Kaieteur News

Govt.officialtoldstudent... -victim

“I gon get you to sleep with me in three years”

...“change of Govt.in2015 saved me”

Avictim who endured years of s e x u a l harassment by a senior PPP/C Government official has told this newspaper that the accuser once told her while she was still a student: “Yuh know what, I bet you in three years, I will sleep with you.”

Luckily, a change of government in 2015 not only rescued her from constant sexual harassment but saved the victim from falling into any trap that the official might have had planned for her Inanexclusiveinterview with Kaieteur News, the victim said the official was a Permanent Secretary (PS) at thetimeandsaidshehadfirst met him in 2012. “I was a Hinterland Scholarship student at that time, a final year student at one of the government technical institutes and I was staying at one of the dorms and they brought him to introduce him tous”,thevictimsaid.

The PS reportedly had dinner with the girls and

chose to sit next to the victim while speaking to the group. He left soon after the meeting but the following, day he sent one of his staff to solicit her numberforhim.

“A male staff from there on the scholarship programme came and he said to me 'yuh know PS want your number,” the victim related while adding that at first she thought he was genuine and willingly sent her number

The victim continued that he started messaging her and at beginning it was just“normalconversation” until one day, he asked if shehadaboyfriend.

Accordingtotheyoung woman, by this time persons had found out that he was texting her and had warned her “to beware of him” and focusonherstudies.

“Itcaughtmeoffguardso I said to him, 'aren't you people in high places supposed to encourage us, especially the girls knowing

that they are easily preyed upon , to take our education seriouslyandnotworryabout boyfriend ,” the young lady r e c o u n t e d a s s h e remembered the PS responding by laughing and saying“sorry,sorryman”. Her response, however, didnotdeterthePS,insteadit

fueled him to continuously harass the student sexually The harassment continued until the victim finished her studies and went back to her village.Afew months passed before she was employed with the government. Grateful for the opportunity, she accepted the job and

returned to the city to work but she did not know that the PS would now become herboss.

He reportedly picked up from where he left off and made his intentions clear that she will not escape from sleeping him this time. “He was very persistent one of the things he used to do if I don't answer his calls or messages is call my workplace.

I can remember one time, I was at (named place (work place) and said he wanted to see me urgently”, recalled the former student. Believing thatitwasworkrelated,she would travel to his office only to find out that it was onlytoharassheragain.

At the time, said the youngwoman,shewasafraid to complain to anyone that the PS was constantly harassing her because she “reallyneededthejob”.

However, the harassment became overbearing and in 2015, the woman said she

d e c i d e d t o r e s i g n “…Because of the constant pressuring from him, I felt like I was gonna resign from mywork.

I was gonna leave the job”, the victim said. She reportedlyconfidedinaclose colleague about her situation and intentions to give up her career but the friend encouraged her bear-up a littlemore.

Thefriendreportedlytold her it was elections time and it was looking like his government was going to lose and even if it wins then he might get shuffle around. It turned out that the PPP/C Government did lose the elections that year and the young lady was able to hold onto her job and work in environment where a PS was no longer sexually harassing her Today, the victim is a grown adult woman and no longer works with the government but still remembers how close she was to crumbling under tremendous pressure from thePS.

CCJ denies child rapist special leave application

A s p e c i a l l e a v e application by a convicted child rapist to the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) was on Wednesday denied by the court.

The Justices of the CCJ as well as other staff are currently in Guyana for its second itinerant sitting, since2014.

The first case that was heard is one from Guyana 'A B v the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) ShalimarAli-Hack, SC'.The judgment was handed down by the Honourable Maureen Rajnauth-Lee.

Notably, before reading out a summary of the judgment, Justice RajnauthLee, explained that the court has anonymize the entire proceedings, in accordance to best practices and in order to protect the complainant.

As such, she requested that members of the media refer to the matter as 'A B v the DPP', reminding that there is

a child involved in the matter

Inthiscase,theapplicant was seeking a special leave to appeal to the CCJ, to review a decision by the Guyana Court of Appeal (COA), which affirmed the impositionoftwoconcurrent life sentences by the trial judgeattheSupremeCourt.

The applicant was charged and convicted with two counts of sexual activity with a child, contrary to the Sexual Offences Act of Guyana.

It was stated that the applicant engaged in sexual penetration with a child, twice in 2016 and once in 2017. During those periods, the child was ages 7 and 8 respectively

At the conclusion of the trial,theapplicantwasfound guilty of the crime and the trial judge imposed two concurrent life sentences, with the eligibility of parole onlyafterserving20years.

Dissatisfied with the ruling, the convicted child rapist approached Guyana's Appellate Court where he contended that the sentences

imposed including the noneligibility of parole r e q u i r e m e n t s w e r e excessive. However, the COAin its

rulingontheappealaffirmed the imposition of the sentences. The convict then filed an application at the CCJ seeking special leave of theCOA'sdecision.

In his application to the CCJ, the applicant contended that the sentence is manifestly excessive and that the sentencing process ofthetrialjudgewasflawed.

The applicant also contended that Guyana's Appellate Court's failure to review and correct these errors, amounts to a serious miscarriage of justice and justifies the granting of specialleavebytheCCJ.

“With respect to the sentence,thecourtnotedthat life imprisonment was the maximum penalty under the relevantsectionofthesexual offences act and was available within the range of punishment options available to the sentencing judge, where the sexual activity was sexual

penetration, ” Justice Rajnauth-Leesaid.

S h e c o n t i n u e d :

“Additionally what made this case distinct in the severity was the special relationship of trust between the victim survivor and the perpetrator and the young a g e o f t h e v i c t i m survivor…The crime of sexual activity with a minor was perpetrated by an adult in a position of trust; it is therefore fair to say that the choices of concurrent life sentences in this case was neither extraordinary or manifestlyexcessive.”

Furthermore, the judge said it is also fair to say that the 20-year period of ineligibilityforparoleiswell within range for similar c a s e s “ I n t h o s e c i r c u m s t a n c e s , t h e application for special leave is dismissed and each party is ordered to bear their own cost,” Justice Rajnauth-Lee said.

Justice Maureen Rajnauth-Lee

International Lawyer, Melinda Janki has described Guyana's oil sector as extractivism, rather than investment by the companies seeking to develop the country's natural resources.

‘Ifyou can't obey our laws, don't come to Guyana’ -Int'l lawyer tells oil companies

She made this point duringaninterviewlastweek with an international broadcaster that features indepth reports on current affairs.

Theattorneytoldviewers that oil companies operating in Guyana are refusing to obey the laws set out to govern the sector, arguing that citizens must maintain their right to determine the management of the industry “The fact is that this is not investment, it in Guyana, this isextractivism.

Thisisaforeigncompany coming in and refusing to obey national law...if you don't like national laws, then don't come to Guyana but

once you are here, you have toobeythoselaws,”shesaid.

The Lawyer added, “If you don't think that Guyanese should have a say in what happens in this country then you are in the wrongplace.”

Janki pointed out that sevenmattershavebeenfiled in the local Courts, by citizens, challenging the oil andgasactivities.

She noted that Guyana has an Environmental Protection Act, which was drafted by her several years ago, that must guide the production activities; however there has been lax enforcement by the body established to regulate the industry, the Environmental ProtectionAgency(EPA).

To this end, the Lawyer argued that companies must acknowledge that complying with the national legislation is the cost of doing business in Guyana. She cited in her

presentation that only last month, the Court ruled in the favour of two citizens, ordering ExxonMobil to abide by the Permit it received to produce oil at the Liza One project in the

StabroekBlock.

Janki explained, “The legislation for example in Guyanasaysthatyoumustdo an environmental impact assessment. It must comply with

certain parameters, (then) you are granted an environmental permit and then you must comply with yourpermit.

Nobody forces you to take the permit but once you accept the permit, you must complywithit.”

On the other hand, the Attorney argued that the High Court Judge, Justice Sandil Kissoon in his ruling said that Esso Exploration and Production Guyana Limited (EEPGL), the subsidiary of Exxon, was in breach of the Permit and the EPA had failed as the regulator to enforce the regulations.

“What he actually said wasthattheyhadputGuyana at risk by their failure to do theirjobandhesaidthatEsso was never in any doubt as to

whatitsliabilitieswereunder thePermitbuttheyjustdidn't comply under the Permit the Judge said that Esso had to produce an uncapped, unlimited parent company guarantee for all costs for pollution or discharge of a contaminant.

So if there is pollution, if there is a well blow out, if there is an oil spill then ExxonMobil is the person that the Guyana government turns to for the money to cleanup,”Jankiexplained.

Shewaskeentopointout the importance of the parent company guarantee to her viewers as well, highlighting that Guyana not only lacks the financial capability to respond to a possible devastatingspill,butalsohas no experience or capacity to respondtosuchanevent.

Draft oil law proposes to give minister power to waive payment of 10% royalty

The government's new draft oil law is proposing to arm the Natural Resources Minister with the power to waive the payment of royalty that will apply to new P r o d u c t i o n S h a r i n g Agreements(PSA).

Section 49 of the

Petroleum Activities Bill 2023 which deals with the remission of royalty states:

“The Minister may, on application made to him by a l i c e n s e e a n d a f t e r consultation with the M i n i s t e r a s s i g n e d responsibility for finance, by order—(a)remit,inwholeor in part, any royalty payable by the applicant; or (b) defer payment of any royalty, on such conditions (if any) as he mayspecifyintheorder.”

Kaieteur News confirmed with two tax specialists that the foregoing provision would therefore give the minister the power to waive the payment of royalties in newoilblocks.

The grounds for allowing such remission as plausible were not outlined in the law but can be refined in regulations to which the minister has authority in determining.

Another important point of note is that this very

provision also exists in the Petroleum Exploration and Production Act of 1986 which means it therefore applies to the ExxonMobiloperated Stabroek Block where a 2 percent royalty is beingpaid.

There are also a slew of other fiscal benefits being proposed for the new oil law which will govern future oil blocks such as the 14 that are likely to be awarded before year-end.

These include the payment of training fees, financial support for environmental and social projects, rental fees which shall be specified in the petroleum agreements, the payment of signature bonuses by licensees which shall be established through competitive tender or direct negotiations for certain blocks, and fees for retention of discoveries which have notbeenutilized.

Notably, the bill once passed will support the fiscal terms assigned to new P r o d u c t i o n S h a r i n g Agreements being finalised for shallow and deepwater concessions.

The new oil agreements are expected to feature a US$1Mtrainingfee,US$1M rental fee, 10 percent royalty,

0 to 0.75 percent property tax, 10 percent income tax, 50/50 profit oil sharing, a 65 percent cost recovery cap, a minimum of a US$10M signing bonus for shallow water blocks and a minimum of US$20M signing bonus fordeepwaterblocks.

The Ministry of Natural Resources released on June 19, 2023 the Petroleum Activities Bill for a twoweek period for public consultation.

It is expected to repeal and replace the Petroleum ( E x p l o r a t i o n a n d Production)ActCap.65:10.

Theministryexplainedin a statement that the Bill introduces significant i m p r o v e m e n t s a n d safeguards related to safety, emergency response, cross border unitisation, s u p e r v i s i o n a n d monitoring requirements a n d a u t h o r i z e s t h e minister to prescribe regulations about key a d m i n i s t r a t i v e a n d operational aspects of exploration and production activities.

Further, the Bill expands thescopeoftheproposedAct to regulate storage and pipeline transportation aspects of the oil and gas sector and empower the

government to regulate, in the future, activities a s s o c i a t e d w i t h geological storage of c

sites will also enablethe government to develop petroleum resources while seeking to minimize their carbon and footprint, the ministrysaid.

The draft Bill is now

f

blic

consultation feedback until Monday, July 3, 2023, at the following websites: www.nre.gov.gy and www.petroluem.gov gy

All comments should be s e n t v i a e m a i l t o jmckenzie@nre.gov.gy

International Lawyer, Melinda Janki

Charlestown, Georgetown, Guyana.

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

Editor-In-Chief: NIGEL WILLIAMS

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

EDITORIAL

THE NIGEL DHARAMLALL SAGA

Innocent until proven guilty should be more than a watchword, far beyond a concept, it must be something held as precious, and what has universal application,withoutasingleexception.Whateachoneofus wantsforourselves,thesamealsobelongsinallofitslarge andsmallaspectstoembattledPPP/CGovernmentMinister NigelDharamlall.

Despite the flurry of speculations, the raging conclusions,NigelDharamlallstandsinnocentuntilcharged andprovenguiltyinacourtoflaw

Thanks to a million dollars in bail, Dharamlall is not confined to jail. It is important to note that he was arrested andquestionedinthecompanyofhisattorney,buthewasnot charged with any crime. An investigation is in its early stages, and the process of gathering evidence and interviewing citizens is underway All of these must be allowedthetimeandspace,sothatallthepertinentfactscan be identified and professionally assembled. This is to facilitateauthoritativeconclusionsarrivedatrelativetothe besieged minister’s guilt or innocence with what has been attachedtohisname.

