Guyana’s
...as seven parties
Terrence Campbell,
Vieira, among other new faces on APNU’s list
AFC to contest
in
…concernedaboutGECOM’spreparedness
-Jagdeourgessupporters come out and vote’
Broomes to contest
Nomination Day in six, Amanza in seven regions at elections
GECOM says went smoothly ‘Don’t be complacent,
ByAlliyahAllicock
Contesting for the first time in theGeneralandRegionalElections scheduled for September 1, 2025, the ‘We Invest in Nationhood’ (WIN) party headed by businessman Azruddin Mohamed on Monday drew thousands of supporters on the ground at the UmanaYana,asitsubmitteditslist of candidates for the upcoming polls. The party was one of seven that successfully submitted their lists. Hailing from all walks of life and ethnicities, the wave of supporterswhobravedthesunand rain, assembled at the Kitty Roundabout, Georgetown decked in the party’s blue colour as they prepared with party officials to headovertotheUmanaYana.
Among the massive crowd
which rivaled that of the PPP/C’s party support on nomination day, majority of Mohamed’s supporters wereyoungmen,womenandeven children. While on the ground, KaieteurNewsobservedsupporters arriving in vehicles from as far as Berbice,WestCoast,EastBankand East Coast Demerara, among others.Thepartyalsohadscoresof supporters traveling from Linden, but was reportedly stopped by traffic ranks on the East Bank of Demeraracorridor
Departing the Kitty Roundabout around 11:00hrs, a fleetofmotorcyclesandtruckswith music set traversed alongside the thousandsofsupporters,whowere led down the Seawall Road to the nomination site by some of the party’s candidates - Dawn Hastings-Williams,NatashaSingh-
and
Upon arrival at the Umana Yana, supporters gathered both at theSeawallRoadandYoungStreet to show solidarity as the party leader and candidates made their way inside the UmanaYana benab to submit their list to the Guyana ElectionsCommission(GECOM).
After submitting his list of candidates, Mohamed when approached by media operatives outsidethebenab,informedthathis partyiscompetinginalltheregions
Askedaboutsomeofhisparty’s policiestheyplannedtoimplement ifelectedtooffice,thepresidential hopeful said, “I traveled the length and breadth of this country and I listened to concerns from tens of thousands of my fellow Guyanese brothers and sisters. So based on that is how…we will put the
policiesoutthereveryshortly…ina timely manner, just be patient, we wanttogetoverwiththisfirst.”
Whilenotsharingexactlywhat the policies are, Mohamed assured theywillbebetterthananythingthe government has put out. He was asked to share his areas of priorities, he pointed out investment in human resources, to uplift the lives of the people becauseeverysectorinthecountry is rotten. The businessman, who wassanctionedbytheUnitedStates government,wasaskedwhyshould Guyanese vote for him, given that the sanction could bring implications for the country
According to Mohamed, “Well remember, at the end of the day, I am the only one looking out for Guyanese…I am the only one representing… the Guyanese, they
believe in me, they trust me to be the leader for them.” When grilled about when he would officially launchhispartycampaignorholda press conference, Mohamed responded“verysoon.”
The U.S. Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) last year sanctioned Mohamed and his father Nazar Mohamed as well as PPP member and former PermanentSecretary,MaeThomas over allegations of tax evasion, corruption, and gold smuggling. Thomas was accused of misusing her position to grant government contracts and other benefits to the businessmen. Since the sanctions, the Guyanese government has sought information from U S authoritiesandcommittedtotaking appropriate action once enough evidencewasavailable.
ByShaniaWilliams
TheAPartnership for National Unity (APNU) has added several returneesandnewfacestoitslistof candidates for the upcoming elections, including businessman Terrence Campbell, former GuySuCo board member Anthony Vieira and businessman Jacob Rambaran all of whom have either returned to or newly aligned with theparty Campbell, once affiliated with the Alliance For Change (AFC) during the APNU+AFC coalition negotiations, appeared onAPNU’s nomination list instead of AFC’s. Attempts to contact him initially provedunsuccessful,butinarecent interview with the Village Voice News,heconfirmedhisalignment. “Yes,mynameisontheAPNUlist. This is no time for vacillation... Withouttogetherness,therewillbe
nosuccess.Wemustrecommit.We willdobetterforyou.Wewillmake thingshappenthistime,”hesaid.
Vieira, a former staunch member of the People’s National Congress Reform (PNC/R), had resigned in 2010 citing corruption concerns In 2020, he was a candidatefortheopposingPeople’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C). Thisyear,however,hehasreturned to the opposition through APNU and is once again listed as a candidate. Along with Rambaran, Vieira co-founded the Democratic People’s Party (DPP) earlier this year, but both have since abandoned the fledgling party to join APNU Speaking with Kaieteur News, Vieira explained that while he was invited to join both the PNC and the PPP in past years, his formal political involvement remained limited. “I never became a member of any
APNU supporters
political party except the one that me and Jacob formed but we formed a little too late, the frameworktosubmitourrespective documents and get other people together were small. I was invited bytheAPNUtobecomeamember of their party and our party joined theAPNU,”hesaid.
Rambaran echoed similar sentiments, emphasising that the
small party cannot withstand the opposing party “We think that joiningtheAPNU,wehaveabetter chance of defeating the PPP dictatorship. The little parties are ineffective,”hestated.Whenasked what will he bring to the party this term, he responded, “If given the opportunity,I’dliketodevelopthe agriculturesectorontheEastCoast Demerara to create thousands of
jobs.” He further praised APNU stating, “It is two ethnic groups unitingandthisiswhatthiscountry shouldbe.”
Enthusiasm
Meanwhile, public enthusiasm for the APNU was evident as hundreds gathered at the Lamaha and Main Streets grounds to supportthepartyanditscandidates. Continued on page 6
ByRenaySambach
The Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) has announced that the 2025 Nomination Day went smoothly, with a total of seven political parties submitting their lists of candidatestocontesttheSeptember 1polls.
The event was held at the UmanaYana,Kingston.Supporters
of the governing People’s Progressive Party/ Civic (PPP/C), the A Partnership for National Unity (APNU), Alliance For Change (AFC), We Invest in Nationhood (WIN) and other partiesflockedtheirleadersasthey submitted their lists of candidates. Notably, by Friday, the seven parties that submitted their lists, will be notified if they were approvedandwillbecontestingthe 2025 General and Regional ElectionsonSeptember1.
Submitting a list signals a party’s intention to contest the elections.Asitrelatestothegeneral elections, parties submit a national list of candidates for the National Assembly This list applies countrywide, as seats are distributed based on the total number of votes a party receives across the country To contest the general elections, a party must
submit candidates lists in at least six of the 10 geographical constituencies, and these six must account for a minimum of 13 parliamentary seats. Also, parties are required to submit a national top-up list, which includes the name o
candidate.
For the regional elections, parties must file separate list of candidates for each region they intendtocontest.However,parties arenotobligatedtocontestinallten regions.
In a statement on Monday evening, GECOM announced the
Nomination Day, marking another important milestone on the road to t
G
Elections.GECOMcommendedall participating parties for their orderly conduct and constructive engagement throughout the day “The atmosphere was peaceful, festive,andwithademocraticspirit reflecting the importance of this national event,” the commission said.
Following the close of nominations and in keeping with standardprocedures,GECOMsaid all submitted lists have been securely transferred to GECOM’s Data Processing Center The Commission explained that the
center has been professionally structured to manage both the General and Regional Elections submissions, with designated teams assigned to each set of nominations.
The Commission stated, “In line with our commitment to electoral integrity, all data is being carefully entered into a secure processing system Each list undergoes thorough verification and validation, including crosschecks against the Revised List of Electors, examination of nominators, and confirmation of candidateeligibility.”
By July 15, 2025, the Chief Elections Officer (CEO) Vishnu Persaud will notify all political parties if any of the information submitted is found to be defective and requires correction. Political parties will then have 24 hours to maketheirfinalsubmissions.
Moreover, during a postdeadline briefing with members of themediaatUmanaYana,Persaud explained that although 14:00 hours was set as the official deadlineforthesubmissionofLists of Candidates, the Commission will remain open to allow additionalpartiestheopportunityto submit. When asked what he or GECOM observed with the presentation of the lists, Persaud
said it would be premature to offer detailedobservationsbutnotedthat theprocessmovedsmoothly
Explaining what happens next, Persaud stated that the work continues at the level of the Secretariat.TheCEOsaid,“Weare now required to process these lists to ensure that they meet the statutory requirements and once theydo,thentheywillbeapproved tocontesttheelection.Iftheydon’t, theywillbegivenanopportunityto remedy the defects and once those are remedied, then they will go forward to be approved to contest theelection.”
Hefurthernoted,thathisroleis to ensure the documentary requirements are met The CEO indicated that the statutory review process for the Lists of Candidates should conclude on Thursday “It hastobeprocessed…onFriday,we arescheduledasperourworkplan, to have the Commission approve, approved list of candidates to contest elections, and that is when the final number and the lists of thosethatwillbecontestingwillbe known,”hesaid.
GECOM CEO
Vishnu Persaud
Once approved, he said, GECOM will begin the design of the ballot papers. Persaud noted that the ballots are not printed locally, but overseas The CEO explained that ballots, tally sheets, and Statements of Poll have traditionally been printed overseas by reliable service providers such as the Canadian Bank Note Company He said GECOM has never encountered issues with the qualityofthatwork.
“Meanwhile, we are doing our logistical work in preparation for the elections. Ballots come back. We do extraction for conduct of discipline services balloting, and then we pack ballot boxes to go to for Election Day, September 1…,” he stated. Persaud noted that the JointServiceswillvote10days
Continued on page 16
ByFrancwaFortune
Presidential Candidate for theAlliance For Change
(AFC) Nigel Hughes, on Monday announced that his partydespitebeinghitwitha number of resignations will becontestinginbothGeneral and Regional Election in all ten regions He made the comments as his party presenteditslistofcandidates to the Guyana Elections Commission at the Umana Yana “We presented the list for all the regions in all the categories.We’veidentified, the head of the list, the presidential candidate, and in several regions, we’ve oversubscribed,” Hughes toldreporters.
When asked about his Prime Ministerial (PM) candidate Hughes said, “we aregoingtoannouncethatby Friday, we have to abide by all party procedures We have a national executive committee, which is the highest decision-making bodyofthepartyandithasto consider all the names that are on the list as potential candidates for prime minister.”
The presidential hopeful mentioned that should his
partybeelected,50%oftheir cabinetwouldbewomenand
the members are also ethnicallydiverse.Headded that in order for him to get candidates and their signatures, he had to go the extramileandtraveltosome regionshowever,hewasable todososwiftly
Hughes also confirmed that his list of candidates consists of 30% youths. He saidtooheisnotworriedthat
theWeInvestInNationhood (WIN)partywillgoafterhis support base, noting that his party remains confident in the content of their policy andthemoveforward.“WIN is, as you can tell, is extremely popular We’ve hadpartieslikeWINbefore, which have been extremely popular.We are confident in the content of our policies…” he said. Asked whether he regrets the
coalitionbetweentheAPNU did not materialise, Hughes told reporters that he does not regret, noting that the AFC went to two elections standingasasinglepartyand they have now returned to their roots, core principles and their approach to politics.
Hughes was also asked a b o u t G E C O M ’ s preparedness to which he said he hopes the electoral
body changes its conduct ahead of the polls. “I don’t knowaboutexpectationsbut I do hope GECOM changes itsconductfrombeingunfair to at least having some semblance of fairness As you know, they took a decision last weekThursday thattheAFCwasgoingtobe the second party, then, they got a message and a photographofaPPPmember and they changed that decision.Idon’tknowifany other political party has that power to change GECOM’s decision,” the AFC leader said.
Meanwhile, in a statement,theAFChasurged GECOM to permit the encoding of Lists of Candidates to be examined by party representatives and observers. Procedurally, the party said when the Chief ElectionOfficerreceivesthe Lists of Candidates from political parties, they are passed on to a team of encoders to verify the information for candidates and nominators, and to ensure the number of nominatorsforeachregionis accurate “Typically, these lists are verified in the order in which they are submitted
totheCEO.Theverification processisalsodonetoensure candidates and nominators do not appear on more than one List of Candidates Therefore, each party’s List of Candidates is verified against all other preceding ListsofCandidates.Wewish toemphasisetheimportance of GECOM processing the Lists of Candidates in the order of submission to ensure the process remains fair and transparent,” the AFCsaid.
According to the party, given GECOM’s pattern of favourable actions towards the People’s Progressive Party and the fact that the Chief Election Officer distorted the order of contesting parties camping outside the Umana Yana, “we are concerned that the encoding of the lists may also be manipulated As a contesting party in the September2025Generaland Regional Elections, interested in a fair and transparent process, we call on GECOM to permit the scrutiny of the verification process from start to finish bybothpartyrepresentatives and observers,’ the party said.
