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Venezuelan gang plunders $24M in raw

AIETEUR NEWS

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

Friday Edition June 24, 2022 - Vol. 24 No. 28 Online: www.kaieteurnews.com Online Price $100 readership yesterday, 79,785

gold, cash at Eteringbang

Exxon's contract on 2% - Chris royalty misleading as Ram Guyana bears the burden Govt. seeks expert guidance on Glenn Lall's challenge to Exxon tax waivers ...asks court for extra time

Bartica girl Man who sets couple on found with fire captured ganja in school ...to face murder charge

Private sector backs nixing of Ramps Logistics ...company says 400 jobs at risk over non approval of Local Content certificate

Guyana losing big from ...areas include interest on 75% Cost Oil fees,loans,taxdecommissioning waivers and more Exxon deducts - Intl Expert

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Friday June 24, 2022

Kaieteur News

Govt. seeks expert guidance on Glenn Lall's challenge to Exxon tax waivers ...asks court for extra time The Government of Guyana has asked the High Court for more time to seek expert guidance on how to respond to a case filed by Kaieteur News Publisher, Glenn Lall over the extensive tax waivers which were granted to Exxon Mobil, its partners and affiliates.

In January, the Kaieteur News Publisher filed an

action to challenge the Petroleum Agreement, dated June 27, 2016 between the Guyana Government and the oil companies. According to Lall the agreement between the oil company and the government grants exemptions to persons other than licensees, which violate the Petroleum Exploration and Production Act, the Financial Administration (and Audit) Act and the Constitution.

Lall's application raises several contentions for the court's consideration including whether the agreement between the Government of Guyana and ExxonMobil are subject to the principles of private law or public law; whether the acts of the Minister of Natural Resources and certain sub-articles of the Petroleum Agreement were ultra vires and in breach of sections 10 and 51 of Petroleum Exploration and Production Act (PEPA), subsections 1A and 1B of section 6 of the Financial Administration (and Audit) FAA; and Whether upon its proper interpretation the PEPA permits the payment of taxes due on behalf of licensees.

The Attorney General (AG) of Guyana, Anil Nandlall who is the State's legal representative has been listed as a respondent in the matter. Parties involved in the matter have filed their initial submissions in response to the case.

However earlier this week, a Notice of Application (NOA) was filed in the High Court by attorneys representing the office of the Attorney General to seek an extension in the time granted by the Court to respond to Lall's case.

According to the court document seen by this newspaper, the NOA in the name of Ocelisa Marks, Assistant State Solicitor attached to the Office of the Attorney General filed the application asking for more time. The extra time is to help the legal team address the “highly technical” and “complex questions” raised in Lall's case The document detailed that case raises highly technical and complex questions of tax law (which itself is a highly complex, and is a specialised area of

Kaieteur News Publisher, Glenn Lall law) and contract law, which must be carefully interrogated to allow the Court to make an informed decision.

The NOA went on to state that since the filing of Lall's Fixed Date Application (FDA), and the Defence on behalf of the Attorney General, the Chambers of the Attorney General has made and continued to make concerted efforts to fully appraise itself on the issues raised.

The document explained that this process includes the identification and interrogation of tax regimes in several statutory instruments. Further, it stated that: “as part of the process of appraising itself of the tax regimes and the issues raised in this [FDA], the Attorney General is in the process of soliciting independent expert advice from a firm which specialises in tax law.”

The NOA noted that this guidance is critical in allowing the Attorney General to prepare submissions. Further it stated that at the time of the drafting of the NOA, the Attorney General was unable to complete the process of obtaining the aforementioned expert advice. In the circumstances, the AG office said it believes that additional time is required to allow the lawyers to obtain the expert guidance being sought.

“The information which the Attorney General is seeking will be laid before the court in the form of submissions which will allow the Court to properly address its mind to the issues to make a decision,” the NOA detailed.

Added to this, the lawyers representing the AG insisted that the application for time will not cause any unjust prejudice to Lall's case; instead, it will assist the Court with ensuring that justice is determined on the merits of the issues raised in the case.

Kaieteur News

Friday June 24, 2022

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Guyana losing big from 75% Cost ...areas include interest on loans, Oil Exxon deducts decommissioning fees, tax waivers V

ice President Bharrat Jagdeo and officials of Esso Exploration and Production Guyana Limited (EEPGL)—ExxonMobil Guyana—have argued that Guyana in fact collects more profit than the oil companies with interests in the Stabroek Block but it is the additional terms in the agreement where ExxonMobil really benefits.

This, according to Tom Mitro, a former director of the University of Houston's Global Energy, Development and Sustainability program, and former Chevron executive with decades of ex p er ien ce n eg o tiatin g international contracts. He argues that the country is

losing primarily through the deductions being made by the operator and not necessarily in the profit sharing aspect of the deal.

His views were recently shared in a Forbes Magazine Energy report captioned “As Guyana's Oil Business Booms, Could A Potential New Deal With Exxon Loom?”

In that publication, Mitro highlighted that it was the many other negotiable clauses in the contract, they were established in favor of Exxon – an approach that most of Guyana's peers have not agreed to.

He cited as example, that

- Intl Expert

University of Houston Instructor, Tom Mitro one such provision allows Exxon to recover all interest on loans borrowed to fund the development of related oil projects. In practice,

Bartica girl found with ganja in school A female Form One student of a Bartica Secondary School was on Wednesday found with 2 zip lock bags of marijuana stashed in her socks.

Police learnt that the school's head mistress had received information that Form One students had marijuana in class. The woman then decided to search the students and found the drugs in the 12-year-old girl's socks. When questioned, the child related that she had gotten the drugs from her classmate.

The student added that classmate had stolen the drugs from her father and brought it to school.

Police have since contacted the father and he has admitted that indeed the drug was his because he smokes it.

They were subsequently released from custody and were advised to return on Thursday to be taken to the Child Care and Protection Agency for further investigation into the matter.

Mitro said, this means that the operator and its partners are able to charge Guyana for the cost of borrowing from their affiliates with no limits.

“Contracts typically have cost recovery mechanisms, but usually with limits,” Mitro said, explaining that without written limits, companies can abuse the amount of borrowing they do within the conglomerate.

Another provision of the 2016 Production Sharing Agreement (PSA) highlighted by Mitro, allows ExxonMobil Guyana to not have to pay any income tax on their profit share, and that the government will provide a receipt that can be used for tax deduction purposes elsewhere.

Additionally, it was noted that there is a clause that allows Exxon the right to get cost recovery oil right from the beginning, to cover the future decommissioning and abandonment of the project at its end.

These costs will not be actually incurred for several years.

This publication last week had reported that already, for 2020 and 2021, ExxonMobil and its partners, Hess Corporation and CNOOC Group, have

r ecovered a whopping U S $ 3 5 5 . 7 M f o r decommissioning costs which would be incurred in another 18 years for the Liza Phase One Project.

According to Mitro, “In this case, the government is giving Exxon something of value – oil – to cover Exxon's future costs.”

According to the international expert “it is unusual to pay upfront for a future expense because of the recognized time value of money.”

He, in the article, posted that Exxon's experience and deeper knowledge of contracts likely strengthened their negotiating position, while on Guyana's side, domestic politics also played a role in the deal cut since the negotiations came just before a contentious election, and the promised revenue was advertised as offering a better future for Guyana.

Additionally, it was noted that “it also came right before Exxon publicly announced that results from a second exploratory well indicated that Exxon would recover more than twice the amount of oil it had originally expected.”

In retrospect, he

suggested the biggest challenge for Guyana is the extremely short time frame for its transition itself from a non-oil producer to one with reserves rivalling Mexico or Angola. And to be fair, it has been Exxon's vision which has led this change, with its 2015 discovery of Guyana's oil and its subsequent investment in bringing that oil to market.

The current contract was negotiated in 2016 and takes most of the terms of a 1999 agreement, signed by then President, the Late Janet Jagan.

It splits the oil output at 50-50 between the government and Exxon, and gives Guyana a two percent royalty (the 1999 agreement had a One percent royalty), after first deducting up to 75 percent of gross production as cost oil for recoverable expenses such as exploration and production costs, among others.

This publication yesterday reported too, that one such cost being recovered was the two percent royalty being paid by ExxonMobil to Guyana since it was, under Guyana's Laws, considered a tax deductible expense.

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Friday June 24, 2022

Kaieteur News

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

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

EDITORIAL

From royalty runaround to royalty rhumba Guyanas Vice President, Bharrat Jagdeo, is having a wonderful time with the issue of royalties on this countrys oil. The question is whether ExxonMobil is cheating Guyanese of their paltry royalty percentage, while leaders sleep the sleep of the unconcerned. While the issue rages, Dr. Jagdeo has been leading this country on a real dance, with fancier moves daily. The reality is that we have proceeded from a royalty runaround to a royalty rhumba.

We now examine his slick moves now tripping him up.

In his last Tuesday press conference, this is what Dr. Jagdeo was clear on the royalty issue” “I can say definitively…royalty is not cost deductible, but…are GRA tax deductible but they dont come out of the cost bank so the contractor has to pay its share.”Studying this answer, it is clear that Dr. Jagdeo has failed aspirations with the English Language, and practices the identical word games that his learned colleague, Dr. Roger Luncheon, transformed into a local art form.

All along, the inquiries and exchanges were about whether the royalties were part of Exxons cost that could be recoverable. Somehow, Dr. Jagdeo saw it fit to attempt to pull the wool over Guyanese eyes by speaking of this creature called “deductible. It is how he deceives the naïve and gullible, and gets away with such longstanding practices. Clearly, foreign spin doctors are guiding him on how to trick citizens with his word games. But that aside, the Vice President is on record as saying that “royalty is not cost deductible.”

Now we are scrutinizing Exxons Guyana subsidiary (EEPGL) Profit and Loss statement for 2020-2021, and there it is in black and white. The seventh line under “Expenditures” identifies “Royalties” as part of the total of that heading. However described, expenditures represent what was spent, hence it is an expense, meaning, a cost. Twist or turn, royalty is there in EEPGLs Profit and Loss statement for 2020-21, and contributing to its “Total Operating Expenditures (line 8)”, which reduces oil revenues to profit (or loss) before taxes. So, let us tell this nation where this leaves everybody. The profit is lower because of royalty deduction, which impacts our share of that same profit. Exxons own P&L statement confirms that royalty is listed as an expense/cost, and that it subtracts from the oil revenues recorded, making for a reduced profit number by the equivalent of royalty amount deducted.

For the Hon. Vice president, therefore, to attest that “royalty is not cost deductible” is his handing out a six and labeling it a nine, which is now part of his ever-growing bag of tricks. Instead of making rings around Guyanese with this dance of his, he only digs a deeper hole for himself.

He did also state on the record that royalty is “GRA tax deductible. “Essentially, Exxon is recovering what it gave as royalties under the tax deduction umbrella. It is taking it back using another route. In EEPGLs P&L statement, taxes are zero. Additionally, most Guyanese know by now that this country pays the entire bill for any taxes that Exxon owes; the company has real tax exempt status. In this context, royalty being “GRA tax deductible” means nothing, other than perfuming this smelly royalty story.

Moreover, Exxon is given a receipt by Guyana for taxes that may have been hypothetically due (using its P&L numbers), but which it didnt pay a dime. The farce and fraud continue with Exxon now well-positioned to present a receipt from Guyana to the United States tax collection agency (the IRS) and use it to lower its corporate taxes due in the US. The company gets a deduction for something that is of scheming and the imaginary. For Exxon, it is benefit (cost recovery/deductible) upon benefit (tax exemption) upon benefit (receipt for US tax purposes) from its Guyana operations. As for this country, it is tricked, cheated, robbed, where collections are concerned, even with the tiny royalty. Talk about Exxon robbing babies, widows and orphans, the disabled, and the vulnerable, and it is all happening here. The ugly irony is that Vice President Jagdeo is Exxons best ambassador and agent on royalty, and not even a secret one anymore.

Many things are not going right in Guyana DEAR EDITOR, Many things are not going right in Guyana. Under this current administration, little by little this county is sinking. Of course, many will not be able to see given the Government PR machinery creates daily facades that paint a bright Guyana.

Let’s start with the President. Despite having the privilege of having many advisors on conducting himself and looking President like. He continues to fail miserably. The hollering down style of him is unpresident like. While he thinks he is appearing as showing leadership and management, this is far from the truth. He tries to look leader like, yet I doubt, not even two terms can help him. He hollered down at a health official in Berbice, he hollered down at the pump man, he hollered down at GAWU head at the recent Enmore Martyres Day, not before hollering down on the simple lady at Bartica.

Of course GAWU representatives will not see or hear no wrong with the executive arm of government disrespecting their leader.

Nothing like two friends roughing each other. God

knows if that was another PR stunts. The PR of sitting on the stage floor, putting hands over shoulders, cooking fish is inadequate to refine the President’s image as caring man. His gesticalation style of presentation with unnecessary tone escalation, again doesn’t add up in the Presidential ambience.

His Vice President: Guyana has had enough of Mr Jagdeo. The truth is he did his part for this country and he deserves some rest. Some interview ago, he said in his retirement he would go relax, farm, and read books.

Well it’s time. Almost every time President Ali is gaining media traction, his Vice President is somewhere on an outreach or holding a press conference. Look at the embarrassment the VICE news article has caused this government. Will President Ali have the gut to ask his VP to take a back seat? Where is the Prime Minister? Is his role ceremonial like the previous Prime Minister? Why are we hearing of the Vice President more than the Prime Minister?

Almost every outreach shows the people are unhappy.

Guyanese are often seen as naive. A little handout here and there does the trick. It would appear that this is the

government’s long plan to fix Guyana. Drop a $50,000 or $100,000 as it sees fit without any consideration for long term prosperity. In this new handout era, Guyanese must not become blinded by the many sad realities that still obtain: bad roads, outdated public services, tiny house lots give away, poor wages, poor infrastructure, poor health care (persons still beg for money to go overseas for treatment), oil revenue disaster. Take a laugh. In this age, there was a long discussion whether $300USD should be the minimum wages while the upper echelons relax with their nice $7000USD. See why this is not One Guyana.

The problem is everyone knows the wrongs happening, sees the wrongs happening but fear is crippling them.

Everyone has to live or they say on the street ‘money got to mek’. The truth is citizens have settled that in this country whether under APNU+AFC or PPP/C, nothing good will come since they have settled with either giant in any case.

This is the first time in history this country has seen such fragmented opposition.

Clearly, this weak opposition is exactly what the PPP/C needs for its successful reign.

Mr. Norton needs to reshuffle his entire parliament team. He needs international guidance on management on crafting a new way forward. Accept 2020 lost, move on from there.

This living in denial is destroying the party. No need to address the AFC. It’s time that all the parties shed their individuality and come as one. Else Guyanese will always have the PPP/C in government, even if the votes turn out goes down to 20 percent.

There are two Guyanese who stand out for their activism namely Glenn Lall and GHK Lall.

Both men could have sit back and enjoy life, yet they dare to hold this government accountable. Mr Anand Persaud of Stabroek News stands as a giant for holding government accountable. Mr Freddie Kissoon has lost his objectivity somewhere and gives this government a free pass.

A wild government and weak opposition brings no good to Guyana. Guyanese cannot afford to be complacent. Yes, Guyana is a friends and families thing but be vigilant. Take the education, but still be smart. Stand up.

Yours truly, Fed up Guyanese

Vice News and the Vice President a nation searches DEAR EDITOR, Guyanas Vice President is always in the news, and usually not for inspiring developments. By itself, that says something; but, when he himself is the news thats another bag of worms. Regard for him plummets some more, if possible, given where he already is. It is my assessment.

All reasonable, principled Guyanese would love to give the Vice President a pass. I would. Regrettably, his leadership record doesnt settle well with me. Too much secrecy.

Too many dodges, drifts, deceptions. Still, he is entitled to fair consideration, notwithstanding self-destructive instincts.

Here I find myself struggling (again) as the circumstances surrounding the Su saga leaves much unanswered, and not to the Vice Presidents favour.

I know about his henchmen conducting state business smartly.

As examples, there is plenty of business available here, but you know how it is done…. And business opportunities are there for everyone, but the game is played a certain way… nobody is saying a word about pay to play, or

this is what it will cost to get this piece, this contract, this clearance. Cmon, we are too advanced for such crudities. Also, mention the Vice Presidents name, and whatever deal it is, it is done.

