Kaieteur News

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Eight Opposition NEWS MPs to be suspended - motion by Privileges over NRF protest Committee for next sitting AIETEUR

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Monday Edition June 20, 2022 - Vol. 15 No. 24 Online: www.kaieteurnews.com Online Price $100 readership yesterday, 77,418

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

Oil companies ripped off T&T 60 years of royalties p. 3

- using loopholes in contract; Guyana warned

“Su gets all the support” - Jagdeo tells under-Cover Vice News reporters p.

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2 more COVID-19 deaths; 35 new infections p. 16

2 persons missing after boats collide in Pomeroon River p.

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VP Jagdeo claims solar, wind options too expensive for Guyana While world races towards renewables…

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Kaieteur News

PAGE 02

Monday June 20, 2022

Court case over extensive waivers to oil companies …

KN Publisher says waivers in direct - raises issue over conflict with petroleum law Govt. paying taxes

Kaieteur News (KN) Publisher, Glenn Lall has raised a series of questions in the case he filed against the Guyana (GOG)’s decision to grant extensive tax waivers to Exxon Mobil and its partners.

In a document submitted to the High Court on Lall’s behalf by his attorney, Mohamed R. Ali, the KN Publisher has asked the Court to determine inter alia,

whether the acts of the Minister of Natural Resources and certain sub articles of the Petroleum Agreement were in breach of sections 10 and 51 of Petroleum Exploration and Production Act (PEPA) as well as sections of the Financial Administration and Audit Act (FAAA).

In fact, Lall contends that terms of agreement as it relates to taxes contained in

the petroleum agreement signed between the GOG and Exxon is in direct conflict with the Petroleum law.

Added to this, the businessman said the GOG did not just grant a waiver, remission or concession, but substituted itself for the agency liable to be taxed. He submitted that the Court should therefore consider whether the GOG can

substitute paying taxes for any taxpayer.

As it relates to actions of the Minister of Natural Resources, Lall explained that Articles 15.1, 15.11 and 15.12 of the petroleum agreement which deals specifically with taxation and royalty paid by the oil companies are ultra vires ( re a c h i n g b e y o n d t h e powers”) of sections 10 and 51 of the PEPA as they

for Exxon purport to disapply the written laws set out in section 51 (2) to persons other than licensees, namely to Affiliated Companies, expatriate employees of Contractors and nonresident sub-contractors.

It is explained that Article 15. 1 of the petroleum agreement states that no tax, valued added, excise, duty, fee, charge or other impost shall be levied on the contractor or affiliated companies in respect to the income derived from the petroleum operations.

Article 51:11 states that there shall be no tax, valued added, excise, duty, fee, charge or other impost applicable on interest payments, dividends, , deemed dividends, transfer of profit or deemed remittance of profits to the contractors affiliated companies or nonresident subcontractor to its foreign or head office or to affiliated companies.

Further Section 15: 12 extends the same favour expatriate employees of the oil companies and its contractors and offers tax waivers on personal income tax under the Income Tax Act of Guyana. According to Lall’s contention, the aforementioned articles trump on the sections 10 and 51 of the PEPA. While section 10 of the law speaks to the agreement with respect to the grant of licence, section 51 states that “[it is] the Minister assigned responsibility for Finance who may, by order, which shall be subject to affirmative resolution of the National Assembly, direct that any or all of the written laws mentioned in subsection (2) shall not apply to, or in relation to, a licensee where the licensee has entered into a production sharing agreement with the Government of Guyana…”

Lall contends further that the GOG prematurely granted the waivers and made decisions on taxes before knowing the details of the oil finds. “…It is therefore submitted this was not an appropriate case for the scale and range of tax concessions under PEPA should be granted. To the best of the applicant’s knowledge, no government publications have highlighted the

Kaieteur News (KN) Publisher, Glenn Lall justification of the factors the Minister took into account upon signing the Petroleum Agreement,” the newspaper publisher outlined in the document.

Moreover, the applicant said “if the Minister wished to extend fiscal concessions to affiliated companies, subcontractors and expatriate employees of the contractor, affiliate companies or nonresident sub-contractors this could only have been done by a provision to that effect under a Tax Act.” He submitted further that “by the use of the word licensee,” Parliament intended that any concessions and waivers could not be extended to non-resident subcontractors, affiliated companies or associated companies.”

“It is our submission that the Minister has clearly acted outside of the provisions of the Act by agreeing to contract terms of the said Petroleum Agreement that unlawfully extend the statutory provisions regarding tax exemptions and concessions to other classes of persons other than the licensee.

It is our further submission that the court’s duty, whether the legislation is a taxing Act or any other legislation is to give effect to the intention of the legislature,” Lall said in the written submission to the Court.

Lall is arguing fiercely to have the government’s decision to grant the concessions overturned by the court. The GOG has already filed a response through the office of the Attorney General defending its decision to grant the tax waivers. Among other things, the government has said that Lall has no right to file the action since the agreement it has with the oil companies is a matter of private law.

In an initial affidavit filed in response to the GOG, the newspaper publisher has been adamant that the concessions given to Continued on page 3

Kaieteur News

Monday June 20, 2022

PAGE 03

Oil companies ripped off T&T 60 years of royalties - using loopholes in contract; Guyana warned

By Kiana Wilburg Prior to December 2017, Trinidad and Tobago had found itself entrapped in a contractual situation with oil companies that most citizens and industry stakeholders described as bordering on being “almost criminal”.

Instead of the companies paying royalties out of their share of profit oil, weak Production Sharing Agreements (PSA) left T&T making those payments on behalf of those foreign entities. This was taking place for almost 60 years due to there being no explicit provision outlining that oil companies must make such a payment to the State and that same is not recoverable under any circumstance.

The foregoing dilemma which robbed the Caricom oil producer of what it deserves, forced it in 2017 to eventually overhaul its fiscal regime for the sector and introduce a new and improved fiscal model that demanded a 12.5 percent non-recoverable royalty.

Taking T&T’s decades-long tragedy into consideration, stakeholders there have urged Guyana to guard against similar abuses early on. They shared with Kaieteur News that such a reprehensible state of affairs took place because there were some actors in the governing body that were inclined to provide a “soft touch” to the oil industry, much to the benefit of the operating companies.

That “soft touch” approach is what even led to key advice on signature bonuses by technical personnel being ignored.

They said that government was advised to ensure signature bonus, a sum of money paid immediately after signing a contract to explore an oil and gas block, was noted in the PSAs as a non-recoverable item.

However, “certain parties” made sure this was not done and much to the fiscal

Vice President, Bharrat Jagdeo

detriment of Trinidad, signature bonuses were recovered for decades. It is in light of these startling lessons Guyana is being strongly advised to protect itself from being shackled to the same abuse before realising it too late.

Just last week, Kaieteur News asked Vice President, Bharrat Jagdeo if he has any guarantees that Guyana’s two percent royalty is being recovered by Exxon’s subsidiary in the Stabroek Block, Esso Exploration and Production Guyana Limited (EEPGL).

T h e Vi c e President had said, “I don’t want to venture public positions that I may have to walk back on at some point in time so I will be a bit cautious on this.” He said such issues he would not leave to politicians to answer but rather, in the much more capable hands of the nation’s t a x a n d l e g a l authorities/guardians.

VP Jagdeo was keen to note that there have been some issues of contention between Exxon and the Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA) as regards what the company is entitled to under the Production Sharing Agreement governing the Stabroek Block. “They (Exxon) said for example they are entitled to a number of vehicles. They applied for 20 four-wheel drives to bring in, fancy vehicles, and we said they have to pay; they

KN Publisher says waivers...

From page 2 expatriate employees under Article 15.12(ii) of the Petroleum Agreement are discriminatory of the contractor, affiliated companies and non-resident sub-contractors.

Lall noted, too, based on the advice of his attorney, the issue falls in the category of administrative law, which is considered a branch of public law and not private law.

In a previously sworn document, the Kaieteur News Publisher had noted that the issue deals with the decisionmaking of such administrative units of government that are part of the executive branch in such areas as international trade, manufacturing, the environment, taxation, etc.

are not entitled under the PSA. We said you can rent from locals and if you want to you should pay taxes; you can’t get it duty-free. So I prefer if the auditors or tax people lead on those charges, not the politicians because sometimes you can say something that the other side can use as a signal when in discussions with GRA,” the Vice President said.

Kaieteur News has examined the PSA pertaining to recoverable and non-recoverable items.

In the latter category, there is no explicit listing of royalty being an unrecoverable item.

(The photo attached to this article outlines clearly, the categories that are not recoverable, again, none of which relate to royalty).

It is crucial to note that oil companies such as ExxonMobil have paid US$3 billion over the past 15

years to resolve a range of charges including that they regularly cheated the U.S. government and Native American communities out of royalties on oil and gas leases, raising concerns they use similar techniques to rob citizens in poor countries of resource wealth. In the

lawsuits settled with the U.S. government, lawyers and whistleblowers have alleged that it’s relatively easy for energy companies to fudge their numbers using dubious accounting techniques and outright fraud.

Audits and compliance checks by the Office of

Natural Resources Revenue, the U.S. agency charged Continued on page 6

Kaieteur News

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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

Guyana for sale The much-anticipated undercover investigation from VICE news finally aired. Countless citizens of this country may exhale slowly, but it is with agony, because their worst fears are confirmed. Undoubtedly, Guyana has a big “For Sale” sign plastered across its face, and no one really knows the full extent of the financial crimes happening here.

The VICE News production of Guyana for Sale speaks of webs of intrigue, dens of thieves, and interlocking bands of conspirators, of both local and foreign origins. The foreigners are extremely skilled at navigating the corrupt waters of Guyana because they have access to the heart of Government, are a handshake away from the most powerful local leaders.

The foreigners know how to get things done, because they know which buttons to push, and which leaders can make good things happen. They know what it takes to move men in influential leadership positions to see their objectives, and respond to their bids. The currency of such conversations is cash, and lots of it.

Mr. Su has plenty of it, and he is familiar with Guyana’s own Vice President, who is his landlord and, more tellingly, his ‘boss.’ We ponder about the meanings that could be attached to that very useful word ‘boss.’ Vice President Jagdeo has not denied knowing Mr. Su, who is one clever operator, given his large holdings of Guyana’s lands.

Ordinary Guyanese can line up and wait, file many applications, quarrel, and object. But they will not move an inch towards getting a small plot of land, if the ones in power do not smile upon them, after considering what they, the supplicants, have to barter (cash). It is just the way the system works, as became clear from the VICE News programme. This is not news to Guyanese, for they have lived with such a culture under government after government. The problem is that today, there is nothing equivalent to the corruptions that now rage in every aspect of the government-people partnership. For the foreigners, it is called a consultation fee, except that there is nobody doing anything remotely resembling real consultancy work. But bargains are struck, and when the government and political people collect, there is both assurance and the experience that bottlenecks disappear, hurdles are overcome, and obstacles are cleared away. It is a world where cash is king, and it has the advantage of being untraceable from giver to receiver, if the people are savvy enough.

Again, it is the way that business is done under the PPP/C Government in the Guyana of today. On his own behalf, Vice President Jagdeo, the leader that the Chinese identify as the ‘go to man’ is recorded on tape as saying that he knows Mr. Su, “Su is my friend, he gets all the support…” There are two ways to interpret those two most important words uttered by Guyana’s Vice President in his exchange with his strange, new visitor. They are “friend” and “support.” As in “my friend” and “he gets all the support.”

The first interpretation is routine and the essence of innocence itself. Friend could mean just that, only that, and nothing more; everything stops right there. The same goes for support, which is usually employed in run of the mill things in daily life. However, and this is the key and this is the danger: when “friend” and “support” function” as carefully and deliberately chosen code words, then they take on a whole new life by themselves, with a world of new meaning accompanying. It could be a signal that this man is one of us, because he is spoken for, therefore, he is good for whatever he comes for, be it a contract, land, stone, or mineral resources.