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Amid the lavish spending on infrastructure here and other expensive projects, there is a growing segment of societythatifnotattendedtowillbecomeamajorproblem onourhand.Itwouldappear,thatthegovernmentdoesnot have any comprehensive policy to deal with vagrancy in ourcountry
Awalk around Georgetown should be relaxing, if one ignoresthetraffic,buttrafficisanissueinjustaboutevery cityintheworld.Beingintheheartofthecity,itispossible to drift off into a locality where all is well with the sophisticationoftechnologyinthe21stcentury Allaround the city are marvellous concrete structures designed for a modernbeautifulcityinwhichallcanbeproud.
Butthenthatimagedisappearsinaflashasstenchdrifts insolently from the pavements and gutters as some poor soulswhodonothaveaplaceoftheirown,liecomfortably in broad daylight on pieces of cardboard, either asleep or pretendingtobe.Theseunfortunateindividualshavefound themselves in a situation that is shocking and this could happentoanyone.
IntheheartofGeorgetown,aroundthemarkets,under bridges,onthedecrepitpavilionsofD’UrbanParkandeven on Regent Street in front of supermarkets, men, women, andchildrenarelivingwithoutshelter,safety,ordignity It is a national tragedy and one that demands more than just sympathy Itdemandsaction.Foranationwithaspirations of development and prosperity—buoyed by newfound oil wealth and economic promise—Guyana cannot afford to ignore the most vulnerable among us. The faces of homelessness are varied: the mentally ill, the elderly with no family support, victims of domestic abuse, former prisoners, and even young people who have aged out of State care. Each has a story, and each has been failed in somewaybythesystemsmeanttoprotectthem.
The homeless are very close to us, daily They are presentinjustabouteveryplacethatisvisited,traveledto and from, stopped at, and even avoided. With all the instinctive familiarity with and knowledge of the ways of the street, they direct their energies and presence to get there,bethereand,sometimes,menacethere.Thesewould be growing individual and clustered presences of the homeless roaming the streets and alarming citizens, including fellow streetwalkers. Many citizens are fearful, especiallythewomenfolk,sincetheyhavetobewatchful, on high alert. This is not the healthiest state of existence, when the routine affairs of life become so tormenting. Theapprehensionsoverbeingvictimsofviolentcrimethat couldlurkanywherearefurtherintensifiedbythewretched brethren,whomakethenakedstreettheirhome.Theycould bemenacingpresencessometimes,where‘no’orsilenceor simply ignoring or going along one’s way may not be the safestofsituations.Foranyoneofthosehurriedresponses offered in the mildest of tones could trigger a range of trouble, which includes the abusive, the vulgar, the intimidating,andultimatelyunnerving.
Thesefallenfellowcitizenshavenothingtolose.Some have already lost to the demands of life, whether it was livedhereoroverseas.Intermsofthelatter,morethanafew are involuntary returnees, who have missed out the grand chancethatmanycravefor,aredoomedto,orhavesettled for-anexistenceonthestreetthathurtleseverdownward.
ThecausesofhomelessnessinGuyanaarecomplexand deeply intertwined A lack of affordable housing, insufficient mental health services, rising unemployment, and a fragile social safety net have all contributed to this reality While the government and several NGOs have taken steps such as the Night Shelter and food distribution programmes, these measures are not nearly enoughtoaddressthescaleoftheproblem.
What’s more troubling is the stigma. Homeless individuals are often treated as nuisances or criminals rather than citizens in need of support. The prevailing attitude is that homelessness is the result of laziness or
I read the ‘backers nomination forms’ and or lists.Thereareseriousflaws that must be corrected for nextelection.
The list requires signatures as backers. What happens to backers who can’t sign for whatever reasons — disabled or for other reasons There are many Guyanese who can’t sign their names; they use thumb print There are people who don’t have a hand or even two hands to pen a signature Clearly, ROPA and or GECOM and the parliament made no provisions for the disabled and those who can’t sign theirnames.
At the Umana Yana for submission of nomination lists, I did not observe d i s a b l e d f r i e n d l y infrastructure. I also did not observe (stand to be corrected) any disabled candidates or in the
leadership of any party among those delegated to submit the lists of the contesting parties. Clearly, the disabled or feeble or weakwereapparentlynotin the mindset of officials or partiesorparliament.Also,I do not recall any disabled among the MPs in the last parliament Several countries mandate inclusion of disabled among candidates and a minimum number of females Inclusion is not only about ethnicity but also about disabled, females, and other factors There were few females among the leadership that submitted lists.
On a different note, aboutpolicesecurity,whileI attempted to make it to Pegasusonfootforamileon Young Street, just two blocksawayfromthehotel,I was blocked by police who informedmethatIcouldnot go any further After
protesting remarks, the police informed me to walk back and around on another street a further two blacks away,makingitafurtherhalf mile walk. After following the instructions and doing the additional half mile, another police security informedmethatIcouldnot get to Pegasus in that area. I was instructed to walk around a different direction another half a mile which I did.
Clearly, neither police nor GECOM made provisionsforpedestriansor peoplewhoneedtogettothe hotel or to work in the vicinity PoliceandGECOM were lax. They could have informed the public that trafficwouldbeinaccessible from wherever and put up appropriate signs Many were inconvenienced. Had signs been put up, I would not have wasted time and energy
When I told the police
that in a first world country, the police would have thoughtaboutalltheseissues in their planning, the response is typical. “This is not America”. Those who criticize America desire a visa or the blue passport. They flock to USA for medicalandforjobsorother reasons And they immediately follow first world rules as soon as they get on the flight to North America. Police leadership (lower ranks can’t be blamed) and some officials seemcomfortablewiththird world thinking Or is it fourthworld?
We are far from being a Dubai or a Singapore in our planning and thoughts. Our thinking or thought process must change all around Planning must include all aspects related to an importantnationaleventlike submissionoflists.
Yourssincerely, VishnuBisram
I felt truly blessed to watch the One Guyana Worship Experience 2025 online.Itwasapowerfuland inspiring national gathering, uniting Christians from all over Guyana across regions, races, and denominations—to worship the Lord Jesus Christ with one voice and passion. The event was professionally executed, musically vibrant, and spiritually uplifting More than once, I found myself drawn into heartfelt worship.
The music showcased a wide range of styles, including reggae, dancehall, dub, calypso, jump-up rhythms, and rich Black
A m e r i c a n gospel traditional, urban,
andsoul-infused.Celebrated artistes from the Caribbean and North America led the praise. The lyrics exalted Jesus, the dancers added flair, and I particularly appreciated seeing some performers dressed in what appearedtobeAfricanattire. I was also proud of the homegrown Guyanese artiste, Samuel Medas, who delivered an outstanding performance and stood tall among international names. Still, I quietly wished that a traditional hymn or two had beenincluded.
However, alongside the joy, I felt a deep sadness. While the audience was beautifullydiverse,thestage reflected only one aspect of Guyana’s cultural identity
Over five hours of
programming featured no Indian music, no Indian dancers, and no performers in Indian attire, nor any instruments like the dholak ( I n d i a n d r u m ) o r harmonium. For an event titled, “One Guyana,” this absencewasbothnoticeable andpainful.
In some ways, I understand why this occurred. Most churches in Guyanaprimarilysinginthe Creole or Western musical tradition. I remember my early years as a Christian in Guyana when I imagined Jesus as a blue-eyed, blondhaired white man and the characters in the Bible as white, English-speaking individuals who quoted the King James Version I thought God preferred to be
personalfailure.Thisisbothunfairanddangerous.Itjustifiesneglect,anditallowssociety to turn away from the uncomfortable truth that homelessness is a symptom of broader systemicbreakdown.
Guyana must embrace a multi-pronged approach to combat this issue. First, we need stronger investment in social housing and transitional shelters that go beyond providing a bed for the night—they must also offer pathways to stability Second, mental health and addiction services need to be expanded and integrated into community care. Third, employmentprogramsandvocationaltrainingformarginalisedgroupsmustbeprioritized. And finally, the government must establish a comprehensive national strategy on homelessness—onebackedbydata,policy,andresources.
Itisnotenoughtogiveasandwichorsomechangeandfeelwe’vedoneourpart.Wemust demandbetterpolicies,supportlocalinitiatives,andshiftpublicperceptionfromblameto compassion.BecausethetruemeasureofourdevelopmentasanationisnotonlyinGDPor foreigninvestment,butinhowwetreattheleastamongus.Untileverycitizenhasaplaceto callhome,ourprogresswillremainincomplete.
worshippedinEnglishandin Western musical styles. However,Inowknowbetter! Today, an increasing number of Guyanese Christians—especiallythose of Indian descent—worship ChristthroughHindibhajans and Hindustani musical forms. Some of my most worshipful experiences as a Christian have come when exulting the name of Christ through harmonium and tabla music; simple Indian music is simply beautiful! Many churches incorporate these forms into their services, and gatherings known as Satsanghs (“truthgatherings”) are growing in popularity So, it was disappointing that none of these expressions were represented at such a highprofilenationalevent.
A truly representative OneGuyanaworshipservice shouldreflectthediversityof God’s people in our nation. Including Indian forms of worship would not only validate believers from that background but also expand the broader Church’s understanding of what it means to worship Jesus in spirit and truth. Some may feel uncomfortable hearing Indian music in a Christian service,butthatdiscomfort
(Continuedonpage06)
,
Therewasatime,notso longago,whensupportersof the People’s Progressive Party Civic (PPPC) spoke passionately about political victimization They lamented being silenced, targeted, and economically punished for supporting the “wrong” party They cried out against what they described as an oppressive climate of fear, where dissenting voices were shut down and supporters were hunted, not for crimes, but for their beliefs. Today, the ironyisdeafening.
In recent months, we have witnessed an aggressive and coordinated attempt by some PPPC supporters often hiding behind fake profiles and anonymous pages to harass, discredit, and threaten those who dare to show support for Azruddin Mohamed or other nonestablishment voices. What started as political disagreement has devolved into online bullying, name-
calling, character assassination, and most dangerously, real-world consequences.Contractsare withheld. Jobs are lost. Government-linked clients disappear overnight. People are being made to feel that supporting someone other thantherulingpartyisanact oftreason.
Let’sbeclear:thisisnot democracy This is intimidation. And it should w o r r y e v e r y Guyanese regardless of political affiliation
Democracy does not begin andendwiththecastingofa ballot It lives in the everyday right of citizens to associate, express, and engagefreelywithoutfearof reprisal.
When people are too afraidto“like”apost,attend a meeting, or speak their mind because they might lose their livelihood, then democracyisnotalive—itis inretreat.
Evenmoreconcerningis the culture of silence that surrounds this behaviour
Fewwithintheleadershipof the PPPC have spoken out against it. Some even encourage it. The very tactics once used to marginalize and destroy the voices of dissent are now being deployed against a new generation of thinkers, entrepreneurs, and community leaders—many of whom only wish to contribute to national development in their own way Among them is Azruddin Mohamed, a businessman whose rise has been met not just with scrutiny (which is healthy) but with vilification and venomthatreeksofpolitical fear-mongering. Let’s not forget the fake rape allegations, state sponsored lobbygrouptogoafterhim, falselinkingtoMaduro,etc. This is not a call to endorse any one individual or party It is a call to fairness, consistency, and principle. If we condemned political harassment under the PNC, then we must condemn it now If we
believed that economic opportunityshouldneverbe tiedtopoliticalloyalty,then we must defend that standard now If we ever believed in a Guyana where people were free to support who they wished without losing their dignity or their job,thenthetimetospeakup isnow
Let us not become what weoncedespised.Letusnot betray the ideals of democracy for the comfort ofpowerorpartypolitics.If the PPPC wishes to be seen as a beacon of modern governance,itmusthavethe moral courage to rein in its supporters and create a politicalculturethatrespects pluralism, not punishes it. True strength lies in tolerance.
True democracy welcomes difference. And true patriotism is not found in silencing others—but in defending their right to be heard, even when we disagree.
Sincerely,
H.Singh
Exactlywhyweshouldchooseanyamongthem
Brief space for a suggestion based on a worrisome pertinent question is our upcoming elections.
After Nomination Day, thenwhat? Willthecurrent rag-tag bunch of ‘wana-bii’ Guyana Presidents agree to present their case to the electorate answer some questions about what they believe qualifies them for the job—exactly why we should choose any among themtorepresentournation inafraughtfuture? Seems axiomatic to me that this your Kaieteur Newspaper as well as all others responsible for the d i s s e m i n a t i o n o f information, should in collaboration with the G u y a n a P r e s s Association—facilitatesuch
an exposition with invitations issued to all parties contesting Guyana’s 2025elections.
