Kaieteur News

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Saturday Edition Meeting Paris AIETEUR NEWS Agreement targets critical to prevent future water disasters - Pres. Irfaan Ali p.

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June 26, 2021 - Vol. 14 No. 24

Online: www.kaieteurnews.com Online Price $80 readership yesterday, 80,974

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

Exxon submits application to EPA for US$900M Gas-to-Energy Project p.

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- Guyanese have 28 days to determine topics to be included in EIA

Jordan ‘justifies’ using GuySuCo bond to repay lenders p. 18

Two more walk away from PNC/R p.

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UG to introduce subsea operations and engineering p. programmes 17

Fight between Pres. Ali says professionals were brought two brothers in to run Police Communications Unit leaves one dead

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Third oil ship to cost $200B

Henry boys’ relative wanted - Dutch p.3 for murder of manufacturer Haresh Singh p.

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Listen how 3/4 of Guyana’s budget disappears on Kaieteur every year through inflated contracts @11:00am Radio 99.1/99.5FM

Saturday June 26, 2021

Kaieteur News

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ExxonMobil submits application to EPA for US$900M Gas-to-Energy Project - Guyanese have 28 days to determine topics to be included in EIA

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xxonMobil's subsidiary, Esso Exploration and Production Guyana Limited (EEPGL) has submitted an application to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to move ahead with its US$900M Gas-to-Energy Project.

According to a notice by the EPA last evening, the project is expected to include the construction, commissioning and operation of: 1. An Onshore Natural Gas Liquids and Natural Gas Processing Plant (NGL Plant) proposed to be located at the Amsterdam (Demerara River)/Vriesland Area, West Bank Demerara; ` 2.An Offshore 12-inch pipeline (approximately 220km long) from the Liza Phase One and Liza Phase Two Floating, Production, Storage and Offloading (FPSO) vessels situated within the Stabroek Block,

Offshore Guyana to La Jalousie/Nouvelle Flanders, West Coast Demerara; 3.An Onshore 12-inch pipeline (approximately 27km long) commencing North from the proposed NGL Plant Site, then West and North again towards Canal No.2, where it turns West travelling along the Canal, before proceeding North across Canal No. 2, through agricultural fields, an additional smaller canal, Canal No.1 and residences of Canal No.1, and additional agricultural fields to a point We s t o f L a P a r f a i t e Harmonie, Westminister and Onderneeming. The route then moves East through agricultural fields and across the West Coast Demerara Highway at a point West of Vreed-en-Hoop/Crane, and northward through agricultural fields, and across a road and a pair of canals until reaching the seawall; and

Map showing the approximate route for the offshore pipeline

4. A temporary Materials Offloading Facility (MOF)

Berbice farmer facing financial crises due to flood commits suicide

By Malisa Playter-Harry

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arine Dindial, 54, a rice farmer for over 30 years of No.58 Village, Corentyne, Berbice, chose to end his life two weeks ago to escape his financial burdens. Narine Dindial was found hanging from his home by his maid on the 11th June 2021. His son, Paremeshwar Dindial, 32, also a farmer, of No.60 Village, Corentyne, Berbice while speaking with this publication disclosed that his father was planting 150 acres of rice and was harvesting some prior to his death.

"He had about 45 acre more to cut and whatever he harvest out of the rest, due to the water he nah really get much and the 45 acre, he didn't touch anything from it," the son explained.

Parmeshwar revealed that his father had threatened to end his life because he lost so much due to the flooding and was hit with financial constraints as a result of the natural disaster.

"He got a lot of loans, mortgage for his house, he owes installment for he

Deceased, Parmeshwar Dindial combine, he get crop loan by IPED and he start to stress out and I don't know, he committed suicide," Paremeshwar said.

The grieving son said that he feels "stressed out" because of the persons that his father owed "now they trying to rush us down for money and I don't have anything." The young farmer stated that he has no idea how he will deal with what he and

the family in after his father's untimely death, "he left me in a situation that I am confused."

A c c o r d i n g t o Parmeshwar, there was some hope when his father had decided mere hours before his death that he will travel to the US and try to get a job for a few months to help pay off his debt.

"I felt happy when he said it like that because me seh, he mood change and in no time, in about two hours time, I got the news." the son said.

Narine Dindial was a father of two and his wife resides overseas but has since returned to Guyana to deal with what took place.

Currently, hundreds of rice and livestock farmers are faced with the reality of losing millions of dollars due to the heavy flooding caused by the rain over the past few weeks. It has left many if not all in a crisis.

Teams from GLDA and the Ministry of Agriculture have been conducting assessments and putting measures in place to alleviate the flooding and provide some amount of relief.

at Amsterdam/Vriesland on the West Bank of the Demerara River, inclusive of other support works such as associated dredging, inwater construction activities, road construction, road improvements and postconstruction restorative works around the entire proposed project area.

As a result of the intended developmental activities, the EPA said possible effects on the

environment may include impacts to marine water quality, air quality, marine and terrestrial flora and fauna, socio-economic resources, among others.

As such, in keeping with the Environmental Protection Act, Cap. 20:05, the EPA has determined that the proposed project may significantly affect the environment and therefore will require an Environmental Impact

Assessment (EIA).

The EIA will include but not be limited to all possible alternatives studied, effects on the environment, and assessment of risks, and may lead to further optimisation of the proposed project.

Members of the public are hereby invited, within twenty-eight (28) days of this Notice, to make written submissions to the Agency, setting out those questions (continued on page 14)

Region Four man succumbs to COVID-19, 109 new cases

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he Ministry of Health (MoH) y e s t e r d a y announced that a 59-year-old man from Region Four (Demerara-Mahaica) who tested positive for the novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) disease has died.

As a result of this, Guyana's COVID-19 death

toll moved to 459.

According to the Ministry's release, the man died on Thursday while receiving treatment at a medical facility.

Further, the Health Ministry in its daily COVID19 dashboard recorded 109 new cases, taking the total number of confirmed cases

to 19,674.

The dashboard also revealed that 17 patients are in the COVID-19 Intensive Care Unit (ICU), 99 persons are in institutional isolation, 1,473 in home isolation and one person is in institutional isolation. To date, a total of 17,626 persons have recovered from the virus.

Kaieteur News

Saturday June 26, 2021

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Third oil ship to cost $200B - Dutch Manufacturer

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BM Offshore was pleased to disclose yesterday that it was able to secure financing to construct Guyana's third oil ship, called Prosperity.

The Dutch shipmaker noted that Prosperity which will be used in the Stabroek Block's Payara Project will cost US$1.05B (over GYD $200B).

SBM said the financing was secured from a consortium of 11 international banks while adding that it expects to draw the loan in full, phased over the construction period of the Prosperity Floating, Production, Storage, and Offloading (FPSO) Vessel.

The financing will also become non-recourse once

t h e F PSO is completed and the pre-completion guarantee has been released. The project loan carries a variable interest rate plus 1.60% SBM stated.

Kaieteur News understands that the Prosperity FPSO will utilise a d e s i g n t h a t l a rg e l y replicates the design of the L

Guyana receives US$6.7M from World Bank to improve education sector

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US$6.7 million grant to improve G u y a n a ' s education sector has been approved by the World Bank. This grant will go towards the improvement of learning in nursery schools, increase technology use in primary schools and to improve functionality of the national education management information system.

Based on information released by the Bank, the grant is a part of its Global Partnership for Education (GPE).

Ozan Sevimell, the

Wo r l d B a n k R e s i d e n t Representative for Jamaica and Guyana, stated that Guyana has made a lot of progress in its education sector in the last 15 years.

Additionally, he stated that thought there have been improvements, the learning outcome remains low and improving the education of quality at all levels will be the priority for Guyana to develop its human capital.

The Chief Executive Officer of GPE, Alice Albright, said that the grant will continue to help make Guyana's education system

Retraction/Apology

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n an article, published in our Friday, June 25, 2021 edition, headlined, “Three arrested for Haresh Singh's murder," it was stated that none of the men arrested had given a confession, a statement that was attributed to Crime Chief, Wendell Blanhum.

In a release, which the police issued yesterday, it was noted that, “For clarity, Mr. Wendell Blanhum never made that statement. This contention is false and the reporter who prepared the

story was contacted by the Crime Chief to have same retracted and corrected immediately.

All assurance was given that the article will be corrected.”

Indeed, the offending aspect of the article has been retracted and we hereby offer an unequivocal apology to Crime Chief Blanhum and look forward to the Force's commitment to make public the details of the ongoing investigation when it is completed and legal advice is obtained.

more resilient and effective so that the most vulnerable boys and girls can go to school and learn, The education project, at the nursery level, aims to support teachers' training to improve pedagogy or the method of teaching and delivery of new curriculum.

It will also provide learning materials and deliver parental education.

When it relates to the primary level, the financing will equip schools with computer tablets to enable them to use technology for foundational skills like mathematics and literacy, as well as smart class rooms to support learning.

The project will also finance further development and roll out of an integrated education management information system at the national level in nursery, primary and secondary schools.

This project will also contribute to two ongoing projects financed by the World Bank's International Development Association.

The Education Sector Improvement Project aims to improve mathematics education and the University of Guyana's Faculty of Health Sciences.

iza Unity FPSO, which is on its way to Guyana for hookup in the Liza Phase Two Project.

As such, the design is based on SBM Offshore's industry-leading Fast4Ward® programme that incorporates the company's new build, multipurpose hull combined with

several standardised topsides modules.

Furthermore, SBM said the FPSO will be designed to produce 220,000 barrels of oil per day, will have associated gas treatment capacity of 400 million cubic feet per day and water injection capacity of 250,000 barrels per day.

The FPSO will be spread-moored in water depth of about 1,900 meters and will be able to store around 2 million barrels of crude oil.

The project is part of the Payara development, which is the third development within the Stabroek Block, located 200 kilometers offshore Guyana. Esso Exploration and Production Guyana Limited, an affiliate of Exxon Mobil Corporation, is the operator and holds a 45 percent interest in the Stabroek Block, Hess Guyana Exploration Ltd. holds a 30 percent interest and CNOOC Petroleum Guyana Limited holds a 25 percent interest.

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Saturday June 26, 2021

Kaieteur News

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

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

EDITORIAL

Leaders cannot operate like secret agents The business of this country cannot, and must not, continue to be conducted in the dark. Guyanese leaders must not feel comfortable with throwing any canned slop at citizens and expect that such would be found acceptable.

There is too much going on at this time, involving too much money, representing too much of the potential of this nation that must be realised, and with which there must not be the same regular failures and farces. We at this paper will say it right away and for the first of several times in this writing: national leaders cannot conduct this country’s affairs, as if they are secret agents.

Secret agents operate undercover; most of their words are whispered out of earshot in dark corners and out of the way places. Our leaders must not be this way. Secret agents make a tremendous effort by pretending at living clean, normal lives (like any regular John Public or Jane Doe), but all the while living double lives in behaviours that are the opposite of what they say and do in public. In other words, they have one way for the light of daytime, and another that is embraced by those who love the darkness, with its evils, sometimes imagined, but never far from being real. This is not the way that Guyanese political leaders must be.

They have lied and deceived, with one trick after another, and on big things. They have to stop doing what anyone who pays attention can see through. It is only because this society is so hopelessly divided that they can even think about these questionable, borderline, and outright deceitful practices, actually do them, and then get away with them, again and again.

In a real democratic society, a vibrant one, leaders would have been called out, in the sharpest terms, for the frauds that they are, and given the boot. The affairs of this country may have been conducted, to a greater or lesser degree, in this secret manner by all prior governments. But that was then, when we had less, and this is now, when there is so much more that is on the table.

Today, we have oil and gas, and by the billions of barrels.

That is not small change, not even when world market prices are rock bottom, for these precious commodities. Or money to play around with, since it belongs to the nation. Or to play the fool with, since it is the children’s future that is involved.

The usual crooked leadership visions that, in their hearts, are about what is personally financially ambitious, have to come to a hard stop. This secrecy and the undercover behaviour, the full-out culture of secret agents for leaders in action has be called out and condemned for what it is.

Since this chronic leadership secrecy and secret agent operations are what is at work with oil and gas, with gold and other precious minerals, with monies borrowed and owed, with monies spent and not cleanly and clearly accounted for, then all the promises of the future could be lost, and Guyanese would be none the wiser for it. By the time citizens get wise and get enlightenment, the money horse would have bolted from the stable. Secret agent leaders would have ransacked the bank and vault, carried away everything, and left nothing behind.

We, the citizens, would be left scrambling for the scraps, like crabs in a barrel. When we can’t get our sliver of the scraps, then we would pounce on the nearest neighbour (just like trapped crabs) and tear apart limb by limb. It is why we insist that the serious business of this nation must be put on the table, so that interested members of the population can educate themselves, check for themselves, and satisfy themselves.

No one would have to depend on any occasional scanty information handout from slippery government leaders, or expect anything from shaky opposition members, when it pleases either, as if they are doing the public a favour.

It is time that secrecy with oil be done away with, that the light takes over. It is time for contract terms and conditions to come out of the closet, so that all Guyanese could be better for it. What is there for them? What is wrong with what is there? That is transparent governance. That is how a democracy functions, in the open air, where leaders have no need to be secret agents.

The impact of the Regional Joint Support Team on business, tourism and the family DEAR EDITOR, Many persons have been asking me why am I so quiet these days? I have recently started talking publicly again, since February I went on a ‘spiritual renewal journey’. I was on 21 days of ‘spiritual consecration’, then two months of ‘spiritual separation’, then 40 days of fasting and praying and now 21 days of fasting and praying, essentially, what is happening in Guyana has been keeping me on my knees.

The ‘Peeping Tom’ article published in the Kaieteur News on June 13, 2021, titled ‘All Guyanese Should Kneel’, was timely.

