Kaieteur News

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Tuesday Edition EPA probes NEWS 18-barrel chemical spill during transfer to Liza Destiny FPSO

AIETEUR

June 28, 2022 - Vol. 15 No. 25

Online: www.kaieteurnews.com Online Price $100 readership yesterday, 87,551

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

Protests for better oil deal spread across city

Dr. Yog Mahadeo (second right), Dr. Desmond Thomas discussing one of the oppressive provisions in the 2016 PSA with other protestors

- Article 13 joins Glenn Lall, others

Miner, 23 dies as pit collapses at Sand Hill backdam ‘Release tax receipts, Eccles man oil production data to found with prove govt. not corrupt’ - transparency advocate tells Min. Ashni Singh cocaine, ammo

Guyana gets royalty only for oil sold not - resulted in country produced getting far less

Grove man dies after crashing into dead cow

Dead, Vishraykanand Narayan

Exxon contract put every Guyanese in a column box like how you build a house and cement all of us up to our chin leavingour mouths to eat whatever they throw at us, nose to breathe, eyes to see, ears to hear death coming until we die, that’s the stabilization provision. And Jagdeo will approve the 5th project come year end. @11:00hrs on 99.1/99.5FM

Kaieteur News

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Tuesday June 28, 2022

Release tax receipts, oil production data - transparency advocate to prove govt. not corrupt tells Min. Ashni Singh S

enior Minister within the Office of the President, with responsibility for Finance, Dr. Ashni Singh over the weekend praised his administration’s level of transparency and accountability but at least one civil society activist says if this is to be believed then government must show the nation its receipts.

The sentiments were expressed by Think Engine Energy Services Company’s Alfred Bhulai, who in a public missive noted that “now we have the Senior Finance Minister asserting at the Guyana Anti-Corruption Framework training workshop, organised by his own Ministry of Governance; that he firmly believes transparency and accountability is crucial in the fight against corruption.”

According to Bhulai, Dr. Singh is following the lead of his President, who always maintains their government is transparent. “Well, let them tell their Cabinet

Anti Corruption advocate, Alfred Bhulai colleague Minister responsible for Petroleum according to the Petroleum Agreement with the oil companies to make public the receipt he obtained from the Commissioner-General of the GRA, who has to properly prepare the receipts required under Article 15.5” of the same Petroleum Agreement, for the taxes that that minister pays on behalf of the oil companies.”

Additionally, Bhulai

contends, “while they are at it, let them also declare daily the current productions and analyses of oil and gas, “then we can believe these anticorruption calls for transparency and accountability.”

Dr. Singh over the weekend at the anticorruption workshop said, “We in this Government believe very strongly and we are fully committed to the importance of the fight against corruption in all of its forms and we believe equally …the most effective instruments in the fight against corruption (are) openness, transparency and accountability.”

He was adamant, “We equally believe that open and transparent and accountable government is an absolutely essential prerequisite in democratic governance, and we believe that democracy goes hand in hand with openness transparency and a c c o u n t a b i l i t y. ” T h e minister said that a government who subscribes

to the norms of democracy must answer to its electorate which it must serve, “demonstrably”.

“It must present itself to that electorate and convince that electorate that it is worthy of re-election.” That, Singh said, is the nature of democratic governance and cannot be disregarded given the necessity of openness, transparency and a c c o u n t a b i l i t y. A government that fails in this regard does so at its own peril; increasing the unavoidable consequence of eventually making itself unelectable.

Commissioner General

of the Guyana Revenue Authority, Godfrey Statia had over the weekend on the matter of taxes due by the oil companies reiterated that Guyana does in fact pay taxes for Esso Exploration and Production Guyana Limited (EEPGL) and their partners.

Statia in a public missive said, the Government of Guyana, however, based on Article 15.4 of the Petroleum Contract, opted to institute the ‘Pay on Behalf System’ whereby the Government’s share of Profit Oil includes the income taxes payable by the contractor.

Therefore, the Minister

with responsibility for Petroleum is required to pay the relevant taxes on behalf of the Contractor.

As a result, the parties comprising the Contractor would thereafter be issued with Tax Certificates which would essentially allow them to claim Tax Credits or Tax Deductions in other jurisdictions in which they are liable to pay taxes.

According to Statia, the fact that the PSA allows for the contractor’s corporate taxes to be paid out of Guyana’s share of Profit Oil, means that the Net effect on the Consolidated Fund will be Nil.

Tax waivers to ExxonMobil…

PPP/C’s breaking of campaign promise to renegotiate oil contract forced me to court - Glenn Lall Kaieteur News Publisher Glenn Lall has responded to the contention raised by ExxonMobil’s subsidiary Esso Exploration and Production Limited (EEPGL) that he “sat on his hands” and exercised “undue delay,” in bringing the court action over the tax waivers granted to the oil company, its affiliates and expat staffers by the Guyana Government.

In a document submitted to the High Court, Lall explained that he was forced to take the issue to court after the People’s Progressive Party/ Civic (PPP/C) Government reneged on their campaign promise to renegotiate the lopsided oil contract which the previous government had been signed with Exxon. In his written submission, the newspaper publisher cited reports in which he noted despite repeated calls by members of civil society, both the then A Partnership for National Unity +Alliance For Change (APNU+AFC) Government which signed the Petroleum Agreement and the Contractor (Exxon Mobil) adamantly refused to make the contract available until 15 months after when the Government bowed to pressure to release the agreement.

Further, Lall relied on the public statements by leading members of the then Opposition, PPP/C, that it would renegotiate the contract once it got into

Kaieteur News Publisher Glenn Lall. government following the 2020 elections. “The applicant [Lall] honestly believed that the then Opposition would renegotiate the contract and this belief was reinforced by the commitment made by the PPP/C in their manifesto during the 2020 elections,” the court document explained.

As a result of the failure and reneging by the PPP/C Government of the preelection promise, the Kaieteur News Publisher said he was forced to bring the proceedings to Court at the earliest opportunity.

“The applicant submits that any delay caused in bringing these proceedings were unintentional and reasonable in the circumstances,” the court document added.

The response was filed after Exxon initially put up strong arguments that Lall could have approached the High

Court sooner with his application. The ExxonMobil’s subsidiary had put up strong arguments in Court that Lall has no right to file a court case challenging its terms of agreement with the Government of Guyana.

Further, the company said that Lall is guilty of undue delay in bringing the court action.

In fact, in the response to Lall‘s legal challenge to the Government of Guyana over the discriminatory tax provisions of the Stabroek Block Production Sharing Agreement (PSA), EEPGL contends that Lall should not be granted the reliefs he is seeking because “he sat on his hands for five years” and allowed Esso and its coventurers to expend huge sums of money [to the tune of billions of US dollars] which could now be wasted.

In January this year, the Kaieteur News Publisher filed an action to challenge the Petroleum Agreement, dated June 27, 2016 between the Guyana Government and the oil companies.

According to Lall the agreement between the oil company and the government grants exemptions to persons other than licensees, which violate the Petroleum Exploration and Production Act, the Financial Administration (and Audit) Act, the P r e v e n t i o n o f Discrimination Act, and the (Continued on page 8)

Kaieteur News

Tuesday June 28, 2022

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Guyana gets royalty only for oil sold not produced …resulted in country getting far less

T

he Production S h a r i n g Agreement (PSA) has been described as lopsided and unfair by Guyanese leaders from both sides of the political divide and continued perusal of that contract illustrates numerous ways in which the country has agreed to lose money. This was also recently corroborated by Commissioner General of the Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA), Godfrey Statia over the weekend when he sought to clear the air on the matter of royalty that is supposed to be paid by the oil companies. He noted that under Article 15.6 of the PSA under review, the contractor pays a Royalty of two percent to the Guyana Government on the value of all petroleum produced and sold, “less the quantities of petroleum used for fuel or transportation in Petroleum operations, from all production licences subject to this agreement. As it relates to cost oil, the PSA dictates that this is calculated as 75 percent of what was produced in the licence area, and taken from what was sold. Taken cumulatively with the generous nature with which ‘free oil’ and other provisions are not included in the calculations for royalty it would mean that the amount due to the country as royalty is lessened.

The findings were documented in an oil sector analysis penned by Chartered Accountant and A t t o r n e y - a t Law,Christopher Ram, who observed that in the PSA at Article 14.1, it provides among other things that: “The Contractor shall have the right to use as much

production as may be needed in any Petroleum Operations within the Contract Area and also within the transportation and terminal system. In the event of third party usage of the transportation terminal systems, the quantities so used or lost outside the Contract Area shall be proportionate to aggregate use of that transportation and terminal system. All quantities so used or lost shall be excluded from any calculations of entitlement pursuant to Article 11.”

Describing the provision as generously misleading, Ram posited that “Article 14.1 is more generous than the Taxation and Royalty Article by allowing deduction from gross production the fuel equivalent used not only in the Contract Area of 26,806 sq. km. but in an enlarged transportation and terminal system.”

He suggested at the time, “with our petroleum people showing a frightening mix of unwillingness with an apparent inability to learn, the Agreement sets us up for a very lopsided arrangement.” Ram posited too, “I am not entirely satisfied that these concessions are in fact permitted under the Petroleum Exploration and Production Act but who cares? We fight for political power but nonchalantly give away our patrimony.”

Additionally, Tom Mitro, a former director of the University of Houston’s G l o b a l E n e rg y, Development and Sustainability programme, and former Chevron executive with decades of experience negotiating international contracts, has argued that it is additional

benefits in the PSA that caused the contract to be lopsided in favour of the oil companies.

He argues that the country is losing primarily through the deductions being made by the operator and not necessarily in the profit sharing aspect of the deal. His views were recently shared in a Forbes Magazine Energy report captioned “As Guyana’s Oil Business Booms, Could a Potential New Deal with Exxon Loom?”

In that publication, Mitro highlighted that it was the many other negotiable clauses in the contract, they were established in favour of Exxon – an approach that most of Guyana’s peers have not agreed to. He cited as example, that one such provision allows Exxon to recover all interest on loans borrowed to fund the development of related oil projects. In practice, Mitro said, this means that the operator and its partners are able to charge Guyana for the cost of borrowing from their affiliates with no limits.

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

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

Additionally, it was noted that there is a clause that allows Exxon the right to get cost recovery oil right

Grove man dies after crashing into dead cow A 43-year-old Cambio dealer died early Monday morning after his vehicle reportedly collided with a dead cow along the new Diamond Access Road.

Dead is Vishraykanand Narayan of Lot 8 Downer Street, Grove, East Bank Demerara.

Police in a report stated that around 00:30hrs on

Monday Narayan and his wife 46-year-old Geeta Sammy who was seated in the front were heading south along the eastern side of the access road when Narayan collided with a dead cow which was lying on the side of the roadway.

As a result of the collision, Narayan (Continued on page 8)

Dead, Vishraykanand Narayan

from the beginning, to cover the future decommissioning and abandonment of the project at its end. These costs will not be actually incurred for several years. This publication last week had reported that already, for 2020 and 2021, ExxonMobil and its partners, Hess Corporation and CNOOC Group, have recovered a whopping US$355.7M for decommissioning costs which would be incurred in another 18 years for the Liza Phase One Project.

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

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Tuesday June 28, 2022

Kaieteur News

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

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

EDITORIAL

Guyanas contract with Exxon is capital crime

E

nough can never be said about the one-sided oil contract between Guyana and Americas, ExxonMobil. It is a contract that puts a yoke around the neck of this country and its citizens for generations to come, and squeezes the life out of them, given the stranglehold that Exxon has locked firmly in place.

Instead of waging war against each other, we should be tightening our belts to wage war against Exxon. If it takes getting in the face of Exxon and leaders in our government, then that is what must be.

As more and more Guyanese become more familiar with the terms of this crippling contract, the outrage is slowly building, it is slowly gathering steam, and of this let there be no secret.

Guyanese are struggling with the heavy demands of daily life, and some can barely cope, as they are forced to exist on the equivalent of a financial shoestring. As they live like this, they are coming to grips with how much Exxon has this country under lockdown, under its jackboots, and under its whip. In this 21st century, many Guyanese dont take kindly to this kind of modern-day slavery, contract or no contract.

They read in this paper daily (hear on the radio thrice weekly) of the different ways that Exxon engages in what is nothing less than criminal in this country, while compelling many of our younger men and women to a life of crime on the streets.

To take this still further, it is also what causes some of our public servants to help themselves, when they note that the foreigners are coming here, making hay from our wealth, and then fetching it away by the shipload. And this is while some of them are close to the starvation point, and straddle at or below the poverty line.

The latest revelation, through the work of this publication, had to do with something in our oil contract with Exxon that is called a Stabilisation Clause, or more formally, Stabilisation of Agreement (“Contract with Exxon makes a mockery of our constitution -Yog Mahadeo says deal attempts to shackle our government into more unfair provisions” -KN June 27). Mockery is an understatement and “more unfair provisions” only a beginning in the negative language that could be employed and hurled at both the previous Coalition Government, this present PPP/C Government, and Exxon.

For our part, we at this paper are going to cut to the bone on this, and call this barbarous contract for what it is in still sharper terms. This oil contract is a capital crime, and men ought to be hung for its original existence, and its current continuing existence. It doesnt make a mockery of our constitution, it conquers our constitution and stuffs it into the biggest garbage bin to be found, and rules over us with an iron fist, and hobnailed boots.

That Stabilisation of Agreement that we identified earlier has provisions in it that handcuffs and hogties this country, regardless of which government is in power, or who is the leader at the top.

