Kaieteur News

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95 Palestinians, amid new ceasefire

Ram renews calls for Petroleum Commission

US$133.8M Ogle-Eccles Highway commissioned accuses ExxonM of profit-manipulation to boost investor confidence says oil companies should appear before parliamentary committee

PresidentIrfaanAlionMonday commissionedthenewfour-laneHighway linkingOgle,EastCoastDemerara toEccles,EastBankDemerara.

Govt. accused of using U.S.  Mohamed

…congressmanissuestweetcalling businessmanMaduro’spuppet

Govt. seeks NGL storage facility Woman kills Venezuelan man in drunken brawl

Agricola man shot dead while feeding swine every year to answer questions on performance lobby to attack contractors for and offloading bombing across Gaza

CharteredAccountant, ChristopherRam

KaieteurNews

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EDITORIAL

Eversinceheannouncedhiscandidacyfortheupcoming elections,BusinessmanAzruddinMohamedhashadatorrid time during his outreaches in areas considered PPP strongholds.

Activists aligned to the ruling party in some communitiesinRegions2andSixhaveattemptedtobreak up his meetings several times-some of them resulted in minorskirmishes. Formostpart,thePresidentialcandidate for theWe Invest in Nationhood (WIN) and his team have not retaliated, but have sought to highlight these acts of aggressionthroughtheirsocialmediaplatforms. Weatthis newspaper condemn this anti-social behaviour by the PPP supporters.AswepublishedonMondaythePPP’seffortsto monopolise political space and chase out those they deem unworthy of contesting elections is not just wrong—it’s dangerous.Itportendsacampaignseasonmarredbytit-fortat aggression, community flashpoints, and eventually, electoral violence. Politicalincitementinethnicallysensitive communitiesisnotagame Itisamatchtossedintoabarrelof drygunpowder Itisalsoironic,thatthistypeofanti-democratic behaviour has been going on for months now without any condemnation from the government and the ruling party AlmosteveryweekMr MohamedhashadtocontendwithPPP supportersshowingupathisoutreaches,confrontinghimand his officials as well as preventing him from meeting with citizens This ugliness must be of deep concern, not only for Mohamed and his team, but also all the opposition parties becausetheytoocanfacesimilarharassmentasweheadintothe electionscampaignseason

DEAREDITOR

, It is with profound concern I write this letter highlightingthedireneedfor the proper conduct of traditionalpyrecremation.

I viewed the funeral of the well-known Buxtonian that was aired live on social media-FacebookonSunday June 29th, 2025 and was appalled like many other viewersaswasevidentinthe comments how the preparationofthecremation wasconducted.

Firstly, it appeared the corpse was in a terrible decomposed state as mourners were heard inquiring of the scent and many were seen holding their nose. One would believetheircorpseisstored

properly for the keeping of the body for the ritualfuneralservicethenburial.It seems this corpse had no proper storage and preparationforburial.

Secondly, the manner in which the corpse was handled for preparation of the cremation. It is only assumedbecauseofthestate of the corpse the cremation attendantsrefusedtotakethe corpse out of the coffin and placeitontothepyre,which resulted in the mourners protestingsuchaction.

Thirdly, mourners were then seen resorting themselves to removing the corpse from the coffin, placing it on the pyre, along with the belongings with no protection. As they moved

thecorpseoutofthecoffinit was evident the corpse was falling apart. Things were seen falling on the ground, people were seen running andmentioningofthestench of the corpse while the attendants looked on and directed the mourners to fix thecorpsebetteronthepyre.

I would have personally encountered and heard of manycomplaintsoffunerals where the corpse is sometimes decomposed and mournershavetoendurethe stench of their loved ones through their final burial rites, but seeing Sunday’s occurrence warrants immediate address by the government and relevant authorities- Ministry of Public Health and

DEAREDITOR

Confrontations at political meetings in Guyana is nothingnew,butthisdidnotfeatureinanymajorwayinour pastthreegeneralelectionsandwedaresaythatifthistype ofbehaviourisnotdiscourageditwillemboldenextremists onallsides.ThePPPwillnotbeabletocontrolthebacklash whenitbeginsitsowncampaignralliesinareaswhereitis weak. The very tactics they now condone may be turned against them, and the result will not be democratic debate, but civic disorder In a way, there seems to be some tacit agreement with the aggression towards Mohamed because evenattheleveloftheparty’sweeklynewsconference,the General Secretary, Bharrat Jagdeo refers to Mohamed in very crude and derogatory language. We have said before thecurrentadministrationissointoleranttocriticismsthatit would go to any length to silence persons who have opposingviewstothem.Certainly,thishasnotbeenlimited toitsattacksonthemedia,butalsoitspoliticalopponents.

The Guyana Human Rights Association (GHRA) was rightwhenrecentlyitsoughttodrawparallelsbetweenthe said President Forbes Burnham era and that of the PPP of today.DuringaninterviewwiththeGuyanaChronicleprior to elections of 2011, then PPP General-Secretary, Donald Ramotarspokeofhowheandhiscomradeshadtobravethe violentoppositionduringhisparty’sstrugglefordemocracy in Guyana. According to the Chronicle article Ramotar admitted to being afraid, but still helped to organise and attended political meetings, while knowing that the meetingswouldinevitablyattractattacksbywhatheterms “PNCgoons”,mainlyoperatingthroughtheHouseofIsrael andRabbiWashington.

HesaidthatPPPmeetingswerealmostalwaysviolently broken up, recalling the 1973 period when he was in one really dangerous situation at Golden Grove on the East Coast, where the thugs badly beat some members and smashed members’ vehicles. “Dr Jagan himself was injuredduringaninvasionby“PNCthugs”onaplatformat the Parade Ground, where he had been invited to speak in protestoftheexpulsionfromJamaicaofCliveThomasand otheracademicsfromtheWestIndies”,Ramotarreminisced accordingtotheGuyanaChronicle.Itwouldhelpnow,even in the face of the electoral threats by Mohamed, if Mr Ramotar would relate these experiences to his party comrades rather than them watching and cheering the intimidation and bullying being meted out to the Mohameds.

The Tropics are a region oftheEarth,roughlydefined as the area between the Tropic of Cancer and the Tropic of Capricorn Although topography and other factors contribute to climatic variation, tropical locationsaretypicallywarm and experience little seasonal change in day-todaytemperature.

An important feature of theTropicsistheprevalence of rain in the moist inner regionsneartheequator,and that the seasonality of rainfall increases with the distance from the equator The tropical region faces several challenges, such as c l i m a t e c h a n g e , deforestation, logging, u r b a n i z a t i o n a n d demographicchanges.

Did you know that the Tropics host nearly 95% of theworld’smangroveforests by area and 99% of mangrove species? The Tropicshavejustoverhalfof the world’s renewable water resources(54%),yetalmost half their population is considered vulnerable to waterstress.

TheInternationalDayof the Tropics was initiated by the United Nations as an opportunity to celebrate communities in the Tropics and highlight the challenges theyarefacing.

Observedon29June,the day offers a distinctive perspective on the region’s extraordinary cultures, biomesandecosystems.

The day is set aside to increase public knowledge regarding the specific challenges faced by tropical areas, as well as the far-

reaching implications of the issues affecting the world’s tropical zone, and the need, at all levels, to raise awareness and to underline the important role that countries in the tropics will playinachievingtheUnited Nations Sustainable DevelopmentGoals.

The tropical region surrounds the equator, covering continents from NorthernAustraliatocentral Africa and South America. The tropics also boast some of the most diverse and interesting cultures in the world. North Queensland alone is home to countless Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanderculturesdwellingin regional, remote and island communities Some other issues facing the tropics include higher levels of poverty and hunger, and a higher proportion of people livinginslumconditions.

GetInvolved

Whetherornotwelivein theTropicsweallcanplaya part in obtaining knowledge andsharingsamewithinour network. There are numerous ways we can get involvedinraisingawareness concerningThe International DayoftheTropics

Some of these include: sharing educational content about tropical cultures, ecosystems, and sustainable development on social media We can also be intentional by choosing eco-friendly products and support businesses that prioritize sustainable sourcing from tropical regions Thirdly, we can lend support to conservation efforts that protect rainforests, coral

Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Health and Safety regulations in this sector unquestionably needs attention.

It is uncaring to treat the human remains with so mindless care, with no proper storage It is unhealthy to have to inhale suchastench(airpollution); it is reckless to allow the public (mourners) to handle the human remains and a total disgrace to have unprofessional, cremation attendants.

Ihopewiththisletterthe government and relevant authorities address this serious health concern as soonaspossible.

Sincerely ReanataShipley

Intimidation Cremation gone wild International Day of the Tropics

reefs, and indigenous lands especially since Tropical rainforests, such as the Amazon and Congo Basin, play a critical role in carbon storageandclimateregulation TheCaribbeanisdefinitely in the Tropics The region is nestled between the Tropic of Cancer and the equator, which gives it that signature warm, sunny, beach-perfect weather year-round As a result, Caribbean governments should observe this important day Regional

curricula should be

modified to reflect this international day Onthis International Day of the Tropics let us collectively continuetobringattentionto boththepromiseanddanger of life in these regions. The internationalcommunityhas aresponsibilitytoencourage the need for sustainable practices, investment in education, healthcare, and globalcooperationtoprotect fragile ecosystems and s u p p o r t t r o p i c a l communities.

Regards WayneCampbell

In Support of Education Minister Manickchand

DEAREDITOR, I write to join the chorus of condemnation of ‘Critic’ forhisunjustifiedfoul,lewd, disrespectful language attacking Minister Priya Manickchand. The attack is very crude, wrong, and disturbing No one must bully, attack, shame, and intimidate people with who we are in disagreement

There is no excuse for offensive, demeaning comments.

While Critic, me, and o t h e r s m a y h a v e disagreement with the Ministerinherviewsonhow the legal case against Skello was handled by the court, it innowaydiminishesrespect forManickchandorjustifies a vicious, obscene personalityattackagainstthe Education Minister or on anyone,leastofallafemale. The attitude and attack on Manickchandandwomenin general are abhorrent, reprehensible, puerile and

abhorrent and must be rejected.

Offensive, demeaning l a n g u a g e a g a i n s t Manickchand and other women is a form of verbal abuse.Societymust forthrightly and unequivocally condemn the vile, sinister, and nasty attacksbeingleveledagainst the Minister of Education and promote respectful behavior

Critic is urged to rethink his words, renounce reprehensible views about women,andapologizetothe Minister

Separately, I will like to publicly acknowledge that Manickchand was among the earliest responders critical of Skello for his attackontheHinduGoddess Lakshmi The Minister’s support for Hindus is appreciated by the community

Yourstruly, Dr.VishnuBisram

The real issue lies with the political leadership, which seems driven by optics and short-term

DEAREDITOR

,

The ongoing rainy season, now entering its thirdmonth,hasexposedyet again the lack of

preparedness by the Ministry of Public Works

The situation on the ground has validated the concerns long expressed by the Opposition and many citizens regarding

the Government’s

inefficiency, poor planning, and reactive approach to infrastructural maintenance and urban management

Tobeclear,Idonotcast blame on the technical staff oftheMinistry

Iamwellawareoftheir competence and capacity

The real issue lies with the political leadership, which seems driven by optics and short-term fixes rather than proper forecasting and strategicplanning.

Every day, like many Guyanese, I travel through communities where residents are living in disgraceful and unsanitary conditions.

Citizens reach out to me

constantly, seeking representation because they feel neglected and frustrated.

Imagine this, people being forced to clean drains while the water level is already at or above road height, a truly absurd andineffectivepractice

In most instances, proper desilting cannot even occur because thick layers of sand and silt remain at the base of the

drains.Inothercases,grassy alleyways beside clogged drains are either poorly weeded or left untouched, withthecleaneddebrisoften abandoned,furtheraddingto themess.

These actions suggest a lack of supervision and disregard for both public health and community dignity

Moreover, stagnant water remains a breeding ground for mosquitoes and disease, especially in poorly maintained alleyways and parapets across Georgetown

Despitethisobvioushealth

r i s k , t h e r e i s n o coordinated effort to address or even mitigate thesituation

Who is overseeing these works?Certainlynotanyone committed to the safety and well-beingofcitizens.

Further compounding the problem is the lack of publicnotification. Too often, heavy equipment appears in communities without advance notice or proper road safety signage, placing both residents and workers at risk. I’ve also observed that many of the labourers

employed are non-

Guyanese, primarily Venezuelans, which raises concernsregardinglanguage barriers, cultural awareness, a n d c o m m u n i t y engagement.

OnSunday,June8,2025, a National Cleanup Campaign was launched, involving the active participation of our military

menandwomeninuniform. While national service and community engagement are commendable, it must be emphasizedthattheprimary constitutional mandate of the military is to serve and protect the people of Guyana, and more importantly,tosafeguardour sovereignty from external threats.

Now, twenty-one days later, the nation has yet to receive any official disclosure regarding the totalcostofthisexercise.In the interest of transparency, accountability, and responsible use of public resources, the public deserves a full report detailing the budgetary implications, source of funding,andjustificationfor deployingthemilitaryinthis capacity

It is also evident that there is no real synergy

b e t w e e n C e n t r a l

Government and the M u n i c i p a l i t y o f Georgetown, whose legal mandate is to manage the city’saffairs.

D e s p i t e t h e Government’s overarching control, it continues to undermine the City Council by implementing projects without proper consultation orcoordination.

T h e r e f o r e , I recommend the following steps, an approach not new, but one that was effectively implemented u n d e r t h e f o r m e r CoalitionGovernment:

1. Re-establish a National Task Force that

fixes

includes the Municipality of Georgetown, elected Councillors, and relevant

agencies This body should be given a clear and coordinated mandate to oversee the sustainable m a n a g e m e n t a n d p r e s e r v a t i o n o f

Georgetown and its surroundingcommunities.

2 Introduce and enforce a national maintenance schedule for the cleaning and clearing of drains, parapets, and

alleyways every two months, regardless of the s e a s o n R o u t i n e maintenance must replace the current ad hoc, crisisdrivenmodel

3 S t r e n g t h e n inclusionary democracy by actively involving citizens and their elected local representatives in planning and execution

Residents know the unique needs of their communities and must be given the opportunity to participate in shaping solutions

Editor, it is deeply troubling that politics continues to permeate every aspect of governance, even at the expense of public healthandsafety

Let the Constitution guide our actions. Leaders, at both national and local levels must remember their primary duty; to serve the people and protect their well-being.