Ifalltheinformationindicatesthathedidthecrime,then hemustdothetime.MinisterDharamlallisoutofofficeat thisstageofthematter,andheisfreetowalkthestreets.He must also have his day in court if matters come to that necessary place. It is, therefore, of the utmost importance thatwhateverworkthattheGuyanaPoliceForceisengaged in,itmustbeofthemostcredibleandpersuasivecharacter The victim, the family, the Guyanese people, all deserve nothingless.Bythesametoken,sodoesNigelDharamlall, regardlessofanyofthemisgivings,anyofthespeculations, that we may entertain about his involvement (or noninvolvement)inwhathasbeenalleged,andwhichhassince takenonalifeofitsown.

Onabroadernote,weatthispapertakethepositionthat too many incidents, allegations, and reports of serious misconductbyofficialsattachedtothePPP/CGovernment have been swept under the carpet, given kid gloves treatment What was conspicuous in prior PPP/C Governmentadministrationsisevenmorepronouncedinthe PPP/C Government of today Too often, too many of its comradesandagentshavebeenfingeredinwhatcanonlybe describedasblatantcriminalinfractions,onlyfornothingto be done to bring before the bar of justice, so that society’s conscience can be satisfied. It is our hope, our wish, that none of this is seen, or thought, to be in operation in the highly publicised and highly sensitive matter swirling aroundNigelDharmalall.

Fartoooften,theinterpretationsofmanyGuyaneseare thatthereisonestandardofthelawandjusticethatappliesto PPP/CGovernmentinsidersandfriends,andanothertothe regular citizens of this country As such relates to alleged PPP/Cviolatorsofthelaw,theprocessesandstandardsare believed to be lax, and delivered to a way less stringent degree of urgency and seriousness.There have been issues involving the use of firearms, the battering of domestic partners, and reports of drinking and driving, and others of varyinglevelsofseverity

There is anothervitalpoint of considerationthat has its merits. It is that although Nigel Dharamlall has compiled a dubiousrecordincertainrespects,andisleftwithfewwellwishers outside of the protective government and party flock,suchmustnotbeheldagainsthim.Onlywhatactually happened, what is clean and fair, has relevance gets proper traction.

Theeyesofalmostallcitizensinthisnationarerivetedto every single development in the troubles surrounding MinisterDharamlall.Governmentministershavecomeout with the right attitudes and words to match. Probes and discussions have been initiated, with the appropriate institutionsoftheStatecloselyinvolved.Thisiswhatshould be,andallthestopsshouldbepulledouttogettothebottom ofthissordidaffair

Noexpenseshouldbespared,nocornerscut.Wherever thechipshavetofall,letthemfall.Thisiswhatisduetothe allegedvictim,totheminister,andtotheGuyanesepeople.

MORE SEXUALPREDATORS BELIEVED TO BE IN THE PPPCABINET

DEAREDITOR,

The troubled Minister of Local Government, whose lackluster and apathetic performanceinthelastthree years along with the bland, old-fashioned, and donothing Minister of Home Affairs should be held accountableforthe20young and precious lives lost in female dormitory inferno at Madhiaamonthago.

Now, the Minster of Local Government is embroiled in the odious and revolting sexual allegations byasixteen-year-oldfemale

Amerindian student According to several news reports,theministerhasbeen allegedly involved in improper behaviour with underage girls which means thattherewereclearwarning signs that a stalker and sexual predator was on the loose, yet he was not disciplined by the Irfaan

Ali/Bharat Jagdeo government. Based on the revelations in the local and social media, there is ample evidencetoinstitutecriminal chargesagainstthisarrogant andincompetentministerfor hisdepravedbehaviour

Thedisclosurebythe16year-oldAmerindiangirlthat she was allegedly groomed by the minister to have intercourse with him and to perform perverted sexual

acts is disgusting, offensive and extremely vulgar The PPPknows that the minister is not the only suspected sexual predator in the cabinet, there are others, but honcho and de facto president continue to coverupforthem.Hebelievesthat he and his ministers are above the law and that God has ordained and anointed themtoruleGuyaneseinany way they wish and to share the country’s resources with acertainethnicgroup.

Thisiswhatreverberates inthecorridorsofpowerina most shocking display of wanton callousness and disregard for the people, especially females by members of the PPP The detailedaccountrevealedby the teenager of the alleged sexual episode is a clear-cut case of statutory rape. The PPP government must ensurethatthedildominister be charged and face the full brunt of the law, undergo mental evaluation and seek therapy before he preys on othersixteen-year-olds.

The reports that the Ministers of Education and Social Services have been providing counseling and sheltertothevictimisalittle too late and is of little comfort. The Minister of Educationhaddirectcontact withteenagerNeesaGopaul,

a Queen’s College student, who was placed under her care when she was the Minister of Social Services. Theteenwaslaterbutchered byhermotherandstepfather Can anyone expect any semblance of a good outcome from the minister’s intervention? As for Social Services,thisentityisbereft ofalmostallhumanservices; the suicide hotline does not work.

Since being appointed the Minister of Social Services three years ago, many senior qualified personnel have left the Ministry because the Minister has appointed her unqualified relatives and friendstoseniorpositionsin thedepartment.Ayearago,I called the hotline suicide number and there was no answer after the phone rang 28 times. I called a second timeandafter21rings,itwas answeredbyasecurityguard who told me to call back later Thisispoorservicefor acountrythathasthesecond highest suicide rate in the world!

President Ali’s response to the alleged rape accusations by the 16-yearoldAmerindiangirlisrather insipid,apathetic,andabsurd when he said he reached out totheMinisterandhedenied any wrongdoing, therefore

the allegations are just allegations and he wants to dealwithastatementoffacts and once the facts are being presented, the authorities must do their investigation, (Kaieteur News, June 17, 2023) Really? Is the president living on Mars? Thepresidentoughttoknow that investigations are launched based on allegations and not on a statement of facts to commenceone.

Facts are unearthed during investigations Amazingly, the honcho and de facto president who comments on the smallest issue in the country is eerily silent on this allegation because every Guyanese is aware of the ill-treatment andabusedishedoutbyhim to his so-called ex-wife and thedisrespect,hehasshown to her She publicly stated that she was forced to sleep on a concrete slab on the ground floor at State house after being kicked out of the bedroom and she was not allowedtousehisname. His behaviour towards his wife was so egregious; that everyone expects the minister who he mentors to dolikewise.So,theminister learned his immoral and pervertedbehaviourfromthe honcho,thereforethepublic

(Continuedonpage6)

Ray Daggers has embarked on another march

DEAREDITOR,

In a remarkable display of determination and grassroots activism, Ray Daggers, a passionate environmentaladvocate,has undertaken a bold campaign aimedatdrawingattentionto the pressing need for environmentalpolicyreform inGuyana.Withunwavering commitment and resolute spirit,Daggershasinitiateda march with the ambitious goal of gathering an impressive 300,000 signatures from concerned citizens across the nation.

This extraordinary endeavourservesasacrucial step towards holding both the PPP/C government and ExxonMobilaccountablefor what many perceive as an imbalanced contract that poses significant risks to Guyana’s environmental future.

Daggers has long been recognized as a prominent advocate for environmental justice in Guyana, and his dedication to the cause

remainssteadfast.

Having completed an arduous 12-day walk from Moleson Creek in East Corentyne, Berbice (Region Six) to Charity on the Essequibo Coast (Region Two), Daggers has showcased his unwavering determination to drive change despite the challengesfaced.

Through this latest march, Daggers aims to mobilize citizens from all walksoflifetojoinforcesin the pursuit of a fairer a g r e e m e n t w i t h ExxonMobil, one that prioritizes the long-term preservation of Guyana’s abundant biodiversity and natural resources By a m a s s i n g 3 0 0 , 0 0 0 signatures, Daggers seeks to deliver a powerful message to the government and ExxonMobil, compelling them to address the inequitieswithintheexisting contract.

The lopsided nature of theExxonMobilcontracthas

been a persistent concern among environmentalists, who fear the exploitation of Guyana’svaluableresources w i t h o u t a d e q u a t e safeguards.Daggers’tireless effortstoshedlightonthese issues have garnered widespread support and admiration from fellow activists,concernedcitizens, and environmental organizationsalike.

By embarking on this challenging journey and uniting the voices of Guyana’s citizens, Daggers aims to push for a renegotiationofthecontract, ultimately striving to secure a fairer deal that prioritizes e n v i r o n m e n t a l sustainability, safeguards local communities, and ensures a more equitable distributionofbenefitsforall Guyanese.

Ray Daggers’march not only symbolizes the unwavering determination of an individual but also underscores the collective strength of the people in

shaping the future of their nation As Daggers galvanizes the nation, fueling a spirit of activism and empowerment, he envisions a transformed G u y a n a w h e r e environmental protection, thriving communities, and the welfare of its citizens take precedence over corporateinterests.

As the march gains momentum and the united voices of citizens grow louder, the PPP/C g o v e r n m e n t a n d ExxonMobil will be compelled to listen, recognizing the resounding call for change that can no longerbeignored.Drivenby his unyielding passion for the environment, Ray Daggersispoisedtoleavean indelible mark on Guyana’s history,remindingusallthat collective action and unwavering determination can bring about the muchneededchange.

Regards, WayneLyttle

Needed,strongGuyaneseleadersnow!PPP, PNChavesoldouttoExxon-anytakers?

DEAREDITOR,

At the end of the day, Guyana must have a functioning government, since no government at all results in chaos. Unless a viable political party other than the current ones emerges, Guyanese will have “Hobson’s Choice” for elections,meaninganyofthe currentpartieschosenwillbe abadchoice,sotheywilltry to choose the lesser of the badasnonewillbringgood.

We know winners of democratic elections don’t guarantee they will be democratically functioning governments. Sowehaveto live with the kind of democracy we have, being whoever wins the elections will form the government withunrestrictedpowereven if it’s a one-seat majority

This can currently be seen whenever the opposition introduces motions in parliament on important issues for the country The speaker of the house shuts them down, so how much can we blame the opposition?

We can see all around us theresultsoftheMPsgiving away Guyanese rightful wealthinthemostshameful, disrespectful, and sickening manner, while the poor gets throwninthegutter,literally, asthenewinitiativefromthe government is to make the richest citizens per populationintheworldclean drains for a pittance to survive.Guyaneseshouldn’t have stayed home from votingasaprotestagainstthe government, since a weaker electorate would create a weakergovernment,abetter protest would have been citizens walking with Ray DaggersandGlennLall.

Guyana needs strong leaders now more than ever, but who will respond for Guyana? Make no mistake, manyofthepeoplecurrently in state, regional, and local governments, state entities, police, and army higher ranks were very strong, decent, honest people with brilliant ideas who even cared about the people around them. Although a few retained their dignity, mostworkingingovernment institutions have changed like snakes changing skins and speaking with forked tongues.

Dr Ashni Singh, during his scholar days, had brillianceradiatingfromhim on his financial expertise, but since in government, he has been transformed into a

dwarfed shadow of his formerself,likewiseBharrat Jagdeoandmanyothers,asif government is a cult where one must shed their dignity and pledge allegiance to the cult to get in. Even with the currentlop-sidedoil,mining and timber contracts against Guyana, strong government leadership can still salvage so much for Guyanese to uplift their current standard of living, like

(1) Labour Laws. The current Labour laws in Guyana protect Guyanese workers from exploitation, enforcing this will ensure Guyanese workers make more money;

(2) Environmental Laws, foreign and local entities continue the blatant violation of these environmental laws, the amountoffinesandpenalties Guyanacanrecoverforthese violations will be unprecedented; (

3) insurance,companiescanbe penalized for not having adequate insurance for their operations;

(4) capping and monitoring interest and borrowing costs on loans incurred by Guyana;

(5)monitoringcompaniesfor accurate production reporting, as countries in Africa where the officials took bribes and allowed oil and resource companies to grossly understate their production data So, althoughtheyhadgoodrates of taxes, royalties and profit sharing, these were paid to Africancountriesonsmaller reportedproductionamount, whiletheforeigncompanies corrupted officials, and walkedawaywiththehogof the wealth;

(6) strong Local Content Legislation should

ensureanyproductorlabour than can be provided by Guyanese must be used by oil and resource companies, finesandpenaltiesshouldbe imposed on companies for violations;(7)auditingofall bills and expenses to Guyana; (8) assemble a special team to tackle corruption; (9) update and enforce anti-bribery laws to catch foreign bribers and localbribe takers in one net, countries on the brink of collapse were saved by this, notably Singapore and Iceland;(10)TAXES,thebig one, as this will balance out lop-sided contracts to Guyana, tax waivers and exemptionsarediscretionary benefits given to companies as good faith gestures by governments These exemptions and waivers are not part of contracts, so sanctity of contract does not apply to them, and governments who granted these or new governments canrescindandrevokethese exemptions and waivers at any time as tax policies are the sanctity of countries and notforeigncorporations.