Development ought to be inter-connected which means that one sector should enable or enhance the growth and development of another. In 2007, when the Cricket World Cup was coming to Guyana, there was massive investment in expanding the hotel industry in Guyana to accommodate the anticipated large volumes of visitors, tourists, and cricket-lovers, one of my disappointment, thereafter, was the underutilisation of many of these hotels after the games.

I often wondered about those businesses that had borrowed loans and were saddled with mortgages despite the relatively low number of visitors or tourists.

With the rise of the oil and

gas industry, there has been much excitement again around building hotels, it is definitely an area slated for massive investment in Guyana. However, hotels would have to be occupied by visitors and tourists for the most part, hence one of my concerns with the idea of the Regional Joint Support Team, security unit. It is important that our leaders are very clear on whether Guyana will be an ‘open and safe democracy’ or a controlled state.

Guyana’s Constitution makes provisions for the Guyana Police Force (GPF) and the Guyana Defence Force (GDF); therefore, crime fighting is seated legally, under the GPF and national security under the GDF. The Regional Joint Support Team, based on the little information available, would not fall under the GPF, even though it is said to be a crime fighting outfit, but fall under the GDF. This decision sends a serious signal to tourists; it signals that the crime situation in Guyana is so bad, and the government does not expect it to get any better, hence the need to establish a permanent; certainly, medium to long term crime fighting unit.

We are telling investors, to come and partner with Guyana and invest, but at the same time, we also telling them that our crime situation is out

of control. Are we encouraging investors and businesses to invest in the hotel industry and tourism, but yet we are not creating a conducive environment that will be competitive with other tourism countries and destinations?

I found it ironic that in May of this year, in the same week that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs was organising the diaspora forums and encouraging members of the diaspora to pack up and come to Guyana and resettle and invest, it was the same week that there was the news in the media with the disruptions to the Police Service Commission (PSC) and by extension the GPF. What is my point? It seems as though many decisions are more political but are not focused on creating an environment that will be conducive for business, investment and tourism and the growth and development of families. The Regional Joint Support Team security unit is a political decision, but in my view, it runs counter to Guyana’s business, investment, tourism, and general development agenda as a democratic country. I am concerned that if we go in this direction, investments will be made in the hotel industry for example, without adequate returns because we would have failed to create the

environment for a viable tourism sector.

The business and investment community must surely be concerned with this new development; since it signals that crime is so out of control in Guyana; and secondly, it would be putting guns in the hands of people in a unit that is unconstitutional. These things make investors and tourists very uncomfortable about countries.

From an institutional standpoint, this establishment of these two units will inevitably create tensions in the GPF and the GDF, since there are overlaps of their responsibilities.

Another point to note is, that one of the benefits and stabilising factors built into the system and structure of the GPF and the GDF, is that after these highly trained and skilled security and military people, experts and professionals retire, they are provided with a pension plan.

This pension plan prevents them from being forced to sell their skills and expertise in unlawful ways, to make a living after they retire.

In the absence of the pension plan, they could be forced to sell their skills and expertise to the highest bidder, and in an oil and gas society, the bid could be significantly high.

Will the members of this new (Continued on page 6)

AG out to end practice of ‘contract breaching’ DEAR EDITOR, The end of May 2021 will forever be etched in the minds of all Guyanese. It was so shocking to look repeatedly at the footage of President Irfaan Ali, who was shellshocked at the insensitive, lackadaisical and even undermining attitude of some pump attendants, when he visited several drainage pumps in and outside of Georgetown on Sunday night, May 30. During that tour, the Head of State discovered firsthand that “… the pumps at Riverview were off, the koker doors were closed and the worker was asleep…” and quite soundly too, as he had to be roused by repeated shouting.

His response confirmed his intuition as he detailed that “This is what we are talking about, I came out here myself to verify tonight. The main pump to drain the city is turned off. Up to today, we said that the pumps need to be on 24 hours…While we have to deal with the heavy rainfall, we have to deal decisively with irresponsibility and

negligence.” And true to his word, corresponding action is setting off. I add that the scenario was the same at Lombard Street and Kitty, where some of the city’s most important pumps were not working, leading the President to question why the pumps were not on.

In the end, and in good governance, the President “…instructed the Attorney General and Minister of Legal Affairs, Anil Nandlall, SC MP, to immediately review all service and maintenance contracts within the sphere of the Government of Guyana and the entire State structure, in relation to drainage pumps, sluices, kokers and drainage and irrigation, generally, and to enforce any penalty clause against contractors who are in breach of their obligations under these contracts.”

In compliance, the word is that Attorney General “…is drafting a new model contract, which will set out specific terms and conditions to address contractors, who fail to fulfill their obligations, in relation to the maintenance and upkeep of drainage

pumps in the country.”I add here that all over the world, contracts are never ever treated lightly. In fact, any “breach” of contract is punishable by Law, as it is a serious offence with corresponding penalties. So, after what took place here in Guyana, in the area of ‘maintenance and upkeep of drainage pumps,’ the course of action now unfolding is quite legal and very necessary.

I love that the AG is mandating that “The contracts will also include a liquidated damages provision, which allows for the payment of a predetermined sum, agreed to by the parties at the time that the contract is entered into, should one of the parties be found in breach of the contract.” This issue of ‘holding’ employees and bodies to accountability is quite necessary. President Irfaan Ali is a first-hand witness to what happens when there is gross incompetence and negligence. He actually had to question ‘one sleeper’

employed by the Mayor and City Council. It is worthy to note that the Agriculture Minister, Zulfikar Mustapha, and Ministers Nigel Dharamlall, Anand Persaud and Deodat Indar, called a meeting with Mayor Ubraj Narine, his deputy Alfred Mentore and other city officials at the Ministry of Agriculture and it was very evident that, “They are not supervising these people (pump attendants, etc.) and it seems like these equipment are being left to the operators…whenever they want to work, they work it.”

That is why, according to the AG, “As part of the new terms to be crafted, contractors who enter into agreements and are found to be in breach of their duties or are negligent in the performance of same, which is found to contribute to flooding, will have to pay compensation.” I add my piece here; the fines must be heavy and must be imposed even in the case of firing those in dereliction.

Yours truly, Matthew Hendrix

Saturday June 26, 2021

Mining sector needs a long-term plan to aid recovery DEAR EDITOR, The Honourable Minister of Natural Resources and a high-level delegation are presently touring mining areas offering aid to the many affected by the floods. For this, we are most grateful. It has also given officials the opportunity to see for themselves the magnitude of the decimation of the mining industry and realise that urgent assistance is needed.

The industry has not only been decimated by this flood but also by the COVID-19 outbreak, which commenced over a year ago. Many miners were in the red even before the flood struck and were barely keeping themselves afloat.

Now many of us are asking what’s next? Will our government assist us in our time of need? Or will we be forced to fold up and leave the industry, forfeiting millions in investment?

Hopefully, the government,

Ministry of Natural Resources and the GGMC have their pulse on the industry and do what’s necessary to keep us distressed miners afloat in our time of real need. Over the last decade, we have carried the economy of the country on our shoulders.

We have been the shining light where other major players have found difficulty and faltered. Now it is our turn to be offered incentives and assistance to regain our luster.

Though our needs are obviously many, there are some, which are pressing and should be considered urgently: 1) refinancing of loans which defaulted because of the above-named hardships.

Maybe government can intervene on the miners’ behalf? Many miners are presently affected by this. We owe banks, auto dealers, suppliers, etc.; 2) repairing infrastructure. Those who are in the industry know that road infrastructure is key to a

profitable mining operation. If we cannot get easy access, then our operational costs soar and there is a lot of downtime and man hours lost.

Hopefully, there will be a mass infrastructural repair as soon as the conditions become amenable to such repairs. Government can be proactive and ensure contracts are given out early so that the repairs can commence within the shortest time frame; 3) Waiving fees at GGMC. Many miners were already feeling the squeeze to pay the high rental fees for mining lands, which they were granted by GGMC, who imposed a June 30, 2021, deadline to have all outstanding land rental fees paid. Many were hoping to raise enough money to clear these outstanding fees before the GGMC stipulated deadline.

But with the coming of the unprecedented floods and losses incurred, it is now

virtually impossible to meet this deadline. Hopefully, the Minister and GGMC management would have seen firsthand (during their aid outreach) how much the flood decimated the industry and can at least ease the woes of those miners by waiving the GGMC imposed deadline.

Individual miners may have other pressing needs but the three highlighted above will resonate throughout the industry.

Here’s hoping that the government listens to its miners and do what’s necessary to alleviate some of the hardships and difficulties at this time. Also, please keep us publicly informed of the initiatives to be undertaken to assist us.

Remember many of us will be stationed in our mining camps in remote hinterland locations. So access to information may be difficult.

Newspaper releases may be the best way to keep us informed.

M. Evan

Will PPP implement Bisram/ Dev plan to save GuySuCo DEAR EDITOR, Dr. Vishnu Bisram pens that ”WPA & AFC could have saved the sugar estates” (Jun. 25), with a proposal to reduce the then government’s burdensome cost of growing cane. The coalition government, we learn, rebuffed the Dev/ Bisram plan in which workers would grow the cane and supply it to the factories to manufacture and sell sugar. I presume the plan still holds inclusive of Indian, Trini, and local investors’ interests.

Now that there is a change in administration, would Ravi Dev and Bisram approach the PPP government to implement the proposal or plan? If it was good and actionable under the coalition, then it should be just as good under the PPP administration. It they were so insistent to implement it under the coalition that rejected it, why have they not approached this administration to implement it? This is after all their government and most workers of GuySuCo are PPP

supporters.

The PPP committed in its manifesto that it would reopen the four closed sugar estates that affected tens of thousands of families and dozens of villages. Not dissimilar from the coalition’s promise not to close GuySuCo, PPP immediately broke a promise by declaring Wales will not be re-opened.

We are now told that Wales will become an energy and industrial complex that will take at least another five years to begin operation.

Meanwhile, thousands of workers in Wales, 11 months into this administration, remain jobless. It does not seem to be a priority for the administration. Social anomie, Bisram’s words, and breakdown of families, supporters of PPP, are widespread. What is PPP doing about it? What rewards are PPP supporters in Wales reaping for giving 100 percent support to their party?

The other three estates have not had much cultivation or planning activities for re-

opening, and the equipment from the three factories are being sent to other factories, an indication the closed estates would not be reopened or certainly not a priority for the government.

The supporters of the party were fooled. Altogether, only about 300 workers out of 8,000 were re-hired. Several among the 300 re-hired staff have gotten pink slips although the costs of hiring these 300 workers is substantially less than that spent on new management that took over last September. GuySuCo is spending more on management than on the labourers, worse now than under the coalition.

Dev and Bisram are Indian nationalists and rights activists.

They have consistently championed Indian rights although they don’t receive support from the Indian community. Eleven months into this regime and they have not been recognised for their work or received any appointment to a position. Yet, they are not

speaking out on the failure of the PPP government to reemploy the thousands of Indians who were terminated by the PNC led coalition.

Worse, they are silent on corruption. It is hypocritical of Dev and Bisram to chastise the PNC-led coalition for closing the sugar estates and not equally holding the PPP accountable for its inability to resume sugar production at those estates. I am willing to take a bet with Dev and Bisram that the PPP will never embrace their plan. And worse, the PPP will never allocate GuySuCo land to sugar workers to become independent farmers. It is not in the DNA of the PPP to allow poor sugar workers to become landowners. Jagdeo and PPP would have none of it.

Will PPP implement the Bisram/Dev plan to re-employ the tens of thousands terminated by the coalition and that would save the government huge amounts of money?

Yours truly, Shawn Simmons

OAI’s response to Capt. Mazahar Ally re-access to Minutes DEAR EDITOR, I write on behalf of Ogle Airport Inc. (OAI) and wish to respond to a letter sent by Capt. A. Mazahar Ally, Managing Director for ASL, AMSL and GRSI, to the media with regard to his access to the Minutes of the last Annual General Meeting of

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the Company.

I am pleased to inform you that the shareholders of Ogle Airport Inc. have received the Draft Minutes of the 2020 AGM along with the Notice for the 2021 AGM scheduled to be held on Monday, 28th June, 2021. Mr. Mazahar Ally has been free to visit our

registered office at any time to examine the approved Minutes of the 2019 AGM and the Draft Minutes of the 2020 AGM when they were completed. Mr. Ally has not made a formal request to visit our offices for this purpose.

It is important to point out that the Minutes of the 2020 AGM

remain in Draft and will become the permanent record of the company only when they are approved at the 2021 AGM. Regards, Kit Nascimento Public Relations Consultant Ogle Airport Inc.

Ravi Dev is no liar DEAR EDITOR, I write in response to retort by Ogunseye “Dev’s narration of the collapse of the Centre Force movement is self-serving” (Jun 24) in reply to claims made by Dev (Jun 23). To wit, he called Ravi Dev a liar (Jun 24) —his description of Ravi’s account of discussions held with Roopnarine, Dr. Rodney’s comrade in arms against the Burnham dictatorship.

Ogunseye was not privy to the conversations held by Dev with Roopnarine and others. Thus, he was in no position to lend validity (or lack thereof) of an account from either side. Roopnarine and others Dev interacted with have not disputed the account. Thus, Ravi’s account stands.

I was not present when discussions were held between Roopnarine and Dev and others on the proposed Rodney inquiry, and thus I too am in no position to say that WPA scuttled an early inquiry into Rodney’s assassination by the Burnham regime. But the Ravi I have known since around 1985 has not acquired a reputation to

lie or mislead the public.

He was and still is a trusted figure. He was very sympathetic with the WPA. He worked closely with Lincoln VanSluytman and Singh (lead organiser of WPA in NY). And when he remigrated to Guyana round 1989, he spent considerable time at Rodney’s House. I accompanied him several times in talks with Roopnarine, Eusi Kwayana, Wazir Mohammed, Moses Bhagwan. I remember several of those meetings including several I held on my own with those respectable figures. (I also remember very well seeing Ogunseye at Rodney House always engaged and dressed in African wear although we hardly had any engagement).