Though we can write volumes of its criminal clauses, terms and conditions, we will keep it short.

What is in the Stabilisation of Agreement holds this society to ransom for decades to come. On the face of it, Guyana cant move against it. Given its clever and crafty wording, Guyana is prevented from coming to grips with Exxon by changing its laws, or doing anything that would increase the overall costs to Exxon of conducting its oil operations here. For any such thing like that to happen, Exxon has to agree to it beforehand and in writing.

This is opening that we have, and we must take the fullest advantage of it, by going for the kill. If the leaders in this government are too slimy, or tricky, or sticky from being in bed with Exxon, then we, the people, must get up and get out to get what represents a better deal for ourselves and our children. If it is confrontation that is called for to deal with and reverse this crime of the last two millennia, then so it must be, Stabilisation of Agreement or not.

Is GuySuCo Board and management bold enough not to continue carrying on as if it is business as usual?

DEAR EDITOR, Two letters in the press on a particular matter recently caught my attention.

As if by coincidence, both letters from two different people, from two different perspectives but with the same philosophical outlook on the same matter appeared in the letter columns of S/N edition of June 18, 2022.

The first letter was in the name of E.B. John in which he briefly discussed the meeting between the President and the top management of Guysuco.

In his letter, Mr. John offers the following advice to GuySuCo s management team; An organisation requires collective thinking and action. In the latter regard older managers may be reminded of the Worker Participation model.

The second letter was from Mr. Sherwood Clarke, General President of the Clerical and Commercial Workers Union (CCWU). In his letter Mr. Clarke states; A development strategy should be designed to put the workers eventually in control of economic power within the Private Sector. Workers must cease being passive wageearners, mere tools of production within the economy, and become involved in enterprises as managers, owners, and decision-makers.

To my understanding, workers participation in decision-making is applicable to public and some private sector enterprises. It envisages; supervision by workers, proper accounting, effective distribution of workers in the production and distribution of goods, overseeing the performance of workers, elimination of wasteful efforts, reduction of costs as well as the efficient management of the enterprise. It enhances managements influence through the flow of communications at the top level as well as improved information flow and the quality of decisions.

It also increases the influence of workers in the participative system of a given enterprise.

Writing in his book Worker Participation In Company Profits Or Operating Results in Latin America, Andres Marinakis points out; Systems of worker participation in the operating results call for the direct involvement of the workers themselves and of the trade unions in various aspects of the process (from identification of the strategic variables to follow-up of their application). The essential

need for dialogue between the parties and transparency of the process make these programmes a valuable means of establishing more participative human resources policies and less conflictive labour relations, which are much more in keeping with the need to improve company competitiveness.

Whether this model can be pursued at GuySuCo following its top management meeting with the President and bearing in mind what remains as regards the corporations Human Resources and its infrastructure, is left to be seen.

In the meanwhile, the President of GAWU has already expressed his unions doubts about the managements ability to turn the corporation around so long as the current CEO remains in place. As far as the Union is concerned, a turnaround of the industry is possible but not with the current CEO. Moreover, from all indications, the manual on workers participation at GuySuCo is certainly not in the sitting CEOs back pocket.

GuySuCos housekeeping matters aside, care should be taken when assessing success or no success in respect to the model of participation and control lest we succumb to the false notion that the model of participation and control failed when in fact, it was never really tried in Guyana and thus the question why go back to a model that failed?

In this regard, a recent attempt by workers and their union to clinch ownership and control of PETROTRIN in Trinidad and Tobagos oil drilling, refining and gas distribution arrangements is instructive.

According to Dr. Anthony Gonzalez, former lecturer at the University of the West Indies at St. Agustine; I think PETROTRIN found itself in serious debt from bad investments in two projects which never got off the ground. In addition, it refined imported crude very inefficiently. It was heavily overstaffed and salaries were too high.

The oil exploration and gas distribution parts were profitable and were used to support the loss-making refining part. The Government therefore broke up the company and kept oil exploration and gas distribution. The refinery was put up for sale and the workers won the initial bid.

However, in finalising the transaction, the workers company did not satisfy the expectations of the Government.

They were given 10 years to pay off for the company with a moratorium, but the Government held the lien on the assets until they paid for it. The workers objected. The workers union got a foreign company to put up US$500m for refurbishing the refinery with some guarantee on the assets of the company.

In the end, the union did not seem capable of raising sufficient money from the bank without the lien released to invest in start up and operating cost. The Government then refused to go through with the deal and put the company out for another bid.

A US company Quanten won the new bid and the Government is now finalising an agreement with Quanten.

From all appearances, it was clear that the Government really wanted to sell the Company Petrotrin to the workers but they could not come up in the end with a proper financial offer. Purchase, refurbishing and operating costs came up to over US$1billion. The workers union did not have that kind of financial backing even with some foreign participation to meet that costs.

Truth be told, Guyanas past experiences on the subject of workers participation and control proved unworthy, but that was because there was no genuine effort by the Burnham administration to put even the slightest modicum of the concept in place neither at the Bauxite nor sugar industries.

In effect, both bauxite and sugar workers were betrayed by the Burnham administration. After all, the workers had been promised that with nationalisation of the sugar and bauxite industries, the government would pursue a policy of workers participation and control.

However, contrary to its

declared pro-working class policy, the much touted worker participation and control of the nationalised sugar and bauxite industries never materialised, instead a parasitic, bureaucratic elite emerged at the management level at both industries. They eventually became masters of the nationalised companies.

The non-implementation of what was promised resulted in great discontent amongst the bauxite workers, that discontent, coupled with fraudulent union election led to a general strike in the bauxite industry in December 1976.

In 1977, a 13-week strike by sugar workers virtually crippled the sugar industry.

A poll was conducted ending in GAWU being recognised at the Union representing sugar workers nationwide.

Since workers in bauxite and sugar realised that governments promise for their participation and control was but an empty one, they opted to use the only weapon they had at their disposal to achieve their legitimate objectives.

The struggles of bauxite and sugar workers continue to this day though under much different conditions especially where the oil and gas industries pose an existential threat to the longevity of these two once upon a time thriving industries whose nationalisation under a pretentious working class government, and whose productive output brought so much joy and happiness to many Guyanese.

The advise offered by Messrs John and Clarke is neither irrelevant nor outdated, they remain as valid and efficacious as they were in a hitherto era.

The big question is: Is the Board and management at GuySuCo bold and courageous enough not to continue carrying on as if it is business as usual?

Yours faithfully, Clement J. Rohee

Road troubles at West Bank Demerara DEAR EDITOR, Please allow me a space to highlight two issues affecting motorists living on the West Bank Demerara. The first issue is the deplorable state of the public road starting from La Grange going all the way to Patentia, which is in urgent need of repair. The road is littered with potholes (quickly

becoming craters) and bumps. In order to avoid these holes, we are forced to drive in the other lane provided there is no oncoming traffic, otherwise we have to come to an almost stop in order to drive over the holes/ bumps. The state of the road is especially deplorable (Continued on page 5)

Tuesday June 28, 2022

GWI - Sterling example of incompetence DEAR EDITOR, Please permit me space in your newspaper to air the frustration of dealing with GWI. We often hear them complaining of people running to the media before contacting them to get their problem solved.

What I will relate will explain why people in frustration have to go to the media.

In November 2021, a new water meter was installed inside my yard - even though there is more than adequate space outside the fence.

A supervisor came the very day to inspect the installation and he informed me that the meter would have to be re-installed outside and that he would get the contractor to do same. Seven months later, the meter is still in the same place in my yard.

However, each and every month since then, when the GWI meter readers come, they have been given entrance into my yard without

fail. I have been receiving bills monthly from GWI with an incorrect reading. The fact is the meter is stuck on the number 99999. The meter Number is A21AA0066228.

On a number of occasions, the meter readers told me that the meter had a problem and they assumed that it was connected backwards. They informed me that they would report it.

Further, I myself called the Peter’s Hall office on at least three occasions and reported the matter. I was assured that someone would come to rectify the problem. By the way, it is a frustrating and timeconsuming exercise to get on to Peter’s Hall branch. Most times the phone keeps ringing out.

Eventually in early May in disgust, I called the Customer Service. I assume that this is in Georgetown. I explained the problem, got a Reference No: 1045743 - 12. I was told that the problem would be re-

Road troubles at West...

From page 4 at the junctions of Canal No. 1 (before and after the bridge), Bagotsville, Nismes (by the Gas station), Goed Intent, Sisters Village and Wales (just after the estate).

The second issue is lack of Street lights along some sections of the public road and due to the fact that at some sections there are no houses only farmlands, it is pitch-black at night.

This makes it extremely difficult to drive at night especially when facing oncoming vehicles with the high beam/LED light that are blinding.

We would appreciate if

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Kaieteur News

lights can be installed to aid motorists at night.

I sincerely hope my letter is read by the relevant authorities and immediate action taken.

Regards, Davin Appanah

solved within 10 days - No such luck.

Earlier this month, I saw GWI advertising an app by which you can photograph the meter and send in the reading to them. I did that and sent a picture of the meter reading to them.

Now after all this, to add insult to injury, I just received my bill for May with an ESTIMATED reading and this is what is written on the bill “Please be advised that we were unable to read your meter. Consequently you have been billed on estimate.

GWI urges you to allow our Meter Reader access during the next reading cycle. You can read your water meter and provide us with the....” (I don’t know what comes after “with the”) I was billed for 36 M3 whatever that means. However, I don’t think this is a realistic estimate. The reason is that I have a large reservoir which collects all the water from my roof which is what I use in my home. I only use GWI’s water for about one hour each week. So, Editor, this is the plight I am facing. I don’t know how many times more I will have to contact them before they do anything to correct this problem.

Yours sincerely, Disgusted Consumer

GRA boss leaves all doors opens, all options hanging DEAR EDITOR, Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA boss, Mr. Godfrey Statia, made a rare public media commentary on the roiling issue of royalties. The old Central High man did justice to his learning, but I sensed that he sought to cover all present and possible eventualities, while being cautious not to ruffle any furs in this touchy territory. In so doing, I am just about positive that he left the common man in the dust, while creating a spiral of conversations among the cognoscenti, be they taxmen or regular members of the local punditocracy. I think that the clashing controversies have just begun, only deepened further.

Amid the deluge of details emerging from the Commissioner General (CG), there was reference to the Guyanas Petroleum Tax Regime, Cost Recovery Regime, the Income Tax Act, and the discretionary powers of the subject minister. The CG was quick to point out that the minister, whoever he is, or under what mandate he operates, has not exercised such discretionary powers to date relative to royalty recovery, but that it could be. The point that must register is that, indeed, such powers are present. So, let that be on the record, along with the calculations relative

to Cost Oil and Profit Oil. For a textbook discussion in some varsity setting, the CG would be well-received, and I commend him for his wisdom in saying the unsayable, while keeping his nose in joint.

Editor, as much as I defer to the chartered accountant and attorney at the helm of the GRA, what I think that this local luminary failed to emphasize was that all those regimes (Tax and Cost Recovery) are subservient to the Income Tax Act, and that whatever occurs under the realm of the Petroleum Exploration Act, in the context of royalties and cost recovery must align, and not come into conflict, with the Income Tax Act. The fact that

the royalties payable by the operator fall under the ambit of possible ministerial waiver leaves open a door to reverse or neutralize any such payment actually made. What started out as a plus and benefit in Guyanas favor could be relinquished with the stroke of a pen and convert that momentary event (royalty payment to be or negotiated away) into a charge or reduction against Guyanas total oil receipts, however considered.

Moreover, I appreciate that when the royalties are paid, then such falls under the category of being tax deductible to determine tax expense.

Taxes are not an (Continued on page 6)

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Tuesday June 28, 2022

Kaieteur News

Group thinkers and Independents DEAR EDITOR, Francia Marquez, an afroColumbian, stood up for the marginalized and the nobodies and won. Today, Ms. Marquez, who once was a housekeeper, has been elected Vice President of Columbia - a South American nation with White and Mestizos (87.58%); Afro-Colombians (includes Mixed) (6.68%) and Amerindians (4.31%). In Guyana, the community of Nooten-Zuil stood up for the marginalised and a communitys need for proper infrastructure and lost (temporarily).

They are still awaiting an approving nod and the start of corrective action by elected leaders. Nonetheless, they have informed the world of our myriad of community issues commonplace for all communities. The community was forced to stand independently in the face of marginalisation and victimisation to denounce the elected administrators with ulterior motives and desires.

A daily serving in the news of young Guyanese falling into human-made traps is plastered in our psyche daily.

At every turn, young Guyanese males are marginalised and victimised by bad leadership and bad policy systems. Our democracy is under threat. Who cares? Who benefits? Who organises chaos and confusion? The answer lies in the unwavering ability of some political, economic, and social groups to engage in groupthink. Its the classic us vs. them paradigm. No wonder “One Guyana” only appeals to one segment of the nation, whether they believe in a united Guyana.

Groupthink is “the practice of thinking or making decisions

as a group in a way that discourages creativity or individual responsibility.” In other words, think about who or what has kept Ms. Francia Marquez a nobody in Columbia for the last 100 years.

Think about the people groups and designed structures that continue to keep the community of Nooten-Zuil victimised/marginalised as a people and not fix their bad roads? Think about young males struggling for an identity as a Guyanese and finding it nowhere in our current crop of leaders or father figures.