If they decline the invitation, their reasons s h o u l d b e o p e n l y interrogated for the benefit ofpotentialvotersaswellas documentation for the historic record Finally, while congratulating Iva Wharton on her assumption
of the Presidency of the Guyana PressAssociation, I
am simultaneously remembering my former colleague at the Guyana Graphic, the recently departed Rickey Singh Rickey was an exemplar of committed investigative journalisminGuyana.
HesupportedtheCheddi Jagan PPP regime—was so dedicated in his opposition
toForbesBurnham—thathe was soundly slapped by an irate Desmond Hoyte
President Burnham’s FinanceMinisteratthetime. I trust that Rickey Singh’s spirit will inspire Iva Wharton’s fearless leadershipofGuyana’sPress Corps.
Sincerely
JoanCambridge Mayfield
DEAREDITOR, Commissioner
Vincent
Alexander wants the ‘thousands’ of Guyanese who died overseas to be ‘flagged’ but this is a euphemism for deleting personsfromthevoters’list. Howthisistobedoneinthe absence of verifiable documentation of persons who died overseas only Alexander knows. In any event, a Revised List of Electors (RLE) has already been published and so the request to ‘flag’ deceased persons who have died overseasisnowamootissue. The subterfuge used here was advanced prior to the 2020 elections to prevent persons resident overseas from voting although their names appeared on the Official List of Electors (OLE).Anattemptwastried againbyAlexanderandcrew following the 2020 elections, this time in the contextofa‘internalreview’ of those elections by GECOM.
Commissioner Alexander made a broad statement claiming that ‘Everyone has agreedthattheincarceratedare entitledtovote’Whoareinhis catchall’s ‘everyone?’ is a mystery to me Surely, he could not be referring to the seven-member Commission save and except the three opposition commissioners especially since no law exists forsuchaneventuality C o m m i s s i o n e r Alexander claims that GECOM‘s ‘state of preparedness’should not be ‘limited to the execution of itsworkplan’becauseinhis view, that level of
preparedness does not addresswhathedescribedas ‘critical issues’, some of which be claims are ‘prerequisites for a free, fair and transparent elections, in Guyana‘s prevailing circumstances.’ I wish to point out that if implementation of GECOM’S work plan for Eday‘25isthenotthekeyand criticalguidelineatthispoint in time for GECOM to successfully conduct elections then what is? Mr Alexander’s worrisomeness over GECOM’S ‘lack of preparedness, and disallowing prisoners to vote appears to be overrated and exaggerated In his letter Alexander boasts, ‘Unlike me, he (Rohee) does not enjoy the freedom of being objective about things GECOM.’HereAlexanderis being personal and judgmental. It would have served him much better had he heeded the Socratic advice; ‘Strong minds discussideas,averageminds discuss events, weak minds discusspeople.’
Letmemakeiteasyforthe Commissioner; put me whereverordescribehowever hewishesas;‘contaminatorof public information and things GECOM;’ ‘My ‘propensity for disinformation, ’ unash
g propagandistic;’ or denier. Theyarealllabelsthatserveto satisfy a political end Furthermore, as I have said before, GECOM is the battlefield not where I seek glory, but where I faithfully fulfillmyoath.
Yoursfaithfully, ClementJ.Rohee
Frompage2
Among the new faces was Ricky Ramsaroop, another former AFC member who hasshiftedtoAPNU.“Iama proudmemberoftheAPNU! We’ve always been a coalition,soIjustcontinued withAPNU.
TheAPNUmeansbusiness,” Ramsaroop said. He also emphasised the diversity of the list, noting the inclusion of young candidates as youngas27.
Sherod Duncan, also formerly with the AFC,
expressed confidence in APNU’s leadership and platform “We believe strongly, we know we have the winning list,” he said.
Asked about his political shift, Duncan noted that, “I’m still in the same coalition Except for the AFC,alltheotherpartiesare stillhere.
I’m helping however I can.” He highlighted the party’sstrongmanifestoand visionnotjustforfiveyears, but “for the next 50 years.”
Duncan described his
inclusion on the list as a “privilege” and praised the calibre of the team, which includes doctors, engineers, lawyers, and young professionals.
Duncan also addressed key issues facing the country, citing the party’s plans to reduce crime by professionalising the police force and appointing a competent commissioner He criticised the high costof-living and outlined economicmeasuresaimedat easingfinancialpressureson
ordinarycitizens.
On education, he pledgedthateverystudentat the University of Guyana would receive $50,000 monthly, enabling them to focus on their studies. “We will give every student $50,000amonthsothatyou can take your eyes off of work and concentrate in education, so that you could helpusinthistaskofmoving thisbeautifulcountryofours forward…”hesaid.
Mayor of Linden, Sharma Solomon, who is also on the party’s top-up list, explained his reasons forjoiningtheparty
‘The policies of APNU have always been consistentandcenteredon
the people those are the thingsIcommend
When you get to the core of the issues, APNU is the party to support,’he said ”
Attorney Dexter Todd w h o w a s e a r l i e r introduced as one of the new faces forAPNU in an interview, told Kaieteur News:“Ibelieveanumber of things have been happening in Guyana for q u i t e s o m e t i m e , particularly what I see as increasinginjustices
These injustices affect our people, and I witness them daily through the courts
Because I’ve remained connected to the common
man on the streets, I hear, observe, and learn a lot
People are not living up to their true potential in this country, and I can’t sit backanddonothing.”
“I looked at various political parties to determine where I could bestserve
IunderstandthePNC’s values and the coalition’s politicalphilosophy
I’ve studied the party from its inception and stayed closely connected to its leaders through their writings
The things they stood for are reflected in their policies and how they relate to the people,” he said.
Frompage04
can lead to deeper reflection on the rich, multiethnicbeautyoftheBodyofChrist.
AfewmodernHindiworshipsongs,such a s t h o s e f o u n d a t h t t p s :wwwyoutubecom/watch?v=5ac0HH41Km 0&list-RD5ac0HH41Km0&start radio=1, could have seamlessly integrated into the programme, and a slower-paced bhajan might have added a meditative moment of reflection.
Iftheorganizersconsiderincludingsuch elements in future programmes, I would be happy to assist—please feel free to contact meatguyanapeoples@gmail.com.
I also encourage the inclusion of prayer and Scripture readings, which are integral to Christian worship and would enrichsuchgatherings I share these reflections not as
criticismbutashope IthankGodforthe organizers and everyone who worked hard to make the One Guyana Worship Experience 2025 such a remarkable milestone
I also pray that One Guyana 2026 will more fully reflect the mosaic of God’s people in our land that we might see bhajans alongside Black gospel, hymns beside calypso and reggae, and a platform that mirrors the full beauty of theGuyaneseChurch.
Jesus doesn’t erase our cultures—He redeemsthem.
When each culture brings its praise to Christ,Hisgloryisrevealedmorefully May we continue to move toward that vision, not justinname,butinaction.
Regards
Dr.DevanandBhagwan
Waging war is an expensive proposition, and the longer that the battles and bombardments go on between Israel and Palestine, the more costly the effort becomes.
Though not dirt poor, the strength of Israel has one primary source. It is America, with American money and the wealth of American arms poured into the ready hands of Israel that go far in perpetuating this conflict that is now so one-sided that what happens has gone past heinous and grotesque.
By any measurement, what the Israeli forces are delivering on the largely defenseless Palestinians is vengeance multiplied several times over To be clear, this is not war anymore, so programmed and bloodcurdling it has become. This is man’s inhumanity against his fellow human beings taken to places never seen before, and in the open.
Ihave travelled and witnessed with my owneyes,Ihaveseen firsthand how corrupt leaders across Africa, Asia, Latin America, and the Caribbean have reduced theirpeopletobeggars—not because their countries lack resources, but because their leaderslackintegrity
These were nations overflowing with oil, gold, diamonds, and every imaginable wealth.Yet their citizens go hungry, their hospitals are empty, their childrenareuneducated,and no electricity Rich countries. Poor people. That is the curse of crooked leadership. And Guyana We are not just in that club—we are heading to be thePresidentofthatclub. Because here, the PPP and the PNC have perfected the formula These two political parasites have, for decades, parceled out Guyana’s timber, gold, bauxite and diamond fields,
By Glenn Lall in his
andnowouroilblocks,asif they are family properties. They hand them to foreign hustlersinfancysuits,likeit was their grandfather’s estatetogiveaway Andthenwhathappens?
These foreigners grab ournationalassetsfornextto nothing, jump on a plane, head back to their countries, and flip those same oil blocks, timber fields and gold mines on paper — selling them for billions of USdollars.Yesbillions.
Flipping Guyana’s wealth like real estate. And you know what we get in return? Not a fishing cent. Not even a thank you card. We are just left standing in the rain while they feast and bank our wealth From Exxon to HESS, now to CHEVRON. From Aurora Gold to Zijin Gold. The riches of this land are being pawned like cheap prostitutes while the real owners, the Guyanese people, can’t even buy
groceries to feed their families. Give yourselves a roundofapplauseforthat.
Today, those same foreign crooks are strutting around our resources like their great-grandfather left Guyana to them in a will. Thisisnotajoke.Thisisnot anAnansistory Thisiswhat actually happened, and is still happening. Look it’s there…
The Kaieteur, Canje and Stabroek Blocks, all given away free, then sold for billions of US dollars, pass from company to company, andnotared,yelloworgreen cent came back to this starving nation. Guyana is liketheonlookerataterrible accident. Foreigners came in,grabbedourland,grabbed our ocean, flipped it like traders at a market stall, cashedinbillions,andleftus with another set of foreign crooks,todeliverthecrumbs from that 2% deal the PPP,
PNCandAFCagreedto.
And now, another Elections on the way, and just like clockwork, the parasites from both the PPP and PNC crawling out, pretending to spar over the two cents they collecting fromExxon.
ThePNCtellsthenation, that 2% crumbs are enough to build our future and develop Guyana. And the PPP fired back saying oil prices might drop, so don’t expect too much. You hear thatmadness.
These are the clowns managing Guyana’s unmeasured, untold wealth. Thesepeople‘fuh’real?
Meanwhile, ¾ of the population, crying out how hard life has become. No running water! Daily blackouts!Hospitalswithout doctors, nurses and no medicine.
Grocerybillschokingthe already poor, working class. Rent rising faster than salaries. And still, no relief,
no plan, no changes and no hope, only excuses and dodging.
That’s the real story of Guyana today: A nation overflowing with riches, drained by foreign hands, destroyedbycorruptleaders, and a people drowning in poverty
YouknowwhatGuyana?
You have the power to changeeverything,withthis, yesthisisyourpower,notto dip in that ink bottle come September 1, but to demand that these parasites put a minimum 25% royalty on that ballet paper for you to vote on, and if they refuse, then give them the biggest,
boldest middle finger they have ever seen. Because if you don’t, you are voting for Zero from all the sales, Zero ring-fencing, Zero taxes paid, Zero interest rates, Zero Petroleum Commission, Zero royalty increase and in return, a full 100% of poverty, pain and suffering in the making. Notjustforyoualone,butfor your children, and theirs to come.
Share this message if it hits your stomach. Because silence is consent.And right now, your silence is their licence to keep robbing Guyanawithyourfuture.
The Organization of American States (OAS) and the Government of Guyana on Monday signed the agreement for the deployment of the Electoral Observation Mission (EOM) that will accompany the General and Regional Elections scheduled forSeptember1,2025.
The agreement was signed at OAS headquarters in Washington, DC, by OAS Secretary General Albert Ramdin and the Permanent Representative of Guyana to the OAS,SamuelHinds,theOASsaid.
Secretary General Ramdin highlighted the OAS’s longstanding commitment to democratic governance in Guyana and acrossthehemisphere,stating:“Thiswillbe the seventh OAS observation in Guyana—an affirmation that democracy is
alive and strengthened in the country.” He also underscored the constructive nature of the OAS’s electoral missions, saying “EOMs are not meant to criticize, but to
recommendations that help strengthen institutionsandreinforcepublictrust.”
For his part, Ambassador Hinds reaffirmed Guyana’s commitment to transparent and credible elections and expressedappreciationforthesupportofthe OAS and other international observer groups: “We do this consciously that democracy is necessary for development, security,andhumanrights.”Since1997,the OAShasobservedsixelectoralprocessesin Guyana. Bruce Golding will once again serveasChiefofMission,ashedidin2020.
The Constitution of the Co-operative Republic of Guyanaestablishesthelegal frameworkfortheeligibility of candidates to contest elections and serve as members of the National Assembly Article155ofthe Constitution explicitly disqualifies persons who voluntarily agree to allegiance, obedience or adherencetoaforeignpower from being elected to the National Assembly But doesthisprohibitionapplies only to membership in the National Assembly or extends to being listed as a candidate in General and Regional elections. Another question to be answered is whether allegiance, obedience or adherence to a foreignpowerorstate,under Article 155, relates to citizenship and permanent residence.