We cannot say with authority that we know which meaning the Vice President had in mind in Mr. Su’s context.

Despite numerous other concerns about similar practices in this PPP/C Government, this storm passes for now. But it is not forgotten, and it does have a lingering taste, a heavy odour, a deep reach. We are certain that the Vice President understands the damage to him. He may wish for this to disappear, but that is easier said than done.

Monday June 20, 2022

Editor’s Note; If your sent letter was not published and you felt its contents were valid and devoid of libel or personal attacks, please contact us by phone or email.

Time for mitigation Dear Editor, Flooding in Regions Five and Six has been occurring too frequently in the last decade and even more so in the last five years. Residents and farmers are faced with the situation on an annual basis either during the year end, mid-year or both rainy seasons and are forced to overcome serious socioeconomic consequences every time they are flooded.

Farmers are especially hard hit.

Their daily battles with pests, diseases, rising prices of inputs and fluctuating markets are now compounded with flooding, crop destruction and death of farm animals.

Most importantly, the frustration and despondency will definitely discourage both, current and future generations of farmers from continuing.

Considering their suffering, there definitely, will be seriously deleterious economic, social and political consequences in the future should this continue unabated.

Why is the situation as it is today?

Historically, in Guyana, the drainage system was designed and built by the Dutch and which catered for one and a half inches of rainfall per day. It is upon this basis that all tertiary, secondary and even primary drainage structures are built and maintained up to today.

At the time and until the late80s that design was essentially sufficient and effective for several reasons: a) The rainfall pattern had remained essentially the same as the 1800s. b) There were large undeveloped land masses which served as seasonal reservoirs and which restricted the mass surface flow of water from the land and into the rivers to cause floods downstream. c) There was little to no major economic development and expansion of cultivation. d) Little to no media coverage.

What changed?

There are a number of factors that changed between

the early 90s to now that are working in synchrony to create the situation as it is existing today; these include but are not limited to the following a) There were small changes in the rainfall regime, both, in pattern and intensity. b) The PPP came into government which encouraged investors’ confidence in the economy.

That resulted in significant e x p a n s i o n a n d modernisation of agriculture in the regions. Both rice, cash crop, cattle and sugar made significant expansion in their respective cultivations and moved their operations to more modern technologies and methodologies with little or no soil conservation techniques employed. c) The invasive species Antelope grass reached the waterways and invaded the creeks. This resulted in the occupation of large swaths along the banks of creeks and other waterways. While they occupy the shallow 20% of

the waterway, it is the 20% most essential in the time of heavy rainfall since it is the upper 20% water column in the waterway which moves fastest and drains the longest. d) Siltation - more land under cultivation means more siltation in surface runoffs which gets into Antelope clogged waterways. The grass’s subsurface root system forms a sieve in the water which slows down the flow resulting in deposition of sediments on the river or canal bed. With time, sediments become trapped in the root network forming ‘’bag’’, which further slows down the flow and increases deposition of sediments.

This situation is more compounded by the fact that there are huge silt deposits at the mouths of the three creeks and the channel of some kokers in Region Five.

These deposits effectively limit the velocity and volume of discharge into the sea.

Again, a slowdown of the flow occurs and more (Continued on page 5)

Could the chair not even consider giving her personal report?

Dear Editor, Is GECOM chair continuing with the same way of meeting her responsibilities as she did during the 2020 Elections?

By stating that the legal process and the CEO responsibility prevent her

agreeing to an internal review, the chair seems to continue to avoid making firm decisions in the interest of our country.

It is not unreasonable to believe that there is widespread expectation and support for the GECOM

chair to do her job in the interest of our nation.

Could the chair not even consider giving her personal report, something which will give us hope that steps will be taken to prevent the traumas we faced in 2020?

We expect and deserve

our Officials to make decisions and take prompt actions for a better future.

How long more must we be denied rights enshrined in our laws? When will we also benefit from international good practices?

Muhammad Alli

Indigenous Peoples have always lived alongside, and with Nature Dear Editor, I do hope that this letter would not be misconstrued, misinterpreted to be politically biased as is often the case when one speak on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.

Firstly, every citizen of this country, in this instance, the Amerindian Native has his/ her right to political party affiliation, but where their Rights are concerned, that takes precedence.

Their right to practise their culture, their way of life, however others might describe it, is theirs to cherish, like any other.

We, the Indigenous Peoples care less what others

may think, but we live simply, for the sake of the ones coming after us; our children, our grand-children, our great, great, great grandchildren. Nothing must change our culture for to do so, will become detrimental as it will ultimately go against the Divine Laws of Mother Nature.

We t h e I n d i g e n o u s people cherish our forest resources deeply and take only what is needed for our upkeep; the medicines, the lumber, the food, the clean water from our rivers and creeks. No extravagance is practised, nothing is wasted, or destroyed and that is the ultimate reason why Guyana

boasts of a huge area of standing forest. Our forests are still standing, although being depreciated on a daily basis.

We might have been labelled, stigmatised as unintelligent people by many, many persons for not “developing” our land spaces, our territories. Now large expanses of land are being distributed to the wealthy so as to “develop”, they say.

They must bring “development” to the Indigenous People, they say, so they can “see” the light.

They continue to scoff, malign us, derogate us on and on, all because they do

not understand how we live.

But, little do they know that given the malignant causes, the Culture of the First Peoples will gradually die and so too our sacred forests that we cherish since time immemorial.

Indigenous Peoples have always lived alongside, and with Nature. Trees, animals, creeks and rivers are their friends. These are too sacred to desecrate as this can result in disastrous consequences to all, should we not listen to and obey Mother Nature.

If not, Nature will take its course.

Absolutely.

Yours truly, Joseph C. Atkinson

Kaieteur News

Monday June 20, 2022

PAGE 05

We stand in solidarity with SN The essence of human dignity under fire against intimidation of the press Dear Editor, Reference is made to the news article “Query on minister’s ties to company results in cops visiting Stabroek News (SN, 19th June 2022).

We stand in solidarity

with SN against intimidation of the press. SN should not be harassed or intimidated when it is holding the Government and all stakeholders accountable.

Yours Faithfully, Sean Ori

The sugar industry Dear Editor, With regard to the sugar industry, has anyone thought of starting a new sugar company using new land and mechanical planting and harvesting? If it is viable to do so then we would not need to systematically close down the sugar industry. If it is not viable, then we would need to look at alternatives to cushion the impact on people

of systematically shutting down the sugar industry.

If sugar is not viable using mechanisation then it will not be viable using intensive labour (the traditional method) as is currently done.

We w o u l d n e e d a feasibility study conducted before making hard choices.

Yours faithfully, Sean Ori

Time for mitigation...

From page 4 deposits take place at critical points closest to the final discharge point. There is a third salient case of deposition occurring; when the tide rises and flows into the creek, it brings sediments into the creeks and deposits them as it reaches its peak but when the water is flowing out as the tide drops and it is at its last third, the stage of outflow when the greatest erosion should have taken place, the flow is restricted by the silt build up at the river mouth and the sediments brought into the river cannot go back out, hence a net deposition of sediments occurs.

The cyclic occurrence of this phenomenon results in the gradual shallowing of the creek front and by extension a reduction of water discharge. e) Electronic and print media flourished under the PPP government and these situations, no matter how benign, are broadcasted to all and sundry to finally shape the public opinion about a situation.

What can be done?

The situation has to be looked at on a macro perspective. First and foremost, a comprehensive study needs to be done to fully assess the situation, its dynamics, Economic, social, political and ecological implications.

From my perspective and limited evidence, the f o l l o w i n g a r e recommended?

1) The mouths of the three creeks must be gated to control the flow of water in one direction.

2) The best possible route for the flow of water through the marine sediment banks needs to be plotted, dredged and groins built to protect the dredged channels from re-sedimentation to offer effective flows.

3) A massive antelope control programme needs to be designed and implemented with a heavy chemical control component to manage the weed situation.

4) Two massive drainage canals (with relevant sluices) connecting the Mahaica, Mahaicony, Abary and Berbice rivers, conveniently located between the Public road and the MMA main canal needs to be established to divide the drainage basin and manage the water flow.

5) Additional works on secondary and Tertiary drainage systems will have to be enhanced on a case by case basis.

I am convinced that the implementation of the first three recommendations will practically reduce the frequency of flooding in the region by well more than half.

Sincerely, Rohit Singh

Dear Editor, “There are just those who have lost their basic rationalities and commonsense under certain ideologies/hatred/cultures.

The limited resources in society/education almost decided that it is impossible to raise everybody into a decent person with commonsense.

Tonight it’s my turn, and I’m glad it’s my turn and not the turn of anyone else’s, at least I could still take a few punches” (NextShark -June 17). Spoken like a PhD student and a brutalised victim and a minority one and a foreigner. The speaker was all four and studying in America, of all places on God’s green earth.

I read it all, and shivered from all of it. Because what this battered but dignified Chinese PhD student laid before the world was the essence of human dignity under fire, the imperatives of the human spirit that are indomitable, no matter the assaults, the character of combined onslaughts.

Minority victimising is now sport for both obscene participants and intrigued passersby.

It might be the physical troubles of the street; or the cyber arrows that flow so prodigiously across the length and breadth of those dens. It could be about what surfaced in Bartica, is ongoing with America’s January 6 look at itself, and last the upcoming COI of Guyana’s 2020 elections. As the wounded Chinese student noted, examinations of those and more would reveal “those who have lost their basic rationalities and commonsense under certain ideologies/hatred/cultures.”

This young man speaks English better than most native ones, for even in his agony, he is not humiliated, but dignified of bearing, tempered in expression. He is most impressive. I wish that we had some, a score of scores of such like him here.

But I believe that we are now too far gone for such stirrings that soothe. For I think we already know too

much about losing our minds to tribalism, to the senseless, to the hatreds that divided and set at war, for we have lived them also, and not just in 2020, but forever.

This is the key: we like it.

In our society this is what fuels us, sometimes as incited by instinctual fears, cult leadership ambitions, and our own inbred weaknesses.

The America where I spent the prime years of my life, and which I thought I knew (but always feared) has itself descended into the chaos of racial and political madness.

This is what comes out in the revelations a n d c o n t i n u i n g exaggerations and distortions, the perpetual partisanships, in the Jan. 6 hearings in Congress.

Undoubtedly, this is what will take centrestage right here, when we are bold enough-honest enough alsoto peer into our souls.

Rottenness lives there, the racial kind, the political type, the leadership variety, and most ordinary of strains. It is

DNA, history, and future.

As an outsider, I can think along these lines of cool, clinical detachment.

As a Guyanese of the soil, it is never any of those bloodless, unemotional elements.

Such are the blows felt, like that brilliant Chinese gentleman, who showed us (he showed me) how to separate from and rise above the putrid fray.

There is a certain fathomless, overpowering grace of “Tonight it’s my turn”, which if lived by more can make our own Guyana a better place.

Today, I pray that should my turn ever come, then I would be like him, and rise above the hatreds, rages, frustrations, resentments.

We have a COI coming up, and much more lurking in the wings, and under the thinness of our sickly skins.

Perhaps then we will know more about ourselves and do something about it. But only if we so desire.

Sincerely, GHK Lall

The minimum wage increase - in some ways it will assist the people Dear Editor, This minimum wage increase as certified and announced by His Excellency Dr. Irfaan Ali of 36% in my opinion has many questions to be answered and the realities to be faced.

I the undersigned, am an ‘old timer’ in the private sector and the security sector, operating for over 42 years. I have seen governments come and go and acquired enormous knowledge of people who have power; betrayal of trust, self-centeredness, mass corruption in various sectors and the final reality is that the small man is never the real man. The small is the real man, were the words of Former President Forbes Burnham but from his era to date the small man is never the real man. Except for this government which has been

trying so much to bring lands, housing and various grants to ease the economic pressure on the small man. I pray one day that the small man truly becomes a real man!