We can, and must, do better.

Yourssincerely,

AnnetteFerguson,MP

Name roundabouts after notable citizens

DEARMR EDITOR, Thegovernmentisdoing a very good, national effort by placing anteater, eagles andbirdsinthecentreofthe roundabouts in the construction of highways theyaremaking.

That’s a good thing, I commend them for that — but why not name the roundabouts after people like, Mr Derryck PhangLongtennis,RohanKhanaiCricket, George DepanaAthletics and CCWU and Mr Eon McDonald - Long Tennis and Guysuco Fame. Mr Lance Gibbs - Cricket, RoyFredricks,CliveLoyd-

Cricket Neville HuntCycling.EricVieria-Motor Racing, James RenjilkesAthletics, Shivnarine Chanderpaul-Cricket,what about Junane GriffithAthletics? Colleen Braithwaite - Squash, Nicolette FernandesSquash.

Alika MorganAthletics, Gwendolyn O’ Neil - Boxing and the list goes on from 1955 to 2024. Please Honourable Bishop JuanA.EdghillandMinister Charles Ramson, look into this.

Sincerely

FrankDeAbreu

To coalesce or not... a quandary for some

DEAREDITOR

AFC members could serve under Norton-led APNUGovt ‘Hughes’(GT June 28). Is that a sign coalescing is imminent? If this is on the cards then it would haveto be done for theformalcampaignlaunch. Or is it an entry into the hallowed halls through the back-door? Timewilltell

While they haggle another joining took place w i t h a s u n r i s e

announcement. Seems one party in the political landscape for a while, has been subsumed by one now making its foray onto the politicalscene.

And so the negotiations andjostlingareinfullswing asN-Dayloons. To join or not to join or which party to join with to fain an advantage that’s the quandaryforsome.

Regards

ShamshunMohamed

Critique of NGSAscore increases seems dishonest Guyana today

DEAREDITOR

A recent editorial in a PNC-aligned newspaper is makingfalseallegationsand questioning the recent announcement that NGSA (National Grade Six Assessment) scores have goneup.

This is not surprising because PNC folks cannot acknowledge or give credit for the enormous all-around improvements that have taken place in so many sectorsinGuyana.

“Good”isevilspokenof and much “awfulizing” takes place. The Opposition are experts at making good thingsseembad.

That’s their job. Darned if you do and darned if you don’t. All is not perfect and thereismuchtobefixed,but we have made great strides in the past five years, and honestyrequiresthatwegive creditwherecreditisdue.

Anewspaper cannot just make false allegations without any evidence whatsoever that the improvements in student scores in all areas and the percentagepassingtheexam arenotreal.

That seems like grudge and jealousy that educational outcomes are rising, at a time when we need massive reforms in

education for all our people to be prepared to share in nationalprosperity

What the PNC side missed is the Minister of Education remarks that the goal is to create strong high schools in every region so that students can attend neighborhood schools I have been a strong critic of theNGSAandhascalledfor the dismantling of this colonial-era relic used to place students in schools.

The construction of the so manynewschoolsunderthe Ali administration is unparalleled in our history

Thesenewfacilitieswilllead to better equity among high schools and reduce gaps betweencoastalandriverain and interior schools, to which the government seems strongly committed.

The Government has been investing in huge resources in new school construction and support programs and wants return on our investments.

As a nation we need to work together to improve matriculation rates across the country, improve accountability for teachers, administrators, parents, students,andfixthebroken, inefficient regional system on whom we depend to ensure quick, efficient

services to schools in the regions.

The PNC side would do well to act in the national interest and encourage the teachersunionalliedtotheir agenda to support better accountability in schools

While we celebrate the high achievers at NGSA, let’s have a strategic plan to createarisingtideofschool reform that raises all boats. Enormous work has to be done in that regard

Education is everyone’s business.

Ashasbeenoftrepeated, it takes a whole village to raise a child, as the African proverbsays.

It takes all of us –Government, public and privateschools,thebusiness community, all political parties, all churches, NGOs (non-governmental organisations), all parents, students – everyone – to work hard and be united in the common purpose of creating a world class educational design. Can the PNCandallpoliticalparties be magnanimous in committing to such a lofty idea of re-imagining education?AsIhavesaid,“a hole in the boat, is a hole in thewholeboat.”

Are we all willing to plug holes, regardless of whomisintheGovernment, for the good of our entire nation?

Sincerely, Dr.JerryJailall CivilSocietyAdvocate

Dubai.”

DEAREDITOR

When a head of state mustpersonallystepintodo theworkofinstitutions,itis not leadership — it is proof of failure. A country where the president has to intervene in decisions that should be made by competent officials and institutions like GRA, Ministry of Public Works, GPF, GTU among others, is acountrywherethesystems arefailing.

Guyana today is not “Little Dubai.” It is “Little Lies”—alitethatispropped up by the government and

is not “Little

It is “Little Lies”

PPP propaganda machinery

We see today a government that continues to struggle providing the most basic services like safe and efficient traffic, impartial police investigations, properly constructed roads, vehiclesandotherresources for police officers and real, safe and efficient public transportation.

It seems somehow, we takethesethingsforgranted, however they impact every aspect of our lives from our mental health to running simpleerrands. Image,most of the roadways used in our

country do not have bicycle lanes and pedestrian sidewalks How is this possibleandwhy? Wehave a serious parking problem because multi complexes andothertypesofbusinesses are permitted to build without providing adequate parking for their customers. Many one-way streets are not marked as such, teachers, police officers, university professors and nurses, some of the most critical areas for the development and safety of ourpeopleandcountry,

(Continuedonpage16)

Who’s the aggressor?

DEAREDITOR

Many people grew up hearing of terrifying stories fromthe‘olddays’wherethe PNC being the aggressor Looking on today, any sane personwouldquestionthese stories. Looking at the news you will see aspiring politicians being met with ‘Militants’ of the PPPC disrupting peaceful interactions.Inaddition,you see the various government agencies being used as a f o r m o f p o l i t i c a l victimization and the political leaders suddenly finding all sort of information to besmirch their opponents. It must be noted that there’s a personal axegrindingagainsttheonly t w o i n d e p e n d e n t newspapers, Kaieteur News

and Stabroek News as long asonecouldremember,with direct economic sabotage. All election these proactive actions are constantly being introduced mainly by the PPPPC This term they seems more demoralized in creating mischief. Is it the fearthatthenewcomercould make them an opposition or minoritygovernment?

Editor, I keep insisting that for Guyana to live in unity and prosperity, we needyoungambitiousyoung people to challenge the traditional parties and make achange.Now,newcomer Azruddin Mohamed seems to be making a powerful statement of his presence and from all indications,thePPPCseems very much alarmed of his

popularityhe’sgainedsofar, through his generosity The Amerindians vote always been the deciding factor in elections here, and the supportthey’veshownto Azruddin Mohamed seems quite convincing that therewouldbeamajorshake up in the voting pattern in Guyana. Between the two partieswhilstingovernance, the Amerindians were always being fed promises and being neglected Interestingly, through his generosity, he’s managed to gain quite a number of admiration within the Amerindian communities Thereasoningisthathe’snot inpoweranddoingsomuch forthem,andshouldhebein power, they stands to gain a lot. Whilst the government depriving them of what’s rightfullytheirs,theyarehell bentonstiflingthem.

FinallyEditor,regardless of all the newly formed political parties, without a doubt, newcomer Azruddin Mohamed stands a better chance of garnering more supportthanthemandifthey are genuinely interested in seeing Guyana gets out of this ‘wutless’ position, they should all consider coming together and form a strong contesting opposition. The action of the people shows thatindeedthetimeisritefor Guyanese to get rid of the political ’massah’ that is forever keeping us back. Presently, Guyana is being governed by extreme corruption and it’s compulsory for you to be corrupted if you want to get anywhere successful in Guyana. Any opposition is being labeled as corrupted, whilst they continues to ensure Guyana remains ruined!

Regards SahadeoBates

Cash grants and the PPPC’s intellectual bankruptcy

Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo is like an aging magician. He continues to toss silver coins into the air and call it policy The latest c o n j u r a t i o n i s a transportation cash grant, a cash-in-hand reprisal, and another of his wild election promises.

This reveals it all Bharrat Jagdeo, prefers to governnotwithprogrammes but with handouts, each one pitched with theatrics. He prefers populist measures rather than equity We now

live in the era of cash-grant

governance Uniform grants, disability grants, health grants, school cash grants, school supplies g r a n t s , a n d n o w transportation grants an ecosystem of entitlements, scattered from the seat of government like alms. But these are not reforms; they are the opiates of petrodollar intoxication And when a government forgets how to build systems and insteadbuildsdependencies, weshouldallbewaryandbe

worried.Theirony,ofcourse is thick. This same PPP/C administration had derided and lampooned David Granger’s now-famous 5Bs initiative buses, boats, bicycles, breakfast and books – as some rustic fantasy It was, according to theirbarbs,apolicyunsuited forstatecraft.

When the PPP replaced t h e A P N U + A F C administration,theytookthe logos off the school buses. And they allowed the initiative to go into terminal

Govt. accused of using US lobby...

Frompage8 andalwayswill,”Mohamed.

Hesaiddocumentsandfilingsunderthe U S Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA) show that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs paid the U S lobbying firm Continental Strategy $50,000 USD per month,andatotalofover$300,000USD,to distributedefamatoryinformationandpush a misleading narrative about me and my family to American lawmakers, including falsetweetsdescribingmeasa“pro-Maduro puppet”anda“threattodemocracy.”Thisis notthefirsttimetheyhavedonethis.

“What we are witnessing is not foreign policy Once again, this is the PPP using a foreign nation to attack me, my reputation andmycredibility Byfalselylinkingmetoa hostile regime, the Government is deliberately placing my safety and that of my family at risk. They are attempting to delegitimise my candidacy through deceptionandfearmongering.”

Mohamed said this follows a deeply troubling pattern by the administration, noting that among other things the PPP allegedlyspreadingliesandmisinformation aboutpoliticalopponents;statemediabeing weaponizedtodefameGuyaneseandgiving

falseinformationtoforeigngovernmentsto persecute citizens “I am currently in consultation with my legal team about pursuing civil and criminal action against the Government of Guyana for issuing and financing these false claims through a registeredforeignagent.Iamalsoexploring diplomatic channels to ensure this abuse is exposed. I urge every Guyanese, regardless ofpoliticalpersuasion,tobevigilant.Ifthey candothistome,theycandoittoanyoneof us. We must not allow this dangerous precedent to stand. On September 1st, Guyana has a chance to choose a different path; a path where political competition is not met with persecution,” the statement concluded.

Mohamed, who was sanctioned by the U.S. Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) in June 2024, officially launched his presidential bid in May 2025 under the WINpartybanner Thepartyrecentlyfaced a setback when the Guyana Elections Commission, rejected its proposed symbol—thejaguar—onthegroundsthatit isanationalemblemdepictedontheGuyana Coat ofArms and therefore cannot be used forpoliticalpurposes.

DEM BOYS SEH

IsWhichDinnerHad12,000Ghosts?

Dem boys seh dem never see a d i n n e r without dinner until dem watch de photos from de PPP big-big fundraising bash at Arthur Chung Convention Centre. Dem seh it was a fundraising dinner,butfromdephotos, it look more like a meeting withwaterandsoftdrinks. Now dem boys hear de PPP claiming 12,000 people show up. Twelve thousand! That is like de National Stadium sold out, plus some people standing up pon the grass outside. But when yuh check de Convention Centre, even if yuh stack people like sardines, yuh , de place cannot hold 12,000. That would cause a stampede if somethingwentwrong!

Demboyssehif12,000

peopledehdeh,wheredese people find parking ? Even

de road outside de Convention Centre woulda deh lock down like Mashramaniday. And lemme tell yuh bout de foodor rather, de ghost of food. Dem boys combthrougheverypicture likedemsearchingforclues in a murder mystery Not a plate of cook-up, not a lil chickenwing,notevenone plantain chip in sight. Just bareplasticcupsandcheap bottledwater.Somepeople evenlooklikedempassby accidentally and decide to sitdownfuhfiveminutes.

Dem boys seh if is a fundraising dinner, then wherede“dinner”part?Or maybedePPPmeanitwasa fasting dinnercome fuh raise funds but leave hungry Is like going to a

remission, rather than strengthenitwiththeflowof oilrevenues.Yet,today,like a man who mocked the wheelonlytoinventitanew Jagdeo is resurrecting Granger’s support for transportation for school children. How ironic! You shut the 3Bs initiative down andnowyouwanttobringit backasacashgrant.Whatis being proposed under the guise of a transportation grant is not equity It is not efficiency It is not even compassion.Itis,atbest,the political equivalent of throwing confetti at a drowningmanandcallingit a rescue. To offer the same cash grant to a child who walks two corners to school and to another who must cross rivers and traverse miles is not progressive—it is madness dressed in populistrobes.

Universal cash grants, especially in a country still trying to walk upright are a disservice to the very philosophythePPPclaimsto champion targeted interventions. But how does one target when targeting requiresthought?Whenitis easiertodribbledollarsonto themassesandletthemfight over who needs it more? Jagdeo’s cash-grant regime confuses motion with progress,asifthemereactof distribution absolves the state of the duty to design and design measures properly

And so we arrive at the r e a l t r a g e d y : t h e abandonment of Granger’s 5Bs—an idea whose genius

lay not in its symbolism but its symmetry Buses, not grants, ferry students from Mahaica to Cummings Lodge, reducing strain on working parents and congestion on our clogged thoroughfares Boats, not dollar bills, deliver riverine children to school across tributaries that cannot be paved with promises Breakfast fills a stomach; books fill a mind. These were not vote-catching gestures by Granger; they were interventions with architectureandambition.

Whyhasthegovernment not adopted and expanded this model? The answer, predictably, is pride To resuscitatethe5Bswouldbe toadmitthatagoodideacan originateoutsideofFreedom House. And in Guyanese politics, such an admission istantamounttoapostasy

The solution stares us in thefacelikeaschoolchildon the roadside waiting for a ride: deploy school-specific buses along the East Bank, East Coast, and West Coast corridors. Relieve parents of the burden of daily logistics, while unclogging the roadways Expand riverine fleets for our interior students Utilize communitycoaches.Builda system, not a cash grant fund.Bicycles,alas,mustbe retired—not because they are unworthy, but because our roads have become deathtraps, where the line between pedestrian and casualty blurs by the hour. But even this concession could be met with

innovation bicycle lanes in satellite communities, helmets provided through private partnerships A government with courage andimaginationcouldmake it work But courage is incon

profitable.