The notion of groupthink has led me to reflect on a third scenario the corrupt practices of a top leader in our society who is heralded as a god. This self-appointed leader forced his personhood and position on the nation, usurped the Constitution, and who reigns supreme in the land without accountability a disaster of enormous proportions. On top of this, the brainwashed supporters rushed to cover his unpardonable sin and to show the world the brilliance of the leader, which is being positioned as much more intelligent than the nobodies. Let me interject a word on those who sit in between corrupt leaders and think they are clean, in the name of wealth, fence-sitting benefits and righteousness. These people are in the shadows of history and are just as culpable as the perpetrators in our society.

A word to females who allow males to spiritually abuse them or lead them to a life of subservience in the boardroom, the kitchen, and bedroom.

It would help if you stopped this groupthink behaviour immediately. Females and males should work

in harmony in every area of life. Males must listen keenly to the discourse of females and not shut them down or work to disempower them via sex.

The culture of doing unto others what they have done to me is ingrained in ordinary citizens turned elected leaders. The attitude is to show oneself big (not service about self) when in office and make citizens look small. This equates to a reasoning that whoever is not within our ingroup (i.e., ownership of a party card) is pressured, shot out and made to wait until they cry out, relent or conform. The Guyanese culture practices these habits in the home, on the street, among friends, and within public and private organisations. Also, it spans time, and it matters not which political party is in office you will be silenced as an independent thinker and doer.

On the flip side, many are not aware that, as in the case of Madame VP Marquez or the community of NootenZuil, they are quietly and consistently being applauded and affirmed in Guyana and around the world. What should be done by every righteous Guyanese? Understand that, like Columbia, the masses must rise. Poverty is a sin. The marginalised can overcome poverty, impoverishment, and a lack of dignity and respect. Guyana needs a new trajectory where housewives, Indigenous people, security guards, farmers, youth, etc., can become President. You can vote out bad leadership now! We can embrace diversity, respect all ethnicities and connect to the larger issue Constitutional Reform!

Regards, Denise Murray

GRA boss leaves all doors...

From page 5 abstraction; nor are deductions something without arithmetic or monetary logic.

They represent a reduction, a lesser amount coming to Guyana, when the net figures are finalised. I would argue that the taxes that the oil companies (operator) are responsible for are absorbable by the Government of Guyana via tax deductibles.

Hence, we are in effect footing a portion of the royalties due under the tax deduction scheme. Royalties, therefore, should be in a stand-alone classification all by itself, and not be netted to below its low 2% level.

To make matters worse still, and for whatever it is worth, this country stands-in

for the operator when taxes become the subject under consideration. That is, we pay the taxes for which the company obtains a receipt for something on which it never paid a nickel.

It might be an irrelevance, but to add insult to injury, the operator can then utilise its Guyana GRA receipt for US income tax purposes.

It is no different from what some people must do, with the difference being that living persons in this boat, actually come out of pocket and pay their own fair share of taxes in Guyana. Somebody else did not pay it, certainly not the government.

There is nothing neutral or favourable to

Guyana in these schemes. To say so would be the height of absurdity, especially when it is the opposite that reigns.

With all this going on, and the associated daily agitations, I am beginning to understand that International Republican Institute poll/survey, which noted that oil didnt feature too highly in the priorities of Guyanese.

It figures when such a labyrinth, this web, could come into play over such a straightforward issue like royalties.

It leads to the confusions present, if not the chaos, in getting to the bottom of something as basic as this.

Sincerely, GHK Lall

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L B T LUNT.. UNT...B BL B Tuesday June 28, 2022

Kaieteur News

Recently, the nation was told of the disgraceful conduct of a sitting government minister who allegedly sent police on the Stabroek News because that newspaper dared to investigate his association with a local company that services the oil and gas sector.

The Minister in question, Deodat Indar has denied the allegations, although the evidence points to something different. As mentioned by the newspaper in its editorial on Monday: “The visit by the detectives was clearly linked to Minister Indar and constituted an overt attempt by him to intimidate the reporter and to interfere with the work of the newspaper. The Minister won’t succeed in his effort.”

The behaviour of Indar- a junior minister who has barely cut his teeth in the post is symptomatic of the PPP/C’s longstanding disdain and mistreatment of the press.

Current Vice President Bharrat, when he was President is on record referring to reporters as vultures and carrion crows and infamously cut state advertising from local newspapers that were critical of his administration.

Today, President Irfaan Ali is following suit, refusing to hold regular media briefings and has shutdown weekly post-Cabinet press conferences. We can expect more of the same, but the Kaieteur News will not sit idly by and allow the erosion of press freedom by people who like to boast that they are friends of it.

PAGE 07

Kaieteur News

PAGE 08

Tuesday June 28, 2022

Boy 4 killed in Greenidge distances self from ‘lopsided’ Exxon contract Canje accident Former Minister in the coalition administration, now advisor to the incumbent government, Carl Greenidge, has denied any role in the signing of the 2016 Production Sharing Agreement (PSA) between the Guyana Government and Esso Exploration and Production Guyana Limited (EEPGL) and their partners.

He was at the time responding to a recent article in this publication under the caption, “Contract on 2% royalty misleading as Guyana bears the burden – Chris Ram”.

In that article, it had attributed statements to Chartered Accountant Christopher Ram, who in his warnings in relation to the PSA since 2019 had claimed it is “the inheritance which (Raphael) Trotman, (Carl) Greenidge and David Granger have bestowed on Guyana. What a shame. All that is left

Government Advisor, Carl Greenidge for them to do to complete their generosity is to waive the Royalty as they are permitted to do under section 49 of the Petroleum Exploration and Production Act”.

As such, Greenidge in rebutting the assertion is adamant, that the decisions

informing treatment of the royalty were taken by the Peoples Progressive Party Administration which signed the PSA. According to Greenidge, “I was not the Minister responsible for such matters in 1999 nor was I either the Minister of Finance or Energy between 2015 and 2020. I had no Ministerial responsibility for the Petroleum Exploration and Production Act and was therefore not in a position to be ‘generous’, irresponsibly or otherwise, as alleged or implied by the paper. Yet, the paper and Mr Ram single me out for special mention and indeed notoriety.

Neither that 1999 PSA, nor any subsequent PSA, was negotiated or signed by me.” To this end, he insists, “I have (and have had) nothing to do with the legislation or the waiver of these payments, if indeed they have been waived.”

Police are investigating an accident that occurred on the Canefield Public Road, East Canje, Berbice, which claimed the life of 4-year-old Daniel Major of 2nd Street Inslington Village, East Bank Berbice.

The accident occurred on Sunday June 26, 2022, about 19:45 hours and involved Hire Car (HA 9700) driven

by Claudwin Mc Donald, aged 21 years of Goed Bananen Land, East Canje, Berbice, police said in a press release. Initial enquiries disclosed that motorcar HA 9700 driven by the 21-year-old man was proceeding north along the Canefield Public Road, when the 4-year-old, who was alone at the said time allegedly attempted to cross from west to east and ended up in the path of the car. The driver, in an attempt to avoid

Dead, Daniel Major hitting the child, applied brakes and swerved left, police reported. Despite the driver’s effort, the right side front of the car collided with the child.

As a result of the collision, the four-year-old suffered injuries about his body. He was picked up by the driver in an unconscious condition and taken to the (Continued on page 9)

PPP/C’s breaking of campaign...

From page 2 Constitution. EEPGL which was added as respondent in the matter is arguing to have Lall’s case thrown out on several grounds.

In an initial affidavit filed in its defence, the oil company has extensively contended inter alia that Lall in his capacity as a private citizen cannot file an action in court to challenge a legally binding agreement between the Government and an oil company but it is for the Attorney General of Guyana to take on that role in the interest of the public in a civil suit.

But in the same document, the oil subsidiary said that based on the advice of its Attorneys-at-Law, it is to believed Lall is “guilty of gross and undue delay.” In explaining their contention

EEPGL noted that “The Applicant [Lall] has been aware of the Petroleum Agreement and its contents since in or around the month of December, 2016, the Applicant did not see fit to challenge it or to seek the reliefs he is seeking until the 1 2 t h d a y o f J a n u a r y, 2022…Nor has he explained anywhere in the Affidavit in support of the [Fixed Date Application] FDA as to any reason why it took him in excess of five years to institute these proceedings.”

The Added Respondent [EEGPL] had therefore contended that “it would be unconscionable to allow the Applicant the reliefs that he is seeking when he has sat on his hands for five years and allowed Esso and its coventurers to expend these huge sums which could now be wasted.”

Grove man dies after...

From page 3 reportedly lost control of his vehicle which then toppled several times and collided with a concrete culvert situated along the road where it remained stationary causing him and his wife to receive injuries about their bodies.

The injured couple was picked up in a conscious condition by public spirited citizens and taken to the Diamond Diagnostic Center where they were both seen and examined by a doctor on duty.

Police said Sammy was treated for minor abrasions

about her body and sent away while Narayan was admitted suffering from a fractured shoulder and pelvis. Due to the severity of his injuries the man was later transferred to Georgetown Public Hospital where he was further seen and examined by a doctor.

Narayan who was admitted into the male surgical ward succumbed to his injuries around 06:55hrs yesterday.

His body is presently at the hospital’s mortuary awaiting a post-mortem examination.

An investigation into the accident has since been launched.

Tuesday June 28, 2022

PAGE 9

Kaieteur News

Your civic duty The national clean-up exercise is ongoing. And it is aggravating those persons who have visceral hatred of the PPP/C. They would have wanted nothing better than for the national clean-up to be a oneoff exercise. This would have allowed them to bad mouth the PPP/C government and to perpetuate the narrative that the PPP/C is keeping the country nasty.

But what was most interesting is the new narrative which has greeted this second round of the national clean-up exercise.

Suddenly, the use of the army and the police has become a subject of controversy.

It never was during the first phase of the clean-up.

But now that the naysayers who predicted, publicly and privately, that there will be no follow-up have been proven wrong, a red herring has been thrown into the works.

Persons have ventured onto Tik Tok to criticise the use of the army and police in these operations. But those criticisms are without merit.

One person has questioned how could persons who have to defend the state be used to clean-up rubbish. Every solider is a citizen, unlike Burnham who wanted to make every citizen a soldier. As such, every citizen is expected to play his or her part in keeping his or her surroundings, community and country clean.

What is wrong with asking a member of the Disciplined Services to take part in a national clean-up

exercise? Is it not their civic duty to do so? Are they above doing menial work? And if this is so, why then should the President and his Ministers be similarly engaged? If the President can pick up a rake, a broom and a shovel and help in the clean-up drive, then what is wrong with the uniformed services doing the same? If they should not be involved in the clean-up exercise then a similar argument can be made that no one should be. They are leading by example and the country should be proud of this new thrust of civic work being undertaken by the Disciplined Services.

Another person has said that under Burnham they were not required to do this sort of work. He said that it is only persons in the army and prisoners who did so. He does not know what he is talking about.

Not only were the hierarchy of the Disciplined Services Forced to attend the Congresses of the ruling PNC but they were also expected to bring best wishes and pledge their support to the paramount party, under Burnham.

Walter Rodney in a street corner address entitled, Peoples Power, No Dictator” explained the degrading of the police and army under Forbes Burnham. This is what he said: “The fate of the Army and Police can serve as other examples of the trickery which built the Burnham dictatorship. According to the Guyana Constitution, each soldier or policeman

takes an oath of loyalty to this country symbolised by the Head of State. Each soldier or policeman is expected to be loyal to the commands of an elected government representing the people. Little by little since independence, loyalty to the country became loyalty to the PNC and then personal loyalty to Burnham.

The uniformed forces helped the PNC to beat down the majority opposition in 1973 and then by July 1978 they were helping Burnham to steal the rights of 90 percent of the population - including the rights of many former supporters of the PNC. One wonders whether the soldiers and police realised when they stopped being loyal to the country and started being the watch-dogs of a dictator?”

Burnham humiliated the army by forcing its members to be scabs during strikes by sugar workers. He urged them to help save the economy by providing scab labour in the hope that it would break the will of the strikers. During the 1977 sugar strike, soldiers were deployed as scabs in the sugar fields, without any declaration of a state of emergency.

Those scabs did more damage than good. They were strike breakers rather than economy savers. They did not have a clue what to do and did untold damage to the young sugar cane shoots.

This led to problems in the subsequent crop.

Public servants both senior and junior were expected to provide occasional free labour in

5 patients in COVID-19 ICU, 15 new cases

T

he Ministry of Health on Monday reported that five patients are presently admitted in the COVID-19 Intensive

Care Unit (ICU) receiving treatment. The Ministry, in its daily COVID-19 dashboard also recorded 15 new COVID19 cases, bringing the total

number of confirmed cases to 67,114. The dashboard also shows that there are 27 persons in institutional isolation, 883 in home isolation and four in institutional quarantine. To date, a total of 64,948 persons have recovered from the virus.

Boy 4 killed in...

From page 8 New Amsterdam Public Hospital, where he was admitted a patient in the accident and emergency unit suffering from a fractured rib.

Unfortunately, Major passed away around 10:45 hours Monday at the said hospital while receiving treatment.

A breathalyzer test conducted on the driver showed a reading of .00% microgram. The body of Major is at the Hospital’s mortuary awaiting a post mortem examination.

return for the right to buy scarce food supplies. They were shuttled to Hope Estate which Burnham treated as if it was his personal plantation.

Workers were required to weed and clean the trenches while Burnham rode around on horseback as if he were a plantation owner.