While the 36% increase feels much, the reality is that it really is not and it is less than a drop in a bucket of no water. I came from poverty, understood poverty from my childhood and was virtually on the streets until by accident by the grace of God that I ended up in business with $7.50 in my pocket and an education along with my old motorcycle. So I empathise with the small man! I feel their tears and pains as they suffer! I pray one day that we will be able to provide all employees that earn the minimum wage, free water and electricity or a subsidy of at least 50%.

Please note the following: 1.

This increase is not in any way adequate to ease the pain and pressure of the minimum wage earner. I recommend immediately $75,000 and in January 2023, $100,000 then in January 2024, $125,000 until such time that the cost of living is brought down and the economy flourishes.

2.

Some years back when the PPP/C was in government, at about this same time of the year there was an increase in the minimum wage. This sudden increase created a ‘shock and awe’ in the industry. Being a company of law that does not steal VAT, NIS, PAYE TAXES or corporate taxes.

We were forced to give up a number of contracts after holding onto them for three months at great losses to us,

with the hope that the then government during the era of Dr. Bharrat Jagdeo would have reviewed the matter and corrected the big error.

Others eventually gave up the contracts but one held on illegally and made it clear that he would hold and pay the same old wages which he did for years, boasting that due to his relationship with certain political powers nothing could come out of it.

3. I did write a letter to the editor back in December of 2021 which was published i n t h e G u y a n a Ti m e s December 19th, 2021 edition, appealing to the President about the Minimum Wage increase in the Private Sector. I also had a personal conversation with the President when we met at an event. I advised that they should not increase in the (Continued on page 6)

Kaieteur News

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Monday June 20, 2022

Battle for GPSCCU reaches court - members want nine executives permanently banned from holding office

F

ailure to adhere to demands of the Guyana Public Service Union Cooperation Credit Union (GPSCCU) members to hold a special general meeting as per a signed petition has forced the matter into the courts.

But should this issue reach a legal resolution to cause the body’s Management Committee to honour the petition, at least nine executives could be voted out and permanently removed from holding such office again.

Hundreds of credit union members signed the petition last month following the controversial removal of the Committee’s chairman Trevor Benn.

Benn was voted out as chairman in his absence, and this did not sit well with the members who have openly applauded his leadership as chairman.

Additionally, this action has caused a rift in the top brass with most executives agreeing to get rid of the chair, while a small number is against it.

Within 14 days of receiving the petition, the

Management Committee was supposed to ensure the hosting of the special meeting Pursuant to Regulation 16 of the Cooperative Societies Regulations. But this was not done, and even when the acting Committee chairman tried to have same convened by way of notice for a June 25 meeting, the said announcement was scrapped by the opposing fraction who had by then appointed a new chairperson.

The members’ petition advised however, that the objective of the proposed meeting “shall be to vote for or against the recall of the Committee of Management of the GPSCCU, without prejudice, and if the majority of Members in good standing vote to recall the Committee of Management, an election will be held at that same time to replace the Members of the Committee.”

Further, without prejudice, the petition said, it recommends that “the following nine officers not be reelected to serve on the Committee of ManagementMs. Gillian Pollard – S e c r e t a r y, M s . K a r e n

Ousted Chairman Trevor Benn (centre) with credit union members during the signing of the petition last month Vansluytman-Corbin, Ms. Ruth Howard, Ms. O. Saskia Eastman-Onwuzirike, Mr. Charles Ogle, Mr. Kirwyn Mars, Jermain Hermanstyne, Ms. Leslyn Noble and Mr. Arthur Gibbs.”

The members demanded further that the meeting be held virtually and in-person i n a l l t e n ( 1 0 ) Administrative Regions,

utilising the same mechanism used to conduct the 2021 Annual General Meeting at which the present Committee of Management members were elected, and that the same e-voting service provider be utilized.

The petitioners said, “Re-iterate that visionary leadership from the

committee of management, trust, collaboration, communication, sound decision making, and accountability to the Members of the GPSCCU are important for the credit union to continue to thrive and reaffirm that Guyana Public Service Cooperative Credit Union is the leader in providing financial services

to the poor and powerless and that a strong partnership between the Committee of Management and the Members is important to preserve the progress of the Credit Union and ensure its continuous development.”

The GPSCCU has over 20,000 members, with some 2000 persons now calling for the special general meeting.

Oil companies ripped off T&T 60...

From page 3 with managing America’s energy and mineral leases, similarly have found billions in corporate underpayments on oil and gas leases since 1998. Isabel Munilla, a senior policy advisor at Oxfam America, which is part of a coalition campaigning for greater transparency in the oil, mining and gas industries had said, “If this is happening in the U.S, where we have a strong legal and regulatory system, which should in theory reduce the incentives for this type of behaviour, it’s very likely to be happening around the world, especially in places with much weaker governance systems.”

Further research on Exxon’s treatment of nations on royalty payments further underscores the need for authorities here to be extremely cautious.

According to a 2010 publication by the Oil & Gas Journal, ExxonMobil Corp. had agreed to pay a US$32.2 million federal fine to resolve a whistleblower’s claim that its affiliates knowingly underpaid natural gas royalties on federal and American Indian leases.

The US Department of Justice had said the claim arose from allegations that Mobil Natural Gas Inc., Mobil Exploration & Producing US Inc., and their affiliates systematically underreported the value of gas taken from the leases from March 1, 1998, to November 30, 1999, and consequently paid less in royalties to the federal government and various Indian tribes. (https://www.ogj.com/generalinterest/article/17284815/exxonmobil-to-

pay-322-million-to-resolvewhistleblowers-suit) This newspaper also found that in other cases investigated between 1998 to 2000 the US Department of Justice had intervened against seven oil companies, ExxonMobil included, for knowingly undervaluing oil extracted from public and Indian lands. For that period, the Department of Justice recovered in excess of US$170 million in its o i l r o y a l t y s u i t s . (https://www.justice.gov/archive/opa/pr/20 00/March/156civ.htm) In 2003, ExxonMobil was also found to be defrauding the state of Alabama out of royalty payments and was ordered by the courts to pay up more than US$100 million in back-pay royalties.

According to www.classaction.org., in August 2012, a Kansas judge approved a US$54 million settlement with landowners who claimed they were underpaid royalties when ExxonMobil made deductions for expenses that occurred downstream of their wells. The settlement also ended a lawsuit filed in Kansas state court against ExxonMobil over royalties dating back to 2000.

At the moment, Guyana is conducting audits of Exxon’s post 2017 bills which total US$9B. The consortium, which is made up of local and foreign auditors, is expected to complete same in four months.

It is unclear if the team would be examining said bills to ensure royalty is not being recovered or if royalties were underpaid.

Enmore Martyrs Dear Editor, One could not help but applaud the nobility of the current Administration and familial groups in their respective pronouncements on the 74th anniversary of Enmore Martyrs Day. In the accustomed declaration of democratic unity, not a single voice of

generosity would advert to the historical fact that it was Forbes Burnham who instructed the Chairman of GuySuCo, Harold Davis, to arrange for the erection of the Enmore Martyrs Monument soon after the sugar industry was nationalised.

This survivor was there at

the first ceremony, along with other managers, and unions of the day. It is a fact of history that deserves a m o d i c u m o f acknowledgement by all the citizenry.

E.B. John Retired Human Resources Director GuySuCo

The minimum wage increase - in...

From page 5 middle of the year when the budget would have already been passed and contracts already signed. The President as usual listened very intently and said that he heard me and that it was logical, that they should not institute an increase in the middle of a year when contracts are pending or already tendered for or already signed.

4.

However, I did mention to the President and in that December 19th, 2021 article that if the government does increase wages in the middle of the

year, they should immediately adjust the rates for the companies who are contracted to provide labour for example; Security Companies, Cleaning Agencies for Airports, Governmental Institutions etc.

So my appeal is to the President, Cabinet and the government to understand that they cannot implement this immediately without addressing the problem with the contracted company who usually earn 3%-7% as the traffic margin except for the holy and the blessed who are awarded contracts at the

highest sums possible in tenders.

This increase could wipe out long term honorable Security Companies who charge the lowest possible rates but enough to manage the operations without stealing the VAT and fully contributing to the NIS and GRA. Therefore, I say Mr. President and Cabinet thank you on behalf of the working class for small mercies, in some ways it will assist the people.

Sincerely, Hajji Dr. Roshan Khan Snr.

Monday June 20, 2022

Kaieteur News

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Kaieteur News

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Monday June 20, 2022

IDB urges Caribbean, Latina America to take advantage of US$78billion nearshore markets - Guyana could make as much as US$400m in medium term Guyana can earn as much as US$400million, the highest medium- term sum among Caribbean nations, if it activates nearshoring opportunities; for increased exports in goods, a report

from the Inter -American Development Bank (IDB) has stated.

The IDB has urged the Caribbean and Latin America to take full advantage of a possible

$78billion trade market that can greatly improve their response to ongoing global constraints as well as increasing their contributions to the affected global supply chains.

In a meeting dealing with commerce and trade opportunities in the Americans earlier this month, the IDB said it provided estimates to relevant stakeholders highlighting nearshoring opportunities where countries can benefit from billions of dollars in trade areas.

The bank said that nearshoring could add an annual $78 billion in additional exports of goods and services in Latin America and the Caribbean in the near and medium term, with opportunities for quick wins in industries such as textiles, pharmaceuticals, and renewable energy, among others.

This information was provided to senior government officials from Latin America and the Caribbean, including ministers of trade and foreign affairs, and senior executives from companies of the Western Hemisphere, when they gathered to analyze options for taking advantage of the opportunities provided by the reconfiguration of global supply chains, trends in trade

sustainability and climate change, and the increasing digitalization of economies.

IDB president Mauricio Claver-Carone said that “Increased environmental concerns, along with the health crisis and the recent invasion of Ukraine by Russia, has presented an opportunity in which the region can contribute to the global economy and the fight against inflation by taking a more active role in global supply chains in a way that is sustainable and equitable.”

Supporting the reconfiguration of global value chains is a priority of the IDB’s Vision 2025 plan to accelerate the economic recovery and growth of Latin America and the Caribbean.

As such, the meeting of ministers and CEOs, which came ahead of the recently concluded Ninth Summit of the Americas, “represented an important effort by the IDB to promote economic recovery through the collective action of countries, in close cooperation with the private sector.”

The meeting, therefore, sought a deepened understanding on key trade

issues where more than 100 companies such as Microsoft, Citibank, and Amazon among others, took part, with panel intervention.

The Bank pointed out that recent studies have shown that participation of firms in global value chains (GVC) brings multiple benefits, in addition to traditional gains from additional trade and investment. “Participation in GVC increases productivity through transfers of technology and knowledge and creates jobs and more opportunities for women. An increase of 10 percent of a country´s participation in GVC increases its per capita GDP by 11-14 percent.”

For the region to take advantage of opportunities that come with increased participation in GVC, the IDB recommended countries focus on a “”3i” strategy: investment, infrastructure and integration.” The Financial institute noted that when it comes to investment countries should increase efforts to attract same, including by making improvements in the business climate and in the Continued on page 10

Kaieteur News

Monday June 20, 2022

PAGE 09

Jagdeo ought to know Many years ago, Burnham asked a question to one of his Ministers. The question concerned an incident which had taken place. The Minister replied that he was not aware of it.

Burnham told him that as a Minister it was his duty to know.

At a recent press conference, Bharrat Jagdeo, the country’s Second Vice President, was asked whether the 2% royalty, which is supposed to be paid by the oil companies, was taxable. As reported in yesterday’s edition of this newspaper, the Second Vice President said that he did not want to commit himself to saying something which he would later have to retract.

He said the issue should be one for the legal personnel to pronounce upon.