Like me, Dev wanted the truth to come out on Rodney’s assassination. He used his presence in parliament to champion an inquiry, which he claims was scuttled by the WPA. I do not think he would lie or present a fictitious account of engagements with WPA people.

Yours truly, Vishnu Bisram

Abuse of confidentiality clauses DEAR EDITOR, If the Guyana Commission of Information is the clearing house for all information requested by members of the public, why are details, especially on contracts entered into on behalf of Guyanese, still not in the public domain?

Would a properly informed nation not contribute to its prosperity?

Reliance on confidentiality clauses in contracts is regularly and blatantly abused by those with less than honourable intentions.

Muhammad Alli

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Saturday June 26, 2021

Kaieteur News

Good things need principled people to get the best results DEAR EDITOR, Two news developments caught the eye. Since both span the whole works, viz. from paper to programme to people, then this country could register some stellar returns. But do we have the latter, meaning the people?

The second question is, do we - leaders, participants, overwhelming majority of citizens - really want what is said to be intended, what is publicised with pomp and flash? My thoughts come first, with my position following.

The two developments were of a 2-day session focusing on “Risk Assessment” and beefing up of the staff of SOCU. Programme and paper and people could all be good, if the right stuff is present. If we are dealing with people of integrity (which we lack glaringly), with clean and honest intents (which have never been from leaders on down), with substance when it counts (where and which ones?). When these training sessions are done (positive things) and people hired at

SOCU and elsewhere (meaningful with the right people), I think we could be in a good place.

But only if hearts and minds are at the highest ethical summits.

That is, truly drilling down diligently to what was spent, how documented, what aligned, what breached, who is directly responsible and who are the intellectual authors of malfeasances and cover-ups.

Usually the latter two (foot soldiers on the ground) and authors (political

West Indies cricket has gone from bad to worse DEAR EDITOR, There is no doubt that cricket in the West Indies has gone from bad to worse so much so several diehard fans, including myself, have lost interest. I had to seek the assistance of my friend Philip Moniram Ramcharitar, a keen cricketer, to update me so I can pen this piece. As a journalist, I covered several test matches throughout the West Indies. I even witnessed one at cricket headquarters at Lords in London and the “million dollar match” in Antigua.

In my view, West Indies cricket problems started with Stanford T 20 cricket with the Texan billionaire dishing out millions to boost the game.

After Stanford’s involvement came to an end, cricket boards, franchise clubs, sponsors have all invested in the T20 format of the game, and less in the first class (red ball) format and as such our young aspiring first class and potential Test cricketers are not being provided the proper coaching/training

techniques that would gear them to develop their skills that would allow them to perform/compete at the highest level and against top cricket playing nations.

One of the main reasons for the longer version, it allows players to naturally develop their skills and prepares them for the challenges of Test match. East Canje native, Shimron Hetmyer, is a victim of the limited number of first class cricket being played anywhere in Berbice.

Hetmyer has never batted an entire day innings match because there is no first division or inter-county cricket. Leonard Baichan, an East Canje born player, enjoyed long innings in Davsons Cup and intercounty cricket. He made a century and a double century in a match...not out in both innings.

West Indies lost two Test matches to South Africa in two and a half and three and a half days respectively. Their next Test match will be

against a solid Pakistan side who destroyed South Africa in the recent test series played in Pakistan. It does not seem to me that the West Indies coaches, selectors and officials have any concrete plans.

The players failed to score more than 200 runs in any of the last four innings. This is pathetic. Pakistan is due in the Caribbean next month to play 5 T20 and two test matches between July 21 and August 24. Let’s hope Coach Phil Simmons, captains, Kieron Pollard, and Kraigg Brathwaite work out ways and means to defeat the tourists in order to stop the constant defeat against the Caribbean squad. It is unfortunate that West Indies cricket has deteriorated rapidly during the past decades. Former Jamaican Prime Minister, P. J. Patterson, a cricket lover, has called for a complete overhaul of the structure of the game in the region.

Oscar Ramjeet former Secretary of the Berbice Cricket Board

conductors in conference rooms) both work with one qualification: loyalty.

Trustworthy enough to look the other way. To follow orders from above. To conspire to conceal. Or in the instance of rogue captains and corporals in the trenches, to help themselves, by bartering information for personal rewards.

Editor, we have had people like those, and the PPP leadership brought them back. There are newer ones now, hungrier for a taste of the spoils, ready to obey political masters, of which there is only one. And if anybody insists that he has a single honest bone, or one

principled and patriotic vision, then I am MLK and MKG and RM (Rolihlahla) all wrapped into one perfect composite.

Current Guyanese in leadership are not honourable, and the people selected are not, for the most part.

I gave the President room when he spoke of transparency and accountability, but he and his Vice President have both been of nothing but dance steps since then, that would make chutney gyrators proud.

Both make big speeches and then secretly sabotage their words. Worse, they carefully select men and women who will ensure that nothing is

revealed.

Things stay in the political, social, and biological families. I tender oil, gold smuggling, and the word games they play.

They can tell that to worshipful supporters, and a submissive opposition and nation. Of course, leaders are foxy enough to have a brigade of collaborating attorneys and auditors to smooth matters over. I submit drug master plans, the reform of this and that, which cannot and will not happen without radical leadership reform first.

Then, the ethical and moral may occur. But not before.

Sincerely, GHK Lall

...The impact of the Regional Joint From page 4 security outfit be provided with a retirement pension package, so that at the end of their tenure, these highly trained people would not be forced to sell their skills and expertise to the highest bidder to earn a living. These are organisational and systemic issues which need to be carefully evaluated.

Guyana is a small society and therefore can easily become vulnerable to a small number of highly trained security experts with no real commitment to country and the people of that country.

A fundamental point to note, however, is that Guyana’s crime problem is primarily of a socio-economic nature, I find it difficult to accept that we need a hightech security unit to manage a crime situation where the people who are committing most of the crimes are between 15 – 25 years old.

Human development is essentially about expanding choices and increasing

opportunities, therefore that G$700M will go a long way in creating more jobs for our high-risk youths, as a way of preparing them to be gainfully employed in the current and emerging industries, as well as it would put a lot of food on their tables. My question is whether our focus is on protecting our evolving enclaves or on human development?

It is ironic that the government would request to take G$700M of our money for a new security unit and yet borrow G$1.4B from the World Bank to enhance education in the country.

While the government is planning to spend G$700M on a new security unit, the Minister of Health is developing a National Strategic Plan to combat NonCommunicable Diseases (NDCs). The increase in NCDs is also as a result of sections of the population not eating properly.

This decision is equivalent to buying a new

big screen television set when the bank is threatening to foreclose on the family home, and the school is threatening to put the children out of school because the school fees are in arrears. Our women and children need food and more fruits to eat but they need the means to buy them.

Editor, let us continue to pray for Guyana. Our male leaders continue to create unnecessary instability for our women, young people, and children, with impunity. I worry for our women, children, and young people; they are at the bottom of the social ladder in Guyana, but they deserve a stable environment to live in.

I guess women and men have different priorities, even as leaders. We women are keenly watching our male leaders and we are taking note of the decisions, which they are making.

Yours faithfully, Citizen Audreyanna Thomas

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BL TLUNT.. UNT...B BL Saturday June 26, 2021

Kaieteur News

Look at us: one year later and we are still in elections mode and fighting elections battles.

Clearly, something is wrong with our heads. As Guyanese like to say, 'he hed in good.'

We have to agree, because here we are squabbling about elections, while the foreigners are fetching away our treasures. How stupid and shortsighted can we be? We are asking for outsiders to take advantage of us, and they are.

We continue this way, and soon there will not be anything left to fight over.

PAGE 07

Saturday June 26, 2021

Kaieteur News

PAGE 08

Meeting Paris Agreement targets critical to prevent future water disasters - President Ali

P

r e s i d e n t , D r.

Irfaan Ali, has said that unless the targets that were set at the Paris Agreement in 2015 are realised, the world can expect to experience future water disasters and further setbacks to the Sustainable Development Agenda.

The Head of State made this assertion during his virtual address at the plenary session of the 5th United Nations (UN) Special Thematic Session on Water and Disaster, held yesterday.

The President also reaffirmed Guyana's commitment to working with the UN and the international community to

press for coordinated global attention and action to combat climate change.

Ali said, “I commend the United Nations for organising this vital Session, which I believe has an obligation to move the global community towards greater action in addressing climate change as a trigger for water-related disasters…

Guyana, however, remains engaged in working along with the United Nations and the rest of the international community to press for concerted global attention and action to arrest climate change.”

The President was also keen to note that the

pandemic and climate change are the foremost extant threats to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The pandemic, he added, has served to magnify the already existing problems within society and in relations between states.

“The COVID-19 pandemic has added to challenges posed to the SDGs. In many small states, the pandemic has reduced the fiscal space needed to propel the SDGs. Not only have these states had to shoulder the burdens of unanticipated and excessive health care costs, but the COVID-19 pandemic has

President, Dr. Irfaan Ali also led to economic contraction and massive job losses. And as the recent experience of my country illustrates, water disasters compound the difficulties posed by states which are vulnerable to climate disasters.”

Notwithstanding this, President Ali reiterated his stance during his address to a Regional Consultation organised by the Global

Wa t e r P a r t n e r s h i p i n February of this year, where he said that the pandemic “should not divert attention from or diminish the gravity of the threats” posed by other disasters such as hydrohazards.

“Addressing the climate crisis is therefore integral to the post COVID-19 recovery. It would amount to a misadventure on the part of the international community if, in its efforts to rebuild stronger and better after the pandemic, it neglects the potent threats posed by water disasters or ignores the indisputable link between these hazards.

Indeed, it is vital that the international community recognises the impact of the pandemic on developing countries and how these impacts can retard progress towards the SDGs.” Ali further noted that Guyana has committed itself, irreversibly, to a low carbon path to development, in which mainstreaming the SDGs in national development while

combatting climate change are fully compatible. The template he pointed out therefore exists for a post COVID-19 recovery that promotes climate resilience and commits to the SDGs. He, however, noted that the pace of the necessary reforms to achieve these objectives will, especially for small-island developing and low-lying coastal states, be dependent on international cooperation and assistance.

Furthermore, the President acknowledged that the Special Thematic Sessions on Water and Disaster have highlighted the gravity of the threats posed by hydro-hazards and have reaffirmed the importance of addressing climate risks in realising the SDGs. “The link between climate change and water disasters hardly needs restating. The awareness of the problems exists. What is now urgent is greater international resolve to (continued on page 11)

Kaieteur News

Saturday June 26, 2021

PAGE 09

Burning the wick at both ends T

he hustle is on.

From top to bottom of our social structure, persons are on the bustle seeking to make an extra dollar.

It is not only the small man that is on the hustle.

Senior officials of government and in the private sector also are moonlighting - having a second or third job in addition to their regular employment.

There are persons who leave their workplace at 4:30 pm and clock in at another workplace for another shift.

There are persons who when they leave their workplaces, they get into their cars and work special hire, even to the point of going to the car and bus parks to solicit passengers, and all for the extra dollar and to ensure that they are able to pay their bills.

And you can bet the bills come like clockwork each month. Some persons have mortgages on their homes, loans to their cars, hire purchase arrangements on their furniture and household appliances; they have to find money for extra lessons for their children; and many still throw a little box-hand when the weekends come.

The hustle is on. There are government workers who do private odd jobs on the weekend to make an extra dollar.

There are policemen who work for private businesses on their day-off and during their off-hours. There are persons employed in private

Dem

boys seh...

W

e nah got a shortage of w u k i n Guyana. We gat a shortage of certain types of wuk. And we gat an even greater shortage of people wah want to wuk.

Dem picknee leffing school with plenty, plenty subjects, and dem can't find de type of office wuk dem want.

But is not like we gat a serious employment crisis in de country. Because right now dem boys looking fuh some construction workers and is only dem Cubans and dem Haitians willing fuh turn spade and push wheel barrow.

Workers hard fuh come

firms who do part-time jobs with other private firms unknown to their regular employers.

The hustle knows no occupational distinction when it comes to moonlighting. From the common labourer to the specialist doctor, persons are having second or third jobs – conflict of interest or no conflict of interest; permission granted or no permission obtained.

One day I turned up at a private hospital to seek medical attention. I asked to see a named doctor and was told that he would not be in until after lunch. The receptionist explained that that particular doctor only works after lunch.

I went back after lunch and was told that I was early.

The receptionist said, “He comes in after 2pm during his lunch hour.”

I was taken aback and asked whether he worked somewhere else. “Yes,” she replied. He works at the public hospital.”

“Late lunch hour!” I said.

I was told stories of high political figures that left their private practice to take up public office. Or so the public thought because in reality they never ceased their private practice. They would hire their colleagues in government office and these colleagues would be assigned to do their private work, on taxpayers' time and money. Now that is a disreputable hustle.

There are doctors employed in the private

sector who work also in the public sector.

Many of them do not need the income from their government jobs. They earn millions through private practice. But the public practice provides them with a duty free concession on a motor vehicle but more importantly with the advertisement which can enhance their private practice.

There are private doctors who work at one private hospital and then would refer you for tests at places in which they have a personal interest. It is all part of the hustle.

Long ago, those types of practices would not be condoned. Husband and wife could not work in the same bank. Someone had to resign. Even for common labourers there were strict rules. I know of someone who worked as a handyman in a private company and on weekends he used to sell produce in the market.

His time as an itinerant vendor was stressful because he always had to be looking over his shoulder to see if anyone from his workplace would be in the market and would see that he was vending. The company with which he worked did not allow moonlighting.