As I have written elsewhere, all of this could be absolutely innocent, but then again….this is clever, sophisticated, worldly Guyana, so lets not kid each other.

Then, take a look around as I have repeatedly urged, and examine the Palace Guard (not bodyguards) that the Vice President (and President) surround themselves with in public and private sectors. Look again at the characters from whom they take party donations, and what reeks of dark money, dirty money, and blood money.

Thats an open secret and lingering laff story locally.

Things should fall more easily into place, dots more quickly connected.

Next, overseas bigshots get more business done on the golf course than in the boardroom. It is reality. But I have a problem-a serious onewhen the business of the state is conducted in the home of the Vice President, and in this

sneaky, highly suspicious manner.

It just shouldnt be. Not when our national culture and individual and leadership character are so heavily laced with the dubious, and what have damaged us. I point to how hundred million dollars plus contracts are awarded to rookies and historical failures, and the temporary agitations that they provoke.

For the forgetful I remind them of how tightly the circle was around such deals as the Marriott and others of like kind. CLICO was another. Just recall what those have meant for Guyanese.

To put differently, the Vice President is nobodys fool, yet there he was fooling around in his residence with this unknown business player.

He is a player, and a magically recommended one, too. Just the appearance of the thing brings recoiling, maybe in more saintly places, but not here.

I add a saintlier man than the Vice President, perhaps; but he is more seasoned at how this game is played. I wonder what took hold of him

that he went to this length.

Must have been a real big deal.

In fairness, I have read of vindicated and feelings of being cleared and so forth.

For a different leader, I would be tempted; one with a more enlightening record of openness and in the up and up department, just maybe. But remember leaders who hasnt left a legacy of thievery, there is that other nuclear issue elections rigging. That sounds like banditry to me too. Interestingly, we work ourselves into towering rages, and dazzling claims of honesty and honour when elections are involved; yet those stop right there.

Suddenly, all the money plunders dont matter at all.

I now understand why we exist in this national cesspool.

My last word on this is that the self-defenses and self-justifications of political leaders are scorned, dismissed out of hand (even by their knowing own privately).

My standard is, live the life and not a finger can be pointed, not a voice raised.

Thats about all.

Sincerely, GHK Lall

Friday June 24, 2022

More Martyrs Overlooked DEAR EDITOR, It was Professor Clem Seecharan in his well researched book titled Sweetening Bitter Sugar who wrote as follows: “Jagans own Partys newspaper was not charitable either: When he agreed to the imposition, Mirror had asked caustically: Why this admission of Guianese inferiority, and why the supine and humiliating acceptance of white supremacy, and acknowledgement of a master race?... We hope that all is not irretrievably lost. And that out of this ignominious moral capitulation may yet be carved splendid victory.” When the Sandys decision was delivered, the paper sought solace in philosophical reflections, which they commended to an innocent Jagan: “In this hour of travail he must find the balm of consolation in the philosophical sayings and practical maxims which, through the centuries, have served to stimulate mans interest for good… Sweet are the uses of adversity; I am the master of my faith, I am the captain of my soul; A mans reach must exceed his grasp, or whats a heaven for?; and The menace of the years finds, and shall find me unafraid.”

The author was referring to when PPP leader Dr. Cheddi Jagan returned from the failed Lancaster House talks in London, in 1964, when his opposite number Forbes Burnham, won the case for Proportional Representation as the basis of voting for General Elections upcoming later that year. It was reported that the decision resulted from Jagan offering the Colonial Secretary Duncan Sandys, to make the decision for the contesting parties.

The Partys followers, in frustration, rampaged throughout the sugar indus-

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try with a prolonged strike and series of fires.

The strike was called as the first confrontation. Incidents followed, perhaps the most celebrated of which in the earliest days was the death of Kowsillia, a weeder over-run (whether by accident or design was hotly debated), by a non-striking tractor driver at Leonora Estate. Her death was hailed as one of martyrdom.

As events escalated, the behaviour of sugar workers varied from estate to estate, to the extent that kindred nonstrikers were besieged by their striking counterparts. Houses of dissenting union members on some locations were soon set on fire. But from as early as February that year, sugar estates had become vast nightly bonfires, and senior personnel, including me, were required to fight cane-fires which lit up the sky along the coast.

Releases from the British Guiana Sugar Producers Association, recorded the following destruction by arson and sabotage on its sugar estates: 16th Feb. - $70,000 worth of sugar from the Berbice and Demerara Estates lost through arson 24th Feb. Arson to three Sugar Estates (104 acres) total damage nearly $1m 26th Mar. 190 acres of cane valued more than $200,000 burnt on Berbice Estates 6th April 279 acres of cane on the East Coast burnt, valued $153,000 8th April 92 acres of cane burnt on the East Coast 2,000 acres approximately burnt since sugar dispute began 57 days ago, losses being $2.5m 17th July Arsonists burnt $25m cane at Enterprise 26th July GAWU called off strike Realising the counter-productive nature of attacking

their own, the ire and fire of the strikers turned onto the identifiable non-sympathisers in the communities the AfroGuianese sugar workers.

Blairmont Estate was the next significant cauldron of this explosive activity. There was such a spate of reciprocal arson that the perpetrators when found, charged and taken before the local Magistrate, the latter, quite sanely in the circumstances, only inflicted fines as penalty, realising the futility of a situation out of control.

The records would have shown that one physically large personality out of Ithaca, the village closest to Blairmont Estate, whose authentic name was Hosannah, was attacked one night by three Indo-Guyanese as, foolhardily, he traversed the exclusive Blairmont Extra Nuclear Housing Area, on his way to work as a fire-watchman.

He fought fiercely for his life. In the mêléehe fell into the roadside ditch, but the fatal blow intended for him caught one of his very assailants, whom he pulled over him as protection. The two others fled.

Hosannah was rescued by the timely arrival of the Rosignol Police Patrol, who found him unconscious, the result of another blow to his head by an unsympathetic female neighbour, whom he had asked for help, as he staggered from the scene of his near death.

He recovered consciousness in the New Amsterdam Hospital, some seventy-two hours after. It was sometime later that I recorded his recount of the incident in the hospital.

The deep gashes in his head gave evidence of the struggle. It was his sheer brute-strength that contributed to his surviving several

101 years of active legal Trade Unionism in Guyana DEAR EDITOR, This year, 2022 marks 101 years since the enactment on 18 June, 1921of the Trade Unions Act: Chapter 98:03 No. 17 of 1921. This first fundamental Trade Union Law provides for registration and regulation of trade unions, their rights, protection, obligations, the registration of rules, changes in rules, amalgamation, the rendering of financial accountability, audit of accounts, and the report of the Registrar of Trades Unions to the National Assembly. The main statutory provisions include: Trade Unions: Trade Unions are prohibited from carrying out business unless it is registered (Sections 1112) with the Registrar of Trade Unions in accordance with this Act. A trade union, not registered in accordance with this Act, shall be dissolved within three months of its formation, or be dissolved if the Registrar of Trade Unions refuses to register it for failure to meet the requirements of this Act (Section 24).

Any seven or more members of a trade union may, by subscribing their names to the rules of the union, register the union with the Registrar of Trade Unions (Section 15).

Protection of Trade Unions: In furtherance of a trade dispute within the context of this Act, trade unions are protected from criminal prosecution for conspiracy or otherwise. The purpose of any trade union shall not be unlawful so as to invalidate any agreement (Section 5).

This law protects trade unions

against action of tort and breach of contract or agreement or trust in pursuance of a trade dispute (Sections 7 and 8).

Property and Trustees: The Act provides for the property of the unions to be vested in trustees, (trustees cannot hold office in the same union), for legal actions by or against trustees, and limitation of responsibility of trustees (Section 16-21).

Financial Accountability: The Act also requires every treasurer or other officers to render to the trustees, the members of the union at a duly constituted meeting of the union, a just and true account of monies received and paid, funds remaining and all bonds and securities of the union.

The trustees are required to submit to the Auditor General for audit within fourteen days of the receipt of the account from the treasurer (Section 22).

This Trade Union Law further stipulates the requirements and conditions in relation to the registration of union rules, the registered office of the unions, withdrawal, or cancellation of certificate of registration, change of unions name, amalgamation of unions, registration of change of name and amalgamation, and dissolution of the union (Sections 25-33).

Annual Return and Registrars Reports: Section 35 of the Act imposes an obligation on every registered trade union to present to the Registrar a general statement of receipts, funds, effects, and expenditure before the 1st. of May in every year. The gen-

eral statement must show fully the assets and liabilities of the preceding year and must be prepared together with such information and in the manner stipulated in this Act. The Registrar of Trade Unions is required to lay before the National Assembly annual reports with respect to matters transacted by the Registrar in keeping with the requirements of the Trade Unions Act. (Section 36).

Pertinent questions, for public information, should be for those with statutory responsibilities the Registrar of Trade Unions; the Trade Unions, and their Officers; the Trustees of Trade Unions; the Auditor General; the National Assembly.

(Reference: The System of Industrial Relations in Guyana by Samuel J. Goolsarran, and published by the ILO) With thanks, Samuel J. Goolsarran

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Friday June 24, 2022

Kaieteur News

Guyana needs the Amaila Falls Hydropower Project DEAR EDITOR, The Amaila Falls Hydroelectric Power (AFHP) project has become a political football. There are gurus, “experts”, pressure groups, consultants, laymen and an assortment of others on the playing field. While kicking the football, they pontificate on the costs, the environmental effects, the need for more study, dry river no power, discrediting the consultants, sowing distrust, doubting every word that comes out from the mouths of the proponents (essentially, Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo), and so on.

Kicking the football around is more important than scoring a goal for the Guyanese public.

Countries that are signatories to The Paris Agreement reduction of carbon emissions by 45% by 2030 and reach net zero by 2050 - are scrambling to secure power sources to satisfy this agreement and grow their economies. Guyana is blessed with several clean, sustainable and renewable power sources. The Guyana Government has selected a matrix of solar, wind, gas and hydropower to grow the countrys economy and significantly lower power costs to the consumers. Each of the selected power sources has certain advantages and disad-

vantages. The energy and climate benefits from each source have to be examined for economic viability, environmental and social effects.

The key is to select a matrix that one or more of the power sources offset the disadvantages of one.

Solar and wind are intermittent power sources and the current costs for energy storage from these two sources are exorbitant. Neither of these power sources is reliable to guarantee base power demands. Gas, recently discovered offshore in Guyana, is not a very clean and not a renewable source but can serve as a transitional power source. Hydropower is the worlds largest source of clean, renewable and sustainable energy. The Paris Agreement and the war in Ukraine are impetus for new hydropower projects and increasing capacity on existing dams worldwide. China has been building thousands of new, mostly massive (e.g., Three Gorges), hydroelectric dams to fuel its growth. Similarly, countries in Asia, Africa and the Pacific are following suit. This article focuses on hydropower from the Amaila Falls to separate facts from fiction and to address some of the key technical concerns on the necessity for this energy source for Guyana.

Guyana is endowed with hydropower potential to meet all of its current and antici-

pated needs. The Guyana Energy Agency shows a list with over 300, yes over 300, studies on hydropower potential since 1946. The writer had the opportunity to work on one such study, the feasibility studies for power generation from the Tiboku Falls in the Mazaruni River conducted by Shawinigan Engineering Company Limited. By 2025, the total electric power demand in Guyana is estimated at 450 MW. The AFHP is designed to produce 165 MW. Hydropower is the only power source currently available to produce power on demand. In fact, several hydropower facilities in the world are dedicated to producing peak power. One such facility, for which the writer developed a daily operating profile to meet peak power demand and minimise downstream environmental negative impacts in California, Nevada, Arizona, Wyoming, New Mexico, and Nebraska, is the Glen Canyon Dam (total capacity 1,320 MW) in the Colorado River within Grand Canyon National Park.

AFHP can be operated to address shortfall in power generation from solar and wind, as a backup and as an on-demand power generation facility. AFHP is a low carbon, low cost, renewable energy source. The reservoir created is a water storage facility that can be used for agriculture, industries and recreation.

Using a Build Own Operate Transfer (BOOT) model, AFHP estimated construction cost is US$700 million and the estimated Guyana Government electric energy purchase cost is 7.7 cents per kW. The large estimated price tag, which is paid by the contractor in the BOOT model, has been a source of misinformation and disinformation.

Whether the construction cost rises to US$1B or drops to US$0.5B is the responsibility of the BOOT contractor, not the people of Guyana. It is quite likely that the actual cost of construction will be higher than US$700 million because the actual costs for all civil engineering projects, whether it is a house or a hy-

dropower dam, vary from estimated costs. A large portion of the costs in any civil engineering construction is subjected to the vagaries of nature (rainfall, floods, earthquakes, etc.), market fluctuations for labour, materials and equipment, social, health and political transgressions (e.g., strikes, pandemic, war).

The Guyana Government needs to ensure that the BOOT contractor has solid financial instruments, technical capacity and capability, enforceable contract terms, and must provide quality, incorruptible project management to oversee the project.

There are several social and environmental concerns with hydropower. However,

this is not unique to hydropower; each energy option including solar and wind has its own set of environmental issues. Thus, the decision on the source or sources of renewable, sustainable energy is complex.

Nevertheless, a decision has to be made in the best interest of the countrys sustainable, resilient development with environmental stewardship and efficient resource management. The Guyana Government current matrix of clean power sources is a step in the right direction.

Without hydropower, Guyana cannot have a reliable electric power grid.

Dr. Muniram Budhu Professor Emeritus

Zero tolerance for corruption?

DEAR EDITOR, The recent uproar involving His Excellency and Vices attempt to entrap him in a scandal is hypocritical at best. His Excellency has faithfully served our Nation for decades and if there is wrong doing, journalistic research and good investigative journalism would have exposed it by now.

The hand behind Vice’s attempt to tarnish one of our country’s Presidents must be exposed. For the opposition to call for His Excellency’s resignation without clear evidence of wrong doing, while leaders within the APNU +

AFC have not been held accountable for actions that have shown clearly the abuse of public office, brings into question the integrity of their parties.

Why are leaders of the opposition not purging their list of representatives of those who have been reported for taking bribes? Why haven’t they carried out a full investigation?

If there is a call for integrity, honesty and zero tolerance for corruption, then a good house cleaning must occur. No public official is above the law, and CRG fully

supports a zero-tolerance policy on corruption. If our Parliament is serious on this issue, then they must enable and empower the judicial system to carry out this work no matter who is involved. The judicial system must be independent and strong enough that not even His Excellency L.F.S. Burnham would be able to circumvent being held accountable for the abuse of public office.

Best regards, Mr. Jamil Changlee Chairman The Cooperative Republicans of Guyana

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BL TLUNT.. UNT...B BL Friday June 24, 2022

Kaieteur News

As if the lopsided contract Guyana signed with ExxonMobil is not bad enough, we are now hearing that the 2% royalty handed to us is being recovered by the oil company.

Mr. Raphael Trotman and those in the former government, who hailed the deal as a wonderful one, must be having sleepless nights, but then again many of our leaders' consciences have been seared with a hot iron.

Guyanese continue to starve, struggle, have to beg for aid to undergo emergency health operations and money that could have strengthened our healthcare facilities and put more money in the pockets of citizens have been thrown away through tax waivers, surrendering of our royalty and many more.

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PAGE 08

Friday June 24, 2022

Kaieteur News

Venezuelan gang plunders $24M in raw gold, cash at Eteringbang Workers of a 24-year-old Guyanese businessman were on Thursday held at gun point by a gang of heavilyarmed Venezuelans as they invaded his home and carted off some $24M worth in raw

gold and an undisclosed amount of cash.

The businessman was identified as Leon Sam a fuel dealer within the Eteringbang community.

According to police the

seven-man gang attacked around 03:30hrs. Sam was not around at the time of the robbery but his workers were there in a separate building from his home. Information received by Kaieteur News is

The businessman's landing. (GPF photo)

One of the broken locks. (GPF photo) that the gunmen pulled up in a boat at the businessman's landing and began their invasion.

Apart from sticking up his workers, they ripped off the locks from his doors and ransacked his house. Photos

A sectioned of the ransacked house. (GPF Photo) taken by police showed the businessman's belongings were scattered on the floor.

His closets and drawers were also ransacked. Police reported that no shots were fired and none of his workers was harmed.