There is nothing wrong or

even degrading about asking the army and police to be involved in the national cleanup exercise. Those who are desperately scrounging for reasons to discredit such involvement must themselves respond to the civic call to keep their surroundings clean.

(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

Tuesday June 28, 2022

THE FREDDIE KISSOON COLUMN

The PNC needs to heed the warning of the local 007, James Bond

If Berbice has become a global tourist attraction but the Mayor of Berbice tells visitors not to come because there is an outbreak that cannot be controlled then commonsense runs wild – no one will visit Berbice.

If you tell African Guyanese, as Henry Jeffrey wrote recently, that the PPP gets power through election rigging then you are literally, without even an ounce of doubt, informing African Guyanese who vote for the PNC that the PPP is impregnable, omnipresent, and omnipotent. Here are Jeffrey’s words: “Evidence thrown up by the 2020 elections suggest that the PPP is losing its natural e t h n i c m a j o r i t y, a n d entrenches its ethnic dominance by manipulating elections to prevent G u y a n a ’s n a t u r a l progression towards a more accommodative multiethnic state.”

This statement appears weird when you glance at it initially. But it has problems for the PNC because there are too many persons aligned to the PNC who are saying and writing things that are consistently damaging the psyche of African Guyanese.

It is for this reason, our local James Bond broke with his party and put out a Facebook post in which he sermonised that if these very PNC aligned people keep telling African-Guyanese that they are being discriminated against and will be discriminated against then you induce pessimism in them and they will have no psychological incentive to seek entrepreneurship. For more on Bond’s warning see my column of Friday, May 19, 2021, “Local 007 put a jumbie lash pon TLF, TUS, CMC, PNL.” Cast out the asininity in J e f f r e y ’s o u t p u t a n d concentrate on the following

reality between 2015 and 2020 and James Bond’s warning becomes stark. For emphasis let us repeat what Jeffrey stated in a nutshell.

The PPP is losing its ethnic majority and instead of arriving at compromise for Guyana to become a genuine multi-racial state, it gets into government and stays in power through rigging elections.

As I rebut this contestation, please pay attention to science and acrobatics.

In May 2015, after being out of office since 1992, the PNC finally returned to power. The government was headed by David Granger, a former army chief during the reign of President Forbes Burnham. His second in command, Joseph Harmon, was the head of army intelligence during the tenure of Mr. Burnham.

Stalwarts of the PNC became senior Cabinet

ministers. The former head of the police force under the PPP government, Winston Felix, became a minister.

The former head of the army, Edward Collins, won a seat on the PNC’s executive. He became an advisor to President Granger. Most of the strategic sections of the public sector were headed either by former army officials or PNC personnel.

This was not only the control of power by former army officers and the leadership of the PNC but even in GECOM there were changes.

The Deputy Chief Election Officer, Vishnu Persaud, lost his job to Ms. Roxanne Myers in circumstances that the Ethnic Relations Commission found to be highly questionable.

Now the questions are tumbling down like waves from a tsunami. With this kind of seismic changes in government from 2015, how this formidable machinery of former army officers and the

leadership of the PNC and new faces in GECOM allowed the Frederick Kissoon PPP to rig the 2020 election and steal top leader in the AFC, who is power? Above I asked you to the President’s son-in-law, pay attention to science and Dominic Gaskin, denounced acrobatics. the election as being rigged How it was acrobatically by his own colleagues and possible for the PPP to rig the elements in GECOM? election and Mr. Persaud was If the PNC is going to no longer in GECOM but participate in the 2025 Ms. Myers was there? How elections, then it has a was it scientifically possible formidable task to stop for methods and stratagems people like Jeffrey based on by the PPP to be used in the warning of James Bond. v a s t l y p o w e r f u l P N C The scientific explanation s t r o n g h o l d s l i k e for why small parties, in the G e o r g e t o w n , L i n d e n , UK, Canada and other Bartica, etc., and none of the countries do not win a leaders of government majority is because of couldn’t see these actions psychological fixture. and confront them? Where Voters feel that these were the leaders of the PNC small parties will never win, and the AFC when on polling so they don’t vote for them. day, the PPP set in motion, a If African Guyanese feel the train to derail the election?

PPP can always rig and win, Two more questions then the PNC is dead before we return to 007. electorally.

During the rigging by the (The views expressed in PPP where were the three this article are those of the GECOM commissioners? a u t h o r a n d d o n o t What steps they took to stop necessarily reflect the the rigging. Finally, why a opinions of this newspaper.)

IDB fine-tuning US$160M loan to boost healthcare in Guyana - funds to target NA, Linden hospitals, digitize services The Government of Guyana, through the Ministry of Health has a p p l i e d t o t h e I n t e rAmerican Development Bank for a US$160 million loan to help boost the services offered at three major hospitals in the country and also initiate the digitization of health care services to the Hinterland region.

The IDB on its website indicated that the loan is currently being prepared and has not yet been approved.

According to the project details, the objective is to improve the health of the Guyanese population through increased access, quality, and efficiency of health services.

As such, the initiatives will seek to improve health outcomes associated with low and high complexity procedures, through the extension of hospitals’ capacity; extend the coverage of diagnostic, medical consultation, and patient management

Minister of Health, Dr. Frank Anthony services, inclusive of the c o u n t r y ’s h i n t e r l a n d s , through digital health; and increase the efficiency of the public health system, by strengthening key logistic, management, and support processes and inputs. The first operation of the loan features three components that includes ‘Supporting health services networks’ for US$48 million; ‘Strengthening digital health’ at the cost of US$7.2 million and ‘Promoting health sector management and efficiency’ for US$3

million.

Under the first component, finances will be put towards expanding capacity of the New Amsterdam Hospital in Region Six and the Linden Hospital Complex in Region 10 to provide lowercomplexity services and help alleviate the burdens of the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC). According to the document “The activities to be funded by this component include: (i) infrastructure rehabilitation and expansion at the New Amsterdam Hospital (level 4), Linden Hospital complex (level 4), and the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC) (level 5), considering energy and water efficiency and climate change risk reduction features; (ii) purchase of medical equipment and furniture for these and other facilities; (iii) services for architectural and engineering design and (Continued on page 16)

Tuesday June 28, 2022

Kaieteur News

PAGE 11

Kaieteur News

PAGE 12

Tuesday June 28, 2022

Protests for better oil deal spread across city - Article 13, joins Glenn Lall, others A

By Zena Henry

s resistance against the unfavourable Production Sharing Agreement (PSA) between Guyana, Exxon and its partners continue in different quarters of the country, civil society group Article 13 has taken their protest for the first time to the Office of the President and has sent a clear message to Leader of the Opposition Aubrey Norton that he is next in line to be demonstrated against.

Remaining adamant in their bid for change to the country’s oil contract, the civil society body is prepared to picket the National Assembly, all oil and gas agencies and ministries with responsibility for the sector and members of the Opposition for their inaction in securing a better deal for Guyana’s oil and gas resources. The group is also scheduled to take its concerns countrywide, with the intention of making citizens aware of the PSA, how it negatively impacts the country and ultimately their ability to benefit from the resource.

Article 13’s co-founder, Dr. Yog Mahadeo told the Kaieteur News that the organisation is keen on public awareness and is bent on providing copies of the PSA to ensure persons see the document and become aware of the hurtful provisions. Mahadeo told the newspaper that so far, the group has gone to Berbice, Essequibo and will be heading to Linden, among other areas, as part of their educational outreaches.

The Article 13 insisted that the entire National Assembly needs to come together in support of

changing the contract. At this point however, what appears to be happening is a conspiracy by both parties, protecting each other’s position on not renegotiating this contract, Dr. Desmond Thomas who lent support to the protest said.

He said that there are very few things in the history in this country which the two political parties have agreed on and found it very interesting that they both agree on not negotiating this terrible PSA. They are on the same side defending the oil contract, Thomas highlighted.

He believes therefore that outside of possibly corrupt actions in the doling out of Guyana’s oil benefits, there may be outside pressure coming down on the leaders to uphold the contract.

Dr. Mahadeo nonetheless went on to address the PSA “apologists”.

He related that while in the past there were loud voices against the lopsided PSA, “all of a sudden there’s a ton of cheerleaders for this contract,” with several persons, some paid by the government, writing articles supporting same.

“In 2016 when we all opposed it (PSA), we all came out publicly.

M a d a m e G a i l Te i x e i r a i n Parliament on 8 of August 2016 spoke on all our behalves when she said that this is no good. Now that opposition is the government and suddenly it (PSA) is good. We can’t have it both ways,” Mahadeo charged.

The current government lied when claiming that they would renegotiate the contract, “and all we want is to ask them to restart negotiations; to put the contract back on the table as Guyanese need better.” He continued therefore that

Kaieteur News publisher Glenn Lall dances to drum beating during protest for better oil deal

since the PSA states clearly that no change or renegotiation can occur unless all parties agree to head back to the negotiating table, Mahadeo asserted that instead of the

government and opposition talking about the sanctity of contracts, they should state clearly whether they at any time approached ExxonMobil and friends to request changes to

increase Guyana’s oil benefits and what the response was.

Mahadeo went on to address one of the PSA ills, that is, Guyana paying Exxon’s taxes. “There obviously are a lot of political machinations to explain it away. It cannot be explained away.” What the public should know is that the (Natural Resource) minister directs the Guyana Revenue Office (GRA) to write the tax certificates for Exxon, “in other words the minister is telling the head of GRA to write the receipts even though you didn’t receive any money.” GRA boss, Godfrey Statia is the best where Guyana’s tax laws are concerned, Mahadeo opined. “But the truth is, one cannot countenance such existence of rules and regulations where a minister must direct the head of GRA to write receipts for money not received, and this is what the contract does.”

“Something has to be unconscionable in the administration, in the executive in President Irfaan Ali and VP Bharrat Jagdeo and all of them to allow such a thing to continue.”

Kaieteur News Publisher, Mr. Glenn Lall also led protest for a better oil contract on Monday in front of the Guyana Shore Base Incorporated (GYSBI) office at Houston. This is the second week that the publisher and supporters of a better oil contract have been protesting the grave matter. With every week more protestors come to lend support with some coming from out of town and other farflung areas. Lall continues to invite citizens to pay attention to the lopsided PSA and to speak out against the burdensome provisions the contract binds Guyanese too.

Lack of early screening leaves learning disabilities among children undetected - rehab professional

T

he absence of early screening [testing] can leave learning disabilities, other impairments undetected among children.

Rehabilitation Professional and Manager (ag) of the Open Door Centre, Erica Verwayne spoke to Kaieteur Radio on Monday’s edition of Your Health Matters programme.

M s Ve r w a y n e t o l d t h i s publication that in an effort to

promote Rehab Services across the regions, the Ministry of Health’s Disabilities and Rehabilitation Services carried out a screening on pupils from at least 20 schools across the regions.

According to her, as a result of the screening “a significant number of children,” were found with hearing, speech and other types of impairments that would have otherwise gone undiagnosed. “I cannot give a number off my head but what I can say is that it is a significant number of children who were found to have some form of impairment or another …this is primarily discovered with the nursery school children,” Verwayne told Kaieteur Radio.

She noted that undiagnosed speech, hearing or learning disabilities can cause a child who needs special attention to suffer through the regular school system.

“For instance a parent would not easily detect that his/her child is not reading or writing at the grade level

Rehabilitation Professional and Manager (ag) of the Open Door Centre, Erica Verwayne. because that child has learning disability like dyslexia. That child would have to be screened or tested to make that determination…” She stressed that it is prudent for parents

to utilize the systems available to them free-of-cost.

Ms. Verwayne said that screening facilities can be accessed via the Ministry of Education, and the Ministry of Health. According to her, parents and guardians can reach to professional help through the two Ministries or can obtain a referral from one of the rehabilitation sites like the Open Door Centre across the country.

The Ministry of Education of Guyana has been developing a more inclusive education system that is flexible and caters for children with different educational needs.

The ministry had acknowledged that it has to create the opportunity for all students to be in regular classes where the education programme caters for their individual needs and where they are accepted and supported.

The tendency in Guyana has been to regard inclusive education as necessary for children with

physical disabilities while catering less for gifted and highly talented children.

According to the ministry, persons with disabilities who are mainstreamed in regular schools have to contend with negative attitudes from other students and teachers. The 2014 Education Bill made provision for ‘education suited to the requirements of persons who are mute, deaf, blind o r o t h e r w i s e p h y s i c a l l y, psychologically or mentally challenged’ and ‘education suited to the requirements of students who are gifted or have exceptional ability’.

The term ‘special education needs’ is used by the Ministry of Education of Guyana to describe students who have learning difficulties or disabilities which make it more challenging for them to grasp concepts, access information, master skills or absorb content compared to other students of similar developmental age.

Kaieteur News

Tuesday June 28, 2022

PAGE 13

Eccles man found with cocaine, ammo

The cocaine.

F

ifty-two-year-old Andrew Morgan was on Monday morning arrested after a search was conducted at his Lot 142 Ixora Avenue, Eccles, East Bank Demerara house, and a

quantity of cocaine and a firearm with ammunition were unearthed.

According to the Customs Anti Narcotic Unit (CANU), acting on intelligence CANU officers conducted a narcotics

A Historic Win for Guyana!

C

The firearm and ammunitions.

Arrested, Michael Andrew Morgan.

ongratulations to our very own Miss Teen India Guyana - Beauty Razack for winning the Miss Teen India Worldwide 2022 pageant, which was held on Friday, 24-Jun-2022 at the Royal Albert Palace, New Jersey. Photography by Tony Tone

operation at the aforementioned property.