WhenAustralia,theUK, the US, India, and Canada imposed windfall taxes on oil companies, Exxon and other oil companies did not unleash their army of lawyers to fight this, since they fully well know all countries have the right to amendtheirtaxlawsasthey please as the sanctity of oil contracts do not include a country’s tax policy Since the laws of those countries came from the Crown of England,Guyana’slawsalso originated from there, meaning when it comes to

tax policies Guyana can impose taxes on oil companies just like those countries. Guyana’s current leadersandMPsarenotupto thesetaskslisted.

The President at his community outreaches openly states, don’t ask him questions other than why he is there, meaning no questions about Exxon, oil, orresourcewealth.Although credit must be given to him for meeting citizens personally, He resigns himself to do the job of the RDC, the birth and land registry offices helping people with birth certificates, land titles, bridges, drainage, playgrounds, and road repairs, instead of being at negotiations with world leaders from a strong position as everyone wants Guyana to have. The VP is now Exxon’s personal orchestra playing whatever symphony or song Exxon requests Oil production started in 2019, and now Norton is promising to call Exxon in 2025 to amend the oilcontractifpeoplevotefor him. Ramjattan says those who don’t like his incompetenceshouldforma political party and contest elections The Attorney General whose job responsibilities is to protect Guyana is actually fighting hisownpurposeinappealing thefullcoverinsurancecase.

To save Guyana and Guyanese, Guyana Now Needs Strong Leaders to standup,morethanever,but whowillrespondanddoso? Idon’tknow

Sincerely,

R.David

DEAREDITOR, Permit me space to address a rather pressing issue that was seemingly sweptunderthecarpetbythe authorities and Minister of the Local Government Commission.

Iamawarethatmystory was just one among many thatgracedthepagesofyour newspaperoverthepasttwo yearsabouttheinappropriate behaviour of a particular managertofemalestaffatthe Local Government Commission, and the many calls for the Honourable Nigel Dharmlall to intervene. Yet nothing was done. There has since been manyquestionsinternally,as Ireflectontheseveryserious allegations against the Minister and the parallel of why the person within the Commission that he overlooks was / has and is stillbeingprotected?Should I assume that because this is

/was a looking at myself in the mirror situation that no punitive action or inv es tig atio n w as undertaken or could it be a case of” protecting those whoarelikeme”?

Whatever it is, the allegations are damning and needstobeaddressednow

Further, I wish to ask both the Cabinet members and Opposition to put whatever political egos they carry aside and work together towards the protection of those vulnerable be it in the remote villages or busy workspaces.

As I conclude, there is one question I’d like to ask everyone who comes into contact with predators: would you feel comfortable trusting such men / women aroundyourchildren? Ithinknot.

Yoursrespectfully, Troubledcitizen

Whyarepartyflags stillonGovt.buildings?

DEAREDITOR,

NowthatGuyana’sLocal Government Election on June12,2023isover.Could the General Secretary of the PPP/ CIVIC, Mr Bharat Jagdeo and the General SecretaryofthePNC/R,Ms. Dawn Hastings Williams illuminate the Guyanese public with the specific timeline in which their

political party flags that currentlyfestoontheGuyana PowerandLight(GPL)posts and other public property, throughout Guyana, be removed?GPLisaPUBLIC entity belonging to the people of Guyana and the flags of the political parties are PRIVATE operations Thankyou.

Subrian,Esq.

Coverups, protections, and other official rackets at Local Government, elsewhere

Mr. President - all Guyana is watching, fire the PPPMinister facing rape allegations

DEAREDITOR,

The front-page news reportofrapeandsodomyof anAmerindianstudentbyan allegedpredator,pervertPPP Minister is quite shocking, and the nation expects that the top Government leadershipwillnotcirclethe wagons this time, but show some moral leadership, in this matter that can tarnish the Irfaan Ali Presidency (“Indigenousgirl,16,details alleged gruesome rape and sodomy by Govt. Minister,” KN, June 17, 2023)

Everybodyistalkingaboutit and newspapers across the worldhavecarriedthisstory

ThePPPdoesnotliketo admit mistakes or censure wrongdoers in its ranks

Instead, they circle the wagons around them. The onlytimeIrecalltheremoval of a Minister was under the Ramotar Presidency when the Health Minister was

dismissed over offensive remarks made to a woman protester

And that was election time. Those remarks were mild compared to the allegations of rape, sodomy and brutality in this case before us. This front-page storyisasnastyasitcouldbe - rated “X.” President Ali must step in, draw the line, andsavethereputationofhis administration.Allowingthe Ministertoapplyforleaveis a lame response. He should befired.

I recall when this Minister made obnoxious remarks to a female PNC Member of Parliament during a sitting that she needs a “dildo,” no one on the Government side rebuked that Minister– not even the PPP women Ministers and MPs, nor the women’s groups The Presidentmustcuthislosses

nowbysendingthatMinister packing, or face continuous ridicule. The President must also consider the alleged victiminthestoryisaminor – a 16-year-old Amerindian girl.

Don’t forget the 20 Amerindian children burnt as a result of the failure of Governmental systems. It is better to expunge this erring Minister, than risk a n t a g o n i z i n g t h e Amerindian community which is the swing vote that can cause the PPPto win or lose. Even if the girl is paid off as is being alleged, and the family refuses to file a Policereportoutoffear,this MinisterwillbeadragonDr Ali’s regime. This Minister isdamagedgoods.Whowill listen to him and show him respect as he moves around thetownsandvillages?How can he show his face anywhere?

President Ali, you must set a good, moral tone in your Government Wrongdoers and corrupt Ministersorofficialsmustbe dismissed when wrong doingisfound.Watchoutfor those drinking rum and behavingbadly

If Ministers don’t measure up, they must be terminated. There are others waiting to serve Mr President, your statement that you are waiting for a complainttobefiledwiththe Policeisquitelame.Ifsocial media is filled with reports that there are assault weapons stockpiled in a house, will the Police do nothing?

Willtheynotlookintoit? If social media is filled with reports that someone has a ton of drugs in a building, willthePoliceignorethator willtheycheckitout?People want to know why did the

Ministry of Education and MinistryofSocialProtection not report the matter to the Police right away, as is the properprotocol.

This Minister was cited innewsreports:“NewYorkbased woman accuses Minister Dharamlall of harassing her for sex” (SN, April 2, 2022). “Accusation

a g a i n s t M i n i s t e r Dharamlall” (SN, April 4, 2022) “$300M fraud charges against former GRDBdirectorsthrownout” (NR, Oct 17, 2019). “US revokesvisasofMPsSeeraj, Dharamlall” (SN, June 16, 2017).

Mr President, the FB post of J.C. Bhagwandin sums up what people are saying.JCsaid“Assomeone who engages in public debates on national issues, letmestatecategoricallythat there is no place for sexual predators in our society in

the same way there is no placeforelectionriggersand racists.I’mafatherofaoneyear-old daughter and if anyone ever preys on my daughter in such a manner, I’mpreparedtosendthemto theirgraves,anddothetime. We can’t allow one rotten apple to spoil the whole barrel.”

Honourable President, all Guyana is watching how you are responding to this front-page story Mr President, you will get high marks if you fire this Minister Mr President, the school children are watching, our girls and women are watching, the parents are watching, Civil Societyiswatching!

It’sgoodthatafewhave expressed outrage at this incident. Others must speak outnow

Sincerely,

M.Singh

Does VPJagdeo think poor Guyanese are dumb?

DEAREDITOR, Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo is reported in your edition of June 12 as responding to an earlier question posed as follows:

“So the cash grant was not designed to uplift people out of poverty as you think, it’s the jobs and training and the expanding of the economy… government is working to ensure that poor families are just trained, retooled, then ‘granted’ jobs that are created.”

(They would have to apply and compete for employment)!

Theabovewould appear toinclude:

-cleaningdrains.

It is difficult to calculate what training, retooling will benecessarytocleandrains, moreso in unspecified locations, and the length of time involved that would qualify as permanent employment–moresointhe expanding‘oileconomy.’

Why does the VP castigate ‘poor people’ as being unintelligent and unambitious?

Why is it implied that their educated children would not know better to advise their parents to rise above the level of drainage, particularlyinenvironments which must include better

housing, school, health and socialfacilities?

Why would they not all want to be sportsmen and women who would choose not to swim, but earn employment that allows them to grow in a pool of commitment, trust, honesty, compassionandtheabilityto make choices of their leadership and maintain theirself-respect?

Incidentally, what became of the GOAL scholarshipwinners?

E.B.John R e t i r e d H u m a n ResourcesDirector BookerSugarEstates GuySuCo

MORE SEXUAL PREDATORS BELIEVED...

Frompage4 shouldnotbesurprisedofthe brutalsexualactsagainstthe Amerindianchildwhowasat hismercy

A source close to President hassaidthattherehasbeena major rift between the honcho and de facto president and the rubber stamp president because the honcho and de facto

president did not want the minister who is his confidant,removedfromhis position.

However, the rubber stamp president insisted that he should leave until the probe is finished. Many believed that during the last three years of PPP rule, members of the cabinet have disrespected the people by

talkingdowntothem.Worse than that, they have become more arrogant, haughty, power drunk and highly corruptinthelastthreeyears (2020 to 2023) than during the 23 years they were in power from 1992 to 2015). And their behaviour in the lastthreeyearsfitneatlywith the words of the English Catholic historian and politician, Lord Acton, “power tends to corrupt and absolutely power corrupts absolutely.”

Sincerely,

LeylandRupnarine, NewYork

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THE THINGS THAT CONCERN

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OUR LEADERS OF TODAY

Both the Government and Opposition do not listen to and address the concerns of the citizens of this great land.

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For this week already the President, the Vice President and the Opposition leader appeared in public at different times doing different things.

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VPBharrat Jagdeo spent about one hour on a private radio station on Monday ‘cussing’down the Opposition; while the President was meeting with residents in Georgetown making promises to them again.

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Meanwhile, the erstwhile Leader of the Opposition,Aubrey Norton was busy protesting in front of the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) saying, “We gon wuk pon she.”

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None of these leaders is concerned about the real welfare of citizens.

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No one is talking about our oil wealth and what they will do to secure the future of Guyanese.

All they are concerned about is elections and how they can further rob and lie to citizens.

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Canada's Minister of International Development assumes chairmanship of CDB

Canada's Minister of International Development, Harjit Sajjan is the new Chairman of the Board of

Governors of the Caribbean DevelopmentBank(CDB).

Minister Sajjan, who succeedsSaintLucianPrime

Minister, the Honourable Phillip Pierre, accepted the mantle at the closing ceremony of the Bank's 53rd

Annual Meeting held today inSaintLucia.

The incoming Chairman signalled that “partnership and inclusion” are principles he will champion, and said Canada remains committed to working in close partnership with the Caribbean on climate resilience,economicgrowth, andresponsivegovernance.

“Much of our work together will also be centred on economic resilience and climatefinance.

Canada recognizes that small island developing states (SIDS) are very vulnerable to economic and climate-related shocks These countries are also particularly at risk of biodiversity loss that, quite frankly, the world cannot afford.

Tangible action is needed to address these uniquevulnerabilities.

That is why Canada advocates for SIDS to gain increased access to financing, capacity building, knowledge sharing, and engagement opportunities,” MinisterSajjansaid.

CDB President Dr Hyginus “Gene” Leon said the Bank is anticipating effective collaboration with Minister Sajjan on areas critical to the Caribbean's Development trajectory including climate action, access to finance and strengthening productive, economic and social resilience of Borrowing MemberCountries.

“CDB is eager to strengthen our partnership with the Government and people of Canada who have beenstrongsupportersofthe Caribbean's development agenda We anticipate building on Canada's active involvement in the region through this Chairmanship and both sides stand to benefit greatly from closer collaboration,”hesaid.

The newly installed Chairman explained that he has been “working with CARICOM Member States

to keep amplifying SIDS priorities and find solutions that work”, including through his role as Small States' Champion under the UN-Commonwealth Joint AdvocacyStrategyforSmall States.

“

Over the coming months, there will be further discussions on these themes at the G20, the UN, the World Bank Group and COP28. We also expect the M u l t i d i m e n s i o n a l Vulnerability Index to be released in the coming weeks We can see the momentumbuildingtowards refining the international development paradigm, which must include strengthening policies and building partnerships, including between the private sector, governments, and the international community

As CDB chair for the year ahead, I am committed to continuing to engage with the bank and our Caribbean partners to advance this critical work. It's an exciting time – and we have much work to do together,” MinisterSajjansaid.

THE PPPC NEEDS TO ASSESS ITS LOCAL GOVERNMENT CAMPAIGN

The PPP/C was stunned during the first few hours following the close of polls on June 12th 2023. Up to 11pm little news was emanating from Freedom House even though from around 8 pm on the same night APNU trolls were reportingacleansweepofits Linden constituencies and winning Georgetown and NewsAmsterdam.

Laterthatnightafterthe shock had abated, the PPP/C’s General Secretary took to an impromptu press briefing and announced a “big night” for the PPP It wasnota“bignight”forthe PPP/C The PPP/C was hoping to do much better than it did. Even though it improveditstallyofvotesin Georgetown, Linden and New Amsterdam, it was expecting to do much better andperhapsevenregisteran upset, given APNU’s lowkeyed, low-budget and lacklustercampaign.