Kaieteur News was told that the gunmen escaped in their boat heading down the Cuyuni River. However, it is suspected that the gang might have come from El Dorado, a Venezuelan town (Continued on page 9)

Over 200,000 children to benefit from $2.2B in cash grant next month The Ministry of Education (MOE) will commence this year's distribution of the 'Because We Care' cash grant and uniform vouchers next month, with over 200,000 children in public and private schools to benefit.

This was announced by the Minister of Education, Priya Manickchand who on Wednesday said that “at the end of July, every single child in school will receive $30,000 because we care.”

The 'Because We Care' initiative is a brainchild of the PPP/C government and back in 2015 it was discontinued by the APNU/AFC regime when it took up office.

The initiative which was reintroduced last year is aimed at improving students' attendance across all levels.

Senior Minister with the responsibility of Finance, Dr. Ashni Singh in presenting this year's budget had announced that the government will increase the uniform grant from $4,000 to $5,000 per child. This he said will place $200 million of disposable income in the homes of 200,150 children attending both public and private school.

Minister of Education, Priya Manickchand (Photo credit: MOE) As it relate to the 'Because We Care' cash grant, the minister said that this year the grant would increase from $15,000 to $25,000 per child and this will place an additional amount of $2 billion in the homes of the same 200,150 children.

Minister Manickchand who was speaking at the Georgetown Department of Education Regional Awards Ceremony for the year 2020/2021 on Wednesday said too, that text books will be given to every child at the

primary level as was done for children in Grades five and six.

“By September, all students in Grade Seven to 13 will receive the Mathematics, English and Literature textbooks they need. And over the next two years we will work to ensure every secondary school student has the textbooks they need,” Manickchand shared. In this year's education budget, the sum of $1.2 billion was earmarked to procure textbooks for school students.

Friday June 24, 2022

PAGE 9

Kaieteur News

The CCJ should be asked for an advisory opinion on Guyana’s Local Content Act Guyana passed into law a Local Content Act. Among the aims of the legislation was the prioritising of Guyanese nationals and companies in the procurement of goods and services for the petroleum sector.

The Act defines a Guyanese company as any company which is incorporated under the Companies Act and in which Guyanese nationals have majority beneficial ownership, and which employs at least 75% of Guyanese in executive and senior management positions and at least 90% of nationals in other positions.

The clear intention here is to exclude or limit nonnational companies from involvement in certain activities of the petroleum sector. The Act reserves minimum local content participation for certain subsectors. For example, 90% of accommodation, rental of office space and catering services are set aside for Guyanese nationals; 100% of ground transportation, insurance, customs brokerage

and accounting services are reserved for Guyanese; 95% of pest control and security services are similarly set aside for locals; and 75% of cargo management, trucking, industrial cleaning and marketing and advertising services must be provided by companies beneficially owned by Guyanese nationals.

The Act requires Guyanese companies to be registered with the Local Content Secretariat. If a local company is not registered, their operations will not be treated as that of a local company. This therefore will limit or exclude their participation in the petroleum sector since they will not be considered as a Guyanese company when measuring the targets for local content.

A controversy has erupted over the nonregistration of a logistics company which indicated that it had sold the majority of its shares to a local investor. Reports in the media point to sources which state that the company may not

have satisfied the other requirements relating to the holding of management positions by locals. The company denies this.

One report in an online media source also said that the non-registration may have been due, in part, to not proving the sources of the funds for the sale of its majority shares to the local investor. This is a red herring because the Local Content Act does not empower the Local Content Secretariat to enquire into or satisfy itself as to the source of funds for any sale of shares.

This issue has serious implications for businesses involved in the local petroleum sector. For one, it is respectfully submitted herein that the Local Content Act cannot be applied retroactively. That is, it can only relate to contracts signed after the passage of the Act on 29th December, 2021.

Any company, foreign or local, which had signed contracts for the supply of goods and services cannot be disqualified from fulfilling

Dem boys seh...

We gat we priorities wrong De Opposition waving placards calling fuh Jagdeo to go. Dem convicting de man in de court of public opinion without giving de man a hearing.

And all because de man friend now a former friend did mek some unsubstantiated allegations against he. But dem wah protesting fuhget something.

Dem fuhget dat de same man bin friend with some ah dem big boys in de Coalishun when it was in office. De susu man bin also tight with some ah dem now in de Opposition.

But dem nah asking fuh de contract which dem sign

fuh get investigate. Dem boys wan know why dem conveniently fuhget dat dem was also friend with de su-su man.

Dem boys notice how nuff people suddenly get militant about corruption.

But when de waterfall newspaper bin highlighting dese very issues, de same people, wah now find dem voice, bin silent as a lamb.

But dat is politics in Guyana. Is nat so much about principle as it is about partisanship!

Dem boys wan see both de guvament and de Opposition supporters protesting against de biggest

scandal in de history of de Caribbean: de give away of Guyana oil wealth. Dem boys nah see too much persons protesting or blogging against de oil deal. But dem seeing nuff comments and protest about unproven allegation.

Dat is Guyanese fuh yuh.

We gat we priorities mix up.

We would not have to worry about investment in hotel and casino if we bin get a good deal from dem oil company.

We sitting down and tekkin de pickpocket wah tekkin place.

But we raising placard about unproven allegation.

Talk half. Leff half.

Venezuelan gang plunders $24M in raw...

From page 8 located up the Cuyuni River.

Gangs from the neighbouring country have over the years been harassing Guyanese businessmen and miners who ply their trade in the area.

These gangs have even set up bases along the river on

Vene z u e l a ' s s h o r e a n d would frequently stop boats and demand that their owners pay them taxes in gold.

The Guyana Police Force (GPF) have in the past stated that it would normally conduct joint patrols

i n t h e river to protect Guyanese citizens from these gangs but to date there are still reports of robbery and harassment from the Venezuelan criminal groups commonly known in the Cuyuni district as the Guerrillas and the “Sindicatos”

those contracts. In other words, the measuring of local content targets can only be in relation to contracts signed after the passage of the Local Content Act. The benefits of those contracts are considered as property to the supply company. The Constitution of Guyana protects property. It insists that no one may be deprived of property without compensation. As such, so long as a firm had secured a contract for the supply of goods and services prior to the passage of the Local Content Act, that firm cannot be inhibited in fulfilling the terms of that contract, and certainly not by any action undertaken by the Local Content Secretariat.

Thirdly, it is respectfully

submitted that the Local Content Act is in violation of the Revised Treaty of Chaguaramas (RTC). Guyana is a signatory to the RTC and is bound by the treaty, Article 7 of which prohibits any member state of the Caribbean Community from discriminating against a regional firm on the grounds of nationality.

Guyana is well aware of this provision. It was taken to the CCJ twice for discrimination against regional firms in favour of local firms: first in relation to the importation of cement and second in relation to the discriminatory application of the environmental tax on imported beverages.

That company which has been denied registration

under the Local Content Act should pursue remedies on two limbs. First it should challenge the grounds for its non-registration by the Local Content Secretariat. And secondly, it should put an end to this discriminatory legislation by asking the CCJ for an advisory opinion as to whether the legislation is indeed in violation of the RTC. (The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of this newspaper.)

Kaieteur News

PAGE 10

Monday 02,24, 2022 FridayMay June 2022

THE FREDDIE KISSOON COLUMN

Taxi driver, MovieTowne road, anti-freeze coolant and ice-cream cake While walking with my dog, I lost the keys to my car on the Eve Leary beach one evening in last week. The police outfit next to the DPP office called a taxi to take me home. The urgency was for me to get home to Turkeyen quickly to get my spare and search the beach before the homeless guys spot the keys and pick it up.

Lady Luck was not on my side. The driver took the seawall road to the East Coast instead of Carifesta Avenue. I told him that was unwise since he won't be able to penetrate the jungle of vehicles that block the seawall road after 5PM each day. It happened and I was agitated.

To see what happens on the seawall road east of the Eve Leary CID office each afternoon is really a sad

reflection of a country that is so large comparatively, so rich but so philosophically disheveled. My daughter decided to accompany me back to the beach to look for the keys. Time was of the essence.

The driver decided to take the Railway Embankment.

He said he will turn into the East Coast highway from Conversation Tree. I told him not to. The traffic signals take an awful long time and I need to get to the beach as soon as possible. I suggested to him to turn into MovieTowne Road onto the East Coast highway. The man said: “Mr. Kissoon I am not going on that road, it is stink.”

The stinkness of the MovieTowne Road and Guyana's acceptance of it is a sad indictment of the nationality named Guyanese.

Please see my columns of Friday, January 14, 2022, “Permanent nonsense of MovieTowne, temporary nonsense of the army” and Sunday, February 6, 2022, “Gem Madhoo Nascimento and Dr. Bassoodeo's brotherin-law.”

Those two columns are about the stinkness of the MovieTowne Road. What has happened is that the sewage chamber system that lies under the sprawling car park has a huge defect. The chambers lie on the extreme end of the western car park which is parallel to the road.

Dr. Bassoodeo's brotherin-law wrote the City Council because the house he is building faces Massey Supermarket and the man has to endure the stench daily. I believe the MovieTowne ownership told the City

Council and the central government that the repair work will be monumental and expensive and both arms of government have shown sympathy. The result is permanent stinkness.

What happens then is that from now until the next 50 years, Guyanese from all walks of life will mention the stench on MovieTowne road as a fact of life just as they mention the wildness of minibus drivers. In other words, the nastiness of that road becomes part of life in Guyana.

So what happens is that most drivers will tell you it will not affect them because they drive with their AC on and their windows up which brings us to the nature of Guyanese. Do you know not one person in authority in this country has possessed the commonsense to ban the importation of anti-freeze coolant for vehicles?

The use of anti-freeze coolant in a tropical country has no parallel in asininity in

the modern w o r l d .

Commonsense should tell any vehicle owner that coolant in a tropical Frederick Kissoon country does not need c ake will begin to melt. anti-freeze chemical in I end on a personal note. it. Anti-freeze coolant is to keep your radiator warm or When I was courting my future wife, we listened to hot when winter comes.

We don't have winter in Neil Diamond all the time.

Guyana so our vehicles in O n e o f o u r f a v o u r i t e Guyana should not use anti- Diamond tunes is perhaps his freeze coolant. Even on the m o s t p h i l o s o p h i c a l coldest day in Guyana when composition that no recent it rains the entire day, the song can match in the layout c o u n t r y s t i l l h a s a of the lyrics. It is titled, “I've temperature that keeps your been this way before.”

Here are some lines from vehicle's radiator warm. But drivers buy it all the time. the song; Listen to it and try Anti-freeze coolant is what to be released and be most drivers buy in this regained.

“Some people, they never country. t h e l i g h t This is just a tragic nation s e e despite its immense wealth. Until the day they die But I've been released In tropical Guyana, people b u y i c e - c r e a m c a k e . And I've been regained” (The views expressed in Supermarkets actually sell ice-cream cake in tropical this article are those of the Guyana. If you buy an ice- author and do not necessarily cream cake and put your AC reflect the opinions of this on and drive for one mile, that newspaper.)

Friday June 24, 2022

Kaieteur News

PAGE 11

PAGE 12

Friday June 24, 2022

Kaieteur News

$351.3M to upgrade Hubu Access Road T

he Hubu Access Road which has been in a state of disrepair for years is currently being upgraded to an asphaltic surface to the

tune of $351,306,585.

Bids for the project which were opened in February at the National Procurement and Tender Administration Board office

saw a total of 22 contractors vying to do the job. But at the end of the bidding process it was Platinum Investment and Avinash Contracting & Scrap Metal Inc. that were

awarded the contracts. The project which is being undertaken by the Ministry of Public Works is divided into two lots, and according to their engineer, Lot one was estimated to cost some $220,866,870 and Lot two was estimated at $130,027,307.

Platinum was awarded the contract for Lot 1, while Avinash Contracting is completing Lot 2. Works which began about a month ago is currently being done simultaneously by the contractors and will run for six months.

The present state of the East Bank of Essequibo road was previously highlighted by a resident who wrote a letter in this publication earlier in the year, calling for President, Irfaan Ali to intervene in addressing the issue.

Robin Salim, the affected resident, noted in his letter that the main road from the Parika junction leading all the way to St. Lawrence,

The deplorable state the Hubu Main Access Road East Bank Essequibo is in a deplorable state for some time now. “Road users, especially motorists are frustrated at the present condition.

In some areas, the vehicles look as if they are going down in a trench.

Many persons have complained that their vehicles have been badly damaged while navigating

the huge potholes.

Pedestrians are also forced to walk in the mud and huge potholes to avoid being in the path of the oncoming traffic,” Salim described in his letter.

Kaieteur News was informed that during last year, some sectional repairs were done on this stretch of road but due to heavy (Continued on page 22)

Guyanese travelers face setbacks as passport office's supply shipment delayed Many citizens are now forced to reschedule travel plans and cancel appointments overseas after the Guyana Police Force's Central Immigration and Passport Office announced on Thursday that its shipment of materials for passports has been delayed due to disruptions in the global supply chain.

The Passport Office in a release stated, “The COVID-19 Pandemic and other recent world events have caused the disruption of countless supply chains.

The delayed shipment of materials is expected here in late August after which normalcy will prevail”.

This delay is proving to be a major setback for persons awaiting passports so that they can travel overseas to conduct business before summer holidays. One of these individuals, Nicola Stephen had applied for a passport and was promised that she will receive it in two weeks. Believing in the promise, the woman booked a trip for

Suriname and was expecting to return to Guyana for the August Holidays.

Before leaving to uplift her passport, she gave the office a call only to be told that she will have to wait until August because it is currently out of supplies. The woman had to cancel her booking but is a bit disappointed because she had to cancel the overseas appointment she made and is unsure if she could arrange again for August.

It was the same story for many others who had applied for passports to conduct business before the August holidays.

As the passport office awaits supplies, it assured the public that passport and other immigration document services will continue and that it is attempting to do so within the normal time frame of five working days.

While the delay is inevitable, the Central Immigration and Passport Office said it remains unwavering in its commitment to work assiduously to ensure that things are back to normal in the shortest possible time.

The Central Immigration and Passport Office.

Kaieteur News

Friday June 24, 2022

PAGE 13

Private sector backs nixing of Ramps Logistics ...company says 400 jobs at risk over non approval of Local Content certificate T

By Zena Henry

he private sector has backed the decision by the Local Content Secretariat to withhold approval of a local content certificate to Ramps Logistics Guyana.

However, the company said the decision has put some 400 jobs at risk and also, has the potential to significantly slow down the pace of business regarding oil and gas support.

Ramps Logistics is also seeking clarity as to why it was denied its local content certificate which it applied for since April last. During a news conference on Thursday at the company's New Market Street location, Shaun Rampersaud, company Chairman, expressed deep concern and hurt that the company was issued with a mere automated email to say that it was denied the local content certificate, after some nine

years of business in the country, and the employment of more than 400 persons t h u s f a r .

Ramps is desperately seeking a response from the Local Content Secretariat as to what caused the denial since this move would prevent the company to legally provide its logistics services to the oil and gas sector. The denial is a huge blow to the support agency since its services and experiences peak within the energy sector. Ramps would have provided the press reporters with all the information it said it provided to the Secretariat in its application. In its bid to be transparent, the company provided information before and after its divestment.

In meeting the Local Content criteria, Ramps said that four main areas are looked at; these are: the company must be registered in Guyana; it must have 90 percent Guyanese

Shaun Rampersaud Ramps Logistics Guyana CEO

Deepak Lall owns 51% of Ramps Logistics (News Day photo) employees; 75 percent management team and 51 percent Guyanese owned.

The chairman said that the company believes that it met all the requirements and provided figures to show that about 398 Ramps employees are Guyanese and that on its Board of Directors and

140 new COVID-19 cases recorded in Guyana Continuing to record an increase in COVID-19 cases across Guyana, the Ministry of Health on Thursday reported that within the last 24 hour period, they have recorded a total of 140 cases from some 1,263 test conducted.

The new infections which now bring the total number of confirmed cases to 66,835 were detected in Region Six which recorded 62 new cases, Region Four which recorded 51 cases, R e g i o n Tw o w h i c h recorded nine cases, Region Three which recorded six cases, Region One which recorded five cases, Region 10 which recorded four cases, and Regions Five, Seven and Nine which recorded one each.

The Ministry via its dashboard revealed that two patients are in the COVID-19 Intensive Care Unit, 16 are in institutional isolation and 830 persons are in home isolation.