A search was conducted in the presence of the lone occupant Morgan, and it resulted in the discovery of a quantity of cocaine, 27 nine mm rounds, one .32 Taurus

firearm, along with one magazine, and 25 matching .32 rounds.

As such, Morgan was arrested and escorted to CANU headquarters along with the firearm, ammunition, and narcotics.

CANU reported that the narcotics were tested and confirmed to be cocaine with a total weight of 3.27 kg and a street value of approximately $ 3.5million.

The investigation into the matter is ongoing.

Notably, Morgan is the brother of Peter Morgan, who was deported back to Guyana in 2015 after completing a 10 year sentence in the United States of America for drug trafficking.

The Eccles residence where the cocaine and ammunitions were found.

Kaieteur News

PAGE 14

Tuesday June 28, 2022

Nearly 80 percent of waste water being dumped - UN Secretary overboard globally without treatment General A

lmost 80 percent of waste water generated around the world is being dumped into the oceans without being treated to rid the liquids of toxins that can cause harm both marine species and the environment.

This is according to the United Nations (UN) Secretary General, Antonio Guterres who told an Ocean Conference yesterday during the opening ceremony that ocean temperatures are increasing around the world, referring to the situation as an “ocean emergency”.

Guterres said “Nearly 80 percent of wastewater is discharged into the sea without treatment,” adding that the situation is compounded by some eight million tons of plastic that enters the ocean every year.

He warned, “Without drastic action, this plastic could outweigh all the fish in the oceans by 2050. Plastic waste is now found in the most remote areas and deepest ocean trenches. It kills marine life and is doing major harm to communities that depend on fishing and tourism.”

To drive home his point on plastic pollution, the UN Secretary General noted that one mass of plastic in the Pacific is bigger than France.

“Sadly, we have taken the ocean for granted, and today we face what I would call an ‘ocean emergency’.

We must turn the tide. Global heating is pushing ocean temperatures to record levels, creating fiercer and more frequent storms.

Sea levels are rising…the climate crisis is also making the ocean more acidic, which is disrupting the marine food chain,” Guterres reasoned.

As a consequence, he pointed out that more coral reefs are dying, while coastal ecosystems, such as mangroves, seagrasses and wetlands, are being degraded.

In Guyana, the oil and gas company operating in the active Stabroek Block have been dumping wastewater overboard, even without any mechanisms being in place to verify that the toxic chemicals are being removed first.

H e a d o f t h e Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Mr. Kemraj Parsram back in December last year told this newspaper that while the agency does not have systems in place to verify that ExxonMobil is doing its part to keep the environment safe, the EPA would from time to time visit, to ensure that the company is carrying out this

requirement.

He explained, “The EPA has, with any operation, conducts periodic monitoring exercises at all offshore facilities”.

Even more surprisingly, EPA said that the agency relies on the company to submit daily reports to the Government of Guyana, which includes adherence to discharge parameters. If any flaws are highlighted in these reports, only then would the agency act.

According to him, “The data in this report is processed by the EPA to monitor and determine trends or any anomalies or deviations from standards set in permit”.

Back then, Parsram assured that the agency is in the process of strengthening its capabilities to conduct “real time” environmental monitoring offshore Guyana.

Esso Exploration and Production Guyana Limited ( E E P G L ) , E x x o n ’s subsidiary, in its Revised Cradle to Grave Waste Analysis Study says that all wastes generated from offshore operations are either treated and discharged offshore or sent to onshore facilities for recycling, t r e a t m e n t , o r disposal/discharge.

Wastes generated from

Man wanted for stabbing ex-girlfriend

T

he Guyana Police Force (GPF) on Monday issued a wanted bulletin for 36-year-old Leron Patterson for allegedly attempting to murder his ex-girlfriend.

The last known addresses of Patterson were listed as La Parfaite Harmony, West Bank Demerara and Essequibo. Anyone with information that will lead to the arrest of Patterson is asked to contact the nearest police station.

According to reports, on May 17, 2022, Sharon Hoppie of Lot 32, Hadfield Street, Lodge, Georgetown, almost lost her life after Patterson reportedly invaded her bedroom and stabbed her to the neck and abdomen.

Patterson and Hoppie had separated two months prior to the incident and the woman was already with someone else.

Just after midnight on May 16, Patterson had showed up at Hoppie’s residence when he saw the woman’s new boyfriend leaving.

The two men got into a misunderstanding and after they settled the argument, Hoppie allowed Patterson to sleep over because it was late for him to go home. Hoppie had told the police that she went to bed around

United Nations Secretary General, Antonio Guterres delivering remarks during the opening ceremony of the UN Ocean Conference offshore operations are managed in one of two ways.

“Wastes are managed directly on the drill ships, FPSO (Floating Production Storage and Offloading), or other vessels using on-board recycling, treatment, and discharge methods or wastes are transported to onshore facilities for recycling, treatment, and discharge or disposal,” the document explains.

Waste streams generated

offshore generally originate from five processes including drilling, installation, production, m a r i n e a n d accommodations.

The company’s waste, generated offshore includes waste oils (lube, hydraulic, and fuels), tank cleaning sludges and wastewaters, deck and machinery space drainage waters, ballast and bilge water, cooling water, incinerator ash,

US$120M loan to resurface Linden highway could be approved in September - Finance Minister

The Linden-Soesdyke Highway.

Wanted, Leron Patterson.

02:00hrs but was awakened out of her sleep with her ex standing over her with a knife in his hand. She reportedly tried to fight him off but he managed to stab her twice before escaping.

Her screams alerted neighbours who rushed to her assistance and took her to the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC). The woman was treated while Patterson went into hiding.

consumables (paint, aerosols, oil filters, oily rags, etc.), scrap wood, scrap metal, empty containers, food waste, household garbage, used cooking oil, medical waste and sewage and other toxic chemicals that can pose tremendous danger to marine life.

While some of these wastes listed above are suitable for discharge overboard after pretreatment, others must be managed exclusively at appropriate onshore facilities for recycling, t r e a t m e n t , o r disposal/discharge.

In this regard, EEPGL said in the document that “A small number of specific wastes are also treated offshore using thermal destruction technology.

These include production well test fluids and certain other hydrocarbon based wastes (such as oily sludges, engine oils, lube oils, etc.)”.

The UN Ocean Conference kicked off yesterday in Lisbon, Portugual and will wind down on July 1.

It is being held under the theme “Scaling up ocean action based on science and innovation for the implementation of Goal 14: stocktaking, partnerships and solutions”.

The Islamic Development Bank team in discussion with officials of the Ministry of Public Works (MoPW) and Ministry of Finance last week. (Photo credit: MoPW)

The Government of Guyana is anticipating that the US$120M loan they are seeking from the Islamic Development Bank (IsDB) to rehabilitate the Linden –Soesdyke highway, would be approved in September.

This is according to Senior Minister with the responsibility for Finance, Dr. Ashni Singh who (Continued on page 14)

Kaieteur News

Tuesday June 28, 2022

PAGE 15

No date for activation of procurement commission - Teixeira say aggrieved contractors can lodge complaints with other agencies

By Zena Henry M i n i s t e r o f Parliamentary Affairs and Governance, Gail Teixeira has reiterated that there is still no time frame set for the swearing of members for the Public Procurement Commission (PPC) even as she advised that members of the public with procurement issues report their complaints to the relevant agencies. The minister was answering questions from reporters following the opening of the ministry’s anti-corruption framework workshop held at the Grand Coastal last Saturday when she said that the PPC would be activated, “as soon as it is possible for the president.”

The minister was asked her response to persons who believe that the National Procurement and Tender Board (NPATB) is being influenced by government officials to award contracts to Chinese companies when she stated that, “Whoever believes that…can they put a case, complaints to the various agencies, including the government [on] how this is happening. And if you have information on who is involved in the government, then let us know about it,” the governance minister advised. She said that the government would have to investigate and find out those involved in influencing contracts to the Chinese. She said, “I can tell you the government is not involved in that,” and that she is unaware that this is taking place. She noted however, that those with information would need to come forward and help the government to stop it.

The PPC however, is an important avenue for persons with complaints regarding procurement and they can register their grievances which is later investigated and pronounced upon. Both government and opposition members occupy seats on the Commission and so far, all the current nominees enjoy the full confidence of the National Assembly given a unanimous vote some two months ago. President Irfaan Ali is yet to make the appointments. Minister Teixeira said that the President is currently out of state, and reiterated that he

will make the appointments, “when he is ready.”

Teixeira was also asked about the composition of the NPATB and whether the government envisions any changes to strengthen its formation given that it is widely believed that the government of the day would put in their preferred persons. Given the Vice News report with Chinese national Su and Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo purporting what has been widely expressed, that the a w a r d o f l a rg e infrastructural contracts seems tilted in favour of Chinese companies, the question of strengthening the mechanism for the formulation of the tender board members and the activation of the PPC, became even more relevant at the anti-corruption workshop.

The minister nonetheless disagreed with the assumption that the tender board needed broader representation because governments were putting their preferred persons in place. She said, “At this stage, the government is not prepared or has not considered anything in that direction because it has not been an issue.” She said that amendments are not made unless it becomes an issue.

But the matter has not been a problem even with the former NPATB which was under the previous government. She indicated that the issue with corruption is not who is picked and might be perceived as being close to a particular party, it has to do with the imperfections within the structure and systems.

When it comes to anticorruption regardless of gender, race, party affiliation, family or any other subscription should not prevent persons from serving, the minister suggested. She said, “When sitting on this body, you are expected to be above all that.”

Whether on the NPATB or the PPC, the minister said persons are expected to be men and women of honour and to do their best. And no public servant can be asked or influenced to carry out an unlawful act the minister charged. She said the Constitution is clear on this,

as well as the avenues available for public servants to report any interference with their functions.

Where the PPC is concerned, Opposition members have spoken extensively about the delay in activating this redress mechanism. The Parliamentary Public Accounts Committee,

Opposition member Ganesh Mahipaul and chairman Jermaine Figueira, have made official calls to the President to swear in the PPC members. They insist that the PPC is instrumental in guarding against procurement inconsistencies and that the Bid Review mechanism which is catered (Continued on page 16)

Minister of Parliamentary Affairs and Governance MP Gail Teixeira delivering her address during the opening of her ministry’s Anti-corruption framework workshop Saturday last.

PAGE 16

Tuesday June 28, 2022

Kaieteur News

US$120M loan to resurface Linden highway could...

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From page 11 mentioned on Friday at a contract signing ceremony that a team from the Bank is currently in Guyana and is in discussion with the Ministry of Public Works about the project. “Right now as we speak a team is present in Guyana from the Islamic Development Bank working with their counter parts at the Min-

No date for activation...

From page 15 for in the absence of the PPC, is “inadequate and does not enjoy the confidence” of those making the complaints because the procurement board consist of the same persons who will be investigating and later pronouncing on the very complaints brought against them.

Pointing the media to her response on this matter in state media’s Department of Public Information (DPI), Teixeira said there that the concern is laughable since the Bid Review Committee (BRC) which is only established when there is a complaint, “may not be the same as in the case of a permanent committee.” She said that the BRC concern has never been brought to light publicly or reported on in the press that people have no confidence with the BRC. Additionally, the minister defended, “It was pointed out at the [Public Accounts Committee] last week that when a complaint is made, and it is before the bid review committee, no contract can be awarded…the committee has to answer within two weeks when the claims by the contractor are valid. If the contractors go to the PPC, it is most likely that the award has already been signed,” Minister Teixeira detailed.

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istry of Public Works and the Ministry of Finance on the Linden to Soesdyke road.

That project we anticipate being approved in September of this year which would see the SoesdykeLinden Highway subject to a major upgrade,” he explained.

The IsDB team which is in the country since last week is led by Mr. Atiq Ahmad, Lead Global Transport Specialist -Economic and Social Infrastructure Department, General Directorate for Global Practices & Partnerships of the IsDB. The Linden-Soesdyke highway is the main road link that connects Guyana’s coast to the mining town of Linden and the country’s interior regions.

If the loan from the Bank is approved, it will be added to the $2.6B that was allocated for the project in this year’s budget for the rehabilitation of the highway. Vice President, Bharrat Jagdeo had stated at an outreach in Linden back in March that much-needed rehabilitation work is needed for the

highway.

He noted that while the government has spent money repairing the road, because of exhaustive use, it has returned to a dilapidated state over time.

In 2021, the government spent about $150 million to upgrade sections of the roadway as well as drainage works. Despite this, following a trip to the mining town, the VP stated that “the highway is in a horrible state; it is in a bad state coming up here.”

According to Jagdeo, the works entail the paving of the 72-kilometre highway from the junction all the way into Linden.

While mentioning that the government is looking to repair the highway, Minister Singh also stated that currently too, discussions are ongoing on another infrastructural project that is opening up a new four lane highway along the East Coast, from Sheriff Street to Orange Nassau.

“Right now as we speak work is ongoing and discussions are ongoing on opening up a new four lane

highway along the East Coast from Sheriff Street to Orange Nassau with further work planned for beyond all the way to Rosignol…In fact, I’m speaking here of the alignment along the existing railway embankment road.

Widening that existing railway embankment road to a new four-lane highway from Sheriff Street to orange Nassau,” he said.

These road projects he explained are not only to improve the ease of commute or opening new lands for productive activity, but also to improve connectivity within the country and with neighbouring counterparts.