But today, people are doing what they please. The rules and regulations, which used to be in place to guard against conflicts of interest, double-dipping and using one's employers' time and resources to do 'outside'

Nuff people nah like wuk by. And dem eye big. Dem labourers calling $7,000 minimum per day. And if yuh know fuh use a hammer and a nail is $9,000 per day.

And dem gan skin-cock pun de wuk. But dem know fuh pack dem toolboxes quick, quick when 4:00pm meet and if yuh ask dem fuh stay and finish off some wuk, is time-and-a-half dem calling.

And don't mek de mistake of paying dem pun a Saturday. Dem gan drink all weekend and nah gan turn up until Tuesday or Wednesday.

Dat is why dem boys payday does be on a Monday.

And nuff of dem workers

smoking pun de wuk… and is not cigarette. If dem nah tek a puff dem nah gat energy fuh wuk. If dem nah get a hit, dem nah gat strength fuh wuk. So dem does smoke-up in de morning and smoke-up after lunch. Otherwise, dem slower dan a turtle.

One time one of dem carpenter get arrested during a drug raid by de police. He guh in front of de magistrate who said to him: "You were arrested during a drugs bust in a gambling den. What were you doing there?"

"Making a bolt for the door, your Honour!"

Ta l k h a l f a n d n a h complain how wuk nah deh!

work, are not enforced.

The hustle is on. It cannot be stopped because many of those who are supposed to prevent it are doing the same thing.

So when next you go into a business and notice

someone sleeping on the job, do not assume they had a late night. It could well be that they were moonlighting elsewhere and are simply catching up on sleep.

(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

Saturday June 26, 2021

THE FREDDIE KISSOON COLUMN

Why the refusal to describe the March 2020 elections as attempted rigging?

M

y commentary h e r e constitutes a note of suspicion about the motives of Dr. Desmond Thomas, founder of the Electoral Reform Group (ERG). I refer to his latest letter in the Stabroek News of Sunday June 20.

In a publication in the Kaieteur News on me of May 28, he reeled off his impressive curriculum vitae and in the process wrote, “I am an economist with a claim to being among the leading economists in the

Caribbean Region based on my academic, professional and publications record.”

I don't know if I was supposed to be impressed by that and be circumspect. I don't think Dr. Thomas knows me at all. I am relieved that his CV revealed no training and academic output in sociology and political theory.

I submit that when he d e m o n s t r a t e s a corresponding knowledge in those two subject-areas as he does in economics then we can pay attention to his

offering on electoral reform.

My feeling in this article on Dr. Thomas is based on the suspicion I have that he is disinclined to criticise the PNC's involvement in the March 2020 fiasco.

This explains his inflexible unwillingness to categorise the election as a rigging process that failed.

E v e n W PA o v e r s e a s member, Dr. Alissa Trotz, has come out (in a June interview with UK activist, Norman Brown) and acknowledged that the PNC attempted to rig the process.

In a statement carried in this newspaper, Alfred Bhulai of the Election Reform Group wrote officially on behalf of the group the following position.

I use his words “We (the ERG) accept that the March 2020 election was being rigged for five consecutive months until the pressure from the world caused a halt to the rigging.”

Elsewhere I pointed out that all ERG letters carry the signature of its 10 executive members but in this case, only Bhulai added his name. I wrote that I believe this was a deliberate choice of the other nine not to put their names.

Now we have another letter from Dr. Thomas and you see the open evasion.

There is no mention of the rigged March election.

Here are my words on Thomas published in my column of Wednesday June 2, 2021, captioned The Electoral Reform Group is a devious organism.” But before that, here are the

words of Dr. Thomas, “it is disingenuous to suggest that March 2020 is the yardstick to measure the role, legitimacy or credibility of any person or group who may seek to bring improvements to an

Frederick Kissoon obviously broken system… agitation on election issues did not start in 2020.”

Here now was my rebuttal to that strange emanation, “What Dr. Thomas is saying here is unadulterated nonsense.

Whatever depravities happened in the past that we spoke up against does not exonerate us from denouncing the very depravities that are heaped on Guyana in the present time.

This is a barefaced attempt by Dr. Thomas to

mask his silence on the election rigging.”

I repeat that I believe Dr. Thomas is a mental supporter of the PNC and he will write for another four years until we come to another election, but he is not going to declare that the PNC attempted to tamper with the March election; to use Dr. Trotz's words, “fraudulently engineer for itself another term in power.”

His rejection of the consultancy of the Republican Institute in electoral reform is yet to be explained.

He is yet to tell us what negative influence the institute's works will have on the environment of electoral changes.

If you are opposing a group's involvement in a simple process (I believe electoral reform is a simple process), you are morally and intellectually obliged to state why.

He cannot and he would not. My suspicion is that he wants to be part of civil society's consultation with the government so he can advance a position approximate to the PNC's postures.

My feeling is that in any rendezvous with the PNC on electoral reform, the PNC (and by extension the AFC) is going to be obdurate with the intention of undermining the transformative process.

My theory is that given its global embarrassment over the March 2020 election and the physiological damage it has done to the PNC, there will not be a PNC government or an APNU+AFC government in the foreseeable future. My contestation is that there is going to be an implosion in the PNC over leadership challenges further weakening its biology.

The PNC then, will play realpolitik and seek to undermine positive directions in electoral legalism.

I hope I am proven wrong. But unlike Dr. Thomas, my field of study is sociology and political behaviour not economics.

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

Saturday June 26, 2021

Kaieteur News

PAGE 11

Saturday June 26, 2021

Kaieteur News

PAGE 12

Operation Tradewinds comes to an end

T

he closing ceremony of the exercise of Operation Tradewinds was held at the National Stadium, yesterday. The ceremony started at approximately 9:00am.

Prime Minister, Brigadier (Ret'd) Mark Phillips, was present at the ceremony along with United States Ambassador of Guyana, Sarah-Ann Lynch;

Senior Minister within the Office of the President with responsibility for Finance, Dr. Ashni Singh; Minister of Home Affairs, Robeson Benn; Minister of Tourism, Industry and Commerce, Oneidge Walrond; National Security Advisor to the President, Gerry Gouveia; Chief of Staff of the Guyana Defence Force, Brigadier Godfrey Bess; and several senior officers of the Guyana

Defence Force (GDF) and the Guyana Police Force (GPF).

Tradewinds is a Caribbean-focused training programme designed to help participants better respond to natural disasters, land and maritime threats. Guyana was the host of this year's exercise that was sponsored by the United States Southern C o m m a n d (USSOUTHCOM).

T h e e x e r c i s e commenced on Saturday June 12th, 2021. The security exercise is multi-national in nature with 17 nations involved. The nations that participated this year are Belize, Bermuda, Bahamas, Brazil, Canada, Columbia, Dominican Republic, France, Haiti, Mexico, Netherlands, Suriname, Trinidad and Tobago, Guyana and the United States of America.

The ceremony started with the arrival of contingents and guests, followed by a parade march on. Remarks were then given

by Major General Rafael A. Ribas, Deputy Commander for Mobilistion and Reserve Affairs in the United States and United States Ambassador of Guyana, Sarah Ann Lynch.

There was a presentation of gifts and certificates to all

participants, followed by the parade march off and a closing cultural presentation which featured some of Guyana's local artistes and their talents in various fields of the arts.

The cultural presentation met performances from Poonam Singh, Jackie “Jaxx” Hanover, Vicadi Singh, Kwasi “Ace” Edmonson, Jumo Primo, Daniela Araujo and others.

Fight between two brothers leaves one dead

W

hat would usually be a tradition for two brothers and their mother to have breakfast together turned ugly yesterday morning when one brother stabbed the other to death at their mother's Cummings Street, Georgetown residence.

The dead man has been identified as 24year-old Paul Anthony Chase of Norton Street, Lodge; the brother in custody has been identified as Quincy Reynolds, 27.

Kaieteur News learnt that the incident occurred sometime after 08:00hrs at the top flat of T&J Unique Choice Salon and Gift Shop.

The dead man's mother, Sonia Chase told the media yesterday that her sons had a misunderstanding, which then got out of control. The woman said before the tragic incident, she had confronted Reynolds about

Stabbed to death, Paul Anthony Chase

Henry boys' relative wanted for murder of Haresh Singh

T

he Guyana Police Force (GPF) last evening issued a wanted bulletin for a relative of Joel and Isaiah Henry, for the murder of fellow Berbice teen, Haresh Singh.

The bulletin was issued for Gladwin Henry, of Number 3 Village, West Coast Berbice. The GPF is urging anyone with information that may lead to the arrest of Henry to contact the police on telephone numbers; 232-0969, 2320313, 226-7476, 226-7065, 227-9271, 227-1611, 2271149, 227-1270, 225-69409, 225-3650, 226-1928, 911 or the nearest police station.

Henry is wanted for

Wanted: Gladwin Henry questioning in relation to the September 9, 2020, murder

of Singh, who was killed days after the Henry cousins' butchered bodies were found dumped in the Cotton Tree backlands, West Coast Berbice.

According to reports, the unconscious body of 17year-old Singh of Number Two Village was discovered with chop wounds and other marks of violence in the Number Three Village Backdam and his motorcycle was found burnt nearby.

It was reported that Singh was the relative of three of the suspects who were initially arrested for the double murder of the Henry cousins. All three were subsequently released.

something in which he denied he had any involvement. Chase said after hearing that, she did not question him further but he ended up getting upset. The woman then decided to call her husband who informed her to call the police.

According to Chase, she went into her bedroom and made the call, and as she was doing so, Reynolds got annoyed and went behind her. While turning around, Reynolds dealt a cuff to her left eye before leaving the room. Chase further stated that while in the room, she heard a woman shouting outside “Y'all stop”. When she got outside, she saw that Paul was bleeding, while the woman was shouting “murder, murder”.

The grieving woman said that she would

usually tell her sons that they “should live in love, live as one, no matter what is it”.

According to a police report, Reynolds used a knife to inflict the fatal injuries to Paul.

The now dead man received two stab wounds, one to his chest and the other to his neck.

The police were summoned to the scene; the young man's body was taken to the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation where he was pronounced dead on arrival.

The body was later transported to Lyken Funeral Home where it is awaiting a post mortem examination.

Reynolds was arrested and is presently at the Alberttown Police Station, where he is assisting with the investigations.

The premises where Paul Chase was stabbed to death

Kaieteur News

Saturday June 26, 2021

PAGE 13

Pres. Ali says professionals were brought in to run Police Communications Unit

E

x e c u t i v e President of the Co-operative Republic of Guyana, Dr. Mohamed Irfaan Ali, recently disclosed that professionals were brought in to operate the Guyana Police Force's (GPF) Corporate Communications Unit (CCU).

President Ali made that statement at the handing over ceremony of a Computer Training Centre at Cove and John Police Station, East Coast Demerara, on Thursday.

In his address, President Ali disclosed that the professionals were brought in to head the Force's Communications Unit as a strategy to merge different capabilities and strengths in order to achieve a “better product”. However, the President then highlighted that this strategy is not to diminish the role of anyone and noted that it is only for the purpose of developing the Force.

The President's comment comes at a time when the newly established CCU has

President of Guyana, Dr. Mohamed Irfaan Ali

come under scrutiny by Shadow Home Affairs M i n i s t e r, A P N U + A F C Member of Parliament, Geeta Chandan-Edmond. In April 2021, the Shadow Minister, tabled eight questions in the National Assembly c o n c e r n i n g t h e implementation of the CCU. Kaieteur News had reported that ChandanEdmond is asking the Minister of Home Affairs, Robeson Benn, whether or not the CCU was created in accordance with the Standing

The members of the Guyana Police Force (GPF) Corporate Communications Unit (CCU)

Opposition Member of Parliament, Geeta Chandan-Edmond

Orders of the Force, among several other inquiries.

Minister Benn has since submitted his written response to the questions in the National Assembly.

The Director of the CCU is former Guyana Chronicle E d i t o r- i n - C h i e f , M ark Ramotar and his Deputy Director is veteran broadcaster, Stan Gouveia. In

the past, the GPF Public Relations (PR) Department was headed by serving members of the Force, who were trained in communications and public relations. However, earlier this year, the GPF announced the appointment of two civilians to run the Force's PR Department.

Those appointments are now

being questioned by the Shadow Home Affairs Minister.

It was also reported that Commissioner of Police (ag), Nigel Hoppie, had disclosed that the appointment of the civilians to head the CCU was based on recommendations by United Kingdom (UK) consultants following a visit here in 2019.

Saturday June 26, 2021

Kaieteur News

PAGE 14

Traffic Rank assaults man in presence of Station Sergeant at Alberttown Police Station

A

video circulating on social media and seen by this publication appeared to depict an altercation between a driver who was placed on bail at the Alberttown Police Station for a traffic offence, and the traffic rank that stopped him.

In the video, the two men can be seen standing outside the entrance to the station, with the driver attempting to walk away from the traffic rank, who continuously prevented him from doing so, demanding that he go back into the station to be served a notice, to which the driver refused. The traffic rank then proceeded to forcibly drag the driver back into the station and can be heard saying, “Bai, go back there, don't get me vex.”

The ordeal was being videotaped by the driver's wife and as she proceeded to follow the two men as they entered the police station, she

was prevented from entering the station by the station sergeant standing in the doorway.

As her path is blocked, the driver can be seen attempting to wrangle himself free from the traffic rank's grip inside the station, to which the traffic rank responded by vigorously pulling the driver around. At that point the station sergeant can be seen instructing the traffic rank whom she addressed as “Williams” to “loose the man.”

At this point, the rank Williams complied with the instruction to free the driver from his grasp but immediately proceeded to deliver a quick strike to the driver in the presence of the sergeant. When the driver's wife raised a protest by saying “Sergeant see how he just hitting this man,” the sergeant demanded that the wife leave the compound or take off her camera and join her husband inside the station.