In the end, what is most troubling about Jagdeo’s transportationgrantisnotits cost, but its cowardice. It is the clearest proof that this government has no vision for the future beyond what can be wrapped in an envelopeandhandedout. It doesnotbuild,itsprinkles.It does not lead, it appeases. And as theoilflows andthe treasury swells, the people are offered stipends. We are not being governed; we are being pacified. This is not policy The5Bsprogramme, for all its simplicity, understood something essential: that dignity is not found in the receiving of cash but in the removal of obstacles.Grangersoughtto get children to school with their heads held high. Jagdeo, it seems, is content to get them there with their palmsheldout.

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

weddingandallyuhgetisa piece of mint and a plastic spoon.

Perhaps de cameraman did too shy to show de dinner. But all dem photographs what dem boys see did not spotlight the food. And a dinner is about food. So where was the dinner And what was served.Bun-rice?

Andlehwenottalkbout de attire If you hear “fundraising dinner,” yuh expect tuxedo, bow tie, champagne and people talking fancy But from howmanypersonsdressed, it did not look like a gala eventatall.

Dem boys seh next time, call it a fundraising limeat least nobody gon expect food, formality or facts!

Talkhalf.Leffhalf

H@RD TRUTHS

Corruption-faddahandmuddah-can’tbe

Guyanese think they know corruption, because they see its huge footprints across this country What theydon’tknow,didn’tthink couldhappen,thatisactually happening. And how! The pundits and propagandists say look at how bright and beautiful things are. We know those who look like that, only for pervasive sicknesses flourishing inside.

Some shrug, smile, as if nothingoccurred. Formany in the PPPGovernment, and those who support mindlessly, fanatically, it is much ado about nothing. It worksuntilsuchtimethatthe diseased nature of the body cannotbedeniedanylonger, norhiddenanymore. Thisis

where Guyana and

Guyanese are, the governmentis,anditspeople attheheightsknowit. They

fear Not just losing elections. They fear having to account for all their highlevel arrangements, their topnotch maneuvers, and more. All must remember that the best laid plans of miceandmenoftencometo naught.

Guyanaisabigplaceand asmallplace. Despitebeing 83,000squaremiles,itjustas well might have been 83 squarefeetacrossandupand down.

Aman’sheadcouldbein one village, and his feet extend into the next. Good works are slow to be recognized; but stink and dutty wuk spread like wildfire When such involvespoliticiansandtheir people, radioactivity spirals.

Those in the PPP Government who want to snuff corruption out, can’t.

Those in the PPP

Government who desire to dilute it, make it go away, can’t. Those in the PPP Government,fromtoptotoe, who wish that Guyanese would turn their faces, and pretend that corruption is a PNC practice, and Burnham badness, discover that it is a losing battle, as citizens refusetolooktheotherway Even if they do, with faces turned and nostrils sealed, they run into the same plague: more corruption. It is now industrial size and industrial strength. Move over, Exxon. Take a backseat,gold.

Back in the bad ole days of Burnham (remember he, Burnham de baad maan?), what he did was miniscule comparedtowhatisgoingon today One example from his time, was that he would offer jobs to overseas-based Guyanese loyalists, who

would come and serve Some stole. Some served. Mostwentback,wheneither sentiment or conditions dried up. Compare that to today Under the PPPof oil and oil funds, and the loans made possible by oil collateral,thoseinchargeare not satisfied with local cronies and cabals to be active participants in siphoning off the people’s wealth. Fixed contracts. Fixed oversight. Fixed practices, from high to low. Sonow,therearethoseinthe PPP (and they are not the smaller bangamary variety) import friends and family to engage in the fun. Ah, the diaspora unit, and the diaspora dregs that comeback and do deh duttiness. The cottage industryunderBurnhamhas scaleduptoanationalcrime industryundertoday’sPPP

Icanmanagetocoexist with friends and family repatriated and handed billions in contracts to deliverinsomefashionwhat theyneverknewexisted. To elaborate, family such as cousins-in-law, or some ne’er do well, deh baad brother-in-law that is r

upt purposes. But one’s mother and father? Hell, NO! A mother-in-lawandfather-inlaw,noandnoagain. There a

nd appreciating that human nature can be irrepressible. Butoneshouldnever(never) involve their parents or

tomfoolery aka criminal activity On this one issue, this one instance, there is certainty that the honorable attorneygeneralwouldagree wholeheartedly with me BhaiBharrat,too.

To Drs. Nandlall and Jagdeo,Isaythis(humbly,of course): even the Mafia don’t stoop so low as to involve their old folks, be theyofbloodlineorbylaw), as aiders and abettors in criminal activities. Yet, this iswhatisgoingoninGuyana when millions are up for

grabs. To repeat: I can pretend ignorance, when a man mek he haan fass. Or gethefrenandfarfamleefuh do wrang ting. But I draw the line when men and women in the PPP Government, drag in mama and papa to expand their corruption. I do some PPP folks an injustice, when I write in the plural. The singular is most applicable. This is how far and deep, Guyanaandgovernanceand leadership has decayed today I cannot fathom how heroic PPP apologists and PR defenders live with themselves. They die by their own hand, when they condone crimes of this u n n a t u r a l n a t u r e Consciencesoldforapenny; charactersacrificedforthose who rope in their mothers and fathers into a life of crime. Elder abuse, writ large, I think In for millions, in for billions Nowthat’stransparency (The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinionsofthisnewspaper.)

Global Bio-diversity Alliance Summit to advance Guyana’s LCDS leadership

Guyanaissettoenteranewphaseofitsgreenleadership withtheGlobalBiodiversityAllianceSummit,scheduledfor July 23-25, 2025, at the Arthur Chung Conference Centre (ACCC)inLiliendaal.

Advisor to the Office of the President, Kevin Hogan, explained that the summit demonstrates Guyana’s dedication to ensuring the Low Carbon Development Strategy (LCDS) 2030 meets its goals, the Department of PublicInformation(DPI)reported.

In Episode Three of the “United for Biodiversity: the Alliance Podcast,” Hogan provided important insights into the formulation of LCDS, adding that Vice President Dr BharratJagdeohasalwaysespousedastrategythatensures biodiversity efforts are included in Guyana’s blueprint for sustainabledevelopment.

Hogan stated that while the strategy initially gained momentum for its climate-focused approach, biodiversity has always been integral to its vision. “The LCDS started with the climate aspects of the forest. However, the biodiversity aspect was always known about, and it was always hoped that the time would be right to expand the LCDS…I believe we’ve got to this day, [it is] the next evolution.And it will be Guyana-led, as it always has with Guyana at the fore, but with some fantastic international partners without whom it wouldn’t be possible,” said the advisor

The LCDS started in the mid-2000s, when Guyana emergedfromdecadesofeconomicstagnation.Thecountry facedlimitedoptions,burdenedbydebtandastruggling Continued on page 15

Christ Church Secondary Secondar School reopens after two years

The new Christ Church

Secondary School building, located on the corners of Camp and Middle Streets, Georgetown, is now officially opened after the original

structure was gutted by fire two yearsago.

Education Minister, Priya Manickchand joined teachers and other education officials on Mondaytowelcomebackscoresof

how we attend to each and every student, how we look at who has strength and how to make those better, how we look at those who have weaknesses and to reinforce those,” the minister exclaimed duringaliveFacebookbroadcast.

Now back at its original location,studentsnolongerhaveto travel the long distance to Turkeyen.

ChristChurchSecondaryisone of the new secondary school buildings that the education ministry will open for the new Septemberacademicschoolterm.

s

y reconstructedschoolbuilding.

Minister Manickchand said “We are at Christ Church Secondaryandthisisthefirsttime the children are coming in and it’s really exciting We are really looking forward to putting the childreninherebutgettingresults, because my belief is that while infrastructuremattersalotinfaras access goes, if you don’t have school, you cannot do anything else. It is really what we do in the school in terms of how we teach,

The original building was destroyed by fire in January 2023, and students were relocated to the Cyril Potter College of Education (CPCE), Turkeyen. Investigation by the Guyana fire Service (GFS) found that the fire was an act of arson.

InJunethatyear,theeducation ministry signed seven contracts totalling $688.1 million to rebuild the school. The contracts included Lot -1 Construction of Sub-

($303,595,000.00); Lot -2 SuperStructure–ZecoGroupofServices Inc ($295,137,706 00); Lot -3

and Units

A Ograsein & Sons General Contracting ($10,745,000.00); Lot -6 Installation of Fire Prevention Units – A Ograsein & Sons

($6,759,000 00); and Lot -7 Masonry and Finishing Work –Pantheon Construction Inc ($12,385,800.00).

The school will have 20 classroomstoaccommodate450to 520 students and is furnished with science, TVET, electrical and woodworking, Information Technology and Home Economics laboratories, as well as art and musicrooms.

The school also has fire

mechanisms and components. Some of these include, but are not limited to, fire extinguishers, smoke detectors, and some materials that will be used that are nothighlyflammable.

Christ Church Secondary students during a march past exercise on Monday on their way to their new school building located on the Camp and Middle Streets, Georgetown. (Ministry of Education photo)

Christ Church Secondary School students and teachers moving back to their new classrooms and offices. (Ministry of Education photos)

Courts optical relaunches flagship Main Street branch

Courts Optical, the eye care division of Unicomer Guyana, on Monday relaunched its flagship branch on Main Street, Georgetown, in celebration of a decade of delivering vision care servicestotheGuyanesepublic.

According to a press release from Unicomer, the relaunch commemorates 10 years of eye health services and the company’s recommitment to “meeting customers where they are” across Guyana. The Main Street branch, originally opened in 2015, was Unicomer’s first-ever Courts Opticalstoreinthecountry

Speakingattherelaunchevent, Unicomer Guyana’s Managing Director, Gillian Matthews, emphasised the significance of the occasion,describingitasmorethan a simple reopening “It is a celebration of growth, resilience, innovation, and our continued commitment to the people of Guyana,”shestated.

Tracing the company’s evolution since its 1993 debut, she noted: “When Courts Guyana first opened its doors, we set out on a bold mission to provide affordable, high-quality furniture, appliances,andelectronicstoevery Guyanese home. And over the decades, we’ve grown into more than a retailer. We’ve become a trusted name across this nation—a name that reflects reliability, affordability, and service with integrity.” Unicomer’s expansion now includes Courts Mega Stores,

Ribbon-cutting ceremony marking the official relaunch of Courts Optical’s Main Street branch

Courts Ready Cash, Lucky Dollar, Servitech, Courts Outlet Stores, and Courts Optical, which has becomeamajorplayerinGuyana’s healthcaresector “Whatbeganasasingleoptical

store has grown into a network of 11 Courts Optical branches, proudly serving customers across all three counties,” Matthews noted. “Over the last nine years, Courts Optical has stayed focused on one goal: delivering accessible, affordable, and high-quality eye caretoeveryGuyanese.”

CourtsOpticalhasalsoevolved into a healthcare hub, offering free comprehensive eye exams, consultations, and at the Linden branch, glaucoma testing and generalhealthchecks.

Matthews also highlighted

several key upgrades introduced with the relaunch, aimed at enhancing both service delivery and customer experience. These enhancementsinclude:

• Two fully equipped testing rooms, which double the store’s examcapacityandimproveoverall serviceflow

• A new contact lens fitting station, designed to offer personalised care and expand opticalservices.

• A refreshed, modern store layout, brought up to international standards to create a more inviting

andefficientin-storeexperience.

•Anexpandedframeselection, featuringnewdesignerbrandssuch asThaliaSodiandRobertoCavalli, withpricesstartingatjust$9,999.

• A s e m i - d i g i t i s e d documentation system, which sets the foundation for a fully digital and streamlined customer journey inthenearfuture.

She said, “These upgrades aren’t just about aesthetics or convenience—theyreflectwhowe are becoming: a brand that is modern, innovative, clinically focused,andcommunitycentric.”

Unicomer Guyana’s Managing Director, Gillian Matthews

Man found dead in Linden home

A67-year-oldmanwasfounddeadSundaymorninginhis home at Obama Drive, South Amelia’s Ward, Mackenzie, Linden.

Dead is, Calton “Country” Jacobs, a labourer who lived aloneinanunfinishedtwo-storeywoodenandconcretehouse with a partially fenced yard. Police believe Jacobs died between 16:10 on Saturday and 06:40 on Sunday His body was found by a friend and frequent visitor, 40-year-old contractor Collin Ceres, who reported the discovery to the police. Ceres told police that Jacobs, who suffered from asthma,hadvisitedhimonSaturdayaround16:00.“Hevisited Jacobs at his home and gave him a small Coca-Cola and a Smalta to drink. Ceres said he spent about 10 minutes with Jacobs,thenwentaway,”policesaid.

CerestoldpolicethatJacobsappearedunwellatthetime andthathenoticedabruiseandswellingaroundJacobs’sleft eye and additional bruises on his forehead. According to Ceres, he offered to take Jacobs to the hospital, but Jacobs refused.

Ceresreturnedthenextmorningaround06:40andfound Jacobslyingmotionlessinfrontofhishouse.Hecontactedthe police,whoarrivedthereafter “Thebodyofthedeceasedman was seen lying motionless on his back on the ground. It was aboutfivefeetawayfromthefrontofhishousewiththedoors open,”policesaid.

A police examination revealed bruising around Jacobs’s lefteyeandforehead,aswellasoldbruisesonhislefthandand left side of his abdomen. Notably, no blood stains were observedinoraroundthehomeoryard.

The scene and body were video recorded, photographed andprocessedbycrimesceneranks.Additionally,269grams ofcannabiswerediscoveredinJacobs’sstoreroom.

The body was removed by D/Cpl Peters and taken to the Linden Hospital Complex, where Jacobs was officially pronounced dead. His body has since been transported to Pensioner Funeral Home, where it awaits a post-mortem examination.

Investigationsareongoing.

GlobalBio-diversity...

Frompage10

economy

Then the president, and now Vice President Jagdeo, was aware that many countries around the world were using their resources unsustainably, destroying their forestsandattemptingtorebuildthemyearslater

Hogan said this raised the question of whether Guyana could avoid unsustainable development The answer emergedin2009withthelaunchofthefirstLCDS,making Guyana the first developing country to propose such a comprehensive low-carbon framework. At the core of this strategy was a radical idea: getting paid to keep trees standing.