Additionally, within the last 24hours, a total of 147 persons have recovered from the virus.

Following the recent spike in cases from since May, approximately 21

people have lost their live as a result of the virus between then and now.

Majority of the deaths were recorded in Regions Four and Six which recorded eight deaths each. Out of the 21 persons that died,

11persons were women and 10 were men. Among the fatalities too, two infants, a three-month-old baby girl and a six-month-old baby boy had died.

Some of the deaths were persons who would have

Management team, only two persons respectively, were not Guyanese. As it relates to the company being 51 percent Guyanese owned, the Ramps chairman showed that its current partner, Trinidad born Deepak Lall, has strong connections to Guyana through his family, in particular, his father and grandfather, who were born here in Guyana and his grandfather being a prominent businessman within the British Guiana era. Lall's grandfather was said to have businesses in various industries including ship making, transportation but most importantly the energy sector having owned Lall's (Esso) service centre in Vreed-en-Hoop. The Lall family was said to have had a long history within the energy sector with Deepak himself pursing education in E n g i n e e r i n g .

To d a y, Q u a l i t e c h Engineering in Trinidad, where Deepak Lall is the Managing Director, is one of the leading engineering firms in the region. Given this background, Rampersaud said Ramps decided to go with this investor since the company wanted someone that would not only add value to the company, but to Guyana as well. Lall purchased 51 percent of Ramps Logistics (Guyana) for US$1M and became majority holder of the company receiving shares equal to that of the R a m p s o w n e r s .

With all this done, the company said it is still in the dark as to where it went wrong with the local content certificate. The company said several attempts were made to get information from the Secretariat about the denial including a

lawyer's letter seeking clarification, but no avenue proved fruitful.

Employment threatened The company said that the denial of a Local Content Certificate will negatively affect the company and ultimately threaten Guyanese employees' livelihood. “The Local Content Secretariat is entirely within its right to refuse entry to any company seeking registration according to the legislation.

However, we ask that reason be given for this denial so that companies can take the necessary steps to become compliant.” Ramps has indicated that concerns have been raised about companies using locals to quickly access local content and thus questioned whether Lall, despite his Guyanese connection was adequate to satisfy what constitutes local content. When asked, Rampersaud said that Lall is a Guyanese national having received his Guyanese p a s s p o r t l a s t y e a r.

Rampersaud, replied that he does not believe that Lall got his Guyanese passport conveniently to facilitate his business here, although it was his first time receiving the local travel document.

Rampersaud said instead what was looked at was the value the gentleman brought to Guyana and the fact that it was a big opportunity for the Trinidadian to invest in his roots.With approval coming from the Natural Resource Ministry regarding the company's local content annual plan, the Ramps boss used this document to answer questions about the company allegedly bundling p a r t i c u l a r l y, l o g i s t i c s services contracts and getting more work out of the

sector than they should. He said the annual plan shows the company's procurement information among others.

Outside of this the local private sector in a public missive spoke about foreign companies finding various avenues to include Guyanese in their businesses so their companies could be able to work here. The Private Sector Commission made the statement that bundling the services was denying Guyanese companies from accessing work.

Meanwhile, yesterday a senior private sector executive told the newspaper that the private sector has fought long and hard for the local content law and the secretariat to ensure that Guyanese are reaping most of the benefits. On the Ramps matter, he said that there is local content legislation and all companies must follow same. When asked about the Trinidadian with Guyanese heritage being used as the 51 percent owner, he said that the secretariat has the task of looking at all loopholes and ways that companies may try to get around the system and that they determine whether it could work or not.

Another very senior private sector executive also agreed that the Local content Secretariat is charged with vetting these companies who say they are local content; and given what is taking place, he believes the Secretariat is doing its job in vetting these companies. The executive noted also, that Ramps is not the only company denied the local content certificate. Outside of this, Ramps, it was noted with its vast experience and technology has strong (Continued on page 22)

PAGE 14

Friday June 24, 2022

Kaieteur News

PNCR goes to court over President's non-appointment of CJ, Chancellor

A

court case has been filed in the High Court over the non-appointment of permanent holders to the office of Chief Justice (CJ) and Chancellor of the Judiciary.

The case brought by Vice Chairman of the People's

National Congress Reform (PNCR), Vinceroy Jordan seeks inter alia an order directed to the President through the Attorney General compelling the head of State to forthwith initiate the process contemplated by Article 127 of the Constitution to make

permanent appointments to the two offices.

As part of his application, the PNC/R Vice Chairman and Opposition Member of Parliament (MP) also seeks a declaration from the Court that the President has no valid reason not to initiate the process to appoint permanent

holders to the office of the Chief Justice and Chancellor.

He also wants the court to order the President to consult with the Opposition Leader on having permanently appointed judicial officers.

In a document to support his application, Jordan pointed to reports in which he said that the President, Irfaan Ali from the date of his appointment 2nd day of August, 2020 to the present time, has refused to initiate any process to appoint permanent office holders to the top judicial posts.

The applicant alluded to the list of excuses given by the President as basis of not initiating the process to appoint the persons. Among them, he noted that Ali had said that then Leader of the Opposition Joseph Harmon and the Opposition must recognise him and his Government as a legitimate Government before he consults with him on the appointment.

In addition, Jordan noted the Caribbean Court of Justice, through its presidents have repeatedly called for permanent appointments to be made to the offices of the Chancellor and Chief Justice of Guyana.

Further, the Opposition M P p o i n t e d t o correspondence between the President and the current

PNCR, Vinceroy Jordan Leader of the Opposition, Aubrey Norton.

He explained that based on the correspondence, Norton had expressed a readiness to see the process to appoint the Chief Justice and Chancellor initiated, but it was the President who has been holding off on the appointments.

Jordan noted that Norton had written to the President in May expressing his willingness to see the overdue appointment made a reality, but a letter from Minister of Governance and Parliamentary Affairs, Gail Teixeira was sent to stop the Opposition Leader in his tracks. According to Jordan,

the Opposition Leader had written several times to the President on the matter.

The applicant noted in response to one of Norton's letters Teixeira replying on behalf of the President stated “…It appears that you have misinterpreted your role as Leader of the Opposition with regards to constitutional appointments. It is the President who decides when he is ready to engage you as Leader of the Opposition with regards to any specific constitutional appointments and not the other way round. I wish to assure you that when the President is ready to address the appointments of the Chancellor and Chief Justice you will be engaged in accordance with the provisions of Article 127 of the Constitution.”

J o r d a n n o t e d nevertheless that Norton has been adamant on the importance and necessity of making permanent appointments to the offices of Chancellor and Chief Justice.

He [Norton] responded in kind by saying “I had indicated…I am committed to agreeing to the immediate appointment of Justices Yo n n e t t e C u m m i n g s Edwards and Roxanne George-Wiltshire as the Chancellor and Chief Justice respectively.“Your statement (Continued on page 22)

Former students give back to Bladen Hall Multilateral Former students of the Bladen Hall Multilateral School on Thursday donated a quantity of items to the East Coast Demerara learning institution, the Bladen Hall Old Students Association (BHOSA) said in a press release.

According to BHOSA the donations include: two cylinders of cooking gas for the school's Home Economics Department as well as fittings for the science department.

Additionally, the association donated two multi-link routers for the Headmistress' office and academic block; several zinc sheets and wood for the agriculture department and a pair of gold earrings as a prize for the upcoming school beauty pageant.Handing over (Continued on page 22)

Executive members of BHOSA handing over the items to the school .

Kaieteur News

Friday June 24, 2022

PAGE 15

Govt. forges ahead with gas-to-shore project ...Jagdeo says proposals for NGL, despite objections power plants to be in next month

B

y the end of July, t h e n i n e prequalified bidders for the Natural Gas fired power plant and the Natural Gas Liquids (NGL) plant are expected to submit their proposals to the Government of Guyana (GoG).

The gas-fired power plant and the NGL plant are part of the US-multibillion Gas-toEnergy (GTE) project. The GTE project will encompass three major aspects, that is, the pipeline to transport the gas to Wales, West Bank Demerara, the NGL facility that will treat and separate the gas and the power plant to generate the electricity. This publication had reported that Guyanese have been told that the pipeline aspect, which is being pursued by US oil major ExxonMobil's subsidiary—Esso Exploration and Production Guyana Limited (EEPGL), will cost around US$1.3 billion. Even this is expected to increase when Exxon closes critical contracts for same.

During one of his recent press conferences, Vice President (VP), Bharrat Jagdeo disclosed that the prequalified bidders have already received the Requests for Proposals (RFPs) for the power plant and the NGL facility. He said: “we're about to wrap up the negotiations for the gas-toenergy project. So, the Requests for Proposals have gone to the nine prequalified companies. By the end of July we will have the proposals from them. The nine prequalified companies.

That is to build the power plant and the NGL facility.”

It was VP who had disclosed that companies had been prequalified for the construction of the gas-fired power plant and the NGL plant components of the project. “A public process has been gone through. They have now pre-qualified, I think, nine companies to bid for the NGL facility and the gas power plant. We are working now, since the two have been combined because we believe that the synergy

will save us, and therefore, it required a bit more work at preparing the Request For Proposal,” Jagdeo had stated.

For his part, President Irfaan Ali, had said, “we will be creating the condition to supply to bring gas three times more than our national demand and we will be in a position to develop a whole range of other derived liquids that it can monetised.”

Notably, EEPGL has already submitted for approval its Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) report for the GTE project to the Environmental

Vice President (VP), Bharrat Jagdeo.

An artist's impression of a Natural Gas Plant (Photo credit: EEPGL).

Protection Agency (EPA) for approval.

As such, the public have a 60-day period to register any concerns it may have with any of the provisions contained in the threevolume EIA submitted to the EPA. This publication had reported that it was explained in the EIA that the project will use natural gas produced from the Liza One and Two

projects in the Stabroek Block, and transport that resource via offshore and onshore pipeline networks to a natural gas power plant.

Expounding further, EEPGL said the project will involve capturing associated gas produced from crude oil production operations on the Liza Phase 1 (Destiny) and Liza Phase 2 (Unity) (Continued on page 22)

PAGE 16

Kaieteur News

Friday June 24, 2022

Friday June 24, 2022

Kaieteur News

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Kaieteur News

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Guyana behind Russia, ahead of US for largest discovered volumes since 2015 - Rystad Energy A

Top 10 countries in terms of conventional discovered volume, 2015-2022

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s Russia takes the lead for the l a r g e s t discovered volumes of oil and gas resources since 2015, positioning at second is Guyana, which is followed by the United States of America (USA).

This is according to Rystad Energy, a Norwegian group- an independent energy research and business intelligence company providing data, tools, analytics and consultancy services to the global energy industry.

Guyana's position among the top 10 countries in terms of conventional discovered volume for the seven year period is owed to its richest oil field, the Stabroek Block.

Rystad Energy stated that the emerging hydrocarbons producer is “galloping ahead in 2022.” It was noted too, that the Stabroek Block is estimated to hold nearly 11 billion of barrels of equivalent of oil (beo).

The Norwegian group is estimating that a trio of quickfire discoveries unearthed by American oil giant, ExxonMobil and its partners on the prolific offshore

Stabroek Block, together hold about 500 million boe of recoverable resources.

In late April, the Barreleye, Lukanani and Patwa finds were announced, and earlier this year the Fangtooth and Lau Lau discoveries revealed on the same block, making it 26 discoveries in total for Exxon and its partners.

Notably, Rystad stated that the five finds mean more than 1 billion boe of fresh resources have been unearthed in Guyana already this year, pushing the estimated cumulative recoverable resource base at Stabroek to nearly 11 billion boe.

Furthermore, CGX Energy announced a significant upgrade at its Kawa-1 find on the offshore Corentyne Block, which is likely to help push the Guyana-Suriname Basin past a current resource estimate of 13.6 billion boe, with many prospects still lined up to be tapped.

The countries that fall below the US are Egypt, Mauritania, Mexico, China, Turkmenistan, Malaysia and Senegal.

School teacher with brain tumor needs $9.4M for life-saving surgery A school teacher- FaithAnn Branford who has been diagnosed with brain tumor is in desperate need for some $9.4M to undergo a lifesaving surgery in Trinidad and Tobago and her family is making a public appeal for assistance.

In a Gofundme appeal, relatives described the teacher as a single mother of two daughters, ages four and seven years old. She is a senior teacher in the Secondary School System in Guyana. Persons wishing to contribute can do so here. https://www.gofundme.com/ f/faith-Anns-medicalfundraiser?utm_source=face book&fbclid=IwAR16iNOs _x-7p5SO2XDKgurhmBTNZ8Vivdqd_ykFIGLc y_-wOhpZE5yXwU Pastor Orin Branford who made the appeal said that at

Faith-Ann Branford thirty-five, Faith has been a dedicated educator until March 2022, when, after several doctors' appointments and tests, she was diagnosed with a brain tumor (right cerebello-Pontine angle (Continued on page 22)

Kaieteur News

Friday June 24, 2022

Rwanda's vaccine factory can be emulated in Guyana to serve wider region - Pres. Ali

P

resident Irfaan Ali said that Guyana will be seeking to develop the framework and infrastructures to not only build a similar facility like BioNTech's mRNA vaccine factory in Kigali, but to encourage investors in medical research and development.

The Head of State made this pronouncement on Thursday at the launch of COVID-19 vaccine maker BioNTech's mRNA vaccine factory in Kigali, Rwanda's capital city, which will enable the African nation to jump-start its own manufacturing. "Of course, for Guyana, this is the direction we want to head in.

We want to be able to develop the framework and infrastructure to be able not only to build a similar facility in Guyana but to encourage investors in research and development in the medical field as a whole to come to Guyana as a medical hub, in developing vaccines and developing a treatment for malaria, etc."

To achieve this, the President noted, will require the "right" regulatory,

legislative and institutional framework and the support of countries like Rwanda and Ghana, who have already chartered the way. To this end, bilateral discussions on the way forward are already "on the agenda" with the two African nations.

"We can work with these countries in building our regulatory framework, our institutional framework, and developing the training facility that will ensure we have highly skilled and capable human resources to transition into this new field and to transition into this new area of developmental opportunity that we want to bring to Guyana."

President Ali recalled that the COVID-19 pandemic taught the importance of not only having access to vaccines but in ensuring that every region is vaccine secure. It also highlighted the great inequality in not only the manufacturing of vaccines and the pricing but also the distribution.

REGIONAL COLLABORATION The President disclosed that Guyana and Barbados

will be "aggressively" working together with the innovators, researchers, and developers in advancing this goal. "Well, Prime Minister Mottley and I had had some discussions already. And one of the things that we're looking to do is to have the regulators and the Attorney Generals for the countries look at our existing legal framework, look at our existing food and drugs administration, and to see how we can bridge the gap and then to take the model out of Rwanda and Ghana, to incorporate that model in advancing our legislative framework to build a foundation that this industry can be built on."

IMPORTANCE OF FACILITY Such a facility in Guyana, he emphasised, will benefit the entire Caribbean Region as well as South America and will provide access to many other vaccines utilising the technology.

"Well, it's not only Guyana; we are an important hub. We are part of the Caribbean; we are a part of (Continued on page 24)

Boat captain found dead in fuel tank died of suffocation ...autopsy reveals The family of Saigon Hopkinson is still calling for a thorough investigation into the circumstances surrounding his death despite the fact a post mortem revealed that he had died by suffocation.

The twenty-eight-year-old boat captain, who hails from Bartica, was found dead in the fuel tank of his boat, more than two weeks ago at Adventure on the Essequibo Coast.

According to reports reaching Kaieteur News, Saigon had left Bartica in a 75ft metal boat, destined for Adventure in a bid to purchase fuel. On the morning of June 6th, however, the man's body was found motionless in the fuel tank within the boat.

A subsequently conducted post mortem examination revealed that the now dead man died of suffocation. The man's sister, Jenesco Hopkinson, however, told Kaieteur News that her family is seeking a thorough investigation into the matter because there are marks on the man's abdomen, his forehead, and on his lower

Dead boat Captain, Saigon Hopkinson and upper arm.

The source of these marks she said, are still unexplainable. The woman told Kaieteur News that she is not convinced her brother went into the fuel tank, and died of suffocation. The woman added: “Is not now he working on the boat, he wouldn't just go down into the tank and suffocate himself. We are more convinced that they could've beaten he, and then put he into the tank.”