The rank in the process of 'chucking' the driver, moments before the assault.

The traffic rank 'escorting' the driver inside the station

ExxonMobil submits application to EPA for US$900M...

From page 2 and matters, which they require to be answered or considered in the EIA. A summary of the project can be viewed on the EPA's website or uplifted at the EPA's Offices in Linden (Region 10), Whim (Region 6) or Sophia,

Georgetown, at the reasonable cost of photocopying.

MORE ABOUT THE PROJECT The Gas-to-Energy Project which includes the construction and operation of a pipeline from the Liza

Phase 1 and Liza Phase 2 Floating, Production, Storage, and Offloading (FPSO) vessels will transport up to approximately 50 million standard cubic feet per day (MSCFD) of dry gas to an onshore natural gas liquids (NGL) and

natural gas processing plant (NGL Plant). The NGL Plant will drop the pressure of the gas, dehydrate it, separate out propane, butane and pentanes+, and treat the gas to the specification to be received by a planned power plant.

The power plant will be owned and operated by the Government of Guyana. The Government will also consider alternative options on ownership.

The entire project is expected to cost US$900M.

Kaieteur News

Saturday June 26, 2021

Man hospitalised after being stabbed with glass bottle

C

hirulall Mankaran, also known as Tony, age 30 was on Wednesday afternoon stabbed to his left hip with a glass bottle by a 22-year-old male in Bush Lot Village, Corentyne, Berbice.

Kaieteur News understands that the victim left his home at around 15:30hrs. to go to Sue Mamoo Chinese Restaurant in Bush Lot, to make a purchase.

While he was there, he was confronted by the suspect with whom he had a previous misunderstanding.

The suspect, upon seeing the victim, approached him with a glass bottle in his hands and a fight ensued between the two; the suspect then broke the glass bottle and stabbed Mankaran to his left hip causing him to receive a wound.

A report was made at the Whim Police Station and the victim was escorted to the Port Mourant Public Hospital, where was examined and treated and then transferred to the New Amsterdam Public Hospital where he is currently admitted as a patient.

The suspect was arrested subsequently and investigations are still ongoing.

PAGE 15

Goedverwagting man remanded for knifing wife to death

M

agistrate Alisha George, on Thursday remanded 59-year-old Samuel Daniels called “Samuel Critchlow”, to prison for allegedly knifing his wife to death during a fight.

Daniels, a domestic worker appeared in the Sparendaam Magistrate's Court when the indictable charge was read to him. The charge alleges that between June 20, 2021, and June 21, 2021, at Lot 50 West Road, Goedverwagting, East Coast Demerara, he murdered Shalini Paul called “Saskia Perreira”.

Magistrate George remanded Daniels to prison and the matter was adjourned to July 26, 2021.

This publication had reported that the 50-yearold woman's motionless body with multiple bruises and stab wounds was discovered on the morning of June 21, 2021, after police went and checked the couple's home.

According to a police report, between 20:00hrs on Sunday and 08:20hrs on Monday, Daniels and Perreira were involved in a fight. After Perreira's body was discovered, she was taken to the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC) where she was pronounced dead on arrival.

After Daniels told the police that Perreira inflicted injuries on him, he was seen and examined by a doctor before he was placed in custody.

Remanded, Samuel Daniels

Dead, Saskia Perreira

PAGE 16 VACANCY

LAND FOR SALE 1 40x80 land located third corner over Parfaite Harmony Bridge.Transferable 7 million.636-5496.

SERVICES Visa Application: U.S.A, Canada & UK; Graphics design, advertisements, Wedding arch rentals. Tel: 626-7040 Hello! The doctor is back!

Have your Gas Stove r e p a i r e d a n d serviced.Tel:601-0595.

Repairs at affordable prices:Fridge,Air c o n d i t i o n e r, Wa s h i n g machines,Dryers,TV,Microwaves & Freezer.Call: 610-5846 or 661-8158.

FOR SALE 1 6 cyl Doosan Marine Engine, complete- gearbox, propeller & shaft 5 million neg Tel#627-8898 One black 2011 Toyota P r e m i o , $ 2 . 3 Million.Tel:686-7004.

Massey Ferguson Tractor( Foreign used). MF165$1.5M, MF 135-$1.1M, Pickup Ford Ranger-$1.1m, F150-$1.2M. 682-5230, 6154414.

1 Toyota Allion PWW Series $1.8M & 1 Honda CRV $3.2 negotiable.Contact 649-0956 for more info.

Allion,Premio,Field Wagon,Spacio,Sinter,Allex,212,Blue Bird,Advenis,RZ and Pitbull.650-7501.

Large Property with Huge Concrete Bond, Prime Location Cumberland, Canje.

Sale or rent.Call 679-2497.

FOR RENT One bedroom semi furnished apartment in Eccles.Call:660-8200 between 4-9PM, single/ couple only.

1 four bedroom fully condition. 15 Victoria Road Plaisance.Contact Christine.Tel:220-7598/6811565.

2 bedroom apt for rent.CC Eccles E.B.D, single person only $60,000.Call:690-0684.

Good for business– 4.018 acres of prime land in New Amsterdam, Berbice.Call 679-2497.

VEHICLES FOR SALE Honda CRV Ptt series 2002 Model,1.9m neg.Serious inquires only,Call:6817798.

Saturday June 26, 2021

Kaieteur News

FOR HIRE Are you a graduate, dissatisfied with your income?

Looking for a lucrative career with a reputable company?Call 679-2497.

WANTED Wanted one experienced Gold Smith, Jacobs Jewellery and Pawn shop 16 Pike street Kitty Tel#6224970 Experienced Cooks and Servers,Cleaners, Handyman. Call:626-7285 to book interview.

Male able bodied sales representative.Contact Tel#227-3580 for more info.

Female sales representative experience in P.O.S system would be an asset.Contact Tel#2273580.

1 general domestic to work in Providence, from age 30.Please call:673-5300.

Domestic must know to cook and bake, salary $25,000 weekly.Call:6103974.

Looking for honest & reliable person for cleaning job.Age between 45 & up.Tel#231-4933.

Cook for the interior.Call#687-7638/6741767.

1 Domestic worker,preferably from E.B.D,Monday to Friday 7:30AM to 2:00PM.Tel#696-1680/6733260.

Handyman to clean up yard 1-2 times per week.Good pay.Call:226-2322.

Female live in for elderly,preparing indian dishes,light duties.Over 40 yrs old.Call#638-4111.

Live in waitress 1825yrs.Live in Domestic must know to cook 2545yrs,salary $20-25,000 weekly.

1 male house keeper for business between 40-60, cooking & cleaning.Tel:689-5666.

Someone specialized in making of grills & gates for Town house/ Offices.Contact 223-5273/ 223-5274.

Auto Electrical apprentice age 19-25 yrs.Apply in person, Lot 120 Forth Street Albertown G/Town or call 610-0340.

Pitmen for interior location.Applicants must be experienced.Call:231-2250.

Experienced masseuse/cosmetologist required. Nalini's hair salon,225 New Market Street (opposite Maggies).

226-6705/609-6259.

E x p e r i e n c e Seamstress.Call#691-1918.

Factory workers.Must have a sound secondary education.For more information,please call:2230090.

Labourers and maintenance worker to work with P.S.G.C.S.Serious enquiries only.Contact:621-6969,6157784.

Porters.Apply at:Lens 136 Sheriff Street C/Vill.Tel:2272486.

Male Bond Clerk.Apply at:Lens 136 Sheriff Street C/ Vill.Tel:227-2486.

Truck Driver.Apply at:Lens 136 Sheriff Street C/ Vill.Tel:227-2486.

Woodmizer and lucas mill operators,diesel mechanic,drivers for hauling trucks.Call Richard 6097675,674-1705.

Maid to cook and clean for East Bank call: 615-9132.

Janitor,Porter,Meat prep,Counter staff,Kitchen assistant.Apply:38 Durban Street,Wortmanville.Call:2311368/223-1938.

Assistant baker,Bakery table c l e r k , P a r t - t i m e domestic.Apply:38 Durban Street,Wortmanville.Call:2311368/223-1938.

One (1) female to work in mobile food Van.Tel:689-4339.

LEGAL NOTICE 2021-HC-DEM-CIV -FD-398 IN THE HIGH COURT OF THE SUPREME COURT OF JUDICATURE FAMILY, DIVORCE AND MATRIMONIAL JURISDICTION FAMILY DIVISION PETITION NO.: FD- 398 BETWEEN:- LAWSON (COLLEEN PAMELA) nee CHAN Petitioner -andLAWSON(VIBART JOSEPH) TO: VIBART JOSEPH LAWSON (Last Known Address) Lot 28 Kingston ‘C’ Field, Leonora, West Coast Demerara TAKE NOTICE that on the 25lh day of March, 2021 a Petition for Divorce was filed against you b.y COLLEEN PAMELA LAWSON nee CHAN, the Petitioner in the Family Division of the High Court in Georgetown,Demerara.

AND FURTHER TAKE NOTICE that as part of an

LEGAL NOTICE

LEGAL NOTICE

Order made on the 13lh day of May, 2021, the Petitioner was directed to effect service of her Petition on you by publication of this Notice in two (2) consecutive Saturday issues of the Kaieteur News Newspapers, a daily Newspaper printed, published and circulated in and around Guyana and on the Worldwide Web (Online).

AND FURTHER TAKE NOTICE that if you desire you may appear or attend in person or by your duly authorized agent or Attorney-at-Law at the Registry of the Family Division of the High Court at Georgetown, Demerara where you will be issued with a certified copy of the Petition together with related documents. AND FURTHER TAKE NOTICE that if you desire to Defend this Divorce, then upon receipt of the certified copy of the Petition, you must file an Acknowledgement of Service, Notice of Intention to Defend (Forms are available at the Registry), Answer and/or Cross Petition in the Registry of the Family Division of the High Court at Georgetown, Demerara within 35 (thirtyfive) days from the date of the second and final

2021-HC-DEM-CIV-FD-545 IN THE HIGH COURT OF THE SUPREME COURT OF JUDICATURE FAMILY, DIVORCE AND MATRIMONIAL JURISDICTION FAMILY DIVISION PETITION NO.: FD-545 BETWEEN: DRUSIS (MELISSA PEREDETT A nee GORDON) Petitioner-V-DRUSIS (ST. ELMO SILVESTER)Respondent TO: ST. ELMO SILVESTER DRUSIS Formerly of: Lot 67 Evans Phillips Park, Agricola, East Bank Demerara, Guyana.

TAKE NOTICE that on the 28th day of April, 2021 a Petition for Divorce was filed against you by MELISSA PEREDETT A DRUSIS nee GORDON, the Petitioner in the Family Division of the High Court in Georgetown, Demerara. AND FURTHER TAKE NOTICE that as part of an Order made on the 4th day of June, 2021 the Petitioner was directed to effect service of her Petition on you by publication of this Notice in two (2) consecutive Saturday issues of t he Kaieteur News Newspapers, a daily Newspaper printed, published and circulated in and around Guyana and on the Worldwide Web. AND FURTHER TAKE NOTICE that if you desire you may appear or attend in person or by your duly authorized agent or Attorney-at-Law at the Registry of the Family Division of the High Court at Georgetown, Demerara

publication of this Notice, TAKE NOTICE that the divorce is fixed for Directions Hearing on thursday the 221111 day of July, 2021 at 9:30 am before the HonourableMadam Justice Priya SewnarineBeharry in Court lA via Zoom Meeting / ID: 503 218 6789 and Password: court 1 a of the High Court at Georgetown.

IN DEFAULT of your filing an Acknowledgement of Service/Notice of Intention .to Defend, Answer and/or Cross Petition the Court may proceed in’ your absence and may make any Order it considers appropriate, including granting the Divorce. The Registry of the Family Division of the High Court is located at the Law Courts [Georgetown,Demerara].The office is open to the public between 8:00am to 2:30pm on Fridays except on public holidays and on such other days as the Registry is closed.

Dated the day of 1st June, 2021

LEGAL LEGALNOTICE NOTICE where you will be issued with a certified copy of the Petition together with related documents. AND FURTHERTAKE NOTICE that if you desire to Defend this Divorce, then upon receipt of the certified copy ofthe Petition, you must file an Acknowledgement of Service, Notice of Intention to Defend (Forms are available at the Registry), an Answer and/or Cross Petition in the Registry of the Family Division of the High Court at Georgetown, Demerara within 35 (thirtyfive) days from the date of the Second and final publication of this Notice. TAKE NOTICE that the divorce is fixed for Directions Hearing on IN DEFAULT of you filing an Acknowledgement of Service/Notice of Intention to Defend, an Answer and/or Cross Petition the Court may proceed in your absence and may make any Order it considers appropriate, including granting the Divorce. The Registry of the Family Division of the High Court is located at the Law Courts

Saturday June 26, 2021

PAGE 17

Kaieteur News

UG to introduce subsea operations and engineering programmes According to a press release, the University of Guyana (UG), on Thursday, signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Caribbean Oceanography Aquaculture and Subsea Technology (COAST) Foundation to collaborate on the establishment of a Subsea Centre of Excellence training facility.

The COAST Foundation, which was founded in 2017 by a group of marine and subsea professionals, was created to engage in education through subsea exploration and technology development. Its regional programme is centered on scientific exploration of the seafloor and its goal is to conduct expeditions from aboard an exploration vessel to be acquired by the Foundation in the future.

COAST’s mission is to implement programmes in Ocean Exploration, Education and technology development through collaboration with regional and international stakeholders, and to steward the responsible management of the Caribbean’s marine resources for future generations.

The new programme would now allow the University to deliver world-class programmes designed to prepare students for careers in Subsea Operations and Engineering.