That idea became reality through a revolutionary agreement with the Government of Norway. Under the Guyana–Norway partnership, Guyana received US$227 million in performance-based payments from 2009 to 2015 formaintaininglowdeforestationrates,anaccomplishment notachievedbyanyothercountryintheworld,percapita.

Under the APNU+AFC Coalition administration, between 2016 and 2020, no payments were made for forest climate services. According to Hogan, “It was a bit of a tragedy in that the forest climate services hadn’t been remunerateddespiteallthehardworkofthepeople.”

That changed when President Dr Mohamed Irfaan Ali assumed office in August 2020. His administration acted swiftly to ensure Guyana received compensation for its forestclimateservicesspanning2009to2022.Today,LCDS 2030buildsonthatfoundation,introducingnewfocusareas such as biodiversity protection, water management, and urban sustainability “Guyana continues to punch above its weight on the international stage,” said Hogan. “That’s becausethishasalwaysbeenaGuyana-ledvision—fromthe presidency to the grassroots.” With the upcoming summit, Guyana will propose its next pioneering act: establishing a financing structure which incentivizes countries to protect theirbiodiversity

Govt. seeks contractors for NGL storage & offloading facility

The Office of the Prime Minister (OPM) is currently seeking contractors and engineering services for the construction of a natural gas liquids (NGLs) Storage and Offloading Facility and pipelineaspartofthegas-toenergy(GTE)project.

This is according to two tender documents issued by the prime minister’s office which was published in Sunday’s edition of the KaieteurNews.

According to the first tender, the government and the Guyana Power and Gas Inc (GPSI) have invited qualifiedfirmstoparticipate

constructionofaNaturalGas Liquids(NGLs)Storageand Offloading Facility and pipeline.

Theofficestatedthatthe facility is required to enhancethecapacityforsafe storage, efficient operation, and effective distribution and marketing of NGLs, both domestically and internationally

“The NGL storage and offloading project will be located within the Wales I n d u s t r i a l Z o n e approximately 25 km inland from the mouth of the Demerara River on the west bank adjacent to the phase I

power plant currently under construction. The gas-toenergy phase I project i n c l u d e s a n N G L fractionation plant to extract liquids (C3, C4, C5+) and provides limited storage,” thedocumentexplained.

The document detailed further that the facility shouldbeabletoreceiveand store sufficient volume of NGLs to allow for no disruption in the phase I plant and to optimise batch offloadingtomarinevessels. “The production rate from phase I is anticipated to be approximately 4,200 bbls perdayofNGLs.Thedesign of the facility allows it to be sufficiently flexible to accommodate, with modifications, additional future NGLs anticipated from a phase II power plant delivering up to 5,900 bbls perday,”theOPMstated.

Noting that only firms thathaveconstructedatleast five similar or larger facilities, should seek to be pre-qualified, the government noted that the project will be designed and constructedtoaccommodate thesafestorageofNGLsand offloadingtofloatingvessels with considerations for security, environmental compliance, and future expansioncapabilities

Bids for the project are

expected to open on September 30, 2025 at the National Procurement and Tender Administration Board(NPTAB)office.

Meanwhile, in the other t e n d e r d o c u m e n t , engineering services are needed to dev

a comprehensiveRFPpackage and updated employers’

r

(ER)

document needed to bid and fully develop a facility able to receive and store sufficient volume of NGLs to allow for no disruption in the phase I plant and to optimise batch offloading to marinevessels.

Further, firms will be expected to complete the R F P p a c k a g e i n approximately two months fromstartofcontract.

“Only firms (consortia) adjudged to be experienced in engineering services of comparablefacilities,willbe

evaluated.Firmswillneedto have a global presence and have a strong HSSE design culture and able to demonstrate excellent projectmanagementsupport andreportingofEngineering and Construction with financialcapacitytomanage large-scale projects,” OPM detailed.

As it relates to this project, bids will be opened onJuly29,atNPTABoffice.

TheGTEproject,located atWalesontheWestBankof Demerara, includes a NaturalGasLiquids(NGL) facilityanda300-megawatt power plant. Natural gas will be transported from the offshore Stabroek Blocks Liza oilfield via a 12-inch pipelinetothesite,where50 millioncubicfeetofgaswill be converted to electricity daily The project is being executed by a joint venture between CH4 (Texas) and Lindsayca (Puerto Rico) The companies, hired in 2022, are constructing the plant and NGL facility at a costofUS$759million.

The GTE project was initially slated for completion by the end of 2025 However, in May, Prime Minister (Retd) Brigadier Mark Phillips stated that the project would be completed in the second quarterof2026.

Carter Center deploys advanced team to observe September 1 elections

The Carter Center has launched an international electionobservationmission to Guyana in advance of the country’s general and regional elections scheduled forSept.1.

TheCenterwasinvitedto observe this year’s elections by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation. A four-person core team of experts arrived in Georgetown on Monday from the United States, Georgia, and the United Kingdom Additional electoral experts and observers will join them closer to election day, the centresaidinapressrelease.

“We look forward to engaging with Guyanese stakeholders across the political spectrum and civil society to provide an independent and impartial assessment of the electoral process We hope our observation and reporting will help the Guyanese people assess the credibility of the elections, while

p r o v i d i n g u s e f u l recommendationsforreform a n d e n c o u r a g i n g transparency,” said Carter Center Field Office Director JasonCalder

“The Carter Center has had a long-standing commitment to democracy in Guyana, and we are honored to launch this international election observation mission in support of the electoral process,”saidDavidCarroll, director of the Carter Center’s Democracy Programme.

The Carter Center’s election observation work is conducted in accordance withthe2005Declarationof Principles for International Election Observation and makesassessmentsbasedon relevant parts of national legal frameworks, as well as regional and international obligations for democratic elections. Since 1992, the Center has worked in Guyana to strengthen democracy, support civil society, enc

urage sustainable development, andreinforcetheruleoflaw

The Carter Center has organized more than 125

election observation missions in 100 countries, includinginGuyanain1992, 2001,2006,2015,and2020.

In addition to work on elections, the Center has conducted a range of activities in Guyana, including helping Guyanese articulate a comprehensive vision and development strategy; supporting civil society groups working to advancethestatusofwomen,

youth, and Amerindians; assisting judicial system reform programmes in partnership with the High Court, the chief justice, the GuyanaBarAssociation,and the Guyana Association of Wo m e n L a w y e r s ; facilitating conflict resolution efforts in support of peace and political dialogue; and supporting government, industry, and civil society stakeholders to c o m p l y w i t h t h e requirements of the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI).

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Man gets $125,000 bail for discharging firearm

Thirty-four-year-old Andra Stewart who was remanded last month for allegedly discharging a loaded firearm in a public place, was on Monday released on $125,000 bail.

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Stewart, of Guyhoc Park and Fifth Street, Alberttown, Georgetown, and 23-year-old Lidj Grant of Lot 408 ‘A’ Field, Sophia, Georgetown, were separately charged for the same offense which occurred on May 20, 2025, at Plum Park, Sophia, Greater Georgetown.

The men made their first court appearance before Senior Magistrate Fabayo Azore on May 27 at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Court. Grant was released on $250,000 bail with conditions, while Stewart was

denied bail due to him committing an offence while on bail for another serious offence.

The defense at the time was led by attorney Travis Ferreira who represented Grant, while attorney Ronald Bostwick represented Stewart.

During Monday’s hearing, Stewart appeared via zoom and Grant in person before Senior Magistrate Azore at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Court.

The court heard that the prosecution was not in possession of the files, and as a result Magistrate Azore released Stewart on bail. The matters were adjourned to July 28, 2025.

Woman kills Venezuelan man in drunken brawl

A drinking spree at Tuschen, East Bank Essequibo (EBE) on Sunday morning ended with two women injured and a 45-yearold Venezuelan man stabbed to death.

The dead man has been identified as Yosmar Caprio, a construction worker, while the women were identified as Yandris Natera, 34, a domestic worker and Belisbet, 47, both Venezuelan nationals as well. Police said that it was Natera who stabbed Carpio to

death when a fight broke out between them around 05:30hrs. Belisbeth was injured while trying to part them. Natera and Carpio reportedly lived in the same yard at Tuschen, but in separate apartments.

They were reportedly drinking at the front of the yard when they reportedly had a misunderstanding.

Things took a deadly turn when Carpio armed himself with a piece of wood and Natera with two knives.

It is alleged that Carpio dealt Natera two lashes to the head with the wood. She retaliated by firing some stabs at him. The stabs reportedly caught Carpio to the left of his abdomen.

It was at this point that Belisbet tried to part them but ended up being stabbed on her right hand.

“An alarm was raised and persons in the area rushed to their assistance and took Yosmar Carpio to the Leonora Cottage Hospital”, police

said, adding that he was admitted in a critical condition but later succumbed while receiving treatment.

Police ranks visited the scene where they arrested Natera. She too was taken to the Leonora Cottage Hospital for treatment, but was later discharged and is in police custody.

Ranks were able to recover the suspected murder weapons and the piece of wood from the crime scene. Investigations continue.

Guyana today is not “Little Dubai.” It is “Little Lies” ...

From page 06 remain underpaid.

Is this little Dubai? Perhaps this is a moniker more reflective of the safe haven that Dubai provides for money laundering and other financial crimes.

Let us get real Guyana! Our politicians know or ought to know much better than the average Guyanese about the importance of standards, effi-

ciency, the value and critical importance of a well paid and skilled public service, the importance of regional autonomy and development –Region 4 is over saturated, over populated, overwhelmed with traffic on its major road arteries and garbage.

We have a beautiful stretch of seawall that could be transformed into a tranquil, green space that blends

scenic views, cultural spaces, recreation, and historical richness – biking trail, walking trails and well-maintained mini parks and gardens.

But instead, all along the seawall are rum shops I call it, everyone selling the same thing, food, alcohol and nonalcoholic beverages. We are already short and diverse recreational activities and spaces in our communities – and

please do not say a football pitch or cricket ground, we are more creative than that – nowhere to go for an afternoon walk without walking on roads with no sidewalk.

We have the potential to really be Little Dubai, but we are moving in the opposite direction.

Sincerely, Concerned Citizen Tired of The Games and Mediocrity

Wanted one Maid. Call: 6801282.

Accused Andra Stewart at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Court during his first court appearance.

Security officer gets $750,000 bail for possession of narcotics

Ulric Fingall, a security officer

w h o w a s remanded to prison last month for possession of narcotics, was on Monday releasedon$750,000bailfor thesameoffence.

The 31-year-old Fingall of Lot 134 South Better Hope, East Coast Demerara (ECD), was initially denied bail when he appeared before Senior Magistrate Fabayo Azore on May 19, 2025 at the Georgetown Magistrates’Court

Fingall pleaded not guilty to the charge which alleged that on May 16, 2025 at Space Gym’s

parking lot Mandela Avenue, Georgetown, he had3 810kilogrammes(kg) of cannabis in his possession Hewasinitially represented by attorney

DexterSmartt

During yesterday’s court

proceeding, Fingall appeared before Magistrate Azore via zoom and was represented by attorney Bernard Da silva who successfullysecuredbail.

Fingall was granted bail on condition that he lodges his passport and report to Customs Anti-Narcotics Unit (CANU) headquarters every last Friday of every monthbeginningonJuly27, 2025. The matter was adjourned for October 14, 2025.

It was reported that the prosecution had objected to bail They indicated to the court that on the day in question, CANU officers were acting on information when they visited Space Gym and

Agricola man shot dead while feeding swine

Shot dead, Romel Bollers

A33-year-old shopkeeper of Brutus Street,

Agricola, East Bank Demerara (EBD) was shot dead on Monday morning whilefeedinghispigs.

The dead man has been identified as Romel Bollers and might be a relative of Rafael Bollers, a man wanted by police in connection with another fatalshootingthattookplace onJune10last.

PolicesaidthatMondays shooting took place around 08:30hrs. at Titus Street, Agricola. “Investigation so farrevealedthatBollersleft his home around 08:15 hrs thismorning(Monday)togo andfeedpigs,”policesaidin inastatement. Shortly after his sister

found Fingall carrying a brown cardboard box in the parkinglot.

F i n g a l l , w h e n approached by a CANU officer, dropped the box

The officer identified himself and told the accused that he was acting oninformationthathewasin possessionofnarcotics.

The officer searched the box and a quantity of leaves, seeds and stems suspected to be cannabis was found in eight transparentplasticbags.

The defendant was told of the offence committed, cautioned and arrested

He was taken to the CANU headquarters with the narcotics which was tested, weighed, labelled, sealedandlodged Fingall was represented

by attorney Smartt who told thecourtthatontheevening of May 16, his client was hiredtoescortsomeonewho hadtotransactbusiness.

The court was told the person was carrying large sumsofmoneyandrequired security

Smarttsaidthathisclient was instructed to make a payment and collect a package.

He complied and as he wasreturningtothevehicle, he was intercepted by CANU.Smartttoldthecourt that the vehicle Fingall’s client was traveling in, left himatthelocation.

The attorney said that at the time of the bust, the box was closed and was opened by the CANU officer who discovered the narcotics Fingallsaidhewasunaware ofthecontentsofthebox.

Frompage2 investment in these critical

, but sometimes you have to understandwhatcomeswith these critical investments what are the opportunities that these critical investmentscreate.”

He said that this new road and all other roads that are being built between the East Coast and East Bank havealreadyopeneduptens of thousands of new house lots, and creating the opportunities for the third p h a s e o f h o u s i n g developmentacrosstheEast Coast and East Bank corridors.

reportedlyoverheardpeople in the area saying that Bollers was shot “She immediatelyleftandwentto their pig pens (at Lot 166) where she saw her brother lying motionless on the ground on his back, in front ofapigpen”,statedpolice. Bollers was reportedly bleeding from gunshot wounds to his abdomen and back.

He was subsequently rushed to the Diamond DiagnosticCentre,wherehe was pronounced dead on arrival. The body was examined and a wound was seen on his right shoulder, twotohisabdomen,andone to his right elbow Investigators have since recovered9MMspentshells fromthescene.

The President noted that thiseconomicexpansionthat is being created through these infrastructure forms part of the “transformative future” that his government envisions.