It is amazing that the country’s point person in the natural resource sector cannot definitively say whether the 2% royalty which Guyana receives is recoverable. As Burnham would have said, it is his duty to know these things.

The Production Sharing Agreement (PSA) signed between the Government of Guyana, Esso, Hess and CNOOC, does not state explicitly whether the 2% royalty is recoverable. But

by definition a payment which comes off the top (that is prior to cost recovery) is not usually recoverable.

Guyana has received the lowest rate of royalty for its oil. If this pittance is taxable, then it would mean that Guyana’s effective royalty would be zero. Not only however is the royalty rate low, it is also a flat rate.

Regardless of the international price of oil, Guyana always gets 2%.

Some countries have what is known as sliding scale royalties which provide that as production and international prices increase, the royalty rate increases. Right now oil prices are soaring but Guyana is still receiving 2% as royalties.

Royalties are usually not cost recoverable. This means that nothing is supposed to be deducted from royalties.

It is paid up front.

A royalty is an amount paid in recognition of the fact that what is being exploited is an exhaustible resource. It should not therefore be subject to cost recovery.

There are usually two types of oil agreements: concessionary and contractual. Under a contract system, royalties are not subject to cost recovery.

Jagdeo ought to know this. In

a concession system, however, the royalty is usually considered as an operating expense and is treated as a tax deductible.

Guyana, however, has a production sharing agreement which makes the oil agreement a contract system. The Second Vice President ought to know that under such a system there are four main features: royalty, cost recovery, profit oil and taxes. And he ought to know that under a contractual system, royalties are usually not treated as a recoverable cost.

In the PSA, signed by APNU+AFC, there is an agreed rate of royalty of 2% of the value of the produced oil. At the option of the government, the oil companies can pay the royalties either in cash or kind. Under a contract system, royalties are not usually recoverable.

In terms of cost recovery, there is a cap of 75% which means that the oil companies cannot make deductions for cost greater than 75%. After costs are deducted what remains is profit oil which is then split half and half between the oil companies and Guyana. But strangely, Guyana agreed to pay the taxes of the oil companies.

However, the fly in the

Dem boys seh...

Oil don’t spoil G

uyana discover oil more dan seven years now. And up to now we nah know whether de royalties we gan get recoverable by de oil companies.

One man decide fuh play it safe. He seh ask de legal people. De legal people seh ask de same man wah send yuh to we.

Dem reporters going around in circles. Dem feel as if dem is a drill bore. Dem going round and round but dem nah getting no production.

But dem nah worry

because dem talk how we gat plenty oil in Guyana.

We gat coconut oil, vegetable oil, palm oil, olive oil, flax seed oil, grape seed oil, pork fat oil, sunflower oil, engine oil and even Oil of Olay.

In de oil industry dem gat different oils also, including heavy, light and sweet. Dem boys nah tasting none ah dem though. One type oil yuh does gat to be careful with is engine oil. If yuh don’t change it pon time, yuh car gan brukdown.

One time a man decide dat he gan drain all de oil out

he car. It turn out to be a crude joke.

One time a lil girl ask she father how dem does mek olive oil. De father explain it does mek from olives. She ask he how dem does mek coconut oil. He tell she how it does mek from coconut oil.

Suddenly, de lil girl start fuh scream to de top ah she voice. De father ask she, “What’s wrong?”

De lil girl turn to he and say, “I don’t what to hear how dem does mek baby oil.”

Talk half. Leff half.

ointment is that the APNU+AFC had signed another oil agreement which provided for a 1% royalty that was recoverable by the oil company.

As this newspaper reported three years ago, Tu l l o w, a B r i t i s h o i l company, got a deal which would allow it to pay only 1% royalty. And to add insult to injury, this 1% is recoverable.

The PSA with Exxon and its partners, however, does

not specify that royalties are recoverable. But it also does not explicitly exempt royalties from cost recovery.

So are we dealing with a grey area of the contract? Guyana should not even be entertaining any thought that the pittance which it receives as royalties should be recoverable.

This is why it is all the more surprising that such a fundamental cannot be definitively pronounced upon by the country’s

Second Vice President. By now he should have been in a position to affirm that royalties are exempt from cost recovery.

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

Kaieteur News

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Monday June 20, 2022

THE FREDDIE KISSOON COLUMN

Passing on convenient information to the nation Former Minister of Public Infrastructure (now known as Public Works) David Patterson published a letter in the newspaper to inform the public that the imminent construction of the LindenMabura highway funded by external sources was the brainchild of the previous APNU+AFC government.

Here is the crucial section of his letter: “So, while everyone should rightly be pleased to see this long talked about road linkage come to fruition, don’t be fooled or misled that it is only now being considered and implemented. The indisputable facts are that today’s signing is a result of the vision of

the previous administration.”

David made it clear in his letter that the acceptance of the project by the British Government began with his government. At the time of writing, I am not in possession of material to contradict the former minister. There is a good and bad side to the revelation.

The good side is that if his details are true then they should be made public because they become part of history. When the PPP government from 1957 to 1964 lost power, it was only natural many of its projects listed for funding by the colonial government continued under the coalition administration of PNC/UF.

IDB urges Caribbean, Latina America to...

From page 8 capacity of investment- and exportpromotion agencies. The IDB estimates that each dollar invested in investment promotion produces almost $42 in direct foreign investment.

Improving infrastructure in trade, connectivity, transportation and logistics in the region is key to ensuring firms are cost competitive. “A 10 percent reduction in international shipping costs increases the value of exports by at least 30 percent,” the IDB estimates concluded. Where integration is concerned, the region must deepen and modernize its regional integration to lower trade friction and boost competitiveness.

This includes redoubling

efforts to converge and harmonize more than 33 preferential trade agreements in the Americas. This harmonization would result in an increase in intraregional trade of nearly 12 percent. In addition, the IDB said the region must increase the availability of financing for companies, particularly to enable small and medium-sized firms to connect with international markets.

The IDB president said that participation in the trade opportunity meeting is a demonstration of leaders, from the public and private sectors putting their differences aside, “… to find ways to create jobs and improve the wellbeing of our citizens – and trade is one of the main avenues to accelerate our prosperity.”

Likewise, when the Hoyte regime lost the 1992 election, IDB funding for infrastructural development continued under the Cheddi Jagan presidency. The trend would have continued with the APNU+AFC in power in 2015 after the Ramotar presidency went out of office.

Many foreign aid programmes for the police, the army, the countryside, road construction, etc., that were born under the presidencies of Bharrat Jagdeo and Mr. Ramotar were completed after 2015. Not only this highway project but others may have started under APNU+AFC and history is richer when those informational outputs are made known.

The bad side to David’s letter is the convenience method by all members of the APNU+AFC’s Cabinet after 2020. By the convenience method, I mean the strategy of taking credit as David did in his letter for accomplishments when in government, but the deliberate approach to not saying a word about the downside dimensions of power when the APNU+AFC ruled.

One evening outside the snackette of my friends, Raymond and Dawn Persaud, which is located right next door to the AFC office, David rebuked me for being critical in my current analyses of the AFC but I do not say a word about Kwame McCoy who was charged and tried for throwing a miasmic substance on me.

I am not going to repeat the

contents of our exchange because that is published material. See my two columns - Sunday, August 15, 2021, “Big verbal clash with David Patterson last Friday e v e n i n g , ” a n d Tu e s d a y, August 17, 2021, “The David Patterson accusation.” To summarise those two articles, I asked David why that should be of concern to him to discuss with me and not the ocean of wrong, hurtful and undemocratic pathways when his government was in power. That is what I mean by the convenience approach.

Since the loss of power, a number of bigwigs have resigned from AFC, two of which gave me interviews. See my column of Saturday, August 26, 2021, “Recording historical notes for posterity,” in which Rajendra Bissesar made damning accusations against the AFC’s leadership when it was in power.

Then there is my interview with Karan Chand of Saturday, May 21, 2022 titled, “Interview with Karan Chand, formerly of the AFC.” Like Bissesar, Chand was scathing in his condemnation of the AFC when in power.

But we never see AFC leaders responding to these indictments made by persons who worked closely with them between 2015 and 2020. The public never gets any word or sentence or paragraph muchless elaborations on the ocean of controversies that enveloped the AFC when that party was in power.

So the question to David and other AFC leaders is - just as you

Frederick Kissoon enlighten us on your accomplishments when in government, can you explain some persistent queries with clarifications. The enumeration will run into thousands of questions but here is just a sample.

I start with one that has become a stuck record for me. The telephone call to a certain non-AFC person during the AFC’s meeting to decide on selection of ministers. Why was she offered the position of Environment Minister over qualified and trusted stalwarts who were in the room when the call was made? Stalwarts who have spoken to me on this include Rajendra Bissesar, Michael Carrington, Trevor Williams, Marlon Williams, among others.

What were the factors that caused Nigel Hughes to resign as chairman?

What are the secret sections of the renewed Cummingsburg Accord?

Where is Moses Nagamootoo? Is he still with the AFC? If not, why?

Over to you to Dave.

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

Monday June 20, 2022

Kaieteur News

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Kaieteur News

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Monday June 20, 2022

20 persons get training water, sanitation issues during disasters The capacity of personnel in key sectors to prepare for and respond to Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WaSH) needs during disasters has been strengthened following a WA S H i n E m e r g e n c y training exercise coorganized by the Ministry of Health in collaboration with the Civil Defence Commission (CDC) and UNICEF. The two-day activity, which concluded last Thursday, focused on key areas inclusive of s t a n d a r d i s e d Wa S H preparedness and response plans, contingency planning,

WaSH sector coordination; and identified key WaSH preparedness actions for the main crises in Guyana, among other topics, UNICEF said in a release.

In delivering remarks Wednesday to commence the workshop, UNICEF Representative a.i. Irfan Akhtar highlighted the vital role of clean water, basic toilets, and good hygiene practices in giving every child a healthier start in life.

In addition, he emphasized the importance of emergency preparedness, noting that with climate change, extreme weather events such as floods and

droughts have increased in frequency and intensity, further impacting access to WaSH services, particularly for the most vulnerable populations. He noted too that the COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the critical role of WaSH services in preventing and controlling both epidemic and endemic diseases.

“UNICEF is committed to continue to support our partners not only in development, but in preparing for and responding to emergency situations and reaching the most vulnerable children and families…This

workshop is one step towards strengthening the coordination mechanism and improving our preparedness for any emergency response,” said Mr. Akhtar.

Highlighting that WaSH services are usually the first affected in an emergency, Chief Medical Officer Dr. Narine Singh said that the training would prepare the relevant agencies to respond better. “In all emergencies, whether they’re man-made or natural disasters, if we can predict them, we can prepare for them, and we can handle them,” he said while urging the participants to apply the

Jainil Didaraly, UNICEF Multi-country WaSH in Emergency Preparedness Consultant for the Caribbean,making a presentation during the WaSH in Emergency training at the Civil Defence Commission headquarters, Georgetown on Thursday, 16 June 2022. knowledge gained to enhance their organizations’ preparedness and response systems.

CDC Director General

Participants with their certificates at the end of the WaSH in Emergency training at the Civil Defence Commission Headquarters, Georgetown on Thursday, 16 June 2022.

(ag) Major Loring Benons urged investment in WaSH services to ensure everyone has access to safe and Continued on page 18

Kaieteur News

Monday June 20, 2022

PAGE 13

While world races towards renewables…

VP Jagdeo claims solar, wind options too expensive for Guyana

By Davina Bagot Former UN Champion of the Earth Awardee, Vice President, Bharrat Jagdeo is claiming that the generation of power in Guyana through renewable options such as solar, wind and even hydro is “very, very expensive” when compared to the highly touted Gas-to-Energy (GTE) project which will cost billions of US dollars.