The MOU was signed by ViceChancellor Professor Paloma Mohamed-Martin, Dean of the Faculty of Technology and Verlyn Klass, coordinator of Industrial Engineering, all on behalf of UG while Keith Lewis and Aaron Hardowar signed on behalf of COAST Foundation, during a

ceremony in the presence of a few other faculty members and staff of UG. Mohamed-Martin expressed sincere gratitude to COAST Foundation for choosing UG and for understanding how important the national university is to fulfilling the present and future needs of the industry noting that the Subsea Centre will be the first of its kind at a university in the Caribbean.

She also mentioned her excitement about the innovative aspects of what the programme proposes and that UG is not only interested in producing people but are also interested in advancing ideas and working on solutions because that’s really where the intellectual power and manifest value of the University really lies.

Keith Lewis, who is leading the project, highlighted the significant benefits of having the Centre of Excellence training facility at UG. He said that COAST Foundation believes that there is a future for local students to become engineers in the subsea field and support the deepwater development in Guyana.

He stated that all of the oil sector development, past and future, in Guyana will largely be via Remotely Operated Vehicles (ROV), which means that local technicians and subsea engineers need to be trained in order to support the process. The Subsea Centre of Excellence will be home to the first Remotely Operated Vehicle simulator in the region.

This in turn will be the foundation of training and competency development programmes aimed at supporting educational programmes from the Trade School, through

Head of Mechanical Engineering Department, Elena Trim.

Coordinator of Industrial Engineering, Verlyn Klass.

Vice-Chancellor, Professor Paloma Mohamed.

Associate, Bachelors and Masters Levels.

Through this partnership, the University of Guyana will collaborate with international universities in the United States, Canada and Scotland to deliver world-class programmes designed to prepare students for careers in Subsea Operations and Engineering.

In addition to an ROV simulator, the Subsea Centre of Excellence will have an ROV test tank, an electrical workshop and a hydraulicmechanical workshop. A key component of the programme will be a collaboration with the local and international subsea industry corporations to ensure stakeholder buy-in and a sustainable holistic approach to the Transfer of Technology to Guyana.

Verlyn Klass also expressed her gratitude to the COAST Foundation

for bringing the technology to UG and her enthusiasm at the prospect of how it will benefit the students.

She explained that the project started with one of UG’s civil engineering students who graduated and is employed with COAST. She recalled that the student reached out to the University with the hope that UG students would also be exposed to such technology.

Elena Trim, Head of Mechanical Engineering Department, Faculty of Engineering and Technology, expressed interest in discussing the certification of students involved in the programme. The signing of the MOU is another strong reflection of UG’s strategic efforts to achieve the goals set out in the 2040 Blueprint and to support the build out of a technically competent workforce to support the booming Oil and Gas industry in Guyana.

According to UG, this important MOU enhances and underscores the University’s continued drive to ensure that Guyanese can take full advantage of the local content requirements as well as those spin off opportunities that are emerging rapidly in the local market.

It is also a welcome addition to the recent suite of courses offered by the Institute of Energy Diplomacy, and those in the Faculties such as the Degree and Master’s in Petroleum Engineering, Master’s in Renewable Energy from the Faculty of Engineering and Technology as well as the Master’s in Environmental Management for the Oil and Gas Industry (Faculty of Earth and Environmental Sciences) and Master’s in Management of Supply Chains and Procurement (SEBI) all being offered from September 2021.

Saffon Street residents concerned about fire hazard posed by dilapidated electricity post - says GPL has yet to take action despite daily complaints The leaning post.

The tangle of connections from the transformer to various houses and businesses.

It has recently been bought to the attention of this publication by concerned residents that an electricity pole located on Saffon Street between Narine’s Building and the tyre shop just before Trench Road has drifted from its original position and has consequently been leaning to one side at an almost 45 degree angle.

Upon inspection of the pole in question, Kaieteur News confirmed the account of the

concerned citizen that the pole represents a serious potential fire hazard should it fall completely, as it is directly linked to a transformer and a series of connections for at least a dozen households and businesses, most of which are located in Narine’s Building. The connecting line appeared to be ‘pulled’ in the direction of the pole’s lean, signaling that a complete fall could have catastrophic results for the area as

buildings within the vicinity are very close together.

According to information furnished to this publication, the pole has been in its current state for over a month and despite almost daily repeated calls to GPL over the last month, the utility company has yet to address the issue.

One concerned resident stated that “every day we calling them and they telling we they coming tomorrow, they coming tomorrow and

they can’t come yet and fix it, this thing leaning and pulling on the transformer wire, if it fall everything here linked to it, so gon be one big fire.” The

resident went on to note that after repeated calls, a GPL employee came earlier in the week to photograph the pole, but did not do anything

further. Additionally, the citizen claimed that “up to today [June 25] they say that they coming to replace the pole but still nothing.”

PAGE 18

Saturday June 26, 2021

Kaieteur News

Jordan ‘justifies’ using GuySuCo bond to repay lenders Former Minister of Finance under the previous APNU+AFC Administration, Winston Jordan, has moved to “justify” why his government had used proceeds from a $30B (US$150M) bond for the Guyana Sugar Corporation Inc. (GuySuCo), to repay the lenders.

Jordan’s explanation came immediately after Kaieteur News reported on Wednesday that the “Coalition used $30B GuySuCo bond to repay lenders.”

It was the current Senior Minister in the Office of the President with Responsibility for Finance, Ashni Singh, who had told the National Assembly during the 29th Sitting of the 12th Parliament that the APNU+AFC were “servicing the bond from the proceeds of the bond.”

His exact words to the House were, “It might be worthwhile to note Sir (the Speaker of the House, Manzoor Nadir) that when we came into office, we discovered a rather astonishing situation, that NICIL was actually servicing the bond out of the proceeds of the bond…”

The very next day (Thursday), former Finance Minister responded to the Kaieteur News article during a telephone interview with an online media programme called KAMS TV. Jordan started by saying, “It is true that some monies from the bond were used to make two payments to the bond holders but let’s see why they (NICIL) had to do that, lets back track a little bit.”

After giving a brief history of when the bond was secured, why it was secured

Former Minister of Finance, Winston Jordan. and how his government had planned to repay the bond holders, the former Finance Minister noted that they are two main reasons or setbacks that “forced” NICIL to use “some” of the bond proceeds to begin repaying the lenders.

Those two main reasons, according to the former Finance Minister, were the December 2018 No Confidence Motion and certain threats made by the then opposition, the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/ C).

Jordan began his explanation of how the “two reasons” played a major role is causing NICIL to make such a move by detailing some aspects of the then government’s 10-year-plan to revitalise GuySuCo and make it a profitable company. He said that the company was in a terrible financial state and had a deficit of $90B and “no bank” wanted to loan GuySuCo any money.

As result, Jordan continued, his government had made a decision to restructure the company and that was to close four nonprofitable sugar estates and leave three profitable ones in

operation.

“That restructuring meant that the three profit making estates, Albion, Blairmont and Uitvlugt would remain (in operation) and we will seek to improve the efficiency of these estates and hoping that by 2023, 2024 or thereabout they will be able to be profitable undertakings producing roughly, 150,000 or thereabout tonnes of sugar and GuySuCo engaging in other activities like cogeneration and so forth,” he told KAMS TV. He added, “And the estates, Wales, Rose Hall, Skeldon and Enmore, those will be closed and these entities would be divested or diversified as the case may be.”

In order to improve the efficiency of the three estates, the former minister said, funds were needed. He said that GuySuCo had suggested that it would need some $55B over a ten-year-period to bring the “proposal” into “fruition.”

The plan was, according to Jordan, that “a large chunk,” of that amount would have been a capital investment programme. He calculated that it would have

been “roughly” around $37B from 2018 to 2023.

To meet the $55B, he related that his government had planned to give GuySuCo $8B and a remaining $48B would have been available to the company by “divesting the four non-profitable estates.”

In simple terms this means that the coalition planned to sell the estates just to raise the $48B. In fact, the coalition had hired an international British C o m p a n y , PricewaterhouseCoopers (PWC) to evaluate the state properties for divestment.

Jordan said that the divestment of Guyana’s assets would have taken a while, so a decision was taken to seek bridge financing for improvement of the three “profitable estates.” Bridge financing is an arrangement whereby a borrower is loaned a sum of money for a short period time until the borrower can source money from somewhere else.

To source the bridge financing, the former Finance Minister said, NICIL entered a $30B bond agreement in May 2018 and had planned to repay it with the proceeds from the sale of the four nonprofitable estates.

Part of the agreement was that the bond would be disbursed to NICIL in two tranches.

Jordan related that a first tranche of $16.5B and another $1.1B from the second tranche was handed over to the state company.

However, he said, the plan to repay the bond from the sale of estates fell through because the December 2018 No Confidence Motion “disrupted the process.” The

former Finance Minister further claimed that there were also threats from the PPP/C opposition that “poisoned the atmosphere,” scaring away potential buyers.

“Secondly, there were threats from the opposition of taking back anything that was sold or taking them to court or whatever, criminalising the whole process and so, and soon after the whole thing collapsed,” he stated.

When Kaieteur News asked him yesterday to disclose who these “potential buyers” were, Jordon did not disclose their identities but said that there were local, regional and international interests in the properties. He related that one of those international interests was from the Middle East.

Some of them he said started to pull out while others decided to wait on the outcome the March 2, 2020 Regional and General Elections. Following the collapse of the coalition’s plan, Jordan reasoned that NICIL had to still meet payments to bond holders.

As a temporary resort, he explained, NICIL decided to take monies from the proceeds of the bond to meet the payment schedule.

Recently the current Minister of Finance had told the National Assembly that a total of $5.125B has been repaid to bond holders.

Jordan yesterday detailed that amount for the two payments that NICIL were forced to make out of the proceeds of the bond are included in that same amount.

The former Finance Minister went on to argue that even if it “seems like a mad thing to do” it is not a crime to do so and further

contested that no money from the bond was lost because it was replaced.

Jordan revealed that NICIL was able to replace the bond with proceeds from “two other major transactions” that it was successful in. Questioned by this newspaper on what those successful transactions were, he responded that it was from the sale of some GuySuCo lands.

In an August 2020 article published by this paper, it was reported that NICIL through the Special Purpose Unit (SPU), had sold lands that were vested to it, and garnered deposits of $2.1 billion which were then used to offset outstanding repayment of a $30B bond secured by NICIL to retrofit and revitalise the three remaining sugar estates – Albion, Blairmont and Uitvlugt.

Kaieteur News also asked the former Finance Minister whether his government of the day had any alternative plan to repay the bond besides the sale of the of the four “non-profitable” estates.

In response, he said that despite his government was confident that the sale of the assets would have been successful; NICIL had many other deals that were at the time awaiting approval from the cabinet and money would have been available to repay the bond.

In addition, Jordan noted the government was the guarantor of the bond and would have stepped in to meet payments. Ashni Singh had revealed to the House that government had to step in to meet and paid a total of $4.019B to date at an interest rate of 4.75%.

Miami building collapse: 159 missing, officials say (BBC) - The number of people listed as missing after the collapse of a 12-storey building in the US city of Miami has risen to 159, officials say. Four people are known to have died.

The mayor of MiamiDade says they “still have hope” of finding survivors.

Search teams working around the clock have reported hearing people banging beneath the debris.

What caused the 40-yearold building to collapse early on Thursday morning remains unclear.

At least 102 people have now been accounted for, but it is uncertain how many were in the building when it came down. Dozens of people have been evacuated from what is left of the structure.

President Joe Biden has approved an emergency declaration for Florida, meaning the Federal Emergency Management

Agency (Fema) will help state agencies with the relief effort.

Overnight hundreds of rescuers used sonar cameras and specially trained dogs as they scoured the rubble for survivors. Teams were tunnelling from an underground car park below the building in an effort to reach victims.

The mayor of Surfside, where the disaster happened, Charles Burkett, said at an early-morning news conference that some 15 families had walked out of the building.

Most residents would have been asleep when the collapse happened at about 01:00 (05:00 GMT).

“It’s heartbreaking because it doesn’t seem to me... that we will find people alive,” Mr Burkett said.

However, on Friday Miami-Dade Mayor Daniella Levine Cava said they would do “everything possible” to

locate survivors.

“We will continue search and rescue because we still have hope that we will find people alive,” she said.

Overnight, search teams detected sounds of banging and other noises, but no voices coming from the tonnes of debris. Officials say the efforts are dangerous as further rubble could collapse on them.

Constant rain and storms are further complicating an already difficult task for the search-and-rescue teams.

Authorities have begun taking DNA samples from relatives of those missing in case only remains of their family members are found in the rubble.

Relatives of the missing have been huddled around a community centre a few blocks away, waiting for information and fearing the worst. They have been putting out appeals on social

media for information that could help them find their loved ones.

Nicolas Fernandez said his calls to missing loved ones had gone unanswered.

“I think they’re gone,” he told CBS. “I don’t want to be pessimistic, but we’ve been calling them non-stop with no reply.”

Jenny Urgelles woke up to the news that her parents’ building had collapsed. She called them, but both their phones went straight to voicemail.

“I am holding on to hope.

I’m very desperate to know what’s happening,” she told a local TV channel.

A large section of the oceanfront Champlain Towers in Surfside crumbled to the ground in the early hours of Thursday.

The BBC’s Will Grant at the scene says the collapse has left children’s bedrooms visible - “It’s a very disturbing

sight.”

Eyewitnesses described hearing what sounded like thunder before seeing a huge cloud of dust in the aftermath of the collapse. One compared the scene to the 11 September 2001 attacks on the Twin Towers in New York.

Resident Barry Cohen was in bed when the building started to collapse. “It sounded like thunder, and my wife and I, we went out on the balcony; it looked like a bomb had exploded,” he told the BBC. “When we opened the door, there was no building there, it was just a pile of rubble,” he said.