“Each one of these projects must not be seen as standalone or isolated projects unconnected with an elaborate and comprehensive master plan, an elaborate and comprehensive plan for transformation of infrastructure across Guyana and that plan includes improve connectivity with our neighbours; the road to Brazil and of course the bridge across the Corentyne River…”

Singh related.

IDB fine-tuning US$160M loan to...

From page 10 construction supervision; and (iv) corrective and preventive maintenance of infrastructure works and medical equipment and improvement of installed maintenance capacity.”

Meanwhile, the second component will address the digitization of health services in the country. It will finance the digital health governance and sustainability, which will cover assessments of preparedness, national strategy and budget, and digital health foundations, data privacy norms, cyber security and electronic health record strategy among several others.

This component will also address the strengthening and expansion of the current teleradiology and teleophthalmology networks, plus other telemedicine services such as teleconsulting and triage, specifically to the country’s hinterland areas.

Component two of the loan will additionally boost telehealth infrastructure and connectivity through the implementation of an electronic health record system; and software maintenance and support.

Component three of the US$160 million loan will be used to promote the management and efficiency of the health sector through a supply chain management, storage facilities, and implementation of an electronic logistics management system. It will boost the laboratory net-

work too by optimizing equipment, supplies and transportation. The loan will also be used for human resource quality and availability; national surveillance system and pandemic and public health emergency preparedness improve health care lines.

Another US$1.8 million under this loan will be channeled to administration and program monitoring and evaluation.

According to the IDB “These resources will support the MOH in program management and assessment of its effects. It will finance specialized consulting services for project implementation, costs associated with the Project Executing Unit (PEU), and evaluations of project implementation and impact.”

Under the justification for the loan, it was noted that Guyana has a national public health system that pursues universal coverage free of charge to all Guyanese while only around five percent of the population use voluntary private health insurance, and out-of-pocket payments comprised an estimated 32 percent of total health spending in 2019.

Additionally, “A recent nationwide assessment of 330 health facilities showed that many of them require infrastructure rehabilitation, construction and/or upgrade and equipment replacement or provision.

Twenty percent of the buildings had no electricity, and only 60 percent of build-

ings received water continuously during operating hours. In addition, just 20 buildings (6 percent) received treated water,” the IDB states. Moreover, 24 of the buildings were judged to require immediate rehabilitation and/or construction.

The country’s principal national reference hospital the GPHC requires significant infrastructure investments to improve patient flows; alleviate overcrowding; reduce the risk of cross-contamination; and expand key clinical medicine and surgery as well as support services such as imaging, laboratory, logistics and administration.

Similarly, at the time of evaluation in 2018/19, the New Amsterdam and Linden Regional Hospitals were deemed to require rehabilitation in multiple service areas within three years.

The assessment also found significant gaps in the availability of medical equipment and essential items, including medicines.

In addition, it was noted that Guyana currently lacks a comprehensive telemedicine system that could improve access to health specialists and diagnostic exams, particularly for the population located in the hinterlands - the majority of which is indigenous.

“In addition to mitigating some of the challenges related to human resources limitations, telehealth can also contribute to reduce medical errors and improve quality of care,” the IDB said.

Tuesday June 28, 2022

PAGE 17

Kaieteur News

EPA probes 18 - barrel chemical spill during transfer to Liza Destiny FPSO

By Zena Henry

H

ead of the Environ mental Protection Agency (EPA) Khemraj Parsram has confirmed that an investigation has been launched into the leak of some 925 gallons of the chemical asphaltene inhibitor which spilled during its transfer to the Liza Destiny floating production storage and offloading (FPSO) at ExxonMobil’s Liza 1 field.

Parsram told the Kaieteur News yesterday that the spill occurred earlier this month and that a report was made to the agency, “during the course of June.” The EPA head did not go into detail as he said the matter is still un-

der investigation and all the facts are being ascertained before further steps could be taken. Kaieteur News reported just a day ago that the spill would have leaked approximately 18.5 barrels of the chemical into the ocean. Minister of Natural Resources

Vickram Bharrat confirmed the incident but had informed the newspaper that based on information received; the EPA had already dealt with the matter. He informed also that the spill was not a recent one but had occurred several months ago. However, new information reaching this publication has confirmed that the spill occurred weeks ago on June 7. The information states that the chemical

Miner, 23 dies as pit collapses at Sand Hill backdam

T

wenty-three-yearold Akeem Khan of Lot 37, Old Housing Scheme, Bartica was on Sunday killed in a mining pit incident at Sand Hill backdam, Cuyuni River.

Kaieteur News understands that Khan was the owner of a dredging /mining operation in the Sand Hill area.

On Sunday, Khan along with one of his employee, a 25-year-old miner of Friendship East Bank Demerara, was jetting in his mining pit.

H o w e v e r, around 16:30hrs the walls of the pit began to cave at which time the two men began running to safety but Khan’s feet got caught in the jetting hose and while his employee made it out of the pit he got covered by the sand.

The employee raised an alarm and Wayne David, a 52year-old miner of Agricola, East Bank Demerara, ran to

Dead, Akeem Khan.

the scene. David along with the employee began to dig for Khan and after about 10 minutes, they found Khan’s motionless body.

The matter was reported

to the Bartica Police Station and Khan’s body was transported to the Bartica Regional Hospital for further examination. An investigation into the matter is ongoing.

Guyanese killed by Venezuelans died of haemorrhage, multiple incise wounds A post mortem examination conducted on the body of 34-year-old Kenwayne Duguid, has revealed that he died of haemorrhage and shock due to multiple incise wounds.

The examination was done on Monday by Government Pathologist, Dr. Nehaul Singh. Duguid was on Sunday morning killed allegedly by three Venezuelan nationals during a brawl at Lot 12 De Kindren Housing Scheme, West Coast Demerara. When the police arrived on the scene, Duguids body was in a drain. The police reported that chop wounds were (Continued on page 18)

Dead, Kenwayne Duguid.

transfer to the Liza Destiny FPSO was being conducted

by G Boats (Guyana) Inc. when a milky substance was noticed floating atop the water. The chemical transfer had to be stopped and calculations were conducted to ascertain the amount of substance that leaked.

Kaieteur News was told that during these activities, there are certain Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) that have to be observed.

They include the reporting of flow rate, and transfer tickets detailing also transfer amounts among other things.

Sources familiar with the incident have alleged however, the unavailability of said information within the system, prompting speculations of a possible cover up since there had been no information suggesting also that the matter had been reported to the EPA at the time.

This newspaper was told that where such matters are concerned, there is a thresh-

old for the amount of spillage.

“I rather suspect that they would have gone over the threshold,” the source opined. They also questioned whether another chemical spill would have occurred months ago, which the minister alluded to, but to which the nation is unaware. Kaieteur News nonetheless made contact with G Boats Inc. Country Manager, Greg Cheramie who promised to provide a comment. The newspaper contacted the manager requesting a statement on the matter but was asked to do so via WhatsApp since he could not speak at the time. A later response from the country manager said that, “G Boats Inc. has no comment.”

Initial information reaching Kaieteur News had said that “a supply ship was discharging chemicals to the FPSO and approximately 925 gallons were spilled which is around 18.5 drums.

The chemical asphaltene inhibitor resulted in several fishes dying and floating to the surface.” The source said that, “I gather no one was paying attention and the hose that linked the two vessels leaked.” Further information is that “The captain of the supply ship has left Guyana I understand, and we also heard that no report was made

to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).” The Natural Resources minister had said he received no information to suggest that the spill was recent.

Asphaltene inhibitor is described as a chemical used in the oil and gas industry to remove asphaltenes from crude oil. Asphaltenes are the impurities found in crude oil that if not removed can choke refining equipment.

Asphaltenes, are the insoluble compounds that are always present in crude oil and must be removed before and during the processing phase in a refinery.

Asphaltenes can cause significant damage to machinery as they tend to clog highly capitalized infrastructure such as well tubulars, crude oil pipelines and subsurface equipment such as pumps and compressors.

This clogging can eventually halt the crude oil refining process. During the crude processing, asphaltene is produced in the form of asphalt and is considered to be a waste material or byproduct.

Asphaltene inhibitor is said to exhibit no toxicity to human body and/or environment, but precautions must be taken to avoid inhalation, ingestion, or contact with skin or eyes.

PAGE 18

Tuesday June 28, 2022

Kaieteur News

Pandemic deepens inequality, racial discrimination against Afro-Caribbean people - ECLAC report

A

new report by the United Nations’ Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) said that the Covid-19 Pandemic has had a different Afro-Caribbean and Latin-American people and their communities, citing violation of many of their rights and increasing inequality and the incidence of racism and discrimination.

The report entitled: The socio-demographic impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic in Latin America and the Caribbean includes policy recommendations aimed at social and economic recovery and transformation, in light of the priority measures contained within the Montevideo Consensus on Population and Development and the Goals and targets of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development It said that the region’s countries must safeguard and strengthen the rights of all people in the post-pandemic reconstruction scenario, and address and respond to the various – and often overlapping – situations of disadvantage and vulnerability that affect their health and their quality of life. The report will be presented to countries during the Fourth Session of the Regional Conference on Population and Development, which will be held on June 2830, 2022 at ECLAC’s headquarters in Santiago, Chile and where high-level representatives of government, international organizations, the

private sector, academia and civil society will debate the challenges that the health crisis poses for implementation of the Montevideo Consensus.

Two years after the pandemic was first declared, Latin America and the Caribbean accounts for a total of 1.7 million reported COVID-19 deaths (as of May 2022). This represents 27.2% of all COVID-19 deaths in the world, even though the region’s population represents just 8.4% of the global population. The document addresses the adversities that the pandemic has entailed for women and distinct population groups, in particular: children, adolescents and youth,

older persons, international migrants, indigenous peoples, Afro-descendent populations and people with disabilities.

It states that the crisis has affected women’s employment to a greater extent than men’s. The labour force participation rate of women experienced a setback of 18 years due to the crisis, dropping from 51.8% in 2019 to 47.7% in 2020, while for men it fell from 75.5% to 70.8% in the same period. In 2022, it is estimated that women’s participation rate will have risen to 51.3%, a figure similar to what was seen in 2018. This represents a four-year setback, which still leaves one out of every two women of working

age outside the labour market.

In the case of children and adolescents, the pandemic brought with it the closure of educational centers, the postponement and suspension of regular health check-ups, as well as disruptions in feeding programs, which generated risks of setbacks in the fight against child under-nutrition in some countries. With regard to sexual and reproductive health, the reorientation of monetary and human resources to containing and tackling the health emergency left this dimension of health untended, along with others.

The mental health of children and adolescents was also affected by various aspects of the pandemic that range from the impact of health measures for quarantine and confinement to the experience of traumatic events, such as the loss of their fathers, mothers or caregivers. On this last point, the report indicates that in five countries of Latin America, it is estimated that between March 2020 and April 2021, 380,000 cases of orphanhood were recorded, which rises to more than 600,000 upon including minors who lost primary or secondary caregivers. In fact, Latin America has the world’s highest rate of orphanhood owing to COVID-19.

According to the document’s estimates, 57.7 million people belonging to

one of the more than 800 indigenous peoples existing in the region inhabit 17 countries of Latin America-Abya Yala, a figure that represents around 9.5% of the total population.

The report emphasizes that, despite multiple data confirming their greater vulnerability, state responses aimed at mitigating the pandemic’s social and health impacts among indigenous peoples have been weak and fragmentary. With regard to health, 16 of the 17 countries of Latin America-Abya Yala in which indigenous peoples live set specific standards or technical guidelines for addressing the COVID-19 pandemic among these peoples.

In the case of Afro-descendent people and communities, the report stresses that the pandemic has had a differential effect on them, violating many of their rights and increasing inequality and the incidence of racism and discrimination. The document further warns that, in a context of economic and health crisis, migration – both outside and inside the region – has not stopped. In countries such as Chile and Colombia, in 2020 the pandemic prompted a deceleration in the growth of migration, which had been occurring since 2017, and even a slight decline in the number of migrant persons.

However, current regional migration processes are marked by rising complexity, accompanied by increasing

irregularity and vulnerability, it states.

In that sense, it emphasizes that with more than 40 million migrants in the region, it is imperative to have effective mechanisms for safe, orderly and regular migration.

The report dedicates a special chapter to reviewing the socio-demographic impacts of COVID-19 in the Caribbean, which merits a focused analysis given the subregion’s specificities and particularities, whether in relation to the high disease burden attributable to non-communicable diseases or vaccine hesitancy.

Finally, it presents a series of conclusions and recommendations for achieving a transformative recovery with equality in the framework of the priority measures of the Montevideo Consensus. In this framework, it is essential that the protection of rights and the promotion of the wellbeing of individuals, families and communities be placed at the center of public policy response efforts.

Moreover, it underlines the importance of having robust, timely and resilient national statistical systems, capable of providing timely, accurate and disaggregated data for monitoring the effects of COVID-19 and defining plans of action, both on a national and local scale. It is particularly necessary to strengthen vital statistics and ensure the successful implementation of population and housing censuses.

US Supreme Court: Should this coach have been punished for praying?

(BBC) - A public US school was wrong to punish its football coach for praying at mid-field after his team’s games, the Supreme Court has ruled.

Joseph Kennedy’s prayers were protected by the Constitutional right to religious expression and should not have been prohibited.

The school had argued

that the displays could coerce students of different beliefs into religious acts.