If the PPP/C is forthcoming,itadmittedthat mistakes were made and would undertake an honest and objective analysis of why it did not create any major upsets in the 2023 LGEs. That analysis should cover three principal questions: Who was responsible for developing the PPP/C’s strategy for the elections; how welldesigned was the strategy; and how effective was its implementation...?

The PPP leadership operatesalikesecretsociety Not much information gets out about internal party affairs.Butitwouldbemost interesting to know whether

there was a committee formedtodevelopastrategy fortheLGEsorwhetherthis was a one-man or onepersondominatedexercise.

The PPP/C is a massbased political party It c o n t e s t e d i n a l l constituencies up for grabs.

To contest in so many locales, the development of an election strategy has to include all of the party’s main political leaders and cannot be left to consultations and meetings with candidates with one person at the head table. As such, it is necessary for the Central Executive of the party to undertake an analysis of who developed the strategy and how effectiveitwas.

In terms of the actual strategy itself, the Central Committee needs to assess whether part of the strategy involved weekly press conferences mainly to respond and castigate the Leader of the Opposition. It would be difficult for the most objective member of the Central Committee to deny that the weekly oneman press conferences strengthened the Opposition ratherthanweakenedit.

The tantrums which werethrownatthoseweekly press conferences agitated thesupportersoftheAPNU. Andthemoretheywitnessed the public chastisement of their leader, the more galvanized they became to go out and support the PNCR. The weekly press conferences thus were counterproductive to the PPP/C’s election campaign. Even though the PNCR was

Dem Boys Seh...

weakenedandfactionalized, those factions united following the weekly oneman PR onslaught emanating from Freedom House.

The PPP’s Central Committee must therefore doathoroughassessmentof the extent to which the party’s General Secretary may have undermined its LGE’sstrategy

Following the analysis, theCentralCommitteeofthe PPP will have a decision to make Who will it hold accountable for the d e v e l o p m e n t a n d appropriateness of its 2023 electoral strategy? It must not delude itself into believing that it ran an effective campaign. Given the massive sums that it spent, the strategy did not yieldthedesiredresults.The PPP/C has a misplaced idea of what constitutes grassroots campaigning Printing thousands of flyers and giving persons to distribute house-to-house in communities is not an effectivegrassrootsstrategy Ninety percent of the flyers endupinthewastebin.

Door-to-doorcanvassing does not work for a number of reasons. For one, you are invading a persons’ private timeandspaceandthisisnot always the best means to seekvotes.Second,manyof those who go door-to-door are not adequately prepared andcapableofrespondingto the questions and views expressed by citizens; in most cases door-to-door canvassing involves mechanically handing out flyers in the hope that they

De rape of we resources nah attracting no protest

In dis place called GT, something real strange happenin’, yuh know Dem oil companies raping de country of its de natural blessings. Dem plundering de resources of dis poor nation.

So how come nobody nahformingpicketlinefuh protest dis rape of we country’swealth?Disisnot allegation Dis is facts

Most Guyanese agree dat Guyana getting violated leffright,centreandback.

As dem oil companies marchin’ into GT drillin’ andpumpingoil’fuhalldey worth; it lookin’ like dem cyant get enough Dem ain’t gan leave not a drop behind Is one field

development plan after de other Dem want every last bitofGT’swealth,allinde nameofprogress.

So where are de protestors? Where dem firebrand people and groups who does holler ‘bout injustice and exploitation and rights?

Demgoneponalongsiesta. Or dem turn deaf and blindwhenitcomestodem oil companies. One got to wonderwhywhenitcomes to de rape of we resources de protest crowd gone AWOL.Maybedemjoinin’

forces with de oil companies Just maybe!

Afterall,wahbettawayfuh fight de system dan becomin’partahit?

will be read. The PPP/C has been engaged in a flyerdistributionblitzsince2011. It has been a failed strategy

It is also costly, time consuming and intrusive

The PPP/C must also be honest that this idea of recyclingcrowdsbymoving themonelocationtothenext in the same region does not work Nor is the mass distribution of jerseys going to convert those who are

undecided – perhaps the most critical demographic.

All of these issues must be dispassionately examined and a clear and honest assessment arrived at as to how the party can avoid makingthesamemistakesin thefuture. Asfortheweekly press conferences at Freedom House, the PPP/C has to decidewhether this is notagreaterliabilitythannot sayinganythingatall.

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

Or maybe de people ah GT done get used to de violation, dem resources strippedawayindenameof progress Dem acceptin’ deh role as bystanders while dem oil companies exploitin’ dem. Dem sit back and let it happen. Dis realodd,man.

W h i l e d e m o i l companies raping we wealth,deprotestorsvanish like dem never existed Maybe one day dem goin’ comeback,chantin’catchy slogans and demanding justice. But fuh now, GT’s resourcesgoin’keepgettin’ violated while de whole country watchin’ like dem ain’tcare.

TalkHalf.LeffHalf!

Popular Linden eatery faces closure over land dispute

...NICIL calls out purported

The future of one of Linden’s most p o p u l a r restaurantsandbar,Tropical Reflection is in jeopardy after Court bailiffs and the police turned up on Wednesday to evict the owner Hilton Lyle Jr from thepremises.

This was as a result of a long court battle between Lyle and the purported owner Bridgette Maximus. The order was passed down by the Upper Demerara

“owner”

Magistrate Court which gaveBridgetteMaximusthe right as ‘owner’ of Stall #0730locatedattheWasher Pond Road, Mackenzie, Linden, to evict Hilton Lyle asadefaultingtenant.

It is now being questioned as to what documentation was used as proof of ownership in the court by Maximus as the National Industrial and Commercial Investments Limited (NICIL) came forward asserting its

ownership of the property NICIL has communicated this to Maximus via correspondence that she misrepresented herself in court as the owner as the landwasneverleasedtoher and permission was never given to operate or rent to a t h i r d p a r t y T h e correspondence dated March 20th 2023, stated, “NICIL’s record reveal that NICIL has not executed a leaseoranyotherdocument with Ms Maximus to

empowerhertodemandrent from anyone occupying property owned by NICIL. In light of the foregoing, NICILhereby demands that your principal immediately cease and desist from such b e h a v i o u r a n d misrepresenting that she is authorised and has legal capacitytodemandrentdue and owing for the above captionedproperty.”

In this regard on Wednesday,NICILplaceda signage at the property

‘Dharamlall will have to face the consequences, if rape allegations are true’

…says party cannot put its neck on a block for anyone

Vice President (VP) Bharrat

Jagdeo, last evening disclosed that if the rape allegations leveled against Minister of Local Government and Regional Development, Nigel Dharamlall are true – the minister would have to face theconsequences.

Minister Dharamlall is accused of raping and sodomising a 16-year-old Indigenousgirl.

Notably,thispublication wasreliablyinformedthatan official report was made to the police by the teen girl in the company of an officer from the Child Care and ProtectionAgency(CPA).

On Monday evening, the Guyana Police Force (GPF) c o n f i r m e d t h a t a n investigation was launched into the allegation and that the minister was arrested when he turned up at the Brickdam Police Station. He was subsequently released on $1M bail. On Wednesday evening, while being interviewed by social media personality, Mikhail Rodrigues popularly known as “Guyana Critics” theVice President was asked about theallegationleveledagainst MinisterDharamlall.

Hesaid:“wedon'twanna be premature by saying anyone is guilty, but can we answer for every single individual in the party, or in thegovernment?

The party cannot basically give (an answer), like put our neck on a block for anyone, that is why a fair independent investigation is beingdonenow.”

Jagdeo highlighted that while the government will

notputitsneckonablockfor anyone, he underscored that they will not be taking sides either Addedtothis,hesaid, “but we don't want also a memberofthepartytobe,or the government to be lynched by a public mob, a mob of social media commentators who are often hostile to the PPP (People's Progressive Party), or the opposition, because the opposition has already for a long time had been gunning for Nigel Dharamlall you knowthathistorically.”

Moreover, the Vice President underscored that while he hopes the allegations are not true, if they do turn out to be, the ministerwillhavetofacethe consequences of his actions. “It will be as clear as that, he hastofacetheconsequences. The party will not support,” headded.

This publication had reported that in a letter to President IrfaanAli, the teen girl shared gruesome details about how she was allegedly groomed and later raped by theminister Inherletter,she pleaded with President Ali, Minister of Education, Priya Manickchand and relevant authorities to look into the matter According to the letter seen by this publication, the girl first met the minister at an event last year, when she was 15years-old. She said she was raped three months after meeting the minister and at that time, she was 16-yearsold.

Shedisclosedintheletter that after continuously harassinghertomeetupwith him,sheeventuallyagreedto meettheminister

The teen said this is when the minister allegedly raped and sodomised her before handing her a sum of money

M e a n w h i l e , concerns have been raised about the handling of the victim by the police In a s t a t e m e n t o n Wednesday, the Guyana PoliceForcesaidthatall Standard Operating Procedures were followed in the conduct ofthisinvestigation.

The Force said at no time whatsoever was any of the minors i n v o l v e d i n t h e i n v e s t i g a t i o n questioned in the absenceofaparentanda welfare officer “More importantly, at the time the virtual complainant walked investigators through the alleged crime scene, under the supervision of a SuperintendentofPolice,the accused was not present, since he had already left as he was instructed to do by investigators.

Finally, at no time did the virtual complainant or herparentsmakeanyrequest to the police for any attorney-at-law to be present. At all times, the virtual complainant and her parents were in the presence and hearing of the Child Care Officer, and this fact can also be corroborated by her,” the police statement concluded The Private Sector Commission in a statement said it welcomes andendorsesthefactthatthe allegation of rape by a government minister is now

Minister of Local Government and Regional Development, Nigel Dharamlall

subject to investigation by thepoliceinaccordancewith theruleoflaw

ThePSCsaidtoothatitis pleased that “our democracy is alive and well and that the rule of law is being followed.” “We are closely monitoring the situation in full expectation that due

process will be observed & that justice will prevail.

The PSC fully supports the action taken by the government to ensure the safety of the young woman involved by having her in protective custody while the matter remains under investigation.

The PSC will continue to monitor closely the proceedings and urges everyone to allow the legal system to work in the interest of justice to all parties involved,” the statement read.

For its part, The Citizen Initiative (TCI) saidithasbeenfollowing closely the recent incident with the sexual harassment allegation against Dharamlall by a minorIndigenouschild.

“While TCI is glad that due process appears to finally be in motion, and Child Protection Services appears to have started

supporting the child, TCI is disappointed that due process only started after public pressure was placed on the administration,” the politicalpartystated.

“TCIisalsodisappointed that the government didn't act decisively in removing Dharamlall from public office, especially given his track record of vulgar utterances at our highest forum,Parliament,andother similaraccusationsofvulgar misconduct circulating in socialmedia.

TCIisoftheopinionthat whatevertheoutcomeofthis case,thepublicshouldnotbe foisted with the likes of Dharamlall, whose lack of character is not worthy of high offices of Guyana Moreover, TCI notes the silence from the top offices of government, even if it's to mention that every child must feel protected from predators,andinnocasewillthere not be support for their vulnerability.TCIwillcontinueto monitor the situation closely.”

DPP to receive Dharamlall's file today

Crime Chief, Wendell Blanhum on Wednesday said that file on the alleged rape of a sixteen-year-old Indigenous girl by Local Government Minister, Nigel Dharamlall will be on the desk of the Director of Public Prosecution (DPP),ShalimarAliHackSC.today

According to Blanhum, the file will contain the official statements taken during the investigation along with other documentary evidence “The case file containing the report, statements, and other documentary evidence will be forwarded

tomorrow (today) to the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions”, the Crime Chiefsaid.

The Local Government Minister was arrested on Monday after a school girl made an official report that he had allegedly raped and sodomised her He has been placed on $1M bail. The allegations sparked several protests as well as public outcry Dharamlall has since proceeded on administrative leave to facilitate the probe. He has hired prominent attorney-at-law, Nigel Hughes to representhim.

Popular Linden eatery faces closure...

From page 10 Maximus, however the lawyer said she never received same. Jones howevercouldnotstatewhat document was used in court to prove ownership but said her family occupied the commercial space for over 30 years and rented it to Lyle for$40,000.

She said rental was paid to the Linden Mayor and TownCouncilandamonthly rentalfeewaspaidtoLMTC, which increased following massive expansion done by Lylewithoutpermission.

permission to upgrade a stall

that was on the land However, Jones said after seeingcontinuousexpansion works, she approached the tenant to cease but he continued to expand. She also alleged that Lyle owes ninemonthsrent.

Lyle in an invited comment said he never saw any documentation of ownership of the land from Jones and spent a significant a m o u n t o f m o n e y developing the land into a high standard eatery and bar He also employs many Lindenerswhowillbeonthe

breadline.

He said when he rented the space, there was an old shop that measured 10ft by 18 ft and everything else on the land belongs to him.