What caused the collapse?

It remains unknown. A full investigation will begin after the rescue mission.

As the building has stood since 1980, it was due its standard 40-year review. The building was undergoing its “recertification” process and

required repairs, officials said.

A study from researchers at Florida International University published last year found that the building had been sinking at a rate of two millimetres per year in the 1990s, which may have affected the building structurally.

But the author has cautioned that the study was just a snapshot in time.

The building was constructed on reclaimed wetland, which experts say is always of concern as the land underneath can compact over time, leading to shifts.

On the sinking, the author of the study, Prof Shimon Wdowinski, told the Miami Herald newspaper: “We’ve seen much higher than that, but it stood out because most of the area was stable and showed no subsidence.”

Kaieteur News

Saturday June 26, 2021

PAGE 19

Two more walk away from PNC/R

Y

esterday, the P e o p l e ' s N a t i o n a l Congress/Reform (PNC/R) was faced with two more withdrawals from the party.

The PNC/R is the largest party in the A Partnership for National Unity+Alliance For Change (APNU+AFC) Coalition, but in recent days has been losing its members.

Those who withdrew from the party yesterday are Bartica businessman Shawn Hopkinson, who was on the party's Central Executive Committee (CEC) for three years, and youth member, Brian Smith.

When contacted by this publication, Hopkinson, the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Hopkinson Mining first confirmed that he had stepped away from the party and noted that he had also stepped away from politics

Shawn Hopkinson

Thandi McAllister

Brian Smith

in general.

In fact, Hopkinson said, “I am a businessman and I want to channel all of my energy into my business so I have stepped away from

politics to focus on my business and I will leave the politics for the politicians.”

Hopkinson also shared that it has been a while since he has decided to step away

from politics in general.

Moreover, Smith disclosed that he has not resigned from the party but rather not renewed his

membership.

When further questioned on what triggered his actions he stated, “I have served in one capacity and am now moving forward. I remain committed to Guyana and the development of young people.”

He also noted that as for his plans going forward, he prefers to focus on his academics and continue his professional career to serve in the interest of national development.

Just last week, PNCR Regional Chairperson, Thandi McAllister, an attorney-at-law and legal counsel at the Maritime Administration Department (MARAD), confirmed that she has resigned from the PNC/R party, which she served for over 25 years.

McAllister had put on

record that her decision to leave is premised on her conclusion that the party's leadership is 'ill-suited'.

According to a press release issued by McAllister to this publication, she stated, “After very careful and agonizing consideration, I concluded that the present direction of the leadership is ill-suited to the fulfillment of the aspirations of young people in Guyana, the enhancement of the party's supporters, and the advancement of the nation.”

She further stated that she could no longer accompany a process that in her view has departed from serving the interests of the many who had reposed faith in the PNCR to champion their causes and to offer constructive pathways for the development of Guyana.

Health Ministry records spike Meeting Paris Agreement targets... in COVID-19 hospitalisations

D

uring the last three months, the Ministry of Health has seen an increase in persons being hospitalised with the novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) disease.

This was announced Wednesday by the Minister o f H e a l t h , D r. F r a n k Anthony during his daily COVID-19 update.

The Minister explained that on average, there are about 80 to 90 persons being admitted into the hospital and a small percent of those persons are being admitted into the COVID-19 Intensive Care Unit (ICU).

“So what we have seen, a more severe form of the disease requiring hospitalisation and ICU care,” he said.

Dr. Anthony, while highlighting the increase in hospitalisation, also stated that over the last three months, health authorities have observed an increase in COVID-19 deaths too.

Further in the interview, the Health Minister mentioned that they were able to conduct a preliminary analysis on 202 out of the 458 deaths.

He added that when a review was done on the patients' comorbidities, out of the 202, 31.7 percent of persons had hypertension; 28.2 percent suffered from diabetes; 6.9 percent of those who succumbed had chronic kidney diseases; 4.5 percent had cardio vascular diseases; 3.5

percent of persons had ischemic heart disease, and those with immune deficiency disease represented two percent.

A c c o r d i n g t o D r.

Anthony, the analysis also revealed that most of the patients that succumbed

while being in the ICU were not vaccinated.

In this regard, he is urging persons to get both first and second doses of their COVID-19 vaccine so as to prevent admission into the hospital or into the COVID-19 ICU.

From page 8 commit resources to combat the climate crisis. It is now time for action, not debate.”

He wished the participants success and expressed the hope that the Special Thematic Session on Water and Disaster would result in greater efforts on the part of the international community to urgently accelerate support for the building of climate resilience.

Yesterday's event was held under the theme “Building Back Better towards More Resilient and Sustainable Post COVID-19 World” with Hungary, Indonesia, Japan, Mexico, the Netherlands, Republic of Korea, Tajikistan, High-Level Experts and Leaders Panel on Water and Disasters (HELP) and National Graduate Institute for Policy Studies (GRIPS) of Japan as co-hosts.

It focused on sharing experiences and promoting actions to achieve a more sustainable, resilient and climate-adaptive post COVID19 world based on the lessons learned from the pandemic.

It also provided a tangible step towards accelerating the SDGs and other globally agreed agendas by providing useful lessons, innovative ideas and common understandings.

PAGE 20

Kaieteur News

Saturday June 26, 2021

Saturday June 26, 2021

PAGE 21

Kaieteur News

ANSA McAL West Indies name squad for 1st and 2nd CG Insurance T20Is supports Allicock on Chris Gayle

ST GEORGE ‘S, Grenada – The Cricket West Indies Selection Panel yesterday named the 13-member squad for the first and second CG Insurance T20 Internationals (T20I) against South Africa.

The panel recalled Andre Russell, the talismanic allrounder to the squad, as the defending T20 World Champions prepare for the matches which will be played at the Grenada National Stadium on Saturday and Sunday. First ball daily is 2pm (1pm Jamaica Time).

Russell is a two-time T20 World Cup winner, having been a member of the squad which won the titles in 2012 and 2016. He has played 49 T20Is for the West Indies and his last appearance was

against Sri Lanka in Pallekele in March last year.

Roger Harper, Lead Selector said: “Andre Russell will add that ‘X’ factor to the team. He is an impact player with both bat and ball and lends greater depth in both departments. The aim is to build on the performance against Sri Lanka earlier this year, to build confidence, while determining our best squad and team as we run into the ICC T20 World Cup.” FULL SQUAD - Kieron Pollard (Captain), Nicholas Pooran (Vice Captain), Fabian Allen, Dwayne Bravo, Fidel Edwards, Andre Fletcher, Chris Gayle, Jason Holder, Evin Lewis, Obed McCoy, Andre Russell, Lendl Simmons and Kevin Sinclair.

...Twin sisters Kycia Knight, Saturday June 26, 2021 ARIES (Mar. 21–Apr. 19) It's important to take a hard look at yourself and know where you're going, Aries.

A little self-analysis never hurt anyone, especially when you feel like you aren't getting anywhere.

TAURUS(Apr.20–May20) Taurus, you tend to run away from confrontation, but today you might not be able to avoid it. Your partner or a family member may be putting pressure on you.

GEMINI (May 21–June 20) You may feel a little weary today. It's a good time to take stock of your life. You may have gotten some news about someone that has caused you some pain.

CANCER (June 21–July 22) You have the gift of being able to get your great ideas across to others. In your family, you may be the one who teaches your children about life and its responsibilities.

LEO (July 23–Aug. 22) There may be tension in the air as you go about your day. The leftover fatigue from the past few days is starting to wear on you.

VIRGO (Aug. 23–Sept. 22) You don't live your life by society's rules. Your freedom is what is most important to you. But despite your independence, there are days when you have the sudden, sinking feeling that you could wind up alone in this world.

LIBRA (Sept. 23–Oct. 22) Libra, life around you today almost seems like a (bad) dream. It's almost as if people are talking, but nothing intelligible is coming out of their mouths.

SCORPIO (Oct. 23–Nov. 21) You can't spend all your time running from one activity to the next, Scorpio.

You need to take a break from time to time.

SAGIT(Nov.22–Dec.21) Today's planetary configuration has you wondering about an aspect of your life that causes you a good deal of hardship, Sagittarius.

CAPRI (Dec. 22–Jan. 19) You may have been a little difficult to be around lately.

You like to treat yourself to a little moodiness from time to time, but the people around you might appreciate a little cooperation.

AQUARIUS(Jan.20–Feb.18) Let your sensual, nurturing instincts shine through.

Rely on your sixth sense. If things start to get rough, remember that you have the ability to keep your cool.

PISCES (Feb. 19–Mar. 20) A solid grounding is apt to be extremely important to you today, Pisces. Hearts may be broken or won, depending on how well you play your cards. Keep in mind that the slow and steady contender is most likely going to win this race.

From page 20 team will have the opportunity to compete against international opposition.

“As we prepare for the upcoming five CG Insurance ODI match series, these three T20Is will enable the senior team to ease themselves back into the international arena.

The ‘A’ team matches are an excellent chance for some of the younger players who have not been able to find a place in the senior team to show their skills.”

The A team will play its T20 matches on the same day and at the same venue, preceding the senior team’s matches. The A team is also scheduled to play three onedayers.

T20I squad: Stafanie Taylor (capt), Anisa Mohammed (vice-capt), Aaliyah Alleyne, Shamilia Connell, Britney Cooper, Deandra Dottin, Chinelle Henry, Kycia Knight, Kyshona Knight, Hayley Matthews, Chedean Nation, Karishma Ramharack, Shakera Selman A team - T20 squad: Reniece Boyce (capt), Shabika Gajnabi (vice-capt), Shanika Bruce, Cherry AnnFraser, Jannillea Glasgow, Sheneta Grimmond, Caneisha Isaac, Zaida James, Japhina Joseph, Qiana Joseph, Mandy Mangru, Kaysia Schultz, Steffie Soogrim, Rachel Vincent, Rashada Williams

journey to Olympics Yesterday, ANSA McAL Trading Limited (AMTL) presented Olympic qualified boxer Keevin Allicock with a sponsorship cheque worth $150,000.

At the handing over ceremony at AMTL’s Beterverwagting Head Office, Corporate Communications Officer of ANSA McAL, Treiston Joseph shared that the company is proud to be associated with the Commonwealth Youth silver medalist.

“We are proud to support Keevin who is the first boxer in 25 years to qualify for the Olympics we know that he is one of the hardest workers in the room and we believe that this is just the start for him. There

will be other things in the pipeline for Keevin but we want to wish him well at the Olympics,” Joseph shared.

Allicock noted that this is a timely gesture on the part of ANSA McAL. “I want to say a major shout out to Mr. Troy Cadogan, I work hard and I know this is a blessing, I will continue to work hard and hopefully this becomes a long partnership with this company,” Allicock noted.

Further, the GNC brand that is also distributed by ANSA McAL is expected to support the Olympic Boxer before he heads off to a three-week training camp in Russia from Tuesday before joining the Olympic team in Tokyo for the start of the games in July.

STSC to host 3- a side football tomorrow The South Turkeyen Sports Committee and Bannas Foundation will be hosting a 3-a-side small goal and football competition tomorrow at Durban Park.

Among the teams set to take part are Meadow Brook, Lodge, Charlestown, Sophia, Durban Street, Ogle, Plaisance, Vryheid’s Lust and Better Hope.

At Stake are trophies, medals and cash prizes

sponsored by Go-Invest, Ken Phillips of Antarctic Maintenance and Repairs, Joseph Harmon, Alfred Mentore, Reginald Roach, Paul’s Import Distributors, Carry Cargo and P and P Insurance.

Entrance fee is $1,000 per player and all covid regulations will be observed. The event was rescheduled from the previous weekend.

Kaieteur News

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Saturday June 26, 2021

Twin sisters Kycia Knight, Kyshona Knight return to West Indies side for Pakistan T20Is

Wicketkeeper-batter Reniece Boyce will lead West Indies A for the T20s against Pakistan A

ESPNcricinfo - Twin sisters Kycia Knight and Kyshona Knight returned to the West Indies Women squad for three T20Is against Pakistan Women, which will be the side’s first home

internationals in 19 months.

Both last played for West Indies in 2019.

The team will be led by Stafanie Taylor, with Anisa Mohammed appointed vicecaptain.

A squad size of 13, though, meant top-order batter Natasha McLean, middle-order batter Shemaine Campbelle and legspinner Afy Fletcher, who were part of the T20I side in

England last year, couldn’t find a place this time.

M e a n w h i l e , wicketkeeper-batter Reniece Boyce will lead the West Indies A team that will play a three-match T20 series against Pakistan A. Seamer Shabika Gajnabi and allrounder Cherry AnnFraser - both were part of the senior side in England - also found a place in the 15member A squad.

The A side also includes 16-year-old left-arm medium-pacer Zaida James and 17-year-old right-arm medium-pacer Jannillea Glasgow. The uncapped duo was part of the pre-series training camp.

All 28 players, from the senior and the A side, will be eligible to be picked for the five-match ODI series that follows the T20Is. “This series against

Pakistan has come at an opportune time because the West Indies players have not been able to face international opponents since September 2020,” the lead selector for West Indies women’s cricket, Ann Browne-John, said in a CWI release. “It’s exciting that not only will the senior team be in action, but for the very first time a West Indies A (Continued on page 19)

Kaieteur News

Saturday June 26, 2021

PAGE 23

In their favourite format, West Indies seek change of fortunes against South Africa ESPNcricinfo - A fit Temba Bavuma will lead South Africa for the first time in T20Is, against a West Indies side stacked with superstars today from 2:00pm.

Last time West Indies had all of Kieron Pollard, Chris Gayle, Dwayne Bravo and Andre Russell playing the same T20I was in 2015.

Things should get more interesting from here. After two Tests of one-way traffic, expect a closer contest between West Indies and South Africa as the two teams step up preparations for T20 World Cup 2021.