The case has been considered an important test of the separation between church and state in the US. In a 6-3 decision, the conservative-majority court sided with Mr Kennedy, ruling that the school violated his right to “[engage] in a personal re-

ligious observance, based on a mistaken view that it has a duty to suppress religious observances even as it allows comparable secular speech”.

Writing for the majority, Justice Neil Gorsuch concluded that “the Constitution neither mandates nor tolerates that kind of discrimination”.

Mr Kennedy first had the

Guyanese killed by Venezuelans died of...

From page 17 seen on the left and right fingers, hand, four stab wounds to his chest, three stab wounds to his right leg and multiple chops to his head and a rope was tied around his legs and neck.

Kaieteur News had reported that about 22:00hrs on Saturday June 25, 2022, Duguid visited the location and asked for 22-year-old Jessica Ortiz, a female Venezuelan national who lives in De Kinderen. However, the woman was not at the house and the landlord informed

him that she was not there.

The report further stated that around 03:30hrs Sunday, the landlord said that he heard loud screams.

He indicated to the police that when he checked, he noticed Duguid pulling the 22year-old woman by her hair, while another Venezuelan woman held on to his waist from the back.

It was reported that the landlord then rushed to the area and he witnessed Duguid and two women fighting in a drain. One of the women was reportedly armed with a knife

which she used to stab Duguid to his leg, while a male Venezuelan was holding Duguid around his neck. According to the police report, the man then armed himself with a cutlass and dealt Duguid several chops about his body.

The suspects then used a rope and tied Duguids legs and left him in the drain.

Duguids body was handed over to his relatives, and one of his allege killers is in police custody, and the other two suspects are still to be apprehended.

idea to pray after high school football games when he was watching television and came across Facing the Giants, a 2006 film that featured a coach at a small religious academy who led his team to a state football championship after praying and emphasising Christian values to his players. He was considering whether to take a job as a coach at a high school in Bremerton, Washington a town near Seattle - despite having little experience playing American football. His wife worked for the school district, and he had been offered the job based on his services as a US Marine, where he dabbled in the sport. He accepted the position, and for the next seven years prayed on the field after the games - sometimes alone and sometimes with players - apparently with little notice or controversy.

That changed after a game in September 2015, when an opposing coach notified the Bremerton school

principal of his actions. The school informed Mr Kennedy that his prayers could be construed as a school endorsement of religion, which run afoul of a long line of US Supreme Court cases that limited religious activities in public education. Mr Kennedy refused, and after a post-game prayer that October, became a public and media spectacle, with a crowd of spectators gathering on the field around the coach, the school placed him on leave. At the end of the season, instead of at-

tempting to renew his oneyear coaching contract with the school, he sued Bremerton for infringing on his constitutional right to freedom of religion and sought to make his case on a nationwide media tour. And so began a six-year legal battle that puts several aspects of the First Amendment to the US Constitution which protects the free speech and religious exercise but also prohibits the “establishment” of a religion by the state - in tension.

Tuesday June 28, 2022

Kaieteur News

PAGE 19

Volodímir Zelenski

PAGE 20

Kaieteur News

Tuesday June 28, 2022

Tuesday June 28, 2022

PAGE 21

Kaieteur News

Lyles overcomes teenager Knighton, Steiner stuns rivals to win 200m EUGENE, Oregon, (Reuters) - World champion Noah Lyles reeled in Erriyon Knighton to win the men’s 200 metres in 19.67 seconds at the U.S. championships on Sunday, while national collegiate champion Abby Steiner showed no signs of burnout by dominating the women’s race. Lyles trailed Knighton coming off the turn but charged down the final stretch, grinning and flashing a ‘finger gun’ at the teenager as he broke the tape two hundredths of a second ahead on the final day of the meet in Eugene, Oregon.

“I do what it takes to win and Erriyon got the best of me on the turn - I ain’t worried about that,” said Lyles.

“I said, ‘I’m gonna catch him - it’s just going to take the whole rest of the 100'.”

Olympic bronze medallist Lyles, who denied the 18-year-

old a spot on the podium in Tokyo, clearly got under Knighton’s skin in Eugene, which will host the first world championships to be held in the United States from July 15. After the race, Knighton stormed off during a televised interview alongside Lyles, saying: “I’m not finished.”

Steiner saw off more experienced opponents to win the women’s final, her time of 21.77 the best in the world this season until Shericka Jackson posted 21.55 at the Jamaican trials later in the evening.

“Coming off of the collegiate season, a lot of people want to put limitations on you, saying you’re going to be burnt out, but me and my coach trusted the process,” said Steiner.

Tamara Clark was second in 21.92 and Tokyo relay sil-

ver medallist Jenna Prandini came third in 22.01. Olympic bronze medallist Gabrielle Thomas, who is dealing with a hamstring injury, finished last and 2019 world silver medallist Brittany Brown finished fifth. Fan-favourite Sha’Carri Richardson failed to advance to the final after coming up short in the 100m as well.

The top three finishers in Eugene, who met certain qualifying standards, and reigning global title-holders will compete at the world championships.

In the 110m hurdles, world leader Devon Allen secured his spot by the skin of his teeth, clinching third by three thousandths of a second, in 13.09. Daniel Roberts won in 13.03 and Trey Cunningham was second in 13.08, while reigning world champion Grant Holloway opted out of the final.

Tuesday June 28, 2022 ARIES (Mar. 21–Apr. 19) All your relationships could be enhanced today by your increased sensitivity to the needs and feelings of others, Aries. You may provide a sympathetic ear to melancholy friends, TAURUS(Apr.20–May20) Expect to find yourself ministering to the needs of colleagues and family members today, Taurus.

People around you .

GEMINI (May 21–June 20) Today you might feel especially intellectually and creatively inspired, and you could discuss your ideas with others.

CANCER (June 21–July 22) A close friend or member of your household could be having money problems, Cancer, and want to draw on your good business.

LIBRA (Sept. 23–Oct. 22) Moving ahead is today's key phrase, Libra. You should be feeling very optimistic and excited about goals that you've set for yourself.

SCORPIO (Oct. 23–Nov. 21) Inspiration is the keyword for the day, Scorpio. You may be feeling highly motivated to move on with what others consider impossible dreams. .

SAGIT(Nov.22–Dec.21) An increased understanding of distant cultures as well as curiosity about the people who live there could spur you on to further learning about those places, Sagittarius.

CAPRI (Dec. 22–Jan. 19) The opportunity to increase your income could spur you to channel more energy and inspiration into career and business matters, Capricorn.

LEO (July 23–Aug. 22) Heightened intuition and ESP could lead to some interesting conversations with others who are blown away by your insights into their thoughts, feelings, and desires.

AQUARIUS(Jan.20–Feb.18) The desire for travel might hit you today, perhaps to visit a friend who lives far away, and you could set the wheels in motion to make it happen at some point in the future.

VIRGO (Aug. 23–Se pt. 22) A higher level of intuition and inspiration than is usual for you could enhance your artistic talents, Virgo. A powerful drive to express the stories, pictures.

PISCES (Feb. 19–Mar. 20) today you might hear about opportunities to increase your income, Pisces, either through your current employment, a new job, or perhaps a project of your own.

Noah Lyles celebrates after defeating Erriyon Knighton and Fred Kerley to win the 200m in 19.67 during the USA Championships (Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports) ‘BANGED UP’ Olympic champion Athing Mu took control early and survived a challenge from twice world bronze medallist Ajee Wilson down the final stretch to win the women’s 800m in 1:57.16.

“It was a fast field,” said Mu, who also a 4x400m relay gold in Tokyo. “Ajee was right on me, I just wanted to push a little harder and get to the line.” Wilson finished seven hundredths of a second behind Mu, with Raevyn Rogers third in 1:57.96.

World and Olympic 400m hurdles silver medallist Rai Benjamin stormed to victory in a world-leading 47.04 ahead of Trevor Bassitt and Khallifah Rosser.

Benjamin, who is still regaining his fitness after testing positive for COVID-19, chopped his steps at the second hurdle but turned on the gas in the second half of the race.

“This weekend was a lot on me. Feeling kind of banged up, honestly,” he said in a televised interview.

Four-times world champion and twice Olympic gold medallist Christian Taylor, whose plans for Tokyo were derailed by a torn Achilles tendon, finished fifth in the triple jump but will advance to the worlds as defending champion. World indoor bronze medallist Donald Scott won with a leap of 17.07m, with Will Claye second and Chris Benard third.

World indoor silver medallist Chase Ealey won the women’s shotput with a world-leading 20.51m, with Adelaide Aquilla and Jessica

BCB donates...

From page 22 shortly to the clubs as the board continues to reach out to their members. Lambert, a former Berbice captain, in 2021 donated over $1.5 million worth of cricket gear to the BCB under the Clayton Lambert Cricket Development Fund.

Woodard taking second and third. World indoor bronze medallist Bryce Hoppel clinched the men’s 800m in 1:44.60.

World silver medallist

Emma Coburn won the steeplechase, while Courtney Wayment and Tokyo silver medallist Courtney Frerichs also booked their spot at the world championships.

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Tuesday June 28, 2022

Kaieteur News

World Badminton Day Tournament concludes The Guyana Badminton Association’s World Badminton Day Tournament came to a conclusion on Saturday, June 25, 2022.

The Honourable Minister of Culture, Youth and Sports, Mr. Charles Ramson opened Day 2 of the tournament with a few remarks wishing the participants well, he was accompanied by Mr. Kashif Muhammad, Chairman of the National Sports Commission. The tournament was sponsored by Total Solutions and it included students of the Nursery Badminton Academy a brainchild of the Minister of Culture Youth & Sports.

The International Badmin-

The Participants with the Hon. Minister, Charles Ramson and Executives of the Guyana Badminton Association ton Federation (IBF), as it was originally named (now Badminton World Federation –

BWF), was established on 05 July 1934 with nine founding Member Associations. In rec-

ognition of this significant date in badminton’s history, World Badminton Day will be celebrated annually on 05 July, with activities and events.

There was special presentation made to Ms. Priyanna Ramdhani for her Academic Excellence graduating with a 3.8 GPA overall in Business Management/Sports Management Major.

This award was made possible by Mr. Ramesh Sunich & Family of the Trophy Stall.

Gift Vouchers were also presented by Mr. Earl Carribon, General Manager Sol Guyana to the winners of the consolation round of the Men’s Open Doubles category and the first-place win-

ners of the Men and Women Open Doubles Category.

The results of the tournament are as follows: U-11 Girl’s Singles 2nd Kristin Bhagwandin 1st Eva Bowling U-11 Boy’s Singles 3rd Lester Thomas Manvir Sharma 2nd Francis Thomas 1st John Thomas U-15 Girl’s Singles 3rd Malia Hayley Himanshi Kumar 2nd Naveah Eastman 1st Mishka Beharry U-15 Boy’s Singles 3rd Nikolas Pollard Nathan Morrison 2nd Gabriel Felix 1st Aiden Bhagwandin U-19 Girl’s Singles 3rd Naveah Eastman

Alyssa Dick 2nd Alima Eastman 1st Mishka Beharry U-19 Boy’s Singles 3rd Manav Sharma Jonathan Robinson 2nd Joanthan Debidin 1st Matthew Beharry U-23 Girl’s Singles 3rd Alyssa Dick Priyanka Shivnath 2nd Mishka Beharry 1st Priyanna Ramdhani U-23 Boy’s Singles 3rd Jaurel Hendricks Matthew Beharry 2nd Tyrese Jeffrey 1st Akili Haynes Open Women Doubles 3rd Ayanna Watson & Emelia Ramdhani Priyanka Shivnath & Mishka Beharry 2nd Christina Kumar & Anna Perreira 1st Priyanna Ramdhani & Ambika Ramraj Consolation Open Men Doubles 2nd Andrew Browne & Jason Stephney 1st Matthew Klautky & Nkosi Beaton Open Men Doubles 3rd Jaurel Hendricks & Matthew Beharry Ve e r e n d r a Bhagwandin & Anthony Stephens 2nd Akili Haynes & Tyrese Jeffrey 1st Marlon Chung & Jonathan Mangra

Crandon, Nandu help JB Masters to two victories

Former Guyana and West Indies one-day player Royston Crandon and Guyana and West Indies under-19 all-rounder Matthew Nandu churned out excellent performances for JB Masters in the continuation of the 2022 Toronto District Cricket Association Super9 50-overs competition.

On Saturday at King City, JB Masters beat Toronto Cricket Club by 177 runs while at Iceland venue the following day, JB Masters whipped Mississauga Ramblers by nine wickets.

For Saturday’s game, Crandon slammed a cameo 33ball 58, laced with four fours and five sixes while Nandu hit 46 as their team piled up a massive 308-8 from the 50overs and then bowled out Toronto Cricket Club for 131 in the 28th over.

Other notable scorers were Canadian player Saad Bin Zafar with 76 while skipper Varun Sehdev contributed 53. Seamer Matthew Seepersaud grabbed three wickets for 61 from his maxi-

Royston Crandon

Matthew Nandu

mum ten overs.

In Toronto Cricket Club’s innings, Raghu Soogoor made 50 as fast-bowler and Trinidadian Allert Atiba took 4-39 while leg-spinner Kairav Sharma with 3-26 from six overs.

On Sunday, Nandu scored an unbeaten, impressive 36 as JB Masters got the better of Mississauga Ramblers in the 11 overs. The Ramblers combination only made 64 off 28 overs with Jash Shah making 20.