Article 155(1)(a) of the Constitutionstates:
“No person shall be qualified for election as a member of the National Assembly who – (a) is, by virtue of his or her own act, under any acknowledgment of allegiance, obedience or adherencetoaforeignpower or state.” This provision is part of a broader set of disqualifications aimed at ensuring the integrity and loyalty of elected r
entatives The Constitution does not explicitly address whether this prohibition applies to candidates on electoral lists oronlytothoseelectedtothe
Assembly The language of Article 155 focuses on eligibility for election to the Assembly, not candidacy Butsincethoseelectedtothe Assembly are, in the main, drawn from the List of Candidates, it can be safely assumed that if you hold allegiance or obedience to a foreign power or state, you cannot be on the List or be extracted from that List for membership of the National Assembly It would be logically inconsistent to allow such persons to contest elections, as their electionwouldbeinvalid.
It is therefore my considered view that if someoneisdisqualifiedfrom being a member of the National Assembly, they shouldipsofactonotbeonthe List of Candidate contesting the elections. But what is meant by “allegiance”, “obedience” and “adherence “to a foreign power or state The term “allegiance” is not defined in the Constitution Its interpretation must consider ordinary meaning, constitutional context, and judicial precedent Allegiance to a foreign state of power has traditionally been interpreted by Commonwealth Courts as beingtiedtocitizenship This is why the possession of overseascitizenshiphasbeen construed as implying allegiancetoaforeignpower
In the case of Guyana, the CCJwascrystalclearonthe constitutionality of dual citizenship It said in a
d e c i s i o n : “ I t i s uncontroversial that a person holding Guyanese nationalityisnotqualifiedto be elected a member of the National Assembly if that person is also, voluntarily, a citizen of another State Accordingly, Guyanese nationals with dual citizenship are not qualified to sit as members of the NationalAssembly.”
However,Article 155 of Guyana Constitution howeverdoesnotlimititself to “allegiance” to a foreign powerorstate Italsospeaks to “obedience” and “adherence” to a foreign power or state While the courtshavetendedtolumpall threetogether,Ibelievethata distinction has to be made between ‘allegiance’, ‘obedience’and‘adherence’.
Under constitutional law, particularly in the context of disqualification clauses such as Section 155(1)(a)oftheConstitution of Guyana, a distinction can be drawn between “allegiance,” “adherence,” and“obedience”toaforeign power or state. ‘Allegiance’ connotes a deeper, more
e n d u r i n g b o n d o f loyalty—often emotional or symbolic typically associated with citizenship or nationality It implies a primary and voluntary commitment to the
sovereign or state ‘Adherence’ suggests a supportive association or attachment to a foreign power,whichmaynotriseto
Dem boys seh deh got a new Guyanese disease spreading faster than dengue line blindness.Isaconditionwhehyuheyedoes convenientlyskipdepeoplewhodonedeh waitinginline,andyuhfootdoescarryyuh straighttodecashierlikeyuhisroyalty
It happening in all dem small supermarkets, especially dem Chineseowned one. Dem boys seh yuh does deh watching de line stretching like dem GPL blackout hours, and one bai gon stroll past everybodylikehegotdiplomaticimmunity Straight to de counter No shame. No “excuseme”.Justvibes.
Andyuhknowwhatworse?Thecashier doestekdem.LikeifisaVIPexpresslane yuhandInevergetinviteto.Demboysseh ifthisthingain’tstopnow,peoplegonstart think is a constitutional right like freedomofspeechorderighttobunrice. Next thing yuh know, people gon walk past de whole Ministry of Housing application line and build house pon de seawall.Andwhenyuhaskdemwhatgoing
the level of full allegiance but reflects a willingness to align with its interests, ideals, or authority ‘Obedience’, meanwhile, referstotheactofcomplying withthelawsordirectivesof a foreign state, even in the absence of loyalty or ideological commitment Thus, while ‘allegiance’ is the most comprehensive of the three, ‘adherence’ and ‘obedience’maystillinvoke constitutional concerns when voluntarily assumed, as they can signal recognition of foreign authoritythatisinconsistent with the undivided loyalty expectedofamemberofthe NationalAssembly. It therefore may be tempting to interpret Guyana’s Constitution as outlawing permanent residents from being members of the National Assemblyinthesamewayas it does a dual citizen. A Guyanese upon becoming a citizen of the United States for example is required to swear to an oath of allegiance However, a lawful permanent resident (LPR) is not required to renounce their prior nationality or swear an oath
of allegiance to the United States While U S permanent residency does notrequireallegiance,itmay betemptingtointerpretitas aformoflegaladherenceor obedience, since the individual agrees to live underU.S.lawandsubmitto U.S.legaljurisdiction.Thus, itmaybeappealingtoargue that a person who voluntarily accepts and maintains U.S. permanent resident status may fall within the scope of disqualification under Section155(1)(a).
However, a lawful permanent resident (LPR) agreestofollowthelawsofthe UnitedStatesasaconditionof residence,justasanyvisitoror foreign worker must. This is not unique or extraordinary anddoesnotequatetopolitical allegianceorloyalty Nooath ofallegianceisrequired
The disqualification
under constitutional provisions often hinges on voluntary assumption of loyalty to
sovereign or state. Since permanent residents do not swear an oath of allegiance, they retain their original nationality and are not seen as pledging political loyalty
to another power Just as a Guyanese national living in theU.S.mustobeyU.S.laws without becoming a U.S. citizen, the obedience required of permanent residents is viewed by some as a matter of residency compliance,notatransferof politicalallegiance.
Being a permanent residentofaforeigncountry, without more, does not
allegiance, obedience, or adherence to that foreign power It is simply a legal
immigration law, and the obligationsattachedtoitare
t constitutional or political in nature. This more lenient interpretation is often favoured by courts seeking to avoid disenfranchising diaspora citizens or those with legitimate ties to more thanonejurisdiction.
(The views expressed in this article are those of the a
t necessarily reflect the opinionsofthisnewspaper.)
on, dem gon tell yuh, “Big man, ah accustomed.”
Is de same mentality that got people vendingponpavement,squattingponstate land, and now—cutting line like dem part ofasecretsocietyofsupermarketsprinters. Demboyssehonemanevenpullastuntlast week.Walkstraightuptodecashierwithhe threeitems—onesoftdrink,onecorncurls and a roll-on—and tell de man in line, “Boss, I only got three thing.” De man behind he seh, “Well I only got two hand—youdon’tseemewaiting?”
Demboyssehweneedanewlaw:First come, first served. Last come, wait yuh turn. And if yuh skip line, yuh gon get reprimandedwithoneloud“bossman,yuh ain’tseewedehhere?”Ishightimewestop treatinglineslikeoptionalsuggestionsand start acting like we got manners. Or else next thing yuh know, people gon try skip lineatdePearlyGates.Anddemboysseh, God don’t play dat. He gon send yuh right backfuhpicksenseouttadenonsense. Talkhalf.Leffhalf.
AubreyNortonhadtheworldat hisfeet. Foralongminute,hewas the man of the moment. Could he grab the moment, lead a movement? Itwasthequestionon the minds of his folks, with Guyanese outside his circle watchingclosely
Theideawastounderstandwho he is, couldbe, with theleadership mantle in his hand. A man that manyfeltrepresentedwhatGuyana neededwhenhebecameheadofthe opposition, after a hard internal fight. His troubles were just beginning. Yet, somehow, he rose…
From man of the moment, Mr. Norton merged into a man of mystery. What does he represent, atthecore? Whodoesherepresent, andthiswasforemostonthelipsof all? Howwillhedealwithyetmore gruelingbattlesminingtheterritory in front of him? And behind his back and from the inside also? Well,hehas,hasn’the? Lostsome, won some. I publicly confess to some sympatico for a brother Guyanese. In front of him, he has theformidablePPPandthatmeans
Jagdeo alone; the others don’t count.Combined. Athisbackwas thePNCandsomenamesthatnever had his back. They recently made their personal ambitions and personal visions clear It is all aboutbusiness,what’sofself-help. Forthosewhowanttoknowwhom, the commercial banks have a customer service unit available for suchinquiries. Fromthefrontand from the back, a strong man may withstand, but Jagdeo was getting him from the side and otherwise also. In short, Mr Norton’s goose got cooked all over. He looked it. Who can succeed against those odds? But he did. Otherwise, recall that the higher one goes, the greaterthenumbersbelowofthose wantingtopulldown,replace. He hasbeendoingthereplacing. Notwithstandingthatmouthful, adifferentiatingfactorofprofound leadership is to rally friends, reach for foes, win them over To side. Tovisionthatmorphsfromcalling to cause. I regret to say that Mr Norton hasn’t done too well with some of his friends. He does, however, have some new
comrades. A leader of merit, one thatgiveshimselfachanceatsome level of success, must be several people in one, and all at the same time. Areconciler Amotivator A gatherer A builder This goes beyond charisma; it is the aura exuded that this man is going somewhere It makes others believe, want to be a part of the journey Is, Mr Norton finally comingintohisown? InJuly?
Separately, the Opposition Leader has apparently lost his former ability to go at issues frontally. Nowadays,Mr.Nortonis all for diplomacy, what he calls strategy. I see cagey. When Guyanesewantcagey,theyalready have a Bharrat Jagdeo, the prime domestic example in that discipline. Indeed, the Opposition Leader had his stints in Guyana’s Foreign Service, but seemingly shrinksfromwhatistantamountto warservice. Thoughheisnotinthe Foreign Service anymore, he has somehow concluded that Exxon’s people and the US ambassador all fallintothatcategory,andmust,of necessity, be handled gingerly I
disagree, whether due to necessity, orasamatterofpoliticalsurvival. I have heard about Independence, national sovereignty, and selfdetermination until I am black and blue(red,too)intheface. Forsure, Dr Jagdeo and the next fella have surrendered all three. But Mr Nortondidn’thaveto,orshouldn’t appear to have done so. That’s Jagdeobag,lethimhaveit.
What I am driving at and highlightingisthatMr Nortonhad opportunity to display how and what differentiates him from the leaderwhoisofconsequenceinthe PPP. It is the vice president neck andcrop. Whyarethetwoofthem, therefore, sounding and behaving like twins on the oil wealth of the Guyanese people (the people prepping to vote)? Not quite identical twins, but too close for distinctive identification in Guyana’snationaloillineup.
Themanagementofthisoil,the parceling out of its charms, has made Aubrey Norton flutter and flounder Dr Jagdeo flails and flays to no avail. A man for himself, a man for America,
Exxon’s man in Guyana. ‘Move ovah, Mistah Routledge ’ GuyanesemustnotseeMr.Norton in that same light, for then of what utilitywouldbeforthem? Whenhe isdifferent,andinspiringlyso,this iswhatwoulddistinguishhimfrom Exxon’s masked operator in Guyana.
He is Guyanese, and no Guyanese should need an intro, so unmasked he now stands. When Mr. Norton emerged at the head of the pack, he had opportunities before him to blaze his own trails. What was different from his predecessors, separated from external political competitors. Oil stood highest; race right there. I thought he could. He lowered his head. Now his lease is renewed, extended.
(The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinionsofthisnewspaper.)
The People’s Progressive Party (PPP) has taken a cautious approach to the upcoming general and regional elections, with Vice President, Bharrat Jagdeo relaying that the party is taking nothing for granted.
Subsequent to submitting what the party deemed as the ‘winning list’,Jagdeotoldjournalistsoutside the Umana Yana that the PPP is hoping for an overwhelming majorityatthepolls.
“We believe, from what we haveseenthatthatwillhappen,but we’re taking nothing for granted. Wetoldourpeoplewhosupportus, that they have to work harder than evenbeforetoensurethathappens. Wehavethesupport,butnowit’sto translate that support into votes on election day, that means high turnout,”hesaid.
The PPPgeneral secretary said supporters should not be left to become complacent, as a lot of them believe that when crowds at rallies are huge, the party has alreadywon.
“We don’t need to come out (complacency) that could step in, and we don’t want that to happen. So, the victory, the large victory,canbeassured,becausewe have grown in every single community in this country, every single community among every race,everyoneisincluded,andthat shows, and so I am hoping that everybodywillbeworkingtowards that victory, all of our supporters, andthey’reenergisednowtowork towardsthat,”heassured.
To the supporters who may havebeenbehindthePPPforallthe
years but are undecided for whatever reason in this cycle, the VPispointingthemtothespeechof President Irfaan Ali, where he spoke about total inclusion in the party’svision.