N I C I L ’ s L i n d e n representativeEmmetAlves, did not comment on the matter Many Lindeners expressed concern over the issue as well as the tourism b o d i e s , g i v e n t h e establishment is well known and one of Linden’s few entertainment spots that provides services to domesticandforeigntourists visitingLinden.

CCJ holds hearing in Guyana ...upholdslife-sentenceconvictionofchildrapist

For the second time since 2014, the Caribbean CourtofJustice(CCJ)on Wednesday commenced its second itinerantsittinginGuyana.

The CCJ is Guyana's final appellate court, which settles disputes in both civil and criminal appeals.Thetwo-dayhearingofthe CCJ is being held at the Arthur Chung Conference Centre (ACCC) locatedatLiliendaal,Georgetown.

In his address, the President of the CCJ, Justice, Adrian Saunders highlighted that this sitting marks the first in-person hearing of the CCJforquitesometime.

He explained that even before the COVID-19 pandemic, the CCJ was in the habit of making liberal use of the court's technology in order to facilitate virtual court hearings. “Over the next few days, we will deliver judgment in criminal appeals from Guyana and hear cases in both the original and the appellate jurisdiction of the court,”headded.

Justice Saunders highlighted thatGuyanawasthefirstcountryto repose full trust and confidence in theCCJ.“WhenGuyanaaccededto the court's appellate jurisdiction from day one of the court's existence.Itisonlyfittingtherefore that we should take every opportunity that we can to reiterate and demonstrate our commitment

to provide accessible, fair and efficient justice not just for the people of Guyana, but also for the people and states of the Caribbean community,” the CCJ President added.

JusticeSaundersalsostatedthat over the next week, the CCJ will embarkonavarietyofprogrammes aimed at increasing public awarenessoftheroleoftheCCJ,its methodsofworkandalsoaboutthe place of the court in the operations of the CARICOM Single Market Economy(CSME).

In particular, he said the court will embark on an extended programme that will include activities to advance an ongoing project that has been developed with the Caribbean Forum (CARIFORUM)andthefundingof theEuropeanDevelopmentFund.

According to the President of the CCJ, this project aims specifically to Guyana, to sensitise the judiciary, the Bar Association, and other stakeholders, about CSME and the role of the court and nationalcourtsandtribunalswithin thatCSMEregime.

Moreover, Justice Saunders explained that, “For the judiciary and the bar for example, we will

facilitate sessions to address the referral process on the Article 214 of the revised Treaty of Chaguaramas, a facility that has beenseverelyunderutilisedtodate. We will also arrange, engage with civil society and the public, including the session with students of the University of Guyana (UG)…over the next week, we have scheduled a compact and robust schedule and we very much

look forward to the neutral exchanges and learnings that will no doubt ensue from all of these interactions, as we discuss matters concerning the administration of justice, and how we can serve the people of Guyana and the communitywithexcellence.”

He also expressed his gratitude for the hospitable welcome himself and other justices received since theyarrivedinGuyana.

For her part, the acting Chief Justice reminded the audience of the work of the CCJ, adding, “We look forward to stimulating engagements with the CCJ judges during this visit.” Additionally, the first itinerate sitting in Guyana was done in February 2014.That sitting had also marked the retirement of former CCJ Judge Honourable Justice Desiree Bernard, a Guyanese.

The Justices of the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) in Georgetown, Guyana

Pres. Ali commissions $1.3B World Bank-funded school at Good Hope

All primary tops on the E a s t C o a s t o f Demerara (ECD) have been closed as President Irfaan Ali on Wednesday commissioned a brand new $1.3 billion secondary schoolatGoodHope.

The project falls under the S e c o n d a r y E d u c a t i o n Improvement Project (SEIP) and is being funded by the World Bank. ThePresidentwasjoinedyesterday by Minister of Education, Priya Manickchand, Attorney General and Minister of LegalAffairs,Anil Nandlall, Minister within the Ministry of Local Government, Anand Persaud, senior officers at theMinistryofEducationandother government officials and representatives from the World Bankattheceremony

Deliveringthekeynoteaddress, PresidentAlistatedhisgovernment willcontinuetomakeinvestmentin the education sector so as to ensure every child has the opportunity to receive an education. He noted that as the country is focusing on achieving universal secondary educationforall.Hesaidsecondary educationisalsopreparingchildren for lifelong experiences “The secondary school system is not only about physical infrastructure, not all about CSEC and CAPE, the secondary school system is a streaming system and not a streamingsystemintendedforonly CSEC purposes, it's a streaming systemforlifelongexperiencesand that is where a lot of focus must be ontoo,”henoted.

Hestatedthathisgovernmentis building these facilities to state-ofthe-art standards with laboratories, computer rooms and more, so as makethemoptimumintheirvalue.

Wo r l d B a n k C o u n t r y Representatives to Guyana and Suriname,DilettaDorettiesaidthat this is one of the schools which has been designed and contracted under the Guyana SEIP and is one oftheBank'sfinancedprojects.She noted that the Bank is a development partner for the

Government of Guyana, and the education agenda especially the secondaryeducation.

According to her, through this project the World Bank is supportingthegovernmentgoalsof ensuring universal secondary education across the country “To achievethisgoalistotakeaholistic approach, so building school is veryimportantbutatthesametime it is very important to train teachers, and well prepared students in a conducive environment,”shesaid.

Minister of Education, Priya M a n i c k c h a n d y e s t e r d a y announced that with the completion of this school, the East Coast area have achieved universal secondaryeducation.

She said too that this will allow her ministry to close the Paradise, EnterpriseandtheEnmorePrimary Topschools.

Further, the Minister said the Good Hope Secondary will also help in reducing overcrowding at theCummingsLodge,BladenHall, Golden Grove and the Plaisance SecondarySchools. Kaieteur News had reported that the construction of the school was started in 2018 and fully completed this year after delaysinworks.TheMinistryback in December 2022 had signed a

US$2,607,879 engineering, p r o c u r e m e n t a n d construction/turnkey new contract for the completion of the Good HopeSecondarySchool.

The contract was signed between the Ministry of Education and DEEN+ Partners. The original contract to construct the Good Hope Secondary School was awarded in 2018 to B K International for US$4,082,506 ($840M). Work commenced on October 15, 2018, with the original completion date being January 14, 2020.

However, the firm was unable to deliver despite benefiting from fourextensionsgivenonMarch10, 2020, May 18, 2020, June 15, 2020, and August 17, 2020 respectively B.K. International's contract was terminated on May 25,2021.

This publication understands thatthespankingnewbuildingwill be able to accommodate approximately1000studentscome September 2023, it would have 25 classrooms, along with three Information Technology laboratories, a large library, a multi-purpose hall, canteen, fully equipped Home Economics and TVET building, dance studio amongotherdepartments.

The Good Hope Secondary School which was commissioned on Wednesday

Minister of Education, Priya Manickchand at the commissioning ceremony.

CDB to Build Internal Resilience Capacity in Borrowing Member Countries

ThePresidentofthe C a r i b b e a n Development Bank (CDB) Dr Hyginus Leon has reaffirmed the Bank's commitment to placing member countries on ahigherandmoresustainable welfare path by building Internal Resilience Capacity through refining the international development p a r a d i g m , b u i l d i n g p a r t n e r s h i p s a n d strengtheningpolicies.

Delivering the keynote speech at the Opening Ceremonyofthe53rdAnnual Meeting of the Bank's Board of Governors in Saint Lucia on Tuesday, June 20, 2023, Dr LeonsaidthattheInternal Resilience Capacity “Trilogy” was part of the CDB's commitment “to remain steadfast and singleminded in its aspiration to accelerate the pace of

“We need to measure better to target better Let us agree we need to share to grow - sharing opportunities, burdens,andresponsibilities. Let us agree we need a suite ofinstrumentsandaffordable financing, with appropriate governance frameworks, and customise our varying needs and deliver on the promise of resilient prosperity for all,” said Dr Leon, highlighting thekeypointsoftheTrilogy

“Let us agree that the use o f G r o s s N a t i o n a l Product/Income (GDP/GNI) asaproxyfordevelopmentis insufficient and therefore our usual set of policies to grow GDPwillalsobeinsufficient. Let us agree to advance the global development agenda by adopting beyond-GDP measures (like the UN's M u l t i d i m e n s i o n a l Vulnerability Index as our guideposts,”hesaid.

President of the Caribbean Development Bank Dr Hyginus Leon delivered the keynote address at the Bank's 53rd Annual Meeting Opening Ceremony. He reaffirmed the Bank's commitment to placing member countries on a higher and more sustainable welfare path by building Internal Resilience Capacity through refining the international development paradigm, building partnerships and strengthening policies.

economic activity, close the gap to achieving the Sustainable Development G o a l s ( S D G s ) a n d fundamentally alter the Region'sdevelopmentpath.”

R e c o g n i s i n g t h e challenges that Borrowing Member Countries (BMCs) faced over the last four years, Dr Leon said the Bank had re-imagined its approach to development and pivoted to promote a holistic systems approach, where productive and institutional capacity, environmental sustainability, social resilience, and financial affordability are seen as essential components of the evolution of the system.

also committed an estimated USD 41 million of its own funds towards climate change initiatives and adopted a climate finance target of 25-30 percent of its own resources towards climate change adaptation andmitigationby2024.

Partnerships were a key highlight of Dr. Leon's speech with the Bank President citing a new agreement with the Government of Italy, resultinginaUSD50million soft loan for a Programme to Support Sustainable Development Projects in the Caribbean. The CDB in partnership with the CARICOM Secretariat and O E C S C o m m i s s i o n , developed the Let's REAP Programme to provide schools in BMCs with a roadmap to address the pandemic-related learning

interventions to increase climate resilience, trade and agriculture, including EUR 14millionfromtheEuropean

Union to implement the Caribbean Action for Resilience Enhancement (CARE) Programme and a

furtherUSD9.9millionfrom the Adaptation Fund to implementthe“Building (Continued on page 16)

“Accelerated sustainable development requires partnershipsfordevelopment between the private sector, government, and the international community We need policies and supporting instruments that are designed to drive fit-for-purpose investment activities, enhance implementation capacity for building resilience and increase access to adequate and affordable financing for investments,” said Dr Leon. The CDB disbursed USD 285.9 million in 2022, an increaseof12.2percent.This figure comprised USD 180.7 millioninloansandUSD105 million in grants. The Bank

gaps and increase inclusion. This saw 2910 educators in Caribbean schools benefit from the REAP Programme while a further 175 special education teachers in St Lucia benefitted from training on how to better respond to varied student needs and improve their quality of education. Efforts are also underway to establish a more robust architecture to address vulnerable countries' Loss & Damage (L&D) needs, including through the Santiago Network and the new L&D fund that UNFCCC Parties agreed to establish at COP27. The Bank was instrumental in

Region 7 man arrested for raping 5-yr-old girl

Police in Region Seven are currently investigating the alleged rape of a five-yearold girl by a 25-year-old man which occurredonMonday Reports are the child reported what

happened to her relatives who then made a reporttothepolicethefollowingday Police shared that the suspect has since been arrested and has admitted to the act. He is in custodypendingcharges.

Honduranfamiliesseekanswers as prison riot deaths rise to 46

(Reuters) - The death toll fromariotatawomen’sprison inHondurasroseto46,agovernment spokesperson said on Wednesday, as anxious relatives demanded information about the fate of incarceratedfamilymembers.

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Relativesofinmatesgathered at the Centro Femenino deAdaptacionSocial,the900person women’s penitentiary around 20 kilometers (12 miles) from the capital city Tegucigalpa,wheregangviolence erupted a day earlier

At Tegucigalpa’s main publicmorgue,workerswere running out of space for victims’ remains as relatives arrived, with some asking that officials release a list of the victims from Tuesday’s violent incident.

Identifying victims is a challenge, as many of which were “charred or reduced” to ash, according to Yuri Mora, spokesperson for the public

Security forces operate outside the Centro Femenino de Adaptacion Social (CEFAS) women prison following a deadly riot in Tamara, on the outskirts of Tegucigalpa, Honduras, June 20, 2023. REUTERS/Fredy Rodriguez

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prosecutor’s office.

Theriothadbeenplanned by gang members with guards’ knowledge, HonduranPresidentXiomaraCastro said on Twitter on Tuesday, saying she would take “drastic measures” to address the deaths.

AngelGarcia,34,arrived at the morgue Wednesday and discovered his wife and two sisters were among the victims,questioninghowauthorities let this happen in a country with a history of deadly prison incidents.

“Everybody passes the ball ... everything goes unpunished,” Garcia said. “It is

unfair that we are suffering because of corruption.”

The clash took place when armed members of the Barrio 18 gang held back guardsandattackedmembers oftherivalMaraSalvatrucha (MS-13), police spokesperson Miguel Martinez said on localtelevision.

The gangs, which both have roots in Los Angeles, have long battled for control of the drug trafficking and extortion industries, with the bloody conflict making Central America one of the world’s most dangerous regions. The riot was likely in reaction to a government

crackdown in recent months oncorruptionwithinprisons, said Julissa Villanueva, head ofthepenalsystem,onTuesday, describing the riot as a “terrorist attack”.