Sharam led the way with 3-9 from four overs while Sehdev collected 3-16 in his eight-over spell. Sheel Patel claimed 2-14 from six overs to be contributive. Another exGuyana fast-bowler Jeremy Gordon represented JB Master took 1-5 from three overs.

Gordon also represented Canada at the highest level.

The competition continues on Sunday with a list of matches as JB Masters colliding with Centurions Cricket Club at King City.

Tuesday June 28, 2022

Kaieteur News

PAGE 23

West Indies seal 2-0 series win over Bangladesh with comprehensive 10-wicket victory in second Test SportsMax - The West Indies secured 2-0 series victory over Bangladesh after a comprehensive 10-wicket win on day four of the second Test at the Daren Sammy Cricket Ground in St. Lucia yesterday.

Bangladesh started day four 132-6, trailing the Windies by 42 runs with Nurul Hasan on 16 and Mehidy Hasan yet to score.

After the entire morning session was delayed by rain and a wet outfield, proceedings got underway after lunch with the Windies quickly cleaning up the Bangladesh tail with the wickets of Mehidy Hasan (4), Ebadot

Hossain (0), Shoriful Islam (0) and Khaled Ahmed (0).

Nurul Hasan was the only batsman to offer any resistance for Bangladesh with an aggressive 60 not out off 50 balls as the tourists were dismissed for 186 with Kemar Roach, Alzarri Joseph and Jayden Seales doing the damage with three wickets each.

Needing just 13 runs to win, West Indies openers Kraigg Brathwaite and John Campbell made short work of the total to secure the win and a 2-0 series triumph.

Final Scores: Bangladesh 234 and 186, West Indies 408 and 13-0.

Scores: Bangladesh 234 (Litton Das 53, Tamim Iqbal 46, Jayden Seales 3 -53, Alzarri Joseph 3-50, Anderson Phillip 2-30, Kyle Mayers 2-35) & 186 (Najmul Hossain Shanto 42, Nurul Hasan 60; Kemar Roach 3-64, Alzarri Joseph 3-57, Jayden Seales 3-21), We s t I n d i e s 4 0 8 ( K y l e Mayers 146, Kraigg Brathwaite 51, John Campbell 45, Jermaine B l a c k w o o d 4 0 , Khaled Ahmed 5-106, Mehidy Hasan Miraz 3-91) & 13/0.

Result: West Indies won by 10 wickets.

Kyle Mayers is both Player of the Series and Man of the Match.

BCB/ Cricket Kindness Gears Project

BCB donates cricket gear to clubs, PMSS, Clayton Lambert donates nine boxes of cricket balls to BCB Representatives of the clubs and school pose with Courtney Walsh.

The Berbice Cricket Board continues to assist cricket clubs and schools across Berbice with cricket gear under their Cricket Kindness/ Bat for a Chance project. The gear form part of a massive donation from Cricket Kindness headed by United Kingdom based Tamara J. Lowe and Will Gafney of Bat for a Chance, also based in the U.K. The Port Mourant Secondary School along with the Tucber Park CC, Edinburgh CC and the Rainbow Generation CC all received a bag of cricket gear including bats, batting pads, batting gloves, helmets, thigh pad and forearm guards.

BCB President Hilbert Foster indicated that the donation of the gear represents the final set of gear to be shared out under the project with the two overseas NGO.

Foster disclosed that the BCB has to date donated gear, uniforms and caps to over one hundred youth players along with dozens of Secondary schools, Primary schools and cricket clubs.

Among the schools and clubs benefitting under the massive project are Line Path Secondary, Lower Corentyne Secondary, Vryman Erven Secondary, Fort Wellington Secondary, No. 72 Primary, Crabwood Creek Primary, Rose Hall Town Primary, All Saints Primary, Cumberland Primary, Rosignol Primary, No 8 Primary, Rose Hall Canje CC, Mt. Sinai CC, Cotton Tree CC, Radha Krishna Foundation and Skeldon CC. The BCB President urged the different clubs and the school to take care of the gear, special mention was made of the Port Mourant Secondary School which over the years

has produced several outstanding players like Devendra Bishoo, Gudakesh Motie, Eon Hooper, Rampertab Ramnauth, Hemnarine Chattergoon and Matthew Pottaya. The school which enjoys the services of two level one coaches also has a very active cricket programme for its female students. The BCB President Hilbert Foster expressed gratitude to Tamara J. Lowe, Will Gafney, Minister Charles Rmason, Mr. Carl Griffith of Laparkan and Mr. Roland Butcher for their support in making the donation possible.

Meanwhile, former West Indies and National opening batsman Clayton Lambert has donated nine boxes of cricket balls to the BCB for distribution to clubs with junior sections. The balls worth over $100,000 would be shared out (Continued on page 21)

Match officials Joel Wilson, Gregory Brathwaite and Richard Illingworth inspect the surface.

(Randy Brooks/AFP via Getty Images)

PAGE 24

Tuesday June 28, 2022

Kaieteur News

Andrew Lewis National Novice Boxing C/Ships

GDF is Best Gym but VBG’s Junior Hyman adjudged Best Boxer REP’s Ryan Persaud (right) beat GDF’s Daniel Garnett who blocks a punch with his knee in the action packed bout.

Sean Devers’ story & photos

The Guyana Defence Force (GDF) is regarded as the manufacturing factory for Amateur Boxing in Guyana but despite the Army once again emerging as Best Gym in the Andrew Lewis Novice Championship, which climaxed on Sunday night at the National Gymnasium, it is evident that its dominance is waning.

After three nights of fistic fury the curtains came down

close to midnight in a fantastic atmosphere with the GDF Drummers and pulsating music from the sound system providing non-stop entertainment for the large and vocal crowd.

When the dust had settled it was GDF who once was adjudged ‘Best Gym’, while its Coach, the Technical Director of the Guyana Boxing Association (GBA) Terrence Poole, was named Best Coach.

Police, under new Coach,

top Guyanese flyweight pugilist Dexter ‘the Kid’ Marques, tied with VBG for second place with five points each while VBG’s Junior Welterweight, Junior Hyman copped the Best Boxer trophy and a Hamper.

The Championship was also used by the magnificent five: Olympian Keevin Allicock, Colin Lewis, Desmond Amsterdam, Patrick Harvey and Julius Kesney for valuable ‘Ring time’ as they intensify their preparations

Keevin Allicock (right) and Colin Lewis faced each other they prepare for the Commonwealth Games.

for next month’s Commonwealth Games in England.

Allicock fought Lewis, Harvey came up against Kesney and Desmond Amsterdam battled Cuban Ysoiec Baca in Exhibition bouts which formed a part of the 15 bouts of the final night in which saw the usually dominant Solders losing five of their fights as many of their boxers on show on Sunday lacked proper technique as they engaged in wild swings and losing their balance repeatedly.

Marques, as Coach, seems to be making a difference at the Police Boxing Gym since his fighters were in nononsense mood with Welterweight Donavan Richardson destroying RHJ’s Isaac Gonsalves by TKO in the first round, while Qsaiah Barker stopped GDF’s Hick Mittelholzer also in the first round of their Light Middleweight clash.

Police’s other fighter, Super Heavyweight John Campayne and GDF’s Troy Glasgow went at each other

from the word go, in the last bout of the night which the raucous crowd on its feet.

They threw several hay makers some of them landed flush on their opponents as they tried to knock-out each other with their lumbering shots and wild swings which got slower and slower as contest progressed.

The fight eventually ended in favour of the Soldier due to a controversial stoppage by the Referee. The second fight of the night was the most exciting with GDF’s Daniel Garnett and REP Ryan Persaud going toe-to-toe with brutal combinations which turned into a slug fest.

With Army drummers in full swing and fans in the stands dancing, the pair of Bantamweight pugilists went at each other some furious shots and counterattacks before Persaud emerged the winner in the entertaining contest for the first GDF loss of the night.

Results: Mininum weight -48kg Renaldo Sutton beat fellow GDF Komal Kissoon

Bantamweight-4kg Daniel Garnett (GDF) lost to Ryan Persaud (REP) Featherweight-57kg Calvin Ramcharran won by abandonment to Rep Gym mate Kevin Padmore Lightweight-60 kg Michael Maynard beat fellow GDF Shemar Woods Junior Welterweight Junior Hayman (VBG) beat Christopher Cummings (GDF) We l t e r w e i g h t - 6 7 k g Donavon Richardson (Police) beat Isaacs Gonsalves (RHJ) Light Middleweight-71kg Osaiah Barker (Police) beat Hick Mittleholzer (GDF) Middleweight-75kg Shaquille Daw (GDF) beat Joward Thomas (PRBG) Light Heavyweight-80kg Samuel Powers (GDF) beat Junior Henry (FYF) Cruiserweight-86kg Brian Harris (FYF) beat Kartel Cort (GDF) Heavyweight-92kg Keyon Harris (VBG) beat Terrence Lindo (GDF) Super Heavyweight-92+ kg Troy Glasgow (GDF) beat John Campayne (Police)

Kaieteur News

Tuesday June 28, 2022

PAGE 25

Jamaica’s Jackson runs third fastest 200m of all time Alvin Mohabir

Mohabir bowls Demerara to convincing win over E’bo Alvin Mohabir bagged six wickets to lead Demerara to a 139-run victory over Essequibo when the Guyana Cricket Board inter county U17 50-over competition commenced on Sunday at LBI. Demerara posted a challenging 205-8, batting first. Opener Jadon Campbell top scored with 47, while Romeo Deonarain made 23, Sachin Balgobin 22, Mohabir 21 and Jonathan Van Lange 18. Shaaziff Mohamed took 2-19;

Gulcharran Chulai had 1-11 from 10 economical overs.

There was also one wicket each for Gladewin Henry, Rajindra Rambali, Thaddeus Lovell and Bruce Vincent.

Essequibo were bowled out for 66 in 34.5 overs.

Shaaziff Mohamed made 21 and Benny Persaud 15. Five batsmen failed to score as Mohabir bagged 6-11, Dillon Ramsaroop took 2-9 while Sachin Balgobin and Sasenarine Harricharran had one each. Mohabir was named man-of-the-match.

KINGSTON, (Reuters) - Shericka Jackson ran the third fastest 200 metres of all time in 21.55 seconds to seal a sprint double at the Jamaican national trials for next month’s World Championships on Sunday.

The 27-year-old led coming off the corner and pulled clear down the straight to add the 200m crown to the 100m title she won on Friday. Elaine Thompson-Herah finished second in 22.05 with Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce third in 22.14.

Only the late Florence Griffith Joyner, who set her long-standing world record of 21.34 seconds in 1988, and compatriot Thompson-Herah, who clocked 21.53 to seal the sprint double at last year’s Tokyo Olympics, have run faster.

Asked whether she had expected to post such a quick time, Jackson told Reuters: “Honestly no! I did not expect to go this fast.”

Jackson, who won bronze in the 100m in Tokyo, was not completely satisfied with her performance.

“For the next three weeks we (coach Paul Francis and I) will clean up any mistakes I made and I expect greater things,” she added.

Andrew Hudson, who recently switched allegiance from the United States to Jamaica, won the men’s 200m in 20.10 ahead of Yohan Blake in 20.31 and Nigel Ellis in 20.41.

In the men’s 110m hurdles, Olympic champion Hansle Parchment recovered from a sluggish start to catch Omar

McLeod and pull away to win in 13.14.

“I am always trying to focus on maintaining my technique because I feel like a lot of people might get flustered in the race, as they go along, so I maintain that focus to give me an edge,” Parchment told Reuters.

Rasheed Broadbell took second in 13.20 while Orlando Bennett was third with 13.28.

Fast-starting McLeod, the 2016 Olympic and 2017 world champion, hit a hurdle and struggled home in last place.

Britany Anderson lived up to her status as favourite in the women’s 100m hurdles, crossing the line in 12.53 ahead of Tokyo bronze medallist Megan Tapper (12.60) and Danielle Williams (12.66).

“A personal best was definitely on my mind, but because of the rain,

Jamaica’s Shericka Jackson reacts after winning the women’s 200m. (REUTERS/Ciro De Luca)

everything just got messed up, but I refocused and made the team,” Anderson told Reuters.

Candice McLeod returned a season best 50.29 to hold off defending champion Stephenie-Ann McPherson (50.49) and win her first national 400m crown. Charokee Young was third in 50.76.

Jevaughn Powell won the men’s 400m in 45.50 ahead of Nathon Allen in 45.64 and Anthony Cox 45.65.

Earlier, Navasky Anderson battled through the pouring rain to win the men’s 800m in 1 minute, 48.53, while Chrisann Gordon-Powell denied Natoya Goule a ninth title in the women’s race.

I n t h e f i e l d , 2 0 1 5 Wo r l d Championship bronze medallist O’Dayne Richards threw 19.58m to win his ninth shot put title.

rts Spo

GDF was again named best Gym, while Terrence Pool (right) received the Best Coach Trophy.

Andrew Lewis National Novice Boxing C/Ships

GDF is Best Gym but VBG’s Junior Hyman adjudged Best Boxer

GBA Official Dr. Marissa Parris presents the Best Boxer trophy to Junior Hyman.

World Badminton Day Tournament concludes The winners with Mr. Earl Carribon, General Manager SOL Guyana.

West Indies seal 2-0 series win over Bangladesh with comprehensive 10-wicket victory in second Test Printed and published by National Media & Publishing Company Ltd., 24 Saffon Street, Charlestown, Georgetown. Tel: 225-8458, 225-8465, 225-8491 or Fax: 225-8473/226-8210.