The new lands that have opened as a result of this highway he said will not only be developed by governmentbutalsothrough theprivatesector

Detailing the new opportunities that the highway would be creating, the Head-of-State said that along the new highway to Buzz Bee Dam, EBD, some six new internationally branded hotels will be constructed, some of which arenearingcompletion.

Also,henotedtherewill be some five new hospitals (public and private hospitals),thousandsofnew

homes, three massive industrial hubs and two massive manufacturing hubs, which would be facilitated by the private investment.

“Along this road also is t h e m a s s i v e n e w transmission line that is going to interconnect East Coast, East Bank, Berbice, Region Three. So it’s the power interconnectivity and a l l o f t h e s e n e w infrastructures are built on smarttechnology,sothatthe latest technology is what we’reutilizing.

This road also will benefit from the electronic ticketing system and the etraffic management system that we are bringing in place,”hesaid.

Further, outlining that this road is the “corridor of opportunity”, the President mentionedthatthishighway opens up new lands and communities that would stimulate investment and d r i v e i n c l u s i v e development.

“This road is about improvingthequalityoflife of every Guyanese. Roads arenotjustaboutmovement they are catalysts for broadbasednationaldevelopment.

Where road goes, opportunities follow and where opportunity flourishes, so too human dignity, industry and prosperity

This bypass road is openingupfarmorethanan alternativeroute.Thisopens

up lands for housing, agriculture, commerce, warehousing and industry

This opening up the arteries of our economy, so goods can flow, people can move, andservicescanexpand.Itis not just an engineering feat. It is a socio-economic enabler,”hesaid.

Meanwhile, speaking about the road project, Minister of Public Works, JuanEdghillhighlightedthat this project was long on the tableforexecution.

He mentioned that the newhighwaywastobebuilt under the price tag of US$275 million by the former APNU/AFC administration.

“I want to put on record, andIwanttobeclear,evenif I sound controversial, when we came to government, we met a project that was US$275 million by the APNU/AFC government to do exactly what we did here,”hesaid.

He explained also that the financing from the Government of India for the project was secured since under the Donald Ramotar Presidency

“For five years of the APNU/ AFC rule, nothing was done, just like the moneythatwasavailablefor the ferry from Georgetown toRegionOne,”herelated.

During his remarks also, the Public Works minister announced that the same Indian company was contracted by the

government to further carry the road link to Providence.

“This afternoon and the President will commission this new road. I would also like to announce and let the peopleofGuyanaknowthat under the leadership of His Excellency, at the same rates, we have engaged Ashoka Buildcon to continue this road to Providence, where it will connect with the new DemeraraRiverBridge.

So there will be a seamless transfer that when you come off the bridge, the roundabout which is being constructed right now at Heroes Highway, then you continue for another 2 kilometers to connect with this,andthenyoucouldget along,”heannounced.

Speaking also was IndianHighCommissioner toGuyana,Dr AmitTelang and External Affairs Minister of India, Dr Subrahmanyam Jaishankar whocongratulatedboththe government and Ashoka Buildcon on the timely completion of the road linkage.

They stated that the roadlinkagewillstandasa testimony to the longstanding friendship and cooperation between India andGuyana Minister within the Ministry of Public Works Deodat Indar also spoke at the commissioning ceremony

Accused Ulric Fingall at the Georgetown Magistrates’Court during his first court appearance.

Israel kills 95 Palestinians, bombing across Gaza amid new ceasefire push

(AL-JAZEERA) Israeli forces have bombarded multiple areas across the besieged Gaza Strip, killing at least 95 Palestinians, including aid seekers and families sheltering in schools, and wounding many more in attacks that havealsotargetedacrowded hospital.

In the relentless attacks onMonday,62ofthevictims were in Gaza City and the northoftheterritory.

TheIsraelinavystrucka port in Gaza City, where the military has stepped up its heavystrikes,killingatleast 21 and wounding 30, many of them women and children.

Al Jazeera’s Hani Mahmoud, reporting from Gaza City, said the attack was in the heart of a displacementcentrenearthe Gazaseaport.

“This area serves as a refugeformanytraumatised

and displaced people, offeringsomerelieffromthe oppressiveheatofthetents,” hesaid.

Also on Monday, Israeli forcestargetedthecourtyard of Al-Aqsa Hospital in centralGaza’sDeirel-Balah, where thousands of families hadsoughtshelter Videoscirculatingonline and verified by Al Jazeera showedchaosatthehospital, with people fleeing for safety as tents sheltering displaced families appeared damagedbytheattack.

Al Jazeera’s Tareq Abu Azzoum, reporting from the scene of the hospital attack, said the army did not issue “any warnings” before the “hugeexplosion”.

“The site of the attack is about 10 metres [33ft] from our broadcast point. This is not the first time the hospital’scourtyardhasbeen attacked. At least 10 times, this facility has been

Rubble covers the site of Yafa School in Gaza’s Tuffah neighbourhood after an Israeli nighttime strike destroyed the school and the tents of families sheltering there [Khames Alrefi/Anadolu Agency]

squarely targeted by Israeli forces,” Abu Azzoum said.

“It’s a staggering concentration of attacks on medical facilities, adding further burden on barely functioninghospitals.”

In a statement, Gaza’s

Government Media Office decried the attack by Israel, calling it a “systematic crime” against the Palestinian enclave’s health system.

“Itswarplanesbombeda tent for the displaced inside

Iran hardens stance against IAEA and its chief in wake of US-Israel attacks

(AL-JAZEERA) Iran has taken an unequivocal

stance against the InternationalAtomicEnergy Agency (IAEA), with the country’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi summarily dismissing its chief Rafael Grossi’s request to visit nuclearfacilitiesbombedby Israel and the United States during a 12-day conflict earlierthismonth.

“Grossi’s insistence on visiting the bombed sites under the pretext of s a f e g u a r d s i s meaningless and possibly even malign in intent,” said Araghchi on X on Monday

“Iran reserves the right to take any steps in defence of its interests, its people and its sovereignty.”

In tandem, Iranian President Masoud

Pezeshkian told his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron that Tehran had halted cooperation with the IAEA due to what he

c a l l e d G r o s s i ’ s “destructive” behaviour towards Iran, his office

Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Rafael Grossi arrives at an IAEABoard of Governors meeting at the agency’s headquarters in Vienna, Austria on June 23, 2025 [Joe Klamar/AFP]

said “The action taken by parliament members is a natural response to the u n j u s t i f i e d , unconstructive, and destructiveconductofthe director-general of the International Atomic

E n e r g y A g e n c y, ” Pezeshkian told Macron in a phone call, according t o a p r e s i d e n c y statement.

Al Jazeera’s Resul Serdar, reporting from Tehran, said the Iranian leadershipismakingitclear that the IAEA is an “international body with defined responsibilities and theseresponsibilitiesarenot politicalbuttechnical”.

But, he added, Tehran views the nuclear agency as aninternationalbody“under immense[political]pressure from Israel and the United

States”.

Iranian lawmakers on Wednesday voted in favour of a bill to suspend cooperation with the IAEA, citingIsrael’sJune13attack on Iran and later strikes by theUSonnuclearfacilities.

AceasefirebetweenIran andIsraeltookholdonJune 24.

Since the start of the conflict, Iranian officials have sharply criticised the IAEAnot only for failing to condemn the Israeli and US strikes,butalsoforpassinga resolution on June 12 accusing Tehran of noncompliance with its nuclear obligations, the day before Israelattacked.

Inthemeantime,France, Germany and Britain have decried “threats” made againstGrossi.

“France, Germany and the United Kingdom condemn threats against the directorgeneraloftheIAEA Rafael Grossi and reiterate our full support to the agency,” Foreign Ministers Jean-Noel Barrot, Johann Wadephul and David Lammy said in a joint statement.

during its 22-month war on Gaza. Human rights groups and United Nations-backed experts have accused Israel of systematically destroying the enclave’s healthcare system.

Also in the south, at least 15 aid seekers looking for food at aid distribution h u b s r u n b y t h e controversialUnitedStatesand Israeli-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) were killed by an Israeli air strike in southern Gaza’s Khan Younis, according to sources at Nasser Medical Complex. Fifty people were also woundedintheattack.

thewallsofAl-AqsaMartyrs Hospital, resulting in injuries at the site of the bombing, material damage, and directly threatening the lives of dozens of patients,” it said. Israel has repeatedly targeted dozens of hospitals

They are the latest victims in a wave of daily carnage at these sites that have killed nearly 600 Palestinians since GHF took over limited aid deliveries in Gaza in late MayamidacripplingIsraeli blockade.

Trump imposes tougher US policy toward Cuba

(Reuters) - President Donald Trump on Monday signed a memorandum imposing a hard-line U.S. policy toward communistrun Cuba and reversing measures put in place by formerPresidentJoeBiden, theWhiteHousesaid.

The directive will enforce a statutory ban on U.S. tourism to Cuba while supporting an economic embargoofthecountry,the White House said in a fact sheet. The Reuters Tariff Watch newsletter is your daily guide to the latest globaltradeandtariffnews. Signuphere.

While Americans cannot visit Cuba for leisure, travel has been allowed for activities including educational or humanitariantrips.

As one of his first acts after taking office in January, Trump, a harsh Cuba critic, revoked the Bidenadministration’slastminute decision to remove the country from the U.S. list of state sponsors of terrorism He has also partiallyrestrictedtheentry ofpeoplefromCuba.

Under Monday’s memorandum, Trump renewed a ban on direct or indirect financial transactions with entities controlled by the Cuban military, such as Grupo de A d m i n i

A (GAESA),anditsaffiliates, w

transactions that advance U.S.policygoalsorsupport theCubanpeople.

Biden had revoked a 2017 Trump order that r

transactions with some military- and governmentlinkedCubanentities.

The new memorandum “enforces the statutory ban onU.S.tourismtoCubaand e

through regular audits and mandatory record-keeping o

transactionsforatleastfive years,” the White House factsheetsaid.

It also supports the economicembargoofCuba and opposes calls in the United Nations and other international forums for its termination, the fact sheet said.

‘GECOM not ready for free, fair and transparent elections’ – Alexander

Wh i l e t h e

G u y a n a

Elections Commission (GECOM) steams ahead with its preparations for the General and Regional Elections slatedforSeptember1,2025,

opposition-nominated Commissioner, Vincent

Alexander still has reservations about the commission’s readiness to conductcredibleelections.

Alexander, who appeared as a guest on ‘Context’, a programme produced by Guyanese

broadcaster Enrico Woolford and aired on Facebook, raised his concerns about GECOM’s readiness

T h e o p p o s i t i o n commissioner noted that while GECOM has a mandatetoconductfree,fair andtransparentelections,the work conducted by the elections’ machinery so far, does not point to a commissionthatisreadyfor polls that cannot be questioned.

“For me, one GECOM hasnotdoneanythingwithin its power to ensure the elections are free, fair and t r a n s p a r e n t , notwithstanding their readiness for elections based on the technical things in their work plan I do not consider GECOM to be ready for elections because it’s not just about elections It’s free, fair and transparent elections,” Alexandersaid.

Alexander pointed to GECOM’s timelines specificallydisadvantagesto somesmallparties.

“They will get through that to the end of elections butaretheelectionsgoingto be free, fair, and transparent

L-R: Opposition nominated-commissioner Vincent Alexander speaks with broadcaster Enrico Woolford on ‘Context’.

Given the things they don’t have in place. For example, putting in place proper mechanism for the identification of voters or putting in place the mechanism that the list cannot be manipulated. If thosethingsarenotdone,as far as I’m concerned, we have a dilemma of an electionthatmaynotbefree, fairandtransparent.

“I am not saying this abstractly I am saying this because in the past things have occurred which can reoccur because GECOM has not made the effort to ensure there is no reoccurrence,” Alexander pointedout.

Notwithstanding, Alexander admitted that the opposition,APartnershipfor National Unity (APNU) and the Alliance for Change (AFC) is to be blamed partiallyforthecurrentstate ofGECOM.

He said that there could havebeenmoreeffortonthe opposition’s part to bring about more meaningful change to GECOM when theywereingovernment.

“Part of what is

hampering our achieving free, free and transparent elections has to do with the legislative architecture that does not provide for us tocleanupthelistintheway, the list should be cleaned u p , ” t h e G E C O M commissioneradded.

In May, commissioners Alexander, Desmond Trotman, and Charles Corbin held a press conference criticising the September 1 election date announced by President IrfaanAli.

They argued that the decision was made unilaterallyanddidnotalign with GECOM’s internal planning They further argued that GECOM would notbereadytoholdelections onthatdate.

Alexanderstatedthatata previous meeting held on May 20, GECOM’s Chief Election Officer (CEO)

Vishnu Persaud had submitted a “revised work plan” projecting September 22, 2025, as the earliest feasibledateforelections.

However, GECOM, in a statement, refuted this, stating that Persaud

Stanleytown man wanted for rape

The Guyana Police Force is seeking the public’sassistancetolocateQuincyBernard,a38year-old man of Lot 38 School Street, Stanleytown, West Bank Demerara, who is currentlywantedforrape.

In a release police said at about 17:59hrs Sunday,ranksvisitedtheaforementionedaddress to arrest Bernard, resulting in a confrontation whereitisallegedthataliveroundwasdischarged by a police rank causing Bernard to flee into hiding.Itisnotconfirmedwhetherhewasinjured, andhiswhereaboutsarecurrentlyunknown.

If Bernard is seen, citizens are urged to make contact with the Wales Police Station on #2672804 or the nearest Police Station. Contact can also be made with his relative, Ms. Kimone Gentle,at#615-0151.

confirmed the readiness of the commission, following claims from oppositionnominated commissioners

that GECOM Chairperson, Justice (Ret’d) Claudette Singh, provided misleading advice to President Irfaan Ali.

After initially rejecting the September 1, 2025 date for the elections, the opposition-nominated commissionersagreedtothe date.

Alexander confirmed that despite the change in position several key issues critical to ensuring free and fair elections remain unresolved. “There is no change in terms of the September 1 projection. In the meeting, we went through a work plan, saw someclarityandhaveagreed on the number of various actionsthathavetobetaken,

whichisnotexplicit.”

The commissioner continued: “The issues which were outstanding were stamping of the ballot, the number of dead persons on the list… and those matters I contended are critical to a free and fair election, which have not beenconcluded.”