He assured that the party is breaking every stereotype accumulated against it over the years, and if persons go to the members of the PPP, they can feel the love and witness the treatment ofafamily
“Wespokedirectlyatourrally, our campaign launch, to those peoplewhoaresittingonthefence. AndthatiswhyIsaid,ifyousiton the fence, analyse the policy makingcapacityofthePPP,analyse its implementation capacity, analyse its trustworthiness, and if you do that analysis on all three counts, we stand way above the others,”heboasted.
Meanwhile, President Irfaan Ali fiercely defended the list of candidatessubmitted,notingthatit speaks about continuity He said thereisadeliberateattempttounite persons and prepare the next generationofleaders.
“This is about giving the next generation of leaders exposure experience, because we believe in Guyana.WebelieveinGuyana3040, years from now, and the only waywecandeliverthatGuyanato successive generations is if we prepare leaders, if we prepare our young people, if you give them a chance, and that is what you see we’re doing on this list too,” he assured.
Subsequently, at the railway line on Lamaha and Main Streets,
the president told supporters that they should not believe for one minute that they have lost anyone. They should go back to their communities and tell their stories on social media, the corners of the streetsandtotheresidentsbecause there is only one story they could tell,whichis“astoryoflove,peace, unity and prosperity with the PPP/C.”
On Monday, scores of PPP supporters assembled at party headquarters, Freedom House on Robb Street, to march in solidarity as the party presented its list of candidates for the September 1 elections.
In true Guyanese fashion, the party had a troupe of dancers, dressedinpartycoloursleadingthe procession, gyrating with
truck and the dancers leading the way
Despite the scorching sun, patrons relentlessly trudged on, their thirsts quenched periodically by chilled bottles of water handed out by comrades At the intersectionsofCampandLamaha, theywereledontothelatterandthe marchcontinued.
seemingly choregraphed moves as several party jingles blasted from the human sized speakers of the powertechsoundsystem.
At 09:30hrs sharp, all Cabinet members were assembled dressed intheirredandtheprocessionmade its way east on Robb Street. All along the way, police officers and wardens dressed in fluorescent orange vests, had a seemingly difficult time keeping the crowd together, leaving onlookers to wonder if it was excitement or sheerdisorder
Turning onto Camp Street, several stops were made along the way for photo ops with the presidentandhisCabinetmembers, but also for the deejay to remind supportersthattheyweretoremain behind the line of officials, the
There were periodic chants of “we voting PPP” and “Ali is we president” but due to the loud nature of soca music blasting, they were hardly heard As the procession got nearer to Main Streetandpatronsrealisedthatthey were about to head onto the same stretch the Umana Yana is on they sprinted ahead, leaving dancers, trucksandofficialsbehind.
Getting them under control again was a task and after what seemed like eternity, the entire procession of red arrived at the barricadeoutsideofthevenue.Due to the number of persons present, security had to tighten their grasps onthesuitcasewhichcontainedthe list, the President, Vice President and Prime Ministers as they were amongstthepresenters.
Amidstthetossandtussle,they resorted to letting the crowd know thattherewererefreshmentsandan after party at the old train station back at Lamaha Street. In a flash, they dispersed and the other Cabinetmemberswereabletorelax without fear of being trampled by theirown.
ByRehannaRamsay
Fourteen political parties on Monday failed to file nomination papers, thus dropping out of the September1elections.
The Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) had initially approved the symbols of 19 political parties that expressed aninterestincontestingtheGeneral and Regional elections. However, only seven of these parties were counted at the Umana Yana in Kingston, Georgetown on NominationDay
The contingents that were notably absent included: Unity Movement(UM), Guyanese for Accountability, Meritocracy, Equality, Reform, Inclusion and collaboration with America (GAMERICA) , A Guyana National Service Party(AGNSP) , UNITY ONE (U1), Democratic People Party(DPP), All America Alliance For Guyana(AAA4G), Unity Guyana Democratic Party (UGDP), United Workers Party(UWP), Destiny to Oneness (DTO), The Republic Party of Guyana (RPG), Guyana United Party (GUP), People Republic Front(PRF), Citizen’s Unity(CU) and the Unified People of Guyana (UPP).
Nomination Day activities nevertheless proved to be a colourful showcase by supporters of the main political bases in Guyana Notably, the People’s ProgressiveParty/Civic(PPP/C),A Partnership of National Unity (APNU),We Invest in Nationhood (WIN),drewmassivecrowdsfrom their support bases as they submitted their lists of candidates. The Alliance For Change (AFC),
The Forward Guyana Movement (FGM), the Assembly for Liberty and Prosperity (ALP) and the Horizon and Star party, were among the groups with smaller supportbases.
The submission of each party’s candidate list was slated to take place between 10:00 am and 2:00 pm on Monday The parties were rightontimewiththeirsubmissionsomeevenarrivingearlierthanthe scheduled time. Supporters from the APNU camp were the first to arrive. They began assembling along Main Street Avenue enroute totheUmanaYana,atleastanhour beforetheactivitieswerescheduled tostart.
It’sNorton
Fully decked in their green tshirts bearing the faces of their Presidential Candidate Aubrey Norton and his running mate, Juretha Fernandes, APNU supporters gathered along the route; they beamed with pride as theyspokeoftheprospectsoftheir partyobtainingvictoryandseizing the reins of power When it drew closer to starting time, the crowd began to swell; more supporters turned up sporting party paraphernalia and waving their flagsinsupportofAPNU.By9:45 am, a notable crowd of supporters had made their way down to the barricade placed on the southern end of the road outside the Umana Yana.Thesupportersaccompanied by a truck blaring music and the party’s theme songs chanted phrases in support of their party “The PPP must go!” “The cup is cursed!”
Theirchantswereaccompanied by a truck playing loud music and political commentary by a DJ.
Ranks of the Guyana Police Force (GPF), media personnel and international observers stood beyond the barricade as the crowd grew bigger and louder as drones hovered over the crowds and surroundingenvironsoftheUmana Yana APNU’s Presidential C a n d i d a t e a n d o t h e r representatives of the list emerged shortlyfromamongsupporters.His appearance was met with chants and cheers. “Norton! Norton!” the crowdshouted.
AFCandPPPatthegate
As APNU representatives completed the process of submittingthelist,asmallgroupof persons decked in bright yellow emerged at the northern security barricade outside the Uman Yana. The group represented the AFC contingent.Theystoodoutsidefora whileasswarmsofpersonsdecked in red flooded the southern barricade on the opposite end.The ruling PPP/C had arrived and they weremakingtheirpresenceknown. Theparty’sthemesong-aremixof A l l i s o n p o p u l a r t u n e “togetherness” blared from loud speakers on a big truck. The large crowd of supporters for the PPP/C momentarily stole spotlight from the smaller party contingents that were popping up at the opposite sideofthebarricades.
The PPP/C’s team was led by Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo and President Irfaan Ali. The PPP/C oozed confidence as they entered the compound of the UmanaYana.
“Weareheretosubmitthewinning list,” someone from their camp shouted as they made their way inside. The PPP/C submission of the list was apparently smooth as their representatives were ushered
out of the building into the compound shortly after The PPP/C leaders briefly spoke to the media before leaving the compound as their supporters shouted “PPP/C all the way to victory!”
Thenexttosubmittheirlistwas the AFC; the small group of representatives led by their leader, Nigel Hughes who walked confidentlyintotheUmanaYanato submit the list. Shortly after The Better Must Come team exited the building, the Forward Guyana Movement led by its leader Amanza Walton-Desir, a former executiveonthePNCRmadetheir wayintothecompound.Supporters ofthisgroupweredeckedinpurple t-shirts.
Of note, the Forward Guyana Movement candidate, 22-year-old Bibi Feroze said she wants to represent differently-abled persons likeherself.Ferozehasalwaysbeen a strong advocate for disabled personsinGuyanabutshebelieves thatthereismorethatcanbedone.
Outsideasmallgroupoftheparty’s supporters echoed a familiar chant ofvictory
The supporters of the WaltonDesir camp appeared adamant in their stance of a successful elections campaign. Accompanied by a loud speaker, they bellowed a tune about being ready to take Guyanaforward.
Broomes
Leader of the ALP, Simona Broomes was heralded by her supporters who were decked navy blue t-shirts And though her support base was small, they created a stir as they entered the compound.Shewascarriedinarms of one of representatives into the
UmanaYanatosubmitherlist.“We are very confident. We are very confident. We are fully confident because we’ve made the list. We came through the process and we will be contesting in six regions, regional and geographical,” she told the media as she exited the building. She vowed that her party will be the voice of the voiceless. As Broomes left, a massive crowd ofpeopleinskybluet-shirtsstarted showing up These were the supporters of Azruddin Mohamed’s-ledWINparty Bluewave
The massive crowd of possibly thousands more to rival the PPP/C contingent marched from Kitty Seawallalongaroutethatledtothe Umana Yana in Kingston. The crowd descended on the location from the northern, southern and eastern sides of the Umana Yana. Thecrowdblewhornsandshouted chants in support of the businessmanandhisteam.Several supporters on motorcycles converged beyond the security barricad
he party’s presidential candidate emerged withhisteam.
Though, he did not give much detail on the party’s plan and policies,Mohamedtoldmediathat WIN is a party formed for the people of Guyana. “We are here because of the people of Guyana, “he said confidently WIN was followed by the final candidate to submit.
Mr Hubert Maloney of the Horizon and Star party arrived as thesolepresenterofhisparty’slist of candidates. He is hoping that it will be approved to contest in the September1polls.
(See center pages for photos)
Twonewlyformed,women-led political parties, the Guyana Forward Movement, headed by Amanza Walton-Desir, and the Assembly for Liberty and Prosperity (ALP), led by Simona Broomes will not be contesting in all 10 regions for the upcoming elections.
On Monday, both parties officially submitted their lists of
Presidential candidate for ALP,
candidatestotheGuyanaElections Commission (GECOM). WaltonDesir arrived at the Umana Yana accompanied by a strong showing of supporters dressed in purple. In an interview after submitting her party’s list, she shared that the Guyana Forward Movement has securedsupportinsevenoftheten regions, and will not be contesting inRegionsSeven,Eight,andNine.
Despite the limited coverage, Walton-Desir expressed pride in her party’s rapid progress, noting, “It was less than 21 days ago that we announced the power Guyana movement, and I’m happy to say that we have been able to meet the requirements and exceeded the requirements in some instances to be able to participate. You know, you are able to have to participate
Presidential candidate for FGM, Walton-Desir and her supporters
regionally and nationally, in a minimum of six regions. We were abletofieldcandidates,nominators fromsevenregionsin21days.And so for us, I mean, there’s a victory rightthere,”shesaid. Shealsoemphasisedtheparty’s commitment to inclusion and representation, highlighting that 65%oftheircandidatesarewomen, including a 22-year-old differently
abledwoman.“Sixty-sevenpercent female, and we are talking about every race, across age limits and groups. We have persons with disability, who have called to sign up.Sowebelievethespiritofwhat we are doing here in Guyana is catching on. I believe that we provide a very credible alternative andIstressthewordcredible Continued on page 16
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Presidential candidate for A Partnership for National Unity (APNU), Aubrey Norton, has expressed strong confidence that his party’s diverse and inclusive list of candidates will lead them to victory in the upcoming elections.
Speaking after submitting the party’s nominations on Monday, Norton emphasised that the APNU slate represents a balanced mix of youth, professionals, experienced individuals, and grassroots representatives. Norton, accompanied by candidates and supporters, marched from Lamaha and Main Streets to the Umana Yana in Kingston, where they officially submitted their nomination list to the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM).
Following the submission, Norton told reporters that the APNU list features a “balanced mixture” of candidates. When asked about the number of young people on the candidate list, Norton said that around 60 per cent of APNU’s nominees are under the age of 40. “It depends on how you define young, so if you are talking 40 and under, it will be more than 60 per cent
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of our list,” he said.
Highlighting some of the names on the list, Norton noted the inclusion of aspiring lawyer Eden Corbin, attorney Dexter Todd, Dr. Paul Williams, Dr. John Anderson, attorney Vanessa Thomas, businessman Saiku Andrews, and Terrence Campbell. “We have what I would call a well-balanced list, it has some grassroots people as well, because we believe there is a need to be in touch with the average person as well. You have the professional persons, you have political experience, you have youth and it is our sincere hope that this combination of people allows us to run the nation attentively,” he said.
Meanwhile, Norton dismissed concerns over recent departures from the party, asserting that APNU remains strong and focused. “Our supporters, know politics, understand politics, our supporters know we have been in the field from 2021, coming right down. So, we were in touch and we are well aware that our supporters are energised. Why people may talk about who left we are looking forward and we have a strong team.”
He further added, “I don’t have the time for that. why would I have organised my party and galvanised support? So why would I want to get into some analysis of who would have left? It’s their democratic right.”