President Irfaan Ali is greeted by President of Rwanda, Paul Kagame

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Friday June 24, 2022

Kaieteur News

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Four in five children in Latin America, Caribbean will not be able to understand a simple text ...New World Bank-UNICEF report calls for urgent action to mitigate the learning crisis in wake of COVID-19 P A N A M A C I T Y / WA S H I N G T O N D.C., June 23, 2022 – Four in five sixth graders in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) are expected to lack b a s i c r e a d i n g comprehension proficiency, according to a report issued on Thursday by the World Bank and UNICEF, in collaboration with UNESCO. While the region was already in a learning crisis prior to the pandemic, this represents a substantial increase. This new and staggering estimate also suggests that two years of COVID-19 school closures in the region may have set learning outcomes back by more than a decade.

Emerging evidence from across LAC buttresses these estimates.

The new report 'Two Years After: Saving a Generation' underlines that these learning losses could cost today's students in the region a 12 percent decrease

in lifetime earnings.

Children in Latin America and the Caribbean experienced some of the longest and uninterrupted COVID-19 school closures in the world. On average, students in the region lost fully or partially, two thirds of all in-person school days since the start of the pandemic, with an estimated loss of 1.5 years of learning.

“Latin America and the Caribbean face an unprecedented education crisis, which could compromise our countries' future development,” said Carlos Felipe Jaramillo, World Bank Vice President for Latin America and the Caribbean. “The fact that a large majority of sixth graders may not be able to understand what they read, jeopardizes the future wellbeing of millions of children who have not developed critical foundational skills, which increases the risks to deepen the already longstanding inequities in the

region.”

Yo u n g e r a n d m o r e vulnerable children have been disproportionally affected by the learning losses, the latest evidence from across the region shows, setting the stage for increased inequality and a generational crisis. “Latin America and the Caribbean have already lost more than ten years of learning progress due to two years of COVID-19 school closures.

The education catastrophe is still going on, day after day,” said Jean Gough, UNICEF's Regional Director for Latin America and the Caribbean.

“While most schools have reopened across the region, we are seeing that far too many children are not back in the classroom full-time, and many of those who have returned are lost. In both cases, they are not learning.

Turning a blind eye to the most severe learning crisis ever faced by the region will hurt children now and all of us in the long run.”

Also released on Thursday, 'The State of Global Learning Poverty: 2022 Update' report, produced by the World Bank, UNESCO, UNICEF, FCDO, USAID, and BMGF, shows that in comparative terms, the education crisis in Latin America and the Caribbean places the region in the second worst place globally. Only sub-Saharan Africa shows a higher rate of learning poverty, with around 9 out of 10 students at the end of primary education unable to read and understand a simple text.

More worryingly, Latin America and the Caribbean show the steepest increase in this index since 2019, followed by South Asia.

According to the report, this was likely due to the length of the school closures in both regions.

Claudia Uribe, Director of OREALC/UNESCO Santiago highlighted the outcome of the III Regional Meeting of Ministers of

Education of Latin America and the Caribbean in which the urgency of prioritizing the recovery and transformation of education systems was expressed. "The recovery cannot mean going back to business as usual, it is necessary to prioritize education in the public agenda of our nations, guaranteeing its adequate financing in order to achieve the proposed objectives".

Given the gravity of the crisis 'Two Years After: Saving a Generation' urges governments to immediately focus policies on two essential strategies: returning to schooling and recovering lost learning. The first aims to complete the reopening of all schools in a sustainable manner, reenroll all students, and prevent dropouts. The learning recovery agenda must prioritize foundational reading and math skills, assessing learning levels, and implementing learning recovery strategies and

programs at scale.

Addressing psychosocial needs of students and teachers and digital gaps will also be necessary to tackle these challenges. The report includes four key actions to help put this generation back on track: Place the education recovery at the top of the public agenda; Reintegrate all the children that abandoned school and ensure they stay in it; Recover lost learning and ensure the socio-emotional well-being of children and Value, support, and train teachers.

T h e r e p o r t ' s recommendations echo the “Commitment to the Recovery and Protection of Learning in Latin America and the Caribbean” announced earlier this month jointly with the InterAmerican Dialogue, UNESCO, and UNICEF, and with the support of the Presidents of Argentina, Chile, Ecuador and Honduras.

Rich countries vote to raise more money by taxing says rich countries passing the buck carbon emitting goods to…Oxfam countries least responsible for climate crisis

W

ith Guyana and other poor oil producing nations being encouraged to step up to fill the slack left from Europe's fallout with Russia over its invasion of Ukraine, the country would now have to take into consideration an additional expense when selling its crude.

The European Parliament on Wednesday voted on its position to implement a carbon border tariff for companies exporting to the European Union (EU).

French Minister for Economic Affairs, Finance and Recovery Bruno Le Maire had said, that the agreement in the Council on the Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) is a victory for European climate policy, and that it provides a tool to speed up the decarbonisation of the industry, while protecting itself from companies with less ambitious climate goals.

In reforming the EU's Emissions Trading System (ETS), it promotes “a wellestablished scheme that sets a price for the greenhouse gas emissions released by the most energy-intensive

industries.”

Oxfam's EU Tax expert, Chiara Putaturo has noted however, that forcing the poorest countries to pay this tariff is unfair. He said that, “Europeans are responsible for double the carbon emissions as those in the poorest half of the world since 1990. This decision allows rich countries to pass the buck to those least responsible for the climate crisis.” Already, the Oxfam expert noted that, the failure of rich countries to meet their commitments for climate finance is costing countries tackling the climate crisis tens of billions of dollars. As such, the EU must increase climate finance funds if poor countries are going to bear the cost of the carbon tariff.

“EU countries must now accept the European Parliament's proposal and support a fair green transition that mandates the real polluters pay for the pollution,” Putaturo insisted.

It was related that the European Parliament's vote proposes to put CBAM revenue towards the EU's budget and increase climate finance funds for least developed countries (LDCs)

by the same amount as the CBAM revenues. The vote wants a quicker phase-out of ETS (EU Emission Trading System) free allowances, from 2027 to 2032 instead of the Commission's earlier proposal of 2026 to 2036; and there is no exemption for the poorest countries.

Oxfam recommended however, that these rich countries channel CBAM revenues into additional climate finance for poor countries as well as providing an exclusion or exemption period for LDCs, while it speeds up the phasing out of free allowances in the ETS market. Oxfam said that

in July 2021, the European Commission tabled the CBAM as part of its climate package. The proposal applies a tariff (buying a CBAM certificate) to companies from certain sectors importing into the EU. This tariff reflects the carbon emissions of their imported goods and applies only if countries have lower carbon pricing than Europe.

Least developed countries are not exempt from this tariff. The European Commission proposed that most revenue from the CBAM will go to the EU's budget to repay the recovery instrument Next Generation

EU. In March 2022, EU countries reached a general agreement on the CBAM. This agreement mirrored the European Commission's proposal.

Oxfam calculated however that between 1990 and 2015, the EU was collectively responsible for 15 percent of global cumulative consumption emissions while being home to just 7 percent of the world's population. The poorest 50 percent of the world's population, located mostly in poor countries, were responsible for just 7 percent of cumulative emissions.

In 2009, rich countries

pledged to increase climate finance for poorer countries to 100 billion dollars a year by 2020. At the Paris climate summit in 2015 (COP21), this goal was extended to last through to 2025. Rich countries failed to reach the promised level by 2020 and are now planning to reach it by 2023, meaning that climate vulnerable countries have missed out on several tens of billions of dollars originally promised to them.

Guyana is among several countries encouraged to benefit from the sanctions placed on Russia by making its crude available to cushion the oil shortage in Europe. In April, Guyana's crude made a rare trip to Europe, “potentially spurred by global market participants seeking alternative supplies to Russian oil.” Exxon had placed the Suezmax tanker Homeric to travel from Guyana to Europe on April 3, with a cargo of non-heated crude. Outside of this, it had been accepted globally that to keep the world within a safe temperature, rich countries must end oil and gas production by 2034, while poor countries must do so by 2050.

Kaieteur News

Friday June 24, 2022

PAGE 21

Exxon's contract on 2% - Chris royalty misleading as Ram Guyana bears the burden W i t h t h e revelation that Royalty being paid to Guyana by ExxonMobil Guyana is in fact being recouped by the US-based, operator of the Stabroek Block, it would be apposite to note that the country was warned about the misleading nature of the Production Sharing Agreement (PSA) at least three years ago by Chartered Accountant Christopher Ram. He had at the time—September 2019 even before ExxonMobil Guyana began production offshore Guyana warned that the PSA at Article 15.5 suggests that the payment of the royalty is by the contractor but “that is at best misleading.” Royalty, he argued “is not being paid by the contractor but, like any other expense, is borne by the Government as well as the Contractor.”

He had posited that because royalty is a deductible expense to arrive at profit oil, the Government bears half the cost of the two percent royalty.

Ram at the time had contended that the word “royalty” has a host of meanings but in the business or commercial sense it is used to refer to moneys paid for the sale or use of a capital asset owned by another.

He noted too, it is not uncommon to see the word used in relation to intellectual property, including artistic and literary works, and in the mining sector, it is used to describe the payment made to the owner of resources for the extraction of some natural resource whether renewable – such as timber, or nonrenewable, such as precious stones, bauxite, manganese or petroleum. Qualifying his position further with regards ownership of Guyana's oil, Ram pointed to the Petroleum (Production) Act and noted that on the enactment of the 1986 Petroleum Exploration and Production Act, it left two sections, including one that stipulates “The property in petroleum existing in its natural condition in strata in Guyana is hereby vested in the State, and the State shall have the exclusive right of searching for and getting such petroleum.”

The Late Janet Jagan under whose tenure the original agreement with ExxonMobil was signed.

On the matter of changing that aspect of the arrangement, the Chartered Accountant and Attorney at Law noted that at Article 32.1 it dictates. “After the signing of this Agreement and in conformance with Article 15, the Government shall not increase the economic burdens of Contractor under this Agreement by applying to this Agreement or the operations conducted thereunder any increase of or any new petroleum related fiscal obligation, including, but not limited to, any new taxes whatsoever, any new royalty, duties, fees, charges, value-added tax (VAT) or other imposts.”

According to Ram, “this is the inheritance which (Raphael) Trotman, (Carl) Greenidge and (David) Granger have bestowed on Guyana. What a shame! All that is left for them to do to complete their generosity is to waive the royalty as they are permitted to do under section 49 of the Petroleum Exploration and Production Act.” According to Ram, “the non-renewable petroleum resources belong to the State and anyone seeking to exploit it must pay a royalty for that right.”

This publication yesterday reported that confronted with the issue r e c e n t l y, J a g d e o t o l d reporters he did not want to venture a position he would have to walk back on in future and further, it should be a matter best dealt with by the technical people, namely the Guyana Revenue Authority and lawyers.

On Tuesday last, however, the Vice President

Tuesday, he said, “now I can answer definitively because I have talked, I have spoken (sic) to GRA on the tax side, so because the royalty is not cost deductible but it is GRA, based on our laws, are GRA tax deductible but they don't come out of the cost bank so the contractor has to pay from its share, the two percent royalty to the government.”

This means that the royalty is paid out of ExxonMobil Guyana's expenses—this much is corroborated in EEPGL's own financial statements

Raphael Trotman under whose tenure as Minister with responsibility for the sector, the 2016 PSA was inked. during an almost two-hour long press engagement, used the occasion to venture an answer, therein providing some clarity but in the process leaving more questions than answers. The question had previously been posed to the Vice President by this publication and on

which outline royalty being paid as an expense. Under the PSA, expenses are recovered by the company out of the 75 percent of oil produced that is set aside as 'cost oil' for which recoverable amounts are to be paid. The PSA, does not in any way spell out that royalty is not recoverable,

Chartered Accountant and Attorney-at-Law, Christopher Ram

which based on the provisions of the contract, EEPGL recovers its expenses that include the royalty paid t o G u y a n a .

Additionally, the taxes that are supposed to be paid to the GRA, calculated on the income on the oil operations are conversely lessened. This since, the amount of income on which the taxes are calculated on to be paid, is less, since EEPGL's royalty expense is in fact tax deductible.

As such, it would mean that ExxonMobil Guyana not only takes back the royalty it has been paying to Guyana but the amount calculated as owed to GRA lessened and inherently forgone to the oil companies operating the Stabroek Block.

Crescendo The crescendo on Tuesday regarding the nature

of the royalty payment comes on the heels of a barrage of uncertainty that had been expressed by senior leaders of government and the political opposition. These include, Jagdeo who, last week, three years after Guyana began producing oil, was unable to provide clarity saying instead, “I don't want to venture public positions that I may have to walk back on at some point in time so I will be a bit cautious on this,” he told the newspaper.

O p p o s i t i o n L e a d e r, Aubrey Norton was also asked to weigh in on the state of affairs this past week and he too was unable to provide a definitive response.

According to Norton when asked, “If it is royalty, it cannot be recoverable,” and was adamant, the Stabroek block PSA doesn't make royalty recoverable. Former (Continued on page 22)

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Friday June 24, 2022

Kaieteur News

Former students give back to Bladen Hall Multilateral...

LAND FOR SALE LFS in Sheriff & Campbell v i l l e . Te l : 6 5 6 - 1 0 3 3 .

From page 14 the items to the school's principal were: President of BHOSA: Colonel Raul Jerrick, Treasurer, Mrs. Pamela Lashley, Public Relations Officer, Mr. Randy Mingo and

executive member, Mrs. Fiano Wilburg.

Headteacher, Mrs. Simone Daly, teachers and a pageant contestant were also present at the simple ceremony, the release added.

Meanwhile, BHOSA said it is currently preparing for its reunion billed for 27th August 2022.

Dubbed 'A Night of Elegance' the reunion will take the form of a dinner to

be held in the school's auditorium. Tickets for the reunion is priced at GYD $5000.

All proceeds will go towards the school, organisers have assured.

PNCR goes to court over President's non-appointment of...

VEHICLE FOR SALE One Honda CRV,fully loaded PROPERTY FOR immaculate condition, low SALE mileage 3.3M negotiable & 1 new super custom Hiace Prime Business Spot. ConBus 2.5M .Contact:649-0956. tact:683-3088 between the hours of 8:30-5:00pm Mond a y - F r i d a y .

From page 14 that the President is not prepared at this time to engage in consultations on this matter of supreme Constitutional importance, comes over as a gross dereliction of his

Constitutional duty and a clear indication that he is nonresponsive to the concerns of Civil Society and the people of Guyana. I once again urge that consultations which will result in the con-

firmation of the Chancellor (ag) and Chief Justice (ag) be placed on the agenda in this round of consultations,” the Opposition Leader had stated in his reply letter. In light of the ongoing disagreement

between the two political leaders of the appointment of permanent holder to the two top offices, Jordan said it is now essential that the Court makes a pronouncement on the matter.

School teacher with brain tumor needs $9.4M for...

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From page 18 tumor), causing significant brainstem compression.

“From March to present, there has been significant deterioration of her condition, including decreased eyesight and loss of some mobility which has led to her discontinuation of work as an edu-

cator. Currently she is unable to care for her children and has been receiving help from family and friends to meet daily basic necessities; including but not limited to personal care and household chores,” Pastor Branford noted.

He said the young woman has limited income; and the

resources we had are now depleted due to the ongoing medical expenses. There is no medical facility in Guyana that is adequately equipped to perform the necessary surgery needed to remove the tumor. As a result, she is being referred to the island of Trinidad for the necessary treatment/surgery. Estimated

medical expenses and related costs: US$45,000. (GYD$ 9,410,137) “It is in consideration of the foregoing that we present the urgency of this mercy aide. Please accept our gratitude in anticipation of your prayers and generous support/donation. May the blessings of Almighty God be with you and your families,” Pastor Branford noted.

Private sector backs nixing of Ramps...

VACANCY Maid to cook and clean for East Bank area.Call:615-9132.

Experienced driver.Apply in person Wieting & Richter, Water St Georgetown.

Female Cleaner for office.

C a l l : 6 4 2 - 9 8 2 3 .

One clerk for TSI Eccles office English & Math, grade 1 or 2.Call:615-9132 or email application to techserigy@ y a h o o . c o m Farm workers,maintenance/ semi-skilled,workers & labourers at P.S.G.C.S. Contact:621-6969/615-615-7784.

Pitmen for interior location.

Applicants must be experie nced.Call:231-2250.