He added that these matters, which were not included in the current plan butflaggedbytheopposition as essential, will be addressed in subsequent meetings.“Allthethingsthat were not in the plan that the opposition had contended are critical to a free and fair e l e c t i o n w i l l b e discussed , ” Alexander noted.

New US$133.8M Ogle to Eccles four-lane highway officially commissioned

ByAllyiahAllicock

President Irfaan Ali on Monday joined the Ministry of Public Works and other stakeholdersinofficiallycommissioningthe newly constructed US$133.8 million fourlane highway linking the East Coast of Demerara(ECD)fromOgletotheEastBank ofDemerara(EBD)atEccles.

Asreportedpreviously,inJune2022,the GovernmentofGuyanathroughtheMinistry ofPublicWorkshadsignedtheroadcontract withAshoka Buildcon Limited out of India, to initially commence works for a four-lane road link between Ogle and Eccles. At that time, the contract was signed to the tune of US$106.4 million. It was reported that the

project was being financed through a loan providedbytheIndianExportImportBank. Inclusiveofthesupervisoryservicesand additional works, it was announced by the Ministry’s Permanent Secretary, Vladmin Persaud that the overall total amounts to US$133.8million. Thisnewhighwaywhich notonlywouldeasecommutetimebetween the East Coast and East Bank of Demerara, was built to create critical investment opportunities, according to President Irfaan Ali.

Delivering the feature address, the President said, “Many times we have explainedthatthisprojectisnotonlyabouta road,developmentisfacilitatedbythe Continued on page 17

Wanted: Quincy Bernard

Section of

new Ogle to Eccles four-lane highway which was officially commissioned on Monday evening. (Photo courtesy, Hon. Deodat Indar, Minister and MP/ Facebook)

RHTYSC, MS congratulates four female cricketers on making national U-19 team

The management and members of the Rose Hall Town Youth and Sports Club, MS would like to congratulate the four members of the Rose Hall Town Metro Stationery Femaleteamwhohavegained selection on the Guyana Under-19 female team The fourplayersareTrishaHardat, JayaFraser,DanielaHicksand Danellia Manns and they would shortly be heading to TrinidadandTobagotoplay in the CWI Under19

tournament, a release from theclubinformed.

The club is very proud of thesegirlsastheyrepresentthe hardworkanddedication,we have shown towards the development of cricket at all levels over the last thirty-five yearssincetheRHTYSCwas foundedin1990bythreetimes Commonwealth Youth Service awardee, The St Francis Community Developers.

Manns and Hardat are already West Indies under19

players, while Hicks and Fraserwouldbemakingtheir national debuts Fraser is the niece of West Indies test selectee, Kevlon Anderson and is a very promising opening batter, while Hicks isasolidmiddleorderbatter and medium pacer She is also the niece of former national player, Delbert Hicks.Wewouldliketourge the girls to remain focused and disciplined. The club would like to reassure them ofourcontinuedsupportand

thatwearededicatedtotheir continueddevelopment.

Pameshwar Ram receives recognition from West Demerara businessman

Tuesday July 01, 2025

ARIES(Mar.21–Apr.19)

You're a real charmer None ofyourfriendscanresistyou, Aries.Todayyoushouldtryto put the finishing touches to yourpersonality Indeed.

TAURUS(Apr.20–May20)

The day will be calm and quiet, Taurus You feel strongly about finishing whatever you undertake.You probablyhavetheopportunity to add the final changes to some projects you've been workingon.

GEMINI(May21–June20)

You're very tolerant toward a particular person in your entourage, which is probably due to your generous nature, Gemini. You think everyone should have his or her own experiencesandsetbacks.

CANCER(June21–July22)

Today you may have a difference of opinion with a relative You will try to resolvethisproblem.Youwill be irritated by this present situation,andalmostfeelthat your relationship has been alteredforgood.

LEO(July23–Aug.22)

You're an emotional person, Leo You can easily be destabilized by something youreadinthenewsorseeon television Why are you saddened or hurt by the problemsoftheworld?

VIRGO(Aug.23–Sept.22)

Thetimehascometofocuson yourpersonallife,Virgo.Your life has certainly had its moments.Duringthepastfew months,ithasbeenespecially full of new and deep emotions.

TheRoseHallTownMetro teamwasfoundedin2008and over the last seventeen years hasproducedoverfortyplayers forBerbiceatalllevels,whilea totaloftwenty-sevenhavegone ontoplayatthenationallevel Fourofthemhaveplayedatthe internationallevelandtheyare Shemaine Campbelle, Erva Giddings,ShakabiGajnabiand Sheneeta Grimmond Campbelle has the distinction of been the only Guyanese to captain the West Indies at the senior level and to score an international century Plaffina Millington,lastweekwasalso namedtheCWIT20playerof the Year for 2024 in another main achievement for the RHTYSC,MS.

LIBRA(Sept.23–Oct.22)

Eventhoughyoushouldwatch your finances, you have a tendency to spend a lot of money, Libra. Happily, you havetheopportunitytomakea lotofprofit.

SCORPIO(Oct.23–Nov 21)

You often neglect your health and body Your equilibrium suffersfromthis,Scorpio.The time has come to consider a medical checkup just to be on the safe side. You love to discovernewthings.

SAGIT(Nov 22–Dec.21)

Todayyouwilltendtoanalyze yourlife.Youwillthinkabout yourlifestyleandthefoodyou eat. Are you eating foods that are good for your body? Are youexercisingenough?

CAPRI(Dec.22–Jan.19)

Thenextfewweekswillbefull of changes in your personal life, Capricorn Your relationships will evolve. You have convivial relations with your friends, but you need to keep an eye on your strong personalit.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20–Feb. 18) Some people have a tendency to be shy They almost apologize for being alive.Forthem,it'sessentialto keep a low profile You probably think that you're like this, but you're mistaken, Aquarius.

PISCES(Feb.19–Mar.20)

You're a real master of seduction, Pisces. For quite sometime,you'vebeenableto draw a number of people to you. It seems that no one can resist your charms. But today you will start thinking about thisprocessofseduction.

We would like to dedicate the selection of Manns, Hardat, Fraser and Hicks to the Management and Staff of Metro Office Suppliesforthesupportover the years. We look forward totheircontinuedsupportin the future as we seek to lift female cricket to another level in Guyana, a release fromtheclubstated.

Resilient Road Warriors...

Frompage25

Macey11th Jamal

Pedro27th

AmosRamsey13th

StephonJupiter 32ndStephonReynolds 21st RavinNaughton 24th Game6–Grudge Match BombSquad1 vs BentStreet1Kemar

Beckford2nd

BeveneyMarks8th

BombSquadwon5-3 viakicksfromthe penaltymarkafterextra tomefailedtoseparate thesides.

Final

RoadWarriors4vs SpartaBoss2 ThalysonPinheiro6th

RyanHackett 24th,37th

LuisDaSilva10th

JoaoDeSouza28th

SamuelHarrinandan 33rd Prizes

MVP–Wendrecky DeSouzaHGS

LuisDaSilva (10-goals)BGK–John\ Vieira 1stPlace2M

RoadWarriors

2ndPlace1M–Sparta Boss 3rdPlace

$400,000

BackCircle‘A’ 4thPlace

$200,000–

GoldIsMoney

Female

1stPlace

$200,000

2ndPlace

$100,000

Mr Feroze Barakat handing over the package to Pameshwar Ram.

Fifteen-year-old West DemeraraUnder-17Captain and winning Demerara Captain, Pameshwar Ram, was recently rewarded for gaining selection to the National Under19 Cricket team by Businessman Mr Feroze Barakat, Managing Director of Odyssey Transport Services Inc/Fab Mining Company Inc. at a simple presentation held at thehomeofMrBarakat.

The businessman advised Ram to always be

disciplined, work hard and stayfit.Ram,whohasbeena rising star so far at junior level, has already represented Guyana at the under15/17 Level, is a step closer to becoming West Demerara’syoungestplayer to play at national under19 level.

The soft-spoken lefthander thanked Mr Barakat for his kind gesture and promised to do his best for Guyana once given the opportunity

‘One

Guyana’King and Queen of the Sand Football Deon Charter helmet-trick leads Hardknocks into semis, LA Ballers, Spaniard, and Goal IQ also through

The quarterfinals of the One Guyana Kings and Queens of the Sand football competition in the Bauxite Mining Town of Linden on Friday night last was underlined by a magnificent performance by Deon Charter who blasted a helmet-trick (4-goals ) to lead Hardknocks into the semifinals of this third edition.

Playing at the People’s ProgressivePartyground,ad contestingthefeaturematch of the quarterfinals, Team Minerals were no match for the lads from Hardknocks who were already 4-0 up when Team Minerals were abletoscoretheirfirst.

Charter was in ripping form as he hammered home goal in the 4th, 8h, 19th and 31st minute and found able supportfromColwinDrakes whotippedinadoubleinthe 13th and 17th minute with theothercomingfromClive Nobrega in the 34th minute. JermainKingnettedthetwo goals Team Minerals were limited to, in the 18th and 26thminute.

Contesting the third quarterfinal, Goal IQ squeezed past Young Gunners in a testing encounter, 2-1. Goals were hard to come by in a match which saw both teams very solid in defense which afforded the warring opponents limited chances ongoal.

But it was Goal IQ who

broke the deadlock in the 20thminutethroughaJamal Haynes goal. Eight minutes it was back to level terms when Young Gunners’ Teffon Reynolds found the backofthenets. Extratime was needed to separate the twosides,anditwasGoalIQ who capitalised on the opportunity, scoring the winner in the 38th minute thankstoNathenialIssacs.

Spaniard was also subjectedtofightinghardto book their final four spot having to overcome a tough Bombers, 4-3. It was Bombers who had taken the lead in just the second minute of the game when ShemiahSamuelsnettedthe firstofhistwogoals.

But they could have hardly celebrated their early lead as 60 seconds later, ShaneLuckiedrewSpaniard onevenkeelwiththefirstof hisbrace,hissecondcoming two minutes later to give Spaniardthelead.

This advantage was doubled in the 14th minute

when Brandon Solomon found the back of the nets.

Dequan Samuels narrowed theadvantagewhenhefound Bombers’secondgoalinthe 23rdminutebutthetwo-goal cushion was restored through Sigmund Cobena’s 28thminutegoal.

Shemiah Samuels’ second goal in the 34th minute just reduced the marginofdefeatbyonegoal astimeranoutandtheyfell, 3-4.

LA Ballers made light work of their HH Ballers rivals as they romped to an easy5-1winonthebackofa doublefromKevinGentlein

the 9th and 32nd minute. Admirable support was had fromJashawnMoore(17th), Andre Mayers (29th), and Amaneki Buntin in the 34th minute HH Ballers’ consolation goal was scored by Cedric Hunte in the 28th minute.

Prior to the quarterfinals there was an exhibition match between female students from Mackenzie HighandMultilateralwhich ended 4-0 in favour of the former Adoublestrikeeach from

Zareika Caesar (2nd, 14th), and Tiffiann David (4th,6th)wasenoughtoseal thewinforMackenzieHigh.

LABallers goal scorers.

Deon Charter (right) and Colwin Drakes – Hardknocks.

The Spaniard scorers that led them to victory

AAG National Senior Championships

Close with Outstanding Performances

Baird javelin - GDF’s Leslain Baird produced a winning throw of 70.35m in the men’s javelin.

The Athletics Association of Guyana (AAG) concluded its 2025 National Senior Championships on Sundayfollowinganactionpacked three days of competition at the National Track and Field Centre.The final day delivered compelling performances, withestablishedathletesand emergingtalentsshowcasing their class across various events.

The Guyana Defence Force (GDF) emerged as a dominant force throughout the Championships, collectingnumeroustitleson

800m

bothtrackandfield.Inoneof themostanticipatedracesof the day, Shamar Horatio led a GDF sweep in the men’s 200m, clocking an impressive 20.72 seconds. He was followed closely by teammates Akeem Stewart (20.94) and Ezekiel Newton (20.96), underlining GDF’s sprintingstrength.

Middle-distance standoutSimeonAdamsalso played a key role in GDF’s success,capturingthemen’s 800m title with a time of 1:52.20.

Helaterreturnedtohelp histeamsecurevictoryinthe mixed 4x400m relay,

teaming up with Kenisha Phillips, Joshua Lam, and Keliza Smith to clock 3:32.31.

On the field, GDF’s Leslain Baird produced a winning throw of 70.35m in the men’s javelin, while Micai Washington claimed silverinthelongjumpwitha leapof7.53m.

However, that event was won in spectacular fashion by Police Progressive’s Emmanuel Archibald, who soared to 7.96m to take the gold.

Archibald’s gold capped a solid outing for the Police Progressive Sports Club. In

Raducanu beats compatriot Xu at ‘favourite tournament’

BBC Sport - British

number one Emma

Raducanu cruised to a comfortable victory over compatriot Mimi Xu to progresstothesecondround

a t h e r “ f a v o u r i t e tournament”,Wimbledon.

Raducanu swiftly wrapped up the 6-3 6-3 win against17-year-oldXu,who was making her maiden GrandSlamappearance.

The Welsh teenager showed glimpses of the potential that earned her a wildcard in this year’s main drawatSW19.

But Raducanu quickly settled into her rhythm on court one and showcased someofthefree-hittingstyle shehasenjoyedatthegrasscourtwarm-upevents.

The 22-year-old looked unaffected by the stillsweltering conditions at the All England Club as she aimstobetterlastyear’srun tothefourthround.

Raducanu is currently ranked 40 in the world and regained her title as British number one at Queen’s. (Getty Images)

“It’s really nice to be back I just use it [expectation]assupportand Iloveit,”shesaid.

“It’s my favourite tournamentbyfarsoI’mjust so happy to get another matchhere.”

Victory comes after a successful opening day for the British players with victories for Sonay Kartal,

the women’s long jump, Annalisa Redmond leapt 5 93m to claim the top podium spot, backed up by strong efforts from teammatesLeoniAdamsand Amrist Hector. Aaliyah Moore added another gold for Police with a dominant run in the women’s 800m, stopping the clock at 2:02.69.

GDF’swomenwerealso intopform.

Arthur Fery, Cameron Norrie, Billy Harris and qualifierOliverTarvet. Sterner tests await Raducanu with a meeting against former Wimbledon

champion Marketa Vondrousova in round two but she smiled and celebrated with the adoring home crowd after wrapping upthewin.

Other notable results included a hard-fought win for Odida Parkinson in the men’s10,000m,asheedged out Police’s Royston Fordyceinadramaticfinish.