Reporters also questioned Norton about the readiness of prime ministerial
candidate Juretta Fernandes, a former member of the AFC. When asked whether he believed she was prepared for such a significant role, Norton responded, “If Irfaan Ali can be president, then anyone else could be. The evidence is clear. I don’t need to speak for her. You see Jagdeo always speaks for Irfaan. She goes out on her own, she’s well qualified, and none of her qualifications are in question. I don’t see why she should be.” Meanwhile, APNU’s vice presidential candidate, Ganesh Mahipaul, echoed Norton’s confidence in the diverse team. He highlighted plans to address key social issues, especially among
youth. “So, one of the programmes we will be having in place is to put the social workers in every secondary school to interact, to deal with children, to grow them in a certain way, so that they become better.
What that does, the trickling effect of that will require more social workers going to the University of Guyana to be trained. It will require more investment into young people, especially for them to go into that field of study,” Mahipaul explained.
Speaking on the issue of oil resources, Mahipaul stated that APNU’s diverse team plans to engage ExxonMobil in discussions
aimed at securing higher royalties for the benefit of the Guyanese people. “It will call for us to have interaction. It will call for dialogue. It will call for us to examine the contract in its current existing format. It will call for engagement with the oil company and so on.
I support us getting maximum benefit from our oil resource. We are entitled to it. It is ours, and we have to benefit from it.
So, I know that our government, the APNU and new government, when we get into office, I know that our focus will be to engage in an effort to get more for the Guyanese people,” he said.
From page 15
alternative to the people of Guyana,” she said.
Walton-Desir added:
“There’s a minimum requirement of a third, and we have exceeded that, because we have some vibrant young women that you will see and like we’ve started by saying, this is a journey, and the longest journey begins with the first step, and so we’re taking
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the first step here today.”
Meanwhile, Simona Broomes and her supporters, dressed in dark blue, marched into the Umana Yana to submit the ALP’s nomination list. Broomes confirmed that her party will be contesting in six electoral districts, but not in Regions One, Two, Eight, and Nine.
She acknowledged that the ALP had aimed to contest
all 10 regions but faced setbacks due to administrative challenges.
“We are very confident. We are fully confident because we’ve made the list. We came through the process taking it from the ground up. We are contesting in six regions, regional and geographical, we met the requirements for the top-up. We are ready,” she stated. Broomes explained
that difficulties arose when GECOM updated the nomination forms at the last minute, complicating the party’s efforts to finalise candidates and nominators in the remaining regions.
Nevertheless, she proudly noted that one-third of her party’s candidates are women, and the list features a diverse group of youth representatives.
From page 3 before September 1. The Chief Elections Officer added that there are now at about 2,785 polling stations which is an increase from the 2020 General and Regional Elections. “It is definitely an increase, and that is because the allocation of voters to polling stations has been restricted to 400 per polling station. It used to be 450,” he said. Declaration of results Moreover, when asked
how soon after the September 1 elections citizens could expect results, Persaud explained that the law requires Statements of Poll to be uploaded to GECOM’s website as they are processed. “So, the results of the election could be known even before we are ready to declare it, because you can be sitting in your living room and be doing your own combination. But in so far as the declaration is concerned, at the level of GECOM, at the dis-
trict level, we are earmarked to have declarations done by the night of the day after elections,” he noted.
However, he highlighted that the public declaration would depend on whether any requests for a recount are made. If so, it would delay the national declaration. “If there is not, by the end of the second day after the elections, we should have a national declaration,” Persaud said.
On the topic of international observers, Persaud said
GECOM expects the usual support from the Commonwealth, the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), the European Union, Organization of American States (OAS), and the Carter Center. Moreover, Chairman of GECOM Claudette Singh in a brief interview confirmed that any defects in the lists requiring correction would be addressed within two days. When asked if GECOM is prepared for the elections, she responded, “Of course.”
In a surprising move, former Member of Parliament (MP) under the APNU+AFC Tabitha Sarabo-Halley has joined the We Invest in Nationhood (WIN) Party, headed by businessman AzruddinMohamed.
Sarabo-Halley appeared with Mohamed Monday afternoonoutsidetheUmana YanacladintheWIN’sblue shirt ahead of him submitting his list of candidates. She is not the first of her peers to support the United States (U S ) sanctionedbusinessman.
She followed former PNCR General Secretary Dawn Hastings-Williams andNatashaSingh-Lewis.
“It is surprising, I understandpeoplesayingit’s a surprise, but for me personally I had to make a decision, the people made a choice, the people are
choosing something different, the people have decidedthatwhatexistedfor the last 50 years is not working for them but they want to see something different, they want something new and they hoping with that new thing thattheywouldbeabletoget what they truly deserve as Guyanese citizens,” SaraboHalley told Kaieteur News outsideofUmanaYana.
for change, we are tired of one thing over and over…this is a chance to make a difference in a differentway.”
Williams said that should WIN, win one focus area is to work closely with t h e I n d i g e n o u s communities. This, he said, is not limited to his village but equal focus would be placedothervillages.
Anothercandidate,Mark DeFrance whose party – A New and United Guyana (ANUG) recently joined WIN, told the media that, “Team WIN is much more than one person… TEAM WIN is a team and we are coming with a peoplecentred policy that will look at the people Our interactions with the people havegivenusalloftheissues thatthepeoplearefacingand we will look at best how to address these issues that the peoplearefacing.”
Without divulging any details, DeFrance sought to assure reporters that WIN has a power-packed manifesto that will be made publicsoon.Hesaidtoothat a summarized version will be released within two weeksandthefullmanifesto will be shared at the launch oftheircampaign.
WIN through its leader disclosed that it will be contestinginallregions.
Askedtocommentonthe
T h e f o r m e r parliamentariansaidthather purposeandroleasaservant leader is to ensure that the peoplegetwhattheydeserve and she will support initiatives that will achieve that goal. Questioned about the difference among WIN andtheotherparties,SaraboHalley said “I am actually very excited about what is goingtocomeandunfolding in the next week. We are getting through this process whichwasNominationDay, once we done here, we are goingtodealwithmanifesto andallofthosepolicies.Iam goingtotellyou;youwould also be surprised in the comingweekswhatwehave in store for the Guyanese people.”
sanctions imposed on the billionaire businessman by the U.S. government, she said, Guyana is a sovereign country and the people have a right to decide who leads them. Meanwhile, Randy
Williams of Paramakatoi, Region Eight, told Kaieteur News that he joined WIN because, “it’s a different general of politicians than the ones we are accustomed to,soIfigurethereisaneed
AccordingtoitsNational Top Up list, there are 82 candidates and signatures. Among them are teachers, doctors, a physiotherapist, forest officer, businessmen, dentist, pharmacist, accountant clerk, farmer, andmanagers.
The new faces for the Alliance For Change (AFC) party have all pledged to supporttheirpartytotheend.
Duringaninterviewwith Kaieteur News, 35-year-old Lilian Joseph, candidate for RegionNinesaidthatshould the AFC win the 2025 election,sheintendstowork diligentlyfortheyouthwhile alsolookingintothewelfare of hinterland residents “Well, as we all know, the hinterland over the years, people tend to forget that there is the hinterland, the Indigenouspeople,andthere shouldbemoreprogrammes implemented for the IndigenousyouthforRegion 9andallacrossGuyana,”she said. Joseph shared that she was drawn to the party because she was amazed by thewayyoungpeopleofthe party were able to speak truthtopowerwithoutbeing sidelined. “I admired that
AFC supporters
and I believe that this is where I belong This is where my voice is going to be heard,” Joseph told this publication.
Kerensa GravesandeBart, a Region Four candidate shared similar
sentiments but her focus is on women and their protection. Gravesande was introduced at the party’s newsconferencelastFriday She spoke about cracks in the justice system here and as a woman in a senior
positionintheprivatesector, shecannotjustsit,watchand do nothing. “When I saw their quota for women on theircandidateslistthatwas my major shift, because as Guyanarapidlydevelopsit’s essential that women voices areheardandthatwehavea seat at the table.As a matter offact,it’simportantthatwe haveatablethat’scarvedout for us so that we can contribute to how policies are carved and how these policies are implemented,”
s h e s a i d T h e businesswomansaidthatone of the things that made her join theAFC is the integrity ofthepeoplewhoformedthe party, their values and
principles which all resonatedwithher.
Providing a background on Gravensande-Bart at last Friday’s news conference, AFC Leader Nigel Hughes said,“in2018Kerrywonthe inaugural Women in Business Award in Guyana. As you know, one of the majorthrustsoftheAlliance For Change is not only business, but women in business.And so, Kerry is a perfectfit.In2019,shewent on to fund the women chamber of commerce and industry in Guyana that was groundbreaking.”
The attorney said it was thefirsttimeawomen’s (Continuedonpage)
Former president of the GuyanaTeacher’sUnion (GTU) Mark Lyte is a candidate on the People’s Progressive Party’s list of candidates for the general and regionalelections.
Lyte came under severe criticism from public school teachersandsectionsofthesociety lastyearandwassuspendedbythe GTU’sgeneralcouncilforsigninga salary agreement with the governmentwithouttheconsentof the union’s negotiating team. The GTUwasatthetimeatthecentreof an industrial action, demanding betterwagesandsalaries.
Lyte falls 54th on the list, with hisoccupationlistedasministerof religion.
Cardio surgeon, Dr Mahendra Carpen is also a candidate on the list. Appearing eighth is owner of Shally’sSeafoodRestaurantAmjah Noor Hussain Shazaam Ally, a founding member of The CitizenshipInitiative(TCI),asmall party which contested the 2020 elections.
The PPP has seen several new comers, some of them being prominent persons in society as well as crossovers from other parties.Amongthelatterareformer deputy speaker Dr Asha Kissoon, formerPeople’sNationalCongress Reform (PNCR) Member James Bond, former Member of Parliament (MP) Lennox Shuman, and former PNC/R MP Geeta Chandan-Edmond.
Also on party’s list is rape accused former Local Government Minister, Nigel Dharamlall Dharamlallwasforcedtoresignas a minister back in 2023 after explosive allegations surfaced on him raping at least one schoolgirl. Though he had denied the allegations, the victim later withdrew the criminal complaint she had made against him to the police. Dharamlall would later go on to be elected on the PPP’s executive committee and has been spearheading the party’s campaign activitiesintheWestCoastBerbice area. A printed statement to the media on behalf of the party said thatthelistiscomprisedofpersons from all 10 administrative regions, with40percentfemalessurpassing the requirement of a 1/3 female presence.
“Significantly, it embraces personsfromeveryagegroupinthe country, balancing youth with maturity and experience, 27 personsonthelistarebelowtheage of 25, 16 between 26 and 40 years oldandtheremainderconsistingof age40andabove,”itsaid.
Gaza’s Health Ministry reports that at least 120 bodies were brought to hospitals in the past 24 hours.Initsdailyreport,the ministry said 557 people were wounded over the past day
Israelcontinuestopound the nothern city’s Zeitoun neighbourhood, with a recent attack killing a man, his wife and their three children.
DisplacedPalestiniansin the area toldAl Jazeera that the bodies of those killed in recent attacks are “lying in the streets”, and that continued Israeli shelling threatens dozens of people trapped in their homes with deathandstarvation.
The Palestinian Civil Defence in the Gaza Strip toldAlJazeerathattheywere unable to respond to any distress calls from the Zeitoun neighborhood because it was completely surrounded by Israeli fire. Israeli forces carried out overnight raids in multiple towns across the Tulkarem governorate, intensifying their ongoing military operations in the northern occupied West Bank, the Wafanewsagencyreports.
Mourners react next to the bodies of Palestinians killed in Israeli strikes in Khan Younis [Hatem Khaled/Reuters]
The statement relayed that the list is a reflection of the multiethnic nature of Guyana’s demography consisting of AfroGuyanese, Indo-Guyanese, Amerindian, Mixed Race, PortugueseandChinese.
“Italsoreflectsapresencefrom all the major religions of our country the list also mirrors Guyana’s class diversity and it capturespersonsfromtheworkingclass including sugar workers, rice farmers, miners and construction workers among others,” the statementadded.
Additionally, there is a large number of professionals and “an appreciable contingent from the basis community.” This includes students, housewives and ordinary Guyanese.
“As we move forward together for a better Guyana, some of these candidates were introduced during ourcampaignlaunchyesterdayand in the coming weeks, you will be meeting all of them across the country,”thestatementconcluded.
Frompage 17 organisationwasdedicated to business in Guyana. He said Gravesande-Bart will be heading up the thrust in making sure that there are increased opportunities for women in business as well as playing a critical role in theAFC’saimtoestablisha financial institution or a bankforwomen.
advocate and partner in shaping a brighter, more prosperous future for every Guyanesecitizen.