J a g d e o ’s c o m m e n t s come at a time when the world is pushing towards renewable. Only last week this newspaper reported that taking its lead from Germany, the European Union has signalled its intention to embrace renewable energy much faster than was planned, a direct result of the war being waged between Russian and Ukraine. Russia provides much of Europe with its Natural Gas. As such, the EU is now looking in the interim to make its purchases from other sources, such as Israel but even those supplies would not be adequate leading to the now stated position of accelerating its

push towards renewable sources of energy such as solar, wind and hydro among other forms of new clean energy technology being developed.

To this end, the European Union, Israel and Egypt last week signed a tripartite natural gas export deal as the bloc seeks to diversify away from Russian energy. The deal, finalised at the East Mediterranean regional energy conference in Cairo, will allow “significant” exports of Israeli gas to Europe for the first time, the Israeli energy ministry said.

WIND BLOWS INTERMITTENTLY Meanwhile, during a news conference on Wednesday last, Jagdeo who was among six persons back in 2010 to receive the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) Champion of the Earth awards for their fight in preserving the forest and combatting climate change, said that the lowest proposal government has received to date for solar will see power being generated at US 8.8 cents per kilowatt hour

Vice President, Bharrat Jagdeo

(KWH), however based on his estimates, the GTE project will generate electricity at around five cents but will resell at US15 cents to make a profit.

Jagdeo explained, “for the lowest on solar, and this is without battery, 8.8 cents per kilowatt hour, without battery. So they just want to put in the panels and tie it into the grid…you can only use it during the day, you can’t use it at night because its daytime, you don’t have any storage and they want 8.8 cents per kilowatt hour.”

The Vice President argued, “I see a lot (of) talk about using solar but solar until now can’t be used as baseload and you know why, because if the sun doesn’t shine for a few days, what happens? If you are to put in a solar on its own that’s fine, we can afford that.” He was keen to note that due to the expensive cost attached to the batteries to keep the solar power alive, government simply would not be able to afford this renewable option.

According to him, “ That’s what we are gonna do,

35 megawatts of solar we are tendering for right now and we are putting in just about half an hour to one hour of storage for the transition, because if we have to put in storage capacity for 24 hours, we can’t afford it. The batteries is so expensive.

Very, very expensive. So solar can’t be used as baseload, so solar is out.”

Similarly, the VP said that wind blows intermittently, which means the generation of electricity will be cut off when the wind stops. As it regards hydro, he noted that while the water f l o w s c o n s i s t e n t l y, government has been experiencing challenges with rolling out such a project as only recently the Chinese contractor, China Railway First Group, said it prefers an EPC (Engineer, Procure, Construct) plus finance option instead of the BOOT (Build, Own, Operate Transfer) arrangement it has with the administration.

Kaieteur News Publisher, Mr. Glenn Lall had asked Jagdeo about investing into renewables rather than the GTE venture

as this would eliminate the risks associated with potential shortfalls, when the VP acknowledged that there are risks associated with the hydro project.

Jagdeo said, “Glenn you yourself in your newspaper, remember when we were going with Amaila and you said what if the water runs dry there too? What if the place runs dry? How you eliminate the risk? You said the hydrology risk was a major one, that this river gonna run dry, you recall that? That’s not eliminating risk.”

On the other hand, when the VP was asked though if he could assure that the GTE project would generate power at five cents per kilowatt hour, he stammered, “Yeah, well, I just went through the numbers with you and the price, that’s why we are building in, we don’t want an inflationary escalation because you know in every contract you build in inflation so we want a price fixed throughout the life of the contract…so the Continued on page 18

Kaieteur News

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Monday June 20, 2022

Eight Opposition MPs to be suspended over NRF protest - motion by Privileges Committee for next sitting

A

motion to suspend eight opposition Members of Parliament (MPs) is set to be tabled at the next sitting of the National Assembly.

The motion to be tabled is as a result of a decision made at the level of the Parliamentary Privileges Committee following the ruckus which was caused in the House at the December 29, 2021, during the passage of the Natural Resource Fund (NRF).

The NRF Bill 2021 was passed in the National Assembly amid chaotic inHouse protest by the Opposition a Partnership for National Unity+ Alliance for Change (APNU+AFC) MPs. Last January, the names of eight opposition parliamentarians were submitted and considered by the committee for disciplinary action to be meted out.

Kaieteur News understands that following deliberations of the committee, it was recommended that the Opposition MPs: Sherod Duncan, Christopher Jones,

Opposition MP: Anette Ferguson

APNU+AFC MP: Tabitha Sarabo- Halley

APNU+AFC MP: Maureen A. Philadelphia

APNU+AFC MP: Vinceroy Jordan

Ganesh Mahipaul, Vinceroy Jordan, Annette Ferguson, Natasha Singh-Lewis, Maureen A. Philadelphia, and Tabitha Halley be suspended from the House.

This newspaper understands while no date has been set for the motion to be tabled, the privileges committee is recommending that four of the MPs Philadelphia, Halley, Jordan and Ferguson be suspended for six sittings of the House while the others are to be suspended for four consecutive sittings.

Last December, when Minister, with responsibility for Finance, Dr. Ashni Singh, was invited by the Speaker of the National Assembly, Manzoor Nadir – to deliver his remarks on the Bill – the opposition MPs erupted with chants, “No thieving Bill must pass!” as they slammed the bottom of their plastic water bottles to their desks in rhythmic fashion and some of them even took the mace from the Speaker Desk.

A s s u c h , recommendations were

made for the MPs to be taken before the Parliamentary Privileges Committee and face disciplinary action.

Government Chief Whip and Minister of Parliamentary Affairs and Governance, Gail Teixeira, had called for the Opposition MPs to be cited for the “gross misconduct.”

Teixeira in tabling the motion cited Standing Order 32 which states “(2) Any Member desiring to raise a matter under this Standing Order shall first obtain leave of the Speaker who will determine whether the Member is entitled to raise the matter as a question of privilege. (3) If

permission is given by the Speaker under paragraph two (2) of this Standing Order, the Member so permitted may raise it any time after questions to Ministers and move that the matter be referred to the Committee of Privileges.”

The Minister said that the events of December 29 will go down in the annals of the Guyana Parliament as disgraceful and that in the age of technology the evidence of the conduct of the Opposition is indisputable. She argued that the space between the government side and the opposition in any parliament is considered a “safe zone”

and that was breached.

“The safe space and any entrance without permission is interpreted as an act of aggression and a threat to the safety of the m e m b e r s o f parliament…These events that transpired in this House, the stealing and the damage to the mace of Parliament, deliberate (and) willful damage to the equipment of the Arthur Chung Conference Centre, the control communication room, the assault on a m e m b e r o f s t a ff , t h e repeated disregard for the Speaker and the authority of the Assembly require stern measures. As a consequence, so I brought and sought your leave and received your permission to bring a privilege motion and I do so now,” Teixeira said.

The motion, which was not circulated prior to its reading, said that the APNU+AFC coalition MPs conducted themselves in a “ g r o s s l y, d i s o r d e r l y, contumacious and disrespectful manner and in p a r t i c u l a r, r e p e a t e d l y disregarded and disrespected, ignored the authority of the Assembly and the Speaker thereby committing contempt and breaches of privilege.”

Two persons missing after boats collide in Pomeroon River The area where the accident happened.

Two persons are reportedly missing following a boat collision in the Pomeroon around 18:30hrs last evening.

Kaieteur News understands that the boat, which was powered by an outboard engine, collided with a fishing vessel. Two individuals from the smaller vessel reportedly fell over board and are yet to be recovered.

Kaieteur News

Monday June 20, 2022

PAGE 15

“Su gets all the support” - Jagdeo tells under-Cover Vice News reporters “Everything in this country is under the table. The whole country is like that.” This is one of the many statements made during the Vice News documentary “Guyana for Sale” which premiered yesterday with Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo as the main character.

His Chinese tenant and “friend” businessman, Su Zhi Rong is heard in the interview accusing Jagdeo of allegedly accepting bribes for large developmental projects undertaken in the country. Jagdeo has denied the allegations and has since signaled that he will take legal action against the Chinese businessman and also promised to evict him from his property.

At his Goedverwagting, East Coast Demerara home, the former head of state told the undercover reporter and her colleague posing as Chinese business investors that he gives his Chinese “friend” all the support needed to facilitate investment transactions and that he has no dealings with finances given his role in government. “No, no, no I’m not getting involved in business. Su is my friend. He gets all the support. Su deals with all the agreements. I don’t. The thing is that my thing is that I’m in government, so I assist from government side.”

The Vice reporter was told that Su was the man that could get her a meeting with Vice President and so he did to prove his connection with

Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo

the government official, and that any money reportedly paid for bribes to the VP would indeed get to him.

When the Vice News team first met Su, he boasted about his relationship with Jagdeo and that he could secure the meeting since he has a close relationship with the government official. “If you want anything done in Guyana you have to have some connections,” he told the Vice team.

“You tell me, it should be no problem. I am very close with the Vice President and the other officials,” the documentary’s subtitle read translating Mandarin to English.

Sue described Jagdeo as his

“boss.” “If we are doing business together, my boss is not going to receive money directly.” “It’s going to be a service a processing fee then he’ll share some with me,” Su stated. The reporter noted that after a few hours with some Chinese businessmen she was informed by them that if they were investing in business they could help out, “because they have really good relationships with the heads of state in this country.”

The reporter was also told that service fees charged by the middlemen are really bribes for deals. “The consulting fee is the bribe. So, they include it in the consulting fee because they don’t do any actual consulting.” An individual identified as the General Manager for China’s largest staterun construction firm also pointed out that the middlemen were very important. “With just one word we can get something done,” the Chinese businessman said.

In Su’s conversation with the Vice reporter, he claimed to have brokered among other deals, the Amalia Falls Hydro project reportedly won through the payment of a massive bribe. The VP recently told the country that the project would be sent back to tender since the Chinese company can no longer operate on the Build, Own, Operate and Transfer (BOOT) model, but preferred the Engineering, Procurement and

Construction (EPC) model.

In an earlier interview with Jagdeo, he was asked a straight question, “do you take bribes?” to which he replied, “no I don’t”. He had added that reporters come from abroad and try to make leaders of developing countries look corrupt.

But Su had told the undercover reporters after the Jagdeo meeting that the executives, “hands are very clean” and Jagdeo would never admit his involvement.

H o u r s a f t e r t h e Vi c e documentary was released Member of Parliament and Shadow Attorney General and Minister of Legal Affairs, Senior Counsel Roysdale Forde called the revelations “explosive by damning”, calling out what he said appears to be, “privileges, connections and a relationship with the Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo” by Su. “Also, the report reveals the apparent improper use of Government office to engage in lobbying.”

He said while the Government is attempting to fail the reporter in her attempt to find linkages between the Vice President and Su’s questionable dealing and arrangements, “the fact that the Vice President acknowledged his relationship with Su demonstrated by his warm welcome of the Chinese businessman and the journalist posing as his secretary and his conversation with them

Businessman, Su Zhi Rong speaks volumes.”

Furthermore, the fact that Su can actually say the things he said about Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo, is not only extremely worrying to every law- abiding citizen but has enormous potential to negatively affect the national image and reputation of Guyana.

“This situation cannot be decoupled from recent international assessments about the rise in corruption in all sectors of the country since the People’s Progressive Party Civic return to government.”

The Opposition MP said it is not a question of whether Jagdeo is linked to these corrupt practices, but it is about the fact that Su can boldly implicate the Vice President.

To this, the MP said the revelations want an investigation as, “no amount of denial, on the part of the Vice President and or by his government, and amount of public relations spin can remove or wash Continued on page 17

PAGE 16

Monday June 20, 2022

Kaieteur News

Ex-worker allegedly swindled $7.1M from Lenders Pawn shop LAND FOR SALE

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Thirty-nine-year-old Claude Stewart, of Costello Housing Scheme, West La Penitence, Georgetown, was on Friday charged for allegedly stealing the sum of $7,100,000 from a pawn shop.