EronLeitchandGabrielLim delivered for Police with silver and bronze in the men’s javelin, registering throws of 61 62m and

Keliza Smith stormed to victoryinthewomen’s200m withatimeof23.70seconds, followed by teammate KenishaPhillips(24.00)and Police’s Tianna Springer (24.02). Smith also featured in the winning mixed 4x400m team, capping an outstandingday Meanwhile, Anisha Gibbons gave GDF anotherfieldeventtitlewith a commanding 46 40m throw in the women’s javelin.

60.90m respectively Team Nice Athletics, meanwhile, earned third place in the mixed 4x400m relay in 3:55.84.

TheAAG commends all athletes, coaches, officials, and spectators for contributing to what has been a highly competitive and spirited Championship. The strong performances witnessed this past weekend highlight the continued development of athletics in Guyana and the promising potential ahead as preparations intensify for upcoming regional and internationalengagements.

Second memorial match set for Fazil Sattaur on Saturday

Th e s e c o n d memorial match

i s s e t f o r Saturday, July 5 for former Guyana first-class cricketer and Canadian International playerFazilSattaur

The 30-over hard-ball game is scheduled to be played at the Laurel Creek Conservation ground in Waterloo, Ontario, Canada. Sattaur died September 2023atage58duetoillness.

In 2024 a list of his former Guyana teammates playedina30-overmatchat theabove-mentionedvenue includingClaytonLambert, Sudesh Dhaniram, Kenneth W o n g , D e r r i c k Kallicharran, Arjune Nandu,KeithSemple,Azib Alli Hanif, Hemnarine Chattergoon, Matthew NanduandDillonHeyliger

According to his younger brother, Abdool

Samad,preparationsforthe gamearegoingsmoothly.

Samad, who also represented Canada at the highestlevel,statedthatthe same set of players will be gracing the occasion again except Lambert and Dhaniram. Hestatedthatthefamily is still saddened with his brother’s passing but excited to run off this cricketmatchforthesecond year in succession The action is slated to commence at 1:00pm Sattaur was known as the “Terminator” due to his destructive batting approach. At last year’s event, the two teams were named: Terminator1&2.

The right-handed batsmanSattaurplayedclub cricket for Albion Cricket Club and city-team Everest

before his immigration to Canada. Meanwhile, Kallicharran,anex-Guyana and West Indies B team player and the brother of former Guyana and West Indies batsman Alvin Kallicharran, informed that this match will also be playedinmemoryofSuresh Ganouri. Ganouri featured forGuyanaatthefirst-class level too. He died at age 63 in2018alsoduetoillness. Derrick Kallicharran participated in the organizational aspect of things for Sattaur’s first memorialgame. Like Samad, Derrick Kallicharran, has expressed appreciation to all the players for coming out and rememberSattaur Sattaurleft6brothers,3 sisters, 4 daughters, 1 son and 3 grandchildren to mourn.

men - Simeon Adams of the GDF captured the men’s 800m title.

Women’s 200m - GDF’s Keliza Smith stormed to victory in the women’s 200m beating teammate Kenisha Phillips and Police’s Tianna Springer.

ByDr.FitzroyTyrrell

As a pastor and father of two sons who play sports, both pieces raise critical issues that deserve carefulconsideration.

RespondingtoRawleToney’s “MonsterinMaroon”

TheArticle’sStrengthsand Concerns

Toney’sarticletacklesacrucial issue that many in sports media avoid: the pattern of sexual violence by athletes and how athletic talent often shields perpetrators from consequences. Hiscentralthesis—thatweneedto stop protecting predators simply because they can play cricket well—is correct and needs to be saidloudlyandclearly

As a pastor, I appreciate Toney’s moral clarity He writes, “Heisnotahero.Heisapredator.” This kind of direct language reflects what Ephesians 5:11 calls ustodo:“Havenothingtodowith the fruitless deeds of darkness, but ratherexposethem.”Toooften,we speak in euphemisms about sexual violence, which minimizes the s e v e r i t y o f t h e h a r m caused.Toney’s observation that “sexual violence by athletes is not newglobally”alignswithresearch by Brackenridge (2001), who documented that “the sports environmentcanprovidea‘perfect storm’ of conditions that facilitate sexual exploitation” (Spoilsports, p 87) His point about the “disturbing pattern of protecting the predator while punishing the victim”reflectswhatFreyd(2003) identified as “institutional betrayal” when organizations prioritize their reputation over victim safety (Dynamic SelfConcept,p.294).

WheretheArticleCouldGo Deeper

However, while Toney effectively identifies the problem, his article would benefit from exploring solutions more thoroughly He mentions that “investigations with integrity, accountability, and support for survivors” are needed, but doesn’t elaborateonwhatthesemightlook likepractically

Assomeonewhohascounseled families through these situations, I know that effective responses require both immediate accountability and long-term prevention strategies. Research by Vertommenetal.(2016)foundthat

Both the Article and the Commentary

A Measured Response to “Monster in Maroon”: Addressing

“sport-specific intervention programmes that address power dynamics, consent education, and bystander intervention showed promisingresultsinchangingteam cultures” (ChildAbuse & Neglect, 51,p.228).

Toney’sconclusion—”Wemust confront this monster Not with silence.Notwithexcuses.Butwith courage, justice, and truth”—is powerful, but it would be strengthened by concrete steps for how individuals, institutions, and communities can do this, confronting.

TheArticle’sPropheticVoice

What I most appreciate about Toney’s piece is its prophetic quality Like the Hebrew prophets who called out injustice regardless of who was committing it, Toney refusestoletathletictalentobscure moral failure. His words echo Isaiah1:17:“Learntodoright;seek justice.Defendtheoppressed.”

The article serves an important function in challenging what sport ethicistDrewHyland(1990)called the dangerous conflation of “excellence in physical performance” with “excellence in moral behavior” (Philosophy of Sport, p. 156). This is particularly relevantforparentslikemewhoare raisingsonsinasportsculture. RespondingtoShanudellD.Q.

Phillips’Commentary

Phillips’ComplexPerspective

Phillips’ commentary introduces a much more nuancedand troubling - perspective that deserves careful analysis. While she begins by agreeing with Toney’s basic premise (“most of whatyousaidisindeedthetruth”), she then pivots to what appears to be a cultural relativist argument thatIfinddeeplyproblematic.

Phillips asks important questions about environmental influences: “Where did he spend his formative years? What is the culture of this environment?” These aren’t unreasonable questions. Research by Finkelhor (1984) acknowledges that “environmental factors may increase risk” for sexual offending behavior (Child Sexual Abuse, p. 53).

However, Phillips’ description of the “riverine community” culture is deeply concerning. Her referenceto“activitiesthatoccurin the area as it relates to male and femalerelationshipswouldmakea doctor puke,” and her mention of behaviors“sosurrealthatIwonder if we were on earth” suggests systematicnormalizationofsexual abuse.

TheDangerousPathofCultural Excusing

This is where Phillips’ commentary becomes problematic

from both a moral and theological perspective. Her suggestion that someresidentshave“relocatedjust to protect their families” while others “condone such behavior” and “label it as their culture” represents exactly the kind of cultural relativism that enables ongoingharm.

Asapastor,Imustfirmlyreject anysuggestionthatculturalcontext excuses sexual violence. Scripture doesn’t give us this option. When Jesus encountered the woman caughtinadultery(John8:1-11),he showed compassion for her circumstances while still calling the behavior sin. Paul’s words in Galatians 6:1-2 call us to “restore that person gently” while still acknowledgingwrongdoing.

Anthropologist Lila AbuLughod (2002) warned against using cultural context to excuse harmful practices, noting that “some practices cause genuine harm regardless of their cultural context”(DoMuslimWomenNeed Saving? p. 784). Pain is pain, regardless of the cultural frameworkinwhichitoccurs.

Phillips’

ValidQuestionsAbout Change

Phillips does raise a legitimate question: “How is he to shed immediately what was part of his upbringing, what is essentially a part of the fabric of his entire psyche, in favor of what is the correct thing?” This reflects an understanding of how deeply environmental influences can shapebehaviorpatterns.

ResearchbyMarshallandLaws (2003) confirms that “changing deeply ingrained behavior patterns requires sustained support, professionalintervention,andoften years of dedicated work” (Sexual Deviance, p 267) This is consistent with the biblical understanding of transformation foundin2Corinthians7:10,where Pauldistinguishesbetweenworldly grief and “godly sorrow [that] brings repentance that leads to salvation.”

However, Phillips’ question seems to suggest that cultural background makes change so difficultastobenearlyimpossible. This fatalistic view contradicts bothresearchandscripture.

AsPaulwritesin1Corinthians 6:11, speaking to people from various problematic backgrounds: “And that is what some of you were. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ.”

TheProblemwithPhillips’ Conclusion

Phillipsconcludesbyaskingfor helpto“ensurethatthisbehavioris d i s c o n t i n u e d , ” w h i l e

simultaneously seeming to excuse itbasedonculturalupbringing.She also refers to the athlete as “an exemplary sportsman” despite acknowledging “skeletons in his burialground.”

This conclusion reflects the exact problem Toney’s article addresses the tendency to compartmentalize athletic ability frommoralcharacter AsIteachmy sons, character isn’t situational. First Timothy 3:2 requires leaders tobe“abovereproach”—notjustin some areas of life, but comprehensively

WhereBothPerspectivesMiss theMarkTheNeedforVictimCenteredResponses

Both the article and commentary, while raising importantissues,don’tsufficiently centertheexperiencesandneedsof survivors Trauma researcher Judith Herman (1992) emphasized “thecentralimportanceofsurvivor voice and choice in any justice process”(TraumaandRecovery,p. 133) Neither piece adequately addresses what survivors need to heal or how their voices should shape our responses. This is a significantgapthatreflectsbroader problemsinhowwediscusssexual violence—we often focus more on the perpetrator’s circumstances thanonthevictim’sneeds.

TheMissingPrevention Framework

Both pieces also lack a comprehensive prevention framework. While Toney calls for courage and justice, and Phillips asks about helping the individual change, neither provides a clear roadmap for preventing future harm.Effectivepreventionrequires whatSalter(2003)called“thethree pillars”: education about healthy relationships starting at a young age, bystander intervention training, and accountability systems that consistently enforce consequences(Predators,p.178).

A Pastoral and Parental Response

Confrontingthe“Monster”

Systemically

Asapastorandfather,Iseethe “monster”Toneydescribesasboth individual and systemic. Yes, we must hold individual perpetrators accountable. But we also must address the cultural systems that enableandprotectthem.

This means challenging what researcher David Lisak (2011) identified as environments where “sexual violence is facilitated by social norms that support male dominance and entitlement” (Violence Against Women, 17, p. 715) In sports contexts, this includes the hero worship that makes athletes seem above moral scrutiny

CreatingEnvironmentsof Safety

Formysons,I’mcommittedto helpingcreatesportsenvironments that reflect biblical values. This means teaching them that true strength protects the vulnerable, not exploits them. As Proverbs 31:8-9 instructs: “Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves,fortherightsofallwho are destitute. Speak up and judge fairly;defendtherightsofthepoor andneedy.”

TheHopeofTransformation

While I reject cultural excuses for harmful behavior, I do believe in the possibility of genuine transformation The gospel message is that no one is beyond redemption, but redemption requires genuine repentance, not justregretaboutconsequences.

Realaccountabilitymeanswhat restorative justice pioneer Howard Zehr (2002) described: “understandingtheimpactofone’s actions, taking responsibility, and actively working to repair harm while changing behavior patterns” (The Little Book of Restorative Justice,p.37).

MovingForwardTogether

BothToney’spropheticcallfor justice and Phillips’ questions about environmental influences contain important truths, but neither alone provides a complete response.Weneedapproachesthat:

1. Center the survivor’s needsandvoicesinalldecisions

2. Hold individuals fully accountable regardless of background

3. Address systemic issues thatenableabuse

4. Provide pathways for g e n u i n e c h a n g e w h e n demonstratedthroughactions

5. Create prevention programmes that start early and addressculturalfactors

6. B u i l d s p o r t s environments that consistently prioritizehumandignity

As Micah 6:8 reminds us, the Lord requires us “to act justly and tolovemercyandtowalkhumbly.” Justice means protecting victims and holding perpetrators accountable Mercy means believing in the possibility of redemption while never minimizing the work required. Humility means acknowledging ourcapacityformoralfailurewhile maintainingclearstandards.

The“monster”Toneyidentifies isn’tjustoneperson—it’sasystem thatprioritizesathleticsuccessover human dignity Confronting it requires both individual accountability and systematic change. That’s the work ahead of us,andit’sworkweallhavearole indoing.

Da Silva, Fernandes, Hickerson, Lowe and Ten Pow

advance to semis

TeamGuyanaisoff to a tremendous start at the 2025 Junior Caribbean Area SquashAssociation(CASA) Championship, securing six spotsinthesemifinalsofthe Singlesevent.

Leading the charge for the Guyanese contingent is Louis Da Silva, Kaylee Lowe, Ethan Bulkan, Ella Fernandes, Zion Hickerson, and Justin Ten Pow, all advancing to the semifinals in their respective age divisions.

Guyana’s campaign began with mixed fortunes, suffering early losses through Shiloh Asregado and Matthew Daby However, the team quickly bounced back with strong performances from Brenno DaSilvaandJustinTenPow Brenno dominated Matthaius Malthura 11-1, 11-0, 11-4 in the Boys U17 division, while Ten Pow

Resilient

outclassedJamesBigley112, 11-3, 11-3 in their U15 clash.

Egan Bulkan also impressed in his Boys U15 encounter,defeatingGovind Venugopalinstraightgames.

In the Girls U19 division, Rylee Rodrigues fell 3-1 to Gabrielle Turcharo, but Safriah Sumner delivered another win for Team Guyana, defeating Olivia Sherratt 13-11, 13-11, 11-4 inatightlycontestedmatch.

On June 30, Guyanese players returned to action at the South Sound Squash Court.AsregadotookonBen King in the Plate quarterfinals, while Egan Bulkan faced Maximilian Woolf Brenno Da Silva squared off with Rocco Adderley, Sumner met Olivia Sherratt once again, Zoey McDonald played Varenya Singh, and Rafael Braithwaite faced Charlie Knock.