West Indies have stacked their squad with superstars as they prepare to rise from the tenth position on the T20I rankings to title contenders at the big event. South Africa cannot allow themselves to dream of the same label, given the heartbreak of the past and the mess they have found themselves in during the last 18 months, which may take the pressure off a team that often goes into major tournaments with expectation but return empty-handed.

South Africa are still in the combination-finding phase, having played second-string T20I sides in their last two series while juggling between biosecure bubbles and Test series - one of which, against Australia, never happened. This is the first time since the England series in November last year that they have a first-choice group of players together and they would be keeping it that way for the next few tours. They head straight to Ireland from the Caribbean and then hope to play Sri Lanka before the T20 World Cup. West Indies also have a busy schedule ahead of the main event. That will host Australia, who albeit will not be at full strength, and Pakistan over the next two

Coach Phil Simmons and Captain Kieron Pollard will be looking to dominate. (CWI) months. They would want to solidify their squad and develop some consistency as they have won only two out of their last seven T20I series, both against Sri Lanka.

In the spotlight Temba Bavuma is not the least experienced T20I player to captain South Africa. Apart from Graeme Smith who did on debut w h e n th e f o r m a t w a s introduced, Hashim Amla did it in just his fourth match, and Faf du Plessis and Johan Botha in their fifth, but Bavuma might be the least expected one. He has largely been thought of as a longform player, while his whiteball form and aggression have flown under the radar.

This is his opportunity to change the narrative and establish himself as both opening batter and leader in the build-up to back-to-back T20 World Cups.

For all his form in leagues around the world, Andre Russell is yet to score a T20I half-century. He is likely to earn his 50th T20I cap in this series, which is as good a time as any to make a statement with bat or ball.

South Africa welcome back white-ball captain Temba Bavuma.

Russell hasn’t taken more than one wicket in a T20I since May 2018, though he has only played five games since that match. That said, this may just be his time to

re-establish himself as a senior figure in the national side.

Teams-West Indies (probable): 1 Lendl Simmons, 2 Evin Lewis, 3

Chris Gayle, 4 Kieron Pollard (capt), 5 Nicholas Pooran (wk), 6 Jason Holder, 7 Andre Russell, 8 Dwayne Bravo, 9 Fabian Allen, 10 Kevin Sinclair, 11 Sheldon Cottrell Bavuma has recovered from both a hip injury and a dislocated finger and would likely partner Quinton de Kock at the top of the order, which could leave no room for Janneman Malan. Du Plessis’ absence could create a spot for Kyle Verreynne, although Heinrich Klaasen is the incumbent. South Africa have a wealth of fast bowlers to choose from and may want to start with their strongest suit. That will include the Test attack of Kagiso Rabada, Lungi Ngidi and Anrich Nortje, and could have room for one other quick in Andile Phehlukwayo or Sisanda Magala, and two spinners in George Linde and Tabraiz Shamsi.

South Africa (possible): 1 Quinton de Kock (wk), 2 Temba Bavuma (capt), 3 Rassie van der Dussen, 4 Heinrich Klaasen, 5 David Miller, 6 George Linde, 7 A n d i l e Phehlukwayo/Sisanda Magala 8 Kagiso Rabada, 9 Anrich Nortje, 10 Lungi Ngidi, 11 Tabraiz Shamsi Pitch and conditions The National Cricket Stadium in Grenada has only hosted one T20I, in January last year. Over 400 runs were scored in that game when West Indies hosted Ireland.

That run-fest did not look like an accident as an ODI between West Indies and England a year earlier featured over 800 runs.

So expect big runs but only if the weather allows. It has been raining in Grenada in the lead-up to the match and showers have been forecast for the next week.

The chance of rain on today sits at 70%.

Kaieteur News

PAGE 24

‘Team balance & performance in last series factors for Hetymer’s non-selection’ says Harper

By Sean Devers Chairman of the West Indies selectors for West Indies, off-spinning AllRounder Roger Harper, spoke to Kaieteur Sports yesterday afternoon on the eve of the opening T20 game in the five-match series involving West Indies and South Africa scheduled to commence at 14:00 hrs today.

The 58-old Harper, who took 45 wickets in 25 Tests and 100 wickets in 105 ODIs, said that Shimron Hetymer’s non-selection for the first two matches in Grenada was about the balance of the team.

Guyanese Harper had been criticised by many in Guyana, including the GCB of which he is a part of, for not picking the 24-year-old Berbician in the 30-man Test squad which was destroyed by the South Africans in the Two-Test series in St Lucia.

“Hetymer not being selected for the first two T20Is was based on the balance of the Team and his performance in his last T20I series did not help him,” said Harper who made 10 centuries in 200 First-Class matches and three fifties in his Test career.

“Hetymer is available for the entire series (against

Roger Harper

Shimron Hetymer South Africa, Australia and Pakistan) and I can confirm that he is here having returned from the PSL” added Harper.

The pugnacious Young Wa r r i o r s l e f t - h a n d e r returned to the Caribbean from Abu Dhabi and playing two games in the continuation of the Pakistan Super League when he scored seven in his only innings; missing the final which his team Multan

Sultans won.

Hetymer has played 27 T20 Internationals and batted 23 times and scored 379 runs at an average of 18.5 with one half-century since making his debut against hosts New Zealand on December 31, 2017.

However, in his last T20 International series against New Zealand in November last year the tremendously talented Guyanese made a duck and 25 in his two innings.

Since then he has played in the IPL for Delhi Capitols and in the continuation of the PSL which climaxed last Thursday.

The West Indies batting for today’s game could come from the vastly experienced Chris Gayle, Kiron Pollard, Dwayne Bravo, Andre Russell, Lendl Simmons and Jason Holder as the selectors looked to start with their

most tried and tested batsmen included with Andre Flectcher performing the Wicket-Keeper’s role.

H o w e v e r, N i c h o l a s Pooran, Even Lewis and Fabian Allen, all have been selected leaving no place for Hetymer.

The bowling could be centred around Fidel Edwards, Obed McCoy, Holder and Guyanese offspinner Kevin Sinclair.

When contacted for a c o m m e n t , 5 3 - y e a r- o l d Jimmy Adams, Director of Cricket of CWI, said the Selectors would be in a better position to comment on Hetymer’s exclusion.

“But I would say that the guys are gonna engage in 15 games in a short space of time between now and the end of the Pakistan tour in Guyana.

So I’d be surprised if all of the batters didn’t get opportunities,” posited the former Jamaica and West Indies Captain who played 54 Tests and 127 ODIs. Two time T20 World Cup title holders and defending Champions West Indies are using these T20 games as preparations for the next T20 World Cup which is likely to start on October 17 in UAE, with the final on November 14, 2021.

Saturday June 26, 2021

Pollard seeks to create -winning on getting the right combination culture focus West Indies T20 skipper Kieron Pollard said it’s important that they create a winning culture as they take on South Africa in the opening match of the CG Insurance T20 International Series at the National Cricket Stadium in Grenada today.

Speaking at a press conference held yesterday, Pollard said they are trying to pick the best team and noted his guys are confident ahead of the first match.

“We are confident going into the series; we would have played against some of these guys already. We are focused on one game at a time. It’s important we create that’s sort of wining culture, we hope the preparation helps us and we can start the series well and hopefully win it.”

The World champions are currently ranked at Number 10, but Pollard is not too concerned about that.

“There are different things that happened from the last world cup winning team in 2016 to now and that‘s why we are ranked at no.10. For me I don’t look much into that, it’s about how we play our cricket and how we want to play going ahead. So we are focused on getting the right combination.”

Pollard said they are looking to play some good cricket and improve from their last series against Sri Lanka.

“One thing about South Africa is that they are ahead of us, they are confident, some of the guys may have played in the test series and they beat so they are coming full of confidence. We have started on the back foot as well but that’s fine, however we are looking forward to play good cricket and to improve on what we started in the last series against Sri Lanka,” he added.

Pollard stated that it’s important that they understand the situation and what is needed.

“Our strength is no secret, it’s our power hitting ability and we will continue to harness our strength and work on our weaknesses. We are trying to improve as a team and as individuals, but we are also working on certain things like rotating t h e s t r i k e . I t ’s a b o u t understanding the situation and what is needed,” he pointed out. He indicated that they have certain plans

as to what they are looking for and to have that feeling of winning more often than not rather than squad rotation.

“We want the guys to get comfortable in positions in playing their role and actually be accountable, keep everything positive and take it from there. It’s always good to come out on the winning side. It’s for the guys to execute and hopefully we can build on the Sri Lanka series going into the world cup.”

The skipper said that young Kevin Sinclair has been gelling well, while noting that the guys who are out might have a chance getting in as well.

Guyanese Shimron Hetmyer was left out of the squad for the first two games but Pollard said they are always willing to help him in achieving his goals.

“We have been having those sort of conversations as to what we expect from Hetmyer, we know what some of his goals are and we are always willing and ready to help him in that aspect. As an individual in anything that you do you need to want it more than anything else. Our conversation has been good, our camaraderie has been fantastic so it’s just a matter of giving him the opportunities and him coming out and shows what he is made of.”

Pollard added that Sunil Narine has indicated that he is still not ready but their main focus is what we have at present and get ready for the world cup.

Meanwhile, fully vaccinated fans will be able to buy tickets for the game from the stadium box office and ticket booths on presentation of their vaccination documentation and their national ID, with tickets available at EC$50 per match.

Fans in the Caribbean can watch live on Flow Sports or via the Flow Sports app. Live radio commentary is available on the Windies Cricket YouTube channel and on a number of local radio stations across the Caribbean. Fans also follow live ball by ball scoring in the www.windiescricket.com live match centre, featuring the new live match blog.

See here for full match s c h e d u l e https://www.windiescricket. com/fixtures/

Kaieteur News

Saturday June 26, 2021

PAGE 25

2021 Concacaf Gold Cup

Classroom and board work vital to success on the field of play - Máximo

By Franklin Wilson in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida compliments of the GFF

As preparations continue for the ’Golden Jaguars’ ahead of their all-important 2021 Concacaf Gold Cup Preliminary round match against Guatemala on July 3rd, the team was involved in their second classroom session yesterday at the Pam Beach Gardens Marriott Hotel. The Technical Staff led my Head Coach Márcio Máximo along with his Assistants, Wilson Toledo and former national defender, Charles ‘Lily’ Pollard contributed to yesterday’s session which was focused on keeping the shape in defence and attack in an organised manner.

“The players have been assimilating very well and I hope that when we execute what would have been taught in the classroom in the practice sessions, they are able to execute with even more success on game day.”

This has been a regular feature of the team at home and whenever they travel in order to make the players aware of their respective and collective responsibilities on the field of play; they are also given the opportunity to have healthy discussions based on what is put forward to them by the Technical Staff.

Máximo underscored the

importance of these sessions which, once mastered by the players would lead to success on the field of play.

“I think it is important for all teams to understand what should be done on the pitch before, it’s not when you arrive on the pitch. It is necessary for players to know the plan and strategy with and without the ball, this is work that must be done.” The Brazilian noted that the team which is a young one would develop as time goes by citing that this is the way to go as they must each understand their role in their respective positions.

Focus in these sessions to date he reported has been very good with players wanting to know more and have been asking questions regularly as they desire to know more with a view of improving themselves, performances and careers.

“This attitude has left the staff very confident about the present and future of this group. Always I repeat, the young players always give to you more, each day, each training each game. We should have patience to understand the process.”

“I don’t like to mention names but when I saw the performances of some of our young players it gives me big hope for Guyana going forward.”

‘Golden Jaguars’ Head Coach Márcio Máximo explaining on the board during yesterday’s classroom session. (Franklin Wilson photo)

‘Golden Jaguars’ Assistant Coach Charles ‘Lily’ Pollard sharing with the players yesterday during their classroom session. (Franklin Wilson photo)

Director of Sports - But fails to meets Trinidadian qualify for Olympics Olympic bound boxer

Archery Guyana’s Devin Permaul records best International score at Paris Games Devin Persaud in action in Paris. (World Archery)

D

espite the many constraints of competing on the International Arena without a network of support Archery Guyana Devin Persaud Permaul recorded his best score in an international competition to date.

Unfortunately in the elimination round, our Guyanese Archer went against a competitor from Thailand where it came close at 4 vs 4 but in the end Thailand was victorious.

Regrettably this meant the end of a glorious run by

Devin Persaud Permaul in his participation in the Olympic Qualification process.

For the World Cup in the Qualifier, Devin shot an impressive 615 which put him at 106 and just outside the bracket for elimination.

According to Devin, “It’s a punishing sport and can demoralize but I will push through and continue to get better.”

The Board of Directors wishes Devin Permaul all the best and urges him as we set our sights on Olympics 2024.

Director of Sport and Guyana Boxing Association (GBA) President Steve Ninvalle met with Aaron Prince, Trinidadian Olympic middleweight boxer who is training in Guyana prior to departure for the games.

The Trinidad and Tobago Boxing Association (TTBA) reached out to the GBA for assistance in having Prince train here in the lead up to the games. Guyana is hosting Prince for one week as he ups his preparations for the Tokyo Olympics. The 35year-old middleweight pugilist is accompanied by his Coach and first Vice President of the Trinidad and Tobago Boxing Association (TTBA) Reynold Cox.

Guyana’s Technical Director Terrence Poole was also at the meeting with Ninvalle as the Guyanese pledged every support for their fellow Caribbean compatriot’s endeavours in possibly medaling at the Tokyo Games.

Ninvalle had earlier noted the good relationship between the GBA and the TTBA hence the request for Prince’s sojourn.

This is Prince’s first time qualifying for the Olympics after 4 tries. His journey to the World Games has been stretched out over 13 years and he is only the fourth Trinidadian amateur boxer in history to qualify for the Games.