Stewart appeared in the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts before Senior Magistrate Leron Daly.

He denied the charge which stated that between November 20, 2020, and May 27, 2022, at Bourda, Georgetown, while being employed at Lenders Jewellery & Pawn Shop as a supervisor he stole $7.1million, the property of

Collin Barker.

The court heard that during the period mentioned in the charge, Stewart allegedly made envelopes, 27 in total bearing the names of unknown persons with the items of nail clips, keys and other odd items instead of gold jewellery.

Using that method it is alleged that he paid himself $7.1 million. It was further stated that after the due date would have passed for the items, checks were made and the odd items were discovered in the envelopes instead of gold jewellery.

The matter was reported

and an investigation was launched.

It was stated that Stewart admitted while under caution to the offence.

Attorney-at-law Shercola Exeter represented Stewart.

She made an application for him to be released on reasonable bail.

Police Prosecutor Christopher Morris made no objection to bail being granted but asked that conditions be attached.

As such, Senior Magistrate Daly released the defendant on $250,000 bail with the condition that he report to the Criminal

Charged for stealing $7.1M, Claude Stewart.

Investigation Department (CID) Headquarters every Monday until the case is completed. The matter was then adjourned to July 22, 2022.

Taxi-driver in court for fake ID card Twenty-five-year-old Christopher Dusenberry, a taxi-driver was on Friday charged for allegedly uttering a fake identification card to a bank teller.

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the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts before Senior Magistrate Leron Daly. The first charge stated that on June 15, 2022, at Camp Street, Georgetown, with intent to defraud he forged a National ID card in the name of Davindra Persaud.

The latter charge alleges that on the same date and at the said location, the defendant uttered the forged ID card to a Republic Bank teller, knowing same to be forged. He pleaded not guilty to both charges that were read to him.

The court heard that the defendant is known to the

police and that on the day in question; he went to the bank to make a withdrawal. It is alleged that Dusenberry handed over the fake ID card to the bank teller who then checked it under the UV light system and discovered that it is forged.

The bank summoned the police and Dusenberry was arrested. An investigation was launched and it was later discovered that the defendant’s real name was Christopher Dusenberry. He was subsequently charged and placed before the court.

Attorney-at-law Bernard DaSilva represented

Dusenberry. DaSilva made an application for his client to be released on reasonable amount of bail.

Police Prosecutor Christopher Morris made no objection to bail being granted to the defendant but asked that conditions be attached. Senior Magistrate Daly granted the defendant bail in the total sum of $100,000 for the two charges and ordered that he report to the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) Headquarters every Monday until the case is completed.

The matter was then adjourned to July 22, 2022.

Body of missing Pomeroon logger found in river The body of a Pomeroon Logger, who went missing on Thursday last, was found floating in the Pomeroon River Sunday morning.

The logger, who had been identified as Dannyvil Daniels, is believed to be a father of two and a resident of Akawini Creek. The man reportedly fell from a wharf in Charity on Thursday evening last. A search party was launched following his disappearance. Around 09:30hrs Sunday the body was found floating within the vicinity of the Big Bird Fish Port Complex, Charity.

The area where the body was found.

Two more Covid-19 deaths; 35 new infections The Ministry of Health (MOH) on Sunday reported the deaths of two more persons from the novel coronavirus (COVID-19).

The fatalities, two women, a 30-year-old woman of Region Three who is listed as unvaccinated and a 46-yearold of Region Six listed as fully vaccinated. The persons died

on June 18th, 2022. Their deaths take the toll to 1,247.

The MOH has expressed sincerest condolences to the families of the deceased and said it will make every effort to provide all the necessary support during this difficult time to render any assistance needed. The ministry is also appealing to the general

public to respect the confidentiality of the deceased and his family and to allow them to mourn their tragic loss in peace. All Guyanese are being encouraged to continue to observe the public health measures set out by Ministry of Health. Meanwhile, on Sunday the ministry also reported 35 new Covid-19 infections with two persons in the Intensive Care Unit.

Kaieteur News

Monday June 20, 2022

PAGE 17

‘That’s not the right forum’ “Su gets all the support” - Isseneru villagers object to compensation matter being addressed at toshaos conference

Toshao of Isseneru village, Dhaness Larson and other village officials at a May 2022 press conference.

The Isseneru Village Council has objected to government using the upcoming National Toshaos Conference to discuss issues of compensation for the community following an Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) ruling that the Government of Guyana is guilty of violating the rights of residents and that they should receive reparations.

T h e C o m m u n i t y ’s leaders are hoping that villagers will get full compensation for damages.

The villagers also recently called for a cessation of all mining activities. In a press release last week the Village Council said it took note of a media report which states that Minister of Amerindian Affairs, Pauline Sukhai said she supports putting in place measures of reparation for the rights violations of the village.

“We would welcome His Excellency President Ali and his ministers to visit our village to discuss the measures that would be required as reparations for the material and immaterial damages we have suffered in accordance with the decision of the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights,” the Village Council said.

It added: “We do not believe that the National Toshaos Conference is the appropriate forum for this discussion, however. The NTC Conference is a forum for the Toshaos from all the villages in Guyana to engage with one another and discuss common priorities across the country. However, the Conference only involves the participation of the Toshaos and not all of our villagers, and there is no time at the Conference for detailed discussions on specific village issues.”

The Village Council outlined that discussion around reparations for “our rights violations should occur in our village, with all community members

present. They must also occur with the President and those Ministers who are responsible for implementation of the recommendations. We will need to begin in-depth discussions with those relevant authorities around, among other things, legal recognition of the full extent of our traditional lands; restitution of the lands that have been taken over by mining interests without our consent; and various forms of compensation for the damages we have suffered.”

“We look forward to reading the Government’s report to the Commission and to working together as equal partners in implementation of the C o m m i s s i o n ’ s r e c o m m e n d a t i o n s . We are disappointed that the Government has not yet come to meet with us to discuss the Commission’s decision, but we are hopeful that such a meeting will happen soon and that we will be given adequate notice to prepare for the same.”

In wake of the decision by the IACHR back in May villagers at a news conference called for swift action. The news conference was hosted by Toshao of Isseneru village, Dhaness Larson and other village officials. Nine years ago, a petition was filed by the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) that the Government of Guyana has failed to recognise and protect the human rights of its people when granting mining permits on ancestral lands.

According to complaints, villagers said the authorities failed to protect the community from the negative impacts of mining which resulted in a host of health and social problems.

In a recent decision, IACHR recommended that Guyana implement the measures for Isseneru Village in Region Seven (Cuyuni-Mazaruni) and its members to receive full compensation for

damages on the account of the violation of their human rights. Additionally, the IACHR advised government to “amend its legislation in order to secure that the provisions of the relevant Acts and regulations related to indigenous territorial property are in harmony with the American Declaration, in accordance with international law according to the present merits report.”

As such, Isseneru villager are hoping that the government will be swift in its implementation of the IACHR’s recommendations, including, among other things, that the necessary measures be adopted to ensure that the village and its members receive “full reparations for the material and immaterial damages they suffered on the account of the violation of their human rights.” “For years, we have felt the negative impact of these actions. Our waterways have been populated, our natural environment destroyed, our livelihoods diminished and our residents left to face a growing number of social ills,” Toshao Larson told the news conference on Friday.

The Toshao called on the government to “take significant steps” to address the violations.

T h e To s h a o a l s o advocated for a revision of the 2006 Amerindian Act, to further help protect the rights of indigenous people. He an n o u n ced th at consultations will continue with the villagers to determine the way forward.

During the press conference representative of the A m e r i n d i a n P e o p l e ’s Association (APA) and Isseneru villager Dwight Larson, noted consultations will allow the community to craft possible solutions that it will present to the government.

“It is an urgent matter and we are prioritising it in every possible way,” the APA representative said.

Continued on page 18

From page 15 away this odious National scandal.”

“The recent unilateral appointment of The Integrity Commission and other suspicious moves of the government have compounded the institutional weaknesses of the State which facilitates such corrupt practices and arrangements whilst concomitantly disabling

the State from competently respond to this scandal.”

Forde said has thus prepared an appropriate Bill to be filed and tabled in the National Assembly to suppress and eradicate lobbying.

The MP called for an immediate independent investigation, and the resignation of the Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo.

Kaieteur News

PAGE 18

Monday June 20, 2022

‘That’s not the right forum’... 20 persons get training water, sanitation...

From page 17 Since 2012, Akawaio Amerindians from the village of the Isseneru in Region Seven have been claiming that their rights were violated and the governance of their village undermined by the State.

The matter was taken to the High Court but the outcome was not in their favour.

Amerindians from the Upper Mazaruni, had among other things, taken their case of land rights violations to the United Nations, hoping that the Special Rapporteurs could help force the government to revise the Amerindian Act. The Amerindian P e o p l e ’s A s s o c i a t i o n (APA) had teamed up with international NGO Forest People’s Programme to write the United Nations

Special Rapporteur on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples; the Special Rapporteur on the Human Right to Safe Drinking Water and Sanitation; the Special Rapporteur on the Right to Food; the Special Rapporteur on Cultural Rights; United Nations Independent Expert on Human Rights Obligations relating to the Enjoyment of a Safe, Clean, Healthy and Sustainable Environment; Special Rapporteur on to the Enjoyment of the Highest Attainable Standard of Physical and Mental Health; and the Special R a p p o r t e u r o n Environmentally Sound Management and Disposal of Hazardous Wastes and Substances.

The NGOs claimed that

the threats faced by the Akawaio communities of Isseneru and Kako due to mining on their lands are grave, imminent and substantial.

“They are faced with irreparable harm to their social, cultural and environmental integrity if mining is allowed to continue and increase in their lands,” the NGOs stated.

The villagers claimed that the “discriminatory rulings” of the High Court privilege the interests of miners over Isseneru and Kako; allow this mining to take place with impunity; negate the rights of the affected communities; and disregard extant domestic laws such as the Mining Act and Environmental Protection Act.

From page 12 potable water and basic sanitation. “WaSH is the first line of defence against COVID-19 and so many other diseases…without WaSH, we are vulnerable,” he observed.

Abbigail Liverpool, Wa S H C o o r d i n a t i o n Committee Lead, Ministry of Health, noted that WaSH is a critical component of health. It contributes significantly to the burden of diseases of public health importance, resulting in more than 3.3% of the global deaths and 4.6% of the disability-adjusted life years. She further stated that disasters and emergencies exacerbate the impacts of the Wa S H - r e l a t e d d i s e a s e burden.

Noting the Committee’s role as a coordinating body for WaSH activities, Ms Liverpool highlighted that the Committee, which is being strengthened with UNICEF support, identified training as a priority. Other functions of the Committee include supporting national capacity building for emergency

preparedness and planning; planning and implementing sector response strategies; and identifying capacity gaps and addressing them during non-emergency.

N o t a b l y, h a r m o n i z i n g approaches and a common strategy for WaSH actors aligned with the disaster response plans, avoiding d u p l i c a t i o n o f resources/activities between the multiple actors when an emergency hits and addressing the gaps to ensure the most vulnerable are assisted, were also identified as priority.

Participants at the workshop included representatives from the C D C , G u y a n a Wa t e r Incorporated, the Health Emergency Operations Centre, the Environmental Health Unit, the Standards and Technical Services Unit (Ministry of Health), the Guyana Red Cross Society, the Mayor and City Council of Georgetown, the Ministry of Housing and Water, the Ministry of Education and UNICEF. Jainil Didaraly, UNICEF Multi-country

Wa S H i n E m e r g e n c y Preparedness Consultant for the Caribbean, led the interactive sessions while several agencies also made presentations.

In moving forward, partners will elaborate a dedicated WaSH preparedness and response plan for Guyana to be added as an annex of the National Disaster Risk Management Plan and harmonize a WaSH Rapid Assessment Tool for Guyana’s WaSH sector. In addition, the Committee will organize a workshop in the coming months on the contextualization of emergency SPHERE standards for the Guyana WaSH sector as a result of this impactful training.