1 Bartender, Chef,Waiter, Securtiy at Hibiscus Restaurant situated at 91 Middle St North Cummings lodge G/ To w n . Te l : 2 3 1 - 5 8 5 7 .

Minibus & Taxi drivers.

Tel:225-3234/628-1183.

Driver must be able to assist in workshop at Eccles,age 23-50 car/van licence.

Call:642-9823.

Kitchen/Counter staff at J & I Sweet Fingers Providence E . B . D . Te l : 6 1 6 - 3 4 9 2 .

Experienced Cosmetologist/ Barber/Estheticians/Nails etc for full spa required at Nalini's Hair Salon 649-5005.

1 security guard requirement: work with dogs,valid police clearance.Contact:225-5818 whatsapp624-9505.

Experienced cashier and counter person.Apply @ Shanta’s 225 Camp & New M a r k e t S t .

Maid.Call:637-6700.

From page 13 operations in logistics and as such, oil companies may bundle broad logistics services and that one company would be providing all the logistics services, essentially denying Guyanese a slice of the pie.

The Guyana Agriculture a n d G e n e r a l Wo r k e r s Union (GAWU) which offers its services to oil and gas workers, said in an invited comment, that among the complaints they have received about Ramps is “Trinidadians getting pri-

ority over Guyanese.” And one vivid area was that workers were hired and placed to do the same work as Trinidadians but the foreigners were being paid more and benefiting more than locals who did the same tasks.

$351.3M to upgrade Hubu Access...

From page 12 vehicles and machinery which would use the roadway it deteriorated.

The Hubu Main Access Road is the only road which gives residents in

that community access to and from Parika and would also be used by logging trucks and farmers.

The Public Works Ministry, which received the largest share of Budget 2022,

would be spending $3.4 billion for hinterland roads and another $15.2 billion for the construction and rehabilitation of urban and community roads across the country.

Exxon's contract on 2% royalty...

From page 11 Minister of Infrastructure, and current Shadow Oil and Gas Minister, David Patterson also told the Kaieteur News that the two percent, “is not supposed to be recoverable.” He was of the view based on his understanding of the PSA, Guyana's two percent royalty is not supposed to be recovered by the oil company.

Leader of the Alliance For

Change (AFC) and former Security Minister Khemraj Ramjattan, submits that during the Coalition government's handling of the PSA, there was no provision in the document for Exxon to reclaim the two percent royalty.

As such, he said he is “unaware” that the payment is recoverable. Ramjattan added too, that if the oil company is in fact reclaiming the

royalty, it “goes against the contract”, in his view.

Winston Jordan, who was Finance Minister under the last administration, had told the Kaieteur News, “absolutely not,” that the two percent royalty is not recoverable by the oil companies.

He even mentioned that the oil company itself has stated that the two percent royalty is coming out of its profit.

Govt. forges ahead with gas-to-shore...

From page 15 Floating, Production, Storage, and Offloading (FPSO) vessels, transporting approximately 50 million standard cubic feet per day of rich gas via a subsea pipeline and then to an onshore pipeline to a natural gas liquids (NGL) processing plant (NGL Plant), treating the gas to remove NGLs (i.e.,

propane, butane, and pentanes+) for sale to third parties, and ultimately delivering dry gas meeting government specifications for use at the power plant.

The combined offshore and onshore pipeline system is targeted to be ready to deliver rich gas by end of 2024, and the NGL Plant is targeted to be operational by mid-2025.

The GTE project has a planned life cycle of at least 25 years and is expected to employ up to 800 workers at peak during the Construction stage, approximately 40 full-time equivalents workers during the Operations stage, and approximately 50 workers during the Decommissioning stage.

Friday June 24, 2022

Kaieteur News

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Man who set couple on fire captured - to face murder charge Christian Joseph, called “Son Son” of Kitty, Georgetown, was on Thursday apprehended after being on the run for more than two weeks after setting a couple on fire.

Joseph and his girlfriend reportedly had a misunderstanding which led to her going over to the camp of the couple to seek help. The couple, Sheldon Harry, 22, of Parika, East Bank Essequibo, and 30-year-old girlfriend, Greici Mota was set on fire on Sunday June 5, 2022 at Puruni Landing, Mazaruni River, Region Seven.

Kaieteur News understands that Joseph followed his girlfriend over to the couples camp where he had threatened to hurt her and anyone else who intervened.

In fact, in a video seen by this publication, Joseph clad with a red and black jersey and black shorts armed with a cutlass confronting his girlfriend.

He said, “You left me alone with a f@#king broken heart right good. You feel he could f@#king represent you that deh deh right. You feel he could represent you, you feel he could do everything right.

Alright good. Good, good, good, good.”

In the other vide he can be heard saying, “Them is spanish, we is Guyanese. I do what I gah do. I waiting on any the f @#king police to come… I gah go for some more rum, yall gon see, yall gon see. You make your own demon, you mek your own demon come in me…trust me…wuh I telling you you mudda sk#nt gah feel pain, pain you gah feel, pain and whoever wan come in and include with you and feel they can represent you, them mudda sk#nt gah feel pain to.

That I want you know.”

Following the argument with Harry and his girlfriend, Joseph can also be seen in another video running the

Snippets from the videos.

Injured, Greici Mota.

Dead, Sheldon Harry.

Captured: Christian Joseph.

couple with a red bucket of gasoline and a stick on fire. It is allege that he throw the gasoline on the couple and then set them afire.

A relative for Harry made a post on her Facebook post in which she stated: “My cousin was burned second and third degree 80% of his body!!!Just because he was trying to defend a friend of his wife who was being harassed by what clearly sound like her ex-lover. The girl leave

and went over to my cousin camp for help. My cousin did nothing wrong he was just trying to do the right thing and stand up for a woman his wife was also burn first and second degree 20% of her body trying to defend him and put out the fire...”

While the suspect was on the run, Mota was discharged from the hospital while Harry was in the hospital battling for his life. Harry fought for two weeks before he succumbed

on Saturday June 20, at the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC). On Thursday, Mark Ramotar, the Director of the Police Corporate Communications Unit (CCU) stated that Commander for Regional Police Division Seven, Dion Moore has indicated that Joseph was captured around 04:00 hours on Thursday at Top Side Puruni.

Joseph is expected to be charged soon for the murder of Harry.

Rwanda's vaccine factory can be emulated in Guyana to serve...

From page 19 South America. We have a lot of trade agreements with a number of countries, and it is one to ensure that the region itself, Guyana and the region, has a facility that we can be dependent on in terms of crisis vaccines, to respond to our own needs, to build our

Friday June 24, 2022

Kaieteur News

capacity, and also, more importantly, to make us vaccine secure."

The President said too, that the intention is to bring the local players in the pharmaceutical industry together in a consortium with the regional and international actors to generate the capacity

needed. He reminded that part of Guyana's development trajectory in diversifying the economy, is to invest in the knowledge sector and to invest in health care and education as a great export earner for Guyana.

BioNTech's mRNA said that the initial vaccine fac-

tory in Kigali, made from an assembly kit and housed in shipping containers would, over the next few years become part of a wider supply network spanning several African nations, including Senegal and South Africa.

(Office of the President)

Afghans bury dead, dig for survivors of devastating quake GAYAN,AFGHANISTAN (AP) - Villagers rushed to bury the dead Thursday and dug by hand through the rubble of their homes in search of survivors of a powerful earthquake in eastern Afghanistan that state media reported killed 1,000 people.

Residents appeared to be largely on their own to deal with the aftermath as their new Taliban-led government and the international aid community struggled to bring in help.

Under a leaden sky in Paktika province, the epicenter of Wednesdays earthquake where hundreds of homes have been destroyed, men dug several long trenches on a mountainside overlooking their village. They prayed over around 100 bodies wrapped in blankets and then buried them.

In villages across Gayan District, toured by Associated Press journalists for hours Thursday, families who had spent the previous rainy night out in the open lifted pieces of timber of collapsed roofs and pulled away stones by hand, looking for missing loved ones.

Taliban fighters circulated in vehicles in the area, but only a few were seen helping dig through rubble.

There was little sign of heavy equipment only one bulldozer was spotted being transported. Ambulances circulated, but little other help to the living was evident.

Many international aid agencies withdrew from Afghanistan when the Taliban seized power nearly 10 months ago. Those that remain are scrambling to get medical supplies, food and tents to the remote quake-struck area, using shoddy mountain roads made worse by damage and rains.

“We ask from the Islamic Emirate and the whole country to come forward and help us,” said a survivor who gave his name as Hakimullah.

“We are with nothing and have nothing, not even a tent to live in.”

The scenes underscored how the magnitude 6 quake has struck a country that was already nearly on its knees from multiple humanitarian crises. The quake took the lives of 1,000 people, according to the state-run Bakhtar News Agency, which also reported an estimated 1,500 more were injured. In the first independent count, the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said around 770 people had been killed in Paktika and neighboring Khost province.

Its not clear how the totals were arrived at, given the difficulties of accessing and communicating with the affected villages. Either grim toll would make the quake Afghanistans deadliest in two decades, and officials continued to warn the number could still rise. Since the Taliban took over in August amid the U.S and NATO withdrawal, the world pulled back financing and development aid that had been keeping the country afloat. The economy collapsed, leaving millions unable to afford food; many medical facilities shut down, making treatment harder to find. Nearly half the population of 38 million faces crisis levels of food insecurity.

Many aid and development agencies also left after the Taliban seizure of power. The U.N. and remaining agencies said they were moving blankets, food, tents, and medical teams to the area.

But they are overstretched, and U.N. agencies are facing a $3 billion funding shortfall for Afghanistan this year. That means there will be difficult decisions about who gets aid, said Peter Kessler, a spokesman for the United Nations refugee agency. Local medical centers, already struggling to deal with malnutrition cases, were now overwhelmed with people injured by the quake, said Adnan Junaid, the International Rescue Committee vice president for Asia.

“The toll this disaster will have on the local communities ... is catastrophic, and the impact the earthquake will have on the already stretched humanitarian response in Afghanistan is a grave cause for concern,” Junaid said.

The Defense Ministry, which leads the Taliban emergency effort, said it sent 22 helicopter flights on Wednesday transporting wounded and taking supplies, along with several more Thursday.

Still, the Talibans resources have been gutted by the economic crisis. Made up of insurgents who fought for 20 years against the U.S. and NATO, the Taliban have also struggled to make the transition to governing. On Wednesday, a U.N. official said the government had not requested that the world body mobilize international search-and-rescue teams or obtain equipment from neighboring countries, despite a rare plea from the Talibans supreme leader, Haibatullah Akhundzadah, for help from the world.

Friday June 24, 2022

Kaieteur News

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Sri Lanka’s economy has ‘completely collapsed,’ Prime Minister says COLOMBO, SRI LANKA (CNN) - Sri Lanka’s economy has “completely collapsed,” Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe said Wednesday, as the crisis-hit nation faces an increasingly dire situation that has left millions struggling with fuel, electricity and food shortages.

“Our economy has faced a complete collapse,” Wickremesinghe told Sri Lanka’s Parliament, adding the government was seeking help from its global partners and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to stabilize the economy.

But Wickremesinghe warned the island nation of 22 million was “facing a far more serious situation” beyond the shortages. Sri Lanka is in the midst of its worst financial crisis in seven decades, after its foreign exchange reserves plummeted to record lows, with dollars running out to pay for essential imports including

food, medicine and fuel.

In recent weeks, the government has taken drastic measures to cope with the crisis, including implementing a four-day work week for public sector workers to allow them time to grow their own crops. However, the measures are doing little to ease the struggles faced by many in the country. In several major cities, including the commercial capital, Colombo, hundreds continue to queue for hours to buy fuel, sometimes clashing with police and the military as they wait. Trains have reduced in frequency, forcing travelers to squeeze into compartments and even sit precariously on top of them as they commute to work. Patients are unable to travel to hospitals due to the fuel shortage and food prices are soaring. Rice, a staple in the South Asian nation, has disappeared from shelves in many shops and supermarkets.

Friday June 24, 2022

Friday June 24, 2022

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Kaieteur News

Australian O’Callaghan wins 100m freestyle gold, Murphy takes 200m back BUDAPEST, (Reuters) Australia’s Mollie O’Callaghan stormed to victory to take the women’s 100 metres freestyle gold while Americans Lilly King and Ryan Murphy took gold in the women’s 200m breaststroke and the men’s 200m backstroke at the swimming world championships yesterday.

Zac Stubblety-Cook of Australia followed up his Olympic gold in 200m breastroke with a repeat at the Duna Arena while the United States men won the 4x200m relay.

O’Callaghan was third in the final 50 but raced into the lead in the last few metres to beat favourite and world

record holder Sarah Sjoestroem of Sweden, who took the silver, while American Torri Huske was third.

The Australian clocked 52.67 seconds to take gold, 0.13 seconds ahead of Sjoestroem while Huske was just a quarter of a second behind. “I’m so excited, I really don’t know what to say. I wasn’t expecting that at all.

I’m racing some amazing girls here,” O’Callaghan said after winning her first individual gold at the world championships. O’Callaghan had set the fastest time in the semifinals to earn a spot in lane four and she was unfazed in the final stretch with Sjoestroem and Huske, the

Gold medallist Australia’s Mollie O’Callaghan (centre) celebrates on the podium after winning the women’s 100m freestyle final with silver medallist Sweden’s Sarah Sjostrom and bronze medallist Torri Huske of the U.S. (REUTERS/Antonio Bronic)

Friday June 24, 2022 ARIES (Mar. 21–Apr. 19) Today your brain is supercharged, Aries. If you've been thinking about doing some writing or have put off analyzing a particularly tricky problem, this would be the perfect day to get started.

LIBRA (Sept. 23–Oct. 22) The celestial energy signals a pleasant change for you today, Libra. Finally, the overpowering emotions that have been surging from your relationships will subside.

You are now beginning a more contemplative phase.

TAURUS(Apr.20–May20) With today's planetary energy, you'll find yourself a little more extraverted than usual, Taurus. You'll finally be able to say what you really think about things.

GEMINI (May 21–June 20) Today you're unstoppable!

You're a very hard worker by nature, and with the current planetary alignment you'll be able to accomplish even more than usual.

SCORPIO (Oct. 23–Nov. 21) This is a good day to devote time and thought to spiritual pursuits, Scorpio. Do something inspirational that instills a sense of wonder deep in your soul. .

SAGIT(Nov.22–Dec.21) A new phase in your life is beginning, Sagittarius. The previous phase could be interpreted as having taught you to be serious and devoted to professional responsibilities.

CANCER (June 21–July 22) Discard those items from the past for which you really no longer have use. As much as you like to surround yourself with objects of sentimental value.

CAPRI (Dec. 22–Jan. 19) Today's aspects might clear up some rather sketchy ideas about your professional future, Capricorn. If you long for a change, such as daring to undertake a more artistic pursuit.

LEO (July 23–Aug. 22) Intimacy will be in the air over the next few days.

Loved ones suddenly want to spend more time with you, and you'll want to invite friends over every night! By all means, do.

AQUARIUS(Jan.20–Feb.18) You have acquired some sound confidence in yourself, Aquarius. Now it is time for you to show everyone else by actually putting it to use in your life.

VIRGO (Aug. 23–Se pt. 22) Feeling unusually adventurous, Virgo? You're often motivated by your idealistic expectations, and the planetary configurations today .

PISCES (Feb. 19–Mar. 20) Today's planetary energy should compel you to commit certain acts of self-affirmation that are needed to define your territory and protect your rights.

100m butterfly champion, on either side.

The field was blown wide open with defending champion and twice-Olympic gold medallist Simone Manuel not competing while O’Callaghan’s compatriot Shayna Jack withdrew from the championships after breaking her hand during a training session.

After missing the podium in the 100m breaststroke, King claimed her first world title in the 200m breaststroke with a time of 2:22.41.

King led at the 50m mark yet fell back to fifth by the final turn but had saved enough for a powerful final length.

Australia’s Jenna Strauch took silver and American Kate Douglass won bronze.

The absence of Olympic champion Evgeny Rylov of Russia left the field open for the men’s 200m backstroke and Tokyo Olympics silver

medallist Murphy took full advantage. Murphy had never won an individual gold at a world championships but had won in both 100m and 200m backstroke at the Rio Olympics in 2016. Stubblety-Cook was the clear favourite in the 200m breast, especially with his rival Arno Kamminga of the Netherlands pulling out in the semis.