Measurestocombatorganized crime are set to be announced on Wednesday, according to Castro’s office. Since December,Honduras’ government has implemented a state of exception, followingamodelpursuedby neighbor El Salvador, which suspends some constitutionalrightsandallowssecurity forces to detain people who they consider are associatedwithcrime.

CDB to Build Internal Resilience Capacity...

From page 15 Resilience for Adaptation to ClimateChangeandClimate Variability in Agriculture in SaintLuciaProject.”

Keyprojectswerealsoestablished in Suriname, Guyana, Bahamas,St.Vincentandthe Grenadines,andBelize.

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“We will continue to build on these achievements and deepen our ambition for the road ahead,” said Dr Leon. Pointing out that unprecedented challenges brought on by crises such as theCOVID-19pandemic,existingeconomicandenvironmental vulnerabilities, and the war in Ukraine, led to sharp declines in output, and slowedtheRegion’sprogress

toward achieving the 2030 SDG target, while also contributing to rising debt and erosion of fiscal space, increased inequality, and poverty, Dr.Leonwarnedthatthe Caribbeanwaspotentiallyexposed to further risk including fractures in the flow of capital, goods, services, and technology across borders couldaddtoinflationarypressures, eliminate jobs and deprive people of food, medicine, and other essentials.

“Fragmentationcouldresult in another supply side shock leading to sharper increasesinpricesandlessoutput.

These difficult circumstances have increased the

development challenges in the Region,” he said.

Dr. Leon called on the continued, unwavering supportof member countries as the CDB moves to introduce and execute novel and innovative approaches in its goal to remain true to its mandate of transforming Caribbean societies and commitment to safeguarding the vision of Resilient Prosperity

“Oureffortsalonewillnot take us over the finish line. The fate of the Region and the Bank are inextricably linked.

When the Region succeeds, the Bank succeeds,” Dr.Leonsaid.

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$53M to reconstruct Western Hog Island Primary School

At the recent opening of bids at the National Procurement and Tender Administration

Board (NPTAB) office, it was revealed that the reconstruction of the Western Hog Island Primary

Ministry of Local Government and Regional Development Provision of Security Service for the Regional Democratic Council of Region Nine.

School, Region Three will be done at an estimated cost of $53,999,220.

Kaieteur News understands that the school is an old structure and has begun to deteriorate over

the years; hence proposals have been made for a new one.

To reconstruct the school, 12

contractors have applied for the contract. Below are the companies and their bids:

Ministry of Public Works

Rehabilitation of Garden of Eden #2 Access Bridge.

Ministry of Education

Supply and Installation of Generator Parts.

Brazil’s Lula sees Pope Francis in ‘very friendly’ encounter on busy day in Rome

Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva arrives at the St. Damaso courtyard for a private audience with Pope Francis, at the Vatican, Wednesday, June 21, 2023. (Alessandro Di Meo, Pool via AP) secretariat of state. According to a Vatican communique, they discussed regional socio-political issues as well as the promotion of peace, the fight against poverty and inequality and respect for Indigenous peoples and protection of the environment.

(AP) — Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva threw his arms around Pope Francis and gave him a big hug as he arrived Wednesday for what the Vatican said was a “very friendly” reunion of two old friends.

The Argentine pope seemed in particularly good spirits as he hosted Lula for around 45 minutes, just days after getting out of the hospital following abdominal surgery.

Standing up, Francis presented Lula with a brass plaque of a flower entitled “Peace is a fragile flower.” Francis told the Brazilian leader: “We’re in a time of war; peace is very fragile.”

Lula then met with Archbishop Edgar Peña Parra, the Venezuelan “substitute” in the

The meeting came amid a busy day for Lula in Rome, which included meetings with the Italian president, premier and mayor of Rome, as well as the center-left opposition leader.

Lula was accompanied to the Vatican by his wife who gave the Pope a statue tte of “Our Lady of Nazareth.”

She invited him to visit Brazil in October for a celebration in her honor in Belém, state of Pará, in the heart of the Brazilian rainforest, reports said.

Extension of Bagotville Primary School.

Reconstruction of Western Hogg Island Primary School.

Extension of Leonora Secondary School.

Upgrading of Bus Shed Street, Danielstown Essequibo.

Upgrading of Sandy Network Eastern Lima Essequibo.

Man who evicted squatters off Hill Foot land, thrown out of Lusignan property

LawrenceAl-Meen

, the Hillfoot land o w n e r w h o bulldozed squatters off his land earlier this month was on Wednesday afternoon himself evicted by his landlord from a Lusignan, East Coast Demerara property.

Al-Meen showed up at his rented home close to 18:00hrsinhiscaronlytobe refused entry and sent away by the landlord's security guard.

Speaking with Kaieteur News, the landlord, Anita Singh,saidthatAl-Meenhas beenrentingherpropertyfor two years now but has not paid his rent since October 2022.

Apart from failing to pay his rent, she alleged that the tenant has not honoured certain terms in the contract that he had signed, such as keeping the surroundings of

her property clean. She had given him notice of eviction buthehadrefusedtoleave.

“He does not want to vacate the property he spent last night (Tuesday night) on my property when he was supposed to vacate yesterday”, Singh told K a i e t e u r N e w s . She described Al-Meen as an “unscrupulous individual” whowantstobullyheronher property by refusing pay his rentandeventoleave.

As a result, she took matters into her own hands on Wednesday and changed thelockstohergate.

Al-Meen showed up in his car and was allowed in. He reportedly left without any confrontation and in a peacefulmanner

On June 1, Al-Meen, in company of the police, reportedly bulldozed the properties of scores of squatters at Hillfoot along

the Linden Soesdyke Highway

The squatters who had refused to vacate were dragged out of the buildings and others allegedly beaten and restrained after resisting policeofficers.

The squatters staged a massive protest by blocking the Linden Highway with burning debris. Joint Services ranks had to be called in to quell the situation. According to the Police Force, Al-Meen had obtainedacourtordergiving him the authority to evict the squatters.

Al-Meen and his wife subsequently made a statement claiming that he had given the squatters ample time to move but they hadrefusedtodoso.

The government has since pledged to assist the squatters with turn-key homesandhouselots.

PresidentAlipromisestohostpress conferenceonreturnfromoverseasvisit

Amid a blackout of official press conferences and growing concerns by media houses President Irfaan Ali on Wednesday committed to hosting a news conference upon his return from an official overseas visit.

The Head of State declined to respond to questions put to him yesterday on the sidelines of the opening of the Good Hope Secondary School, East Coast Demerara. He told Kaieteur News that he wasrunninglateforanurgent meeting and would host a press conference “soon”. He did not indicate when he was expectedtotravelorreturn.

President Ali has had a limited number of press conferences since assuming office in August 2020. His government has also been heavily criticized for failing to host post Cabinet press briefings as was the custom under the previous A Partnership for National Unity +Alliance For Change (APNU+AFC) Coalition g o v e r n m e n t T h e s e engagements serve as a

m e d i u m f o r t h e administration to be held to account for its decisions that affect the lives of the entire population.

Rather than hosting press conferences, the Head of State has been disseminating live statements on critical issues, thereby preventing the media from playing its role in questioning certain decisions and actions taken by government. During a press conference on January 17, 2023 at State House, the P r e s i d e n t t o l d t h i s publication that he is accessible to the press and evendescribedhimselfasthe

President Irfaan Ali

Venezuelan woman jailed for operating brothel, slapped with 9 TIP charges

“mostaccessiblePresidentin the history of Guyana”. Ali said reporters can attest to him being open to questions at any event he attends Yesterday however was the second function that the President attended and did not take questions from the media. While attending the opening ceremony of a privatehospitalatLeonorain Region Three, Kaieteur News had approached the President and followed him during his tour of the facility butheslippedintohisvehicle while his Security team prevented the reporter from accessinghim.

old Mayelin Cordova, a Venezuelan National, who is presently serving a six months sentence for operating a brothel, was on Wednesday charged with nine counts of Trafficking in Persons (TIP), Contrary to Section 3 (1) (i) of the Combating of Trafficking in PersonsAct,No.2of2005.

TIP refers to a crime whereby traffickers exploit and profit at the expense of adults or children by compelling them to perform labour or engage in commercialsex.

Cordova of Byderabo Road, Bartica, Region Seven, appeared via Zoom before Magistrate Christel Lambert. She denied the charges that were read to her and she was remanded to prison. The matter was then adjournedtoJuly5,2023.

The charges were brought against Cordova, by the Guyana Police Force's Trafficking in Persons Unit oftheCriminalInvestigation DepartmentHeadquarters.

It was reported that betweenMarch15,2023and April 30, 2023, Cordova, trafficked nine Venezuelan females from Venezuela to Guyana, and exploited them

between Crusher Hill and Barakat Backdam, Cuyuni Mazaruni River, Region Seven.The victims reported the matter to the police, and membersoftheTIPUnitand an investigation was launched Based on the investigation, legal advice was given by the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP), Shalimar Ali-Hack, SC, for Cordova to be charged with nine counts of Trafficking in Persons.

The police stated that in

efforts to combat trafficking in persons, the TIP Unit will continue to work with other stakeholders, to conduct intelligence-led operations, spot inspections, awareness, and training in every region ofGuyana.

Last week, Kaieteur News reported that within the first half of 2023, the GPF TIP Unit interviewed 244 alleged victims of human trafficking – 23 of whom are under the age of 18.

Jailed, Mayelin Cordova

Al-Meen stopped by a security guard by the gate of the rented Lusignan property

What is our Policy concerning Sports in Guyana

By Samuel Whyte

As I make this contribution on Sports in Guyana, I will take the time in highlighting a few things and ask the question about our Sports Policy. It is time the government presents a comprehensive Sports Policy, so that Guyanese can be guided on the way forward.

I can remember a few years ago the debate was hot concerning a policy position on Sports. That has since died down and things have since returned to square one. Are we going to produce a policy or remain reactive and do patch work as the case seems to be now.

As I said before, Guyana

is now in the big league and money is no longer a problem.

It is noticed that Guyana is now selecting large contingents for overseas engagements in the sporting arena.

Congratulations to those selected although some may raise eyebrows.

What are our parameters for success? Is it winning or improvements? I hope it’s not just participation. Those days should be long gone. We need to get returns for our investments.

As I said before, in days gone by most of our athletes were home grown or based and sporting activities were well publicized.

As it is now, most of our

athletes are imported from overseas whilst some are overseas based.

The representatives are imported from oversees, they don’t even know the country they perform for and that’s it.

How do our home grown and based athletes benefit from that? How are we improving the athletes at home so that they can do better and be selected for scholarships and other overseas engagements?

Whilst I am not just criticizing the associations for getting the best athletes available, it is laziness for not doing comprehensive work at home to better the sports. What does these organizations and the

Thursday June 22, 2023

ARIES (Mar. 21–Apr. 19)

In order to reach your destination, you may have to take an unusual route today, Aries. Zigzag your way to the finish line. Don't automatically assume that this is a bad thing.

TAURUS(Apr.20–May20)

Get out of the doldrums and enjoy life, Taurus. The situation is such that if you remain stagnant for a little while, you will soon sink into a spiral of depression and downward thinking.

GEMINI (May 21–June 20)

This morning is your time to shine, Gemini. You should be in a good mood, with a positive outlook that helps you attack the day's tasks with vitality. Elements of the unexpected.

CANCER (June 21–July 22)

You may get a bit frustrated in the morning because of a lack of commitment on the part of others, Cancer. You may find it hard to pin down an answer when everything seems to be up in the air.

LEO (July 23–Aug. 22)

The energy you put out today will most definitely fuel the fire, Leo, so make sure you have an extinguisher within reach.

VIRGO (Aug. 23–Se pt. 22)

You may feel indecisive today, Virgo, especially in the morning. Other people's actions may confuse you. Don't worry. Concentrate on your projects and goals.

GOAPC Tapeball competition bowls off June 24

Government do throughout the year? The Guyana Football Federation (GFF) is a guilty culprit. Football as with many other sports can take an entire article, but this is a short clip.

Football is hardly played in Guyana now; Hardly any competitions in various Sub Associations.

Guyana might be the only team in South America that doesn’t utilized our Amerindian brothers in the National Football teams. Most National tournaments, especially schools competitions, teams made up of our Amerindian brothers does exceptionally well, winning on many occasions, yet after all those decades the GFF makes no effort to utilize those gifted soles.

DIGICEL, sponsored most of those tournaments, Digicel, I noticed is now back.

The Guyana Office of Assistants Promo tion Committee (GOAPC) will be hosting its largest ever School’s Eight-aside Tapeball competition on Saturday 24th June.

The competition, dubbed as the Fifth and Sixth former’s farewell cricket extravaganza, will be an intense four-over showdown. The competition will feature teams from East Coast Demerara, West Bank Demerara, West Berbice and East Bank Demerara. So far eighteen teams have registered to participate in this event.

See teams such as North Ruimveldt Secondary, Queens College, St Rose’s High, West Demerara Secondary, La Bonnie Intersection Secondary, Diamond Secondary and many others vying for the James ‘Uprizing’ Lewis trophy. Medals and individual trophies will also be presented to outstanding teams and players.