WaSH is a programmatic priority for UNICEF in Guyana, with a key goal in the Country Programme for 2022-2026, being to ensure that every child, including adolescents, has access to s a f e , r e s i l i e n t w a t e r, sanitation and hygiene services and lives in a safe and sustainable climate and environment.

VP Jagdeo claims solar, wind options...

From page 13 government what I can guarantee you (is) that we will cut the price once this project comes in, by 50 percent. Your electricity bill for every citizen of this country that’s connected to the grid will come down by 50 percent.”

Presently, the Guyana Power and Light (GPL) Inc. generates electricity at 20 cents per KWH and resells at 30 cents. Based on Jagdeo’s promise, this will be reduced to 15 cents per KWH if the GTE project comes on stream.

T h e G a s - t o - E n e rg y project will encompass three major aspects, that is, the pipeline to transport the gas to Wales; the Natural Gas Liquids (NGL) facility that will treat and separate the gas and the power plant to generate the electricity.

So far, Guyanese have been told that the pipeline aspect, which is being pursued by US oil major ExxonMobil, will cost around US$1.3 billion.

Even this is expected to increase when Exxon closes

critical contracts for same.

The costs for the other two facilities had not been disclosed, prior to Jagdeo’s press engagement on Wednesday. In addition, the public was told that a fee would have been attached to the transportation of the gas but the VP has since clarified that the natural resource will be supplied free of cost.

It must be noted however, that the Guyanese public will be saddled with the debt for the Gas-toEnergy project over a 20 year period, to repay the investments made. The repayment will be done via their monthly electricity bills based on the overall cost for the venture. But since this cost has not yet been finalized, the cost of electricity too is still in limbo.

The VP shared, “We are doing estimates. We are saying US$1 billion dollars now for the pipeline. That is where we run the numbers.

So assuming it comes in at US$900 million, then if it comes in that will come

down; the US$1.6 cents will come down to about US$ 1.4 cents so it comes down lower. If it goes to US$1.1 billion, it may go to US$1.7 cents…that’s just the pipeline part…then if you estimate the power plant and the NGL facility to be about US$700million… that will add another one point something cents per kilowatt hour.”

He was keen to note that while the five US cents per kilowatt hour may be the cost to generate the electricity, another five cents may be lost in the transmission and distribution of the power, which could take the final price for the sale of the electricity to about US$15 cents, after adding five US cents as profits for the company.

It must be noted that while Jagdeo has pushed aside renewable energy options as “expensive” the rest of the world has been racing towards such power generation options to ensure that the pace of climate change is slowed.

Monday June 20, 2022

PAGE 19

Kaieteur News

Geraint Thomas tunes up for Tour de France with Swiss win AFP - Britain’s 2018 Tour de France champion Geraint Thomas tuned up for next month’s race with overall victory in the Tour of Switzerland after yesterday’s eighth and final stage.

The 36-year-old Welshman sealed victory after the 25.6 km time-trial in Liechtenstein, won by Belgian rider Remco Evenepoel of Quick-Step.

Thomas, an individual time-trial specialist, finished second three seconds behind the winner to snatch victory from Colombian Sergio Higuita who had started the day wearing the leader’s yellow jersey.

“It’s super nice obviously

2018 Tour de France champion Geraint Thomas tuned up for next month’s race with overall victory in the Tour of Switzerland.

Monday June 20, 2022 ARIES (Mar. 21–Apr. 19) The outlook for today is excellent. The somewhat oppressive atmosphere of the past few days inspires you to change your surroundings and visit new places.

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TAURUS (Apr. 20–May 20) This will be a day rich in reflection. You're able to observe what's going around you while still retaining some distance. Other people's ambitions will amuse you as they play their parts more like caricatures than real people.

SCORPIO (Oct. 23–Nov. 21) Today promises to be excellent, but don't go overboard. You might be tempted to think that your minor financial difficulties are already behind you.

Alas, they are not.

GEMINI (May 21–June 20) Here's a day when some longawaited attention or recognition comes your way. You're finished with the hassles you experienced during the past month and have entered a calmer period.

CANCER(June21–July22) This will be a day of reflection. While you may be tempted to look back and think about how far you've come, your time would be better spent thinking about what the future has in store.

LEO (July 23–Aug. 22) This would be an ideal day to take extra care of your body. Don't kid yourself that those back problems will go away. Make an appointment with a doctor or physical therapist.

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to win here. I hadn’t been back here since 2015,” said Thomas who finished second in the race seven years ago.

“I lost the jersey by a few seconds, so it’s nice to come back to this race and win it.

“It’s kind of revenge. It was a difficult race. You had to be consistent all week. So I’m really very satisfied.

“We lost Adam Yates at the start of the week. I had to take the reins of the team. It is a great satisfaction for me.”

Higuita, riding for BoraHansgrohe, finished second overall 1min 12sec behind the winner after clocking the 11th fastest time, with Dane Jacob Fuglsang taking third place a further four seconds back.

Thomas, 36, follows on from his wins in stage races including both the Tour de France and Critérium du Dauphiné in 2018, the ParisNice in 2016 and the the Tour de Romandie in 2021.

The race was hit by a

Hurkacz thrashes Medvedev for...

From page 20 own delivery during the entire match.

“I was serving pretty good today and got a little bit of momentum from the first game,” Hurkacz added.

“I saved a couple of deuces on my service game and then I managed to break Daniil’s serve so I definitely got a little bit of momentum.

I’m very happy with the win in front of such a great crowd here.”

swathe of Covid-19 cases with around 40 riders pulling out after positive tests, and 79 starting the final stage.

And a few hours before the start of the final stage, star sprinter Peter Sagan pulled out with Covid-19.

Russian Aleksandr Vlasov of Bora-Hansgrohe pulled out on Friday while wearing the leader’s jersey.

The day before, it was Yates and the entire JumboVisma team who had been forced to give up.

A total of four complete teams — Bahrain, Alpecin, UAE and Jumbo — had to leave the race after positive tests.

This race, however, allowed certain teams and leading riders spared by the pandemic to fine-tune the settings a few weeks before the Tour de France.

This was the case of Thomas, Evenepoel or Fuglsang.

“It’s been a difficult week for me, with ups and downs,” said Evenepoel.

“But the last few days I’ve felt good. I’ve regained my form a bit.

“We made a few management mistakes (of the race) during this week which somewhat hit the general ambitions. But I had decided in my head to go ahead and concentrate on the time trial.

“That’s what we did today, because we thought that I was able to win it. But I was no longer sure of myself when I saw Geraint in the last corner. Finally, I was able to maintain a few seconds advantage.

“It’s good to finish this Tour of Switzerland with this victory.”

PAGE 20

Kaieteur News

Monday June 20, 2022

Kaieteur News

Monday June 20, 2022

PAGE 21

Magnum Unfinished Business Mini Championship…

Nissanka Back Circle reaffirm stars as bragging rights Sri Lanka cruise past Australia in third ODI

A

Pernell Schultz of Bent Street received the second place prize money from Magnum Brand Manager, Jamal Baird.

Back Circle was crowned the Magnum Tonic Wine ‘Unfinished Business’ Champion, defeating powerhouse Bent Street on Saturday evening at the National Park tarmac, Thomas Lands.

The East Ruimveldt outfit prevailed 4-0 in a clinical display. Jermaine Beckles and Stephon Reynolds recorded respective doubles to dismiss the highly touted Bent Street outfit in a final witnessed by a large crowd.

With the result, Back Circle walked away $300,000, while Bent Street pocketed $150,000. In the third place playoff, Sparta Boss bested Gold is Money 4-1. Due to the outcome, Sparta Boss pocketed $100,000, while Gold is Money walked away with $50,000.

In the earlier semi-final round, Back Circle downed Gold is Money 4-2, whilst Bent Street squeaked past fierce rival Sparta Boss 3-2.

Vals Construction pledges support to elevate Guyana Cup Local contracting p o w e r h o u s e , Va l s Construction, has pledged major support to the upcoming Guyana Cup carded for Sunday 14th August at the Rising Sun Turf Club. Tremendous corporate assistance has been coming in as new stakeholders are seeing the vision that was created by Mr. Nasrudeen Mohamed, Jumbo Jet. Funding an event of this size and nature is extremely challenging especially after a two year break due to the pandemic.

To ensure horseracing enthusiasts are able to access champion thoroughbred horses Mr. Nasrudeen ‘Junior’ Mohamed imported over 30 horses to date, that was welcomed by most of the traditional stables across Guyana.

Because of the two-year lag in promotion of horseracing events the venue had a large amount of

restoration and earth works to be done for the facility to be ready for race day.

Vals Construction owner Mr. Satynarine Sahadeo indicated, “We have been supporting Guyana Cup for s o m e t i m e n o w. A s Guyana’s economy grows, so will the sport. Vals Construction is committed to offer our services in any way possible to ensure horseracing stays alive. We have also committed 5 trucks and an excavator from our fleet to assist with the earth works especially after the new layout for the facility has major parking expansion. We will continue to push our business friends and associates for more sponsors to come on board to make the event a total success. For the racing committee to raise over $30,000,000 Guyana dollars to be given as cash prizes is hard for one committee to spend. I can assure racing lovers and by extension

Guyana that they have our full support.”

Va l s C o n s t r u c t i o n support is said to be in the vicinity of $5M highlighting their status as one of the major sponsors of the upcoming horserace event.

The Guyana Cup horserace event is being touted as one for the entire family. Apart from the horseracing action, which makes it the biggest of its kind locally with over $30M in prizes on offer, other entertainment is on the cards for the entire family.

Security will also be heightened to ensure the safety of all patrons and fans with the recent inclusion of A&R Security as part of the setup to offer a more professional approach to the r u n n i n g o f t h e d a y ’s activities. The organisers are saying that this is one horserace event that no fan and those interested in a fun day in the countryside would want to miss.

FP - Sri Lanka went 2-1 up on Sunday as they cruised to a six-wicket victory over Australia in the third one-day international thanks to a brilliant Pathum Nissanka century.

Set a tricky 292 to win after a Travis Head 70, the hosts won comfortably with nine balls to spare in Colombo, in their second straight victory in the fivematch series.

Maxwell bowled Niroshan Dickwella for 25 but Nissanka and Kusal Mendis ground down the injury-depleted Australian attack of Josh Hazlewood, Jhye Richardson and Matthew Kuhnemann.

Mendis retired hurt unbeaten on 87 and was replaced by Dhananjaya de Silva who made 25, but Nissanka clung on until almost the end, caught off Richardson for 137 off 147 balls.

Richardson then bowled captain Dasun Shanaka for a duck, but Charith Asalanka — with an ice-cold six in the penultimate over off Hazlewood — and Chamika Karunaratne saw Sri Lanka home.

Earlier Australia braved a

spin onslaught by Sri Lanka to reach 291-6 in their 50 overs after winning the toss and opting to bat first.

Opener David Warner went for nine in the third over, top-edging a Dushmantha Chameera bouncer to Maheesh Theekshana at fine leg.

B a c k f r o m i n j u r y, Mitchell Marsh struggled to get going and departed for 10 off 23 deliveries, caught at cover by Mendis after a slower delivery by Dunith Wellalage.

Marnus Labuschagne came in at number four ahead of Head and he and Aaron Finch added 69 before Labuschagne was stumped

by Niroshan Dickwella off Jeffrey Vandersay for 29.

Tw o o v e r s l a t e r, Vandersay bagged Finch too, with the Australian captain edging the spinner to a diving de Silva at slip having made 62 off 85.

Head and Alex Carey added 72 runs before de Silva trapped Carey legbefore on the front pad trying to sweep, having made a quick-fire 49 off 52 deliveries.