But the 23-year-old was in the seventh spot at the 100 mark but it was soon clear that was part of his gameplan and he powered through the second half of the race to victory.

The Queenslander finished in a time of 2:07.07, well short of his world record time but 1.31 ahead of Japan’s Yu Hanaguruma with Sweden’s Erik Persson taking bronze.

The American won the 4x200m freestyle relay with ease, finishing 3.26 ahead of Australia with Britain’s Tom Dean producing an impressive final leg to earn bronze.

PAGE 28

Friday June 24, 2022

Kaieteur News

Canada-based Guyanese Imran Ali slams back-to-back centuries Canada-based Guyanese and pugnacious left-handed opening batsman Imran Ali reeled off two successive centuries in two consecutive days representing Sunshine in the Ontario Round-Arm Softball Cricket Association 10-10 Adana Homes competition and the Regular Season 20-overs tournament.

On Saturday at the Robert Lee Public School ground, Brampton, Ali slammed 102 against Wildfiya in the final preliminary round match of knockout 10-10 tourney.

He pummeled 14 sixes and two fours in his 28-ball show as Sunshine amassed a respectable 167-3 from the 10overs and then limited Wildfiya to 113-5 at the conclusion of the game.

On Sunday at the same facility, Ali waltzed his way to 102 again as Sunshine overwhelmed Enterprise by 82 runs in the 20-overs fixture.

For the 10-10 encounter, Ali got support from Anil Etwaroo and Ramiz Mohamed with 32 and 24 respectively.

When Wildfiya batted, Ravi Bhim scored a fighting 54 while Gary Nelson made 25 not out.

Hemnarine Chattergoon picked up two wickets for 17 runs from his allotted two overs.

For Sunday’s showdown, Ali clobbered 10 sixes and four fours and also featured in an entertaining 174-run second-wicket partnership with Chattergoon who hit an impressive 70 which contained 8 sixes and a four.

Dinesh Persaud and Amar

Canada-based Guyanese Imran Ali slams back-to-back centuries Kisseur claimed two wickets each delivering for Enterprise.

In their turn at the crease, Seenarine Narine made 37 while Alvin Persaud (30), Kisseur (29) and Shazam Baksh (27) offered temporary resistance as their team only responded with 172 all out off 20-overs. Ali returned with the ball to prove his all-round capability by churning out a terrific bowling performance too capturing four wickets for 23 runs from his four maximum overs. Skipper Anil Mahadeo supported him nicely with 3-

27 off 3.4 overs and Chattergoon again in the wicket-column with 2-53 from four overs.

The 10-10 competition will resume on Saturday with the quarter-final actions while the semi-finals and final will be played the following day at the Hanover Public School ground, Brampton. The championship game is slated to commence at 13:00hrs.

The Regular Season will also continue on July 10th with a series of matches across the Peel Region Area.

Two-day GFF President’s Cup Master’s Super 8 Over-40 football set for GFC this weekend The Guyana Football Federation (GFF), Georgetown Football Association (GFA) and Alex Bunbury Sports and Academy (ABSAA) will stage the GFF President’s Cup Master’s Super 8 Over40 tournament this weekend.

The venue is the Georgetown Football Club (GFC) ground Bourda and the venue will buzz once again with the first ever GFF President’s Super 8 Master’s Cup. Eight teams: Beacon, Linden All Stars, Santos, Wales, Thomas United, Pele, Victoria Kings and Speak The Truth Master’s of Linden are the teams down to battle for attractive prizes on offer.

The tournament is for players born in 1982 and will be played for two days, to-

morrow Saturday and Sunday starting from 10:00am each day.

The Format is 8 teams and 2 groups of 4 playing in a champion’s league set up home and away on the same day and the top 2 teams from each group will qualify for semis and the winner from semis into finals.

Cash prizes and trophies and individual awards for MVP, Goalkeeper, Midfielder, Defence and Coach are on offer, while the teams will compete for: 1st place $100,000 GYD ($500 USD) 2nd $50,000 GYD ($250USD) 3rd $30,000 GYD ($150 USD) 4th $20,000 GYD ($100

USD) Entrance fee is $10,000 for each team which will help offset some of the cost associated with hosting the event at the GFC. All teams are ask to be properly attired with uniform, socks and shin pads and be respectful of each other and the beautiful game.

The GFF official referees and medic will take care of officiating and medical emergencies on each playing day.

Junior Forrester can be reached at 592-696-0658 for more information.

Among the sponsors of the tournament are: GFF, GFA, Tge Outdoor Stores and Pet Shop, Darthan Investment, Trophy Stall, Outdoor Store and Pet Shop and Farfan & Mendes.

Friday June 24, 2022

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Kaieteur News

Roach targets 300 wickets as West Indies aim for series win AFP - When Kemar Roach marks out his run in the second Test against Bangladesh, which starts at the Daren Sammy Stadium today, he will do so knowing that he is just one wicket short of joining a very select group of West Indian bowlers.

The 33-year-old Barbadian pace bowler goes into the Test with 249 wickets to his name, the same as a legend of the 1970s and 80s, Michael Holding.

One more scalp and Roach will become just the sixth West Indies bowler to joint the ‘250

Club’, following Courtney Walsh (519 wickets), Curtly Ambrose (405), Malcolm Marshall (376), Lance Gibbs (309) and Joel Garner (259).

After returning match figures of seven for 74 to fire West Indies to a sevenwicket win in the first Test in Antigua, Roach admitted he was targeting 300 Test wickets.

“I am always one for stats,” he told the press after the match.

“I love my stats. I always look at my stats. Every night.

Even if I’m not playing, I still

Mominul Haque found the going tough, here being dismissed by Jaden Seales.

U-20 Reggae Boyz secure spot in Round of 16 with 2-0 win over Antigua and Barbuda SportsMax - Jamaica’s Reggae Boyz secured a spot in the next round of the Concacaf Men’s Under-20 Championship following a 2-0 win over Antigua and Barbuda on Wednesday.

Goals from Zion Scarlett and Jahmari Clarke, on either side of half-time, ensured that the team would at least finish third in Group H and condemned their Caribbean neighbours to a winless goalless campaign.

That does not mean that the Jamaicans had things all their own way, with Antigua and Barbuda showing plenty of fighting spirit, and goalkeeper Coniah BoyceClarke doing his best to keep the Reggae Boyz at bay. There was very little

to be done when Scarlett was given too much time in the area and spun away from the attending defender to find plenty of space to put the ball wide of a stranded Boyce-Clarke in the 41st minute.

With the Antiguans failing to find a way to get back on level terms Clarke made full points for the Jamaicans safe in the 81st minute from the penalty spot after substitute Tyler Roberts was brought down in the area by Antigua defender Dajun Barthley. Barthley was later ejected from the game by referee Rubiel Vázquez after reviewing the VAR system. The Jamaicans will now face Haiti on Sunday in Tegucigalpa.

look at my stats so it’s good to be among the greats.

“It’s good to be up there with all the fantastic people in West Indies cricket.”

Roach and his teammates will take immense confidence from their victory in the first Test which followed a 1-0 series win at home against England in March.

Another win would not just secure the series but lift the West Indies above Pakistan to sixth in the World Test Championship.

In Antigua, Roach had good back-up from Jayden Seales, who took three for 33 in the first innings, and Alzarri Joseph who picked up three wickets in each innings.

Skipper Kraigg Brathwaite set the tone for the batsmen with 94 in the first innings although a collapse from 224 for four to 265 all out suggests there is also some work to be done.

Bangladesh’s batting, on the other hand, was feeble with the top-order, especially

Najmul Hossain and Mominul Haque, completely out of form.

Their first innings 103 in Antigua, which included six ducks, was the fifth time in 12 completed innings this year that they have been bowled out for fewer than 200.

In spite of a more respectable 245 in the second innings, it meant they were on the back foot for the entire game.

Mominul has had a particularly tough time: his

scores of 0 and 4 made him the first top-five batter since George Bonner, whose Test career ended in 1888, to chalk up nine successive singledigit scores.

“If he thinks he needs a break, it can happen,” Bangladesh captain Shakib Al Hasan said after the first Test.

With no obvious replacement in view he is likely to keep his place, although Anamul Haque may be drafted in at the expense of Najmul.

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Friday June 24, 2022

Kaieteur News

WIMBLEDON 2022: No Russians, no rankings, but Serena’s back WIMBLEDON, England (AP) — At least at the outset, before a tennis ball is struck, this edition of Wimbledon is as much about who — and what — is missing as who’s here.

And that’s even taking this into account: It is no small matter that the grass-court Grand Slam tournament marks the return of Serena Williams to singles play after a year away.

The No. 1-ranked man, Daniil Medvedev, was barred from competing by the All England Club, along with every other player from Russia and Belarus, because of the war in Ukraine.

“It’s a mistake,” International Tennis Hall of Fame member Martina Navratilova said about the ban. “What are they supposed to do, leave the country? I wouldn’t wish that on my worst enemy.”

The two professional tours reacted by pulling their ranking points from Wimbledon, an unprecedented move in a sport built around the rankings in so many ways. In turn, some athletes opted not to show up, including 2014 runner-up Eugenie Bouchard and four-

Serena Williams walks to the practice courts ahead of the 2022 Wimbledon Championships at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club, Wimbledon, england, Thursday June 23, 2022. (Steven Paston/PA via AP) time major champion Naomi Osaka.

For others, though, it was a no-doubt-about-it decision to show up. This is, after all, Wimbledon, with its unique surface and long-standing traditions, its powerful prestige and — let’s face it — tens of millions in prize money.

“It’s definitely hard to swallow that there are no points. I’m not going to sit here and tell you I’m happy about it. But the cards are dealt. At the end of the day, if I tell my mom I’m not playing Wimbledon, she’d be like, ‘Are you nuts?!’ So I’m going to go, no doubt,” said

Frances Tiafoe, an American who is seeded 24th in the men’s field. “It’s out of everybody’s hands. It’s a tough situation, a crazy time.

And it’s not just about you.

It’s not a ‘Why me?’ problem.”

There were rumors among players that prize money would be cut, too, prompting one, Fabio Fognini, to joke that he’d be thankful for that because — without any ranking points available and with less cash on offer — he’d head to an island for some vacation time with his wife, 2015 U.S. Open champion Flavia Pennetta, and their young children.

But it turned out that’s all that was — a rumor: The All England Club wound up announcing it would provide a record total of about 40 million pounds ($50 million) in player compensation.

There are other important names staying away for different reasons.

Reigning women’s champion Ash Barty retired in March at age 25. Eight-time men’s champion Roger Federer still has not returned from the latest in a series of knee operations; he has not participated in any tournament since last year’s Wimbledon. No. 2-ranked

Alexander Zverev is sidelined after tearing ligaments in his right ankle at the French Open. Also gone in 2022 at Wimbledon, for the first time in its lengthy history: a scheduled day off on the middle Sunday (so what had been a 13-day tournament becomes a full two-week event). Ah, but guess who’s back? Yes, Williams, thanks to a wild-card invitation, bringing enough star power to fill the spotlight for however long she remains in the bracket. The owner of seven championships at the All England Club — and 23 from all majors, a record for the professional era — last competed in singles in June 2021, when she slipped on the slick Centre Court grass and injured her right leg, forcing her to stop in the first set of her firstround match. Williams made a surprise appearance in doubles with Ons Jabeur on grass at Eastbourne this week, but the 40-year-old American will not have played singles before next week.

If Williams can crank up her best-in-the-game serve and move well enough to stay in points until she can end them with her stinging groundstrokes, who knows what she’ll be able to do?

Plus, she has made a habit of winning matches soon after

returning from lengthy absences.

Also planning to play is Rafael Nadal, who is halfway to a calendar-year Grand Slam for the first time after winning the Australian Open in January and the French Open this month. The latter title, his 14th in Paris and men’s-best 22nd at a major, came despite chronic pain in his left foot, which made the 36-year-old Spaniard question whether he could be at the All England Club — or continue at all.

This fortnight will not lack for story lines, certainly. French Open champion and top-ranked Iga Swiatek enters on a 35-match winning streak. Novak Djokovic bids for a fourth consecutive championship at Wimbledon and 21st Grand Slam trophy overall, knowing that, as things currently stand, he will not be able to go to the U.S. Open in August because he is not vaccinated against COVID-19. And this marks the centenary of the current Centre Court, which made its debut in 1922. “I’m going to be in Wimbledon if my body is ready to be in Wimbledon.

That’s it. Wimbledon is not a tournament that I want to miss,” said Nadal, the champion in 2008 and 2010 but absent last year because of his foot. “Nobody wants to miss Wimbledon.”

2022 Milo Secondary Schools Football Tournament…

Golden Grove, North Ruimveldt advance on penalty kicks On Thursday afternoon, the 2022 Milo Secondary Schools Football Tournament’s third day had two intriguing fixtures that featured Golden Grove and Buxton in the first match, while Dolphin and Charlestown were billed to battle in the second match.

Competing at the Ministry of Education (MoE) Ground, the Petra-organised knockout event which commenced at 17:00 hrs saw Golden Grove out gun Buxton, 4 – 2 on penalty kicks following a 3 – 3 deadlock at full time. The match that followed will be published in tomorrow’s issue. Yesterday’s match which took a while for the teams to find their footing, turned out to be highly competitive with both sides trading shot for shot even though Buxton dominated possession. Golden Grove’s strikers’ speeds were effective at critical points but the opposition’s defence was resolute for the majority of the encounter.

The Buxtonians commenced the scoring in the 23rd minute through an Omari

Golden Grove celebrate after their penalty shootout win against Buxton at the Ministry of Education Ground.

Golden Grove’s custodian, Emmanuel Lewis, produced a brilliant save in the penalty shootout.

Edward’s strike. Six minutes later, Kelon Croal found the equaliser with the first of his double. On the brink of half

time, Croal gave his team the lead in the 34th minute.

In the second half, Buxton brought the scores leveled

three minutes after the whistle sounded when Ovid Brown scored. Shamar Walton’s 48th minute goal

once again took some pressure off the Golden Grove players but Buxton were not to be denied.

Akandy Vanmalson found the final equaliser for Buxton in 50th minute which was the goal that sent the match into the decider, where Buxton threw one away and were also denied in their four attempts while Golden Grove were 100% from the spot.

On Wednesday evening, the feature match between North Ruimveldt and East Ruimveldt was an exhilarating one that had the former win 4 - 2 on penalty kicks after the two sides grinded to a 2 – 2 result when time expired.

The two evenly matched sides both traded attempts in the opening moments but it was the eventual victor that drew first blood when Akeem Perreira struck in the 28th minute. After the 35-minute first half was completed, it became a leveled encounter once again as Ome Harris recorded the first goal of his brace in the 46th minute. Ten minutes later, the lead changed when Harris found the back of the net to com-

plete the double. With the regulation time whistle quickly approaching, Calvin Bowlin, with his consistently imminent approach was rewarded for his efforts in the 66th minute which tied up the match and forced it into a dreaded penalty shootout, where they (North) held their nerves to seal the deal.

In the match that preceded Uitvlugt defeated Ann’s Grove 5 – 3 in a grueling battle.

Meanwhile, the tournament continues tomorrow Saturday, June 25, and Sunday, June 26, with four matches on the programme for each day, starting from 12:30 hrs. If good weather prevails over the weekend then just three more playing dates remain before the tournament culminates on July 10.

The Championship team in this tournament will win $300,000 along with the 2022 Milo Championship Trophy and Gold Medals to outfit the entire team, while the secondplace finishers will have to settle with $200,000, the respective trophy, and Silver Medals.

Friday June 24, 2022

PAGE 31

Kaieteur News

CWI and Republic Bank launch ‘Five for Fun’ in Guyana; A brand-new format for kids’ cricket GEORGETOWN, Guyana - Cricket West Indies (CWI) and Republic Bank Financial Holdings on Tuesday announced the Guyana launch of ‘Five for Fun’ - a new format of cricket designed to appeal to children from 8 to 11 years old.

The Five for Fun initiative is a true joint-venture whereby CWI and Republic Bank are developing the platform together across the region to engage schools and schoolchildren.

Working closely with the Ministries of Sport and Education, CWI and Republic Bank developed the Five for Fun platform together and successfully piloted it in St. Lucia in 2021.