The tournament is proudly sponsored by Salim’s Knight Rider Bus Services and the Office of Commissioner of Police. For more information regarding the tournament contact 628-1656.

Sunil Dhaniram (193), Shiv Seeram...

From page 22 24. Mohan Singh grabbed 412 from his maximum three overs delivering for the defending champions Toronto Blizzards.

while Friendship Masters languishes at number 6 in the seven-team round-robin tournament which is slated to finish late August.

LIBRA (Sept. 23–Oct. 22)

Emotionally, you should be feeling quite good today, Libra. This is important since you may get thrown off balance by a strange, unexpected force. The more stable you are on the inside,

SCORPIO (Oct. 23–Nov. 21)

Free your mind and consider alternative options, Scorpio. This is a time to throw away the old to make room for the new. There's a distinct advance in original and forward thinking today.

SAGIT (Nov.22–Dec.21)

You might find your energy comes in strong, erratic bursts today, Sagittarius. Don't be surprised if you're high as a kite one moment and down in the dumps the next. Even if you're driving everyone.

CAPRI (Dec. 22–Jan. 19) The

You may feel a tendency to do things the same old way today simply because it's what feels most comfortable, Capricorn. Even though the familiar route may be tempting now,

AQUARIUS(Jan.20–Feb.18)

An extra log has been thrown on your fire today, Aquarius, so don't be surprised if you burn especially hot.

PISCES (Feb. 19–Mar. 20)

Don't feel like you have to rationalize everything, Pisces. Accept the fact that there are some things in life that occur without a specific logical explanation. More than likely these are the most interesting

Squash and Badminton needs to expand. Boxing has shrink badly. Berbice had five or more boxing gyms. Linden was once a power house. There was also the Joint Services.

Almost all the sports have shrunk, Long Tennis, Basketball, Hockey, volleyball etc.

We say we are doing well at cricket by winning a number of senior titles consecutively. But how many makes the West Indies team. Remember when we had five and sometimes more players in the West Indies team including successive captains and a number of top guns on standby.

I stop there for now.

GDF thrash...

From page 24 McDonald (58'), and Amos Ramsay (69') all finding the back of the net in Tuesday night’s clash, as Milerock FC suffered a comprehensive 70 defeat at the hands of the dominant army side.

Meanwhile, Santos FC faced off against Buxton United FC in the other match. Santos FC successfully held off their opponents in a onesided affair. Stefan Reynolds netted the first goal for his side in the 20th minute, then Lennox Young added another (goal) in the 44th minute. Despite Buxton United’s valiant efforts, they were unable to breach the solid Santos defence. Santos FC won 2-0.

The excitement continues today at the same venue, as Fruta Conquerors FC take on Western Tigers FC in the first match at 19:00 hours. This will be followed by a clash between Guyana Police Force FC and Ann’s Grove United FC at 21:00 hours.

Meanwhile, Toronto Blizzards continued to sit at the top on the points’ chart having raked in four victories from as many matches. Pegasus Storm at number 2 with three wins from four games,

The competition will resume this Saturday with three simultaneous matches in the Scarborough Region. Friendship Masters will collide with Pegasus Storm, while Toronto Blizzards have drawn the bye.

ICC World Cup Qualifier Match 9 - West Indies vs. Nepal...

In-form Windies face Nepal today in exciting match

After a comprehensive victory over a spirited USA team, West Indies will be keenonpreservingtheirwin streakcometodaywhenthey battle Nepal as the ICC World Cup Qualifiers continueinZimbabwe.

Both sides managed to beat the USA team despite some good individual performances from the

North Americans, with Guyana entering the match in 2nd place while Nepal currently sits in 3rd, with both team’s being tied on 2 pointseach.

The Windies will be rallying behind their batsmenwhosetupabigwin for them in the previous game Veterans Johnson Charles, skipper Shai Hope,

formercaptainJasonHolder and Roston Chase all hit fifties,whichturnedouttobe match-winningknocks.

With the core of the batting looking ominous, including Nicholas Pooran who missed out on a halfcentury by a few runs but maintained his aggression will be called upon today as they seek to negate a crafty Nepalesebowlingattack.

Although star spinner Sandeep Lamichhane, arguably Nepal’s best bowler went wicket-less in the last game against the USA,itremainsunlikelythat the 22 year old Googlyspecialist with more than 100ODIvictims,willstayin hisslumpandcouldlikelybe anX-Factorshouldhehithis strapstoday

His teammates, seamers KaranChhetriwhobagged4 wickets and Gulshan Jha who had 3 against the US, should maintain their form andlooktogivetheirpartner theconfidenceneededtoget back to his wicket-taking ways.

Windies on the other hand, almost struggled

Guyana Football Federation transfer window opened on June 1 and ends July 31

With football season at its peak, the Guyana Football Federation (GFF) second transfer window of 2023 for clubs across

Guyana opened on Wednesday,June1andwill closeonMonday,July31.

GFF General Secretary

Ian Alves said this is the firsttransferwindowbefore theupcomingseasonwhich gives clubs a chance to rebuildsquads.

Alvesexplainedthatfor thetenclubsparticipatingin the KFC Elite League Season Five, the Rules and Regulations have been amended in light of the current preseason transfer window and noted that all transfers will only be

effective, if and when, executed during the

GFF/FIFA approved transfer window periods of and June 1 – July 31, 2023 andJanuary1to31,2024.

Other notable changes KFC Elite League teams m u s t t a k e i n t o considerationare:

% Clubs are only allowed to make a maximum of five (5) changes to their team’s roster of twenty-five (25) players for the remaining durationoftheLeague.

% The request for the change to the Team Roster must be signed by the Club President and Secretary before submission to the GeneralSecretary.

T h e G e n e r a l Secretary explained that changes will be allowed if players have season e n d i n g i n j u r i e s , contracts abroad, migration, death and playertransfer

He reminded clubs to submit the necessary supporting documents to the Federation in order to substantiate changes and that all submissions are subject to a twentyfour hour minimum vetting and approval process

Replacements must be approved by the GFF and will be reflected on the official team roster, Alves stressed.

during their time with the ball despite a collective effort from the likes of pacers Kyle Mayers and AlzarriJoseph,wholedwith twowicketsapiece.

Joseph was a bit expensive in the last game but remains a primary wicket-taking option for HopewhileHolder’sveteran presence and his all-round prowess especially with the ball, will further add to the Maroon Men’s confidence againstatrickychallenge.

One thing the West Indies will want is for the

duo of all-rounder Keemo

Paul and spinner Akeal Hoseintoquicklygetbackto their wicket-getting ways. Both players went wicketless in the last game but bowledwellfortheirteamas they form a key part of the WestIndiesbowlingattack.

Nepal also will want much from their batsmen after a strong showing againsttheUSA.21year-old opener Bhim Sharki hit his 3rdODIhalf-century,77not out while a number of other batsmenincludinghisfellow teammate Kushal Bhurtel

and Dipendra Airee showed glimpses of form and could easilycontinuetogainform.

Nepal will also want their 20 year-old Captain Rohit Paudel to hit some form after making just 16. The all-rounder has 8 halfcenturiesandatonunderhis belt and is a few games shy of playing his 50th ODI match.

Although the Windies willfancytheirchances,they willneedtohittheNepalese hardandcomeoutwithguns blazing should they look to maintaintheirunbeatenrun.

Sunil Dhaniram (193), Shiv Seeram (121) help Toronto Blizzards thrash

Friendship

Pugnacious lefthanded batsman

Sunil Dhaniram smashed a magnificent 193 and Shiv Seeram slammed 121 as their team Toronto

Blizzards thrashed Friendship Masters by 152 runs in another preliminary round match in the 2023 Ontario Masters Softball Cricket Clubs (OMSCC)

Over-50, 20-overs tournament last Saturday at LittlesPark,Scarborough.

Dhaniram, the former Canadian International skipper and Guyana firstclass player, flayed the hapless attack to all-round the park, pummelling 24 sixes and six fours in a 67ball batting exhibition Toronto Blizzards reached a formidable 351-2 from the allotment of 20-overs while Friendship Masters were all out for 152 in the penultimateover Apart from Dhaniram’s

Masters in OMSCC tourney

flamboyance, his fellow openerandex-Guyanayouth player, Seeram was equally aggressive as he clobbered 18sixesandonefourduring his 36-ball entertainment.

The veteran pair also shared a massive 268-run opening

enthusiasm out of the opposition.

For Friendship Masters, Imran Rasool offered brief resistance with 25 and RandyRamdayalmaking (Continuedonpage21)

Sunil Dhaniram, left, and Shiv Seeram take a break

Sugar Boyz make historic Gold Cup qualification after beating French Guiana 4-2 on penalties

SportsMax-StKittsand Nevis’ Sugar Boyz historically qualified for their first ever CONCACAF Gold Cup Group Stage appearanceonTuesdaynight after defeating French Guiana4-2onpenaltiesafter thesidesplayedtoa1-1draw in regulation and extra time onTuesdaynight.

St Kitts and Nevis will now play in Group A alongside the United States, Trinidad and Tobago,andJamaica

In the game where the start was delayed because of weather conditions at the Inter Miami CF Stadium Stadium in Fort Lauderdale, the Sugar Boyz very nearly took the lead in the 26th minute when Romaine Sawyers sent across a low ball to Jacob Hazel on the corner of the six-yard box, but

French Guiana defender Gregory Lescot was there to blocktheattempt.

Saint Kitts and Nevis

kept control of the m a t c h , a n d t h e breakthrough came in the 41st minute; it was

Tiquanny Williams who wrestled around the defense to receive a pass from Hazel and blast the ball home to give the Sugar Boyz a deserved 1-0 leadheadingintothebreak.

However, Les Yana

Dokos did not fold

Following a handball in the box, Arnold Abelinti tied the game in the 53rd minute with a perfectly placed penalty into the bottom corner It was Abelinti’s third goal of the Prelims

Both sides would push for a winner, but neither could find one, sending the

match to a penalty shootout with a berth in the group stageontheline.

Just as in the first

preliminaryroundafewdays ago, the Sugar Boyz executed their kicks and goalkeeper Julani

Archibald came up with a huge save Late substitute Mervin Lewis sealed the dealwithathunderboltinto

the top left corner in the fourth frame, sendingSaint Kitts and Nevis side into celebration.

Vinicius complains as advisor racially abused at Brazil friendly in Spain

complained and called police to the scene, the Brazilianwebsiteadded.

Footage broadcast by Brazilian channel SporTV shows heated exchanges between the player’s friends andstaffatthestadium.

The guard and the security company denied the allegations, Brazilian mediareported

The Brazilian football federation (CBF) said they had taken action as soon as it became aware of the complaint and called on the police and match organisers to “give their full support and protection to yet another victimofracism,acrimethat must be fought vehemently andrelentlessly”.

In a powerful move, Brazil abandoned their iconic yellow and green shirts and were instead kitted out in an all-black strip in a stand against racism for the first half of thegame

The Brazilian Football Confederation was behind the gesture accompanied by the slogan of “Com racismo nao tem jogo” (With racism,thereisnogame)

Vinicius himself, wearing the number 10 shirt, got on the score sheet with an 88th minute penalty, by this time kitted out in Brazil’s usualcolours.

AFP - Vinicius Junior complainedSundayaboutan allegedracistactbystadium security aimed at one of his staff before the friendly between Brazil and Guinea inBarcelona.

The Selecao wore black shirts in the 4-1 victory at Espanyol’s stadium on Saturday night, to protest against racial discrimination

after Real Madrid winger Viniciushadbeenabusedby Valencia fans, provoking globaloutrageinMay Itwas one of several incidents in which Vinicius was racially abusedinSpain.

“While I was playing in the already historic black shirt and getting emotional, my friend was humiliated and mocked at the entrance

to the stadium,” wrote Vinicius on Twitter early Sunday

“The treatment was sad tomakeeverythingpublic, I ask those responsible: whereisthesecuritycamera footage?”

During a search at the entrance to the stadium, a security guard allegedly abused Vinicius’ friend and

advisor,FelipeSilveira,27.

“Handsup,thisismygun for you,” he is accused of saying, while taking a banana out of his pocket, according to an extract from the complaint filed by the player’sfriend,publishedby Brazilian news website GloboEsporte.

Silveira and three other members of Vinicius’ staff

“Today, once again, another criminal has been publicly exposed,” said CBF president Ednaldo Rodrigues

Vinicius, 22, has been the victim of racist abuse on many occasions in the pasttwoseasons

Brazil decided the friendly was a good opportunity to strike back as the match was staged onSpanishsoil

Earlier in the week the Spanish and Brazilian football federations presented their plan for a friendly match at the Santiago Bernabeu in March 2024 to combat racism following global outrage at the abuse of Vinicius

Worldfootballgoverning body FIFA also announced planstocreateananti-racism taskforce in which Vinicius would have a “prominent role”.