“My vision is clear, a Guyana that thrives economically, stands for good governance, empowers its women and youthandensuresinclusive growth. Imagine a Guyana where opportunities are abundant for youth, where quality education, vocational training and meaningful employment become the norm, not the exception… Today, I invite every single Guyanese citizen to join this movement for positive change Let’s build a country defined by unity, prosperity, justice and hope,”sheadded.
Troops also shot at surveillance cameras on storefronts, searched several vehicles,andraidedhomes.
Separate Israeli military units raided the towns of Illar, Sida and Qaffin, north of Tulkarem, and Anabta to theeast.
Israeli raids and incursions have become a near-dailyoccurrenceacross the West Bank, particularly intheTulkaremarea.
During these raids,
In Kafr al-Labad, east of Tulkarem, Israeli troops stormed the town with two militaryvehiclesandground soldiers, firing heavily and indiscriminately in the streets. Soldiers reportedly assaultedanelderlyresident, Tayseer Aboudi, by hurling stun grenades directly at him.
infrastructure is often destroyed, while many are assaulted,arrestedorshotby Israelisoldiers.
UNRWA,theUNagency for Palestinian refugees, UNRWA, has warned that food shortages in Gaza are “pushing children to the brink”, and many could die.
“UNRWAteams continue to deliver healthcare in Gaza, but medical supplies –
blocked by Israeli Authorities – are urgently needed,”theagencysaidina postonX.
“Lift the siege. Let the UN, including UNRWA, savelives.”
The UN and its agencies
have for weeks been pleading to be allowed to operate in Gaza, which the Israeliarmyhasbarredthem fromdoing.
Israeli media reports say there’s been an ambush in Gaza City with a tank hit by rocketfireandlaterattacked with small arms with helicopters seen evacuating casualties. Israel’s war on Gaza has killed at least 58,386 people and wounded 139,077, according to Gaza’sHealthMinistry
An estimated 1,139 people were killed in Israel during the October 7, 2023, attacks and more than 200 takencaptive.
Inherfirstaddresstothe mediaasanAFCcandidate, Gravesande-Bart said she was honoured by the trust placedinherbytheAFC,to potentiallyholdthecountry together “Guyana,manyof you may already know me from my years of work withintheprivatesector,but today, allow me to reintroduce myself. I am Kerensa Gravesande-Bart, but everyone calls me Kerry, proud Guyanese, proud Guyanese woman, mother, wife, entrepreneur, advocate for women’s empowerment and youth development and good governance. My journey, likemanyofyours,hasbeen defined by dreams, hard work and persistence, and above all, my passionate love for Guyana, I’ve had the privilege to co-found severalventures,” she said The AFC candidate said she has acceptedthenominationfor a parliamentary candidate of the party, not just as a political figure, but as an
Jaipaul Sharma who is alsoacandidatefortheAFC saidthathejoinedtheparty because he saw excellent leadershipqualitiesinparty leader,NigelHughesandhe believes that the people of Guyanadeserveapresident who is fair and just for the people.
“Idecidedtosupportmy leader, my president, Nigel Hughes because of the individual that he is. I see a lot of things in common both of us as being both politicalleadersandmore,” Sharma said. Sharma was a minister in the former APNU/AFC coalition government.
SportsMax - Kyle Mayers’brilliantunbeaten 67 laid the foundation for the R
thrilling one-run victory
o
Hurricanes in the Global
Providence Stadium on Sunday, in a match that went down to the final ball
Theleft-handerstruck67 not out off 42 balls, lacing eightfours and two sixes, to guide Rangpur to 151 for 6 fromtheir20overs.
It was a composed, aggressive innings that proved decisive on a interestedthroughout.
Mayers’ knock was supported by Ibrahim Zadran, who contributed a
solid43off31ballsatthetop
contributions made up the bulk of the scoring, with wickets falling regularly aroundthem.
Usama Mir was the standout bowler for the Hurricanes, taking 3 for 15 in four clinical overs, while FabianAllen picked up2for38
In reply, Hobart
Hurricanes fell just short, bowled out for 150 in 20 overs despite Mohammad Nabi’s valiant 44 off 36 balls, which included one four and three sixes Nabi’s late charge nearly stole victory for Hobart before a composed final over from Azmatullah Omarzai sealed the match forRangpur
ARIES(Mar.21–Apr.19)
Overall,theforecastfortoday is fairly good. The aspects seemtofavorfiguringoutthe meaning of all that's transpired over the past several weeks It's an opportunity for you to take a leisurely
TAURUS(Apr.20–May20)
Have you felt somewhat lost forthepastfewdays?Thefog maylifttodayandenableyou to situate yourself at last. You'reprobablyeagertosettle a question that has nagged at you and interfered with your judgment.
GEMINI(May21–June20)
You may have been feeling somewhat disillusioned. Perhapsyoulostsightofyour goals or misplaced your faith in yourself. You'll feel some reliefbeginningtoday
CANCER(June21–July22)
Youmightbetemptedtosettle certain matters by radical means. The visionary part of you means you're painfully aware of the world's wrongs. You see no reason not to take actiontocorrectthem.
LEO(July23–Aug.22)
Today will be fairly calm in terms of outside events, but yourinnerworldislikelytobe in a rush of activity Today you wish you could find the solutiontoyourheartachesas well as your career predicaments.
VIRGO(Aug.23–Sept.22)
You have a lot of thinking to do about your professional goals, Virgo. You'll go over the elements to see if there isn't some way to approach thingsdifferently
TheHurricanes needed 10 runs off the final over with two wickets in hand After a wide to start, Nabi hammered the first legal ball for six and added two more off the next, bringing the target within tworuns
LIBRA(Sept.23–Oct.22)
Youjustcan'tdoeverythingat once, Libra. How do you expect to reduce your stress and recuperate while at the same time continue to be a superstar performer in every areaofyourlife.
SCORPIO(Oct.23–Nov 21)
Thisisagoodmomenttoadapt your logic and reason to reality, Scorpio. If you don't, you're going to run into some
Everyone knows that you find newideasplentiful.
SAGIT(Nov 22–Dec.21)
It'sgoingtobealittledifficult t
y, Sagittarius. You, who can be easily influenced by others, will be listening to and criticizing everything that peoplesay
CAPRI(Dec.22–Jan.19)
Haveyoubeenreviewingyour f
mily hi
o
y lately, Capricorn? Of special interest is your cultural background. What educational, social, and religious environment were you born into? What are its values?Intheend.
AQUARIUS (Jan. 20–Feb. 18) It's time to elevate your senseofself,Aquarius.You're justasgoodasanyoneelse,so why don't you believe it? The problem is that you're very sensitiveabouthavinganego. Even though you know everyonedoes.
PISCES(Feb.19–Mar.20)
Today your intellectual and expressive abilities should receive a boost from the planets.It'sanexcellenttimeto organize your thoughts about presentingaproject.
Kyle Mayers hit an unbeaten 67. (GSLT20)
Omarzai responded with a dot and then dismissed Nabi with a catch at long-off by Iftikhar Ahmed.
B i l l y S t a n l a k e managed a single off the penultimate delivery, leaving two runs needed fromthelastball
Usama Mir called for a quick single, but Stanlake was run out at the nonstriker’s end after a slick relay from Iftikhar and Omarzai, leaving Hobart agonizinglyshort
Khaled Ahmed was named Player of the Match for his superb spell of 4 for 26, removing the dangerous McDermott (34 off 19), Odean Smith (20 off 13), Fabian Allen, and Raf MacMillan at critical junctures.
Iftikhar Ahmed chipped in with 2 for 13, while Rakibul Hasan and Omarzai took one wicket apiece - Sagar Hatiramani blazed the attack with an unbeaten 144ise
C a p t a i n B e n McDermott gave them a flying start with a blistering 34, but regular wickets slowed their momentum
A s i d e f r o m McDermott, Smith, and Nabi, no other batter reacheddoublefigures
T h e w i n k e e p s Rangpur unbeaten in the tournament and reinforces their credentials as early title contenders, while Hobart will be left reflecting on a golden opportunity that slipped away in the final moments ofapulsatingcontest.
Re n e g a d e s
e m e r g e d victorious in the Republic Bank-sponsored Edge 3x3 Basketball Tournament, clinching the titlewithacommanding2113 win over the Linden ShootersinSunday’sfinalat the Cliff Anderson Sports Hall.
teammates Travis Belgrave, Harold Adams, and Shelroy
LedbytournamentMVP Nikkolai Smith, and supported by standout
Thomas, Renegades dominated the two-day tournament, going undefeated to claim the $500,000topprize.
The Linden Shooters, featuring Dennis Niles, Yonnick Tappin, Kobe
Tappin, and Vibert Benjamin, finished second, collecting$300,000fortheir efforts.
They advanced to the final after defeating Team Agricola 17-13 in a hardfoughtsemifinalmatchup.
K w a k w a n i Untouchables, comprised of national team players Stanton Rose Jr., Jamal Gilkes, Kadeem Dover, and Domair Gladstone, suffered a narrow 21-19 loss to Renegades in the other semifinal.
They finished third and walked away with a $200,000prize.
The tournament, which drew16teamsincludingtwo from Suriname, was hailed as one of the most competitiveandentertaining 3x3eventsheldinGuyanain recentyears.
The Guyana Basketball Federation (GBF) lent technical support through Vice Presidents Rawle Toney and Jermaine Slatter, who served as tournament supervisors. GBF President Michael Singh commended Edge Sports Management
and its leader, Olympian Chelsea Edghill, for flawlessly executing the event. He also expressed appreciationfortheplatform provided to local talent, particularlyinthefast-paced 3x3format.
Singhannouncedthatthe GBF’s national 3x3
tournamentisonthehorizon and encouraged other promoters to continue embracing the shortened versionofthegame,whichis gainingglobaltraction. The Edge Series continuesthisweekendwith Table Tennis and Cycling competitions.
Athree member Guyana Badmintonteamisofftothe XXXIIIYonexPanamJunior Individual Championship andCampinGuatemala.
The team comprising of Mishka Beharry (U19 GS) and Ruel Rambiriche (U17 BS) are accompanied by senior female athlete/coach PriyannaRamdhani.
The team is expressing gratitude to the Guyana OlympicAssociationandthe Ministry of Culture, Youth andSportfortheirsupportin making this tournament and camppossible.
Guyana Badminton Association President, Emily Ramdhani, informed thattheywillcompeteinthe Girls Singles U19, Boys Singles U17 and the Mixed DoublesU19.
O v e r 4 0 0 p l u s participants from 17 countries with Age group tournaments ranging from U13-19, with the U19 being an international event for rankingpoints,areinvolved.
SportsMax - The West Indiessufferedahumiliating 176-run defeat at the hands of Australia on day three of the thirdTest at Sabina Park yesterday, completing a 3-0 whitewashforthetourists.
Chasing 204 for victory, the West Indians were bowled out for an inexplicable 27, the second lowest score in Test history, thanks to a spectacular spell of quick bowling from Mitchell Starc in his 100th Testmatch.
Starctookthewicketsof John Campbell, Kevlon AndersonandBrandonKing allinthefirstoverforducks tosetupthedemolition.
Things got from bad to worse for the hosts when StarcremovedMikyleLouis for four in the fifth over to make it 5-4, bringing up his 400th Test wicket in the process.
He completed his fivewicket haul in just 15 balls, the fastest in Test history, withthewicketofShaiHope for two in the same over before Roston Chase, not longafter,fellcaughtbehind off the bowling of Josh Hazlewood for a duck to make it 11-6 two balls into thesixthover
It was then over to Scott Boland who picked up a hat-trick with the wickets of Justin Greaves (11), Shamar Joseph (0) and Jomel Warrican (0) in the 14th over to leave the score at 26-9, putting the West Indies in danger of tying the record for the lowestscoreintesthistory set by New Zealand back in1955
After a misfield that allowed the West Indies to sneak another run and avoid history,Starcbroughtanend
toproceedingswithhissixth wicket, bowling Jayden Seales halfway through the 15th over to dismiss the
Guyanese
SportsMax - Guyanese pacer Shamar
Joseph continued his dream start to Test cricket during the third day of the thirdTest againstAustraliaatSabinaParkonMonday.
Joseph dismissed Australia’s Cameron Green with the very first ball of the day to reach 50 Test wickets in his 11th match, becoming the joint sixth-fastestWest Indian toreachthelandmark.
The 25-year-old made his Test debut againstthe same oppositioninAustralialast January and has gone from strength to strength ever since, cementing himself as
partofboththepresentandfutureoftheWest Indianpaceattack.
AlfredValentineisthefastestWestIndian to 50 Test wickets as he brought up the milestone in his eighth match against Australiain1951.
Sir Andy Roberts and Colin Croft were nextfastest,eachreaching50wicketsintheir ninthmatchwhileWesHallandJoelGarner bothtook10.