Five for Fun will become be one of the first steps in C W I ’s “Future Stars” programme, the development and participation pathway to introduce the next generation to cricket and develop their love for and involvement in the Caribbean’s #1 sport. The programme’s goal is to promote fun and engage children to grow a love for the game, while developing critical life skills such as leadership, teamwork, values, mental focus, patience, dealing with adversity, tactical awareness, confidence, time management, responsibility, physical development and much more.

Following the pilot’s success, the Five for Fun will this year launch across the wider Caribbean, starting in Guyana, and over the coming weeks in Grenada and St. Kitts &

Students, Ministers of Government from the Republic of Guyana, CWI and Republic Bank and GCB representatives.

Nevis, with St Lucia also starting their second year of activity. In the coming years, Five for Fun will be introduced to other Caribbean markets and beyond. Over the next few weeks and throughout the August holidays, CWI, working in close collaboration with the Ministry of Education Allied Arts Division; the Ministry of Culture Youth and Sport, and the Guyana Cricket Board will introduce several coaching hubs across the three counties in Guyana, to prepare the teams for a series of preliminary games.

F r o m S e p t e m b e r, 1 5 zones, comprising 75 school teams will participate in zonal preliminary rounds leading to a grand “Five for Fun” finals in Guyana.

Stephen Grell, Managing Director, Republic Bank

(Guyana) Limited, shared, “It is the first of its kind, welcoming a notable diversity of participation and positioning young cricket enthusiasts for stardom.

We’re particularly heartened that this comes at a time when we’re encouraging students to return to school after such an extended time away from the classroom; and it presents an opportunity for recreational, developmental, physically invigorating activity, discipline and togetherness.

KJ Singh, Senior Project Officer, Schools Cricket for CWI said, “CWI is extremely proud to partner with Republic Bank on this critical grassroots cricket programme at the start of our “Future Stars” development pathway.

Five for Fun allows both organizations to leverage and apply resources to give chil-

dren the opportunity to play our region’s favourite sport pastime and ensure that the legacy of the game is preserved with the energy of new generations of players and fans. This new programme is delivered in close collaboration with Ministries of Sport and Education and also relies on the skills and knowledge of our regional cricket boards, in this case Guyana Cricket Board, who play a vital role in delivering this programme within Guyana.”

Karen Tom Yew, Group Marketing Officer, Republic Bank Limited commented, ‘‘Republic Bank’s enduring commitment to the local communities is further reinforced with the launch of 5 for Fun. We have been working with our friends at Cricket West Indies for 3 years on this ground-breaking partnership which reflects our

status as creators of the format and long-term supporters of its success. We believe that our investments into the communities in which we trade can and should support our marketing efforts. In the longer term, we see 5 for Fun as an asset that might drive revenue from licensing, merchandising and broadcast - particularly in overseas markets. 5 for Fun is a paradigm for marketing investments that combine social good with potential growth in shareholder value.” Derwin Howell, Executive Director of Republic Financial Holdings commented: ‘In every corner of the Caribbean, you are reminded that cricket is much more than a sport. It is part of our cultural lifeblood. From CPL to the school playground, Re-

public Bank continues to support cricket and, in so doing, fulfil the dreams of kids and the passions of some many citizens.’ The rules and format for Five for Fun are designed aroun d t w o b a s i c p r i n ciples: fun and inclusion.

The ‘ f u n ’ e l e m e n t s o f the game are rooted in i t s s p e e d , e n e r g y and simple rules. As regards inclus i o n , F i v e f o r F u n pits boys and girls of all abilities together as equals. Each Five For Fun game involves 5 Players per team playing 5 6-Ball Overs each. Each batter will face an over from a single bowler. If a batter is ‘Out’, they will still face their allotted Over but 3 Runs will be dedu c t e d from the team score. Full Rules for Five For Fun are available upon request.

CG United Women’s Super50 Cup

Jamaica destroy Guyana for lowest total Book place in Final against B’dos tomorrow

By Sean Devers In the 83,000 Square Miles of Guyana, only in the County of Berbice there is any level of female cricket played being played in clubs and yesterday at Providence was one of darkest days for Guyana’s Women’s cricket since playing in their first 50-over game against Barbados at the Tanteen Recreation Ground in 1977 in Grenada.

Playing in the second semi-final of the 2022 CG United Women’s Super50 Cup which was reduced to 38 overs due to morning rain, Guyana were skittled out for an embarrassing 23 with seven batters being dismissed for ducks.

This was the lowest score in the history of Regional cricket in a 50-over semi-final.

Skipper and West Indies batter Shemaine Campbelle hit a four in her top-score of five but things could have been far worse had not nine Extras contributed to the paltry total in which just 14 runs came from the bat of 11

batters. Off-spinner Vanessa Watts and fellow West Indies pacer Chinelle Henry became the first pair of bowlers to capture five wicket hauls in the same innings of a Women’s 50overs semi-final encounter.

Jamaica in reply raced to 27-2 from in 5.1 overs after losing Rashada Williams who was caught by Cherry Ann Fraser off Tremaine Smartt for 12 and Keneshia Ferron, caught by Shabika Gajnabi off Plaffianna Millington after making six to leave the Reggae Girls on 152. But Jodi Ann Morgan, who struck two fours in her unbeaten eight and Skipper Stafanie Taylor, remained unbeaten on zero, seeing their team home Earlier, Jamaica asked Guyana to bat when play started at noon on a still firm ground in bright sunshine.

Henry started with five wides down the leg-side before Mandy Mangru (0) was caught behind at 6-1 to bring Campbelle to the crease and she began with a glorious ondriven boundary off the last ball of an over in

Vanessa Watts took 5-5 yesterday at Providence.

she conceded seven wides and a boundary.

Watts began with a wide before Lashuna Toussaint was taken at slip also without scoring at 12-2. When Campbelle (5) was beaten all ends up by Henry and had her off-stump uprooted at 14-3 Sheneta Grimmond (4) was bowled by Henry before Shakibi Gajnabi (3)

walked across her wicket and was struck plumb in front as the Henry continued her impressive work. Katana Mentore (0), Tremayne Smartt (0), Cherry-Ann Fraser (0), Kaysia Schultz (0) were dismissed by Watts as the Guyanese ladies catapulted to 19-9, it was a procession to and from the Pavilion as Henry and Watts sliced through the Guyana order like a sharp knife cutting butter. Last batter Erva Giddens smashed Henry past cover for four before Millington (0) was LBW to Watts, who was on a hat-trick after removing Fraser and Shultz of consecutive deliveries. And Guyana,whose best showing was in 2014 when they lost in the final to T&T, were denied qualification for their second final as Jamaica easily won by eight wickets on the DLS system. The Jamaicans, who won the first of their five titles in 1977, but has not won since 2014, will face defending Champions Barbados hunting their fourth title and three in a row when they clash tomorrow.

PAGE 32

Friday June 24, 2022

Kaieteur News

Sukhu, Dhanraj among winners at bird racing competition

Bartica Business Development Committee established for 2022 Summer Regatta

- funds donated to 10 year old cancer patient - Cricket legend Chanderpaul renders assistance The Dead Squad Bird Racing Family hosted a bird racing competition on Sunday last at Lusignan.

The competition, which was held to help raise funds for Rachana Rukhram, attracted a number of participants and the winners were rewarded with trophies.

Banks DIH also presented each winner with a token.

Rachana Rukhram is a 10 year old Guyanese girl who was diagnosed with an aggressive form of blood cancer called Myelomonocytic Leukaemia with Eosinophilia requiring urgent medical management to save her life.

Rachana, has been an inpatient in the Pediatric Medical Ward at the Georgetown Hospital Corporation since 21st February 2022 and unfortunately, this type of cancer can only be treated via a bone marrow transplant procedure which is not available Guyana or anywhere else in the Caribbean.

West Indies cricket legend Shivnarine Chanderpaul has become a champion of sorts for Rachana’s plight. He reached out to his longtime friend and cricket legend Sir Brian Charles Lara who through the Brian Lara Cancer Centre in Trinidad was able to get her medical reports to the experts at Apollo Indraprastha Hospitals in Delhi India.

Apollo Indraprastha is no stranger to cases like Rachana’s and after a review of the medical reports, Group Vice President Dr. Harinder Sidhu and Dr. Gaurav Kharya head of the BMT unit have agreed to commence treat-

Members of the recently established Bartica Business Development Committee.

Team Captain Latchman Chintamani (right) presents the cash to Rachana father Vishnu Rukhram. ment immediately if her family can get her to their facility in India. The family is not required to make a down payment to access medical treatment, but will have to pay their medical bill in full before she is discharged.

Dr. Sidhu expressed his organisation’s commitment to saving the life of children like Rachana who has been diagnosed with these aggressive forms of cancer. Having successfully treated previous patients from Trinidad and Tobago and around the world, Dr, Sidhu hopes that Apollo can be of greater support to the public and private medical systems in the Caribbean region.

Shivnarine Chanderpaul is already leading the cause having sponsored return airfare tickets for Rachana and her mother Arte. The family is now left with the task of raising $127,500 USD to cover

her Bone Marrow Transplant and other medical expenses.

Rachana’s father Vishnu Rukhram and his brother Kurt have started a gofundme page for online donations and can be accessed via www.gofundme.com with the hopes that well-wishers around the world would contribute to Rachana’s worthy cause.

Donation payments can also be made directly to the hospital. For more information on assisting; Rachana’s father can be contacted at 1 592 601 3299.

Meanwhile, the bird racing organisation donated $125,000 from the event to the family.

The winners of the bird racing competition were Sewdat Sukhu, Maheshwar Dhanraj, Saheed Sultan, Raymond Dhanraj, Vijay Persaud, Shanil Ram and Kean Phillips.

GBA novice championship commences tonight The Guyana Boxing Association will be hosting the Andrew Lewis National Novice Championship this weekend at the National Gymnasium.

Action gets underway

at 18:00hrs this evening and will continue tomorrow Saturday before concluding on Sunday evening.

Defending champions, the Guyana Defence Force, Guyana Police Force, Repub-

lican, Essequibo, Rose Hall Jammers, FYF and Pocket Rocket are the gyms set to participate.

The event is being sponsored by National Sports Commission.

With the aim of organizing and hosting the Bartica Summer Regatta 2022, and also for a sustained service to the town of Bartica, a number of local business persons and sport enthusiasts have come together to form the Bartica Business Development Committee (BBDC).

In that regard, an Executive Committee of the organization has been identified, comprising of the following officers: President – Chunilall Baboolall, Vice President Stephen Belle, Secretary Alden Marslowe, Treasurer Ewrin Ward, Assistant Secretary – Reubica Ramgulam and Committee Members – Devnarine Persaud, Jermaine Joseph, George Benjamin and Jayden Browne.

The BBDC has subsequently identified the day of Sunday, July 24, 2022, as the date for the hosting of the

Regatta Powerboat Races at the Bartica Golden Beach, which will be supported by a line of activities covering a period of two weeks prior.

With this event being the first venture of the group, the B.B.D.C. is intent on giving back to the community of Bartica in a meaningful way, at the conclusion of the venture.

They will also explore maintaining the purpose of the committee, to promote and encourage the development of businesses within their community.

Additionally, the committee wishes to plan and execute similar projects in the future, to raise funds for its work and also for input towards meaningful local causes. The proposed Programme of Activities will include the following: · Official Launch and Fash-

ion Show - July 10 - Aruwai Resort · Cricket Finals and Fun Day - July 17 - Community Centre Ground · Karaoke Competition July 19 - Upper Level Restaurant · Comedy Explosion - July 21 - Palm Springs Hotel & Bar · Motorcade - July 22 Around Bartica · Football Finals - July 22 - Community Centre Ground · Grass Track Motorcycle Races - July 23 - Community Centre Ground · Summer Road Jam - July 23 - Bartica Stelling Square · “Run Bartica” Road Race - July 24 - Agatash Village to Bartica · Bartica River Swim - July 24 - Bartica Golden Beach · Regatta Power Boat Races and Beach Party - July 24 - Bartica Golden Beach

‘We have a good crop of fast bowlers’ Roach believes talent of young pacers a promising sign for Windies SportsMax - Top--class West Indies fast bowler, Kemar Roach, admits that the depth and quality of the new generation of fast bowlers is an encouraging sign for the regional team.

The 33-year-old Barbadian-born speedster continued to enhance his own legend this week when he moved up to join Michael Holding on the all-time Windies wickettakers list. With 249 Test wickets, Roach has established himself as the premier fast bowler of this Windies generation.

At 33, however, the player is heading towards the back end of his career, with the likes of Shannon Gabriel in the same position.

For pace bowling wickets though, it seems the Windies will continue to have plenty of options for years to come with the likes of Alzarri Joseph, Jayden Seales, and allrounder Kyle Mayers all showing plenty of promise in

Alzarri Joseph reacts during a match.

recent times.

“You have Jayden and Alzarri 24, 25, and Kyle Mayers who is showing great skill with the ball and there are other guys on the outside trying to get in as well,” Roach told members of the media on Wednesday.

“It’s good that we have a

crop of fast bowlers coming through that can get the job done and they are learning every day at practice, how to improve their skills, their body and technique and whatever, that’s all you ask from these guys. It’s good that we have a pretty big quartet of fast bowlers now.”

Kaieteur News

Friday June 24, 2022

PAGE 33

Famed cricket star Chris Gayle partners with Group 33 to launch The Chris Gayle Universe Show Cision Newswire - NEW YORK, -- Iconic international cricket star Chris Gayle has partnered with Group 33 to create a new talk show with global reach.

The Chris Gayle Universe show will pair one of the most celebrated cricketers with a music, movie, and sports stars from around the world.

Gayle welcomes some of his popular friends to The Chris Gayle Universe, a space to discuss hot topics and relive some of the sport's most iconic performances. The program will be driven by one-onone conversations with Gayle and his guests.

Widely regarded as one of the game's best strikers in the sport, Gayle holds multiple records across all formats of the game. A two time world Cup winning player, Gayle is opening this new chapter of his career by engaging with his long serving supporters.

"This show fulfills my desire to interact with my supporters directly, "Gayle said. "This is a great opportunity to control when and how I interact with my fans and guests. This is my chance to thank

Gayle interviews international stars and friends on hot topics and past performances while interacting live with his audience t he people who have supported me throughout my career, gain some new fans and also take people behind the curtain of life. This show will also have never before told stories and gives viewers a chance to meet me and some of their personal heroes."

The Chris Gayle Universe is a partnership between Chris Gayle, New York based media company Group 33 and strategy company M Style Marketing. Group 33 known for its award-winning series TdUp Golf with Twitch that paired celebrities playing golf with golf pros and legends for a virtual / simulator golf series.

"We look forward to working with Chris to bring this engaging show to his fans as well providing great content. Chris is beloved through the cricket world and his guests extend beyond sports into

Chris Gayle Universe

famed entertainers, musicians and celebrities. With his constant travels, the Chris Gayle Universe will take viewers around the world to new sights and places" Rob Striar Group 33 Chief Executive Officer.

Gayle has selected a starstudded list of guests from sport, entertainment and media for the first ten weeks of the show.

The Chris Gayle Universe will be announcing its broadcast

platform and sponsorship partners shortly.

Chris Gayle can be followed on: Twitter: @henrygayle. Instagram: chrisgayle333.

Group 33 is a media and house specializing in content for a new generation of viewers and consumers.

Digitally focused, Group 33 brings an award winning pedigree to broadcast partners and brands to increase their reach.

Group 33: For media inquiries & interviews contact: info@Group33inc.com.

M Style Marketing, a global agency strategy, marketing and branding firm working with leading companies specializing in sports, entertainment, and media.

Contact: Twitter @MStyleMarketing, Instagram @MStyleMarketing, mstylemarketing.com ,

Roach targets 300 wickets as West Indies aim for series win

CG United Women's Super50 Cup Chinelle Henry took 5-18 at Providence against Guyana yesterday.

(Sean Devers photo)

Kemar Roach will be targeting getting closer to 300 Test wickets.

Jamaica destroy Guyana for lowest total

Book place in Final against B'dos tomorrow

2022 Milo Secondary Schools Football Tournament…

s t r o Sp Golden Grove celebrate after their penalty shootout win against Buxton at the Ministry of Education Ground.

Golden Grove, North Ruimveldt advance on penalty kicks Printed and published by National Media & Publishing Company Ltd., 24 Saffon Street, Charlestown, Georgetown. Tel: 225-8458, 225-8465, 225-8491 or Fax: 225-8473/226-8210.