Brazil forward Vinicius Junior (C) took to social media after the win over Guinea to report a racist incident aimed at his staff. (Pau BARRENA)

The Sugar Boys are in the Gold Cup for the first time.

Digicel Schools Football Championship 2023…

Region 4 teams briefed; fixtures to be revealed on Friday

The final preparatory stage has been executed by the Petra Organisation as they anxiously await the returnoftheDigicelSchools Football Championship, which kicks off at the Ministry of Education (MoE)GroundonSaturday

Ye s t e r d a y, t h e representativesoftheRegion4

(Georgetown) teams participating in the eighth edition of the event were briefed by the organisers at the National Library’s ConferenceRoom.Presentat the meet were Petra CoDirectors,TroyMendoncaand Marlan Cole, who disclosed thatthefixturesforSaturday willbereleasedonFriday

After the briefing, two tournament replica balls were handed out to each team to assist in their practice sessions. Over 130 schools throughoutGuyanaareexpected

tocompeteinthisseasonofthe Tournament.

Following the regional rounds, a round-of-32 teams will make up a national championship, of which 13 schools will come from Georgetown

Regions Three and Six will each have two teams as will East Coast Demerara, EastBankDemerara,Region Seven and Region Ten, respectively, while Regions

GDF thrash Milerock as Santos FC keeps clean sheet in latest wins –GFF/KFCEliteLeague

One, Five, Eight and Nine willhaveoneschooleach.

The National Champions will receive $1,000,000 and thechampionshiptrophywith second,third,andfourthplace finishers getting $500,000, $300,000, and $200,000, respectively

All incentives will go towards a school project with prizes also expected for the Highest Goal Scorer, Best GoalkeeperandMostValuable

Player Chase’s Academic Foundationarethetwo-time defending champion, after claimingthetitlein2016and 2017, before the six-year hiatus arose This tournament was dominated by Christianburg/Wismar Secondary,whowonthetitle consecutively from 2012 to 2015 when they dethroned the inaugural champion, Georgetown Technical Institute(GTI).

The KFC Elite Football League’s fifth season, organized by the Guyana Football Federation (GFF), continued on Tuesday eveningattheGFFNational Training Centre in Providence The evening featured an exhilarating doubleheader, with matches between Guyana Defence Force FC and Milerock FC, as well as Santos FC and BuxtonUnitedFC.

After two exciting matches, GDF and Santos FCemergedvictorious.GDF maintained their dominance in the league by defeating Milerock FC with a resounding 7-0 triumph, w h i l e S a n t o s F C comfortably shutdown BuxtonUnited2-0.a

However, the evening kickedoffwithanearlygoal extravaganza, as the army men found the net on seven occasions against Milerock FC. Cedric Osborne opened

thescoringinthe8thminute, swiftly followed by Benjamin Opara three minutes later (11'). Chris Macey capitalised on his scoring opportunity in the 31st minute with a beautiful shot at goal, while Kenard

Simon in the 44th, extended the lead to secure a 4-0 advantageathalftime.

GDF continued their goal-scoring spree in the second half, with Darrel George(50'),Stephen

(Continuedonpage21)

Sammy says more improvements to come with fresh brand of West Indies cricket Stresses

SportsMax - Having the right mindset begins with identifying what you want. Without a clear picture of what winning looks like you’ll never know if you’re on the right path, which means you can’t course correct. West Indies Head coach Darren Sammy knows this all too well, which is why he is hoping theteamcanalignasuccess mindset with proper execution to achieve their goals.

In fact, Sammy pointed out that players are already aware of the direction he wantstogowiththeregional outfit and believes the ongoing ICC World Cup qualifiers represents the perfect place to start consistently improving the qualityoftheirplayand,by extension, maintain some semblance of respect for themselves.

West Indies, who are huntingoneoftwoplacesto the 50-over World Cup in India in October, won their opening game against United States by 39 runs at thequalifyingtournamentin Zimbabwe.

Prior to that, they registereda3-0seriessweep

proper execution as key to their charge

of United Arab Emirates, followed by warm-up victories over the same opponent, as well as Scotland.

“I am quite happy with thewaywearegoingthesix games that we have played wehavetakenstepsintrying to play the brand of cricket thatwewanttoplay So,it’s about sticking to our guns andtheplansweputinplace and committing to the execution,”Sammysaid.

“In the first (qualifying) game against USA we got the win that we needed, it was a great start to the tournament, but we have so much more in the tank.The guysweren’thappywiththe way they played which is good sign for us, we keep challenging ourselves and it’s still a work in progress tryingtofindtheidentityof our cricket moving forward but I was pleased with the victory,”headded.

It is obvious why Sammytookpleasureinthe win given what is at stake, but where the overall performance is concerned, the former captain and allrounder, who took over the reins late last month, was leftwithamixedbag.

This, as West Indies, a two-time world champion, recovered from the early loss of openers Brandon KingandKyleMayers,with four players hitting halfcenturiesintheir297allout in49.3overs.

Johnson Charles top scored with 66, while Jason Holder (56), Roston Chase (55) and captain Shai Hope (54) all did some damage, while Nicholas Pooran also chippedinwith43runs.

Gajanand Singh had an unbeaten 101 off 109 balls, with eight fours and two sixes,fortheUSteam,butit wasn’t enough to overhaul WestIndiestotal.

“I listened the captain’s post-match interview and ideally,youwouldwantone of them to score big hundred,buthewashappier that performances came from different batsmen in thegroup.

You look at Brandon King who has been playing well, didn’t get a score and Kyle Mayers didn’t get a score so it’s a good sign for us that as a group, even though we were under pressure, we came back strongly “Ideallyyouwouldwant

one of those (batsmen) to convert (50s) into hundred and we as a team celebrate themilestonesafter Butthe guys are preparing well, they are hitting lots of balls and they understand the direction the team wants to go in as a batting unit,” Sammyshared.

“Again, I say it’s early daysbutoncethemindsetis togettowhatwewanttodo asateam,Ibelieveyouwill see improvements in the daystocome.Soagain,it’sa work in progress and with theballwecreatedacouple opportunities, but we dropped a few catches that couldhaveaffectedusinthe bigger scheme of things,” theStLuciannoted.

West Indies are currentlysecondinGroupA on four points, two behind Zimbabwe, who defeated Nepal and Netherlands in theirtwofixturestodate.Sri Lanka, Oman, United Arab Emirates, Scotland and Ireland are contesting GroupB.

However, West Indies are set to square off against Nepal on Thursday and if the confidence exuded by Sammyisanythingtogoby, then another two points is

already in the bag for the regional side Nepal currently occupies third position on two points, followingvictoryoverUS.

“Nepal is a team that is on the rise, and they have been playing good cricket, so again we respect all our opponents, but we focus on the things that we do as a team or the direction and brand of cricket that we wanttoplay

Whenever we bat that new ball, we have to make suretheoppositiondon’tget too much ahead when the newballcomes.

“I thought we could have had more intent (against US) because that’s one of the things we have been talking about as a batting group intent to scoreandwhenIsaythatit’s notnecessarilylookingonly for boundaries but looking for scoring opportunities and when you do get the good balls, you can still get the rotation of strike going. It all boils down in our preparation which we have been doing well and I have fullconfidenceandbeliefin thementhattheywillgoout and do themselves and the region proud,” Sammy

declared.

On that note, he shared his views on the effects of the early start which he expects the top order, in particular,tobetternavigate onthisoccasion,iftheylose thetossandareaskedtotake firststrike.

“We knew it, anywhere in the world a 9:00am start will pose a challenge with thenewballtothebatters,so whoever wins the toss will most likely want to bowl first.

But our focus as a batting group is to understand the challenge that the new ball poses and making sure that the opposition doesn’t get on top of us, ” Sammy reasoned.

“Our skills will come into play but as you have seen in all the games, once we survive that new ball period, there are plenty of runsonofferandforusasa batting group, it is just to limit the damage or the threatthatnewballposesup front.Butagain,thewaythe guyshaveprepared,Iexpect the challenges to be met with good consistency and good skills from my men,” heended.

Petra Co-Director Troy Mendonca

Scenes from Tuesday night’s action.

National Under19 selectees

Leslie Black presents Nike football shoe, out of pocket allowance to talented Reg.1’s Jada La-Cruz

Leslie Black, former athletic coach and National Awardee (AA) and member oftheGuyanaCommitteeOf Services, presented a Nike football shoe and out of pocket allowance to young multi talented athlete Jada La-CruzfromRegionone.

Jada, who is the 2022 national under14 champion at the 2022 school championship, is also an excellent football player on her team which defeated Campbellville Secondary School 12-Nil at the Exxon M o b i l S c h o o l ’ s Championship.

The committee and membershavebeenassisting athletesofdifferentsportsin Guyana more so the Carifta athletes over the years. Blackwishedtheyounglady every success in her fledglingjourney.

Mane strikes twice as Senegal beat Brazil in friendly

Thaddeus Lovell and Berbice Junior Inter County female cricketer Tiea Isaacs arethelatesttobenefitfrom this joint initiative between Anil Beharry and Kishan Das. They are both selected in the National male and female squads respectively to represent Guyana in the upcoming Regional Under19Tournaments.

Lovell, from the famous GeorgetownCricketClub,isa right hand fast bowling all rounder while Isaacs, a product of Achievers Cricket ClubandstudentofBushLot Secondary School, West Coast, Berbice, is also a right handfastbowlingallrounder

Lovell benefitted from one cricketbat,onepairofbatting pads and one pair of batting gloves Isaacs received one cricketbat,onepairofbatting pads,onepairofbattinggloves and a pair of wicketkeeping glovestobeusedbyherteam duringthetournament

The young striving cricketers were very thankfulforthegesture.The project is pleased to be part ofthedevelopmentofyoung peopleinGuyana,especially throughcricket.

Total cricket related

items received/purchased so far: $370,000 in cash, thirteen colored cricket uniforms, two trophies, seventeen pairs of cricket boots, thirty pairs of batting pads, thirty one cricket bats, twenty eight pairs of batting gloves, twenty one thigh pads, three pairs of wicket keeping pads, four arm guards, two boxes, nine cricketbags,sixbatrubbers, six helmets and one softball cricketbat.Inadditiontothe above, $600,000 worth in gear was donated by Sheik Mohamed, former National wicket keeper/batsman. All cash collected is being used to purchase cricket gear requested and not available atthetime.

Todate,sixtyoneyoung players from all three counties of Guyana have benefited from three junior gearbags,twotrophies,four armguards,twentyfivebats, two boxes, five helmets, twenty two pairs of cricket shoes,fifteenpairsofbatting pads,twothighpads,onebat rubber, twenty one pairs of batting gloves andtwo pairs of wicketkeeping gloves. In addition, two clubs in the Pomeroon area benefited from two used bats Pomeroon, Leguan and

Wakenaam Cricket CommitteesandCottonTree Die Hard also received one boxofredcricketballseach, Cold Fusion Cricket Club thirteen color uniforms while RHCCCC received two, fifteen white cricket shirts, one pair of junior batting pads, one pair of wicketkeepingglovesanda set of stumps and bails. Other beneficiaries are The Essequibo Cricket Board, the Town of Lethem and youth coach, Travis Persaud andsoftballteamsintheUpper Corentyne area Cricket relateditems,usedornew,are distributed free of cost to young and promising cricketers in Guyana Skills, discipline and education are important characteristics of the recipients Talent spotting is being done across the country and club leaders also assist to identify talent Progressiveandwellmanaged cricket clubs with a youth programmewillalsobenefit.

We thank the media for the role they are playing in promoting this venture Distribution will continue. Anyone interested to contribute can contact Anil Beharry on 623 6875 or Kishan Das on 1 718 664 0896.

AFP - Sadio Mane scored two goals as African champions Senegal came from behindtodefeatBrazil4-2inaninternational friendlyinLisbononTuesday

Five-time World Cup winners Brazil are stillwithoutacoachafterthedepartureofTite lastyear,whileNeymarremainssidelinedby anankleinjurysufferedinFebruary

Lucas Paqueta headed the South Americans ahead from Vinicius Junior’s cross 10 minutes in, but Senegal equalised through a thumping left-foot volley by StrasbourgforwardHabibDiallo.

Marquinhos put Senegal ahead early in thesecondhalfwhentheParisSaint-Germain

defenderinadvertentlyturnedtheballintohis ownnet.

Mane,whomissedtheWorldCupwith injury and endured a tough first season at Bayern Munich, added a third minutes later with a superb curlingshotintothetop corner

Brazil halved the deficit when Marquinhos this time scored at the right end, looping a mishit effort over Senegal goalkeeperMoryDiaw

But Mane wrapped up Senegal’s victory deep into stoppage time as he grabbed his second goal of the game from the penalty spot.

Leslie Black presents the Nike football shoe and out of pocket allowance to multi-talented Jada La-Cruz of Region 1.

Two

benefit from Project “Cricket Gear for young and promising cricketers in Guyana”

Sadio Mane scored twice against Brazil. (Patricia DE MELO MOREIRA)

Eon Lovell

Tiea Isaacs

Georgetown players take a photo op with the members of the Organising Team prior to the team briefing exercise.