Looking ahead, Guyana will feature in several key semifinalmatchups. Ella Fernandes faces Denielle Benn in the Girls U11 semifinal, Zion Hickerson takes on Zavin

Road Warriors

Garrick in the Boys U11, and Ethan Bulkan meets Ben Sherratt in the Boys U13 division. In the U15 semifinals, Kaylee Lowe battles Olivia Watts while Justin Ten Pow plays AdrianoVera.

Meanwhile, Louis Da Silva will clash with Dominic Wilson in a highly anticipated Boys U19 semifinalshowdown.

The 2025 Junior CASA Championship tipped off on Sunday, June 29, with Singles action continuing through July 5, promising more thrilling matchups and standout performances from theregion’stopjuniortalent.

topple

Sparta

Boss to claim inaugural title; Lady Canaimas are female winners

Backed by a fair amount of fans in a sold out Cliff Anderson Sports Hall, Road Warriors emerged as the champions of the inaugural June Madness Futsal Championshipaftertoppling Guyana’s best, Sparta Boss in the wee hours of Sunday morning.

Witnessed by Hon. Juan Edghill, Minister of Public Works and Hon. Charles Ramson Jr, Minister of Culture, Youth and Sport, andSteveNinvalle,Director of Sport amongst other dignitaries, the Cliff Anderson Sports rocked from start to finish in the championship match, as the Braziliansalsotookawayall three individual awards, Most Valuable Player (Wendrecky DeSouza), Highest Goal Scorer (Louis DaSilva), Best Goalkeeper (JohnVieira).

Road Warriors received two-million dollars as reward for winning this championship which started with 48-teams and ended withwhatallthefansagreed

was a fitting way to culminate a well-executed a n d a d m i n i s t e r e d competition.

Thethirdplacematchwas a stroll in the park for Back Circle ‘A’who got the better of Gold Is Money 8-5 and took away the $400,000 winnerprize,GoldIsMoney hadtosettlefor$200,000

L a d y C a n a i m a s continuedtheirdominanceof femalefutsaltrouncingIconic Strikers 5-0 led by two goals eachfromGlednyLewis(1st, 20th), Sandra Johnson (2nd, 10th) and NiomiWilliams in the12thminute

The pre-final hype was that Sparta Boss, Guyana National Futsal champions were more than capable of outgunning the Road Warriors side who were sent packing in the semifinals of the national championships heldinDecemberof2024and January2025

This time around, the Brazilianoutfitdidnotmake any blunders, and while Sprata showed glimpses of brilliance during the

encounter, they were shut downastheirleadingscorer, Curtez Kellman could not get going on the night and while Ryan ‘Bum Bum’ Hackett scored both the goalstheywereabletosink, he was marked very tightly and was for the most part, denied using his favoured

left foot On the two occasions he was able to unshackle himself, from being double teamed and eventripledteamedattimes, he scored in the 24th, 37th minutes Road Warriors madeSpartaBossworkhard andtheywerenullifiedinthe finalthird.

Two of the Road Warriors goals were ripping left foot shots from acute angles which sent the fans into a frenzy Thalyson Pinheiro opened their account in the 6th minute with Luis DaSilva’s 10th minutestrikeearninghimthe Highest Goal Scorer of the championship prize as he ended with 10-goals, one morethanRandolphWagner ofGoldIsMoney

JoaoDeSouzainthe28th and Samuel Harrinandan 33rd a fabulous right foot shotalmostclosetothegoal line which zoomed past a bemusedOmarJonesingoal forSpartawasenoughforthe win, capping a fantastic run fortheteamastheyendedas the only undefeated team in thechampionship.

Both Ministers Edghill and Ramson assisted with the presentation of prizes to the top teams and individual performers along with other dignitaries. The following arethefullresultsofthe11th andfinal night:Game1

GTMasters1 vsGTAll Stars1

Gameendedina8-8 drawafterextratime, shotsfromthepenalty markandsuddendeath kicksfailedtoseparate thesides.After12shots, thescoredremained8-8 withfourmisseseach.

Game2

Corinthians3 vs Gladiators0

Game3–FemaleFinal

LadyCanaimas5vs IconicStrikers0

GlendyLewis1st,20th

SandraJohnson2nd, 10th

NiomiWilliams12th

Game4

ChampsGY2 vsInfluencers1

Game5–ThirdPlace

BackCircle‘A’8vs GoldIsMoney5

SimeonMoore6th,20th

Randolph Wagner20th, 38th

FabianAbrams22nd

37th Shomar

Koulen26thChris

(Continuedonpage19)

MVPWendrecky DeSouza is rewarded by Minister Charles Ramson Jr.

Louis Da Silva (left) opens with strong win in the Boys U19 division.

Scenes from Sunday in the 2025 Junior CASA Championship.

Sports

Men’s 200m - Shamar Horatio leads a GDF sweep in the men’s 200m ahead ofAkeem

Stewart and Ezekiel Newton.

Minister of Sport Charles Ramson Jr. hands over the top prize and trophy to Road Warriors’captain in the presence of teammates and other officials.

Ram renews calls for Petroleum Commission

accuses ExxonM of profit-manipulation to boost investor confidence says oil companies should appear before parliamentary committee every year to answer questions on performance

MostGuyanesehearthat ExxonMobil raked in over US$10 billion in profit last year and assume that means Guyanagotitsfairshare,but Chartered Accountant, ChristopherRaminhismost recent newspaper column hasexposedwhathedeemed as the oil giant’s classic profit manipulation scheme by turning billions of previously undisclosed and unaccountedcostsintopaper profits.Andherenewedcalls for the government to

establishment of an independent Petroleum

C o m m i s s i o n T h e government has dodged the setting up of such a commission, although it had promisedtoputthisinplace whenitwascampaigningfor office in 2020. In fact, as recent as last year August,

Minister of Natural

Resources, Vickram Bharrat amongotherthings,saidthat the establishment of a PetroleumCommissionhere now will slow down the oil and gas sector Bharrat had saidthatwhileitsoundsnice to say “put the petroleum commission in place” the a d v a n t a g e s a n d disadvantages must be considered.

Ram said Guyana can meet its low threshold of “ b e t t e r c o n t r a c t administration” by insisting on linking the reported financialperformanceof the separate companies with the ministerial audits provided for under the PSA; the d i s c l o s u r e o f t h e unrecovered costs in the financial statements of each ofthecompanies;clarifythat recoverable costs are not duplicated; and that the oil companies set up a decommissioning trust fund that is jointly managed by Guyana and the oil companies.

“ByJune30ofeachyear, the oil companies and the Ministryshouldcomebefore the Economic Affairs or the N

Committee of the National A

questions on the past year’s performance.”Ramisofthe

equipped or independent of theoilcompaniestotrustitto continue as the regulator of the sector “If Exxon can try t

financially literate investor pressintheUSA,weatleast shouldestablishaPetroleum

Commission that is competent and independent and free from political influence,” the chartered accountantstated.

WallStreetinvestors

Meanwhile, Ram told Kaieteur News that his investigationhasshownthat in 2024 alone, 165 oil lifts from the Stabroek Block worth over US$13 billion went to cost recovery, yet this“magicallyshowedupas newearningsinthefinancial statementsofExxonMobil. He said this was done to keep shareholders and Wall Street investors smiling

“Thetrickgoesdeeper Noncash expenses like depreciation, amortisation and decommissioning are used to inflate operating costs,justifyingmorebarrels forcostrecovery,”Ramtold thisnewspaper E x x o n M o b i l Corporationanditspartners, Hess Corporation and China’s CNOOC, recently reportedacombinedprofitof US$10.4 billion from their oil operations in Guyana in 2024, marking a 64% yearon-year jump, according to ExxonMobil’s financial statement The surge was driven by expanded production capacity and favorable fiscal terms that continue to make Guyana one of the most lucrative oil p

l

y, Ya

oo Finance had reported ExxonMobil alone booked US$4.7 billion in adjusted

earnings from its Guyana operations last year, contributing substantially to its global earnings of U S $ 3 3 4 6 b i l l i o n

Meanwhile, Hess posted US$3 1 billion in profits from the region, up from US$1 9 billion in 2023, while CNOOC earned US$2.5 billion, rising from US$1.5billion.

KaieteurNewsandother commentators have queried based on Exxon’s financial statement how it was possiblefortheoilmajorand its partners in the Stabroek Block to walk away with US$10 4 billion, while Guyana received a mere US$2 6 billion, despite a 50/50 profit sharing and Guyana’s 2 per cent royalty agreement. The Ministry of Natural Resources later issued a statement claiming that most of the US$10.4B

represented cost recovery

Kaieteur News had queried based on Exxon’s financial statement how it was possiblefortheoilmajorand its partners in the Stabroek Block to walk away with US$10 4 billion, while Guyana received a mere US$2 6 billion, despite a 50/50 profit sharing and Guyana’s 2 per cent royalty agreement.

Manipulation

Commenting on the disparity, Ram said the oil giant is engaged in profit manipulation.Hereferenced the massive deferred tax liabilities, which the oil companies- Exxon, HESS andCNOOCknowtheywill never actually pay because they are covered by the Government. He said however these appear on the books to bolster the illusion of big financialobligations.“Itisa double game: shareholders think they are buying into record-breaking profits,

while Guyana’s National ResourceFundreportsshow Guyana is still giving up barrels to cover costs that were incurred years ago,” Ramsaid. Hesaidthisslick accounting exposé shows just how little Guyana’s leaders and institutions really understand the intricacies of the 2016 Petroleum Agreement

“There is no ring-fencing to stop one project’s revenue being used to finance Exxon’s other exploration activities; there is no robust, independent audit of the billions claimed for cost recovery; and there is no attempt by the auditors to force clear, IFRS-standard disclosure that would show the real split between actual profits and recycled expenses Left unchecked, thismeansweriskbeingbled dry:bythetimethewellsrun dry in 2057, the true wealth will have vanished while Guyana is left holding an emptybarrel,”Ramsaid.

Chartered Accountant, Christopher Ram

ExxonMobil Guyana President, Alistair Routledge

BLUNT BLUNT BLUNT BLUNT

Talks about elections, not about our wealth

Everybody is talking about the September 1 elections, with many diagnoses and predictions of what is going to happen between now and then. But few persons are talking about the oil bounties this country has been blessed with.

Talk and more elections talk from today, with a watchful eye on July 14, Nomination Day Due to the damaging developments that have been part and parcel of many elections in Guyana, all of them, there are also anxieties about how the post-September 1 days will be.

Whether smooth or scorching, that remains to be seen. We think that, at most, there may be some half-hearted sounds and movements, but that should be the sum of it. The presence of so many foreigners with a vested interest in oil and gold virtually guarantees such an environment. Oil and gold—especially oil—rarely stir excited, passionate conversations, and when they do, it’s only as a quick sidebar

Govt. accused of using U.S. lobby to attack Mohamed

Businessman and We Invest in Nationhood (WIN) Presidential Candidate, Azruddin Mohamed has come under attack after a US-based lobbying firm hired by the Guyanese Government drafted a series of tweets accusing him of links to Venezuelan PresidentNicolásMaduro.

Themovecomesevenas the PPP/C Government has been ramping up their attacks against Mohamed who has been attracting sizablegatheringsduringthe many outreaches across the c o u n t r y. I n s o m e communities considered PPP strongholds, Mohamed has faced intimidation and attacksbyPPPactivists.

The five proposed tweets, prepared by Continental Strategy LLC, refertoMohamedasa“proMaduro puppet” and were submitted to a U S congressional office as part ofthefirm’slobbyingefforts onbehalfoftheGovernment of Guyana Already one Congressman Carlos Gimenez published one of the tweets from his personal account, echoing the firm’s accusations. He stated: “In the U.S. Congress, we are alarmed by the regime in Venezuela’s attempt to undermine#Guyanathrough its pro-Maduro puppet

candidate Azruddin M o h a m e d , w h o i s sanctioned by OFAC! The Western Hemisphere must remain a stronghold of freedom — not a breeding ground for communist dictatorships.”

According to public filings with the U S Department of Justice, the Guyanese Government signed a six-month agreement with Continental Strategy LLC in December 2024. The contract is worth US$50,000 per month and outlines that the firm would provide lobbying and government relations services to Guyana’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The aim, according to the filing,isto:(1)increaseU.S. trade and investment in Guyana; (2) assist in financialsectorreforms;and (3) raise Guyana’s profile in theUnitedStates.Thefirm’s duties include lobbying, preparing and disseminating informational materials, and engaging directly with U.S. policymakers.

OnJune23,JohnBarsa,a partner at Continental Strategy, emailed the

DirectorofCommunications for U S Congressman CarlosGimenez,sharingthe five draft tweets. In the email,Barsaclarifiedhewas sending the material “on behalfoftheGovernmentof Guyana.”

Thedraftedtweets readasfollows:

1. “US-sanctioned gold mogul Azruddin Mohamed is running for president in Guyana. This isn’t just a local scandal it’s a warning The Western Hemisphere must remain a stronghold for democracy, not a playground for authoritarianinfluence.”

2.“AsanctionedMaduro ally running for president in Guyana? This isn’t just politics—it’s a red flag. The Western Hemisphere must not become a safe haven for authoritarianexpansion.”

3. “Venezuela’s attempt to encroach into Guyana through pro-Maduro puppet

Azruddin Mohamed’s presidential run is alarming. The Western Hemisphere must remain a stronghold of freedom not a breeding ground for communist dictatorships.”

4. “Maduro’s sanctioned

puppet Azruddin Mohamed running for president in GuyanaisVenezuela’slatest attempt to creep into a sovereign democracy The Western Hemisphere must reject authori

a #Venezuela#FreedomFirst”

5 “U S -sanctioned businessman Azruddin Mohamed, seen as sympathetictoMaduro-style politics.”

These tweets were included in Continental Strategy’s public filing with the U S Department of Justice. In a swift response, Mohamed said it has

nd any reasonable doubt that the “PPP-led Government of Guyana has used taxpayer’s funds to finance the US lobbying firm to launch a campaign aimed at falsely portrayingmeasanagentof the Maduro regime in Venezuela.” Mohamed said he rejected Venezuela’s claimtotheEssequibo.“My father is Essequibo-born. I would never betray the soil my family is rooted in. I stand firmly for Guyana’s sovereignty;Ialwayshave Continued on page 9

U.S. Congressman Carlos Gimenez calling Mohammed Maduro’s puppet

Businessman and We Invest in Nationhood (WIN) presidential candidate, Azruddin Mohamed