Maxwell did some damage, smashing 33 off 18 before giving Vandersay his

Pathum Nissanka’s century drove Sri Lanka’s chase. (Getty Images) third wicket, miscuing the spinner into the hands of Wellalage scurrying back from midwicket.

But Head stayed firm, reaching his half-century and smashing Wellalage for three sixes in the penultimate over and ending 70 not out off 65 deliveries, with Cameron Green unbeaten on 15.

Vandersay ended with figures of 3 for 49.

Already missing Marcus Stoinis, Kane Richardson and Mitchell Starc, Australia left out Steve Smith after the batsman injured his left quad batting in Thursday’s 26-run defeat in Pallekele.

Marsh, however, returned to the side, as did Green and Richardson, while Pat Cummins and Mitchell Swepson were left out.

Spinner Kuhnemann was again in for Ashton Agar.

The hosts were once again without key allr o u n d e r Wa n i n d u Hasaranga, who injured his groin in the first match while Dickwella replaced Danushka Gunathilaka.

Scores: Sri Lanka 292 for 4 (Nissanka 137, Mendis 87 ret) beat Australia 291 for 6 (Head 70*, Finch 62, Vandersay 3-49) by six wickets.

Travis Head gave Australia a strong finish. (Getty Images)

Kaieteur News

PAGE 22

Fraser-Pryce equals world leading 10.67 to win at Paris Diamond League

Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce continued her spectacular start to the 2022 season with a dominant win at Saturday’s Paris Diamond League.

SportsMax - Defending 100m World Champion Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce continued her spectacular start to the 2022 season with a dominant win at Saturday’s Paris Diamond League.

Fraser-Pryce ran her second sub 10.7 clocking this season, equalling her own world-leading 10.67 for victory ahead of Great Britain’s Daryll Neita (10.99) and Ivory Coast’s

Marie-Josee Ta Lou (11.01).

The eight-time Olympic a n d n i n e - t i m e Wo r l d Championship medallist previously ran 10.67 at the Kip Keino Classic in Nairobi, Kenya on May 7.

Bahamian Olympic 400m Champions Steven Gardiner and Shaunae Miller-Uibo both also showed good form to secure 400m victories.

Gardiner, who is also the defending World Champion, produced a typically easy display of running to win in a season’s best 44.21, ahead of the Dominican Republic’s Lidio Andres Feliz (44.92) and South Africa’s Zakhiti Nene (44.99).

Miller-Uibo, on the other hand, went out extremely

hard in the first three quarters of her race before shutting down with about 50 metres to go, to win in 50.10 ahead of Poland’s Natalia Kaczmarek (50.24) and Anna Kielbasinska (50.28).

Bahamian Devynne Charlton ran a season’s best 12.63 to finish second in the 100m hurdles behind Nigeria’s Tobi Amusan who did a personal best and African record 12.41 for victory. Great Britain’s Cindy Sember ran 12.73 for third.

Cuba’s Jordan Diaz Fortun (17.66m) and Andy Diaz (17.65) were the top two finishers in the triple jump ahead of Olympic Champion Pedro Pichardo of Portugal (17.49m).

Kemar Roach, Kraigg Brathwaite help West Indies go 1-0 up West Indies needed just seven overs on Day 4 to chase down the target ESPNcricinfo - John Campbell hit the winning six as West Indies needed only seven overs on the fourth day to beat Bangladesh by seven wickets in the first Test in Antigua.

West Indies finished on 88 for 3 after resuming the fourth day on 49 for 3 in the second innings, needing 35 more runs to clinch the series opener.

Campbell accelerated his

scoring rate yesterday and finished the match with a six over long-off against Najmul Hossain Shanto. He hit nine fours and one six in his unbeaten 58. Jermaine Blackwood at the other end was on 26 not out after the pair came to their team’s rescue with a fourth-wicket partnership of 79.

Out-of-form Bangladesh had given the hosts a scare on Saturday, at one stage

reducing the West Indies to 9 for 3 at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium.

West Indies scored 265 in the first innings.

Bangladesh had 103 and 245. Kemar Roach was named Player of the Match for this match haul of 6 for 74.

Bangladesh medium pacer Khaled Ahmed, who took three wickets in 11 balls on day three, was unable to

break through again. He finished with 3 for 27 from eight overs.

The second and final Test starts Friday in St Lucia.

Scores: West Indies 265 (Brathwaite 94, Blackwood 63, Mehidy 4-65) and 88 for 3 (Campbell 58*, Blackwood 26*, Khaled 327) beat Bangladesh 103 and 245 (Nurul 64, Roach 553, Joseph 3-55) by seven wickets.

Monday June 20, 2022

Max Verstappen holds off Carlos Sainz to win Canadian Grand Prix Max Verstappen has won six of the first nine Formula 1 races this season.

(Photo by Clive Rose/Getty Images)

Yahoo Sports - Max Verstappen got Red Bull Racing its sixth consecutive Formula 1 win and his sixth victory of the season overall as he held off Carlos Sainz to win the Canadian Grand Prix.

Sainz chased Verstappen for the final 15 laps after a safety car for Yuki Tsunoda’s crash. But Sainz was never able to get close enough to Verstappen’s rear wing to attempt a pass.

Verstappen started the race in first and led early.

Sainz took over the lead after Verstappen made his first pit stop of the day and again when Verstappen pitted for a second time. But Verstappen regained the lead after Sainz made his second pit stop and had enough speed to win the race ahead of Sainz and Lewis Hamilton.

Hamilton had pace that matched Verstappen and S a i n z b e f o r e Ts u n o d a crashed exiting the pits. But the Red Bull and the Ferrari drove away over the final laps of the race and left Hamilton over six seconds back. Hamilton’s Mercedes teammate George Russell finished fourth while Charles Leclerc finished fifth after starting 19th because of an engine change on Saturday.

Red Bull clearly the top team but Ferrari and Mercedes gain points The win streak is making it clear that Verstappen and Red Bull are the ones to beat

in 2022. The team has won seven of the first nine races of the season. Verstappen’s points lead is now 46 over teammate Sergio Perez and 49 over Leclerc. F1 drivers get 25 points for a win and a point for scoring the fastest lap in a race.

But Red Bull only scored Verstappen’s 25 points yesterday. Perez was 21 points back of Verstappen and started outside the top 10 because of a crash in qualifying on Saturday on a wet track. Perez was forced to retire from the race with an engine problem and didn’t get any points for finishing last.

Perez’s problem means that Ferrari gained four points on Red Bull in the constructor standings and Mercedes got two. That’s not a lot of points, of course, but it’s something in a team battle that Red Bull tried to break open a week ago when neither Ferrari car scored points.

Ferrari is now 76 points back of Red Bull in the standings while Mercedes is 36 points back of Ferrari.

Mercedes has won the last eight constructor titles and has a lot of work to do to get a ninth. The team’s pace in Montreal was promising, however. If the team can continue to make some gains then the weekly fight for wins will be among three teams for the first time in a long time.

Kaieteur News

Monday June 20, 2022

Guy, L/Wards share points in No-result

By Sean Devers It was a depressing father’s day for those dads who wanted to spend the day at Providence watching Guyana take on Trinidad and Tobago in the CG Insurance Women’s Super 50.

Apart from a couple of brief periods of sunshine in which the covers were actually removed from the square the forecast for rain all day proved correct.

After their encounter in T20 Blaze was washed out, the Guyanese ladies were looking forward to playing their first match in the 50over format.

But that was not to be as

the encounter was called off at 1:25 PM. This the second time that the Guyana, Trinidad and Tobago contest has been called off.

However, after beating the Leewards in their opening match and with the shared points yesterday, Trinidad, the most successful team in the tournament with 13 titles, have qualified for the semifinals.

The ladies from Carnival Country have not joined defending championship Barbados in the semi-finals.

Guyana have not won a 50-over title since

participating in the inaugural tournament in 1976 in Grenada, will battle the Leewards tomorrow in a virtual quarter finals with the winner qualifying for the semis.

To d a y T 2 0 B l a z e winners Jamaica will take on the Windwards.

With both Jamaica and the Windwards being beaten

by Barbados the winner will advance to semis.

The forecast is for adverse weather for the rest of week with the final being set for Saturday.

Live streaming can be watched on CWl website and also on YouTube from 9:30am.

2022 Milo Secondary Schools Football Tournament…

Heavy rainfall forces postponement of second day The organizer of the 2022 Milo Secondary Schools Football Tournament were forced to postponed the second day of action in the event following torrential rainfall which made the intended venue unfit for play in the knockout format competition.

Four matches were scheduled for yesterday, Sunday, June 19, at the Ministry of Education Ground following the kick off of the event the previous day, June 18, with an intriguing afternoon of competition that also had four matches on the card.

A brief note from the Petra Organisation stated, “After a careful assessment of the conditions at the ground, the organizers have been forced to call off today’s games. These games will be played on Wednesday and Thursday, respectively starting at 5pm. We do apologize for the inconvenience this postponement may cause.”

On Wednesday, June 22, Ann’s Grove tackle Uitvlugt from 17:00 hrs then North

Malcolm Hendricks (#2) scored four goals on the first day of the tournament for Charlestown Secondary.

Ruimveldt battle East Ruimveldt at 18:30 hrs. The following day, June 23, Golden Grove go head to head with Buxton Secondary from 17:00 hrs while the fixture between Dolphin Secondary and Charlestown Secondary will complete the day in a showdown which starts at 18:30 hrs.

The opening day of the tournament saw Dolphin Secondary advance after beating St. John’s College 4 – 1, West Ruimveldt squeezed past Queen’s College 2 – 1, Charlestown Secondary destroyed Bishop’s High

Tyler Lyle’s attempt at goal from a free kick sailed way above the opposition’s horizontal.

School 10 – 0 while Carmel humbled Bladen Hall Secondary 6 - 1. Once the weekday fixtures are completed the tournament continues on June 25 & 26 with the other playing dates being July 2, 3 and 6 while the finale is billed for July 10.

The Championship team in this tournament will win $300,000 along with the 2022 Milo Championship Trophy and Gold Medals to outfit the entire team, while the second place finishers cart off with $200,000, the corresponding trophy and Silver Medals.

PAGE 23

GCA are DCB Inter Association U17 champs

The GCA U17 team

G

eorgetown Cricket Association were crowned champions of the Demerara Cricket Board (DCB) inter association U17 50-over tournament which concluded on Saturday at LBI. The competition was originally set to conclude yesterday, but Upper Demerara could not honour their fixture against West Demerara due to the unavailability of some players.

GCA U17 led on the points table on 30.5.

Earlier in the competition, GCA beat East

Coast Demerara by eight wickets at LBI. Batting first, East Coast Demerara were bowled out for 73.

Riyad Latif bagged 5-10, Mayhiem Khan 2-9 and Jayden Dowlin 2-12.

GCA responded with 76-2 in 23.5 overs.

Alvin Mohabir made 33 not out, which included two fours and two sixes, while Jaydon Campbell scored 25 with two fours.

GCA U17 also beat East Bank Demerara and Upper Demerara while their encounter against West Demerara was rained out.

Kemar Roach exults after cleaning up Ebadot Hossain and getting his fifth wicket. (AFP/Getty Images)

rts Spo

John Campbell goes on the attack.

(AFP/Getty Images)

Kemar Roach, Kraigg Brathwaite help West Indies go 1-0 up West Indies needed just seven overs on Day 4 to chase down the target

Back Circle Vals Construction pledges support to reaffirm bragging rights elevate Guyana Cup Magnum Unfinished Business Mini C/Ship…

Mr. Satynarine Sahadeo (left) of Vals construction hands over the sponsorship to Adrian Caimraj Rep of the Jumbo Jet Thoroughbred Racing Committee.

Back Circle Captain, Stephon Reynolds, collected the first place prize monies from Magnum Brand Manager, Jamal Baird, in the presence of teammates and supporters.

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