Josephnowfindshimselfsixthonthatlist alongside Sonny Ramadhin, Ian Bishop and ShaneShillingford.
hostsfor27.
Starc finished with figures of 6-9 off 7.3 overs while Boland picked up 3-2
inthreeovers. Earlier, the h
s dismissed Australia for 121 after they began the day 99-
6.
Alzarri Joseph finished with5-27from12overs,his second five-wicket haul in Tests, while Shamar Joseph finished with 4-34 from 13 overs.
Bothteamswillnowturn their attention to the fivematchT20Iseriesbeginning onSunday SummarizedScores: Australia 225 all out in 70.3overs(StevenSmith48, Cameron Green 46, Shamar Joseph 4-33, Justin Greaves 3-56,JaydenSeales3-59)& 121 all out in 37 overs (Cameron Green 42,Alzarri Joseph5-27,ShamarJoseph 4-34)
WestIndies143alloutin 52.1 overs (John Campbell 36, Scott Boland 3-34, Pat Cummins 2-24, Josh Hazlewood 2-32) & 27 all out in 14.3 overs (Mitchell Starc6-9,ScottBoland3-2).
SportsMax - West Indies captain Hayley Matthews is the ICC Women’s Player of the Month for June. She was crowned on Monday following a vote conducted amongglobalfansregistered at/icc-cricket com/and a specialist panel comprising former international players andmediarepresentatives.
Matthews, who has previously won the awards in November 2021, October 2023 andApril 2024, edged SouthAfrica’s Tazmin Brits andcompatriotAfyFletcher to become only the second playertowintheawardfour times after Australia allrounderAshleighGardner
The West Indies skipper scored 104 runs in the three ODIs against South Africa, which included a halfcentury in the third match. She also grabbed four wickets in the series. Her fine run continued in the subsequent 2-1 T20I series win. She was named Player of the Series for her two fiftiesinanaggregateof147 runsandtwowickets.
“It’sanhonourtoreceive the Player of the Month award again I’ve been pleased with my form recently, but more importantly, it’s been great to contribute to the team’s success especially in a hard-fought T20I series againstSouthAfrica.
“Recognition like this is appreciated, but my focus remains on what’s ahead. There’s a lot more I want to achieve,bothpersonallyand
with this team We’re heading in the right direction, and I’m excited aboutwherewecangofrom here.”
South Africa’s Aiden Markram won the men’s award ahead of team-mate Kagiso Rabada and Sri Lanka opener Pathum NissankaforhisforPlayerof the Match effort in the ICC World Test Championship (WTC) Final against AustraliaatLord’s.
Over the last fifteen years, the cricket teams of the Rose Hall Town Youth and Sports Club, MS has hosted an annual Grade Six Summer Camp for students preparingtoentersecondary school for the first time. More than 1300 students have benefitted over the yearsfromthecampwhichis sponsored by the Rose Hall Town branch of Republic Bank [Guyana] Ltd. The bank on Thursday last renewed its sponsorship of the camp for the 16th successive year with a simple presentation ceremony at the newly openedWilliamsburyoffice.
Cricket Manager Robby Kissoonlall in brief remarks noted, that the main objective of the camp is to assist grade six students to make a successful transition from the primary to secondarylevel.Theclubhe noted would work along
with the students to make surethattheyunderstandthe cultural differences between the two levels and that they understand the importance of an educational backgroundintheirlives.
The camp, which would be conducted by a team of highly trained educators, would involve the teaching
of four subjects - Maths, English, Social Studies and Science, while students would also be exposed to basicSpanish.
The camp started yesterday, Monday 14th July, at the renovated main pavilion at the Area H GroundinRoseHallTown. Students would also be
involved in several lectures ontopicsofimportancesuch asdrugabuse,peerpressure, importance of discipline, HIV/AIDS, personal hygiene,classroommanners and public speaking. The students would also be introduced to some basic coaching on how to play cricket by the cricket
coaches attached to the cricket club, which has produced three test cricketers, seventy-five national players and a total of one hundred and twentyeight players for Berbice at alllevels.
Kissoonlall disclosed that over seven hundred thousand dollars worth of itemswouldbesharedoutto members of the camp, including an educational packageworthfourthousand dollars to each student. The top ten students of the camp would receive a wide array of prizes including an electric bike, cycles, electronic tablets, designer watches, cell phones, designerclothing,household and kitchen utensils and cosmetics hampers among others.
National under15 player Raffel Mackenzie expressed thanks on behalf of his club matesoftheRoseHallTown
Poonai Pharmacy under13, Farfan and Mendes Ltd under15, Bakewell under17 and Second Division, Pepsi under19andunder23,Metro Stationery Females and the Namilco Thunderbolt Flour first division teams He noted that the bank over the years has been a remarkable friend to the club and stated that the camp has assisted numerousstudentstomakea successful transition from the primary to secondary level.
Acting Branch Manager Denisa Ramdial stated the bank was pleased to be associated with the summer campaspartofitscorporate responsibility She expressed confidence in the successful hosting of the four weeks camp and urged the students to take a d v a n t a
opportunities been given to them by the bank and the club.
In a significant boost to one of Guyana’s most anticipated sporting and entertainment events, Kris Jagdeo, CEO of Jagdeo Construction has pledged major sponsorship support for the upcoming Guyana Cup & Super Concert. This hallmark event carded for Sunday 17th August, 2025 significantly contributes to attracting elite international
j o c k e y s , t o p - t i e r thoroughbred horses and
thousands of enthusiastic fans from across the Caribbeanandbeyond.
Thisyear’s eventwillbe elevated to its pinnacle with the Super Concert, blending the thrill of the races with live performances from someofthebiggestnamesin regional and international music Horse Racing in Guyana has reached a new level of international recognition, thanks to our historic victory at the Sandy
Lane Barbados Gold Cup, the most p
igious horseracing event in the Caribbean and South America.Thisrace,attended by competitors from the U.S.,U.K.,Dubai,andother topracingnationsisonethat manystrivealifetimetowin. Yet,Guyanaenteredjustone horse, on our first attempt anddominatedthefield.This achievement has placed Guyana firmly on the global horseracing stage opening doors for increased investment, international participation and tourism. With this monumental achievement, Guyana Cup 2025hasthepotentialtobethe biggest and most impactful eventyet
Thanks to the drive and commitment of the Ministry of Culture, Youth & Sports the horseracing legislation was tabled and passed in Guyana’s Parliament. This will usher in a new era of regulation, investment and credibility, further strengthening Guyana’s racing industry All of this ties together to boost Sports tourism in Guyana. Kris Jagdeo, who owns one of the
leading stables in Guyana, underscores his passion for promoting local sports and culture but also signals growing private-sector investment in Guyana’s entertainment and sporting landscape Guyana Cup have welcomed the partnership, emphasizing that this level of support will enhance the overall experience for both participants and spectators With increased prize purses, improved facilities, and expanded entertainment, this year’seventisexpectedtoset newstandards
When our news team contacted Mr Jagdeo, he explained, “We believe in the power of sport to bring people together to inspire greatness. The Guyana Cup ismorethanjustarace,it’sa national celebration. Jagdeo Construction is proud to be part of something that showcases our country’s talent, culture, and community spirit. We have seenaninfluxofticketsales that is a clear indication of themomentumofthisyear’s international concert lineup. So, I urge all persons interested in tickets to get
them early and avoid the rush. Jagdeo Construction will continue to support
extension the
Events.”
Frompage23
reduced to seven overs, while the earlier quarterfinal between Trendsetters and Young Steppaz saw the former win the six-over affairbysevenwickets.
At the national final, the teams will have the opportunity to compete for anadditional$1.7million.
The national finals will offer even greater rewards, with the runner-up taking home $700,000, a trophy, andmedals,whilethelosing semi-finalists will each receive$300,000.
Individualbrilliancewill also be recognized throughout the tournament, with prizes including: MVP ($150,000 + motorcycle), Most Runs ($100,000 + trophy+TV),MostWickets ($100,000 + trophy + TV), Man-of-the-National Final ($75,000 + trophy + TV), Highest Strike Rate ($35,000), and Best Economy($35,000).
Hatiramani...
The Kares One Guyana T10 Tapeball Blast has garnered support from a wide range of sponsors, includingKaresEngineering Inc, the Office of the President, the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sport, KFC Guyana, Star Rentals, Banks DIH, ENet, Guyana Lottery Company, Regal Stationery and Computer Centre, Impressions, Avinash Contracting and Scrap Metal, Shawn’s Mini Mart, Giftland Group of Companies, Kris Jagdeo Construction Company, Montra Restaurant & Lounge, Windsor Estates, The New Doctor’s Clinic, GuyOil, ANSA McAL, SuperBet Guyana, Digital Technology, Camille’s A c a d e m y , N a v i n Construction, Demerara Mutual Life Insurance, C o n
SportsMax - Backed by a roaring Providence crowd under the Sunday night lights, the Guyana Amazon Warriors lit up the National Stadium with a dominant performance to crush the Dubai Capitals by 57 runs and storm to the top of the points table in the 2025
ExxonMobilGuyanaGlobal SuperLeague(GSL). In Match 6 of the highstakesfive-teamshowdown, the Warriors bravely defendedamodest138for7 —turningtheheatonwitha fiery bowling display that folded the Capitals for 81 inside16overs.
Despite early blows — l
Rahmanullah Gurbaz (0), Shimron Hetmyer (14), and Johnson Charles (11) inside the powerplay the Warriors
backboneinMoeenAli.
T
counterattack with two gritty partnerships:asteady 43-run stand with rising teenage star Jewel Andrew and a quickfire 47 with the ever-dangerous Sherfane Rutherford.
C
seamer Kaleem Sana did h
momentum, but Romario Shepherd—playinghisfirst game of the season ensured the Warriors ended onacompetitivenote.
The real carnage, though, came when the Warriorshadtheball Captain Imran Tahir orchestrated a bowling masterclass rotating seven bowlers to perfection. Dwaine Pretorius set the tone, sending back the outof-form Rohan Mustafa,
before Shepherd delivered a knockout punch with a double-wicket over From there, it was the Tahir show — the veteran leggie spun a web around the Capitals’ middle and lower order, finishing with an incredible 4-12 — the best figures of thetournamentsofar Moeen
In what many described asafinaloftheages,Eccles All-Stars,ledbysomeofthe mostdestructivehittingfrom QuazimYusuf,gunneddown 180 to stun Diamond
Gunners in the East Bank/West Demerara zone final in the Kares One GuyanaT10TapeballBlast.
On Sunday at the Eve LearySportsClub,fanswere
left in awe as two renowned tapeball teams produced a classic heavyweight battle for a spot in the national finals. At the halfway stage in the final, Diamond certainly had one foot on the accelerator to the stadium after former national youth player Sagar Hatiramani struck a whirlwind 144*
from45balls,withtwofours and an astonishing 20 sixes, many of which sailed out of theground.
The dashing left-hander shared the bulk of the opening stand as Ricky Sargeant made 26* (3x6s) from 15 balls, which ended withanimposing179-0after 10overs.
On the side of history,
Sargeantwasthefirstplayer to score a hundred in the tournament in 2023, and since then, they have been f o u r m o r e , w i t h Hatiramani’s epic being the highesttodate.
The other centurions are Ricardo Adams (2024), Qauzim Yusuf (2025) and GaneshPuran(2025).
Eccles, the inaugural c h a m p i o n s o f t h e tournament in 2023, found championship success again as Yusuf produced an exhibition of clean hitting againstanythinginhispath.
Heonlydealtwithsixes, 20 of them in total, as this 131* from 38 balls backed by Akeim Vieira (29*) and JonteThomas(15)sawthem reach180-1injust8.4overs.
Eccles won $300,000 as zone champions, Diamond got $100,000 as runners-up, and Hatiramani got $15,000 for setting a new record in the tournament’s history Ganesh Puran also got
Ali and Gudakesh Motie joined the party as the Capitals collapsed spectacularly
With this commanding victory, the undefeated Warriors now sit pretty at the top of the table with two wins from two — while the Capitals are left
clingingtoashotatthefinal ahead of their final clash against the defending championsRangpurRiders. Next up, the Warriors f a c
We
promises to be another sizzlingencounter
$15,000ashepreviouslyheld the record Eccles now joins the Montra Jaguars, whom theywillfaceinthefirstsemifinalofthenationalfinalson August 3 at the National Stadium,Providence Both sides will await the EastCoast/GeorgetownZone winner,whoplaysonJuly19 and 20, followed by EssequiboonJuly26-27.
In the zone semi-finals, EcclesdefeatedTrendsetters by nine wickets as they chased their target of 55 in 2.5 overs, while Diamond knocked out the formidable TheGuard. They, too, aced their chase and reached their targetof86in4.4overs. Bothsemi-finalswere (Continuedonpage24)
