” Pujara said about New Zealand’s recent Test series in England.

India’s players are positive ahead of the World Test Championship final against New Zealand, said batsman Cheteshwar Pujara.

“We will try and focus on these 10 to 12 days which we have for our preparation,” the batsman said in a video shared on the Board of Control for Cricket in India’s (BCCI) website.

“If we utilise these days well I feel that our team will be up for the final.”

New Zealand drew the first Test at Lord’s before winning the second match in (Continued on page 23)

Kaieteur News

Tuesday June 15, 2021

PAGE 25

David Jackson and Jimrone McPherson crowned Claude St Romain Memorial games Champions David Jackson and Jimrone McPherson emerged champions of the 14th Claude St Romain Memorial Card twist and Domino games held at David Samaroo place, Port Kaituma waterfront on Sunday last.

Claude St Romain born June 6, 1935 and died June 6, 2007 served as a Colonel in the Guyana Defence Force, who held senior public positions in Region one was also classed as the best Domino player, Educator and mentor.

Ever since the former Dynamic leader died, his son Conrad St Romain and family introduced the” Memorial games”, which is now 14 years old and was launched at David Samaroo place.

According to Conrad, the very best cards and Domino players get eliminated while l u c k y p l a y e r s e m e rg e winners.

He also mentioned that due to covid 19 only a

David Jackson (L) accepts his prize from Conrad St. Romain.

limited number of players were registered for the games, but in the past the games were played over two days because of numerous players that traveled from Moruca, Mabaruma and Matarkai Sub Region to

Jimrone McPherson (L) receives his prizes from Conrad St Romain.

participate in the entrance free games with lots of cash prizes up for grabs.

This year Three hundred and fifty thousand dollars were up for grabs with David Jackson, Rayborn Mc Donald and Quincy Frazer

PSL’s 1st 50 was an achievement to cherish says Rutherford

By Sean Devers Twenty-two-year-old Guyana and West Indies left-hander Sherfane Rutherford followed up scores of six not out and 46 in February with 15 and as the Pakistan Super League resumed this month in Abu Dhabi before blasting four sixes and two fours in 56 from 40 balls for Peshawar Zalmi on Sunday.

His maiden half-century in the PSC and second in 56 T20s, came in a losing effort as Multan Sultans galloped to 167-2 from 16.3 overs. “First of all, I must thank God for the opportunity.

Getting my first PSL 50 is a big achievement for me and definitely one to cherish.”Rutherford has played six T20I’s for the West Indies after making his debut against Bangladesh on 22 December 2018 but has made his mark around the globe, playing for Guyana Amazon Warriors, Khulna Titans, Delhi Capitals, Sylhet Thunder, Karachi Kings, Mumbai Indians, Peshawar Zalmi, Edmonton Royals, Sydney Sixers and Bengal Tigers.“I don’t think we did much wrong as a team we were outplayed and in our team we win together and loose together as a team,” added the pugnacious big hitter.

However, Rutherford who made his firstclass debut for Guyana in the 2016–17 before making debut his List A debut fin the 2018 Regional Super50, said he was confident his team would come back strongly.

“The heat wasn’t bad, just the dew was a lot and it was kind of difficult but it was just for me to find a way to do the job,” said Rutherford, who hails from the East Coast Demerara Village of Enmore.

“The tournament for me so far is going great, the guys around me are making it easy

pocketing $100,000, $50,000 and $25,000 for taking the top three positions respectively in the Card twister game, while in the Domino Competition Jimrone McPherson emerged champion and

pocketed $100,000, while second place Kevin Wilson and third place Roger Boston carted off 50,000 and 25,000 in that order.

Conrad St Romain stated that he was extremely happy

Choreographed move gives Colombia 1-0 win at Copa America CUIABA, Brazil (AP) — A surprising choreographed move gave Colombia a 1-0 win against Ecuador on Sunday in its first match of Copa America.

Edwin Cardona was the scored the winner at the Arena Pantanal in Cuiabá in the 42nd minute of a tense game.

The decisive moment started when midfielder Cardona took a free kick close to the edge of the Ecuadorian penalty box.

Instead of shooting, he exchanged three short passes with Juan Guillermo Cuadrado, who moved the ball forward to where Miguel

Sherfane Rutherford

and that is what stands out in our team.”

Rutherford explained that he has no injuries but just landed on his shoulder awkwardly while fielding in his last game, but added, that was ‘good’ said Rutherford who was the leading run-scorer for the West Indies B Team in the inaugural edition of the Global T20 Canada tournament in June 2018.

“I don’t set goals to be honest.

But every time I go out to bat I try my best to do what’s required for the team and that’s mainly my mind set,” posited Rutherford who said his next game is on June 14.

Scores in the match: Multan Sultans 167 for 2 (Rizwan 82*, Maqsood 61) beat Peshawar Zalmi 166 for 7 (Rutherford 56, Akmal 35, Dhani 4-31) by eight wickets.

with the successful completion of the games and hopes to reintroduce the field games in the future.

He would like encourage sports men and women to consider taking the covid 19 vaccine.

Borja was waiting.Borja headed the ball back to Cardona, who had run toward goalkeeper Pedro Ortiz and who scored with a right-foot shot as the Ecuadorian defenders watched on.

The move had to be validated by video review.

“The play of our goal has been worked on by our players since the ... World Cup qualifiers,” Colombia coach Reinaldo Rueda said.The previous encounter between these teams ended 6-1 to Ecuador seven months ago in a World Cup qualifying game. Carlos (Continued on page 21)

Colombia’s Rafael Borre, left, and Colombia’s Miguel Borja celebrate the opening goal scored by Colombia’s Edwin Cardona during a Copa America soccer match against Ecuador at Arena Pantanal stadium in Cuiaba, Brazil, Sunday, June 13, 2021. (AP Photo/Andre Penner)

Chelsea Edghill t r o is Malteenoes’ Sp Brazil opens Copa first Olympian America with 3-0 win over Venezuela

First Guyanese Table Tennis player to go to the Olympics

Brazil’s Neymar celebrates scoring his side’s second goal against Venezuela on a penalty kick during a Copa America soccer match at the National Stadium in Brasilia, Brazil, Sunday, June 13, 2021. (AP Photo/Eraldo Peres)

Chelsea Edghill in action

PSL’s 1st 50 was an achievement to cherish says

GAPLF AGM & Elections set for July 10 Rutherford Sherfane Rutherford hit 56 in his team’s loss © PCB/PSL

The current GAPLF Executive which returned en bloc in 2018! Seated from right, Ms. Runita White, Ms. Nadina Taharally, Ed Caesar and Ms. Andrea Smith.

Standing from right, Erwyn Smith, Martin Webster, Andrew Austin and David Gomes.

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